So here is a quick update!
Anna is 16 months old! I have no idea where the time has gone! She is such a big girl! She has done so much in her little life! We have been to Seattle twice, Galveston, Dallas, all over Oklahoma, we go and do as much as time allows.
Here are some one year pictures since I didn't get those posted!
Miss Priss started walking at 11 months and hasn't stopped and she is talking more and more each day. Being the mom of a toddler is the BEST thing in the entire world! It is so amazing to see someone learn and figure out this world. You can see their mind spinning and working to figure stuff out. You guys, it is so much fun! Yes, I am tired, my house is a mess, and I am pretty sure I had something weird in my hair last night that she decided to spit out, but IT IS AWESOME! She makes me smile everyday!
Last year Anna was only a bitty baby for Christmas. She was 4 1/2 months old by Christmas day, she wasn't mobile, and could only go where we put her! It was a sweet first Christmas, but she had no clue what was going on.
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| No clue what is going on... |
This Christmas Anna has opinions, for example, she does not like Santa. Okay. Well, we can check screaming baby Christmas picture off the list. She wants to touch EVERYTHING. Okay. All of the plastic ornaments at the bottom of the tree and all of my favorites go to the top. Check. She likes to oo and aw and it is adorable. I have no idea where she learned that but it's cute! Cute kid to dress up for the holiday...check! It is completely different this year and that makes it a lot more fun!
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| MAMA!!! |
So being a mom of a toddler at Christmas time has really got me thinking. My mom got Anna two little play Nativity sets that are currently scattered about the living room and I tell Anna about baby Jesus, Mary, the sheep, donkey, angel, etc. Well, last night I was thinking, I wonder what baby Jesus was like as a toddler and what was it like for Mary? Then I decided to replace Anna's name with Jesus and it went something like this:
- Jesus, NO! We don't eat dog food. Jesus!!
- Jesus, we don't hit the dog, she doesn't like it and it's not nice.
- Jesus, please don't sit on the kitty.
- Jesus, be gentle with the kitty.
- Jesus, don't pull your cousin's hair!
- Jesus! When mommy says no, she means NO!
- Dear Lord, when is Jesus' bedtime!?!
- Jesus, what is in your mouth? Give it to me!
- Jesus, we don't hit.
- Jesus, no...no...NO!
- Goodnight Jesus, mommy loves you. You are her most favorite baby in the world!
Christmas with a little one is incredibly magical. The way Anna reacts each time she sees our tree or when she plays with the decorations around the house, is because she is seeing the magic, sparkle, and wonder of the Christmas season for the first time. Her life is filled with love, laughter, warmth, and snuggles. She doesn't know yet how scary this place can be. She only knows that mommy and daddy like to ask her where her belly button is and then they laugh at her when she finds it. It's so incredible to see Christmas though the eyes of a curious little girl you get to call your own.
I'll leave you with this for now. We are blessed to have a whole season dedicated to actual real love. The love of family, friends, and the amazing unconditional love of the little kids in your life. This whole season is about Peace on Earth and spreading Joy to the World. At a time when the world is going to heck in a hand basket we should sing more loudly and love more powerfully. Give more hugs and kisses and why not watch non-stop Hallmark Christmas movies. It is one month out of the whole year that we are bombarded non-stop with reminders to love each other and care about each other. It only took a 16 month old to remind me what it is all really about. She is a pretty amazing 16 month old! :)
