Lots going on!

I forgot to mention that Annabelle and I started a new class. It's called Blast off for Babies on Tuesdays. It's similar to Gymboree but is more about free play. Gymboree is very structured. I like both! Structure and free play. So, we may have to sign up for a Gymboree class soon. I've noticed that Annabelle gets bored on the weekends. We may have to get a class on Saturday.

We start daycare next week on the 8th. It's actually more like pre-school. She'll be there 3 days a week. I am really loving the working part time thing. It's been a great balance for me.

On Friday I took Annabelle to get her Halloween pictures taken. My, that was an experience. I don't know if I'll try that again until she is able to follow directions like "stand right there" and "smile!" She just wouldn't sit still. She is a little ball of fire.

Yesterday we went to Todd and Blanka's house in Purcelville to celebrate their daughter's, Julia, first birthday. It was nice to see the family and to celebrate the special day with everyone. Pictures are forthcoming.

Here are some recent pictures.

Grandpa Visits

Paul's dad, Jack, came into town this week for business. He is spending tonight with us. He took us to dinner...sweet! After dinner we walked over to the playground and grandpa pushed Annabelle in the swings.

Here are a few pictures from today.

Grandpa and Annabelle:


Mom and Annabelle:

Cutie Patootie

We celebrated Paul's birthday this weekend. On Friday night we just chilled out at home with Paul's choice of dinner...pizza and wine. We decided we would go out for a nice dinner when we get a babysitter. On Tuesday we went out to eat with Goody and Poppy to celebrate. Paul's dad is in town this week too so we will get some celebrating in with him as well.

Annabelle loves to mop the floor....she has seen me do it a million times and now she mimicks me. Here are few recent pics of our girl.

Annabelle in Paul's favorite outfit from Auntie Mary:
"You can't spell Princess without ESPN"


Annabelle ready for her 'skins game!


Cleaning the floor:

No more binkys!

Well, we have decided to phase out the pacifier. She will be starting daycare Oct 8 and I don't want to have to worry about those when she goes. She was only using it for sleeping anyway. We tried it last night...she was fine without it. Whoo hoo!

So, by blogging this I'm devulging some somewhat strange behavior on my part. I like clean feet. I try to do no shoes in the house so I can walk around barefoot. I just don't like the feeling of dirty feet...weird, I know. Well, I have started to wipe down Annabelle's feet before naps so she doesn't get her sheets and/or sleepsack dirty. I've only done it a few times....I promise! Well, she must have picked up on it because she now wipes her feet with baby wipes if she can get a hold of the package of wipes. What have I created????

Annabelle cleaning her feet

Renaisance Festival

Today we went to the Renaissance Festival in Maryland. The weather was beautiful! We also went earlier enough so we didn't have to deal with the crowds too much. Paul threw darts and knives, winning a ceramic mug and beer to go in it.

We enjoyed some archery displays and jousting shows. Annabelle seemed to enjoy it although her nap was ruined and thus ended the day on a cranky note.

Here are some pictures...
Paul throwing darts...


Annabelle enjoying the scenery...

Teething, Tantrums, and Talking...

Teeth update: She has her top front four and the bottom front four. Additionally, she has 3 molars about half way out and the 4th one on the way. That makes a nice grand total of 12 teeth. Only 8 more to go.... :-(
She has actually been taking all of the teething ok. She's had a few days where she seemed a bit fussy, but overall you wouldn't know she had her molars coming in.

Talking, Talking, Talking...she is now saying "bye-bye" and "cheese". I've heard her say "milk" a few times as well. She loves to say "ball" and "shoe." She says "uh-oh" a lot too...most of the time it's at the appropriate time (like dropping something or falling), sometimes it's not.

Tantrums...yes, folks...she throws tantrums. I thought that these things did't happen until the "terrible twos" but apparently that's wrong. If she doesn't get what she wants, she throws herself on the floor and cries a bit. It's so cute...right.

Last weekend Paul headed out of town for some golf and I threw a baby shower for a friend on Saturday. I don't recommend doing that kind of thing with a husband out of town and not available to help. It all went off without a hitch, though.

So far, the working thing is going great. I actually look forward to work and I look forward to my days off with Annabelle. It's been a great balance for me so far.

Here is a pic of Annabelle throwing a tantrum:

Trip to the winery..

It's been a fun few days! On Wednesday we went over to Goody and Poppy's house to celebrate Goody's birthday. Peter cooked and Annabelle ate cake. It was a very tasty dinner.

For Labor Day weekend, Paul and I went to Charlottesville and went to some wineries. Goody and Poppy babysat for us. It was a very pleasureable weekend...as evident in our wine purchases. We went to 7 wineries...Horton Cellars, Barbouresville, Jefferson Vineyard, Sugarleaf Vineyard, First Colony Vineyard, and last but not least, Prince Michel Vineyard.

Annabelle has a new facination with mom and dad's shoes. It is really cute. She trys to put them on all the time. See a pic below.
At the Omni Hotel...


Paul at Prince Michel Vineyard...


I think Annabelle loves shoes!!!!

Smartest Baby in the World!

She can read!!! OK...I'm exaggerating....We have the cutest book that she loves called "The Little Pea." She is now pointing to the peas in the book and says "pea!"

We toured Annabelle's future daycare on Saturday last weekend. It was a beautiful facility. Annabelle wanted to immediately get down and start playing. She LOVED it there...cried when we left. The teachers were really sweet. I think it's going to work out great!!!

We had some more visitors this week. My buddy from college, Jennifer, and her mom Ginny came in for a few days Monday-Wednesday. On Monday we went into Old Town for a bit of shopping. On Tuesday we went into Georgetown for some lovely walking around. We had some great pizza for lunch and did a wee bit of shopping...yes, that's all us ladies ever do. Annabelle didn't get anything these trips, but mommy did! I got a cute H&M jacket and a necklace (on sale! whoo hoo)at Banana Republic. Jennifer got a lovely dress and Ginny got some framed prints. Between Mary and Jennifer's visit, I'm done shopping for a while.

Group Pic:

Another busy week!

Phew! It's been a busy busy week.

So far, working part time is going great. Annabelle seems to really enjoy spending time with the nanny and other baby.

On Thursday, Auntie Mary flew in for a fun filled visit. Thursday we did some shopping at Tysons Corner. Annabelle got out of there with 2 new pairs of sketcher shoes. She actually did a little jig in the store...like daughter, like mom? We'll see...Paul is worried about the checking account! On Saturday, dad watched Annabelle while Mary and I shopped again (shocker!). That night we all went to the Redskins preseason game. It was a very wet experience. It started pouring, along wiht lightening, about an hour before the game was supposed to start. The game was delayed so we hung out in the car...not so fun. We finally got into the stadium and started enjoying the game. At the beginning of the 3rd quarter, it again began to storm with lightening. We decided it was finally time to head home and got DRENCHED on the walk back to the car. On Sunday we went to brunch at our favorite little mexican restaurant. All in all, a fun weekend.

Annabelle...oh, Annabelle...where do I start with her. Her new favorite activity is climbing on the furniture and her new favorite word is "NO!." I kid you not...she is saying no. I was sitting with her in the backseat and was resting my arm on the carseat and she pushed it off and said no. I couldn't believe it. She is saying it a lot now. Additionally, I can no longer leave her alone in the living room as she has discovered how to climb the furniture. Not good, I tell you!

Here are some pictures from Mary's visit.

Mary reading to Annabelle:

Fun Weekend!

We had a very fun weekend! On Saturday we had Annabelle's first real trip to the zoo! She seemed to REALLY love the animals...smiling, laughing, pointing and clapping when she saw them. Her favorites seemed to be the birds and the prarie dogs. She also seemed pretty interested in the small mammal exihibit. Another thing she REALLY loved was the petting zoo. She actually chased the goats, etc. around. She loved patting them. She even cried when we left it.

On Sunday we went to the park and played in the swings and slides. Then we went to Goody and Poppy's house for dinner. She loved the swings!

Annabelle can now say the number 2 and "more." The nanny told us she could say it b I didn't believe until we heard it. If you say "1" Annabelle will follow with "2." She is also saying more. Her vocabulary is certainly growing. We have this toy...it's a magnet fishing pole with magnetized fish. It takes some major hand and eye coordination for a child to use it the proper way. Well, she picked that up this week. She loves "fishing" with her pole. She is very good at it.

Here are some pictures from the last few days....

Zoo Pictures:

Annabelle excited about the prarie dogs:



Petting the animals:


Pointing at the small mammal exhibit:

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Busy Busy Busy

Sorry for the recent lack of posts. It's been a combination of being busy and my computer power cord dying AGAIN. I am still awaiting a part so I'm on Paul's computer right now (he's going through computer withdrawls as we speak). I don't have any of my pictures on his computer, so those will have to wait.

Last week we went to Stephanie and Belle's place for a lovely playgroup. The weekend was busy getting ready for going back to work.

I started working this week! So far, so good. I feel a little guilty that I'm enjoying it. So far, Annabelle enjoys the nanny. She will start going to daycare in October sometime. Until then, we have a nanny.

On Tuesday night Aunt Christina paid a short visit to the DC area. We had a nice dinner with her and Goody. Today I was off so I went on a long walk with some friends. I'm back to work one day tomorrow then off for the weekend.

I think working part time will be just the right mix for me.

Annabelle is really goofy. She is now putting on her shoes and brushing her hair (pictures forthcoming). She loves yelling into the phone, pretending that she's talking. She is also loving to look through books and turn pages on her own. She points to things and babbles, like she is trying to read. She has several solid words now, including mama, dada, ball, doggie, and touchdown (don't ask!). She'll also say "hello" into the phone and "uh oh" at the appropriate time, usually when she drops something.
She absolutely adores Bailey and tries to feed him her snacks and give him his toys. He is very patient with her.

New Stuffed Chair!

We ordered Annabelle a big stuffed dog chair. It finally came today and Annabelle was happy to see it! Her friend had one and Annabelle really took to it. So, we decided to get her one. Here are some pictures of it.

Annabelle and her stuffed dog:



Bailey checks it out:

Nice Week

We've had a pleasent week in the Crutchfield household! On Monday we went and (finally!!!) had Annabelle's one year pictures taken. We tried a new studio called Kiddie Kandids at Babies R Us. They had a large assortment of backgrounds and props, but the customer service stunk. I think I'll stick with the Picture People.

On Tuesday daddy took us out to lunch. It was a lot of fun...we need to do it more often. We went to Whitlow's on Wilson in Clarendon (cute neighborhood in Arlington). Later that night, Paul and I had a date while Goody babysat. We went to dinner and then to see Hairspray. On Thursday we went for a nice long walk with Carolyn and her little man, Parker. Today I hosted a mom's coffee...13 moms and 13 babies made for quite a morning. All the kiddos got a lot of playing in. It is so funny to see all of them walking and interacting with each other (including fighting over toys!). It seems like just yesterday they laid on blankets waving their little arms and legs in the air. Time is going by way too quickly.

On the working front, it looks like I'm back to work 3 days a week starting August 13th. I'm a little scared and nervous and feel a bit guilty, but at the same time I'm excited and looking forward to it. I think that it will be the perfect combination for me. If it's not, then I can just quit!

Here are a few pics from this week:

Annabelle loves her pet poodle from Auntie Betty:


Out to lunch with daddy:

Talkin on the phone...

Annabelle has figured out the phone. We play with the phone with her sometimes and pretend we are talking to someone then give her the phone. Well, she's finally picked up on it. She'll put up to her ear (backwards, mind you) and will start "talking" into it. She will practically yell into it "ba ba ba" really loud. Here are some pics...

Good view of backwards phone:


Annabelle yelling into the phone:

Bed Head

Annabelle is really starting to get a full head of hair. This also means she is starting to get to major bed head. Below is a picture of her this mornig. It's pretty funny.

It seems her nose is runny. She doesn't have any cold symptoms so I'm thinking it's just the teeth. We were supposed to go over to a friends house today and now I'm not sure if we will. I wouldn't want to pass along any germs unnecessarily. She also seems to react poorly to mosquito bites. They get big and swollen and will eventually ooze (eww, I know). So, I gave her some Children's benedryl to see if that would help. I guess it can either make kids super drowsy or excitable...she is majorly conked out right now so I guess it makes her drowsy (whoo hoo!)....

Smartest Baby in the World!

Ok...so we are biased. Annabelle has really grown these last few weeks. She now has 2 more official words...doggy and ball. She'll point to Bailey and other dogs and say "doggy doggy doggy" and will point to a ball and say "ball." This morning she picked up Bailey's leash and chased him with it, knowing that the least goes with the dog. She also loves to say "uh oh," which is pretty darn cute!

A lot of her toys make music and she knows exactly which buttons to push to get the song she wants. Once the music plays she dances along with it. She has also been pointing to things she wants. She knows exactly where her snacks are in the pantry and she'll squeal and point at them when she wants some. If I ask her if she's ready for breakfast or lunch she'll do a little feet pounding and walk over to her highchair, ready to eat.

She is getting her "one year molars" in. That's what they're called. I don't know why...talking with other moms, those molars start coming in AFTER they turn one. She was a bit of a pill yesterday due to the pain of those molars. She officially has 9 teeth now.

Annabelle has been off of bottles now for about 3 weeks. We have a small bit of formula left over so we have been giving her a bottle of that a couple times a week just to get rid of it. She loves her straw cup.

Here is a pic of Annabelle enjoying her morning bananas...

Good Times.....

This week has been fun. We went to Belle's playgroup on Wednesday. Annabelle played well with everyone. Her friend, the other Annabelle, or Belle as we are calling her, hung out! Allie, Leah and Thomas were there too! Today we went shopping at an outlet center called Potomac Mills. Annabelle rode her first merry go round! I think she liked it. Here are some pics.

The gang at Belle's playing in Belle's tent:


Annabelle and Allie on the Merry Go Round:

Family Visits

This weekend we visited with Auntie Betty and Auntie Jill. They are Paul's aunts, making them Annabelle's great aunts. On Friday Aunt Betty came in from NYC. We all went out to dinner then came back to our place to hang out. In the morning, Aunt Betty woke up with Annabelle, allowing us to sleep in...what a treat! Later that day we took a walk around Del Ray, stopping at the farmers market. We picked up some tasty peaches, cantaloupe, and squash from some local farmers. Aunt Betty chopped up some peaches and cantaloupe...it was SO good. We need to remember to get fruit there more often. I usually buy squash and fresh cheese.

Later that night, we joined Aunt Jill and Aunt Betty along with Goody for dinner. Goody cooked crab cakes (I got a steak!). I made a blueberry pie. I'm trying to perfect my pie crust. It was good but I still have more practice ahead of me. My mom used to make the best flaky pie crusts when I was little.

Annabelle...well, she is definitely miss personality. I used to be able to spend the morning watching her and playing with a little bit of computer time for myself. Not anymore...If I'm on my computer longer than about 10 min she pitches a fit and wants me to play with her. She really loves Bailey. She knows exactly which toys are hers and what are Bailey's. She'll actually bring Bailey's stuffed possum to him to try to play. It really is quite cute. I never wanted to have a child who was afraid of dogs. That's not a good thing, in my book anyway. I'm so happy that they seem to really like each other and even play together sometimes. Bailey is a good dog and I don't give him enough credit sometimes.

She is loving to point at things now. I say "where is the light?" and she points at it. I ask here where Bailey is and she points at him. She'll also point upstairs if I ask her where daddy is because that's where he works everyday. She's a lucky girl...gets to see her daddy a lot! She loves playing with her little farmhouse. Below is a pic of her and daddy playing.

We are working on getting a video of her blowing kisses. When we get it, we'll post it.

Daddy playing with Annabelle and her Farm


Out on a walk


Playing around

Brushing teeth...finally!

We've been meaning to do this as the dentist recently told us to start. So, we brushed Annabelle's 7 teeth. She really seemed to enjoy it, actually. Here are some pictures.
She has been doing a few new things lately. When she hears music, she likes to bop along. Today I asked her where her milk was and she pointed to her sippy cup. On one occasion when she couldn't see it she actually looked for it and found it. She is still loving to blow kisses and twirl in a circle when you ask her to dance.

Opressively Hot Week!!!!!!!

AKKK! I hate this weather. It is tooooooooooo hot. When it gets this hot the city issues a Code Orange air alert. ICK!!!

So, Annabelle is a major goofball. We have taught her to "blow kisses." This consists of her putting her hand in her mouth and then making the blow kiss gesture with a little bit of sound. She loves doing it and has been doing it ALL day. We need to capture it on video. She is also starting to learn how to show affection. What I mean by that is that she'll go over to Bailey and nuzzle against him waiting for him to give her a kiss, or lick. She is very fond of Bailey. Another thing she is doing lately is mimicking. I have noticed her trying to mimick things that we say. I swear she said "wha dat" while I was putting blueberries on her tray. She's got all the motor skills down...I guess the next big thing will be being a little chatterbox. If her babbling is any indication, she will be chatty.

Here are some pictures of Annabelle with my sunglasses, which she will demand to have if she sees them.