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! 

Eight Months: Annabelle

It doesn't even seem possible that I'm already sharing Annabelle's eight month update with you, but... here I am. She actually celebrated eight months on the outside yesterday on Cinco de Mayo - how fun!

As you can see from this month's photo, she is one happy, smiley baby! She was so excited to smile at her daddy while I took her photos that she's pretty squinty-eyed... but I think it's adorable because I know that's a REAL smile! :)

Annabelle had a HUGE month! It was her first full month in Texas, and it will forever be remembered as the month that she did EVERYTHING! Okay, so not quite everything, but this girl started:

• sitting up all on her own
• crawling (and she's getting really fast!)
• pulling up to standing (she's getting more confident)
• talking (she says 'dad' while looking at him and cried "mum" for me - maybe she thinks she's British!
• and she finally has one tooth! It's on the bottom, and it's sharp, but we're so happy it's there!

Annabelle also spent lots of time playing in her room this month (because there's carpet in there...), went to her very first air show, met lots of new "uncles" (Dan's friends from the Academy who are also here for pilot training), went on her first play date (she does NOT know how to share), and got a visit from her Grammy and Great Meme!

I can't believe my next update will be at nine months! She will have been on the outside for the same amount of time she was on the inside at that point! Be on the looking for a comparison picture! :)

Six Months: Annabelle

Half of a year. How is that possible?! Six whole months have FLOWN by since Annabelle was born, and we have loved (almost) every single minute of it! 

She is such a happy baby, and she sleeps and eats SO well. The girl loves her some food... or breast milk. We are officially six months in with mom's milk, and exclusively pumping is going well. We have our routine figured out, and while it's not ideal and not at all what I imagined while pregnant, it's a system that's working for us, so I'll take that as a victory. 

Annabelle is learning and growing each and every day, and it has been so much fun to watch her and help her. I know this stage will continue on for some time, and I am so thankful for that.

She's got the goofiest little personality, and she mimics the sounds we make, which is always a lot of fun. Her laugh is my absolute favorite sound in the entire world, and it's something I'll never grow tired of. I have captured it in a few videos of her playing with her daddy, but I need to be proactive about getting some more videos soon.

Annabelle's two favorite times of the day seem to be: 1) when she first wakes up in the morning and I go rescue her from the prison that is her crib. I walk in, turn off her sound machine (it plays a thunderstorm noise), open her curtains and blinds, and say, "good morning, sunshine!" She smiles so big at me and starts babbling away. She LOVES mornings and 2) when Lieutenant Lovemuffin, AKA Daddy, comes home from work. When he walks in the door, he always says, "what's up girlie?" and kisses her nose. She smiles wide and giggles for him every single day. It's awesome to watch.

This is her last monthly update from our home in Ohio... the second half of her first year will be spent in Texas! Hopefully I don't lose her month sticker during the big move and all the craziness! 

And now let's take a look at how Annabelle has grown month by month, starting with one of her newborn pictures... I can't even believe it.