Sea Lions, Tigers, and Bears--oh my!

Amelia and I decided to take advantage of the mild temperatures today and head to the zoo. Like the last several times we've gone, I tried to get there as close to opening time as possible to avoid the crowds.  Today, we were not so successful.  Although we arrived a little after 9 AM, it must be high season for the summer camps because many, many groups of children dressed in alike shirts were everywhere.  We got to see the main animals, but it certainly is not nearly as enjoyable as when you have the whole place to yourself!

I think the highlight of the trip was seeing the baby giraffe, born only 2 weeks ago.  He was really cute and Amelia seemed to think so too, she kept saying, "baby giraffe, tiny".  I didn't

 have the heart to tell her that her "tiny" giraffe was over 6 feet tall!  She was also impressed with the polar bear who spent much of his day swimming and playing with his orange beach ball simultaneously (probably her ideal way to spend the day).  We also visited all the old favorites like the monkeys, hippos (or more specifically, the fish in the hippo tank), elephants, and the penguins.  Today, Amelia was also captivated by a huge turtle.  She liked that he was taking a bath in the mud--  "bath, mud, turtle!".

I will say that it is extremely difficult (for me anyway) to get

 a good picture of Amelia with any sort of live animal when I am at the zoo by myself.  There's something weird about setting your squirmy toddler up on the lion den wall, taking several steps back to get a good picture, and then hoping that he/she is still there when you go to retrieve him/her.  And then, after all of that I couldn't even get the lion to smile.  Geez.  (I'm kidding folks!!).  Hence the reason most of these pictures are of her with stone animals instead. I must say, though, she certainly has a liking for those sea lions--we make a stop here every time we visit!

Oh, and have you noticed Amelia's new haircut? She got about 4 inches chopped off over the weekend.  

Movie Night!

Jason, Amelia, and I decided to try out a family movie night since the trip to the real movies went so well.  We all headed up to the grocery store to rent a movie that we thought Amelia would like (101 Dalmations) and one for us (Juno).  We also picked up some snacks, or more specifically--a bunch of junk for the evening. Amelia decided she wanted her tent set up for movie night.  So, while Jason was assembling it, I pulled out lots of extra blankets and pillows.  We all got comfy, ate tons of popcorn, cookies, and gummy worms and enjoyed watching the movie. (Although, I must say it was much more fun to watch Amelia's reactions to the movie) Even Truman was happy because she got a special treat too!  

After about an hour, she started to lose interest in the movie, tent, and snacks, but was pulled back in at the end of the movie when all 101 dogs made it back home.  

After Amelia headed off to bed, Jason and I watched Juno.  We haven't been to the theater together since I was pregnant with Amelia.  And, we really don't rent movies very often.  If we do rent them, many times they sit near the TV for days and we never get a chance to watch them before we have to take them back.  Sad, I know. So, it was nice to enjoy a movie together and we both thought Juno was great!

And the Dr. said....

Amelia had her 2 year check-up (finally) on Friday.  Here are the official stats:

Height: 34 inches (66th percentile)

Weight: 25 pounds (30th percentile)

Head Circumference:  (75th percentile)

Amelia's appointment went okay. The doctor told me at her 18 month check up that the two year appointment is always the worst and many kids melt down in the parking lot.  Luckily, we didn't melt down until we were called back into our room.  Amelia was not interested in having her weight or height checked  (in fact, her numbers were so off we had to try again at the end of the appointment) and reluctantly let the nurse put on the "head band" to measure her head circumference.  She got a little nervous when the doctor came in, but the doctor was very good at calming Amelia and reassuring her that it was going to be okay.  Amelia eventually let the doctor check her all out and things looked great!

Apparently Amelia has two of her two-year molars coming in with the other two close behind.  Her height and weight have remained in the same percentile and the doctor was happy with that.  She did not seem to be surprised that Amelia was tall and thin given her father's stats.  Amelia's language has caught up as well, which is really good news.  She barely had the minimum 10 words the doctor wanted her to have at her 18 month appointment and I was unsure how she was going to have the minimum 50 words by two years.  But, alas, she had a huge language explosion around 20 months and she is still learning 3-4 new words each day.  I would guess her vocabulary is easily in the 200-300 word range.  She is combining 2, 3 and sometimes 4 words at a time to make "sentences" to get her point across.  The doctor was quite pleased with this too, saying that at this point, combining two words is all they really need to have.

The Dr. was also very reassuring about the binky/thumb sucking drama that's been going on around here.  She said it is a normal transition from binky to thumb and thought it was great that she only shows the behavior around sleeping time.  She said as Amelia learns other coping skills to help her get to sleep, the thumb will no longer be her method of choice. I've seen no evidence of thumb-sucking since Thursday, so hopefully we are on our way!

We talked a little about potty training which I plan on hitting hard core once our supply of diapers run out.  I am not really sure of my strategy at this point, but I think she shows many of the signs of being ready.

Oh, and she had to get a stinking shot.  Although, she did stop crying so she could get a good look at her flag band-aid.  Once we left the room, she was wandering the halls at the doctor's office, saying, "band-aid, band-aid" in the most pathetic, whiny voice ever.  Oh, the drama! The Dr. did say, though, we don't have to come back until she turns 3 and no more shots until the 4 year check-up!  Yeah!

our little bookworm!

Amelia signed up for the "Catch the Reading Bug" Summer reading program at the library. The girl loves to read, so it seemed like a no brainer to take advantage of the program that offers prizes, Rascal's tickets, Red Robin meals, etc. for reading.  As an added bonus, I've been much more diligent about getting her to the library at least once a week, sometimes twice!  This, of course, is more for my own sanity, since each book we check out ends up getting read approximately 15 times each day, no exaggeration.  She has enjoyed visiting various library branches and picking out lots of new books at each visit.  This past week, we met the first mini-goal, which was to read 20 books.  Amelia was very proud to hand over her reading log to the librarian, fascinated by the ant stamp she put on the paper, but then had zero interest in picking out a prize.  Mostly, this was because she got sidetracked by the little club house available at the library for the kids to play in. After some prodding, she chose a little handheld butterfly game which she finally showed some interest in once we got in the car to go home.  

I am very much a "judge-a-book-by-its-cover" kind of girl, so that is how we've chosen most of the books for Amelia.  If one or both of us is intrigued by the cover, in the bag it goes, assuming of course that it is an appropriate length.  We are at a weird stage where she is past many board books, but still too little to pay attention for books that are much more lengthy.  Needless to say, we've had some real duds.  But, in case you are looking for some new books to try, here is a list of some of our top favorites from the 33 new books we've read so far this summer (many of these will probably end up on Amelia's Christmas list too!):

1. Bittle (especially great if you are a dog/cat lover)

2. Ivan the Terrier (see above, especially if you have a "challenging" dog like us)

3. Hiding (Seriously, I think this book has been read 9985 times in 5 days AND Amelia can recite parts of the book).

4. Truck Stuck (really cute with funny rhymes and pictures)

5. How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? (this is a pretty popular book that I see everywhere but never really paid attention to.  When I finally picked it up, it was great!  Amelia loves it and has learned some about dinosaurs and now she loves them!)

6. How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? (see above)

7. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (once Amelia got over the initial shock of the lady eating all of her beloved animals, she really liked it and got good at figuring out the next animal to head to the lady's see-through belly.  And then EVERY TIME we got to the page of the "dead" woman flat on her back after eating the horse, Amelia would look very concerned, point to the lady and say, "uh-oh". 

Binky update: good news/bad news

So, the good news is that we have been binky-free for 10 days now and all has been going really well. She rarely mentions it and doesn't ask for it at all. Amelia's new addiction when its time to sleep seems to be listening to her "Amelia" song, which she requests by name.  The song is from a CD given to her by Grandma and Papa and has her name in nearly every song. Its a very cute CD that I think they picked up at Festival of the Little Hills, I think any kid would love hearing songs about themselves!  There is definitely one song that is better than the rest and Amelia can not get enough of it. So much so, that during naptime I just press the repeat button so it keeps playing over and over again until the nap is over.  She is back to 3-4 hour naps and normal nighttime sleeping hours.  In addition, the tears have been kept to a minimum. Great news, right?

Well, this is all fine and dandy except that now she has been caught on a few occasions sucking her thumb!  Yikes!  It has only been twice total and both times were when she was winding down for naptime, but that is not at ALL what I was expecting to happen.  I had to sneak in a few nights ago after Jason put Amelia to bed with a "forbidden" crib toy and I was relieved to see her thumb was no where near her face.  But, then yesterday when I heard her wake up from her nap, I went in and her thumb was wet.  When I said, "why is your thumb wet?" (I'm in denial, can you tell? Why else would it be wet??).  She said, "in mouth" and I said, "show me" to which she very clearly stuck her thumb in her mouth and started to suck it!  Aye, yi, yi!

A friend of mine mentioned that she heard it is very unlikely for a child to become a thumb sucker after 15 months, so I am hoping that is true.  Amelia sees the dr. on Friday for her 2 year check up, so I'll get the low down then!  I guess the next step will be this cactus binky I found on the internets, only $19.95, plus S&H.  Do you think I can just attach a cactus somehow to her thumb?  Might be worth a try!

Butterfly House!

In a few short days, Amelia's good friend, Natalie is going to become a big sister.  So, the two girls have been living it up these past few days to celebrate Natalie's final days of being single (a single child that is).  On Wednesday, the girls headed to Faust Park to check out the Butterfly House, Carousel, and the playground.  The day started out with a movie in the Butterfly House that neither girl found too impressive.  Then, we all headed into the butterfly area that was filled with an amazing amount of, well, butterflies!  However, despite the large number of butterflies in the area, very few cooperated during picture taking.  As you can see, most of the pictures show Amelia excited to spot a

 butterfly, but the butterflies themselves rarely made it into the photo.

After the girls had enough of the butterflies, we headed to the Faust Park Carousel.  Amelia was so excited when she heard that is where we were headed that she kept saying, "me, ride, neigh-

neigh" the whole walk to the Carousel. But, as expected, while we were searching for the perfect horse to ride, we opted instead to sit on the chariot.  She could not have been happier, though, riding the Carousel and eating her snacks.

By then, it was nearly 11:00 and approaching the 90 degree mark, which is why we saved the outdoor playground for last ?!?! Neither girl seemed to mind the steamy temps though and it was the moms who decided it was time to head out.  On our way to the car we met a mother duck followed closely by her ducklings.  Oh, if only I could get Amelia to follow me so well!

Just like a fish

With the hot, humid weather we've been having here in St. Louis, we decided it was high time to head to the pool. One park near our house has a special activity on Tues. and Thurs. mornings called Tiny Tot Swim.  Its nice because the gradual entry kiddie pool area is closed off to all of the older kids and the little ones get to play without fear of being trampled.  This year was way different than last year as Amelia is much more mobile!  Her and Elmo seemed to enjoy themselves immensely and Elmo appreciated the chance to lay out in the sun for a bit.  Amelia kept asking to go on the water slide, to which I was very leery.  Most of the kids heading down the slide were twice Amelia's age.  But, she was determined to go down and even stood patiently in the 10 minute line to do so.  When it came time for her to go, I was half expecting her to change her mind, but she sat down bravely and pushed off.  She made it about 2 feet.  Because she doesn't weigh very much, she kept getting stuck on the way down the slide.  That was, until the very end.  Once she turned the corner of the slide, she took off like a freakin' rocket.  For the last three feet of so of the slide she was traveling at the speed of light, no joke!  I, who had been helping her along the slide the whole time she was getting stuck, could not make it to the bottom in time to catch her (despite pushing people of the way and screaming "my baby!" Not really, but kind of!).  So, she flew out of the slide and into the shallow water and went all the way under briefly.  She never cried, but just looked very, very surprised.  Then, she looked up at me, pointed to her nose and said, "Mommy, nose, water".  Needless to say, that was the our only encounter with the slide on Tuesday!

takin' after her mama

Messy

Messier

Messiest!

Dad's Day!

Gimme a "D"......

Gimme an "A"......

Gimme another "D".....

What's that spell?  "DAD"!  

Since Jason and I were out of town for Father's Day last weekend, we decided to celebrate this Sunday instead.  Amelia and I woke up nice and early to prepare breakfast in bed for Jason.  Well, actually I got up pretty early and by the time my "assistant" awoke, I was done with most of the more time consuming preparations.  The menu included heart-shaped french toast (although the heart shape was unrecognizable when it was all said and done), Stuffin' Egg Muffins, and Triple Threat Smoothies. Amelia was in charge of the smoothies, although she seemed more interested in putting the fruit into her mouth instead of into the blender!  

After carrying all of the food upstairs to Jason in bed, we decided it would be more practical to eat it at the kitchen table.  Hey, the thought was there!  I guess we need to invest in some breakfast trays so this can be an ongoing activity.  Amelia was so giggly at the site of Jason in bed with food all around him. 

Amelia also presented Jason with a framed photo of her spelling out the word "dad".  I wish I would have thought about this for his first Father's Day because it would be a neat tradition to take new pictures and change them yearly to see how she has grown.  We may still start this tradition, just 2 years late!

We also got to spend some time with Grandma and Papa for awhile.  Unfortunately, we missed Uncle Dave, though, and won't see him again for quite some time.  He is off on a plane today headed to Australia for 3 whole weeks! Amelia has requested that he bring her back a kangaroo.  She was perfectly clear in her request, too, that only a real one will do--none of that silly stuffed animal stuff!

On Fire

On Friday, Amelia visited a St. Peters firehouse with some of her playgroup friends. She had been once before to a different fire station and really enjoyed it, but on Friday that was not the case.  Much of our time was spent crabbing around the station not wanting to walk herself OR be held (which really doesn't leave many options!).  She liked looking at all of the firemen's gear and seeing the lights on the truck.  But, her favorite part of the whole adventure seemed to be sitting in a big comfy chair in the firemen's dayroom and looking at the coloring book she received during the visit.

Amelia and the Chipmunks!

Amelia joined her friend Natalie this week for a trip to the movies to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. This was Amelia's first time watching a movie at the theater and the girls enjoyed watching the show and eating some snacks!  The movie was part of the Wehernberg Family Summer Series that offers FREE movies every Wednesday and Thursday at 10 AM and noon during the summer.  Natalie's mom, Susie, and I were both shocked that the girls made it about 1 hour and 15 minutes through the movie before they started to get antsy.  

When we got home, Amelia told me what she remembered about the movie:

1. there was a "guy" (Dave Seville)

2. there were two chipmunks (two is her number for everything right now)

3. the chipmunks danced

4. the chipmunks wore shirts

5. on one shirt was the letter A (I was shocked she noticed and remembered this!)

It went so well, in fact, that we may try it again in a couple of weeks when Charlotte's Web is playing!

Sand Painting

Amelia has been getting Highlights Hi-Five Magazine for pre-schoolers since Christmastime and she LOVES it!  She loves to search for the hidden pictures and loves to listen to the stories. Each month, there is a recipe, a craft to make, and a "building" activity to try (build a race track from blocks, build a grocery store with food boxes, etc.).  She will often sit for 20 minutes looking through it when a new one arrives in the mailbox.  Seriously, I cannot recommend it enough!

Once again this week we had to do some waiting when the air conditioner guy had to come back to install our lovely new coil.  I didn't even get a timeframe when the appointment was set, but was told it would be "sometime in the afternoon".  So, to pass the time while Mr. Fix-It was here we tried one of the Hi-Five activities called "Sand Painting" and it was really fun!

First, we filled some throw away containers with sand from Amelia's sand and water table.  We made four colors, so we needed four different containers.  Then, we added a couple of drops of food coloring to each container of sand. 

Then, Amelia shook each container to combine the sand and food coloring resulting in four beautiful colors of sand.

Amelia then took some glue and made a design on a small piece of cardboard.  

When she was satisfied with her design, she started to sprinkle the different colors of sand on to  the glue.  

After she was finished, she brushed off the spare sand and had a great little sand picture left!  We also did one with her name on it (as seen at the beginning of this post).

Perhaps the best part, though, was getting to empty the leftover colored sand back into the sand table. Amelia really got a kick out of that!

And Then There Were None...

They're all gone!  I promised myself that upon returning from the Boston trip that we would work on getting rid of Amelia's binky.  So, on Tuesday, following her last binky-induced nap, Amelia and I went on a pacifier hunt around the house.  Every time we found one we put it into a special "binky bag" that Amelia picked out. Once we found all of them, we headed over to Baby Parker's house to give them to him.  We've been talking about doing this for well over a month and each time I would go into her room in the morning or after a nap, she would gather all the pacifiers in her crib, hand them to me and say, "baby Parker". She was very excited to go to Parker's house and immediately wanted to put the pacifiers directly into his mouth (which I quickly tried to nix).  All was good and well until it was time to leave and I made the fatal mistake of saying, "Say good-bye to your binks".  She decided at that point that she instead wanted to take them back home with her, saying something like, "no, bink, me, home". Hmmm....that wasn't exactly what I had in mind.  Luckily, the crisis was narrowly diverted when I suggested that Amelia leave the binks in Parker's room in a special place.  She chose to put them on his chair and we were out of there.  All was well when we left and we made a big deal about her being such a big girl.  We even called GG in Washington, DC to tell her where we were and what we just did.  However, bedtime was pretty rough.  She cried for 45 minutes before finally falling asleep.  She also awoke at 6 AM sharp, about 2 hours earlier than usual.  

Naptime on Wednesday was drastically short. On Wednesday afternoon we bought her a new 'big girl' CD player to go in her 'big girl' room and let her pick out a 'big girl' CD to play at bedtime.  This, of course, did not seem to make much difference to Amelia and she still cried for about 45 minutes on Wednesday evening.  

Thursday went much smoother!  She slept until 7:30 AM and took a 3 hour nap.  Tonight, after running around for 2 hours straight at our softball game, she went to bed with very little protesting.  Although, she did specifically request her bink by name, which was a bit heartbreaking for me (not Jason, though!).

Several people have asked if I have a back-up, emergency pacifier stashed away and I don't. Hopefully that was not an unwise thing to do. I've heard over and over that giving up the pacifier involves 3 rough nights, so hopefully we've made it through the rough patch and it's smooth sailing from here!