6 month Anna

This has also been sitting on my computer for weeks.  Again, eventually I might get pictures done.  Maybe.


I have not posted a whole lot since Anna was born.  There have been good things happening around here.  But when I think about Anna, I just sigh.  It is sad that I do it, but so often I hear myself say, "oh, Anna," in a fairly exasperated way.  That is the baby we love- Anna banana.

At 6 months Anna weighed 16.2 pounds and measured in at 26 inches.  Anna had her 4-month shots on her 6-month birthday.  Yes, that's how far behind we are in life here.  Speaking of which... It seemed to me that when we hit baby #4 it wasn't much of a change.  Just one more little person to add to the fun dynamic of the family.  We had food allergy issues with Ryan, but otherwise nothing too overwhelming.  Then Tommy was a dream baby.  He is the reason people adore babies.  And now Anna.  Life is a million times harder with Anna.

Some things Anna can do at 6 months:
- Roll over both ways.  She will instantly roll over to her belly when placed on her back.  Then she gets mad that she's on her tummy and usually forgets that she knows how to undo what she just did.
- Grab and play with her feet (still not to her mouth)
- Grab at toys and get them to her mouth
- Push all the way up on her hands when doing tummy time
- Can almost sit up on her own
- She is very observant and insists on being in the middle of the action when awake
- She occasionally laughs.  She does enjoy smiling quite a bit
- She will occasionally eat cereal.  She has to be in the mood, though
- She has amazing balance and loves to do the stand-on-daddy's-hand-and-float-trick.

Other notes about Anna:
- She is not a very good night sleeper.  She is up every 4 hours at night.  If we try to let her cry it out, she always wins... even if it's 2 hours later.  Thankfully she usually takes two consistent naps every day.  A short one in the morning and then her afternoon nap typically lasts around 2 hours.
- She cries... a lot.  If she is not being held she is usually pretty upset.
- She absolutely LOVES to be naked.  If she's having an especially crabby moment, a diaper change will usually perk her up a bit.
- Her siblings love to take care of her- until she starts up the crying.  Sarah and Katie are the ones who usually fight over Anna.  Even Ryan likes to come up and give her hugs and kisses.
- She still detests her car seat.  Running errands with Anna is a necessary evil.  I can usually get about an hour before she loses it.  Thankfully the two boys are typically champs when we go shopping.
- She no longer sounds like a seagull when she cries.  That went away about a month ago.  Now she just has an ear-splitting scream.

I wish Anna was an easy baby.  I really do.  I feel very jealous when I'm around or read about moms that just adore this stage in their child's life.  Life with Anna is pretty tough.  So I just have to keep reminding myself... "Come what may and love it."  Or follow Elder Uchdorf's admonition not to wish away this time in my life.  I'm trying.  I tell ya, it's a good thing she's cute!  :-D

But also, it's not all bad.  She does laugh at times.  And she really likes to smile.  She is just a very social baby and makes sure she's always being social.  I actually think she's just like Ellie.  I remember Ellie having a similar personality.  I had to be attached to that girl as well.  But it wasn't as hard, since she was the one and only baby.  I could give her 100% attention whenever she wanted it.  Anna just doesn't get that privilege and doesn't appreciate it.

Ryan Turns 4

This has been sitting on my computer for a couple weeks now waiting for pictures.  I will add those later.

It is hard to believe that Ryan is four.  It really is quite alarming at times.  But I absolutely adore that kid.  He is just hilarious.  About a year ago I was headed to the airport to pick up my mom and I asked if he wanted to come along.  He thought about it and replied, "I think I should come.  Everyone needs a Ryan."  And it is so true.  Everyone does need a Ryan.  Life is just funnier, sweeter, more loving and wonderful with that kid.  He has certainly found a stubborn streak, but even that can be pretty adorable.  When I look at Ryan I can totally see what Steve must have been like.  

- He loves to make people laugh.  Steve's nickname when he was little was "Ham."  That could apply to Ryan as well.  

- He is also such a  handsome little guy.  Yes, I am obviously biased in that opinion.

- Ryan is extremely athletic and loves to show off how fast he can run in his "running shoes."  He is a champion at his 2-wheeler and can mostly keep up with his sisters when riding around the block.  It's tough on those little bikes to pedal and keep up!  He has started to pick up on the razor scooter and is finding his balance there. 

- He loves to sing and dance and that in itself is hilarious.  Since he knows how goofy it is, he really plays it up. 

- Ryan loves to have a quick snuggle and kiss and then be on his way again.  

- Steve has taught him, and he has picked up on the phrase, "Mom, you're the best mom ever."  It makes me so happy to hear that.  So then I turn around and repay the compliment and he loves it.  

- When he's happy or proud of something he has done he flashes that adorable grin and give the thumbs-up sign which again gets me laughing.  

- Ryan loves superheros.  Batman is definitely his favorite, but he isn't too picky when it comes to watching a cartoon or playing pretend.  

- Ryan is also still a lover of all things T-Rex.  We have so many sizes and varieties of T-Rex toys but every time we go shopping he informs me that we need to go buy him a new one.  For his birthday he had a T-Rex cake and he got some new T-Rex accessories, so he was in heaven.  

Ryan has learned to enunciate most of his words, but the one sound he still can't do is the "r" sound.  So any word with that letter will lengthen and have the "w" sound typically.  For example, breakfast would  be "ba-wek-fast".  He is trying so hard to get that sound out!  He is an extremely intelligent and astute little guy and amazes me with some of the deep things he comes up with.  He's definitely gonna keep me on my toes!

So I totally stole these questions from a friend (thank you Sarah...) for Ryan's interview.  We actually videotaped this as well, so Ryan was doing a tad bit of performing while answering the questions. 

For the record, Ryan is 42" tall and weighs 41 lbs.

1. When is your birthday? February 12th.  (umm- he totally knows that's not the right date)

2. How old are you now? 6! (okay, strike two.  Obviously knows how old he is now)

3. What is your favorite color?  blue
4. What is your favorite toy? T-Rex, because I just like them.

5. What is your favorite fruit? apple- red and yellow
6. What is your favorite TV show? Ironman, Hulk, Avengers, Transformers.  

7. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Cheese and turkey
8. What is your favorite outfit? Batman

9. What is your favorite snack? Food
10. What is your favorite animal?  T-Rex
11. What is your favorite song? The Jungle Song (ie "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"... and he then breaks out in song)
12. What is your favorite book? T-Rex
13. Who is your best friend? T-Rex (can you sense a theme here?)
14. What is your favorite cereal? T-Rex oatmeal
15. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Jump on the Trampoline
16. What is your favorite drink? Juice (especially lemonade)
17. What is your favorite holiday? Eating food 
18. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My turtle with lights and songs (a constellation turtle) 
19. What is your favorite vegetable? Broccoli
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A big guy, but not so big.  Maybe a soldier.  
21. What is something you are good at? (No words, just got up and ran around the kitchen as fast as he could.)
22. Where is your favorite place to go? Dinosaur Museum
23. What will you do now that you are four? Four-year olds clean their room.
24. What is your favorite thing to learn about? (proceeded to count to 20)

25.  Can you sing us a song? (sang the ABC song)