Tiny Little Big Girl Bed

So many changes lately... first preschool and now it's bye-bye crib. It's been a week since we switched Anna to her "big girl bed" (it's actually a tiny little toddler bed) and there's no looking back! At this point I think we could move the crib out of her room and she wouldn't even notice. She sleeps soundly all through the night and during naps and hasn't come close to falling out. I was nervous that she would get out of bed and start wandering around the house but she still waits for us to come get her. It was a delightfully smooth transition. Now, if only potty training were so easy...

I'm starting to get into serious nesting and space-planning mode. Our family room could easily be turned into a third bedroom but we really don't want to lose that space. So right now the plan is to have the nursery in our room until the baby is sleeping through the night and then the girls will share a room. We'll see how that goes!

Preschool Jitters

Today was Anna's first day of preschool and I was a nervous wreck. We've pretty much been attached at the hip for the past 29 months so it was definitely a big day in our house. I brought her into the classroom, played with her for a little while, said "good-bye," and was barely out the door before the tears started. I then continued to sob for the next 15 minutes before calling Todd who was able to talk me down.

I started feeling better as the hours ticked by and I hadn't received a frantic phone call from the school asking me to come get her. When I went to pick her up (I was the first parent at the school, by the way) all the kids were sitting around the table finishing lunch and Anna was leaning back in her chair with a food container on her face! I guess she was feeling pretty comfortable.

The teachers said she was an old hat and participated in all of the activities. I don't know why I'm surprised that she did so well? She's an awesome kid. We're so lucky.

Here are a few pics from this past weekend up in Truckee. The weather was beautiful and we spent both days swimming at Donner Lake.

Nanaland

We just returned from a lovely trip to visit Nana and Papa in Wilmington, NC. Anna was a great little traveler! We managed to do either the beach or pool almost everyday, Todd golfed, I read... it was all very relaxing. Emily and I planned our trips back to back which meant Grandma Mann was able to fly down and see both great-granddaughters. Whenever we came in the door Anna would say "where's my Grandma Joanie?" It was such a nice vacation and I wish we could have stayed longer.

Helping Papa in the yard.

Boat ride.

Naked Anna, pregnant Mama (21 weeks)

Little surfer girl.

Happy 4th of July!

This year our friends AV and Sonia hosted a BBQ out on Angel Island to celebrate the 4th so we boarded the first ferry from Tiburon to join in the fun.  The weather was typical for San Francisco in July - foggy and overcast!  But it cleared up around noon and turned into a beautiful day.  The day was filled with eating, pine cone collecting/throwing, and a little treasure hunt for Anna and Ella. 

In other news, I'm finally feeling all of the little blips and blurps of the baby's acrobatics.  It's such a wonderful feeling! 

We're having a...

GIRL!  Our 18 week ultrasound was this morning and everything looked great.  She was ultra-squirmy and the technician had a hard time determining the gender at first.  But then the doctor came in and said "girl" with quite a bit of confidence.  

Because she was so squirmy and hiding behind the placenta they weren't able to get a very clear picture.  Below is the best one we got of her face.  

I love being able to say "she" and "her."  It makes this pregnancy so much more real to me.  

I have to say I'm already experiencing the second baby guilt because I'm not able to spend as much time focusing on being pregnant and day-dreaming about what this little person will be like.  Instead I'm chasing around a sweet and very strong-willed toddler who, when I told her she was going to have a baby sister, said "No!  Baby brother."  She'll warm up to the idea.

 

Crissy Field

We enjoyed the warm, sunny weather this morning with the Gibbs' at Crissy Field.  The girls were having fun splashing around in the water and helping dig a big hole.  Noah just chilled in his carseat the whole time.  I really hope our baby #2 follows in his footsteps and has a similar temperament! 

P.S.  I realize we need a better nickname than baby #2.  We're working on it...  

Anna and Natalie

This is Anna's "pretending to be angry" face in case you're ever wondering what that might look like.

Father's Day Weekend

This year for Father's Day we took a little "mini-vacation" to Monterey.  We thought it would be fun for Anna to see the aquarium, stay in a hotel, swim in a real pool, eat junk food, and all those other fun things we don't normally get to do!  

The highlight for Anna was definitely the pool!  While she seemed to enjoy the aquarium, I still think she's a little young to appreciate one as impressive as the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  I could have watched the shark tank, jellyfish exhibit, and sea otters all day but Anna was more or less done after an hour.  

It was a fun little getaway.  Now we're looking forward to our upcoming visit to North Carolina to see Nana and Papa!  I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of time at the pool.

Cousins

Emily posted some great photos of Anna and Océanne playing yesterday at the park.  Check them out at le petit croissant!

Hair-do's and Hormones

This week Anna got her second haircut and we decided to try out some bangs.  I love them!  Don't you think they make her look a little mischievous?  Or maybe that's just because it looks like she's strangling BDG in this picture (aka: baby doll Georgia).  

In pregnancy news I had a little hormonal incident last night while we were watching TV.  I'm kind of a sucker for some good potty humor - much to Todd's dismay - and this commercial came on for some type of gas-relief type medication.  As soon as I heard the line "your son Rip is on line toot" I just lost it.  I mean, it wasn't even that funny but all of a sudden I was having one of those uncontrollable laughing fits where I could barely breathe.  Then before I knew it I was sobbing with a lump in my throat and tears streaming down my face.  And then I was laughing again.  And then crying.  And then laughing...

It was the strangest experience which I can only blame on my raging hormones.  I don't think Todd knew what to do and pretty much remained silent throughout the whole thing.  Probably a smart move!

Gobble, Gobble

Anna woke up from her nap the other day in the mood to perform!  This was going on for about 15 minutes before I thought to get the video camera out.  I missed some really good stuff but managed to capture a few funny moments.

In other news...

Anna is going to be a big sister later this year!  

This news is probably not very shocking to many people because a) we've already told you or b) you've been expecting this kind of announcement for some time.  I think that happens to almost everyone once their first child hits the two-year mark and people know you want to have more kids. 

Right now I'm a little over 11 weeks with a November 30th due date and things are going well!  Yesterday morning I was able to hear the heartbeat for the first time which is always exciting and reassuring.  I've been feeling pretty icky and tired -- very similar to how I felt with Anna for the first trimester.  But every day I'm starting to feel more energetic so there's definitely a light at the end of the tunnel!

Mother's Day Weekend in Truckee

We headed up to Truckee for Mother's Day weekend and had a wonderful time.  Anna now gets really excited when we tell her we're going to up there.  It's like a big playhouse to her - complete with stairs, plush carpet, and an old piano she can bang on.  We don't even have a step up to our front door so, yes, stairs are quite the novelty!

My Mother's Day treat was a nice, long walk by the creek Sunday morning.  The mountain air was crisp and clean and I came home feeling very refreshed.  Anna also bought be a pair of fancy new sunglasses to replace my Target specials.  It was a lovely day!

   

Easter

Lately I wish we had hidden cameras around the house so we could capture all of the funny things Anna says throughout the day.  Writing the words down just doesn't seem to do them justice and of course she gets shy as soon as you turn on the camera.  One of our current favorites is when she's in the middle of singing a song and she'll suddenly stop, look at you and say "know that song?"   

See what I mean?  I just reread that sentence and it doesn't sound funny at all.  Now I'm determined to get it on video!

We've been having beautiful weather this past week and Easter was no exception.  Anna had her first visit from the Easter Bunny and was more into the actual basket than the candy.  Fine by me! We went to the Gibbs' house that morning for an Easter egg hunt and then had a lazy Sunday afternoon at home.  Here are a couple pics along with some other recent photos.

Watering the blueberry bush.

Found one!

Still LOVES Elmo.  Thanks for the gifts Aunt Lisa!

She's very serious about her art.

Not sure what this face was all about but that's my Mickey Mouse from when I was her age!

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!