Our Life... The Past 10 Years

1 Marriage

3 Babies

10 Anniversaries

17 Birthday Parties

3 First Smiles

2 First Days of School

4 ER Visits

2 Sets of Stitches

1-2 Boo boos kissed per day

3,432 Loads of Laundry

16,425 Diaper changes

And a slew of snotty noses wiped.... and counting.

Did I mention the babies?

Totally worth it!

18 Months

Anden, what are you up to at 18 months?

~You weigh 24 pounds 2 oz. and are 33 1/4 inches tall. 
You wear size 4 diapers and size 24 month or 2T clothes.
You only have 4 teeth but it looks like you're close to cutting some more on top. 

~You're crawling, walking, scooting, running, jumping, and climbling everything. 

~You are fearless.  So far you've managed to get over the babygate at your bedroom door, you can be found on top of the kitchen table at least daily, and we can't put the bunkbed ladder down because inevitably, you'll be up the ladder and in the top bunk in no time.

~You've started timing yourself out.  Yesterday you were standing up on your rocking chair and I told you that if you didn't sit down you'd have to go sit in the corner.  You got off the rocking chair and stood in the corner.

~You love to dance.  Anytime you hear music you start swaying side to side.

~You are still so lovey!  You love to give kisses and hugs to everyone.

~You say about 20 words (some of them are ball, book, dog, done, da, ma, milk, more, kitty, night night, nana, deer, baby) and make the sounds of a tractor, dog, cat, cow, and pig.

~Your favorite toys are Jacob's tractors.  I think we're going to have to talk to Santa and see if he might bring you some of your own... red ones of course!

~Your favorite foods are spaghetti, chicken noodle soup, mashed potatoes, and bananas.

~You insist on feeding yourself... and other than being a bit messy, you're pretty good with a spoon!

~Most days you get up between 7:00-7:30 and you go to bed around 8:00-8:30.  You normally take 1-2 naps a day and sleep through the night unless you fall out of bed which happens every now and then.  Poor baby! 

~Still cute as ever... although you're getting to be more difficult to photograph. You think that everytime I whip out the camera, you need to snuff up your nose. Check it out... here's what I mean.

I can't believe you're halfway to 2 already!  Amazing!  We love you so much!

Happy 15 Month Birthday Anden!!!

I'm sure you've been missing these monthly posts on Anden... ha ha!  I decided that after his first birthday I'd do them every few months instead.  It was starting to stress me out to make sure to get his picture taken, find time to get on here, and write up his monthly post!  So here comes an Anden-filled post for those of you who are craving some Anden (likely his grandparents!)

Anden, what are you up to at 15 months???

~ You are still the best baby...(how much longer can I get away with calling you a baby though?)  You're so happy, so content, and always in the BEST mood!  You wake up smiling and most nights you go to bed smiling... not to mention all the smiles all day long!

~ You're sleeping 11-12 hours a night.  Your day begins around 7:30-8:00 each morning, which works out really well because Kaylee & Jacob get on the bus at 7:30 so I can get them out the door before you start stirring.  I sure hope that continues!

~ You LOVE LOVE LOVE your oatmeal cereal.  You especially love the peaches & cream and the apple cinnamon oatmeal.  You eat that almost every morning for breakfast along with a banana, grapes, or raisins.

~ You love the outdoors and you know exactly what it means when we say "outside" or "4-wheeler."  You get so excited and run to the backdoor.  Last night your daddy asked you to go find your shoes so we could go outside.  You ran out of the room, grabbed your shoes, and came running back to him for him to put them on.

~ You enjoy going for walks in your stroller.  You can climb up and go down your slide all by yourself.  You love sitting at the kiddie-size picnic table back at the lake.  Case (our puppy) likes to lay under there and nibble on your toes.

~ You're talking more and more each day.  You say, "ma," "da," "more," "ball," "dog," & "done."  You also imitate EVERYTHING!  You pant like a dog, snort like a pig, moo like a cow, and I can't leave out my all time favorite... you snore like your dad (you started doing it one evening after he'd fallen asleep in the recliner and was snoring!!!  It's hilarious!)

~  You still love your big brother and sister, but you do get irritated with them every now and then (join the club!)  You shriek at them when they try to pick you up or take something away from you. 

~  You usually take 2 naps a day and you go down for naps so easily... that is if you have 2 pacifiers.  One in your mouth and one in your hand.

~  You love emptying out my tupperware drawer.  I'm kind of looking forward to the day when I don't have to pick up all my plastic bowls and lids 467 times a day. 

~  Other than vegetables, you're a great eater.  You love meats, potatoes, noodles, breads, and fruits.  The only veggie I can get you to eat though is corn.

~  You love your milk.  I switched you to Almond Milk because you had gotten 3 ear infections in 2 months after switching you from formula to 2% milk (you'd never had an ear infection before that.)  You've been drinking Almond Milk for a month now and (knock on wood) you haven't had anymore trouble with ear infections.

~  You are FINALLY are getting some teeth!  Within the last month, you cut your first 2 teeth and are working on 2 more.

~  We love you so very much!  You have brought more joy into our home than we could have ever imagined.

Two steps and a landing

We've moved the gate from the base of the stairway, to the top of the landing.

I've forgotten how challenging a toddler can be...

especially a toddler that isn't afraid of anything...

After a morning of, "No, no Anden... TURN AROUND," now I'm sitting back trying to keep myself busy with the camera so that I don't interfere with this natural learning process...

a landing and two steps won't hurt him right? 

He thinks he's so good that he can do it with his eyes shut...

or maybe I've blinded him with the camera flash...

not really sure.

Atta boy!

You're almost there!  One more step!!!

Now just picture me in your mind, dropping the camera and launching forward to catch him

because he must not have heard me say, "One more step!"  I'd make a terrible mama bird...

Yeah Anden!  You did it!

Good thing we've got a chiropractor appointment already scheduled for in the morning!

Guess who's W-A-L-K-I-N-G!!!!

It's Anden!

How cute is he!?!?!?! I could just eat him up!

  He would rather crawl because he can get where he's going much faster,

but everyday this last week he's taken more and more steps each day.

Happy 1st Birthday Anden!!!

~ Anden, what are you up to at one year old? ~

~ You are the sweetest baby.  You've got the sweetest eyes, cutest nose, the most darling little mouth, and of course a charming personality.


~ You pucker up your little nose when you're acting silly and make the silliest faces.


~ You are able to stand for several seconds at a time without holding onto anything.  You've even pushed yourself up into standing from the middle of the floor a couple times.


~ You will walk if we hold your hands, but you drop to the floor and crawl as soon as we let go.  You also walk behind a pushtoy.


~ You make a beeline for the steps when the gate isn't up.  You're SO FAST!


~ You babble and jabber nonstop.  I think you actually say "Dada" now and mean it.  The other day, you heard your dad come in the door from work and you said "Da?" and took off around the corner to find him.


~ Your favorite toy is these little stacking bugs that have magnets in them so they stick together.  You stay busy with them forever!


~ You love to be sung to.


~ This past week, you've been waking up in the middle of the night again. The first night you woke up and your clothes were soaking wet. I got you up, changed you, and put you back to bed. Every night since then, you've woken up at that same time each night. You stand in your bed and cry until one of us comes up, gives you your paci, and lays you back down. You really need to stop this!!


~ You take a morning and an afternoon nap each day.

~ Still no teeth yet!


~ You're wearing mostly 18 month clothes, size 4 diapers, and size 4-5 shoes.


~ You're drinking 3-4 6 oz. bottles a day. You eat oatmeal for breakfast, a stage 2-3 fruit and veggie for lunch, tablefood for supper, and then baby food cereal at night.


~ You have a sweet tooth like none other!  Last night at your birthday party, you attacked your cake like it was going to get up and walk away.

Anden, we love you so much.  I can't believe how fast this last year has gone.  You've brought so many smiles, laughs, and good times to our family.  We are so blessed to get to love on you each and everyday.  Happy Birthday and We Love You!

Happy 11 Month Birthday Anden!!

Anden, what are you up to at 11 months?


~ You are into everything. 

There that pretty well sums it up for this month...

Just kidding, I'll continue...

~ You found my tupperwear drawer and you have emptied it 376 times...
give or take a few.

~ You are really good at the drop it
(it being a cup, a toy, my keys, your cheerio container, etc.)
and see how many times someone will pick it up for you. 
You're little fan club at the ballfield,
which consists of several little 3-4 year old girls,
LOVE LOVE LOVE playing this game with you.

~  You are babbling so much! 
Constantly, "nanana," "bababa," "mamama," "dadada."

~ You wave goodbye.

~ You've just this week started letting go briefly
and standing for a couple seconds on your own.

~ You love being outside
although you're not content to just sit in a stroller. 

You want to be down on the ground,
eating all the dirt you can find. 
(Seriously it's disgusting.)

~ You love to give kisses to all your little girlfriends at the sitter's house. 

You crawl up to them, open your mouth as wide as you can
and plant one, or two, or ten right on them.

~ You're a really good sleeper FINALLY!  I almost hate to post that.

You go to bed around 8:00 and sleep till 7:00. 
You normally nap 2-3 times a day.

~ You drink 3-4 bottles a day. 

I can tell you won't have any trouble giving up your bottle

because you barely want to sit still long enough to drink a 6 oz. bottle.

~ You're a stinker when it comes to table food. 
You're not all that crazy about it yet.

You love crackers, cheerios, mashed potatoes, and bananas,
but you just don't know what to think
about all that other stuff I try to get you to eat.

~ And you're a stinker with your baby food too at times! 

Somedays you'll gobble up 2 containers and other days

you'll fuss, smack the spoon away, and refuse to open your little mouth.

~ Still no teeth.  You're going to be like Kaylee. 
She was over a year old till she got her first tooth.

~ You're wearing mostly 18 month clothes and size 4 diapers.

~ And you hate to be told NO.

You stop what you're doing, turn around, and let out a pouty, pathetic cry.

I think I hear an Emmy nomination coming your way.

~ It's amazing... you STILL rank right up there
with Kaylee & Jacob of course, as being the cutest baby ever.

~ We Love You Anden! ~

I need a bigger sink...

*Update: It occurred to me after glancing at this picture
that it appears as if Anden is singing a little song into his microphone (aka: bottle brush.) 
What on earth could he be singing?

"Splish Splash I was Taking a Bath"
"Rubber Ducky, You're the One"
"Singing in the Rain"
"I'm Too Sexy for My Shirt"

Original Post:
I think tonight may very well have been
Anden's last bath in my kitchen sink. 

He's just getting TOO BIG. 

Sniff sniff...

Of course, the other option could be 

get a new and bigger kitchen sink

because he's just entirely too cute in my kitchen sink,

especially when he's playing with the bottle brush.

Happy 10 Month Birthday Anden!!!

Anden, what are you up to at 10 months?

~ Bring on the baby gates!  You're crawling everywhere... even UP THE STAIRS!  Agh!

~ You're pulling up and cruising along everything.

~ Last week, you walked behind your pushtoy all the way across the living room.

~ You're babbling more... mainly "Dada Dada."  We're going to have to work on that!  Ha!

~ You're so noisey in church!  It's not that you cry, you just, "Hummmmm, hummmmm, hummmmm," all through church.  I think you just like to hear yourself talk.

~ You're wearing mainly 12-18 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

~ You eat 3 meals a day (still mainly Stage 2 baby foods but you are eating some tablefoods), you also eat 2 snacks a day, and drink 4 bottles a day.

~ You're sleeping through the night pretty consistently now.  You usually go to bed around 8:30 and get up around 7:00.  You also take 2 naps a day.

~ Still no teeth, but you must be teething because you put everything in your mouth.  I can tell the days that your teeth are bothering you because you won't keep your thumbs out of your mouth.

~ You love being outside!  You love your baby swing, 4-wheeler rides, wagon rides, and yes, even tractor rides.

~ You're so much fun!  You just go with the flow... I almost don't know what to do with a baby who is so easy-going... it's great!

~ We Love You So Much! ~

Happy 9 Month Birthday Anden!!

Anden, what are you up to at 9 months?

~ You weigh 22 pounds and are 28 3/4 inches long ~ 75th percentile in height and weight.

~ You're wearing mostly 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

~ You are crawling everywhere and you are into everything!

~ You are pulling up on everything... your crib, the chairs and barstools in the kitchen, the couch, your little activity table, the end table in the living room, the piano bench, everything!

~ You babble all the time. Mostly mom-ma, mom-ma, mom-ma, mom-ma... I love it!

Kaylee and Jake both said "Da" first, so this is extra special!

~ You hum yourself to sleep... whether it's in your bed, in the car, or even at church. Very sweet!

~ You love to be sung to. You really love "Jesus Loves Me," and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

~ You've started playing, "Peek-a-boo," and it's the cutest thing ever! The other day we played it for at least 5 minutes and each time you'd laugh as if it was the first time we'd ever done it! As soon as anyone says, "Where's Anden," you immediately pull a blanket over your head or lay your head down and hide your eyes. Here you are in your highchair playing Peek-a-boo just now.

~ Where's Anden???? ~

~ Peek-a-boo!! ~


~ You love it when we imitate you. It cracks you up. You also laugh when we click our tongue at you.

~ You eat 3 meals a day and drink four 6-7 oz. bottles a day.

~ You're getting to be a very picky eater when it comes to your baby food veggies... probably because we've started giving you table foods... so far just steamed veggies, mashed potatoes, fries, and apple cinnamon muffins.

~ You're still so laid back, except when it's time to eat. You get so excited and you wave your arms as if you can't get the food in fast enough.

~ You usually get up around 7:00, take two naps a day, and you're sleeping through the night for the most part. Every now and then you still wake up around 5:30, but we can usually just change your diaper and lay you back down.

~ The babysitter has nicknamed you "The Destroyer." Need I say more?

My Little Magician

Anden is now officially mobile... as in crawling EvErYwHeRe!!! And he likes to pretend to be a little magician too... disappearing acts and all. Seconds before this picture was taken, he was around the corner in the office, playing with some toys while I checked a few emails... I glanced down and he was gone. Is it just me or does that smile spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E?

Happy 8 Month Birthday Anden!!!

Anden what are you up to at 8 months?

~ You're into EVERYTHING. Still not quite crawling but you are rolling everywhere.

~ You're able to go from sitting up then down on your belly and then back up into sitting all on your own.

~ You've figured out you can wave, although you haven't waved to anyone except yourself. You stare at your hand as you open and close your fingers just trying to figure out how it works.

~ You go to bed around 8:00 PM and you still like to get up around 5:00 AM. Daddy gives in and feeds you... I slip you your paci and most of the time you'll go back to sleep. You are so smart though because when Dad tries to just slip you a paci you fuss until he comes back and gives you a bottle.

~ You take four 6 oz. bottles a day although most times you don't finish them all at once because you're so nosy! You have to sit up so you can see everything going on around you and the minute something catches your eye you shove your bottle away and don't want anything to do with it.

~ You eat whole wheat cereal for breakfast, a veggie and fruit for lunch, and a veggie and fruit for supper. You're still mainly eating Stage 2 foods.

~ You love those Quaker Rice Snacks and they're so much less messy than the Gerber Biter Biscuits.

~ You're wearing mostly 9-12 month clothes although they're starting to get a little snug on you.

~ You're a pretty good traveler. You did really well on the airplaine ride to Florida. You just fussed when we were taking off and that was my fault because I didn't have your bottle ready for you and I think you're ears were popping. You also did really well on the long car ride home and you weren't even feeling very well.

~ You're still crazy about your sister and you love watching your brother. You've become really good at maneuvering your way over to whatever they're doing and causing a real rucus. They do well with you most of the time but every now and then Jake lays into you for knocking down his blocks or messing up his tractors. And Kaylee's grown tired of you pulling her hair. She's popped you on the hand a few times for that.

Happy 7 Month Birthday Anden!

Anden, what are you up to at 7 months?

~READY~

~SET~

~GO!~

~ This last month has been full of Rock 'N Roll! You've now realized that you are mobile and can rock, roll, or wiggle your way over to whatever catches your eye.
~ As you can see from the pictures above, you're able to go from sitting to hands and knees on your own fairly gracefully.

~ You've managed to wiggle your way under the Christmas tree and have gotten into the gifts a few times.

~ You grab whatever it is I'm holding while I'm carrying you... a drink, a book, the newspaper...

~ You eat 3 meals a day and drink 4- 6 oz. bottles a day.

~ You really like the Gerber Biter Bisquits, although you make a huge mess with them!
~ You weighed 19 lbs. 3 oz. and you were 26 3/4 inches long at your check-up earlier this month.
~ You're still wearing mostly 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

~ You went through a little phase this month where you wanted to get up at 11:00 PM and then again at 5:00 AM. THANK GOODNESS THAT HAS ENDED... as of last night anyhow... fingers crossed for tonight!

~ You're babbling a lot. You're favorite time to talk is in the car after we drop Kaylee & Jake off at school (it's the only time you're able to get a word in edge-wise!) Some of your first sounds have been "Ma," Da," and "Ga."

~ You're starting to reach out for people you recognize. The other day I was holding you and you reached for Grandma Mary Lee. You love being passed back and forth between mom and dad all through church.

~ You love falling asleep with a paci in your mouth and one in your hand.
~ You are so lovable! I love kissing you right under your chin... it makes you cackle and laugh so hard!

Wordless Wednesday... Mr. Mobile

Pictures

I had Anden's 6 month pictures taken the other day and I couldn't resist getting some of the three of them together as well. I think they turned out so well. Enjoy!

Happy 6 Month Birthday Anden!!

Anden, what are you up to at 6 months?

(Poor baby, you have a nasty cold right now,

so you weren't in a real smiley mood this morning.)

~ You have changed so much in the last month. You are now rolling everywhere, sitting up for a few moments by yourself, and CRAWLING (backwards.)

~ You wake up around 6:30-7:00 and eat breakfast, you take a bottle around 8:00, nap mid-morning, you eat lunch (1 veggie, 1 fruit), then another bottle around 12:00, nap most of the afternoon, wake up and have another bottle around 4:00, eat supper (1 veggie, 1 fruit), and then another bottle and head to bed around 8:00.

~ You've tried all the Stage-1 Gerber foods, your favorites being ANY fruit. In fact, at each meal we have to have you eat all your veggie before we give you any fruit or you fuss at us because once you get a taste of your fruit you want nothing to do with your veggies!

~ You LOVE apple juice and you'll even drink it out of a sippy cup!

~ You've tried the little Gerber puffs and you're not sure what to think of them.

~ You're such an easy-going baby. The only time you fuss is when you're hungry.

~ You're ticklish EVERYWHERE! You're neck and back, you're cheeks, you're armpits, your belly, your hips, you're little... I mean BIG thighs, the backs of your knees, and all the way down to your toes.

~ You are wearing 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

~ You've grown out of your infant carry-seat, so now you're in a rear-facing convertable carseat.

~ You're so snuggly and I think that's my favorite thing about you... oh scratch that, everything about you is my favorite thing about you. You're amazing and we are so blessed to have you!

Muscle Man

Sing it with me!

Muscle muscle mannnn. MUSCLE MAN!!!

I wanna be a muscle man.

Happy 5 Month Birthday Anden!

What are you up to at 5 months Anden?

~ You are FINALLY sleeping through the night. Knock on wood, knock on wood, knock on wood! For the last week and a half, you've only woken up a time or two and you've been able to put yourself back to sleep.

~ You love love love food. So far you've tried squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, applesauce, prunes, bananas, and peaches. You usually eat cereal and a little fruit for breakfast, a veggie and fruit for lunch, and then a veggie and fruit again for supper. You're favorites are sweet potatoes and any kind of fruit.

~ You're still drinking about 6-7 oz. of formula every 3 hours.

~ You definitely know when it's time to eat and you let everyone around you know when it's time for you to eat. (That's really the only time you ever cry.) You can't even wait long enough for me to get from the kitchen to the living room before you're going after your bottle. The other day I was carrying you upright in one arm, and the bottle in the other arm. You leaned on top of your bottle and managed to get it in your mouth.

~ You're getting into a good routine. You normally wake up around 7:00 AM, eat, play, then nap for an hour in the morning, eat lunch, play, then nap for 2-3 hours in the afternoon, and then hang out in the evening, nap again for an hour, eat, take a bath, and head to bed around 9:00.

~ You are wearing 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

~ You are still CRAZY about Kaylee and Jake. You can't keep your eyes off of them.

~ You love sitting in your exersaucer (best baby item we ever bought, all three of our kids loved it!) You're able to spin yourself around and bang on the teeter-totter or chew on the bird.

~ You've rolled over (belly to back) a time or two in your bed, but you're still very content to just lay around and take it all in.

~ You talk to yourself all the time. You say, "Ahhh," and then you mimic yourself over and over again as if you're carrying on a conversation.

~ We feel so lucky and so blessed to get to love on you, hug on you, kiss on you, and squeeze you to pieces each and everyday.

Thumbs

I grew these things on the side of my hands today and are they ever tastey!

They're much better than that yucky squash my mom keeps trying to feed me.

You'd think she'd get the point when I spit it back at her,

but then she makes a silly face at me

and shovels more in when I open my mouth to laugh at her.

Happy 4 Month Birthday Anden!

Anden, what are you up to at 4 months?

~ You still love to eat... 6 oz. at least every 3-4 hours.

~ We've tried cereal again and you've decided you like oatmeal better than rice cereal.

~ You still wake up 1-2 times per night. Fortunately, after your bottle, you go right back to sleep.

~ You've become a much better napper in the last month... normally a one hour catnap in the morning and evening and a 3-4 hour nap in the afternoon.
~ We've given in to you and let you sleep on your belly. Amazing, you're only 4 months old and you already rule the roost.
~ You love sitting in your exersaucer.
~ Today at your check-up, you weighed 16 lbs. 7 oz. and you are 25 1/4 inches long. That puts you in the 75-90th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height when compared to other babies your age.
~ You're wearing 9-12 month clothes. You already fit in some of the clothes that Jake wore when he was between a year to 18 months.
~ You smile all the time and now you think it's a riot when Kaylee and Jake scare you. You love watching their every move.
~ You hold a rattle now and even shake it a little. Sometimes you get a little crazy though and knock yourself in the head... that really ticks you off.
~ You love grabbing at and holding on the fish hanging from the side of your baby swing.
~ You put both hands on your bottle and try to help hold it.
~ Unfortunately you caught your first of many colds, but you're almost completely over it now.
~ You never cease to amaze me at how good of a baby you are. You have got to be the easiest baby ever! Hopefully that doesn't change in years to come!

WE LOVE YOU ANDEN!