My fond farewell to 2015

Dear 2015,

You were a good year. My notes are few and far between about your goings-on over the past several months, but the pictures that remain tell every story I might have needed to remember. 

During your reign, Anna turned 18 (and then 19) months... if only these pictures could talk, as this little person does nonstop. She counts to ten, sings the "ABCs", "Twinkle Twinkle", "Frosty the Snowman", "Hush Little Baby", "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" while rarely missing a word, recites at least a dozen books from memory while flipping pages, accurately identifies her sisters 100% of the time, has lots of "Daddy-isms" like "Boom shaka-laka" and "Oh no you didn't!", uses "No thank you" anytime a less-preferred activity is about to happen, such as a request to come for a diaper change... This little person is aware of others more than I can grasp. She learns names immediately and then proceeds to use them - just today, we thanked the salesperson at the furniture store who had introduced himself to us once, and as we walked away, Anna yelled back "Goodbye Jeff!". I know, right?!?!?! From her carseat, she'll ask everyone in the car if they're cozy: "Daddy, you cozy? Momma, you cozy? Abby, you cozy? Elise, you cozy?". Naps are a breeze, bedtime is a breeze, meals are a breeze. And when something doesn't go her way, the three-stooges-like dancing, prancing, hopping that ensues is so damn cute that a mini melt-down is hardly a nuisance. Thank you, 2015, for allowing Anna to bloom and blossom into a toddler with opinions and attitude, charisma and curiosity, compassion and love.

Our big transition of 2014 was Anna's arrival... our big transition of 2015 was the start of public school. The mornings were rushed, the days felt long, the evenings were too short, and the weekends were treasured. By Halloween, we'd finally found our groove. And this pic pretty much sums up the whole transition: one of our ladies came out defensive and shooting while the other came out carefree and dancing. But the smiling faces are the outcome: proud, confident, and successful. Thank you, 2015, for giving us the strength to embark on a journey that rocked the socks off the world that we'd known for seven years. 

2015 was full of outdoor time...

The Fall was full of pumpkins and friends...

With the big girls gone, the little one and I fell even more in love with the closeness of one another...

From laser tag to fishing, theater-going to movie-going, and a little Harry Potter in between, the big girls bid 2015 a fun-filled farewell...

The best gift of all this holiday season was the solid two-week break from life: the girls were out of school, John was off work, and the daily grind came to a screeching halt. It. was. glorious.

Christmas morning...

Thanks for a great year, 2015. Enjoy one last pic of the only member of our household who somehow missed all of the other photo ops. ;)  Here's hoping no one gets excluded in 2016!

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.