11 Month Annibirthery

An annibirthery post on the actual day! Stop the presses - what are the chances?!

It was a happy and sad day at the same time. We got to go to the baby pool with our good friends Kai & Niko. And they came over for dinner afterward and played. But unfortunately it is one of their last days in town and they will be moving back to Seattle. We will dearly miss them as everyone plays together so well and we have a great time.

But we did get our picture this morning. On time even. Etta still likes to get involved, just like when she was 11 months old.

Not much new to report in the last two weeks. Growing ever closer to walking. Am thinking that it may happen before she turns one, but making no bets. She sure knows how to get her way and wails when something is not happening fast enough. We also have a biter/pincher on our hands. Oh the joy of that. And when she is told "no" that bottom lip sticks out and the cries start.

But thankfully she is happy the majority of the time. She and Etta are actually starting to play a little bit together. Except when Etta lets me know, "Mom! Mae is bugging me!" I tell you what, she had better get used to that.

Mae did not really want to get her picture today and thought it was hilarious to roll over as soon as I got her flat. I had to plant one foot on her body and then click the picture quick while she was giggling. Really it was pretty cute, but not so much at the time.



She really just wanted to get up and play, play, play. The bedroom is where they really have all their fun. There isn't even any toys in there! Night time is the worst. I mean, best. They lay in there and laugh and laugh and laugh. I'm surprised that some nights they go to sleep at all. It is hard to be strict with them as it is so darn cute to listen to. I know that I'll miss it - sooner than I am ready I bet.

Matchy-Matchy

For as tom-boyish as Etta can be, I can usually get her into something (a dress even!) if she is "matchy-matchy" with Mae.

And I have to say just that.

"Say 'matchy-matchy' mom!" Etta will tell me after they are dressed.

Last Friday we headed to Kamiah to a Wicks Family Reunion. I decided it could be fun to dress them alike. But of course we were going to the woods, so I didn't put them in dresses!

Checking out what is happening outside while we are getting ready to go. Mae so wants to be like big sister most of the time!

Both girls have had a runny nose for about two weeks now. Etta made an observation a few days at breakfast.

"We're the booger twins!"

Just does a mother proud...

On a side note when Etta woke up yesterday she told me, "I am going to call her Mae Mae!!" And today we learned from our favorite Librarian Debbie, Mae Mae means little sister in Chinese! When I asked Etta if she knew that she replied, "Yes I knew that already!" Where do they get this stuff?

Road Trip

On the way to Cashmere we stopped at a park outside of Moses Lake, WA. And apparently it is also Mae Valley. How fun is that?

I remember driving by last year and seeing this sign. Made my heart happy to know that our own Mae was on her way.



They had a lot of fun riding the dinosaur. It was a great park. Will probably need to stop there for now on. (A bit more excitement than Washtucna.)

Chelanman!

This past weekend we went to visit our good friends Annie, Kent, Brooke & Oliver Chalmers. It has become an annual trip but this year we combined it with the Chelanman Multisport Weekend. I participated in the Olympic Distance Tri (1,500 meter swim, 24 mile bike and 6.2 mile run) on Saturday and Bob did his very first triathlon - the Try-A-Tri - (400 meter swim, 12 mile bike & 3.1 mile run) on Sunday. Overall it was a great time.

The big clock says 5 hours 8 minutes, but it started when the 1/2 Iron Man people took off. My actual time was 4 hours 33 minutes.



Bob still smiling heading into the run after the bike leg.



And finishing his very first tri!!

10...1/2...month annibirthery

Those poor second children...never as on the spot with things as I was with #1. But Mae is still not 11 months old yet, so I figure I am pretty good to go.

She is a VERY happy baby most of the time.



And she went from an unstable sitting blob to a crawling machine in the three weeks that we were in Montana.



And now has her own special lovey in her Minnie Mouse. Today I asked Etta what kind of a birthday cake she thought Mae would like. "A Minnie Cake mommy!". And I think that is right on.



We put Mae on a produce scale on her actual 10 month annibirthery and she weighed about 18 lbs. Still hanging right on and very "healthy". She is crawling everywhere, pulling herself up and even standing for a few seconds at a time without holding on to anything. All very exciting. Tonight for dinner she ate whole, cooked green beans. Hard to believe that in just six short weeks she will be one!

Pig Tails

Etta does not allow me to put pig tails in her hair. And if I force her she pulls them right out - super fine hair that it is, doesn't hold in hair things well.

But yesterday with the introduction of RED (her current favorite color) hair ties she was game. For the exact amount of time that it took me to get the pictures. Baby steps, right?

Front view with the pulled back hair.



Cute profile.




Super cute rear view.

Pie!

Every summer Bob, Cynthia & I make pies for the Woman's Club pie auction fund raiser. We have all won various prizes over the years. This year Cynthia made 4 pies!!! and Bob & I each made 2. I was fortunate enough to win 1st & 3rd prizes in my age division and my mom won 1st place in her age division. And incredibly enough I won Best of Show overall! I definitely did not expect that.

Our pies in all their glory.



Bob's very creative Nectarine-Raspberry Pie with appropriate Longhorn decorations.



And a close up of my Best of Show Pie. (It was cropped from the larger picture above.) Obviously Best of Show is not only for looks.