18 Month Stats!

We went to the Pediatrician this morning, and Amelia got an excellent report!

Dr. K declared her to be "perfect", and that she is meeting or exceeding all of her developmental goals. Amelia got her last baby/toddler immunization -- no more until she is 5! Wow! She'll just have influenza vaccines to worry about in the mean time.

She got 2 shots today, including her seasonal flu shot. She was highly dramatic and cried for a good while, probably because this was the first time that she had any shots with only one parent in the room.

Height -- 32.5 inches -- 77th percentile

Weight -- 24 pounds, 4 ounces -- 49th percentile

We'll go back when she is 2 years old -- the longest break between well checks so far! :)

18 Months Old!!

Amelia is 18 months old today!!

She really thought it fun to play around during her photo shoot this morning. :)

We go to her pediatrician tomorrow morning for her 18-month health check, including hopefully a (seasonal) flu shot. I will update you all with her official stats!

Apple Picking!!

This was one of the best nights we've all had together in a while... very therapeutic after everything that's been going on lately.

We took Amelia out to Buckingham Farms in Sunbury. The lady told us to taste what we pick, so we'd know if we like it, before picking more.

Amelia took the free sample offer and ran with it:


She explored the grove:

Snacking on apples:

Often one in each hand:

She didn't have a preference, as long as it was an apple!

Daddy carried the load:

Amelia carried her treasures:

We had a great night!

And Amelia helped bag our loot:

And visited a bunny-friend:

She wasn't too thrilled with this old tractor... she wanted Mommy back:

Some videos of Amelia marching through the apple grove, eating her snack, and checking out the trees:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA5AUACSdOA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avXfr8HEUKc

Boo at the Zoo!

Last Friday night, we took Amelia to Boo at the Zoo! The kiddies can wear their costumes, and trick or treat at various points throughout the zoo.

Amelia was totally ready to go, in her little daisy flower costume:


Daddy stealing some candy:

Navigating a hay maze at the zoo:

Posing unhappily - ready to get back into action!

Delicate flower abusing poor Daddy:

Not very happily getting a picture with Mommy:

Riding the metal elephant:

Flower needed some water!

And a bit of candy fertilizer:

We got to see the baby elephant!

Amelia and Daddy checking out Beco the elephant:

We had a great time! Amelia would NOT let go of her treat bucket, either this night or trick or treating night. She knows where the goodness is!

Happy Halloween!

Here I am... cautiously tiptoeing back into this whole blogging thing...... I have pictures from our time with my family, trick-or-treating, apple-picking, and boo at the zoo.

I'll start with Halloween night -- trick or treat!!

Amelia was a little daisy flower, and looked so cute in her costume:


And she was totally ready to go!

First, Mommy took her out and we did a couple of blocks in our neighborhood. She loved that everyone kept giving her candy, and she didn't understand why she couldn't eat it right away! She couldn't (or wouldn't) figure out how to say "trick or treat", but she did manage a few "thank you"s!

Then, Daddy took her out for a little more trick or treating:

And then she gave us the most pitiful little begging face for some candy:

Check out that haul!

Gone Too Soon.

Most, if not all, of my readers should already know this.

Amelia lost her beloved Grandma Cathy last Wednesday in the early morning. I posted at the time a picture that I will treasure for the rest of my life. It was taken the last weekend visit that my parents made to us in Delaware, about 2 months ago. Thankfully, we'd seen them since, about 2 weeks before her death. But we have great memories of that weekend visit, and I'm so thankful that it happened.

Amelia LOVED her Grandma Cathy. I mean, she loves all her grandparents, but she and my mom just made each other so happy and it meant so much to me. My mom was dealing with a lot of chronic pain, and she told me multiple times how Amelia just brightened her day.

Whenever Amelia got her little hands on my cell phone, she somehow found a way to call Grandma via the speed dial for one of her numbers. Amelia would get all shy and not say much, if anything, but her little face would light up when she would hear my mom's voice. And I know my mom's face looked the same. I had recently been informed of a way of locking my phone, for when Amelia's fussing and I hand it over to calm her -- but I knew how much those Amelia calls meant to my mom.

Amelia is very aware that something is up. Of course, I cried Wednesday morning when Amelia woke up, before I left to be with my father and brothers. And that night, when Chris was getting Amelia ready for bed, she kept saying "mommy mommy sad, mommy sad". When they came over the next day, and she saw my dad, her little eyes peered around, wondering where my mom was. She saw a picture of grandma and she hugged it. She's very perceptive. She knows someone very important is missing.

Today was the viewing, tomorrow is the funeral. Amelia had multiple "handlers" today to keep her occupied, but at the end, we did let her see my mom. Her eyes seemed confused at "sleeping" grandma, and she kept saying "night night night" as we told her that Grandma was in Heaven with Jesus.

Please, hug your loved ones. Let them know that they are loved. My mom's passing was not expected... you just don't know when you'll be saying goodbye.

Give me another week to get back into this blogging thing. My mom was Amelia's biggest fan and LOVED this blog, so I will need a reminder to keep it updated.

Grandma Cathy