It's Time to Keep the Gate Closed

I barely got the words, "Oh, don't worry about closing the gate. Amelia doesn't climb steps yet." out of my mouth. BAM! Two days later, Miss Amelia was halfway up the staircase when I turned around. Then this evening, the gate was wide open, and this time, I grabbed the camera to document the climbing steps milestone.

She's actually very agile on the steps. I am not super worried about her going up the stairs as much as I am worried about her tumbling down them.

Once I got my pictures, I grabbed her and locked the door shut. Poor girl is in jail now!

Clearly, she's NOT happy about this new arrangement!

Don't worry, Amelia, the gate is just temporary! You'll be running up and down those steps before you know it!

Let the Decorating Begin

After Thanksgiving Day's festivities were over, Eric and I decided we would get into the attic and pull out our Christmas stuff on Friday night. We had such fun sipping wine, pulling out Christmas decorations, listening to festive music, and deciding where to put our decorations this year. This will be the first year we've really decorated in this house. (Two years ago, we had just moved into the house, and last year, I kept things way low key since Amelia arrived 2 weeks before Christmas.)

This was also the first year that we let Madeline help decorate the tree. We decorated most of the tree on Friday night, but we left her favorite ornaments for her to dangle on the tree herself on Saturday morning. She also happened to be in her Christmas jammas from last year, so it was perfect all the way around! Madeline was very excited to be a "big girl" and help decorate the tree. She has the knack and the attention span to participate full speed ahead next year. To say that she loved it is a major understatement.

Showing off one of her favorite ornaments, Amelia's sparkly baby bottle:
Carefully hanging the princess Barbie ornament in just the right spot:

Madeline's attention to detail and doing everything just so is pretty amazing for a three year old. She carefully held each ornament, fixed the hook just so, found the right branch, and hung it so carefully each time:

Ta DA! The masterpiece is done! Such a proud, sweet girl!

Let the Christmas season begin!

Happy Thanksgiving, 2011

Eric and I hosted our very first Thanksgiving in our 7 years of marriage, and it was a success! I was able to use my china & silver for the first time, and it was fun to pull it all out for our family. I had such fun shopping for table cloths, napkins, and napkin rings since our dining room is new to us as well. We wanted to be a simple, inviting host & hostess yet with a little flair. I feel like we achieved that!

Before I continue about our actual Thanksgiving day, Madeline and I created this feather of thankfulness for her class. I was the slack Mom that didn't attend her Thanksgiving feast because I was super crunched for time, and I had to run my miles. However, she didn't seem to miss me (according to some of my friends), and we had fun putting her feather together. I totally dig all of these little projects especially when they depict my child to a tee!
Moving onto our Thanksgiving Day, Madeline was very excited that her McCarthy family would be joining us for "a great feast"! Yes, those were Madeline's exact words with arms outstretched! She enjoyed the "fancy table" with "beautiful pink flowers" (again, her exact words)! I was looking for more of a fall flower arrangement, but Miss Pinkalicious had other ideas. She insisted that the pink bouquet was "perfect"! Notice my super star in the background!

Madeline is the hostess with the mostess. She loves a good party, and her Daddy & I love to entertain, so it's a win-win!

I know, lots of table shots, but I was so excited to pull out my dishes for the first time!

At my mother's request, we gathered for a family picture, and amazingly, everyone stifled the giggles & cooperated! Lucky Grandma! She already has her Christmas card photo!

My family tends to snack and visit for the day, and our turkey dinner takes place about 7 PM. I wish I could take all the credit for our delicious meal, but I can't. Luckily, my mom lives close to us, and she walked me through the preparations of the meal. My mom and I cook well together, so it's nice for us to spend that time together. I've decided that I'm not going to ever completely relinquish her of her cooking duties. :) We were all quite fat and happy after our meal.

Obviously, I didn't spend much time behind the camera since I was visiting, relaxing, and cooking, and I'm okay with that. Our Thanksgiving was warm, fun, and exactly what everyone needed --- a nice day with those that matter the most! I am most definitely blessed to be surrounded by my husband & children, my parents, and my brothers & their families at the holidays.

Eleven Months Old on 11-11-11

Amelia is just one month shy of her FIRST BIRTHDAY! Wow, we've come so far this last month! This picture depicts Amelia to a tee --- happy, silly, standing, big toothy grin, and pulling up anytime & anywhere!
It's no secret that Amelia has had a rough first year with her medical problems and adjusting to being the tag-along little sister, but over the course of this last month, she seems to finally be happy and healthy! Her reflux almost seems non-existent these days, and her ears have been clean since her nine month well visit. We are down to one medicine per day for her reflux!Hallelujah!

Amelia's little personality is blossoming more and more. She loves music and has quite a few little dance moves. She will bust out her moves if she hears a catchy tune in the car, at home, while eating, while shopping, or just about anywhere. It's very cute, and she inspires Madeline's inner ballerina to come out too. She's finally starting to "chat" now that she can actually hear since her ears aren't an issue anymore. I believe she's a little delayed in her babbling, but I'm just relieved that she's finally starting to put out sounds & squeals. However, I also believe that her big sister is so animated and chatty ALL.THE.TIME, Amelia will sit back and watch in awe of what's going on around her.

Amelia has her two bottom teeth, one of her top teeth, and her other top tooth is beginning to poke through the gum. Her lack of teeth doesn't stop her from eating like a little chow-hound. She self feeds eating everything from waffles to green beans to carrots to Goldfish to just about anything I put out there for her. Amelia loves yogurt and applesauce, so she lets me feed her with a spoon. Otherwise, she wants to eat all by herself. Just recently, she's grasped the concept of drinking from a sippy cup even though her mad love for her bottle still exists. She adjusted to whole milk with no problems. Woo hooo, no more costly formula! Currently, Amelia still takes a bottle mid-morning, before her nap, and before bedtime, and honestly, I'm fine with that until after the holidays.

Amelia claps and waves regularly, and she's very proud of herself when she gets a reaction from others. She has yet to figure out that her legs will walk and cruise, but she pulls up all the time. She has taken a few little tiny steps when the chair she's holding onto scoots forward a little bit. Once it clicks, she'll be off and running after her big sister!

Amelia continues to be a good sleeper. When we are home, she takes a great morning nap, an afternoon nap, and hits the sack for good between 6-7 PM. Unfortunately, teething issues have interrupted her sleep lately, but for the most part, she's sleeping well these days. She's incredibly attached to her lovey and paci, but I've implemented the "leave it in your bed" rule now that she seems more comfortable with our day-to-day routine. Even though she still needs her morning nap, she's doing much better with not having one. Amelia has also learned to play in her bed when she wakes up. She used to cry and carry on wanting out immediately, but I guess we finally wore her down! Listening to her on the monitor squealing, rolling around, and playing makes our mornings much more pleasant.

Amelia still thinks her big sister, Madeline, is the most fabulous person in our family. Amelia's face literally lights up when Madeline enters the room. In the following picture, Madeline walked into the room, and you can see the pure delight in Amelia's sweet face. Their relationship is definitely going to be a strong one. They play so well together, and they appear to forgive quickly when one wrongs the other.

As Amelia grows, she continues to look more and more like Madeline.

Amelia does this hilarious "wink", and I was able to catch it on camera (below). She will randomly wink at you, and it's super cute. Amelia keeps us laughing with her winks, smiles, giggles, and silliness. She especially loves bathtime, and the girl can create quite a wave pool with her splashing not to mention royal water mess in the bathroom post tidal wave pool.

We are just so thankful that Amelia seems to be happy and healthy now. It's been a long time coming, and I feel like we've arrived! It's been a rough start to her little life, but we made it!

Amelia's favorite place to play in the house is by the front door. She loves looking out the windows, and for some reason, she loves crawling back and forth on the rug. Hours of entertainment!

Amelia showing off her dance moves!

Amelia, we are so excited that you are so happy these days, and we are so blessed to have you in our family! We love you bunches!