Amelia: Age One

Sweet Amelia is ONE. It happened like whiplash. Amelia - the girl we didn't expect - has been an incredible addition to our male dominated family. From day one she has been mild mannered and sweet. She has slept well, eats well, entertains herself, and is just an all-around happy baby.

Amelia adores her older brothers and they are incredibly sweet to her - especially William. She loves to be in the thick of it and prefers playing with cars, dinosaurs, trucks, and blocks. The only traditionally gender stereotypical thing she loves are shoes. She likes to walk around with her shoes in hands and raises her foot in anticipation when you're ready to put her shoes on.

Amelia is a hugger and a kisser. She squeezes so tightly and loves a good cuddle. On the other hand, she growls at the boys and throws down when fighting for a toy. Never shy to jump into a wrestling pile, Amelia can totally hang with the boys.

She started walking right at her first birthday (which puts her right between the boys) and she adds new words each day. Her favorites are "mama," "dada," "stop,"' "william,"  and "howie." She chants "wiggle, wiggle, wiggle" and shakes her shoulders. She yells "me" when she see you eating something she wants and nods and shakes her head to answer questions.

Her favorite foods are bananas (seriously, she can't get enough), apple sauce, cheese, bagels with cream cheese, and strawberries. She's not very adventurous with food and spits out most new flavors, but when she likes something she really, really likes it.

Amelia is into everything. She wanders around the house looking for baskets, purses, boxes, and anything else that might have treasures for her to sort through. She is guaranteed to knock down any tower the boys have built or wipe out a delicately constructed race track. She has figured how to disassemble our tried and true baby proofing (we use lots of rubber bands) and scurries up the stairs before we even realize she has left the room.

I'm trying as hard as I can to savor my last baby firsts. However, I can't help but look forward to getting to know her better and watch the girl she will become. This baby is just so fun. We have had a blast this last year.

Our world is brighter because of Amelia. She wakes up with a smile and spends a minute hugging you before looking around in the direction of her brothers playing. Our favorite thing about Amelia is the line she is always walking between sweet, trouble, and tough. You can see it in her eyes... It's almost as if she is always in on the joke. This baby has excellent timing. She knows when she has an audience and she works it.

I see the way she already asserts her position in our family and I hope she holds onto her spunk and joy as she grows.