Ana is 1!!!

Ana had her 1st birthday on July 10th. Just like Zoe... I had hoped to write this beautiful reflective post. She's not even "1" any more though. She's already past the 13 month mark. How does this happen? I just gave birth to her, like, yesterday.

Ana isn't a baby anymore. She's a full blown toddler. She put off crawling until she was almost 10 1/2 months old... but she didn't waste any time moving on to walking. Just past 13 months and it's like she's a pro or something. Next she'll be moving onto running, and climbing, and riding bikes. Time just needs to slow down a wee bit.
Ana is a big girl. I was shocked to find myself pulling out Zoe's 24 month summer box yesteday. The box of clothes Zoe was wearing when she was almost 2. Those are the clothes that fit Ana now. She's still wearing the 18 month clothes... but the 24 month clothes definitely offer her some room to breath a little more. That means she may very well be leaving me with 2 full bins of clothes she will never wear. Sigh.
Ana is the happiest baby I have ever met. She rarely ever cries. She is just full of smiles and laughs and silly sounds. From the time she wakes up until the time she goes to bed she is just generally in good spirits. She is almost ridiculously content all the time. (This morning I could hear her babbling in her crib at 6am... she would chatter, get quiet, maybe sleep again, babble, get quiet, giggle... I finally went in to get her at 8am when Zoe was up and dressed. Ana never cried. Just content.)
Ana does have a temper. She's usually so even tempered and easy going that it seems impossible that Ana would ever get angry or frustrated. But, if she wants something... she wants it now. If she doesn't get it... she blows up. That sweet little face turns fiery red and that platinum blond hair looks shocking. The fists clench, the jaw tightens, the body shakes. We're going to have to look out as she gets older. She just may blow up.
Ana is becoming a total parrot. She tries to say almost anything I ask her to (if the mood suits her). Her clearest words are definitely Mommy and Daddy. She also says "row, row, row" while she leans forward and back. She "woofs" if she sees a dog. Her most impressive word is thank you (or "tank q" as Ana says it). It's most impressive because she actually uses it properly. How crazy is that? She's going to be a chatter box just like her sister.
Ana seems to love everything. She loves to eat (obviously). She loves to be in the water. She loves to walk. She loves to laugh with Zoe. She loves to get in the car. She loves music and loves to dance. She loves Moose A. Moose (on Noggin). She loves ice cream. She loves broccoli. She loves to take a bath. And she LOVES to sleep. I can't really think of anything that Ana just doesn't like. (So far)

I don't think words can explain how much I love Ana. I could cuddle and squeeze this girl all day long. When I hold her close I just want to breath her in. She is so happy and loving. I just love her to pieces. She is just my big chunka-munk.


Some Ana stats...
At 1 year old Ana weighed 26 lbs 3 oz. She was 31 1/2 inches tall. 97th percentile all around. She had only 2 teeth. Her feet are measuring a 6 wide.