A Few More Things

#1-- Another cute outfit that Randy picked out. Her first bright orange debut and she does it well!



#2- Vacation Tomorrow! Ross and I are going to Branson for three nights for our anniversary. We found out that we were pregnant last year on our one year anniversary; that was so neat. The way that I showed him the pregnancy test was not neat. I wish that I could re-do it, but that just wouldn't be me I guess. We are staying at The Hilton and I am so excited. You might ask how we are affording that and I will tell you the government (loans) is paying! We are shopping, swimming, going to the movies, and to two shows. I am really looking forward to some time with just Ross.

But, I was equally dreading being away from Amelia, so Mom and Dad are staying in Branson with her at a cabin, so I will not have to go the whole time not getting to see her. Man they are are great parents. And, I am ridiculously spoiled.

#3- Formula Woe. I am out of frozen breast milk and Amelia is eating so much that I don't have any extra to pump. Sorry Derek, we are entering the discussion land that you aren't too fond of. Anyway, I am going to have to give her formula and I am having a hard time. Motherhood is so strange. At first, I hated breastfeeding and all the soreness, emotional stress, and hard boobs that came with it. I wanted to spit on people who called in beautiful. Then, around month two, something happened, and I savored these sweet moments with Amelia and fell in love with it. Hormones.

Anyway, Mom is starting her on formula tomorrow and I haven't picked out a kind. Yes, Mom is starting her on formula. I am way too big of a wimp to be the one to do it. I have researched and researched and the AAP doesn't even offer any advice on it and they offer advice on everything. Sigh.

#4- Someone is pretty tickled that they slobbered on the couch.
#5- Amelia loves CornPops. No, not eating them, just staring at the box. I always eat them dry and sometimes I eat bowl upon bowl during the day. Today, I poured them in front of her and she became enamored with the box. She stared at it twenty straight minutes, which is like two years in baby time. When she got a little fussy later on, I pulled the box back out and she sat in her Bumbo and stared at it. Magic!

Just a Few (Five) Things..

Thing #1-Amelia is four months old and she is pretty happy about it.

We go to get her four month shots on July 6th. No comment. And this time, the no comment is even stronger than at her two month shots. Ross gets to go with us and stay home the rest of the day thankfully.

Miss Four Month Old loves to:
- have people talk baby talk to her
- smile and "talk" back.
- read books (especially those that crinkle)
- play, play, play (especially on her tummy)
- take walks outside in her sling or being held
- have something to snuggle like Frogman or Polka Dot Silky or your hand
- look in mirrors
- stand up (with help, of course)

Mom loves to:
- stare, love, cuddle, play with, pick up, kiss Amelia
- (use parentheses)

She has rolled over a few times, if she absolutely has to, but I just don't think she digs it. She does dig her toes in on tummy time though, and actually attempts to crawl. Yep, just heading straight for the big time.

Thing #2- Amelia enjoyed her first Father's Day with Ross. She was happy about this as well.I don't blame her, because he is a pretty cool guy and a loving dad.

Thing #3- Show me some love. Amelia loves for it to be all about her. So, she really enjoyed playing with Allison during lunch.
And, Robert and Jen were giving her quite a bit of attention while we waited on pizza. She accepted.
And playing rocket with Gammy was pretty awesome too. She always has plenty of attention for Amelia.

Come to think of it, playing with Uncle D was pretty great itself. His face is so cool.

Thing #4- Uncle Derek took some cool pictures of Amelia during her swim session. Take a look and you will see why they got their own number. http://derekhenderson.blogspot.com/

Thing #5- Gifts. Kayla got Amelia some awesome new hair accessories and a cool new pacifier (no pic of that yet). Amelia said, "Were these gifts just because, Mom?" I said, "Yes, sweetie, just because." Those are the coolest kind! She also got some new outfits from Andrea, Randy, and Tyler and oh they are styling. (Including these jean shorts). Too busy to look at the camera.
Wait..never too busy to look at the camera.

True Story

I was in Neighbor's Mill in Harrison and a complete stranger approached me and said, "May I take a picture of your daughter? She is like a beautiful Anne Geddes baby." True story.

Bursting with pride, I said, "Sure," and then proceeded to watch a couple of other people stare at Amelia and smile. Perfect..everyone is watching her. My smile grew.

Mom thought this was a weird request, and although it is, I was in Mom-Zone and thought the weirdness was sweet. After snapping one picture, she then snapped another and said, "I need one more because she is dressed so cute."

There are more important things in life than being cute, and I will undoubtedly impart these upon Amelia. However, being cute doesn't hurt. True story.

Swimming Superstar

We tried Amelia out in the swimming pool at our apartment complex to see how she would do and she loved the water both times. I only put her legs in, but she really seemed to like it. Aunt Jessalyn came to see us and she went to the pool with us the second day.



So, yesterday, we tried her out in her brand new pool. First off, it is the cutest kids pool ever and I wish that I could take credit for anything bought for the child, but I can’t. Gammy and Aunt Steph found it and Amelia had a blast. It has a soft bottom and she loved kicking her legs on it and playing around.

She liked it so much she decided to try and flip over to her tummy and actually swim. I couldn't believe it. She has no idea that she isn't a big shot.

It was the absolute greatest day. She was so intrigued with the water and it was a blast watching her experience something for the first time. I almost teared up thinking that I will get to be with her almost every time she is experiencing something for the first time. Such a big deal to be a mom!

And no ensemble is complete without a precious cover-up after you get out of the pool. I mean seriously.

Great Grandma Cates got to meet Amelia for the first time this week and they were both pretty tickled about it! We had a big cookout last night and there was a ton of great food and delight.

As far as a sleeping update, we have not had any more success on her staying in her crib. Hmmm. It honestly doesn’t bother me for any other purposes than daycare. She is a happy baby and loved plenty- in her crib or out. But, we will keep trying each night and see what progress is made.

Did I mention this pool and its coolness?

And, did I mention that my family is the coolest?

Later.

Party Party

Amelia went to her first birthday party today. Chandler is one and he had the cutest party ever. His mom had everything decorated so cute, and their family is cute, and it was basically a cute-fest. See?Chandler had no problem with his cake. I had no problem with mine either, but there is no picture of that.
Amelia had on her best party dress. She is sound asleep in her swing, which is why I better get this posted and quick.Yes, she was the prettiest one there Gammy.


She partied hard for about two hours and then decided she was hungry, tired, and wanted out of her dress. But, she got the greatest surprise ever. Owen brought Amelia a present even though it wasn't her birthday. Amy found a Frogman in Owen's room and she didn't even know he had one. She brought it for Amelia and so now Amelia has TWO :) Man, this is the life.

In other non-party related news, Amelia sat in her highchair for the first time this morning while we had breakfast. She did a great job and so perhaps some more meals where Ross and I eat at the same time are in our future.
Ross read Amelia EIGHT books in a row this morning. Her attention span is longer than his I think.
We are having a great Saturday---hope you are too!

Whom Shall I Thank?

Breaking News: Lemon Archway cookies are back. This is big. My favorite packaged cookies in the whole entire world. The company went out of business and I could not believe it. How had I not kept them out of the red? This occurred during my very pregnant months and Lemon Archway cookies were one of my cravings. Not good. But as I walked through Kroger yesterday, I saw a marvelous sight--a miracle if you will. There they were on the shelf labeled "new." I have already eaten the entire package and nearly severed the arm of my husband for trying to eat one.

I so appreciate the encouragement as I try to put Amelia in her crib some. Today she made it one hour total in her crib (two half hour segments). Obviously if I am proud of her when she burps and poops, I am proud of this accomplishment.

If I were three months and (almost) three weeks old, I would want this pacifier. Total bling.

Amelia made her first trip to Barnes and Noble and she got three new books. She was so thankful because she was out of reading material. The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle was her literature of choice this afternoon.She has started doing the cutest little "act." When you act like you are going to get her or try to make her smile, she will smile and then hide her face. But, she quickly looks at you again so that you will keep trying to make her smile. Love this game. Love that she is to the age where she can play a little game. Love her in general.

Home

I still call Harrison "home" and maybe always will. It was so great to be on the farm and relax. I am so thankful that I have been able to go home so often with Amelia and be surrounded by family and friends. Blessed.We saw Ally :) Amelia flashed her a big smile right when she saw her. Amy and Walker came over to play, but we didn't get any pictures. Drats.
Dad has a really high pitched baby voice and Amelia loves it. I love how she is leaning towards to camera with those big blue eyes and raised eyebrows. Hilarious. They are twinkies in their red.Poppy and Amelia just hanging out playing ball. She was far too busy to pose for the picture.We went on a few strolls down the lane and Amelia loved looking around. She really enjoys being outside. Mom really enjoys Amelia. It works out.She got in some good reading time of course. She told me, "Mom, you can read anywhere." She also enjoyed some great naps with her Meme. I know you won't like this picture of yourself Meme, but it's my blog, so I win.
It was a great four days, but I missed Ross a ton. Amelia was looking for her Dad everywhere. Thanks for your advice about the sleeping situation. Today Amelia slept for 40 minutes in her crib. That is monumental. When she cried, I picked her up. I was pretty happy with how today went. Baby steps...seems to make sense considering she is a baby.

Aunt Steph bought Amelia her first bathing suit. Oh my it is cute. We are going to try it out soon.Congrats to Uncle Derek for finishing his Sprint-Tri. Proud of you!

Playing Catch Up

I am updating at a cute little deli-bakery in Harrison, just tucked away in the corner ready to write. This will be long I have a feeling...

First of all, this last week was so awesome with Steph taking care of Amelia again. She is such a great Aunt and it was so comforting to know that she was giving her special attention all day while I was at my LAST week of work. They had a great time and Stephanie took a ton of beautiful photos.


Told you they were beautiful. But, instead of just relishing in the freedom of summer, I have started feeling quite apprehensive about August. I know that I should just enjoy the summer, but I can't help but be wary of sending her somewhere where she is NOT the center of attention and she is NOT with family and where I can NOT keep an eye on the treatment she is receiving. I feel that these are all valid concerns. On top of that, precious girl wants to be rocked for every nap. This is sweet and cuddly to me, but might be annoying and inconvenient for daycare. I don't want them to put her in a crib and let her cry. And no, I don't care if there are "methods" that suggest that it is fine to do so. I don't even care if people I know use these "methods," I just don't feel that they are for me. In the coming weeks, I will work on getting her to lie down. Promise. For her sake and mine. However, every child is different and Miss Amelia might always prefer some snuggling to independence.

How about another picture? These blue eyes are hypnotizing.


Owen's mom and dad had to work really hard on Wednesday and we babysat him for a few hours after daycare (and Owen loves his daycare). He was such a gentleman and impressed Amelia with his easy-going attitude. We went for a stroll and Amelia let Owen use her stroller because she currently prefers the sling anyway.


Amelia was a gem (AGAIN) on the way from Little Rock to Harrison and I find myself welling up with pride at each feat of hers. Last night we had a cookout and it was decided that there is little better than a grilled hot dog. A charcoal grill is a must. Pop received some amazing news at the doctor and my mom is feeling much better.

God is good. Even when I doubt, sin, and fall. God is good. Especially when my baby smiles, coos, and plays. God is good. During trials, uncertainty, and questions.

God will be good when Amelia has to go to daycare. I will trust in him. I will also trust in my gut instincts and my mom. She is going to check out the daycare with me next week and I will get her opinion. I might not always take it, but I always need to know what she thinks. Always. And way more often than not....she's right!

Amelia loves her bib from Kaci and Shelb. It is so cozy and she just rubs her face on it. Bibs are becoming a must because she is already teething. No sign of any teeth, but her gums are hurting her. I had to give her Tylenol the other night poor girl. Okay, I'm done. Honestly I could go on and on, but I feel guilty using free internet when I only spent $1.05 here. Later.