I'm not sure how I lived without my Anna-Girl for so long!
Five months of living with her are now upon us, and with them, comes a blossoming and thriving baby girl! At her last checkup, the doctor smiled and pronounced all of Anna's chub to be very healthy, and declared that I must have a very good milk supply.
Anna is now rolling over from back to tummy on her right side. She can't get from tummy to back yet, but she is enjoying her newly found freedom. She started eating her foot just a few days ago, and today, I saw her very first tear. (Cue my own tears!)
She's so sweet, I can hardly stand it! We have our little routine, she and I. At this point, I am still putting her down for naps three times a day, or sometimes a fourth sneaks in there. I always sing some songs and we snuggle. She is starting to develop her own little personality, and she likes to stick out her tongue and try to eat my cheek with her wide open, wet mouth. She giggles and I giggle, and we just have a great time!
She is starting to protest when I leave her in her crib for naps. This just started, and it is a bit different from the norm. It isn't the same as "I don't know how to go to sleep or want to go to sleep." As soon as I step away, she lets out a fuss. Her sleep is much better, and she goes to sleep unassisted the majority of the time at this point. (Shhh... don't let her hear me say that, or else it will all change in an instant!) We still need some improvement, but overall, I'm not worried, and we will get where we need to be!
I am gearing up for solid foods next month, and I keep thinking of things I didn't put on my registry a while back because I just plumb forgot! I purchased some great things to get going, and while I still need a good (non-toxic) dish and sippy cup, I'm on my way! I will do another post on just what my approach will be to starting her on solids. We eat differently as a family than we did when I started the boys out, and this will affect Anna too, but in the best of ways. She will start out eating the best foods that will be good for both the gut and the brain! I'm going to seek out a farm that produces the best pastured chickens and grass-fed beef, raw milk, and pastured eggs. We spent about seven months buying from this farm a couple of years ago, but quit due to the expense of it all. Since I am starting her out on her very first foods, I at least want to get some pastured chickens once or twice a month for making homemade broth. If that is all we can afford, at least it is something!
We also need to purchase her next size car seat, as she is getting heavier and heavier in her carrier! We won't be moving her up just yet, but in another two or three months at most. It is kind of at that point where you just get sick of carrying that thing around! It gets to be easier to carry the baby rather than the car seat!
I think back to where we were one year ago. I was still very early in my pregnancy, just trying to get used to the idea. To be honest, this pregnancy was more a shock to me than my first! It felt strange to be having a baby again, when I thought that was all behind me. Now here we are, and I cannot imagine not having our Anna. It is starting to feel normal to tell people I have three kids if I am asked. Our Anna Lynn is an absolute dream come true, for both of us. Even for Caleb! He just dotes on her all day long! I pray we raise our girl and train her up in the way she should go.
And as I love to tell her, "You and me- we're gonna be BFFs!" Brian took the boys to the park the other day, and I said to Anna, "Oh, good, it is just us!" How wonderful it is to have another girl around! This girl is going to learn all my bargain-shopping strategies when she is older! Brian is no fun to shop with (he has no patience while I comb through a clearance rack), so we'll leave him and the boys at home!
But much more than that, if we can raise this girl to love the Lord and serve Him, and be content serving Him and her own household one day, then that is enough for me!
