anneliseinthebigworld

When Daddy’s are away, the girls will play!

April 4, 2012 by ntrillo07

Daddy had to leave his girls again on a business trip for 6 days. And well, when the girls are left to their own devices, girls will be girls! I was able to see most of my patients at work earlier in the month so that I could have a couple days to play SAHM. I loved every minute, the only thing missing was Daddy…

We started doing crafts that involved a little bit of baking. We made fingerprint pendants of Annelise’s pointer finger the day after her birthday. We made enough pendants for Mommy, Daddy, Grandparents and Grandpas and gave them as party favors at her first birthday party! I got the idea from pinterest… Oh pinterest…my new favorite place.

Annelise and I were able to arrange a playdate with a couple of her very favorite friends, Chloe and Max! Seriously, she just wants to kiss on them every time we see them! After playing for a bit to wake up from naps, we headed out on the beautiful day for a walk with the wagon. Chloe did not want to share her favorite toy…

Books are Annelise’s favorite, but she didn’t quite understand why she couldn’t play with Chloe’s toy… teehee.

Sharing isn’t all its cracked up to be. Annelise typically shares well, but does expect things right back! I’m sure we’ll be in the no sharing phase soon, too. The girls did enjoy the beautiful day, though!

This picture isn’t super clear because Annelise was on a mission. We discovered that she LOVES chocolate chex. She became very angry when she could not reach the bowl…and she was not even hungry. Chloe was sharing her chex very sweetly!!

Annelise also discovered stickers!! She hasn’t really had the opportunity to play with stickers until this playdate. Chloe was putting stickers on Annelise’s arm and Annelise was in turn taking the stickers and placing them on Max’s head. Max was not too impressed. I’m pretty sure the girls will have to be on the lookout for retaliation in a few months…

We loved our playdate! I enjoyed some Mommy conversation and Annelise loved playing with her friends.

Over the next few days, we endulged a little more… Mani/Pedis!! This means a quick clip for Annelise’s nails and clipping, filing, and painting Mommy’s nails! Annelise seemed to enjoy!

Ready for the summer weather coming our way!

We did some light reading.

Played with some accessories…accessories do make the outfit, afterall!

It wasn’t all fun and games…we made sure our puppies were taken care of…

And definitely did our share of housework. Yuck, who likes housework?!

Just kidding, it wasn’t that bad. Our house was ready to welcome Daddy home and G-mom and Grandpa for their visit! Us girls were well rested, recharged and ready for what was to come…(a sweet little someone’s first birthday party)!

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Infant Carseat safety

April 2, 2012 by ntrillo07

An infant should always be safely and securely strapped into their carseat every time they ride in a vehicle. This is something I feel strongly about, possibly because I learned about it in school, but mostly because life is hard enough without adding tragedy or injury when unnecessary. Being positioned appropriately and securely strapped in will give a child more of a chance of survival in an unexpected crash. The latest recommendations are that your baby remain rear facing until 2 years of age and that they are 5xs less likely to be injured than if they are forward facing.

I side strongly with caution. Annelise is still in her infant car seat because it offers the most support. Soon we will switch to a convertible-I will post on different carseats as we grow, always facing backwards until 2 years of age. When she was first born, we used the headrest padding and the upside-down U padding inside of that to really cushion and support her head-however, it is not recommended to use any padding that did not come with the carseat, so don’t do as I did! I used the infant padding that came with the carseat until recently when Kelly in the comments below notified me that it was not safe after 11 lbs. I could not find anywhere that said it was not safe, but at 18lbs, she was over the recommended weight limit and when removed she still looked pretty comfortable in her carseat. All the pics taken show her with the infant padding that should be removed after they reach 11 lbs. Here is the type of infant car seat that I am referring to.

Annelise gave me about 2 mins, wondering why she was in her carseat and we weren’t heading out the door!

The 5 point harness system is the strapping system all infant carseats use. Here is a close up of how the 5 point harness should look. The belts are all snug and secure coming over her shoulders, across and between her legs. The belts also need to be straight (not twisted). The chest plate (the black snap together) is across the middle of her chest, about nipple line. We have the thin shoulder pads simply for comfort. Here is a close up of the straps and their appropriate positions. Its also important to remember in chilly weather that coats should not be worn in the carseat. The padding in coats can compress and leave more space than it should between baby and belts if a large force is applied (such as in an accident) and should be put on after arriving at your destination. Blankets can be used to keep baby warm by placing on top of the baby already strapped in.

My sweet girl started to get a little frustrated… She wanted to get out, but notice she didn’t really move-thanks to secure strapping in!

Just for good measure, here is what I see that frustrates me. Typically, its very loose straps and the chest snap is no where near as high as it should be. And obviously, Annelise is not happy with this unsecure strapping in…

Should a baby be involved in a car crash while loosely strapped in, the chances are much higher for that baby to slide right out of the carseat. If the chest plate is too low, the chances are higher for the baby to slide up and out of the carseat. If the bottom latch (red button) is not latched, the baby could slide out the bottom of the carseat.

Please, please make sure your babies are safely and securely strapped into their infant car seats everytime they ride in a vehicle.

Posted in Personal, Physical therapy | 6 Comments »

Annelise in Vegas

March 11, 2012 by ntrillo07

Annelise tagged along to the annual WPPI conference in Vegas this year! She is barely young enough that she got away with attending photography classes with Mommy while Daddy was working at the Life. Camera. Actions. booth. Although Vegas isn’t the first place I think about when I think quality family vacation, there were tons of families there! Annelise is also too young to fully enjoy much when we travel, but I just can’t leave her for that many days yet…I’m still breastfeeding a few times a day and really I’m just not ready to leave my baby overnight, period.
So…I dressed her up really cute because she was going to get to meet some of my relatives on my Dad’s side for the first time the first day we were there. (They happened to be in Vegas celebrating my cousin’s 21st birthday, wonderful coincidence!)

So my sweet baby girl, dressed in her “little black dress” to meet family, my baby that never even spits up on herself, totally blew out of her diaper. And when I mean totally, I mean she had a BATH in a public restroom sink. Luckily, a kind hearted mother of 5 noticed me questioning my next move when I realized this was more than wipes could handle. She helped me bathe my child and went on her way. Thank God for the kindness of strangers. Just that morning I had added an extra outfit to Annelise’s diaper bag…
So much for her cute outfit. Anyway, we finally arrived in Vegas and went to meet my Aunts and cousins! Annelise was a little tired, but loved meeting them and was completely spoiled!

The next day, us girls relaxed in the hotel to catch up on our lives and such. It was a wonderful time and we were so sad to say goodbye!

We stayed at the MGM grand on what happened to be the birthday weekend for Muhammed Ali the boxer. So we stuck around for him to cut his cake. He has a strong presence even at 70.

We didn’t have too much down time, but between classes, I tried to find fun things for Annelise. She didn’t mind posing on a couch for a minute…

Especially because she was then allowed to climb around and play in the mirror!!

While hanging out in the hotel room, Annelise did a little bit of light climbing…

She did a whole lot of napping…Vegas can be overwhelming.

She hung out while we wandered the streets on a photoshoot!

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She fell asleep, though.

We had our picture taken with an M&M!

Sleepy Annelise.

Planet Hollywood brings back memories of the opening in Dubai…

And, where I’d like to take Annelise for real one day.

There are so many beautiful things in Vegas, but I could not pass up this chandelier.

Annelise wasn’t too interested. She was just chilling in her ride.

Virtual library? Very cool.

We enjoyed a busy week learning more, eating yummy food and enjoying some time with friends! Until next time, Vegas.

Posted in Personal, Photography, Travel | 1 Comment »

9 month (plus a few 10 month) photos!

March 10, 2012 by ntrillo07

My sweet baby girl is getting so close to being a year old. I can’t hardly believe it. Literally, I don’t feel like its been a year. Maybe its because time is flying by so fast, or maybe its because I don’t ever seem to have enough time to spend with her between work and keeping this house in semi-working order. I’m really leaning on the saying that housework can wait because my baby growing up doesn’t wait. So if you happen to come over, excuse my house.

Back to the most important subject! This series is a little special, taken over a couple sessions due to time constraints, etc. We shot a couple 9 month photos when she was actually 9 months.

We snuck into her Abuelos’ house for a surprise photo shoot there. She’s just too cute being sneaky!

She has a smile that just lights up her face, the room and my life!

Love the lighting in this shot and my beautiful, curious little girl.

Daddy’s favorite shot of her isn’t from this photoshoot, its from our quick family fun at the park. You might remember this shot… she still loves to walk, with help.

We ended up redoing the “9 month” photoshoot when she was about 10 months, because we finally had time to set aside for it. We took her out to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth for some modern outdoor shots.

It was pretty chilly, but Annelise didn’t mind one bit!

We are just so blessed.

She loves to stand up on anything.

But, that only lasts for so long. She loves to crawl around and really explore when she’s somewhere new-as long as one of us is close by!

It is amazing that this little being came from us. Just love her more than words can describe.

At 9 months, we started noticing her understanding bilingually coming out! She shows being able to wave hello/goodbye and give kisses when asked in either spanish or english. She also seems to know who Mama and Papa are. Still waiting on her first word…do you think that will be in english or spanish!?

Posted in Personal, Photography | 1 Comment »

Pasando tiempo con amigos

March 8, 2012 by ntrillo07

Hace 4 meses que las amigas no juegan….

Pero no importa! Son amigas para siempre!

Y como se divierten juntas!!

En 5 minutos, Annelise quería dar besos a Amparo! Pero también, ella sabe donde esta la camera…

Amparo tiene muchos cariños!! Ella esta un amiga muy especial para Annelise. Cada niña debe tener un amiga como ella!

Las dos les gusta cuando alguien aplauden y mejor cuando es una de la otra!

Annelise tiene mucha suerte de conocer a una amiga tan linda como Amparo! Y creo que ella lo sabe! Tenemos esa foto gracias al Papa de Amparo, Mariano!

Ojalá nos vemos muy pronto! Ya los extrañamos!

Posted in Personal | 1 Comment »

New favorite place.

February 29, 2012 by ntrillo07

Annelise has a new favorite place to play! The very first thing she does is throw all the tupperware (and last few pieces of glass that I haven’t removed yet) onto the floor…

Then she proudly sits herself in her cabinet! Oops, busted!

I just love how much she loves to play in the cabinets, because it means I can still spend quality time with my little girl while I’m doing the endless pile of dishes or cooking dinner every day!