You can never have too many toys!

Mommy / daughter day

Yesterday was mommy's day to spend with Amelia. I had been sick and under a lot of stress (college-related), so I felt I needed to take some time out and do something nice for myself. Since I was in charge of Amelia, I figured I might as well involve her in my plans.

First, we went out for an early dinner (so as not to disturb her schedule) to Red Lobster. Amelia LOVES going out in public. She finds people so interesting and loves attention. She kept twisting around and around to look at people and pictures and lamps and most especially the giant fake tuna that hung on the wall somewhere beyond mommy's head. Amelia is also learning how to wave bye-bye, and enjoyed waving at the occassional waiter as they passed by our table.

I then took the baby to Target. My initial plan had been to walk her through the mall, but she did not want to sit in her stroller (I figured out later that she was just hungry). I do not have the arm strength to carry a 20 pound baby very far, so we just stuck to Target.

As I was walking down the main aisle to the back of the store all of the sudden Amelia started pointing excitedly and saying, "dah, dah!" Looking to my right I saw a display of baby toys. Oh boy, did she want those toys! She had to touch every toy and see how it worked before we moved on. I almost gave in and bought her a green and blue lion, but I knew it was very similar to one we had at home.

Reaching my destination (baby food) she became excited again at a display of toddler hats. She especially liked a very goofy "Finding Nemo" hat that looked like a clown fish. I don't think she even realized this was an actual hat, but she sure did like it. With all of this "ooh, mommy, look!" that was going on I have to wonder what things will be like when she gets older and can say, "buy me..."

Lisa

What can I get myself into next?

Can I at least have a fish?

Our small family vacation.

This past weekend was my usual reserve duty weekend with the Navy. It was also Michael's birthday weekend. Mike didn't want to sit at home alone all weekend long in Indiana while I was at Great Lakes, Illinois, so he traveled with the baby and I to Great Lakes and the extra hour and a half up to Milwaulkee and visited Jason and Ruth.

This was a lot more fun for everyone than just hanging out in Bloomington. Mike got to attend his first Brewers home game with Jason and saw his first live sausage race. My weekend...Well, it was pretty standard. At least the weather was good. But no one, I don't think, had more fun than Amelia.

While Mike and Jason were watching baseball, Ruth brought the baby around to visit the homes of elderly people who are cared for by Ruth's family's business. Amelia never gets tired of hearing how cute she is from strangers, she's a real social extrovert. And Ruth called to tell me the cutest story when I came back to the BOQ after Saturday's drill...

Amelia has always loved cats and dogs. She gets very excited seeing animals and bounces in her seat in exhilaration. Well, apparently a friendly older dog she met liked her as much as she liked him. The doggie came right up to Amelia and licked her face causing her to bounce and squeal like she's never squealed before. I am beginning to suspect that Amelia's first real sentence will be, "I want a doggie!"

So, I'm glad Mike and Amelia got to have fun in Wisconsin. I look forward to being able to travel up there with them in the future, so we can all play and have fun together.

Lisa

Enjoying spring in Indiana.

Mmmm, Mexican!

Beany baby

Amelia is learning so much at this age, and she's becoming more and more independent. Sometimes, she really surprises mommy and daddy.

I recently read that a baby Amelia's age should be able to use a straw. Well, Amelia hasn't really had much access to straws, so I wasn't sure this would be true of her. So, the other day when she caught mommy drinking an iced soy mocha through a straw and fussed for a chance to try it herself, I thought there would be no harm in letting her "have a sip." After all, she had never been given a straw before; I thought the chances of her using one correctly were slim to none. Boy was I surprised! She slurped that mocha down and dribbled it all over her shirt - evidence for daddy to see what she had eaten. Apparently, Amelia really likes soy mochas. Thank goodness it was decaf.!

Then on Sunday, as Mike was walking out the door for an atypical trip to Taco Bell for lunch, I asked him offhandedly to buy pinto beans for the baby...since he would be there anyway. Amelia has eaten beans out of my burritos before, and seems to like them okay, so I thought she might enjoy a little bite of refried beans from Taco Bell.

When Mike got back with the beans I realized that I had forgotten to say, "no hot sauce." I sat the baby in her high chair and carefully dug out small bites with little to no sauce for her to eat. Then the baby reached for the beans. Normally, she likes to put her hands in her food and feel the textures, so I thought nothing of it. Then she did something I did not expect and crammed a fistfull of beans into her mouth! She ate the whole dish of beans, hot sauce and all, getting them everywhere. Boy was that fun to watch! She is starting to really enjoy eating "grown up" food of all kinds. Yesterday, she even ate a couple of pieces of tart and sour kiwi. You never know with this girl...

Anyway, she's up and ready to go to the store. Maybe I'll let her pick out some food while we're there.

Lisa

Amelia's almost a year old; has she changed at all?

Everyday, a new adventure!

Amelia is so much fun. It seems like everyday she's learning something new. Everyday she's doing something she hasn't done before and surprising her parents.

She has just started saying her first real word with intention: "ba." The first time I heard her say this I guessed that she might be asking for her bottle. I gave one to her and she was thrilled. Now I try to pay close attention and when I hear, "ba ba" I give her a bottle. (Her other favorite was of asking for something is to bounce on her seat, reach with her hands, and grunt "oooh, oooh" like Horshack on "Welcome Back Kotter.")

Last night Amelia did something that really surprised mommy. She went into the bathroom, like she normally does after a bath (she's never sure if she's really done with her bath or not) and started to close the door. After the door was almost closed she swung it open again, smiling at mommy. She did this two or three more times before I realized she was playing peek-a-boo. Boy, was that fun! I had no idea she could handle a door like that. I bet she didn't either until she did it.

One thing that hasn't changed is the baby's resistance to sleep. She will insist that she is not tired by standing up, bouncing (I'm hopping mad!) and crying in her crib - especially for her second nap. But if I give in and take her out of her crib, she'll fall asleep in her high chair while eating dinner. Funny girl!

Lisa

A diva is born!

I can do it myself, thank you very much.