Updated weight:

Just a quick note- had Anika weighed today- 16# 4 oz.  (About at 9 oz gain in a little more than a month)  :) Still doing well.

Anika

Scroll down- there are a few new ones here. . .
I have to say that one of my favorite mommy smells is kid sweat mixed with sunscreen- love it!!

Anyway- missed Anika's 6 month to update about her- so we'll do an 8 month all about Anika

Nicknames: sister, Little Miss, sweet girl, sweet baby

Weight &  Height: I'm behind- so I'll give you last month's weight 15 lb 11.5 oz, at 6 months she was 25.5 in

Hair: getting blonder daily with the length mostly in the front

Favorite foods: puffs, pureed chickpeas, breastmilk

Favorite toys: sweet small blanket my sister made her, doll, anything BJ is playing with, cars

Favorite stuffed animal: probably her soft doll from Christmas
Bedtime: 6:30 p.m.

Wake-up time: 6:30 a.m.

Naps: usually 2 longer ones, with a cat nap

Favorite person: BJ, Angie, Mommy, Daddy (in that order)

Latest Accomplishment: crawling, eating puffs, small bits of banana and pear (Not an accomplishment, but an event, we dedicated Anika last weekend)
Likes: being with people, being carried, playing with BJ, swimming

Dislikes: being left alone

What she is saying: lots of baby coos, the repetitive gagaga, raspberries, and an engine rev, mimicking her brother

What gets said about Anika most often: how much she looks like Mommy

Fears: probably starving and being left alone

Health: she has done great- a few colds, mildest of mild eczema, no signs of food allergies :)

How she's like Daddy: likes to work (or chew) on cars
How he's like Mommy:  her looks

 We love our sweet baby girl, can't wait to see more of your little personality :)

Our verse for Anika at her dedication: Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as god's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,humility, gentleness and patience.

 With our dear friends the Clinefelters- they dedicated Noah (Nicholas' little brother) the same day.

BJ at 3.5 years

Much to Daddy's dismay, BJ is now 3 1/2 years.  He informed me the other day that it means he is almost 4 and almost 5 and then 6.  I tried not to cry :)

Nicknames: Beej, little man, stinker, lovebug, bug, Captain, bud, Stink, Little stink, Bugaboo

Weight & Height: 37 lb Height-growing fast, not so sure

Hair: Blonde, getting darker :(

Favorite foods: chocolate chips, hot dogs, bread, fruit, berries, cookies (Oreos), "bark" - granola bars, hummus and veggies, muffins, cheese, grilled chicken nuggets at Chick-fil-A, french fries, pretty much anything Daddy likes

Favorite toys: VEHICLES- driving Daddy's truck, the Nova Car, little cars, trucks, bicycle

Favorite stuffed animal:baby Anika (a doll who is filthy)
Bedtime: 7-7:30 p.m.

Wake-up time: 6:45 a.m.- as soon as his "Ok to wake" clock turns green

Naps: one nap a day for 2-3 hours, pretty much every day

Favorite person: Probably Anika, Nicholas, Angie, Daddy, and Mommy (in that order)

Latest Accomplishment: pedaling his bike, running 1/2 mile home from the park, feeding his sister (when mom lets him), being able to call and hang up on Daddy via webcam
Likes: eating, playing, the park,the zoo, the sprinklers, the Children's museum, "playing" with Anika, helping Daddy work on the cars, helping Mommy cook/bake, running around the circle to get the mail, Chick-fil-A, watching movies (Veggie Tales and Cars)

Dislikes: having to come inside, green beans, black beans, not getting to choose, finding self control

What he is saying: everything!  And still working on many words in Spanish.

What gets said about BJ most often: how well mannered he is (for everyone else!!), 

Fears: lightening (he has asked every night since a big storm if the flashes will come tonight) people leaving him, dogs getting to him without someone else around

Health: doing really well, we survived cold season without a hospitalization :) He has a nut challenge May 2nd

How he's like Daddy: he likes Mommy, has a mischevious grin at times, loves to "drive the car", wants to do EVERYTHING Daddy does
How he's like Mommy: his coloring, his hugs, love of cuddling, short fuse for frustration

Funny things he's done lately: saying that Daddy is "almost an adult", giving smooshy hugs, giving leggy hugs (all invented by himself), "driving" the cars- literally almost 6 hours on Saturday.

Other sweet thing:  BJ loves to be a big brother. He often jokes we need to have 5 kids- I tell him to take it up with Daddy.  He is so sweet to Anika- even sang "Goodnight Sweetheart" (what I sing to him before bed) to her with Grammy last week.  She is tickled even to have him in the same room. I know it's a big wish but I hope they stay close like that.

We love you bug!!

Close all doors, gate all stairways. . .

SHE IS MOVING!!  It totally crept up on me that my baby girl might start crawling soon.  She has been a crazy roller for awhile, just forgot to think about her crawling.  AND now she is.  We've been trying to talk to BJ about getting the toys he doesn't want her to play with or choke on off the floor, but we'll need a new plan as soon as she is crusing I'm sure.  It's so sweet to see her crawling across the floor, just a bit more work for all of us :).  She really didn't army crawl much- mostly the broken leg crawl- one knee, one straight leg, flop on the ground, try again, etc.  and that didn't last long at all.  Brandon even came home the other night from a business trip all sad- "She's so fast, and BJ's 3 1/2 birthday is tomorrow" - he's having a hard time with them growing up.  (Not that mom is thrilled about it either though).   I guess I don't have any crawling pics of her, I'll have to work on that. :)