15 months

Where do I even begin with Anna's 15-month update... Should it come as a surprise that, already, I can hardly get a word in edgewise with you?? Sun up to sun down, sweet baby. You talk more than any little person I've ever known. 

You say "no" when you mean it and you smile and say "nooooo" when you mean yes; you say "dee do" (thank you) when given a book, food, or a kiss; when asked what you like to see at the library, you smirk and say "shimp" (shrimp), as watching the shrimp in the fish tank tickles you pink; upon entering a room, you announce yourself with a loud "hellloooooo", which is often followed by one of your fave phrases: "I'm coming!" or "Here you go!"; it's adorable when you call out "Lulu" (Lucy) or "Tah-lie" (Charlie); you love saying "one, two, threeeee!" but can fill in any of the numbers between one through ten if we count together and pause for you to say what is next; current favorite books include Over in the Meadow, Polar Bear Polar Bear, Mary Wore Her Red Dress, and Row Row Your Boat; you can name every animal in Polar Bear and you "read" most of Mary Wore Her Red Dress like this: "Mary wore red dress, red dress, red dress... Mary wore red dress all day long"... You, like your sisters, are a testament to early literacy...

We love listening to you sing "Tinkle, tinkle little star" as well as "Baa, baa black sheep, how do you do?" (your own rendition of the song...); you love to say "poop" every time you potty or if you actually need to use the bathroom, which you are doing inconsistently- when we flush the toilet and you say "bye bye poo-poo", it would be nice if you'd stop blowing a kiss to the disappearing waste but in general, we do very much appreciate how lovey you are; speaking of goodbyes, you always say "bye bye daddy" to everyone, which is usually cute but sometimes awkward when strangers hear you say that to the 50-something man at the grocery store. As I said, sun up to sun down, your cute little mouth is busy.

Your 15-month self ADORES your sisters and you spend a lot of time toddling to their room during the day, throwing up your hands as you look at me and say "Abbelise???". And then I try and avoid breaking down when I say "they're at school". Sidenote: we are all transitioning well. Elise hasn't looked back once. Abby thinks school should only be Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with four-day weekends. Wise beyond her years... But you do miss your sisters and, from the moment we pick them up, you want them to be looking at you, talking to you, touching you, playing with you. 

(First day of second grade)

You eat great, you sleep great, you're healthy as can be... walking and running... talking and singing...you have 12 teeth... 25th percentile for weight... and 110th percentile for personality, according to my chart. 

Belated Birthday THANK YOU!

I always pictured myself following the cookie-cutter kids pattern: have a baby... wait a year and a half or so... have my second (and last). Abby and Elise annihilated that mold by coming as a pair, which in turn, for the sake of our sanity, made us decide to wait a bit longer before considering another. Now the anticipated 2-year gap became almost 6 years and instead of the final babe being #2, she was #3. Cookie-cutter DESTROYED. 

And it's amazing. Abby and Elise perfectly compliment one another in their relationship with Anna: Abby often nurtures; Elise entertains. They hold her hands together for ring-around-the-rosy; they tag-team reading books or rolling the ball to give the other one a break while I switch laundry. And somehow over the past year as they entertained and nurtured, they kept growing... and then suddenly July arrived and they turned SEVEN. 

As we rapidly approach the start of their second grade journey and first year in public school, my very belated birthday thoughts to these two can be simply stated in two words: "thank you". 

Thank you, Elise, for the amazing Padme Amidala costumes, for the crossed-eyes-tongue-sticking-out-make-the-baby-laugh faces, for taking ownership of one of my favorite hats, for playing your piano recital song as fast as you possibly can (perfectly), for doing countless cartwheels inside the house regardless of how many times you were told to stop, for always wearing a bow/headband/braid and sparkly shoes, for stating that "Anna will probably read early because Abby and I read to her all the time unlike us - we had nobody", for announcing every song that comes on the radio in the car because you can see the screen and Abby can't, for checking the weather before you get dressed every.single.day even in the summer when it's the same every.single.day. Thank you, Elise.. for everything... I love you.

Thank you, Abby, for confidently starting your first day of Jedi Academy with a single braid in true Anakin fashion, for always saying "good morning" to Anna first and then letting the dog out while I'm still in bed, for thinking the greatest haircut you ever received was the day the hairdresser straightened your beautiful curls, for writing notes that say "this beer is quite delishis" in beautifully decorated letters, for still believing that the cure to a hard moment is a familiar lap and a squeeze, for wanting to start a stuffed animal babysitting club, for playfully saying "are you tickling me?" when in actuality, Anna is painfully digging her toes into your arm in the car, trying to get a rise out of you. Thank you, Abby... for everything ... I love you. 

Over the past year, you two soared through dance class, art class, drama class, and piano lessons. You made friends with ease in our Wednesday homeschool group - exploring parks, learning about farm life, and springing around gymnastics like a couple of gazelles. You performed on a stage at least 3 different times without the slightest glimmer of nerves; rather you shone as bright as I could have ever imagined my babies would. And not a single day passed that, if the award for "best sister ever" was being given, you both would have received it. Happy belated 7th birthday, girls. Public school is about to be ROCKED by you both!

Birthday Baby

Let it be known that on May 19th, 2015... the eve of Anna's first birthday... I did not cry. I remember crying the night before Abby and Elise turned one. It was a wave of emotion that I didn't expect (I'm sure John wasn't surprised by the tears)... a wave of excitement, sadness, anticipation, and love. This time it felt different. Not better-different; not worse-different. Just different. And that's what I've learned over the past year - all of my babies... all girls... all passionate... all intelligent... all beautiful... all mine... yet so very, very different. 

Anna - you love balloons. And your face was priceless on your birthday morning when you woke up to your sisters' smiing faces and a balloon.

You are the most animated, engaging, imitative, and social baby that I know. You wave to strangers big and small, say "Hiiiii" and now "Hi-low" ("hello"), and flash an amazing 6-tooth grin.

At 18 pounds, 6 ounces you are crawling and cruising, eating with a fork, and adding new words and signs daily. Abby made a list of all of your current signs... she counted almost 30. Those signs, combined with your spoken words and your over-the-top expressions, make you incredibly communicative. You are a pro with the word "no", you've tossed your fair share of food on the floor, and when you're crabby (which is rare), it's no secret. The times we've used a stern voice with you, your bottom lip and teary eyes are show-stopping. Some of your big sisters' favorite tricks include doing the following when asked: "show your teeth", "raise your hand", "give me a kiss", "say "HELLO", and "show us your cheesey face". You are in the super-cheesey, nose-scrunching smiling phase right now and you aren't stingy with it. 

Favorite books include "What a Wonderful World", all of the Llama, Llama little library books, and "The Belly Button Book", which we had to teach you so you could refer to your belly button as "bee-bo", just like your sisters did. Favorite foods incude... all of them. Last night for dinner you ate salmon and part of a veggie burger, asparagus, cauliflower, grapes, and some tasty Wheatfields bread with goat cheese on it. You still breastfeed whenever you want (thankfully your biting phase only lasted about a week) but you took to whole milk on the first taste. 

You... my charming, personable, life-of-the-party baby... were the greatest gift of all on your birthday. And the one lucky cousin, two adoring sisters, and SEVEN loving grandparents who surrounded you for the big #1 would absolutely agree! 

In the past 365 days, I was there to nurse you and rock you and kiss you at bedtime 363 of those nights. And I wake up every morning eager to see your little face peeking up over your crib. Happy FIRST birthday, Anna!  

11 months... and then some!

April? Hello? Are you there? Apparently April has already come and gone. Really? That also means that 11 months has come and gone. Anna - stop. getting. bigger. Freeze time. Right here and right now. You are beyond amazing. 

Here's a quick rundown, because at the rate it takes me to complete a blog, I need to get started on your ONE YEAR update. Cry. me. a. river... You have 6 teeth, you're pulling up onto your knees everywhere as well as pulling to stand (the big sisters' chairs are your favorite in-house jungle gym), recent favorite foods include blueberries, grilled salmon, meatballs, and whole wheat toast, and we can hardly keep up with your repertoire of signs which now includes "owl", "bear", "Gran", "Momma", "stop", "swing", "mouse", "eat", "cow", "elephant", "flower" - of this list, "owl" is almost too cute for words, you sign it multiple times a day, and it's always accompanied with "whooo, whooo", in the sweeeetest little voice. The theory that youngest children are late talkers because older sibs talk for them? Doesn't apply to you. Your mouth goes all day long and includes "Baba" (Abby), "Lis" (Elise), "Lana", "Bapa" (Grandpa), "all done", "up", "more", "Pop!", "ball", "work", "no", "Hi", "go", "nana" (milk) and "Anna", which you say so clearly in your little voice that you risk either of your sisters or me eating you up when say it. You are one of the most imitative babies I've met - whether it's a new sign or a spoken word or a playful motion in a song, you consistently make an attempt to reproduce it right away. 

We love our dog. We really, truly do. But she's a Vizsla in every way and she is often invading someone's personal space, to which we often say "Go!". So now you think the dog's name is "Go" and that's what you say when you see her. Poor Charlie...

Happy ELEVEN months, Anna! Your big sisters and I are looking forward to doting on you all summer long! We thank you for your patience and good morning naps over the past months, allowing the big girls to ROCK first grade in ways that I never imagined possible. You have endured countless math, reading, science, and history lessons, entertaining yourself army crawling around the living room, pulling books from the bookshelf, possibly consuming a few scraps of paper, and providing us with reasons to smile every step of the way. You have no idea how good you've been for all of us.

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. 

February: the calm after the storm

So, apparently in the world of homeschooling, January can be hell. And I think I would have to agree. After 2+ weeks without a routine in the same setting as where school happens, finding our way back to structure and routine was somewhat of a challenge. "Get dressed? Why?!?!?!?!"... "Addition and subtraction? Say WHAT?!?!?!?!"... "Focus on a task of YOUR choosing? Huh?!?!?!". Abby and Elise are mighty. They are a force to be reckoned with. And what January lacked in snowstorms, we made up for on an almost daily basis with storms of our own. But after the dust settled...

We all took turns enjoying the stomach flu (except for Anna). We loved on each other for Valentine's Day - Abby was thrilled with her gift of a Star Wars book about Darth Maul while Elise politely kept quiet when I gave her a book about Padme Amidala that she already had, unbeknownst to me. I can't keep up with their library... Then we handled a busy week of rehearsals beautifully with John out of town for work, which ended with a fantastic dance performance at the Arts Center of Anansi the Spider. The girls loved every. minute. of the performance. And I cannot count the number of older dancers, parents, teachers who said to me "they're SOOOOO cute!", especially when Elise stopped mid-performance to smile and wave at us in the front row. ;) Seriously, though, after the trials and tribulations of January, watching the girls succeed in something as intense as a stage performance is a much-needed "sigh". I'm so proud of their dedication and hard work, their positive attitudes, and their social finesse. 

What's that? The BABY? Oh, right... Anna turned 9 months old. And the doctor confirmed what we already knew: she's perfect. 9 months and still not a single illness... 15 pounds, 11 ounces ... sleeping 10-12 hours a night... eating EVERYTHING (kiwi, quinoa, soup/stew...)... breastfeeding like a champ... saying "nigh, nigh" (night, night), "mama", "dada"... making animal noises for dog and cat... signing "more", "please", "milk", "daddy", "music", "dog". Anna - I speak for every member of our family when I say that you bring happiness to our world. Abby still can't keep her hands off of you and she loves to bounce you up and down saying "Zoom, zoom, zoom, BOOM!". Personal space goes totally out the window when Elise talks to you and, while she will not allow you to touch her lightsaber, she is happy to share other toys, such as Froggy, as long as you don't put them in your mouth. ;) During Baby Sing and Sign class last week, I had to compete with you for everyone's attention - your smiles and squeals were so big and so engaging that none of us could keep our eyes off of you. That's pretty much how I feel everyday - I look forward to seeing you morning, noon, and night.