Christmas/New Year's/9 Months

This is a marathon update because I haven't updated the blog recently. On the positive side, I am updating this before Annive turns 10 months!

We enjoyed our first Christmas with Annive. It was a lot of fun watching her with the Christmas lights, decorations, and presents. Actually, she really didn't care that much about the presents but the wrapping paper and bows were a huge hit! We celebrated Christmas in Mt. Pleasant with Scott's grandfather, Papa, who turned 93 in November. Scott's parents and his sister were also there to celebrate. Annive was the center of attention, and Papa loved holding her and watching her play. He kept saying, "She sure does wiggle a lot!" Unfortunately Annive had her first cold while we were gone but she was her normal, happy self.

"Fake" Christmas, what my sister called the Harville Christmas, was held after we got back from Mt. Pleasant/Tyler. My parents were there, my brother, my sister and brother-in-law who drove all the way from California, and 4 dogs. We sound like a verse from The Twelve Days of Christmas! Again, most of the attention was centered around Annive. Auntive attempted to give Annive her first bite of chocolate cake when we were decorating the Christmas tree cake.

Scott and I actually went out on New Year's Eve for the first time in a very long time (maybe the history of our marriage). My sister and brother-in-law, Richard and Sarah, were still in town. We went to dinner and then went bowling but like the "old" people we are, we were home before midnight. However, Bailey woke Annive up when he started barking at the garage door; then the fireworks kept her awake from 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. It made me very grateful that Annive routinely sleeps 12 hours at night!

We had Annive's baby dedication at our church, NorthPlace Church, on January 2nd. Annive was beautiful, sweet, and lovely. I did not cry one time, and we enjoyed all of our family and friends who shared in that day with us. Thank you to each of you who were part of Annive's day!

Annive had her 9 month check up on January 5th and is doing well. She gained 5 ounces from her 8 month visit and weighs 15 pounds which puts her at 2.32%. She grew 1.25 inches in length and is 27 inches which puts her at 31.96%. Right now it seems like she'll be tall and thin like Scott's side of the family. Dr. R. is "watchful and concerned but no longer worried" about her weight. We are even able to wait 6 weeks before her next weight check! We also saw the pediatric ophthalmologist that same week. Dr. C. was very thorough and kind. Annive does not have any eye disease with her eyes but does have a blocked tear duct in the left eye. We're continuing eye massage twice a day for the next 3 months, and if her eye has not cleared up by the time she is 12 months, then we will look into surgery to open her tear duct and insert a drainage tube. Dr. C. said 90% of cases clear up on their own by the time the child is 12 months old. So, we're praying for her eye to clear by then.

Annive is crawling all over the place, although she still only goes backwards. Scott baby-proofed the house over his Christmas break because she's started trying to open cabinets and drawers. She's eating well and likes pretty much all foods she's tried. Annive loves Bailey; in fact he makes her laugh all the time. The rest of us work so hard to get her to laugh while Bailey can just run in the room, and she breaks out into hysterical laughter. It makes me laugh every time! Annive is pure joy and sunshine, and Scott and I are enjoying every last moment with our miracle.