All about Anni

I know I've been away.  Miss Anni and I just spent a week with my family in Kansas... trying to do a little rest and relaxation, as well as be there for my beautiful sister's first craft fair while my hubby took a business trip.  We had a wonderful time, but I admit to still feeling a little overwhelmed with life.

How do you deal with the overwhelming demands of motherhood, being a wife, business and life in general?  I think I need some new coping mechanisms... and we're going to start with a little update on my sweet little one.  Yesterday marked 17 months since her birth, so I just want to revel in her little personality for a few minutes.

Nugget has definitely gotten the hang of walking.  She tends to do it at full speed with her arms in the air, yelling "Go, go, go!" or "Yaaaaaay!"  She's also picked up the "Go Big!"  of "Go Big Red!"  after spending a week with hardcore Cornhusker fans.  She is still a little unsteady, especially when she demands to walk on our jaunts outside, but I can't really blame her, I still trip over my own feet.

Our gal has hit the sorting phase.  It's pretty awesome.  These buttons keep her happily entertained and were especially helpful when I had to run out to a meeting and my mom watched her.  I love watching her little self busily at work sorting and thinking through what she's going to dump, pour and sometimes throw next.  She likes to sort other things as well (drawers full of paper, books and kitchen supplies), but this is probably the easiest to keep contained and takes up very little space.

This girl has a very distinct personality, and I love discovering all of its little facets.  She has very distinct body language for "shy" (a little chin dip and tiny smile while she keeps her eyes on the new person) as well as "nervous" (holding her wrists and plucking at her clothes a little).  She also has a wide array of smiles, some of which I haven't quite figured out yet (can a 17 month old have a sarcastic smile?).  As wonderful as it is to watch her grow, I also have to admit to being scared stiff that I will mess it up.  She is such a beautiful little soul and I'm a new mommy, just trying to figure all of this out.  My dad reminded me this weekend that he still didn't have it all figured out.

  
Anni got to spend a lot of time with her cousin, Charlie, and she loved it!  He was amazingly patient with her and she just wanted to follow him around and make sure she could pat his head whenever she wanted.  I love getting to see her love others.

We find her in some interesting positions as her flexibility lets her stretch beyond that of a normal toddler.  Even the normal toddler squat stretches into a little froggie pose.   Oh, and speaking of body parts (great segue right?), she knows a whole lot of hers.  She can point to her belly button, mouth, nose, eyes, ears, hair, feet and hands (well, she just wiggles the feet and hands, but she knows what they are).  Isn't it amazing watching little ones learn?

Oh, and we can't forget the temper tantrums.  She has a good scream on her and likes to instantly alert us to things that are not going her way.  We're working on it :).  

 
Sweet Anni, I love watching you grow!

My Daddy's Birthday

Today is my daddy's birthday. My favorite moments with my dad are the Nebraska football games we go to every year. He has had season tickets since before I was born, and every year he takes one child to each home game. This is the first year since I turned 10 that I haven't gotten to go. Today I really missed it. I love the long drive through corn fields, with my dad regaling me with stories of our ancestors and, my favorite, of him when he was younger. We always park at the lumberyard where my uncle works and walk from there. I think I know the route by heart - one mile through downtown Lincoln swathed in red, past the bars blaring pre-game shows and cars upon cars tail-gating all the way to Memorial Stadium. And then the hours of sitting amongst people that have had the same seats for even longer than my dad has had his, asking silly football questions and stealing water from my dad's water bottles because I didn't want to bring my own. The tradition doesn't end with the game, though. Nope, there's even more. After retracing our steps back to the lumberyard and eating far too much buttered popcorn as my dad and his brothers, we hop in the car and go to Lee's , where my dad will order the chicken fried steak and tell me to order extra chicken so he can eat it later. I will get the same strawberry shake with a cherry on top that I've gotten since I was 10 and the football conversation that I only half understand will continue. I love it. I miss it. I can't wait until next year when I can be there again. Happy Birthday, Daddy!