Spring Break 2011 - Woo Hoo!

This year's spring break has been a blast. The weather has been awful and cold, but we definitely made the best of it. Monday we spent the morning at Monkey Bizness ("indoor bebow"). Tuesday we went to story time at the library and the Children's Museum with Sara and her kids (we spent 3 hours there! And she was just there for 3 hours a few days ago with Tim!). Wednesday Anna got sick with a bad sore throat, so we stayed in and relaxed. Thursday was actually sunny and a bit warmer, so we went to the outdoor bebow and had a wagon ride. Then after my doctor's appointment we enjoyed a nice meal at Sweet Tomatoes, which brought back memories of when we used to do that when I was pregnant. It was a little different having silly little Anna there in person, eating the food all on her own! Today we managed to get a little play time at Proksa before the rain started, then we went to Adrianna's 2nd birthday party at Gymboree. Anna had a really good time until the end, and then she seemed to feel sicker and wanted me to hold her. I felt bad for her, because I can tell she still doesn't feel good. Tomorrow is supposed to be the nicest day of the week (at least I really hope so), so we are going to Starved Rock to do some hiking. I hope Anna enjoys doing that kind of stuff, because we have never really done that with her before. I just remember liking it when I was a kid, so it'd be nice if she were the same way! I have really enjoyed my time with her this week; she has made it such a joy to be home!

"I Did It!"

Anna has been making huge strides toward her independence lately. Some of the things she is working on are: taking off/putting on her shoes, coat, and pants, getting in/out of her car seat, and climbing anywhere she possibly can. Whenever she accomplishes a goal, she says very excitedly, "I did it!" It's so cute. Right around Christmas she got the hang of climbing out of her crib, but luckily she only does that on very rare occasions. We told her that all she has to do is call for us and we will come get her, so that has actually worked out well. One thing that hasn't progressed (and maybe has even regressed) is her independent play. It seems like she used to be able to play on her own quite well, but now she always wants me to play with her! It's not a bad thing most of the time, except when I'm trying to drink my coffee! She will bring me a book and demand that I "read it," or she will bring me Jessie and make me hold her and talk like her forever! It's actually a little amusing.

Anna's vocabulary is HUGE now. She is saying full sentences now, can follow complex directions, and has even begun to explore imaginative play. She sometimes will have her dolls talk to each other, which I absolutely love to see develop. To me that pretty much defines being a child.