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1/23/2004 & 3/28/09 4:21 a.m./ 12:15 pm 8 lbs. 12 oz. / 7 lbs. 5 oz
Stories
1-24-10 original date of post. Ella is six. SIX! How did this happen? My first baby has legs a mile long, can read complex sentences, and can hold her own in a game of monopoly. Her current favorite book is My First Book of Questions and Answers, and she likes to declare, "I'm just a curious kid!" as she explores the mysteries of the universe. And then there is Annie, whose repertoire of tricks has expanded exponentially over the last two weeks. She can now army crawl and scoot, point, clap, go from her belly to sitting up on her own, and she learned her first word. I was rooting for "mama," but Cooper is apparently way more interesting than I am. "Dog" (sounding much like "Doug" or "duck) wins!
Ella says: "I love Christmas! Annie loves it also. She is the silliest one in the family. Santa ate all of the cookies this year. And the reindeer ate all of the carrots this year. Last year they only ate one half and one whole." A mind like a steel trap, I tell ya.
We are awash in fuse beads and light brite pegs and clothes and balls and games and happy gratitude. Annie slept through the night - perhaps the greatest Christmas gift a mama could ask for. And mama has had both champagne and caffeine, and snow has continued to fall through the morning, so things are particularly merry!
We wish our family and friends the happiest of holidays!
12-19-09 original date of post. Since it is nearly Christmas, I thought I'd go ahead and post Thanksgiving pictures. (The girls and I flew to Orlando to visit the Florida Grandmas and to introduce Annie to G.G. - Great Grandma Danner). Yes, we are a little behind around here. Instead of Christmas gifts and cards, many of our family members will likely be receiving what would be more aptly named New Years gifts and cards. Oh, well. At least we have managed to cut down a tree and get our hands messy decorating a slew of cut-out cookies.
Things to be thankful for:
Great (in every sense of the word) Grandparents. The love and support of our families regularly moves and humbles us.
The heath of our kiddos. Everyone (knock on wood) has gotten over the latest round of colds.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Through the IDEA, Ella will be getting weekly help to reduce the number of disfluencies in her speech. The girl has so much to say, and we don't want her stutter to impede her ability to communicate or affect her self-esteem down the road.
Being rich in friends. This year we have been bowled over by the gifts of home-cooked meals, the free babysitting, and many other generous gestures of support our friends have shown.
Having enough. We may not be making millions as a librarian-to-be and a radio show host, but we have a mortgage we can afford, health insurance, and food on the table. We really are so very blessed.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Better late than never.
11-2-09 - original date of post.
When Spencer asked Ella to list her favorite holidays, she said that Easter was her favorite, "because of all of the chocolate." Halloween was next, again because of the chocolate, followed by Christmas in third place. And her fourth favorite? "Probably Thanksgiving. If there was a chocolate turkey."
10-22-09 Original date of post. You never know what Ella will bring home in her backpack. Her creative artwork, her first attempts at writing sentences, her school pictures, and - unfortunately - warnings that cases of H1N1 and head lice have occurred among students in her classroom. Welcome to kindergarten.
Once a week Ella also brings home a book from the school library. Last week she chose a book called, "The Human Body." Mid-way through the book we read that we were about to learn about the most important part of the body. We turned the page and were treated to an illustration of the mysterious and awesome human brain! "Oh," said Ella. "I thought it was going to be the shoulder blade."
Nobody explained to me how much being a parent of two (one of whom is in school) would be about juggling and scheduling. My every conversation with Spencer seems to be about where the girls need to be picked up (from school, Mimi and Grandpa's, or the sitters?), where they need to be taken (ballet, kindergarten open house, the doctor, Parents as Teachers meeting), or who is watching them while one of us works late or attends a meeting (one of the many, many generous family members and friends who have volunteered to help us). This past week I purposely missed the informational meeting about girl scouts for Ella. She was getting over a cold, I was getting said cold, and adding one more thing to the list of things seemed like more than I could deal with right now. And we really, really don't have the time to be selling all of those boxes of cookies.
And then there is the Friday Folder. It comes home in Ella's backpack the end of each week, with papers on one side to be kept at home and papers on the other to be filled out in some way and sent back to school. On the one hand, the folder is great. We get communication from her teacher about Ella's progress and learn about upcoming events. This is how we found out about the group of teachers that walks kids to Russell Boulvard Elementary from the rec center once a month, so Ella joined them for this half-mile trek before school just this last Thursday. This is also how we know that picture day is this Tuesday, so maybe that morning we shouldn't let Ella dress herself. As great as all of this communication is, Spencer and I spent over an hour Friday night filling out forms, adding dates to our online calendar, and updating and signing Ella's reading log. For Ella, the Friday folder contains some homework. Mostly worksheets about sorting objects by shape and color or putting items in order. And, since she is her mother's daughter in some respects, she usually has this homework done before dinner on Friday night.
In the midst of all of our frenetic to-and-fro-ing, there is Annie. Our calm center. She is doing her baby thing, learning to roll over, trying out solid foods, making 'm' sounds, blowing bubbles, laughing nearly every time her daddy comes into view (not sure what is so hilarious - the facial hair or the glasses? Probably the big, goofy grin). She is such a different baby than her sister. Ella was also a good and happy baby, but - as Grammy June recently so astutely observed - you could just feel that she was spirited, right from the beginning. Annie's spirit feels more gentle and content. Thank goodness. It's just what we need in our crazy lives right now.
8-25-09 original date of post. Things that make Annie laugh: ceiling fans, the dog, and Ella's antics. Ella's observations make me laugh. During a recent diaper change she was standing next to me, tickling Annie's chin, and declared, "Annie is the cutest baby!" Then she took a look inside the diaper and added, "And the yuckiest."
It is such a bummer that we have to celebrate Annie turning four months old with a bunch of shots, but at least her second round of vaccines was much less traumatic (both for her and for her mama) than her first.She showed off for Dr. Sommer, cooing and babbling and grabbing at everything, from the stethoscope to Dr. Sommer's bracelet.Annie is 15 pounds, 25.5 inches long and in the 80th percentile for everything.She has also started to roll, and as she gets closer to mobile, I'm starting to panic about the choking hazards strewn about the house in the form of Ella's vast toy collection.
Ella herself is hitting some major milestones.This kiddo is definitely reading, though sometimes she lacks the patience to actually sound out words and, after figuring out the first syllable, will just guess at what the word might be.
"chair.chocolate.chalkboard."She can also swim, though we haven't witnessed this talent ourselves.We have to take the word of Miss Colleen, her swimming instructor.Ella has taken two sessions of lessons with the kiddos at her preschool, and we got a written report last week that proclaimed Ella had passed level II and can do the front glide and crawl.
"Incredible!" Miss Colleen had written across the top of the report.Of course, Ella insists that her teacher's name is actually "Miss Chlorine."
"And I LOVE her!" Ella added.
We just returned from the second annual Williams family trip
to Bunker Hill on the Jack's ForkRiver in southern Missouri.So many things were the same this year as last - the queen anne's lace
and brown eyed susans blooming along Highway 17, the fried chicken for Sunday
lunch, the sound of the water, the s'mores by the campfire, and the lightning
bugs sparkling in the dark.Of course,
there was also much that was new.Ella's
sister Annie and cousin Trey got to dip their feet in the river for the first time.
If you ask Ella about the trip, she might tell you about
getting bitten by a horsefly, skinning her knees on the rocks, or how daddy
taught her to pee in the river.More
likely, however, will be stories about hiking to the spring and Lookout Point,
getting desserts at both lunch and dinner, or catching a firefly and
whispering a wish into her cupped hands before letting it go, carrying her
small dream on its wings.I will not
forget watching a firefly walk to the end of her middle finger - as if it were
a runway - and take off into the air.I
am so grateful for the opportunity to teach our girls the joys of collecting
rocks and catching fish.But I am even
more grateful for the gift of time spent with my brothers and their
families.My heartfelt thanks to Ella
and Annie's Mimi and Grandpa Mike for making the weekend possible.
Want to know what Ella is doing in summer school all day? So
do we. It is so weird to send her off with a lunch box and some sunscreen and
then pick her up at the end of the day without getting to talk to her teacher.
She is attending the after-school program called "Adventure Club,"
which is staffed by University
of Missouri education
students, so we don't actually talk to her kindergarten teacher at the day's
end. Instead, we get most everything through the lens of a five-year-old.
Consequently, here is what we know. Her friends are named Noah, Bebe, Paul, and
"Miss Rosie." At circle time they sit on pieces of tape, and no, the
pieces of tape don't have their names on them. They sing songs and read books.
When Ms. Moore says, "Awesome possum," you are supposed to stop
playing and put your hands on your head. On the first day, when she
"forgot" that her lunch contained a juice box and thought she had no
drink, she was given a chocolate milk carton by someone and reported, "It
was sort of free!"
The great part about this summer school experience is Ella's
enthusiasm for this next phase of her life. She wanted the whole family to
accompany her on the first day, not so much for comfort but to mark it as the
significant occasion it indeed was. We had planned to all walk the three
quarters of a mile to Russell Boulevard Elementary, but the weather did not
cooperate. Instead, we all piled into the car - baby and dog included - and
drove through the pouring rain. She gave me and Annie hugs, and Spencer walked
her into the building. When he returned, Spencer reported that Ella immediately
spotted a friend she had made at orientation the week before, blew a kiss to
him over her shoulder and headed over to her friend to compare water bottles.
She "dove right in," Spencer said. And we love this about her - her
confidence and her optimism. As my friend Tonya said, "Look at her
fly!" Fly on, Ella! We love you.
6-12-09 - original date of post. Our main focus these days is sleep.Mostly Annie's sleeping habits - when, where, how, and how much - and my general lack of sleep.I return to work on June 22 (boo), so for the past couple of weeks I've been trying to be better about paying attention to how long Annie has been awake, noticing her sleepy signs, and putting her down in her crib for naps so that maybe getting her to nap will be a bit easier for her sitter.Pop came to visit at the beginning of this sleep work, and I felt sort of bad that we spent much of his time here trying to figure out how to get Annie to sleep in ways other than nursing and how to get her to stay asleep.We finally resorted to long walks with Annie in the stroller.However, I'm happy to report some recent progress.As I am typing this, Annie is taking her second nap of the day.Her first nap was two hours long!In her crib!
As for my sleeping, Spencer recently came to my rescue, suggesting that I pump a bottle before bed and let him get up for the first feeding.So now I get to sleep from 10:30 pm or 11:00 pm to 4:00 am instead of just until 1:00 or 2:00 am.And just a couple of nights ago Annie surprised us by sleeping for nearly 7 hours in a row!Go, Annie!
5-31-09 original date of post. We've had a big couple of days around here.First, Annie had her two-month well baby check up and she's a chunky little babykins!She is now 12 pounds and 5 ounces, jumping from the 50
th to the 90
th percentile for weight.The poor thing got her first round of vaccinations, and I don't know who was more traumatized, Annie or her mama.That night Annie had a couple of bouts of crying-bordering-on-shrieking, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack.When the Tylenol finally kicked in (the administration of which seemed to cause as much distress as the pain her legs where she had received her shots), she gave me a couple of tired smiles and drifted off to sleep, at which point I fell apart in Spencer's arms.She is now back to her gentle self, thank goodness, treating us to small smiles and coos.
The other big event of the weekend was Ella's preschool graduation.She and her classmates treated us to songs, skits, and a lot of laughs.We marked the occasion by giving her a big girl backpack she can take to Russell Boulevard Elementary in the fall.Our first baby is kindergarten bound!Congratulations, Ella!
Question: What do you get when you have a newborn and a five-year-old with a cold who can't keep from kissing the baby?
Answer: a baby with conjunctivitis.
Actually, we didn't get a firm diagnosis of pink eye from the doctor, but her left eye is definitely weepy and gunky, so we still got a prescription for antibiotic eye drops.It is no joy to administer eye drops to a squirmy 6-week old, but really, it is nearly impossible to get Ella to stop touching Annie's face.At least she has become a better hand washer, making bubbles and standing at the sink for a count of 20.Also, our trip to the doctor's office allowed us to find out Annie June's official measurements: she's 11 pounds and 1 ounce and 22 inches long!
None of us can resist kissing the cheeks of our newly smiling sweetie.Annie delighted Ella with all sorts of smiles this morning - she is very interested in her big sister!
We haven't had a doctor's appointment recently, so I don't have an update on Annie's official height or weight. I will tell you that her gorgeous knees are getting a bit dimpled, and she has those delicious little creases at her wrists.She's filling out quite nicely.And she should be, the way she is eating!Her love of nursing rivals Ella's at this age.
I may not have any current stats, but I will make some predictions for the future.Annie's eyes will be brown.Her hair will be straight.She will worship her big sister Ella, who wants you to know that Annie has treated us to a few smiles and that she is starting to use her voice!We've heard a couple of coos.Her voice is kind of low and lovely.
Ella is using her own voice quite a bit these days, singing and singing and singing along with her Disney CDs.At this very moment, she is in the bathtub singing "Que Sera, Sera" to Spencer.We look forward to the day Ella and Annie can perform duets!
I just noticed that Annie June is sleeping in most of the pictures we have of her, which is funny, because she does not seem to sleep all that much.At least at night, that is.Or maybe when she is sleeping is the only time I have my hands free to actually take a picture.If she is awake she is most likely nursing.Not that I'm complaining.I am trying to soak up every minute with Annie that I can since I know my maternity leave will be over way too quickly!
Other Annie June facts.She is in the 50th percentile for everything except for her head size, which is closer to the 60th percentile.At her last doctor's appointment she had gained eleven ounces.She's a good eater.Go, Annie! She is also extremely tolerant of her big sister's manhandling.Ella loves her, just a little too enthusiastically at times.
Speaking of the big sister, she is now registered for kindergarten!I can't believe our first baby is about to start school.At registration night, after speaking with Ella for just two minutes, the principal labeled her "precocious."This was right after Ella told him that his last name (Shumacher) sounds like Chewbacca.
Ella wants everyone to know that her baby is here! She came two and a half weeks early, and she brought the spring with her. It rained and even snowed a bit on the day she was born, but the day she came home it was sunny and the streets were lined with flowering trees.
Anna June Williams Thompson (named after my mother, Ann, and Spencer's mother, June) was born at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 28 after a very fast labor. I labored at home for about 11 hours and we and our doula made it to the hospital just an hour before Annie was born. She came out in three pushes, and the bag of waters had not broken yet when her head emerged. The nurse later told us that this is being born "in caul," and it is quite rare and special. A quick search online tells us that various cultures have a range of myths on caul bearers like Annie, believing that she will be everything from magic or psychic to a tireless traveler across oceans. She is also supposed to be protected from drowning, which is a huge relief to her mama. Now I just have to worry about the choking and suffocating. And her gorgeous little neck snapping like a twig.
We are all head over heels in love with miss Annie June, particularly her proud and loving big sister, Ella, who has nicely agreed to share her web site with her. Thanks everyone for your well wishes!
Comments Welcome little AJ!! Davis was born in caul too, so you are in good company. Well, at least *I* think so. Well done, people! She's gorgeous. - stefanie
This evening Ella announced that she is really "interested
at things."Namely, "how things are made."After a little prompting, she elaborated, saying that she'd like to know how to make metal, plastic, money, cotton, and zippers.
One thing she has already learned a bit about is new babies.She had her "big kids only" class at the hospital a couple weeks ago, and she practiced changing a diaper and found out what happens on the day a baby is born.She got to see two brand new babies in the nursery and ride a hospital bed up and down, up and down.She also made a birthday card to give to her little sister when she arrives.
Spencer and I are likewise preparing to welcome this new member of the family.The nursery is painted a sunny yellow and the crib is assembled.Freshly laundered onesies and gowns are folded in drawers.We don't have diapers or the car seat yet, but we have started the packing list for our hospital bag.And I am practicing being awakened several times a night, but instead of a crying baby I'm dealing with a tiny bladder.We're not quite ready for our new arrival, but we are getting there and enjoying wondering what daughter number two will be like.As Ella would say, we are very "interested at" meeting her.
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