Anna STILL in her element....

Brent left Anna alone for 2 minutes in her room and this is the result!  She will often sit quietly and look at her books if she's in her room... but not today!  She made a royal mess.  It's one of her very favorite things to do.

My Little Annie

I just had 10 lovely days off with my children.  It was very hard to leave them this morning.  Here are some of the things that are changing with Anna.  Anna is starting to grunt or squeak in the direction of what she wants.  She is verbally cuing her needs, or starting to communicate.  She has been very snuggly and wanting to sit with me.  She has also been very quick to smile.  She really likes snacking.  She will walk over to the shelf, get a fruit pouch, and walk over to me with it in her hands for me to open.  She only gets one a day, but she attempts it more frequently.  She didn’t sit on the floor and cry to be fed at all, she is starting to explore on her own and come up with a solution.  She’s also walking quite well.  She started walking a few weeks ago and already looked seasoned, although Brent says she has a Zombie walk.  She loves to cradle her doll in her arm as she walks.  If her little doll is not around, she will grab a teddy bear, rabbit, anything soft and cuddly will do.  When I lay her down for a nap, she is always grateful to be there.  I give her a Nuk, and she pumps her chest up several times while laying on her back to find the perfect spot, and then her eyes immediately are very heavy.  At bedtime we read stories and she happily sits between my legs as I read.  She often climbs over my legs when our first book is done to grab another, then she climbs back to lean against me again.  Who could resist that?  She gets another story of course!  Anna is a very messy eater.  A lot of meals require an immediate bath, so there is some additional planning required with food choices.  She loves to smear food in her hair which can be a real problem.  She also loves to feed others.  Our dog Marty enjoys it.  But if she is eating and you are near, she will hold it out for you to sample and grunt sweetly, like, “Here, take it!”  Now, there are some bad little habits our dear Annie has.  She is a biter.  She hits too.  She bruised both Alex and I while we were home together with biting.  Last night she smacked me in the face because she wanted to keep brushing her teeth (she loves to brush her teeth!)  The kid doesn’t understand yet that she is hurting people, and I think once she does it will no longer be an issue.  Anna is a sweet baby at heart, and I think it would sadden her to hurt others once she understands.  She eats everything.  Sand, dirt, crayons, toys, whatever she can get her hands on.  She also has no fear.                She loves to swing high, run fast, and fall off of surfaces into your arms.  She is my roller coaster baby.  She loves a good thrill.  My little Anna has stolen my heart with her curls, baby blues, and warmth.  Stolen it forever.