The First Six Weeks!

Per the Ridulous! post, here is an album of the first six weeks of Amara's life. The next two weeks will come soon. Also, I am committing Ami to posting a few stories within this coming week.

The First Six Weeks - Oh My!

Ridiculous!

Without denial, I will first and foremost recognize the lackluster perfomance of Blog maintenance. Without a post since January 18th, I am promising not to let another 48 days lapse between updates. This being said, I would love to invite all to read through the 14 starts on New Posts that I had begun which had ended in either futility or due to a child in need.

All of this being said, let the updates begin! Our epitomal big sister, Annika is fully embracing her role. Her sense of nurture has already kicked in (a chip off of Ami's block). Anni's Elmo makes a daily appearance lying on top of Amara when she is in her carseat/boppy/bouncer/etc. She is also continuously concerned with Amara's well being by offering her pillows and blankets, hugs and kisses, and by telling us where Amara would like to sit next (carseat/boppy/bouncer/etc.) and shortly thereafter followed up with the previously mentioned Elmo situation. Annika's vocabulary has begun to grow and she is able to articulately reference the world around us in addition to repeating what she hears us say. Some of her new words are Ernie, Donut, Cereal, and (I'm not too proud of this one) McDonalds! However, her favorite word is ... CAKE! (Side Note, Annika loves her Anju Masi so much that she refers to her many times as Cake - interesting on so many levels!) Overall, Annika is growing and developing fantastically - we could not be more proud of her. Ami and I are finally understanding not only the joy of having a family, but the joy of being a family and the joy that interacting with your children brings.

In attempting to make this entry a concise one, I am making a conscious effort to switch children. Amara just turned 2 months old today! Contrary to Annika, Amara is a substantial baby. Coming in at 75th percentile in both height and weight, she is a substantial child. She is now becoming cognizant of the world around her and seems to be soaking it in. So far she is soothed by music, much like her sister, and prefers ballads and the occasional up beat adult contemporary/rock that now defines my aging generation. (***I have realized that I have to lock my children into liking my music early or else I will become a parent embattled with their teenagers over listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers or some shirtless, uneducated, punk band of their generation that sounds like a group of disfunctional monkeys destroying a music store. Although I am pretty sure that I am deluding myself, and that the aforementioned paradigm is inevitable.***) - deep breath - Amara has begun to smile, and in particular, at me. I seem to be her favorite for these few fleeting moments. Additionally, she seems to be enjoying Organic Chemistry and we anticipate her scoring well on the MCAT this summer as she seems to be studying hard at Ami's side when they are together. She also seems to be paying a particular eye to Annika and watching her like a hawk, although I can not confirm this, I believe it to be true.

As for Ami and I, we're closer than ever - and happier together to boot. We have learned to communicate with incorrect grammer, incorrect words, sentence fragments, and even via a complex system of grunts and shrieks - no wait...those are chimpanzees. Ami is going to begin posting anecdotes and memoirs as she is leaving the summaries to me, so please make sure to check back in in another 48 days for the update.

Also, we have a new album linked...it will be up soon.