I Love This Picture

Anna's first Christmas (I made the dress!). By this point Anna was 9 months old. We had seen the neurologist the month before and had scheduled an MRI. We were already seeing a PT and OT and doing lots of therapy on our own at home. Anna was improving but slowly. Belly time was still torture but she definitely seemed more interested in toys and was trying to use her right hand.

Our pediatrician felt she had torticollis, which affects babies when they get stuck in one position for a long time inutero. This would explain the stiffness of her right arm, neck and torso but not any stiffness in her right leg however less significant it was. So we celebrated Christmas with her MRI only days away hopeful that the tests would come back negative and torticollis would be everyone's conclusion.

She was a big hit all in red Christmas Eve - it was nice to have a baby in the family again. Lauren and Patrick have grown up too quickly! Anna was a big hit smiling away for everyone and willingly going from lap to lap. And when bedtime came, she gladly retired to the guest room for a little while allowing the rest of us to celebrate downstairs. Everyone couldn't get over how easy she was and loved her even more for it.

When it was time to go home, we figured she'd fall back to sleep on the way home. Instead, she grinned at Grandma and Mommy the whole way home only to welcome her crib as soon as we got home and sleep until 7:30 am the next day! Couldn't ask for a better Christmas gift!

She was equally as good Christmas day staying awake for the presents and lunch and then happily going down for her afternoon nap at Grandma's while everyone arrived for the day's festivities. She happily took in all of the excitement and then once again cooperated when it was time to go to sleep allowing us to celebrate for the rest of the evening while she slept contently upstairs. Merry Christmas to us!

Christmas is a three day affair for our family so the day after Christmas wraps up the holiday. Anna went with the flow waking up at Grandma's and playing with her cousins while Dave and I lazed around at home. When I arrived she was gladly going about her routine surrounded by her 'new' family members. Grandma graciously agreed to babysit while the cousins went to the movies. She welcomed us once more as we came back for one last dinner with the whole gang. Anna was slightly less happy about going to bed that night but she quieted down quickly and gave us one more night to visit with everyone before everyone returned to their routines the next day.

December 27 came too quickly and it was time to say goodbye. It's always sad, but this year was even more so since no one wanted to say good bye to the smiling baby happily eating her lunch in the corner of the kitchen. Aunt Bev even shed a tear or two! Until next time everyone! We'll send pictures because you won't recognize her next time you're around!