Scarring?

As you may know from earlier posts, Amelia fell into some briars about 10 days ago and came away with (thankfully!) very few scrapes on her face. Most went away within a few days but it looks like the one closest to her nose is scarring because the scab is gone and it's no longer red or pink - it's just raised up slightly and is pretty close to her normal skin color. At the time, it didn't look bad enough for stitches but I am guessing it was deeper than it looked.

Does anybody reading this know if her boo-boo will eventually heal completely and go away OR do you think it will always be a small scar for her? Has this happened to anyone else reading this? Thanks ... just trying to allay (or justify) the mama guilt I'm feeling. If you don't want to leave or comment (or can't because you're not registered with Blogger), please email me at mommy_of_Amelia@yahoo.com (There are underscores between the words as in mommy_of_Amelia - it's hard to tell with the auto-link). In advance, I say Thanks!!!!!!!!

The scrape is apparent in several of the pictures in the posts below this one, especially the "First Haircut" post taken four days after the fall. This picture was taken that night, too, while she was reading. (I love the way her bottom lip is puckered out a little crooked while she reads!)
[picture dated 4/23/07]

Daddy's Girl

I love this picture because the yellow really brings out how chocolate brown her eyes are - just like Daddy's!

Speaking of Just Like Daddy, that is one of her favorite books - which has now been taped twice. She treats books excellently, but there are only so many times, apparently, that a book can be read by a baby and toddler without needing a little outpatient surgery. Goodnight Moon, a classic favorite I had never heard of before it was given as a gift by Amelia's Aunt Meg, has become an obsession. Daddy was familiar with the book but he is equally perplexed by what it is that draws her to the book - the colors, the alternating pages of color and then black and white, the short and musical sounding rhymes? And there are plenty of stars (one of her favorite shapes of late) in it to make her squeal delightedly while pointing feverishly.

Pointing with her eyebrows raised and some noise that sometimes resembles "that?" is one of her favorite, favorite things lately. She can do this for quite some time as we name everything she points at including body parts, people, fans, animals, etc. She LOVES it. And if we try to redirect her by saying, "Where's Daddy?", "Where's Mommy?", she'll point correctly, but as you're taking a breath to ask the next question she quickly points to something else asking, "That?"

She says "Dada" and knows it's her dada. She also says "Da da DA da" and variations thereof in a high pitched voice of varying volume when she's excited about something, which is often. Many people have observed how energetic she is - but it's a good energy. What I mean is, she just goes and goes, constant moving, except when she's plopped down with her nose in a book which happens a lot, too. She isn't a climber (thank GOD and all His angels) nor does she mischeviously get into everything she isn't supposed to get into - that's what I mean when I say it's a good energy. She is just a sweet, happy, energetic little girl and we love her SO much!

[pictured dated 4/23/07]

Shampoo

I used shampoo on Amelia's hair for the first time ever this morning. I figured if she had enough hair for a haircut, she has enough hair for shampoo. Who knows what difference it really makes at this point to use shampoo instead of baby wash, but hey, it's a milestone!

Choking Hazard

For a while now Amelia likes to take the kitchen towel and put it up and over her head so it wraps around the back of her neck. It is so cute - she looks like a budding fashionista posing for the camera because when I catch her doing it she tilts her head and smiles her cute & coy smile with her little hands gripping the edges of the towel near her chin. Other times she looks like a grandmother clutching her shawl - like in this photo.

Every so often she will find one of Tallulah's strings and do the same thing - so now I see why things like that are hazardous to children since she could easily tighten it and constrict her breathing. It never made sense to me before why things like window blind cords were considered choking hazards. It truly is scary that something cute and innocent can so quickly become dangerous.

For Easter, she received some really cute rubbery eggs that have those bristle things on the outside so they feel neat to hold. Well, apparently they also wind up in her mouth and she could easily choke on those, too. She LOVES those things, though - the bright colors, the easy way they are held and tossed, etc.

So it's one of those hard things about being a mommy - keeping things away from her that she seemingly loves but could be harmful like cat toys and small items. Luckily, she doesn't miss things if I put them away when she's not looking, as opposed to taking them away from her immediately. Yesterday she was walking around blowing into her kindermusik flute - adorable, but I put that out of her reach once she wasn't paying attention. She seems bored with her toys lately, so I'm going to store some and move others around so they seem fresh. She can't seem to get enough of reading though - and it's so cute to see her sitting on the floor and pouring over a book!

[pictured dated 4/25/07]

First Haircut

Before: The stringy, unkempt bangs were getting on my nerves and the wispy strands were getting in her eyes. Since she has a tendency to get watery eyes easily, I didn't want to encourage it by letting strands of her hair be in her eyes constantly.

After:
The little bit I chopped off is in a snack-sized ziploc bag to save for posterity. These golden brown locks join her other baggie with just a couple of very fine, very dark strands that I snipped about a month after she was born since her hair was getting visibly lighter and I wanted to save some without making it obvious she had some snipped. As a result, there is almost nothing in that first baggie, but her sentimental mommy at least tried!

I am pleased at how the haircut turned out. You can also see how well the scratch from the briars incident Friday evening is healing. I've also noticed in the last day or so that the dent in the middle of her forehead (which she got from falling on a mug she was playing with - a mug her mama let her have) is less noticeable. For the past six weeks you could only see it when she raised her eyebrows and now it's really faint, thank goodness! I tell you, this mama guilt is gonna kill me!

[pictures dated 4/23/07]

Bubbles & Scratches

Friday night before supper we went outside and played with bubbles. Amelia had gotten a bottle of Mr. Bubbles for her birthday and it's just sat in the closet all this time. I think she's done bubbles before, maybe at daycare, because she took the wand from me and started waving it around expecting bubbles to appear. I had forgotten you could do bubbles that way - I was doing it the old fashioned way of blowing into the wand. She noticed that and then started putting it in her mouth rather than blowing, so I stopped demonstrating that technique. She soon lost interest in making bubbles and was happy to chase them, so I went back to my tried and true method of blowing bubbles, since I think you get more, or at least bigger ones, that way. I was impressed with the Mr. Bubbles - they made a lot more bubbles per wand than I remember from the other brands we had growing up. (My brother and I used to sit on the back steps after church on Sundays blowing bubbles while my parents read the newspaper inside in the peace and quiet.)

As Amelia was chasing bubbles, she noticed the cats were outside, too and tried to chase them. She wound up falling into some briars and scratching her face and hand. Fortunately, she missed her eye and the damage isn't deep, but I was feeling plenty of mama guilt anyway.

She has a really cute straw hat with eyes and a bill that makes it look like a duck. I got it at Cracker Barrel as part of its 50% off Easter sale. I haven't had a chance to take a picture of her in it yet - but she's adorable and loves wearing it so I will get a chance soon, I'm sure. I've taken a little break from picture taking - so I have no pictures of the bubble making and chasing either. I just wanted to be able to concentrate on spending time with her, being in the moment and enjoying the experience rather than always trying to record it.

Here is a recent picture that I love. To me, it's reminiscent of Lauren Bacall in Casablanca. And the thing is - she put this hat on herself while she was playing. I'm glad she likes hats so much because they are fun!

[picture dated 4/5/07]

Definitely Musical

She was just loving the piano on Sunday at Nana's.

I love the first picture because it shows how much she was enjoying it. The second picture shows the awesome socks Daddy brought back from Albuquerque for her - and they matched her dress perfectly!

Earlier in the day she participated in the rescheduled Easter Egg hunt. It was held just after church Sunday - but it was indoors due to the wet, cold, gloomy weather. Amelia, however, was much more interested in playing on the stairs with Daddy!

[pictures dated 4/15/07]

Vaca is Thirsty

... and Amelia has just the solution!

[picture dated 4/9/07]

Toddler Bed

I had been thinking for a couple of weeks that it was time to figure out how to convert Amelia's crib to a toddler bed. Well, Easter Sunday afternoon presented a perfect opportunity to do just that. Ah, another milestone ... she's growing up!

Seriously, though, one thing I never anticipated about being a mother was that I would embrace change. Yet, almost every day there is something that changes - something is cast aside as no longer needed or wanted, clothing is outgrown, or there's a new word, ability, connection. And I love all the change, but I am not sure why. Usually I'm a sentimental fool, but I suppose with something, someone actually, as vibrant and full of life as Amelia, it's hard to cling to the past. For example: I don't miss the days of the gummy smiles because I love seeing how perfect her mouthful of 16 white, perfect teeth looks when she is laughing.

And in case you were wondering, the toddler bed was inspected and approved prior to use by Amelia. (The cat tent is now used to keep Amelia in rather than Tallulah out.)

[pictures dated 4/8/07]

Mirror, mirror

... on my crib ...

As I posted in the Easter "report", Amelia had a ball playing with the Easter grass. By the end of the evening, she was throwing the grass up in the air. She then noticed she could watch herself throw it up in the air, courtesy of the mirror on the end of her crib. I love this series of pictures:

[pictures dated 4/8/07]

What's Old is New Again!

Amelia adores this wind-up musical clock that plays "Hickory Dickory Dock". It was mine, then my sister's, and now it's hers.

I love this fish face she's been making lately. When I try to capture it on purpose, I don't seem to be able to quite capture it - but as I looked through the pictures I had taken at Saturday's Easter egg hunt, I discovered she just happened to be making the face when I took this picture.

[pictures dated 4/8 and 4/7/07]

HAPPY EASTER!!

Easter festivities kicked off yesterday with an indoor Easter egg hunt at "Granny's". Amelia insisted on opening each egg as she found it. As a result, her grand total for the hunt came to three eggs.

She didn't care - she had a blast! And inside the eggs she found stickers.

I put some on her face just for fun and she seemed to go along with the idea. (And I'm not sure how it migrated to her ear, but she spent a good deal of time with it there - foreshadowing of her teen years of piercing all parts of the ears, perhaps?

Last night I eagerly put out a huge rabbit that doubles as a floor pillow. Next to the rabbit I put a basket and a Dressy Bessy doll. This morning, she completely ignored them! Walked around them, four, maybe five times!! She was focused on her self-propelled mooing cow, but Daddy even moved that so it would run right into the rabbit. She retrieved the cow without even an acknowledgment to or of the rabbit. We had to get to church for the [indoor, thank you 15 degree weather] sunrise Service, so we gussied up and headed out. Daddy was playing as part of the service and I pointed him out toward the end. As soon as Amelia saw him, all she wanted was to be with him. I held her squirming self as long as I could and finally set her down during the closing prayer. *thump, thump, thump, thump* went her little feet down the side aisle as she ran to her daddy. It was SO cute!

Back home, we sat the bunny up and she finally took notice of him. This was after walking around him to finally discover the basket. She was delighted with the Peter Rabbit book (as you can see in the picture at the top of this post) and smalled stuffed bunny. But it was the grass that was the most fun! And she didn't try to eat any of it, she just loved getting it out and putting it back in. I think she really liked the texture of it. Later in the day she took great delight in throwing it up in the air and watching it land. The few extra minutes to pick it up once she was in bed was worth all the joy it brought her.

Her Easter outfit was made by her grandmother - for me when I was her age. I was so pleased that it fit her so well!

I found these gloves in Target's $1 bins and they fit her perfectly. She didn't wear them to church - I put them on her later in the day and she was fascinated! I was delighted at how well they fit and how neat she found them.

Despite being able to wear white shoes now that it's Easter, she still seemed to think she should wear black ones - as her fascination with Daddy's shoes continues!

And no little one's Easter is complete without all the goodies there are to eat! Ms. Linda from up the street came by with some eggs filled with graham crackers, goldfish and marshmallow bunnies (not peeps, though). This was Amelia's first taste of marshmallow and she couldn't get enough! She had trouble opening the eggs, so Linda would open it and she'd take one and a few seconds later asked for another, then another! We cut her off at three by putting the others elsewhere and having her think the third one she got out of the egg was the last. Oh, it's good to be smarter than an 18 month-old!

We hope that you all had a great Easter as well.

[pictures dated 4/8/07]

We've Got Billy!! And Snow!!

Yes, it's true - our new coach is BILLY! But it's not Billy Donovan, unfortunately. Our new coach is Billy Gillispie, most recently from No. 3 seeded Texas A&M. He seems like a good choice based on his resume and work ethic, so it looks like all is well in Cat Country again. Amelia is having a ball over the news.

Speaking of Amelia, she's supposed to participate in her very first egg hunts today! If they don't go as planned, she's not old enough to understand that she missed them, but mama is, *sniff sniff*. Wondering why they may not go as planned? See for yourself what we woke up to this morning:

[pictures dated 4/7/07]

Discovering

Amelia has discovered dandelions!

And she's also discovered she can hold her bowl in her mouth - this was just too cute not to take a picture, and I was really pleased at how well it came out since what's cute in person doesn't always translate well in a picture!

But don't worry, she's not entirely a barbarian - I've been letting her practice using a fork, and she loves it! (Is she going to be left-handed we wonder?) It makes eating so much more fun, she says! (well, not necessarily in words, but I think the smile conveys the sentiment, wouldn't you agree?)

[pictures dated 4/2 & 4/3/07]

Basketball

Now that the Gators have won their second championship, it's time for Billy Donovan to decide he wants to be our new coach. He can leave Florida with a huge feather in his cap for bringing that program from almost nothing to a two-time NCAA champion. Joakim Noah and his classmates aren't going to be back - the NBA is way too strong a pull over a UF degree for them, so why should Billy stay? He was one of Pitino's assistants and so he knows first hand the adoration that can be bestowed on a beloved coach, the carnival that is game day on Rupp Arena, and the Big Blue following that will show up at away games - MUCH more loyal than the Gators who don't seem to know how to cross the state line. The other favorite choice in our household for the next coach is KY alum Travis Ford - but Billy is by far our first choice.

We're doing our best to develop an appreciation for basketball in Amelia. In her two basketball seasons of life, we haven't just taken her to Rupp to see the men play. We've taken her to Memorial Coliseum to see the women. We've also seen the women play at Wake Forest and Tennessee. We've also taken her to see the MD men play Clemson, as well as some local high school and college games. She seems to like them so far! (btw ... I am a closet TN women's team fan because I am in awe of their coach. Unfortunately, she probably won't still be coaching when Amelia is reviewing her college choices. But go Lady VOLS on that championship win Tuesday night!!!!)

[pictures dated 1/14/07; 2/18/07]

Who is ready for Easter?

And the real cute thing is she likes to put it on her head herself!

Amelia's new thing to do when I pick her up from daycare or Nana's or the church nursery is to stop what she's doing and look around for the perfect toy to bring me. It's so cute! Rather than running to me all excited that I'm there, she thinks I need a toy. I don't know if it's an invitation to play, or a gift, or what exactly her thought process is - but I find it so very endearing. She loves me!!!

And further love is demonstrated now with huge hugs when I pick her up to carry her somewhere. There is nothing sweeter and more wonderful than getting a full two-armed hug around your neck from a toddler.

I love her so much!

[picture dated 3/29/07]

CUTIE!

I love this outfit - the skirt says it all!

(The shirt didn't come with the skirt and is a 6-9 months that still fits while the skirt is an 18 months - crazy sizing!!!)

[pictures dated 3/28/07]

Big Shoes to Fill

Amelia LOVES playing in her daddy's shoes - they are one of her favorite toys. She will pick them up and take them to the living room to try them on, or just try them on where she finds them. If Daddy is home, she will even bring him his shoes in case he wants to wear them.

[pictures dated 3/27 & 3/29/07]