sunshine

. . . you make me happy when skies are gray

proof

proof that a 3 hour nap does a body good!

flower fields

we took a break from resting at the house (yes, we're both still a little stuffy) and went up to carlsbad to see the flower fields on saturday with amy.

we even made our way through the sweet pea maze quite successfully and it smelled lovely!

stuffy but still busy

anabelle & i are working through our stuffy noses, but it's not slowing anabelle down much at all. she is still doing her best to figure out how to move her little self where she wants.

as you can see below, anabelle gets pretty excited about bathtime!

sweet 'do

great hair requires great hair accessories . . stuffy nose & all

(we both have the sniffles now, but are doing great)

here are anabelle's two new hair goodies:

want one?

hair clip from banana pies

headband from zuzii

just taking it easy

relaxing with charley

i swear, i left the room & came back to find her like this

a stuffy nose can just wear you out

i'm going to need to find a new spot to keep belle's toys . . looks like the fireplace isn't the best idea anymore

stay hydrated

ok, yes i know. mommy-daughter water bottles is kind of silly.

but you kind of want one too, don't you?!

have you had your water today?

drink drink!

first stuffy nose

this morning anabelle woke up with her first stuffy nose and she wasn't too excited about it (not that anyone would be). it was a new experience for us both. this is her first 'ailment' . . . and i know there are plenty more to come, but i'm working through a few mommy gitters i suppose. just want to make sure i'm doing the right thing and not missing anything. sure wish chris was here, but i always wish he was here with us. got to talk to my mom twice today, so that always helps. i did learn that anabelle really doesn't like having her nose wiped right now and especially doesn't like that bulb suction thing, yikes! she's still a happy bouncer, well in between a sad face here and there. she's sleeping now and hopefully will get some good rest tonight. she was up 5 & 6 times the last two night (also a new experience for us - welcome to 'normal' baby land).

(a quick shot we sent to chris in key west this afternoon)
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it was a new kind of day, a different challenge of a day, but still a lovely day (with just a few sad faces mixed in)

like papa

belle now has a boonie cover like her papa

collage time

belle's first trip to the zoo - thanks grandma & grandpa

this one is a little fuzzy but totally worth it

giving the bottle a try during the little nursing strike

fun with papa

this one just had to be posted on its own

ok, this one too

swinging - from beginning to end

trying out what it would be like to have a yard (ha!)

pretty headband (yes, another etsy.com purchase)

a new look

i figured for all the big moves anabelle made yesterday (keep reading) the blog needed a little sprucing up. i'm still playing around and tweeking bits here & there, but what do you think so far?

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to me it seemed like anabelle made huge strides yesterday.

here she is trying hard, but a little distracted by charley.

trying again - this time my lap seemed to get in her way.

taking a quick break and chatting about her next plan of attack

*you can see my feathers in my hair in this video. must admit i was sort of surprised that the first star i saw with feathers in their hair was steven tyler. really?!

another attempt . . .

tadah!

not sure how she figured all this out in one day. i am mighty proud & impressed! she even saved up enough juice to show papa her new scooty skills once he got home from work.

have i mentioned lately that i love this life?

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random blog-ish thoughts

hair: anabelle's hair is really growing lately. we've even had to start using the 'no more tangles' leave-in conditioner. the bald spot on the back is all gone and the new hair is getting lighter & lighter. i wonder if she'll be a blondie by her first birthday. chris and i went ahead and made a few belle hair related decisions. long hair - yes. bangs - no. pigtails - yes, of course!

vacuum: we got a new vacuum the other week and anabelle has been helping break it in. i just put her in the carrier and away we go, in sort of a fencer's stance, trying to get as much dog hair off the floor as we can. it's a pretty good workout for me and anabelle giggles as we shift side to side.

milk: yesterday was such a fun & refreshing day after an unexpected sort of 'nursing strike' from anabelle for the few days prior. i surely didn't see it coming and struggled with it a bit in my head & my heart. i suppose it could have had a little to do with all of the distractions and being out & about a lot while my parents were here. maybe she just wanted a break. who knows? she just wasn't interested and would only nurse a tiny bit at a time. i could tell she wasn't suffering (have you seen that happy face?!) but was trying hard not to worry about my new reduced milk supply, not to mention trying to not take it personally (silly mommy). well, i started pumping, drinking mommy tea (tastes like sticks), even chugged a few gulps of my dad's hefeweizen beer at lunch one day (blechh . . heck, i would have tried just about anything that was supposed to increase my milk). thanks to all of that, some positive self-talk (yah for a master's degree in counseling to use on myself), a little retail therapy with a sweet friend (thanks amy), a delicious batch of peanut butter brownies, a few prayers, & a good dose of patience . . we are both happily back in business!

trying some new moves

all rested & ready to play

* we might need to start baby-proofing sooner than expected *

reach & wiggle

getting tired but still working hard

another slideshow

just finished the 8 month slideshow.

life lately is super busy & just as grand as always. chris and i have been talking about what might be next for his career. looks like we're moving sometime between this august and next june. standard military style, we just need to 'wait & see'. anabelle is sitting like a champ, really trying to find new ways to move & reach things she wants, eating new solids (today was green beans), and just chatty-chatty. she loves being outdoors, watching trees, swinging, and feeling the breeze . . . of course, bouncing is still a favorite activity.

my parents were just here. it was a fabulous visit & they spoiled us so! i can't wait to see them again in june when anabelle & i will fly back to florida. i'm also excited that we'll be able to visit two sorority sisters and their new baby boys, copeland and camden. plus, anabelle & i will have a chance to get behind the ski boat & play at the beach and in the nice warm gulf water.

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playing in the car after anabelle decided she didn't want to eat.

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anabelle & chris' latest trick

if you can't jump, leg presses are just as fun - right?! anabelle gets herself over to the couch and has her own little party.

anabelle is 8 months old!

today anabelle reaches the 8 month mark (incredible!) & it's getting a little more tricky to get the monthly picture.

slideshow coming soon!

paypal

- first day in a headband -

(i got this as a shower gift & figured we give it a try today)

i didn't exactly need anything else to shop online for, but thanks 'paypal' for making it so easy.

mini jet-setter

i can't remember if i've already written about how much anabelle has actually traveled - chris pointed out that she has been on a plane, either coming or going, every month since september. if she was able to earn miles, we just might have ourselves a free first class upgrade by now.

we don't have any travel plans for may, but we are heading to maryland/dc at the end of this month, florida hopefully in june, and back to maryland in july (excited that chris will be on that trip with us). i went ahead and added those a's to the map.

so far she's been a great traveler - here she is snuggling with chris on the trip home from maine last month. i suppose we'll just keep it up until she lets me know she's tired of it and/or she turns 2 . . . and then we'll just have to do a little re-evaluating since we'll actually have to pay for an extra seat for her.

- for now, bon voyage!

get your tickets

ladies & gentlemen,

step right up -

get your tickets for the anabelle show!

showtimes between 6am & 8pm

we guarantee you won't be disappointed

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she can tame wild animals (ok, carter the monkey isn't that wild, i suppose)

she can deliver a moving monologue (ok, not that moving but she seems excited!)

what will be next?!

you might not have known

you might not already be aware of how fabulous

baby muscle tees are . . .

love them!

march

it's march. what's up?!

anabelle is sitting like a champ and is definitely getting better at holding her head up, she sort of tucks & rolls, when she spills over. she was showing off her new stuff at crossfit yesterday. man, i didn't realize how many squats i do throughout the day getting up and down with anabelle. being sore from doing squats & deadlifts with 100+ pounds makes that pretty tricky. phew!

outings are getting easier & easier. with the BOB and the ERGO (and it getting easier to nurse in public), we are set to go pretty much anywhere. the few days we have with chris we are usually out and about, go go go. he's not much for sitting at home.

the freezer is pretty stocked now with goodies for belle. this week i got to make butternut squash, papaya, plum + apple, avocado, & spinach. as lame as it sounds, i sure do love my food processor and my cordless hand vac! thanks mom & dad. anabelle seems to be enjoying mealtime. her little mouth opens wide waiting for another spoonful of food and her happy feet just kick & kick as she gobbles it up. ok, so she's still not a big fan of peas, but the papaya was definitely a big hit when i introduced it yesterday.

do you remember your last 'oh gosh, i sound like my mother' moment? i do - and it was a good one. i was just chatting with anabelle the other day and i heard myself say: "anabelle, have i told you i love you today?"

(hee hee - see mom, just another sign of how fabulous you are. thanks for all the love.)

my parents are coming to visit in just one week & i can't wait! with chris traveling again this weekend & next weekend . . all before heading to key west for several weeks, i'm super excited to have company (and there is already a hot stone massage booked for saturday).

still no teeth yet, but she is gnawing on nearly everything.

as you can tell below, i'm still loving my camera . . and anabelle doesn't seem to mind me click clicking away.

splash splash

sitting up means switching up bathtime too. we just turned her tub around so she can sit and play. with chris working late this week, i got a few nights of splashing with our little jelly.

after checking out the new west elm catalog last night, we tried to be a little creative with how to pass some time until daddy got home.

seems to make her pretty happy if you can find something she can do with her feet - marching, jumping, smushing papers . . .