http://picasaweb.google.com/schwartzmeg/2007_08_23
Here's some pictures and a short video of Silvia doing her pirate impersonation. Enjoy!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Then... and Now
The expression remains the same. "Your constant picture-taking has grown tiresome, Mother."
A Retrospective
Anna, at about 6 months. She couldn't sit up yet and had very little hair. The other thing I notice is that Silvia has already outgrown the clothes that Anna is wearing in this picture. And in this picture, the clothes were new and a little too big.
It's funny looking at her, though, because I can see in that little face the big-nearly-three-year-old that she has become.
Sisters
I was just reading through the old blog posts from when Anna was Silvia's age. It's amazing the differences, both between the two of them and also in me.
Even at 6 months, it was clear that Anna was developing at a different rate, though at the time it didn't stand out as much as it does now when compared to Silvia's standard milestone achievements. But while she wasn't as physical as Silvia is now, Anna was definitely a more interactive and reactive baby. A lot of her personality developed in response to the acute frustrations she dealt with physically as she battled her weak muscles and coordination to do that things that her mind wanted to do. Because she couldn't engage people as much physically, she was found other ways, usually noisy ways, of getting attention.
Silvia is happy. She's just a happy little kid. She plays, she gurgles, she grins, she putters, she smiles, she eats things (anything she can get her hands on). She's about to start crawling, she pulls hair and likes to chew on her toes. It's all very cute and sweet and normal. Anna was much more involved with me, needed the attention and responses, was very loud, both in her happiness and her displeasure.
Part of the difference, too, is that I have relaxed. I'm not acutely in tune to ever sound, movement and facial expression Silvia makes. I couldn't tell you which toy she last put in her mouth. I'm definitely not in tears on the nights that she has to cry herself to sleep for a few minutes after I put her down. I'm not indifferent to her, it's not that; it's just that I know, I KNOW, that she's okay, I'm okay, we're all okay and this is kind of the easy part. I let moments coast when they need to. It's the self-confidence of the second child, I suppose.
But at the same time, there's things I wish hadn't gone by so fast. Silvia used to just fall asleep in my arms every time I nursed her. It was only a few months ago, but it feels like years. I'd look down at her little limp hands, her lips still pursed and suckling on air, her full tummy a bump under her clothing. I'd lay her down and she'd just relax into the blanket or chair, settled and calm.
I never got to lay Anna down when she was that age. I had the luxury, and sometimes the curse, of just holding her for hours until she woke up. I'd nurse her and she'd relax against my arms, but I knew that there was an innate tension to her, that she would wake in a moment if I set her down. So we'd sit there, snuggled in together, for her nap. Sometimes I'd read or watch TV or sleep, but many times I'd just hold her, watching her stillness.
At 7 months, Anna was still having trouble trying to sit up and had not started rolling around yet. She spent a lot of time tumbling around the floor, squirming, reaching, laying on her belly and just struggling to get to anything. Those moments where she'd sleep in my arms were really the only times I'd get to see her totally at peace, her face and body relaxed, her mouth open and her fingers stretched wide.
Silvia is old enough now, at nearly 7 months, that she nurses and watches the whole world at the same time. She looks around, checks out what Anna is doing, and finishes up as quickly as possible. And then she's off to the next thing. The sleeping baby of spring has been replaced with the enthusiastic and active baby of fall. She's raring to go and has the strength to do it. Anna was raring to go, too, but it took her longer to build up those muscles.
And now they are both, in their own way, hitting new milestones, new achievements. And I suppose that I am, too.
Even at 6 months, it was clear that Anna was developing at a different rate, though at the time it didn't stand out as much as it does now when compared to Silvia's standard milestone achievements. But while she wasn't as physical as Silvia is now, Anna was definitely a more interactive and reactive baby. A lot of her personality developed in response to the acute frustrations she dealt with physically as she battled her weak muscles and coordination to do that things that her mind wanted to do. Because she couldn't engage people as much physically, she was found other ways, usually noisy ways, of getting attention.
Silvia is happy. She's just a happy little kid. She plays, she gurgles, she grins, she putters, she smiles, she eats things (anything she can get her hands on). She's about to start crawling, she pulls hair and likes to chew on her toes. It's all very cute and sweet and normal. Anna was much more involved with me, needed the attention and responses, was very loud, both in her happiness and her displeasure.
Part of the difference, too, is that I have relaxed. I'm not acutely in tune to ever sound, movement and facial expression Silvia makes. I couldn't tell you which toy she last put in her mouth. I'm definitely not in tears on the nights that she has to cry herself to sleep for a few minutes after I put her down. I'm not indifferent to her, it's not that; it's just that I know, I KNOW, that she's okay, I'm okay, we're all okay and this is kind of the easy part. I let moments coast when they need to. It's the self-confidence of the second child, I suppose.
But at the same time, there's things I wish hadn't gone by so fast. Silvia used to just fall asleep in my arms every time I nursed her. It was only a few months ago, but it feels like years. I'd look down at her little limp hands, her lips still pursed and suckling on air, her full tummy a bump under her clothing. I'd lay her down and she'd just relax into the blanket or chair, settled and calm.
I never got to lay Anna down when she was that age. I had the luxury, and sometimes the curse, of just holding her for hours until she woke up. I'd nurse her and she'd relax against my arms, but I knew that there was an innate tension to her, that she would wake in a moment if I set her down. So we'd sit there, snuggled in together, for her nap. Sometimes I'd read or watch TV or sleep, but many times I'd just hold her, watching her stillness.
At 7 months, Anna was still having trouble trying to sit up and had not started rolling around yet. She spent a lot of time tumbling around the floor, squirming, reaching, laying on her belly and just struggling to get to anything. Those moments where she'd sleep in my arms were really the only times I'd get to see her totally at peace, her face and body relaxed, her mouth open and her fingers stretched wide.
Silvia is old enough now, at nearly 7 months, that she nurses and watches the whole world at the same time. She looks around, checks out what Anna is doing, and finishes up as quickly as possible. And then she's off to the next thing. The sleeping baby of spring has been replaced with the enthusiastic and active baby of fall. She's raring to go and has the strength to do it. Anna was raring to go, too, but it took her longer to build up those muscles.
And now they are both, in their own way, hitting new milestones, new achievements. And I suppose that I am, too.
Da-Da-Da-DA
I put in the hours, I spend the time, but for some reason my girls have chosen "Dadda" as their first words.
Silvia started with the "d-d-d-d-d-d-d" this week and a few days ago just opened out with the full Dadda. She even says it FOR Kurt, as if she actually knows what it means, so I guess it counts as a real word. I sit there, smiling, and say, "Come on, sweetie, say "mama", can you say, "Ma-Ma"?.
And she sits there, smiling, pats my cheek with a drooly hand and says...
"Dadda!"
If anyone is keeping score, that's Daddy, 2 points, Mommy, zip.
Silvia started with the "d-d-d-d-d-d-d" this week and a few days ago just opened out with the full Dadda. She even says it FOR Kurt, as if she actually knows what it means, so I guess it counts as a real word. I sit there, smiling, and say, "Come on, sweetie, say "mama", can you say, "Ma-Ma"?.
And she sits there, smiling, pats my cheek with a drooly hand and says...
"Dadda!"
If anyone is keeping score, that's Daddy, 2 points, Mommy, zip.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
"Gaaaaden Shoes"
Anna has two pairs of Crocs; one yellow pair that lives at Grandma's house, and one purple pair that my mom got for her to wear everywhere else. She calls them her "Gaa-den Shoes". At Grandma's, she wears the garden shoes out in the yard and on the deck to water the flowers and study the tomatoes. At our house... she wears the garden shoes everywhere. She wears them in bed when she can't get a hold of her rainboots.
In addition to this shoe fetish, Anna is also going through a coat obsession. It's 80 degrees or more outside on average, but every day she says, "Oh, Mama, I'm so COLD. Brrrr! I want my coat. I want my sweater. I want my snow hat!"
Last night, when I left for my weekly coffee date with my girlfriends, the only way I could get Anna to let me leave without crying was to bundle her into her winter coat and zip it up tight. Over her pajamas. She then settled happily into the couch next to Kurt, ready to watch Nova before bed.
With her purple Gaa-den Shoes on as the finishing touch.
In addition to this shoe fetish, Anna is also going through a coat obsession. It's 80 degrees or more outside on average, but every day she says, "Oh, Mama, I'm so COLD. Brrrr! I want my coat. I want my sweater. I want my snow hat!"
Last night, when I left for my weekly coffee date with my girlfriends, the only way I could get Anna to let me leave without crying was to bundle her into her winter coat and zip it up tight. Over her pajamas. She then settled happily into the couch next to Kurt, ready to watch Nova before bed.
With her purple Gaa-den Shoes on as the finishing touch.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Boots
For the past few weeks, every time I go in to get Anna in the morning, she's laying in her little bed, with the covers pulled up to her chin. When she sees me, she smiles, sits up, and the swings her little feet down onto the floor.
She's wearing shoes. Usually her Crocs.
This morning, I walk in, and she greets me with, "Mama! I look BEAUTIFUL!"
She is wearing several plastic bracelets, has big barettes tangled into her hair, has 4 strands of plastic beads around her neck, hands covered in plastic rings... and her rainboots on.
Her large, plastic, pink and flowery rainboots. In bed.
Every night after Kurt puts her to bed, she gets back up, puts on whatever shoes she can find, and the crawls back under the covers.
She's a true shoe lover already!
She's wearing shoes. Usually her Crocs.
This morning, I walk in, and she greets me with, "Mama! I look BEAUTIFUL!"
She is wearing several plastic bracelets, has big barettes tangled into her hair, has 4 strands of plastic beads around her neck, hands covered in plastic rings... and her rainboots on.
Her large, plastic, pink and flowery rainboots. In bed.
Every night after Kurt puts her to bed, she gets back up, puts on whatever shoes she can find, and the crawls back under the covers.
She's a true shoe lover already!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Silvia
It's been awhile since I did an update on the littlest member of the family, so here you go. We had Silvia's 6 month check-up last week and she is weighing in now at 15 pounds, 3 ounces. She's hale and hearty, and very healthy girl, and also a very HAPPY girl.
That's one of her biggest charms, the enormous smile she doles out all day long, for all occasions. Mid-smile, these days, you can see the barest little glint where her first tooth has broken through on the bottom. I'm very nervous about that sharp little protrusion, but so far I have not been bitten. Let's hope my luck holds out!
Silvia is hitting a lot of developmental markers right now. There's her first tooth, sitting up on her own (very strongly), and now she's almost ready to crawl. In the past week she's gone from simply doing push-ups to taking a full hands-and-knees crawling position and rocking back and forth. As of this morning, she only seems to be able to backwards and in circles, rotating on her belly, but I'm certain that wobbly crawling is in her immediate future.
It's a little strange to see Silvia practicing all these gross motor developmental skills totally by the book. I keep having to remind myself that she's not a Super-Baby, she's just normal. But compared to Anna's developmental progress, it seems impossible that a 6 month old tiny baby could be sitting up, much less crawling. Actually, Anna is just now at nearly 3 perfecting her crawling skills.
She's been crawling around, slowly, on the floor as an example for Silvia. Silvia absolutely adores her big sister, focuses on her her with delight whenever she is nearby. In the car, a place that used to be awful because of Silvia's screaming, there is now laughter and giggling all the time. Anna entertains the baby, performing antics to Silvia's appreciative gurgling and cheers.
The noises that girl can make are hilarious. She woke Kurt and I this morning after I brought her to our bed by... growling. Loudly. And often. She's a very growly person.
But in a cute way.
That's one of her biggest charms, the enormous smile she doles out all day long, for all occasions. Mid-smile, these days, you can see the barest little glint where her first tooth has broken through on the bottom. I'm very nervous about that sharp little protrusion, but so far I have not been bitten. Let's hope my luck holds out!
Silvia is hitting a lot of developmental markers right now. There's her first tooth, sitting up on her own (very strongly), and now she's almost ready to crawl. In the past week she's gone from simply doing push-ups to taking a full hands-and-knees crawling position and rocking back and forth. As of this morning, she only seems to be able to backwards and in circles, rotating on her belly, but I'm certain that wobbly crawling is in her immediate future.
It's a little strange to see Silvia practicing all these gross motor developmental skills totally by the book. I keep having to remind myself that she's not a Super-Baby, she's just normal. But compared to Anna's developmental progress, it seems impossible that a 6 month old tiny baby could be sitting up, much less crawling. Actually, Anna is just now at nearly 3 perfecting her crawling skills.
She's been crawling around, slowly, on the floor as an example for Silvia. Silvia absolutely adores her big sister, focuses on her her with delight whenever she is nearby. In the car, a place that used to be awful because of Silvia's screaming, there is now laughter and giggling all the time. Anna entertains the baby, performing antics to Silvia's appreciative gurgling and cheers.
The noises that girl can make are hilarious. She woke Kurt and I this morning after I brought her to our bed by... growling. Loudly. And often. She's a very growly person.
But in a cute way.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Joey and Couscous
No, that's not just a bizarre recipe, it's the two newest things in Anna's life right now.
First and foremost, there's Joey. Until today, all of Anna's names for her toys mirrored what they were, i.e., Teddy is a teddy bear, Bunny is a rabbit, Duckie is a duck.
But today, Joey was born. Joey is an old beat up toy rabbit of mine that our old basset hound, Samantha, once got a hold of, (much to Joey's sorrow). A neat row of stitches where Joey's paw used to be is a testament to my mother's sewing talents and sympathetic heart.
Joey used to just be Bunny, one of three or four bunnies in Anna's toy arsenal. Then out of the blue today, Anna said, "Look Mama! It's JOEY!" She laughed hysterically and spent the evening bouncing Joey around, reading him stories and giving him her milk. He is, at this moment, cuddled up in bed with her. Her gift of a real name has also marked this scruffy old bunny as her favorite toy of the hour.
Then there's couscous. As you may know, Anna is NOT renowned for trying new things. She eats the toddler staples and not much else. If it's green, it's automatically suspect. But tonight... she decided, out of nowhere, to eat couscous! Kurt made a delicious dinner of cedar plank salmon and curry couscous, and Anna asked to try the "pink fish". We gave her a little bowl with a bite of salmon and a scoop of the couscous. She totally ignored the fish, even though it was pink, and went nuts with the "yellow rice", as she called it, eating bite after bite after bite.
So there you have it. Anna the explorer!
First and foremost, there's Joey. Until today, all of Anna's names for her toys mirrored what they were, i.e., Teddy is a teddy bear, Bunny is a rabbit, Duckie is a duck.
But today, Joey was born. Joey is an old beat up toy rabbit of mine that our old basset hound, Samantha, once got a hold of, (much to Joey's sorrow). A neat row of stitches where Joey's paw used to be is a testament to my mother's sewing talents and sympathetic heart.
Joey used to just be Bunny, one of three or four bunnies in Anna's toy arsenal. Then out of the blue today, Anna said, "Look Mama! It's JOEY!" She laughed hysterically and spent the evening bouncing Joey around, reading him stories and giving him her milk. He is, at this moment, cuddled up in bed with her. Her gift of a real name has also marked this scruffy old bunny as her favorite toy of the hour.
Then there's couscous. As you may know, Anna is NOT renowned for trying new things. She eats the toddler staples and not much else. If it's green, it's automatically suspect. But tonight... she decided, out of nowhere, to eat couscous! Kurt made a delicious dinner of cedar plank salmon and curry couscous, and Anna asked to try the "pink fish". We gave her a little bowl with a bite of salmon and a scoop of the couscous. She totally ignored the fish, even though it was pink, and went nuts with the "yellow rice", as she called it, eating bite after bite after bite.
So there you have it. Anna the explorer!
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Monday, August 06, 2007
Pictures
Blogger has a new feature where all the pictures I've uploaded to the blog are listed in a web album, it's great. I've also uploaded photos from when Kurt's sister and dad visited last month.
http://picasaweb.google.com/schwartzmeg
http://picasaweb.google.com/schwartzmeg
Anna Takes a Tumble
My heart just STOPPED for about 5 solid seconds.
Anna was going up the stairs to the playroom, just a short flight of 6 steps. I was sitting on the living room floor with Silvia. I look up just as she steps... BACKWARDS.
Into thin air.
Poor kid! She went head over heels down the stairs, caught her lip on the edge of the last step, ending up in a pile at the bottom. She's been running around in just her panties all morning, so it was even more pathetic looking; a tumbled up jumble of arms and elbows and knees and messy curly brown hair.
Then the screaming started. There was blood everywhere from her lip. I finally got her calmed down, the lip puffed up and stopped bleeding, nothing broken, just a scare.
Anna looks up at me from the couch where she's cuddling her juice and snuggled in a big blanket.
"Anna fell down the stairs. ALL the stairs." Big brown, watery eyes focused on me.
"I know, sweetie. That was very scary, but you're okay."
She nods her head very seriously.
"Wanna go to the playroom. Not gonna fall down the stairs, no. Anna will be VERY careful."
We go up to the playroom, past the scene of the accident.
At the top of the stairs, she stops, looks down, and says, "Hey! Mama! Anna rolled over and over! Over and OVER, Mama!" And laughs hysterically over her fat lip and runs off.
As if it were fun! Sheesh. I think I just sprouted my first gray hair.
Anna was going up the stairs to the playroom, just a short flight of 6 steps. I was sitting on the living room floor with Silvia. I look up just as she steps... BACKWARDS.
Into thin air.
Poor kid! She went head over heels down the stairs, caught her lip on the edge of the last step, ending up in a pile at the bottom. She's been running around in just her panties all morning, so it was even more pathetic looking; a tumbled up jumble of arms and elbows and knees and messy curly brown hair.
Then the screaming started. There was blood everywhere from her lip. I finally got her calmed down, the lip puffed up and stopped bleeding, nothing broken, just a scare.
Anna looks up at me from the couch where she's cuddling her juice and snuggled in a big blanket.
"Anna fell down the stairs. ALL the stairs." Big brown, watery eyes focused on me.
"I know, sweetie. That was very scary, but you're okay."
She nods her head very seriously.
"Wanna go to the playroom. Not gonna fall down the stairs, no. Anna will be VERY careful."
We go up to the playroom, past the scene of the accident.
At the top of the stairs, she stops, looks down, and says, "Hey! Mama! Anna rolled over and over! Over and OVER, Mama!" And laughs hysterically over her fat lip and runs off.
As if it were fun! Sheesh. I think I just sprouted my first gray hair.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
A Very Merry Half-Birthday
To YOU, Silvia!
Six months old today, can you believe it? I can't. This has been, without a doubt, the most difficult 6 months of my life. Fortunately, it's also been the most rewarding. Adjusting to a second child and all that came with her, Anna's terrible two's, post-partum depression knocking me for a totally unexpected loop; it's all been a struggle.
But the pay-off? Huge. Kurt and I are champions of communication and teamwork, we lean on each other and and in doing so, hold the other one up. Anna has blossomed this summer, really blossomed, and absolutely adores her baby sister. I've had to learn how to breathe and prioritize and sleep and relax. (And then relax some more, you know, just for kicks. With a little bit of extra breathing on the side.)
And Silvia, oh, little Silvia! She's a real, honest-to-goodness baby now. She sits up on her own, she's starting to eat solids for real now, she talks and gurgles and makes pirate sounds for her own entertainment, ("ARGHHHH!"). She's still incredibly smile-y, just the happiest little blue-eyed girl there ever was. She dotes on her big sister, follows Anna's movements around the room as though hypnotized. At night, she's sleeping better, waking up 2 times on average, though sometimes 3 or 4 on a random bad night.
And she's so different from Anna! She's very, very strong, spends her days rolling onto her belly and inch-worming her way across the floor. I know that I'm going to blink and then she'll suddenly be crawling. She walks, when you hold her, she walks all over, thinks it's hysterical. She still won't really take a bottle and is nursing about every hour to hour and half during the day, which gets a bit exhausting for me. I'm hopeful, though, that the solids she's now taking will help her to ease off a bit and start to give me a break on that front.
It has not been an easy six months, no. But from where I sit now, balanced and happy and confident, I can say that even though it was an incredibly difficult transition for all of us, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Silvia is so worth it and has completed our little family in the most perfect way.
Anna sums it up the best, every morning. "Mama, shall we go downstairs and find My Silvia?"
It's the only way to start the day.
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