Tres, Trois, Trip

Dear Anna,

It seems nearly impossible to me, but today marks three months since you joined our family.  Try as I might, I have a hard time remembering what life was like before your arrival.  While I do bemoan the last 4 pregnancy pounds that linger on my belly and hips (in addition to the 10 extra pounds that found their way there before I got pregnant), every one of those pounds (and all the cardio I'm going to have to do to get rid of them) was worth it when I consider what we got in return.

The past month has been a big one for you -- your first road trip to Vermont, your first trip to the beach, your  first visits to my office (where you charmed the pants off of my colleagues), your foray in to sleeping through the night (which you seem to have perfected...knock on wood), your first real smiles and, last night, your first belly laugh (almost by accident I discovered that you are SUPREMELY ticklish!).  

During this past month I discovered that you are anything but a fussy baby as long as you get enough to eat.  And considering you've been riding the most amazing growth spurt since the day you were born, you simply needed to eat more than I realized. Duh -- Parenting 101 -- FEED THE BABY.  Got it.  Sorry!

As we all get to know you better, we love you even more.  I love the fact that your smile can turn Lily's mood on a dime; your ear to ear grin is infectious.  I love that she relishes her role as big sister and thinks that she can do a better job taking care of you than even we can.  I love how you look up at her; I know you two will be the best of buds.  I love you for drinking a bottle of formula each night before bed, even though it's not your favorite; I can't tell you how nervous I was that you'd reject not only the bottle but formula too (fret not, I don't plan on discontinuing our nursing sessions any time soon). I love the way that your lower lip sticks out just before you start to cry.  I love your ridiculously smelly and embarrassingly loud "toot-toots," which belong more to a beer-guzzling man than to a sweet little baby.  I love the fact that your face gets red and you make the most adorable grunts when you poop. I love that you're always grabbing a hold of me; your little fingers are forever twisted up in my shirts, grabbing on to my hair or my fingers, or reaching for me.

Thank you, my sweet Anna, for being such an incredible baby.  Thank you for being you and for bringing even more love to our family than we knew possible.

Love,

Mommy

PS -- I know that I've said it a thousand times already, but THANK YOU for sleeping through the night.  Not only did I need the extra sleep, but I needed the extra time to update my blog!