Birth
Anna came out 7 hours after the induction pill was put in. It was considered to be quick. She had her eyes wide open at birth. As the doctor had to do some tidy-up, I couldn’t hold her immediately. She was put in a little tray under the warm light. Contrary to our expectation, she didn’t cry at all but only lay there gently moving her little arms and legs.
We both burst to tears the moment she came out. I immediately felt the overwhelming love I had for her. I finally met the little person I had been carrying for more than 9 months. When I had her in my arms against my chest, her little pinkish body moved very gently. I felt such a strong connection with her and I knew then all the pain was really worth it.
1 month old
The 1-month-old Anna loved black and white books. She could lie looking at them for ages. She loved music too. We often played a mix of lullaby, Christian songs and classical music. Simon’s trumpet lip movement could calm her down quickly too.
She no longer crossed her legs when she slept. She grew out of the new born clothes but was small for the 0-3 months ones, so we had to roll up the sleeves of her tops. She got better in the bath and finally enjoyed it.
2 months old
Anna often pushed herself to move up in the Moses basket and she looked a bit squashed in there, so we moved her to a bigger crib.
She was very chatty and liked smiling at us and trying to talk. She could make most sounds that didn’t need the tongue, so vowels and g. She was often lying on her bouncing chair smiling and looked very happy.
She liked watching me dance around and loved looking at our painting of London. The mess in our open wardrobe intrigued her. She spent more time on her playmat and her favourite toys were the turtle and the mirror. She often looked at the mirror chatting with herself.
3 months old
Anna’s neck control became very good. When I burped her, I didn’t need to support her neck all the time. She could hold up her neck for 2 minutes during the tummy time. She could also move her eyes and head to follow objects around the room. She especially liked following Simon’s black socks. She could also bear weight on her legs, i.e. standing with our support.
She no longer slept much during the day. She was also more observant and alert. She enjoyed looking at new things.
There were a lot of firsts for her. After her 12 week vaccination, she had her first fever, hence her first calpol too. She initiated her first smiles when she saw us. She had the very first money into her bank account, which was a generous present from Stacey and Nash.
Anna seemed to be learning about her hands. She had them open more. She played with her ears and put her fingers into them. She grabbed Robert the robot and tried to eat him.
Her favourite book was Millie Moo. She wasn’t interested in the black and white one anymore. I also read “Alibaba and 40 thieves” in Vietnamese to her.