Somedays

Some days I think that potty training is going to be easier than teaching Amelia to feed herself - with or without a spoon. Watching Amelia make a mess is almost more than I can handle some days. And just when I think she's progressing, she starts happily squishing food between her hand as hard as she can . . . and then hands me the squished food . . . if there is any left to salvage. And don't even get me started about using a spoon . . . although, I think she's slowly catching onto that one. I just keep thinking, if she only had teeth, I could give her harder, less squish-able, food.

Someday!

Randomness

*I mentioned that Ken had planted half of our garden. Did I mention that the garden is directly in front of the house? (Our landlord wasn't too keen on us digging up part of the lawn for a garden, so we just used the existing flower beds.)

* Ken is excited for the Swiss chard and spinach; I'm looking forward to the fresh tomatoes and basil (which we haven't planted yet because it's still too cold for basil).

* I think it's been raining too much here lately. I dreamt that I was grilling worms for dinner. It even grossed me out in my dream.

* It stopped raining long enough for Amelia and I to go for a walk. "Let's go Mom!"

* About half of the time I go to the library with Amelia, I am appalled at other parent's lack of etiquette. Who just lets their kids roam around stealing toys from other kids? (I was mean - I wouldn't let him have mine.) And who watches their child dump all the legos all over the floor and then leave without picking them up? Really? I think people are doing a disservice to their children by not teaching them better skills.

* I live near railroad tracks and am frequently behind a bus when it has to stop at the railroad crossings. It makes me wonder - if buses don't trust/ can't rely on the crossing arms, lights, and signals, should we? Besides the fact that buses typically carry more passengers, what happened in history that requires buses to stop at railroad crossings?

* The Primary President switched me from teaching the 10-year olds to the Sunbeams. Apparently the current Sunbeam teacher needed a change of scenery for some reason, and the Pres. felt inspired that I should switch with her. I like Sunbeams and all, but I'm extremely disappointed. My class and I were just getting in a groove. I'm going to miss them.

Weekend Rambles

* Amelia took her first independent steps this weekend. She thought it was pretty funny . . . even when she fell.

* Ken planted about half of our garden this week (pictures coming soon). I can't wait for home-grown tomatoes.

* I gave my talk today in church and miraculously, did not cry - I think that's a first.

* We went on our first bike ride of the season tonight. Amelia seemed to enjoy her ride in her bike trailer. After we came in, I thought, "Oh, I should have taken pictures.". Hopefully next time.

* When Ken has momentum, things get done. I've been talking about updating the food in our 72-hr kits for a year. In one day, Ken bought a 55-gal drum for water storage and 2 sets of MRE's for our 72-hr kits. I wish I had momentum like that.

* For the past 20-years I have stated that I had no interest in attending my 20-year high school reunion, but now that it's actually approaching this summer, I've been thinking a lot about going. I still don't think I'll make it, but it's odd how time changes things.

It's a beautiful day . . .

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

The sun is shining.

The birds are singing.

The daffodils are blooming.

And everyone seems to be outside working in their yard.

And then there's my neighbor (who I have yet to meet), who came into our yard and sprayed for weeds on our side of the connecting fence. I was going to tell her thank you, but I figured she'd be embarrassed. I know I would have been if I had been caught "weeding" in someone else's yard.

Success

. . . for both Amelia and me!

Random Thoughts

* It is REALLY hard for me to watch Amelia self-feed when she squishes food in her hand. Ken says I'm doing good, but I can literally only try a few times each day - it's too much for this clean freak.

* I love this time of year. I love watching basketball all day long; the only bad part is watching my favorite team lose in the first round. So sorry Aggies!

* I bought some Scooby-Do graham crackers for Amelia - solid crackers, perfect to hold in her hand, and shaped like little dog bones. Amelia isn't so fond of them, but I love them - too bad they're made of wheat and I shouldn't eat them.

* It is hard to make myself work on my Primary lesson and Sacrament Mtg. talk when there is so much basketball on.

* Libraries overwhelm me - too many books, where to begin? I really wanted to read a book I didn't currently own, so I found a book Brenda had mentioned, "The Persian Pickle Club". It turned out to be a good, quick read. Next up, a recommendation from Kat, "Mormon Scientist, The Life & Faith of Henry Eyring."

* Amelia does signs for things all day. I wish I could figure out a way to catch them on video without her seeing me do it (she seems to be camera shy).

* Does anyone out there keep track of how many loads they get out of their box/ carton of detergent? Everytime I'm running low on dishwasher/laundry detergent, I think, "really, did I really do that many loads?" Some day I'm going to keep track . . . but then I've been saying that for years.

Stats & Notes

Amelia had her 1-year well-baby checkup. She weighed in at a hefty 18 lbs. and measured 28 3/4 inches long. Average for height, but still only less than 10% for weight.

I knew Amelia wouldn't be going front-facing in her car-seat at 1-year, but the Dr. said that WA's recommendations are that a child stays rear-facing until they're 2-years old. I said, "wouldn't that make their legs be cramped/ bent against the seat?". To which the Dr. replied, "well, I guess the safety board thinks that broken legs are better than broken necks in case of an accident." Strange.

Amelia may be small, but developmentally, she's right on track. I think the only issue she may be experiencing is her inability to feed herself - even crackers, etc. She picks up crackers just fine, but then doesn't seem interested in putting them in her mouth. I also haven't encouraged much more than crackers in her hands because the thought of sticky food everywhere just about puts me over the edge. Looks like I need to get over my cleanliness issue in order to foster her growth. Any suggestions on good finger foods to start with . . . and keep in mind - she still has no teeth.