All in a year...

The first year of Anna's life was full of "good times"! Anna started out, when she was only a few weeks old, with colic. It was very trying for Russ and I as we would pace the floor at night while she wailed and screamed, being inconsolable! We learned great patience in those first few months! As a baby, Anna was very quiet and not as expressive as other babies. It was as if she had to take in everything around her, and study every person in the room to convince herself that everything was OK! Anna has been observant ever since...but we feel like it has been a good trait for her. I think she will be a very good judge of persons.

Anna never crawled until after she learned to walk! Anna hated being on the floor and refused to even be in a crawling position! All she wanted to do was hold mom's hand and walk everywhere! Of course, as anyone would assume, mom did just that! But we would advise parents to encourage crawling first! Amber just about broke her back leading our little Anna-bug all around the house for months!!

Anna loved to read books, play with her babies and stuffed animals, color, swing and dig in the sand, play with grandpa Meredith, take baths, and most especially be where mommy was! We could say she was and still is a Mommy's girl! Anna has always loved animals and has a special interest in dogs and cats. She loves going to the fair to see the cows, horses, goats, sheep, and pigs!

Anna could be classified as a "grumpy" child and has learned the art of sticking out her bottom lip! She is not one to wake up with a smile upon her face, and has always been grumbly in the mornings. We have to give her some space and time to "blossom" in the mornings!

On the other side, Anna is very imaginative and creative, and she loves to build and create. She loves building with blocks, Lego's, or anything! She also has a flair for drawing and painting...hmmmm...wonder who she got that from? She is becoming quite the little artist! Anna is also very organized and always does things in a certain order and fashion. If that order is interrupted, she can get very frustrated! Ever since she was little, she loved to put things in a bucket, then take them out one by one. She would also line toys up all in a row on the floor, or arrange them in a certain way in her doll house or whatever it was she was playing with! If mom or dad did something the wrong way, or out of order, she let us know!

As we have watched Anna grow, it has been very satisfying and full of surprises! We have not been the most perfect parents and there are times when we feel like Anna has more to teach us than the other way around! We are learning as we go and find that all we can do is try our very best, and then the next day try a little harder!