Florida trip, day three

Today was a very busy day meeting lots of new people!

Anna reading a book with Lily, one of the babies we're sharing a condo with.

Anna and I hit the beach early today. She's still has some concerns about sand, but is happy to enjoy the beach from a safer perch.

Anna woke up from her morning nap with a funny hairdo.

Anna, Steff, and Lilah.

Anna and Lily.

AJ and Anna.

Lots of Dec. 07 mommies and their babies! (Anna is not in this photo because she was napping. My friend Kristi offered to keep an eye on both of our sleeping babies so I could go down to the beach for awhile and hang out with people.)

Kyla and Anna.

Florida trip, day two

Today we spent the day settling in and meeting new friends. Anna and I were the first of our group to arrive in Florida, but friends have been trickling in.

I was anxious to see Anna's reaction to the sand and the waves so Anna and I went to the beach right after breakfast. The sand did not go over so well. I think it made Anna nervous that the sand moved around while she was standing on it.

Anna always loves a pool.

Anna's primary activity in the condo was a game she invented titled "Let's Unpack Mommy's Suitcase." I let her go at it since it gave me some time to get the condo better organized before the folks we were condo sharing with arrived tonight.

Anna was not impressed with the high chair we rented (neither was I). Even with the seat belt buckled she always ended up slumped down in the seat.

A happy reunion. After Anna's morning nap we went to find Anna's old friend Asher, who she met a few months ago at the St. Louis Zoo.

Asher's daddy Kevin is lots of fun!

Asher and his family were headed to the beach so we decided to join them. Anna is still not digging the sand, as you can see here.

A few minutes later she was willing to try it sitting next to my friend Lora (Asher's mommy).

After her afternoon nap Anna got to meet Shentell and her daughter Kyla, who had stopped by to meet us.

Babies, babies, everywhere! Many more Dec. 07 babies and their families arrived tonight.

Florida trip, day one

Anna and I left for a very special trip today. I am part of an online group of Christian moms who had babies in December of 2007, and we traveled to Florida to meet part of that group. We were all renting condos in the same building right on the beach in Destin, Florida.

Today we got a very early start for our trip. Our flight left at Grand Rapids at 6:00 am, so I was very nervous about how Anna would do. Anna actually did quite well with the early wake up. We had two flights and a three hour layover in Dallas. Anna took a 20 minute nap on each of the flights which was absolutely wonderful! We were also lucky enough to be able to get an extra seat on each flight so we had a little bit more space. Anna had a little bit of a tough time on each of the flights but did great at the airports. When we arrived in Florida we took a cab to our hotel, took a quick peek at the beach, and got Anna settled in for a nap. When she woke up we went to the grocery store with our friend Callie and then turned in early.

Eating breakfast at the Dallas airport.


Anna practicing her cruising.

Anna met a new friend named Zoe who was just a week older than herself. They had a great time crawling around and chasing each other.

We found a neat place to play.




Peeking out the window on our second flight.

The woman seated in front of us was kind enough to let Anna examine her watch.

Finally, the beach!

If you ever wondered why I am so often behind on the blog...

I took these videos a couple of days ago when I was sitting on the living room couch trying to update.

Florida, here we come!

Tomorrow morning Anna and I will be leaving very early for a short trip to Florida. We'll be meeting nine other December '07 babies and their families. Please pray for safe (and happy!) travels for us and for the other families who will be joining us. I am very nervous about the trip there and back because we leave very early tomorrow and return home very late on Saturday. (I used frequent flier miles to book the trip, so I did not have many options.)

I had hoped to be caught up with the blog before I left, but I don't think that's going to happen. I will try to get the photos from our recent trip to St. Louis up when we return.

Trains!

Long overdue St. Louis photos

Sooo big!

Introducing... Anna

I am part of an online group of Christian moms who had babies in December 2007. This is something I just posted to a thread on our group page. I thought our blog audience might also like to read it. Enjoy!

p.s. A shout out to my CM buddies- Can't wait to see some of you next week! ((((HUGS))))


This is Anna Marie.

Her birthday is Dec. 11.

She's generally a pretty happy baby. She has very little stranger anxiety or separation anxiety. She smiles easily but does not laugh very often. She's very friendly with strangers when we're out running errands. She's very independent and likes to play on her own. She loves going to the nursery at church. She wants her mommy when she's hurt or isn't feeling well, but daddy is her favorite playmate. She most often cries because she is tired and cranky or hurt. Her cry is LOUD. She startles easily and cries at sudden loud noises.

She is a very active kid. She's a big fan of both crawling and cruising. She's able to stand unsupported for a few moments, but seems to be afraid to try. She loves water and bathtime, and cries when bathtime is over. She likes to crawl around holding socks. She also enjoys music and her board books. She likes to play with other kids, but, like other kids her age, she tries to take their toys and pull up using them for support.

Anna loves cats. Her favorite cat to chase is Samson, her Aunt Kathryn's kitten in St. Louis.

She's a little on the small side- she's in about the 25th percentile for both height and weight. She's a little prone to constipation. She has no teeth nor signs of any teeth coming soon. She has reflux and is still somewhat of a spitter. She takes medicine twice a day for her reflux. She has sensitive skin and is prone to excema, especially if she gets hot and sweaty.

Anna seems to really need her schedule. She naps at 11:00 and 4:00. She's a very good night sleeper. When she's tired she rubs her eyes and pulls on her ears. She sucks her left thumb when she goes to sleep.

Anna is not much of a talker yet. She has recently started to imitate "pop" (I say "pop" when I open a baby food jar) and "dada." She shakes her head yes and no but we're not entirely sure if she knows what they mean. She will raise her hands up high in the air to show that she is "so big!"

Anna eats three mostly organic meals a day of baby food and table food. Her baby food favorites are carrots, pears, and yo-baby yogurt. Her table food faves are Gerber puffs (these little cereal sized grain based things that dissolve quickly), cheese, and well-cooked carrot. She is also breastfed.