Her Crooked Smile

An update on our little dreamsicle.

We are having too much fun these days. Every day is like going to an Amusement Park for me. I seriously just watch her and wait for an exciting new development to happen. And I egg her on along the way.

She has started solids:

She has taken to them a bit more since this picture. Especially now that I am adding banana to her rice cereal. Such a dramatic picture, her little eyes focusing in on that spoon in disgust.

She is trying her hardest to move. I play this game with her daily, put something right outside her reach. She is determined!

And she is sitting up like a little lady, not quite by herself yet.

Other snippets:

*Juan is back in school. He has no school on Fridays which is a dream, I see him a lot more than I did this summer. And he is working at a student job where I used to work on campus. What a good place.

*I am getting into the groove of life. Actually cooking and cleaning. I never quite got into a routine in Denver, I am loving this. And the basement life, not too shabby. I just have to pop upstairs for some sunlight every now and then to stay sane.

Visiting the Fam

Amelia embarked on her first plane flight. Destination: Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She was a dream on the plane, which is a long flight, 5 hours total. She fussed a tiny bit but mostly slept and entertained the other passengers with big smiles.

We got to see Julaine, Jason, and their baby Addison. We had breakfast and chatted all morning.

And Amelia met her uncle Samm:

She played and snuggled with Grandma Rose:
It was so much fun to have all of Juan's family together and just hang out and enjoy each other's company. Amelia is still missing all the attention she got while we were there. It sure was a good visit.

Amelia, Rose, Juan

Samm, Juan, Amelia, Rose, David

And let's not forget, Amelia also was overjoyed to meet her uncle David:

I love this picture. Antonio, Rose's boyfriend, got Amelia this giant Simba and she just loves it. I love the stare down featured in this photo. Thanks Antonio!

Here we are all together.

And then our little family.

Wisconsin is just so beautiful. I can't wait until we visit again!

Big Changes

Our girl is 5 months! This is how you will find her at any given time, with a fist or 2 in her mouth.

• She is 15 lbs 2 oz and 27 inches long. 99th percentile in height, still so tall!
• She got her shots, and her rolling over has been nonexistent since. Poor girl, I think the first few days she was afraid to hurt her legs, then maybe now she's forgotten?
• She is sleeping in a crib. Her first time. It's so fun to have it all set up and I love seeing how tiny she looks in the big crib.
• She is sleeping in her own room. She has moved up from the walk-in closet.
• She smiles and warms up to anyone. She loves attention.
• She is so snuggly and happy all the time. And she LOVES just looking back and forth at Juan and me. We'll be sitting by each other with her on a lap, or she'll be laying between us and she just looks back and forth back and forth and is so thrilled.

As for Denver, we finished up with a bang. Amelia just loved Ginger and Sam and they adored her. It was so fun for her to have that extra attention. We played games a ton with G&S and watched tv. They visited a few must-see spots for them in Denver including the giant chair with a horse on it. They love those random attractions of giant things. Ginger, you better blog about your visit soon. And email me those pictures you took of Amelia with your fancy camera.

We are unpacking this week, and we go to Milwaukee next week! I am so happy to have a few weeks of Juan without work or school. One of the perks of student life.

What's Happening

We head back to Utah in 9 DAYS! Yay. I'm really sad to not be returning to Provo, I will miss that place. But we'll be 30 min away.

And to send us off from our fantastic stay in Denver, my sister and her husband will be coming to visit from Boston! I am SUPER excited. They will be here with us until the day we leave.

This has really been the best summer of my life. It went so quickly, and how nice to be able to spend the last month of it with family. And we'll be real close. Like in the basement of my parent's house, that close. I'm excited to settle into Amelia's 3rd home.

Onto other important news. Anyone catch The Bachelorette? I'm a lover of that ridiculously entertaining show. I'm definitely happy with how it all turned out. Roberto was the right pick. I'm not so sure if I want Chris as the next Bachelor. Is he too good to be surrounded by the token trashy women? Thoughts?

And that rainbow after Chris's rejection. I loved that! And of course Juan had to add in the 'what does this mean?' If you haven't seen the double rainbow video on Youtube, you must check it out.

She rolls!

She has officially done the full roll. She is so big and getting so strong! There is video of the rolling below.

Another crazy family picture.

We went to a movie in the park this weekend. It was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. We were thoroughly enjoying the movie but we never saw the ending! When there was about 10 minutes left, the sprinklers turned on and let me tell you, chaos ensued. There was screaming, children wailing, it was as if Godzilla had come and torn the movie screen down. We did not get wet, only the front half of the movie crowd got showered on. So Juan and I had a good laugh, packed up and left. And we heard a new wave of screams as we were leaving, so we must have gotten out just in time!

This first is a full 360 degree turn. Go girl!

And then a front angle. She is so proud.

Randoms

~I'm obsessed with Carter's new fall stuff. My baby wears a lot from Carter's. They make clothes that make me smile, and the deals are just delicious. I have yet to visit the Carter's store here in Denver that is 14 miles away. I think I'll be taking a trip next week. They should pay me for this gushing, no?

~Forever 21 cheapness. I love. I bought 3 pairs of earrings for $3.80 total. We waited in a long line and Juan leans and whispers to me, do you realize that the average age of people in this line is 12 years old? Yes, yes I do.

~Speaking of me and Juan. You wonder how having a baby is going to change the couple. I wondered. We are still silly and fun and we've stepped up a notch on that ladder of love. But I will say this, we feel like grown ups now. Before it was, we'll manage, both of us could live in a cardboard box if we had to (ok maybe I was kidding myself even then). Now... this is real life here. We've got a tiny human being to support and offer a good life. And poor Juan, so much pressure on his shoulders. I love him.

~And now to add more pressure on Juan, I've decided I want to live in a neighborhood where the trees canopy over the whole street. All shade. You know those scenes in the movies where people are racing their bikes down the canopied streets. I want that. It is a long-term desire. I can wait 3 years. I kid.

~Last night Juan was playing with Amelia and mentioned that she was laughing with him. I missed it. Then today she was playing on the floor and I picked her up and sat her on my lap facing me and she just started chuckling. I kept smiling but then the tears came as they too often do these days. She was just so dang cute! And then she continued to laugh it up. She thinks it's funny that her mom's a basket-case.

~Ok now really random. I've heard you lose a lot of hair after you have a baby. And I thought, ok to make up for the zero amount of hair I lost while pregnant. But people, this is a lot of hair. I'm afraid it is never going to end and I am going to end up bald! Please share when it is going to stop or if there's any treatment/vitamin I can take to keep my already thin hair in tact. Gracias.

Reviews

We went to the drive-in movies on Friday night. Here's what I thought about

Inception

So original. I am not the smartest movie watcher, I felt like I got lost a few times. But it was overall very entertaining and highly recommended. Juan also liked it. Amelia squirmed and then finally fell asleep.

Eclipse

I mean I am not the biggest fan of the series. I have read all the books. I have seen the other movies. It's fun to watch, but come on, the acting and production is not anything special to say it in a nice way. Juan hated. And he was ok about the other 2. This one was too repetitive for him with too many one-on-one conversations (which to me were the best parts). And Amelia continued to sleep.

I've also read a few books lately, a few I would recommend:

Never Let Me Go

So interesting. Pulled me in from the very start. BUT it is haunting. I don't know how else to describe it. Haunting, eery, in an intriguing way.

The Glass Castle

A memoir. I loved it. It was sad, it was impossible to think that people actually live that way. But the fact that it was true made it even better.

Betsy B Little

This is a children's picture book. I absolutely love it. Maybe because I was always tall. But it is so cute and it is one of the randoms I picked at the library that I now have to buy.

Saturday we went to a volleyball tournament that Juan played in for work. It was such a fun day cheering Juan on and getting to know his co-workers. I caught Amelia in a moment of excitement for her dad.