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October 2007
October 2, 2007
Anastasia is now well - except for an occasionally-running nose. Her appetite has not returned, but I'm trying not to fret over it. My sister gave Miss A. a cute ladybug cup for her birthday, so I've renewed my efforts to get Anastasia to drink Pediasure from a "regular cup" during meals. She seemed to like the idea last night...until she spilled fluid all over herself. She whined for me to help her, but I decided she was plenty old enough to do it herself. She's quite capable of taking a cup to her mouth, and I've seen her fill a cup with water and place it upright on the side of the bathtub many times.
Anastasia continues to try new words. Yesterday she said "Help me" to her daddy, which was a real coup because I've been working hard to get her to say this instead of whining or crying in frustration. (Of course, he answered back: "You don't need help." I, on the other hand, would have given her lots of help, just to reward her for "using her words.")
She makes me smile most days by saying "Me me me me me me!" and then finally getting around to finishing her sentence: "Read me!"
Miss A. is still interested in her potty chair, but doesn't like sitting on it without clothes. I don't push her. Here are some shots from today; she did not want to get off the chair. She was quite busy reading The Old Farmer's Almanac. :)
October 3, 2007
This morning, Anastasia discovered hair clips in a drawer and tried using them. "Honey," I said, "clips are for big girls. You always take them out of your hair and put them in your mouth, which is a no-no. If I let you wear them, will you not take them out of your hair?" She nodded yes, so I put two pink clips in her hair and let her admire them in a mirror. She looked so proud...and she wore them all morning long, without touching them once!
They looked a little odd in her hair, since the front part of her head is still kind of bald...but oh well. Her hair is starting to grow back now, so there's no doubt in our minds she was pulling it out. I just had to reason with her to get her to stop!
My hubby and I were discussing this a few days ago, and commenting on how big Miss A. has become. (Funny how that happens). At this time last year, she'd just learned to sit up! (And she still couldn't crawl.) Time has flown by and we can't believe Christmas is nearing.
Speaking of Christmas, I'm not sure what we're going to do about the tree. My hubby thinks we should just put it where we normally do and teach Miss A. not to touch it. Ha! I really don't want to spend an entire month hovering over Anastasia telling her "no" every two seconds. And even if she does learn not to touch the tree while I'm around, you can bet she'll touch it when I'm preoccupied with something else, like cooking.
This wouldn't be such a big deal if she didn't put everything in her mouth. I don't worry so much about ornaments. (I can make sure the ornaments within her reach aren't breakable or choking hazards.) But it could become a pain with regards to presents. Worse, I can see her pulling off pine needles and eating them. Are they poisonous? I'm not really sure; some sources say yes, and others no. Unfortunately, we don't even have a room where we could put the tree and keep Miss A. out by closing doors or putting up child gates.
Am I too worried about this?
October 3 (part II)
Just a quick note to let you know I've posted a new article to this site: "Bringing Your Preemie Home." I hope it's full of practical and useful information for those of you with preemies still in the NICU.
October 6, 2007
This morning, we took Miss A. to a local "barn." They sell local produce and plants, and have a few animals to pet, playhouses, and a hay maze just for preschoolers.
To start off, Anastasia was excited because she got to ear her "fur-trimmed" coat. :) Then she was squealing because her friend Mr. T. was present. She wasn't really sure she wanted to go through the hay maze, though. Mr. T. went first, then daddy...and then daddy drug her along a bit until they reached a slide. Then she started to warm to the whole thing.
There was also a toy ride-on tractor, a play house, and a fort inside the maze. She liked the fort best, and spent quite a bit of time opening and closing it's doors. (Have I ever mentioned that Miss A. has a real "thing" about closing doors? If a door - any door - is left open for even two seconds, she rushes over and shuts it.)
Then the two kids played in some other playhouses and on a cute see-saw before heading over to see the very friendly goats and bunnies. But Miss A. liked the chickens best :)
October 8, 2007
Last night, as I was cooking dinner, Miss A. stacked some blocks! This is really a first for her, and a nice developmental milestone. She used the four multi-shape blocks that came with her shape sorter. They aren't especially easy to stack.
Excited to see her doing this, I reminded Miss A. about her wooden block set. Her eyebrows shot up, she said, "Oh!," and she fetched them right away. Then she was a girl on a mission. She played with them the rest of the night, stacking them up to eight blocks high on the carpet. Each time the stack tumbled, she didn't throw a tantrum or cry or whine, but she either bounced on her knees or kicked her legs briefly, then started stacking again.
We also took Anastasia Christmas shopping with us yesterday. This is the last year we'll be able to get away with this, but it's kind of nice to have her reaction to toys in advance! She's never been in a toy store before, and she seemed in awe of the whole thing. She was very good, and only pulled one toy off the shelf - but didn't complain when it was taken away from her.
As we left the store, my hubby worried aloud, "Are we spoiling her?" (We only bought three toys, none of them more than $18: a Duplo toy dump truck, a toy boat for the bathtub, and a "first" remote control car, which my hubby insisted on buying.) But I'd already bought a book and a couple of CDs, and we're hoping to also buy Miss A. an Inchworm. (They're making them again!) I guess that is a lot, even though we're careful to buy only toys that have nice developmental or educational benefits.
Still, I had to laugh, because when we got home and it was Anastasia's bath time, my hubby begged to give Miss A. the boat we'd just bought her. "It's only one thing! And she doesn't really have any bath toys!" I can't believe I gave in :)
Oh, and speaking of Christmas, thank you for all the great ideas about Christmas trees. Some suggested we get a small tabletop tree, others that we put a child gate around the tree or put the tree itself in a playpen. Still others suggested a plastic tree. I think, however, that we'll use a regular-sized, real tree. She's gotta learn some time, right? (That's what all my older and wiser readers say, anyway.) My neighbor had a clever idea, though. She suggested decorating the tree with bells. That way, if Miss A. gives in to temptation when I'm not looking her direction, alarms will literally sound!
October 9, 2007
Yesterday, Anastasia had her flu shot. Fun, fun. I also learned that she's lost nearly a pound. No doubt, some of that is due to being sick. But Miss A's appetite has never really returned. I speculate this might be because she's not getting the excitement of playgroup any more. Nonetheless, she needs to put on more weight. It doesn't take much to get the poor girl shivering, she's so fat-less.
At lunch today, she ate about a quarter of an English muffin with butter, one small piece of cheese, and one vegetable chip. Not enough! We asked her to eat more - several times. Then we told her to eat more. She said, very sweetly, "Nooooo." Finally, I told her she would stay in her high chair until nap time (an hour later) if she didn't eat at least one more piece of cheese. She sat in her chair while hubby and I conversed on the couch for about 15 minutes. Then, grumbling the entire time, she ate a piece of cheese...and stacked the other three pieces neatly.
Miss A. also saw her physical therapist for the first time in a month. I was afraid the PT would think Anastasia hadn't made much progress with her gross motor skills. (Her progress has mostly been fine motor and speech.) But the PT was actually very pleased.
She brought some foam pieces that could be securely stacked to make stairs of various heights. Miss A. was excited by the idea of climbing them, but the first time she felt those stairs squish under her feet, she wanted nothing more to do with them. Fortunately, we were eventually able to persuade her by example (and fun toys...mostly blocks) to climb them. By the end of the hour-long session, she was complaining that the stairs had to be taken away :)
October 12, 2007
Our Early Intervention coordinator visited yesterday. She brought more matching games, which Miss A. enjoyed (at least the first time through) and did well with.
Toward the end of the session, Anastasia lifted her skirt and pointed at her diaper. "Abum?" she said. (Which usually means "What's that?" or "Look at that.") So I said, "Yes, that's where you go pee." She kept pointed and babbling, so I added, "Do you need to sit on the potty?" Miss A. nodded her head and took my hand. That was a first!
Once in the bathroom, I asked, "Do you want to take your diaper off and sit on the potty?" Again, she nodded yes. Another first! I removed her diaper and she sat on the potty chair for a minute or two. Then she was off, running down the hallway, sans diaper :)
I was pleased, though, that she told me she thought she needed to go.
Oh, and I've discovered a great new game to keep Anastasia occupied while I cook. While I made spaghetti the other day, I put the colander (well, actually, it's a steamer that I use as a colander) on the floor, and gave Anastasia a few pieces of uncooked spaghetti. I showed her how to stick the pasta through the small holes of the colander...and that kept her busy until I was done cooking! It was a bit of a challenge for her at first, but see how absorbed she was!
October 15, 2007
It's tiring for me to take Anastasia to my in-laws...but she so adores it. Knowing where we were going, Miss A. stood at the front door Friday afternoon, stomping her feet and waiting without much patience for her daddy to get her in the car seat. I keep a small photo album of family members in the truck, and on the trip over, Anastasia spent a lot of time admiring the photo of her young cousins. And when we came to the road grandma and grandpa's house is on, she starting making excited noises.
She stayed up late, woke up early, and had a tough time napping. (Who can sleep with so much excitement?) Every minute her cousins were present, she hung out with them. They played with trucks and Little People sets and teddy bears. She chased them around the house. They kept her out of "no no" spots. And when everyone finally stood still for a few minutes, she gave them each a hug and a kiss.
She also ate - successfully! - from a plate for the first time. (While watching her cousins do so, also.) She truly fed herself with a spoon for a while. (No help from mommy.) And she was fascinated that all her boy cousins use the potty. She tried to follow her three year old cousin into the bathroom several times, and said "potty" or "go potty" repeatedly throughout our stay.
October 17, 2007
It's been a while since I've given you a "day in the life of Anastasia" post, so here goes...Anastasia usually wakes me up between 6:30 and 7:00 am, although occasionally she lets me sleep until a blissful 8:00 am. I crawl out of bed, make up a bottle of Pediasure, and walk into her room. "Hi!" she usually says, already handing me her lovey blanket. I wrap it around her and lay her in my arms while I rock her. I start by holding the bottle for Anastasia, but eventually, she wants to hold it. When she's done drinking, we cuddle for a bit, then Miss A. usually wants to ride her rocking horse. I change her diaper then let her ride while I fix myself a cup of tea.
Miss A. plays independently while I sip the brew and get a bite to eat, then she usually brings me a couple of books to read to her. We play together for a bit, then (weather permitting) we get ready for a walk. I get dressed while Anastasia sits on my bed and plays with my jewelry. Then I dress her and make a cup of orange juice and Miralax for her, and grab her a snack.
We walk even in light rain. I just bundle Miss A., put the umbrella up on her stroller, and wrap her legs in a warm blanket. I let myself get wet...or sometimes I hold an umbrella in one hand (but that makes steering the stroller difficult).
We walk at least three miles, and as much as eight miles each day. The park isn't a safe place to play in the fall or winter, so we usually just walk around neighborhoods, go to the library (when attendance is likely to be low), or go shopping (again, when most people won't be around). We also do mundane chores, like running to the Post Office.
Miss A. is really missing her socialization. When we visit the library, she's always happy to run around and play with the books and toys in the children's room, but she cries when we leave. She also really likes spotting every squirrel, cat, dog, and chicken (yes, lots of people have chicken in our town!) along the way, and I'll often stop and let her watch animals for a while...But again, she cries when we leave. Right now, she's also very interested in pointing out pumpkins and scarecrows.
When we get home, we play a bit more, and Miss A. usually wants me to read a few books to her. Then I make lunch while she plays in the kitchen. We have lunch with her daddy, and when he leaves, Anastasia usually wants me to read to her for about a half hour. Then it's nap time, like it or not.
Sometimes she just plays quietly in her crib, which is fine. I rush to the computer, make posts here, and get some other writing stuff done.
After about an hour to an hour and a half, Miss A. wakes up. I wrap her up in her lovey again, and rock and cuddle her until she's more wakeful. Then she gets her Prevacid dose, and we usually watch a DVD for about 45 minutes. The room where the tv sits is not child proof (our wood stove is in there, among other things), so Anastasia cuddles up to me (often with the cat in her lap) while I read.
After this, we play together, often coloring or playing with play dough. Weather permitting, we might also play in the back yard. Then I make dinner while Miss A. plays underfoot. We have dinner as a family, then I take Miss A. into the bathroom and let her brush her teeth. Then I brush them for real :) I take off her pants and diaper and let her sit on her potty for as long as she's willing, then Anastasia helps me draw her bath. She plays in the bath while I read in the same room. Then it's time for jammies, followed by family time.
At 7 pm, Miss A. goes to bed, and hubby usually wants to watch a movie until 8:00 or 8:30 pm. Then I make up another bottle of Pediasure, feed it to Miss A. (who is mostly asleep), and go to bed.
You might ask when I get any housework done. I do just a little there and a little here, as Miss A. permits. When I need to vacuum and mop, I have to put Miss A. in her highchair...otherwise, she freaks out. I usually do this in the morning, before our walk. That way, the floor is dry once we get home. (Try as I might, I can't seem to teach Anastasia not to walk - and slip! - on a wet floor.)
I must admit, the winter routine is already getting to me. I'll be sooooo glad when we no longer have to worry about RSV! (Even though we're much less strict about keeping Miss A. out of public places this year.) The days are long for me, so I'm trying to find interesting activities to do. I'll try to post the best ideas on this blog, since I know many of my readers are moms in a position similar to mine.
One thing I'm going to make for Anastasia (once I can buy some more printer ink!) is a magnet set. For a long time, I've thought I should take some family photos and turn them into magnets for Miss A. to play with on the fridge, but then I saw this project. Anastasia would love a set like that! I'll print a background onto magnetized printer paper (available almost anywhere printer paper is sold), plus a photo of Miss A., some accessories, and maybe some family members.
(If, for some reason, you don't want to print on magnetized paper, you can attach regular photos or illustrations to sticky-backed photo paper, which any craft store should carry. I don't recommend using those small, round magnets found in craft stores; they fall off all too easily, and would be a choking hazard.)
Fine motor skills-wise, playing with the magnets will be a challenge for Miss A., so at first, I'll probably supervise, using a cookie sheet (instead of the fridge) as a play space.
If you wanted to make photos or illustration magnets that are easier for small hands to manipulate, you can glue them to glass globs (found in craft supply stores). Just put any clear-drying glue on the face of the photo or illustration printed on magnetized paper, then place on the bottom of a glob. You can also find globs (although they're often smaller) in mesh bags in the floral departments of craft stores. (They're used inside clear vases.)
Oh, and I found some wonderful little crayon-holding aprons. They are some of the cutest things I've seen in a while. Miss A. isn't quite old enough for it yet, but perhaps this winter I'll sew one for her.
What am I saying? Like I have any spare time! What I really need are projects we can do together.
October 17 (part II)
This afternoon, Anastasia showed me she's an organizer.
I already have her "help" me with laundry by asking her to pull all the socks, or all her daddy's shirts, or all her clothes out of the clean clothes pile (so I can fold them). But today, we took it a step further. I was going through the linen closet, pulling everything out, reorganizing "keepers," and putting the rest in "throw away" and "give away" piles. Miss A. was fascinated, so I asked her to help me put "throw away" items in a trash bag. She did it with zeal. Then I asked her to put "give away" stuff neatly in a box. I had to help a tiny bit, but she got so into it, she started putting books and toys in, too. :) When I asked if she wanted to give those away, she quickly took them back out...
October 18, 2007
I'm happy to report that Anastasia hasn't had a temper tantrum or slapped anyone since I last posted about those issues. She seems to go through periods where she's really tired and grumpy (and she's probably growing a lot). But once she comes clear of such a (thankfully short!) phase, she's back to her usual sweet self.
She is an extremely affectionate girl; she gives us hugs and kisses throughout the day, tries to kiss every animal she meets (including - bless her! - spiders), and loves on any child who will let her.
She also imitates parental behavior. For example, she'll often pat our backs comfortingly, and she's taken to trying to feed us. Yeah, that's pretty cute. She opens her mouth wide and offers us food. It's so sweet, how can we not open our mouths and let her put the food inside? This always delights her and brings on laughs and smiles.
This is not to say she never does things we don't want her to. Sometimes she certainly does. For example, I'm having a heck of a time teaching her not to stand up in the bathtub. (She would have fallen last night, if I hadn't quickly caught her.) And, loving books as she does, it's tough to keep her away from mine. Yesterday, she took a small plastic stool from the kitchen and carried it over to one of my bookshelves so she could look at books she normally can't reach.
And when she does give in to temptation, and I tell her "Stop!," she'll often rush over and put her head in my lap and make her lovey noises. Or she'll put her hands behind her back and say (with her mouth shut, of course), "All done!" which I suppose means she won't do it again.
What a girl!
October 21, 2007
Well. It finally happened. Miss A. pooped in the bathtub.
As usual, I got her situated in the bath, then sat nearby reading (while keeping an eye on her, of course). At one point, I moved over to the tub to help her with a toy, and I noticed what looked like small leaf particles. "How did those get between her toes?" I thought, then continued my reading. A few moments later, I looked over and Anastasia had scooted down the bath mat...leaving a large brown streak behind.
"Dear husband!" I cried. "Anastasia needs help! And I seem to have broken both my arms!" (Okay, I didn't really say this. But I wanted to...)
October 22, 2007
Miss A. continues - little by little - to get better about talking. Yesterday she said "block kitty" while pointing to our black cat. The day before she was whining because she got hung up trying to get out of a chair. I asked, "Are you stuck?" And she replied, "Yes. Stuck!" She's also said "apple" repeatedly and even "help." Forever I've been trying to teach her to say "up" when she wants us to pick her up, and she finally did that last week. To my astonishment, today when I asked her daddy, "Is there anything special you'd like me to pick up at the grocery store?" Miss A. replied, "Chocolate bar." I thought we must have misheard, because while we do use the word "chocolate" around her, I didn't think we'd ever said "chocolate bar." So my hubby asked her if she was saying she wanted chocolate. "Yes," she said. (And uh, yes! I did buy her a chocolate bar!)
I'm going to weigh Anastasia tomorrow and see if I can get a nurse check her growth curve. The poor girl seems to be getting leaner, although I wouldn't say she's "too skinny." But she gets cold really easily. For example, our house was a good 70 to 72 degrees today (with wood heat), and she was wearing socks, jeans, and a long sleeved shirt...yet she was shivering. It doesn't take much to get her shivering and once she gets a chill, it's hard for her to warm up. I suspect this is because her body fat is very low.
Happily, though, Anastasia ate a good lunch and dinner today. A little bit of apple and peanut butter sandwich, along with two containers of YoBaby yogurt for lunch, and an entire chicken patty, a bit of cheese, about two tablespoons of peas, and about 6 squares off a Hershey's dark chocolate bar for dinner!
October 23, 2007
Although Anastasia hasn't gained any weight since the beginning of the month, the RN at the feeding clinic assures me that she's still on her growth curve. That's the important thing!
October 25, 2007
I just got off the phone with Anastasia's NICU primary nurse. I call her from time to time to see how she's doing, how things have changed at the NICU, and update her about Miss A. Tonight, I wanted to see if she planned to be at the NICU reunion party, which is this Saturday. She was undecided, but upon hearing we were going, decided to attend :)
I was a little shocked, though. She said last year about 800 people attended. "Only" about 400 are expected this year. Yikes! I don't know why I thought the event would be smaller. I mean, they must see thousands of preemies each year. I imagine it's going to be a bit overwhelming for Anastasia...
October 26, 2007
Today I took a few photographs of Miss A. in her Little Red Riding Hood costume. None of them are terrific; my camera batteries went out before I could take very many photos. But oh, Anastasia loved wearing the outfit! She complained bitterly when I took it off, and I tried to pacify her by putting her in a new, somewhat fancy dress that one of her grandmas bought her. That helped a little, but she's definitely going to be glad to wear her costume again tomorrow!
The costume got a little wrinkled in storage, so first I had to iron it. Poor Miss A. was terrified of the ironing board and iron. (Which reveals how little I use them!) She's been a bit sensitive to new things, lately. (She seems to be this way when she's going through a tired phase.) She also had a terrible nightmare on Monday. She was napping, and woke up screaming. I comforted her, and when I asked if she wanted to go back to bed, she freaked out. About 45 minutes later, I put her in the crib in order to change her diaper, and she started screaming again. Thankfully, by bedtime she'd forgotten the nightmare.
I also want to mention that while Miss A. does sometimes say complicated things (like "chocolate bar," "I love you," and her name), I finally have evidence that not all talking comes easily to her. The other night, she was babbling to her daddy and he said, "Honey, I can't understand what you're saying." Anastasia jumped up and down a little, bouncing her arms. Clearly she was frustrated. She was about to try again...but then got distracted by a toy. It's kind of nice to know she's not holding out on us all the time :)
October 27, 2007
Last night, Anastasia began rubbing her right ear vigorously. When her daddy asked if her ear hurt, Anastasia said "yes," so I called our pediatrician's office. They said it definitely could be an ear infection. "Can I set up an appointment for tomorrow?" I asked. "Oh no, you don't want to wait until then," I was told. "I will get worse over night. You should come in tonight!"
This made me a little panicky. I'd always thought you had to have a fever to have an ear infection. Not so, said the nurse. Yet Anastasia had been rubbing her ears for days...What if her infection was bad enough she'd have hearing loss? (Yeah, a bit of an over-reaction, I know.)
So we gobbled down dinner and headed out the door. The after hours clinic is about 45 minutes from our house, and while we'd set up an appointment, they kept us waiting another 45 minutes. As we waited, I held Anastasia so she wouldn't touch the germy toys, and I tried to occupy her by showing her all the Halloween decorations.
When at last they called us in, they weighed Anastasia. She cried; this is the same clinic where she used to get her Synagis (RSV) shots. So the nurse had my hubby hold Anastasia while she weighed them both; then she weighed my hubby separately. They say she's over 25 pounds, which is about a pound more than when I weighed her just a week or so ago! (I think it must be a difference in scales...)
The nurse was very kind and asked Miss A. if she wanted a coloring page. With a pout, Anastasia said, "Yes!" She didn't have time to color, though, because almost immedietly the doctor came in. Since it was after hours, it wasn't our usual pediatrician. The doctor on call was very kind, but he was a caricature nerd from a movie. Seriously! I didn't know people like that really lived, but there he was with his thick, black plastic glasses down on the end of his nose; his dark hair, short and slicked back; his buck teeth; his bow tie; and his sleeveless argyle sweater over a white dress shirt! "Hidee Hodee Howdy!" he said as he walked into the room.
Miss A. cried the moment the doctor touched her, but he got a good look in her ears and they are quite healthy. "It's not uncommon to feel mouth pain in the ear," he said. This makes sense, since Miss A. is getting in molars.
So bleh. Peace of mind, and all that, but we ended up getting home an hour and a half past Anastasia's bed time; then I had to stay up an additional hour and a half so's I could give her a dream feed.
Then this afternoon, we went to the NICU reunion. I hadn't been to the hospital since Anastasia came home, and I admit that as we drove into the parking garage, rode the elevator up to street level, crossed the street, and entered the hospital lobby, I had butterflies in my stomach. For four months, this had been my daily routine, and it was strange to be reliving it.
Soon, though, we saw other children obviously going to the reunion, dressed to the nines in their costumes. The auditorium was decorated charmingly with lights, fake cobwebs, balloons, pumpkins, and scarecrows. There were people everywhere...Not all 400 at once, thankfully - but still, the rooms were packed. At first, this was upsetting to Anastasia, but soon she was busy watching all the other kids, and wanting to run off and play with them.
Right away, we bumped into Anastasia's primary nurse, Phyllis. She looked just the same, and it was so wonderful to see her. We also saw several other nurses who cared for Miss A., in addition to two of her doctors. Most people seemed to remember her, and all were pleased to hear how great she's doing.
We're so very glad we went and had the opportunity to show off Miss A...and thank the staff for helping to save our little one's life.
Anastasia with her daddy and one of her NICU neonatologists (a doctor who specializes in preterm infants).
October 28, 2007
Although Anastasia was still pretty wound up from the excitement of yesterday, we'd made plans with some friends to take our toddlers to a local pumpkin patch this morning. I explained to Miss A. that we were going to a place with lots of pumpkins. Her face lit up. A little later, she was wandering around saying, "Happy day! Happy day!"
She was anxious to get out the door, and when we drove into the parking lot, she climbed out of her car seat (after I unhooked the straps, of course) and clapped her hands while I put on her coat.
We started in the "not so scary haunted forest," where pumpkins of various types lay about. Miss A. was thrilled to be allowed to touch them, and tried to pick up many. She even managed to roll one large pumpkin down a small slope.
The brown, crispy leaves on the ground were also a favorite. She kicked them and threw them in the air with glee.
Anastasia, pleased to be able to check out a scarecrow up close and personal. She also grabbed her pumpkin off this stand when we weren't looking.
We didn't really plan to buy a pumpkin, but Anastasia finally found a pumpkin she could carry...One of those very small, round types. She grabbed it and carried it for most of the rest of our visit.
Next, we saw some farm animals: a mommy and baby cow, several sheep, and a miniature goat. When she saw the latter, Miss A. said, "Oh! Hi! Baby!" She also "moo"ed at the cow, too. Later, we saw a dog and she said "dog" several times. We also saw some horses, which she delighted in. "Hoss! Hoss!" she said. We decided to save the hay ride for next year.
We'd planned to visit the playground area of the farm, and maybe go through the corn maze, but Anastasia could hardly walk any further. She even admitted she was tired...something she rarely does!
When we got back in the truck, we asked if she had a good time. She smiled and said, "Yes!"
October 29, 2007
For your listening and viewing pleasure: Miss Anastasia singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." She usually "sings" more of it than this, but the camera made her shy. Also be sure to notice that she carefully places her fingers in the shape of a diamond while "we sing."
Oh, and by the way: Today she's been saying "Happy day!" again, adding "Happy day! Happy Time!" So now I realize she's trying to sing "Happy Days are Here Again," the old 1920s song that Barbra Streisand revived in the 1960s. I've been singing that to her since she came home from the hospital :)
October 31, 2007
I couldn't resist sharing these two videos. The first is of the mournful way Anastasia says "bye bye" to her daddy as he leaves the house after lunch each day.
The second video is of Miss A. with her pants down...literally. She's not a big girl, and even with a diaper, she has trouble keeping her pants up. Then today, she discovered she could pull her pants down. She went most of an hour pulling her pants up and down...And then there was the incident with the pumpkin...