39/40mo

She is actually touching a grasshopper here!! and she was so very excited about it!

Blowing out candles with Daniel and Nanny for their bdays

Sad day when Dylan went back to college, goodbye hugs

copying daddy resting at the playground, this one is actually at her new school (more about that on the next page)

Yes! She can swing!

She is learning that she can do things herself.

She is imitating what the lobster is doing...

and yes, she gave him a kiss

I love her concentration here, pouring the water from her sprinkling can

She loves making trains from my groceries

August was a busy month...so much we were able to do!

Anna has enjoyed her summer tremendously! SO much time with her brother and sister and just learning to do new things. She loves the playground the most, but being at home and playing in the sand or water can be just as fun somedays. She has had a lot of growth, not just physically, but mentally. She is learning a lot everyday. Her talking is getting so much better since we had our speech pathologist here, even for only five short weeks she was able to do what no other speech path had done so far. Anna now can pronounce words like pig and hat, but also horse and house. The beginning sounds seem to be making more sense to her now. She is so much better at letting us know her wants and needs and even though sometimes the answer might be no, she can now tell us at least that maybe she wants to go outside or to the playground. She smiles so much, she is just an amazing happy little girl. We are so Blessed.

Silly girl got ahold of daddy's firefighter hat

Panera with Dylan

Hours and hours of fun thanks to a birthday gift from Aunt Rachele...a couple years ago! Still a hit!

Amanda got a small braid in her hair...for a few minutes before Anna took it out

Amanda painting Myanna's name for her room

Peek a boo

Somebody was very very excited her big brother was home after 7 weeks!

Such precious girls!

Addie and Anna playing

merry go round in the mall

Gabby brave enough for the small merry go round in the mall!

Look out Bach, Mozart and Beethoven!!

Air and Space Museum

Anna, Addie and Gabby

Dancing girls, with Brooke and Christina

Gabby loving on some Bubble Guppies

Dinner with friends, Brooke and Addie and Christina and Gabby

Anna loves the merry go round!

Gabby wasn't so sure, but was happy in her bench seat

Tamara with Delilah and Anna

All of us, including Tamara and Delilah (with the hat)

Panera lunch near home :)

fun with Floam

Christina with Anna and Gabby

Princesses playing in the water

We have had a busy few days. With some other preemie moms and their precious little ones, we went to the air and space museum, clemyjontre park, had a nice dinner and play date, and visited the mall. It was a huge success for Anna. Seeing her with other children similar to her, well it just made us relax and enjoy our time a little bit more I think. She loved having little girls to play with too! Just wish we all weren't so far away :(

Our visitors from 3,000 miles away...
This past week...was such an amazing week. We had the privilege of meeting a mom named Christina and her little girl Gabriella, "Gabby". Truly a wonderful experience. They say there are moms for every child, Christina is the perfect mom for Gabby. Watching her do her gtube feeds, changing her tube balloon, and help her stop gagging without missing a beat. She's courageous and inspirational, and I will miss her being close to hang out with.
I "met" Christina almost three years ago on line while trying to find help for Myanna who was having feeding issues among other medical things. For the past two years we have "chatted" almost everyday through texts and sometimes phone calls when the world was overwhelming to one of us. Becoming better and closer friends through medical issues, advice and fears. I have to say I was nervous to meet Christina...I was scared she would think I was just a silly crazy old mom...but we seemed to click right off and had a really fun time. The girls kept us busy...but it was a good busy. They were learning good and bad from one another, Myanna teaching some bad, but overall I think it was awesome. Gabby, my Gabby girl, at first was so very shy that Myanna frightened her! Poor girl! But after a couple days she relaxed and got used to Myanna and her fast actions and always running, jumping, loud voice or throwing things. She would rattle out some great sentences...I will love to understand them one day! Gabby is so very smart and has so much she is trying to communicate. She loved our piano and could just play and play! She tried every food her mommy offered to her. I was really impressed. Her favorite seemed to be my hubby's tomato salsa!
Watching Gabby was so cool, seeing things that made her light up like the bubble puppy dog or peppa pigs we gave her to play with. We took her to a huge special needs park and she was so inquisitive of her surroundings. She watched Myanna go potty, observing carefully and then sitting on it herself with a diaper, but kept checking to see if anything was in the bowl! It was great! She played tea party with Anna, princesses in the castle, and house. They had such a great time together. A friend to build blocks with, play doh, line up cups with, play in water and the sand box, and roll cars with. It was wonderful.
I took them to a restaurant the first night, and remembered exactly how it was with Myanna last year, Gabby screaming from the time we walked in. A scream that to others looks like an out of control child but to us...we knew it was the cry of a child who can't quite communicate yet and the surroundings were overwhelming for unknown reasons...maybe that Gabby was having so much fun outside she didn't want to come in and sit down yet, or maybe the place smelled weird to her or it was too loud. Either way, we calmly ordered the dinner to go and had a pleasant evening at home. Nice with parents who finally "get it". (If we could all be in the same area...life would be so nice.)
I will miss my Gabby running up into my arms or climbing up as fast as can be onto my lap to "get away" from Anna, or the cars, or the dog! Snuggling into my arms, something Anna was copying and a nice change from her always being so independent. I will miss having a mom and a friend to talk to, face to face, who understands...can go to Paneras with me and smile with me as food falls to the ground or one of the girls would yell loudly, usually mine. Or spill the drink. No worries. We both got it.
I think that is what I will miss the most, a kin spirit in the special needs world. A real friend who understands everything I have been through, mostly because she is going through it now too. Someone to share my fears and hopes for the future, and listen to hers as well, not in a text, but face to face. As my older daughter so loving jokes...my invisa friends, my Facebook world. Now, one is "real"and somehow that has made it even harder to say goodbye. Meeting others should be our goal. Because it's awful lonely going through this alone.
Thanks Christina for making this incredible journey across the country, my life will never be the same. I met a true little miracle, Gabriella, a little girl accomplishing the impossible over and over. A true survivor. She has stolen my heart. (You're pretty special too)

Their first meeting, Gabby already imitating Anna eating her snack

Fun in the sun

Princess Gabriella thought the crowns were pretty cool too!

Dr Gabby ready to listen to the hearts of little ones

Gabby with her first adventure in the sandbox

Anna and Gabby ready to take off

39 months old...

I tried this last week, but weebly was not cooperating!

Myanna is doing so well with her summer. She is really enjoying having time with family as much as possible. Dylan comes home this weekend and she will be so very excited. She also has a long distance friend she will be meeting on Wednesday that has her asking about her visit daily. She is off of bottles and officially on her sippy cups. Thank the Lord, this one was a very stressful one for us. She can now drink her high calorie milk and not have people wonder about her on a bottle. She is also fully potty trained as well as allowing nails to be painted, watching fireworks and ponytails!!
In the meantime, Mommy has been writing again...Always seems something on my mind I want to put into words for memories for Myanna. Enjoy the photos.