What a Year!

Whew, 2010 was a busy one for us! It's hard for me to remember all the way back to last January when Erin was mastering walking, we were moving her to her new bedroom, then Ansley turned one and we had a big snowstorm. Then was February when we went to visit newborn cousin Jimmy in Boston. After that was a business trip for Bob over St. Patrick's Day and our laid-back Easter with the smallest egg hunt and best Easter bunny present ever - the plastic slinky that has brought hours of entertainment. She and I went to Concord to see Great Grandma and Grandpa H., then we went back for Logan's fun birthday party. Erin went strawberry picking, then on May 18th, we welcomed sweet little Anna Kathryn to the world!

Things really got interesting after that - Daddy went to England for work, cousin Jimmy came to visit, and we had a really busy summer just trying to get by on little sleep while entertaining Erin and keeping Anna happy/fed/napped, with trips to Concord here and there (including checking out the ImaginOn library in Charlotte). Our days were filled up with trips to the park, library, grocery store, and the couple attempts at the pool that failed miserably. Anna got baptized on August 14th, and then we had lots of fun at the beach with Grandma F.

We put our house on the market just before Labor Day. 3 weeks later, it sold, and we hunted for our new house. October was full of house repairs and packing, picking out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, a trip to the State Fair, and Erin's 2nd birthday on the 23rd, complete with Elmo cupcakes! November 17th was the big/stressful day of closing on both houses. We moved in, unpacked, went to Concord for Thanksgiving, and came back to finish unpacking and get ready for Christmas. We managed to squeeze in a trip to the Natural Science museum among the Christmas prep, had Cookie Fest in Concord, and of course as much outside time as the weather would allow!

It was a great one, but I for one, am hoping for 2011 to be more relaxing, just as fun, and filled with long nights of sleep! Bella agrees - all this change has worn her out! We couldn't have done all this without our wonderful family and their help along the way...so thanks, everyone, and an early Happy New Year to everyone!

Christmas!

We had a great Christmas extravaganza this year! It started with 3-1/2 days in Concord where we had lots of fun with all the family on Christmas Eve and also at Sausage Fest at cousin Logan and Ansley's house on Saturday evening. Then, it snowed! They got about 5" in Concord, but the roads were fine by lunchtime on Sunday, so we got back Sunday afternoon, in time for Uncle Tom, Aunt Pam, and Jimmy to arrive for 2 nights.

We had lots of fun having company staying with us, and Jimmy is just so cute. He is a busy crawler, and Anna liked watching and learning from him. She is now starting to try to get on to all fours! Bob and Tom got to go to a Hurricanes game on Sunday night, and Bob really enjoyed that. Monday night, Grandma and Grandpa F. came over and we did Christmas again! It was lots of fun, and we all enjoyed some pizza from a very busy Pizza Hut. We didn't get any pictures while Tom and Pam were here, so I'll have to "borrow" some of Pam's pictures.

In the middle of all this, Bob, Erin, and Anna got yet another yucky cold, but they are all feeling better now. Erin also got a new tooth on her top right, and we think the top left one is right behind it. So, she got an extra Christmas present!

Now, we are happy to be back to normal and are enjoying all our new toys and books! We're also celebrating the Wolfpack win last night at the Champs Sports bowl. Thanks to everyone for a wonderful Christmas!

7 months old!

Sweet Anna is 7 months old today! She is doing great and we just adore her. She now wears 12 month clothes, can sit up unassisted and rarely falls over, and she has just started being able to lean over to reach for toys and straighten herself back up. She prefers to be sitting on the floor over laying or standing the saucer. She will roll to get around, but doesn't really like to do that. We also just graduated her to Erin's big car seat (due to outgrowing the baby carrier) and got Erin a 3-in-1 car seat/booster combo. The switch has been met with mixed reviews from both girls. We are sad to be saying good-bye to the "sleep in the carseat" days, but are oh so happy to not have to lug that awkward carrier around with us. Now, trips to the store will be more challenging - Erin will have to walk, or we'll have to find carts with 2 seats! We've taken our double stroller to Walmart and Target, but that doesn't have a lot of cargo space. Perhaps Mommy will need to make more after-bedtime grocery store runs for awhile.

Anyway, Anna is such a delight - she's such a happy girl, and loves to have attention at all times. She shows us that dimple with each adorable smile, and we sure do love to get those smiles out of her! She eats 2 meals now - lunch and dinner - and also can feed herself cheerios or puffs at an alarming rate. We are practicing cups of water, but I don't think she's actually gotten any water yet. We have not begun the switch to formula...I can't decide if/when we are ready for that. It's hard to convince myself that paying for formula is justified since I am the one feeding her all the time anyway. But, we'll see. After recovering from a rough cold and getting 2 teeth (another milestone this month), she has now recently been sleeping 10-11 hours at night! FINALLY! She'll go from 7-8pm to 5-6am, which is of course early, but I am not complaining one bit. Naps are still not that great, but I know she will get that straight eventually. She definitely requires more entertainment now, and is not happy with the same old toys all the time. She's also not as easy to hold because she wants to grab EVERYTHING. She's been a busy girl this month with lots of changes!

What else is new with us? I feel like I have been slacking on the pictures and blog lately. We have officially been in our house for a month as of yesterday. It feels like home now, and we LOVE it! The girls and I went to Concord this week for Cookie Fest and had a great time. We are excited about Christmas and seeing all our family!

Happy Thanksgiving...a little late!

We hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! After a marginally successful sitting for family pictures on Tuesday, we headed to Concord on Wednesday. We had lots of fun there with everybody. Daddy even hit Ikea on Wednesday (he is brave) and got storage shelves for the playroom and the office. We came back here on Friday and continued to unpack/clean/arrange things. We are so excited and relieved to be settling into our new home! That's about it from here...the girls are doing great, and even Bella has decided to cooperate and finally eat her dog food where we have put it in the laundry room. What more could we ask for?!?

We're In!

So...after yet another close call and a crazy closing on the old house Wednesday morning, we have moved in to our new house! We LOVE it...and the girls do too! We were worried about what Erin would think because she was not too excited about it when we came to see it before buying it. But we think now that her stuff is here, she is a lot happier. She is having a great time exploring everywhere and already knows her way around. Bella is doing better today than yesterday (her first time here after 2 nights at the kennel), but still refuses to eat. We have not put the electric collar on her yet, but are thinking about it.

We had a great experience moving with A Few Good Men out of Wake Forest (thanks, Amy and Erik, for the recommendation!). Their 3 guys came and loaded our old house in 2-1/2 hours and unloaded this one in 2 hours...including the piano. They were fabulous and nothing broke. The pod from PackMan came yesterday and Bob and Chris got it unloaded in an hour, also nothing broken! It's funny how we are able to fill a house twice the size of the old one with the same amount of stuff...I guess it's just more spread out! Big thanks to Uncle Chris and Grandma A. for helping us out this week with all this!

Anna is having a tough couple of days...she went to the doctor yesterday for her 6 month checkup. She weighed in at 18 lbs. 10 oz. (90th percentile), and was off the charts in length! Her head was in the 90th percentile - I can't remember those numbers offhand. But she had to get 4 shots and the oral vaccine and she is feeling it today. She slept great last night, but has just not been herself today (aka lots of screaming and not much sleeping). We are hoping our sweet girl is back tomorrow.

So, that's the update from here! Our phone number is staying the same...and please come by if you are in the area! It's a work in progress, but we're getting there! We have just located the camera, so we'll take pictures soon.

6 Months - a Week Early

Anna will already be 6 months old next Thursday, but we will be one day post-move and I'm sure it will be really hectic around the new house. So, I thought I'd write a little bit about her now (instead of packing). I will post her stats as soon as I can after her doctor's appointment on Thursday. We can't wait to see what she weighs! Anyway, we are so happy and excited to see her little personality coming out. She is just so happy and we think she will be the goofy one while Erin is Miss Serious. She LOVES people and wants to have an audience all the time. She hasn't quite mastered sitting up, but she is pretty close. She can also roll both ways and is getting pretty quick about moving around that way! The exersaucer is usually ok, but she tends to prefer being on the floor to practice her moves.

She is now eating dinner every night, which consists of rice cereal and a stage 1 fruit or veggie...judge me if you want for not making my own baby food, but that's just not high on my list of priorities right now! Erin wasn't too excited about the food I made for her, so I'm not super eager to do that for Anna. Plus, the food processor and blender are packed. I'll have to come up with a new excuse once we are moved in!

She is doing better with sleeping - she is usually in bed around 7:30 to 8:00 and sleeps until somewhere between 5:30 and 7:00am with one feeding around 2:00 or 3:00. We'll take that! She is starting to not eat as much at that night feeding, so maybe she's trying to taper it off.

Her newest accomplishment this week is taking naps in the crib - and falling asleep on her own, which I am most proud of! Hopefully we are done with the bouncy ball and bouncy seat! I hate to say too much, but I am so relieved to have finally accomplished this. It has been stressful! Naps are still usually pretty short, but I figure if she is falling asleep in the crib, I can't do much about when she wakes up. She's switching over to the 2 nap schedule, which is nice and much more predictable. It's even nicer when the afternoon nap coincides with Erin's.

So, that's Anna in a nutshell right now. She is a delight! She loves her sister, but they did have their first fight last night - Anna pulled Erin's hair and Erin screamed at her. Ahh, the first of many...

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun Halloween, despite Mommy and Daddy having a stomach bug from early Saturday morning until late Saturday night. Erin had it last week, but hers was more mild and drawn out. I guess it's better for us to have it bad for a shorter time and be done. Anyway, Erin was fine to hang out at our house wearing (most of) her costume and help hand out candy, but as soon as we hit the road, she was not happy. We think she was afraid of being out in the dark and did not understand what was going on. So, she made it to a grand total of 1 house, while Anna went to 2. Oh, well! More pictures are here.

Otherwise, we are all recovered from the illness and are getting excited about moving in 2 weeks! We will finally have our list of repairs done tonight and the new buyers will have their walk through. We are hoping they are happy with everything. We figure we agreed to fix everything on the list, so hopefully they won't nit-pick over silly things. We continue to pack and get ready!

2 year stats

Miss Erin and Daddy went to the doctor yesterday morning for her checkup. I heard that she still screamed when she was touched (especially by the nurse), but was quiet and let Daddy talk to Dr. Steele too. That's an improvement!

She weighed 26 lbs. 6 oz. (45th percentile), was 35.25" tall (85th percentile), and had a 19" head (70th percentile). That's right along where she has always been, so they like to see consistent growth like that. He said she looks great, and her ear has healed so we can stop giving her the amoxicillin, thank goodness. She had 2 episodes of throwing up and was not eating well last week, so we wonder if it was upsetting her stomach. She is estimated to be between 5'6" and 5'8" as an adult...lucky!

She also got out of there without any shots, just the nasal mist flu vaccine, which was probably just as bad as a shot would have been as far as Erin is concerned. She got the go-ahead for 2% milk, or we can also continue with whole milk if we want. We may end up waiting at least until we are settled in the new house to attempt potty training...none of us are too motivated to start that quite yet! She is still content to sleep in her crib, so we're in no hurry to change that one either. It's nice to know that she is safe and contained in there.

So, she passed with flying colors, and we are relieved that she doesn't have to go back until 3 years, except of course for sick visits.

2 Years Old!

Sweet little Erin turned 2 on Saturday! We had a very fun weekend in Concord, seeing Logan play soccer, checking out Logan and Ansley's beautiful new house, and seeing the whole family at the joint birthday bash on Sunday. Erin shared her Elmo party with Aunt Maria and Uncle Chris. We didn't get many pictures, so we'll share Grandma's in a few days. It was such a fun time, and Erin had a blast! She also got to go to the state fair on Friday morning before we left, and she liked seeing the animals and playing at the PBS Kids exhibit, but was a little intimidated by all the people and noise. Anna, however, loved it - except when the ham biscuit guy got in her face!

It's hard to believe she is 2 years old...and that we have been parents for 2 years. It has definitely gotten easier now that she is past all the baby stuff (not my favorite time), and we are thrilled to see the smart, sweet, and sassy little girl that she is becoming. We love her so much and are just so lucky to have her as a daughter!

Here are some of Erin's favorite things:
food - especially spaghetti, anything Mexican, pizza, macaroni, and beans...she also can spot a baked good a mile away...that's my girl!
books - she has moved on to "big girl" books and LOVES to read them (over and over and over)
being outside - pushing her baby doll in her stroller, going to the park, where she will go down the curly slide all by herself, and just running around in the grass
helping - she insists on closing car doors herself, and will help Mommy put away laundry baskets and push in chairs, as well as cleaning up her bath toys
the couch - she loves sitting on it, jumping on it, and doing belly flops on it, much to Bella's chagrin
music - though she prefers to listen rather than make music...her new music instruments (tambourine, maracas, triangle, castanets, etc.) are mostly enjoyed by Anna right now
stickers - and more recently, drawing with crayons and markers

She has her checkup on Wednesday, so that shall be interesting. Daddy volunteered to take her, so I jumped right on that! We'll keep you posted on that, and if her ear infection decided to clear up on its own (since she is giving us a terrible time with taking the antibiotic).

5 months old!

Sweet little (big) Anna was 5 months old yesterday! We are so proud of the sweet little girl she is becoming. She is very happy, except when she is hungry or tired (and who is happy then?), and she loves watching her big sister race around the house. She is a pro at rolling from back to tummy, and wants to be held like a big girl, on your hip. She can sit for a few seconds, but will flop over. She eats cereal like crazy, but after a tummyache the night she tried peas last week, we have held off on fruits and veggies.

She continues to be huge...wears 9 month clothes and was having some chafing around her thighs, so Daddy just bought her Size 3 diapers last night! We love her so much and are trying to enjoy every minute and trying (unsuccessfully) not complain too much about sleeping. We have been letting her cry at night, and she will go back to sleep unless she is really hungry - which still seems to be the case around the 2-4am mark. She's still not the best napper in duration or location, despite my best efforts. She loves to sit in the high chair like a big girl, and also loves the exersaucer. Oh, and she much prefers to sit up the stroller without her car seat in it.

We love her so much, and can't wait to watch her keep growing and learning!

New House!

Well, I am not doing a very good job of updating this blog these days. We have found a new house, made an offer on it, and it was accepted! We close on both houses November 17th, so we have plenty of time to pack all this stuff. Also, both inspections were last week and the new house was almost perfect - just 3 very minor things. This house came back with a list of 16 items, but most are fairly small. Bob's taken care of about 6 of them already. The biggest thing will be replacing 2 of the posts on the front porch. We found the same posts at Lowes, but getting them replaced will be a big job. Anyway, we are very excited! I am even more excited because I have convinced Bob to get movers. Here are some pictures of the new house:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bob.callaway/NewHouse#
It's weird to think it will be over a month until we are in it again...it's hard to wait!

What else is new? The girls are doing well. Anna is sleeping so much better the past few nights, now that we are letting her cry. Coincidentally, the night I accidentally gave her double the amount of cereal at dinner was the same night she slept 11 hours. You better believe she gets 2 tablespoons now! Last night she woke up at 12:30, but only cried for a few minutes and went right back to sleep. She has realized that sleeping on her tummy is comfy! Now, we just need to get naps straight and we will be set. Erin is busy as usual, trying to make do with fewer and fewer toys as I pack them. Daddy has been busy with the house projects, and he went to help Uncle Chris and Aunt Leslie unpack their beautiful new house last Friday.

So, we are doing great and enjoying the cooler weather...and a good start to the Wolfpack season! Now we just have to wait for the big day!

The Latest

What's new with us? It seems like we have lots of crazy things going on right now! Here's an update -

1. We accepted an offer on our house last Wednesday, 3 weeks to the day from listing it. It just took 7 showings (really 6 since one didn't even go in the house), and we got what we felt was a fair offer. After 1 round of counter-offers, we are "under contract"! So, in related news...
2. We now need to find a new house. We hope to find one and close on November 17th, the same day we close on this house to avoid temporary housing. We do have a contender in the Wescott neighborhood of Holly Springs that we are going to see a second time tomorrow. We'll keep you posted on that!
3. The Taurus X started having transmission trouble on our way to Concord last Saturday, so it's in good hands at Hilbish Ford in Kannapolis. Grandma and Grandpa A. were gracious enough to let us borrow their Camry, so we still have a car...and the X is still under warranty, so luckily we will not be paying for a new transmission or any portion of one. Whew!
4. Anna tried cereal for the first time last Thursday, and I think today was the first time she has really swallowed any of it. She is enjoying eating like the rest of us!

5. Anna also has started "crying it out" at night as of this past Sunday...but it hasn't really worked. She keeps ending up on her tummy, the wrong way in her crib, with her face smooshed up against the bumper and is inconsolable because she will not sleep on her tummy. Oh dear. But, she has only been waking up once in the 11:30-12:00 range, then sleeping until about 7am. I definitely don't mind feeding her once at that time...so maybe she will train herself!
6. Erin got a new molar tooth on her bottom right. We couldn't really tell, except I happened to notice it when she was yawning. She has not been any different from her usual state of fussiness!

So, that's a quick recap from here. The girls are doing great, and Bella is hanging in there. Me, I am glad to not be constantly cleaning for showings any more! There is the small task of packing ahead of me though...at least I have a good little cleaning helper. We are ALL looking forward to being reunited with our TV since we are done "staging" the house. Life is good!

4 month stats

Here are the stats for our giant baby:

Weight - 16.5 lbs., 95th percentile
Length - 27", off the charts!
Head - 16", 85th percentile

She is bigger than Erin was at 6 months! We got the go-ahead to start cereal and then other foods gradually, and also to let her cry in the middle of the night. She does not need to be eating every 3-4 hours at night! She has done better the past 2 nights, so hopefully we won't have to do that. But, it is nice to have the option if it comes to that! With Erin, they told me to keep feeding her during the night until 6 months since she was thin. She is doing great and showed off her ticklish side when he examined her. She is just so sweet!

We had another showing yesterday, and somebody is coming back for a second look tomorrow. We went to see 2 houses on Sunday and really liked one of them, but the garage could probably not hold both cars and the mower/tools. That is a big negative for one of us. The yard wasn't super big either, but it was very nice and flat and had a swingset. We are keeping it on the list and will continue searching!

4 months old!

Guess who is 4 months old today?

We can't believe how fast these 4 months have flown by. I, for one, am happy for that because the first few (6, ok...12) months are definitely not my favorite stage. Anna is doing great - eating VERY well, sleeping ok (but a little better this past week, mostly only getting up once in the 12:30-2:30 range), and practicing all her tricks. She can now roll from her back to her tummy, but it is a slow and multi-step process. She's got a lot of weight to overcome! She also likes grabbing things and putting them in her mouth. She goes on Monday for her checkup, so we can't wait to see what she weighs. She loves to watch Erin, and can now turn herself in the exersaucer to look for her. She is generally happy, but is following in her big sister's footsteps in taking 30-minute naps during the day. So, by 3pm or so, she is exhausted and cranky, but Erin outgrew that, so hopefully Anna will soon too.

No thumb (or paci) yet, but we keep hoping! We love her so much, and even Erin is starting to interact with her a little bit....when it is convenient for her.

The House Hunt

So, our house has generated some interest in the 2 weeks that it's been on the market. We've had 4 showings so far, and the last people to visit put us in their top 3! That's great, and now we are starting to think more about where we want to end up. Thus, we have been contemplating The Dilemma of House vs. Location.

We saw a beautiful house on Saturday morning (in Mill Ridge, for those of you who know these parts), but it's further into Fuquay and further away from Bob's work. This particular house was also a little more than we really need/want to maintain/can afford. But it was gorgeous, 5 bedrooms and a bonus room, fancy kitchen, 3 car garage, monstrous master bath, and a huge flat yard. Then, we saw one in Oliver Creek (off Rouse Road, off Cass Holt Road, off Avent Ferry Road, off hwy 55 in Holly Springs) that was a little too far from civilization. It took 5 minutes just to get through the neighborhood. Again, it is further from IBM. But it was a nice house with a big yard, shed, and the neighbors had a great bonfire going at 10am.

Then, we got to thinking that maybe we should consider where we will be living instead of just what we will be living in. And, sure, 0.75 acres is great and quiet and pretty and fun for running around, but who wants to spend extra time mowing and maintaining all that after driving an hour each way to work? Not Bob! And who wants to take care of 2 cranky girls by herself while all this driving and mowing is going on? Not me!

So, we drove through Abbington yesterday after church. I can't find a good website for it, but it's between hwy 64 and Kelly Road in Apex. Yes, the lots are smaller, yes, it has city taxes, and yes, houses are a little more expensive than the same house in Fuquay, but being 5 minutes from church and Beaver Creek and 25 minutes from IBM (even less once 540 comes through in 2 years) sure sounds great.

Maybe we are destined to be city folk after all! Thoughts? Comments? We would love to hear your opinions!

Weekend fun!

We had lots of fun this weekend in Concord. Erin had a great time playing with her cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents (and great-grandparents)! We got to see Uncle Chris and Aunt Leslie's beautiful new house and we got to celebrate Uncle Dale's birthday too. Everyone did great! Bella managed to adapt to Grandma and Grandpa's new hardwood floors with the help of a blanket that Grandpa laid out for her.

We also had 2 showings on our house while we were gone, and one yesterday, but no offers yet. One said they don't want to live in a subdivision (so why even look here?!?), one thought our house was cramped (sorry, we are not getting rid of our beds and the couch), and we haven't heard back from yesterday's, but we figure they aren't going to make an offer if they haven't by now. So, we continue. Our realtor said the average is just 10-15 showings now with online listings, so by that logic, we are 20-33% done! We are going to see our 2 favorite houses this weekend just to be prepared if ours does sell :)

Movin' on Up

So, for those of you who haven't heard, we have completely lost our minds and have decided to put our house on the market. For about a year, we have been wavering between "this house is plenty big" and "we feel like sardines with toys coming out of our ears". So, the low interest rates finally convinced us to give it a shot. At least we don't feel pressured to sell, so if it doesn't work out, we will still be fine.

I want to thank Bob for ALL the work he has done in the past week or so to get this place ready to sell, with lots of great help from Josh too. I have done a little, but mostly have been in charge of the kids and dog and daily operations. We have cleaned out half our stuff (including all of the attic and crawl space), boxed (box procurement was a job in itself, no thanks to Harris Teeter who fell through twice after saying they would save us some), and packed a 8x8x16-foot pod nearly full. We have also rearranged the living and dining rooms (had to remove the tv...eek!), stained the deck, laid new mulch, leveled the air conditioner, repaired the fence, mowed and trimmed the yard and bushes, done lots of touch-up work, and cleaned like crazy. We have also had the house pressure washed, and I admit that I had someone come help pack the kitchen stuff into boxes. There was no way I was going to get all that done. I also had somebody come clean some of the house yesterday for the same reason. So, we are pretty pooped, especially with Miss Big Appetite still waking up every 3-4 hours at night (yes, she is over 3 months old and still doing it...I blame it on her not taking a paci or thumb to help her sleep). But, we are making it and we'll see what happens!

Anyone interested in buying our house??? Basset hound conveys!

Beach!

We had a great time at Ocean Isle last weekend with Grandma F.! The girls did great and they both really enjoyed being out on the beach. Poor little Anna got either a little sun or wind burn on her cheeks, even though we only had her out in the shade or after dinner. I felt so bad, but she is back to normal now. Erin LOVED the ocean. We were surprised at how much she liked it! She walked right up to the water and started splashing around the first evening, but the following morning she was a little whiny. I think she got salt water in her eye. But every other time we went out, she loved it. The pool at the condo was closed, but we hardly had time to go anyway between naps, meals, and playing at the condo! We also didn't get a chance to break out Grandma's kiddie pool or kite, so those are on the schedule for next time. Erin loved the "tunnel" in Grandma and Grandpa's living room between the couch and chair, and she also loved all the books and toys Grandma had for her there. The balcony was a big hit with both of them too.

Though we mostly hung out around the condo and beach, we also went to church and had a quick outing to Calabash and went out to eat on Sunday night. So, it was a nice mini-vacation for us...our only one this year! We packed heavy, but our "t-rex" was up for the luggage challenge. Bob even managed to make an extra spot in back so I could go back and help calm Anna down when she needed it.

Here are a couple of pictures...we didn't take very many, and I can only get the landscape ones to look right on the blog, so see our Picasa site for the rest. We can't wait to go back again soon! Thanks for everything, Grandma!

Baptized!

Anna got baptized yesterday! It was a great day with lots of family and our church friends, the Mattinglys. Erin behaved poorly, but otherwise it was a great day. Anna did very well, with just some crying. She looked beautiful in the dress that Grandma A. made and blanket from Grandma F. She even got to try some of her baptism cake that Grandma A. made. Thanks to everyone for coming to help us celebrate!

5 short years

Friday was Bob's and my 5th wedding anniversary. Wow, 5 years already?!? We have had a busy 5 years:

- We've been to Europe twice, plus Indiana several times, New York once, Chicago, Maine, the Outer Banks, and Boston twice...plus Bob has been to Seattle, California a few times, New York a few times, Florida, New Orleans, and England for work
- Oh yeah, we have also been to San Diego when Bob visited me during my 3-month stint out there for work right after the wedding (I'm still mad that I had to go)
- We have bought and sold 4 cars/truck
- Bob earned (got? won?) his PhD, and all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities therein
- I went back to school and got my nursing degree and worked for a grand total of 9 months
- We had a boarder for a semester...just Dale, not an exotic exchange student or anything : )
- We've repainted the entire house and done some other projects like flooring the dining room and tiling the kitchen backsplash
- We have kept a basset hound alive, and vice versa
- Bob got baptized/confirmed/eucharisted, though that was right before the wedding
- At least we haven't moved...yet...we continue to ponder that one

Did I forget anything? Oh yes, we have had the two most beautiful, bodacious little girls...definitely the best - and hardest - thing we have done in the past 5 years. Whew! No wonder I'm tired all the time! It's been wonderful, Bob. I can't wait for many more!

Fun weekend!

We had lots of fun in Concord this weekend and Erin got to check out a new place, ImaginOn in Charlotte. It's actually a library (so it's free), but they have a lot of toys and stuff for kids to climb on. There was also a puppet theater and dress-up stage! Erin wasn't in the best mood all weekend, either because of getting over the flu or because we haven't been to Concord in awhile, but she still had fun. We had a great time seeing everyone, and Anna still slept great away from home!


Thanks to Aunt Leslie and Uncle Chris for their pictures!

21 months and 10 weeks

Our girls are getting so big! Erin was 21 months old last Friday. Her favorite trick now is "matching" things...she will see something like a clock in a book, then point to clocks in our house. It's cute, and she is very proud of herself. She likes to play Memory as well (with the cards facing up). She is also into running as a faster way of getting around, and she loves climbing on furniture. The most sad thing to happen to her lately is the stomach flu that started on Sunday night, and I think she is getting over it today. It's been a rough few days for poor Erin, but she is staying strong, and I am hoping she will be back to her old self when she wakes up from her nap. She has definitely enjoyed all her tv time while she has been sick, and I enjoyed a break from entertaining her all day, but of course we want her to get back to normal as soon as possible.

Anna was 10 weeks old yesterday! Her newest trick is batting at toys that are in front of her. She is also doing better with tummy time and is much calmer and happier than she has been. We still get plenty of use out of our exercise ball and bathroom fan, but not as much as we did a few weeks ago!
We are hoping Erin is feeling better to go to Concord on Friday. After 3 days stuck in the house, I think us girls will really enjoy getting away!

2 months old!

Anna was 2 months old yesterday! We can't believe she is this old already. She went to the pediatrician this morning and tipped the scales at 13 lbs. 6 oz. (97th percentile), and was 24-1/2" long (also the 97th percentile). Her head is 15-3/4" around (90th percentile). So, she's a big but proportional baby! She checked out great and did fabulously during the exam...unlike somebody else we know. She had to get 3 shots and an oral vaccine, but seemed to dislike the oral stuff the most. I guess it figures that a pacifier-phobe would freak out over anything new going in her mouth! Let's hope she doesn't need any Tylenol after the shots, because I'm sure that would not go well either!

We are so proud of her already...she is getting over the fussy stage and is content to sit and watch her big sister run around. She sleeps GREAT, but I hate to say too much and jinx ourselves on that! We just love her so much and are so lucky to have two beautiful, happy, smart girls!

Erin vs. Driveway

Winner: the driveway. Poor Erin took a tumble off her little tricycle yesterday morning and cut her lip with her top teeth when she fell. She also scraped her chin and her nose a little. She wanted to get right back on the bike and screamed the most when I took her inside! I think it scared me a lot more than it scared her. I called an urgent care place that wouldn't take anyone under 2, and the pediatrician said they would not stitch her lip...so we are just to keep it clean and maybe ice it if she will let us (which she will not). This picture was taken last night. It's still puffy today, but looks like the cut is healing pretty well. She didn't want to eat much yesterday, but is doing better today. I was worried her thumb-sucking might irritate it, but she is managing to still make that work. She's a tough little girl!

Anna & Erin

I really am trying very hard not to compare Anna to Erin at each age, but I can't help but notice the following:

Erin on the play mat:

Anna on the play mat:

Erin having tummy time:

Anna having tummy time:

Coincidence? I think not! It is fun to see how different they are, and it will be even more fun as Anna's personality starts to come out more. For now, we can say for sure that Anna is happier and spits up a lot more. Oh, and her eyes are still blue! Erin's had turned brown by this point (not that I am comparing). We wonder if they will change color and what they will be.

Poor Bella

Bella's worst nightmare has come true, but look how happy Erin is to have mastered climbing up on to the couch!
And here's a couple pictures of our cutie big-little girl. We are doing well, and can't believe it's been 6 weeks already since Anna was born! She is doing great - she's starting to lift and turn her head better, has more distinct cries, and is smiling a lot more. We just love her! Well, Erin is still not sure...but she will come around soon!

Smile!

Look who's smiling! She is just so stinking cute with those dimples...but I may be a little bit biased. It's hard to get the smile right on the camera, so this doesn't really do it justice. It's just a glimpse of the real thing! Happy 1 month birthday, Anna!

We had a fun weekend, and Anna spent her first night in Concord on Saturday. It was nice to get away and see my side of the family. Erin had lots of fun in the kiddie pool and playing with her cousins. Bella had complaints about the temperature in the third row of the car (panting), but everyone else did great in the car. Happy Father's Day to Bob! Thanks, Aunt Leslie, for taking this picture:

Anna is doing well - she is definitely gearing up for the 6-week peak of fussiness, but we know it is just temporary and she will go back to the sweet girl we know she is. She is sleeping ok, but is having trouble getting to sleep as part of this "wakeful" stage that she's in. We keep trying the paci with minimal success...but I will persevere and hopefully she will give in!

Week 4 update

We have had a very busy week here! Bob had to go to England for work from Monday afternoon until Friday afternoon. Things went well with his trip, and I am assured that this will not become a regular event - nor will travel in general. We girls did fine here with the help of cousins on both sides, Grandma A., and our wonderful neighbors! We had overnight help 2 of the 4 nights, and evening help the other 2 nights. We had lots of fun playing with all our company! Erin also got to try out the pool for the first time this year with Logan and Ansley. They liked the area around the pool more than the actual pool. We ALSO got to see baby Jimmy twice this week as Tom and Pam stopped through on their way to the beach. He is SO big and adorable!

Anna is doing great! She's eating and using diapers like crazy and has little fat rolls on her arms, legs, and chin/neck. I have to remember to check them and keep them clean, because fat rolls are new to us. She also spits up some, but a very small amount and less than half of her feedings end with any spit-up. She will be 4 weeks old on Tuesday already, and we can't believe it! Her latest news is that Grandma got her to use the pacifier while she was here last week, and Daddy gave her her first bottle this afternoon! It took her 30 minutes to drink 2-1/2 oz., but she did drink nearly all of it, which is a huge difference from her sister at this point. That wore her out and she is sleeping now. She also wanted to be awake in church this morning for the first time, which made things a little more challenging. But hey, we can't fault her for wanting to pray, right?!?

Erin is doing well too. She is having fewer tantrums and is generally more happy now that we are in a better routine. She has started "gathering" things like puzzle pieces, mulch, pine needles, etc. and making piles of similar items. She also notices similar items in books and will flip through to show us each picture of Cookie Monster, etc. She is also a tiny bit more interested in Anna and will even bounce her in the bouncy seat every once in awhile.

So, despite all my worrying and complaining, we survived our week alone and had lots of fun with all our visitors! It will be nice to have things back to normal this week though.