Anna's First Independence Day (at the lake)

It was a packed house up in Lake Geneva for the 4th of July! The entire family, dogs, Rick, Kelly and Sarah all made it up and we had a great time.

There were a few firsts this weekend for the Whelan family: Anna went on the boat for the first time and Billy and I had a date night to our first concert since having the little babe. We went to Summerfest and saw The Fray, while everyone else babysat Anna. We had such a blast.

As always, I've posted a quick video and some pictures of our long weekend up in LG.

Musical Magic

I signed Anna up for a class in our neighborhood that I had heard great things about. It's actually run by a former PR exec that had a child, a change of heart and ultimately, a change in career (sounds familiar).

As it turns out, it is the cutest thing I've ever experienced. What's better than 10 babies in a circle with lots of music, hand puppets, bubbles and instruments? Five years ago I wouldn't have imagined there being anything more annoying in life, but now, with Anna, it's so much fun. I love seeing her socialize (and she is a social butterfly) with other babies, dance to the music, smile and laugh. This class has made me realize just how much of a little person she is becoming and I love being there to share every moment with her.

OH! And, BTW...Anna Bear is SOOO incredibly close to crawling. Anyday now!

Anna's cousin, Brittany, joined us for our second Musical Magic class and I think she had just as much fun as Anna. I've posted some photos and a video of our fun little hour!

CUTEST Baby Ever

I have to post these pictures becuase I just love them. My little Anna is a beauty! And, thank you Uncle AJ and Aunt Maggie for her fabulous shoes!

The First Dip in the Whelan Pool

This past Sunday, Billy, Anna and I visited Grandma and Grandpa Whelan at their home in Libertyville. It was especially exciting this time around becuase it was Anna's first time taking a dip in the Whelan pool. Anna's cousins were surrounding her as she took her first dip. Being as she is SUCH a water baby, she absolutely loved it and didn't want to get out.

I posted a vide below of this momentus occasion!

Billy's First Father's Day

This past Sunday, June 21, was Billy's very first Father's Day and he was more excited to celebrate this day than any other birthday or holiday...it was adorable. I surprised him with a brunch at our favorite place, Deleece, and then we visited the Roscoe Village street festival. It was a beautiful day and the three of us Whelan's hung out all day!

For his Father's Day gift, I got the two of us tickets to see The Fray at Summerfest in Milwaukee on July 4. I'm also working on a painting of Bill and Anna (from Marco Island) and I hope to have that completed by the end of the summer.

Happy Father's Day, Billy. We love you so much!!

Lake Geneva with Anna's First Friend, Addy

Addy and Anna were born on the same day. As it turns out, Bill's childhood friend Jeff and his wife Emily had their first child at Prentice on the same day, on the same hallway as us. The night the girls were born, Bill and Jeff just happened to take a stroll with their new baby girls at the same time and ran into each other. They hadn't talked in years and here they were reuniting with their children in their arms.

The best thing about this entire story is that the Noyes' just happen to live one block from us and Jeff's wife Emily is my age and just absolutely fabulous. As you can imagine, we have become great friends and our daughters enjoy playdates (while the mom's enjoy a few glasses of wine :).

Anna and I took Emily and Addy up to Lake Geneva for the week and had a blast. The weather was beautiful, so we took walks by the lake, played in the pool and just had a great "all girls getaway."

I've posted some photos of the getaway and a video of Anna's first time in her little boat in the Geneva National baby pool. I'm sure we'll be in there many more times before this summer ends. So much fun!

A Beautiful Day in Chicago...

Part of the fun of staying at home with your child are those random days when have nothing planned and you just get to spend time with them. Just the two of you. Loving life and eachother. Anna and I have had our fair share of those days, especially this winter when she was too young and it was too cold to venture outside. But, the best days are here. Warm, beautiful summer days that we get to spend together outside.

We had one of those days and we lived it up in my beloved Chicago. We had a picnic, went for a run, fed some ducks and turtles and soaked up the sun. I've posted some pictures of our adventure in Lincoln Park and the lovely Chicago lakefront. Love it!

A Mommy Update

Since I'm using this blog as sort of a "crude" journal that someday Anna will have to read about her first year (few years), I thought I'd give an update on how and what her mom is up to.

I was recently watching Oprah (which I try to avoid since it plays into the entire "stay-at-home mom" stereotype) and the show was about the truth about motherhood. She interviewed moms from across the country of all different ages and nationalities. Basically, it was a full hour about how horrible motherhood is. These women seemed to hate themselves and their lives, claiming that the children THEY decided to have ruined their lifestyles and their plans.

The truth is, I literally couldn't relate to any of it. I didn't agree with anything they said and came to an amazing realization. Some women are not meant to be mothers and some are. I am one of those women that was put on this earth to be a mom - no questions asked. Granted, I've only been a mom for eight months and have not experienced the teenage years yet, but I've enjoyed everyday of Anna. I never thought I could love something this deeply. I never thought I would sit in my bed each morning with Anna and Bill and feel truly happy looking at my little family. I have no regrets. I have no sadness. I only have happiness and love.

Here's the Mommy Update:

I'm a "stay-at-home" working mother! Yes, I have the best of both worlds. I work from home for an old client. I work when I have time and when my mom and Billy can watch Anna. It's perfect. I'm not making the money I used to, but it all evens out considering we don't have to pay for a nanny. I LOVE staying at home. If I can continue on with the current working situation, I don't think I'll ever go back. I'm here to experience it all and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Okay...I'm not completely honest. There's been one thing about being a mom that I've had a difficult time dealing with, but it has nothing to do with Anna. It's been my struggle with losing my baby weight. I gained 55 pounds during my pregnancy...that's obscene and it's all my fault. I thought (thought is the key word) that i'd lose it in a few weeks (HA!). As all of my other girlfriends' pounds just simply melted away, I was stuck seven months later with an extra 10 pounds. BUT...today I have some GREAT news. After stopping nursing and really sticking to my diet, I'm happy to report that I made it to 135 pounds (only a couple of pounds away from my original weight). I'm BACK BABY!

This is it for this Mommy Update, but there will be more!

Four Generations is a Blessing

I know I already mentioned this in a few posts back, but I wanted to make sure I posted some beautiful pictures of our trip to Houston where Anna met Great Grandma Dorn. We had a wonderful time, but the most amazing thing was not the trip, it was the fact that Anna now has photos that she can always look back at to know that she met her Great Grandma and she was absolutely loved by her!

My First Mother's Day

I woke up Sunday morning (not feeling too hot due to the wedding we went to the night before) to find Billy and Anna standing next to the bed with a huge bouquet of purple iris and a purple gift bag. I opened the bag and the little box inside and was so excited to pull out the necklace that I REALLY wanted...a silver "child" charm necklace with Anna Sophia engraved on one side and her birth date on the other (with an opal on top of the charm). Billy then arranged for a beautiful brunch (just the three of us) at Carnivale in the city. It was truly a wonderful day and Billy thought of everything. It meant so much that he understood how significant a woman's first Mother's Day is

March Madness!

I'm completely going backwards with my posts, but since I'm way behind, I'm now updating the blog on the last few months with as many details as I possibly can. And, who can forget this March...two major events happened - Anna's first St. Patty's Day and UD went to the NCAA tournament. The Whelan family had to celebrate both (heavily) with our new little Anna.

Baby's First Easter

April 12 was Anna's first Easter. We went out to Naperville to G. G. Dorn's to celebrate with the entire family. My Grandma Rita was also celebrating her birthday. We had a great time with my sisters as well. Maggie showered Anna with four adorable new summer dresses and an amazing little bathing suit with a matching hat. My mom put together the most colorful (and artistic) Easter basket with books, stuffed animals, etc.

I've posted pictures of Anna's first Ash Wednesday and Easter.

Anna at the Lake

Anna had her very first experience at Lake Geneva. On a beautiful day, I took her on her first walk along William's Bay...my favorite spot as a kid. It was a surreal experience bringing her there - I couldn't believe that I was now brining my child to the lake.

It was a great Memorial Day weekend (her first) in LG and I've included some pictures and a video to prove it!

It's Been A Long Time

I'm officially the worst blogger in the world. I should have entered in a post a day with all of the wonderful things that have gone on in the past four months. But, part of the reason I haven't posted anything is because we've all been so incredibly busy. So here it is...

Anna is growing so fast...already seven months old! She's a healthy (hasn't been sick once), vibrant, smart and absolutely adorable little girl. What a personality! She is babbling like crazy - ba, da, ma, and others. She turns over all over our living room floor. It seems that this is the way she's getting around now before she starts crawling. I think she'll be crawling in the next few weeks. It's just a matter of her coordinating her movements.

Anna is also giggling (especially when you tickle her under her chin and armpits). But, the best part of her adorable little laughter is you can see her first two teeth perfectly! Yes, her bottom, middle teeth came in about two weeks ago (May 5, 2009). I didn't even know she was teething...no symptoms at all. They're definitely coming in now, though.

We had one little scare when she was six months old. Her little belly button became infected and we had to go to the hospital to get an ultrasound. Everything ended up begin just fine and it healed perfectly, but I was terrified something was wrong internally. I couldn't imagine my little Anna Bear being sick. But, thank god...we didn't have to deal with the worst case scenario.

My little girl officially became a Catholic February 22, 2009. It was a beautiful Christening and an even better party back at our house. Our entire family (Whelan's and Dorn's) came to support us and Anna. It was a memorable experience and a great time for everyone to see Anna.

Two weeks ago, Anna and I (and grandma and grandpa) traveled to Texas to meet Great Grandma Dorn. It was an amazing experience to be able to introduce my Grandma to her Great Grandchild. What a blessing to be able to do that...not many people can say they met their Great Grandmother. Adell fell in love with Anna and was tearful when we had to leave. It was a lovely moment and weekend.

Again, so much has happened in the last few months, so I can't possibly post the hundreds of pictures we've taken. However, I have posted a few of my favorites.