Amelia- 10.5 months old

I can't believe how big my little girl has gotten. Almost 11 months old! How is it possible I am already planning her 1st birthday party?? I get teared up when I think that she's almost not a baby anymore..



I got her some rainbow striped leg warmers at the craft fair yesterday. I know it's July, but they are so freakin cute. and check out this hat my sister made.


It matches perfect! I love her mischievous little grin and her chubby cheeks :)

My sister also made this tutu for her. I think it suits her perfectly.

She really just fills my soul with love every time I look at her. I can't believe she is mine. My sweet, perfect, adorable girl :)

And I'll leave you with this picture- Amelia showing off her goods.

Gotta love those cheeks!!!

Summer :)

Aside from the blistering heat and the overwhelming humidity, I. love. summer. I love it even more now that I get to share it with the most beautiful little girl on the planet.

just watching her soak it all in, the outside, the sun, the....bugs (she tries to eat them) just fills me with this passion and zest for life. There so much I can't wait to do with her, and so much I can't wait to show her.

Yesterday she got to experience the splash park that right next door. And boy did that girl have a ball.

We will without a doubt be spending more time at the splash park. I could never get enough of her smiles and giggles. They make my heart swoon.

And check out these thighs! Aren't squishy babies the best?? I could just eat them up!

More summer posts to come. Promise :)

Going, going, going

I know it's been a couple weeks since I last blogged but life has been crazy! Not an excuse, I know. And I keep telling myself I need to blog everything Amelia is doing or I will forget and I won't have those precious memories to come back and read when she is 18 and going off to college and I'm cryng because I remember when she started crawling and talking and learning so many new things. Hopefully I'll "remember it like it was yesterday". Dramatic I know, but that's how I think but I never, ever want to forget this first year of her life. So to catch up :

- Mia started officially crawling on May 1st. She is getting everywhere now! At first, she kinda had a gimpy crawl where one knee would be down but the other foot she used to kinda push off. It was adorable. She will do it now and ten still but it's mostly a normal cral now. She also pulls up and cruises around the furniture. She's not too graceful so she also has many bruises and scratches. She's not fazed most of the time and I tell her to "shake it off." ha! She did end up with a bloody nose one time but a cuddle and kiss from her momma made it all better.

- She got her first tooth. It's been about a week now that she's had her bottom left tooth coming in. I know she's in pain and she's super fussy but there's nothing I can do but hold her and cuddle her. Can't wait until she has all her teeth so she's not in agony anymore.

- We are going on vacation in 2 weeks! Gatlinburgh :) We will be going with Gabe and Trin and their kids and it's going to be so fun! Our cabin is enormous and has been calling my name for weeks. So close..

- Amelia can clap her hands now. It is the Cutest. Thing. Ever. Anytime you sing "Patty Cake" she will start clapping...even though "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" is her FAVORITE song. Seriously. She could be having a horrendous, red in the face, all out fit, but if you start singing itsy, bitsy spider, she has the hardest time trying to not smile. I love that kid.

- Life is good. I've been getting more business and am really looking forward to being in my studio by the end of the summer. It's hard for me to believe sometimes that I could actually be making a living by being a photographer in the near future. It actually makes me giddy.

That's all for now. Maybe I'll blog more regularly. No promises though.

Crawling (almost)

Here's 2 short little videos of Amelia almost crawling. She is sooooooo close! It's pretty scary! I'm in trouble in a few days when she finally gets it figured out.

Movin' on up!

So this morning, while i was getting ready for work, I had Mia in her crib, like every other morning. She can see me in the bathroom from there so that makes her happy. She had some toys and was playing and at one point I heard her squeal so I looked back and SHE WAS STANDING!! She had used the crib rail to pull herself up and boy did she think she was a hoot. She was laughing and squealing like crazy, even as she slowly slouched and fell to the side. I just stood there saying "What are you doing?! You shouldn't be doing that yet!" Haha!

It was a big reality check though that our house needs to be baby proofed a bit. I told Ben he needs to lower her crib mattress tonight before she goes to bed especially since she is now sleeping unswaddled (yay!).

I'm just don't think I'm ready to have a kid yet. I mean, I just got used to having a baby!

Amelia's Spring pictures

So I took these without help from anyone and it was pretty difficult. She was difficult. She kept wanting to eat the grass and drooled like crazy. They didn't turn out as good as I wanted but they'll have to do. She's so stinkin' cute!

Toe nails and some pictures

Spring is on its way so that means time to paint the toe nails! For the first time in who knows how long, my toes actually had no paint on them. So, while I was at walmart, I picked up new shade. Meet Flirt Alert.

Haha not too keen on the name but I love the color.

Ok Spring, I'm ready for ya now!

Here's some random pictures from the past few days.

learning to play guitar with Daddy.

Huh?

My little bunny :)

Helping mommy with the laundry.

Just thought this was cute. The girl can never keep her socks on and she was in her jumperoo when i took this.

This and that

So I'm in full swing of trying to get my photography business off the ground. I'm designing some business cards, booking shoots, looking up contracts...all that good stuff. Oh did I mention I'm getting a studio??? YEAH!! Its going to be in the new building our church is getting and they are letting me have one of the big rooms for my studio. It's and old industrial arts building and by old I mean totally horror-movie-creepy so it's going to need some renovating but I'm hoping possibly by the end of the year I will be up and going. I'm beyond excited and soooo ready to be doing what I love full time while getting to spend more time with my beautiful daughter. It really will be perfect. So if you need pictures, you know who to call :)

I really wish I could post more pictures but seeing as I can only blog at work, its not quite possible. I have some great pictures from a play date Amelia had the other night with a little girl only a month older than her. A month older yet, 5 lbs smaller. HA! Mia looks like she could eat her, its too cute though.

I'm totally and completely ready for spring. It's been teasing me lately with nice days here and there but the rain and cold always returns.....come on sunshine....we miss you so much!! I bought Mia's Easter dress the other day and boy is it precious. Her first Easter....I can't wait!

Spring is coming!

We went to the park yesterday to soak up the beautiful sunshine. I didn't get many pictures but here's Amelia in her adorable sun hat.



She LOVES going for walks in her stroller. She loves being outside period. She just looks around and is the happiest baby in the world. I can't wait for summer!!



And who else loves walks??




Yep. Cyrus. Notice the mud? He also loves running through the ditch behind our house after the walk....

and getting hosed off afterward. He's crazy and I love him.

I'm ready for spring to be here for good so we can have more walks...

Learning to relax

So I really haven't felt like my self for the past, oh, 13 months or so. Ever since I found out I was pregnant with Mia, it's like I was transported to a different body and mind. It wasn't bad, but I just felt like I wasn't me anymore. I was a nurturer of this tiny soul inside of me and then, after having her, I become a mother and still had to feed and care for this little person. Well, I stopped breastfeeding about a month and a half ago and nature has taken over and strangely I feel like the old me again. Not completely of course, having Amelia has forever changed me, but a tiny piece of the old me is still there, calm yet thriving.

I have at last learned how to be a mom and do normal everyday things. It's just common place now and not something I am constantly thinking about, like, "I have to make sure we have this, this, and this if we go out with the baby", or, "We can't go out until after the baby eats." I just go with the flow. That was the hardest thing to learn so far on this journey of mommy hood.


Just relax, everything will be ok.


So what if her shirt has spit up on it? or we may have to wait 30 minutes at the restaurant and she may get fussy? I have realized its not the end of the world if she doesn't have a bib to match her cute outfit. What matters is that I have this perfect little girl that makes my heart swell with her smiles and makes the end to every day perfect. She has taught me lots in the nearly 6 months she's been here.







She completes me.

I love this soul.

Amelia Jade, 5.5 months.

update

Life is busy, as usual. Amelia is growing like a weed. She has started laughing every once in a while. It is so cute when she does. She babbles like crazy and it always sounds like she is saying "I good" but its really more just like "ahhh gggggg." She does the "g" sound the most. At 4 and 1/2 months, it just amazes me at what she can already do. She is also almost sitting on her own. Oh, and we started trying some baby foods this week. So far just pears (which she LOVES) and sweet potatoes (which she thinks are just "ok") I really enjoy letting her try new things. She wants to feed herself already so she has to hold my hand that has the spoon in it the whole time. So cute!





Work is pretty much the same. I would LOVE to not have to work so much and spend more time with my baby but that's just not something we can afford right now. I hope to get my photography business off the ground soon then I will be home a lot more. Someday....just waiting for God's timing.





I love being a mom. My world is completely different and I see life in a totally different way. I never knew I could love another person as much I love this kid. It's like every part of me woke up just to love her and she makes me incredibly happy. I know all you moms out there know exactly what I mean. It's awesome!





Here's a picture I took tonight on our web cam. Just me and Mia, hanging out:








She was smiling cause she could see herself on the screen. She LOVES to look at herself. It's so funny because she could be screaming and if I hold her up in front of the mirror, she will stop immediately and smile at her reflection. Can you say conceited...haha, just kidding. Seriously though, she's the coolest kid ever.

Firsts

So this week has been FULL of firsts for Amelia. Ok first she started reaching for stuff. I think I mentioned that last post but she has been doing it soooo much more. She can bring things to her mouth now to chew on them, like her bib. So CUTE!

Next, she got her first little tooth peeking though. I about flipped when I saw it. I new she was teething but I just didn't expect to see a tooth so soon! Needless to say, she has been a MUCH happier baby since it came in. That brings me to the next first...... she had her first real baby laugh. I, of course, did not get to witness this, but Ben did. And what was it that got this baby to give her first real laugh???............Cyrus. Yep, the dog! He was going crazy running around the house and every time he would run back in the living room she would laugh at him. She hasn't done it since but I really wish I could have heard it!!! Baby laughs are the best!!

OK that's about it I think. Everyday is full of new things and discoveries for her and I absolutely LOVE seeing her learn and grow! I am truly blessed to have her in my life!

I know, I know

When it comes to blogging, I fail miserably but give me a break, I'm still adjusting to this whole "being a mom" thing.

Life is crazy to say the least. Work is super busy, and any free time I have is spent with my beautiful daughter and wonderful husband. This blog is constantly in the back of my mind nagging at me to get on here to update and keep a record of all the amazing things Mia is doing now, but seriously, I never have time. I'm hoping one day I will learn how to be a mom, work, and still get things done like all the other moms I know but I still have yet to figure it out. How do you all do it??? And with more than one?..that's insane!

Anywho, update on Amelia. She is growing sooooooo fast! At her 3 month appointment she weighed 14 lbs!! That's in the 90th percentile! What a chubby yet adorable little girl I have! She coos, talks, laughs, and smiles all the time now and there is nothing in the world that melts my heart than that. She is also beginning to teethe and that is not so fun. I feel so bad that there's not much I can do to help her but hopefully it doesn't last too long and she can go back to being just a happy baby. I know, I have a while to wait but I can hope can't I?

Last night she reached for a toy for the first time. Not that it was super graceful or anything but it was soo cute. I think she surprised herself more than anything that her arms actually did what she wanted them to do lol. It is so fun to watch her learn and discover new things everyday. I am so blessed!

Well I hope to get some pictures on here soon but until then, check out my facebook...there's plenty of pictures there!

update on Amelia

So Mia had her 1 month appointment yesterday....even though she is almost 2 months. We had to reschedule her 1 month bc her dr was having surgery but I thought they would consider this one her 2 month but they didn't...kinda confusing....oh well

Anyway she is up to 11lbs 2oz and 21.25 inches. She is in the 95th percentile for her weight and the 50th for her height. Definitely a growing girl! Doctor said she is perfectly healthy and we just need to keep doing what we are doing. It feels so good to know that I'm doing everything right...lol...it's just hard to not worry when you are a mom.

Amelia is starting to do so much new stuff and getting so big! She can hold her head up for a few minutes at a time. We have actually tried her in her bumbo seat and she looks sooooo big when she is sitting there. She has started cooing a lot and oh the smiles!!!! I just adore her big toothless grin. I spend most of my time just trying to get her to smile or giggle. It melts my heart...

I can't believe my baby is almost 2 months old!! It has just flown by!

Amelia's Room

Ok so the nursery has been done for awhile but I've been a slacker in the picture/blogging department. Here is the finished product:

Ok this is the view from the doorway.

This is the wall opposite the crib. That is the diaper cake on her dresser, I figured I'd leave it until I use it lol. Oh and the swing will be moved to the living room once we have her and we have a glider that will go where the swing is but Ben is using it downstairs for now as his gaming chair.

I painted the picture frames and took the pictures that are in them. It was fun pretending to be crafty.

The bedding up close..it needs ironed still so ignore the wrinkles.

This is her name I painted and posted earlier but it's up on wall now. It's hard to see in the picture but there are little daisies underneath it.

This is another little crafty thing I did. These I used from different things like one of the gift bags from the shower, one of the cards I got, part of the thank you card i used and some ribbon from the diaper cake. Cute and has a personal touch. These oare on the wall next to the closet.

That's it for me...now all it needs is a baby

5/6 ultrasound pictures

If you click it will enlarge them:)
These are her huge feet.

Her arms.
It's a girl! Can you see the split? lol

Her arm and back. You can't see her head because it is covered by the amniotic fluid in this picture but I promise, she is not headless.

This one looks so cool.
And this one looks so freaky.

I love this one because it looks like she's posing with her hand propped up under her chin. So cute!

And this is the little skinny minny from the side. She could definitely use some chunkies on her.