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