From Amelia

Jumper-who?

The quality of this vidoe is not the greatest. It was taken on my digital rather than video camera. I still need some firewire-thingamajig to get the video camera deal to meet and hook up with my computer. They are currently not speaking. Oh and I don't know how to edit and don't want to take the time to learn when I have to relearn with the video anyway, so that's that. Introducing the jumping, laughing baby. For extra giggles, watch her feet!

Thanks for the early xmas gift grandpa!

Operation Un-Swaddle: Part Two--Total Freedom

The first stage of OUS went much better than expected. After the first night of 45 minutes of sleep and then a long day of painful 'napping,' the little bugga figured it all out--and slept through the night thereafter (or until teeth as the case may be). We still wrapped a blanket (or two) around her legs because of her constant kicking and stomping, to keep her warm, and to keep her safe as she hadn't yet mastered the whole roll over thing. She's also been in a sleep positioner this whole time as well. I know it's shameful, but it's safe and keeps her snug and well, Justin is as paranoid as possible about her sleeping as it is. Once she started rolling one way consistently, I knew the time was near, but kept her bound. I could just see the nights of having to go rescue her from her tummy every time she rolled over and got herself stuck.
Well now that she can roll all the way, it's time. IT'S TIME for the child to be free to get into a position of her own choosing to sleep. . . much to her father's dismay. This morning he found her, in her sleep positioner, wrapped from the waist down, and with half her body on the tummy and the bottom half still on her back. IT'S TIME.
So here I sit. . . listening to her struggle in her crib. She doesn't need me, but needs to work it out. She's not used to the freedom and though it's a good thing for her and she fights the snugness, now she's at a loss without it. She's wrestling around in there and grunting and everything that is not sleeping. I figure she hasn't napped a wink in the last few days anyway, so may as well go for it. If we don't do it now, I am going to go in there someday and find her standing up in her crib, wrapped from the waist down. Or better yet, find her on the floor of her bedroom after fastening her swaddle blankets together and climbing out of her cell like a felon. . . and just as we applaud all of the amazing changes babies make so quickly, they are exactly what make being a mommy so hard. Nothing ever just settles in or gets easy. You never get a chance to get comfortable in your own knowledge, experience, schedule, or rest. In fact, as each stage becomes more fun and doable, so too they become more complicated and difficult.

The Baby and the Mommy


Prof. M.O.M.

The Life and Times of a Six-Month Old

It's a special some one's half-birthday today! It's ridiculous how quickly the last two months have flown by. We have hit a really cool stage with Amelia--she is stable and sturdy to carry and set down, she can sleep much better (usually), she smiles and laughs, interacting all the time, and yet can't run away yet. She's still a baby but without so many of the stresses of newborns. It's so fun, being her mommy.

Now that she's 6 months old, it's time for Amelia to get down to this learning business. Not one for incremental learning, she rolled from back to front for a few days and then went straight to steam rolling. Three days after the first tooth appeared, it was followed by its twin. It also appears that at least one other tooth is sounding the horn and about to dock. (I say this because we were up last night for several hours again and miss half-birthday-girl has had a heck of a day.) She went from toppling in a second to sitting as a tripod overnight. Nothing gradual in this house! Might be time to baby proof. . .

As for my thoughts on this time. . . The teething cycle is really the stuff of legends. They cause misery long before they arrive and by the time you know what was causing the pain, it's gone, leaving mom and dad in a puddle of guilt for not knowing earlier and being more sympathetic. . . and then as soon as it's gone, the first symptoms are back and you find yourself wondering, "Is that another tooth? Or is it something else?" Just like with everything else, it's a constant guessing game and the answers are only revealed after the exam. . .

Life and Times. . .

Family Times (here with my beloved Aunt Sharon and Uncle Ray)

It's a Toof Life

The Sophisticated 1/2 year old

New Tricks

This is how we roll

Chairs are for punks!

Okay, so we're still working on this one
Friendly Tales

It's that time again!

Seriously Mom, this is totally for babies!

That's TEETH, not tooth!

Second tooth has arrived-- a mere three days after the first. Amelia now has teeth. Plural.
Of course, now I feel bad for getting upset when she wouldn't sleep for the past few weeks. She had TWO teeth coming in when she's used to having none. With the exception of lost sleep, she didn't appear to be in pain but maybe one day. She's a trooper like that. Much more than mommy. I am feeling a little pain with these teeth. She's not a chomper or anything, but still, she has TEETH! Her little gummy grin is gone, gone, gone. I loved it so. . .
*sigh*

The Eye of the Tiger

Miss A's latest trick is flipping from her back to front. This is exciting and all, but while she has done it before, she hasn't quite mastered going the other way yet. A couple times here and there, but nothing really solid.

Here she is trying to fix this "issue"

Hmm. Must. Get. Off. Belly.

This is going to be harder than I thought.

I can do it. Oh look, a puppy!
I give up.
No. I can do this.

Mom, can you help me please? And for kicks--my happy legs baby.

Oh and we have a toofer! It's the bottom right, front tooth and it popped through the gums on Monday night--somewhere between 1230 and 4 am. I know because I was there--the whole time. She's been sleeping better ever since. There was a good month of repeated wakings leading up to this little razor toof's appearance. Now we know and now that we do, I can't help but frantically wonder, "how many more are there again?!" Everyone else is much more excited about this tooth's appearance than me. I find myself sad that her little gummy grin is gone already. It was one of my all-time favorite things (Oprah's got nothin on me!) and now it's no more. It's a little heart breaking for mommy even if everyone else wants to celebrate this milestone. I think it's only one example of a million when mommy cheers with a little tear in her eye.

A week in review

A piece of history. . .

I always wished that my parents had done something radical in history, participated in some rebellion that changed the world. It was in my blood, I knew it--but the stories never matched up. So when I voted this week, I made sure that Amelia knew she was there! She will always be able to say she participated in a major historical moment.

I had to wake her from a nap to run to the polling place. . . she was confused about this making history biz.

Awake now and ready to vote!!

After a 45 min. wait, we made it! Albeit without a sock.

FurBabies

So Amelia discovered that she loves her fursiblings this week. She realized that they are moving, alive, friendly, furry friends. She will turn herself inside out to watch them and then laughs and laughs. She hearts them. She also started reaching out to touch them this week--much to Mollie's delight and Luke's dismay!

Brother Luke--always checking up on his girl.

Sister Mollie is always (ALWAYS) by her side

Tell me this doesn't look like trouble.

Mommy and Baby!

Again with changing the world:

Amelia's first Feminist Majority Club meeting with Honorary Grama Lynn

Guess who rolls from back to front now?

Before

During

After--so proud of myself!

And just for fun. I actually took this picture after a woman called Amelia a "he" in Trader Joes. I couldn't decide if it was the pink shirt, the skirt, or the pink striped leggings that tripped her up?

Boo!

Our little stinker!

Uncle Bernd and Daddy
Thanks for the candy Bernd! I will clutch it as tightly as I can!

A skunk you can love!

Rainy weekends = Jammies time!