And she's TWO!

There is no better occasion to return to this place of memories than a birthday. Two. Two years since we became a family of five. Two years since they placed our third baby girl into our arms. Two years since the big girls became the big girls. Two. years. old.

Dear, sweet Anna baby... you are a walking, non-stop talking, never-a-dull-moment, notice-everything, engaged-with-life toddler. You wake up with a "Momma, come get the baby!!!" (often referring to yourself as "the baby", much as we still do), followed by "Hey Daddy! Whatcha doin? You shaving?", and then "Good morning, Abby! Good morning, Elise! May I come sit with you in the green chair?". Next it's "Momma, I'm HUNGRY! Can I have a waffle?" and "Look! I have a teeny tiny blueberry". You stopped a stranger on the street, asked her what was in the to-go box she was carrying, and when she told you it was a slice of pie, you're face lit up as you said "Ohhhh, that will be SO delicious!". This stranger then gave you her fresh piece of pie because she was overwhelmed with your response. You walked to the car, carrying the box, saying "Momma, let's go home and eat some pie!". 

Your manners are often pristine, very carefully enunciating "May I have another peanut butter cracker PLEASE" or "Excuse me, Grandpa" (squeezing past to throw away a kleenex) and "When you're done, would you please read a book to me?". You LOVE storytime at the library, galavanting through the house saying "I'm dancing about Michael... I'm so excited about Michael" at the mere mention. Your first toddler mommy-and-me dance class at the Art Center has been a treat, watching you share, participate, take turns, and squirrel around like the "goof goof baby" that you are! (That's what Abby calls you). 

I couldn't choose a favorite food for you because you happily eat it all - just in the past month you FINALLY took a liking to avocado, which makes this momma so relieved. 

You answer nearly all questions with "how come?", such as "Anna, let's put jammies on!"... "How come?"... "Anna, it's time to come to the table!"... "How come?"... "Anna, go pick out two books to read!"... "How come?". Get the idea? Your other favorite phrase is "But how can we do that?" as in "Anna, have good manners for momma while we change your diaper"... "But how can we do that?". It's really quite hard to keep a serious face when you put it that way. ;) 

After a bout with the stomach flu, you had a little lego bird upside down in a little lego bucket, saying "Look! He's getting all the yuckies out of his mouth!". You picked up two stomach bugs just 6 weeks apart, which we didn't see coming as it had been at least 6 months since you'd even had a runny nose. You managed to find the humor in the situation by cracking yourself (and us) up with "Hey Daddy! Knock knock?"... and your punch line response to "Who's there?"  was "PUKE"! During the second round of stomach stuff (23 months old) you got a taste of your first screen time - one episode of Sesame Street. In two years, you have had less than two hours TOTAL of any kind of screen time. I feel so strongly that your ability to play, interact, self-entertain, and communicate are very much a result of that parenting choice. Clearly, like your sisters, you are handling the screen time deprivation just fine. ;) 

You love books, your felt board, coloring, playing with little tiny toys, destroying arranging the dollhouses, watering and rearranging your fairy gardens, building with blocks, drawing with chalk on the driveway, riding in the stroller while I run, snuggling up and reading books with Daddy, dancing and dressing up with Abby and Elise... You are easy to entertain and so very, very entertaining. 

We find ourselves often stifling laughter when you do get angry: if we ask you to clean up, you might drop your toy on the floor, give us your best scowl, and say "She threw it on the floor", again, referring to yourself as "she". More recently, you've become rather fond of the phrase "I will not" instead of just saying "no". Again, quite polite and proper but it is a treat when you say "I will" instead. I thank you for deferring to the serious, silent anger rather than a tantrum. 

A recent conversation between the two of us will forever hold it's place in my mommy memories. 

Me: "Anna, what does Daddy say to you?"

Anna: in a deep Daddy voice "Good night, sleep tight"

Me: "What does Abby say to you?"

Anna: "Good night Anna banana"

Me: "What does Elise say to you?"

Anna: "Good night Anna banana"

Me: "What does Momma say to you?"

Anna: "Goodnight... LAY DOWN!"

I've made a conscientious effort since to silently tuck you back in on those nights when your legs are flailing about through the crib, banging against the wall while you sing yourself to sleep... You love to sing "Mr. Sun" and "The Pina Colada Song" (yes, the one about being caught in the rain).

The relationship between you, Abby, and Elise is amazing. I want you to know that, at two years, your big sisters NEVER get upset with you. And do you know why? Because the second you turn on the tears, any impending battle instantly ends. Abby swoops in at the slightest whimper or reprimand to rescue you. As fast as she might have withheld a prized possession from you, she hands it right over if you show signs of distress. Elise, on the other hand, may not be your knight in shining armor, but if I had a dollar for every time she approaches you and says "Do you know what I need?", which is her way of asking for a squeeze... The mutual love and adoration between you and "the big girls" is just. the. best. 

I referred to you over the weekend as our "grand finale" and you treat everyday as if it is so incredibly grand. We couldn't have a better finale for our five! Happy Birthday, Anna!

Sisters... sweet, sweet Sisters

Anna's 10(ish) month update has to wait a minute. I don't have much experience with big sisters to compare, but let it be known that the two big sisters under our roof are amazing. Make that Amazing, with a capital A. How many little sisters get a personal performance in the mornings, while waiting for breakfast, complete with music, masks, and costumes? If something makes Anna giggle, she gets to enjoy it over and over again because why would one big sister miss out on the fun? Guess who loves books? Oh, that would be the babe AND her big sisters... which means Anna has her own personal readers at her beck and call. Car rides? Always fun when there's a playmate on each side to tickle you, sing to you, and share prized possessions (such as a Han Solo action figure) because anything is better than a fussy babe in the car. We are over 10 months into this baby gig and even on our roughest day, the big sisters shine. John and I were talking the other night and, with the ups and downs of homescooling this year, the bonding that has taken place between Abby, Elise, and Anna is hands-down making it worth every single day. And as I sit here and write this, I want to print it out and post it on the refrigerator as my own personal reminder that we're doing okay. At the end of the day, Elise's messy printing... Abby's insistence on wearing only certain articles of clothing... the disaster behind the couch that was either a fort or a spaceship... the bikes in the front yard... the books in the tree... Elise's boycott of scrambled eggs... Abby's boycott of muffins... none of it really matters. It's so hard some days to see past all of it and to breath. smile. relax. We're doing something right.

Speaking of smiling...

Anna Michele. 10 months already. Right here, right now: PAUSE. I want the "pause" button. As you snuggled in the other day, nursing your way to sleep, I looked at your face and realized that this is a moment in which I want time to stop. You're blowing kisses, saying "bye bye" while waving, pulling to stand, eating whatever we put on your tray, signing "please', "more", "milk", "dog', "ball", "play", "music", "daddy", "all done", "cat", "bird", "tree", and your newest favorite sign: "book". Brown Bear, Brown Bear is your absolute favorite and you also love lift-the-flap books, which you very carefully lift each flap with your precise little pointer finger. You had your first cold, which made for a miserable 24 hours, followed by a viciously grumpy babe for 3-4 days until your top two teeth busted through. Abby and Elise never had any signs of teething; Miss Anna, however, showed us why so many parents talk about teething with grunts and groans and cocktails. Can you say "baby tantrums"? Wowsers. We were elated to see those tiny pearly whites because they were accompanied by the return of your happy face. That happy face of yours absolutely glows under the big sky - you have found such joy from the sky since you were tiny and now it brings you a whole new world of entertainment as the birds, planes, or balloons pass by - you point, you smile, you giggle, your feet kick, and you sign "more please", "more, please". The St. Patrick's day parade was worth the crowds and the cold wind just to watch your face and hear you laugh with every stray balloon that escaped and floated away - you didn't miss a single one. I think Gran and I watched you more than we watched the floats. You are just that, though: totally, completely, and captivatingly watchable. 

A wee 4 months

Dear Tiny Baby,

You are four months old. At your three month check-up, you weighed a whopping 9 pounds, 11 ounces. At your four month check-up, you managed to top the scales at 10 pounds, 2 ounces. While your 23 inches of amazing length has you on the growth chart around the 8th percentile, your weight has dropped below the curve. You. Are. Tiny. Last week, a woman said "Oh my goodness! Your baby looks just like a little pixie!". I love how little you are for so many reasons; I stress about how little you are because, as your food source, I can't help but worry that I'm the cause of your wee-ness. Your sisters were 2 pounds smaller than you at this age - those were our tiny babies. I guess that's what we make around here: teeny, tiny, girls. 

Here's what you should know about your four-month old self: You smile countless times a day. It is a "tickled with the world" kind of smile that makes you tuck your chin, turn your face, and burrow into whoever is holding you... only to peek back out, still smirking. Abby and Elise have both gotten you to giggle. And both times have been while you were lying on the bathroom counter, mid-diaper-change. You are currently a rotten napper, unless you're tucked away in a sling or pouch attached to me. You LOVE to be worn. Nights, however, are lovely - you're in bed anywhere between 7:30-8:30,  you wake around 3:00 and eat, and then sleep again until somewhere between 7:30-8:30 in the morning. Your 3:00 middle-of-the-night feeding often takes place back in my bed and then we just snuggle in for the rest of the night. You LOVE the sky. As soon as we walk outside, your eyes widen, your face softens, and you gaze. You've completed two full sessions of Baby Sing and Sign with Gran. The first month of classes, you slept through part of every class. The second month, you were awake the whole time, smiling and watching. I love teaching these classes - it takes my love to a whole new level to look up and see MY BABY grinning back at me. You mutter. Oh the muttering! If you're hungry or tired, with or without a pacifier in your mouth, you mumble and complain - not crying - just downright muttering. You and the pacifier are friends - it doesn't matter the brand or style, color or size. You'll take it. Although, in the past few days, you've discovered that two of your fingers work pretty well also - never your thumb - just two of your fingers. Abby and Elise have started carrying you around, just in the house and near an adult. They love to walk you to the window or their bedroom, all the while narrating what you might be seeing. Abby did almost drop you today when you spit up all over her. Luckily you don't spit up much or else we might have to put an end to the carrying. The carseat makes you mad sometimes, but if we all sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" you usually settle back down. Elise gets in your face all day long saying "Hello!" or "Hi!" and Abby catches your eye regularly with "Oh, hello doo-doo!". You can thank Daddy for being called "doo-doo", as well as "Anna pants". So far, the big girls have never asked if we can give you back. In fact, I think they grow more fond of you daily. Good thing something around here is growing... :)