Most of our time has been dedicated to preparing for our move to Stanford. All family members had to depart familiar territory for new adventures. Brian and Karen left their jobs in Sacramento, and we had a tearful goodbye to the lovely ladies at Land Park Infant Care & Preschool where Anna has been the last year and a half. We did our best to enjoy our favorite haunts in Sacramento these last few weeks, but we also got around to doing a few new things. Anna's favorite was a steam train ride out of Old Sacramento. Although the packing up of the house was a little confusing for Anna, she did seem to enjoy seeing all her old "baby toys" as we packed up. It was fun to watch her play pretend with her stuffed animals, putting them in the swings or car seats and buckling them up. We got help from Grandpa and Grandma Barb with packing and our rained out yard sale which turned in to a true garage sale.
We moved to the Stanford campus this weekend with the help of Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop, who were able to catch the birth of Anna's cousin Nicholas right before they left. Good timing, Nick! Anna got to hang out poolside at their hotel while Mommy and Daddy dealt with the details of the move. So far everything has gone smoothly and we are settling in nicely. We were assigned a well-placed unit right between two of many playgrounds - one for every courtyard. We've counted ten so far but we still haven't found them all! Anna is in heaven. There are kids everywhere and lots of toys around that everyone shares very willingly. She's happy to meet and play with the other children.
Developmentally, Anna continues to impress us. She regularly speaks in five to six word sentences. Our focus right now is getting her to use first person pronouns instead of second person. You'll hear her say, "Do you want some milk, Anna?" and we have her repeat the request with an "I." She's learning more and more songs and will sing them for hours. Currently she's into "Baa Baa, Black Sheep." She can identify uppercase letters with no problem and most of the lowercase letters. She can also tell you a word that begins with each letter from memory. She's become more adept at throwing a ball overhand, but we are still working on catching! Playing pretend is the current obsession. She has figured out how to connect the clips on her stroller/car seat/high chair, so she loves to strap in her dolls and stuffed animals. She also likes to pretend to change their diapers. A big challenge has been moving into a two-story place! Anna did not have to deal with steps at our old house. She's making progress but we ran out and bought baby gates for the first time - she has no fear when sometimes when she should!
It's shaping up to be a great summer with lots of new friends and experiences, so stay tuned. Additionally, in case you haven't heard, Anna will be a BIG SISTER come December! Click on the picture below to see what we've been up to:
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| Anna at 21-22 months |
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