"Dada"

This morning as I was getting ready for work, I heard Amelia waking up on the monitor. She was talking away and I thought I heard her say "Dada". I thought, no way! Not possible. I didn't say anything to Matt. Then Matt was driving her to my mom's and said she was talking away in the backseat and he thought he heard her say "Dada", but he also thought "no way"! Then my mom put her down for her nap and heard her on the monitor saying "Dadadada" so she called me and held the phone up to the monitor! Yes way...that is what she was saying. I called Matt and I could hear him grinning on the phone. When he got home tonight, he had the biggest smile on his face, from ear to ear. He was so proud!

Making baby food

I have been making Amelia's baby food and decided to take a couple of pictures to actually document that I have done it! I have the Baeba machine. It steams and purees the food all in that little green machine. I then fill ice cube trays with the puree. Each cube is about 1 ounce of food. After they have frozen, I store the cubes in freezer bags and defrost the cubes as I need them. Amelia will eat 1-2 cubes depending on the time of day. At night, she only gets 1 cube of veggies because she also gets cereal with fruit.

So far, I have made sweet potatoes, carrots, spaghetti squash, bananas, and apples. We have not tried the carrots yet. And the apples made Amelia really gassy, so we have taken those off the menu for a while! Next, I am going to make peas.

Some people laugh at me, but for now, it is easy. And I enjoy it.

Filling the ice cube trays

Pureed apples

Going in the freezer

Mommy had a Little Lamb!

Accessories!

Having a little girl is so much fun. All of the little accessories are too cute. They are also expensive!

Mimi sent Amelia these cute little shoes. I just love them. And they stay on a lot better than her socks!

New seat!

When eating in a restaurant, Amelia is not quite big enough for the high chairs they provide. And of course, she does not want to stay in her carrier like a little baby. Matt thought we could just hold her, but quickly learned that is not conducive to eating!

So we ordered her a clip on seat. It clamps on to the table. It holds her nice and snug and keeps her close to the table. She is right in the middle of the action and likes it a lot better. Here is a picture of her trying it out at home.

Loving on her Daddy

Amelia woke up tonight around 10pm, which is very out of character for her. She was not crying, but giggling and talking to herself. I was oncall and was watching her on the monitor. When I got off the phone, she was still awake, so I went in to check on her. She looked at me with the biggest grin and started laughing! I couldn't resist. I picked her up and brought her out to the family room. Just then, my phone rang, so I handed her over to Matt. When I got off the phone, I looked over and Amelia was rubbing Matt's beard and talking away to him. It was so sweet. It was as if she was pleading her case as to why she should get to stay up. Matt couldn't stop laughing. It was just too sweet!

Drama Queen

Amelia can be quite dramatic at times, especially when it comes to eating. Today she tried spaghetti squash for the first time. Of course, she devoured it, but at first, she made quite a scene. She did this fake gagging thing. Matt and I were cracking up. She doesn't just spit it out, she makes choking noises and is clearly not choking! After she got past the first bite, she absolutely loved the squash and couldn't get enough of it.

Our little drama queen!

Not so sure about this!

OK, maybe it isn't so bad

OK, it is yummy!

Happy Valentine's Day

Matt is still my #1 Valentine, but this year, we both had a new sweetheart! I tried taking her picture when she woke up, but she really wanted no part in it. I love how her feet are crossed in some of the pictures! She was quite relaxed and wanted to be left alone!

She received a Valentine holder with her name on it and some dresses from her Gigi and Papa. Matt and I also bought her clothes and some new hairbows (shocker!). Matt bought her M&Ms and said he would eat them for her! Funny guy! Then she received some deliveries of balloons and a stuffed animal from her Mimi and Papa. She loves watching the balloon! And her cousins Mollie and Carson sent her a juice box holder, yogurt melts, and some adorable socks! Amelia was one loved girl today...and everyday!

We had a quiet night at home and ate a fancy dinner of grilled cheese! Matt and I have a date night planned soon, but this week was just too hectic.

The flash is too bright this early in the morning!

Mom, I am too relaxed for picture taking!

Seriously mom, I am over it!

Early morning

I usually leave for work before Amelia gets up, but this morning she was up extra early. And was extra perky! She was making lots of noise and "talking" to me and her toys on her Exersaucer. She loves talking to that blue bird!

Sippy cup

We started giving Amelia her water in a sippy cup. She loves it and wants to hold it whenever she sees it. She is such a big girl!

5 months old

Our 5 month old baby has proven much harder to take pictures of then our 4 month old baby! Amelia is much more wiggly, squirmy, and doesn't like the flash of the camera! We tried several different poses and props to try to keep her still long enough to get a good picture. Well, here are all the pictures anyway! I have a new found respect for photographers.

At 5 months old, Amelia is still trying to sit up but isn't quite there yet. She will roll all over the place to get what she wants. She has also started getting on her hands and knees and will scoot backwards. Everything goes in her mouth...everything! She always has something to say and her noises are so sweet. She is still sleeping 12 hours at night. She takes 2 naps during the day and occasionally skips her 3rd (late afternoon) nap. She is eating solid foods at lunch and dinner and taking 4 (8oz) bottles a day. Sweet potatoes are by far her favorite. And if you don't shovel it in her mouth quick enough, she lets out a good squeal. Matt says she eats like a Billy Goat.

We went for the recheck on her ear. There is still fluid behind the ear but it isn't infected. At her appointment, she weighed 16lbs 6 oz.! Good grief girl! She is now wearing 6-9 month clothing and size 1 shoe. She is growing like a weed. All of her newborn hair has fallen out except 1 curl! Her hair is now a light brown and straight as a board (wonder where she gets that from!).

Matt and I are enjoying every minute with Amelia. She has such a fun personality. She is definitely head strong and independent and pretty dramatic at times. It makes Matt nervous for the teenage years!

Happy 5 months sweet girl!

enough mom!

really mom! i have had enough!

Rascal Flatts

For Christmas, I got Mom tickets to see Rascal Flatts. She loves country music, especially that group. We got to the arena early to try and get a good parking spot. Just as we were getting out of the car, I realized we did not have the tickets!! I had put them in the cup holder of my car, but when we decided to take Mom's car, I forgot to grab the tickets! Thank goodness for OnStar...and Daddy! I called OnStar and they unlocked my car. My dad was able to get the tickets and so generously drove them downtown to us! Glad we got down there early. We were inside and to our seats in plenty of time. The first opening act was a young kid named Hunter Hayes. I had never heard of him before. He looks like the Justin Beiber of country music. He was very talented and all the young girls around us LOVED him! Next, was Sara Evans. She did a great job! I enjoyed her show. Then the main act...Rascal Flatts. They had an awesome opening number, but by the time they came on, I was about ready for bed. I can't hang like I used to. It was already 9:30. So sad when I actually read that! We stayed until almost 11 and they were still rocking!

The best entertainment of the night, though, was the brother/sister duo infront of us. I thought they were 16/17ish, but my mom thinks they were a bit older. They knew every word, every note, every song of all 3 artists, even young Hunter Hayes. They had us in stitches. She was singing like she was auditioning for American Idol. And like true siblings, one minute they were happy and hugging, and the next minute, they were fighting and yelling! They were quite entertaining.

Banana Mum-mum

I gave Amelia a Mum-mum to try and she was not so crazy about it. It is a rice teether and I thought it might be fun for her to try. Matt was glad she didn't like it because they can get quite messy. I am sure the day will come when she will like it.

Bird house

Matt decided to put up a bird house in the backyard. We have a lot of different types of birds in the marsh and he wanted to try to see them better. All we saw were squirrels! Matt has to get a squirrel-proof feeder now. All the food was gone in one afternoon!

Swinging

The weather has been so warm, that we decided to put Amelia's swing up in the backyard. We tried putting her in it tonight. She was more interested in trying to chew on the straps. Imagine that...she wants to chew on something. Once she got moving though, she really enjoyed it!

Play time

Every evening, we lay Amelia on a blanket and let her kick, roll, and scoot. She will occasionally get on her hands and knees and scoot backwards. Mainly she rolls across the room. I usually read a few stories to her while we play. And Daddy and Cubbie join in, too. It is a fun time of day, before the feeding, bath, and bedtime frenzy start!

Love those thigh rolls!

Sweet face!

Such a daddy's girl

Refusing to look at the camera!

oh well. better luck next time for a good pic of mommy and Amelia

Scooting backwards!

Wow! He is BIG up close!