Danna Day 2012

Danna at 4 (Family pics?  “Odie”)

Danna Day 2012 has arrived.  In a few years, I’m sure that Danna will expect everyone to serve her every need on this day…hell, she already expects people to serve her every need, Danna Day or not.  A couple years back, before she was walking, I wrote that Danna probably just thought she was one of those princesses that had me and her brothers here to carry her around on a platform.  Danna still believes this is her world and we all just live in it.

At the age of four, Danna is still a little slower than her brothers on reaching developmental milestones.  She keeps hitting the milestones, but it takes her a little longer to get there.  Her doctors told us to expect this for the first 5 or so years because she had such a rough life starting off in the womb.  Danna had IUGR (Intra-Uterine Growth Restriction) after she was conceived.  She was born at a svelte:) 1 pound, 10 ounces.

As for what our little peanut is like now…

Danna loves animals.  One of her absolute favorite places in the world is the zoo, but she especially loves doggies and to a lesser degree cats.  Her love of the domestic animals make us wonder if we might have a future veterinarian on our hands.  She has about a million stuffed doggies and while it used to switch regularly, for the last half a year or so, “Odie” goes everywhere with her.  To school?  “Odie” goes with her.  Grocery shopping?  “Odie.”  A wedding that she is the flower girl in?  “Odie” got earrings and a necklace and walked down the aisle with her. 

Danna also loves balloons, flowers and books, just not to the extent of dogs.  She has a few of these eccentricities that are adorable, but also challenging to deal with.  We lost “Odie” for about a week and that was a bad week.  If we go grocery shopping and she sees balloons, it gets pretty annoying trying to get her to understand those are “decoration balloons” and she doesn’t get to hold them.  She is getting a lot better at understanding she doesn’t get everything she wants.  Seeing as how I created this “monster,” it has taken quite a while breaking her of the spoiled routine, but she has really started to grow up about things.

Danna has her downfalls, just like the boys.  She honestly loves her brothers so much.  She gets upset when they get in trouble.  “Fo-Fo doesn’t want to sleep in the peapod.”  “Pius wants to have his spiderman mask.”  “LAINE DON’T WANT TO BE A JERK.  LAINE DON’T WANT TO CRY.”  “AAAAAAAHHHHHH!”  Laine is her hero.  If Laine is upset, we have a loud house.  While she gets upset for Pius and Forrest, if Laine is mad, she screams and cries.  We keep hoping this is a stage that will pass, but it has lingered on for about 6 months now.

Danna also has the strangest eating habits.  This probably leads to her small stature, but she doesn’t eat unless she really likes something.  If we ate cereal for every meal, she would probably be six feet tall already.  She LOVES cereal.  She also seems to prefer more adult foods.  What kid doesn’t like macaroni and cheese?  Danna will not eat that, but if she sees us eating a steak or some chicken, she is like a baby bird trying to score bites.  She is definitely going to be an expensive date…if anyone ever asks her:)

Danna’s 2nd day of life

Danna at 3 months next to a football.

Danna at 1

   

Danna on her 2nd birthday

Danna at 3

Danna Lynn, your mommy and I love you so much.  You are the toughest little girl in the world.  You have fought through so many battles in your life and I know that your determination will take you wherever you want to go in life.  You are a beautiful, smart, loving little girl that makes us so proud.