Anna: 9 Months

Anna's nine-month doctor appointment was today, and boy did she have some fits!  In the first place, the waiting time was unusually long, and then, being stripped of one's garments only to lay down on a paper "blanket" while being poked and prodded doesn't bring out the best in anyone.  Then the doctor picked her up, and boy, stranger anxiety has kicked in full gear, and she was not having any of it!

That's my girl!

Our Anna Lynn is still our chubby cherub!  Her weight is no concern at all, since she is thriving in that regard.  And she still eats very little solids.  I had a great chat with the nurse about solid foods.  I actually had prayed about it before I went.  Anna simply hasn't been eating much solids; she just hasn't had much of an interest.  She still has a pretty good gag reflex and gags on the slightest bump in pureed carrots, for example.  It has been a major concern for me; this is my third child, and I feel like a new parent!  I prayed that I would get some kind of positive encouragement about Anna's feeding, or lack thereof.  Turns out it was the nurse who offered what I needed!  She has a thirteen-month old who didn't want food either, and also gagged to the point of throwing up.  When he turned a year, all the sudden his interest kicked in, and he started eating regularly, kind of bypassing the pureed foods in favor of the real deal.

So, it was just a moment of taking a deep breath for me.  A reminder that it really is okay.  She is growing and thriving, and it isn't a race to the finish line.  She'll get there her own way, when she wants to.  I am so glad God answered my prayer and gave me encouragement today instead of something negative.

As for me, I recently found myself dehydrated with awful dizzy spells.  I realized I was neglecting my water intake, and Anna is still nursing strong (obviously, since she is bypassing solids).  This was a definite reminder to keep taking care of myself, too.  How easy it is as a mama to forget yourself while caring for your young ones (and your husband, too!)  Stopping right now to take some sips...

Anna is learning some fun games like "Peek-A-Boo", and she reaches her arms to be picked up.  She definitely knows routines, and we play a little game, whenever I take her into my room for nap or bedtime, I tiptoe toward the mirror and all of the sudden bring us both in front.  She loves it and waits for it.  

She's got four teeth!  She is sipping from her new water cup.  I need to hold it for her at this point since it is still new for her.  Silas never understood the concept of a sippy cup or straw or anything like it, and finally we had to give him a coffee cup type of thing with a hole.  If we go out with him, we bring a water cup with a lid and take off the lid for him to drink it.  Anna understood how to sip right away, so that was a good bit of relief.  She loves drinking water, and she seems to like that better than eating!

Anna is clapping and waving and banging toys all over the place.  She only just started babbling, so we'll see how that progresses at this point.  She is a busy girl, studying everything around her, especially her brothers.  She can't quite figure Silas out.  He keeps his distance more than Caleb, and she tries to touch him whenever he is near.  He doesn't like that so much.  Sometimes he gets her eye and she gets his eye and they laugh together.  Caleb dotes on her, as always.

If my house has shredded papers and napkins all over the place, you know who to blame.  I feel like I am forever picking up ripped pieces.  Oh, well, she's cute, so who's gonna stop her?

I am so looking forward to the holidays this year as a family of five.  We are so blessed to have our girl with us this year!  Truly, she has been in our hearts for years, so it's about time!

Coincidentally, you can't see it in these pics, but it shows up in some of the outtakes, Anna is holding one of Caleb's number blocks and the number she is holding is nine!  Yay for nine months!

Baby Shower Reflection & My Old Baby Shoes

One year ago today, my sister and mother threw me a lovely baby "sprinkle".

I told my sister not to make too much fuss.  I am a simple person, and Dollar Tree décor is just fine by me (and my budget).  But my sister has slightly more sophisticated taste, and she went above and beyond to make it a special day.  I still have the things she made and/or purchased for the day, and I was so blessed by all the work she went through for my sake, or rather, for the sake of Anna :)

My aunts were there, as well as my cousins, and some dear friends and former coworkers, and everyone knocked my socks off with their generosity.  It was so fun to celebrate another baby, and this time, a baby girl!  I didn't then, and still don't, take any of it for granted.  On the contrary, I was humbled by the love and care of my dear friends.  

I thought about it today, marveling once again about the passing of time.  I texted my sister and told her I didn't know whether to be happy or sad that the shower was one year ago today.  Of course, I am glad, but there is a little bit of nostalgia, too.  My baby girl is growing like a weed, and I want so much to hold on to every stage before a new one begins.  I want to remember her every facial expression, habit, and attempt at trying something new.

Changing topics...

I still have my first pair of baby shoes.  These shoes are rather special, because I wore a bar on my feet that attached to the shoes.  My feet pointed inward, and the bar was used to straighten my feet.  I had to wear the bar 23 hours a day.  My parents distinctly remember the banging sound as I tried to kick my feet against the table.  The shoes were open-toed, to allow for my feet to grow.

I'm so glad my mom kept the shoes, as it is a special memento of my former "handicap" if you could call it that :)  I wanted to try them on Anna, just for a quick photo.  Of course, I would never make her wear these outdated things!  It was just fun for a pic.  And as a side note, they were rather annoying to get on!  This is one thing we parents have easier today!  They make shoes with velcros and zippers and whatnot, and these laces on the boot up the ankle made it extremely tricky!  Kuddos to my parents for having to deal with this every single day, more than once a day for baths and changes.