26 MARCH 2004

The bugs are out and taking over again. It was around this time last year that I thought, "I really love this place. It's like paradise." Those thoughts were soon dispelled once the little, irksome sandfleas made their appearance for the season. They are virtually invisible. So by the time you notice that you've been attacked by the infinitesimal creatures, it's too late to defend yourself. They usually taunt us at dusk. But give them the chance, and they will attack any time of day. Poor Annie was assaulted several times the other evening. I feel worse for her since she can't do or say anything about the little buggers.

Let's talk more about Annie. She has made many great strides this week in which she turned 7 months old. She is now no longer in need of her carseat while riding in the shopping cart; Annie can now sit up like a champ.

On Wednesday I was "busy" on the computer and had put Annie in the crib to entertain herself. I turned around and found that she had pulled herself up to the standing position with the assistance of her crib railings.

Thursday was the biggest day of all for Annie. She woke up uttering "da-da" and continues it until even now. She was also promoted to authorized crawler. She is even able to go from crawling to sitting with no trouble. And, Annie no longer needs that bathtub designed for babies. Oh, no! She can now sit in the real bathtub like a big girl. It won't be long before my little Annie is not so little anymore (sniff, sniff).

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18 MARCH 2004

I can't believe how time has flied. Annie is already over half a year old and will be seven months old in less than a week. Part of me wants her to stay a baby forever, but then the other part is realistic. Especially this week I would like her to be a little older more independent. She is going through this stage where she is really insistent on someone holding her constantly. And she usually prefers that someone to be me. I do love that she is so attached to me, but I need a break sometimes. I'm going to have Mr. Clean arms soon. Oh well, I suppose it won't be long when she is older and is embarrassed that I'm her mother and won't let me kiss or hug her in front of other people. I should cherish these moments while they last.

Annie had her first babysitter on February 28th. She apparently did quite well despite my fears (and hopes) that she would miss her parents. The babysitter was unable to feed her baby food other than mother’s milk and she kept her up past her bedtime. But what can you expect from someone who doesn’t know a 6-month-old baby’s routine.

Annie has been eating baby food for the last few weeks. We recently switched her (cold turkey) to just jars of baby food (as opposed to the previous rice cereal/jar of baby food mixtures). So far not good. Annie is already showing signs of distaste for all vegetables. Last week I had to go to a church function and left Annie at home with dad. He was going to feed to her a jar of baby food then bring her to me at the church. Mike said that he felt like he was torturing her because of her horrifying screams that would not cease until she was removed from her high-chair. I gave her part of my banana this morning, and she, of course, loved it. Mike and I were so adamant about not giving her any sweet foods until she was used to the vegetables placed before her. I guess we will once again have to give in to her demands. [Since this post was actually started a few weeks ago (I know, I'm slow), Annie has made progress on her eating habits. She will now eat some vegetables straight from the jar. I just thought I should give an update on that fact.]

Speaking of the church function last week, Annie had her first “cat fight”. I placed her on the floor with another baby girl of the same age. Annie was seen pulling the other baby’s hair. I speculated that it was Annie’s jealousy for the other girl’s longer, golden hair.

I mentioned my parents’ visit in my last post. The visit itself went pretty well since they finally got to see Annie. However, the weather was craptactular with ½ an ounce of sunshine and lots of inches of rain, and then my mom fell ill the last couple of days. They ended up cutting their stay 2 days short. It was probably for the best since I would not want Annie to contract what my mother had – the pukes. Not fun for anyone.

Mike’s sister, Jenni, came for a visit last weekend by herself. It was not a long visit. I think she just mostly wanted to see Annie since she likes her much more than us. Jenni and I got to work on projects that we've each been working on. I showed Jenni how to make these cute marble magnets. It was a fun, relaxing weekend. Thanks, Jenni, and we can't wait to see you again in April!

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