Happy Half-Birthday to MIA!

Amelia loves the outdoors

BFF!

She's so sweet. I spent a lot of time stopping my "busyness" to stare at her today (and this week). It's cliche to say, but it's hard to believe she's already six months old (you probably feel like I've been blogging about her for an eternity). She is a very easy-going baby with such an engaging smile. She looks at me with her sweet eyes and the cares of this world disappear. Unfortunately, Nate dropped the camera on the floor last week. We haven't replaced it yet, so I can't even capture the 6-month milestone in a photo journal. These photos are from the month of September. I'm going to warn you, today's blog is even more baby-centric than usual. Unless you're a empathetic friend, a grandparent or other close relative; there will be few pearls to gleam from today's ramblings (unlike my usual fountain of prose!) ;)

Apparently I like this dress (and this backdrop)

Exercise!

Amelia Grace had her 6-month well-baby with Dr. Grant today. She's doing great! "Keep doing what you're doing" was his tongue-in-cheek advice! ;) He said we could start her on a sippy cup and even went so far as to recommend we forgo the bottle altogether at this stage. Good news! She doesn't take the bottle very well anyway. Now if I need to leave her with Jason (or grandmas & grandpas), I'll just put the breastmilk in a cup! She'll probably gulp it down that way. She is very interested in eating & drinking. She has a particular fascination with my insulated, pink Starbucks cup. She tracks it like she's hunting then dives at it like she's surprising her prey. She's in the "grab at anything" stage in general. At the table, on the couch, or walking to the car; if it's within an arm's reach of Amelia, it's not safe. A few of poor Nathaniel's paper projects are hanging on the refrigerator missing a corner where Mia gummed it. Milestones of note from the appointment: he was impressed with her strong sitting ability...and her appetite. ;) 6 Month Stats:

• Weight: 19 pounds 4 oz
• Length: 27.5 inches
• Head cir: 17.5 in
• Immunizations today: DTAP #3, HIB #3, PCV7 #3, Rotavirus #3

"Little Gas Passer" romper (Nate's hand-me-down from Okinawa)

We started her on solids about 3 weeks ago (rice cereal on Sept 12). She took right to them! No surprise here; she's been showing all the physical signs of being ready for solids for a few months now--interest in food, sitting, lack of tongue-thrust reflex and doubling of birth weight. If her neck could stretch more, she'd follow our spoons all the way up to our mouths if she could while she watches us eat in from Bumbo. She's built up a solid repertoire already--apples, avocado, sweet potato, peas, bananas, and butternut squash. She really does love 'em all. I'm breaking out the food processor and making [mostly] organic food this time. I never got around to doing that with Nate. I'm also considering taking the plunge to cloth diapers. Especially if she keeps up this poop schedule (once every 3 days or so!) I could handle a dirty diaper or two a week! ;)

I'm waiting for her to try hanging the spoon from her nose like her Grandma Breyen!

Nate is still a great help with Amelia.

A modern perspective shot by Nate ("Mia's morning snack")

Earlier this week she found her toes. She's now captivated! She held on to her big toes with each hand tonight for the duration of her bath. It looked like a yoga pose. (There is actually a pose where you grab the soles of your feet and rock back and forth to massage your spine called Happy Baby.) She's also improving the fine motor control of her fingers. She makes a fist, holds out her pinkie, then stares at said pinkie. She moves it from side to side in front of her and tracks it for minutes at a time.

Play time with Amelia

Which usually ends up as [gentle] wrestle time (and she actually loves it!)

Master of her domain--the exersaucer!

We moved her to her crib for all sleep-time operations on September 20. Prior to that she slept in her crib for naps and in her co-sleeper (and eventually our bed) during the night. Again, it was more of an adjustment for me than for Amelia (just like Nathaniel, who moved at 7 months). She went from waking up for 2-3 feedings to sleeping 12-hours straight the instant we gave her her space. She usually goes down between 6:45 and 7:30 and wakes up at 7:15. About 2-3 nights a week, she'll wake up as we're going to bed (9;30-10:30 PM) or at 4:00 AM for a 5-10 minute feeding but goes right back down. "Why didn't we do this sooner?" I asked myself. I truly don't think it would have been as successful early on. She seemed to have no ability to sooth herself upon waking up. She'd drift off to sleep fine if we put her down after a soothing routine, but she couldn't drift back to sleep if she woke up early. In three weeks she has turned from Miss Unpredictable-Sleeper (who stressed me out) to Super-Sleeper with a great schedule: 7:15 wake-up, 9:00 nap (this one is flexible, it depends on if we're leaving the house for one of Nate's activities), 1:00 nap (2-3 hours), 3rd nap at about 5:00 (30-40 minutes) and in bed by 7:30. Two good sleepers (they must get my sleep genetics).

Last night in the co-sleeper

For posterity's sake: Her nighttime routine is: evening meal in the high chair (solids), a little floor time to stretch while we clean up, bathtime (with Burt's Bees milk bath & duckie that sings "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"), lotion & massage, jammies, 2 or 3 books (usually the duck crinkle book and "Goodnight Moon" are included), a soothing session of breastfeeding, and a chorus or two of "Rock-a-Bye Baby" with her musical duckie before placing her in her crib with her bla-bla "kitty."

Her chubby, kissable cheeks!

Since granting her freedom in the wide-open crib; she's rolling over, spinning around and turning every which way but loose with much more confidence! I still put her to sleep on her back, but I certainly don't worry if she wakes up on her stomach with her head at the other end of the crib. During floor time (I guess there's no point calling it "tummy time" anymore), if she falls from her sitting position, she'll flip over and roll--either front to back or back to front. She does most of her quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet--"aaa-gaa-baa-aaaaa") observing from the sitting position these days.

The thumb has been sneaking its way into her mouth lately.

Another early morning snuggle (and still with the hair!)

We started our fall schedule in September: MOPS on T, BSF on W, preschool on Th; leaving M&F for the gym, doctor's appts, playdates, and other errands. Like I said earlier, this schedule affects her morning nap. On days we need to get out of the house, she gets a 30-45 minute nap or I wait until she gets to the nursery program to let her sleep (where she takes a short 20-40 minute morning nap and then a 3-hour afternoon nap). It works for us so far.

Top things people say about Amelia:

1. "She's a big baby."
2. "She's so tiny."
3. "She has a strong grip."
4. "Look at that hair!" (By the way, it's been lying flat for about a week now, but still looks like a bad toupe at times!)
5. "Who does she looks like? I don't think she looks like either one of you." (I think she looks like Nate--except with hair and a smirky twinkle in her eye. She does have Jason's eyelashes that go on for weeks.)
6. "She looks just like her Daddy."
7. "She loves to stand with weight on her legs, doesn't she?" (yes)
8. "She has such a big smile."
9. "She has big feet." (Great. Both Nate & Mia got Jason's feet.)
10. "She has long fingers."
11. "She is such a sweet baby."
12. "She had another blow-out." (from the nursery workers at church!)

A shot of those eyelashes that go on for weeks

Fun things Amelia's been up to this past month (since cousin Sydney & Sarah's visit in September): first day of MOPS & BSF (great reports), trip to Granna & Papa's in New Braunfels, cousin Dana's beautiful wedding in Austin, walks outside in the stroller (while Big Brother rides his bike on the park trails), her first McDonald's playland playdate (with six 3-year-old boys...and the Happy Meal toy was Batman! Talk about your natural lessons in testosterone!), and her first apple juice popsicle (a science project with Nate). Oh, and she gobbled up the homemade applesauce Nate and I made for her with just a dash of cinnamon (I'm trying to buy organic with the Big 8 fruits & veggies and milk this go around...baby steps.) We also pureed carrots and an apple-pear-plumcot blend for future meals.

She reminds me a lot of Nate as a baby in this shot.

I am without a camera and it's driving me CRAZY! It's almost as if the events of the past two weekd didn't happen! ;) I'm picking one out this weekend. No excuses. Until then, this blog is through!

The Dog Days of Summer (5-months)

Beach Baby--striking a pose at the lake

Waking up happy after another nap in the hammock on the dock

Wahoo! It's been a crazy summer of chaos, travels and reactive lack of routine so far. This month kicks off the beginning of the end. We had a great long Labor Day weekend at the lake. Jason finished his first fourth-year rotation at Wilford Hall (Lackland AFB) early on Friday and we headed east. It was another full house! Nate had a blast in the shallow water with Skyler and out in the deep water with Joseph (let's see if I can get this right, Nate's third cousin. Or as they say in Jeanie's family, a cousin. But Bill's explanation is still easier, he's kin.) Nate loved the kayak this time. I've been trying to get him to ride with me all season. He's reluctantly obliged, but for short stints. He finally rode with Jason for a good stretch on Saturday morning. He was kneeling, looking out over the helm and singing the VeggieTales song, "We are the Pirates who don't do anything!" at the top of his lungs! We got Amelia in the water again, too. She was content to float for almost 1/2 hour! Grandmother & Granddaddy were with us from Port Arthur; they spent a lot of time glued to CNN watching Hurricane Gustav's path. Gustav hit closer to Louisiana, so Port Arthur was spared (until Ike hit the Texas coast two weeks later).

Loving life at the lake!

oh, i couldn't resist

All the Goodwin cousins at the lakehouse (Nate, Skyler, Katie & Mia)

The following Thursday, my brother, Jeff, and his wife, Jill, visited with their two girls (Sydney, 4 and Sarah, 1) from Minnesota. We had a great time. It was Syd & Sarah's first trip to Texas, so we hit the big tourist spots (after teaching Sydney to say "Howdy!"):
Thurs: The Breyen clan arrived late into San Antonio. Their flight from Houston was cancelled for maintenance. I had no contact, but found out what happened from Mom who called AA costumer service after breaking in to my email account to find their flight number. We were told they were most-likely put on another flight into SAT (they leave Houston every 1/2-hour). Mia did well waiting in her mei-tei that Mom made (which I love, by the way! I need to post a photo of Amelia in it.) Nate stayed with his friend Xavier and luckily LaShun was very accommodating with our extended trip (three hours longer than planned). For dinner, we ordered gourmet pizza from Rome's. (It's a standing family joke that Jeff & Jill eat pizza about 3 or 4 times a week!)

Mia hanging with her cousins in Texas! (Sydney on top, Sarah on bottom)

Fri: Today we hit the San Antonio Zoo--the lorikeets loved Uncle Jeff's bald head, Nate loved his ice cream cone from Uncle Jeff and their carrot-lemonade (Sydney accidentally dropped her carrot in the Minute Maid bottle and Nate had to be just like Sydney so he dropped one in his bottle!), Uncle Jeff liked staring down the crocodile as it swam right up to his face and leered through the glass, I liked the fact that Jill had spare shorts when Nate decided to sit in the fishing hole at the Tot Spot, I think Sarah liked the stinky rhino, and Sydney seemed to like feeding the turtles.

Nate & Sydney in front of the crocs at Africa Live!

The end of a long day at the zoo! (Thanks, Uncle Jeff)

Sat: Today we played true San Antonio tourists! After morning naps, we drove downtown and hit the Alamo, Shiloh deli (for big sandwiches with homemade root beer), and the Riverwalk. After about 3 hours, everyone was ready to go home. The Riverwalk is not a toddler destination (imagine walking down narrow, crowded paths right next to the river with no barrier accompanied by a fearless three-year-old who loves to run or down those same paths that are not very stroller-friendly with a toddling one-year-old). For that matter, the Alamo is not very toddler-friendly either (signs that say "Keep off the Grass" and "Don't Climb the Trees" adorn the grounds; but the Alamo has vast lanes of green grass perfect for a game of "chase" and trees begging to be climbed). Not to mention the concept is simply anti-climatic to a 3-year-old. "OK, it's a building." Nate had to leave with Daddy because he kept running out of the room into the main hall to ask the volunteer at the desk, "Where are the toys?!" (It wasn't the question that got him expelled, it was the running away from Mommy & Daddy.) But the question proves what a little boy is thinking while he's looking at the hallowed walls. Jason made awesome Avocado Enchiladas from one of Jill's magazines for dinner (with margaritas--on-the-rocks since I dropped the blender pitcher and it shattered across the kitchen floor in dozens of pieces earlier that evening.)

Remember the Alamo (is not a toddler destination)!

Sun: Sea World! We planned 5 or 6 hours to hit the highlights of the park (before we anticipated child meltdown) and we made it to 7! I'd say it was a grand success. The kiddos fed the dolphins, ogled at the sharks, saw Shamu's show Believe (Amelia actually got to watch the whale this time...usually she's under the Hooter Hider breastfeeding--I have to get a picture of her HH in use, too), rode the Shamu Roller Coaster & Monkey Drop, we "big kids" got to ride Journey to Atlantis (a water ride), saw The Cannery Caper show (with the sea lions, otters and walrus), and after lunch we hit the highlights of the Lost Lagoon water park--lazy river (Nate loves to go without the tube and just let the current push him along in his lifevest...Amelia slept in her stroller), kiddie pool and waterslide, wavepool (well, Jeff almost got to experience a wave pool for the first time...until the first wave hit Sydney!), and waterworks play area (Amelia woke up in time to splash in the water here for a little bit). We capped the day with the family platter from Bill Miller for a taste of Texas BBQ.

Amelia, intrigued by the dolphins

Nate, not interested in holding the fish today (but J was having fun!)

Watching Shamu with the Breyens

Mon: This morning we took Uncle Jeff (oh, and the rest of the crew) to the Bass Pro Shop (one of Nate's favorite destinations--aquarium, jungle gyms on the boats & tractors, zoo, amusement park with the big window elevator rides, and obstacle course--through the sleeping bag tunnels and tents--all under one roof). To balance the morning, we then took Jill shoe shopping (for her sister's wedding). It was a relaxing catch-up day. After an afternoon of naps, coloring and cartoons; we ended up at Mike's pool for some more water fun. It was perfect--we had the pool to ourselves. To cap off the week, we went to Mamacita's Mexican Restaurant for our obligatory Tex-Mex meal. The kids did pretty well (our meals out are no longer judged on taste, but by how many stares we receive from the other patrons!) Jeff & Jason returned to Mike's to watch Monday Night Football (Vikings vs. Packers, of course!) in HD. We don't have an HD TV, let alone cable (that will be purchase #27 when we're done living on a student's salary and have a paycheck again--the TV that is, we're still debating about cable!), so the boys enjoyed their set-up.

The crew at Mamacita's

Tues: After our hugs & chorus of good-byes at the house, Nate stayed with his friend Kail while I dropped the clan off at the airport. Amelia drove with us in Big Blue (Jason's Grand Marquis). Sydney gave us the play-by-play from the back seat as Sarah kept playing with Amelia's carseat. Sarah seemed quite content to have someone littler than her around to experiment with! As always, it took a few days for Nate to adjust to the quiet house after his cousins left. It was a little lonely, but we started our school-year routine that week so he didn't have much time to dwell there.

GO TEAM! Our little mascots (AFA Falcons vs UT Longhorns!)

More smile & giggles from our little girl (Nate's perspective)

Our kiddos--after some morning snuggles ("Amelia, you're my best friend!")

In the milestone arena, Amelia's sitting is improving daily. She still spends most of her daily floor time on her tummy. She'll roll over every now and then; but she's quite content to observe the world propped on her elbows (and laying on her tummy). She will squirm in 360-degree circles around the blanket for a change of scenery. She still has a strong grip on fingers, rattles and plastic rings. She has recently started transferring her small toys from hand-to-hand. She's currently pulling at the hair on the back of her head. It's almost like she just discovered it was there and is trying to investigate. We still receive constant compliments from friends, strangers and childcare providers about how easy-going, smiley, and snugly she is. That was one of my biggest fears. Nate was such an easy-going baby, I was sure I was going to have Ms. Fussypants with severe colic. I finally had to hold on to the adage that God wouldn't give me more than I could handle. (Apparently I was right, I couldn't have handled that!) On the flip side, Nate was a smiley, easy-going infant and young-toddler; but he's a super-spirited preschooler with quite a bossy streak. What do I have to look forward to with Amelia? One of Mom's favorite stories from my preschool stage is the day I was being extra bossy. Mom finally sent me to my room. "Why?!" I demanded. "Because I'm the boss!" Mom quipped back. I stomped half-way up the stairs with my pigtails and curly ribbons and stopped. I turned around and lipped, "If you'd spend less time trying to be the boss and more time trying to be a better mother, maybe I wouldn't be sent to my room!" Huh. So that's what I have to look forward to. ;)

They really do love each other! (I think they smile more when they see each other than when they see me or Jason!)

Smiling (and pulling on the back of her hair like I was talking about)

4 Month Update

We got Amelia's baby announcements out in the mail on her 4-month birthday. That was my amended goal. I finished them during the roadtrip to Mississippi (which you can read about as soon as I get the family blog up and running). I swore I was not going to make my baby announcements; alas, here they are...about 12 man-hours later. Imagine them mounted on a dusty pink cardstock border and a white chiffon bow up top. Amelia had her 4-month well visit today with Dr. Grant. Nate was quite the l'il helper. He knew she was getting shots today, so he brought his Sesame Street doctor kit to her appointment. When it was time for the shots, he pulled out the Cookie Monster syringe and said, "OK, Amelia, I'll do it first so it doesn't hurt." She wailed during the actual 4-needle, 5-vaccine inoculation. Then it was over. Of course, the nurse gave her 4 day-glo-orange band-aids...as if to remind me with even the slightest glimpse of my sweet pea that I put her through the gauntlet today. All's fair in love and the advancement of medical care.

Here are her 4-month stats:
Length: 26 inches
Weight: 17# 5 oz (that explains the sore back)
Head Cir: 16.75
She's tipping the high end of the charts. I looked at Nate's numbers for a comparison and he was 17#12 oz and 26.5 inches. He started tapering off at about 6 months (as soon as he started getting mobile and burning off those calories!) I think she's starting the teething process--early I know, but you should see her gnaw on my knuckle! I brought this up to Dr. Grant and he just said it's a normal developmental stage to become very oral at this stage. Time will tell if she's an early teether. He also asked if she's rolling over yet. I said she rolled over nearly a month ago on accident and several times since then if she's on a uneven blanket or the like. He told me to expect it to start happening on a more regular basis as she gains confidence. As soon as he left the exam room, I put Amelia back on the exam table to get her dressed and she rolled over (front-to-back)! She's also in the beginning stages of sitting unsupported (can go for about 30 seconds), squawking with squeals of delight and blowing raspberry bubbles with her lips.

Whatchu lookin' at?

I figured I'd better post a few photos of The Nursery, Phase 2. The crib is painted black, the bedding is on, the valances my mom made are up, her name in letters is hung on the wall, the changing table is in and furniture arranged. I say Phase 2, because it's still not complete. I need to get my craft shelves organized, accessories in the room (pictures in frames, butterfly mobile hung from the ceiling, and (if we stay in San Antonio for residency) the walls painted with some combination of pink, white & black.

In case you're wondering about Mia's adventures to date, we took the 12-day roadtrip to McComb, Mississippi for Camp Meeting (Jason's family reunion & revival of sorts--read about our antics soon on our new family blog), a family trip to the zoo, a day at Sea World's water park and an afternoon at Mike's pool (Jason's best friend from high school moved from Houston this month. Not only is he back in San Antonio, he's about 2 miles from our house...and his apartment complex has a beautiful pool area!) It's been a crazy summer with our plethora of travels, non-existent routines (thanks to a newborn and a summer break from our usual agenda), and Jason's presence around the house for most of June and July to study for Step 2 of his licensing exam (not that I'm complaining...I love having him home). But he's back to work in the ENT department at Wilford Hall right now (the big Air Force base in town and his first choice for residency programs). Our school-year schedule will start up soon--MOPS, BSF and a preschool co-op we're going to try this year with Nate. My brother, S-I-L and their two girls are coming out the first weekend in September for one last summer fling. We're excited! Oh, before I forget...the Amelia variety tomatoes that the boys planted for Amelia's homecoming are in! We harvested about six tomatoes this week and sliced them up in a pasta dish for dinner. They're very meaty...yum!

Amelia's Amelias

Look! See here! One tomato up on top!

Photo Shoot

Amelia at 3-months-old & Nate at 3 years

Let's pretend this is Corpus Christi...

Nate loved the photographer. Here she was getting him to laugh so hard he was jumping up & down!

Amelia is really getting good at holding up her head & neck.
Nate insisted I was included in one of the photos.

Smiles.

Towards the end of the photo shoot--hence Mia's blank stare!

8 July 2008