Ameliaisms this month: 

- Stayed on Gammy and Apa's boat for a whole week while Mom and Dad were away on their 15 year wedding anniversary! She loved wearing her bracelets, putting her "leash" on and going hiking, exploring the boat. She was a great listener and didn't go outside on any of the decks without her lifejacket or an adult. 
- Loves taking care of "babies"...creating swaddles, patting their backs, feeding them, cuddling them
- Cheetos White Cheddar Puffs are the GO TO snack these days. She would eat an entire "party size" bag if left to her own vices. 
- Have had the sweetest moments with her this month...laying on the floor together, head to head, and rubbing her back...she likes to hold my hand if I put it back there when driving. 
​- Swinging is a new favorite...usually looks like it will put her to sleep as she is so relaxed in there. Can get her to smile/laugh if you hold onto the swing or push her fast. 
- Continues to be a great little traveler by entertaining herself on the plane, taking naps, enjoying snacks
​- Totally good jumping and swimming in pools...not so much in the lake yet. Still big and scary. 
​- Climbing is the activity of the month. She will tackle some big climbs and mom and dad try to be as hand's off as possible while also making sure we don't see too big of an injury. 
​- Bracelets, purses, and the unicorn go where Amelia goes
- Mia and Nala are like sisters...fighting over toys, but then playing together and kissing the next! 
​- Starting to repeat a lot more words that mom and dad are saying... my favorite being "thank you" as she is really getting the hang of saying it when she gets something. She really is such a sweetheart. Very kind. 
​- Likes popping bubbles
- Still a good sleeper with 12ish hours a night and 1 1/2 - 2 hour naps
- Does not like getting her nails trimmed or going up for bath time
- Can put her socks on and her shoes 50/50 go on the right feet :)
​- Rubs her eyes with pacifiers to put herself to sleep or when she is just sleepy (last few months has only had them at night)

Ameliaisms This Month - 

- LOVES her unicorn, Luna....Luna goes everwhere with her...even to a different country!
- Started going up and down the stairs without crawling. She is confident and fairly able when going up...down is still a little scary for mom and dad to watch. 
- Really into doing things on her own like getting her own breakfast prepared and getting the diaper and wipes for me
- Gets the shoes on her feet by herself...not always on the right foot :)
- Willingly grabs her hat and lifejacket when we get ready to head out on the boat
- Not a big fan of touching the bottom of the lake or sand
- Likes swimming in Auntie Heather and Uncle Ross' pool...still working on getting comfortable in the lake
- Started to seek out riding her bike and willingly puts her helmet on
- Favorite things that occupy her for long periods of time are perfectly placing blankets and then wrapping her "babies" in them and taking her rocks and bracelets in and out of the bag
- Favorite foods are oatmeal (would literally eat for every meal), Cheetos, water, fruit snacks, blueberries, kiwi, sausage
- Prefers wearing crocs or boots
- Traveled to Slovenia for Lolly's 65th birthday! Mia rocked this trip. Truly....she played and slept on the 9+ hour flights. She tried new foods, slept her usual 12 hours at night even though she was in a different bed almost every night. Adjusted to time change well. There were one or two nights where we could tell she was laying in the crib awake at a random time in the morning but she eventually dozed off. She took most of her naps in the backpacking backpack. She enjoyed collecting rocks on the hiking and holding on to them. She was up for all of the activities! I couldn't believe it. I prepared myself mentally that it would be challenging some days having a toddler on a trip where you are on the move and hiking 8+ miles a day. But she seemed to really enjoy being on the move and we loved experiencing it with her! 
- LOVES cruising on the boat
- Still a good sleeper and napper (in her Zippity Zip) 
- She is having fun making new friends in her toddler room at Montessori...still some tough drop offs but she settles in quickly

Ben, Mia, and I joined Lolli and Pop on a trip to Slovenia and Venice, Italy. It was truly an amazing trip on so many accounts. Family time, delicious food, hiking with beautiful scenery and views, and watching the trip unfold through Mia's eyes. Each day we hiked, she was game to hop in the backpack. She enjoyed the breaks every few miles, but was right back in for the rest of the adventure. She had her first ice cream. She was a trooper while adjusting to the time change. I had mentally prepared myself for the challenges that may come up with traveling with a toddler, but honestly, Mia was a fun little adventurer to have along! Slovenia is a beautiful country and I would love to make it back some day! We spent a few days in Venice toward the tail end of our trip. Very cool city and I am glad we saw it. Admittedly, it felt a little overwhelming coming from so many days of hiking in nature with very few people. Glad that Lolli wanted her birthday trip to be the adventure that it was! We enjoyed every minute! 

Amelia is in full on busy toddler mode! So many things to do when she isn't napping or sleeping! 

- Went to Mayo clinic for her Ear Tube check-up...everything looks good and she passed her hearing test. She was adorable waving to everyone in the waiting room and carrying her Carebear. She and mom had a sleepover at a hotel in Rochester to make the morning appointment go a little smoother. 
- Enjoys painting at school. Her teachers were impressed that she actually kept the paint on the page and not all over the chair. 
- Loves going out in her rain boots...rain or shine really :) Just loves the boots and she can now put them on herself.
- Prefers carrying the chuckit for Nala and then will hand it to us for us to throw the ball.
- Eating most meals with silverware, but will occasionally go off script and dig a handful of food out with her hand
- Reading and carrying books around continues to be a favorite. 
- Boating weather brings new lessons to be learned...wearing a lifejacket whenever we are on the dock or the boat, keeping our feet on the seat when looking over the side of the boat, not going to the back of the boat when in motion :) She loves the boat. LOVES running around on the seats and waving to other boaters. 
- Dances and bounces to music when it plays
- Not big on the TV viewing, but she does love watching African safari videos on YouTube :)
- Still a great sleeper...12 hours a night, 3 hours of naps during the day
- Has fun feeding/caring for her stuffed animals...mostly Wanda the Wolf or Lucky the Unicorn. 
- Accessorizing is this girl's thing...will turn anything into a bracelet
- Says her version of "dad", "mom", "shoes", "boots", "Beanie" (Nala)
- Signs "please", "more", "help", "book", "sleep", "diaper change", "poop"
- Can point to all body parts
- Uses a stool to wash hands and we now have a toilet in the bathroom...only "Lucky the Unicorn" has tried it :)
- We are officially bottle free!!!
- Starting to run more than walk
- Lots of bumps and bruises due to exploring and daring maneuvers :)

The weather turned and that means more time outdoors! Also moving at the end of the month...so lots of packing, but trying to keep her spaces as normal as possible until the end. 
- Loves throwing the ball for Nala and giving her unlimited treats...which Nala loves, but we have to manage :)
- Learning that puddles can be fun and that mud on our boots is ok
- Can always be found with a book in hand...she loves sitting and turning the pages and finding the animals
- Went up North to set up the condo and Mia spiked a fever poor thing. First sickness since tubes, but didn't last long
- Gaining more confidence going down slides on her own...even the big ones
- Sleepover at Aunti Ali and Uncle Mike's: Gardened, pulled weeds, played with the crystals, enjoyed Casey's breakfast pizza...even gave signs for "eat" "more" "please" 
- Continues to love going to school and play with her friends...she likes putting these fidgets on her feet and walking around in them
- Uses silverware during meals a lot more
- Moved into her new house and doing well with the change! 
- Loves White Cheddar Cheetos as a snack...ALWAYS!

- Post tube surgery...different kid! We have had a few minor runny noses still...but hasn't progressed beyond that! So glad we did the tube procedure. She has a follow-up in May to see how everything looks and will have her hearing tested again to make sure that the ear infections and inflamed adenoids were the issue with not passing the hearing test. 
- Loves playing with her doll. Wrapping her up or burping her. Benefit of her being with babies at Montessori is that she learns these behaviors :)
- Enjoys playing peek-a-boo
- Excited to go to school each day. She attends a Montessori each day. She has a little friend we will call "G" and they are two peas in a pod. She will tell her teacher that a baby needs milk by signing milk and tapping her teacher's leg. 
- Her favorite thing is matching and organizing or helping with tasks at home like laundry
- Other than her doll...the other creature she is commonly found with is her wolf, Wanda
- Picky eating this month...but loves waffles with peanut butter and white cheddar cheetos :)
- Working on weaning from the bottle...she is seeing through all of our tricks! 
- Back to sleeping through the night now that we are post sickness! Good for her and for mom/dad. 
- Mom and dad went to Fiji for Spring Break. Mia stayed with Lolly and Pop (Ben's parents) at our house. She attended school each day, but enjoyed eating out, going for walks, and visiting friends with her grandparents. Love that she had this special time with just the two of them! 
- Loves wearing her big girl shoes...not boots though
- Talking a lot more now that the tubes are in. She makes these little sounds and I have no idea how she makes them or the movements with her tongue
- Not a fan of baths these days​

Traveled with good friends to Fiji this spring break! Ben's parents were sweet enough to come hang out with Mia at our house for the week. Mis loved her time with Lolly and Pop and was able to stay in her routine pretty well. Getting to Fiji was a hop, skip, and a jump from Minneapolis...but oh how worth it the effort was. The location was stunning just as we would have guessed. Pristine beaches on picturesque little islands. We stayed at a smaller resort on a remote island called Malalo. The staff was phenomenally kind and hospitable and knew our names when we would walk around. The food was OUTSTANDING!!! The attention to detail, the flavor, different choices each night...wow...out of all the places we have traveled, I have never enjoyed the food as much as I did there. We enjoyed a lot of lounging in hammocks or at the beach, diving, kayaking, eating, visiting, playing dice games, and going to bed early. It was a week that filled my cup and loved experiencing this special place with Mike and Ali. 

Ameliaisms this month: 

- Lots and lots and lots of sickness this month. 3 ear infections, 2 oral antibiotics and 1 injection antibiotic...led to the decision to have tubes put in Mia's ears. We opted for the Hummingbird procedure at Mayo. The Hummingbird is a new way of doing tubes that doesn't require general anesthetic...but rather a topical anesthetic. We are so glad we went this route! She was not thrilled with the swaddling...but stopped crying 45 seconds after the procedure. Night and day difference from before and after the tubes. She is so happy and energetic again! 
- Has fun playing in her ball pit
- Lots of walks with Mia in the sled to get some fresh air
- Prior to the procedure...it was a lot of managing sickness. We had some crazy overnights with getting sick in the crib...cleaning it up...getting sick again from coughing. Go in the bathroom to get cleaned up. Out of jammies and the diaper and had a pee accident on the floor. Into the bath we go...and then an accident that floats in the bathtub! It was a lot to take in at 4:30 in the morning! 
- Favorite foods this month included oatmeal, apples, and honey!
- Became very good at taking medicine or syrups of some kind on a spoon. She learned how to go "Ahhh" and open her mouth. 

Ameliaisms this month -

- Started going to her new "school" / daycare situation. So lucky to have had Nana this last year take such good care of our girl. It really was the ideal situation for the first year and can't thank her enough. Her new school is wonderful and they just seem to love her already. 
- Sleepover at Uncle Mike and Auntie Ali's / she loves sliding down their stairs on her tummy over and over again / stairs at our house are not quick enough for her! 
- Swim lessons continue / need to get the backfloat down in order to move to next class
- Started playing with her dolls and wanting to wrap them up in blankets
- Loves caring her lunchbox into her classroom each day
- First time sledding...we were a hot mess trying to keep her upright, but she still had fun!
- Trying boots for the first time...would not take steps
- Loves her big girl shoes
- SO MUCH SICKNESS this month...chalk it up to being at a new daycare / the poor girl just can't shake it! 
- Looks at her bedroom camera a ton and then will bang on the wall to get mom's attention after a nap
- Still a really good sleeper with 12 hours a night
- Blackberries are her favorite this month and avocado toast
- Had her first interaction with one of Dad's lego toys
- Going on more walks in which she is actually walking with us
- Went to the chiropractor two times this month already...trying to clear that congestion!

Ameliaisms This Month - 

- First encounter with Santa...nervous laughs...waving at him...crying on his lap without mom
- Understands the concept of ripping the paper that wraps gifts now! 
- Had her first big girl seat on an airplane with Lolli and Dad
- Walking EVERYWHERE! Working on keeping shoes on our feet...especially to go outside
- The girl would live outside...she now knows her "outside" stuff and will get it to tell us that is what she wants to do
- Loves the breakfast sandwiches I make each morning apparently...she has been eating half of mine the last two days!
- Loves to pick out a few books to read together before bed...then we sing songs and cuddle
- First venture into a hot tub. We turned the temp down to just a little warmer than the pool we do lessons in. She LOVED it. She could walk around the bench and have a little more independence than normal. 
- Continues to do swim lessons and feels very comfortable in the water
- Loves helping with chores like emptying the dishwasher or loading the dryer
- Accurately signs "all done" and "more" and "eat" 
- Waves at everyone...at the airport everyone she walked by received a wave
- Eats a ton one day and then hardly anything at all the next