swimming

Side note: this blog isn't going to have any pictures because i didn't get a chance to take pictures today.

Well we have had a great day today. My good friend Adrienne came into town from Hawaii and we went to the Cape Coral Yacht Club and swam. Annabell absolutely LOVED swimming. She would laugh as we would pull her through the water, she also loved to splash the water. We swam and swam and swam until she started to rub her eyes signifying her sleepiness. It was alot of fun. She was pretty pooped afterward, so she played with her daddy for a few minutes and then went to sleep and her daddy was awesome enough to let me take a good long nap! Very refreshing. Well I just wanted to jot down her experience at the pool. We'll have to get pictures next time. Love ya'll

Christmas and food

Well hello everyone, sorry it has been awhile since I have posted but we have been busy busy. Well let's recap shall we. On Christmas Eve we went to Mima and Papa's house for a WONDERFUL dinner and present exchange. On the way there Brad and I took Annabell to the mall to see Santa. We waited an hour, which actually went by rather fast, and finally got up to the big man. We were a bit worried that she would cry because she was tired after waiting around so long, but she did great, she thought he was very interesting and sat and played with her feet while we all snaped photos. Then we went to dinner and had a wonderful time. Annabell opened presents which she did pretty well with the exception she preferred the paper over the gifts half the time, and when she wasn't tearing the paper she was sucking on it. ha. While we were opening gifts she became very excited and stood up all by her self! It was wonderful, and the best part is her Uncle Josh was taping at the time so we have it on video. Well Christmas day was actually more eventful than I thought it would be. First we woke around 7am and opened Annabell's gifts, she once again loved the paper! Then after breakfast and her morning nap we went to play Tennis. We played a few rounds before Annabell was sick of just watching the ball go back n' forth. So we decided to go on a walk with her. Well here is where the smart mommy award gets handed to me....we were walking and came to some pull up push up bars at the new park. Brad began to do a few sets of pull ups when he jokingly said I needed to do some too, so me being the smart mom that I am I tied Roxy (our dog) to Annabell's stroller and began to do some sets as well, it wasn't 20 seconds before Roxy slightly pulled on the stroller and BOOM, down went Annabell! OH MY GOSH! Talk about FREAK OUT~! I screamed and ran to her. She was screaming and crying and I started to cry. But there is a happy ending. She just got a small red mark (she was straped in and didn't hit the concrete) on her forhead. We did all the precautionary steps to make sure she was okay, we woke her several times while sleeping (she wasn't happy) and checked on her too. We also got Grandma's opinion who said she was fine. I guess the first boo boo is always nerve racking, even more so for the parent.

So we also decided to start her on baby food since she will be 6 months on Saturday. We tried her fist veggie today, carrots. I was laughing so hard because I had never seen her make these faces! ha. Well hopefully we will have better luck tomorrow, the pictures speak for themselves. ha. Love you all!

bath time

Well Annabell and I had a pretty fun day. We woke up (she slept until 6:20am, whooo hoooo) and then found that they had finally opened the park across the street from us. So we got dressed and off we went. She swung for a while and then we walked around the pond. Brad met up with us for a few minutes after one of his jobs and hung out just before going off to his next job. We then came home and she took her second nap for the day. Did some shopping and then went by Brad's work and then came home. She is SOOOOO interested in food now. She licks her lips and stares at me while I eat! I feel bad, I think it's time to give her a second meal besides dinner and as soon as I can find a bit more info on storing home made baby food we will introduce a veggie to her. Her sitting up is becoming much stronger and more balanced. She took a bath tonight and held herself up most of the night with the exception of a few slips. I had to put a bath towel under her butt to keep her from slipping around. As you can see she loves her bath toys. She focuses so hard on trying to pick one up in the water and then is amazed that she has it in her hand..as you can see! I bought her a new toy today that encourages her to sit up and play with it. She loves it! She gets so excited when playing with it and squeals with joy and bangs her hands on the floor next to it encouraging it's sounds. Well I started going through her outfits and thought there are so many she hasn't worn yet and is about to grow out of, so we put her in this adorable dress with a matching hat. She looked cute! Yesterday I had her in a cute 1st Christmas onesie with tights and an elf hat, but that was short lived because she decided to poop all over it and me! But the hat was so cute I got some pictures just before it happened. I love that she doesn't mind things being on her head or in her hair yet, hopefully that will be something that stays with her! She is also all about talking now, she talks to everything, her toys, people, etc. I also was playing a game with Brad and Michael where I had to sing and she started mimicking me singing, it was too cute, her high pitch squeals about sounded like mine, ha! Well here are some pictures. I know I put a ton up but each one shows her doing something else cute so I can't help but put them up, I'm a proud momma! Love y'all!

Christmas is near

Well I can't believe how close we are to Christmas. Annabell has seem to make many changes recently. She now sleeps through the night! PRAISE GOD! She goes to sleep with out me feeding her or rocking her to sleep, I just lay her down drowsey and she's out like a champ. She does have her occasional stirring but is quick to fall back to sleep. I also no longer feed her through the night at all. If she wakes I simply rock her for a second and then put her back in her crib and she seems to be sleeping much more soundly that way. We had our annual Christmas dinner and she slept in her crib through all of the commotion! I was very impressed. Also we went to a Christmas party last saturday night and her Aunt Adrienne and Uncle Josh watched her at our house. They had her asleep in her crib before we even left around 7pm and she only woke once while they were watching her, she then slept until 730am in the morning! I was tickled pink. We are still only giving her cereal at night, but next week we will be starting it in the morning too. She also is a regular "roller" now, she has seem to figure it out and is rolling all the time now! She still squirms on her belly to get what she wants. She also has figured out how to put her binki in her mouth on her own, although it sometimes takes a while to get the plastic nipple in her mouth. Oh and her daddy finished her Christmas gift! It is a wondeful toy box! It is made of red oak and is something she will be able to keep and use forever. It also looks great in our living room! I've enclosed pictures of it and of our Christmas party! Love y'all!

Sitting Up

Well this will be short and sweet. Here are some pictures of Annabell learning to sit up. She is becoming such a big girl! I can't believe how fast she is growing. Well I have to go wake her up to eat now, love y'all!

Two days and two big events

Well Annabell has had a very eventful 2 days. We introduced water to her yesterday, which was alot of fun. We were so excited to get her into the highchair for the first time (for drinking or eating) and see how she did with water. Her face said it all, she was shocked by the taste in her mouth. From what I read we should introduce her water with out a sippy cup top at first so she doesn't become dependant on sippy cups. So we did 2 trials, one with out the top and one with. She loved the freedom of being able to taste on her own; but her accuracy wasn't the best..ha. Enclosed is some video and pictures of the event. Big event #2 was the intro to food! She had rice cereal for the first time today, well if you can even call it that, I had it so watered down with breast milk that it barely had texture to it. She actually liked it...not that much of it went down the hatch but more all over her face. She enjoyed it though. We are 3 weeks shy of her 6 month b-day which is when I wanted to give her solids, but she woke up every two hours last night to eat...after that and talking to my aunt Jackie and the advice of my father we decided to go ahead and try out the rice cereal. Time will tell this week how she will do. I think we will wait until the new year for anything else to be introduced. I also included some video and pictures of her first feeding. Love ya'll!

LOTS of Pictures and Videos

Well like I said in my earlier blog when I get home I'm going to put alot of video and pictures on here, and I'm home now. It was a wonderful trip. I really missed my family so it was nice to be there for a while. It was really nice to see Brad when we got home though, we really missed him. Well I have put some video up of us decorating the house just before we left to TN and then of our trip to TN. Annabell is doing great. She woke up a few times last night and eventually just got into the bed with us, which is something I'm going to have to break her of soon. She was spoiled by sleeping with me in Atlanta and in Tennessee. She would always fall asleep on her own but when she wakes up it was just easier to allow her to sleep with me. Well here is all the video and pix I promised! love you all!

Her and her proud papa!

few reminders...

Well I wanted to post a few reminders of some things Annabell is doing that I keep forgetting to write down, this is more for myself so that when I start scrap booking at this point in her life I don't forget some of the small milestones. She is five months now and she has started doing the following:

She now loves to stick her tongue out and in like a lizard...just realizing she has control over it
She likes to squeal as high as possible in delight
She has been able to stand on her own strength since about 2 1/2 months but she can now stand her self up if she is holding my fingures.
She now enjoys her belly time and can hold her self up quite far, for a few minutes.
She has rolled over once and rolls sided to side, but doesn't seem interested in rolling over since she can scoot on her butt to get where or what she wants.
She can sit up on her own for a split second before she falls over.
She is still soley fed through breastmilk but her need to eat has increased so we will introduce solids to her at the new year, and she'll be 6 months by then anyhow.
She sucks on all her fingers and is fond of her binki
She imitated her aunt kari today holding out her tongue and making high pitch noises...
She also will copy me in my hand motion when when I bang on her toys like a drum.

Well that's all I've thought of for now. Today we went to church with my dad and sisters. Annabell was wearing the cutest overalls her papa bought her. She was so warm in church that we had to take her overalls off and let her only wear her sweater. She looked so cute when as a family we went to the alter call. She even caught the attention of the preacher. Well tonight we are going to Hananoki compliments of my sisters. So dad will be babysitting his two grandaughters. It's been so long since I have had to prepare to go out for the night that I have been runnung through my mind everthing I need to get done. Dad should do great though, he starts to sing to her and she just melts in his arms! Well I'll be home wednesday so I'll have a TON of videos and pictures to show y'all then. Love ya!

Armstrong Family

Hello all! Well I'm sorry I don't have any pictures this entry. I am in Tennessee with Annabell visiting some of our family. It was a total last minute plan. I just really wanted Dad and the girls to see Annabell in this stage (she turned 5 months today). She is just so adorable. She laughs at everything and doesn't cry much, which makes showing her off easier ... ha. She is learning like a sponge these days. When I was reading a book to her and Mikayla this afternoon she was trying to change the pages just like her big cousin was. TOO CUTE! The laughing has also become more frequent and adorable! I will get her daddy to tape us when we get home while I tickle her and I'll post it on here. Speaking of her daddy, we miss him! We can't wait to see him! OH, and she finally realized she could put her toes in her mouth and keep them there! It was adorable. I was getting her ready for her evening bath and while I was changing her she put her toes in her mouth...she loved them. She was sucking on her big toe and when she couldn't get to it because I was taking off her outfit or changing her diaper she would begin to whimper until she got her toe back into her mouth. She seems like she is teething with all the drooling she has done lately but she still has the ridge in her gums and no bumps or anything...so who knows, only the Lord. Well we are really enjoying our visit. Annabell was able to go to her aunt Kari's 3rd grade class and watch her teach. We are going to take the girls to see Santa Claus tomorrow and then we are baking cookies and putting up the Christmas tree! Well I will update more later! Love ya!

Video

Hello everyone, I'm trying to see if I can post a video of Annabell. It's nothing spectacular, Just her playing on her back, she was pretty much mesmerized by the camera. I'll have to start taping her more often so she is use to it. Well I hope this turns out okay, if it does I'll post somemore soon! Well everything here is good, I'm just trying to clean the house while she's sleeping and get some more chores done. Annabell still has the sniffles but I believe she is over the worst of her cold. She is talking a lot now and is a wiggle worm! She LOVES to do back bends off of our lap...we will be finishing our Christmas tree tonight. We started last night but between Annabell and making supper we didn't put on any ornaments. So we are going to do it tonight as a family. I'll make sure to post pictures. We love y'all!

1st Thanksgiving

Well yesterday was Thanksgiving and we had a pretty good day. Except for the fact that Annabell has picked up ANOTHER cold from a little boy who claims to be her boyfriend ;). He's too cute. Anywho, we got up early and watched some of the Macy Day parade and then proceeded to make fresh Cranberry Bread for breakfast, Annabell was strapped to me during the making of the bread and enjoyed watching me crack eggs and stir the pretty colors. She then had a pretty long belly time just before we went to Mima and Papa's for Turkey Day supper. It was nice. There was alot of family there and Annabell enjoyed visiting whith her big pop who would let her watch TV even though mom said no, ha, they are already spoiling her, and 2 of her Great Grandma's were there as well, included is a picture of her Zachritz Great Grandma! Well say a little prayer for Annabell to heal quickly from her cold. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and thought of your many blessings!

ATLANTA~

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted a blog in a while, but we just returned from Atlanta, GA. this morning. We had a great time. We attended the National Youth Workers Conference again this year, but it was a little different. Last year I was pregnant with Annabell and this year she attended! It was very different having a baby with us, but just as fulfilling. We saw a few

people we knew, my longest friend Diane finally met Annabell. It was wonderful to see her. We walked through down town Atlanta everyday (which was nice to actually walk where there were hills, great work out!), and strolled through the Centennial Park that was built for the 1996 Olympics. It was a very cool site to see. We saw a ton of concerts and listened to several speakers. Our friends Tabi and Kesh attended with us, which was nice. Annabell was totally worn out from the long days. We would wake up and she would play and then sleep while we walked some of our long distant walks. She loved wearing her shoes for the first time, and she also wasn't bothered by tights. Her eating picked up again while we were there. She is once again eating a lot, but I think it's because she is going through a growth spurt. She has already slept a ton today and is out again. She is at such a fun age! She laughs and smiles at everyone and everything. She seems to be so much more aware of her own strength which is seen by her belly time constantly improving. She also is playing more independently now. She's slowly not needing me as much :(! But she is still mommy's girl! She's is also becoming daddy's girl too! She LOVES Brad's voice. Whenever he talks she stops what she is doing to listen to him. She will follow him with her eyes where ever he goes! Speaking of talking, oh my gosh is she talking allot! She seems to like the quietest times to talk, like when we had up front seats the the speaker at the conference and she started to talk away like she was having a conversation with him! ha. She is going to be a jabber mouth like her mommy! Well I have a ton to do before Thanksgiving and A LOT to be thankful for! I will put more up then hopefully! Love ya!

This weekend!

Hey everyone! Well Annabell had an eventful weekend which included lots of time at the park. Her daddy took her to the park on Saturday. She was so cute that we had to snap some photo's. Brad had her all bundled up because it was actually pretty chili here. He then got her nice and cozy in his arms for bed time.

Sunday our church had a picnic at Jim Jeffers Park. It was a great time. Brad played touch football, which he is paying for today! I played soccer with the little kids...oh my gosh, it made me miss soccer so much that I think I'm going to try and find a women's league here in the Cape. Annabell enjoyed time with her big pop and grandma. They took her after first service instead of her going to the nursery and hung out with her while I attended 2nd service with Brad. All in all the day was a lot of fun. Well her sleeping isn't getting any better lately, but I've come to the conclusion that it won't until I introduce solids to her which I'm not willing to do at this time. So I think I'll just suck it up until 6 months! I'm actually becoming quite use to waking up in the middle of the night anyhow. Well Annabell hasn't rolled over again yet...I'll keep you updated. Her new thing is playing with her feet and toes...she loves to hold on to them. Well I hope you enjoy the photos! Love ya!

way to go Annabell!!!!!!

Hey everyone! I just wanted you all to know that Annabell rolled from back to belly today. It was so exciting for me! She was reaching for her rattle just above her head and was on her side and then threw her leg over and BAM, she was on her belly! She started crying because it took her a minute to get her arm out from under her....toooooo cute. No pictures because I forgot to put the memory card in while I was snapping away!!!!!! UGH!!!! But I took some video even though she didn't do it again for me. Oh well, at least I saw it! I'm so happy! Love ya'll!

Hair and Sunday Best

Hey everyone! Well Annabell is doing well. She wore a cute little outfit to church on sunday so I included some pictures of her in it for her Grandparents. She is starting to feel better, still a little stuffy but it's almost gone, and it's not waking her anymore. But she still is waking in the night, for a feeding. I try not to feed her but if I do feed her she is back to sleep for several hours, instead of waking every 10 minutes. So if anyone has any suggestions I'm open to hear them. I tried uping her feedings during the day which she is loving...eating every 1-2 hours now! So that is where we are with sleeping. Well Brad got to spend some quality time with Annabell and I last night and her gave her a bath...as you can see he also did her hair! This is what it looks like when Brad does her hair...well I love ya'll!