Rocky Mountain High

Ana has now been on her second family vacation out to the Rocky Mountains. We flew into Denver and drove straight to Colorado Springs for Haze's wedding. In true Ana form she slept and ate the whole plane ride and was an angel! Midwest Express wins our praise again, they're GREAT! We had a great trip, did some low key hiking, a lot of pretty drives and checked out Aspen on the way. The second day there Ana got her first tooth, so had some rough days, but all in all was her normal 5 month old inquisitive self...taking in all the sights and touching/chewing on everything she could get in her mouth! She is so in tuned to her surroundings now- looking, touching, manipulating! We love to just watch her watch her world as she tries to put it all together. Like one big, never ending puzzle. What a trip!

A TOOTH! A TOOTH!

It is official- 8-13-2005 Ana got her first tooth and is handling it with a bit difficulty (hasn't slept through the night since). It popped through on our trip to Colorado for Haze's wedding and she has been taking infant Motrin every 6-8 hours since. I tried to go without one doze and she MADE sure to let me know that it WAS NOT an OK option for her! I'm pretty sure another one is working it's way up, but Justin swears there are 4 more coming. We'll keep you posted! Poor little thing. She just gives us those, "I'm in pain Mom, HELP!" eyes and I melt away.

Seven Falls, Colorado Springs, CO

Seven Falls, Colorado Springs, CO, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Seven Falls

Seven Falls, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Rocky Mountain National Forest

Rocky Mountain National Forest, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Off Roading

Off Roading, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Jake and me

Jake and me, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Maia and me

Maia and me, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Playtime at 5 months

SV400026, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Here is Ana showing off her new tricks: grabbing everything in sight and putting it in her mouth. These toys were originally a meter away from her, but she squiggled her body around and reached for them to pull them into her mouth!

Can I see some ID please?

Can I see some ID please?, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Aunt Christie believes in early exposure....giving Ana her first taste of Beck's beer at 4 1/2 months of age is just the start. The Scary thing is Ana LOVED it- well, the bottle anyway. Anytime it was taken away she screamed for it back. YIKES!

Movin' on

Movin' on, originally uploaded by Toson's.

It's moving time in the Toson house. We've sold our condo and bought a new construction house that we're building out in Oconomowoc by the family. Ana'a making sure she won't be left behind!

Morning Cuddles

Morning Cuddles, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Here you see Ana's daily morning demeanor- cuddly and full of giggles. It's our favorite time of day. Which is why, upsettin to family, we REFUSE to let Ana have sleepovers. We did it once, and couldn't handle missing this morning bonding. Now, if you get her at night, we come too....The Toson package deal we call it!

Playtime with Nora and Grace

Playtime with Nora and Grace, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Our neighbors, Nora (10 months) and Grace (4 months), come over periodically to play with Ana. Here she is, topless, gazing away. It's great for tummy time tolerance!

What's this green stuff I'm eating?

What's this green stuff I'm eating?, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Ana is now eating solids once a day and has quickly increased her diet to a variety of foods. On the list is cereal, bananas, sweet potatoes, and her favorite so far...avacadoes. The first week was messy, messy, but she is notw getting the hang of it. She even grabs the spoon and puts it in her mouth. We're working on the signs "more" and "eat".

Gimmie that Bottle MOM!

Gimmie that Bottle MOM!, originally uploaded by Toson's.

Ana is now reaching for her bottle and holding it up in her mouth. It's difficult for her when it's full so it needs supporting, but the last few ounces she's on her own :) We tried a handle attachment, but she prefers just holding on to the bottle.

Look! My Toes!

, originally uploaded by Toson's.

It has been a few weeks now that Ana remains fascinated with her built in toy....her toes! Big step as far as therapy goes because it means her trunk is loosening up.

Times are a changin'

Ana has had quite an eventful last month. She remains to keep busy with Jake and Maia all week going to the Zoo, YMCA, museums, library, country club, beaches, local state parks for hikes, water parks....etc.. and is really starting to recognize them with exicted squeals when she sees them. Lately they've taken to having contests to see who can make her smile the most. It's so fun to watch.

Her neck is still tight so we've beefed up the interventions. She now recieves one houre of physical therapy and one hour of cranial sacheral therapy a week. She also went in for a neck x-ray this week, which was MUCH more difficult on me than her. Although, she has so many cubbers they had to put her in contraptions and take more than one shot to actually see through the rolls. To which she exerted her strong communicative dislike. But, when all was said and done everything is fine with her neck structure. That means it's all muscle so we keep plugging away.

We've started solids (pureed solids anyway) this month, and in true Ana form she eats them well. So far we've done rice cereal, avacadoes and sweet potatoes. Banannas and carrots are next on the list! Stay tuned for funny pictures of the event!

She also has learned to completely self-sooth with her thumb thus had entirely given up the NUK. Currently she only takes her left thumb and puts herself to sleep with left thumb in mouth right hand crasping a blanket pulled over her eyes. Justin and I can tell when it's bed time just by her "assuming the position" as we say.

On the family front we sold out current condo and bought a home that is under construction in Oconomowoc. Which, as far as Ana is concerned, means she is dragged nightly to all the vendors for various house selections. She is handling it well and we've been told more than once that she looks like the Gerber baby. "Just like her mama did," I say. We move out 9/1/05, in with my parents for a month, and then into the new house by 10/1/05. So things remain busy here, but laid back Ana just rolls with it, smilng the whole time.

Our endless time together is quickly reaching it's end, as I start up school and my grant work, along with consulting in late August...which is just around the corner. Thankfully for wonderful family, Ana gets to play with Grandma and cousin Addy while I work and study. She will be there 3 days a week, and then with daddy during the three evenings, as my classes are all at night. It will be interesting, and sad for me, to see our relationship change as she learns to rely on someone other than myself for all her entertainment and survival needs. I'm quite sad thinking about it, but know it must be done.....reality AMY!

Recent pictures will be coming this weekend so stay tuned!