Bathtime!

The other night we were over at a friend's house and it was bath night so we threw all three kids in the tub.  They had a blast!

Anna definitely has my crooked smile.

Alessia, Anna, and Colton

Helping rinse off.  Anna was happy with her ladybug.

Anna turns two!

Anna turned two on Friday and we had quite the celebration. Grandma J flew in from Florida and we had not one, but two parties on Saturday! It was kind of crazy. We borrowed a jumpy house for the "kids" party in the morning which was a big hit. Later that day some friends came over for "adult" party number two, which basically meant more alcohol, less kids!

Anna had her two year check up this morning so here's the update on her stats:

Weight: 28 lbs (75th %)

Height: 35 inches (90th %)

Pacifier Use: "Ditch it. Now!" said the doc.

Attitude: Pretty good for a two-year old - until we ditch the pacifier that is...

Words: Too many to count! She speaks in complete sentences a lot of the time and says "please" and "thank you" on a fairly regular basis.

Level of Elmo Addiction: High

What's wrong with this picture?

I told Anna she had to have shoes on to go outside and these are what she came back with!

Anna's First Haircut

Anna had her first haircut today!  It wasn't anything too dramatic, just a little trim to even things up.  I came prepared for a meltdown and brought a few things I thought she might need: monkey, cookies, and a pacifier.  Turns out she didn't need any of it!  In fact, I think she actually enjoyed herself. Todd and I were both there, snapping pictures and acting like it was the first time any child had gotten a haircut.  Here are a few pics and a short video.  

 

Holidays

What happened to the month of December? It went by too fast! This morning we took down our Christmas tree and Anna was trying to rehang ornaments as we were taking them off. I'm pretty sure she thought it was a permanent decoration. It's always a little sad to take down the tree and get back to normal life after the holidays.

We spent the week after Christmas in Truckee, joined by our friends the West's. There was at least two feet of snow on the ground at our house! I wouldn't say that Anna loves the snow - tolerates is probably a more accurate description. She had fun sledding on the driveway but not on any real hills. Keeping mittens on her proved to be a challenge as well! I think she'll be more excited by the snow after a couple more trips to Tahoe.

I can't wait to see what the coming year has in store for the Youngs family!

Thanksgiving 2008

I'm a little behind in posting about Thanksgiving this year.  My parents were in town and we had a wonderful visit.  Nana and Papa brought Anna an early Christmas gift (pictured below) so they could see her reaction in person and, man, was it a good one!  She was holding the ukelele like a pro right off the bat.  Hmm... she must have inherited some musical talent from Todd?  It's definitely not from me!

I don't have many pictures from the rest of the week although I should be getting some from Emily soon.  To sum it up, there was lots of eating, playing, and football watching!  It was great to spend Thanksgiving with mom, dad, Emily, Ben and Oceanne since we'll all be doing our own thing for Christmas.  

Miss Kitty Groupies

I had to share this video Shannon posted on their blog of Ella and Anna dancing together.  Every Wednesday we go to the Discovery Museum and see Miss Kitty perform.  The kids love her and it only took about three or four performances for Anna to get out of my lap and dance.  Now she's a total Miss Kitty groupy!

New do, new 'tude

The other day I discovered it was possible to put Anna's hair in pigtails so she's been sporting the new do everyday day since!  They usually last until naptime and then I have to go on a search for the rubber bands.  I love it though.  She looks like such a little girl now.  

Enough about the new do... now it's time to discuss the new attitude!  Our little Anna is going through some changes and it's safe to say we've entered the "terrible two's."  I heard it usually happens well before the second birthday and that's definitely the case here.  Routines that used to be so predictable and easy are no longer so - getting into the carseat, getting into the bath, getting out of the bath, going to bed, etc.  She has a very strong opinion about these things and it's usually "NO!"  Her furry little red monster friend (that's Elmo for those of you that don't have a toddler) will usually calm her down but I hate resorting to the TV or computer at such an early age.  We fought it for as long as we could but we're only so strong!

But we're adjusting and figuring things out again.  The fun, sweet, and happy Anna moments are way more frequent than the tantrum-throwing, back-arching, screaming-at-the-top-of-her-lungs moments.  So that's good.

Halloween 2008 & Baby Ava!

What an exciting Halloween! Anna had several opportunities to dress up in her mouse costume the last couple weeks, starting with a party thrown by the Southern Marin Mother's Club, followed by a party at a friend's house in the city, and ending with her first trick-or-treating in our neighborhood! It's hard to believe that this time last year she was barely sitting up by herself.

Our good friends the West's received a very special treat this Halloween. They welcomed their second baby girl, Ava Rose, into the world yesterday afternoon. We were able to meet her and see the family this morning at the hospital and everyone is healthy, happy, and beautiful! Congratulations Glenn and Shannon!

Our little mouse

This really was the cutest view

Glenn, Shannon, and Baby Ava

Pumpkin Time!

Last Saturday we went to pick out pumpkins. Anna had her first experience in a jumpy house and also rode in a wagon without becoming frozen with fear. It was a fun day!

Blackie's Hay Day

This morning we went to Blackie's Hay Day in Tiburon, which is a local, old-fashioned country fair with games, pony rides and other fun stuff for kids.   We decided that Anna wasn't quite ready for a pony ride but she did have fun in the petting zoo.  Next we took her to the "hay ride" where you pull your kid in a wagon through a maze of hay bales.  What could be so bad about that you might wonder?  Well, Anna immediately laid down flat in the wagon - stiff as a board - and then insisted on being carried through the rest of the way.  

I think we knew we didn't have much of a daredevil on our hands but this pretty much confirmed it!

Birthday Greetings from Anna

"Happy, happy, happy, happy birthday Papa.  Bye-bye."

18 Months

It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating Anna's first birthday and here she is at 18 months already! We had her check-up this morning and she's still on the path to being a very tall little girl at 34.5 inches (95th percentile) and weighs 26 lbs (75th percentile). These are not Mann family genes!

Anna is talking up a storm and seems to learn new words each day. She loves to list off the people's names. We'll be driving somewhere and I'll hear this little voice in the back saying "mommy, daddy, emmy (emily), sessa (alessia), monka (monica), wah-ey (wendy)..." and on and on. It's pretty cute.

I'm not exactly sure when it happened but all of a sudden she became a little girl. I know I'll miss a lot of things about baby-hood, but so far I have to say that toddler-hood is much more fun. It comes with a whole set of new challenges (tantrums, etc) but being able to really communicate, and play, and make each other laugh - well, it's all very exciting!

Watching the sea lions at Pier 39

Playing in the back yard

Why Swim Diapers Were Invented

Poor Anna. Today I put her in the pool wearing a regular diaper under her suit, thinking it wouldn't be a big deal for a quick dip. Well, twenty minutes later she could barely stand up and the thing weighed at least 10 lbs. Oops! Lesson learned.

I had to capture the moment even though Todd thought I was being a little bit cruel.

Healing and Laughing

Everything went well with the surgery last week although the first couple days were pretty miserable - not because of the pain, but because I had a terrible reaction to the painkillers.  Nausea, dizzyness... it wasn't pretty.  I'm well on the way to recovery now and each day I seem to have a little more use of my right arm.  I'm so thankful that mom is here to help Todd take care of me and Anna!  

Anna is keeping us entertained, as usual.  These days she'll pretty much repeat anything you ask her to and her vocabulary is getting quite large.  She loves her baby dolls, Georgia and Ruby, and is obsessed with wrapping them up in blankets and wheeling them around the house in her little stroller.  She's also getting into accessories, as you can see below...

What a ham!

Nana with her girls

Me and my sling - I'm so tired of it already!

Truckee Weekend

We had a lovely weekend up in Truckee... walked along the river, swam in Donner Lake, watched the Olympics. It was very relaxing and Anna is getting much better with the long car ride.

I'm having shoulder surgery this Friday and mom/Nana is flying out to help with Anna. Here's the story in a nutshell - I injured my shoulder almost 20 years ago (am I really that old?!) and it's been popping out ever since. Full recovery takes about 6-8 weeks so it's going to be hard not to hold and play with Anna the way I'm used to. But I am looking forward to seeing mom and having a shoulder that won't dislocate!

Down by the Truckee River

Brrr!

Anna's first pair of sneakers - so cute!

North Carolina

We recently got back from a trip out east to visit my parents along with Emily and Océanne.  Grandma Mann flew down from New York and our cousins Tom, Marybeth, and Jeanmarie happened to be in town that same week visiting Uncle Frank and Aunt Betsy.   It was a great chance for Anna to meet some of her extended family, who we rarely see living so far away.

Anna's favorite activity was playing in the surf at the beach.  She's never really been in the ocean even though we live so close ourselves.  The beaches here are a little too rough and cold - not nearly as inviting as those in North Carolina.  She loved the taste of salt water and had no problems putting her face right in!  

It was such a relaxing vacation and I know my parents were thrilled to have all their girls (and Todd, of course!) visiting at once.  

Anna's first boat ride on the Intercoastal Waterway

Our little water bug

Amazed by the crazy bubble gun

County Fair

Today we went to the Marin County Fair and headed straight for the barn animals. Anna was fascinated! We could tell she was making some connections between the animals in her books and the pens in front of her. The piglet seemed to be her favorite (so cute!), followed by the chickens, cows, and goats. She was a little overwhelmed in the petting zoo, but it was also nap time so we packed up and headed out. What a fun afternoon!

I love that Anna is getting to the age where she actually enjoys these types of things. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Playdate

Anna and her friend Alessia taking turns in the stroller*

*I'm pretty sure this stroller was not made to withstand 25 lb toddlers but they were having so much fun!

Behind the wheel

Last night Todd called me out to the driveway to see "something really cute." And he was right. It seems that Anna has been watching our every move from her carseat, filing her observations away until she finally had a chance to get in the driver seat and give it a try. She spent most of the time adjusting the mirrors and then, of course, had to see what tunes were on the radio.

I'm so glad we had the video camera handy.