Hey, everyone! I am finally back from my 3 week hiatus in Colorado. Here is a slideshow of some of my favorite shots from my trip. I will post ton of other pictures as I am able to get a few minutes away from Anslie. Enjoy and leave lots and lots of comments!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
A Quick Update
For those of you who don't know and for those who do know and either do or don't care, I am currently in Dacono, CO visiting my sistet, Tera, who just had a new baby three weeks ago. I have had so much fun spending time with her and her kids. Lauren (8) is so sweet, Jacob (4) is very tender hearted and so patient with Anslie, and Brynna (2) has made Anslie her new BFF. And, of course, Ethan (3 weeks) is adorable...quite possibly the cutest newborn I have ever seen (excluding Anslie, of course).
(Pictures to come soon)
We had fun today watching Lauren cheering at her first football game. She is a really cute cheerleader! Her coach really cracks me up...a former cheerleader who "was a cheeleader even before she was a cheerleader" who was also probably one of those cheerleaders who got caught underneath the bleachers with the football team. :)
Tera and I also had a "photo shoot" with little Ethan. I think the pictures are going to be beautiful but man, was it a challenge to take them! Ethan pee'd at least 3 times, once just narrowly missing my camera, pooped once, and then spit up all over everything. I also spilled an entire jug of water on Tera's carpet and made a mess of her living room. I think it will be worth it, though.
I'm looking forward to Kevin joining us next Thursday. I miss my sweetheart and Anslie misses her daddy, although Uncle JP has been a decent substitute. I am also looking forward to seeing all of my family next weekend for Lauren's baptism and Ethan's blessing. It will be the first time I have seen everyone in one spot for a couple years!
Anyway, just thought I would post a little update just because. I will post pictures to accompany ASAP.
(Pictures to come soon)
We had fun today watching Lauren cheering at her first football game. She is a really cute cheerleader! Her coach really cracks me up...a former cheerleader who "was a cheeleader even before she was a cheerleader" who was also probably one of those cheerleaders who got caught underneath the bleachers with the football team. :)
Tera and I also had a "photo shoot" with little Ethan. I think the pictures are going to be beautiful but man, was it a challenge to take them! Ethan pee'd at least 3 times, once just narrowly missing my camera, pooped once, and then spit up all over everything. I also spilled an entire jug of water on Tera's carpet and made a mess of her living room. I think it will be worth it, though.
I'm looking forward to Kevin joining us next Thursday. I miss my sweetheart and Anslie misses her daddy, although Uncle JP has been a decent substitute. I am also looking forward to seeing all of my family next weekend for Lauren's baptism and Ethan's blessing. It will be the first time I have seen everyone in one spot for a couple years!
Anyway, just thought I would post a little update just because. I will post pictures to accompany ASAP.
Monday, September 8, 2008
6 Things that make me ... me
My sister, Tera, tagged me and I thought it would be fun to do this. Here are 6 things that are unusual about me. Don't laugh. Hey...I said no laughing! :)
1. I count stairs as I walk up and down them. It helps me not to miss any because I am super fantastic at tripping and falling (usually as I am walking up them).
2. I have a specific routine that I must follow when I shower: get my hair wet, shampoo it, while the shampoo is in my hair I wash my body, rinse. I must keep my head under the spicket while I squeeze the conditioner out of the bottle. Apply the conditioner, wash may face, shave anything that needs to be shaved, rinse. If I don't follow this procedure specifically, I forget to do something. I have been known to get out of the shower without rinsing the conditioner out of my hair!
3. I have the horrible habit of cracking my knuckles. If there is a joint in my body that I can crack, I will find a way to crack it! This includes my toes, ankles, knees, hips, back neck, collar bones, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and fingers. I know, I know, it's really annoying but it's an addiction and I can't stop! And FYI - I have done the research - cracking your knuckles does not make them bigger or give you arthritis!
4. When I watch a movie I get really into the characters. In fact, I get so involved with the main character (if it is a female) that for some reason when I look at myself in the mirror for the first time after I watch the movie, I expect to see that character's face instead of mine. Weird, right?!
5. I have really vivid dreams. I dream in color. I can hear, feel, and taste in my dreams. I don't usually talk in my sleep, but I will cry. And if I have a dream that is especially upsetting, it will affect my entire day!
6. I really like to watch cooking shows. I don't do it all the time, but whenever I do it motivates me to run into the kitchen and cook something. On long days when I don't feel like making dinner I will turn on the food network and watch for a few minutes. That usually remedies my problem and I am in the kitchen whipping something tasty up (or attempting to, anyway).
I tag:
Cessily Azbill
Sarah Vanboerum
Gail McMackin
Diane Jones
Britni West
1. I count stairs as I walk up and down them. It helps me not to miss any because I am super fantastic at tripping and falling (usually as I am walking up them).
2. I have a specific routine that I must follow when I shower: get my hair wet, shampoo it, while the shampoo is in my hair I wash my body, rinse. I must keep my head under the spicket while I squeeze the conditioner out of the bottle. Apply the conditioner, wash may face, shave anything that needs to be shaved, rinse. If I don't follow this procedure specifically, I forget to do something. I have been known to get out of the shower without rinsing the conditioner out of my hair!
3. I have the horrible habit of cracking my knuckles. If there is a joint in my body that I can crack, I will find a way to crack it! This includes my toes, ankles, knees, hips, back neck, collar bones, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and fingers. I know, I know, it's really annoying but it's an addiction and I can't stop! And FYI - I have done the research - cracking your knuckles does not make them bigger or give you arthritis!
4. When I watch a movie I get really into the characters. In fact, I get so involved with the main character (if it is a female) that for some reason when I look at myself in the mirror for the first time after I watch the movie, I expect to see that character's face instead of mine. Weird, right?!
5. I have really vivid dreams. I dream in color. I can hear, feel, and taste in my dreams. I don't usually talk in my sleep, but I will cry. And if I have a dream that is especially upsetting, it will affect my entire day!
6. I really like to watch cooking shows. I don't do it all the time, but whenever I do it motivates me to run into the kitchen and cook something. On long days when I don't feel like making dinner I will turn on the food network and watch for a few minutes. That usually remedies my problem and I am in the kitchen whipping something tasty up (or attempting to, anyway).
I tag:
Cessily Azbill
Sarah Vanboerum
Gail McMackin
Diane Jones
Britni West
Saturday, September 6, 2008
10 Month Update
We shall call August the "month of the teeth" because Anslie not only finished cutting her first tooth, she has also cut three others and is working on her fifth tooth! So far she has both bottom front teeth, her top left tooth, her top left canine, and is working on her other top front tooth. It's so crazy how it took forever for her first tooth to come in and now the others are just popping through without any warning!
I am guessing that Anslie weighs somewhere around 15 pounds. That is good news because that means that she has gained 12 ounces this month, which is the most she has gained at one time in a long time. We don't have an infant scale so we rely on our local grocery store's produce scales to check up on her progress. I think that her sensitivity to dairy has gone because I am able to eat cheese, sour cream, and other dairy products without it seeming to bother her. (yay for me!!!) I also think that she is starting to outgrow her reflux problem. Anslie loves to eat, as long as it is whatever mommy and daddy are eating, of course. I can sneak some baby food into her between bites of finger food, but Anslie pretty much is over eating anything pureed. That is not a problem because she needs to learn how to eat regular food, but what is a problem is that she is starting to wean herself from breast feeding at the same time. :( She will only nurse successfully (meaning for more than 5 minutes) about twice per day. I have noticed that my milk supply is almost gone which makes me very sad, but I guess this has to happen at some point or another. We try to supplement with formula where we can, adding the powder to her cereal or fruit, but she doesn't really like to drink it, or really an liquid for that matter. The most she will take at one time is an ounce to an ounce and a half. I wouldn't normally give a baby juice, but that is better than nothing and I am trying to keep her hydrated.
On a lighter note, Anslie has accomplished some wonderful things this month, the biggest of which is crawling! She started crawling at the beginning of August, just after Walt and Connie left. She is really good at it now and will try to follow me around the house as I move from room to room cleaning. She has gotten brave and will even venture into other rooms by herself. Anslie is so pleased with her new-found freedom and uses it to annihilate the house. Anything that she can get her hands on is pulled out of its basket or off its shelf. She can pull up to a standing position on anything and can also get back down from that position to her knees to continue crawling. It's really funny to watch her hang onto the couch with one hand, balance herself with her other hand in the air, lean over, and then plop down onto her bottom. Good thing babies have plump little butts to cushion their landings!
Anslie also understands the word "no" and if I tell her not to touch something she will usually get the message and leave it alone. She doesn't seem to test me too much as long as I set the ground rules for what she is allowed to play with from the beginning. But watch out if I take something away from her that she has been playing with already! I never knew such a little baby could throw such HUGE temper tantrums! She is a woman who knows what she wants and will let you know if you are standing in the way of it! She will throw herself into the floor face first and writhe on the ground screaming if she feels like you are crossing her in any way.
Most of the time Anslie, however, is really sweet. She is really good natured and has a wonderful sense of humor. She laughs at jokes that I don't even get. :) I am never worried taking her out in public, either. She is very sociable and well behaved, probably because she is so entertained. She is quick to smile at anyone who offers attention. She still hasn't suffered from separation or stranger anxiety, so I hope that means that she feels secure and is well adjusted.
Anslie's new "thing" is sticking her tongue out of her mouth and sucking on it like a pacifier. At first is was really cute, but now I wish she would put it away! Sometimes I can't see her beautiful smile because there is a chubby chunk of meat hanging out of her head. Our pediatrician told us that infants often instinctively do that when they are teething because it pushes their crooked teeth into place. Let's just hope that's the case and that she won't go to college with her tongue hanging out of her mouth like an imbecile. :)
I am looking forward to taking Anslie to Colorado with me in a week to stay at my sister, Tera's house! She just had a baby and we are going to help her out while she recovers from her C-section. Kevin will be joining us out there a week later as well as the rest of my family. Tera will be having her baby blessed and her oldest daughter, Lauren, baptized on the 20th of September and we are really lucky to be able to be part of that! I am also really looking forward to taking a photography class at UCSD in October. I am going to really try and develop my picture taking skills and hopefully, someday soon, I will be able to start a small business on the side doing family portraiture to earn a few extra bucks. It won't really be work, though, because I have always loved photography.
Kevin is doing well. He is working really hard and enjoying his job. His new shift works well for him and he seems to be better rested and happier. He gets to see Anslie a lot during her happiest hours which is great for him. Anslie has been able to get to know her daddy better and will even say "dada" when she is around him. I don't think she knows what she is saying yet, but I know that it melts his heart anyway. Kevin is her daddy and she is definately his little girl! I am so happy that they love each other so much!
Other than this news and our many visitors and vacations throughout the year, our life is fairly predictable... and I am beginning to think that I wouldn't want it any other way!
Love,
Shillawna, Kevin, and Anslie
More Test Shots
We had a lot of fun with some friends on Friday night when we went to Windansea in La Jolla and had a dinner picnic on the beach. I practiced taking some sunset pictures. I think they turned out decent.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Walking in the Spider Webs
These are a couple of pictures I took to practice manipulating depth of field. Let me know what you think (especially all of you shutter bugs out there)!!!
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