Jump Around

This post might best be read while listening to this song :) (Right mouse click and open link in a new window or tab.)

While in Chicago, Anna got to try out Lilly's Jumperoo. She had so much fun, we immediately decided that Anna needed one of her own.

Normally, a Jumperoo lookes like this:




But with Anna in it, it looks like this!

Sadly, it was getting late by the time it was put together, so Anna was worn out pretty quickly.

But just so you know how much she likes her Jumperoo...

Ollie

A few weeks ago I commented that Ollie wasn't as bright as one would hope. Just in case you were doubting me, here he is "looking" out the window.

Anna's Instant Friend

Last weekend we decided a trip to Chicago to see Sarah, Eric and Lilly was long overdue. Here's a little history, Reader's Digest version - Sarah and Eric lived in Chicago for a little while, spent a couple of years in Indiana and have since gone back to Chicago (they're smart people). It was during their stint in Indiana that Sarah and I met; while the circumstances of our meeting were far from than ideal, I'm grateful beyond words for her friendship and support.

Way back when, Sarah gave me a call and told me she was pregnant! I told her that I was about to call her and tell her the same thing about me. And so began our journey. Her baby, Lilly, was due October 11; Anna was due October 21.

As with any two pregnancies, things were different for us but we got through them together. At the end of July, Lilly decided she was tired of waiting to meet her parents and Sarah went into labor at 29 1/2 weeks. Lilly spend 6 weeks and 6 days in the NICU and came home in mid-September. A week later, Anna and Lilly got their picture taken together for the first time.


Sarah and Eric came to see Anna the day after she was born - Lilly stayed home with her great gramma that day. But the following weekend they all made the trip to Indiana.


They stopped back in November, as they were making the trip to Michigan for Thanksgiving. Since then, Sarah and I have talked a lot on the phone, but we hadn't seen each other. So, yes, the visit was long overdue. Once we got around to taking pictures, both girls were getting tired.


Here's happy Lilly.


And here's grumpy Lilly.


Anna was content nibbling on her hands.


Titan, Sarah and Eric's dog, kept a watchful eye on everything that was happening.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Snow Days!

Last week we had enough snow (and wind to blow the snow) that Arron had two snow days, so he and Anna chilled at home. In an effort to keep the time equal, I stayed home the following day under the guise of one car needing repair.

Here's all the snow at our house.

Lisa's Visit

Lisa is a good friend of ours. She works with me at the bank, in our 2.5 person security department (no, she's not the .5 person). Not only is she friends with us, but because she has more sisters than she knows what to do with (she has 5 of them), she lets me feel like her sisters are my sisters because my real sisters all live so far away.

Aunt Lisa was going to come visit Anna a few weeks ago, but then the 3 of us came down with that cold. As a result, the visit had to be postponed.

Last weekend, schedules cleared up and Lisa came over to see Anna (and the rest of us in the house - cats included). Not only did she have a good time seeing Anna, but she throughly enjoyed her hotdog from Zel's.

Here is Lisa and Anna.


Here they are again.

And one more for the road...

We're already looking forward to her next visit! :)

Go Bears!

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that the Bears have made it to the Super Bowl. Of course, we're watching the game and quietly hoping the Bears win. But first, I have a confession.


We're a Cubs family. Baseball is our first love. Personally, I don't understand football. I get that there are 4 downs and then possession changes (I think that's right) but any more than that and I'm lost. I'd honestly rather watch a curling match before settling down to watch football (when are the next winter Olympics?). But this football season, we've been hearing so much about how good the Bears are doing, how iffy Rex Grossman is as quarterback. We couldn't help but start to pay attention to how the team is doing.


It started as waiting for the team to implode. I know, that's not nice. But we're Cubs fans. That's what we're used to seeing. Truth be told, that's what all Chicago sports teams do, Bulls dynasty not included. I guess we were just waiting for the car wreck to happen.

But it never did. There were a few moments when we thought it would, but nope. Nothing doing. And here we are, at the Super Bowl. Arron and I are watching and now actually rooting for them to win. They've earned it.


Go Bears!!


Cold Update:

Anna's doing great. She has her moments of snottiness, but overall I think it's safe to say she's better. I got much worse and ended up with my usual sinus infection. Sadly, most of Chicagoland is also sick, so my doctor was booked solid for a week. I had to see Dr. Newbie twice because she wouldn't give me meds the first time I went to see her ("I just wanted to see how much you would tolerate." grrr...). But now I'm on the mend. Arron's trying not to get sick and so far so good.


It's colder than snot outside. I believe it's currently 0* out there with a wind chill of -30*. We've been snuggled in the house all weekend and I'm already planning Anna's layers for going to the sitter's tomorrow morning. One layer will most certainly be her Pooh Bear snowsuit.



This morning, Anna had her best hairdo to date. :)



Earlier this week, she looked a bit like a gansta:


But I attribute that more to her cold than to the company that she's keeping at the sitter's... ;)