Sitting up...well, trying!

Amelia is trying so hard to sit up. The other night she was able to hold herself up for a few minutes. I couldn't leave her side to get my camera so I snapped a quick picture with my phone. Where is my little baby going??

Cereal with bananas

Now Amelia is eating cereal. The first couple of bites were not exciting, but then she loved it! And hasn't looked back!!

Southall Girls

The Southalls and Dewings came over for an improptu BBQ. The Southalls were not going to be in town for the Dewing's baby shower, so this was a good way for them to catch up. The girls couldn't wait to hold Amelia, especially Aunt Stacie. Avery kept saying "Me too, me too"! Once Amelia is able to keep up with these 2, we are in for some trouble!! They are a lot of fun!

Daddy's Girl!

Amelia gets the biggest grin on her face whenever she sees Matt. And his smile is so tender when he sees her too. A daddy/daughter relationship is certainly special and I love watching them together. She loves crawling all over him and just sitting in his lap. I try to snap a few pictures when I can.

Sweet potatoes

Amelia tried sweet potatoes today and loved them!

4 months old!

I can't believe Amelia is already 4 months old! I know I will blink my eyes and she will already be a year old. But I can't cry yet!

I did not get to blog at the 3 month mark. I started back to work that week and I forgot to take a picture. Horrible mother! A lot has changed in 2 months. Amelia is becoming independent. She wants to hold her own bottle, holds her toys, and is sleeping through the night. She is very strong and likes to sit and stand with support. She is not a long napper, but sleeps like a champ at night. Her routine is pretty consistent. She wakes up around 7am, naps for an hour around 8:30, naps for 2 hours around 12:30, and takes a 20 minute cat nap around 4:30. She goes to bed at 7 and we still wake her at 10:30 for a final feed. She is taking 5 bottles a day, about 32-35 ounces.

She first rolled over from back to stomach and then wanted to start sleeping on her stomach. It freaked Matt and I out that first night! Then one morning, we went in and found her on her back! She is now rolling stomach to back too. She is a little rolly polly.

She loves her Johnny Jumper and Exersaucer. They both keep her very entertained. But her most FAVORITE is Mickey Mouse. Yes, that is right! By accident, we found out she likes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Not just likes it...LOVES it!! She belly laughs when Mickey comes on the screen. She loves that silly mouse! She also puts everything in her mouth!! She has a vibrating alligator teether that she likes, and of course, her toes! Those toes are so funny to her!

Another big first for Amelia is solid foods! She has tried bananas and avocados. She likes the avocados better. Right now, we are focusing more on exploring the spoon and the texture of the food. She wears more than she eats, but it is fun for both of us. I look forward to coming home from work and having that moment with her in the evenings. I have also started making her baby food. So far, I have made a batch of sweet potatoes that are in the freezer and ready for when we introduce that food, as well as a batch of spaghetti squash. For her bananas, I buy organic bananas and puree them. It isn't difficult and I enjoy it...for now!

Matt and I are having so much fun with Amelia. She has such a fun personality. She makes us laugh so hard when she is "fake fussing". She makes a pathetic fussing noise and then tries not to laugh, but occasionally a giggle will slip out and then we all start laughing. I think she is playing us already! She also loves to blow raspberries. She will mimic you if you do it first. We basically sit here and spit at each other for 20 minutes or so! Our new Friday night pasttime.

Amelia saw Dr. Hardman today for her 4 month check-up. She was a very nice doctor and we scheduled our 6 month check-up with her as well. Amelia certainly gained weight and length! She is 14lbs 15oz and 25 inches long. She is in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. Ironically, she has the exact same measurements I had at my 4 month check-up. It will be interesting to see if she stays on the same growth pattern I did.

LOVES the exersaucer

Does better now playing on her stomach

Loves the jumper.

Eating/wearing bananas

Eating and loving Avocado

Amelia is changing daily and I think she will be sitting up soon. She certainly is trying. I can't wait to see what the next month will bring.

New Year's Eve

I can't believe it has been 1 year since we found out we were pregnant. Wow! What a difference a year makes: new house, new baby, a whole new world. We have a lot to celebrate and a lot to be thankful for.

We spent this New Year's Eve with an intimate group of friends. We decided to do a dinner at the beach, close to home. We went to dinner at Ocean 60 with the Dewings, Ebeners, Bielmyers, and O'Sullivans. It was a nice dinner with good friends. The menu was a pre-set 4 course meal. Matt loved his steak...and his apple martinis! The only bad part was the bill! The waitress brought one bill for 5 couples. It took her over an hour to figure it out when we asked her to separate it. Therefore we got home later than planned...but still before midnight! Boy, times have changed! We left for dinner after Amelia was already asleep and were home before the ball dropped!! We are such big partiers!

Happy New Year! We can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for our family.