5-15-13

There's a few cute things to report around the Hunter Household.

Juliana is becoming more cute and expressive every day!  Some people lament their babies not being tiny babies anymore, but not I - I'm so excited to get to know her little personality more and more!  I love seeing glimpses of who she is becoming!  Such a sweet little person!  Now, understand me, I am NOT saying that I'm not a bit sad about Anna Claire growing up.  At her phase of the game, I am a bit meloncholy about her continual growth and independence.  Every step she takes on her own, is a step away from her total reliance on us.  I adore how much she loves us right now, and I know that as she grows, she will ultimately cherish other relationships and friendships just as much as ours, and in all likelihood, during her teenage years, MORE than ours.   I can only enjoy the moment and keep the hope that if we can "keep her heart" so-to-speak, then when she is grown, she will treasure our relationship and friendship on a new level.  I do hate to see how teenagers discount their parents....if they only knew how deeply and fervently they are loved.....but, alas, that is part of teenagehood.  They just don't know....and can't.

Anyway, that's not what I wanted to write about!! :)  Funny how the mind goes off on its own....

Anna Claire is doing something new and funny - we took the side rail off to her crib last Friday night to allow her to be able to get up to go potty, and she's done very well with it.  But along with this new freedom, comes a new reaction: when she gets up from any kind of sleep (nap or "big sleep") she walks in to us, throws her arms out to the side like she is going to make a pronouncement of some sort, and says "I sleep good!!"  I guess she picked the phrase up from when we pray with her at night - I have noticed that Andy especially will pray and ask God to help her "sleep good."  It cracks us up!  :)

Anna Claire is also extremely interested in finding "futterflies" (butterflies).  I soooo want to take her to the butterfly dome at Calloway Gardens.  I've never been but I've heard its really neat! Yesterday she took me outside by the hand to see the "futterfly." I honestly just thought she was going to show me a random bug, but sure enough - she really DID see a butterfly!  A pretty orange one!!  I wish that we could find one of the butterfly gardens you can buy online, but it's probably too late in the season this year....

Juliana is crawling better every day.  She HATES her carseat and cries almost instantly when we put her in it!  She's also becoming more finicky about what she will eat.  Anna Claire was never finicky.  She hated peaches and the Gerber baby chicken, but otherwise would eat anything.  Juliana will try something then start gagging dramatically!  Andy says we have ANOTHER drama queen in training!  Last night I was trying to feed her mixed vegetables and chicken.  She started that gagging nonsense, so I got some bananas and with each bite of the "good stuff" I would douse it in bananas and she ate it all up! GROSS!!  (Oh, and when I say "GROSS!" Anna Claire will repeat me - "Goess!!" HAH!)  So now, when she won't eat something, then I just cover it in bananas!

Juliana will laugh at almost anything Anna Claire does.  I have to EARN my giggles from her, but Anna Claire can get her to laugh almost without effort! So sweet!