Howe on Juan de Fuca: May 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Eila - 12 months

Eila had her 12 month appointment today and we found out that she's still our little cutie.

From May/June 2011

Length: 28.25" (24 percentile)
Weight: 17lb 8oz (5 percentile)
Head circumference: 46.1cm (75 percentile)

From May/June 2011

Her favorite new thing is brushing her teeth - and she screams at you if you take her toothbrush away from her before she's decided she's done.

From May/June 2011

Saturday, May 28, 2011

The unpredictable Oregon weather kept us inside for Eila's birthday party, but we still had lots of fun playing with Ella, Susannah, and Katriina, & big siblings Lillie and Mika who stayed busy running around with Annikka.

From May/June 2011

Grandma & Grandpa's cake was a big success, meaning Eila ate a few little bites.

From May/June 2011

Eila had a wonderful time with her little friends (and trying to keep track of the bigger kids), and at the end was ready for some snuggle time with her new Oliver before bed.

From May/June 2011

Storytime

ANNIKKA: Dad, tell me a story about when you were a little boy.

ME: You know what kind of pets we had when I was a kid?

ANNIKKA: No.

ME: Yeah you do.

ANNIKKA: Dog?

ME: Yeah.

ANNIKKA: A bunny.

ME: Yup. And a duck.

ANNIKKA: Uh huh.

ME: Oh, and I had hermit crabs!

ANNIKKA: Hermit crabs?

ME: Yeah, little crabs. I kept them in an aquarium, like fish.

ANNIKKA: (*pinching her hands like crab claws*) Were they real crabs, or pretend crabs?

ME: Real Crabs.

ANNIKKA: Why did you take them out of their environment?

Friday, May 27, 2011

Eila's first birthday!

From May/June 2011

Happy first birthday, dear Eila! I have no idea where the first year went, we reached this milestone so incredibly quickly. But I do know that we couldn't be happier to have you in our lives.

Tonight we had a small birthday celebration, and she opened a few presents and tried cake. Annikka's gift to Eila was by far the most successful - she got her own Oliver to love.

She was so happy to have a cat again, and she carried him around the house.

From May/June 2011

And she couldn't stop loving on him - does this look familiar?

From May/June 2011

I think it's clear that Eila could not be trusted with a kitten anytime soon.

From May/June 2011

She was very interested in the birthday candle but not the cupcake and actually only tried the frosting.

From May/June 2011

Annikka approved though (her first carrot cake, I think).

From May/June 2011

Now for more birthday fun tomorrow at her party.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Camping

preschool style :)

From May/June 2011

This is now night #3 of Annikka sleeping in the tent, and strangely, I think she's going to bed more easily and falling asleep faster ... maybe we should have pull the tent out months ago.

Silly game

and a few random spring pictures ...

From May/June 2011

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Stories

It feels like it took a while, but Eila appreciates stories a lot more these days.

From May/June 2011

She'll pull all the books off her shelf and then follow you around the house with one (to three - she likes to carry things, too) so that you can read it over and over. And sometimes she'll try reading it herself, too.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Oliver

From Anani & Oliver

Today our family of five became a family of four because our dear Oliver is no longer with us. He had gotten sick, and unfortunately the infection had spread too far.

Oliver went through quite the transformation in his 14 years - from a terrified dorm room kitten to a lovable lap cat to the most tolerant fuzzball a mother could ever ask for.

From Anani & Oliver

He will always be remembered for his incredible patience with the girls, and I only wish Eila had gotten more time with him.

From Anani & Oliver

He will be greatly missed, but Annikka assures me that "our love for him will stay in our hearts" (leave it to a 3 1/2 year old to say something so prefect).