This post is a little overdue, but better late than never. Back on July 30, 2010, Analiese had her first taste of solid food–yummy rice cereal. We captured the event on video, so check it out.
A few of observations:
- The meal was breakfast.
- I think that she thought she was just chewing on another toy, but if you watch her eyes, you’ll see when she realizes this is not just a toy but food!
- Analiese really didn’t know what to do with her tongue. So, she just elected to stick it out. She knows now, and knowing is half the battle.
I have been swamped with life lately. I’ve been busy in a really good, fulfilling way. I just haven’t had a chance to write all of the posts I want to. So, here’s a snippit of what I’ve/we’ve been up to.
- Analiese and I made our second solo trip to Bloomington, Indiana to visit some of my housemates from college. Ten of us lived together in a big old house within a very short walking distance to campus. We were the “707 girls”. We had so much fun together. It was a bit surreal to be back on IU’s campus with my 6 month old daughter. Her first college visit.
- I started an Etsy shop! I’ve been wanting to do this for so long and I finally picked a name, set up my shop policies and started listing items. Most of the items that are in the shop now are ones that I already had done for us or friends and just tweaked the information to protect their privacy. The last name I’ve chosen for any samples that include a picture of our family is “Westen” – a reference to our favorite burned spy, Michael Westen.
- I have been in a habit of rearranging rooms lately. Like almost on a daily basis. I blame it on the amount of time I spend in our house these days. It’s usually a small change, but sometimes it can be a major room overhaul like the night I decided to completely take apart and put back together our guest room/office without Ross knowing. He was upstairs and I had just put Analiese down for the night. I am a master at doing things quietly. Ross is not. I guess it’s a good thing that Analiese gets a little of both extremes. However, I’m always stumped at how she can sleep through major road construction right outside her window and wake up to Ross sneezing. Then again, have you heard him sneeze?!
- I’ve been on a sewing kick. Part of that room rearrangement I mentioned above allowed me to bring my sewing machine up from the basement so I have easy access to it when I want to work on a project. (It also meant that Ross moved the computer into his closet. Yes, you read that right. His closet. This guy has more quirks than you may have known about.) Anyway, these projects are finally getting done thanks to our new guest room/craft room. It feels so good to be so productive. Pictures coming soon. :)
- I really love breastfeeding Analiese and I can see how it’s hard for some moms to let go of the intimate bonding time with their baby which can lead to breastfeeding well beyond a year. I’m pretty sure that’s as long as I’ll go, but I will miss it. One thing I will not miss is pumping every morning and every night. Now that solids are in Analiese’s diet, she’s not eating as much from me, so I need to pump to keep the supply going. But it is SO BORING! And so, I’ve gotten into this awful habit of watching tv shows on Hulu to pass the time. I actually enjoy some of them, but when I started watching The Bachelor Pad recently, I knew something had to change. While I’m pretty limited to what I can do during these 20-30 minute time periods, there are other things I could spend my time doing. I could pray. And I could listen to a sermon on iTunes. I decided to listen to a sermon from The Village Church this morning instead of watching the fourth episode of Bachelor Pad. And even though I only got 5 hours of sleep last night, I feel so much more refreshed than if I had watched a trashy, drama-induced reality show.
- One of my favorite things about college was how my involvement with Campus Crusade for Christ fostered such a unique community with other believers. I was challenged in my faith, learned how to pray to and trust God with big things. I grew a lot over those four years. In particular, I loved getting together with other women who asked hard questions and kept me accountable in various areas of my life. While I have many wonderful women in my life now, I’ve missed the one-on-one fellowship I was spoiled with in college. Needless to say, I’m going to start meeting with another woman from church. She’s been such an important part of our lives as parents and I love and respect the way she’s raised her own daughters. I’m really looking forward to reading the Word with her and talking about life with a Biblical perspective.
I know that Parker recently got a whole birthday post, but here he is licking some cream cheese off my Mom’s finger.
From his “puppy cut” hairdo to his spirited greetings of strangers, Parker still gets mistaken for a puppy from time to time. It’s true that he’s held on to many of his puppy-like antics, but in fact, he’s growing up. Parker turned three today and continues to bring our family so much joy. He even makes Analiese laugh from time to time. He’s my company on walks and Ross’s cuddle buddy.
To celebrate, we took a walk to Three Dog Bakery for a treat courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa. It happened to be one of the “three dog’s” birthdays over the weekend, so we got a few freebies, too. Parker devoured the sprinkled cake I gave him today. We’re saving the other treats for another day. Parker also played with a new toy. You can see how much fun he had with it.
I also have BIG plans to replace Parker’s frog toy. I seriously can’t wait to get rid of what can only be referred to as the most pitiful looking piece of cloth ever. The “frog” has been without stuffing for well over a year and is missing both arms as well as any semblance of a face. I try to keep it as far away from Analiese as possible, but it’s Parker’s absolute favorite toy. If he’s not playing with it, he’s using it as a pillow. Sometimes we joke about how he must think it’s our favorite toy for him to play with since we tell him to go get it all the time. Unfortunately, we tried to get his new frog today, but the store we went to didn’t have the same one. Once we find it, though, that gross thing is getting pitched. I think Ross might be a little sad to see it go.
Happy birthday, Parker!
We were in Indiana again last weekend for a “grandparents weekend”. That’s right, all four grandparents with their first and only grandchild. Talk about all eyes on Analiese!
When I lived in New York, the rest of my extended family was within a very short driving distance. Family get togethers were frequent. Those are some of my favorite memories as a kid. Now that we have a daughter of our own, it’s time to start making some of those memories with her. She may not remember them yet, but we might as well get some practice in. We’re lucky enough have two sets of very willing parents to help us out.
We enjoyed the company, the conversations, the food and the many opportunities to have our hands free since there were eight others awaiting their turn. Of course, we were never far. With all of her giggles and smiles these days, we were always within camera distance to capture this special time of Analiese with her loving Grandma, Grandpa, Nana and Poppa.
1. The look Analiese is giving Poppa pretty much sums up how she feels about him. His booming, deep voice throws her off a bit, but eventually piques her curiosity and grabs her attention. 2. Grandma and Grandpa just love seeing and holding their granddaughter. 3. SO HAPPY! 4. Mama and baby girl. 5. Nana and Grandma have a lot in common…including their white v-necks and how much they love their grandbaby. 6. What IS this thing you’ve put on me? Can’t you see it doesn’t fit? 7. Pretty girl. :) 8. Daddy is so proud of his little swim baby. (Check out that hand gesture!)
Can’t wait for the next opportunity to have everyone together again!