The Belle is quickly approaching her 1st birthday. Just 3 weeks to go. She is such a ham and can really turn it on when we’re out and about. She loves to smile and wave at strangers and is genuinely surprised when people don’t stop to tell her how cute she is…although most people do. She is crawling all around the house and has started to pull herself up to standing even without the help of furniture. She is a chicken so she doesn’t let go very often but she’ll stand holding just one of my fingers. She really enjoys her books & baby dolls and stuffed animals are still a big favorite.

Annabelle is very happy to be home. She moved up to a new class at daycare and although she misses her teachers she loves playing with the kids. Her new teachers are already spoiling her rotten so she’s adjusting just fine. She played really hard at school today and didn’t take an afternoon nap so she was pretty beat when we got home. She downed her bottle, had sweet potatoes and tried spaghetti for the first time. It was a bit slippery so we laughed as she struggled to pick it up and shovel it in. She seemed to like it. Daddy gave her a bath while I cleaned up the kitchen (so nice to be able to make dinner at home again!!). We got her walker out for her and she RAN around the house. She can’t stop or turn so she basically goes as fast as she can until she slams into a wall, furniture, or her dad! She had crazy hair from her bath so basically looked like a crazy troll doll running through the house. She cracked us all up – even herself.

Annabelle had a very rough night and kept us up most of the night. She would sleep fine while B was holding her but as soon as he’d lay her down in her pack and play she would scream! We have always been so lucky with her sleeping so we were definitely not prepared for this. She was a mess! It started around 10:00 p.m. and we thought we could let her cry it out for a few minutes. That lasted all of about 1 minute b/c the people in the room next to us pounded on the wall so we had to pick her up again. She didnt’ go down until around 1:00 a.m. but she was up again at 6:00 a.m. Needless to say her schedule was pretty messed up the rest of the day.

We took the rest of the scenic drive so she could get in a nap in the car and then we met Ken & Michelle for lunch before heading to the airport. We got to the airport to find our flight was delayed which meant the flight would fall right over Annabelle’s afternoon nap. When we got on the plane Annabelle was fighting sleep and was not happy. She screamed – yes, SCREAMED – for the take off! We felt so bad for the poor people sitting around us. There was nothing we could do to console her. We tried to feed her, give her a pacifier for her ears, give her books, toys, but nothing worked! Then when we reached cruising altitude she crashed. She fell asleep with her head on my belly and didnt’ wake up the rest of the flight. I had to wake her when we landed so we could get off the plane. I think everyone around us was shocked when she woke up and was so smiley and happy. She was waving and playing peak-a-boo with everyone while we were waiting to deboard. I’m pretty sure they thought she was bi-polar.

We got home just in time to get her in her pj’s, give her a bottle and get her ready for bed. She was so happy to be home! She crawled all over the house and didn’t make a peep when she went to bed. B even said when he laid her down in her crib she high-fived the bees on her bumper. I think it’s going to be quite a while before we plan any big trips with The Belle!

Miss Annabelle had a tough time sleeping at the hotel in her pack and play. She’s usually a great sleeper but she really likes her crib at night so we’ve found when we take her on the road she doesn’t do quite as well. She was still on Denver time so we were up at 5:45 a.m. on Sunday. She was ready to go so we got ready, had breakfast, and started our drive up to Phoenix. She slept the entire way and B and I enjoyed the desert scenery – it reminded us a lot of our trips from NM to Denver during our college years. When we got to Dan’s place Annabelle was well rested and in a great mood. We were finally able to meet Dan and Pearl’s kids. They have a 2 year old, Inez, and 9 month old twins, Irene and William. What a fun afternoon! Annabelle loved playing with the kids and it was so funny to see them all interact together.

Saturday morning we were up and out the door for an early flight to Tucson. We thought we gave ourselves plenty of time to get checked in and through security (B and I are exceptional packers and even with a little one in tow we each just had a very small rolling bag to check – which in hindsight we should have just carried on). The airport was a madhouse! United had cancelled flights the night before so there were a ton of people there the next morning trying to get on new flights. We checked in, stood in line forever for security, and had to run through the airport to get to our gate. B grabbed Annabelle and sprinted to the gate as they were closing the doors. He explained he had a pregnant wife who doesn’t move as quickly (thanks!) on her way with the stroller so they held the door a minute for me and we barely made the plane. Phew! At least we made it…and Annabelle thought it was hilarious to have her daddy running her through the terminal.

We had a few hours to waste when we got to Tucson so we grabbed lunch at El Churro which claims to be the inventor of the chimichanga and the oldest Mexican restaurant in the U.S. After lunch we walked around downtown Tucson which seemed to be mostly closed for the weekend. It was very warm! Once we decided it was far to hot to be walking around we jumped in the car and took part of the scenic drive through the desert.

We joined Grandpa Bob & Grandma Carole at Collin & Kim’s wedding. Collin is B’s cousin. His dad, Ken, is Carole’s brother. I had only met them once before but everyone was so great at the wedding. The ceremony and reception were both held at an old home in downtown Tucson. It was outdoors which was gorgeous but being 8 months pregnant I think I was a little warmer than most. 🙂 We were all pretty beat from our day of travel so we had to head out before the dancing really got started. Miss Annabelle would have enjoyed showing off her skills.

The countertops were installed today and the kitchen looks great. It is such a huge improvement. B’s favorite part is the sink – he really hated the old one. We still need to install the trim on the cabinets, a few door handles, and get the water hooked up but we’ve entered the home stretch. I think it will be quite some time before we embark on another home improvement project of this caliber. The finished project is great but it’s been rough not having running water in the kitchen for a month. Fortunately, we’re happy with the rest of the house and will probably hold off on updating bathrooms until next year. Our house definitely feels like our home!

Wow – this pregnancy is flying by! I’m quite round but still feeling pretty good. I am definitely in my 3rd trimester. I’m more tired, feeling big, and ready for her to be here. Only 10 more weeks to go. I started getting a little nervous because we haven’t done much to prepare for her arrival so we’ve set the weekend aside to decorate the baby’s room and pull all the newborn gear out of storage.

She did it! Annabelle is on the move. When we picked her up from school today her teacher asked us if we wanted to see the new trick that Annabelle learned. She set Annabelle on her belly and off she went. She is full on crawling now. If she is sitting and starts off to her left she’ll crawl with both hands and knees. If she goes to the right she doesn’t use her left knee – instead she uses her foot so it’s a mix of half walking and crawling. It’s kind of hard describe so I’ll try and get a video of it because its quite funny. She’s so sturdy on her feet and can pull herself up now. We just wonder how much longer we have until she’s walking.

Our little girl continues to amaze us! She’s quickly approaching 11 months and constantly showing us new tricks. She is on the verge of crawling – she gets up on her hands and knees but then drops back down to scoot on her bottom. She is getting more and more steady on her feet and is just hanging on to one finger when she walks.

She is full of personality! She has the sweetest disposition and is always smiling and laughing. She loves to dance and is constantly shaking her bootey. Her favorites words are “Momma”, “Dadda” and “Ooooh” which we get often when reading books to her.