Letter to Anna: Month Eleven

Dear Anna,

Wow, you’re only a month away from being one year old! SERIOUSLY, where did the time go over the past 11 months? I can’t believe that this time next month you’ll be able to really use that pointer finger to share with the masses that you are a YEAR old!!

Well, just as soon as you started crawling and perching on your knees last month, you decided it was time to also start pulling up on couches, coffee tables, anything you can get your hands on, literally. You haven’t figured out that you can hold on and move from that position just yet, but I can see the wheels turning in your head. You can hold on to your dinosaur walker, but usually just bounce to the music, no steps just yet. You’ve also started pulling up in your pack-n-play while Mom and Dad finish getting ready in the morning and love to bounce. You’re SO deliberate and cautious in every move you make, meaning we rarely have falls or accidents. If you want a toy after you’ve been standing, you keep one hand anchored and ever-so-slowly move to your knees, assess the situation and decide if it’s back to standing, or back to your knees. Your teachers tell me that they’ll observed you watching what your friends at school are doing for a few days while they struggle to get it just right, and then one day later you’ll do the same yourself perfectly the first time.

You went on a little bit of a food strike this month, I’m not sure if you were thinking you were ready for table food full-time or if you didn’t like the baby food that was offered. You got over it quickly and now we’re about 50/50 at meals with table food and baby food. You love breads (oatmeal, banana), fruit bites of all kinds, peas, carrots, green beans, mac ‘n’ cheese, and your new fave is roasted sweet potato bites; you literally start squealing as I put them on your tray. Your Dad has commented on what a piggy you can be when feeding yourself something you love, you’re known to shove 3-4 bites in your mouth at once, chipmunk-style, and/or will have another bite on your lip as you finish what you’re chewing. I keep reminding him that you know how to eat from watching him : ) I know they say that it’s too early to tell which hand you’ll favor, but your go-to feeding hand is that leftie. Time will tell, but I’m wondering if you may be the creative one in the family with the right-brain mentality. You’re hit or miss with a sippy cup filled with water. You know how to do it, but prefer to have one of us hold it for you, or better yet, use it as a chew toy.

Your sweet and gentle personality continues to shine through. At school you have been regularly showing empathy to your friends when they are upset or crying by patting their arms or back or offering a kiss. You are always willing to share your toys and are now starting to share your table food with your Dad and me. I don’t know if we’re doing something right, if you’re just a gentle soul by nature, or if it’s a combination; but I love your caring, kind and gentle-natured personality.

You also love attention and can really turn on the charm when there’s an audience. You love to wave these day and although it’s more of an arm-flailing exercise at this point, I’m sure it will be of Miss America standards any day. We were in Pittsburgh over Easter weekend and as we left a restaurant there were people waiting on either side of the exit walkway; you took this to mean they were lining up to see the “Anna show” and turned on the charm; there was double hand-waving, laughing, giggling, and coy smiles going all around. You were in heaven! You’ve also recently found your shadow when crawling around the house on a sunny afternoon and will start to put on a show for your new friend until something else, usually one of the cats, catches your attention.

Last but not least, you were privy to witnessing a historic event this past month when UK won their eighth National Basketball Championship. This is the third championship I’ve witnessed in my lifetime, and what I hope will be the first of many in yours. We decided to let you stay awake for the Final Four game versus Louisville, and you tried gallantly, but started to get sleepy just as the game was in its final minutes. So, we went to your Uncle Michael’s man-cave (for privacy while nursing and also a quiet space) where you fell asleep before we were able to declare victory. As the game ended, your Gigi and I silently cheered and high-fived, being quiet enough not to wake you. Two days later, I had an afternoon Diet Coke and had to hype myself up after you went to bed to ensure I stayed awake for the entire game. I cannot begin to tell you how different a celebration this was versus 14 years ago when UK won their last title and I was a freshman in College. I can also tell you that 14 years ago I had no idea what true happiness meant, or what it felt like to love someone completely and unconditionally, or how amazing it feels to see the sweetest smile in the world each day after work. You’ve truly been a life-changer for me, and in the best possible way. I can’t imagine anything I’d rather be doing with my days.


Love,
Mom