So far Anna distinctives include holding up her head from the day she was born.  I think it’s because she had the cord around her neck, but I can only guess.  She also has the very distinct preference of sleeping on her side.  The SIDS prevention recommendation is to put infants on their backs, so whenever we put her down, we put her on her back.  If she’s partially awake, she puts her legs up and, while grunting with the effort, flops herself over onto her side.  Sometimes failed attempts cause screaming.  She does, of course, much prefer to sleep *on* someone.  Grandma’s shoulder has been especially successful, causing a fussing Anna to pass out on contact just the other day.  My Aunt Lynn and Uncle Mike own a big comfy couch known in the family for its soporific effects as “The Sleepy Couch.”  So far we’ve tried out a few nicknames for Grandma’s shoulder, but are at a loss for one that is both descriptive and flattering.  Suggestions?

Anna’s favorite activities are nursing, sleeping on people, nursing, riding in her Ergo Baby carrier or sling from Aunt Megan, nursing, listening to Daddy play the mandolin during family hymn sing time, and nursing.  Her least favorite activities are bathing, having her diaper changed, and changing clothes.  So basically, she’s happy to eat and unhappy about basic hygiene.

During “waketime,” sometimes she likes to be entertained by stuffed animals Mr. Giraffe and Mrs. Bear (creative names they are not–but when you are sleep deprived and are naming an animal while holding a screaming infant, you want something you can remember).  We have seen her (or like to imagine that we have seen her) open her hand to pet Mr. Giraffe’s nose and lift her feet to continue “dancing” with Mrs. Bear.  Like most newborns, Anna likes motion, especially large motions like flying or spinning, or dancing (being danced?) to music.  Her favorite books are anything she has her eyes open for, especially black and white books, and she was quite happy in her “bouncy seat” except for that time she spit up the majority of her 3am feeding in it.  Sometimes talking to her or giving her a house tour or something to look at is sufficiently entertaining to stave off fussing and/or screaming, but she usually demands non-stop stimulation when she’s awake and alert.  This can be rather exhausting for those of us playing with her, but I tell myself that it means she loves learning.  She has also just started (yesterday) being content to sit quietly and watch life go on around her.

Another trick she does is what we call “sleep leaps.”  When she is startled in her sleep, her arms and legs fling outward quickly and forcefully (see the first few seconds of this video of a newborn’s Moro reflex).  If you’re holding her, sometimes this causes a violent change in position, which can be quite surprising as she tries to sleep leap out of your arms.  The first time  John observed this, he said it lent credence to my mom’s claim that I “lept” out of her lap onto the concrete patio (headfirst–explains a lot) as an infant.

We’re looking forward to her first social smile, as right now she expresses her pleasure with a blank stare and her displeasure rather noisily.  For now, she’s terribly cute and quite tiny.  We notice small changes every day.  New behaviors, her hair lightening, dislikes becoming likes, etc.  But you probably came for the pictures.  So enjoy.