rollin' for real

I know, I know, a few months ago I posted that Amelia had rolled over. Well, she had. This was because at 2 months old, she was still "anorexic" and didn't really have a tummy to keep her from rolling. She rolled maybe a couple times, but once she (rather quickly) put on a belly, she couldn't roll anymore. Well, now, with her big ol' belly and all, she's rolling "for real". I'm talkin' pulling her arm out from under her and everything. And she's quick, too! But of course, she hasn't learned to go from tummy to back, so she gets ticked and starts yelling for help. I've heard this story a gazillion times from other new moms, but of course it's a bigger deal and much more interesting to tell when it's my daughter. :)

coffee, anyone?

As I've mentioned before, Grant usually takes Amelia for the first couple hours of the morning before he heads to work, when I get to catch up with a little extra shut-eye. This morning I happened to be awake early enough to catch a glimpse of what goes on while I'm snoozing. And now that Amelia can grab things, I can see why my morning coffee that Grant makes has been tasting so good. Amelia helps with the filter!

you...me...4 am...I'm talkin' play time

In the deepest of sleep, I think I hear a grunt or two...then a little squeal. I glance at the clock: 3:58 am. More grunting with a little cry. I let it go a few minutes, hearing lots of grunting and rustling of blankets, starting to turn into a cry. I roll out of bed and slowly creep into her room to peek over the side of her crib. In the faintest of light, her worried chubby face quickly turns in my direction like she's been "caught". I stare at her for a second, well...let's just call it what it is...I glare at her for a second. And her eyes quickly change shape and she gives me one of her squinty-eyed toothless grins, and sticks her tongue out (similar to what you see in the photo). She's happy I'm there, and is ready for the day to begin! ....greeeeeeaaaaaat.

Amelia's sleeping schedule is somewhat "off". She can't seem to stay up past 6:30 pm...and she sleeps about 10 hours (don't worry, still getting up to eat a couple times). You do the math. She is fired up, sqealing, happy and ready to be out of the crib for some "infant excercise and stimulation" at 4 am. I don't actually mind it that much because I know it's only temporary and she'll get it figured out one of these days. Plus Grant saves me at around 5 am whenI can go back to bed while they cuddle under a blankie on the couch and watch a little Sesame Street. During the day I think about that early morning, and for some insane reason look forward to our next 4 am date :)

something new!!

Amelia can reach and grab for things now! I know I'll regret being so excited about this months down the road when she's grabbing things off the shelves in the grocery store, but right now it is SO COOL! I would've never guessed in a million years I'd be so pumped up about this! (And as my gramma Stella observed...check out those biceps!)

This is gettin' good

Being home with Amelia is already bringing such special moments. She smiles so much! You can see it coming in her eyes, then she opens her mouth for a big toothless smile, a squeal, and then sometimes a little shoulder shrug at the end of the episode because she just can't stand it! Feeding sessions are beginning to last quite a bit longer, because she keeps looking up at me and smiling instead of sucking! "You're supposed to be eating, Amelia!" I say. She now turns her head to look at me, instead of before when her eyes would happen to land on me if her neck happened to fall that direction. Yesterday I was sitting next to her, reading, as she was laying on her mat with Star (after the big "fall out" (no pun intended) they've made ammends). She was looking at me while I was reading, waiting for me to look at her. All I had to do was move my eyes up from the book and before my eyes could meet hers she'd quickly give me a big, wide, open-mouthed smile. Nothin' beats that!

first family vacation: CHECK!

We have successfully completed our first family vacation. After about one month of planning, hundreds of "to do" lists, three lists of items to bring, and two trips to Snohomish to pack the camper, WE DID IT!! We went to a family reunion north of Spokane, and then to Chelan. My pointless concerns about whether or not she would sleep well or have a difficult time were....like I said, pointless. I found I can tone down my neurosiss just a smidge, as some stress in packing appears to have been necessary, given all our needs were met during the trip. I see my days of "just throw it in the back of the car" or "we'll figure it out when we get there", are pretty much over, as a 3 month old needs at least a little accountability from her parents. I also see that I don't get my day-long lay outs or early morning runs on vacation anymore. Maybe in a few years...Long story short, lots of planning, lots of fun, glad to be home!!

mommy hormones

The week before I had Amelia, and the week following, I had never cried so much in my life. I cried out of desparation to have Amelia out, I cried for no reason at all many times, and after she was born I cried out of happiness A LOT, and then a few times for no reason at all again. My mom and sisters said "welcome to motherhood, you're going to be an emotional sobbing mess like this from now on". I didn't believe them, because I'm really not the crying type and figured it was just a phase, until...

Remember the show "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"? While nursing Amelia this morning I was watching an old episode, where Will shamefully purchases drugs, and confesses his mistake to the Banks family in an intense monologue at the end of the show. Now, I know 17-year old Will Smith was a decent actor, but the 90's sitcom left me a teary-eyed mess while nursing Amelia. What has happened to me? I'm losing it! I guess you guys were right!