A Few of Her Favorite Things
Anna has a new favorite toy.
Her Legos, you ask?
No, but she sure loves to knock the whole tub over and dig to the bottom.
Her ball?
No, but that’s pretty fun too.
Her camera?
Still not it, but it does come in a close second.
Her new favorite “toy” is… ta da!
Her toothbrush! (I’m sure you guessed it from the start. Our blog has very smart readers.) Yes, friends, this little bristly blue brush makes our daughter smile. It also makes her cry, but only when you take it away. This should make her Great Aunt Kel-lee, DDS, very proud. With only three teeth, Anna already enjoys the scrubbing she gets each night. Although part of that may be from the yummy fruity toothpaste, she does still love the brush itself, which she proved as we took some pictures of her with it.
And no, we do not let her brush her teeth herself. But we do let her swallow the toothpaste. Spitting is not a forte of the Princess Anna Kateri Sweet Pea I… at least not on command.
Now if only we could get her to love washing her face…
Copper and Anna, 2.0
Most of you have seen this video via Facebook already, but I thought I’d share it anyway. Copper and Anna are now the best of friends. Anna loves Copper’s “kisses”, and apparently Copper now loves licking baby faces. I’m sure there will be many more videos in the years to come of these two little ones.
Mobile Pea
Well, cousin Sherri’s prediction was correct; Anna did start crawling on Wednesday night. She only covered about 12 inches on the living room floor, but she did it. As our friend Jess put it, the “Golden Age” of a baby who can sit but can’t crawl is over. Yesterday Anna was already improving, chasing after the laptop when Grandmas Kay and Sherry and Grandpa Jim were waving and cooing at her on Skype. Today she went after a few different toys she likes:
But that’s not the only surprise she had in store for us this week. This afternoon I went to get her up from her nap, and she was sitting in her crib like she was an inmate in Folsom Prison:
"I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when..."
The times are a changin’ at the Rogers household!
The Old Ball Game
My wonderful father had two tickets to a MN Twins’ game last Thursday and couldn’t go. Poor Dad… lucky us! He offered the tickets to me, and since I had the afternoon free and Anna had yet to be to Target Field, we jumped at the chance. John had to work, so I asked my friend Karen to go with us because she’s one of the biggest Twins’ fans I know.
After Karen found us a great parking spot, we walked to the stadium (signal chorus of angels to start singing) and got to our padded Legends’ Club seats just in time to see my favorite player, Michael Cuddyer, up at bat. Anna sure is a good luck charm for her parents’ favorite team, because the first pitch she saw just happened to be a home run!
- Karen and Anna enjoying the game
- “I’m so happy to be at a game with Mommy and Miss Karen!”
The day was gorgeous, the seats were amazing, and the game was perfect (not literally, but it was an entertaining and short 2 hours and 8 minutes). Anna did really well and happily waved at anyone around us who would pay attention and cheered the team on to a 1-0 win against the White Sox. Apparently going to a Twins’ game suits her fancy, which is just fine with me. She even had her first taste of Cherry Coke, which was probably a bad idea on my part; she only wanted more!
- “Yummy!”
The great afternoon was made complete by picking up a “first game” certificate for Anna’s baby book, taking a walk around the beautiful stadium, and of course enjoying some tasty stadium food.
Thank you, Dad/Grandpa Jim, for the tickets – we had a blast and I have no doubts Anna will grow up a Twins’ fan.
Karen: Thank you for going with us to the game and helping me with a 9 month old. We are SO glad you were able to join us!!!
GO TWINS!
A Fun and Busy Weekend
We’ve been very busy so far this June, and this weekend was busier than most. This past Friday Beth and Traci, Sara’s sisters, came up for a girls’ night. They watched movies, ate nachos, and hung out at the park with Anna. I spent the evening with my dad; we attended the American Beauty Project concert at Orchestra Hall. It was excellent, and as an added bonus, we were treated to some natural fireworks after the concert in the form of a lightning storm that rolled into downtown Minneapolis around 10 PM.
- Methinks the swing is still a bit big…
On Saturday, I headed to the State Fair grounds in St. Paul with my father-in-law and one of his friends for the Minnesota Street Rod Association’s “Back to the 50s” car show. This is a yearly event where over 11,500 classic cars are shown, though not a single one built after 1964 is allowed. I’m not a big gearhead, but this is the third year in a row that I’ve gone to the show, which should tell you something about how spectacular it is!
- A chopped-down street rod
- The interior of a Messerschmitt KR200, a very tiny car
- “Oh, they don’t make ‘em like they used to…”
- You’ve got to love State Fair signs!
On Saturday afternoon, we packed up the car and headed to my parents’ condo. My cousin Sherri was visiting from Omaha, and we had a good time drinking beer, talking, and celebrating Father’s Day together. Sherri had not seen Anna since Thanksgiving and commenting that she is getting So! Big! Sherri also got to meet Genevieve, now jokingly called Dino Baby because she makes screeching noises like a tiny T-Rex. Father’s Day proper we had an especially fun time; the whole family headed to Canterbury Park for an afternoon of horse racing and people watching. Many of us had exceptionally good luck. My dad and I picked winners in three out of four races, and my winnings managed to cover Sara’s losses (sorry dear!). Looking back, it was a weekend packed with fun.
- “All hail Her Royal Cuteness, Princes Anna Kateri Sweet Pea I, and her rockin’ headdress!”
This week we have very few items on our schedule and are just enjoying being home together with Anna. Since it’s been raining on and off all day, she used part of her afternoon indoors to peruse the bookshelf.
- “Oh, what learning is!” (Romeo and Juliet, III.iii.160)
- “Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.” –Henry Ward Beecher
Happy Father’s Day!
Dear Grandpa Jim,
You are my favorite grandpa with a mustache. And with a puppy! You are so sweet to me because you come and visit a lot, and you know that I got my habit of rubbing my feet together from you. Thank you again for the tickets to the Twins’ game last week (Mommy will be posting about that soon), because I had a lot of fun and I can’t wait for you to take me to more as I get older! Thank you for being a funny, loving grandpa and I will hopefully see you via Skype very soon. I love you!
Your Anna Banana
- Me and Grandpa Jim (That OJ looks yummy!)
~~~
Dear Grandpa Rob,
You are my favorite grandpa with an apple. An iPad, I mean. Or a Mac. I’m sure I’ll learn these things as I grow up, and you’ll be there to teach me. I love to come visit you and spend time playing on the floor with you; you are so good at keeping me happy! Thank you for taking me to watch the horses yesterday. I really liked them (Mommy will be posting about that too)! Thank you for being a wonderful, loving grandpa and I can’t wait to spend all night with you next weekend. I love you!
Your Anna Kateri
- Me and Grandpa Rob
~~~
Dear Daddy,
You are the BEST daddy in the entire world! And I know, because I’ve seen a lot of daddies. You are the best at making me smile and giggle. You encourage me to be daring by flipping me upside down and throwing me in the air, and those are two of my very favorite things! You also help me see the world differently by putting me up on your shoulders, and I know that you’re very thoughtful because you’re always very careful that I don’t hit my head when I’m up there. You are so good at being a daddy and I am so blessed and lucky that I get to grow up with you around, teaching me how to love God and love everyone around me. Thank you for being there to play when I’m happy and snuggle when I’m sleepy. I love you very, very much!
Your Sweetest Pea
- Me and my daddy
Anna Helps
Anna has been very helpful by lifting her legs when I vacuum. This video doesn’t quite catch the fullness of her reaction (we had been doing this for a few minutes already and she was getting used to it), but it’s still entertaining!
She has a similar reaction to anything loud (blenders, lawnmowers, etc). You would think she’s scared of these things, but she’s not. In fact, she usually ends up giggling at them.
Nine Months Ago…
…I gave birth to our tiny baby girl! It’s hard to believe she was once that small, and that she’ll be getting bigger yet. She’s definitely caught up to her peers in size, according to the experts (our doctor). At her check-up last week she weighed in at 17.2 pounds, staying near the 25th percentile for her age. Her height was around the 50th percentile while her head – yes, her large, round, beautiful head – remains closer to the 75th.
She is now able to eat table food, although some attempts are better than others; about half the time it ends up on the floor or her lap. But she keeps us entertained because she starts moving her mouth in a chewing-type motion before the food gets there, and she’ll keep doing it even if the food didn’t quite make it out of her hand. She has also very quickly learned the “stuff your whole hand in your mouth to get the tiny particle of yummy food” method of eating.
As for movement, she continues to be a little behind. From her tummy she will get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth, but she isn’t trying to pull herself up on anything or get herself into a sitting position from the ground yet, and doesn’t seem all that interested in attempting that anytime soon. At this point I’m okay with having a mostly non-mobile child, as who knows what she’ll be getting into in the months to come!
Anna Kateri continues to be a smiley and talkative little girl and we love her to pieces. Aren’t kids just so much fun?!?
Here are a few photos of her with Max, the stuffed dog we use to compare her size changes at different ages. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?) most of these are now action shots; there isn’t a lot that will keep this little girl still, and she LOVES her stuffed animals!
- One month old – for comparison
- Attacking Max with snuggles and kisses
- Snuggling Max
- Smiling… after throwing Max across the room!
- Finally! All it took was Daddy snapping to keep Anna’s attention and Mommy holding Max in a safe spot and then pulling her hand away just before the picture was taken. Easy, right?
“You Need to Get Your Head Checked”
On Monday Sara took Anna to the orthotic office for a final meeting regarding her helmet. The final verdict is this: Anna’s head is definitely better than it was four months ago. Basically the length to width ratio of her head has stabilized within acceptable norms. Any further helmet use would be purely for cosmetic reasons, but we think she looks much, much better now that a few months have passed. If we hadn’t been proactive early, things could have been a lot worse–a flat spot, possible eye bulging (sounds painful!), etc. Now that she’s totally off of her back except for diaper changes, life is good.
And now, a sweet 3D scan of the Sweetest Pea’s head. (And yes, this does remind me of those X-rays the government did of Wolverine’s adamantium-laced skeleton in X-Men. No, she doesn’t have retracting claws. At least, not that we know of.)
- The green is her original measurement. The red is five months later.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Mother’s Day Poem 2011
by Anna Kateri Rogers (Daddy helped, but not a whole lot.)
You kiss my cheek when I am sad;
I smile and learn, “It’s not so bad.”
You feed and clothe me every day,
love me in all kinds of ways.
I’ve met some moms; you’re the best!
Dancing or snuggling on your chest,
I’m a happy kid who wants to say,
“I love you, Mom. Enjoy this day.”
We hope all moms have a wonderful day today, and in a special way thank our own moms for all the love they have shown and continue to show us. And congratulations to the newest mom in the family, Hallie! Genevieve Dolores was born on Saturday. She’s a darling little girl.
- A Mother’s Day smile for Sara.
Sugar High
Anna was a little spoiled this year while we celebrated Christ’s resurrection. FOUR Easter bunnies (yes, “bunnies” spelled correctly, not “bunnys” like her helmet says…) brought her baskets! Thank you, all you bunnies!
She also got her first taste of… drumroll, please… CHOCOLATE! Grandma Sherry and the aunties unwrapped a chocolate bunny for Anna to try. She is well on her way to becoming a chocoholic like her mother.
And finally, John decided that we should try giving Anna some Pop Rocks. We thought we’d stick a few “rocks” in her mouth and see her reaction to the popping. However, she’s no circus monkey: no performances for us! We videotaped it and it’s not even worth posting. She had no reaction whatsoever to the party going on in her mouth.
If a chocolate bunny and Pop Rocks are just the beginning, think of all the sugar she’ll have by the time she’s 2!
- Gnawing on the bunny’s ears
- All done!
- “No big deal, Mom and Dad.”
Alleluia!
He is risen! Happy Easter, everyone.
An Early Easter Visit
The Easter Bunny came a day early at Grandpa and Grandma Nigon's house!
Finally Anna gets a throne from which to harangue her followers.
Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My! (Well, almost…)
On Monday a bunch of friends, their kids, and Anna and I went to the Minnesota Zoo. It. Was. AWESOME.
I love the zoo, so I was 100% okay with using my child as an excuse to go see a bunch of fun animals and exhibits, not to mention spend a Monday morning with some of my closest friends. And yes, Anna was an excuse; 7 month olds are not exactly jumping up and down to see birdies and monkeys, although she did seem to enjoy herself, which of course made it all the more enjoyable for me. And… surprise! She stayed awake for the vast majority of our time there! So of course I needed to capture that fact on camera.
Here is Anna on her first trip to the zoo, much more interested in the camera than the animals everyone else is looking at.
And here she is again, much more interested in her toys…
…and here she is much more interested in her bottle (yes, she can hold it pretty well on her own now)…
…and finally, here are Addy and Luci, much more interested in the baby in the stroller!
Here is my favorite picture. Anna loved sitting in front of the glass (6 inches thick!) and watching the fishies and sharkies swim by.
Both Torin and Anna were trying to touch the glass to see if they could reach the colorful animals swimming around in front of them. Apparently I need to take her to an aquarium next!
I said I went with a few friends; 4, to be exact. So 5 adults and 10 children. I was the only one without a double stroller! Here we all are, lined up, while the kids play on the steps. After that, we had lunch, which we somehow managed to do crammed around two small tables.
And finally… I wasn’t even going to try to get Anna in one of these for a picture, but I did catch Lucia and Addy, who are cute as can be.
Even though I didn’t see any lions or tigers (although I did see a few bears), we had a great day at the zoo. Anna was most impressed by the fish, and she also watched some otters chase each other for a bit, but most animals move too slowly to keep her attention. I got some fresh air and a free trip to the zoo (thanks, Emily!) with my friends, and I am ready to do it again. Feel free to give me a call whenever you want to go!
Fort Myers: Days 5-8
The final installment of our time in sunny southern Florida begins with the Twins’ slugger, Jim Thome. We love you, Jimmers! Such a nice guy. Even though he wouldn’t sign our stuff, he did sign for a bunch of kids.
On Thursday we got to the beach on Sanibel Island nice and early, with good parking spots and plenty of sandy square footage for our large group of 13 adults and two babies. Most of us went swimming in the gulf and enjoyed the cool water and waves.
Anna was actually awake most of the day, but unfortunately her cold was getting a little worse and she wasn’t too happy. Here are a few pictures of her “playing” in the sand. She was happy for a few minutes, but of course we didn’t have the camera on her at that point. After she got sand in her mouth she had had it with beach time.
We just had to post this happy picture of Tim, who scraped his nose up on the bottom of our pool earlier in the week. He and Laurie were the snorkeling and shelling king and queen of the week.
We ate lunch that day at the Island Cow, which was delicious. We had a pitcher or two of green beer for St. Patty’s Day, and as you can see, also enjoyed fried pickles and (my family’s favorite) hushpuppies. Yuuuuummmy. (John had a very large pot of steamed clams, oysters, mussels, and shrimp swimming in broth. I will pretend to forget about that!)
Anna in the Island Cow.
The next morning a few people went back to the stadium for a few more shots at autographs and to try to get in another game. Unfortunately the scalpers bumped prices up quite a bit: one guy was asking $80 a ticket! The group said no thanks and went back to the house for some more swimming and eating and drinking, but not before getting a few more items signed. Anna now has a onesie with Scott Baker and Jason Kubel’s autographs on it!
A rare picture: all Minnesota players, major and minor leaguers.
My sister is marrying a kleptomaniac. Yep, that banner is going up in his house. Awesome!
Mauer and (sigh) Nishioka. It may be awhile before we see him again, unfortunately. His translator is on the far right of the picture.
The last morning, my family decided to play some mini golf before heading to the airport. We had a good time, and Anna slept through the whole thing. Why break the habit?
There are many things that happened that are not documented here, whether on purpose or not. One thing I’d like to mention to give you an idea of how much these two families can drink: we went through 89 beers, 2 liters of vodka, 1 liter of Kahlua, 1.75 liters of margaritas, 750ml of whiskey and… 6.5 liters of rum! Not to mention that this is just what was purchased for drinking at home… who knows how much we really had if you add in the Twins game and eating out. We had a good time!
The mid-March get-away was money very well spent. Thank you to our whole family, including those we’re not related to by blood; we had such a fantastic time spending the week with you! Thank you to everyone who helped out with Anna and made the trip much more relaxing than it could have been. Most especially, a BIG thank you to my parents, because we wouldn’t have been able to go if it weren’t for them. We love you all and wish we could go to Fort Myers every year!
Winslow Exclusive: Teeth Spotted!
Yesterday teeth were spotted on the lower gums of local starlet Anna Kateri.
Local gossips claim there are plans for future teeth!
Fort Myers: Days 3 and 4
Yes, I am finally getting around to blogging about the rest of our wonderful trip!
We went to Anna’s first outside-the-womb Twins’ game that Monday. Thanks to Dan, who works with sports teams, we were able to get a tour of the stadium, so we arrived pretty early. Anna was sleepy and not liking the sun, which had become the norm for her.
Beautiful Hammond Stadium, home of the Minnesota Twins’ Spring Training and their AAA team, the Miracle. Yes, we have outdoor baseball in Minnesota now, but there’s nothing like seeing the grass and the palm trees in the middle of March!
Here’s our group enjoying adult beverages. We had a few rounds of beer first. After that, people bought “rum buckets” for $10, each supposedly with 6 shots of rum in it (very cheap for a ball park, considering a beer isn’t much less than that). It was more like 12 shots – very little of anything else. The nice part was they had all the recipes for the different drink options printed on the side of them for future use. That became useful later.
Auntie Beth trying to help Anna wake up once our seats were finally in the shade.
The Rogers family picture. We were pretty happy; the Twins won 9 – 0.
Anna and her BFF Hailey playing together in the pool.
Grandma Sherry bought some bubbles to see if the babies took any interest, and they did! They loved watching the bubbles fly around.
The next day we went on a 3 hour tour (thankfully, no shipwrecks) off the end of Fort Myers Beach. We saw many dolphins and baby and mommy osprey on the way out to an island. When I say “we,” I mean everyone but Anna, as she was – you guessed it – sleeping. She slept through the entire loud boat ride over.
At the island we had about an hour to swim, snorkel, and shell.
Our ubiquitous Lewis & Clark picture; I don’t think we’ve taken one in years!
Anna, actually AWAKE in Grandpa’s arms on the boat ride back to shore.
Still more to come in a few days!
Overachiever
Anna is already well on her way to being an overachiever. Getting in one tooth at a time is not quite enough fun, so she’s decided to go for two. That’s right, her two bottom teeth are cutting their way in at the same time; we’ve been able to feel their razor sharpness for a few days now.
Unfortunately there are no pictures of the teeth for you, dear reader, since 1) the teeth are barely in, and 2) they are difficult enough to get to when using both hands to open her mouth and clear her gums. There’s no way I’m able to use a camera at the same time!
Fort Myers: Days 1 and 2
We are (finally) in sunny Florida, and it is WONDERFUL!
Anna’s first flights were uneventful. In fact, she slept through the entire first flight, from gate to gate.
After arriving in Fort Myers and peeling off a few layers of clothing, we had lunch, dropped our things off at the house we’re renting, went to Mass, and shopped for food and beverages – yes, the adult kind, and plenty of it. Then we headed to the other house (close friends of Sara’s family who are down here with us: Tim and Laurie, Dan and Claire, and Brian, Briana, and our goddaughter, Hailey) for pizza and, of course, beverages. Anna and Hailey were intrigued by a Indian mobile that Claire had bought for Hailey.
Yesterday was a POOL day! The entire morning and early afternoon were spent lounging and swimming. Here’s a picture of Jeff trying to jump in the pool while catching a ball Dan is throwing him; can you spot the ball?
Anna, in true Minnesota Girl fashion, could barely open her eyes with all the sunshine. But she was still so cute in her hat and swimsuit!
She “swam” for the first time and seemed to… well, not so much enjoy it as be fairly ambiguous toward it. We’re just happy she didn’t cry! Unfortunately, even with the sunglasses, hat, and shade, she still didn’t want to open her eyes.
Later in the day we decided to go to Fort Myers Beach. At what time, you ask? Well, apparently we didn’t know. We were trying to make it by 3 p.m., so we left at what we thought was 2:40. On the way, I went to change my watch ahead one hour for daylight savings’ time, but after I changed it, I realized it still only said 1:45. I asked if we were sure it was 2:45. This was followed by about 5 minutes of intense and confused discussion, including texts and calls to the other car of family and friends. My dad finally asked the woman in the car next to us, and sure enough, it was only 1:45. Somehow everyone else had changed their watches twice, based on the time that the oven clock said; unfortunately the oven clock had also been changed twice by two different people. The whole discussion was quite entertaining for all of us!
We went to the beach to see a “blessing of the fleet,” where there were 4 different religious men present, including a (Anglican) bishop. We then checked out a crafts market, and John ate some blue crab, which he had never tried before.
Back at the house, I spent some time playing around with camera settings. Here are a few pictures I liked.
Anna had a much more enjoyable time in the pool now that the sun had gone down a bit. She enjoyed kicking and splashing!
Grandma Sherry even painted her nails so they match Mommy’s. Aren’t they pretty?!?
Last night we went to Pincher’s Crab Shack for some great food and then came “home” to celebrated Laurie’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Laurie! We are so happy to be in Florida with you and your fabulous family!
For those of you reading this before we return, don’t expect an update every two days. We had some cute pictures we wanted to share and some downtime, so that’s why this is appearing so soon. We hope you’re all enjoying the weather wherever you are!
Six Months Old
Anna Kateri is six months and four days old today!
- Holding Max’s hand these days and looking a little stiff. Six month shots in both legs will do that.
So, here’s quick rundown of what’s been going on lately. First, we realized she only has a half birthday every four years (Feb. 29). Second, you’ll notice she has no helmet on. Unfortunately, this is not because her head is where it should be. Instead, it’s because of a terrible outbreak of eczema that started on Sunday. The picture above looks pretty good because the worst of it has subsided. But Sunday night there was swelling, redness, and…weeping sores (*shudder*). This situation led to two new nicknames, both crafted by resident wordsmith Daddy. They are…”The Bubonic Baby,” which frankly sounds like a terrible Marvel Comics super villain, and “Scaly Pea,” which conjures up such depressing images of flaking skin that it makes Grandma Kay tear up a bit. But our little getting-big girl is still happy and healthy when it comes right down to it. She had a great six month checkup on Thursday, weighing in at 14.5 pounds, which is around the 25% percentile.
Next week we’re headed to Florida for Spring Training with the Minnesota Twins. And Anna will get to say, “You sure are dreamy, Joe Mauer!” Or maybe Aunt Beth will get to say it. Or Aunt Traci. Or Uncle Jeff. Or me. Heck, we know it will be me.
Roll With It
Anna is officially rolling over, tummy to back. She had done it a few times in the past month or two, but it was never even remotely consistent. Last Thursday night she rolled over at a friend’s house and I didn’t think much of it – she hadn’t done it in over two weeks, so I thought it was another fluke. But she rolled over 5 times with Gramma Kay on Friday, and hasn’t stopped since. The only downside? It’s pretty much impossible to keep her on her tummy.
In other news, her bibs (and some clothes) have started sprouting large orange stains, thanks to the sweet potatoes and carrots she’s been eating. According to our friend Liss, carrots used to be purple. It sure would match her outfits and helmet a lot better!
- Anna, after sneezing carrots.
- Anna and Daddy with their drinks (I think Anna is jealous of John)
- Auntie Beth & Uncle Jeff also enjoying drinks. They were the reason we went to Eyota: to meet Beth’s soon-to-be in-laws. We had a great time!
Playing with Copper
We are visiting Sara’s family this weekend. Anna had some fun with Grandma and Grandpa’s puppy, Copper.
