Baby Anya (I'm sure Anlon will let us know when she's just Anya but that time hasn't come) is 15 3/4 months old. I am sadly so behind on her posts - she was 13 months when I first attempted to write this post, and months 7-12 are still half complete in my drafts folder. Days are busy and I'm never caught up, but this is the best time of my life. I had fears of having a girl for reasons I won't go into here. But as always God's plan is so much better than what we might imagine for ourselves and I thank Him every day for my Anya Joanne.
She has the cutest "Miss America" wave and often waves to people as we're walking through a parking lot and into a store. When
we're out having lunch and she hears laughter at a nearby table, she looks
over and begins to laugh with them (and she has the most wonderful laugh). She LOVES giving kisses and hugs, and even presses her cheek against pictures of animals in books to give them a hug. She adores animals and manages to spot pictures of dogs (her very favorite) everywhere. She loves music and often sings sweetly to herself. She is a bit obsessed with buttons -
that is buttons on the alarm system, buttons on
credit card machines in stores, buttons on the tv remote, buttons on the
ceiling fan controls in our home... And my iphone, oh is she fascinated with it. I have to be very stealth when taking my phone out to take her
picture or video because as soon as she notices it, she becomes
determined to get it. She also loves light switches, so I often have to
take her from switch to switch so she can turn each one on and off. If I allowed her to, I'm certain she would drink coffee. I've only let her have tastes from my finger, and she loves it. She is fiercely determined and is eager to do things by herself. Yet she is also so affectionate and loves to be cuddled and kissed.The best combination of sassy and super sweet.
Anya began physical therapy a few weeks before turning one due to some delayed gross motor development. She's made a lot of progress over the last few months and is now crawling, scooting on her bottom (her preferred method of transit, which has made her wardrobe planning a bit challenging when we're outside as I don't want her to scrape her bottom), beginning to cruise and loves to practice walking while holding onto my fingers. A week ago, she pulled up from sitting to standing for the first time (my birthday present from her :) And she can now stand for a few seconds all by herself! I think she'll be walking very soon.
She really enjoys food! This has been a wonderful thing after Anlon had
so many struggles in this area. She loves fruit and her favorites at the moment are
strawberries, raspberries (frozen!), watermelon, grapes, peaches (she actually enjoys taking little bites out of a whole peach!)
and cantaloupe. A couple of months ago, I couldn't give her enough blueberries. But now she doesn't care for them. Bananas are another one she used to love but hasn't wanted lately. She also used to enjoy pureed avocado but now declines pieces of it. I often give her large apple slices to chew on to help
with teething and she really likes this. She hasn't been as willing to
eat pieces of vegetables other than cooked carrots and sauteed onions,
so we still offer some pureed vegetables. Her favorite is pureed spinach
and potatoes. She does love sweet potato fries (as well as regular
fries :). She likes a variety of flavors. Recently while I was preparing
dinner, she thoroughly enjoyed bits of lime zest and ground cumin! Meat is also a favorite - most any kind she loves. Whenever this is an option, she almost always chooses it first. She also enjoys cherrios, granola, waffles (I often give them to her frozen for her teething and she eats a good amount this way), pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, yogurt and and small amounts of whole milk. She also loves Chickfila vanilla milkshakes :) I'm still breastfeeding, and she nurses when she first wakes up in the morning (between 6-6:30 am), then mid-morning between 9-10 am, before her afternoon nap around 12-12:30, after waking from her nap, and before bedtime (6:30 pm). Yes, still a lot! As of about a month ago, I'm no longer nursing her during the night though :) Yes, I should be the poster mom for delayed sleeping through the night. She hasn't shown any signs of weaning yet, and I'm just enjoying this sweet time with her.
Month 13
 |
Just after her 1st birthday, before her top 2 teeth came in
I haven't been ready to share
this, but our beloved cat Sebo, has passed away. Anya
adored Sebo and was always so excited to see her. After dada and mama, her next word was caa (cat). I wish they had been
able to have more time together. Sebo still feels very much a part of our family.
|
 |
| Anlon is totally in love with his "very best friend" |
 |
I love her profile. And I love this shirt - she's worn it a lot :)
Strawberry Picking at Halls Family Farm |
 |
We're making progress with using a spoon and a fork - needs more practice but she loves to try
|
 |
| After her afternoon nap, just enjoying her animals |
Anya decided awhile ago that Tommy the tiger is her lovey. Tommy was
actually one of Anlon's buddies, but Anya really grew fond of him and
thankfully Anlon was happy to share. Recently, Bunny also joined the
lovey ranks. Anya starting calling her "Ba-ba" awhile ago (and actually now calls every other bunny by this name too) and wants to snuggle
with Baba and Tommy as we rock before naps and bedtime.
 |
| This was actually this month - I couldn't find an earlier pic of Baba |
 |
| Enjoying the huge sandbox at Stallings Park |
 |
Taken during our Florida trip over Memorial Day weekend
|
 |
She loves books and often starts "reading" on her own
| | |
|
|
 |
Enjoying a strawberry on a beautiful day
She loves riding Clippy the pony |
|
|
 |
| She often scoots into the half bath downstairs and closes the door | | | | |
|
|
Anya's growing vocabulary amazes us. She says mama, dada, Annun (Anlon), cat (with strong emphasis on the t), daw (dog), duh (duck), beh (bear), bir (bird), buh (book), eye (with a strong southern accent), ball, wawa (water), bubu (bubbles), amen - we never practiced this; she just said it at the end of a prayer a few weeks ago before I could say it! Now she always says this at the end of prayers and anytime she hears us say God or Jesus, teh teh (thank you - while signing thank you), uh-oh, bye-bye, ah-peh (open - she just said this one day last week while trying to open a secured cabinet and then started saying it whenever she wanted something opened), tha (that - says when pointing to lots of things she doesn't have words for yet), moe (more - while making the sign for more). She used to just say more when eating but now she says it whenever she wants more of anything. Often she says it in the car when we're listening to a song and I turn it down for a moment to say something to Anlon. I hear a little "moe" in the backseat. I think it's the cutest thing in the world. She also says it when she's hungry. In addition to more and thank you, she can sign all-done and please.
 |
| Lounging by our baby pool on her 15th month birthday |
Month 15
 |
| World Cup party |
|
|
 |
| Worn out after lots of fun at a birthday party |
 |
| Snuggling Baba |
 |
| She LOVES to swing | | | |
|
Anya is totally in love with Anlon. And thankfully, the feeling is mutual. They're just wonderful together.
 |
Scooting around the house together
Anlon thought it would be fun to push Anya around in her highchair and she just enjoyed the ride |
 |
Anlon was whispering to her - one of my all-time fav pictures of them
 |
| Bible time before bed |
 |
| At our neighborhood pool - we've been going there a lot! | | | | |
|
|
|
|
My precious Anya,
I love the single freckle on your right cheek. I love your dimple that appears just below your right eye when you smile really big. I love your growing curls on the back of your head and your sweet bangs that are starting to hang in your eyes (we'll be trying barrettes more soon!). I love your little teeth that are quickly popping up (although they have caused you some discomfort. :( I love your chubby little legs and your tiny feet (you barely fit into a size 3!) I love how you always want to nurse while we're taking a bath together (you, Anlon and I). I love how you laugh when I kiss your neck. I love how you get so excited when daddy comes home. I love how you lean towards Anlon to give him a kiss, even soon after he's pushed you over for fun (we're working on this). I love how you sometimes say thank you and amen after nursing. I love that you love to be held, love to be rocked, love to be hugged and kissed. I love how you sometimes just need a kiss on your lips in the middle of playing. I even love your fiery side that sometimes comes out, like when you don't want your diaper changed or when I need to take something that you shouldn't play with. I love how you sometimes softly sing along as I sing to you while we're rocking. My sweet baby girl, I have so many prayers for you. My prayer for me is that God will teach me how to be the mother that you need me to be - the mother that will best help you embrace His love for you and all that He has prepared for your life.
You are your name's meaning - inexhaustible grace. You are my delight. I love you Baby Anya.
Love,
Momma
"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17
