First Year Comparison: Annabelle & Josephine

So many people these days make fun of parents who choose to document their baby's first year with monthly photos. To that I say... why does anyone care? I am so glad I decided to capture these moments with both of my daughters. It's amazing to see how they compared to each other at each stage and also how incredibly different they are!

Annabelle was born weighing in at 6 pounds 3 ounces, while Josephine weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces at birth... though hospital staff said she probably weighed at least a full pound more than she should have because I was on fluids for so long during labor.

Annabelle weighed 18-ish pounds on her first birthday, while Josephine was 22-ish pounds on hers. They were both breastfed (though Annabelle only took bottles), and it is just so fascinating to me. Annabelle wore 6 month clothes at a year, while Josephine is in 12 month clothing. Clothes fit Josephine better too - her body fills them out, whereas Annabelle was so skinny (still is, really) that pants especially fit her really oddly.

Both of my babies have been tall - 85%+ each in height! I'm 5'8", and Dan is 6'0", so I guess they're just destined to be tall humans.

I can't wait to see how they continue to be alike and different over the years!

If you have more than one kid, are they more similar or different?

Annabelle Turns 3!

I'm not sure how it's possible that my tiny little baby became a THREE year old who is in preschool... but it happened in September!

Annabelle Kathryn, it seems like you were just born yesterday. I can remember so much of your infancy, and while I'm so glad we can communicate better now, sometimes I wish I could go back in time and snuggle with you as a little newborn.

For her birthday, Annabelle chose to have a Paw Patrol party. She is obsessed with these silly dogs, but hey, it was her day! We had her party at the end of August since Dan knew he would be away for SERE training on her actual birthday, and my mom and one of Dan's aunts were able to come down for the party, too!

We had a hot dog bar (hahaha - get it?!), and it was a huge hit. Poor Dan was outside grilling in the Florida heat for a couple hours, but he had company, at least. We rented a giant bounce house from Outdoor Rec on base, and all of Annie's friends (from ballet, preschool, and the library) had a blast jumping until they were drenched in sweat and red hot - literally! We ended with a cake from the commissary (seriously - they're so good! I don't even shop at the commissary, but I always go there for birthday cake!)

Annabelle had so much fun opening her gifts, and what was great was holding most of them back in Dan's office to pull out one at a time during our cross country move so she wouldn't be bored in all the hotels we stayed in. I call that a win!

The girls' amazing babysitter in Florida wrapped Annabelle's gift with this - how incredibly thoughtful! I had to snap a photo before she ripped into it so she can have it forever. We miss her terribly!

Overall, Annabelle had a blast at her party! We are so sad that we moved away from all of her friends. She made so many in our short time in Florida, and she is still asking to see them two months later. Such is the life of a military brat, I suppose...

Another Year, Another PCS...

Big news! We are moving again once Dan finishes his F-22 B Course... this time to...

Langley Air Force Base in Virginia! 

We are so excited! We don't know ANYTHING yet, as in he graduates on August 24th and then has to go to SERE... and we assume we'll be moving AFTER his time at SERE (which I would prefer), so it'll likely be toward the end of September or beginning of October. This will be the 5th state we've lived in since getting married four years ago... it'll be Annabelle's 4th state to live in by age three... and, get this... Josephine's third state to live in before her first birthday! 

It's a lot. But it's fun! We should be there for about three years, so it'll be our longest assignment so far. I'm excited to finally lay down some roots somewhere.

Annabelle: 2.5 Years Old

Somehow, I blinked, and my first baby turned 2.5 years old. This happened back at the beginning of March, and she's now closer to three than she is to two. And she sure has the attitude to show it!

Our little Annie finally has all of her teeth, but she is somehow STILL in pain. She has really struggled with those dang teeth, but we're hoping we're almost done dealing with them.

She's still super tall and super skinny! Lucky girl! But it's still tough finding clothes that fit her correctly. Thankfully, she's been really into dresses lately, so that's been a little easier. I just make her wear biker shorts underneath because she seems to always be upside down. I give her two choices every morning: first, she chooses if she wants a dress or shorts/pants and a shirt for the day. Then, once she chooses, I pull two of whatever she picks out, and she then chooses her outfit. She's can get undressed by herself completely, but she is just starting to be able to put her clothes on correctly. It takes her a while, but she's getting it.

Annabelle loves dancing, and she goes to ballet class once a week. She has a recital coming up in June that we are really excited about! She seems to be very musical as well - she sings all day every day and always asks for music to be playing if it's quiet in our house (or outside).

She is strong and quick and sassy. She throws tantrums like none other, but she also gives the very best hugs, kisses, and Ugga Muggas. She is still learning to follow directions quickly, but as long as we're not in a huge rush, she does okay. She likes baths again and asks for them daily. She is obsessed with Paw Patrol, Trolls, and Daniel Tiger. She colors with crayons or markers every single day.

Annabelle is the BEST big sister. She walks out of her room every morning saying, "Good morning, Josie!" and is almost always eager to give her kisses and throw away diapers for me.

We can't believe how much Annabelle has grown as a person lately. She's a little human with emotions (lots of them) and opinions (also lots of those), and we're hopeful that we can help guide her into the best person she can be.

Annabelle's Two Year Stats

Earlier this week, I shared with you all about Annabelle's second birthday party and how we spoiled her rotten on the day of her actual birthday (way back in September), but I didn't want to lose track of her two year old stats by combining them in that post... so here they are getting the recognition I think they deserve (and likely that no one else cares about, haha). 

At two years old, Annabelle is standing 36 inches tall and weighs 25 pounds - still a string bean! It's tough to find clothes that fit her well because they either are too short or fall right off her waist.

She LOVES LOVES LOVES playing outside and asks to do so daily. She is a strong-willed, stubborn little girl who knows exactly what she wants. She is fierce and independent and could probably just raise herself if we'd let her. She is so much fun, too, though, dragging us along to play with her and color with her. She has a passion for books, art, and music, it seems, and we plan on letting her explore whatever areas she has interests in.

Annabelle has so many great friends at Sheppard AFB who she plays with at the library story time, Urban Air, and on play dates around the city of Wichita Falls! She is a social butterfly and LOVES seeing her "baby friends" (as she calls them). She loves animals, especially marine/aquatic animals, and she poses for me to take her pictures (usually).

She is such a sweet AND sassy girl, and we love her dearly!

*** Written after her birthday after we've already moved to Tyndall AFB in Panama City, FL, but her birthday was a couple months before we PCSed!

Our TWO Year Old Annabelle

Annabelle turned TWO years old... way back in September! We are so glad we were still in Texas at that point because we got to have a big celebration with all of her friends! And my family was even able to drive down to spoil the birthday girl!

We had a children's book themed party for her - complete with all of her favorites! I hung up balloons to look like the very hungry caterpillar... we made snacks that matched several books, typed out cute book quotes to hang around the party area, and I even made little cupcake toppers to look like her favorite book covers! Our party favors were books with a bag of "book worms" (aka gummy bears). I loved planning this party for my sweet Annabelle, and I know she had a blast!

Oh, and I couldn't resist making her a giant 2 out of her photos from that year! Everyone got such a kick out of the huge 1 I made for her first party, and I just had to! Hopefully I'll be able to continue that (and do the same for little sister!) but we'll see!

(for reference... the 2 was a bit smaller than the 1!)

On her actual birthday (the following Tuesday from the party), we spent all day celebrating! I took her to a painting class for toddlers, followed up by a quick stop to buy donuts... which we ate in the backyard at her request and then played in the water table! We then had Whataburger for lunch, went to the bounce house and jumped and played in the ball pit, and ended the day with a trip to Chick Fil A and cupcakes in the backyard!

Do you do themed parties for your kids' birthdays? 

21 Month Update - Annabelle

Little Miss Sassy Annabelle is 21 months old! Actually, she's 21 and a HALF months old now... but I'm just slow getting around to posting this update. I'm sure she'll forgive me. ;-)

Another quarter of a year has come and gone, so here we are with Miss Annabelle's 21 Month Update!

She is as sassy and fierce as ever, and she started swimming lessons on her 21 month birthday (hence the swimsuit photo!).

She is curious and brave, and she is always into something. She climbs anything and everything and runs at lightning speed.

She's growing like a weed - so tall! And she's finally gaining some weight too... probably because she eats adult portioned meals.

Annie is saying so many words but mostly when she wants to, NOT when we ask her to. She can say some short sentences, but her go-to is "read me a book". She's obsessed with her pets. She loves lounging with her dog, Smudge, and petting her kitties, Gilly and Stormy.

Annie is happy when we let her play with any kind of water - from the hose to her water table to a swimming pool! She is an outdoor girl for sure.

We are starting to prepare her for being a big sister this winter, but she's not so gentle. It's going to take a lot of work.

She is super excited to move to Florida in the fall so she can swim with the "fishies" - another one of her favorite things. Annabelle still loves ducks and quacks whenever she sees a yellow bird in a book or on TV. We are so impressed with her development right now, but we do wish she would calm down a bit. The girl is ALWAYS on the go... meaning we are exhausted!

She's fun, though, and watching her discover new things - like riding her trike - is fascinating. We can see the gears turning in her brain. This age is so much fun!

Annabelle's next update will be at 24 months - her SECOND birthday! I don't know why she's growing up so quickly, but there's nothing I can do to stop it! 

SURPRISE! Baby Cookie #2 On the Way!

In case you missed our announcement on social media last night, I'm sharing it again!

More details to come later... but for now... I'll just leave you with this.