Too Cute for Words!

Ana and cousin Addy Grace strutting their stuff at our neighborhood and backyard pools this weekend.

Visit from Addy Grace and Auntie Jess

Ana had her best weekend yet here in GA! Auntie Jess and cousin Addy came for a visit.

Ana couldn't get enough- calling out for Jess all weekend, chasing Addy with her new moves yelling "go get Addy, go get Addy".

The girls played hard swimming at the pool, in our back yard, in the tub and swinging at the parks. We had such a great time and were sad to see them go.

Currently Ana is "attempting" a nap yelling out for Addy in her crib. Poor thing is going to be heart broken when she awakes to an empty house.

First Steps

SO PROUD!

Nesting with Mommy

Ana helping mom get ready for baby sister. It's hard to believe Ana ever fit in these clothes.

Landmark Day for Toson Family

1- ANA IS WALKING....all you moms were so right, today Ana and I had some "new friends" (see details below) over. I looked and there was Ana walking ACROSS the room by herself. I yelled out and cheered. The moms thought I'd lost it...they OBVIOUSLY didn't realize that she is new to the whole walking thing! The rest of the morning she played, walked, played, walked. I didn't see her crawl once. She is even trying to get up in the middle of the room, but for now still needs a sturdy object to pull herself up from. She is SOOOO proud of her self and I of her!

2- NEW FRIENDS- today I organized a play group for our neighborhood and invited over 4 ladies and their kids for the first weekly, 1-2 year old Windermere play group. The kids had a blast together, and more importantly so did we. 3 of the 4 made it, 2 of which are also new to the neighborhood, so we have more than just kids in common. We're going to get together weekly, and hopefully even arrange some evenings out with and without our hubbies and side cars (kids).

3- HOUSE SOLD- we have an official accepted offer on our place in Oconomoc with a closing date set for no later than June 30th....NO MORE DOUBLE mortgages! HOORRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gosh that feels good!

4- FIRST WI VISITORS- tonight my sister and love of our life, Addy Grace, fly in from Milwaukee for the weekend. I am so excited I can't wait another mintue. I'm debating leaving for the airport now just to make it seem more real. Ana will not be able to control herself with glee when she sees them both.

Pictures will follow soon..I've just been so bad at pulling the camera out.

Walking?

I have a question for all you moms, dads, and other equally invested kid lovers out there: When do you get to announce that your child is "officially" walking?

(1) is it at the first steps?
(2) is it when they take 4-6 steps here and there with A LOT of encouragement and help to initially stabalize
-or-
(3) is it when they take off on their own, spontaneously, and use walking as their main form of transportation.

Currently, Ana has progressed from (1) to (2), but is seemingly FAR FAR AWAY from (3).
Each day she is doing more and more. However, it still takes a lot of prep work and encouragement from me. She also hasn't figured out how to get up to standing in the middle of the room. Right now she will get nice and balanced from a permanent fixture, and then with Mommy cheering and luring her on by dangling a favorite toy, or edible object, just out of reach, she walks the necessary 2-6 steps to get desired object X. And then follows the action by an ever so proud, "YEAH", hands clapping away.

(it's quite funny, b.c sometimes she will start yelling "yeah" while she's merely thinking about attempting a step or two, and inevitably gets so excited with the "yeah" that the step never quite formulates into anything more than a tumble or flop- such a ham)

So....do I get to say, "YES! Ana is walking" ?????

Pool IS OPEN!

Today was the official pool opening party here at Windermere and what fun it was. Ana crawled and splashed away, while Daddy chased her around. This opens a whole new world of doors for her and I these next few weeks. Bye, bye cabin fever!

Inquiring Minds Want to know.... (35 weeks/8.5 mo)

OK, so for all you ANNOYING people out there whom insist on seeing me at my WORST- here I am, ready to POP!

"YEEEEEEEEAAAAHHHHHHHH",.....

....with hands clapping away was Ana's reaction when she took her first 3 CONSECTUTIVE STEPS all by herself today!

She was soooo proud of herself.

However, after the three paired with clapping and yelling "YEAH" she stopped, sat down carefully and crawled to her target destination.... the nearby ball.

WHATEVER THOUGH....we'll take what we can get at this point.

Mother's Day 2006...

...was spent amidst the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountain range in North Atlanta, just 45 minutes from our house. We did an off road drive while Ana napped in the car (who says you don't need an all terrain vehicle in GA), Amicola Falls hike ("wow bubbles, go, go, daddy") and a picnic table lunch- where Ana's highlight was being visited by a "kitty". Such a great day it was.

Check out all the shots.....FYI- getting "good" ones of Ana smiling is tougher and tougher, so we take what we can get!

Off road drive

Off road drive, originally uploaded by Ana's mom.

Picnic table lunch

Picnic table lunch, originally uploaded by Ana's mom.

WEEEEEE

WEEEEEE, originally uploaded by Ana's mom.

If you look close you can see the falls hidden in the distant tree coverage.

WOW bubbles, go, go Daddy

WOW bubbles, go, go Daddy, originally uploaded by Ana's mom.

Amicola Falls

Amicola Falls, originally uploaded by Ana's mom.

Zoo Atlanta

For all of you who know Ana well, you know her OBSESSION with Monkeys, and now expanded, Gorilla obessesion too. The first animal sound she made was of a monkey (AH, AH, OOH, OOH) many many months ago and now she thumps her chest like a Gorillla squealing "la,la" when she see's a Gorilla (Thank you Nana for teaching her that one). And, amazing to Justin and I, she can even decipher between the two.

So here at the zoo we couldn't get more than 10 steps away from the "la,la's" without a loud and persistent "more, la,la, peese", "HI la,la" and "bye, bye la,la" over and over again. I can't tell you how many times we were asked how old she was and she was asked what a Gorrilla says. People just couldn't get enough of her. And she ATE IT UP! Oh the disapointment she has in store for herself when she realizes she is NOT the center of EVERYONE's universe!

We did see other animals too, which she enjoyed labeling and saying "hi" and "bye" to (Otters "otter", Lions "roar", elephants "ella", Girafes "no name yet", Rhinocerous "rhino", Fish "pucking lips", turtles "turtle", ..... you get the picture)

Here are some highlights of the day:

Showing off new moves

AND NO..walking still is not one of them.
However, here you see Ana with the gifts Nana (cookie monster and a dress) sent her just having a blast with her latest and greatests games:

1-pointing out and verbally labeling all her own and her dolls body parts- eyes, ears, nose, mouth, knee, leg, back, hair, toes, hand

2- "wee, wee, wee" = this little piggy...that's the picture where she is pulling at her own toes, saying "wee, wee, wee" in hopes that I'll play the game with her

3-up/down and in/out- on and off her chair with her FAVORITE characters- "Cookie" Monster and "Zoe"

4- Make believe with her doll house....she is unbelievably accurate in how she makes the mom, dad and baby play in the house. Still can do this for more than 1/2 hour independently!

5- And MY FAVORITE so far....giving REAL kisses!!! I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!

Georgia Acquarium

While Dad's away the mice will play----

Today Ana and I did just that. We played the day away at the Georgia Acquarium and such fun we had. I wasn't sure how Ana would react and if she would enjoy it, or if it would be just for my pleasure. But quite to the contrary Ana LOVED every minute of it as she expressivley yelled out "wow" and labeled many of the sea animals.

We saw otters, sea lions, sting rays, loads of fish (which she talked away too, making her fish sound), and her favorite by far...Beluga Whales.

She was the hit of the acquarium as she loudly proclaimed the name of each animal exhibit paired with a more than enthusiastic "WOW", or "WEEEE" with "MORE PEESE" and hands clapping away.

She couldn't get enough. Too bad Daddy missed it....I have to start bringing our video camera. These shots do the day no justice!

"Owe-er"

Ana's word for shower, which has become a night time ritual with Ana and mommy now that daddy is away on business for the week. It seems that 35 week pregnant bellies and bath tubs don't work out as a very good pair. Sooooo, creative as Ana and I have become now that we spend so much alone time together, we morphed bath time into shower time. She just sits on the shower floor and splashes away, playing (labeling, and talking) with all my different bath essentials, as the water pours all over her. So much fun for us!

Go Ghost Rider

Daddy's dream come true. Riding with his favorite girl....too bad the hills and heat here are deadly, they only make it out for 10 minutes, but Ana is screaming "weeee" and ready set "go" the entire time!

Playing in the Sunroom/Play room

One of the best features of this house according to Ana and I (mommy) is the sunroom/playroom that is attached to our great room. We've put all Ana's toys in there for her in an arms reach and she LOVES it!!!! Each morning she wakes up, requests "cracker and baba" = breakfast please, and "pay peese" = play...then into the room we go!

Opposites and Answers

Ana is full of them. Two of her newest and most favorite word games are opposites (words paired with the actions) and answering our questions. Here is how the games go:

Opposites:
up/down- Daily Ana can be found playing for 1/2 an hour by stating repeatedly, with the actions, "up", "down", "up" (and other opposites listed below) anywhere she can find to put objects or her body up and down (stairs, ladders, slides, baby gates, bath tubs, doll house, books, blocks, cupboards, ovens, dishwashers...you get the picture),

in/out- same game as above

open/close- same game as above

Answering Questions:
Mom & Dad: "What is your name?"
Ana: "Ana"

Mom & Dad: "How old are you?"
Ana: "one"

Mom & Dad: "What is this?"
Ana: verballly labels LITERALLY more objects than I can count....this girl comes up with the correct label for things the first time I point them out to her without me even telling her what it is.....SPONGE

(time to stop swearing!)

Backyard bubbles

"out", "bubbles", and "wee", paired with a polite "peese", are at the top of Ana's list of requests since the new move. So outside we go every chance we get. However, two problems have arose since arrival-
1- The pool is not open
2- Ana absolutely HATES the feel of grass on her skin, and with the hot GA sun, plenty is exposed.

Solution #1: BUBBLE MAT baby sprinkler!!!
Solution #2: Swing put up in the backyard...still working on that one. For now we walk to the near by park in between naps.

Home Sweet Home

Well...we made it. Justin car bound. Ana and I air bound. We all arrived safe and sound last Saturday evening and have been busy ever since. The movers came and went after unloading and unpacking us.

Nana and Grandpa (my parents) got in late Tuesday night and Ana was THRILLED to see familiar faces of those she loves most in life (not to mention not having to be carted around anymore from place to place with out any playtime).

Amidst all the craziness we did get to play a bit....Daddy's favorite day....up close and personal at the Tour De Georgia. The USA's biggest multi-stage bike race (a shady comparison to the Tour De France in Paris, but ranks up there with the best of the best). Ana had fun checking out the bikers as she gazed away yelling "wow" over and over again. Picutres will follow shortly!

Bye Bye Nana and Gaga

This was a sad weekend as my parents packed up and got ready to head home. Even though we'll see Nana in 6 weeks for baby #2's birth, it's still sad.

We all got quite weepy and Ana, sleepy eyed and confused, waved bye yelling, "bye bye nana, bye bye gaga", as the car pulled out.

First week in Atlanta

We've had quite the week. First a hotel, the Tour de Georgia, and then unpackers with Nana (Grandma) and Gaga (Grandpa)- my parents- here to help out...and of COURSE lots of Georgia sun at one of our neighborhood parks. They were life saviors and because of them we are 100% settled with no boxes to be seen.

Check out the highlights below.