Sasha is so busy!

Sasha is such a healthy happy baby. She was so calm and serene the day we saw her for the first time and is overall has a calm nature. But she is also very active! She learned to sit up while we were in Vietnam and then started crawling a week or so after we got home. She doesn't crawl a lot. just from toy to toy or to get to me if she is a few feet away. We have hardwood floors on most of our downstairs so I really only set her down on the area with rugs. About a week ago she started climbing up partway on chairs or pulling herself to a almost standing position on baskets or other low objects. Four days a go she was standing up holding on the the side of her crib when I went in for a middle of the night bottle! Just a few minutes ago she pulled herself up somehow so she was standing up next to the couch! I didn't see how she did it even though I was sitting on the floor right next to her. I just looked away for a minute. She did it again a few minutes later and again I had missed seeing how she did it. She doesn't know how to get down yet, that will take some figuring out. She gets around quickly in her walker and really seems to like it. We bought a new high chair for her that has wheels, so I just her around when I am moving to another room. It has really helped me to get some things done like laundry and just general straightening up the downstairs. She cries if she cannot see me so it has been tough to get anything done while holding her and carrying her with me as I move room to room. Now I can just put some puffs on her tray and that will buy me a few minutes. We also bought her a little jumper that hangs on the framing to a door. We hand it on the door to our pantry and she seems to like it. It's hard to make sure the other two little ones don't "help" her bounce though, so we haven't used it much.
She liked taking a bath while we were in Vietnam, but cries the entire time every time I give her one now. But when I give my other two baths she keeps trying to pull herself over the edge into the tub. I'm not ready to have her in the tub with Brayden and Brookelyn yet. They are pretty active and I think it would overwhelm her. She still cries a lot in the carseat too. I usually drive to get my daughter from high school (25-30 minutes) and then take five to ten minutes with Sasha out of the car before we get back in to get Brayden and Brookelyn at their school. That is another 20-25 minutes. We get out and I put her in the front pack while I collect them, which takes a while because I used to work there so I like talking to the other parents and staff when I am there. We get back in the car for another 20-25 minutes and then we are home. Some days it works because she is tired so she sleeps, some days she cries, which is really hard. There is no way around it though, the kids need to get picked up and I am the only one who can do it. Luckily, I drive Dakota to school early enough in the morning that the little ones can stay home with dad. It's Dakota's last year in high school so we don't have to do this driving forever. It will also help when I can turn her car seta around and she can see the DVD player and watch Baby Einstien videos.
She has started to allow other people to hold her, but only for a minute or two and then she wants to go back to me. If someone else gets her out of her crib and she cannot see or hear me, she seems to be okay until I walk into the room. I know it's just a matter of time before she gets past it, so I am fine with it. I would like to be done with the one or two middle of the night feedings. I think she has slept through the night once or twice. I am tired! She only takes a few ounces so I know she doesn't need to wake up, but I plan on waiting another month or so before I try to wean her off of them. We've only been home just over five weeks. Wow! It seems so much longer than that!
We had her pictures taken a couple of days ago. She was not very smiley. The woman managed to get a few cute pictures though. I asked Ray to come with me because I wanted Sasha's six month pictures, Brookelyn's two year pictures, the three little ones pictures taken with their Christmas outfits on, and while we were we asked them to take pictures with all five of us together. The older kids are horrified by the thought of having to go through the ordeal of getting the whole family's picture. It is an ordeal too! Not a happy one. My husband always wants to settle for whatever is fast and easy (such as the kids wearing whatever they had on for their Christmas pictures) while I have something else in mind. I am not picky, after years of doing this (and doing it professionally while in college) I know that sometimes I have to settle for a cute smile whether it is their "real" smile of not. I told this lady I didn't need all the kids smiling in the family shot, just wanted to have them looking the right way. They turned out pretty cute. I may bring the three of them in for a better Christmas picture since Brayden couldn't stop biting his lip. Or maybe I'll just take them a few pictures in front of our Christmas tree.
I am amazed on a daily basis that we are able to raise this beautiful little girl!