The power of prunes

For indelicate reasons, we fed Ani stewed prunes this morning. In the process, she took on many characters.

First, she looks like a Revlon model sporting the newest lipstick color "Prunella":












Next, she decided to venture into a Charlie Chaplin routine:


Finally, she decided to transform herself into one of her favorite characters, DAD:

'sup?

In reverse

Watch out everyone! Ani's on the road. Ok, just the playground. She's old enough now to enjoy all the great communal toys lying around the village.

Not your average 7 month old

Ani is trying to help her dad understand the intricacies of multilevel statistical modeling. Hmmm...maybe we should start with ABCs.

I just wanna fly....

When she's not scooting across the room --- she has the military crawl down now --- Ani assumes the skydiving free fall position. I get a sore neck just watching her.

Sitting pretty

It's official, Ani is a bonafide sitter. With her long torso and little bottom, Ani has not been inclined to sit but rather has been working on her crawl. She's mastered it now though and is happy to sit and play for almost 3 minutes before getting bored and rolling into her crawl position.

Visit from Bappa and Mimi

Ani's grandparents (named Bappa and Mimi by cousin Dominick) came for a visit. Ani was remarkably chipper all week, giving her grandparents a distorted impression of her day-to-day demeanor. Of course, she cried the whole way home after her grandparents were dropped off at the airport.

Yuck!

We're enduring a case of the Ani diarrhea here at the Bellweathers. Is it a virus, food sensitivity, just teething??? We have no idea and are hoping that whatever it is, it ends soon. Ani's biggest complaint is a sore bottom and she's expressing her displeasure here. She's pretty darn cute about it though. :)

Raindrops on roses....

Here are a few of Ani's new favorite things:

1. DAD. She is over the moon for dad these days. Mom will do if she's hungry enough, but really, it's all about dad.

2. Moving around. She's a semi-crawler of late. She scoots backwards and shifts around in 360 degree circles but can't get very far in a forward motion yet. Still, we're quite proud ;)

3. Breathing fast and furious through her nose. She found she can make some cool noises this way and always gets a laugh from us. See photo for the great face she makes when she does this.

Two teeth

Ani's two center bottom teeth came in recently. Now she can do some serious damage to the furniture and to mom as well :)

I couldn't get a good photo of her teeth so I decided to put this one up instead that was taken by Ani's new friend Pavlina.

I'm so baked....

Here's a cute picture of Ani that one of her babysitters sent us. Sure, she can't read, but she can model the latest in baking fashion.

baby or puppy?

Ani has a couple of teeth coming in and has taken to chewing on our furniture to relieve the pressure.

Sporting a new style

After much consideration, we got a new carrier for Ani to tote her around town. We feel very stylish now, even if mom hasn't put on makeup or brushed her hair in a few weeks ;)

Sweet Potato!

We've started experimenting with solids - rice cereal, bananas, and sweet potatoes. Although they are difficult to capture on camera, the bewildered faces Ani makes are hilarious. Next week is peas... :)

Literary appreciation

She's very advanced... ;O)

Splish Splash!

Here's Ani enjoying her new favorite past time - splashing her feet in the sink. It combines three of her favorite activities: kicking, making a mess, and looking at herself in the mirror.

Hey there Dad!

Ben is in Uganda for a couple of weeks so I'm uploading a photo of Ani every few days so he can keep tabs on her. :)

Ani's new ride

Here's Ani in her new jogging stroller. She's ready to roll......

Good times in Michigan

We have had a great time with family in Michigan. Ani has enjoyed meeting grandparents, great grandparents, and lots of other friends and family. Thanks to all for a wonderful trip!

Ani's Baptism

Ani was baptized on December 17th at St. Patrick's church in Grand Haven, MI. Aunt Jean and Uncle Nate served as her Godparents. It was great to see family and friends for the event!