Sleeping Beauty Part 3

This doesn't look all that relaxing to me, but it's amazing how many times I go to check on her before I go to bed and she is in this position with her butt up in the air. It kind of reminds me of her 3-D ultrasound pictures I have of her.

And isn't that blanket cute? Grandma made that for her.

[picture dated 3/22/07]

18 Month Check-up

Today Amelia weighed in at 22 lbs., 2.5 oz and is at the 15th percentile - she is finally on the charts!!!! She measured 31" long and is at the 25th percentile. This is down from her year check-up, but otherwise her usual life-long percentile, so she may have had a growth spurt right before year check-up. Her head was 18" around.

She had to have blood drawn to check for lead and iron levels plus she had to have three shots (last DTP, Hib and first Hepatitis A). Poor girl - she seemed okay with it all just before the needle went in her arm to draw the blood, then her eyes got real wide like she knew something bad was going to happen. It was me, the nurse and an assistant holding her still and she cried and cried. At one point she looked at me for a few seconds straight and it seemed like her eyes were saying, "Can't you do something?" As soon as the nurse was done and released her arm, Amelia just curled up into me. It was so sad. She drank from her sippy cup and seemed to calm down easily but then we had to stretch her out for her shots (in the top of her thighs). She made it through that - but there were five of us total working on that one - three holding her while two nurses gave her the shots simultaneously (one in one leg, two in the other). I had thought that she was going to have the blood drawn from her foot so I left her socks and shoes off, but apparently that wasn't necessary. After I put them back on I let her walk out to the payment area - something I don't normally do because I'm terrified of all the germs. She didn't touch anything and was happy to be picked up after exploring a little bit on her own. She laid her head on my shoulder briefly and was just so sweet.


I usually keep her with me on days that she has shots but I couldn't do that today. Her babysitter was super about it and it turns out she had a great day - ate a big lunch, took a normal length nap (two hours) and was just as playful as she normally is. After supper I let her run around in the yard - our new thing - and she had a blast picking up pine cones. I love how she always tries to gather things all into one hand and arm! She had gathered pine cones with daddy last week and while it makes her arms and clothes a little sticky, the joy she gets out of it is worth a little soap and scrubbing. While we were outside, we saw the elderly neighbor outside so we went up and said hi. Turns out she has a cute puppy and Amelia had a blast playing with him. Between the pine cone sap and the puppy, I decided she needed a bath - so we had a rare evening bath (she usually has morning baths). While she splashed around I stood at the sink and spot washed and pre-treated her clothes - which also contained chocolate from the cookie the bakery lady gave her. It was an eventful day!

[picture dated 3/26/07]

Beautiful Day

After wearing a beautiful new-to-her (read here: latest eBay bargain) dress most of the day, we changed to play clothes and enjoyed time at the park with Livia. SO much fun!! Amelia adored the big green centipede - she kept running up to it, tapping its nose and saying "da da da!" She also spent a good bit of time gleefully throwing mulch in the air. She adored the slides and went on the swings three times. We then came home and made ready for bed - but not before Mommy put a cheesecake in the oven. Mmmmmmm!

[pictures dated 3/25/07]

No More Tubby, No More Bottles

The two subjects of this post aren't related.

We lost Tubby Smith this week, "we" meaning Kentucky fans. It's sad. To me, it seems that his accepting the post he did says two things: (1) he was not appreciated at KY and is saying, "Forget this, I'll go where I'm appreciated," and (2) he wants to just coach because he enjoys it and go where he can do it without the pressure of being in Pitino's flashy, charismatic shadow at KY. I'll miss Tubby. I really liked him.

In other basketball news, guess what I have in common with the UNC mascot - besides having attended UNC? We've both been treated at Hackensack Medical Center, although he's still being treated after being hit by a car yesterday while crossing traffic on foot in Ft. Lee. I hope he's going to be okay. (I didn't actually stay overnight - just got stitched up after a harrowing swingset accident. Afterwards, we stopped for hot dogs and the owner of the place gave me a horseshoe saying he'd give me one each time I came back and once I had four, he'd give me the horse to go with them. I was horrified as I automatically thought my mother - who was sitting there - would kill me, after all, where would we put a horse?!? Fortunately, we never went back there nor was there any mention made of returning, so after a while I figured I was safe.)

As for no more bottles ... Amelia now only uses sippy cups! I've been trying to give her the Avent sippy cups with milk in them for some time, leaving the Playtex ones for juice and the Nuby for water. I wasn't sure if it was the cup or the milk, but she wouldn't really drink much. Since she was turning 18 months this past week I figured it was time and sure enough, she's done great with the milk sippy this week, so I bagged up all her bottles (except the Avent ones that go with the sippy tops), nipples, caps, etc. She found them before I had a chance to put them in the basement and it was fun watching her discover each piece that was in the bag. Now they're safely stored in the basement, and unless we have some kind of relapse due to an illness or something, we're done. Wow.

Unfortunately, the experiment of reintroducing cow's milk didn't work. It's just as well after reading some information my sister-in-law sent me last night on rBST hormones in some brands of milk. Amelia's been on goat's milk after having truly horrible poops once I started giving her just a couple of ounces of milk in her cereal. She does fine with cheese, ice cream and yogurt, but there's just something about milk. I ran out of goat's milk after her morning cereal yesterday and when I dropped her off at daycare I told "Nanny" that it was a good excuse to try a little cow's milk again. Well, she sucked it down like it was the best thing ever ... only to have another terrible poop today. So, we'll wait a few more months and continue on the goat's milk. Not a big deal - I'd be buying special milk for her either way since Daddy doesn't use whole milk anyway.

[pictures dated 1/13/07 and 3/20/07]

Bring on the APPLES!

Amelia LOVES apples. She can't put the pieces in her mouth fast enough. Her cousin, Jack, loves them, too, so I guess it's genetic. We were visiting Livia yesterday afternoon and her mom put a plate of apples out for them. After Amelia had her fill, she fed them to Livia - it was SO cute!

18 Months old TODAY!

I cannot believe Amelia is 18 months old. Wow. She is such a little girl now. The bear that I've used all along to photograph her growth she now wrestles to the ground. It is SO cute. In this picture she is holding the sign that has her name, date & the fact that she is 18 months old .... does a lot of good, doesn't it?

Today in kindermusik she did some of the movements rather than just watching or clapping or waving. She totally understands everything you say to her. If she needs a diaper, she runs into her room. And she RUNS everywhere. I put her down in the grocery store the other day and just about laughed as her cute little jean butt took off down the empty aisle faster than you can imagine for such a little one!

Daddy has taught her how to say hello, but she only says it for him. She did, however, demonstrate her new word this past Sunday in church - during the quiet moment just after the pastor closed the opening prayer with an "Amen".

She and Daddy are pretty tight these days. She constantly brings him books to read to her. She also likes to sit on his lap while he eats his cereal at the crack of dawn. It's really cute to stumble out and see them together in the almost dark kitchen (she apparently has inherited his 'morning person' gene). And he's taught her about stars in her books and she notices the one on his shorts that he wears around the house (the star is part of the logo). Sometimes she points to the top of the bookcase and I thought she was pointing at the stuffed wildcat and then realized one day last week she sees the stars on the American flag that we have in a glass triangle case. (The flag is from Grandfather's funeral almost four years ago.) What a smart girl!

She's started laughing at pictures in books or certain scenes in her Baby Einstein videos. It's too cute when it happens - the pure delight in her laugh is wonderful.

And the pots and pans ... OH she loves them! She gives excellent concerts (not that I am biased).

[pictures dated 3/22, 3/21, 3/19/2007]

Sweet Sixteen

Amelia now has 16 teeth popping up through those gums. She had a rough night Saturday night and Sunday was "enjoying" the watery eyes and sniffles thanks to her teething troubles and lack of good sleep. However, last night she slept really well and since her appetite hasn't diminished either, I know the runny nose is due to the teething. I've been aspirating her, giving her saline and wiping her nose regularly to ensure that this doesn't turn into a cold. As an additional safeguard I also put the humidifier/vaporizer in the room since the heat was also on thanks to this recent (very cold) cold snap.

If I squint at her and smile, she'll imitate me. I love this picture of her taken before she had all 16 teeth (but you can see that huge lower molar that she cut a little while ago):

She was so tired last night - by 6:30 my happy little girl was unusually whiny and stumbling around so I got her ready for bed a little early, but not before she fell into the glider. I think she was "dancing" on her high chair tray and tripped since it was on the floor. I thought she was making more noise with her feet than she should have been - I was going through papers trying to get rid of things that didn't need to be kept and briefly looked behind me just before she fell. When I saw her, it sounded like she was in the kitchen but it looked like she was close enough that she should have been on the carpet. Rather than double checking what was going on, I turned back around and then "thud". I was worried she would wind up with her first black eye but it looks like just a small bruise on the top of her cheek. Daddy wondered aloud just how many times she bumps her head a day - she's really been getting around, checking out (small) spaces/places or going after a ball or other toy, getting on her Tigger, sliding off a chair, etc., and inadvertently hitting some part of her head gently or not-so-gently on something.

Her latest discovery is my rocking chair from my childhood. She has her own that "Granny" made her, but now she's all into my old rocker. She carefully takes all the stuffed animals out, slides it away from the wall, turns around and gets up in it all on her own. Then she'll slide back with her feet hanging off the end and smile a huge smile. Soooo CUTE! (Didn't capture the smile in this picture and you can tell she isn't feeling great, but she's still cute.)

Sunday after church I completely shared a meal with Amelia - no special food just for her. I made a melted cheese sandwich and we both had some followed by an apple. Instead of peeling the apple in the sink, I sliced off the peel and ate those parts and gave her everything else. It was so neat to just share the same food. This is a two-fold accomplishment - I have to eat a little better since I am still picky about what I feed her, and she didn't get any baby food. (My lazy approach to feeding is dumping stage 3 food over pasta for a "main course" in addition to giving her regular green beans or peas, plus peaches or another fruit and crackers or bread.)

[photos dated 3/6/07 & 3/18/07]

More Shoes!

Here are Amelia's $5 Croc-knockoffs from Payless matched up against Daddy's real (BIG) Crocs.




And here are her very cool suede Gymboree boots bought on eBay for next to nothing. She is modeling them at Nana's house.



[pictures dated 3/3/07 and 3/8/07]

Sleeping Beauty Part 2

I love how her cheeks turn pink when she sleeps.
[picture dated 2/26/07]

Growing Girl

I've found myself saying out loud a lot lately that Amelia is just growing. I sound like a broken record, but it's amazing to me. She has never visibly grown so quickly! She takes up so much room now in her stroller - I noticed it again last night when we went to pick her up at Nana's and she was sleeping in the stroller there (after being "wheeled" to sleep). People are even guessing her correct age or thinking she's older than she is! No more comments about her being small for her age, "petite", etc. I haven't done anything differently - she's been eating yogurt and meat since she was 9 months old - she's been offered meals and snacks about every two hours since she started eating solids regularly. Plus, she is really, really active - as usual! Last week at kindermusik a dad was there who hadn't seen her before and he labeled her a "livewire". Yep, that's my girl! A couple of weeks prior one of the moms said you could tell she would be a performer. While Amelia does like to be the center of attention, she still won't perform on demand - whether it's her turn to bang the drum at kindermusik or trying to take her picture. For now, it's still cute since she's otherwise obedient when it comes to asking her to bring me something, etc.

Amelia definitely knows what diapers are. This morning she took the zip-up bag that I use to hold clean diapers out of her diaper bag, took it over to the diaper holder on the changing table and proceeded to stuff it with clean diapers! Yesterday when I picked her up from Nana's, she woke up and was walking around playing. Then she raised up her nightgown and pointed to her diaper saying, "Die-die". At first we thought it was cute and then I realized, hmmm, maybe she needs a fresh one (even though Nana had just changed it less than an hour ago). Sure enough, it was wet - and still warm (I know, too much info) - which means she had just gone. Grandma also noticed that over the past few days she would start to grab at her diaper and get Grandma's attention if she needed a clean diaper. Maybe this means we'll be starting toilet training soon?

When I gave Amelia her bath this morning (Grandma bathed her this past week, so it has been a few days since Mommy did it) she had so much hair I realized it will soon be time to get her some baby shampoo. What's the difference, I wonder, in using baby wash on her hair or shampoo? I was able to get her hair wet enough with the washcloth and also was able to rinse it without using a cup of water (since I didn't want to leave the bathroom), but that was probably the last time. My baby girl is definitely growing up!

She's been pulling out her Amelia Bedelia book lately. While she is not named for the character, it was my first introduction to the name Amelia and I purposely bought her the book while I was pregnant. The other day I took her in my lap and read her parts of it and I told her that I read it to her when she was in my belly, too. It was only once, and I felt really silly at the time, but now I'm glad I did it because I have that prenatal memory to share with her now.

The week that Grandma came Amelia had been having diarrhea and I couldn't figure out why. She also wasn't eating as well. Nana even noticed - she kept her on Thursday while I went to the airport to pick up Grandma and when I got back Nana said, she only ate this much (which was more than she would eat when she feels sick but less than normal), and I'm used to her eating like a pig! (It's true - she can really put it away!) The next day she took two naps while Grandma was keeping her and I was beginning to get a little worried - except that when she woke up from her second nap she started eating like there wasn't enough food to be found. Then I checked her mouth and her bottom molar which had four little prongs sticking through before was now fully in! And I couldn't believe how much space it took up in her tiny mouth! So apparently it was a teething issue. I have heard that molars can be harder on them than the other teeth, and this was a first for us. Her recovery was good timing since we were leaving the next day for Nashville (Grandma's excuse for visiting was so she could babysit Amelia at the hotel while we went to the KY v. Vanderbilt game).

Yakkity Yak

Amelia is really trying to talk. I think she just can't get her mouth to cooperate. She will look at something and ask, "That?" or see a picture of someone and ask, "Who that?". You can see her looking intently at how you use your mouth to answer. Sometimes she says something vaguely similar, sometimes she just asks, "That?" again. I noticed this last week with pig - whether she saw a pig in a book, on a puzzle or had her puppet. She is really, really trying to say diaper. Any time she gets a diaper change she points to her diaper and says, "That?" only once. Once you answer, "Diaper," she keeps trying to say it. I encourage her by repeating it every time she says the word. She has the "die" part down great, she is struggling with the "p" part, though, I think. She says words very close to dog, cat, bird. Last weekend when Grandma was feeding her she said, "I like that." (Grandma and Daddy heard her say it.)

She continues to grow noticeably. I really need to start a growth chart for her. I can mark the wall, but it would be nice to have something that can be folded up and put in her baby book, too.

Her hair is coming in more and more each day and sometimes she just looks so grown up to me - definitely not a baby anymore!