Mega Update on Amelia

I know I don't usually write so many words, but I thought it would be nice to do a detailed update on Mills. She was 20 lbs 4 oz and 31.2 inches long at her 1 year appointment. She is 38% in weight, and 97% in height. 

• I ask, where's the baby? and she will go get the baby and the bottle and put the bottle in the baby's mouth.
• I ask, show me the pig, which one is the pig? And she will pick the pig out of a group of animals.
• She throws the ball to me and knows what a ball is when I ask for one.
• She puts the stacking rings on her arms like bracelets.
• She will stand up and play at the table. And then I will ask her to show me how to stand all by herself and she lets go and stands on her own! And then she will clap for herself while still standing.
• She is very good at taking apart the round blocks and then stacking them back together. 2 or 3 at a time. 
• She gives all her toys kisses, almost always near their mouths. 
• She thinks kisses and hugs are the same thing, so I say give the baby a hug, and she gives it kisses. I have been working on distinguishing the two.
• She teases me with her binky. She always gives me her binky when she goes to play and is not going to sleep anymore. Lately I have had to ask for it. So she takes it out and stretches her hand out to me, but then when I go to grab it, she quickly pulls it back and puts it in. And then repeats a few times until I just take it from her. And she laughs, she thinks she is so funny.
• The only word she is cooperating on saying right now is Ba ba, for bottle. And she only repeats it after I say it. I do think she repeats what's that by saying dat, but it's not consistent. 
• When I say, where is it? She'll put her hands out and look around like, I don't know. 
• She is getting very good at walking along furniture.
• She will no longer let me coach her by standing her up and letting go. She goes complete spaghetti legs when I try this. She only stands alone if she lets go of a table or couch by herself, like I mentioned before. 
• She loves when I chase her and give her tickles when I catch her. She will crawl so fast away from me, and then sometimes she'll stop because she wants me to get her, or she'll even turn around and crawl towards me laughing hysterically. 
• She has lately been laying down to play. Sometimes she'll have a toy, other times she'll roll around and kind of hum or sing or babble.
• She will look through a book by herself and 'read aloud'. It is very cute.
• She is very smart with my phone. She was calling Directory Assistance which cost me $1.95 each time. So I changed it to a 2 step unlock so she'd have to push OK and then Clear to get it to unlock. Well within 4 days she figured it out, and I'm sorry to report that she called 9-1-1 last night. She will no longer be touching my phone, at all. On a happier note, she always saves drafts in my text messages of random letters. The other day, I found that she left me ":-)." No joke. A smiley face. She is possibly a baby tech genius.
• Her bedtime routine is ok. I have no idea when I should get her to nap these days. Yesterday she took 2 naps like she used to, morning and afternoon. She screamed herself to sleep for the afternoon nap which she was never doing. And then bedtime came and she was so hyper. From 8 to 9:30, she would not sit still. Juan and I traded off as she climbed all over us, always eyeing something she just had to get to. And when we finally put her down, it wasn't sing a song and lay her down and she's out. She cried for about 5 minutes and then was restless in bed for a few minutes more until she finally fell asleep around 10. She used to sleep from 8 to 8. So she's still adjusting back to her sleep schedule from our NH trip.
• She sometimes wakes up at 7:30 am, she sometimes wakes up at 9. 
• She is a picky eater and it is frustrating. She spits out any food that has a different texture. She loves yogurt, bananas, cheerios. Anything else I have to force unless it is super sugary or super fatty. Like Popsicles she loves, and pizza she has no problem with. Applesauce, mac and cheese, the potato casserole Juan made last night, she will not have any of it. Spits it right out.
• She pants like a dog whenever she wants any kind of food from me. And when she doesn't want it, she makes the same noise but shakes her head. 
• She gets impatient and cries when I'm busy and she wants me to hold her. So I started this thing where I say, Show me happy and I point to my cheeks and smile big. And she does it too now, even smiles when she does it. Sometime she's pointing to her ear and the back or her head, but she's got those pointer fingers out!
• Juan came home yesterday and saved me. He did dinner, dishes, got Amelia ready for bed, fed her. I was in frustration mode, all the struggle with feeding her, it had gotten to me. And so I laid in bed watching tv, determined to be sad. And then Juan walked in the room with a smiling Amelia and I melted. I don't think I wanted to be mad at her, but I just wanted to be sad in general, you know? And in they walked, and I couldn't help but smile and want to snuggle and hug and kiss her. Frustrations and all, I love that girl. 

The Rap

We are home! We had such a good time on the trip and I will give the full recap in the next few days.

In the meantime, please watch this super creative and fun video starring Amelia, my extremely talented 16-year-old niece Brooke (who put it all together) and my sister Ginger. You will love it.

And We're Off

Can you tell we are in need of a vacation?

Amelia and I are headed off to New Hampshire to visit my sister and her cute kids:

Amelia will meet her cousins for the first time. We leave tomorrow! Yay.

We have been up to a few things since Amelia has been a 1-year-old:

 Amelia learned how to wink. I wasn't sure what it was, she just started squinting her whole face a few weeks ago. And then I realized it was her wink!

She became bff with Ronald. She could have sat on his lap all day. 

 

And we've been playing with Judson. 

Here is Millie's version of blowing kisses.

As for me, I have been hanging out in sweats and no make up all day every day. Oh! But I did surprise Juan with a movie this weekend. Juan loves going to movies and I always back out of movies. If I bring up seeing a movie, Juan rolls his eyes and we never go through with it. So I didn't tell him. My mom babysat and he knew we were going out to do something. He was so happy and surprised! We saw The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon and let me tell you, I loved it. We both loved it. Great love story, kept me interested the whole time, and something I appreciate more and more these days- excellent acting. Go see it. And Juan, we'll miss you this week.

We do love our every day life. But we are super excited to get a break for 6 days. 

Birthday Festivities!

Who's the leader of the club
That's made for you and me?
M-I-L-L-I-E
M-O-U-S-E!

Amelia basked in her special day and loved every minute of it. I thought she would freeze up and be shy with all the people and the attention on her. But she was so happy and fun. It was the perfect day!

Minnie Mouse cake. I made it up as I went along, I thought it turned out super cute.

Her cute little party dress and birthday tiara.

Proud parents.

Amelia loved all of her presents. She is actually playing with toys now, so I'm happy to see her playing with her gifts that we got her.

LOVING the cake. I put the cupcake on her tray and grabbed the camera to get a picture, and she was too quick, she snatched it right up.

Pretty girl, messy face and all.

I think she had the best first birthday.

Here we all are singing Happy Birthday:

Happy Birthday to our Millie mouse!

Happy Birthday Amelia!

Our little girl is a one-year-old. Unbelievable. I followed her around all day yesterday with the camera, and this is one of the few I got with her eyes open. Ha ha. She is so cute.

We can't say enough how much we love her. She has changed our lives. She has redefined love for us. We are so happy to spend every day with our little monster.

And now, we are going to PARTY!!!

2 days away

Today I went out and bought a front facing car seat, for my almost 1-year-old. As in 2 days she will be 1. I am shocked at how fast this year flew by. It has been the happiest year of my life.

I'm not going to say there isn't anything to complain about. I have felt very emotionally drained the past few weeks when most days a week I play the part of a single mother. If Juan is just there for 20 min of the time that Amelia is awake, that is all the relief I need. But we haven't even been getting that. And Juan, he feels it as much as I do, his days are just not the same when he doesn't see his little girl. And so I do complain and I need to be easier on myself. It's ok to have good and bad days.

And then there's all the good stuff. A lot of which I share on this blog. But there are so many daily things. Watching her taste peanut butter for the first time. Seeing her squeal with excitement when she sees other kids. Watching her stare at new people and show zero personality until she warms up to them. Teaching her to throw her hands up to show me she's all done or holding her ankle as she tries to dive off the bed. The excitement I feel about her sitting in a front facing carseat, I seriously am so excited to see her face, to see her little eyes shift from me to Juan as she's thinking, is this for real? I love everything about her. I love everything about being a mother.

I think of this year, 2 moves (I hate moving), living in my parent's basement, living off student loans and Juan's part-time job. It doesn't sound glamorous on paper, nothing I would get in line to sign up for. And yet I'll say it again, best year ever.

Movin on Up

Last week I got Amelia from her crib in the morning. She was happy like always. And I said the words, "Let me have your binky" but I didn't hold out my hand. And she pulled out her bink and gave it to me. She actually understands the words I say! I'm not just talking to talk. It has changed my life.

We'll say, "we're going to say prayers" and she'll fold her arms. Or "good job" and she'll clap before I can clap. It has just clicked for the both of us. She knows what I am saying, it's incredible. These little things are what bring me to reality. She is growing up. But I will tell you this, there are still the things that keep her my baby. She loves to snuggle. Before every nap and before bedtime. She just snuggles into my shoulder. Or sits on my lap and rubs my arm.

She is more playful now. When I make her bottle and she sees me, she will tease and crawl away at full speed. She loves when I chase her. I sit down and play with her and I'll start playing with the dollhouse and put the baby in her cradle and the mom in bed. Amelia bee lines over and has to take them out. Then I'll line up the cars, she has to come over and tip them all over. Juan got her this wind up toy that is a reindeer that gallops, she cannot handle it, she is too excited and has to get to it asap and pick it up so it stops. She may need work on playing with others.

And she is climbing the stairs now! I feel like there is some big development with her every week. I am so happy to be her mom.