Every day is better than the last. I didn't think it was possible, but she proves me wrong every day! Babies are usually my jam and there are some days that I am not sure what to do with my sassy little one year old. Thankfully, Amelia is pretty easy to figure out and doesn't judge me too harshly when I get it wrong. HA!
8-23-15
25 lbs and 31.89"
Sleeping Habits: There were a few months that were insane with teething which meant little sleep and frequent nursing! Amelia now has four top and four bottom teeth, as well as three molars. She is officially down to one nap a day after a few weeks of struggling to figure out a new schedule that works for her. Currently, she goes down around 9pm and only wakes up fussing once (if at all!). Our days usually begin around 8am and we spent the next hour snuggling in bed watching 'toons. It has become my very favorite part of the day! Nap time usually happens anywhere from 11am-2pm and she usually sleeps for two hours. This routine is working out well and allows us more time for activities.
Development: Once Amelia turned a year, she was done with crawling. She is has figured out running, walking on her tip toes, spinning in circles, squats and dancing whenever the mood strikes! It is the funniest thing to witness Amelia getting caught up in the music. She will literally stop whatever it is she is doing and bust a move. I love it!
We are still working on using a fork and she seems to have the best luck "stabbing" while using adult silverware (possibly because it's heavier?). In other exciting news.... Amelia is officially done with nursing. Our last nursing session was on July 3rd before a sleepover at Nana and Grandpa's. When we picked her up the following day, she had no interest and I dried up by Monday morning!
New Words: "No", "Hot
Dog", "Hi", "Buh-Bye", "Move," "Coon" (for Cleopatra), "Ou-shide" (outside), "Ah-Me" (Amelia), Animal sounds (cow, duck, monkey, tiger/lion, dog, cat, sheep), "Cookie", "Snack", "Juice", "Baby", "Boat", She is also getting great at repeating names whenever we ask her!
Places Amelia Traveled: We have done a TON this summer!!! We took two major trips. The first was to Sunny San Diego! We spent six days at my brother's and it was heavenly! Amelia loved playing with her cousins and spending a majority of our time outdoors and at the beach! She did better on the flights than I expected and loved walking around the airport.
Our second big trip was with the whole Koch family to the Lake of the Ozarks. We drove down with uncle Matt, Steph, Mimi and Papa and we met Aunt Ashley, Tyler and the boys there. The cabins we shared for five days opened up together and allowed us tons of family time! Amelia was not a fan of the lake at first (especially while wearing her swim vest!) but finally warmed up by the end of the trip. Her favorite parts were getting to be outside a ton and riding in Papa's boat!
We have made a few trips up to Norfolk and West Point to visit Grandma/Grandpa M. and great grandma and grandpa. Amelia has also had a few overnights with all of her grandparents so mommy and daddy can have date nights!
Special Events or Holidays: We packed Easter weekend full of family and managed to see all three sets of grandparents. Amelia LOVED hunting for eggs and cracking them open to discover her goodies. She enjoyed it so much that Grandpa/Nana kept a basket out and keep the eggs filled with treats for when Amelia visits! We also got to spend time with whole Koch side! Ashley, Tyler, Levi, Noah and baby Benjamin made a trip home in March so we could meet the newest lil man and celbrate his baptism. Mathew and Steph also made it back home as they are the godparents and Steph was on Spring Break. It was SO wonderful to have everyone home together. We even managed to squeeze in some family photos too!
Uncle Josh and Aunt Lisa got married the end of May. Amelia had a blast dancing up a storm and couldn't sit still for long! We also had a wedding to attend on the 4th of July which was fun and had great views of fireworks!
For daddy's birthday, Amelia got to spend her first day at the golf course! She lasted the full 9 holes and LOVED driving the golf cart. She also loved chasing the balls on the green, but daddy and papa were not a fan of that! Later that week, grandpa Keith got her two of her very own clubs!
Likes: BEING OUTSIDE! Holy cow, this girl would be outside all day, every day. Doesn't matter if it's rain or shine, Amelia loves the outdoors! Lately, Amelia has really bonded with Leonidas. He lets her lay on him, ride his back, pull on his chops, "pet" (aka smack) him, feed him his food one bite at time... Yup, girls best friend. She still prefers Cleopatra (I think because she is smaller), but Cleo wants nothing to do with her and runs away at every chance. Other favorites include: her bopper (she knows she gets it to sleep and in the car and will NOT stop asking for it until she has one!) baby dolls, feeding her babies, snacks of any kind, eating crayons (we're trying to color!), her farm and animals, her vacuum (which daddy and I HATE!) and her purse or backpack full of goodies!
Dislikes: I cannot get Amelia to eat eggs or quinoa for the life of me. Other people have had success, but she always spits it out when I feed her them. She is starting to dislike getting her diaper changed; and I'm still hoping easy to potty train in September(fingers crossed!). This little lady is fiercely independent and has NO fear. She does not like me to help with her things she thinks she can do on her own. And if I don't get how she wants me to do something just perfectly, watch out for the meltdown! Something tells me she gets this from her father!
Parents Update: We decided on a whim at the beginning of summer to update and landscape our backyard and finally rip out the basement for remodel. This meant Brandon got to spend more time at home with us and we didn't complain one bit! It was nice to share our coffee together in the morning, have someone watch Amelia while I showered in peace and eat three meals a day as a family. His schedule picked back up again, so life went back to "normal." I am still home full-time with little miss and we are enjoying the last of the summer weather... but we cannot WAIT for fall!
