Anna Kate's One Year Portraits

ONE YEAR OLD!!!

Anna Kate is one year old today!!! I couldn't sleep last night thinking about what was happening at that time exactly one year before... Geez-o-Pete!! If you missed the post about Anna Kate's crazy arrival, click here for laughs at my expense. AK actually woke up for a night feeding at 2:02 a.m. last night, and all I could think about was, "I'm so glad it's this year and not last year!" Last year I was whisked into delivery at 12:05 a.m. and delivered Anna Kate at 12:09 a.m. This year my sweet baby girl woke up at 2:02 a.m. and I nursed her all snugly in my bed and then placed her back in her crib at 2:21 a.m. What a difference a year makes!!





Anna Kate invited all of her buddies over for a party today! FYI: A Bumbo is a baby seat. My mom continues to call it a Bimbo. I wanted a yummy summer picnic feel, but inside in the yummy air-conditioning (this is Florida, people!)





Anna Kate sat at the head of the table of babies in their Bumbos! Two babies arrived after this photo was taken, so we had a total of nine babies!







Twins Jonah and Claire and Baby Isabella (with her mommy Melissa)



Baby Kaden and Baby Jack (with his mommy Angela). And if you look really close behind Angela's shoulder, you can get a glimpse of Stephanie holding Baby Makinna. I took 3 pictures of Makinna, but they all came out blurry... I was snapping photos so fast that only about half of them were in-focus.



Baby Emma, Baby Megan, and finally... Baby Anna Kate! That makes NINE babies! (below) Wesley with his friends Kendall and Katherine (his friend Kaley was here as well; they are all siblings of a baby. As you can see, Wes is always surrounded by girls!). They ran circles chasing each other through the house and yelling high-pitched squeals for fun. At the end of the party, I commented that I was surprised they never went outside, and a mom said, "Oh, I didn't think they were allowed; my daughter's been begging to go outside to play." Note to self: Next year make time to send the hooligans outside.





Katherine and Kendall serving as Anna Kate's lovely assistants. Katherine blew out the candle before AK could even think about touching the flame.





I didn't think to take the cake out of the fridge early, so it was cold and stiff. Anna Kate just kept hitting the top of the cake like a drum. I tried to feed her a finger-full, but she clearly resented the lack of independence. Messy hands from cake-banging... very little cake near the mouth where the cake is actually supposed to go. (below) Wesley, on the other hand, has this cake thing down like a champ! Love the black frosting in his teeth! Wes wanted to wear his shark shirt because Mimi and Grandpa (in town for AK's big day) took us to Sea World yesterday. The very first thing he said when he woke up this morning was, "Go see the sharks, whales, and dolphins again please," just like he was ordering pancakes with a side of bacon!





Don't let this photo deceive you; Anna Kate never did eat any cake. She just smeared chocolate all over herself with her messy hands!





Opening presents... note that Kendall matches the present she brought. Anna Kate got her very first GIRL TOYS. We now have pink in our house! And purple! And a doll house and 2 purses and at least 5 baby dolls! It felt really odd opening girl toys; this is a whole new frontier for me!! Anna Kate had very little interest in helping me open gifts. Not even the always-a-winner magical tissue paper could entice her.





After the party, Anna Kate kept picking this puppet up with her mouth and crawling with it. She's drop it and pick it up with her mouth again. I'm thinking, "Was she paying attention to that bear special we watched the other night???"



Happy Birthday, my sweet surprise delivery!
Now bring on the baby dolls!!!

Happy Birthday, America!

Since moving to Florida, Michael and I have established a 4th of July tradition of going to St. Pete Beach to watch the fireworks. I love that it's our own tradition and one that our kids will have had since they were born! Usually we arrive in the late afternoon to spend a couple of hours at the beach, but with Michael still hobbling around on crutches, we just arrived in time to get a parking spot and walk (or in Michael's case, hobble) to the little seafood place where we eat every year. I did want pictures of the kids on the beach before it got dark, though, so Michael stayed in the car while I took both kids for a quick photo-shoot.





Wesley was excited to be at the beach and too excited about the night's festivities to realize he wasn't in swimming trunks and wasn't going to get to go swimming. He knew the plan, and repeated it to me the entire drive to St. Pete Beach: "We're gonna take pictures, then eat dinner, then playground, and then fireworks." Right-O, sport. I've noticed a huge surge in Wesley's ability to grasp concepts like timelines, countdowns, game plans, future events yet to take place, etc. over the past 6 months. It's so much fun to see him look forward to the exciting things in his little life, big and small. He seems to enjoy anticipation itself, and is largely past the instant gratification phase. Oh the blessed maturity!!! The only hope of ever getting them in the same shot these days is to ask Wes to give Anna Kate a hug. They both say, "Awwww" when they hug!





Wesley was all about the flag-waving! Michael took these pictures in the parking lot so he wouldn't have to hobble out on the beach with us until it was time for fireworks. I had to take the kids to the playground by myself, too, while Michael sat in the car (you have to come early to get a parking spot at the beach on the 4th. We parked close to the restaurant, and couldn't move the car closer to the playground once we were finished eating). This quasi-single parenthood stuff "pulls a Hoover," as Dr. Shock (my Harding major professor and adviser) would say! Target was all out of 9-12 month patriotic shirts, so I had to squeeze Anna Kate into a 3-6 month top; it was like a retractable window shade over the tummy!



We always eat at Sea Critters Cafe. We sat at this very table last year, with Anna Kate in my VERY pregnant tummy. In fact, the very last photo taken of me before AK's birth was taken of me sitting at this table posing next to Wes (I looked horrid, of course). Michael and I stressed the entire time that my water would break and we'd be too far from our hospital in Lakeland to make it (my water broke at 37 weeks with Wesley, and I was closer to 38 weeks on the 4th last year). I love our 4th tradition so much that I was willing to take the risk, though! I ended going into labor with Anna Kate exactly a week later



This is Wesley discovering that the back wall was one giant mirror in which he could check out his moves. Love the subtle dance in the 2nd photo... he puffed up his cheeks alternatively (left then right, etc.) and shuffled his feet. Another Wes Rogers original dance.



Daddy fed Anna Kate lots of black beans... and Mommy got the change the diapers the next day!





Wesley and Daddy on the beach ready to check out the fireworks. Anna Kate didn't even think about falling asleep (Wesley zonked right there amidst all the booms the year that he was this age on the 4th!). She wasn't scared of the fireworks, either. In fact, she would have gladly grabbed the sparkler that I couldn't convince Wesley to hold if I had let her! Wesley wanted me to light sparkler after sparkler... he just kept instructing me to stick them in the sand!





Wesley watching the booms from his own chair. I brought it thinking he might need incentive to stay close, but he actually turned very cuddly and wanted to be held the rest of the night. Anna Kate giving me a kiss! To get some AK luv'n, all you have to do is look at her and say, "Awwwww," and she'll automatically rest her head on you or give you a kiss!





Anyone recognize this pose?? It's Wesley's classic, "CHEESE!" face. I was trying to get his picture by the water, but you can't tell he was standing by the water anyway. Anna Kate and Daddy watching the fireworks.





Anna Kate tried to exfoliate her scalp with sand. The first thing she did when I sat her down was taste a handful of sand... she didn't try it again all night! Wesley got very cuddly as the night wore on. The 4th has always been one of my favorite holidays... can't wait for the kids to get big enough to sing patriotic songs with me at the top of their lungs during the fireworks. Daddy will love that.