I know I said I wasn’t going to use months for Anya’s age after she hit 1, but that doesn’t encourage me to make little monthly posts. I suppose I could say she is 1.2, but then I would have to do complex fractiony-algebra-type stuff, and I do enough of that at work.

Anya’s first birthday was pretty low key and a few weeks after the fact. My parents were going to come up for Anya’s real birthday, but my Mom got sick so we waited a bit. When my folks made it up, we baked some pink cupcakes topped with pink frosting, cheerios, and a candle (or something that looked like a candle). I was going to make her a giant cheerio cake, but someone informed me that wouldn’t that just be a bundt cake or a donut? and it didn’t seem so cool. Plus I am lazy.

It took a little coaxing to get the birthday girl started on her cake, but once she discovered the pink goodness, Anya could not be stopped.

Here are some things Anya has been up to the last two months. She:

+ Finally sits up on her own. Before that she would just flop around on the floor like a fish on the bottom of a boat until we’d give her a finger to pull on to sit up.

+ Mastered the scoot. Some babies wear out the knees in their pants; she’s gonna wear out the butts.

+ Correctly placed the cow puzzle piece into the cow puzzle spot.

+ Threw a temper tantrum in the grocery store. Mean Mama for taking away the bag of frozen lima beans so we could check out!

+ Started drinking cow’s milk.

+ Started drinking out of a sippy straw cup. When she’s not banging it on the floor. Or waving it around. Or tossing it over her shoulder.

+ Somersaulted. A gymnastic feat or what happens when a baby tries to scoot down a hill quickly?

+ Began wearing clothes without snaps in the crotch. She does still have snappy clothes, but she has “regular people clothes” now, too.

+ Swung.

Anya is now officially an old fart. She has learned lots of new tricks this last month in preparation for being this many: 1.

List of Anya’s New Tricks:

+ Loves to play peek-a-boo.
+ Does that wah-wah-wah thing you did as a kid to pretend to be an indian.
+ Claps at the end of the birthday song.
+ Plays the xylophone.
+ Found her first electrical outlet.
+ Commands Andy to dance.
+ Continues to eat everything she is offered (except plain or vanilla yogurt).
+ Gives smoochies.
+ Waves. Sort of. Sometimes.
+ Shares her food with others (human and feline).

Through the magic of technology, I am posting this Anya Update only one day late.

In month eleven, Anya:

+ Learned to say “Mamamamama.” Yes, I know she was saying “Mama” at a few weeks old, but really we all know that was just my imagination. It’s the real deal now. Except for the part where it doesn’t actually mean anything yet and is just something to say.

+ Ate pretty much anything, including: blueberries, pizza, broccoli, peas, carrots, pancakes, biscuits, chicken, rice, oatmeal, cat food, peaches, crackers, bananas, yams, green beans, and of course cheerios. These are things she likes in regular people format, though some of the things like the peas, carrots, and peaches seem to work better for her all blended up. Also, I’m not sure there is a people format for cat food. She does not like yogurt.

+ Opened a kitchen cabinet door, shrieked in disgust, and told us we need to declutter.

+ Wiggled, rolled, and bounced on her butt to move around. Who needs to crawl?

+ Had her second ear infection.

+ Became a kindred spirit to Anne of Green Gables by finding her very own “window friend” in the glass doors of the entertainment center. Anya and WF have spent many a half hour playing together happily.

+ Became addicted to kleenex. I think Sana taught her how to seek them out and devour them.

+ Searched high and low to find the girl panda to go with the boy panda when she played with her noah’s ark animals. The zebra almost threw her for a loop, but she figured it out.

There will be a picture here probably…oh, yesterday (thanks, technology!). I just have to figure out where it is.

Here is a picture of Anya in her now-famous monthly pose. Cabol will probably be writing some witty and lengthy entry about all the stuff Anya has learned any time now.

We picked up the new car today, and managed to miss the traffic from the race. Here’s a quick picture of it.

I’m sure Ganya saw that title and got all excited that we have become NASCAR fans. Fortunately, that is not the case. However, we are going down there Saturday to get our new car!

Let’s hope we can get in and out while the race is still going on.

At our family meeting this weekend, I asked Anya for her monthly list of achievements. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and pondered deeply. After a few moments passed with nothing but a slurpy sucking sound disturbing the silence, Anya wiggled a little, clapped her feet together, and then blew a raspberry at me.

Now, if I acted that way at my performance evaluations at work, I would probably get fired or put on probation or at the very least told not to spray everyone with saliva. But, since Anya is pretty cute, I let it pass. I asked her again what she had accomplished this month, “I have to put it on the blog, you know!”

She didn’t even glance at me this time…she just thoughtfully examined a hairy cheerio on the floor.

What I’m trying to say here, people, is that I don’t really have a list this month. Anya’s agent (a small, grey bunny covered in slobber, baby tylenol, and prune guts) informed me that Anya is “on sabbatical” from learning new tricks and will maybe put together something new for us all next month. This past month, according to the bunny, Anya has been working to refine her existing talents and to explore various ways to perfect new skills.

So, if you came here expecting to read that Anya took her first step, learned how to use a spoon, or wrote a lovely symphony, I’m afraid you’ll be a bit disappointed. If you came here for a few pictures, I can do that. (Just don’t tell the bunny; I don’t think our contract allows public dissemination of photos without prior approval.)

A Portrait of Anya as a 10-Month-Old

Anya Reads Her New Contract Before Signing

Anya Teaches Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Chris about Shepherding

Farewell, Leigh. I hope you’ve finally found peace and light. Andy and I will make sure to tell Anya all about her Grandpa: Bounce-to-the-Ounce, snails, sweater vests, Captain Leigh, nurblies, hot peppers, and all the rest of your wackiness.

Leigh Volker 1946-2008

Nine months. Three quarters of a year. Lots and lots of minutes. It’s been a month of sickness here at Loafkeeper Farm. Andy is battling bronchitis, Anya trounced an ear infection, and I’m dueling with a cough that just won’t toss in the towel. Don’t worry; you can’t catch our germs through the blog, so you can keep reading.

This month Anya…

+ Got the knack of the clap. She loves to clap. She claps, and then she claps to applaud her clapping. I clap, and she claps to tell me I did a good job. Andy burps; Anya claps. Larry eats a pea; Anya claps. She’s very encouraging and will make a great manager some day.

+ Discovered the joy of The Raspberry. When she first learned how to Pblblblblbbllb, she did it ALL the time. Even when she had a cheerio in her mouth. Or a pea. Even when she was falling asleep. Plllllbbbbbbzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….zzzzzz….zzzzz. I’m not sure which is better: Smooshy Face or Raspberry Face. I’d let you vote, but I don’t think we’ve captured a Raspberry Face yet.

+ Read Cat in the Hat (with some help from me). She thinks Things 1 and 2 are very naughty and should have to sit in time out.

+ Said the following (and then Andy said): Bonzai! (Look, it’s a cat!); It’s a chicken! (No, that’s your foot).

+ Ate lots and lots of cheerios. Lots. And peas. And popcorn butts (you know, the soft part).

+ Decided that crawling is for babies. She will skip that and walk. No, she can’t walk, but every night she and her Daddy practice standing (Andy’s pretty good at it). She’s still practicing crawling, too, because her bff, Emma, can crawl and has told Anya all about how yummy DCP’s silk curtains are.

Happy Birthday to you!
Haaaaaaaappppy birthday to yooooou!
HAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPY BIRRRRRRRRRRRTHDAY DEAR MOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMY!
Happy birthday toooooo you!

Here’s your cake!

Anya is wearing her party hat and waiting for you to get here so the festivities can start!