Amelia's Surgery

Sweet Amelia had oral surgery today.  Her tongue was attached to the floor of her mouth improperly which caused a variety of eating and speech issues.  Normally, our pediatrician would send us to an ENT for this type of surgery, but since Eric works with many oral surgeons, he was able to choose a surgeon that he works with regularly.  Dr. D treated us like family, and it made all the difference in the world for me.  He was so sweet with Amelia, very patient and understanding with this anxious Mama, and could talk oral surgery nitty gritty with Eric.  It was the best situation for all of us.

 

We headed to the Children's Hospital at 5:30 AM with Amelia, and we had a wonderful experience every step in the process.  Obviously, it is geared for children, but it also handles the parents with a little extra TLC.  Amelia was not a fan of these little scrubs nor was she a fan of the no breakfast rule.  However, some stickers seemed to cure her ailments. 

 

 The nurse anesthetist whisked Amelia off before I could hardly blink, and in the end that was probably best.  She apparently was smiling as he walked through the halls and was waving to everyone.  It's times like this that make me so happy my girls do not have separation anxiety.  Amelia knew we would be back for her, so why not go with this strange fella.  Dr. D was able to take care of business with no problems and only one little stitch.  It was much easier than he originally thought.  Whew.  He also said he's never seen a little one like Amelia react so well to anesthesia - when she woke up, he was standing over her waving, and she just smiled back at him.  He sat with her in recovery until Daddy was escorted back to her.  She was  a little groggy, in no pain, and hungry!

Back in the room waiting to be released, Amelia was happy as a clam reading books, intermittently sucking on her paci/rubbing loveys, and playing with Minnie Mouse.  She scoffed down 2 or 3 cups of juice, a Grape Popsicle, and two cups of applesauce.  Poor girl was hungry and thirsty!

She napped well and ate well.  Soft food diet flew out the window since she was eating anything that wasn't nailed down for dinner.  We thought it was a great sign that food, chewing, and tongue movement didn't seem to phase her.

The day after:

Amelia, "at home resting with Daddy"
(aka driving him nuts while he's trying to work because this procedure was nothing but a thang to Miss Amelia)

 

Of course!  I kept all the surgery attire for our dress up trunk!  (I did wash it first!)  Look who discovered it and LOVED it! 

 

Introducing, Dr. Madeline Stewart

Cuteness!  This sweet big sister asked Grandma to stop at the flower shop on the way home from school so she could bring flowers to make Amelia feel better.  Madeline did very well with Amelia's extra attention, and she was a very sweet big sister to love on her post surgery.

Amelia has figured out something is different as she is doing lots of lip licking and putting things into her mouth.  She's experimenting with her tongue movements, and she seems quite pleased with herself when she discovers a new sound.  We couldn't be more pleased with how all of this rolled out.  We're extremely blessed to have Amelia in the hands of such good medical people.  We re-visit her speech at her three year well check and go from there.

Amelia is TWO!

Amelia is two years old!  She's so proud to be two, and she tries to do anything big girls do such as make the number two with her fingers.  Amelia knew the day was all about her, and she LOVED it. 

Amelia had a really great day.  She started her day by celebrating with her friends at school with a special snack.  She loved her special birthday outfit - the pom poms and furry cake on her shirt kept her hands busy rubbing her belly all day.

Madeline was equally excited to celebrate Amelia's birthday, and she shared the limelight well.

 

After naptime, Amelia and Madeline decorated cupcakes which is always a huge hit in the Stewart household.  Amelia's birthday hat from school was also a huge hit.  She wore that hat all day.

 (You'll notice her black eye is healing nicely at this point.)

 Madeline enjoyed cupcake decorating. She took her job very seriously.

 

 The best part of the day: right after decorating the cupcakes, we sang to the birthday girl,

helped her blow out the candles, AND

had cupcakes BEFORE dinner!!

YAY!

 

What a sweet, happy, two year old!

Amelia is 22 Months Old

Sweet Amelia,

 

You are such a BIG girl, and you have grown so much in the last two months!  (I missed your 21 month update, so this will serve as two updates in one.)  Your little personality is blossoming more and more everyday, and you are a sweet, silly, bull in a China shop, stubborn, feisty thang!  You think you are four years old just like your sister.

 

First and foremost, you LOVE school, and love is not a strong enough adjective for that thought.  You now attend school five days a week from 9am-Noon.  I had to break down and send you because you were having NO part of being left behind on Tuesday and Thursday mornings when I dropped Madeline off in the carpool.  You literally screamed the whole way to school when we didn't bring your school bag with us.  You screamed when Madeline got out of the car in the mornings.  You screamed all the way to the gym.  You pouted the entire time I was working out, and then you screamed until we picked Madeline up from school.  There was no way I was doing errands with a screaming almost 2 year old, so "the in-between time" was killing me.  Oh, and just in case I didn't know just how mad you were, you screamed the entire 20 minute ride home AFTER we had your sister in the car.  After three non-school days for you of this nonsense, I got over MY idea that you were too little for a five day per week program, texted your Daddy that I was going to talk to Mrs. Becky ASAP about sending you five days, and enrolled you as quickly as I could.  Your happiness (and my sanity) are well worth the nominal difference in tuition fees.  Now, that you are a full fledged five day per week preschooler, you are happy as a clam.  You happily say good-bye to Madeline, blow her a smooch, and off you go with your teacher!  It's pretty darn cute watching you walk up to your teacher, give her a hug, and a high five each day!

 

 

Sweet Girl,

You are really turning into a girly girl - you adore shoes, purses, necklaces, hairbows, bracelets, baby dolls, Barbies, playing dress up, "talking" on anything that resembles a phone, and wearing Mommy's shoes JUST like your big sister, but you are a messier, clumsier version of Madeline.  You will sport ten necklaces and two purses, but you will fall down trying to walk around in my high heels.  It's pretty doggone cute.  You love to play outside and run around.  You watch Madeline dance and do ballet moves, and you do your own rendition of those moves.  You don't mind getting dirty and messy, but if it's too much or makes you the slightest bit uncomfortable, then you want to be cleaned up.  You are quick to tell me you have a dirty diaper, and you walk to the cabinet for the diapers and wipes.  You love to take walks and ride on your bicycle or ride in the wagon.  You have so much fun on the swingset and going down the slide is your favorite part.  You are fearless, so your nervous nelly Mommy can't relax while your climbing all over the swingset. 

 

 

Eating with you is a little frustrating right now.  Although you love to eat and enjoy most foods I put in front of you, you have become super picky depending on your disposition at that moment.  One second you devour something, and the next you act like it's the nastiest thing on the planet.  Your plate looks like a buffet with a little of what we're eating plus any other fruits, yogurt, or veggies that I think will strike your fancy.  I do draw the line and make a normal plate for you with a few extras on the side, and if you refuse all of that, then tough luck kiddo.  You refuse any help with your utensils, so you can become quite the disaster by the end of the meal.  Although practice makes perfect, and your fork usage is quite good and your spoon usage is a work in progress.  Your hunger bell goes off and there's no patience when it comes to preparation.  I have learned to cook, cut, and do all sorts of things with you on my hip because when you are hungry, you want to "EAT! EAT!"  You enjoy going out to eat, and you will try almost anything.  As long as we have some coloring supplies, you do really well in a restaurant.
   

 

You continue to be a fantastic sleeper (when nothing is ailing you, of course!).  You love naptime and will sleep for 2-3 hours each day, and you are ready for bed at night.  Sometimes, you ask for bathtime because you are ready to hit the hay.  You enjoy our ritual of story time before naps and bed, and after 3 board books, you are done.  You get in your crib, and it's lights out.  Rarely do you cry, talk, fuss, or bounce around before going to sleep.  Your four canine teeth have finally come through, and your sleep was quite touch and go for several weeks.  Teething really disrupts your sleep, and a sleep deprived Amelia is not amusing for any of us.
   

 

Amelia,

You are a goofy little thing.  You love to be a ham and make us laugh.  You crack yourself up which always gets my funny bone.  Peek-a-boo is still a fun game for you.  Out of nowhere you will hide your face, shout "Boo!", and giggle.  Repeat over and over.  You love to be tickled and chase your sister around.  You enjoy making a splashy bath with lots of bubbles.  You are also a wiggle worm - you never stop moving.  You still have temper tantrums when you don't get your way, but those have started to go away.  You don't like to be scolded even though you seem to test the boundaries quite often, so you should be used to a stern scolding by now.  You've become very huggy and snuggly lately, and we do not mind one bit indulging your requests for a "hu".  You also ham it up for the camera.  You automatically say, "Cheeeeeeese!" when we get the camera out.

 

Your speech has improved drastically since you've started school.  You have more interest in verbalizing to us now that you have been forced to do so in school.  Your speech is still garbled, but your words are starting to sound more like the actual words you are trying to say.  It's becoming easier and easier to figure out what you are trying to say.  Your tongue issue continues to prevent certain sounds due to lack of range of motion, so there is a physical issue we will be dealing with once you turn two.  Your comprehension seems to have skyrocketed as well.  You can do multiple simple tasks when we ask you to do them.  You also respond well to a scolding and consequence - you have seemed to pick up on the cause-effect relationship of your actions.  When we ask you a question, you also seem to truly understand us because your answers seem to be more than "NO!"  You actually try to make your opinion known.  Slowly, but surely, our communication with you is improving and becoming less frustrating for everyone.

  

 

Amelia,

You complete our little family of four, and we adore every ounce of you!

Amelia's First Day of Preschool

Amelia started preschool today, and she was excited!  Weeeelllll, she was excited because Mommy and Madeline were excited for her.  She feed off of our vibes.  Eric and I decided to enroll Amelia in a three day per week program at Madeline's school for a variety of reasons.  One of the main reasons I wanted to enroll her in this program is her clingy nature, and I wanted her to be her own person away from Madeline and myself.  While she LOVES the wonderful ladies at the gym, sometimes she's treated as a "regular favorite" which means she gets her way when she doesn't always deserve to get her way.  Unfortunately, she's learned from Big Sister and the sweet gym ladies, she can get her way most of the time.  Sooo not the real world, Sweet Amelia.  Therefore, three day per week preschool will serve her well.  Amelia is also older with her December birthday, and I didn't want to delay her due to her communication issues.  Amelia needs preschool for very different reasons that Madeline needed preschool.  It's very interesting to me just how different siblings can be.

 

Amelia was all smiles during her favorite breakfast of Raisin Graham Crunch on the back porch.

 

Madeline was all smiles that her little sister was going to be left at school today while she was "in the BIG kids building."

Amelia was ready to go when I said it was time to go "Bye Bye."  She was ALL about carrying her school bag.  She loves an accessory just like Madeline.

 

This picture is so my children - Madeline trying to "pose properly" with her cheesy cheese smile, and Amelia is doing something totally ridiculous.  I love them!

 

I love how LARGE Amelia's bag is against her little self.  I'm pretty sure Madeline's looked that big on her too when she started preschool.  

 

Amelia was ready to hit the road.  She was over the pictures, but I kept snapping away.

 

This one is also classic Stewart children - Madeline making sure Amelia is doing what she should be doing for the camera, and Amelia is semi-cooperating.  

Amelia,
Your Daddy and I hope you have so much FUN in school this year!  You will learn so much.  You will improve your communication and social skills.  Your first day went so well!  You walked into your room with your bag all by yourself, hugged your teacher, didn't freak out when two others were SCREAMING for their Mamas, and discovered the rocking horse on your own!  Your teacher reported that you behaved like a "big girl", and you had a great day!  The only time you got upset was when we returned to the car to go home, and Madeline wasn't in the car.  I couldn't make you understand that we had to drive around to the carpool line to get your big sister.  Once we rounded the corner, you saw her, and all was right with the world.  You will settle into this new routine, sweet girl.  We are so proud of you, and we can't wait to see what this school year has in store for you!  We love you!

Amelia is 18 Months Old

Sweet Amelia is 18 Months Old, and she is just turning into such a big girl.  She also thinks she is going on four years old.  Lots and lots of monkey see, monkey do in our household right now.  I'm not going to lie, it's a little frustrating at times when she wants to do what Madeline is doing.  Sometimes, she just can't do what Big Sister is doing, but there absolutely NO reasoning with Miss Amelia.  Unfortunately, this has amped up the temper tantrum factor in our house, and that's a real bummer.

Amelia is really starting to talk more and more.  She has many words in her vocabulary that she uses regularly and properly.  There is also a lot of jibberish that comes out of her mouth.  Unfortunately, Amelia has what I call a "tight tongue" (the frenulum that connects her tongue to the bottom of her mouth is really tight), and her tongue does not have full range of motion.  As a result her speech has definitely been affected.  Many of her words are garbled, so the general population doesn't always understand what she is saying.  So, it's looking like a surgery is in our future in order to correct this problem and not have further speech issues in our future.  Yikes. 

Amelia continues to be our eater and sleeper.  This girl LOVES mealtime, and although she has her picky moments, she generally eats what is given to her.  She has been clued into snacks and chocolate, so those foods are welcomed at any time!  She loves milk and icy cold water, and she could take or leave juice, lemonade, kool-aid, etc.  Amelia loves her bed, naps, and bedtime.  She continues to be a great sleeper (unless she is sick), and her post sleeping playtime in her bed has increased dramatically.  It's nice to have a few extra minutes to in the morning or afternoon when she wakes up to finish whatever it is that I am doing.  Amelia loves her paci and lovey, and she's fully aware that those items remain in her bed.  There have been many days that she pitches a fit when we leave them behind, but as a general rule, I don't let those things tag along throughout the day - just one of my Mama quirks that she has to learn to live with unfortunately.

Amelia has really blossomed socially.  She loves other children, being outside, and going to the gym nursery.  Her stranger danger has calmed down, and that's nice.  I notice her waving to many more people now, and she is all smiles when people approach her.  Big improvement.  Don't get me wrong, she's still can be pretty clingy and on my hip a lot, but it's gotten a lot better.  Amelia loves to play with Madeline, color, play in the sandbox, swing on the swing set, play chase, and slide down the slide.  She just loves to be able to roam around freely and be noisy.  She can squeal with the best of them, and she can give the biggest belly laugh.  One of her most recent favorite activities is playing in bigger shoes.  Wonder where she got that idea?  She's also really into bracelets, necklaces, and purses.  Again, lots of monkey see, monkey do.

(I might add here that I totally missed her 17 month old post, but I can summarize Amelia's 17th month up with just a few unpleasant words - double ear infection, chest infection with wheezing, breathing treatments, antibiotics, no sleep, and general crankiness.  Poor baby had a rough month.)

Amelia Bedelia,


You are our bull in a china shop mowing down whatever is in your path.  You are our spunky girl that can be giggly and happy one second & mad as a hornet the next second.  You are our little stubborn, feisty thing when you don't get your way.  You are our child with scrapes, bumps, and bruises.  You are our child that needs to be checked on if you are too quiet.  You are our child that is constantly blurting out, "UH-OH!" because you have created an "uh-oh" situation.  But most of all, you are our lovable, sweet, silly, noisy, clumsy, hilarious little girl who gives hugs, kisses, and big toothy smiles all the time!  You keep us on our toes with your antics and stretch my patience to levels I never knew existed, but you fit our little family so perfectly.  We love you to pieces.

Sweetness(Madeline's preschool best friend is peeking out in the back of this picture.)

15 Months

Sweet Amelia, you are 15 months old, and my goodness, you are a HOT mess! We love you, your spunk, and your attitude, but we have our hands FULL with you! Everything you do is 150% --- sickness, health, play, laughter, & squeals!

Amelia has had quite a 15th month --- walking, teeth, and trying so very hard to communicate! Amelia continues to be a MESS! She's darling, but oh.my.goodness! She's into everything, and she can throw a tantrum like nobody's business! It appears that I have a very strong willed, opinionated little lady on my hands. Her teeth have been a total nightmare. Once again, in true Amelia fashion, she went from having just a few teeth to an almost full set in a month's time. I think the doctor said, "OH, my goodness, when did all of these teeth show up? She only has 4 more until 2 year molars!" Yep, that's how Amelia rolls -- all or nothing! :)

Amelia is showing us her very girly side, thanks to Big Sister! She has the "Stewart knack" to turn literally anything into a bracelet, and she has a definite affinity for Barbies, jewels, and doll babies, but having Madeline as your Big Sister pretty much guarantees some serious girly exposure to the world. Amelia loves to wear shoes, and she especially loves anyone else's shoes. Wonder where she learned that concept?Amelia ADORES her big sister, Madeline, and although she doesn't call Madeline anything yet, she gives the biggest smiles, giggles, and kisses to sweet Madeline. Madeline almost always reciprocates the love. It's a super sweet little relationship in the works. Amelia knows how to "work" Madeline, but Madeline can most certainly pull "I'm the Big Sister" rank when necessary. It's pretty funny to watch them "work out" their differences.

Amelia communicates well, but not really using actual speech. It's tricky for sure. She understands very well, but she can't always make her stance known! She actually says "thank you", "mama", "dada", and some garbled speech for "baby". She most definitely has the patented "NO!" head shake down & waves "hi" and "bye-bye", and she has really started to love the idea of blowing kisses! Unfortunately, she's a little behind in her speech, but we notice that she's just not as interested in knowing how to say words. Ironically, she loves books, but she's not actually interested in what the books say or what any of the animals are or what they say in the touchy books. It's a change from our little bookworm, Madeline, for sure. On a cuteness note, Amelia sees any animal, and she automatically "roars" because that what ALL animals do in her mind. So funny to watch her point at an innocent little bird and make this ferocious "roar" sound.

However, Amelia is far more aggressive when it comes to figuring things out. She wants to walk, run, and play to keep up with Madeline. She wants to use a toothbrush and eat with a spoon & fork like Madeline. She wants to climb, walk steps, run through the grass, ride bikes, and swing like Madeline. She wants to wear glasses like her Daddy - around her neck. She tosses her bow off every 2 seconds and forget shoes that have actual purpose!

Amelia is my eater. She LOVES food and mealtime. Her favorites have been green beans, carrots, applesauce, yogurt, any meat, any starch, strawberries, Granny Smith apples, eggs, cheese, any bad-for-you-snack, icy cold water, and milk. She also loves a Nutella sandwich or a peanut butter sandwich. When we are at a restaurant, of course, she eats her weight in french fries, but most likely, she'll eat her chicken or meat first. Her 15 month stats are what Madeline was at 18 months:

Amelia's 15 Month Stats:

weight - 24 lbs. 4 oz. (76%)

height - 31 inches (71%)

head - 45 cm (28%)

Amelia generally has an awesome schedule --- waking around 7-7:30 AM, napping about 1-4 PM, and bedtime no later than 7 PM. She requires nothing at bedtime & naptime! When she's ready for bed, she's ready. All she wants is her lovey and paci and her bed! She loves bathtime, but when she's had enough, she tries to climb out, and that's that. Amelia is very cut and dry when it comes to her routine, and there is no doubt what she wants at "key" times during the day.

Amelia may not say much, but she imitates like crazy. She "talks" on the phone, and she copies whatever Madeline is doing. It's hilarious! She so badly wants to do all the things big sister does like talk on the phone:Cheese for the camera:

Wear styling glasses:and wear glasses around her neck like Daddy!Amelia Claire, you are a MESS, but we adore you and all of your antics! Lots of smooches to you!