Catching Up

Where should I begin? Anna Claire has experienced her first cold, which made for some fussy days and some restless nights this past week. I am glad to report that she is on the mend and has slept through the night the past two nights. I think she is getting back to her old, giggly self - which thrills me! Her nose is a river, but it doesn't seem to be slowing her down... whew! This week has been a busy one. We finally sold the boat. While this is good news, it is also bittersweet. Brad has been working all week to settle things with the buyer and will officially hand over the keys on Friday. :-( Anna got to spend some extra time with Grandmom and Aunt Kelly on Monday while Daddy was tending to the boat, so she enjoyed that! We are so blessed to have Brad's family in Lexington.

She is just so much fun these days! We live and die to make her giggle and I am convinced it is the best sound I have ever heard. Today we discovered she thinks it is quite funny if you hit yourself in the head and act wounded... I know, I know - the sick things we will do for a giggle! She is rolling both ways now, although definitely favors back to belly. It will be nice when she masters the reverse skill so we don't have to spend countless hours flipping her over. Ha! She is getting stronger every day and is really loving her jumparoo. She has the bouncing down and can spend up to 45 minutes in the jumparoo having a great time. I will try to capture a video soon - it's great! She is also really, really learning to pull up her legs and has started grabbing at her feet, which is just irresistibly cute! She seems to really enjoy sitting, propped up on the sofa. I guess it will be a matter of time before she can sit unassisted. She is getting closer every day!

Last weekend was Honey's birthday, so she and Poppy came to Lexington for some birthday fun. We really enjoyed visiting with them on Saturday and Sunday. They came bearing gifts... Anna Claire is officially ready for our beach trip in April. See the pics below! Happy Birthday Honey! Also, Happy Belated to Mills and to Aunt Kathy!

We are happy to report that Uncle Chris is dropping in for a very quick visit on Saturday and he will be staying with us until Monday! I am sure we will have some great photos to share on Monday!

My little Valentine!

Enjoy some cute photos from our Valentine weekend! She looked cute in her holiday gear and enjoyed making cookies with Mommy for Daddy as a surprise!

FYI... This morning she rolled from tummy to back, so hopefully that trick catches on soon!!!

She's on a ROLL!

The rolling is constant and neverending... definitely her new favorite thing to do, but we are so proud of her! Hopefully she will soon learn how to roll the opposite way so doesn't continually find herself trapped on her tummy. As promised, here are some videos of the rolling action and also some photos of her in the big-girl-jogging stroller. I can't wait for the weather to improve so we can get out more!

Happy V-day! xoxo

Rolly Poly!

Anna Claire is officially rolling! She is now able to roll from back to belly and is quite enjoying it. We cannot lay her on her back without her rolling! She first revealed this party trick a few weeks ago, but since then has only done it a few times. Last Friday she rolled a few times and since Tuesday evening she is suddenly doing it over and over and over and over! No more turning my head on the changing table! She can't quite figure out how to roll from belly to back - so she gets stuck once she rolls. Hopefully she will master this skill soon so she doesn't get stuck and frustrated! It seems that most babies usually roll from belly to back before back to belly... so we are doing things in reverse order, but nonetheless it is so fun to watch her and we are so proud! I will try to capture a video tonight and will post it ASAP!

The appointment with the Nephrologist went well today. She seemed to mimic the opinion of Dr. Childers - saying that the dialation in her kidney was mild and clearly was not causing any infection or complications. They want to continue to monitor her, but feel it is something that will resolve itself. That is a relief! We could hardly stop the rolling long enough for her examination! Everyone there complimented her pleasant demeanor. She was very cooperative and giggly until the very end. We were there for almost 3 hours! We did get her new stats... just a smidge over 26 inches and 14.3 lbs. That puts her 97% in height and 50% in weight. She has packed on a pound in just about 3 weeks! Still long and thin, but closing the gap! Her height growth is slowing down to a more normal range. We will go in for her 6 month appointment next month - hard to believe!

Evening Play Time

Anna Claire is really beginning to find her voice. She is CONSTANTLY "talking" these days and making the sweetest sounds! The past two weeks she has really developed a true giggle and we spend all of our days and nights trying to evoke these adorable belly laughs! Brad found a trick that worked tonight (push-ups of all things!) and I captured a minute or two on video! Turn up your volume and enjoy! (Please ignore the spit-up toward the end... sorry! It's just part of it!)


Here is another video from this evening... she is a chatter box! Excuse the dark, poor quality of these videos. I think you will agree that even if you can't see her that well - you will enjoy the audio!

Out for a stroll...

I couldn't wait to get Anna Claire out for a walk yesterday! We were loving being outside in the balmy temps, so we walked to Kroger for a few things we needed for dinner. She really enjoyed the stroll and looking around at everything. I can't wait to get the 'big girl'/jogging stroller going... I couldn't take it yesterday because one tire needed air, but Brad is out with her today in the big stroller. She is able to sit in it now that she has such great head support, plus it is forward facing and allows her to see everything. Next time we walk I will be sure to take some photos. Here are some from yesterday!

P.S. - we are off to the Nephrologist tomorrow... say a little prayer that everything checks out and I will certainly keep you all posted.

Cool tool...

Nothing fantastic to report... I just found a great site during my lunch hour today. You can take any photo and it will turn it instantly into a pencil sketch, cartoon, charcoal etc. This pic of Anna Claire turned out to be so beautiful even as a pencil sketch! Just thought I would share.

Here is a Warhol type effect...

Finally... a cartoon/comic strip of our little family! I LOVE this site being that I am not a photoshop expert. This is so easy and I will be visiting this site to play again soon!

Last night Anna Claire slept the entire night... she has been a champion sleeper for months, but the past week she has been a bit restless. Last night we got back on track! I believe the teething is making her restless and wakeful, but we are finally finding things to soothe her. Thank you teething tablets!

Snowed In!

The terrible ice storm last week had only one positive consequence... I had 3 unexpected snow days due to the horrible travel conditions and lack of electricity around the city. I got to stay home with Brad and Anna Claire on Tuesday and Wednesday. We actually had fun as a family and avoided cabin fever. Wednesday we took Mom and Ruby in as they were still without power in Danville. Thursday Anna Claire and I had fun being home with family and made the best out of the horrible weather and enjoyed some yummy meals courtesy of Honey. We were fortunate to maintain power throughout the storm and were happy to share with family and friends. Things are finally thawing and getting back to normal after the weekend. We were fortunate and only have minimal damage to a fence. Honey and Poppy now have power and we are thankful that many of our friends and family members are no longer living in the dark!

Here are a few cute shots from the past week. Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm! We still know many loved one's that are without power... we are hoping for the best and invite you to come to our house if you need to!