Anoush’s Antics

Okay, so ‘antic’ might be a little strong, since I’m not wishing to imply that our little girl is misbehaving, but I’m a sucker for alliteration.  As you can imagine, Anoush is changing and growing so rapidly that it makes our heads spin.  Before leaving Bristol, I took her to the baby clinic and she weighed 9lb 8oz.  She is now smiling a lot in response to friendly faces and I think will begin to giggle soon.  Developing her hand-eye coordination, she sits in her red bouncy chair and reaches out for the toys that dangle in front of her.  She’s also discovered the joy of putting her fists in her mouth (yes, she tries to get them both in at the same time), but is simultaneously learning how to gag herself!  Trial and error at its best.

She was fantastic on the trip to Armenia, sleeping during most of the flight time.  Arrival at the airport gave her a bit of a scare when we came out from customs into the swarm of Armenians waiting for their relatives and offering us taxis.  All the noises and people put her into a panic and she cried until we were on the road.

Here in Gavar, she is learning the joy of being passed around, bounced about and cooed to by dozens of Armenian women. 

The first days were trying, but she’s becoming accustomed to it now.  When we return to Bristol, I’m sure she’ll be bored with only Jason and I around the apartment to entertain her.

She continues to sleep really well, waking no more than once in the night, and takes a long nap every morning after she’s been changed and fed.  I’m also learning how to work within her schedule and take advantage of small chunks of time throughout the day.

So far on this trip, she’s had her first car ride (no, there was no carseat), first airplane ride, attended a wedding ceremony, went to a barbeque, participated in Mommy’s Peace Corps workshop, travelled to more Armenian cities than many Armenians ever visit, and been spoken to in three languages.  I find it amusing that in Anoush’s brief life (including her in-utero development) she’s been to six countries (America, Ireland, England, France, Germany and Armenia), an accomplishment I never achieved until I was 25 years old.  Given our inclination for adventure, I’m sure she’ll visit quite a few more (in fact we have a trip planned to Scotland in September), and hopefully will learn to appreciate other cultures and the diversity in the world.

NOTE: You can click the first image below and it will bring up the full size picture.  From there, you can click the “next” link to quickly go through the pictures or you can click the slide show link for a slide show view of the pictures.