Finally Spring?

We had a weekend of sun and it felt great to get outside!  Annika is big enough to sit forward-facing in the BOB stroller.  This was the first time that I ran without the carseat attachment and it was great!  It felt so much lighter and a lot more stable.  I think Annika really enjoyed being able to see where we were going.  I had a few toys attached to the stroller but she didn't seem to play with them for long.  It was a pleasure to be exercising in the sunshine.  I have had a bit of cabin fever lately with the weather.  Now that it's so light in the evenings, I want to be outside when we get home after work.  I'm still trying to figure out how to do that and still get Annika to bed at a decent time.  Luckily we have weekend afternoons to enjoy.

 All strapped in and ready to roll!

 Annika was sporting her baby-shades and Lake Placid hoodie from her honorary aunt Brooke :)

On Sunday afternoon, Annika and I met our friend Jody at her apartment in Seattle.  We utilized her wifi to skype with Kyle and then we headed to Golden Gardens.  This is my favorite beach access in Seattle.  I love the view and it's always fun to relax in the sand by the water.

 Having a tummy time chat with Jody.  Jody's friend Margaret joined us for the afternoon.

By the time I took the picture the view of the mountains was a little hazy, but they were still beautiful.

Weekend in Spokane

 Last weekend Annika and I traveled with some of my wonderful, long-time friends to Spokane to stay with another friend and her family.  The four of us last got together a few weeks before Annika was born in October.  It was really fun to be spending another few days together and for all the kids to meet.  Katie's son Ryan was the star of the weekend and we were able to see his first ever soccer game.  I have to say that it was pretty fun to see a bunch of 4 and 5 year old kids playing soccer.  It was a little strange to realize that we're now the parents at these sporting events.  A crazy shift from when we were the kids or our friends were the players. 

 The cheering section for Ryan and this is the only picture that Katie's adorable daughter Morgan was in....and she's not even looking.  Next time I will do a better job of getting a picture of her cute self.

 Looking pretty great for this being his first game ever.

 Mikaela's looking like a natural getting Annika to sleep. 

 We all know that the best part of doing sports when you're a kid is the snacks afterwards!

 Ryan did such a great job playing with Annika.  She loved it!

 My attempt at a 5 person self-portrait.

 Thanks to Katie's husband Scott for taking a picture of the four of us.  Next time, I promise to get a picture of him next time, too.

I can only imagine what kind of advice he might be giving her.

We considered going out on Saturday night for a drink or something and having Scott stay with all the kids but decided against it.  It was nice to sit at relax at their home and just enjoy our time together.  The weekend went too quickly but I'm sure we'll be back through Spokane again sometime this summer.

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful day celebrating Easter with family and friends!  I brought Annika to an early Mass this morning and she did a great job sitting through the service.  My mom and Steve were in town, so we joined my brother and his in-laws at their church in Olympia.  It was a beautiful weekend and a perfect afternoon for an egg hunt.  Annika had her first Easter basket and will be part of the egg hunt next year! 

 Beautiful, sunny Easter

 My mom with my niece Kayla.

 My brother Jonathan with Annika.

 Checking out the stuff in her basket.

 Deciding that the basket looks pretty tasty.

Worn out from all the fun :)

5 Months Old!

Annika's 5th month was filled with many firsts, some good and some not, but mostly good :)  There haven't been a whole lot of changes since her last blog update a couple of weeks ago.  I was late in doing the 4 month check-in, so her height and weight aren't very different.  Here's what she experienced for the first time this last month:

*Visiting the Olympic National Park and the Pacific Ocean.
*Going to the doctor because of an illness and not a well-baby check.  I  hadn't brought her to the "sick child" area of our pediatrician's office and now I appreciate even more that there are separate spaces.  Annika had a watery, goopy eye and we found out it was conjunctivitis.   The good news was that it was only in one eye and I hadn't caught it from her.  This was my first time taking a sick day to be with her.  She's better now but we've had some struggles getting the ointment into her eye.  Someone suggested swaddling her and that has been a great trick.  Also, she stays much more calm if I sing one of her favorite songs.
*Annika was caught sucking on her big toe during a diaper change :)  She's discovered her feet and loves to get her toes up to her mouth.
*One evening when I went to check on her, I saw that she had found the pacifier in her crib and put it in her own mouth.
*Saw a belly-dancing performance!  I think she liked the music.  We saw my former dance teacher perform at the Seattle Center last Sunday.  It's something that I miss and hope to get back into sometime soon.
*Started using the Ergo again, without the infant insert, and it's been great!  I also tried out a new wrap with the Moby and Annika enjoyed getting a ride around the house for a while.
*Annika is having a great time exploring the toys on the exersaucer.
*Sat in a big high chair and enjoyed an outside swing on one of our few sunny spring days.
*Last but not least, completed a 5k in the BOB.

 After I took this picture, I put a pillow under her feet and now she can move around to see the different toys.

 On our way to the belly dancing performance.

 This expression was quickly followed by an attempt to get the camera into her mouth :)