Thursday, September 2, 2010

Happy 7 Months, Annikah Kate!

I'm so happy Heather keeps track of things like today was Annikah's 7 month b'day! And conducted a photo shoot to celebrate the occasion...


If you're curious what she's up to (WARNING: This is baby book kind of documentation) -

Miss A continues to be a sweet, cuddly baby, even as she's growing like a weed. She still nurses 4 times/day and has taken a liking to every solid food she's met (peas, green beans, banana, apple, peach, squash, sweet potato, pear, rice). When eating solids she often finds a way to also get her feet and/or hands to her mouth, making for some interesting clean-up. She's been on the move for a few weeks - Army crawling everywhere she sets her mind to it (usually making b-lines toward Elynor's most coveted toys, creating some not-so-fun encounters). I predict it a brief period before she finally gets that tummy off the floor and really takes off! And with all this eating & moving she also continues to sleep well, like a baby... She goes to bed when Elynor does (usually 8:30 or 9pm) and then we typically have to wake her at 9:30am (no, that's not a typo!). If we're at home she then naps from about 10:30-12:30, is awake for another 1.5 hours, and naps again from about 2-4:30 or 5. THEN, if we're home, she'll take another catnap from about 6:30-bedtime. Boy, do I wish I could sleep that much. At night she sleeps in a pack-n-play in the basement (makes the mornings much easier when we're all awake in this smallish house) and during the day she plays musical beds depending on what everyone else is up to (we have pack-n-plays set up in the basement & our room and then her crib in the girl's room). She doesn't really sleep anymore when we're out & about, but she loves to snuggle in the Mei-Tai carrier... moments which I cherish since Miss E rarely snuggled. Elynor continues to be her fave person on Earth - almost always prompting giggles. But A shares her beautiful, big smile with most everyone, always! She sometimes cries when left alone, but for the most part, any crying is reserved for when she's tired or when a certain person who's name starts with an E and ends in an R gets a little too rough.

As far as our family's life 7 months in to joining the 2-kid club -
In complete honesty, right now it feels like life in this home is moving at the speed of light. Most days I feel like I'm running on a treadmill with the pace set a few notches too high. You know that feeling, right? It's okay when you're pushing yourself, like, for a minute or two... but the entire time your legs are moving as fast as they can just to prevent an embarrassing face plant and all you can think about is notching it back down to something more manageable. And you're just hoping beyond hope that you can make it. Yea, that's what it feels like. All. Day. Most. Days.

I keep telling myself this feeling just comes with the territory of this stage of life. The trouble is, it seems this will be our stage for the foreseeable future. So maybe instead of focusing on notching the treadmill back down (fighting the current pace) I should just accept it as our new norm, adjust my gait, and pray that my lungs & muscles catch up before I face plant.

So when you keep checking back to our blog and wonder where we've gone... just picture me adjusting to this pace and please say a prayer for us. Oh, and keep checking back. My best intentions usually do get actualized... eventually!