All Things Elina- The Anker Fam·i·ly

Greatful For:

Our Daughter Elina
My Dear Husband
Friends - Near and Far
Family - Near & Far

All Things Elina

In no particular order and updated often:

She still loves to dance just before nighttime!
She loves to take long showers, sometimes two big people like ones – I take one with her then daddy takes one, and to get her out we just gotta turn off the shower
Then she runs upstairs for bunny
She loves a hot shower – really a hot hot shower
She picks which tooth brush she’d like to brush with nightly – the Tigger one or the Flinstone one – most often, its Fred Flintstone!
She’s got a big heart
She’s empathetic – feels what you feel!
She likes to take the same route to daycare
She loves the city transit
She loves broccoli stems (sometimes asks me to eat off the top and give her the tree part)
She’s got wild hair
When did we stop having to burp her?
According to Elina …. All trains go to Oshawa
According to Elina …. All planes go to Thunder Bay
She keeps on asking to return to St. Lucia
She then says, why don’t we go to Cuba?!
When did she start to like icecream?
When did she start to like and eat chocolate?
Where did she learn about lolipops?
Daddy’s doing a great job teaching Elina some Norwegian – she knows about 40+ words!!
She still loves toast with peanut butter or some waffle/french toast for breakfast
With daddy she eats cheese and bread, actually, she’ll eat anything daddy eats!
She loves Dora
She knows a few words in spanish- thanks to Dora – who, did I mention she really loves
She’s going on a vacation after Christmas – someplace hot like “Cuba”
Her best friends are Dean and Connor, she has a few best friends at daycare, Madison and Ronan, and mostly has boy friends.
Daddy picks her up and they take a bus home together, mommy drops her off at daycare.
She doesn’t like to talk on the phone
She walks to daycare now – no stroller
She moved from her toddler bed to a big bed, a daybed from Ikea.
Colors…hmmm…I think she’s yanking our chains…she goes through all colors of the rainbow sometimes, and 75% of the time gets the right color…yes, she’s yanking my chain
She wears some size 4
She no longer fits size 24 months
She loves Japanese food – well sort of – not the sushi in particular – but the edamame beans (soy beans), miso soup, teryaki chicken, rice, veggies, etc.
Oh my gosh, she’s detail oriented, likes to have things in a specific way – i.e. take off bottle lid at bedtime and place it in a quite specific spot on her bedside table!
She still hasn’t got her colors down packed.
I asked her the other day as we were getting ready to go out “what’s that noise?”, (and the funice just kicked in – turned on ) to which she replied .. “its the furnace…” – like Hello!!!
Fine tunes into sounds and her surrounding – looking at birds and spiders and towers and such!
Straightened my hair the other day, she asked if she could touch it, which she did, and then said I like it – amazing eh? The processes in her little developing brain!!
If the old wives tale of…measuring at 2 years of age and doubling that to be an approximate height at her peak, Elina will be 6 feet tall (186 cm) The myth says a bit more for boys and a little less for girls! Wowzie!!
She’s finally getting two more teeth, bringing her entire total to 14 teeth!!
Her red wagon is been wonderful to transport her back and forth to daycare
Her cousins in Norway sent her a watch, a cow watch which she lllllllllloves
She’s got long bangs, and only occasionally lets me put ponies or barrets in her hair
At 2 years old she still has only 12 visible teeth – she’s got a 13^th poking through the top, one of those eye teeth – Ped. says not to worry as it could only indicate that they will only fall out later and for us, only 12 teeth to try to brush!!
She calls a muffin a “fuffin”
She calls her daddy – Herman sometimes, and I quickly correct her
She loves icecubes!(broken small enough for her to eat them safely)
She still walks on her tippy-toes
Her first complete sentence – “Mommy I need a pooooon” (spoon).
She makes circles in the elevator when we’re going up or down
She wiggles when she walks and runs
She head butts the cats to say hello – just like cats do to humans
She says oi!!
She signs the “change diaper” sign – helpful!! (taps diaper area)
She repeats daddy’s “yea yea yea”
She puts hands on cheeks and say “Oh Nooooo!!”
She still helps setting the table
She still takes 3 bottles a day am, at nap at daycare and to bed! – hey…milk, isnt’ it good for you.
She loves to brush her teeth, calls the toothbrush – “bee” “bush”
She loves to hug trees
She stops to smell the flowers
She loves Dean
She loves Raffi!! – Baby Beluga, Banana Phone and “I’ll always come up with I love you…yaya ya yaya yaya yayaya”
When she hears a song she likes, she’ll listen to it again and again and again!!
Sleeping wonderfully!
Hard to hear at difference between – please, cheese and juice
She loves her Dadddeeee – even calls me (her mommy, Dadddeeee!
She loves her gramma!!!
She doesn’t like candy!
She travelled well, added Cuba to her passport (already contains Norway)
She’s a little chatterbox, saying the cutest things!
She’s still a very picky eater!
She loves her green veggies – broccoli, spinich, beans, and asperagus
She loves mommy’s supper juice – organge and grapefruit mixed
She loves broccoli – its the stem first then the tree part
She loves a bit teaspoon of peanutbutter
She’s growing up tooooo fast!!!
Her mommy fell last week and twisted her ankle – right after dropping her off – thank goodness!
She’s fully recovered from the gastro thing..
When we pack (on backpack) from daycare to subway station – she likes to touch all the “trees” (honestly…she says and makes the sign for trees then wants to actually touch them.
She said a 3 word sentence the other week – “Mama, more cracker”
Her staple diet – crackers
She still doesn’t like meat
I have tricked her into eating small pieces of ham and liver paté if you could believe
She eats with a spoon and a fork.
She alternates between showing us animals in books by making the appropriate sound or actually naming the animal – One day, Ruff Ruff, one day Dog!
She still goes to bed quite easily, eat, video, play, tubby, bottle, dance, lights out!!
She’s a fantastic subway rider
She sings and finishes the ends of songs. Mom – “Twinkle Twinkle Little…” – Elina “STAAR!”
She’s a year and a half – 18 months!
She says “aash” for something yukky (norwegian phrase)
She sometimes says “nei” to any question
She says “no” to any question
She says 3 word phrases, i.e. “mama more cracker”
She finishes the following…Old McDonald had a farm, with E,I,E,I,O
She put out her own light when its time to go to sleep – putters in her bed, in the dark for about 15-20 minutes before falling to sleep
She’s eating alot better
She’s ticklish on her belly
She sleeps now consistently from 7:30 to 7:30, give or take an hour or so at the end
She still is a climber
She knows when she’s not supposed to be doing something
She knows cat, cow, sheep, dog, fish sound
She talks – babbles her own little language
During tubby, she doesn’t mind the water, blows bubbles in the water and lies on her belly and back occasionally!
I measured her at 82 cm today (she grew 6 cm since her 12 month appointment)
She said “nei nei nei” (Norwegian for no no no!!)
She takes directions easily – “go give this to Pappa” and she does
She’s sleeping through the night better and better – had a little adjustment with the daylight savings time fall back in time
She lost little tickle bunny – it was left on the subway this week
She walks down the stairs (holding onto railing) but in the standing position (not crawling down the stairs)
She still has only 6 teeth
She’s doing a few more baby signs – “thank you” (hand from under chin and opening towards you), “bird” – (kind of like making a little beak with your thumb, index and middle fingers at your mouth), “cat” (outlining whiskers) to name a few
She llllllllllllloves her Ticklebunny (she’s got both – the little one travels!)
Her favorite funny sign is “crazy in the head” – it should have been “hat” in sign (tapping the head”) but she says it sometimes at the oddest times -it just fits!
She’s said many many words, numerous to mention – she’s a little copycat!
She did the motions to “You Do the Hokie-Pokie”
She’s Ojibway and Norwegian, guess that makes her “Ojiborwegian”
She’s beginning the “jiggerish” talk
She threw her first temper tantrum in the mall today!!
She liked the sound of fallen leaves under her feet
She’s got 8 teeth – in varying degrees of growth (and that I can see)
She’s continuing with the jibberish talk
She uses sign language
She loves dogs – which she calls puppies
She loves to dance to music
She still loves Baby Einstein!
She still wakes once in the night – sleeps through the night once a week (thank goodness)
She’s stood for 31 seconds the other day – still not walking!
She’s still a bit of a picky self-eater
She’s not starting wholemilk yet, perhaps in a few more months!
She’s eaten eggs, peanutbutter, strawberries without any problems
She loves to make spittywet “raspberries”
She swam in the north sea
She has a passport
She is taking swimming lessons
She loves the water
She did the “sign” for Milk
She loves to dance to music
She loves to sing to music
She loves to feed herself
Her favorite food is cheese
Her other favorite food is cheese!
She’s hit her head so many times from her “cruising” (walking along furniture)
She loves to picnic – and play with her stroller
I’m sure she said “cat” today
She’s love to copy what your doing – today she was clucking her mouth
She gives the cutest kisses
She’s understanding “No” – she’s been pulling at the cable and telephone cords on the wall
She loves to look at herself in the mirror
She’s learning to walk with her new walker toy!
Her first sign was … “more” and “together” and she reacted first to “milk”
She uses baby sign language using american sign language
She stood alone while I was at work
She still loves being with her friend Connor
She still loves Baby Einstein tapes…
She’s got the cutest little fake laugh
She’s cruising – and has bonked her bean (hit her head) several times after falling
She crawls up a storm
She still takes one bottle in the middle of the night – sigh!!
She crawls – on all 4′s
She signed “bubbles”
She pushes the buttons to operate our elevator (knows #4)
She recognizes areas now..i.e. the park, then gets all excited
She loves the swing
She loves birds, dogs, other kids
She babbles and sings – ALL THE TIME
She loves to stand in the crib
She crawled on Mothers Day and her 9th month date
She seems to like feeding herself – more chunky food
She’s back to not eating well again
She’s beginning to love cereals!
She still hates fruit!
She still loves sweet potatoes, everything I give her must be disguised in sweet potatoes
She loves the swing in the park
She likes to share her toys with other friends, but mostly like her other friends stuff!
She says “mama”, “dada”, “baba”, alot of gurgling and baby noise…
She still rolllllls, but has been tucking legs under belly but not going much further than that
She rollllllllls, anywhere and everywhere.
She’s tried peas, beans and loves pears!
She doesn’t like carrots anymore (always comes back up and I have stained two favorite shirts in bright orange)
Her favorite toys are the Luckson Cuddly Rabbit, the Lamaze Bright Friends Collection: Freddie the Firefly, and Lamaze Bright Friends Collection: Lamaze: Trotter the Pony
She loves to sing! Shania Twain is her favorite singer…really…I’ll show you sometimes how she reacts to her “UP” song
She’s gone through to squash and carrots – loved them both!
She started her first “solid” food – sweet potato today – Feb 26, 2004
She attend baby & mom yoga
She’s signed up for Salsa baby (& mom) dance lessons
She loves playing with her feet!
She has started eating cereal (January 31, 2004)
She has a new car seat (grown out of first one) – an Eddie Bauer 3-In-1 Car Sea(good till 80 pounds) (hers is blue and black)
A second tooth is slowly coming through her gums
She sits up unassisted, still a little floppy but finding her balance…slowly!
She has a new stroller – a Zooper Air Walk
She has her first tooth – Dec 26
She razzes (burring wet sound with lips)
She has and uses a Jolly Jumper
She almost sits up on her own
She sucks her thumb – it used to be all 4 fingers but she’s decided on just one thumb!
Her nick name is Ellie, or Snippa, or Princess Ellie or Snippa when she’s fussy!
Elina means…”Shining light”
She points with her pointer fingers – really
She burps like she means it
The nurses called her “Blueberry” in the hospital – they were in season and she was bluish (due to bruising) when born!
She likes her gums rubbed (early teething I suppose)
She laughed out loud
Her eyes will probably be brown
Her hair is brown
She’s bottle fed
She can lift her head slightly and move it from side to side! – just like the book says she could do at this time
She grunts when waking up or just as she’s falling to sleep
She squeels after eating
She hiccups
Her belly button is an “outie”
Her belly button turned into an “innie”
She needs a napkin or tissue when eating, she likes to drool a bit
She likes music – Mozart for Babies especially
She doesn’t mind noise while sleeping
She talks up a storm – favorite saying…”a gaa blue blug”
She ate every 3 hours until 10.5 weeks!
She sleeps in her own room
The walls in her room are Blue – Williamsburg Blue by Benjamin Moore
She likes to sleep in onesies (tshirt)
She doesn’t mind car rides
She hates car rides
She is getting better at liking them again
She likes her cats Peps and Daisy
She’s getting a second chin
She has a small third chin
Her daddy speaks norwegian to her
She already has her first boarding pass – flight from Thunder Bay to Toronto
She makes 100′s of faces
She was born 3 weeks and 4 days early
Tries to sit up!! – LIke she’s doing the 100′s in pilates!
Pulls herself into sitting postion with help of mom or dad (holding up hands)
Pulls herself into standing postion with lots of help of mom or dad (holding up hands), then being supported with leg or knee (not as “contorted” as it sounds)
Recognizes her mommy and daddy’s voice and turns toward that sound
She’s found her hands and finds they taste better than any stuffed animal or baby rattler available
She’s finally content while awake – loves to lie down and talk with us and herself
She easily gained the “birth weight” within the 2 weeks she was supposed to
She’s tripled her birth weight with four months!