Another week has gone by without a post. I feel like so much has happened this week too!

Happy Birthday Auntie Carrie!!!!! I hope it's a good one and good luck with your PhD defend on Monday. We can't wait for a phone call saying it's done and you're officially a doctor!!!

James is still growing at an amazing pace. I want to do the "unofficial" weigh in tomorrow morning and I promise to report back with what I find. I'd do it right now, but he's sleeping. I'm guessing he's over 16 pounds by now though. James hasn't repeated the 10pm to 6am sleeping trick but he did pretty well for a few days, sleeping from 10pm to 4am. I was hoping, praying, pleading for this to stay his routine but the past two nights he's been up at 2am again, then again at 5am and somewhere between 6am and 7am he's had enough of the bassinet and ends up in bed with me until he wakes for the day between 7am and 8:30am. This was his routine before the sleeping miracle so while it's disheartening, I'm not all that surprised by it. I just hope that he decides to do it again and soon!

James has also started playing with toys this week! He swats at the toys hanging above him in the bouncy seat and in his baby gym. That is so fun to watch! Kris and I both encourage him and praise him every time he does it. And last night he even took a toy from my hand and waved it around a little before letting it drop to my lap. He is just so amazing. And he is still a mellow, calm baby. We've really hit the jackpot twice now with our kids.

I say that even though Annika has been quite the handful lately. Between playing in the toilet water (ew, ew, ew!), having all out tantrums complete with throwing herself to the ground and screaming (only at home though - THANK GOD!), and telling both Kris and I no countless times a day, we are feeling a little frazzled. I think a lot of this has to do with her age (duh - she's 2 1/2!) and the fact that she is trying to not nap anymore so she is more tired than usual. We've tried having a quiet time during the day where she sits and watches a movie or plays quietly and alone in her room, but by the end of the day she is still just a mess. And it's not always at the end of the day that she'll melt down. It's fairly unpredictable actually. We're hanging in there though. However, if someone wants to babysit so Kris and I can have a night away (dinner in a restaurant sounds heavenly!) - please, please, please let us know! :)

I don't want Annika to sound all bad though. She also has her heartbreakingly sweet moments too, like earlier this week when she and I snuggled in her bed. I pulled the covers up over our heads and we giggled like schoolgirls under there. It was heavenly. And last night when she fell asleep (at 6:30pm - see above tired tirade) in my lap with one hand laying softly on my cheek. Her new favorite activity is coloring too. We color all the time now, multiple times a day and in multiple locations. If it's nice out we let her color on her small picnic table on the deck. She loves being outside so it's a nice treat for her as Kris and I can be inside with James or making lunch/dinner or putting away the dishes or something while still keeping an eye on her. And she does amazingly well at staying in the lines while coloring. And I've never told her to stay in the lines. She must have just picked that up from watching Kris and I color with her. She is the smartest little girl in the world after all. She amazed Kris today at the zoo. Last week we went to the Minnesota Zoo. At the tiger exhibit, there is binoculars so you can get a better look at the big kitty. Well, today we went to the Como Zoo and they, too, have a tiger. Annika asked where the binoculars were (even pronouncing the word correctly!) so she could see him better. We were amazed that she remembered and put 2 and 2 together.

We did a bunch of other fun things this week too. We went to ECFE class (my last one with her - boo!), to the park, to my work where they threw us a baby shower - so nice! I've enjoyed my last week home. I'm sad to have to go back to work, to the hectic pace, to not seeing Kris as much, to solo parenting, to real life. My maternity leave has been great. If only, if only, if only...

Oh well, Monday is almost here - I better get ready.