Hangin on the couch

A great nap

Anna's new 'do

Trying out Brynn's milk
Anna LOVES anything "baby", and taking Brynn's pacifier, bottle, or sitting in her bouncy seat or swing are her current faves. Brynn is on the brink of smiling. She's much more alert and pays attention to our faces and voices now. She wiggles her arms and legs at these times and gets cuter by the minute. I'd forgotten how sweet this age is.

Anna is our little parrot now. She will repeat almost everything we say as best she can, and also will come out of the blue with her own words. On the way home from school the other day, she said, "Oh my gosh, another bus!" I died laughing. She loves pointing out buses on the road, as well as trucks, tractors, ambulances, and fire trucks. She also will occasionally say, "Bless you Mommy" when I sneeze, which melts my heart.

We are excited about Thanksgiving because the cousins are coming up to visit. We're practicing saying everyone's name and eventhough she'll probably clam up when they're actually here, it's fun to hear her versions of names. My favorite is Braxton (that's a hard name!)- her version is "Bacti". Br is hard for her, as are Tr's (truck is tuck). I'm hoping for some great photo ops of the three monkeys (and maybe at least one of all 4 kids?) We'll see!

I was in total denial yesterday that I could have mastitis, but after a day of flu-like symptoms, pain, and a trip to the grocery store wiping me out, I decided to call my OB who agreed I have mastitis. I didn't notice red spots until later in the evening, and then I conceeded. So now I'm on antibiotics, attempting to rest as much as possible (and ignore how foul my house is getting), and catching up on all those addictive MTV shows like Run's House, The Hills, and Real World Sydney. Many thanks to Lola who took Anna to school this morning and picked her up. I'm really trying to not do ANYTHING, since it seems like I can't do much without feeling bad. I have taken a shower today, and that seemed like it was my limit of energy production. Now Anna is home, John is at work late, and we're indulging in some TV. I'm praying her little brain won't be too adversely affected. :(

The sweetness before the sour...

How do you style your hair, baby?

Brynn says, "UNCLE!"

Anna starts off being really sweet with her sister, but sometimes it escalates into not-so gentle pats and shoving. She's eager to pick her sister up and put Brynn's pacifier in her mouth, sometimes after she's tried it out herself (eek!). Some mornings she'll ask for Brynn to sit next to her on the bed while we get ready for school. It's something new everyday around here!

Brynn takes her best naps in our bed, after nursing on her side. I now know why co-sleeping works so well for some people- you actually get to sleep! It's not something I'm comfortable with for all night sleeping, but for naps, it's a precious time that I look forward to!

I think she likes having something on the top of her head (like my arm or the pillow here) to make her feel snuggly. I'm looking for something we can put in her crib that will do the job!

Last night was rough as Brynn woke up at 3:30 and didn't want to go back to bed. She was WIDE awake, and the swing didn't even convince her to get sleepy. I was having a tough time with a very sore left breast (clogged duct?) , achy body, chills, and a low-grade fever. It wasn't pretty. I'm hoping some rest and fluids today will take care of everything. Luckily today is a school day for Anna so I can take naps whenever Brynn does.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We had a fun time trick-or-treating in Grandma's neighborhood last night. We made it to about 6 houses (not wanting to overdo it) and Anna got the point where she would hand over her bucket for candy, saying "Tick o Teet" (very quietly) and wanting to be held by daddy. It was cute also when she tried to give her candy to the people at the door. What a giving child! :) Brynn slept during the whole process. Her mermaid bunting was perfect for the weather, as it was a little chilly but she was snug as a bug.

The Little Mermaid

Anna's favorite "treat"- an apple!! Dr. Terry will be proud.

The tiara didn't last long...

Brynn's halloween day outfit

The Littler Mermaid

At this point, Anna was over having pictures taken, and didn't want her sister next to her either. We might try for more pictures tonight!

Anna adoring her pumpkin

Chesterfield Berry Farm

What a great place! On Sunday we took a nice drive out to the pumpkin farm which we'd heard was good. Unfortunately it was windy and cold, but that didn't keep Anna from having a wonderful time. She loved the pumpkins (we opted not to take the hayride out to see the pumpkin patch b/c of Brynn and the weather), tractors, animals, barrel ride, corn maze (toddler style), and corn tub. We will definitely be going back next year!

The big tub of corn

I was shocked to only find one kernel of corn in the wash...

On Anna's Christmas list...

Temporarily exiting the corn stalk run..she would've stayed all day in there had we let her!

The Barrel ride

All these little barrels were lined up and pulled behind a tractor for about a 3 minute ride. I thought Anna might try to exit the ride halfway through, but she loved every minute of it and was very serious about her steering wheel.

After lunch and naps, we headed out to the pumpkin patch at church to help support the youth. Anna liked picking up the pumpkins and getting her shoes completely covered in pumpkin yuck. She is obsessed with pumpkins right now, and if she could carry one around all day, she would! She pats all 4 pumpkins on the way up and down the steps, says "goodbye pumpkins" as we're leaving, and even tells them goodnight.

I read somewhere that kids don't understand the concept of sharing until age 3. Well Anna has shown us that she is fully capable of sharing with her sister. Are we lucky parents or what? Keep in mind that this is her beloved "Sessa", that she's only shared with Gigi before.

A sweet photo op

Baby sister's head makes a great armrest!

The hand-holding moment was SO sweet. You can tell Anna really loves her sister.

Twins born 18 months apart??

Anna (left) and Brynn (right)

3 weeks old!

Our self-sufficient child, holding her own pacifier in

I guess she knows that being a sibling means you have to fend for yourself sometimes!

Kissing Sissy

Sisterly love...well it's a start!

Anna is showing more interest in Brynn, wanting to hold her, kiss her, and point out all her body parts (eye and mouth are the current fave). For the most part, she is gentle and touches Brynn with a very sweet manner, but occasionally she forgets that Brynn isn't a plastic baby doll!

A fun fall weekend

How can you not love this weather? On Saturday, we headed down to the Carillon to Pumpkin Palooza, a little pumpkin festival with lots of fun kid stuff. Most of it was too old for Anna to enjoy, but she liked the little pumpkin patch, seeing Clifford in person, and people watching.

Brynn approved of the new double stroller by sleeping the whole time in it!

Chunky monkey on her due date

I sure am glad this little piglet came 2 1/2 weeks early!! Look at her tummy, thighs, and cheeks!

Still eating every 1 1/2- 3 hours, Brynn doesn't miss a meal!

She can already count to 10!

Anna at 19 months

Our bigger sweet pea is growing up so fast! Today on our way home from school, I handed her a cracker, and she said, without prompting, "Thank you Mommy". I was floored. She will say "please" and "thank you" upon prompting, but this time it was so perfect! Her vocabulary is really expanding quickly. Tonight she used "circle" while looking at a shapes book. I need to write down all her new words. It's amazing how quickly she picks them up!

Brynn week 2

At her first check-up, Brynn did very well. She weighed in at 8lbs 7 oz, and Dr. Terry popped off her umbilical cord. So now we're into full baths, which Brynn LOVES. Not one tear or fuss. She loves having her hair washed and sitting in the bathtub. Mommy remembered (the hard way) how important it is to leave the diaper on until the very last part of the bath, and to take the dishes and sponge out of the sink first.

A smile for Mommy's birthday

I took this picture on Sunday after John and I got home from a scrumptious dinner at Kabuto. I was craving some ginger salad dressing, hibachi chicken, and fried rice, and the Grasshopper drink topped it all off! Yum. It was also nice to have a date night. We were planning one for Saturday before the induction, but Brynn had other plans!