Spring Break 2009: Mixing Work and Play

Teeth #9, 10, 11, & 12 have decided to make their appearances during our Spring Break! Thankfully, the pain they have induced has been nothing that a little Tylenol and several Earth's Best teething biscuits couldn't cure. We have learned that those teething biscuits can be MESSY! Tonight, we decided to let Amity enjoy the biscuits outside while doing some sunbathing at the same time.

Dennis was hard at work REdigging the trench for Paco's "invisible" electric fence. Watch for our book on doggy discipline coming soon! :)

How can a Spring Break trip to Florida or Mexico even begin to compare with this?

Spring Break 2009: Relaxing at GDaddy & KK's Farm

Spring Break 2009 is here and we have a busy and fun-filled week planned! First of all, we headed "over the Red River and through the woods" to GDaddy and KK's farm for a long weekend.

These are some pictures from a visit over a year ago when the G (my car) was still with us and GDaddy was still working his magic with all of the landscaping.

Amity definitely remembered GDaddy and KK who were waiting with Lassie when we pulled up the drive. They whisked her inside and she didn't even shed a tear about being away from Mom and Dad which is quite unusual these days. As the weekend progressed, we were pretty convinced that she actually preferred being held by GDaddy and KK!

Life on the farm is pretty much sleep, eat, and play (at least while we are there) and that is how we like it. We attended church on Sunday and hung out at the house in the afternoon and evening. Amity really enjoys all of the toys that GDaddy and KK have inherited from their friends and family.

One favorite toy was this musical chair. We would place Amity in the seat and then she would very gingerly crawl out.

Apparently, my watching American Idol and Dancing with the Stars when I was pregnant has impacted this little girl with some natural rhythm and a love for all things musical. She will break out with some snazzy dance moves if she hears just the hint of music coming from anywhere nearby.

Sometimes, she likes to combine instruments to produce some newer, more exotic sounds!

On Monday morning, we visited the Amish furniture store where Dennis and I always like to dream about future purchases. Monday afternoon was spent outside with GDaddy's petting zoo (one collie, two beagles, some guinea fowl, some cows, and some horses). We are still learning the exact number and names of the guineas, cows, and horses!

Tuesday morning, we woke up, donned our green to prevent any merciless pinching, and said good-bye to GDaddy and KK. Thanks for a great visit!

After more than five hours in the car, Amity was still giggly! I think she likes her new seat!

The Lunch Lady

Lunchtime is one of my favorite things about my days at home with Amity. I have fond memories of eating lunch with my mom in our house on Moneta. I remember sitting at the kitchen table, looking out our bay window, and occasionally watching the noonday news on the TV in the living room. Of course, as soon as the first few notes of "Nadia's Theme" came on to initate the start of The Young and the Restless, the TV was promptly turned off!

At eleven months, Amity's lunchtime routine consists of getting up from her nap around 11 and drinking her bottle in her crib. Don't worry! I still take advantage of those soon-to-be disappearing bottle feedings before bedtime at night! Notice that "Puppy" is still in the picture and his nose is quite wet from lots of cuddling during naptime.

Amity's lunch is typically a grilled cheese sandwich (on whole wheat bread!), Just Veggies dried vegetables, and strawberries or banana.

She loves eating and Paco loves when she eats! He is always careful to be at the ready when any food drops to the floor.

Once she finishes, she likes looking at books while I finish eating and cleaning up the dishes. This SuperGrover book from the Deans is one of our favorites!

Of course, almost all of our mealtimes typically end with some lessons in gravity!

Now that she can pull up, she can enjoy a snack of leftovers a little later AND we don't have to clean out the high chair! :) Just kidding, KK!

Chillin' with the Cousins

Amity's cousins came over to play on Saturday night.
She did some clapping for big cousin Eli.

She shared her exersaucer with Eiley and had quite the stare-down over this little apple.

These little girls look like they could really be up to something in a few short months!

Thanks for playing, cousins!

Amity is 11 months old!

A year ago, these were NOT very happy feet!

But, these little eleven month old feet made those humongous feet completely worth it!

While they have plenty of pudge to them, these little feet are surprising short relative to Amity's overall size. Her size 3 shoes (for average 6-9 month olds) still have plenty of toe room in them! We are still amazed that she can manage to do this with such little feet.

But, she does...and does it again...

...and again!

All the while, she makes us smile as she is exploring her world...

and making us feel like we are the funniest people on the face of the planet...

and appreciating her very own happy, little feet!

Happy 11 months, Miss Amity!

And I gladly STAND UP...

I can't write the title of this post without laughing. Unfortunately, only my brother and sister-in-law, and maybe my parents, will even remember why! We will have to ask Uncle Brent to give Amity a lesson in choreography at cousins' camp this summer!

Well, back to our post title...Amity is standing up on her own! This morning, she was playing at her Leapfrog music table and I was eating my lunch at the kitchen table. All of the sudden, I realized that she was standing up while playing her piano and I had not left her in the standing position! I cheered like crazy and texted the news to her Da-duh. As the day progressed, she pulled to standing at my chair, on her toy box, and in her crib. Of course, we are still working to help her understand what to do when she gets tired of standing! I am trying to show her that there are other options besides crying until Mom or Dad comes to the rescue!

Tales of the Cheesy Grin

Last Tuesday night, Amity woke up once in the night and Dennis went in to hold her for a few minutes before she fell back to sleep. She was especially excited about her bottle the next morning so we thought maybe she was going through a growth spurt. On Wednesday evening at supper time, we loaded her up on homemade pizza, broccoli, blueberries, and a bottle to try to combat any remaining growth spurt.
Well, I don't think I will be making pizza for awhile! In the middle of the night, we heard her cry out. I thought maybe she was hot and went to turn the AC on. By the time, I was coming back down the hallway, she had stopped crying. I decided to get back in bed and wait to see if she cried anymore but we didn't hear a peep out of her until almost seven the next morning.
Just before seven, I entered her room, turned on her lamp, and realized that my little one and her bed looked very different from the night before and smelled strangely of pizza...dried regurgitated pizza!
The good news is that after a morning of combing pizza out of her hair in the bathtub, stripping the bed, doing laundry, and giving LOTS and LOTS of "Mommy-is-so-so-so-sorry-hugs", Amity was playing music and giving lots of smiles, including her newly learned "cheesy grin"! Ugh! We may have to think of a new name for this smile! Cheesy makes me think of pizza!