Annika Annika Annika!

I climbed in this basket!

Wiped Out!

Annika is now a walking - almost running - machine! She finally started walking about a month ago and now she has taken off! She has decided she likes walking so much, she tries to run and falls. She also thinks she can climb up or down anything - including a step ladder, stairs, etc. Tonight she fell and cut her lip...lots of blood but once it stopped she was completely fine. It was a tiny little cut, but it sure didn't seem like it at first. She is never without a bruise of some sort on her face!

The other night Annika insisted to walk around the State Fair for 2 hours! If we carried her or put her in the stroller she was SO mad! We definitely have to get her one of those backpack harness things!

Annika also enjoys swimming! We took a swimming class for eight weeks, so we swim 2-3 times a week to practice...she can swim underwater from me to the pool edge, back and forth between me and daddy, can jump off the edge (from sitting), hold onto the edge by herself, and back float with help. She loves it! And just August she was deathly afraid!


Talking is also taking off! She now says a lot of two word things such as "all done ", "good girl" "thank you", "bye bye" (while waving), "I do" (repeated from a book about baby's body parts..."who loves baby's tummy? I do"). And she says over 50 other things! At her 15 month appointment (in which she only said about 15 words) the doctor said she is more than caught up for her prematurity, in fact she is ahead of most children her age (except for the walking, because that was a tiny bit late - 14 months is average - which she is now caught up on).


Annika also loves to dance and will say "dance" or "dancing" and then start dancing - even while in the car seat, stroller, high chair, even while nursing and sometimes in her sleep! She seems to hear music everywhere, in commercials, background music, etc., and just starts dancing! What a little doll!


Mothering is getting a bit more challenging, given the frequency of little crying jags, refusal of certain foods, neediness, and profuse attachment to nursing (still)...but I still enjoy almost all of every day.


Lately, Annika gets into fits of laughter for seemingly no reason...the tiniest little things and she just giggles...and it isn't hard to keep her going! The other night she got into a laughing fit at the most inopportune time - at 11 p.m. while trying to get her to sleep after a VERY long evening at the fair. Her usual bedtime is 8 p.m. so I thought she would be wiped out. Well, I nursed her then picked her up to lay her down, kissed her, and it must have tickled because she nuzzled her face to mine and then started laughing - loudly...she was NOT going to sleep...needless to say some crying was involved but she eventually got to sleep at 11:30 p.m. Regardless of the bad timing, I loved that moment! I wouldn't trade it for the world!


More adventures to come, I am sure!



I am starting to get ready to conceive another child soon! I am starting to get healthier again...trying to eat better, drink more water, exercise more and I need to begin to wean from coffee (much to my dismay). I will keep everyone posted about progress as it comes.