Hi everyone! So I'm posting as myself now... and when I set up my own profile, I've decided to call myself "Annabel's Mom." This is because, as any new mom can tell you, as soon as your little bundle of joy pops out of you, you are no longer referred to by your first name. Now wherever I go Annabel is the star, and I'm just her mom. I figure there's no point in fighting it, so I might as well embrace it. Good thing she is so cute, or I might have some resentment issues...)
While I'm busy embracing my new identity, I think I will also embrace my new heart, which all my friends have been so kind to celebrate. If having a heart means crying at every one of Annabel's milestones, every episode of Oprah or the Baby Story, and 50% of all tv commercials, then I guess I really do have one. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I kind of like it. :)
So it's been a little bit more than a week since our last post, which I've been reminded about on multiple occassions by multiple people. Why is it that a new mom can be excused from virtually any of her normal day to day responsibilities because she's a new mom and has a lot going on, but if the blog gets to be overdue - then holy hell! What's her problem? I have definitely let my people down, and for that I apologize. (Hopefully the sarcasm is obvious here - I'm really not bothered at all by it.)
Last weekend we took our first road trip, first to Lafayette to visit the grandparents, and then to the Chicago area for the MS Walk with Nate's family. We left on Thursday and Annabel traveled pretty well, up until Saturday night when she had gas REALLY bad, and kept us up nearly all night. That was not fun! We were crammed into a hotel room, so there really was no escape for anyone. As a result, there was lots of family bonding and almost no sleep. It made the walk the next day a little difficult, but we made it through. Despite being tired, the walk itself was great. The weather could not have been more perfect, and we got to spend the morning with family we don't see that often - most importantly Annabel's great-grandma Saxe, who was there from California. Annabel was so happy to meet her!
This coming week will be full of more important visitors. Tomorrow Grandpa and Nana Saxe arrive for the weekend, and then on Tuesday Grandma Saxe comes to see us. Annabel can't wait to meet all of them, and promises to be as cute as can be while they are here!
So those are all of the happenings around here. A quick note on what Annabel has been up to since the last post: First of all, she has started working out her voice just recently. They are odd sounds, and not your typical baby coos, but she is definitely feeling things out! Second, her neck has gotten a lot stronger recently. She looks all around when we hold her up to our shoulders, and can hold her head up for a few seconds at a time when she's in the sitting position. She's also awake a whole lot more, which is fun, but tiring! Oh, and she's stretching her legs a ton these days. I think she'll be walking soon.
Now to the pictures.... here are some from the last week. For those who questioned if she ever slept, here is some proof that she definitely does. We also have pictures with some more of the people that Annabel met for the first time or visited over the week. It was a fun week!
Tuckered out
Play-time: The first time she really showed
interest in her activity mat
More play-time!
Who says I don't sleep?
Annabel & Sonia
This is my O face...
Annabel & her proud Uncle John
Check out my afro! Yes, it's natural. :)
Annabel's friend Maggie came to visit from Chicago
Sleeping some more....
...and more...
Wide-eyed
BRRR!!!
Annabel & Great-Grandma Saxe
Annabel & Great-Grandma Wood
