Fair Day!

When Dana went in to get the girls up this morning, Abby popped up, pulled the curtains away from the window and shouted, "Fair Day!" And that's exactly what today is...Fair Day. One of the most glorious days of the year. It's filled with food, people watching, food, maybe a few rides, food, a day long wagon ride for the girls and...you guessed it...food. And perhaps most importantly, it is the taking of the annual "measurement" picture. Since Abby was born, we've taken a picture of the girls next to the foot and a half long corn dog. The first year, it was bigger than Abby. The second year it was bigger than Anni and Abby dove right into eating it. This year, both girls are bigger than the corn dog but the question is...who can eat more of it? Pictures to follow...

Query of the Day

How, when eating pancakes, does one get syrup on one's shoulders?

A Whole New Meaning

Lately, when Abby gets her diaper changed, she likes to "help" out with the process. And in her world, helping means she holds her legs. Now, sometimes (ok about 40% of the time) diaper time takes a bit longer than other times, depending on what has been dispensed in said diaper. And when the changing takes a little longer, Abby likes to play peek-a-boo. Only she has a new spin on the game...

As she's lying on the table, holding her legs, while I'm wiping (and wiping and wiping), she pulls her legs up over her eyes and then flings them apart, as wide as can be and shouts "Peek Boo!" As Wiper Supreme, I now have a whole new take on the peek-a-boo game. And it's not a style of the game I will be encouraging her to play with others...ever.

Stairmasters

After a supremely unsuccessful afternoon nap (lately the 2 stinkers are refusing to shut their eyes during afternoon nap), the girls decided they were going to play StairMaster while I made dinner. The game goes like this:

1. Abby stands at the bottom of the stairs, looks at me and says, "Upstairs?"

2. Anni looks at Abby.

3. I say, "Sure, you can go upstairs."

4. Abby looks at me expectantly and says, "Trip?"

5. Anni looks at Abby.

6. I say, "Have a nice trip!"

7. Abby goes up the stairs.

8. Anni starts up the stairs.

9. Abby get to the top of the stairs and comes back down.

10. Anni starts down the stairs once Abby passes her.

And we must've repeated this process at least 20 times...as the circles under the girls' eyes just got bigger and bigger...

Witching Hour

I've heard stories of this so-called Witching Hour, but have never had the joy of truly experiencing it...until the past week or so. Now, from the stories I've heard, witching hour tends to be at the end of the day...when people are tired, hungry, ready to be in their cribs, etc. Well, in the Schmidt household, little Miss Anni has decided to give new meaning, and time constraints, to the fabled witching hour. She has taken it upon herself to start up the Hour (and it truly is almost an hour) at about 8:30. In the morning people! And Anni's mom is soooo not a morning person. So, to have the screaming/crying/shrieking/general malcontent start up just after breakfast time...well, let's just say it's not pretty. She usually starts the day off perfectly happy once she's out of her crib and there's some food on her tray. She eats a good breakfast, has something to drink, has some playtime. Then around 8:30, she'll bump some part of her body and the whole morning goes downhill and quickly. It lasts for about an hour, when there's no consoling the tiny little body, and then when I think I can't take another moment, I put her in her crib, she cries for about 2 more minutes and then goes to sleep. It's totally insane and utterly unexplainable and yet that seems to be our pattern. I'm hoping the pattern breaks, quickly, because the girls start some classes next week and all take place right in the middle of the Witching Hour...duh duh duh

Gears and Blocks, Blocks and Gears

The girls have two new especially favorite toys, courtesy of Anni's birthday party. They currently cannot get enough of their gears toys and their blocks. Both girls absolutely LOVE these toys. Abby got to put the stickers on the gear toys, which was a highlight. She likes to stick all the gears together and get them to spin...with help of course. Anni isn't too into the putting together, but she thoroughly enjoys playing with the finished product. Both girls are, of course, readily aware that Daddy builds far more interesting gear constructions than Mommy does.

The blocks are the other favorite new toy. Anni got these great Doug & Annie blocks as one of her birthday presents and we've played with them every day since. The blocks have all the letters of the alphabet on them, with different pictures relating to said letters. You can either stack or nest the blocks, but the stacking seems to be the favorite way to do it, right now. Abby is quite good at getting all the blocks stacked up and she's started adding other items to the top of the stack. Anni, on the other hand, takes great delight in bulldozing the blocks right over...this is FAR from her sister's favorite part of the game. Luckily, the blocks stack right up again...and again...and again...

Special Visitor

The girls had a very special visitor the other night...Uncle Ricky! Or, Unkie, as Abby calls him. Uncle Rickie came down to bring Anni a birthday present and to give the new wagon a run for its money. Apparently the girls were so cute when the 3 of them stopped into the ice cream shop that they got extra ice cream. Both girls had a wonderful time with Uncle Ricky and were very sad when it was time for him to go. I asked Abby to give Rick a kiss when he was getting ready to leave and instead of complying, she threw herself on me and howled, she was so sad that Unkie had to leave. But he promised to come back soon, just like Daddy does everyday he goes to work, so she was ok with that.

Why Not?

Abigail Elizabeth has a new favorite phrase...why not? The first time she asked me that, I just sort of looked at her. I wasn't sure if she knew what she was asking. Then she asked me again why she couldn't do whatever it was she wanted to do. The great thing about this particular phrase is that Abby doesn't necessarily understand the answers to her question, so she gets to just keep asking it. I will admit, I've resorted to the age-old adage...because I said so.

Ehh, What's up Doc?

Anni has a new favorite food...carrots. She's had them before and didn't seem to either like or dislike them. But I made them the other night with dinner and the kid could not get enough of them! She just kept eating and eating. She ate Abby's too! Usually when Anni feeds herself, we take her out of the highchair and there's a few handfuls of food in her lap and on the seat. On carrot night, I think there were 4 pieces that hadn't made it into the little one's mouth. She'll be seeing in the dark in no time!

No More Bottles

We have entered into a new world in the Schmidt household. We are officially bottle free. Since Anni's 1 now, and pretty much wants to do everything her sister does, we (and by we, I mean I) decided to do away with the bottles. Anni doesn't seem to mind one bit, and I certainly don't mind having a few less things to wash everyday.

Anni's Birthday Party

For those of you who attended Anni's 1st birthday party, thank you so much for coming and sharing such a special day with us. Anni got such nice presents and had such a good time seeing all the special people in her life. Rather than yammer on and on about the special day, please enjoy some pictures from the party. A picture's still worth 1000 words, right?

Anni's 1st cupcake...




Anni, Abby, Grandma and Grandpa

Anni and Abby
Anni, Auntie Erin and Pedro

Anni and Great-Grama
Anni and Papa
Anni and Daddy
Anni, Daddy and Mom
Here's Anni and Lisa...Anni LOVES Lisa!

Anni, Lisa and Riley playing in Anni's new sandbox

Anni and Auntie Sara...Anni's godmother
Anni and Nana
Anni and Grandpa

Attention, Attention

This just in. Today when putting Abigail into her car seat, I noticed something on her arm. Abby has 2 freckles! And they're quite possibly the cutest things you've ever seen! And I'm pretty sure they weren't dirt...or chocolate...or whatever else she could've found and somehow gotten stuck to her skin...

Her sister, on the other hand, has quite the summer tan going, especially on her legs.

Yet another way in which the monkeys differ...

Happy Birthday Nanni!

Today Anni is one whole year old. Technically, she's one at 11:40 pm, but there is a very good chance that none of the Schmidt family will actually be awake at that time, so we did a little celebrating earlier today. Nana, Papa, Auntie Erin and Pedro all came down to the house this evening for a little ice cream birthday cake. Today is Nana's birthday too! So we had cake for Nana and Anni got to open a few presents. Auntie gave the birthday girl a stuffed panda and Nana and Papa dropped off a new sandbox. It's quite fancy with all sorts of gears and whozywhatzits...I think it will be a hit at the birthday party on Saturday.

Anni is a very special little girl. I try very hard not to compare her with her sister, just as I've tried very hard not to compare either of the girls to those "milestones" every parenting book talks about so much. I figure as long as the girls can walk, talk and are potty trained by the time they hit kindergarten, we're doing ok. ;)

But 2nd babies can be a little tricky. They have to work a little harder for the attention that's given so easily to the 1st. And at the same time, the 1st continues to keep doing new things. It's hard not to compare the 2nd to the 1st, because everything with the 1st is new to us. And let's be honest...between my family and Dana's family, Abigail was practically the Second Coming. And Anni came very quickly after Abby, so Abby was our baby for only a little while. And even when she was our baby, she was technically only the "baby" for 4 months. By that time, we already knew she wasn't going to be the only child in our family.

Anni is still our baby and she's a force of nature, that's for certain. She's incredibly happy and very few people believe me when I talk about her crabby days or fussy times. (Apparently she saves the good stuff for me.) She has a HUGE smile and she literally lights up from the inside when she grins. When she wants something, she wants it RIGHT NOW. She can say "mama" and "dada" and I'm pretty sure she's channeling her German roots because when we ask her if she wants something (milk, bottle, cheerios), she says "da!" Anni's mood can change in an instant and sometimes she's more of a handful than I bargained for. She loves to play, adores her sister, likes to give us presents, kisses us when we ask her to and just gets cuter by the day. She's highly opinionated, shrieks with joy when her daddy comes home from work and lets her big sister dump water on her head when they're in the bathtub. Although there are times, and they've been more frequent lately, that Anni is less than perfect, she is still absolutely our angel baby. And here are some pictures to prove it...




Happy 1st Birthday, Nanni. We love you more every day. And we're so excited to see all the things you're going to learn and accomplish throughout the upcoming years. Always know that you are loved by so many people, especially by your mom, dad and big sister.

Finger of God

Abby has a game she likes to play that Dana calls the Finger of God. She started playing this game over the 4th of July when we were at the cabin. Dana would make sandcastles for the girls and as fast as he could make them, Abby would smash them down. But instead of stomping on them, or flopping on top of them, or bashing them with her fist, she simply takes her pointer finger and sticks it into the sandcastle. And invariably, she sticks it into a place so the entire castle literally crumbles. She re-enacted the game today at the doctor's office, playing God with the blocks and cups Dana stacked for her. Now, if I only knew where she got so much power in one little finger...

Games Babies Play

Anni has a new favorite game. It consists of getting up on the couch or our bed, with parental assistance of course, and literally flinging herself down on her stomach. Then she laughs hysterically, rolls over onto her back, gets back up to her feet and does it again. She also likes it if you tickle her like there's no tomorrow when she lying on her back, after the flinging. It's quite a sight.

Little Miss Anni has also figured out how to get herself off the couch. She just about gives you a heart attack while you watch her, but she can do it and she lands on two feet. And she's quite pleased with herself when she lands. I'm hoping she refrains from attempting to get off our bed in the same manner, but I'm 99% certain that's just wishful thinking.

Anni's other favorite new game is the pretend to bite mommy game. I believe it was not intended as a game, but after getting chomped once in the shoulder and once in the hand, I know what it looks like when she feels the need to do a little biting. As she was preparing to take a little nibble out of my knee this evening, I said, "Anni, no biting." She was in the process of lowering the jaws of death to my knee as I said this. She didn't bite me, but very deliberately raised her eyes to mine, to see if I was watching and then smiled this HUGE grin. And then we started the game all over again. She thought it was a hoot. Every time she came up from the attempted gnaw, she'd laugh and plop her head down in my lap. I would really prefer not to have a biter for a child, but it's awfully tough to get upset at the little munchkin when she turns it into a fun little game like that!

Medical Update

Today Abby had her annual vcug test for her kidney reflux. The test was at 8am, so the Schmidt household had an early morning. We had to wake the girls up this morning, which is something we NEVER do, but today it had to be done. And we were quickly enlightened to who takes after daddy in the morning (Abby shrieking "AWAKE, AWAKE!"), and who takes after mommy (Anni standing up in her crib, whimpering and rubbing her eyes).



Nana very nicely stayed home from work this morning, so she could sit with Anni while Dana and I took Abby to her appointment. When we told Abby she was going to the doctor, she immediately started asking for stickers. The receptionist handed a few over when we checked in. She also got a popsicle and some teddy grahams from the sedation nurses, a bracelet and some more stickers from the radiologist nurse and a sucker and another sticker from the pediatric urologist nurse. Kid was rollin' in the loot today!



Abby still has the reflux, but it looks like it's cleared up on one side and stayed about the same on the other side. Since she's good about taking her medicine and hasn't had any kidney infections since she went on the antibiotics, we decided to stay the course until next year. It was a tough day for Abby, but she was really a trooper. She went to bed about 5:45 tonight and was practically comatose when we laid her down, but she was definitely a trooper.

Taste Buds of the Tiny and Semi-Toothless

My children are good eaters. They're actually pretty amazing eaters, especially compared to the horror stories you hear about kids who will only eat cherry jello and saltines. There are very few foods the will not eat and/or try. Abby asks for mustard to dip her hotdogs in and Anni pretty much wants to eat whatever is on anyone's plate. The problem is, as good as eaters as they are, they tend not to be good eaters when I actually want them to be. Like at dinnertime.

Tonight Anni was a killer eater at dinner. And after a rather fussy afternoon, it was a welcome relief. I had dinner ready for her when I got the girls up from their afternoon nap and she just chowed down. Abby, however, was completely uninterested in food, dinner or otherwise, so Anni just helped herself right along to Abby's plate.

Later, Abby discovered a pot of sauce on the stove. Now, I do make a pretty good red sauce if I do say so myself (thanks to Sara's mom), but red sauce does not a dinner make. Unless, of course, your mother is desperate to get some form of food substance into your tummy before you go to bed for the next 12 hours and gives in to a request for sauce. Dinner, for Miss Abigail, thus consisted of 2 bowls (yes, bowls people) of red sauce and a phenomenon known as "dirty milk." Dirty milk is a trick we learned from our friend Riley. She likes chocolate milk but since she was much smaller and had a few less words and/or signs, has called it dirty milk. Abby loves it when she gets to have dirty milk at Riley's house, so she was very excited to learn that mom can make dirty milk too. At Riley's house, they mix 1% white milk with the skim chocolate milk. At our house, on a night when the little miss refuses to eat anything other than bowls of red sauce, dirty milk consists of 3/4 heavy whipping cream and a splash of chocolate skim milk. People, I fear for the morning diaper...

First Step!

Sunday morning was a big treat for me! I got to have a few hours to myself, while Dana spent some along time with the girls. I'm not sure who got the better end of the deal, but I know I enjoyed myself immensely. As much as I adore my children, and my husband, I tend to forget to get some time to myself before I really, REALLY need it. And believe you me, I really, REALLY needed. Luckily for me, Dana and the girls were only too happy to help me out.

After naptime today, we made a run to Red Wing to fill a couple pesky ATMs. Then we went down to Cannon Falls for a lovely bbq dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and Dana's uncle Guy and cousin Andy. Guy and Andy drove up from Texas for Saturday's wedding. After dinner, Anni decided to show off and took her very first step all on her own! She also decided that one step was plenty, since try as we might, she refused to take anymore this evening. I think that one's going to make us work for a lot in the coming years...

Playtime with Daddy and Quality Time with Auntie

Saturday mornings are a little extra exciting for the monkeys because Daddy's home. So, after a big breakfast of pancakes and sausage, we all headed over to the local playground, after quick stops at the post office (I sold another item on ebay!) and the coffee shop for caffeine and smoothies. The girls wanted to show Dana their prowess on the swings. And I think they were much more impressed with daddy's ability to do big BIG pushes on the swings.





Saturday night, Auntie Erin and Pedro came over to spend some quality time with the monkeys, while Dana and I attended a wedding. Abby is particularly taken with Pedro, much to Auntie's quasi-disappointment. Auntie is always so excited to see the girls and the first thing out of Abby's mouth is "Pedro?"

Swings, Stairs and Group Bath

Friday morning the girls and I decided to take a break from the jogging stroller and took a wagon ride over to a little playground near our house. Anni LOVES the swings and just shrieks with glee when I give her a big push. The smile on that child is amazing. Abby decided she wanted to swing this time, too. She usually doesn't like the swings very much, but I think Anni was having too much fun to let Abby pass it up. They were in the swings for about 20 minutes! Then we played in the "sand" (it's really a ton of tiny rocks) for a while. Anni tried to be sneaky about eating the rocks, but she liked to show them to me before she tried to put them in her mouth. After a few tries and me constantly saying, "Anni, no!" she got sick of asking permission and just shoved a handful in her mouth as fast as she could. Abby was very busy covering her feet with the rocks in the meantime.

When we got home from the playground, it was time for Anni's bout of stairmaster. That child loves the stairs and climbs up them SO fast! And she thinks it's hysterically funny when you chase her up the stairs, so it's become quite the game. Now she likes to get to the top and "talk" to me until I come to the top and bring her back down...and then we start all over again. She has started to back herself down the stairs, so hopefully my stair chasing days are numbered...

After Friday naptime, the girls and I headed to Kohls. I needed a dress for a wedding on Saturday and I was pretty sure I could pull it off before either child had a major meltdown. I can't say the shopping trip was pretty, but I did manage to try on a few dresses and to walk out of the store with dress in hand. Of course, by the time I left the store, I had Abby perched on my shoulders, Anni in the stroller cart and 2 bags to carry, but that's neither here nor there...

After shopping, the three of us headed over to Riley's house for some dinner and a group bath. Abby especially loved the meatballs she got to have with dinner. During the bath, Anni ended up sitting between the two older girls and both girls proceeded to have a grand time dumping water on Anni's head. She didn't mind at all, and Riley and Abby were very amused. All in all, a good time had by all.

Mid-Week Wrap Up

At the request of a certain someone who had rejoined the league of workers, and for everyone else who likes to cheat when they're at work, here's a wrap up of our week so far...

Monday:

Today the girls got a little extra quality daddy time. I can't quite recall all the nuts and bolts of it, but basically Dana got done with work early and came home to spend the afternoon with his girls.

The highlight of Monday, however, other than Dana being home, was Aunt Gigi's surprise party! In honor of Gigi's 40th birthday, we had a party at Jensen's Supper Club in Eagan. Dana, the girls and I did some decoration shopping shortly before the party and then got to Jensen's early to do some party decorating. The girls especially like the balloons. They never stayed in the same spot, but they did stay in the room. The party kicked off around 6, Gigi and Jeff showed up shortly after 7, and the birthday girl was pleasantly surprised. There were a bunch of Gigi's friends and a good portion of her family too. Abby and Anni were more than happy to help Gigi eat cake and open her presents.

Tuesday:

Dana wasn't feeling well on Tuesday, so he was home all day. The girls were thrilled, of course. They wanted Daddy to do everything with them...put in their barrettes, get their juice, read the books. At some point, Dana was wearing one of Abby's Big Bird barrettes and at a later point, she decided to decorate him with more barrettes, a teething ring on his toes and a Dora shoe on one foot. It was quite a look.

In the morning, the girls and I went for our run. They're doing a stellar job helping me "train" for the marathon. And by stellar, I mean I'm able to coax them into staying in the running stroller and they don't make me stop very often. Anni usually falls asleep on our morning runs and Abby chats away.

Wednesday:

As of Wednesday, I was officially the last mommy standing. My dear friends Lisa and Sara both had babies recently and were on maternity leave. They went on maternity leave around the same time I started staying home full-time with the monkeys. Sara went back to work in June, I believe, and Lisa started back on Wednesday. To be perfectly honest, I would prefer both of them stay home and have playdates with me all week, but apparently I don't get to make that decision. I don't like that at all, but apparently that doesn't matter either. ;)

Thursday:

This morning the girls and I went for another run. At various points, Anni started squawking with displeasure, but I couldn't figure out what the problem was...until I caught stinker Abigail pinching her sister's nose shut. That is a fascinating game, let me tell you! Anni didn't think so. Then, at various points, Abby wanted me to stop and put water in her hands so she could give Anni a bath. The girls tend to get a little hot when we run some days, so I usually splash some water into my hands and rub it on their arms, legs and faces. Anni doesn't mind when I do that, but she did object to the "dry" washing Abby kept giving her.

After a bit, Anni fell asleep and Abby commenced chatting...non stop. Now, normally I don't mind Abby chatting. She talks to herself and everyone else all the time. But I was trying to count while I was running (a training thing) and she kept talking and I kept losing track...ugh! As I was running and trying to stay on track of my counting, I was suddenly struck by the fact that my mother never lost her temper with me when I talked all the time in the car...and I have NO idea how she didn't lose her ever-lovin' mind listening to me prattle on in the backseat.

So, there's your update for the week so far. As of this moment, we don't have plans for Friday. Probably another run. Maybe a visit to the gym so the girls can play with the kids. On Saturday, Auntie Erin is coming to babysit so Dana and I can go to a family wedding. And we might do some playing with Riley and William. Other than that, there's sure to be eating...and playing...and reading...the occasional whining...a little crying...more than a couple dirty diapers...and a whole lotta love going on...

Highlights, Lowlights and Truly Weird Points

Dana comes back from the cabin at some point tomorrow and all the girls are really ready for him to come home. The girls because they love their daddy and want to see him all the time. His wife because she misses her husband and because, let's be honest, wifey-poo could use a little break from the kiddies.

Looking back over the past couple days, we've had some highlights, some lowlights and some truly weird moments. Here are a few examples:

Highlights:

1. The girls were very excited to see me in the morning and after naptimes.
2. We got to have a high quality playdate with Riley and William today. See photos below. There was a swimming pool, tree swing, mac & cheese...what more could we ask for?
3. Anni almost walked...several times.
4. The girls generally played very nicely together.
5. Anni figured out this new fish face/kissing thing that's pretty freakin' cute.
6. There was lots of hysterical laughing and no trips to the emergency room.

Lowlights:

1. There was a LOT of poop.
2. We had a few moments of 2-year old-ness to the extreme.
3. Did I mention the poop?
4. A few short-tempered moments on mommy's behalf. But after a while, the poop can really get to you!
5. I did some cleaning. I hate cleaning. It's just not any fun!

Seriously weird moments:

1. Abby woke up from her nap with a strange substance on her hands. She found it quite fascinating as she proceeded to stick and unstick her fingers together. There was also some of the unknown (ok, ok, it was snot) substance on her face. After a good wipedown, we were all good, but still...very strange.

2. Anni very purposefully bit me. She's super squirmy when I change her diaper these days and just wants to be right-side up. So when I had her pinned (see poop comments above), she figured out a rather ingenious way to get me to let her go...she grabbed hold of my "pinning" hand, literally stretched her neck up toward my hand and gave me a chomp. It wasn't hard and she didn't hurt me, but it was a shock. I'm going to just chalk it up to creative problem solving.

3. Abby and I were reading the BC's book (that what she calls the alphabet) and as I'm pointing to the letters, which she requires me to do, she suddenly grabbed my hand and stuck my finger in her mouth. I have absolutely no explanation for such an action, but it was a weird one.

So, Dana comes home tomorrow and I'm sure he'll have quite the homecoming. Whenever the girls hear the door shut, they immediately think it's Dana. Abby shouts "Daddy!", Anni starts shrieking and shaking like a leaf and they both just about burst with happiness when he come around the corner. Truth be told, so does he.

Daddy's Gone Fishing...

Last night, Dana left for the cabin. For some quality time with "da boyz". Before he left, he got in a little quality time with the monkeys. Anni decided the fun new game was to chew on Daddy's hat. And then Abby got in on the game and they all made funny faces...

Today, the girls and I had a little quality time at the gym and then we went to visit Nana. One of their favorite places to visit. Anni literally shrieked when she heard Nana's voice today. And then her entire body shakes. It's pretty funny...and I imagine it makes Nana (and anyone else she does it for) feel pretty good. I know Dana loves it when he gets home from work. After Nana's it was time to head home for dinner, baths and bed. Dinner and baths went just fine. Bed still needs to happen. As I type, the monkeys are in bed chatting away. Since they started off bedtime with significantly louder protests (read screaming), I'm just fine with the chatting. I hope they keep it down when I crawl into bed though...which will be literally any moment now...