Our little musician

Josh and Gretchen came today for one more visit before baby comes. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate too much and we weren't able to play outside much at all.

This shot of the sandbox was taken right before they left as we (well, actually Gretchen) were digging up some rhubarb plants to take home.

Anna had a great time showing/sharing her toys with Josh, including the piano. It didn't take long for her to show Josh how to open it and play it, then it didn't take much longer for Josh to show Anna how to climb up on the bench to make it easier to play.


Speaking of music, I think we have a little musician on our hands. In the past few weeks Anna has started singing along with us when we sing various songs. She'll also sing along to her CD in the van sometimes. It's definitely great to hear her singing/saying "Jesus love me ... Bible tell me so ... yes, Jesus love me" when she's just off playing by herself.

However, I'm learning that if I start singing a song (made up or not), I have to be prepared for her to say "more sing?" about ten times. We started singing a "Daddy come home" song the other day while I was making dinner and Anna had a major toddler meltdown when I thought 5 minutes of singing it was enough :)

Another week ...

We're kind of into a "holding pattern" now in our life. We've done just about all we can to prepare for the new baby and I'm just trying to keep up with the day to day things so when she comes, we're not too far behind :)

Friday was my 36-week appointment and all is still well. My doctor informed me that baby's head is "WAY down there", which I could have told her since I haven't had much of a bladder for the past week and a half. Her best estimate is that this baby won't be as small as Anna, but she doesn't seem to be too big, either. Her time estimate is that I probably won't be late ... good news for me :) Matt, on the other hand, says I need to hold off at least another week or so to make sure he's "ready" at work :)

I'm not quite sure what it was about church yesterday morning, but in the 5 minutes immediately after church about 10 people asked me when my due date was, and then seemed surprised when I still have 3-4 more weeks. Must have been what I was wearing, right? Still, those comments don't do good things for very pregnant women.

Anyway, yesterday was also our hospital tour. It was meant to not only be a refresher for us, but also give Anna (and other soon-to-be big brothers and sisters) a chance to see where Mommy will be when the baby is born. Anna sat in her stroller sucking her thumb during most of the tour, but seemed like she didn't blink her eyes once. She can really soak things up in situations like this.

On a more frustrating note, Anna and I have been fighting colds the past week or so (another great reason for me not to sleep at night!) Neither one of us had fevers, but just runny noses and a little bit of a cough. We're still going to most of our activities, but then trying to lay low in the afternoons. Here's a few pictures of our home activities:




Who needs toys? Toilet paper rolls are great for stacking!






Anna loves to help me when I clean. She enjoys dusting (walls, couches, the floor, and whatever else she can reach and name) as well as using the broom or the swiffer.




Who's teaching Anna how to drive?!?!

More visits, more spring, and more talking

After a relatively normal week for us last week, Matt's parents stopped by on Saturday afternoon/evening on their way through town to say hello and spend some time with their only granddaughter (for now). Anna was excited to see them and to be able to run around and show them or tell them about her life. Besides seeing our family, I think one of the Mischnick's highlights of the brief visit was getting to taste the first asparagus of the season from the garden ... yum! We all (including Anna) thought it was great! I, for one, am looking forward to having fresh asparagus now for the next few weeks :)

It finally feels like spring has sprung here. We had a couple of days in the 70s last week with a few more warm ones predicted this week. I'm very thankful for all of the "outside stuff" that we have just in our yard. I'm not really up for even short walks to the park anymore so it's a blessing that we have a nice driveway for Anna to run in, a good-sized sandbox in the back yard, plus all of the growing things that are just fun to look at.

We're also realizing how much of a blessing it is to have neighbors just across the street who have a daughter, Carly, about Anna's age. Both girls really like it when they get to play in each other's yards although they don't really get into playing "with" each other yet. Anna likes to following Carly around wherever she goes (Carly's a bit faster than Anna), or follow Lily, the dog, and try to pet her. Whatever the motivation, it's nice to see them outside in the evenings :)

We've had a few comments from people who have visited lately that Anna just doesn't seem to stop talking here at our house ... which is true. She's still more reserved when we're other places, but the crazy kid is coming up with such complete thoughts and even sentences (such as "I want more strawberries please") that Matt and I are continually amazed at what goes on in her head.

Part of our bedtime routine is to talk about the day and lately Anna has been interjecting details that Matt and I either have forgotten or didn't realize were that important. Most of the time these additions by Anna involve people's feelings and emotions. For example, "Carly sad ... yeah ... Carly home ... sad" meaning "Carly was sad because she had to go home." Or "Anna step kitty tail ... I sorry." meaning "I stepped on the kitty's tail. I'm sorry." Or "Sadie ... Anna ... happy ... play" meaning "I was happy to play with Sadie." She really is an empathetic kid and definitely soaks in whatever is going on around her.

Anyway, this week is looking pretty normal, too. I have my 36 week check-up on Friday and am really looking forward to being considered "full-term" at 37 weeks. I certainly have a lot to be thankful for at this point, but as with many women who reach this stage, am ready to be done :)

"Happy Eathter!"

Anna was a hit at church this morning when she'd respond with her version of Happy Easter to whoever wished her one first:) She's been practicing the phrase for a few weeks now since we dug out an Easter present from last year that said "Happy Easter" whenever you squeezed its belly.



We experienced a bit of a spring break this past week with a lot of our normal activities changed due to the Madison School District's spring break. No music class, no play group, no Bible Study, but we were able to keep busy anyway. We went out for coffee on Tuesday morning with my former co-worker and Anna was great for about the first hour. Then we heard a lot of "Get down?!" until we were ready to leave.

Story time on Wednesdays is turning into more and more of a favorite these days, right after music class. This week Anna even was willing to say "Fank you, Miss Karen" to the librarian at the end (after a bit of coaching, of course). What a sweetheart!

Friday morning my parents came to celebrate the Easter weekend with us, or actually to help out a LOT :) First they watched Anna in the morning on Friday while I had my 34 week check-up (everything is still fine and normal!). Then my dad was able to reminise about his gardening days while he tilled up our garden in the afternoon.

On Saturday morning everyone (minus Mommy) helped spread mulch around various flower beds. We were SO thankful for the help ... and of course the visit :)


Anna enjoyed both of her grandparents quite a bit, including lots of different kinds of games and activities with both of them. Anna was a bit disappointed on Saturday after her nap and then again on Sunday morning when they weren't around. Of course they're both in love with their first grandchild, too :)


On a side note, many people have been asking if we're going to do gardening to the same degree this summer as we have in the past. My standard answer has been "we're going to try" ;) We actually planted peas, lettuce, spinach, radishes, and some beets yesterday with plans to plant broccoli and onions next weekend. Matt was a huge help yesterday and knows that his gardening role will simply be different this year than it has been in the past :) We've already run out of a several things from last year (peas, onions, broccoli, spinach, plums, pearsauce) and are running low on others (corn and canned tomatoes), although we still have plenty of applesauce, salsa, spaghetti sauce, and green beans.

Finally, we taught Anna this past week how to give a "nose kiss" since she didn't quite understand how to give a real kiss on the cheek. One of her favorite activities in the evening right now is to run to one of us, give us a big hug, and then ask for a "noh kiss?". Gotta remember these days!

Family, friends, and routines

Last week was another "normal" week for us, until Anna got a runny nose and cough (again) on Thursday. So instead of heading into church for Bible Study, we stayed home and rested for most of the day. It seems to have helped since this cold hasn't progressed to more than the basic symptoms ... thankfully :)

Saturday we drove over to Milwaukee to visit with Matt's sister, Miriam, and her family. We all had a nice time spending the day with Miriam, Chris, Mark, and Nate; Matt and Chris even got to go for a bike ride together in the morning! Anna was thrilled to see the boys and, surprisingly, remembered a lot about them and their past experiences together.

Today (Monday), Anna and I headed back to Milwaukee to have our monthly play-date with Josh and Gretchen. These two kids are just fun to watch. They certainly have different personalities, but (almost) always play together very well. This was probably our last trip over there until baby comes, but hopefully they'll be able to travel our way soon.

One of the special routines at our house recently has been to check on the "fowerses" whenever we head outside to go somewhere. (It's really a great motivator to tell Anna she should check on the flowers before we get in the van or on our way into the house!) Granted, the crocuses have only begun to bloom, but Anna loves to check them out anyway. What will this kid think when spring really arrives?!?!

Another routine Anna has enjoyed lately has been to "watch Mommy" while I'm making dinner. For a long time she simply wanted me to "carry" while I was working in the kitchen. Well, I haven't been able to do that comfortably for awhile so I finally figured out she just wanted to be able to see what I was doing. We tried letting her stand on a chair at the island with some crayons and paper and now she loves it. Usually now she'll say "Mommy, carry? ... no ... Anna watch Mommy!" Then she'll push a kitchen chair over to the island, climb up, and proceed to play with whatever is in sight :)

Toddler Translator

Anna's pronunciation with words is remarkably good, but Matt and I wanted to share a few of her words/phrases that may need a little translating. Granted, her pronunciation and vocabulary is developing more every day so these will probably all be different by next week.

"roda odor" - roll over
"poke techer" - smoke detector (no longer just "beep beep")
"fie yarm" - fire alarm (no longer just "beep beep")
"hoop baw" - basketball hoop
"fowerses" - flowers
"beh doh" - door bell
"pearshauce" - pearsauce
"quesdiya" - quesadilla (or anything that has a tortilla)
"guatmoly" - guacamole (can you tell we like mexican food?)
"TB" - TV
"elmo tree" - the elm trees in the back yard :)
"Anna mootsie!" - Anna's music! (meaning, I want to listen to MY music in the van!)
"Mommy turr" - Mommy's turn ... hooray!
"Anna Banna" - Anna Banana (of course she was going to have this nickname)

We kind of figured that once Anna was talking, she'd give us a running commentary of most of life and, sure enough, she does. A lot of times she wants us to respond to make sure that we understood her, but lately she's been just chatting away to herself in the van, when we're at the grocery store or while she colors.

Though the calendar may say it's spring outside, we still have to wear hats and coats most days. Still, Anna and I like to go to for a walk in the afternoon to the park. She often plays in the rocks for a bit while I sit and rest before we have a grand ole' time on the swings.

Yesterday is was "nice" enough (after our few inches of snow on Saturday night) for us to go on a family hike at the UW Arboretum. This was the first time since last fall that Anna's been in the backpack, and she still loves it. She also surprised Matt and I by walking through the snow, mud, and leaves for about 20 minutes before she was tired enough to ask "carry?" for the last little bit.

Whenever we're outside, Anna always loves to point out the birds and planes she hears, and then try to find them. Matt's been helping Anna learn how to steer a bike (no peddling just yet), but the trips up and down the driveway are often interrupted both birds and planes.

Finally, I had my 32 week check-up last Friday for baby #2. All seems good, but I am definitely reaching the point of discomfort. Some days are better than others, and mornings are definitely better for me than afternoons/evenings. Plus, baby seems to be much more relaxed on some days in comparison to others, but no matter what day it is, she's a LOT more active and forceful than I remember Anna being. I'm pretty sure I've had some "inside bruising" already and that certainly doesn't help any of the discomfort matters. Oh, well. Just a few more weeks/months and then life will become more of an adventure!

What a difference a week makes!

Last week, thankfully, we were able to get back into our normal routines. Matt was still a little under the weather on Monday and Tuesday, but Anna and I were feeling just fine and were very grateful to be able to get out and enjoy the spring-like weather we were experiencing.

In fact, it was warm enough on Tuesday that instead of meeting at church for our weekly play group, we all met at the zoo for the morning. What fun! Anna, Abby, and Henry, who are all about the same age, were just plain excited to see the different kinds of animals that they'd been hearing about all winter, but weren't quite ready to enjoy last summer :)

Needless to say, all the playing and running outdoors certainly has made Anna tired. After running a few loops around the house one afternoon, she decided to simply crash on a nearby pillow.

Besides the normal stuff last week, our weekend was a lot of fun, too. Melissa came over on Friday night to watch Anna so Matt and I could go out for a dinner date. Matt and I had a nice, relaxing time having dinner and going out for ice cream. It made things easier for us knowing Anna was really excited to see Melissa (hi, yissa! hi, yissa!) when she arrived. Anna even asked about her on Saturday morning :)


We were able to spend quite a bit of Saturday and Sunday outdoors. Anna seems to really enjoy running up and down the driveway "fetching" various items. Chasing hoola hoops that we roll was a favorite game on Saturday while carrying an old, empty paint can full of rocks was the favored activity on Sunday.


On Sunday afternoon, we went to a local farm that exhibits their sheep flock during lambing time. As with the zoo, Anna was very interested in seeing (and hearing) all these farm animals that she's seen in books all winter long. She not only saw, and pet, lambs and sheep, but also "experienced" some chickens, a rabbit, a duck, some pigs, and some calves.

When we asked her what her favorite animal was, she said "Bunny!" although at the time she got a real kick out of saying "BAAA!" whenever one of the many sheep made a noise :)

I know it sounds a little silly, but it's already hard for me to remember what life was like when we couldn't get outdoors to go for a walk or to play; we LOVE the outside!