About a Munchkin

I finally have a few minutes of downtime to post updates on the lovely Miss Liliana.

As you can probably tell from the pictures, she had a fantastic time her birthday weekend. And thank you to all of you who sent us cards, gifts, and well wishes. It really means so much to us. We went to dinner Friday night at Shogun and she loved the fire and ate a ton of veggies and shrimp.

The birthday party went really well. We had lots of friends drop by and Liliana had a great time toddling around and greeting everyone. She was quite the little hostess. She got tons of great gifts and enjoyed smashing up her panda bear cake. If only we could have gotten her to wear her birthday hat without resorting to force. Oh well...

Sunday we went to church and Liliana and I both received birthday blessings. Staylee and my mom also bought the flowers for the alter in honor of our birthdays. That evening we took Liliana for her first wagon ride and I think the pictures show how much she loved it.

Two weeks ago she went to her one year check up. She weighs 20 pounds and is 31 inches tall. So tall and thin. We're supposed to get her off of bottles, which is going pretty well. We're also supposed to get her away from the pacifier, but that's not going as well. Our next appointment is in 6 months, so I have some time. She got a ton of shots and cried really hard, but she got over it.

Last week she came down with the flu, which made for a tough couple of days for all of us. She felt better by this weekend and she and big sister Charleigh won second prize in a costume contest as best duo. Liliana was Cinderella and Charleigh was a pumpkin. I'll post pictures later this week. I want to wait until after Halloween when we go to the church party.

At one year old, here are some of her favorite things...

Foods-Oatmeal, banana baby cookies, baby ravioli, bananas, chicken nuggets

Clothes-She loves wearing jeans and Robeez. She does okay with dresses as long as they're short. And she likes wearing two piece, big girl PJs.

Books-She really doesn't have the patience to be read to, but she does like Disney first reader board books like Daisy's Picture. She also loves V-tech books. She could look at her Winnie the Pooh book for hours.

Toys-Leap Frog table, wagon, spoons and dog bowls, Baby Jack, Winnie the Pooh, Emma (the last three are her comfort toys), Peek-a-blocks and balls, Whooz-it, Pooh Bear push train, pretty much anything she can carry around and bang on or with

Activities-Chase the baby, walking, going for rides in her wagon or stroller, baths, swimming, helping Mommy (ex. Mommy puts away dishes, Lili bangs on the dishwasher with a ladle), anything noisy

Television/Movies-Cinderella (we really try to rotate her movies, but she always wants this one), Lady and the Tramp, Classical Baby, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, 101 Dalmatians, Aristocats, Top Chef (yeah, that's totally my fault)

And a few dislikes...

Foods-Green beans

Clothes-Anything with feet, long dresses, tights, hats, hoods, bows (anything that goes on her head), any shoes that aren't Robeez (or similar)

Books-Anything that doesn't allow her to tear the pages out.

Toys-Nothing comes to mind

Activities-Getting her diaper changed, going to bed, taking a nap, pretty much anything where she has to be still

Television/Movies-Dora the Explorer, Backyardigans, Baby Einstein videos, anything scary or with scary music


That's all for now. Check back for Halloween pictures later in the week and in the meantime I will keep adding China pictures.

Albums up!

Following the example of my cousins, I have started an Anderson Family Album, which is available by clicking the link at the right. I have posted some birthday pictures, as well as pictures from China. This way I can post a bunch of pictures much faster. Keep checking back this week as I will post more, including more China pictures. Enjoy!

Quick Pics

I apologize for not posting all the details of Liliana's first birthday. It was really fantastic and we had so much fun. Next week I will smother everyone in details. This week, well, I'm just trying not to stroke out. My Masters Exam is Saturday morning. So please keep me in your prayers everyone as I sit for this important test. Please also pray that we have a safe trip to Alpine and that Liliana's crankiness and pain from all the shots she got yesterday abates so she and Daddy can have a nice time while I test and do some thesis research. In the meantime, here is a sampling of birthday weekend pictures.

Changes

In just a few short weeks, everything has changed and continues to do so.

A week ago Saturday (September 22) Liliana started walking. She had been taking a step here and there, but never actually took off. I was on the phone with my mom and all of a sudden she walked from the recliner to the side table where she proceeded to pick up a hammer. So my commentary went something like this:

"yeah, so I don't think that's g...She's walking! She's walking! Staylee come quick! She's wal...no, no baby, that's Daddy's give it to Mommy."

My camera was stolen, so I don't have any pictures, but hopefully we will have a new camera soon. We've tried to video it, but she sits down and crawls whenever we try film her.

Swimming classes are going really well. Lili has figured out how to breath when going under water and smiles when we take her under. She can also paddle and kick by herself, just holding on with one hand. Her new favorite exercise is one called Humpty-Dumpty where she crawls out of the pool (with help) and jumps into us. She loves Barrett, her swimming teacher and is so happy in the water that she is frequently used to demonstrate. It's a great time that the whole family looks forward to every week.

Friday Liliana turns one! It's amazing to me how quickly the time passes. We have a packed weekend planned--I am taking the day off Friday to spend with my girl. We have a photo session at 11:30 for some birthday shots and then lunch and a nap before another photo session for some modeling Liliana is doing. Finally, the grandparents are joining us at Shogun for a birthday dinner. Saturday is the day of the big party complete with Panda bear cake and ice cream.

Since my camera was stolen, we don't have anymore recent pictures. I will post some more stuff from China in the meantime. Have good week everyone!