Annie Meets Santa!

Annie was able to meet Santa Claus this morning. We went to the mall, and she had her first visit. We had her in a pretty dress, red shoes, and a white bow on her head. She was very well behaved, as James placed her on Santa's lap without letting her see that she was sitting with a stranger. The first picture was a success, and it's quite an adorable sight. The Christmas season has begun!

Toys!

Annie has started to discover her hands and feet, as well as toys. Anything within reach is quickly grabbed and stuffed into her mouth.

Checking out her Jitterbugs while sitting in the car seat.

Snuggling with Sophie the Giraffe, her new friend!

Trying to Crawl

Now that Annie has embraced tummy time, she is quickly experimenting with crawling. She's able to lift her bum in the air, but lands back on the ground. It's only a matter of time before we're chasing her around the house. We should look into purchasing some baby gates!

Year of Major Purchases and Changes

We have dubbed 2009 the 'Year of Major Purchases and Changes.' In addition to welcoming our daughter, we sold our condo and bought our first home. To complete the family transformation, we bought a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan SE. We picked up the van last night, and are absolutely loving the amount of space and amenities that it has to offer. On your next visit to see us, you'll have to check out our new home and go for a spin in the minivan!

Locked Out!

Last Wednesday, we stopped to fill-up the tank at a local gas station. As James finished pumping the gas, I got out of the car in order to pay inside. As soon as I closed my door, James looked at me, and asked if I had locked the door. All of the doors were locked, and our little baby Annie was inside!

James sent me inside to pay and call a locksmith, but I was too emotional, and asked him to make the call instead. As it was 10:00pm, he had a difficult time contacting someone that could come. Eventually he located a locksmith, and they said that they would arrive in 20 minutes. That was way too long for this mama bear to wait! He said another option was to call the fire department. He called his cousin who is a fire fighter with the CFD, and asked what we should do. We ended up calling 911, and they dispatched an engine to help. They responded instantly, and were able to open the door in a matter of minutes.

We thanked the officers profusely, and waited for the locksmith to arrive so that we could pay him for his trip. As my dad would say, "any landing is a safe landing."

Go Stamps Go!

In honour of the Calgary Stampeders big win over the Edmonton Eskimos, here are some photos of Annie cheering for her favourite football team.

4 Month Vaccinations

It's hard to believe that our baby girl is already four months old! To celebrate this milestone, Annie had a date with the public health nurse for her vaccinations. For her two month shots, I took her during the day while James was at work, and resolved to never fly solo again. Watching your baby cry in pain, and look at you with sad eyes was too much for this new mom to handle. For the recent shots, I purposely booked it in the evening so that James could come along.

As Alberta has redeployed nurses to staff the H1N1 clinics, Annie's appointment was only half the regular time. She was weighed, tipping the scales at 13lbs 14oz, and received her shots. James held her, and she did really well! Despite my best efforts, I once again cried at the sight of an upset baby girl. After a comforting feed, she was back to her usual self. She was drowsy the following day, napping on and off for most of the day. She is now back to herself, full of energy and giggles.

Happy Halloween!

For Annie's first Halloween, we dressed her up as a monkey. This costume was bought in late August, and I remember thinking that a 0-6 month outfit would never fit. She has really grown! The outfit was a perfect fit, and she looked the part. We had some friends over for dinner, and took the evening as an opportunity to introduce ourselves to some neighbours. Enjoy the pictures!

Our little monkey!

Almost 4 months old

Family photo

Giggles

James and Annie were using Skype on our laptop to chat with Lorelei and Jeff. I came downstairs after a shower, and began brushing my hair. Annie thought this was the funniest thing ever! She giggled non-stop for two minutes, calming down just in time for me to grab the camera. Here is a little bit of footage of her laughing...

3.5 Months Old

Going for a walk with dad on the treadmill.

Watching baseball with dad.

"Jumping" in her Jumperoo. She gets tired after a few minutes, so she either sucks her thumb or chews on the cover.

Chatterbox

During a diaper change, Annie decided that it was a great time to strike-up a conversation. G-rated :)

House Pics!

Kitchen

Kitchen

Kitchen

Living room

Living room

Master bedroom

Master bedroom

Spare bedroom

Rolling Over

On Wednesday, October 14, Annie rolled over! A great anniversary present to her mom and dad :)

Nursery

All of her beautiful clothes from family and friends.

Bookshelf holding her collection of books and toys.

Blanket made by Baba, paintings created by Aunty Allison.

Green blanket knitted by Grandma Gallop.

Cross-stitch by Grandma Gallop; Annie's college fund :)

Over the weekend, James set-up the furniture for Annie's room. He built the crib by himself on Saturday, as I was resting in attempt to beat a stomach bug that I had been battling. On Sunday, Ken came over and helped him build the change table and bookshelf. After Annie's baby shower in August, she had TONS of books! In order to organize her books and toys, we purchased a bookshelf from IKEA.

Annie slept in her own bedroom for the first time on Saturday night. I was apprehensive to have her sleep alone, but she has done really well. She's sleeping on average 10-12 hours a night - what a good baby! She hasn't woken up for a middle of the night feeding in over two weeks. With the solid sleeps lately, I've been feeling great!

Trying to Giggle

Annella Pics

Getting Settled

Now that the moving process is complete, we've started to get settled. On Sunday, we went shopping at Walmart and Superstore for some necessary items (shower curtain, humidifier filters, toilet seats, etc...). We were exhausted from the long day of moving, so the shopping was brief.

The following day, we went to our condo to clean. Maryann took Annie to the mall, while James and I cleaned the place from top to bottom. Dusting, vacuuming, washing, scrubbing, clearing out. You name it, we cleaned it! We were able to deliver the keys to the realtor by 3:00pm, which couldn't have come sooner, as we were once again tired from the weekend. That night was spent hanging curtains, organizing rooms, and spending a few minutes relaxing and enjoying our new home.

On Tuesday, James returned to work, and I ran errands. A trip to Costco, Sobeys, and Home Depot turned into an entire day of running around. The evening was no less restful, as we were both completing tasks around the house that needed to be done. James' commute has increased from 25 minutes from our condo to downtown, to 45 minutes from our new place. He says that he's willing to sacrifice a long commute for a quiet neighbourhood, which is something we didn't have before.

Yes, we will take time to sit down and spend time together as a family. Moving is a busy and hectic time, but some things can wait. We've finished most of the important items, and are hoping to take it easy over the next couple of days. As we get more settled, we're looking forward to having friends and family visit our new place. With the large kitchen, I'll even cook!

We're Here!

We have officially moved into our new home! We picked up the U-Haul at 7:00am, and began packing up last minute items as soon as we returned to our condo. Family and friends started to arrive at 9:30am, and the moving effort didn't stop for the rest of the day. They packed the truck to the rafters, and also filled a few minivans. We drove to our new place around 1:00pm, and the truck was quickly unpacked. There was a second trip to Ken and Lynne's to pick-up some of our stored items, and the truck was successfully returned just before 5:00pm.

Most of the afternoon was spent organizing furniture, and slowly beginning to unpack a few important boxes. We are very grateful for the generous help and support from family and friends in this effort to move. We couldn't have done it without you! And yes, we promise that next time we'll hire movers :)

The next few days will be filled with unpacking, unpacking, and unpacking. Hopefully we'll be able to have all of you over for housewarming meals!

Moving Prep

The final countdown has begun for the big move. We spent this evening packing up the storage closet, and packing some last minute items around the condo. We take possession of our home tomorrow afternoon. The day will be spent having the carpets cleaned, organizing the kitchen, and getting everything ready for the weekend. We're having some family and friends come over Saturday morning to help move with a U-Haul truck rental. Needless to say, it's going to be a busy weekend! We'll need to rest up and get healthy, and will update you again once we're settled.

Cooing for Daddy

Little Miss

Telling Stories

Season of Change

After listing our condo on the market in early spring with no luck, we re-listed just prior to the August long weekend. Two short weeks later, our condo sold! We viewed homes that weekend, and were able to purchase exactly what we were looking for. We take possession on September 25, which means there is lots to get done in a short amount of time!

Annella Elizabeth

Whenever we share our daughter's name, we are always asked where it came from. James' maternal grandma was named Anne. We were looking for a unique version of this name, so we searched online. Annella is a Scottish variation of the name Anne, meaning 'grace, favour.' Lauren's paternal grandma was named Elizabeth, meaning 'my God is a vow.'

Newborn Photos

These are a few of the professional photos taken when Annella was a week and a half old.

Baby Girl

Annella Elizabeth was born this summer. She weighed 7lbs 1oz, and measured 20.5 inches long. Our lives are forever changed!