One Month

Rocking the baby 'fro.

Today, Anna is one month old.  This past month has been one of the best and most difficult of my life.  Our second daughter is simply amazing.  We thought Juliet was an easy baby, but Anna is even easier.  She pretty much only cries when she is hungry or gassy, and she is an excellent sleeper.  She is only up twice a night, which is better than some two year-olds we know.  She sleeps right through Juliet's loud play, through Juliet running up and down the hallway outside her door, and even through Juliet's temper tantrums. 

Her strength is outrageous - she can already roll onto her side, so rolling from her back to her tummy should come soon.  She holds her head and neck up very, very well (and has since the day she was born - like her sister).

I love her hair.  Ray joked early on that Anna must be the UPS guy's child because of her head full of dark hair, but I had hair just like that when I was born.  Ray has, apparently, just never seen pictures of me as an infant.  I suppose that I could (or should) try to fix her hair, but I can't bring myself to do so.  I have to confess that after I give her a bath, I don't even attempt to put her hair down... I might even be sure to fluff it up.  I think she rocks her baby 'fro pretty well.

Her little personality is already starting to reveal itself.  She really does not like her car seat unless the car is rolling along at a good clip, and she has no problem letting you know that she's unhappy.  She loves to snuggle and would sleep all day on our chests if we'd let her.  She is just now starting to spend some time each day awake, and we have loved looking at her bright eyes and her wild hair.

Anna has been such a wonderful addition to our family, and she serves as a constant source of amazement.  I look at her and am overwhelmed by how much I love her, her sister, and her father.  Love really is amazing.  Anna is also living, breathing proof that God is good.  Trying to prepare for Ray's absence during the first month of her life was challenging to say the least, but Anna was a bright spot in all of this.  Sitting in bed in the mornings with Anna and Ray, waiting on Juliet to wake up and join us, all I could think about was how wonderful our family and life is.

My friend Amanda told me after her son was born that God doesn't give you what you cannot handle, and Anna has shown me that my friend was right.  With a boisterous and independent toddler in the house and a husband working hard to get ready to leave for an extended period of time, I'm not sure I could have handled a difficult infant.  There are moments I'm not sure I can handle single mom life for longer than a few hours, and in those moments, I hear Ray's voice saying, "You can do this.  And you will."

Happy one-month, Anna girl.  We love you and are so glad you're here.

Practicing her Karate Kid moves.