Mark of Fridays: Read all about it

Mark of Fridays: Fall fun!

Mark of Fridays: Dodgers fan at Wrigley

Mark got to a Cubs game for his 5th birthday! He liked Wrigley Field, but he still rooted for his favorite team, the Dodgers. For some reason, Matt was very suspicious of old Cubs players.

Mark of Fridays: Apple pickin' good time

After playing baseball for Mark's birthday, it was time to pick apples for Lynne's birthday, an annual tradition. This year, the Hanleys headed for Honey Hill Orchard , an old-school orchard in Waterman.
The kids loved it!

Mark and Anne of Fridays: What elephant?

Quotation Mark (actually, Anne) Monday: Not daddy

Words that Anne will say with a general clarity that most people (including reasonably intelligent strangers) can understand:

Mom
Mommy
Momma
Bowl
Dip-dip (which represents ketchup)
Apple
Juice
Apple juice (natural combination of the two previous words)
Ball
No
Book
Woof woof (for dogs, obviously)
Keys
Num-num (food)
Cookie
Whee (indiscriminately applied to slides or swings)


So that's at least 16 words - including three versions of 'mother' - that Anne can say with a reasonable amount of precision. And not one of those words include Dad, Daddy, Dadda, Papa, Father, Padre, Paternal figure, etc.
Lynne says the worst one that Matt is ranked below is 'keys'. Keys are, after all, the lowest ranked of items carried in the pocket - finishing a distant third to money (good for buying things) and phone (calls/internet/Candy Crush).

But, the truth is that the worst one is clearly 'dip-dip'. First, it is ketchup. (Or, catsup, if you prefer.) And ketchup is vastly overrated. Fifth best condiment. At best.
Second, it shows that she has the ability to say the 'd' sound, but she just chooses not to. And she thinks it's hilarious.

But, secretly, we know Anne loves her Daddy. Or, as she calls him: the "no Mommy."

Mark of Fridays: Reading

 

One Year Anne-iversary

Happy first birthday, Sweet Annie!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

It's been a busy few weeks here at the Hanley Houses.

Santa visited Mark and Anne at our old house.  It was a great day--Anne got a new rocking horse, Mark got games and new markers (a dream come true!).  We also got to spend lots of time with family--Christmas Eve with the Hanleys, Christmas Day with the Seagos, Dec 28 with the extended Majewski clan.  With two healthy kiddos and so many family members who love us, we felt truly blessed.

Then, on Dec 26th we packed up the Christmas tree and started filling our house with boxes.  We spent most of the 29th moving boxes from the old house to the new.  On the 30th, movers came and carried out all of our furniture.

We celebrated New Year's in the (mostly unpacked) kitchen of our new house, with hats, blowers, and a water toast... just before bedtime at 7:05 PM.  (It was scheduled for 7:00 sharp, but then Anne pooped and delayed the festivities.)  Despite the early hour, lack of real champagne, and lots of really sore moving muscles, it was our best New Year's Ever.

2013 brought us so much:  a beautiful and healthy baby girl, a new and stable job for Matt, a house for our kids to grow up in.  We are very happy and ready for 2014!

Eleven Month Anne-iversary

The stats:  I'm just short of 22 lbs, and wearing the 18 month clothes now.  Sleeves and pants are a little long still, but my tummy stays inside my shirts and the leggings aren't major squeezers.

Favorite place:  Our new house!  It's great!  I have a new bedroom that actually has a closet in it.  And mom gated off the living room and filled it with my toys.  I can put anything in the room in my mouth, and I can't get hurt!  There's so much to do that I haven't noticed I'm in a giant baby cage... or that I can't get to the stairs and climb them 50 million times each day.  Mom and Dad might even have to stop calling me Sir Edmund Hillary.

Things I like:  Fans and light switches.  When I see a light switch, I scream and point until someone walks me over and lets me turn it off, on, off, on, off, on.  I also like to point out fans and demand that they be turned off, on, off, on, too.  Also, I like baths.  Sometimes I crawl over to the tub, start clapping, then try to climb in.  If my parents actually let me take a bath, I like splashing, dumping water on my head, and dunking myself.  I think submerging my whole face and blowing bubbles underwater is hilarious, despite the fact that it gives my mom a panic attack. 

Things I don't like:  Being held by anyone other than my mom, dad, or my grandmas.  I know this is silly behavior and undermines my Generally Agreebale Baby reputation, but them's the breaks.  I also don't like getting my nose/face wiped, which happens a lot, since I rub food all over it (and in my hair, usually) every time I eat.  Plus I've had a cold for like two weeks.  Whenever I see someone coming at me with a tissue or the intent to dam up my faucet of a nose, I crawl away at top speed, contort my body, yell, and usually throw in some other evasive maneuvers.  I am aware that Generally Agreeable Babies don't generally do this, either.

I just found out about:  Christmas.  It's this really great holiday when there is a surplus of brightly colored paper.  Sometimes the paper is wrapped around packages (great for climbing!), but other times it's left shredded and unattended on the floor (great for grabbing and eating!).  Christmas also means seeing lots of family members who love you and want to play with you, which is great.  The downside:  sometimes they want to hold you, too.

Major accomplishments:  I've gotten really good at standing without holding onto anything.  I can also walk around things, as long as I'm holding on, and push my push toys across the room.  I can say "mama" and "dada" pretty convincingly, although Dad still thinks I'm just babbling.  I can sign "all done" when I'm done eating, wave hello and bye-bye.  I have six teeth, and I can chew up crunchy foods pretty well.  I'll try any food you give me and like to eat what my mom and dad are eating (for this, they are very grateful).  I give great open-mouthed, super drooly kisses.

Eight month Anne-iversary

The stats: I'm just a plain old healthy little girl. I'm too big for my bouncy chair and big enough for a high chair. I'm too big for the baby carrier, but not big enough to sit facing forward. I'm big enough to aggravate my brother, but not big enough to play with him. And I fit perfectly in my mom's arms, but I never lie still.

Best friends: My brother, of course. I light up whenever he walks into the room. Now, for some reason or another, he doesn't seem to share the same enthusiasm for me. I've heard that Mark always says nice things about when I'm not around, but not so much when I show up near his toys. Despite the fact that he made a rule that he can play with any of my toys whenever he chooses, there doesn't seem to be reciprocation. He's constantly worried I'm going to grab his letters, his cars, his markers, his Presidential flash cards, his math game...actually, now that I think about it, a Presidential flash card would be pretty tasty. Mmmmm....presidential flash cards. Yum. I won't eat them. Maybe just gum them up for a little while. Mmmmm....

Enemies:  Can you even imagine what it would be like if bits of hard bone started erupting out of your body? What if you were just sitting there, minding your own business, laughing at a sock, when teeth started growing right out your hands or ears? Wouldn't feel too good, would it? Well, it doesn't feel much better coming out of your mouth. Trust me on this. I've got two on the bottom and a batch more popping out on the top. They hurt! So, sure, I cried. For like a minute or two. But that's a lot for me!

Favorite place: My favorite place is....right...over...there. No, wait. It's ... right ... over ... there. In fact, it's wherever I see somet

hing I can grab. (And I have some laser vision. I can spot a speck of paper at 500 yards.) So, my whole house is now my favorite place. I just slap my hands down on the ground and drag myself all over the room. Dad says it's not an official crawl because I don't lift up belly, but what does he know? He hasn't crawled in, like three centuries. He's really very old.

Things I like: I like to eat people's faces. One of my favorite people's faces to eat is my cousin, Hannah. Whenever I look at her I think: "That girl is adorable. I think I'll just grab her cheeks and munch on her nose." Hannah doesn't seem to understand why this is fun. She's quite terrified by it, actually. But do I let that stop me? No way!

Things I don't like:  As I mentioned before, laying still is generally pointless. I have places to go. And I don't care if I have to dive out of an adult's arms to get there. It doesn't matter to me if I'm having my diaper changed or my parents are dressing me. I don't even care if I don't know where I'm going. I just have to go! Right now!

Major accomplishments: I almost wave a little, which I think is hilarious. I babble, which I think is hilarious. I've worked out an incredibly high pitched scream, which I think is hilarious. I found a little girl who looks just like me in these big glass windows in the bathroom. I think that little girl is hilarious. 

Anne of Fridays: On the Move

These photos of Annie were taken within minutes (if only we could have time-stamped them!).  She can't quite crawl--she gets her belly off the floor, but can't get the legs going with it--but she army crawls like crazy.  She pulls herself forward with her arms and wiggles her legs, dragging her little body across the house pretty darn quickly. 

Matt says she's preparing for basic training.  But she's really on a hunt for hairballs, lint, and dust bunnies.  The goal is to find them and eat them before anyone can stop her.  It's disgusting.

Looks like the floors in the Hanley house are about to get a lot cleaner!

Anne and Her Reflection of Fridays: Kiss the Baby

"Because I'm good enough, and I'm smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me!!"

Six Month Anne-iversary: Sitting Pretty

The stats:  I weigh 17.5 lbs, according to the scale at my Great Grandma's house.  No official weight yet, since back-to-school physicals have made my 6 month checkup a few weeks behind schedule.  But, things are looking up.  My grandma's have started saying I look "less chunky."  I'm not going to hold my breath.

Best friends: Don't get me wrong, I love my dad, mom, and brother.  I light up whenever I see them.  But much to my dad's chagrin, I am also fascinated with Jack, the dog.  I want to watch his every movement, even if that means arching my back like a crazy girl or wiggling out of my dad's arms to get a better look at him.  I also want to grab his fur, maybe even shove some of it into my mouth.  He looks so very interesting.  And tasty.

Enemies:  Hmmm.... none.  Well, maybe teething.

Favorite place:  Hmmm... everywhere?  I'm really pretty happy most of the time.

Things I like: Sitting up!  It's awesome!  Now I can see everything so much better, and there are so many more toys to play with.  I can even sit up in the bathtub now, which means I can splash with wild abandon.  It's awesome. 

Things I don't like: I'm not too crazy about eating in my high chair.  It's not like I cry or protest or anything--no need to be such a bother--I just keep my mounth wide open and let all the food drool out.  For a kid who shoves everything into her mouth, mom and dad marvel that I don't much care to put FOOD in there.

Major accomplishments:  I sit up, eat lots of different types of mashed-up food, made a 15 hour road trip to South Carolina without really crying in the car at all.  I have two teeth (both on bottom).  I have also effectively grown out of my baby car seat (I did a seat switch with my brother!), my Bumbo seat (chunky legs get stuck!), Baby Bjorn (we upgraded to a Hefty Baby model that shifts weight to mom's hips), and the baby tub.  Mom and dad can't wait to put some of that stuff on eBay!

Mark of Fridays: Sister and brother!

Five-month Anne-iversary

The stats:  At my four month check, I weighed 16 lbs. That puts me in the 90th percentile, baby! Basically, I could roll over on other kids my age and squash them. It also means that I already get to wear all my super cute 9-month outfits!

Best friends: My own hands and feet. I'm learning how to control my hands, which means I can grab stuff at will and shove it into my mouth. This includes but is not limited to: mom's hair, dad's nose, the dog's fur, my own bib (still needed as an excessive drool-catcher), toys, the hem of my dress, my hat, the remote control. I also like to munch on my feet. Mom once saw me shove my whole foot in my mouth up to the heel (for comic relief, really, at a time when dad was holding me and using his Super Serious Voice to discipline my brother).  Sadly, dad is not a huge fan of Foot Eating. I mean, really, they're my feet. Why can't I eat them if I want to?  I'm not walking, so it really shouldn't be a big deal.  Besides, they're delicious.

Enemies: None. Seriously. I don't even mind when the dog licks me in the mouth. I just try to eat him.

Favorite place: Anywhere I can see my brother. 

Things I like: Drooling.  Screeching really loud.  My thumb.  Putting myself to sleep (no rocking or lullabies please--I can handle it by myself, thankyouverymuch).   I also really, really like being tickled.  Tickling makes me bust out my big, husky chuckle of a laugh.  It's most hilarious when you take off my shirt and nibble on my bare belly or armpits.  (A word of caution, though: you might want to avoid inhaling near the armpits. I'm told they're smelly.) 

Things I don't like: Baby equipment made for "standard" sized babies.  Last weekend, mom and dad had to put away my bouncy seat because I sank all the way to the floor in it, which rendered it sort-of useless.  They say my Baby Bjorn's days are numbered, too.  Backaches.  Even my car seat is getting awfully difficult for them to lift.  Didn't someone in the Baby Stuff Industry anticipate this problem??

Major accomplishments:  I can barrel roll (front to back to front again), and I can eat off a spoon (although admittedly most of the food dribbles back out again).  During an 8 hour road trip to Pittsburgh, I won the hands-down prize for Quietest Kid in the Car.

Mark and Anne of Fridays: Hayes-ing our children

A few weeks ago, Matt and Lynne sat down to plot out their 8 hour drive to Pittsburgh (more pictures on that later).  Lynne inquired about zoos or children's museums en route.

Then Matt found it:  the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center just off I-80 near Toledo.  A perfect stop!  There was no way to talk him out of it... although admittedly, Lynne didn't try very hard.  Who wouldn't want a closer look at the disputed election of 1876?  An opportunity to study the man who sold out freed slaves and negotiated the end of Reconstruction?  A look at an oft-forgotten bearded president?

By the time we set off on our trip, even Mark was excited.  Matt had even taken him to the library and checked out a book on Hayes.  The kid was literally leaping and bounding into the Hayes museum.

And as it turned out, the Hayes center was pretty nice.  It was situated in a beautiful grove that was worth walking around, and the museum had lots of stuff a kid could identify with -- Hayes' clothes, the seat he sat in in Congress, even his stagecoach and his children's toys.  Plus, Mark's favorite--a randomly organized display on each president that he insisted on viewing in chronological order.

With parents like us, the kid really can't help but be nerdy.  He LOVED the stop and can't wait to visit more presidential libraries.  Matt proimised to print out a list so they can chart them on a map of the United States.  Looks like the Hayes stop was the first in a series.

Anne of Fridays: Adventures in Eating

At Anne's 4 month check-up, our pediatrician gave us the green light to start feeding with a spoon.  So far, her diet is restricted to rice cereal and some pureed veggies.  Anne herself has not been terribly excited about these new options.

Mark, on the other hand, is pumped.  He really enjoys feeding her.

Matt and Lynne are also excited.  At some point, we told Mark that once Anne started eating food, we were going to stop making him separate dinners of chicken nuggets, pizza, or spaghetti.  Mommy, we explained, is tired of cooking him separate food, and she is certainly not going to cook THREE dinners.  Once Anne starts eating, we all eat the same thing.

Mark, of course, took this very literally.  As soon as the doctor gave Anne permission to eat, Mark started asking to try what we're eating.  Then we tapped into his competitive streak. 

"You wouldn't want Anne to be able to eat more things than you, right?"  we say.  "You wouldn't want Anne to be a better trier than you, right?"  "You'd better hurry up and try more foods--she's going to catch up!"

So far, our mind games seem to be working.

Mark and Anne of Fridays: Cousins!

Mark, Anne, Cousin Hannah, Nana, and Bababoo

Four-month Anne-iversary

The stats:  Just look at me! I'm a healthy kid!

Best friends: I'm starting to like this brother guy. I think I finally caught his attention a little bit. (Big eyes and a sunny disposition will do that.) He reads to me. He tried to teach me the first six presidents. I'm pretty sure that we're going to be great friends.
But in case he gets bored with me, I was so happy to hear that my Best Friend Forever, Hannah Jankiewicz, showed up! Sure, I'm a whole heck of a lot bigger than her right now. But pretty soon, we're going to be sharing clothes and stories about our weird parents!

Enemies: The one-minute that comes after three hours since I've eaten. I eat every three hours. So when it gets to one minute past those three hours, well, I just go absolutely crazy. Often, I'll let out a tiny "eh." (Not too loud. I don't want to upset anyone.) If that doesn't get that their attention, I'll sometimes say "wah." (But never above a mild yelp. No need to disturb anybody.) Like I said, I just go nuts.

Favorite place: On my stomach. That's right! I can roll over! I'm very proud. I've been working on this for a while. I had been able to get to my side but that silly little elbow kept getting in my way. My mom rated me an 80% on rolling over. That's a B! No way a B is good enough! So, yesterday, after series of calculations and some dedicated practicing, I made it all the way over. Mom said I got an A+ ! That's more like it!

Things I like: Well, everything! I love everyone! I love getting up in the morning! I love going to sleep! I love the sun! I love the shade! I love when people look at me! I love when the dog licks my face! I love looking around! I love the car! I love the park! I love my mom! I love my dad! I love my brother! I'm happy all the time! Smiles! Love! Happiness! Joy! Yay!

Things I don't like: Unlike my brother - who would have sat in a diaper filled with poo for hours - I'm not to keen on having a wet diaper. If my diaper gets full, I've been known to cry a little. (Nothing more than a slight whine. Don't want to be a bother.) If there's anything else I don't like, I've been known to put my thumb in my mouth and put myself to sleep. My parents sometimes call me an un-baby!

Major accomplishments: My dad was able to hold me in his hands and stretch his arms out above his head as far as they could go. When he did this, I was able to produce a strand of drool that connected from my mouth to his chest. I think that's pretty awesome. But it might be the reason dad calls me Droolie Andrews. Or Droolia Childs. Or Drools Vern. (He also calls me Smiles Davis!)