Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Anna is 21 months!

Wow, this month has brought a lot of changes for Anna! She has had grandparents visiting (so much fun) and ...

She is a big sister now!! Bringing Caleb home from the hospital really made us realize how Anna really is such a BIG girl - not just in size (I mean she seems HUGE now), but also in personality and ability.  We really see her in a whole new light now.  She's not a baby anymore (sad), but we are excited to see who she is becoming. 

She is still a great eater and sleeper.  She still sucks her thumb, but only in bed or the car now.  The scratch on her nose is still there, but we are encouraging her not to "scratch". 

Her favorite meals include spaghetti, rice mixed with anything, noodles, and soups.  She does get tired of meals easily and will only eat the same thing a couple times in a row. 

 
She eats lunch around 10:30 (I know, SO early) and usually takes a nap around 11:30.  She naps about 1.5 - 2.5 hours.  Her bedtime is 7pm, although we are pushing it back a bit these days.  She usually is up at 6:30 am - in time to see Daddy off to work. 

Some of her favorite things to do are: play outside on the swingset, help Daddy in the yard (picking up sticks and putting them in the "pile", play with her baby dolls, use chalk, play in her "house" that grandma & pa pa made for her (just a fort with blankets), and clean everything (using whatever she finds - napkins, towels, broom...). 

she still has the self-inflicted wound on her nose :(

She wears size 2T shirts and 18-24 month bottoms, size 4 diapers, and size 6 shoes. 

As far as discipline goes, she still loves the word NO, but we are learning to tell her what she has to do and ask her things that she has a choice on.  For example - "Anna, go get your towel, it's time for bath" (she must do this) vs. "Anna, do you want to read a book?" (she has a choice).  Now that we've got that down, things go more smoothly.

Her vocabulary is huge and she is putting together more and more sentences.  She even says "potty" and points at her diaper.  Here are some of sentences:
"Anna do it"
"Pa Pa sit"
"Ma Ma catch"
"Dada turn"
"Baby sad"
"outside dada"
"dada doing?"

And she says "C'mon" in the most hilarious way. She sounds like she is from New Jersey when she says it.  My parents taught her that!

She also tries to say Caleb - and it sounds like "K-bob".  It's pretty cute, and I will try to get a video soon!


She is doing pretty well with the transition to big sister.  My mom is still here, and that is helping ALOT since she is still getting a good amount of individual attention.  I'm trying to spend one-on-one time with her everyday too, and Josh is doing a great job in the evenings doing bath and bedtime.  

That's Anna at 21 months! I'm sure I forgot some things, but I wanted to post this before 22 months came along!!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Introducing Caleb!

 
Caleb Joshua Skinner
 
 

 
March 29, 2013
 
8 lb 15 oz
 
21 1/2 inches
 
 
 
We are all doing great and enjoying this sweet baby!
 
About his heart...
 
While I was pregnant, the doctors noticed that Caleb had an irregular heartbeat.  We were sent to Arkansas Children's Hospital to have more monitoring done.  They found that Caleb's heart was beating too fast, which can cause serious damage if left unmanaged. This is formally called SVT.  I was put on medicine so that Caleb's heart would no longer go into SVT.  It worked great and we had no other issues in pregnancy.
 
After he was born, he had to be monitored for 4 days in the hospital and 2 days at home for SVT.  The monitor we took home showed a few mild signs of SVT, so the doctors at Children's want to do more monitoring to determine if Caleb needs medicine.  50% of infants outgrow SVT by age 1 and the other 50% need to continue to be on medicine.  Overall, this is not a serious condition if treated, and we are thankful to God that we have the medical resources to manage it.
 
We will know more in the coming days! Thank you for your prayers and encouragement during this time.  We are so blessed to have a healthy baby who is eating & sleeping well!  Praise the Lord!