Tomorrow, when Anya wakes up, she will be one year old. How time flew by so quickly, I will never ever know. But oh my. This has been the most cherished, sleepless, messiest, happiest, craziest year of my life. I am so happy to be her mama.
Sometimes blogging stresses me out because I want my words to flow eloquently and be flawless of any typos or errors. Tonight I just need a space to ooze all my thoughts. Because PHEW I am feeling allllll the emotions after putting that little sweetie down to sleep.
Anya is such a fun, happy baby. I know I have that description of her on repeat but it's true! She is so full of life and laughter. Like tonight during dinner, for example. We are sitting there, just the two of us (daddy isn't home til late on weeknights) and she was just HAMMING it up! She's been doing this thing lately where she attempts to suppress her laughter. Kind of like when you tell a joke and you are waiting for everyone's reaction and you're sitting there going "ehhhhhh?!?!?!?!" behind your big goofy smile. Hahah okay. Bad description probably. But she is a little comedy star in the making, I'm telling you.
I just want to compile a list in no certain order of all the things that make Anya, Anya, at this time of her life:
- She is SO close to walking. I think she knows she can do it, but she continues to crawl because she knows she can get to her destination quicker that way. She is a little fire cracker, that girl. Always going going going. Always busy with something. She has the need for speed.
- However, when we help her walk by holding her arms above her head, she giggles hysterically the whole way. She can't make it that far usually because she collapses to the ground in a fit of giggles! Hahah her little legs give out on her because she is so amped up on the fact that she's moving freely without clinging to the wall.
- Sometimes we catch her standing solo, holding onto NOTHING and I swear she doesn't even know she's doing it hahaha. Her attention is usually so wrapped up in whatever toy/ object she is holding and admiring that she doesn't even realize she's let go of whatever she was using to help her stand up! She'll do it for like 5 seconds and then her mind comes back to reality and I can just see her thoughts going "whoops how'd that wall/ couch/ drawer get away from me". The first time she did it was in the tub holding her little rubber duck and I was just like UHHH ANYA?! And she simply looked up at me all pleasantly like "what? nothing unusual going on here!"
- She is an amazing sharer. She LOVES to give me anything she has. Whether it's all her toys, books (more on that in a minute), food, or even something that she grabbed off the counter that I was using. Haha and what's most funny about the last one is that she is so pleased with herself for being "helpful". Like here mama let me strain my whole body to snag that mirror for you that you were using to do your hair! Even though it was clearly already in my reach, much more so than hers.
- Okay. Books. The girl is a BOOKWORM. And I love it!!! She gets so excited about every single page. When she turns the page she lets out a little "Oo!" and her whole body tenses up with excitement. It's even more joyful when the book has animals in it! ESPECIALLY cats. It's crazy to me that she can recognize a cat no matter how it's illustrated on the page but cats really light a fire in her soul. Best part though? She tries so so hard to make "meow" sounds come from her mouth. When she sees a cat she immediately looks at me in anticipation. I'll say, "Anya what does a kitty say?" and she starts smiling as I go "meeeoowww" and then bust up in laughter. Then she gets real serious and I can see the cogs turning in her brain, trying to figure out how I make those sounds with my mouth. So far, she's got the "ow" part down really well. It is so much fun to watch her learn and to see how happy she is when she accomplishes something new. She also loves pretty much every other animal and animal sound. Dogs are a close second to cats. She also loves monkeys and can imitate my monkey sounds pretty well, which is fun for both of us.
- Another fun thing about books is she has a book that has a rose on the first page and I've successfully taught her to smell the flower and it cracks me up every time!
- Sometimes when I am trying to get something around the house done and not focusing on what she's doing 100%, it'll get quiet and I realize oh boyyy what did she get into? But then I'll go around the corner and find her with a few books in her lap, happily turning the pages and staring at the pictures. Phewww those moments melt me. She is such a good, smart little cookie.
- Her next favorite thing would be this little wooden nativity set that I pulled out during Christmas and am never putting away haha. She is so attached to them and it fills me heart to the brim when I watch her play with the little figurines. She always has at least 3 characters in her hands. I wonder if she's already playing pretend with them? When do imagination abilities develop? I feel like there's no other reason she'd lay on her stomach playing with them for so long! Another funny thing about it is she is most attached to the Mary figure and my parents have a "little people" nativity set and she was most attached to the Mary at their house too! She really could pick it out of a line up! It was the most impressive thing. So it's just hysterical to me that she loves the Mary at our house the most too. It's just so sweet and I don't want to forget it.
- Food. That girl can put it down! Literally she will sometimes eat as much as I do during meals and I can't figure out how she does it! She could eat an endless supply of blueberries and cheese though. Those things never fail us. Chicken too, actually! Haha if berries aren't on her plate, the meat is the first thing to be devoured. Veggies are a bit trickier. It's not that she won't eat them. They just don't hold her attention very long. And her preferences change often. She'll eat lots of peas or carrots or squash for several days and then want nothing to do with it randomly. So I have to be more strategic with getting those down her!
- She has started pointing while you carry her, showing you where she wants to go.
- She can flip a light switch on and off and she gets such a kick over being in control of the light/ darkness. You have to do this sparingly though, because once she does it one time, she'll want you to hold her up there for an hour so she can do it over and over and over again haha.
- Lots of our house is already baby proofed (also me-proofed tbh) because she can open so many things (drawers/ cabinets) and it causes extreme chaos. Just the way she likes it haha.
- She has 3 teeth on the bottom and 4 cut through all at the same time on the top while she was sick (poor girl). The top ones are still pretty small so you're lucky if you catch a glimpse of them, but they are definitely there!
- She has the best laugh ever. And has become more ticklish so you can believe I'm taking advantage of that so I can hear that laugh as much as possible. She's most ticklish under her chin on her neck and loses it everytime I clean her up after meals or snacks. She is such a goob hahah.
- She's also become just a titch more cuddly and we LOVE it! Like after naps she'll take a second to rest her head on your shoulder when you've rescued her from the crib. Or if you're holding her in a store or church or somewhere and someone starts talking to her she kind of shys away into the crook of your neck which is funny because she literally is so social and not shy at all. I think she just knows it's cute and it'll make people love her even more!
- She also "snuggles" on cue if there's a soft stuffed animal, fuzzy blanket or frankly... carpet.. in sight. haha! It is so freaking cute.
- Along with her being a bit more cuddly, the other morning, Kendal had gotten up with her before he had to leave for school and brought her to me in our bed and she laid her whole body down on my stomach and relaxed for like a whole 30 seconds while a rubbed her back! It was magical. I hope she continues to get more cuddly as she grows. She's gotta figure out back rubs/ scratches are priceless sometime... right?
Those are all the things that came to my mind right away. I'm sure after I publish this I'll think of a whole other list of things, but I wanted to make sure I remember some of these precious moments forever.
It's impossible to think an entire year with her has passed by already. But even though I can't help but be a little sad those special moments of Anya being a tiny baby are gone, I am just so thankful she is healthy and growing. She's truly thriving and I feel so lucky that I can sleep soundly at night knowing that she is safe and perfectly on track.
1.23.2019
7.24.2018
A WHOLE HALF YEAR.
6 MONTHS. I can not wrap my head around that. I guess it's not so much that HALF a year is totally bananas, but the fact that in another 6 months my baby will be an ENTIRE year old... I will have been a mom for a year... she will likely be walking... maybe even talking! THAT IS TOTALLY BANANAS. Often times when we are out and about, people will come up and start telling us about their kids... that they are already 4 or 12 or starting college. What they always say is that it goes by in a blink of an eye. I have no doubt about that. I've already seen time fly in these short 6 months. It actually kind of scares me! I just want to freeze time and stay in these moments forever.
With all that being said, watching her grow fills my heart in ways I never thought possible. I've said this about every stage, but 5-6 months has been my favorite. This will definitely be the age I'll dream about during my future pregnancies and tough newborn nights. She rewards me in ways I never thought possible. The fact that she 100% knows who I am and looks for ME and wants ME is the greatest feeling I've ever experienced.
So, here we go! Here's a little list that Kendal helped me brainstorm of what's new in Miss Anya's life.
WE'VE GOT A ROLLER UP IN HERE! She has wanted to roll for the longest time but hadn't quite fully made it through to the end. The day she did (August 12th), nothing would stop her! It's like she finally realized what she was capable of and she wanted to keep seeing what else she could do. She can't talk, but she sure teaches me a lot. I'm serious though, after she did it the first time her entire face wore the happiest, proudest, most pleased smile. I, of course, FREAKED! I've seen her get so close, so many times that when it finally happened I could hardly believe it! I guess she might have been smiling so big because I was smiling so big, haha. After that, that's all she did. Almost the instant she was back on her back (with my help) she'd be turning to flip onto her belly again. The funny thing is, for a while, she could only turn to her left. We would try to motivate her with toys on her right side and she'd sort of go for it but when she didn't flip within a second she'd turn to her left and roll all the way over again, as if to say "Okay I can't quite do THAT yet... BUT CHECK THIS OUT!" She's successfully made it from her belly to her back a couple times, but hasn't quite mastered that trick yet. Similarly, although she is turning to her right with much more ease than she used to, it's definitely still more difficult for her than when turning to the left. Oh, another funny thing about this is she has to sleep on her changing pad now lol. The first day she turned, she literally wouldn't stop (still won't stop, actually) and since she can't get back to her back very easily, she get's stuck. And that scares the heck out of me. Before we realized we could use the changing pad to stop her from turning, I went two practically sleepless nights because I was up flipping her all night long. And when I wasn't sleeping I was watching her making she she didn't roll because I was paranoid she was going to suffocate. Fun, right? Luckily since we put the changing pad in her pack n' play, we are all sleeping peacefully again :)
She's also learned how to sit up! Well, kind of. She weebles and wobbles and usually ends up tipping over within a few seconds. But she is so proud of her newfound independence! We started off propping her up with the Boppy and one day we tried it without and she shocked us!
Anya loves to make all kinds of noises with her mouth. Her most recent thing is constantly smacking her lips. And it's so funny because her toothless mouth gets so scrunched up and her lips turn into a perfect line across her face. She looks like a lil old granny smiling away. She cracks us up.
Along with her crazy noises, Anya has figured out how to get attention. How, you ask? By dramatically coughing. Hahah you heard me right. That's her secret weapon. If you've ever seen Zoolander, it sounds just like Derek pathetically coughing after spending one day down in the mines. "I've got the black lung pop" lol! So yeah, what happens is if we look away for literally one second she starts coughing so then we look at her to make sure she's fine and then the most sly smile stretches across her face. She's a master manipulator, that one.
We think she might be a lefty! She seems to do more with her left hand so we are wondering if that will end up being her dominate side. If so, cool, she will have a secret superpower in sports! However I will feel a little bad because this world is made for rightys... Like finding left handed scissors is no joke. Okay, I don't really know that... it's just what I've heard!
Anya definitely got Kendal's thick dark hair... but unfortunately I think I gave her my snarls (literally every hairdresser I've been to is always like "Is your hair always this tangly?..." and then I end up brushing out my own hair because I have figured out less painful ways to do it haha). She tends to wake up from naps with tiny little dreads/ birds nests and we have to spend a while brushing it out or sometimes cutting it :( Sorry chicky!
She is a little pork. I'm sure you've noticed her delicious leg rolls in pictures. She is also extremely tall for her age (me+kendal=go figure ;) ). What this combination equals is a 6 month old wearing 12 month old clothes.
Anya discovered her feet this last month, meaning that keeping socks on her is a challenge and that her mouth is full of toes most of the time. I'm not complaining though, mind you! It's just oh so cute and makes me want to gather her folded up body and nibble every piece of her!
She's been able to get a death grip on my hair for a while now, but her aim has gotten pretty precise and accurate. No jewelry is safe. I'm thanking my lucky stars I still have an ear lobe after an incident last night haha!
Anya want's whatever we're having. She longs to be a big girl so when we are having adult food, she wants in on the action too. And if you don't offer her what you're eating right away, she gets reaaaal impatient. Her focus is alllll on the food during mealtime.
My Hubbard side of the family had a reunion over the Fourth of July and we discovered something fun... Anya LOVES babies. Which is too funny because she, herself, IS a baby. By the end of this year, there will be 6 great granddaughters. Anya will be the oldest and only two of the others were able to make it. But Anya was cracking me up because every time she saw one of the younger babies she started laughing and shaking with excitement. I was able to see a glimpse into the future and I think Anya will one day be the best older sister. She is already so nurturing!
We don't take Anya anywhere without multiple people commenting how cute/ beautiful/ happy/ smiley she is. We even had a lady lean over to us in a restaurant in Glacier who said, "I don't normally go out of my way to say anything about a strangers baby... but oh my gosh, that is one cute baby! She's like a little doll!" She wasn't wrong! It's kind of cool to see people smiling at your baby everywhere you take them. Such a little human can light up everyone's day! It's like a superpower! Anya is the center of attention everywhere she goes. She know it. And she loves it.
This last thing I want to include because it depicts exactly what Anya is to Kendal and I. The other night was Kendal's birthday, so after we put Anya down we got to have some alone time. I was asking Kendal all sorts of questions to see what's changed in the past year and eventually I asked him, "What's the coolest thing thats ever happened to you?" I don't know what I was expecting, but his answer made my heart actually melt. He said Anya. I'd have to agree. She's pretty freaking great. She's everything perfect, wrapped up into the raddest little human.
Happy half year, my girl. I love you with everything I have in my heart and soul.
With all that being said, watching her grow fills my heart in ways I never thought possible. I've said this about every stage, but 5-6 months has been my favorite. This will definitely be the age I'll dream about during my future pregnancies and tough newborn nights. She rewards me in ways I never thought possible. The fact that she 100% knows who I am and looks for ME and wants ME is the greatest feeling I've ever experienced.
So, here we go! Here's a little list that Kendal helped me brainstorm of what's new in Miss Anya's life.
WE'VE GOT A ROLLER UP IN HERE! She has wanted to roll for the longest time but hadn't quite fully made it through to the end. The day she did (August 12th), nothing would stop her! It's like she finally realized what she was capable of and she wanted to keep seeing what else she could do. She can't talk, but she sure teaches me a lot. I'm serious though, after she did it the first time her entire face wore the happiest, proudest, most pleased smile. I, of course, FREAKED! I've seen her get so close, so many times that when it finally happened I could hardly believe it! I guess she might have been smiling so big because I was smiling so big, haha. After that, that's all she did. Almost the instant she was back on her back (with my help) she'd be turning to flip onto her belly again. The funny thing is, for a while, she could only turn to her left. We would try to motivate her with toys on her right side and she'd sort of go for it but when she didn't flip within a second she'd turn to her left and roll all the way over again, as if to say "Okay I can't quite do THAT yet... BUT CHECK THIS OUT!" She's successfully made it from her belly to her back a couple times, but hasn't quite mastered that trick yet. Similarly, although she is turning to her right with much more ease than she used to, it's definitely still more difficult for her than when turning to the left. Oh, another funny thing about this is she has to sleep on her changing pad now lol. The first day she turned, she literally wouldn't stop (still won't stop, actually) and since she can't get back to her back very easily, she get's stuck. And that scares the heck out of me. Before we realized we could use the changing pad to stop her from turning, I went two practically sleepless nights because I was up flipping her all night long. And when I wasn't sleeping I was watching her making she she didn't roll because I was paranoid she was going to suffocate. Fun, right? Luckily since we put the changing pad in her pack n' play, we are all sleeping peacefully again :)
She's also learned how to sit up! Well, kind of. She weebles and wobbles and usually ends up tipping over within a few seconds. But she is so proud of her newfound independence! We started off propping her up with the Boppy and one day we tried it without and she shocked us!
Anya loves to make all kinds of noises with her mouth. Her most recent thing is constantly smacking her lips. And it's so funny because her toothless mouth gets so scrunched up and her lips turn into a perfect line across her face. She looks like a lil old granny smiling away. She cracks us up.
Along with her crazy noises, Anya has figured out how to get attention. How, you ask? By dramatically coughing. Hahah you heard me right. That's her secret weapon. If you've ever seen Zoolander, it sounds just like Derek pathetically coughing after spending one day down in the mines. "I've got the black lung pop" lol! So yeah, what happens is if we look away for literally one second she starts coughing so then we look at her to make sure she's fine and then the most sly smile stretches across her face. She's a master manipulator, that one.
We think she might be a lefty! She seems to do more with her left hand so we are wondering if that will end up being her dominate side. If so, cool, she will have a secret superpower in sports! However I will feel a little bad because this world is made for rightys... Like finding left handed scissors is no joke. Okay, I don't really know that... it's just what I've heard!
Anya definitely got Kendal's thick dark hair... but unfortunately I think I gave her my snarls (literally every hairdresser I've been to is always like "Is your hair always this tangly?..." and then I end up brushing out my own hair because I have figured out less painful ways to do it haha). She tends to wake up from naps with tiny little dreads/ birds nests and we have to spend a while brushing it out or sometimes cutting it :( Sorry chicky!
She is a little pork. I'm sure you've noticed her delicious leg rolls in pictures. She is also extremely tall for her age (me+kendal=go figure ;) ). What this combination equals is a 6 month old wearing 12 month old clothes.
Anya discovered her feet this last month, meaning that keeping socks on her is a challenge and that her mouth is full of toes most of the time. I'm not complaining though, mind you! It's just oh so cute and makes me want to gather her folded up body and nibble every piece of her!
She's been able to get a death grip on my hair for a while now, but her aim has gotten pretty precise and accurate. No jewelry is safe. I'm thanking my lucky stars I still have an ear lobe after an incident last night haha!
Anya want's whatever we're having. She longs to be a big girl so when we are having adult food, she wants in on the action too. And if you don't offer her what you're eating right away, she gets reaaaal impatient. Her focus is alllll on the food during mealtime.
My Hubbard side of the family had a reunion over the Fourth of July and we discovered something fun... Anya LOVES babies. Which is too funny because she, herself, IS a baby. By the end of this year, there will be 6 great granddaughters. Anya will be the oldest and only two of the others were able to make it. But Anya was cracking me up because every time she saw one of the younger babies she started laughing and shaking with excitement. I was able to see a glimpse into the future and I think Anya will one day be the best older sister. She is already so nurturing!
We don't take Anya anywhere without multiple people commenting how cute/ beautiful/ happy/ smiley she is. We even had a lady lean over to us in a restaurant in Glacier who said, "I don't normally go out of my way to say anything about a strangers baby... but oh my gosh, that is one cute baby! She's like a little doll!" She wasn't wrong! It's kind of cool to see people smiling at your baby everywhere you take them. Such a little human can light up everyone's day! It's like a superpower! Anya is the center of attention everywhere she goes. She know it. And she loves it.
This last thing I want to include because it depicts exactly what Anya is to Kendal and I. The other night was Kendal's birthday, so after we put Anya down we got to have some alone time. I was asking Kendal all sorts of questions to see what's changed in the past year and eventually I asked him, "What's the coolest thing thats ever happened to you?" I don't know what I was expecting, but his answer made my heart actually melt. He said Anya. I'd have to agree. She's pretty freaking great. She's everything perfect, wrapped up into the raddest little human.
Happy half year, my girl. I love you with everything I have in my heart and soul.
7.21.2018
The Kings take Glacier National Park.
I'm keeping this short because tonight we are going out to celebrate Kendal's birthday (26 tomorrow!) and we plan to head out the moment Anya wakes up from her little snooze (which usually isn't too long). I just wanted to share some quick highlights of our trip to Glacier National Parks this past week! We had the best time with my parents and made so many wonderful memories. Anya is becoming quite the nature lover and it is so amazing to see the way her whole face lights up when she is outdoors.
Our first day we went "day camping". Totally the perfect set up when you've got a baby in tow. We scored this amazing campground right by Lake McDonald. It was a day filled with nothing to do, if that makes sense. We were free to do whatever our hearts desired. It was so relaxing and good to spend time with my parents, who recently returned from a two year LDS mission in India. Those two love Anya an insane amount. It fills my heart to see my parents be grandparents. Anya is so lucky to be loved by them, along with Kendal's parents.
This was right after we got to the campsite. When we saw how close we were to the lake, we immediately grabbed Anya and took her down to see what a beautiful world she was born into. I am dipping her little toes into the water here and if you could hear this photograph it would sound like giggles and coos. Anya is so aware of her surroundings, it astounds me.
My parents have been stoked to use this old swing for a couple months now. They were so happy to see she was finally big enough (barley) to use it on this trip. My dad strapped it up to some trees and Kendal plopped her right down in it. She was a little uncertain at first, but started cheesing the second he started pushing her. It's impossible to describe how amusing it is to see her experience things for the first time. She is a little busy body and eager to try everything around her.
Like, the way she holds onto the swing... I. CAN'T. EVEN! <3 <3 <3
Since Anya has a case of FOMO (fear of missing out) she isn't terribly cuddily, which I certainly miss. So having the chance to sit with her and snuggle forehead to forehead filled my heart with so much happy.
Totally dorking out, haha! Not the best picture I've ever taken, but I HAD to include it because this was one of my favorite moments of the trip and I never want to forget feeling like I was flying! We were in the most beautiful area of the park and I saw a girl sticking her head out the sunroof. I think I commented on it, or someone did, but anyway my parents suggested I do the same! I was a little surprised because that road it pretty narrow and curvy and right next to a cliff.... But I wasn't about to say no! It was the most amazing moment and I felt so free and so young! Hahah I am only 23 but it was one of the most youthful feelings I've felt since having a baby.
I have ALWAYS wanted to take a bath in a free standing tub like this. When we got to our hotel and it had one, I couldn't wait to try it out! I had a little free time to myself soaking in the warm water and bubbles before Kendal brought in Anya. She was a mess from dinner (solids are no joke) and needed a little bath herself. As much as I enjoyed my alone time, time with her was even better. She was smiling and laughing and splashing. She has the most fun personality and I just eat it right up!
She is my little merbaby. If it includes water, she's IN. She could have stared at the tiny waves crashing on the rocks all day long. And I could have stared at her staring all day long!
Ask anyone, I am not a morning person. However, I will wake up at the crack of dawn to go fishing with my dad. There is something about being on the water, soaking in the sun and anticipation of when a pole starts bobbing with a fish.
I got the first fish of the day! I like how Kendal described my face in this picture... a smile so big it's nearly strained like a kid hopped up on birthday candy hahaha TOO TRUE THOUGH!
Wanna know why I'm standing by the big one? Because I reeled that sucka in HOI YA!
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