Three Years - Annelise

Dear Annelise,

Another year has flown by and you are another year older.  When I look back at pictures of you from last year, it's hard to remember you like that.  You seem so little, yet, at the time, you seemed so big!  I can't believe how much you've changed physically since then.  It's so fun to compare pictures from a year ago.

It's so fun to actually talk to you now.  You are almost to the point where we can have conversations.  You still have a little bit of work to do, but your speech has dramatically improved.  In fact, I would say that in the past two months, you've had a huge increase in your speech.  You form words better, and speak them better than you used to.  There are still some words that you pronounce incorrectly.  Yogurt is the biggest one.  You say "weegurt" and I absolutely love it!  I took a video of you a few weeks ago pronouncing some words that I thought were cute.  I should take a video of you saying your name and a few other things, just to have for memory.  I know that all too quickly, you will change, your little voice will change, and I won't be able to remember it.

We have been working very hard on asking politely for things, instead of demanding or whining.  Some days go very well, and some days don't.  I usually make you stop and ask again nicely if you fail to do it properly the first time.  I don't let you have things unless you ask nicely.  For the most part, we have a pretty good understanding of that.  Sometimes you really want something that I won't let you have, and that doesn't make you very happy.  I know that you're still trying to figure out all your big emotions.  Some days my patience is better than others.  Same goes for you.  We will still continue to work on it.

You are very polite when we go out in public.  (Most of the time.)  You do a fantastic job of saying "thank you" when you are given something, someone holds the door for you, or anytime the situation warrants it.  That makes my mom heart proud!  I have worked very hard on teaching you manners, and you have done a fantastic job of displaying nice manners.  People will frequently compliment me on how polite you are.  I want you to know that we notice and we appreciate it.  I often tell you thank you for being so polite.  You will tell me thank you back, and then I explain that you should respond with "You're welcome".  You don't fully understand that yet, but we're working on it.

You became a big sister this year.  From the first moment you met your brother, you loved him!  You always want to hold him, feed him, rock him, touch him, pick him up, anything to be around him.  You aren't always supposed to do those things, but you want to anyways!  I have loved seeing you and your brother together.  He loves watching you.  He is going to look up for so many things, and, as his big sister, it's your job to teach him things that you know.  I think that you are going to enjoy teaching him things.  I think that you'll love playing with him even more when he becomes mobile.  I love how fiercely you love him.  I pray that you always love him and have a close relationship.

Things haven't changed too much in the sleep department.  You still go to bed between 8:30-9:00 PM and wake up anywhere from 6:30-7:30 AM.  Most days, you still take an afternoon nap lasting anywhere from 2-4 hours.  On days that you skip a nap, watch out!  You are definitely cranky.  However, if you are entertained and stimulated enough, you can be ok skipping a nap.  I don't like to make a habit of it, but sometimes we have stuff to do, so a nap doesn't happen.

Daddy and I gave it a good effort to try and get you potty trained, but you weren't really on board with it yet.  There were times when you did a great job, and times when you were too busy doing something else and had an accident.  After a few accidents in a row, I threw the towel in and decided to give you a little more time.  You understand the concept, you will go on the potty, you just have a hard time stopping what you're doing to go when you need to before it's too late.  I'm hoping that you'll be ready for it soon.  I feel like, with everything else that has been a transition, you need to decide you're ready and then you do a great job at it.  I know that I'm ready for you to be done with diapers!  I might give it just a couple more weeks and then give it another push.

We've had a taste of what other parents call "threenager".  Let me tell you, it's not very enjoyable.  The talking back is at an all time high!  You point your finger at me and say, "You stop it".  I am not a fan!  I approach it the same way that I do when you ask for something impolitely.  I tell you that you need to talk sweetly to me and once you start talking sweetly we can have a conversation.  You don't always change your attitude right away.  Sometimes it takes a time out for you to relax a minute.  I've found that putting you in your room seems to do a fairly good job.  You take a few minutes to calm down, and then come out and apologize.  As fun as you can be at this age, this age is also very hard for me.  I admit that I'm not a good toddler parent.  It's a lot of work for me to keep my patience with you, especially when you're talking back and yelling at me.  We're both working on it, and some days are better than others.

Daddy and I put you in a gymnastics class, which you absolutely loved.  We only took one session, but you still ask for it sometimes.  I wasn't that crazy about the class.  I like Kindermusik better.  I just signed you up for another Kindermusik class and you're excited to go again.

A big adjustment that we have had to make this year is that Daddy got a new job and is working in Houston right now.  He travels back home on his days off.  You miss him a lot and I can tell that it's hard on you with him being gone.  You always ask how many days until he comes back home.  When he is home, you act out horribly.  You are a completely different child when he's home, and it's not good!  I know that it's because you miss, and because you want attention, and because he lets you get away with stuff that I don't.  It's stressful for all of us.

We've gone to Houston to visit twice and you love it.  You are in the best mood when you know that you are going to get to fly on an airplane.  I love that you are such a good little traveler.  You never act up, you listen very well, and you have a great time!  I look forward to taking more trips with you in the future.  I hope that we can take a lot of mother/daughter trips.  I feel like you are going to love traveling, just like me.  You don't like to nap when we travel and just want to go, go go.

You weigh 35 1/2 pounds (88th %ile) and are 38 1/2 inches (81st %ile) tall.  You are wearing 4T clothing, and I have bought a mixture of 5T and 4 for summer stuff.  You wear a size 6 diaper, and a size 8 shoe.

My girl, I just can't believe that three years have flown by since you were born.  Sometimes it feels like just yesterday.  I can still remember the anticipation waiting for you to arrive.  I love spending days with you and watching you grow and learn.  I am so blessed to be your mom!

Love forever,
Mommy

Pirates and Princess

I was talking to Drew this morning and I told him that I really wanted to do something fun today.  The kids, particularly Annelise, have some cabin fever and need something exciting to do.  I remembered that today is the Disney Jr Pirates and Princess show at the BMO Harris Bank center.  I looked up tickets and ended up buying some.  I spent way more than what I wanted to for a fun afternoon, but, now that it's all said and done, I would spend it again in a heartbeat.

Annelise had the best time!!  As soon as I purchased the tickets, I told her that we were going to go on a date.  She asked if Harrison was going to come and I told her that it was just going to be a date for her and I.  Drew's parents came over to watch Harrison for a couple hours.  She was beyond excited!

We parked in the parking garage, which freaked her out a little bit, but after I explained what it was, she was ok with it.  We walked inside and I started looking for something fun to get her.  We landed on a snow cone in a special cup.  She loved it!  I, however, was not stoked about the $12 price tag!!!!  But, she was happy, so I digress.

We found our seats and sat down to wait for the show to start.  Ten minutes to show time and Doc McStuffins came out to do a little skit.  It was pretty cute.

The show started with Mickey and Minnie coming out and talking to everyone.  Then, Princess Sofia started.  The show was like watching a live episode.  I didn't really know what to expect going into the show, but I really like.  They had the actual character's voices playing on a track and then the actors just lip-synced along to it.  I thought that was neat.  The "episode" was cute and had to do with Sofia needing to find a gift for the friendship festival.  Annelise sat and watched quite intently the whole time.

When Sofia was done, she immediately asked for more.  I explained to her that it was a short intermission, and that Jake would be coming next.

Once Jake started, she sat and watched that so well also.  I couldn't believe how much she was actually enjoying it!  She was a little disappointed when it was over and we had to leave.  I promised her that we would go on another date again.  I'm excited that she's getting old enough to enjoy fun outings like this.

Clean Chompers

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that I had a small hole in one of my teeth.  I called the dentist to get it looked at and had to wait almost a week before I could get in.  It was a cavity, of course, and it turned out that I had another rather large cavity next to it.

Here would be a good time to say that I hate my teeth.  I always have cavities, despite twice daily brushing and the occasional flossing.  I try to take good care of my teeth, but my teeth just don't care.  It's rather annoying.  And getting cavities filled is not a favorite pastime of mine.

So, the dentist filled the original tooth, and put a temporary filling in the other one.  She said that we would just monitor whether it gave me pain over the next couple of weeks to determine whether to put in a permanent filling or do a root canal.  Before this point, I didn't have any pain associated with that tooth.  After the drilling and temporary filling, there is some pain at times.  More annoyance!

Once I finished with the fillings, I made appointments for Drew, Annelise, and I to get cleanings.  Today was that day.  It was exciting because today was Annelise's first trip to the dentist.  I spent a lot of time talking it up and making it sound very exciting so that she wouldn't be scared.  She was absolutely stoked to go.

I went back for my cleaning first and took her back with me so that she could watch.  She sat right next to me and watched very closely.  Once I got done, I took her over for her turn and Drew went for his.

I asked her beforehand if she wanted to sit on my lap or by herself and she pushed me away and said she wanted to sit by herself.  She climbed up in the chair and sat so patiently.  The hygienist's name was Ann and she did such a fantastic job of speaking so calmly and explaining everything to Annelise.  She showed her all of the tools and what they did before she used them on her mouth.  Annelise just sat and watched and did as she was told.  I was amazed at how well she handled it all.  She chose birthday cake for her flavor for toothpaste and seemed to like it.

I did learn a few things during her cleaning.  Her back molars have very deep ridges, which I sort of knew because they are a bitch to brush clean.  Ann also said that the space between her teeth is a very good thing.  That means less junk can get stuck between them and cause decay.  She also told me that for every month past the 6 month average that babies get teeth, can equate to about 3-6 months when comes time for the teeth to fall out.  Annelise was 9 months old before she got her first tooth, so she might be closer to 7 before she loses her first tooth.  This is a good thing because that means there is less time for decay to set into those adult teeth.  That also means that she has a greater chance of being old enough to be a better brusher to help ward off decay.  Interesting!

Once Annelise's cleaning was done, she got a goody bag filled with a new toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and a timer.  She loved getting her own little bag.

After the cleaning, we went upstairs to get checked out by the dentist.  I have another two cavities to get filled.  (@$&^#^&^$^%&$#@!!!!)  Annelise got a good report.  We need to watch those back molars carefully because it will be easy to get cavities given how deep they are.  She will probably be a good candidate for sealants, but we'll reevaluate in 6 months.  Dentist also said that she needs to ditch the paci.  She only has it while she sleeps, and I knew that it was getting time for it to go anyways.  I'm not going to rush it right now.  She is still VERY attached to it, and I'm doing this parenting thing solo for the majority of the time.  We'll get rid of it, it just might be a couple months.

Rainbow Rice Sensory Activity

A few months ago, I made some rainbow rice for Annelise for a sensory activity.  I figured that it would be a good activity to keep her busy while someone watched her while I was in the hospital with Harrison.  No one actually used it, and it has just sat on the counter since then.  This morning, Harrison went back to sleep just as Annelise was waking up.  I fed her breakfast, and then asked her if she wanted to play with the rainbow rice.  She was entertained for a good 40 minutes until Harrison woke up.  She actually probably would have played longer if I let her.

Rainbow Rice

6 freezer bags
Food coloring
1 5 lb bag of rice
1 bottle of hand sanitizer

1) Put 2 cups of rice into 6 freezer bags.
2) Add 15 drops of food coloring to each bag.  Orange = 8 yellow + 8 red.  Purple = 8 red + 8 blue
3) Add 2 tablespoons of hand sanitizer to each bag.  (I did 20-25 pumps)
4) Mix together and let sit for 20-25 minutes.
5) Heat oven to 170 degrees and dry rice for 15-18 minutes.

Catching Up

Annelise has been in Kindermusik since she was about 9 months old.  We have both loved taking the classes.  During the summer break, Drew and I debated about whether or not we should re-enroll her in Kindermusik, or if we should sign her up for another class that is a little more physical.  We ultimately decided to sign her up for a gymnastics class.  We started that earlier this month.  She has absolutely loved it!

I have been the one in the class with her, although Drew and Harrison have come and sat outside in the viewing area.  At this point, I think that Annelise just thinks it's one big playground, and I usually have a very difficult time getting her to listen and focus on what she's supposed to be doing.  I'm hoping that after a few more classes, that she'll relax a little bit and start working on some of the skills that they are trying to teach.

If I'm being honest, I miss Kindermusik classes.  The instructor has started doing a First Friday Playdate and I think that I'm going to take Annelise to those.

Annelise has developed the habit of climbing out of her crib.  At first, I thought it was just a fluke and I tried explaining to her that we don't climb on the furniture, or out of the crib, and it seemed to work.  For about a day.  After a couple days of her climbing out of her crib, I realized that it was now a habit and there was no going back.  We even tried dropping the mattress all the way to the floor and that didn't deter her much.  So, this happened:

Yep, the toddler bed.  She usually goes to bed around 10 PM and will get up between 7:30-8:00 AM.  The first night in her toddler bed, she didn't go to bed until midnight and she was up at 5:45 AM!  Needless to say, the transition has been a little rough.  She's been up around 6:00 AM since we set it up.  We bought a gate to go in her doorway to try and contain her a little bit, although she has already scaled that once.  Toddlers, nothing but trouble I tell ya!  This morning I did manage to convince her to go back to bed for a little bit and she slept for about an hour longer.

Harrison has been growing like a weed!  I've transitioned him to 6 month clothing and I put him in size 3 diapers yesterday.  I stepped on the scale with him and he's about 14 pounds!  Have I mentioned that he's not even 3 months old yet?  He's a tank!

We all went to the Madison zoo on Thursday.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day and there were hardly any people there.  Perfection!

Both of the kids were so good.  Annelise walked the whole time since Harrison rode in the stroller.  She loved being able to see the animals and roam around.  With the exception of a small battle in the parking lot to hold our hands, she listened very well.  It's so fun to take her places when she's happy and well behaved.  I love to watch her as she grows and learns things.

Drew started a new job at O'Hare earlier this month.  He commutes with a few other guys that work the same shift as him.  He really seems to enjoy the new job more than his last one.  I'm happy that he's happier at work.

I've been second shooting weddings and I absolutely love it.  It gives me an opportunity to get out of the house and "work" some.  It doesn't really feel like work though.  I really enjoy shooting and I enjoy working with Kristen.  October is going to be such a busy month and it will probably fly by.

Birthday Fun

Drew and I thought that we would take Annelise over to Nicholas Conservatory to see the butterfly exhibit as a fun activity to do on her birthday.  We've never been there, so I wasn't too sure what to expect, but I thought that she would at least have a little fun.

The Conservatory is kept very warm and humid, much like a tropical climate.  There are lots of plants, flowers, and trees that thrive in those conditions.  Everything was gorgeous and there was so much to look at.

The butterfly exhibit was in a netted enclosure that was decent sized, but not too large.  We opened the door and walked inside and the butterflies were flying all around.  Most were perched on the walls or flowers.  One landed on me and I bent down to show Annelise, but she was not too sure about it.  I tried to tell her that it wouldn't hurt her and even put the butterfly on my finger, but she wasn't a fan.  She just wanted to get out of the enclosure and go explore more.

Here she's checking out the koi fish in the pond.  She bent down to get a closer look, but she was a little unsure of those too.

She soon discovered these natural stone stairs and went up and down them about a gabillion times.  Meanwhile, I tried to not hyperventilate that she would trip and end up in the pond.  Thankfully, she didn't.  After letting her roam and explore for a bit, we coaxed her outside to go look at what was out there.  We walked around the paths and she got to see some ducks in the pond that was still a little frozen.

After we got done exploring the Conservatory, we came home so that she could take a nap.  Once she woke up, we went and got some ice cream, which is her favorite, and some dinner.

I just can't believe that my little girl is two years old now!

Two Years

Dear Annelise,

This yearly letter is much harder to sit down and write compared to your first year letter.  I honestly can't believe how fast your second year has flown by.  It went much faster than your first one.  I'm scared to think of how fast this next year will go.  You have grown and changed so much; more than I could ever imagine.

You have started to explode verbally.  I've been so worried about your speech because you really didn't talk much.  You babble an awful lot, but nothing is really any comprehensible English.  In fact, I'll usually look at you when you start babbling and jokingly say, "Why don't you start babbling some English?"  You either laugh at me, or shake your head no, and continue to babble.  You've started saying some two words phrases.  Your most favorite is "thank you".  I love to hear your sweet little voice say thank you without any prompting.  And, you usually do say it without having to be prompted at all.  At least, as far as close family or friends go.  You are a more hesitant to speak when you are around people that you don't know very well.

We still go to Kindermusik every week and you still love it.  You've started to sing along to some of the songs that you know.  You also have grown quite independent while we're there and you rarely sit with me.  You would much rather run around and play.  I've been contemplating adding in another type of class, like a tumbling class.  I don't want to stop going to Kindermusik because I know that you love it, but I also feel like you would really enjoy and benefit from a more physically active class.

One of the biggest changes that has happened is that you are going to be a big sister!  We told you very early on, and you came with me to many of my doctor's appointment.  I don't know if you fully understand it, but you point at my belly and say "baby", and give my belly kisses.  You know what outside babies are, so I'm hoping that you understand that soon the baby in my belly will be outside and here to stay.  You absolutely love babies and love to see them and touch them gently.  I hope that you continue to love babies, and especially your little brother, once he comes out and is home.  I know that you are going to want to hold him all the time.  I'm excited for you to become a big sister  and I think that you are going to do great in your new role.  I'm working very hard to treasure the time that we have left where we're just a family of three.

You have also grown into a very independent little girl.  You insist on doing a lot of things yourself.  You like to buckle yourself into your high chair and car seat, feed yourself from a bowl and spoon when we allow you to eat without being in your high chair, walk from the car to wherever we are going and back again, throw things away, and many other things.  If you can safely and easily do it yourself, you want to and you let us know it if we try to help.  However, you can recognize when you do need help and ask for it.  You are usually pretty good about asking nicely and not throwing a fit.  Sometimes I'll have to remind you to ask nicely.

And since we're on that subject, you have a nasty habit of whining to ask for things, such as a bite of food for example.  I always tell you to ask nicely and you quickly correct yourself and ask in the proper manner.  However, I'm not a fan of having to remind you all the time.  I'm hoping that soon you'll understand and always ask without whining.  I'm sure that part of it is because you're still working on your communication.  I really hope that as your communication continues to improve, the whining will decrease.

Almost all of your teeth are in.  We're just waiting on your top two year molars, which I'm sure will be arriving very soon.  The bottom molars just sort of seemed to appear.  You came down with a runny and stuffy nose and a small fever, which I thought was a cold since I had just checked your gums about a week prior.  Daddy suggested that it might be your teeth, and when I went to feel your gums, the bottom molars were working their way through the gums!  It was crazy how fast they appeared.

Daddy and I took you for your first haircut in January.  The back of your hair had grown so long, and your front was still working on catching up, and I just couldn't handle your little baby mullet anymore.  You did a great job!  You sat in the chair and watched very seriously and didn't fuss or squirm at all.  I was so proud of you.  We trimmed your hair into a cute little bob, and now we're still just waiting for the front to grow out.

There have started to be days where you nap strike.  Some days you handle it like a champ, and some days you very obviously needed that nap that you insisted on skipping.  Naps can range anywhere from two to four hours.  You usually go to bed between 8:30 and 9:00 PM and usually wake up in the morning between 7:00 and 7:30 AM.  Some days are a little earlier, some days a little later.  I wish that I could get you on a consistent schedule of waking up.  Ideally, I'd prefer 8 AM!!

We took you to a Wilderness Resort Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells in January when you were 20 months old.  We stayed overnight with some friends and their two kids.  You did a great job, and once we found some water that was actually warm, you had a blast.  You love going down slides and riding rides.  In fact, once you realized that we could go down some of the bigger slides as a family, you wanted nothing to do with the smaller, more age appropriate things.  I knew that would happen though.  You've loved being adventurous for a while now.  You really enjoy the rides at fairs and always ask for more.

Daddy and I have started working with you on potty training.  We aren't pushing it too hard, but we're slowly introducing it and letting you figure it out.  You've peed in your potty seat once.  You don't like to sit down and be patient and wait for yourself to go.  You usually hop up and sit down quite a few times before I get annoyed and tell you that we're done playing.  Even giving you a book won't calm you down for long.  Hopefully you'll relax soon and start using the potty more.

You weigh almost 29 pounds and are 35.5 inches tall.  I just recently transitioned all of your clothes to size 3T and you still wear a size 4 diaper.  However, you are wearing 2T in jeans.  You are wearing a size 6 shoe.

I can't believe how much you've grown and changed and I'm excited to see how much more you will grow and change in the next six months.  Even though we definitely have our challenges, I can't believe just how much my heart swells with love for you.  You bring me so much joy and laughter.

Love you forever,
Mommy

A 2nd Birthday Party

We decided to have Annelise's 2nd birthday party the Sunday before her birthday this year because it worked out better for Drew's schedule.  This year, her party was smaller, but really just in the fact that I didn't go crazy decorating like I did for her first birthday party.  This year, I just bought some balloons and strung up a banner.  I sort of figured that next year she will have an opinion and want a themed party and I can go crazy then.

We were so blessed to have so many family and friends come.  And, while gifts were completely unnecessary, our little girl was showered with many gifts.

Last year, we had mini cupcakes for all the guests to eat.  This year, Drew insisted that we have a cake. Absolutely insisted!  And, he requested ice cream too!

The birthday girl LOVED her cake and ice cream!

Drew created his own little version of "Up" with all the balloons!!

We had such an amazing time celebrating with our little girl.  It's so hard to believe that another year of her life has flown by.  I tell people all the time that this second year has gone so much faster than the first.  It's just crazy!