Anna's laugh

5 month photos

On the move.

Daddy got home just in time! Anna is on the move and it's nice to have another set of eyes around. It's been well over a month since she rolled tummy to back and right after we got home from the states she rolled back to stomach and it's been non stop since then! Now when I put her on her back she rolls to her tummy and off she goes! EEK!

Mom, what do you mean I'm suppose to be on the mat?! See ya later!



Hanging out with dad:










mid-roll

Avocado

We had planned on waiting until we got back from vacation to start Anna on solids, but I had an avocado so I thought we'd give it ago. Our pediatrician suggested waiting until she's 6 months (which is what the WHO also recommends) but he said it wouldn't hurt if we started giving her a little bit just after 5 months to see how she did with it. She's growing and still gaining weight with breast feeding and of course I'm BF before I feed her. No amount of solid foods can replace the nutritional value of breast milk!

The one thing Brian won't eat is avocado, so he didn't seem to eager to feed them to her at first. How can someone go their entire life without eating guacamole!?!! I find it insane! But Anna is smart like her mommy and LOVES them! YAY! ;)

Anna didn't seem to have any problem swallowing and ate a little more than a tablespoon. I've been told a lot of the issues babies have with swallowing solids is from starting them on solids too young with they aren't quite ready. Anna seemed to do really well and really wanted to get her hands on that spoon.

Back to blogging.

Again, I seem to have let down my all of 3 readers by not posting in the past few weeks. Anna and I took a quick trip to the states so Anna could meet her cousins Jack and Madeline before they move to Japan this summer! We are so excited for them and so jealous at the same time! Whew! I can't wait to go visit. It was a quick week but I have tons of photos so please be patient.

Our other big news as most of you may know by now, Brian is home! They arrived in Nurnberg on Friday night around 7pm and we finally got our hands on him around 11pm. Anna was in shock and awe of everything going on around her and had no clue.

Ginger was super excited to see Brian. I can only imagine what was going on in her head "FINALLY SOMEONE TO PET ME!!" Kyla of course was more excited to see me than Brian.

Anna's 4 month check up...

Doc said Anna is the perfect baby and she was impressed that a 4 month old could do advanced algebra, speak 3 languages - hey, Russian is hard!, and can sit up for a few seconds at a time. Her mini push ups are untouchable and she rolls over like a champ. I have a feeling we'll skip crawling, walking, and running and go straight for the double superman seat grab. That's our little motor cross champion! She gets that from me of course.

I'm happy to announce that this was my last doctors appointment for immunizations, Brian will be home in June and guess who gets to take her for her 6 month shots! ...and every doctors appointment involving shots for the next 18 years. Shhh don't tell him, I haven't broken the bad news. Best to do those things the day of.

First Giraffes now bunnies...nom nom nom

Cannes

That's Cannes, pronounced Kan, NOT like the little metal cylinders that hold string beans and sweet corn. The first day we were in Cannes we were there for the race. It started in Nice - with the runners running along the sea through beautiful little towns - and finished up in Cannes right in front of the film festival building on the water. Ava and I took the train. We're smart like that. It was Kyle's first marathon, Erika's 11ty billionth and Elena's 5th or 6th. No one seemed to have a good race, but we had a good time on the beach hanging out after the race - until we were back on the train and Elena couldn't find her phone. After calling and calling and calling we were so perplexed! Until later in the evening when Ava said "Mommy, I know why you can't find your phone...cause I buried it in the sand" Taaa-Daaaa! Did I mention it was Ava's birthday? She turned four and got her first four minute time out.

Ava on her birthday. Digging in the sand.


So the next day, we went BACK to Cannes to look for Elena's cell phone - which we never found. We even found a guy walking on the beach with a metal detector and he spoke amazing English and he found everything under the sun, except for that cell phone! We had a chance to walk around and even hit up an antique market. I saw a chair I liked, but at this point, I had enough to carry home. ;)

George Clooney and I


Chuck Norris didn't need wet cement to put his hand print outside of the festival building.


Mickey Mouse did though.


The infamous film festival building


The budding photographer with Elena's camera. Ava has her own DSLR now, not many 4 year olds can say that - she's darn good with it too!


Paul Allen among others is known to have parked his mega-yacht 'Octopus' at Cannes for the festival - prime time yacht gawking ya'll. (and a horrible photo! none of my Cannes photos were great - bummer)


And what's a merry-go-round without a Ferrari?!