05.05.10

Hi. My name is Kelly and I have become a really, really bad blogger. The thing is, the longer I went without doing it, the more difficult is has become for me to get back into it. My mom has really, really had it with me. I am trying to get it together again. I really am.

So, in that effort, here is a little update on my Anners because I still haven't done a 2 year update for her. Bad momma. I still want more pics of her, but these are pretty stinking cute. Lucy would have NOTHING to do with this photo shoot, so no sister shots. :(

Stats: 22.1 lbs (25th%) 31 inches (10%)

Annie is on her own little development path and we are quite happy with all of the progress that she is making. She still struggles with her left side, but she is making progress. Her doctor and therapists are happy with the improvements that they have seen, so we are too! She sees an OT and speech therapist. Lucy calls them her "special doctors" and both girls really enjoy therapy time.

She still drools, drools, and drools some more. Her speech therapist is working with her on improving her oral strength and becoming more aware of what is happening with her mouth and the drool. I have to say, it will be a blessed day when the child decides that it is okay to swallow all of that drool. It is a huge mess!

She is starting to have a lot more words. She is a VERY vocal child, but it is still mostly just jibberish. We are all dying for her to start really talking because I can assure you, she is going to be very, very funny. She says hi to everyone. She can say, "I love you" which is by far my favorite words out of her mouth. She will now imitate most animals and attempt to say what we ask her to repeat. Lucy is our best translator. She can almost always tell us what Annie is trying to say.

She still takes a bottle. The low oral tone makes sippy cups/straws a HUGE mess for her. We love the bottle time with her, so I have no problem with her still taking one. She still feels like me baby most of the time, and I like that. A lot.

She is a big time momma's girl. She definitely clings to me in unfamiliar settings and when she is in her "shy" period around people. She is so funny because she is an extremely social child, but whenever she is around someone new, she pretends to be shy for about 10 minutes. During that time she keeps her head on my shoulder but keeps a close eye on the new person. After 10 minutes, she can't stand it any more and she has to make friends with the new person. She LOVES to be the center of attention. Cracks us up.

She is a lovey dovey, but she has a mean streak to her. When she has even the smallest fear that another child is coming to get her toy (even when they don't care a bit about what she has), she starts shrieking and swinging her arms. We are really working on this. She is a hitter. She is constantly smacking Lucy upside the head and it will be nice when that stops.

She is almost never grouchy. She is just a really happy little person. Sometimes she tries to pretend like she is mad at me, and she lowers her head and looks up at me with this funny attempt to look mean. However, she can't do it without a grin, which makes us all laugh, including her. Even if I have to wake her up from a nap, she opens her eyes, looks up, and immediately says, "Hi momma." Kills me every time.

She is a great napper and an unpredictable night time sleeper. She still wakes up most nights, but it is quick to get her back down. She does always sleep until at least 8, so that is very nice. She is addicted to her green blanket and this pillow that Aunt Cayce gave her for her birthday. She LOVES that pillow and has to have it on the floor each morning while she gets her diaper changed and drinks her milk. It is super cute.

It makes my mom mad when I say this, but she is a naughty child. If we ask her not to do something, she is going to do it repeatedly. The thing is, it is almost impossible to be mad at her. She is just so stinking cute and makes the cutest faces when she knows she is doing something she shouldn't be. We always just end up laughing which is probably creating a monster.

She may be small, but she is a little piglet. She can put the food down like no ones business. Her favorites are any kind of meat, yogurt, cheese, and pb&j. It is really nice to have a good eater.

We honestly love every thing about this child. She just makes life better. She has a happiness that is contagious and she is simply beautiful. God really blessed us when He chose us to be her family. We are so thankful that He did. I wish everyone could know her because she really does just make the world a much better place.