First off, let's just get these photos out of the way.
Well, we are amazed at how quickly these months have passed and by how rapidly our little girl has grown (16 lbs. 11 oz. at the doctor this morning).
Luckily, our love and her magnetic personality are swelling at a rate that exceeds her needs, because she is getting more challenging to care for. The days when we could count on Anika to nap straight through a meal out are rapidly dwindling, and our attempts of late to routinize her sleep habits have kept us increasingly home bound.
But the realities of parenthood also have their upsides. During these past few weeks, Anika has grown increasingly infatuated with the both of us. She has also begun to truly play (at least in a tactile sense), problem solve, and demonstrate a full spectrum of emotions. While seeing her afflicted with separation anxiety, or causing her to cry by offering her a new toy (a purple ball), is indeed heartbreaking, we nevertheless appreciate seeing exactly how aware of the world she's become. Pretty soon we'll be explaining to her that there are scarier things than plastic balls out there.
These days we're enjoying exploring all things (er, many thing) edible. After her initial misadventure with applesauce, she came around a bit. And since then, she's embraced everything we've offered: sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, carrots, peas, butternut squash, avocado, kale, bananas and blueberries. Mmm mmm! I think avocado and banana (mashed together) has been her favorite thus far.
I fully expect she'll be rolling from her back to her stomach any day now (though she's still not wild about tummy time), and then gone will be the days when we can expect her to stay where we put her. She's beginning to push up a bit with her arms, but she's still a long ways from getting on to her hands and knees. I won't be surprised at all if Anika turns out to be one of those kiddos that never crawls. Sitting independently and using her parents as though they were trampolines is far more appealing.
WOW! Anika already knows how to charm her fans. I'll bet she gets a response out in public with those enormous smiles. On the other hand, does the purple ball always elicit that response? G-Ma, Karen
ReplyDeleteShe does. She earned the admiration of about 8 people when we were out to dinner just now, despite sleeping through half the meal.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the ball still is scary. Oddly enough, it wasn't frightening the very first time she saw it at our yoga class on Tuesday, but it is now. Maybe she was distracted enough by the other babies to really take it in?
Speaking of anxiety, Anika absolutely lost it in gym daycare today. It was her first time, and she didn't get a morning nap in, but whoa! I got paged after about 2o minutes (the woman said they call after 10 minutes of crying), and she was beet-red when I returned. Not sweaty though (has it begun?). She developed a little tiny bruise on her cheek, and we think it might actually be a burst capillary... I really hope this sort of thing won't become a habit, because it sure does work. I swear I'll never exercise again.
lol.. Eden did the same thing to us when we tried the church nursery. It gave us a great excuse to stop trying to "give church a try" and just enjoy sundays together as a family!
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDeleteIt's still to early to be manipulated, right? I know we're not establishing ideal routines by, say, letting her come sleep in our bed and nap on my lap, but she has such trouble sleeping on her own (particularly during the day). I feel like such a pushover, and yet it seems silly to have expectations...
She is the cutest little girl Iv ever seen!!!
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