This first piece captures Annikka's fascination with all things feline:
Anani (the cat) wasn't in a very playful mood. Usually Anani is a sucker for play-time, and she'll jump at anything long and string-like, in which case Annikka goes NUTS! We'll try to get that on camera. This was a relatively mild reaction.
This next selection shows Annikka falling in love with herself in front of the mirror.
See you all soon!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
9 month review
Annikka had her nine month doctor's visit today. According to Dr. Wong, everything is going well.
Notable findings:
We were surprised to learn that she weighs only 19 lbs, 6 oz. She sure seems bigger than that. Turns out, her weight quite normal. Her height, at 27 3/4" is pretty normal, too. In fact, most everything about Annikka is in the 60th to 70th percentile.
Except her head that is, which is in the 90TH PERCENTILE (!!!) That's no joke. The girl's got a big head.
Cute, too.
Monday night Dana and I went down to Eugene to watch Garrison Keillor perform at the Oregon Bach Festival. He made fun of Minnesota Lutherans pretty much the entire show, which was fun. Dana and I think it's sad that Annikka probably won't appreciate those jokes like we do, if she even finds them funny.
We went with my parents and the rest of the Southern Willamette Valley University of Minnesota Alumni Association. It was pretty fun to be around some Minnesotans again.
We hired a babysitter to look after Annikka, which was a first for us (if you don't count the times my parents have looked after her). We hired a lady (are 21 year olds ladies?) from Annikka's day care that Annikka knows well.
It turned out to be a breeze; Annikka ate her dinner without fussing, and she went to bed quickly.
And the best part? The night out only cost us $97! ($70 for the sitter's time, $20 for her to buy some dinner, and $7 for the gas!) At that price, we can afford to go out one at least once a year. Geez. (I'm kidding, our sitter is great ... the peace of mind is worth it.)
This weekend, Annikka had a play date with some of her friends.
That's Zane above on the left (you remember him) and his mother Kellee (pictured above). Jessica ("Jessi") is in the middle (you remember her -- she's really grown, huh?). Her mother Kirstin (Gustavus grad) is pictured above in the bright blue shirt.
The cuties played while the moms talked shop and I played catch with Zane's dad in the park.
I think everyone had a good time.
Talk to you soon, everyone. We have some video of Annikka laughing, and I'm trying to nab some video of her clapping her hands (ridiculously cute). I'll try to post them soon.
Notable findings:
We were surprised to learn that she weighs only 19 lbs, 6 oz. She sure seems bigger than that. Turns out, her weight quite normal. Her height, at 27 3/4" is pretty normal, too. In fact, most everything about Annikka is in the 60th to 70th percentile.
Except her head that is, which is in the 90TH PERCENTILE (!!!) That's no joke. The girl's got a big head.
Cute, too.
Monday night Dana and I went down to Eugene to watch Garrison Keillor perform at the Oregon Bach Festival. He made fun of Minnesota Lutherans pretty much the entire show, which was fun. Dana and I think it's sad that Annikka probably won't appreciate those jokes like we do, if she even finds them funny.
We went with my parents and the rest of the Southern Willamette Valley University of Minnesota Alumni Association. It was pretty fun to be around some Minnesotans again.
We hired a babysitter to look after Annikka, which was a first for us (if you don't count the times my parents have looked after her). We hired a lady (are 21 year olds ladies?) from Annikka's day care that Annikka knows well.
It turned out to be a breeze; Annikka ate her dinner without fussing, and she went to bed quickly.
And the best part? The night out only cost us $97! ($70 for the sitter's time, $20 for her to buy some dinner, and $7 for the gas!) At that price, we can afford to go out one at least once a year. Geez. (I'm kidding, our sitter is great ... the peace of mind is worth it.)
This weekend, Annikka had a play date with some of her friends.
That's Zane above on the left (you remember him) and his mother Kellee (pictured above). Jessica ("Jessi") is in the middle (you remember her -- she's really grown, huh?). Her mother Kirstin (Gustavus grad) is pictured above in the bright blue shirt.
The cuties played while the moms talked shop and I played catch with Zane's dad in the park.
I think everyone had a good time.
Talk to you soon, everyone. We have some video of Annikka laughing, and I'm trying to nab some video of her clapping her hands (ridiculously cute). I'll try to post them soon.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Eatin' Broccoleheh!
We've been giving Annikka a lot of finger food lately in the hopes that she'll begin to feed herself. We gave her a broccoli tree (or three) this weekend.
First, she played with it:
Then she put it in her mouth:
Then she (sort of) took a bite ...
... and decided she's not crazy about broccoli:
Then we gave her a baby biscuit ...
... and she was happy:
First, she played with it:
Then she put it in her mouth:
Then she (sort of) took a bite ...
... and decided she's not crazy about broccoli:
Then we gave her a baby biscuit ...
... and she was happy:
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Cell Phone
If you're sick of watching Annikka eat bananas, here is a video of Annikka playing with a toy cell phone (her favorite):
Father's Day
It's Father's Day, and because I'm now a card-carrying member of "the club," I lived it up today: Dana made pancakes for breakfast, I took a post-breakfast nap, and the family went on a short hike. Annikka has been sick for the past four days, but she was healthy today, so we were all happy.
(EDIT: Dana wants me to note that my post-breakfast nap was "long" -- it wasn't a "normal" nap.)
After the hike, Annikka tackled a banana ALL. BY. HERSELF!
Please disregard the weird photo montage at the beginning. I have no idea what that's about, although it probably has something to do with my inability to master iMovie. Poor editing aside, pretty cute, huh? Annikka's sickness brought with it some, ahem, poop problems. So we thought we'd give her a banana to, you know, fix the problem.
My Aunt Liz and my cousins, Ashley and Megan, from Cary, Illinois (the other Howes), sent Annikka a great gift package, including some awesome shades:
According to the other Howes, Annikka is "the cutest baby in Oregon." We agree. Thanks, Howes! We'll see you in August!
Last Sunday we took a hike to Alsea Falls and Green Peak Falls. (Annikka's first waterfalls!)
Alsea Falls is kind of in the middle of nowhere in the Coast Range, southwest of Corvallis, and I'm not going to lie, the isolation can be a tad un-nerving ... in a Deliverance sort of way. It's about a mile hike to the second set of falls. On the way back, we heard all sorts of gunfire. Probably just a bunch of dudes firing into a log or something, but still, a little freaky. Well, get a load of what happened in exactly that spot the night before. Yikes.
Annikka is a standing fool. She LOVES to stand. Turns out, this is great for us. If you've been to our house, you know that we have this totally un-usable space off our family room. The people who lived in the house before us marketed it as a "conversation nook." It's this 8' x 8' area that is sunk two feet into the floor (and, strangely, fully carpeted). Anyhow, we have absolutely no use for this space. Or, I should say we "had" no use for this area until Annikka fell in love with standing:
(Note Annikka's cute tummy in the last picture.)
Look at that! The little seating area is exactly the right height.
Unfortunately, Annikka loves to stand, but she can't get there without a little help. Hopefully she'll figure that out soon.
I'll conclude this post with a picture of Annikka folding laundry:
(EDIT: Dana wants me to note that my post-breakfast nap was "long" -- it wasn't a "normal" nap.)
After the hike, Annikka tackled a banana ALL. BY. HERSELF!
Please disregard the weird photo montage at the beginning. I have no idea what that's about, although it probably has something to do with my inability to master iMovie. Poor editing aside, pretty cute, huh? Annikka's sickness brought with it some, ahem, poop problems. So we thought we'd give her a banana to, you know, fix the problem.
My Aunt Liz and my cousins, Ashley and Megan, from Cary, Illinois (the other Howes), sent Annikka a great gift package, including some awesome shades:
According to the other Howes, Annikka is "the cutest baby in Oregon." We agree. Thanks, Howes! We'll see you in August!
Last Sunday we took a hike to Alsea Falls and Green Peak Falls. (Annikka's first waterfalls!)
Alsea Falls is kind of in the middle of nowhere in the Coast Range, southwest of Corvallis, and I'm not going to lie, the isolation can be a tad un-nerving ... in a Deliverance sort of way. It's about a mile hike to the second set of falls. On the way back, we heard all sorts of gunfire. Probably just a bunch of dudes firing into a log or something, but still, a little freaky. Well, get a load of what happened in exactly that spot the night before. Yikes.
Annikka is a standing fool. She LOVES to stand. Turns out, this is great for us. If you've been to our house, you know that we have this totally un-usable space off our family room. The people who lived in the house before us marketed it as a "conversation nook." It's this 8' x 8' area that is sunk two feet into the floor (and, strangely, fully carpeted). Anyhow, we have absolutely no use for this space. Or, I should say we "had" no use for this area until Annikka fell in love with standing:
(Note Annikka's cute tummy in the last picture.)
Look at that! The little seating area is exactly the right height.
Unfortunately, Annikka loves to stand, but she can't get there without a little help. Hopefully she'll figure that out soon.
I'll conclude this post with a picture of Annikka folding laundry:
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
I've already received worried messages noting that it's not 5 1/2 weeks to the wedding and 6 1/2 weeks to the reunion. It's 10 1/2 and 11 1/2, respectively. Sorry.
With Dana's help, here are some more, random updates:
1. Annikka communicates by clicking her tongue. She's been doing it for about a month and a half now.
2. Annikka likes to tilt her head sideways to look at things. (Super cute.)
3. The cats are scared of Annikka. Still.
4. My favorite part of the day is picking Annikka up from day care. See your kid freak out (happily) to see you is incredible. Dana enjoys it, too.
5. Annikka has no top teeth, yet.
With Dana's help, here are some more, random updates:
1. Annikka communicates by clicking her tongue. She's been doing it for about a month and a half now.
2. Annikka likes to tilt her head sideways to look at things. (Super cute.)
3. The cats are scared of Annikka. Still.
4. My favorite part of the day is picking Annikka up from day care. See your kid freak out (happily) to see you is incredible. Dana enjoys it, too.
5. Annikka has no top teeth, yet.
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