Smiley

How cute is she?! Check out those chubby cheeks. Anna is doing great and is even sleeping better at night. I can't believe she is already eight weeks old. I love each stage as we come to it, but this one where she is learning to smile and coo is especially fun. Sometimes she startles herself with what comes out of her mouth and that is fun to watch, too. Cute, cute, cute....what else can I say? :)

Our Growing Boy

Andrew turned eight this month. I keep looking at him, trying to remember what he looked like when he was born and how it felt to hold him. It is amazing to me how much children change in such a short time! I realize this is nothing new and that people say all the time how fast kids grow....but when it is your own kids, it is still pretty amazing! I look at his adorable face and can see a glimpse of that little baby boy with the skinny legs and the long dark eyelashes that the nurse handed to me in the hospital eight years ago. He has grown into such a wonderful, caring kid who is unbelievably intelligent and talented. (Sorry, I have to brag a little.) He just finished a great basketball season (see pictures) and is looking forward to another exciting baseball season. He is in the Chess club at school, still loves reading (he is working on the second Harry Potter book), breezes through math, and helps lead singing at church once a quarter. God has truly blessed him with many talents, which is wonderful....and yet a big responsibility. Tim and I have our work cut out for us, teaching him how to use those talents to glorify God.

Andrew, for the third time in a row, wanted to have his party at the Rollarena. Having a Birthday in the Winter is difficult because options are limited. He Loves to skate, though, and got rollerblades for Christmas this year, so the party location was a no-brainer this time. When Andrew turned five, however, he had his mind made up that he wanted a pool party at his Grandma and Grandpa's neighborhood club pool. We explained to him that he would have to wait until Summer, and he did just that. We hosted a "Andrew turns five and a half" Birthday party that year and had a blast. Twelve kids showed up for Andrew's party this year and they all boogied to the Hokey Pokey, twisted and turned under the limbo stick, and held hands with a buddy for friend skate. I chuckled, watching kids put rented skates on that I am sure are the Exact same skates that were there when I was a kid. I wonder how many layers of disinfectant spray are actually on the inside of those shoes. Maybe next year, Andrew can do some research on the bacteria inside the skates of the Rollarena for a science project. :)

Tubby Time

Tubby time is one of my favorite times of day. Each morning, somewhere around nine or so, I give Anna a bath. She hated it at first, but is growing to appreciate this ritual. After her bath, I give her a lotion rub down which she does like, and then she always wants a little post-bath snack. :) After eating, she has a little conversation with me, talking and cooing as much as she can (which isn't much, but I can see the rest in her eyes)! I am loving this stage!

Andrew had a great birthday party this last Saturday and I will post new pics when I get them uploaded! I can hardly believe my litte boy is eight. He woke up on his birthday and I asked him how he was feeling and he said, "Great. Eight is great!" What a kid. I love them both so much that sometimes I feel as if my heart will burst. Is this how God feels about us, I wonder? Does He look at us the way I look at my children? I know logically that His love for us is even greater than our love for our children, and yet this concept is hard for me to actually understand. We are so blessed to be His adopted sons and daughters and to be loved so very much. *sigh*

Today is a good day. I love my kids. I love my husband. I love my Lord. I miss my sister and her kids....but I know they are doing what God wills for them by serving Him in Africa. I miss my little brother, but he is coming to visit in March for two weeks! I love my parents and love that they live close by. My daughter is currently sleeping on my chest after two and a half hours of evening fussing (a regular ritual now), and there is no better feeling than her relaxed little body curled up, holding my shirt and breathing against my neck. I am feeling sleepy and happy and grateful. These are the moments I focus on when Anna wakes up at 3 and stays awake until 6. :) I shall end this rambling blog now and go get some sleep in case that happens tonight!

Growing and Changing

Anna Jane is growing soo fast! Pictured above, she is shown sleeping on my shoulder on the couch (our regular afternoon routine), at three weeks. The next two pictures of her are at four weeks. The other pictures (below) are taken between four and a half weeks and five weeks.

We took Anna to the pediatric cardiologist because her pediatrician heard a heart murmur. She looked so tiny and pitiful hooked up to the EKG machine. She passed all of her tests, but did have a "finding" according to the doctor. Between the two upper chambers of her heart is a small hole that didn't fuse when it was supposed to. The doctor said it will likely fuse on its own, but we need to have it checked again in six months. This is pretty common and doesn't cause any problems, but it was still stressful to see Anna's tiny heart on the echocardiogram.

Before her tests, the nurse asked me to undress her and get her ready to be weighed. I picked her up and said to my mother-in-law, "I guess nine pounds, three ounces". We took her in and I put her on the scale....and she weighed nine pounds, four ounces! I beamed, proud that I am supplying her with some quality food!!

Andrew sat down next to me today and I asked him if he wanted to hold his sister and he said, "Sure, I'll hold my sis!" I almost had to pick my jaw up off the floor because he Never says that. So...for only the fourth time since she was born, Andrew held Anna today. He had been holding her for about thirty seconds when she gave a good squirt and filled her pants. Andrew laughed pretty hard and handed her back.

Anna has started smiling once in a great while and when she does, my heart just melts. I still look at her every now and then and get tears in my eyes because I am so thankful for her presence in our home. She is amazing. I am not getting much sleep, I have to admit...but other than that, life is pretty good around here. God has truly blessed us!!!