Dear Annabella,
I haven't blogged or written you a letter in almost a year. It has been a busy year, to say the least. However, I sat down tonight and read the last letter/growth post I wrote to you, and it was so full of wonderful memories. I can't believe I haven't been writing down more of what you have been up to. You are an AMAZING little girl. You're 2 years and 8 months old now. Here are some things I don't want to forget. . . .
You are absolutely precious and gorgeous. You have long, beautiful eyelashes and a bright smile. You have this lovely, bouncy, curly hair. You had your first haircut in September. You did great sitting in your airplane seat and watching cartoons while the stylist cut your hair. Afterwards, you got your first lollipop and life was amazing. You are a big fan of lollipops. I didn't want you to have much candy, but now you have a lollipop every Tuesday and Thursday at Tumble and Swim class. Life is too short not to have lollipops.
So, swimming and tumble class. . . You are a great little swimmer, and you loved Coach Jackie. You can blow bubbles, go underwater for 6 seconds, float on your back (almost by yourself!), and grab a dive ring off the 3rd step (close to the bottom of the pool). At swim class, they sing songs like "I'm a little turtle lying on my back, I'm a little turtle lying very flat. Just roll me over and swim me back. Kick, kick, kick". You love this song and we sing it at bath time now, and you float on your back. Another favorite song is "One little, two little, three little bubbles." Every exercise has a song, and you have all the songs memorized, and sing along during swim class. It is the cutest. thing. ever. You're the only kid that sings and I just LOVE it. Annabella, you make life more fun.
Tumble class is on Thursday and you adore Coach Krystin too. The coaches that have taught your classes have been awesome. You walk on the balance beam, do forward rolls, jump on a little trampoline, hang from the rings, and swing on the uneven bars. Some of the kids in your class are pretty wild (you're more reserved around new people or in new environments), and you like to talk about how fast they run. Before tumble class, you would ask "Will Landon be there, and Nathan, . ." and name the kids in your class. You are a social little lady. You have also been going to Gramps and Gran's Sunday School program at their church. You love Ms. Kathy and a little boy named Hunter. Oh goodness.
You are a fabulous big sister. When you talk to Baby Luke, your voice becomes higher and sweeter. "You need this Baby Luke? Here you go, Baby Luke." It is precious beyond words. You haven't hit him or been mean to him. You sometimes get a little forceful when you're trying to help him roll over, but it's not mean-spirited. Luke is so fortunate to have you as his big sister. You used to get confused about who was the big sister and who was the baby brother. So, you would walk over to Luke and say "Hey Big Sister". You've got it straight now, though.
You do best when you have a routine during the day. You usually wake up between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m., and then go back down for a nap around noon. Although, lately you've been pushing it to 1:00 p.m. You take a 2 to 2 1/2 hour nap. Bedtime is usually at 7:30 p.m. You go to sleep with your paci and doggie. You rub doggie's foot on the tip of your nose, or cover your face with doggie, and that gets you to sleep. Since Luke has arrived, you can go to sleep on your own now. We still read books together before bed, and then sing some songs. You LOVE to talk about your day. You'll say "Let's talk about my day", or "Let's talk about Baby Luke's/Mommy's/Daddy's day". When I leave your room you say "Leave the door WIDE open, Mommy".
You are so sassy, spunky, brilliant, and funny. You like to tease, like your daddy. You always make us laugh during meal time. You're a pretty good eater, and you'll eat almost anything. If you're having a hard time with it, then we'll "eat it at the same time". Taking a bite of food at the same time as Mommy or Daddy seems to make things better. Unfortunately, you got Mommy's hunger gene, and you are a terror if you get hungry. Watch out! You can drink out of an open up and use your fork and spoon. You don't like to touch your cup with messy hands. "Clean my hands, Mommy." We're working on saying please more often, and you're getting the hang of it. If I say ask for something politely, you say "May I have more apple (or whatever), please". You like to have maple syrup with your pancakes, and you put raspberries on the tips of your pointer fingers to eat them.
You have LOVED Christmas this year. The decorations, ornaments, tree, Christmas lights, and baking cookies have just been the biggest hit. You would take the ornaments off our tree, set them on the stairs and play with them. You also moved all of the presents (except for the big ones) out from under the tree and set them on the stairs. Your daddy and I have been stepping over packages and ornaments all month. You carried Baby Jesus around the house quite a bit, too. You're a big fan of Baby Jesus, and you can say that "He came to save us". You love to see all the Christmas lights, and comment on how pretty they are. You said you wanted to ask Santa for "snacks and a scooter". You got the scooter idea from one of the Christmas books we read. You just like snacks. Santa brought you a tricycle this year (we did Christmas on the 22nd since Daddy had to work). You have also been moving decorations all over the house. If I set something down on the book shelf, by the end of the day I'll find it on the kitchen counter or by your play kitchen. It makes life interesting, but it always makes me smile.
You like to say the blessing before the meal. You say "Dear God, Thank you for Mommy, Daddy, Annabella, and Luke. Amen". If there are more people at the table, then you'll try to add them in too. Sometimes you'll thank God for the food too.
The age of 2 has been challenging too. You like to do everything "by myself". You can usually tell us what you want, but you have a hard time understanding that you don't get to do everything you want to do right then. You can throw a good fit, and you tell us "I'm throwing a fit" between the tears. Oh, baby girl. You challenge our patience sometimes, but then you have us smiling the next minute.
You like to draw, paint, and use cookie cutters to cut out play dough. You have an amazing vocabulary and cognitive skills. Everyone that meets you is blow away by how much you can say. Your daddy and I are so thankful that you like to talk! You also like to ride your tricycle, blow bubbles, swing, run around the playground, wash dishes, and cook. If I make you a scrambled egg in the morning, you have to be the one to crack and scramble it. Since Luke has arrived, you have become a little mommy to your babies. You like to dress, feed, and clothe them.
Oh, big girl. Your daddy and I just love you so much. I don't remember what life was like before you, but I know it wasn't half as much fun. You bring so much joy and laughter to our family. Thank you for being you (even when you're hungry). You are the perfect daughter for our family.
Maple syrupy kisses,
Mommy
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