21 Months

 Our sweet girl was 21 months old on July 31st.  We took these pictures between our big road trip and our trip to Mexico (a blog post someday.....).  I figured that I better get these up before her birthday rolls around in just a few weeks!  Annika has definitely grown out of baby-hood and is more independent every day. Some of her accomplishments over the summer included jumping with both feet off the ground and a rapidly increasing vocabulary.  We were pretty impressed when she started adding -ing on to verbs, adding possessives, and talking in 2-4 word phrases.  She comes up with some pretty funny things like walking around with a bucket over her entire head...... She continues to be quite flexible with travel and time changes.  She did a great job adjusting to sleeping in her pack-and-play wherever we may be.  I'll include a more detailed update at 24 months, including the stats we find out at her 2 yr. old appointment next week. 

The BIG Road Trip, Part 1: Glacier

In what is becoming an annual summer road trip,  we headed east through WA, MT, and ND!  We love having friends to stay with in Spokane, which makes the first day a breeze and we have the bonus of spending time with great friends.  I wasn't really sure what to expect from Annika on this trip.  Each time we prepare for hours on the road, I wonder how she will handle it.  We had lots and lots of books on hand, favorite toys, and a few new toys.  As long as we stop for a stretch/run break every few hours, she seemed to do just fine.

Last year we did not make Glacier a stop on our route and I definitely didn't want to pass it up again this time.  I adore the park and want to make sure it's a part of Annika's childhood, too.  We camped for the first time with her in a tent.  It wasn't as smooth as I had hoped it would be.  After playing in Lake McDonald, I was really hopeful that she'd be exhausted and ready to settle down.  As it turned out, she had trouble falling asleep while it was still light outside and people were making noise.  Luckily, as soon as she did fall asleep, she stayed asleep throughout the night. 

The next day, we drove over the Going to the Sun Highway and stopped to hike at the top of Logan Pass.  The hike to Hidden Lake overlook is pretty short but very snowy.  It was fun to see bighorn sheep,  mountain goats, and a weasel.  While we were eating lunch, several mountain goats wandered close to where we were sitting.  Annika still talks about the goats and riding on her daddy's back.

 We stayed for two nights with family friends in St. Mary, by the east entrance to Glacier.  They own the Park Cafe and Grocery and I could eat a slice of their Razzleberry Pie for any meal.  Our friend Tiffany drove down from Calgary to visit at the same time that we were there.  We hiked to St. Mary Falls and Victoria Falls.  I don't remember having done this hike before but I'm sure we must have when we were little.  It's an easy hike and the waterfalls are beautiful.

We spend one afternoon at Many Glacier.  If it would have been feasible, I would have held our wedding here.  I think it's the most gorgeous place.  We didn't have time for a hike but both Annika and Kyle jumped in the lake for a quick swim.

 I can't wait to get back here for a longer visit!  Thanks to Kathryn and Neal for their hospitality and friendship!

Visit to Cottage Grove

At the beginning of July, we drove south to Cottage Grove, OR to visit my mom and step-dad Steve.  We were able to be there to celebrate the 4th of July and do a few of our own sparklers.  Annika enjoyed seeing their dog Max, playing in a fun sprinkler in the backyard, watering flowers with her Nana, and playing at a neighborhood park.  A big highlight was a visit to a wildlife safari.  It was a great experience to drive through the park and see the animals walking right next to our car or, like the bison, blocking the road entirely for a while.  The safari also had a zoo and Annika's favorite was the cheetah.  She's been asking to look at cheetah pictures since we were there a few months ago :)

18 Months

"Where did it go?"

Trying out her 18 month sticker on all of her friends.

Showing us where the sticker is supposed to go.

- What size of clothing does baby wear?: 18 months in most things but I found one shirt that's a 9 month that still fits because it's long and lean.  Annika was 20 lb 8 oz at her 18-month check-up and 31 3/4 in. tall.  

- Any milestones baby reached during the month:  Trying hard to run and jump

Saying too many words to count but Annika repeats words we say and is saying many two- or three- word phrases.  "Thank you, mommy" is said to both Kyle and me :) (often adding daddy after she says mommy). Especially cute is how she is learning the names of her friends and people around us.  She starts asking about Jessie, the boy who lives next door, when we are on our way home after work.  We also hear about Christy (daycare provider), Colton and Cooper (boys at daycare), Grandma and Grandpa, Nana, Brett (cousin), and Onkel Ola (Kyle's brother Joel).  

- Special outings baby had during the month: Seattle Aquarium

- What was baby's routine?:  The earlier the sun rises, the earlier we hear that sweet voice.  Some days we get to sleep in until 6am, yay!  Even more rarely, we make it until 6:30.  She's going to sleep at about 6:30pm and staying asleep all night, which really makes up for the early mornings.  We're in the transition stage from two naps to one nap.  

- Reflect about the highlights of the month: Mastering the slide on her own and being able to climb up on our bed and onto a few adult-sized chairs.  We enjoyed a nice Easter with family and friends.

- What are baby's favorites?:  Going to the park to see the ducks, going for a walk, dancing, reading books about bears and monkeys, and baby dolls.  This week Annika loves the Norwegian storybooks about a little girl named Ingrid.

Favorite Foods: Annika would eat pasta ("pasti") and cheese for every meal if it was up to her.  Another favorite is oatmeal made with milk and mixed with applesauce. She's learning how to use a spoon and fork.  French fries and tater tots are an infrequent but appreciated treat.

15 Months

We have way too much fun documenting these monthly milestones to give up completely now that Annika is one.  We've decided to move to an every three month check-in for updates.  Of course, it seems that we could do daily check-ins and still have new skills to share.  It seems like every day we hear her say a new word.  Kyle recently wrote down all of the words she says spontaneously, which we can understand but maybe wouldn't be clear to others :)

kitty          mama/mommy     no                poo-poo       uh-oh
puppy       daddy                  go                eat                shoe
ball           down                   wa (water)    toes              clokke (norwegian for clock)
bowl         up                        hat               nose             Nana
book         sit                        off                eye              hot
spoon       hat                       more             ear               Animal sounds for a cat, monkey, lion, duck,
bottle        peek                    thank you     bunny                 bird, cow, horse
baby         please                  nana             bear

It's also amazing to see her increasing receptive language and being able to follow directions.  Other favorite activities include coloring, rocking her baby, sitting in all sizes of chairs around the house, playing with cars, brushing her teeth and hair, and playing in water.  We recently went to a Children's Museum and the water tables were a huge hit.  Annika loves to color and frequently requests a crayon.  We're really enjoyed having a child-size table and chairs in the kitchen so that she can do activities while we prepare food.  We can't get over how much fun this age is an how funny some of her antics are!

President's Weekend

Once upon a time when Kyle and I lived in Alaska, we rented a Forest Service cabin in the mountains with our friends over the President's weekend.  Getting to the cabin involved snowshoeing 7 miles with backpacks full of snow gear, clothes, food, and sleeping bags.  We always had so much fun.  With a baby, that kind of hike and rustic cabin wouldn't work as well but we wanted to get out on a mountain this year to begin that tradition again.  By the time President's weekend comes around, the amount of daylight is increasing but there is still tons of snow to be found.  This year we drove up to Mt. Rainier National Park and went all the way to the Visitor's Center at the top of the pass.  It was a bit windy, so we only ended up hiking about 2 miles round trip, but it was quite a workout hiking in the snow carrying Annika!  My plan was to carry her on our backs but with the wind, being carried on our front provided more protection and warmth.  It was a little difficult to see down well enough to be confident with footing.  I was happy that Kyle wanted to carry her on the return trip!  There were quite a few people trekking around and nearly all that went by made a comment about Annika.  One group we talked to said that they had seen a family with an infant only about 4 months old and the mom had mentioned that if the baby was hungry, she just nursed wherever they happen to be on the mountain.  At first I thought those people sounded a bit crazy.......then I remembered the winter hiking we did in Norway last year when Annika was 2 months old.  Yep, we're that kind of crazy :)  Ha!  We found a great spot to take a break and have some snacks before hiking back down.  I think Annika was glad to be back in the warmth when we had lunch at the lodge.

We are always so glad when we make the effort to get outdoors!