Anna

I've been meaning to do a post on Anna for so long, that most of the things I intended to write are now out of date. But...for posterity's sake (in case my iPhone ever dies, because heaven forbid I back it up) here are some snippets of the past 6 months.

• She has imaginary friends. She doesn't talk about them much anymore, but their names are classic.  Sissy, Luna, Pay-uh and Pissa 

• She used to greet you with, "Is it bwea-fest time" when you came in and got her in the morning. This video isn't the cutest, but someday I am sure I will watch it and tear up as I listen to her sweet voice. 

• The binky. She loves it. Serious love. She can only have it when she is in her crib (or I want her to be quiet on an airplane, in church, etc) and it is not uncommon for her to sit in her crib for hours just so she can have it. When she is deciding whether to get out of her crib and give up the binky she will often take one last 'hit' on it before she drops it. We may never give it up.
• She cut her own hair. It could have been worse, but it's not awesome. We tried to salvage it with a cute bob.
• She has been talking in paragraphs since she was 2. Less interested in numbers and letters.                                          
• She can use the potty on demand, but every time I put her in underwear it doesn't end well. But watching her climb up on the toilet is the funniest thing ever. 
• She often calls me "Mama." Don't know where it came from. It's sweet.

• She occasionally will have this deep laugh that cracks us up. She also will say, "I am a German" in her best Arnold S. voice. 

                                                 

• She's always on the go. We were just visiting our 103-year old neighbor, who commented, "My you are a busy one!"
• Ella is really really great with her. If they fight over a toy, or who gets to do something Ella almost always figures out a compromise that they are both happy with, most of the time letting Anna have what she wants. 

Happy Birthday, Anna!

Anna turned 2! We had a fun little family party--Ella was in charge of most of it. It was a pink themed party. Pink balloons, pink streamers, pink cake and pink attire. We had a bean bag toss which was fun for all ages.  Grandpa Paul was having a bit of a tricky time with his curve ball, and Ella kept gently (and not so gently) encouraging him to just get a little closer.  Chris wowed us all with his hidden talent--maybe it's the long arms, but he's got skills! The above video is perhaps the most disharmonious version of Happy Birthday you've ever heard. We Harman's are not known for our singing ability. But Anna's unscripted "I blow out the candles" makes up for it.

Some fun facts about our Anna bug:

• She thinks her name is Anna Bug Elise Packer
• Her vocab is serious. On the day of her party she said, "Grandma this is.......those are the candles." Grammer girl??
• She went from being happy go lucky eat anything 18-month-old to an "I don't like that" type of gal
• The other day Kimmy was watching the girls and told Ella that she should work on her manners...and reminded her that Anna was really good at saying please and thank you (she is!) Ella was floored as it sunk in that Anna was good at something that she wasn't. "Where do you think she learned that??" she asked. When I asked Ella about it she explained to me her amazement--"Anna learns everything from me--how did she learn that?!?"
• Anna loves her binkies. I don't ask her if she wants to take a nap, but if she wants to go get her binkies. And she usually happily says yes. (She only gets them when she is in her crib...or if I am being a softy)
•  She is starting to really pretend and play jokes. "I am Sophia. You are Eliza. Ella is our mommy."
• She is happy most of the time.
• When she is upset she says, "I want my mommy/daddy"--mommy if she's with Ryan and daddy if she's with me.
• She is surprisingly good at understanding connections between people. If we are talking about an adult, she will ask about their children, even if she doesn't know them well. "Who were you talking to on the phone?" "Dana" "With Gabby?"
• She says "really really" and "tiny tiny"
• We really really love her.

30 Days of Thanks #11

Anna has a new trick. And it melts my heart every time. When she is happy and feeling sweet she calls me "Mimi" instead of mommy. I tried to catch it on video, but never got a great one. But you do get to see her calling her friends on her "phone."

Love that girl.

Anna

Anna is 18 months! And documenting her development has been seriously neglected on this blog. Not because we don't love her :) Some things I want to remember--

• She is a fun loving little girl. She loves to laugh and smile and play and play. 
• She loves a thrill, and has no fear.  She loves to slide, climb, jump and splash. This picture is after being squirted in the face with a water bottle--over and over again

• She is a talker. She will repeat almost anything, and is putting two to three words together. "Anna. Sit. Down." Her favorite word is still "Ella." She loves to call for her sister. Her language skills are about 6 months ahead. When she was a baby I worried that she was "slow"--she is proving me wrong. 
• She responds to every question. Most often with a drawn out "yah"said sweet and soft
• Favorite thing to do: "bu-uhl" (buckle). She loves trying to buckle anything and everything. Carseats, strollers, backpacks. Over and over and over.
• She loves her Grandmas and Grandpas. "Papa" was her go to word for both, but over the past few days she has started to say "Drama." 

• She is a busy busy body. Into everything. She is so noisy and busy at church--I've been counting down the days until she was old enough for nursery.
• She has decided she wants to start potty training. She will go on the toilet when asked and once or twice a day she will tell me she needs to go (usually right when she wakes up or is getting in the bath). The problem is that now she does not want to wear a diaper, but if she doesn't accidents are guaranteed. I predict one of two things will happen: she will figure it out and be potty trained by 20 months, or she will get over it and wear a diaper until she's almost 4. 
• She sleeps well. All night long and 1-2 naps a day. Dreamy.

Love this little bug!

Anna

Anna has been jiber-jabering like crazy lately. She just learned to say her own name and now it's one of her favorite words. (The video is upside down--sorry!)

happy birthday

genetics

Everyone has something they like about their body. For me: my eyelashes. If Anna had to get my nose (of which I am not a fan) at least she also got my lashes.

I'm sorry and you're welcome.

sitting pretty

Anna decided she was tired of this view

Thought she'd try this

Ended up like this

life with two...

{ella and anna, week three}

...is harder than life with one.

But worth it.

There are days when I think I'm figuring it out, and days where my only saving grace is the wonderful friends and family supporting me. I know people do it without help. Those people are stronger than me. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has taken Ella, brought meals, cleaned my house and a myriad of other kind gestures. One of my favorite quotes is by Spencer W. Kimball:

The Lord does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.

Thank you to all those people. You have kept me sane.

In other news, tonight I cooked for the first time in a month. A new use-what's-in-your-pantry-because-it's-Sunday recipe. It was delicious. Give it a try. Chicken with Apple, Onion and Cider Sauce. My modifications: yellow onion instead of red and homemade chicken stock leftover from the Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Chicken. (But don't be too impressed. After enjoying this for lunch we had cold cereal for dinner.)