Anna T Johnson: Finally an Update on our Banana Bell!

Anna turned 3 on June 11. Where does the time go? This girl is a skilled talker, climber, and is just quick as a whip in general. A lot of it has to do with her keeping up with her idol (big brother Alex). She has started calling him “Alex Bear.”

Some highlights/stories about Anna:

If she sleeps in or has any sleep adjustments she doesn’t nap at daycare and tends to “disrupt” the others. She does not nap at home.

Anna and Alex were given Root Beer Floats for dessert. Alex was really gulping it down and Brent said, “Be careful buddy, you’re going to get a stomach ache.” Alex said, “I’m not going to get a tummy ache!” as he continued to gulp. Anna said, “I’m going to get an Awesome Ache!” in her dreamy, sing-song way when she’s eating something she really enjoys.

Ms. Glory says Anna is the most snuggly kid she’s ever had in daycare. Ever. And she’s been running daycare for over 30 years.

Anna has been fully potty trained, even overnight, for the past 4 months. Unfortunately, her only major accident was on the Alexander’s couch last winter! We went over there for supper. She was in the thick of training and hadn’t had an accident in almost two weeks so I felt comfortable with her in thicker underpants. Well, she wondered off on her own and peed while after climbing up on their couch! I felt just terrible about it and Anna wore a pull up the next time we went over there! Now Anna, like her brother, enjoys pooping in public restrooms. No more worrying about accidents for us! And no more diapers!

Anna has been to two Intro to Dance Classes now. It is a drop-in only commitment and is for 2/3 year olds focusing on ballet and tap. There is no recital; it is just intended to see if your kid likes it…. Well, Annie does! She was walking around the house yesterday morning on her tippy toes with her arms stretched high overhead and touching fingers. I asked what she was doing and her reply was, “Trying to catch the Stars!” There are only 2 other girls in the class. Their names are Ella and Annabelle. Ella is the youngest girl and the teacher’s niece. The teacher is Miss Angie and mommy goes to Zumba with her.

Anna eats continuously and tends to get into the fridge by herself for snacks. Naughty!

Anna has started singing. She sings Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star; ABC’s; Three Blind Mice; Frozen songs; and made up songs. Her voice is very sweet and she gets shy pretty quickly when you call attention to her.

Anna tends to randomly exhale loudly, making a puffing sound (just like Mommy).

Anna had a sleepover recently with Baby Rosie for her birthday. She was very pleased to see Rosie but was quickly leery of her when she noticed the attention Rosie was getting from her Alex Bear and mommy. She was often watching Rosie interact with us like, “Why are You getting all their attention.” Jealously was rearing its ugly head! Despite these moments, the girls got along well. My favorite memories were our trips to the park. I put both girls in the bike trailer and they just chatted the entire way, snuggling into one another. Anna also has a tendency to randomly stroke Rosie’s back when they are eating.

Anna loves all things girly. Her favorite colors are pink and purple. She loves shoes and dislikes socks (good thing it’s finally warm out!)

Anna consistently wants Mac-n-Cheese when we eat out.

Anna loves to sit on top of the dining room table when we are playing games or working on projects. Brent and I just adore it.

We have this game called BeanBozzled. It is a Jelly Belly game that mixes in fowl flavors with their regular ones. For example, you spin a wheel and land on either Lawn Clippings or Lime depending on which one you choose (they look identical). Anna kept landing on Skunk Spray or Black Licorice. The kid showed NO reaction to the Skunk Spray. I just asked her if I could smell her mouth (gross I know) and was bowled over because it was definitely Skunk Spray and she was just eating it merrily! What a silly, cute kid!

Anna enjoys being topless.

A few weeks back we went to dinner at the Philips house. The Naidu family was also there. Anna is familiar with the Naidu’s and loves Abbey. She quickly warmed to the Saramma and Preethy as well. When it was time to leave she gave great big hugs to Abbey and all the women. She looked into the living room at Christy, Ashok, and Vjay (3 Indian men) and said, “Mom, I don’t want to hug the boys!” I just started laughing and said “Honey, I’m not hugging the boys either!” That exchange got a good laugh! Anna really charmed everyone!

Anna was recommended to go directly to Fat Free milk at her 3 year check-up. Normally doctors recommend dropping from whole milk to 2% at her age. I just started laughing because Anna skipped the whole milk stage altogether and went directly to 2% at 1 year old after finishing up with formula. The doctor reviewed her growth chart and said, “Yes, Anna has always trended at solid, but I’m not worried about her weight. She’s obviously healthy.” The “solid” comment got another giggle from mom.

Anna has a bright, shining light inside of her that everyone can see. She is welcoming, loving, and kind. She is also feisty and stubborn so I am not intending to paint the picture of a perfect child. She is perfectly Anna.