As you have probably noticed, Will and I have not been good about updating the blog lately. I guess you could say there are other things we'd rather do with our evenings...you know, important stuff, like watch Anna grab the dog's tail, watch Anna try to crawl (not there yet - but very close, "army crawling" and starting to get the coordination between arms and legs; she also spends ALOT of time on all fours rocking back and forth), stack baby cups with Anna, enjoy the spring weather walking with Anna, and ... well, you get the picture. Anna, Anna, Anna. It seems like she's changing and doing new things each day.
I credit Anna with two words at this point -- both "mama" and "dada". "Mama" started about a week and a half ago, and "dada" started on Friday. Interestingly, Will himself hasn't witnessed "dada" yet -- I heard it over the baby monitor early Friday morning, and the woman who watched Anna that day said Anna was saying it all day. Still trying to convince her to say it to her "dada" though!
Yesterday, Anna mastered getting a baby puff/cheerio into her mouth on her own. She'd been working on it for a few days, and liked to eat them when I helped her get them in her mouth. Now, she can actually pick the puff up off her highchair tray and get it into her mouth, gum it, and swallow it all on her own. Today she ate EIGHTEEN of them all on her own. Pretty impressive considering she couldn't eat a single one two days ago.
So, hope you all will continue to be patient with us as our blogging lags...counting puffs eaten and coaxing "dada" out of here take alot of time and energy!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
They Grow Up So Fast
"They grow up so fast." How many times have I heard a parent, grandparent, or other older relative or family friend say this? Truly, if I had a dime for every time I've heard that expression, Anna's college fund would be fully funded. I would not have expected to be the parent who says, "they grow up so fast." But, they do.
This week we passed April 15th - not just tax day, but also Anna's seventh month mark. Seven months. Anna barely resembles the tiny newborn that we brought home early last fall. Her head wobbled to & fro and her legs were so skinny that her socks would just slip off. We guarded her from the dog's curiousity & licks and took extra precautions to make sure that she was asleep on her back in her bassinette or crib.
Today Anna is a bright & curious 7 month old little girl. She has two pearly teeth and is enjoying exploring solid foods. She sits unsupported; plays with toys and babbles constantly. She seeks out the dog, fingers her claws, pulls on her ears, & giggles when she gets a lick in the face. She doesn't like to be rocked before bedtime anymore & falls asleep on her own. She sleeps on her back, her side, & her tummy. (Sometimes, I think she does jigs in her sleep, riverdancing from one end of the crib to the other.) Anna's once-skinny, little legs are no more. Today her legs puff out of her diaper on one end & stuff themselves into her socks on the other, resembling giant sausage links.
I acknowledge that this maturation & these strides toward independence are only the beginning. I know many of you have experienced all of this with your own children & grandchildren. Though, until it's your own "growing up too fast" or "growing like a weed" you don't really know just how amazing all those strides really are.
Around 3 am, in the quiet darkness between Friday night & Saturday morning, Anna awoke. She's typically sleeping through the night so this was not the norm. She cried out from her crib & I went to her. As I rocked her back to sleep, I realized she wasn't being the fidgety little girl that I'm accustomed to trying to rock. She was not anxious to be put down. Rather, she laid, her head nestled into my elbow, and let me rock her back to sleep. I sat with her for about half an hour, rocking her slowly, in the quiet darkness of her room. For 30 minutes, that tiny little baby was back. Well, except for the fact that she weighs 17 pounds, is 27 inches long & now takes at least two hands to hold!!
This week we passed April 15th - not just tax day, but also Anna's seventh month mark. Seven months. Anna barely resembles the tiny newborn that we brought home early last fall. Her head wobbled to & fro and her legs were so skinny that her socks would just slip off. We guarded her from the dog's curiousity & licks and took extra precautions to make sure that she was asleep on her back in her bassinette or crib.
Today Anna is a bright & curious 7 month old little girl. She has two pearly teeth and is enjoying exploring solid foods. She sits unsupported; plays with toys and babbles constantly. She seeks out the dog, fingers her claws, pulls on her ears, & giggles when she gets a lick in the face. She doesn't like to be rocked before bedtime anymore & falls asleep on her own. She sleeps on her back, her side, & her tummy. (Sometimes, I think she does jigs in her sleep, riverdancing from one end of the crib to the other.) Anna's once-skinny, little legs are no more. Today her legs puff out of her diaper on one end & stuff themselves into her socks on the other, resembling giant sausage links.
I acknowledge that this maturation & these strides toward independence are only the beginning. I know many of you have experienced all of this with your own children & grandchildren. Though, until it's your own "growing up too fast" or "growing like a weed" you don't really know just how amazing all those strides really are.
Around 3 am, in the quiet darkness between Friday night & Saturday morning, Anna awoke. She's typically sleeping through the night so this was not the norm. She cried out from her crib & I went to her. As I rocked her back to sleep, I realized she wasn't being the fidgety little girl that I'm accustomed to trying to rock. She was not anxious to be put down. Rather, she laid, her head nestled into my elbow, and let me rock her back to sleep. I sat with her for about half an hour, rocking her slowly, in the quiet darkness of her room. For 30 minutes, that tiny little baby was back. Well, except for the fact that she weighs 17 pounds, is 27 inches long & now takes at least two hands to hold!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Anna's Baptism
Finally getting around to sharing some pictures from Anna's baptism.
Anna was baptized on Valentine's Day, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, here in Chicago. We were very fortunate to share this day with Anna's Godparents, Uncle Joe and Aunt Jennifer, along with Grandmomma. We're grateful they were able to make the trip to celebrate this special occasion, and the rest of our family was definitely in our thoughts.
Anna wore a gown that I wore, along with my mom and grandma. It was probably worn by babies prior to that, we're just not sure who or when.
The baptism itself was scheduled to begin when Anna usually takes her afternoon nap, but she held up pretty well -- a little bit of fussing at the very beginning, but she cheered up and did well with the water and oil!
Anna was baptized on Valentine's Day, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, here in Chicago. We were very fortunate to share this day with Anna's Godparents, Uncle Joe and Aunt Jennifer, along with Grandmomma. We're grateful they were able to make the trip to celebrate this special occasion, and the rest of our family was definitely in our thoughts.
Anna wore a gown that I wore, along with my mom and grandma. It was probably worn by babies prior to that, we're just not sure who or when.
The baptism itself was scheduled to begin when Anna usually takes her afternoon nap, but she held up pretty well -- a little bit of fussing at the very beginning, but she cheered up and did well with the water and oil!
Monday, January 25, 2010
A late 4 month update, and a few of Anna's favorite things
Things around here have been pretty hectic the last few weeks, but I'm finally getting around to sharing Anna's 4 month stats. Anna weighed in at 13 pounds, 8 ounces and 24 inches last week -- putting her right at the 50th percentile for both weight and length. I suppose you could call that "average", although I, of course, think she's much better than average!
Anna has started rolling over, although she's not doing it often...she seems to really like lying on her side, so her motivation to roll all the way over is lacking. She's also VERY talkative -- rumor has it she takes after Will in taht regard.
A few pictures of her other favorite pasttimes....
Reading lots of books with mom and dad:
Laughing, especially at silly songs and noises:
Anna has started rolling over, although she's not doing it often...she seems to really like lying on her side, so her motivation to roll all the way over is lacking. She's also VERY talkative -- rumor has it she takes after Will in taht regard.
A few pictures of her other favorite pasttimes....
Reading lots of books with mom and dad:
Laughing, especially at silly songs and noises:
Doing "crunches" by pulling herself up on anything she can reach:
Grabbing at her toys, especially the frog on her bouncy chair that plays a song when you pull the handle -- she's definitely learned that when she pulls it, the song plays, and we are hearing that particular song ALOT lately...
Sunday, January 24, 2010
One step at a time
Sometimes I think about what Anna will be like as she grows up. What kind of person - toddler, adolescent, teenager, adult - will she be?
But, what does all of this have to do with Anna. Seeing this lone girl made me wonder ... will Anna be that girl? What if Anna is the fat girl with braces that the other kids make fun? What if Anna is the awkward girl with glasses & acne that no one talks to? What if Anna is that girl? If Anna were that girl, I hope that Traci & I are smart enough to realize and wise enough to instill in her the strength to hold on to her confidence.
What if, though, Anna is one of the other girls who makes fun of the fat girl or doesn't talk to the awkward girl? Then what? Oh, boy. One step at a time. Maybe I should just focus on the perfect four month old who's learning to roll over, blow spit bubbles, and developing an appreciation for board books at bedtime.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)