Anna was meant to be our oldest child for many reasons. First and foremost, she was an easy baby. She slept through the night, hardly cried, and played independently. She inspired us to have another, which we all know got a little bit crazy. But I would not be a sane Mom if she hadn't been my oldest - she makes it so much easier.
I love that Anna is so independent. She has fabulous, full on conversations with herself, and loves to play alone. I love how she plays the "Mommy" role well, and for the most part is not too bossy. I love it when I hear her say things like, "Now, we have to clean up this mess before we go outside" or something else I would say.
I love Anna's obsession with stuff. There are two facets to her obsession. First, she likes to fill things up. Her backpack needs its own planet. It is stuffed as full as you could possibly get it. She never even takes the stuff out, she just finds great satisfaction in having it full to the brim.
Anna also loves to organize. In her room, she organizes all of the toys, and tends to have a meltdown if someone moves things. I suspect some of this neurosis comes from me. Anna loves to play with dolls, play outside, play with her brother and sister, watch movies, go to preschool, Disneyland, the beach, and lots of other fun things. She DOES NOT like to go to the store or run any errands. It usually takes my amazing power of persuasion to get her to go to the grocery store or anything like that. Simply put - she is not the little shopping buddy I was to my Mom as a child.
I love Anna's sensitivity and sweetness. If I had to pick one word to describe her, it would be sweet. She is the child I never worry about being mean to kids at school or church, is very polite, and loves her family. She loves to help with anything you will let her do, especially cleaning. At night when she goes to bed, just as you are about to close the door, she always asks what we are doing the next day. She just wants to lie there and be excited about the next day, I suppose.
We love Anna and can't believe she is turning 5 soon. That first day of kindergarten is going to be a hard one for me!
