another quick update, with pictures

ani - with her newest hat - why do we buy her expensive clothes?

this is Daddy putting baby tights on Ani - oh the patience required by both parties
 

 we went to see Yaya and grandpa at the cabin this weekend, lots of driving, which means more caffeine... just jokes


a beautiful picture - if only you knew that mere moments before Grandpa was teaching Ani how to spit at fish

halloween, finally...

So Hallows Eve has come and gone and by the time I get this post edited and posted it will most likely be Christmas.

Ani, Chiemi and I have been going to therapy 8 days a week now since the pumpkin incidint and we are progressing nicely.  Ani can now not only be near a pumpkin but can also touch the insides as well, Chiemi won't even do that.

Though she seemed to enjoy watching me scrape out our soon to be Jack-o-lanterns' insides, her curiosity quickly moved on to somthing much more interesting.

It took some seearching but soon she came across the most wonderful object in the world.

A Leaf !

 Just to let everyone know, this leaf kept her occupied for 30 minutes.

And after all that hard work the Pumpkins were done. 

I'm thinking they will look better once it gets dark.

(Ok, I'm hoping they will)

(Ani's is in the Middle)

Every year we head out to Granddaddy and Me-maw's for Halloween due to the lack of kids in our neighborhood and this year was no diffrent except that we went trick or treating before it got dark.

Yes!,  that is Frankenstein in a smoking jacket. The Horror!!!

Granddaddy showed Ani the wonderful joys of Bubbles.

who knew bubbles could make you laugh

Time to get ready to Trick or Treat.

If your not sure what her costume is.... Thats OK.  we're not sure either.

Who new  Raggedy Ann was scary.

Before

After

Finaly after all terror we made it to the door and for all that work Ani got

a bag of M&M's. Personally, I dont think it was worth it especially since she can't even eat them.

 Hope everyone had a great Halloween.

(and yes, Ani's pumpkin is on the right)



doctor update

Ani visited the pediatrician for her 9 month visit and we are happy to say she now weighs 16 pounds 6.5 ounces and 27 inches long.  As far as Weight she is no longer in the 5th, she has moved up in to the 10th.  Ani also had her blood drawn to test her iron and Lead levels and every thing is totally normal.

Once again we were able to host a dinner for a group of Geshe-la's (right hand men to the Dalai lama) and Ani loved every minute of it.

Also visiting with the monks was Norzom who Ani took to immediately allowing her to hold her  and play games.  On a more interesting note Norzom turns out to be the wife of Sungay that Ani took to during the previous visit from the monks a few months earlier.

A Pumpkin Is Not A Toy

So for every one who hasn't figured it out yet..... Yes my daughter loves to model for the camera...  I have never seen someone pose so often and not get paid for it.

And just like every model Ani needs her Coffee, I just don't understand how she is able to drink it all

So this week had been extremely exciting for us,  After many hours of training and coaching Ani dressed herself for the first time. 

Though we are still working on proper placement of the clothes Chiemi and I are thrilled that her pants were at least on.

As Halloween gets closer we decided to take Ani to a local Pumpkin Patch to start a new family tradition of picking out our own pumpkin. 

Not only did this pumpkin patch have pumpkins (imagine that), but there were also many rides and games for the kids including mazes, train rides and Hay Rides.

After walking many many yards (about 50) through the pumpkin patch we finally found the perfect spot to set our beloved child. We could hardly contain our self as we lowered her to the ground to take her picture with her new Halloween Pumpkin.  

With her legs kicking and body squirming we placed her little feet on the ground and that's when it happened, Our Daughter is Terrified of Pumpkins. 

Hopefully some one will help me to understand this, 

 Crazy, psycho, over-excited Dogs - not a problem

Black Cats (bad luck) - No fear here

Praying Mantis (that dad wouldn't go anywhere close too) - Nope still OK

So we thought to ourselves.... Could it be that she doesn't like the vines and leaves? 

so we packed up and walked 50 yards back to a tent with decorations and laughing children all surrounded by already picked pumpkins.

So we placed her near one that was already picked.

so maybe it wasn't the leaves.

Could it be because it was so big in comparison to her?

what if we had her above one, sitting on it.

Then again maybe pumpkins and Ani's just don't get along.

Now this whole experience was very saddening and odd. Considering that Halloween is my favorite holiday I was quit upset that my daughter has Cucurbitophobia (a fear of Pumpkins) <---(yes this is real) Lucky for us this phobia must be common because a pumpkin wrangler came rushing in with a cure to what might have been a disaster of a day.

And just like that we were saved, Not only were we saved, but it looks as if there might still be some hope on the horizon.

After the whole pumpkin experience we went for a hayride

And to Ani's joy the hayride stopped at the petting zoo where we could walk and talk with the animals.

Though mom had no problem touching the piggy Ani wasn't so sure.

Well that was pretty much it for our week we will keep y'all up to date if anything new comes along.

All we ask is that if you have learned anything from this blog Learn This.

No Matter How Fun it May Look

Friends Don't Let Friends
Touch Pumpkins!

a bit delayed

well - this is what happens when you give Dad all the responsibility, things don't always get done in a timely fashion.  So here are some pictures in no particular order.

just a quick update - she now weighs 15'5, has 2 teeth, can stand by herself and is trying to walk.  She also makes constant noise, raspberries, and waves on occasion.  Her most recent food was hummus, not that big of a hit, but we'll try again later, and she loves barley cookies.  Oh, and additionally, in the following picture you can see Ani's new babysitter on the left-hand side, yes that would be Meg.

Way in the background is Niagara Falls, but we figure you're probably looking at Ani.

Ani loves blueberries - but when she eats and is a little too sleepy, rubbing her eyes and the like, the typical baby mess gets multiplied exponentially.

Yay, for our 1/4 Japanese girl, her first outfit and this new toy that she loves - all the way from Okinawa.

yes, she is often this serious.  A lady in the grocery store told us that she was deep in thought...  I suppose we should appreciate it when a stranger tries to explain our child's facial expressions.

We went to Japanfest this past weekend, she's all into traditional Japanese music and dance, also likes tobiko, yum...

Myers Family Reunion

Well we finally made it to the reunion, only took about 10 hours of drive time and Ani was a trooper the whole way.  Once at the reunion Ani was able to meet her extended family including,

 Aunt Nellie (Ani's Mother's Mother's Father's Sister)

Aunt Betty (Ani's Mother's Mother's Mother's Sister)

Roxanne (Ani's Mother's Mother's Cousin's Wife)

These are just a few of all the wonderful people we met at the reunion, Also while visiting, Ani was able to meet Uncle Butch (Ani's Mother's Mother's Brother)

Uncle Butch has a unique kinship with the local Amish and was kind enough to show us around and introduce us to many of them.

(There would normally be a picture here but your not supposed to take pictures of the Amish)

so here's a Buggy instead

The reunion was Hawaiin themed this year and Ani really seemed to enjoy that

Also the reunion coordinator had set up games for all ages and Ani got to play

All she had to do was grab a duck to see what she won!!

but for some reason Ani wouldn't grab one so she got a consolation prize instead.

After a few hours Ani became a little over stimulated and needed to take a break,

she can only take in so much fun at once

But after some quiet time it was back to the fun

All in all we had a great time and look forward to the next time we can make it to the reunion.