Squash!!

Two nights ago, Amelia started eating vegetables! Joe wanted to start with squash, so we tried that, and she loved it! She likes it a lot more than rice cereal, and even opens her mouth now to get ready for the spoon. She's eating about 1/3 to 1/2 of a 4 oz. jar each feeding. We'll stick with squash for a few more days, and then we're going to try sweet potatoes. She gets so messy now when she eats too. I practically have to give her a bath after she eats, because she'll put her hands in her mouth and then touch her eyes and hair, and eventually she's covered in a combinations of spit, squash, and cereal. But luckily, at this age, it's still cute!

Sleeping through the night...

Two nights ago we started "ferberizing" Amelia, which basically means we let her cry herself to sleep with hopes that she eventually stops doing it and falls asleep! The first night, we put her down at 9:30 pm, and she woke up at 11:30, cried her eyes out for about a half hour, then fell asleep until 8:30 am. WOW! However, the half hour of crying was pretty tough on Mom...not su much Dad, because I think he slept though most it! Last night we had company, so Mia didn't get to sleep until 11 pm. Thinking that she was going to wake up two hours later and cry, we were pleasantly surprised when she slept until 7:30 am! Hopefully the 3rd night goes just as smoothly! Right now, she's even taking a nap and it's been about and hour and half. Lately, she's only been taking 30 minute naps, so I'm thankful for this long nap. Today, we're also going to start vegetables! Joe wants to start with squash, so we'll see how that goes!

Our surprise company was my cousin Doug and his family (Renee, Jessica & Spencer). They are from Hudsonville, Michigan and stopped by on their way to St. Louis. We had Los Ranchitos for dinner, and then they spent the night. It was great to have family visit, and we were happy to house them. We all had fun catching up, and that might be the reason that Amelia is so sleepy today. That and maybe her 3 shots yesterday...SO much excitement!

6 Month Check-Up

Can you believe that Amelia is 6 months already?! Today she had her 6 month check-up and was a whopping 17.1 pounds, 27.5 inches long, and her head had grown 2 inches!! So, for that one person who voted for 17 pounds, you were the closest (haha, that might have been me!). The doctor gave the okay to start other foods, so we are going to start vegetables tomorrow, and then add fruits. She's also doing great with all of her motor skills, and he had no concerns about her development. She was such a brave girl too and didn't take long to calm down after her 3 shots (notice the band-aids...). Now she's fallen asleep in her bouncy seat after a tiring hour at the doctor! Poor girl!

Loving Summer

SO much has happened in the last few weeks! I apologize for not updating sooner! Amelia turned 6 months on June 30, so we started rice cereal. She is doing so good, and we are going to start vegetables & fruits next week or the following week. She is rolling over all the time, from belly to back and from back to belly. She's super strong, and trying to scoot too. She is also really good at entertaining herself, whether it be in her bouncy seat or activity mat. She's been enjoying having daddy home in the mornings, and soon he'll be done with summer school and we'll be able to do lots of family activities. We're hoping to take some trips this summer to Ohio, Minnesota, and St. Louis. It's going to be a busy end of the summer, but we're excited! Yesterday, we spent the 4th of July at Twin Maple Campgrounds for an Auliff Family Picnic. Mia even got to go swimming just like Mommy used to. It was lots of fun to see family, and all of her little cousins. When we got home, we another cookout with friends in Monmouth, along with fireworks!