Wow, has it been 3 weeks?

I know, I know.... I haven't updated our blog at all and I do have very good reasons.... Anna got her first major cold last week and so part of the reason I haven't updated our blog is because I've been taking care of a little sick girl... she is recovering beautifully though and is almost back to normal (oh, I also got the cold so we were all pretty miserable).

Not sure where to begin....
The past 3 weeks we've been home has been FULL... the first week and a half, we had a painter in our house while we were adjusting (not the best timing for this, but the painter was behind a week or so and couldn't get it all done while we were gone..., Anna (Aaron's sister) and David (Anna's husband), and boys Benjamin and Caleb came over one the 2nd weekend we were home. It was a short visit but so great to have someone in the family get to see Anna. Since we live 3 hours away from Portland, we haven't had any visitors ... so far, only Anna & David & boys have met our little Anna. We haven't had any energy to make a weekend trip there, so we may have to wait to introduce Anna until Thanksgiving. Aaron has been back to work and very busy since we got home, and as I posted above, 4 out of 6 of us came down with a cold... Oh, and we've had to get over jet lag, do 2 weeks worth of "catch up" homework for 3 kids, with a painter in the house, all the while, adjusting to a new little sweet pea in the house and Aaron not coming home until 8pm or later most nights. BUT, Anna has been the BEST with all of this adjustment... as busy as things have been, I haven't felt too stressed and thankfully, she is a good sleeper, so atleast I am not sleep-deprived.

Anna had her first appt last week with the Dr. and all went well... she is going to get her blood drawn tomorrow to double-check on the Hep B status. The doctor was very positive about her growth and how healthy she looks. She didn't have to get any immunizations either, which was WONDERFUL.

She is already doing so much now.... she's pulled herself up to standing and is doing alot of pre-walking stuff like standing up for a few seconds on her own, pulling up on a box and pushing it as she walks, etc.... it is amazing to watch her do these things at such a young age since my boys didn't do alot of these things until they were a few months older......She is such a go-getter and not mellow like 2 of my 3 boys were. She is such a bundle of joy and energy, I can hardly believe we spent all this time without her. She fits in so perfectly and I couldn't have asked for a better transition. She had a tough 4-5 days adjusting to jet lag and our new home and her room, but she has quickly settled into a routine now and sleeps 9-10 hours straight everynight!!! I was prepared to wake up several times if I had to, but so far, she is letting us sleep. Her nap schedule is not very consistent yet, but I am just letting that one go for now.

She loves her brothers and gets so happy when they come home from school. They love her equally and have been so helpful with everything, including "trying" to change her diaper. She is a little squirmer and does not lay still for diaper changes, so I am working on that one. Our boys were always so compliant with diaper changes, that it has been a challenge for me to try to get her to be still.

I am still just in awe of God's blessing to us.... when I have a moment of quiet, I find myself thanking God over and over for bringing her into our family. Life is definitely FULL right now, but I am not sure I'd want it any other way....

Enjoy the pictures!