The holidays are officially over and we're happy to be back to work, school and our usual routine. Anna had school yesterday and OT this morning. Later this morning Anna had her evaluation at the Pleasantdale School, where she'll attend come March.
She was great. She sat at the table with us and played while the social worker, OT, speech pathologist and pschologist talked to me for awhile. Then she went into the other room with the pschologist, OT and speech pathologist for close to an hour while I went through a questionnaire with the social worker.
Everyone was impressed with Anna as she played nicely when we first arrived, separated from me easily and behaved while they did their evaluation. I was happy that it went smoothly since I was apprehensive about it for the last few days. I was especially happy that she immediately showed the social worker what a happy girl she is and behaved the way she generally does at home and in familiar settings.
She's been resting for the last hour but started coughing a bit just a little while ago. I'm not so sure she's going to settle down for a nap today as I'm sure she's still a bit wound up from our busy morning. Perhaps I'll take advantage of her alertness and get our food shopping done for the week. Yippee!
Happy New Year!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Territorial Anna
Meg, Lou and Gavin came to visit Friday evening. Anna wasn't too sure about Gavin right away so she watched from afar as he enjoyed her toys and his new surroundings.
I know Anna loves her food, but I fully realized how much when we sat the two of them together for dinner. I think she actually thought he was going to take her food because she wouldn't share the table with him. I let her have her fit for a little while because she took it away from us into the hall. But she was distracting Gavin from his dinner so I decided to give in a little and let her eat on my lap.
After dinner, all was well again. They played happily while we cleaned up dinner. I tried again with dessert thinking nothing was going to keep her from having some vanilla ice cream. I thought I had succeeded when she let me put her in her seat and placed her bowl in front of her. But lo and behold, she got up again and started her freak out dance. Dave decided to nip it in the bud and sat with her.
As soon as dessert was over, the two had a great time kicking and throwing the balls to us and 'wrestling' with Dave. I was a bit upset that she wasn't kinder to Gavin but accepted the fact that she's not yet three and still has some growing up to do! Hopefully the next time we see Gavin she won't act so nutty about her precious food!
I know Anna loves her food, but I fully realized how much when we sat the two of them together for dinner. I think she actually thought he was going to take her food because she wouldn't share the table with him. I let her have her fit for a little while because she took it away from us into the hall. But she was distracting Gavin from his dinner so I decided to give in a little and let her eat on my lap.
After dinner, all was well again. They played happily while we cleaned up dinner. I tried again with dessert thinking nothing was going to keep her from having some vanilla ice cream. I thought I had succeeded when she let me put her in her seat and placed her bowl in front of her. But lo and behold, she got up again and started her freak out dance. Dave decided to nip it in the bud and sat with her.
As soon as dessert was over, the two had a great time kicking and throwing the balls to us and 'wrestling' with Dave. I was a bit upset that she wasn't kinder to Gavin but accepted the fact that she's not yet three and still has some growing up to do! Hopefully the next time we see Gavin she won't act so nutty about her precious food!
Happy New Year 2009
Anna went to school the Monday in between Christmas and New Year's allowing Dave and I to get some things done around the house. But another party was upon us - New Year's Eve!
We went to the Major's house in CT for a party with all of the ski club friends. Anna was thrilled to hang with Ryan again and seemed to play a bit better with Sienna this time around as well. But Ryan is still the true attraction right now. I'm sure as they grow older, she and Sienna will ban Ryan from their play time, but only time will tell.
Everyone at the party was staying overnight so we let the little ones go to sleep first and didn't put Ryan and Anna up until 10:30 pm. Definitely the latest she has ever gone to sleep. It was worth it though because she barely put up a fight as I rocked her briefly before putting her down in Sienna's crib for the night.
I finally had a chance to do some nonstop relaxing as we ushered in 2009. But everyone else was pretty partied out by midnight and quickly said their good nights. Dave and I waited until closer to 1 am before sneaking into the room where Anna was already asleep.
We both fell asleep but were awakened by Anna later in the night. Unfortunately the bad combination of being over tired and not knowing where she was made it impossible to get her to go right back to bed. First I tried to hover over the crib for a little bit, but she wouldn't lie down. Then I tried rocking her, but that just kept her awake. Dave tried next but to no avail. She came in the bed with us (a full sized air mattress!), but I knew I needed another solution when she started saying, 'hi daddy'!
So I took the mattress out of the crib and placed it next to me so she could sleep near us but not on top of us! It worked even though I kept finding her head/chest still on the mattress and her legs dangling over the side! She slept with us until close to 10 am.
After breakfast and some more play time with Ryan, we decided it was time to get home for some quiet time. Normally an hour and a half drive isn't much of a problem, but Anna was not having it! I finally sat in the back with her to keep her occupied. A quick stop for lunch, and we were home by 2:30 pm. Anna gladly went right in for a nap and didn't stir until close to 5 pm.
Although she was being really grumpy, we decided to risk it and go to Grandma and Granddad's for dinner. Well, you'd never know she was over tired and grumpy because she was thrilled to see them and was on her best behavior, for the most part, all evening!
We played a game for a little while and had dinner when Nay Nay and Uncle Jimmy (finally) showed up. Then after some yummy banana and pumpkin pudding, we hopped in the car for an early night. Happy 2009 everyone!
We went to the Major's house in CT for a party with all of the ski club friends. Anna was thrilled to hang with Ryan again and seemed to play a bit better with Sienna this time around as well. But Ryan is still the true attraction right now. I'm sure as they grow older, she and Sienna will ban Ryan from their play time, but only time will tell.
Everyone at the party was staying overnight so we let the little ones go to sleep first and didn't put Ryan and Anna up until 10:30 pm. Definitely the latest she has ever gone to sleep. It was worth it though because she barely put up a fight as I rocked her briefly before putting her down in Sienna's crib for the night.
I finally had a chance to do some nonstop relaxing as we ushered in 2009. But everyone else was pretty partied out by midnight and quickly said their good nights. Dave and I waited until closer to 1 am before sneaking into the room where Anna was already asleep.
We both fell asleep but were awakened by Anna later in the night. Unfortunately the bad combination of being over tired and not knowing where she was made it impossible to get her to go right back to bed. First I tried to hover over the crib for a little bit, but she wouldn't lie down. Then I tried rocking her, but that just kept her awake. Dave tried next but to no avail. She came in the bed with us (a full sized air mattress!), but I knew I needed another solution when she started saying, 'hi daddy'!
So I took the mattress out of the crib and placed it next to me so she could sleep near us but not on top of us! It worked even though I kept finding her head/chest still on the mattress and her legs dangling over the side! She slept with us until close to 10 am.
After breakfast and some more play time with Ryan, we decided it was time to get home for some quiet time. Normally an hour and a half drive isn't much of a problem, but Anna was not having it! I finally sat in the back with her to keep her occupied. A quick stop for lunch, and we were home by 2:30 pm. Anna gladly went right in for a nap and didn't stir until close to 5 pm.
Although she was being really grumpy, we decided to risk it and go to Grandma and Granddad's for dinner. Well, you'd never know she was over tired and grumpy because she was thrilled to see them and was on her best behavior, for the most part, all evening!
We played a game for a little while and had dinner when Nay Nay and Uncle Jimmy (finally) showed up. Then after some yummy banana and pumpkin pudding, we hopped in the car for an early night. Happy 2009 everyone!
Friends
Cheryl, Claire and their families came for an early visit Saturday morning. The kids played well together and especially enjoyed having a snack of cheerios and raisins around Anna's table while the adults caught up in the next room. They all seemed so at ease with one another. I was sad that we had to break it up so quickly.
But lunch was upon us and everyone retreated to their families for leftovers and naps. Grandma and Aunt Bev came over for one last visit before Bev and Bud headed back home. We were grateful for the lunch they brought since I didn't have much in the house. Anna was happy to have a little alone time as well as she played nicely around us. Then upstairs she went for a nap - it felt good to get back on schedule even though it was a little sad to say goodbye to Christmas.
But lunch was upon us and everyone retreated to their families for leftovers and naps. Grandma and Aunt Bev came over for one last visit before Bev and Bud headed back home. We were grateful for the lunch they brought since I didn't have much in the house. Anna was happy to have a little alone time as well as she played nicely around us. Then upstairs she went for a nap - it felt good to get back on schedule even though it was a little sad to say goodbye to Christmas.
Christmas - The Day After
The day after Christmas Dave picked me up to exchange a couple of gifts at the mall so Anna stayed with Grandma, Aunt Bev, Granddad, Uncle Bud, Uncle Michael and the cousins. When we arrived back, I was informed that Anna was so tired she was practically falling asleep in her lunch. So with Anna already asleep upstairs, we had a chance to eat some lunch and play a new game my dad had won in the grab bag. Unfortunately, my over tired little one didn't sleep for as long as I would have liked, but she settled for sitting on my lap as we finished our game and perked up as she finished her forgotten lunch.
She enjoyed the company of her family for a little while longer, but we quickly said our good byes after dinner in order to get her to bed at a much more reasonable hour than the past two nights. She gratefully went to bed leaving Dave and I to relax after a busy holiday week.
She enjoyed the company of her family for a little while longer, but we quickly said our good byes after dinner in order to get her to bed at a much more reasonable hour than the past two nights. She gratefully went to bed leaving Dave and I to relax after a busy holiday week.
Christmas
Anna wasn't very impressed with the number of presents under the tree Christmas morning, but that was probably my fault - I had wrapped everything the week before and left them under there as I have in the past. I tried to make them look like more Christmas morning but she wasn't fooled. So instead of rushing to see what was inside of them, she went straight to her chair and asked for a banana!
After breakfast, we opened our presents. We asked Santa not to be too generous this year since it's still all a bit overwhelming and Anna's relatives would have a lot of gifts for her as well. Santa brought her some blocks and a magnetic wooden doll that she can dress. She seemed especially interested in her and wanted to open her right away. I was very happy about that since it was my favorite present as well!
Overall, Anna seemed pleased with her presents, but she still has difficulty actually opening the gifts so her enthusiasm of opening them definitely did not outweigh her interest in playing with whatever she opened.
So we took our time especially once we reached Grandma and Granddad's as they had gifts along with Uncle Mike, Nay Nay and Uncle Jimmy. Anna had a lot of work to do so we spread it out and let her play with a few things (not everything) as we went along.
A big hit was something that wasn't even for her! My mom gave Nay Nay a big bucket of cookie cutters - all different shapes, colors and sizes. Anna had a great time taking them out, pressing them up against her face and hanging with Nay Nay investigating all of the different kinds.
Luckily the remaining gifts were mostly clothes. But she surprised us with her interest in them as well. She wanted to put everything on, but luckily she settled for a cloth head band that went with a dress Uncle Jimmy and Nay Nay gave her. Everyone was shocked that she had actually asked to put it on and willingly wore it throughout the day. In fact, it annoyed me more than she since it kept coming off and she kept asking me to put it back on. Not sure when it happened, but I eventually gave up on it much later in the day!
The day was a great success. Everyone had a nice afternoon playing games and eating the nonstop goodies my mom prepared. We finally took Anna up around 9:30 pm much to her dismay. She settled down fairly quickly and slept until 6 am when the heat started to noisily clank through the pipes. I had also stayed over since Michael, Bev and I had stayed up really late talking so I simply took Anna in bed with me until almost 10 am. I couldn't believe she slept that late - Merry Christmas to me!
After breakfast, we opened our presents. We asked Santa not to be too generous this year since it's still all a bit overwhelming and Anna's relatives would have a lot of gifts for her as well. Santa brought her some blocks and a magnetic wooden doll that she can dress. She seemed especially interested in her and wanted to open her right away. I was very happy about that since it was my favorite present as well!
Overall, Anna seemed pleased with her presents, but she still has difficulty actually opening the gifts so her enthusiasm of opening them definitely did not outweigh her interest in playing with whatever she opened.
So we took our time especially once we reached Grandma and Granddad's as they had gifts along with Uncle Mike, Nay Nay and Uncle Jimmy. Anna had a lot of work to do so we spread it out and let her play with a few things (not everything) as we went along.
A big hit was something that wasn't even for her! My mom gave Nay Nay a big bucket of cookie cutters - all different shapes, colors and sizes. Anna had a great time taking them out, pressing them up against her face and hanging with Nay Nay investigating all of the different kinds.
Luckily the remaining gifts were mostly clothes. But she surprised us with her interest in them as well. She wanted to put everything on, but luckily she settled for a cloth head band that went with a dress Uncle Jimmy and Nay Nay gave her. Everyone was shocked that she had actually asked to put it on and willingly wore it throughout the day. In fact, it annoyed me more than she since it kept coming off and she kept asking me to put it back on. Not sure when it happened, but I eventually gave up on it much later in the day!
The day was a great success. Everyone had a nice afternoon playing games and eating the nonstop goodies my mom prepared. We finally took Anna up around 9:30 pm much to her dismay. She settled down fairly quickly and slept until 6 am when the heat started to noisily clank through the pipes. I had also stayed over since Michael, Bev and I had stayed up really late talking so I simply took Anna in bed with me until almost 10 am. I couldn't believe she slept that late - Merry Christmas to me!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve came quickly and it was another successful party for Anna. Her cousin Patrick (pictured with her here) immediately welcomed her and played with her for most of the evening. Her first present of the Christmas season was welcomed with a 'wow' and I noticed that she was beginning to get the whole Christmas 'thing'!Once again, Anna wanted nothing to do with me since she had Patrick and Lauren and all of her adult cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents to pay attention to her. My cousin Jill had a super fast camera and she was able to capture some really great shots of her. I was so thrilled since she's difficult to get a good shot of and I really liked her outfit - a green jumper, a red turtleneck, striped tights and little black shoes. Take a look!
We had a great time playing my cousin Peter's trivia and Christmas carol games. Christmas Eve is always such a festive day and always goes way too quickly. We topped off the day with our family grab bag and brought a sleepy girl home to dream of Santa!
More Holiday Cheer
Unfortunately Dave was still very sick the next day so Anna stayed at my parents house for the day. I prepared for our tree trimming party that was to take place the next day, took care of Dave as best as possible (he really slept most of the day) and put the tree up.
I went to see Anna later in the afternoon, and since Dave was still so sick, we decided to keep her at my parents for another night. We decided to go out to dinner first at my parents' favorite place in Glen Ridge (Fitzgerald's) and then I said good bye to check on the patient at home.
Dave was still feeling really lousy but he was at least resting on the couch instead of up in the guest room so I thought that showed a little promise. He kept me company for a little while as I put the lights on the tree but then retired pretty early to get some sleep.
Gratefully he was much better the next morning so the tree trimming party was on!
We had about 30 people confirmed so I was very busy with last minute preparations. Grandma and Granddad brought Anna over in time for the arrival of our first guests, and from that point on, Anna wanted nothing to do with any of the adults. She had so much fun with her 'older' friends Daisy and Skylar and some other children that we don't see often eventually joined them upstairs for some 'kid fun'! I couldn't believe how much Anna joined right in with the 'big kid' fun. She didn't even want to stop to have her diaper changed.
I can't say I'd have another party like that for a long time - pretty chaotic with so many guests, kids and no one to help with the serving, but all in all it seemed like a successful party. If Anna is any gauge, it was the best party ever!
We let her stay up close to an hour after the last guest left and she went to bed tired but very happy having made some new friends.
I went to see Anna later in the afternoon, and since Dave was still so sick, we decided to keep her at my parents for another night. We decided to go out to dinner first at my parents' favorite place in Glen Ridge (Fitzgerald's) and then I said good bye to check on the patient at home.
Dave was still feeling really lousy but he was at least resting on the couch instead of up in the guest room so I thought that showed a little promise. He kept me company for a little while as I put the lights on the tree but then retired pretty early to get some sleep.
Gratefully he was much better the next morning so the tree trimming party was on!
We had about 30 people confirmed so I was very busy with last minute preparations. Grandma and Granddad brought Anna over in time for the arrival of our first guests, and from that point on, Anna wanted nothing to do with any of the adults. She had so much fun with her 'older' friends Daisy and Skylar and some other children that we don't see often eventually joined them upstairs for some 'kid fun'! I couldn't believe how much Anna joined right in with the 'big kid' fun. She didn't even want to stop to have her diaper changed.
I can't say I'd have another party like that for a long time - pretty chaotic with so many guests, kids and no one to help with the serving, but all in all it seemed like a successful party. If Anna is any gauge, it was the best party ever!
We let her stay up close to an hour after the last guest left and she went to bed tired but very happy having made some new friends.
Scrooge
We took Anna to see a children's version of 'The Christmas Carol' the following weekend. Uncle Michael even came in for the show. Unfortunately Dave came down with the flu earlier that day so he had to miss out. So Anna and I set out on a very cold night to Bloomfield College to enjoy the show with Granddad, Grandma and Uncle Michael.
She was involved as soon as the lights dimmed and the 'band' started to play. From where we sat, you could see the lights change colors, which she seemed especially interested in.
I was a little concerned at first thinking the show might be a little advanced for her, but luckily it was a musical and she was intrigued by all of the singing and dancing.
She was very attentive for the entire hour and lit up when they lit the Christmas tree at the very end. Her eyes and mouth opened wider than a saucer. Definitely made the trip worthwhile.
The production was so, so by professional standards and another couple of technical rehearsals would have done them some good, but Anna didn't seem to notice so I'd say overall a very successful production.
Anna then went with my parents and Uncle Michael back to their house since Dave and I had been invited to a neighbors' holiday party. Unfortunately Dave was feeling terrible, but I enjoyed an evening out after I dropped in to make sure he was okay.
Hopefully next year illness won't keep any of us away from our newest Christmas tradition.
She was involved as soon as the lights dimmed and the 'band' started to play. From where we sat, you could see the lights change colors, which she seemed especially interested in.
I was a little concerned at first thinking the show might be a little advanced for her, but luckily it was a musical and she was intrigued by all of the singing and dancing.
She was very attentive for the entire hour and lit up when they lit the Christmas tree at the very end. Her eyes and mouth opened wider than a saucer. Definitely made the trip worthwhile.
The production was so, so by professional standards and another couple of technical rehearsals would have done them some good, but Anna didn't seem to notice so I'd say overall a very successful production.
Anna then went with my parents and Uncle Michael back to their house since Dave and I had been invited to a neighbors' holiday party. Unfortunately Dave was feeling terrible, but I enjoyed an evening out after I dropped in to make sure he was okay.
Hopefully next year illness won't keep any of us away from our newest Christmas tradition.
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree
My parents put their tree up before ours so went over to help decorate and have our first 'Christmas Party' of the season. I had no expectation for how Anna would engage in the tree trimming. As soon as we arrived and she saw the tree and all of the decorations, she wanted 'in'! I was so thrilled.
Of course, my little dare devil wanted to climb the ladder and put all of the ornaments at the top of the tree. After a few tries, we decided the lower limbs would be better. We had to assist with most of the ornaments, but she was able to put the candy canes on by herself, for the most part.
She was so excited to be a part of the decorating and wanted to continue even after the last ornament was placed on the tree. She settled for watching the cat nap underneath the tree, and she even tried to follow him as he escaped her grasp. We left her to admire her handy work as we relaxed in the family room.
But when she got a little quiet, I decided to see what she was doing. It turns out that she had found the 'present' that lies under the tree (a box that looks like a present full of water to feeds the tree). She had lifted the lid off and was playing in the water. Extremely funny but definitely not something we wanted to encourage. So we tried to explain as simply as possible the point of the 'present' and coaxed her out with the promise of dinner.
I was so excited that she enjoyed her very first tree trimming party and was looking forward to repeating it the following weekend at our house.
Of course, my little dare devil wanted to climb the ladder and put all of the ornaments at the top of the tree. After a few tries, we decided the lower limbs would be better. We had to assist with most of the ornaments, but she was able to put the candy canes on by herself, for the most part.
She was so excited to be a part of the decorating and wanted to continue even after the last ornament was placed on the tree. She settled for watching the cat nap underneath the tree, and she even tried to follow him as he escaped her grasp. We left her to admire her handy work as we relaxed in the family room.
But when she got a little quiet, I decided to see what she was doing. It turns out that she had found the 'present' that lies under the tree (a box that looks like a present full of water to feeds the tree). She had lifted the lid off and was playing in the water. Extremely funny but definitely not something we wanted to encourage. So we tried to explain as simply as possible the point of the 'present' and coaxed her out with the promise of dinner.
I was so excited that she enjoyed her very first tree trimming party and was looking forward to repeating it the following weekend at our house.
Thanksgiving
So I know I'm working backwards a bit but I haven't written too much in recent past so I figured I'd fill you in on some of the highlights.
We had Thanksgiving dinner here. I prepared my very first turkey and it was quite good for a first shot. I was pretty proud to say the least. Anna wore an adorable dress that Nay Nay and Uncle Jimmy gave her earlier in the fall and she looked very cute and grown up for our festive day. She enjoyed the day with Grandma, Granddad, Uncle Michael, Uncle Jimmy, Nay Nay and Mommy and Daddy. She sat at the table with us and thoroughly enjoyed her mashed potatoes. She didn't want to eat much else which I guess is a testament to how good they were. She did eventually have some turkey and something green, I'm sure, and then topped her day off with some pumpkin pie. She loves pumpkin pie!
We waited until everyone left before attempting to put her to bed because we knew it wouldn't be very successful otherwise. Definitely a barometer for how much fun she is/was having but not an extremely relaxing end to a busy day!
We had Thanksgiving dinner here. I prepared my very first turkey and it was quite good for a first shot. I was pretty proud to say the least. Anna wore an adorable dress that Nay Nay and Uncle Jimmy gave her earlier in the fall and she looked very cute and grown up for our festive day. She enjoyed the day with Grandma, Granddad, Uncle Michael, Uncle Jimmy, Nay Nay and Mommy and Daddy. She sat at the table with us and thoroughly enjoyed her mashed potatoes. She didn't want to eat much else which I guess is a testament to how good they were. She did eventually have some turkey and something green, I'm sure, and then topped her day off with some pumpkin pie. She loves pumpkin pie!
We waited until everyone left before attempting to put her to bed because we knew it wouldn't be very successful otherwise. Definitely a barometer for how much fun she is/was having but not an extremely relaxing end to a busy day!
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