"So, if I understand correctly, this end gets dipped into the cup." 

Amelia uses a spoon...sort of

Last night, while enjoying some blackberry chocolate chip ice cream, Amelia took matters into her own hands and insisted on using the spoon herself. I was very proud of her independence, of course, despite the fact that she hasn't quite gotten the "spoon thing" down, yet. She knows to stick the spoon into the ice cream, and even does so with a scooping motion; so, she gets ice cream onto her spoon. She also knows that the final step is sticking the spoon into her mouth. What she hasn't figured out is that it is necessary to turn the spoon each time you take a bite. In other words, the spoon is simply being lifted to her mouth so that she can take a small bite on the handle before dipping the spoon into the ice cream a second and third time.

What was funny about watching this is that Amelia never seemed upset or frustrated that no ice cream was actually reaching her mouth. She just kept plugging along, covering her lap with purplish, chocolately goo. Really funny stuff and a promising start to eating independently with a utencil, I suppose.

Lisa

Well, I guess seeing her wear mud is better than watching her eat it. 

Almost perfect weather.

Finally, it's not hot...but, it is a little on the wet side. Still, Amelia wanted to go outside today. I carried her outside and let her feel a little of the cool rain as it fell. She thought that was really neat. I took her back inside figuring she had spent enough time in the wet weather for today.

Well, Amelia figured differently. After finally understanding that the word Amelia was repeating was not, "light" but "outside" (strangely enough, these words sound the same coming from her) I reminded her that it was wet and muddy outside our door. I told her that this was probably not a good time to go out and that she wouldn't have much fun.

Well, she started fussing, whimpering and bouncing insisting that she really did want to go outside to play. Eventually, I gave in. I put our shoes on and told her (though I knew it was pointless) "Try not to get muddy."

Amelia had a great time outside. She walked all over the apartment complex, and sat in mud numerous times. It's a good thing she likes baths so that she can have extra bath time on days like today.

Lisa

"There's a bunch more where this came from!" 

It's quiet...too quiet.

As many of you probably know, in a house with a toddler silence often serves as an indicator that mischief is taking place. So when I noticed how quiet the room had become during the middle of my morning crochet session, I got up to look for my toddler. I didn't have to look far. Just as I turned to peek over my shoulder here came Amelia with a long trane of toilet paper following behind her.

I admit it was very funny. I guess this is what I get for leaving the bathroom door ajar. Somehow I don't think this will be the last time Amelia wastes large quantities of toilet paper.

Lisa

The "d" word.

Mike and I had a funny experience with Amelia last night. As I was relaying the events of the day I started to tell Michael about a neighbor's dog that Amelia got to "pet." (She actually pulled on the poor old dog's fur, prompting him to get up and move away from her.) Then Mike acknowledged that he had seen this same dog himself, and thought he saw the dog on the way in. As we spoke, we noticed Amelia begin to point to the front door. She started saying, "dog" and pointing more forcefully as we continued talking.

Noticing Amelia's actions, Mike decided to take her outside (into the insanely hot weather) and look to see if the dog was still there. But alas, the dog was gone. When Mike brought Amelia back into the apartment she was whimpering and waving toward the door saying, "bye dog." It was incredibly sweet. I never considered myself to be a big dog person, but I can't wait until we're able to get a dog for Amelia. She likes them so much.

Lisa

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming... 

Even more fun...

Amelia loves swimming. She loves playing in the water with mommy and daddy. Today was the first day she had been in a pool since leaving Las Vegas and boy did she have a good time! It's wonderful to see the way her face lights up when her feet hit the water.

Between the strawberries and the swimming I'm not sure what aspect of summer Amelia's going to miss most when fall rolls around.

Lisa

This is a blast! 

Stepping out

Here I am complaining about the weather and my inability to go out with my daughter when the opportunity arrises to take her out again.

Mike and I took Amelia to the park at around 7:30 this evening. Mind you, it was still hot - even at that hour. Running around the play ground with the baby made both of us sticky and sweaty, but it was worth it to see the smiles on Amelia's face. She went down the slide by herself for the first time today. At first, she was a little nervous about sliding down alone. Though she had a hard time not falling onto her back, she grinned when she reached the bottom the first time or two down. After a couple of "practice runs" Amelia could slide down on her bottom like a big girl and boy did she think that was neat!

I have to say I feel really lucky to have such a lovely daughter; she's so much fun. Sure, I spend a lot of time picking up after her, but she brightens my day nonetheless.

Lisa

Cool, clear water. 

Heat advisory in effect.

I'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but it's darn hot in southern Indiana (as it is all over the country).

I'm sick of the heat and humidity. I don't like having to run the air conditioning as much as I do and I don't like feeling like I can't jump in my car for a pleasant jaunt to the store because I have to consider how hot and uncomfortable it will make Amelia feel. More than anything, I don't like the fact that I can't take Amelia to the park during the day. My only chance to get her to the park is if we both get up early and rush about so that we can make it there before 10 a.m.

The last time I did this Amelia had more fun at the park than ever before. Besides a group of Christian summer campers, who never left the park gazebo, no one was at the park when we went there last. Amelia felt comfortable trying out lots of park equipment and toddling around the jungle gym. I gave her a ride on the teeter-totter and she loved it! She is also starting to really enjoy the swings and riding down small slides with mommy.

Another feature Amelia loves about the park is it's drinking fountain. She puts her hand in the water that overflows the fountain's side and smiles with glee. Last time we were there she toddled in and out of the water stream like a girl playing in a backyard sprinkler. It was great to watch, and I was glad that she had a fun way to relieve herself of the heat.

Lisa

"Just five more minutes, mom." 

The amazing truth about jet lag.

After several years of military-related travel I have discovered one thing about jet lag: it is much easier to adjust your sleep schedule traveling west than it is traveling east. Traveling west means staying up a bit later than usual to get organized, have some fun or visit with friends and family. And in the morning when the clock says, "six a.m." your body tells you it's actually eight or nine o'clock and you feel pretty good, overall.

In contrast, traveling east is a real pain in the backside. You must force yourself to somehow go to sleep when you aren't tired and then wake up hours before your body is ready for reveille. This is the situation with poor Amelia after only three days in Las Vegas. She simply isn't tired at bedtime. Last night she was up until ten and angry about going to sleep then. I went in to wake her up at nine, in hopes of beginning the adjustment back to Hoosier time, and found our sweet girl completely conked out.

I'm sure we will fix this after a couple of days. The key, I think, is to wake the baby earlier each day until she gets back on track. Until then, maybe we can all stay up together a little later than usual.

Lisa

Mommy's little mermaid. 

Family trip to Las Vegas

Hello everyone,

We're back from our short trip to Las Vegas. I was a little concerned about how a trip to Vegas with a toddler would unfold, but we all had a great time. It helped that Amelia's grandparents met us in Vegas. They were wonderful and helped out watching the baby so mom and dad could see a movie and gamble a little bit.

Amelia had a wonderful trip. She loved seeing her family and eating at Vegas restaurants. She loves lights, period; so the lights in the Orleans and New York, New York were almost too much for her. She had lots of room to practice walking - especially in the hotel hallways. The carpets were fun and colorful, the halls were occasionally marked by exciting red EXIT signs, and the ceiling was covered with wonderful lights. It was fun watching Amelia toddle down the hall pointing to the ceiling and repeating, "dite."

Our second day in Vegas we took Amelia to the Rainforest Cafe. I had a sneaking suspicion she would love this place, and she did. She thought the fish tanks were great and enjoyed watching the animals move. That afternoon, Amelia got to go "swimming" for the first time. I was concerned that bringing Amelia out to the pool would be too much for her, especially since it was around 112 degrees outside, but as soon as her legs felt the water in the pool she beamed with one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen. It was difficult to get her out - she had such a wonderful time.

And now we're back - still working on washing the smoke smell out of our clothes. I'm about $10 ahead on my gambling - that'll buy me two mochas at least.

Lisa

Amelia is intrigued by the elephants at the Rainforest Cafe. 

Doggie! (Fun at the park.) 

What to Expect...

So, I finally got a copy of "What to Expect, the Toddler Years" a week or so ago. I'm still pretty far behind in the book (reading about 12 month old babies instead of 14 month old Amelias) but it's fun to read about the things Amelia should and might be doing.

For example, according to this text a baby Amelia's age may be able to scribble on a piece of paper. I found the prospect of having personally colored (scribbled) pictures by Amelia to send off to grandparents very exciting, so I sat her down in the living room with three non-toxic Texas Roadhouse crayons and a Puppies and Kittens coloring book.

The best course of action seemed to be to demonstrate the procedure to Amelia. I took out a red crayon and colored a bow on a picture of a kitten. Amelia was fascinated to see white paper become red. I then took out the green crayon and began to color the grass under a doggie's house.

Amelia then picked a crayon of her own. I was very excited to see her attempt to color for the first time. She moved her right hand over the page and handed me the blue crayon. Apparently, she found it more interesting to watch me color than to attempt to do so herself. She watched me use a color for a while and then would hand me another crayon, switching every few seconds. It was fun, but I'm afraid the scribbles will have to wait for another day (sorry grandma).

Amelia is also old enough to hold her own sippy cup or bottle when she wants a drink. She's very proficient at lifting the cup and putting it to her mouth, but can't figure out the gravity part of the equation and doesn't tip the cup up to get the juice flowing. I think she's getting tired of trying to accomplish this herself as her new, preferred method of drinking is picking up her cup and handing it to mommy - then opening her mouth like a little bird.

But still, she's advanced in other areas. Yesterday, she rode on a swing for the first time. I sat her in one of those basket swing seats for little ones to see what would happen. She didn't even come close to filling the seat, and looked funny leaning forward on the ledge (it looked more like she was standing than sitting really), but she smiled when I gave her a very gentle push. She seemed to enjoy seeing the ground moving under her and watching the bigger kids sailing high above her.

Lisa
(And I promise to bring a camera to the park, next time.)

Playing fort with Amelia. 

Allow me to assist you, mommy.

Amelia is a smart baby. Off the top of my head I can tell you she almost certainly knows the words: baby, daddy, mommy, dog, duck, bottle, light, yeah, no, this, that, hi and bye (though they don't sound quite like this when she uses them). I also think she may know bugs, eyes and foot.

She is also becoming a very helpful baby. For example, she helps mommy organize her wallet by continually removing her credit cards and handing them to mommy one by one.

More than this, she is learning to tell mommy exactly what she wants. Sometimes when I hold her she pushes forward from her hips as if to say, "Giddy up, take me over there." While at the doctor's office yesterday she kept pointing to something around the corner that I was apparently ignoring. I actually suspected she was pointing at the receptionists and did not want to stare at them or comment about them. So, Amelia put her hand on my cheek and pushed my face around to the right so I could see what she was pointing at. When I giggled and moved my head back to front, she pushed it again saying, "Dat!"

Tonight she did something that even surprised me. She has been helping mommy organize her drawers by pulling everything out and dropping it on the floor. I always open the same drawer for her because it's close to the ground, only mostly full, and contains no items that are actually folded or organized in any way. Tonight she wanted to empty a different drawer. She kept poking her finger in the gap above her towel and washcloth drawer waiting for me to give in and open it. Well, I really didn't feel like refolding all of her towels, so I pretended to ignore her and continued with the lower drawer. She then picked up my hand, placed it on the drawer she wanted to see, and pointed saying, "Dat!" It was so cute and clever I had to give in.

Lisa

"Baby!" 

TV addiction

Is it possible to raise a TV addict without actually owning a TV? The answer is, "yes."

We don't own a television; we don't have any cable access of any kind. Yet, our daughter seems hooked on television programs. Amelia is completely mesmerized when she sees Teletubbies or her Baby Einstein DVDs on the computer screen. She loves to watch them while she eats. In fact, she will sometimes forget to move the food on her tray into her mouth while watching her videos.

Of course, it's adorable when Amelia points to the Teletubbies baby-in-the-sky and says, "Baby!" but I think she's getting carried away. She has started finding her baby DVDs on the shelves and handing them to mommy - apparently asking to see a movie. Today, while I was watching an announcement by Tony Blair on the Internet she became inpatient after handing me "Baby Animals" and started fussing and pointing at the monitor.

So, what do you do? I guess the best thing to do is get her out of the living room and out of the apartment every day. Of course, this isn't always possible. I have plans to go to Target today, but she still has a fever, so I'm not sure we'll go.

If I do go, maybe I'll pick up a new Teletubbies DVD while I'm out.

Lisa

A pooped-out baby. 

Big day in the big city

Today the family traveled to Indy to enjoy dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and visit Trader Joe's. It was a long day for the baby, but she had a lot of fun. Amelia always enjoys being able to see new people and experience new things.

I have to say that the Cheesecake Factory is one of my all-time favorite restaurants. One thing that happened shortly after we arrived at the restaurant is the wait staff brought Amelia a plate of her own with banana and sourdough bread slices. I thought that was terrific. Amelia liked it, too.

Amelia had a lot to look at over dinner. The ceilings and walls, as you know, are very colorful at the Cheesecake Factory. She also found new friends with whom to play peek-a-boo. My Cajun jumbalaya was also toned down (a little disappointing, but we suspect this was so to not overwhelm Midwestern sensitivities to spice) enough to share with Amelia. She also loved getting small tastes of whipped cream and chocolate cheesecake after dinner (no surprise here).

Let me tell you about the Factory's special 25th anniversary cheesecake: it is super chocolaty and super yummy. It kicks so much butt, it's unreal. I may have eaten a taster cheesecake at some point in my life, but I don't remember doing so.

After dinner we walked around the upscale mall a bit to justify some of the calories consumed over dinner; then it was off to Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's is always fun and full of cool things that are difficult to find elsewhere in the Midwest like tri-tip and free range steak, sourdough bread, and "two buck Chuck" (good, cheap California Merlot). Of course, "two buck Chuck" costs three dollars in Indiana, and is not available for purchase on Sunday...but it's still nice to see it on the shelves.

Also at Trader Joe's Amelia got her first balloon. She just loves balloons. Every time I take her shopping she stares and points at the balloons at the grocery store. She really enjoys her new red balloon from T.J.'s.

Now, it's back to work for mommy and daddy. So far, we've had a great holiday weekend and nothing we have to do is anything we absolutely HAVE to do. So, things are good.

I hope everyone has a great Independence Day,
Lisa

Shopping at Trader Joe's