Dear Amelia

Dear Amelia,

I know that it has been a long time since I wrote you last, but we have just been so busy lately! About a week before your six month birthday, you started doing this cute little military crawl (I put a video up on here to document that achievement!). Since then, it has been crazy how much you have developed.

On February 15, you successfully rolled from your stomach to your belly and back. I discovered this great development because you rolled off the couch at Oma and Opa's house as we were getting ready to watch Daddy march at the Rosenmontag parade in Dusseldorf. That was a surprise...and I just turned my back for a second. :)

Roughly the first week in March, you started doing this military crawl...now, you have pretty much perfected it...especially if there is a Charlie toy that you really want to get your mouth on. You love Charlie's toys. It is almost like you have zero toys, but I think you like Charlie's toys since they have a certain...hmmm...taste. Namely, Charlie slobber. But hey, what's a girl to do?

Around the time that you started doing your military crawl, we started with solid foods...well, pureed solid foods. Your favorite has always been veggies. You haven't been to much of a fan of fruit, but mommy makes you eat fruit once a day, even if it is just a little. Your absolute favs are veggie risotto, butternut squash with apples, and one of your new favs is butternut squash with carrot and broccoli. Yum! Sweet potatoes aren't half bad either. :)

Around your six month birthday, probably a week there after, you got up on all fours. You didn't really know what to do with yourself once you were up there...the coordination wasn't quite there yet. You would then plop down on your tummy and go into your military crawl. It was pretty cute.

Around 6 and a half months, you took your first crawling steps...true, it only lasted for about two or so crawls, then you plopped on your belly and did your military crawl. Now, a day before your 7 month birthday, you are taking more crawling steps, but then after a while, you get frustrated and start up your military crawl again...especially if you think you need to go fast.

On April 11, the day of your baptism, you started sitting by yourself. It was only for a minute or so, and if you started to topple over, your reaction wasn't quite fast enough to catch yourself and you'd fall over. However, that all changed about 4 days later when you started correcting yourself and could sit for longer periods of time. It is so cute. She scoots around and then sits and looks up at you with such a smile...I'll get a pic eventually...I just need to get the camera close by when she is doing it. :)

For your seven month birthday, we are headed to the zoo in Nuremberg. I am pretty sure that you will love it. You usually like it when you are crying and Charlie comes over, gives you a giant lick on your face, then everything is ok. You start smiling and your little arms and legs are going because you are just so excited that Charlie is there. Now we really have to move to Hirschau so that on those days that Charlie is with Oma and you are in a super bad mood, I just give her a call and she can bring Charlie over. ;)

You are just the sweetest thing. I can't get over what a precious little gem you are. You bring so much joy to our lives that I just simply can't imagine my life without you. Mommy and Daddy really lucked out. :) You are a good sleeper, a good eater, a good smiler...basically just a fun loving baby all around. Of course, there are those times when you just refuse to go to sleep and prefer to cry the whole time, but no worries. Mommy puts you in the ErgoBaby, gets out the vacuum and vacuums the apartment, and usually by the time I am done, you are fast asleep (like right now, since I just had to do this).

We were at the doctor's on Thursday (April 15) and you are perfect in every way. The doctor even thinks you are going to be walking around 10 months! This will give mommy lots of running around time so who needs a gym! You are 6790 grams, 69 cm. long and your head is 42 cm around. Not bad little girl! You are pretty little compared to your buddy Jonathan, but hey, he's a boy. :)

You really like other babies too. Jonathan is one of your favs and so is Elizabeth...and Clair...and the two Forster boys...really, you like everyone, especially if they are little...or older men (which is a bit scary). You are such a little flirt! Daddy and I will really have to look out when you get older! :)

I can't wait to see what the coming months bring us. Maybe some teeth since you still have a whopping zero (and no, I am not complaining...my nipples really like this (sorry dad if you are reading this). ). The doctor says that it is ok too since they will last longer. They will come when they come....I am not worried.

I love you to bits and pieces my little baby girl,
~Mommy

Dear Amelia

Dear Amelia,

Tomorrow you are going to be a whole 2 months old! Where has the time gone! You are getting bigger and stronger and cuter by the minute. Right now you are snoozing next to me on the couch. Lately though, you've really only like snoozing on mommy or daddy's chest. That's pretty nice, but after a while, mommy and daddy's backs hurt and when we try to put you down, you are wide awake. So, daddy tricked you last night and laid you down on your tummy and you just kept right on snoozing. Yay for daddy!

In the past month, you have been doing some awesome things! You have started smiling more and more....and you realize what you are smiling at. Also, you are beginning to laugh. No sound is coming out yet, but pretty soon, you'll be giggling with the best of them. You REALLY like it when mommy sticks her tongue out at you. You think that is just hilarious. Also, you LOVE baby massages! You smile the entire time, and then afterward, you are so relaxed, you pass out for a couple of hours. However, whenever mommy wants to take a picture of you smiling, you find the camera just so interesting, you stop smiling and you just stare at the camera.

Your little neck muscles are getting stronger too. You are holding your head much better than a month ago. It is still just a bit wobbly, but not as wobbly as before. :)

Things are much more interesting, probably because you can see them better. One thing that you absolutely love are lights. You can stare at them for hours...well, really minutes, but it probably seems like hours to you. I can't wait to take you to the Christmas Markets here in Germany to look at all the new things, and I think you are going to go nuts with all the lights in the US. They love their Christmas lights! Grandpa and Grandma are getting the Christmas tree ready, and don't you worry, there will be plenty of lights on it!

"So full of milk...can't smile, must look at that interesting thing mommy has in front of her face...woah...interesting..."

Some things that I have realized about you is that if you don't really get two or three good naps in during the day, you are up a couple of times at night...however, if you do get your naps in, you sleep through the night. It doesn't really seem too logical, but hey, that's what you do.

You are just a growing little bug! You now weigh 4590 grams (10.3 pounds)...I'm not quite sure how long you are, but I've had to pack away your newborn clothes already. Your just too long, and your giant feet don't fit in them anymore!

What is also cool is that a) your hair isn't falling out like most people said would happen and b) it is getting a lot lighter. So you just might have blond curly hair! Mommy knows absolutely nothing about styling curly hair, I'll have to get some tips from Aunt Sabine.

All in all, you are a pretty awesome baby! You're pretty cool whenever we go anywhere. You just want to look around and take everything in. It is quite adorable.

Sweet little baby toes...
I can't wait to see what the next month will bring us. You are just growing and growing, I just have to keep telling myself to remember all of these little things since before I know it, you are going to be going to college.


I love you to bits and pieces,
Mommy

Dear Amelia

Dear Amelia,

Yesterday, you turned one month old! I can't believe that it has already been a month! Time really flies...next week you're going to be bringing boys over and driving, I just know it!

You are seriously the most precious baby. Sometimes you scream bloody murder when you are so tired but just can't fall asleep. That's a bit hard on mommy and daddy, but once you are asleep and dreaming, it is just fine because we get to watch you sleep and dream. I wonder what you dream about. I say you are dreaming about booby since that is your favorite thing right now. Daddy thinks you are dreaming about taking a bath, since that is Daddy-Amelia time...it is probably both.

You seem to like your baths...that is, when you're not already in kind of a bad mood like last night. For the most part, you kick your legs and move your arms, and try to drink the water. It is all quite cute. You are a little water bug when you are in a good mood...when not, you in the tub, washed real quick and then taken out. You're cool with that.

You have also been to your first restaurants this past week. The first one you went to was a new Italian restaurant here in Weiden (which was really, really good). You were such a good girl while we were there! You were just looking around, taking in all the new sights and sounds and smells. You did get hungry, luckily, mommy was smart and had some mommy milk in a bottle for you, and you were happy with that. The only time you cried was right as we were leaving and we had to put your hat on...you still hate these hats, but your getting more and more used to them.

Amelia all packed up and ready to go to a restaurant...

Your second trip out was with some work friends of daddy's. Before you were born, we would go out about once a week with them. Now that we know you love going out to restaurants, we can start this up again. This time, you just slept the entire time (which mommy paid for later since you were up until 1am).

Today, though, was a really exciting day. It was your first doctor's appointment! Your doctor, Dr. Riedl, is really, really nice. You seemed to like her too, even though she tossed you in the air a bit to check your reflexes (and to try to scare the hiccups out of you). She told us that you were the picture of health and that you are average in weight and height. Since you came home from the hospital, you have gained almost a whole kilogram and grew 2 centimeters! Now, you are 4000 grams and 54 cm long! Such my growing little girl.

Another wonderful thing that you are doing now is smiling. Yes, you were smiling a bit before, but now it is coming more and more frequently. This just means that you are going to be smiling at silly things that mommy and daddy do real soon (and we both can't wait for that!).

You are still a real good sleeper at night. During the day, you really like to nurse roughly every 2 to 3 hours. At night, you nurse real good before we go to bed, and you're usually out at about 11pm. You then sleep until about 4, which is wonderful! Oh, and the best part, you are starting to nurse faster, so you and mommy can go back to bed sooner :). Mommy really appreciates this.

My good sleeper :)

I can't wait to see what you are going to do in the next month. I'm sure you are just going to surprise mommy and daddy with everything that will happen. Don't worry, mommy and daddy are ready for anything...and the camera is always near mommy for when you decide to do something absolutely adorable :).

I love you to bits and pieces!
Mommy

Dear Amelia

Dear Amelia,

Today you are 3 weeks old...a whole 21 days! My how the time flies. It seems like yesterday I was screaming bloody murder in the Kreisssaal at the hospital :). You are still the cutest thing that I have ever seen...you are even cuter than Charlie when he was a puppy, and that says a lot because he was an awfully cute puppy :). But seriously, could you be any more precious?

There are so many things that you are starting to do it is amazing. For starters, you are a VERY good sleeper...this makes mommy and daddy really happy. The past two nights, you are sleeping about 5 or 6 hours straight. I know that there will be nights when this will definitely not be the case, so we are cherishing those nights when you do sleep lots. When you sleep, you make the cutest noises too...you grunt (I think your just pooping or pushing or both), sometimes you snore, you sigh, and sometimes you make this high pitched noise that is pretty funny.

What is really cool is that you are starting to focus on things that are a bit further away. When daddy came home the other day, you heard the noise and looked in that direction. It might have been a fluke, but it was an awesome fluke :). Also, you can focus on our faces when we are a bit further away. This is pretty cool. Some things you really like to look at are the red wall in the living room with the picture frames on it, and shadows on the white walls...all of these contrasty things are just so freaking cool to you right now.

You are also doing wonderfully at lifting your head. When you're awake, we have some tummy time. You like this tummy time too :). We practice on turning your head from side to side...you do this all on your own and the first time you did it, mommy and daddy were so proud. Also, you can lift your head really well, and hold it there for a couple of seconds, then your head is just too heavy, and you have to let it fall...but you're getting better and better every day :). Also, when you're on your tummy, you LOVE to kick your feet and it moves you just a bit. This is pretty cool...maybe next week you'll be crawling :). Ok, maybe not that quickly, but you know what I mean.

You are growing like crazy too. I can tell that when I change you, your chicken legs aren't so much chicken legs anymore...they're getting a cute layer of fat on them and rolls are starting to form. I love it. Oh, and daddy loves the fact that your cheeks are getting chubbier as well. He has this thing for cheeks...we've had this discussion. And your hair is getting longer...I still can't believe all that hair you were born with. Some of your clothes almost don't fit anymore. The newborn stuff will probably last another week, if that. So, it looks like mommy and daddy and you are going to be making a shopping trip next weekend...luckily, that is when mommy wants to show you off to her friends in Regensburg, so we can do some shopping there. FUN!

But, I have saved the best for last. There is one thing that you are starting to do that completely melts my heart and makes me love you more and more (if that is at all possible!). You are smiling. True, this happens when you are asleep, but it is a full on gummy smile, and you've got these cute little dimples in your cheeks. I tried to get a picture of it yesterday, but you got camera shy and stopped smiling. You also do this when you are nursing, so this makes me think that you are dreaming about booby, which you know, is quite alright :). That or you're dreaming about playing with Charlie when you're older...that is totally possible too.

Speaking of Charlie, you really like him. When he runs around, you try to follow him with your eyes. It is quite cute. He really likes you too. He keeps licking your head and your hands, and one time he got a good face lick in there, and you didn't mind at all...I'm betting you two are going to be the best of buds when you get a bit older.

Alright my precious sugar pea, you are wonderful. I can't imagine our life right now without you...no doubt it would be a bit dull around here without you. You bring a certain pizazz to our life that we wouldn't trade for the world. Yup, you're definitely a keeper!

Love you,
Mommy

Dear Amelia

Dear Amelia,

Yesterday you turned a week old. My goodness you are a precious little thing. You have totally stolen my heart, and of course Daddy's. He is madly in love with you too! You are just the sweetest baby. On Monday, September 21, we came home from the hospital with you. You were perfect for the 3 minute ride home. You seemed to like your car seat...all 5 minutes or so that you were in it. We'll see how it goes tomorrow when we go to Hirschau for the first time. That drive is a bit longer :).

You have the most precious face that I have ever seen and sometimes I just can't stop staring at you. Yesterday, I caught daddy doing the same thing, but I don't blame him. You are pretty darn cute.

You have the cutest cry. You kind of squeak when you need to take another breath. I believe this is your hunger cry because as soon as you get booby in sight, you stop and latch on immediately, which is also incredibly cute.

You are definitely a good eater. Every chance you get, you want to nurse. I believe you think I'm only good for mommy milk, but I believe that later, you'll find that I'm much more than a milk machine :). The other way that we know you are a good eater is that since coming home from the hospital until yesterday (your real one week birthday) you put on a whopping 210 grams. The midwife was really impressed. She thinks you are going to have some lovely baby fat rolls later :). I wouldn't mind that. And daddy would really like your cheeks to get bigger...cheeks are his favorite things. He'll be pressing them lots in the future. You'll get used to it. I did :).

You are a good sleeper too...knock on wood...You really enjoy being swaddled at night and when you're cranky. You calm down pretty much immediately. You're not a big fan of the pacifier yet, but hopefully that will come with time. You are a big cuddler though. When you are cranky, if I lay next to you, you tend to calm down pretty much immediately as well. We need to get Daddy trained on this one too :). **I forgot to add that when your daddy is holding you, you tend to calm down immediately as well. He's really good at that :). He was able to calm you down when you were still in my belly (which mommy loved and made her able to sleep). He's got a good touch.

You are quite adorable when you dream. You smile (which could also possibly be gas, but we'll just say you're dreaming of booby, which is probably true...), your little eyes move around, and sometimes you startle yourself and your hands shoot up and it is really pretty cute.

Tonight and tomorrow are big times for you. Tonight is when you get your first bath. I'm sure that will be loads of fun. Tomorrow, we are headed to Hirschau where you get to meet loads more relatives and your puppy Charlie. He is really a good boy and I'm sure you'll love him right off the bat. I think, though, he'll really begin to like you when you start eating solid foods and you drop some, or give him some or let him lick your fingers.

So, happy one week birthday my little girl. I still can't believe that you are already here and have been for a whole week. You're already growing up too fast...

Love you lots,
Mommy