Anna at 18 months

This post was begun as simply a depository of cute kiddie photos from our new-found spring, but then I remembered that...Anna turned 1 1/2 on Earth Day (22nd). Here's a bit of what she's like these days:

Height/weight: smaller than average (about 20 pounds)

Appetite:  Hearty (she eats almost twice what her three-year-old brother eats). Especially loves cheese, mama milk (once, when she wakes up in the morning), pasta, tomatoes, yogurt, ice cream.

Personality: larger than average.

Anna is in a fun developmental stage - she's curious, brave (except with animals), exploratory, provoking (of Jonathan), and easily insulted but also easily appeased (if done right). She's starting to jabber more and more, with a few more recognizable words per week (yesterday it was "blanket" in LG). She seems to understand e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g, and responds appropriately. It's a constant reminder to keep explaining and pointing out things to her (not just to Jonathan, as we tend to do). She likes to look at books, and always needs a few in her bed to peruse before falling asleep. She's been waking up at 5am the last few weeks, and making it known it such a way that can hardly be ignored (we try). But she's also been taking 1.5-2 hour naps more regularly.

She loves, loves, loves to be outside. Even in the middle of snow season, when her nose was running and her hands were ice cold - and she was the only one left outside - she did not want to come inside. Exploring the yard and pushing the plastic lawn mower are great pastimes for her.

Our two children's personalities are quite different, and we're still finding Anna harder to "figure out" (in an ongoing process kind of way) than Jonathan.

But one thing is clear, these two need each other. I'm reminded of that each time I take just Anna somewhere in the car; she gets quite distressed when the car seat beside her is empty. They can get intensely mad at each other (in fact, Jonathan twice bit Anna this week - something completely out of the blue). But Jonathan is also incredibly solicitous of Anna. When they're playing alone outside, I will sometimes overhear Jonathan saying something like "vee mutta zeiya up posse, Anna..."

This afternoon at my folks', Jonathan took Anna by the hand and walked with her across the driveway and into the shop, where they then explored for awhile. These moments give me great hope that they'll at least like one another when they're in high school.

One last word about Jonathan: he is almost beside himself with all the excitement of farming season starting up again. This is truly the place for him!