Cheering for Daddy

Last year Amelia was a tiny little newborn during basketball season, so we only made it to a few games at the end of the season. At the games we did attend, she was content to sleep in her car seat or be held by me or others in the stands. If she got fussy, a bottle took care of it. She was pretty easy to manage back then.

This year is a different story! I have to plan ahead and pack extra outfits, sippy cups, snacks and activities to keep her occupied. Since Daddy coaches the girls and guys teams, we try to sit through both games. She's pretty good through most of the girls game, but she starts fading when the guys start playing. This is how we start out the games:

She sits in my lap and reads books, hangs out and talks to the people beside us. But then everything starts going downhill when she spots Daddy across the room.

She immediately wants to get down and run across the gym to him, and then freaks out when I won't let her. Luckily, there is a big open area to the left of the bleachers, and we usually head over there to sit on the floor and she can play and run around and I can catch some of the game.

 

Oh, and popcorn helps too! Yes, I realize this is a choking hazard, but she learned about popcorn from her older friend Madelyn, and she is obsessed with it when she sees it at the ballgames. Katie came the other night and it was nice to have another set of hands to help with Mimi. And of coure, she was around to take a few pics wtih my camera. And can you tell I really love my camera's video feature? It's so convenient for quick, fun little clips. Here's Amelia enjoying the band:

Dancing at the game from Angela Furr on Vimeo.

After lots of cheering, dancing and popcorn eating, by this point it is usually almost halftime of the guys game which means that is Mimi's bedtime. Usually we head home and catch the rest of the game online. Last night Katie took her upstairs to Daddy's office and I got to catch a few more minutes of the game and the Colettes dance at halftime. Here's what I found on my camera when we got home:

Those silly girls love each other! And we love basketball, but it sure will be nice when season is over and we can have our Daddy back at home again!

15 months

At 15 months old, Amelia:

• is expanding her vocabulary all the time. She will pretty much try to repeat whatever we ask her to, when she is in the mood, of course. She has several words that she says on her own, with the newest being "thank-you." She loves to bring something to me and I'll say thank you, then she'll take it to Cliff, and back and forth.
• loves to "cook." I've mentioned this before, but she isn't as into toys as much as getting a bowl and a wooden spoon, or a bowl and an ink pen, or any stick-like tool to stir with. She likes to stir something up and then bring it to me or Cliff to "taste." It's quite cute, but I have to say she must have gotten it from the Food Network because my own stirring in the kitchen has been minimal since she was born.
• loves to put things in containers and take them out. Katie says this is developmental, so I guess that's a good thing. (She teaches elementary special-ed.) For example, the other night I gave her a Crystal Light container to play with- you know, the cyllinder thing. She occupied herself for like 30 minutes putting stuff in that container, putting the lid on and shaking it up. Seriously, why do we buy this child any toys?
• is impossible to take to restaurants now. Katie, is this developmental too, or just bratty? Either way, she refuses to sit in her high chair and makes a huge embarassing scene pretty much every time we try to go out. It's sad for Cliff and me since going out to eat used to be our main form of weekend entertainment, which is sad in itself. We are doing a lot more sandwiches, frozen pizzas and take-out these days. Maybe one day we'll be able to show our faces in a restaurant again.
• gives her daddy and me the biggest, sloppiest kisses of all time and we could not love it any more. Sometimes she tries to bite my cheek and she dies out laughing when I say ouch. We do this routine about two or three nights a week while trying to calm down for bedtime.
• has become a tall, skinny girl! She has hit a height growth spurt lately, and her fat little baby legs have gotten longer and leaner. I would be sad about that, but she still has her pinchable cheeks. As long as we have those and that baby face for a while longer, I am ok. When they weighed her at her check-up last week she was 22 pounds, which is a pound less than at her one-year check-up. This is partly due to her being sick and not eating much and partly because it was a different scale than they usually weigh her on. I'm eager to see what she weighs at her 15-month appointment this week.

And I saved the very best thing for last....

We finally have enough hair for a pony tail! Oh how long I have waited for this day! I am not very good at putting her hair up, but her sweet teacher, Ms. Margaret puts it up every day and Mimi looks like this when I pick her up at school:

 Love it!

Dora fan

Amelia has just started showing an interest in cartoons, especially Dora the Explorer. Katie bought her some Dora DVDs when she was sick, and it has become All Dora All The Time at the Furr house. I don't mind all that much because Dora is one of the few cartoons that does not annoy me. I am really in for it if she starts enjoying the likes of Wonder Pets, Barney or Spongebob.

For now, we're sticking with the adorable yet educational Dora. I caught Mimi singing along to the show yesterday in the first video clip and in the second I am asking her to share some of her favorite Dora words this morning before getting ready for church. She still has bed head and her sleepy face, ha.

Enjoy!

Backpack, Backpack from Angela Furr on Vimeo.

Dora Words from Angela Furr on Vimeo.

Just some stuff

We have almost made it through this four-day work week without a call from daycare, so that is good news! It means Amelia is feeling much, much better and we are back to business as usual. Cliff is still super busy with basketball. He has gone from serving as assistant coach for the girls and guys teams to assistant for girls AND acting head coach for the guys since the head coach has been ill all season. This has been a huge responsibility for him, and we are so proud that the Wolfpack got a much needed WIN last night over nationally ranked Hinds. Go Cliffy!

In other career news (BTW it feels totally weird to talk about anything other than Amelia, but I'm going with it) my first big publication came out a few weeks ago featuring a photo taken by yours truly on the cover. I had to send the pic to Lindey and ask her how she felt about me starting up my new photography business called Angela Furr photography. I will focus my art on babies, weddings, seniors and families, and will be doing sessions on a railroad track near you! Oh, I kid.

But I am kinda proud of The Colinian, our alumni magazine, and my photo on the cover. If you are an alum and want to receive our mailings, add your info to the web site.

Anyway...

Here are some recent snaps from the past week:

My parents came over Saturday to visit me play with Amelia, and I had to get a shot of Amelia playing horsey with my dad. Amelia loves her Grammy and Papa so much, and they are just crazy about her.

Who wouldn't love a Grammy and Papa who get on the floor and growl and chase you? After they left, Amelia expected me to continue to entertain her and she cried because she couldn't climb in her toy box. I finally put her in it, but sadly that entertainment only lasted about 30 seconds and she was on to the next activity. Saturdays wear me out!

We have had some beautiful days here in South Mississippi this week. I couldn't wait to get home the other day to put on some tennis shoes and pull Amelia around the neighborhood in her wagon. She was pretty pumped about it too.

I thought I'd get some exercise, but we only made it up the street to Aunt Katie's house because Amelia was fascinated by her dog, Sweet Pea and all the kids playing in the street (it's a one-way street). Instead of walking all around the neighborhood, we just hung out with Katie and let Amelia play with the puppy and the big kids. They were so sweet to her, and she loved every second of it.You'll notice Amelia's snack cup appears in most of our recent photos. What can we say- she likes to keep a snack on hand at all times. If you're a mom to a toddler and haven't seen these, they are great! We were tragically just carrying our gold fish around in a ziplock bag until Amelia spied her pal Pailyn's handy cup, and we had to get our own. They are made so the kid can help themselves to their snacks without spilling them. Warning: this spill-proof method does not apply when your kid bites the lid off and pours out the snacks.

And of course, since Amelia is constantly snacking, we can't forget to brush those little teefies! We had been using the baby toothbrush that goes over mom or dad's finger, but after she became a biter, we had to step it up to the next level. Her daddy picked out her brand new Barbie toothbrush, and here she is checking it out.

She now has eight teeth, four on top and four on bottom. Those two more on the bottom just popped through this week. I told her to open wide and say "Ahh," and she did just that!

Ok, that's what we've been up to. We are ready for spring and warmer weather so we can get outside more. Aunt Mare is coming to see us this weekend, and a park trip is possibly on the agenda, so we are looking forward to that. Enjoy your weekend!

Sick girl

Mimi has been a very sick girl this week! Monday afternoon I got a call from daycare saying she was running fever and screaming. Not her style at all, so I knew something was up. When I went to get her she had The Sick Face, and I could just tell she felt awful. The clinic wouldn't see her until Tuesday morning, so first thing the next morning we went in to be told that she had the dreaded RSV, which has been going around a lot in our area.

She went downhill fast- coughing, wheezing, running fever and had no appetite. After dropping everything to go get her at daycare, I had some loose ends to tie up at work and I was so thankful that Aunt Mare was able to come love on our girl while I took care of things in order to take the rest of the week off.

See what I mean about The Sick Face? She was so pitiful that I think Cliff, Mare and I all cried about it a little bit. We just felt so helpless. We've been so blessed that she's been so healthy. A couple of bouts with Hand, Foot and Mouth, a runny nose here and there, but no real sickness until now. This is the first time something has been able to really get her down.

After lots of Motrin and round-the-clock breathing treatments, today she is almost back to her old self. She's still wheezing and coughing a little bit, but today we resumed several of our daily activities, such as...

Wagon riding:

Playing outside (just for a few minutes- it's still not quite warm enough):

Playing peek-a-boo:

Making messes:

Watching Dora and eating cookies:

and the real proof she's feeling better...

throwing fits! (Amelia was not harmed in the taking of this pic. She just wanted to take my camera from me.)

She is on the mend, and we're looking forward to our three-day weekend and getting back to our normal routine next week. Have a good weekend!

Just a little dancin'

This is how we amuse ourselves on Sunday nights while Daddy is gone to practice.

Mimi loves Jay- Z from Angela Furr on Vimeo.

Unusual sleeping habits

While Amelia has never been a problem sleeper, she has always been a little high maintenance to get to go to sleep. For example, she must have her Lovie, she must be snuggled or rocked. Before last week, she usually needed a bottle before bedtime. (We just dropped the last bottle last week and it was surprisingly easy. So yay for no more bottle washing!)

The girl has got to be pretty tired to just fall asleep sitting straight up like she did the other night. She had just played herself out her first week back at school.

She has actually done this a couple of times in the past couple of weeks. Then, I was surprised to find out from her teacher at daycare that she enjoys laying in one of the babies' bouncy seats to go to sleep at school. Ms. Margaret said she prefers to sit in the bouncer with Lovie over her face than being rocked. You know, the same bouncer she despised as an infant. There were many occasions when I would beg my newborn Mimi to just hang out in the bouncer for a while so Mama could take a shower. No ma'am. Hated it.

So I had to try this out for myself and dug the old bouncer out of the storage closet. Sure enough, with paci and Lovie and her fleece coat, she passed right out.Yes, she has taken a liking to her coat and actually cries to put it on. It's lined in the same sherling that Lovie is made of, so I guess she likes to feel like she is wearing her Lovie Lamb, ha. So I suppose you could say my child is a weirdo. She has also taken a liking to my camera and did something to it to make a random date appear on these photos. I couldn't figure out to get it off.

More proof of being weird, she insists on squeezing herself into her doll stroller and gets ticked off when she can't get in it. I have tried explaining to her that it's for her babies and not her, but she doesn't want to share it with them. We are going to keep working on our mothering skills.

Gallery is up!

The wait is over and the gallery is now available to view from Amelia's one year photo session with Lindey! We did it back in November and took some family pics for our Christmas card. Check them out here. Click on the photography site, then client viewing, and the password is furr. If you want to see how much the princess has grown this year, you can view her other galleries by using the passwords amelia, mimi and there's one called a&a with a few shots of the two of us together that we did for Cliff for Father's Day.

I am a little sad we don't have any more photo shoots to look forward to in the near future! We'll probably wait until she is two to do another. I treasure all of our fabulous photos, and I can already tell you that the coffee table book that I will be getting will become one of my most prized possessions! You just can't put a price on your baby's face captured in a beautiful photograph. At least that's what I will be telling Cliff when I get ready to do my order...

Let me know which ones you like the best!

A 14-month-old Mimi update

Amelia is at her Grammy and Papa's, and this quiet house has inspired me to catch up on my blogging. She spent the night with them so Cliff and I could go out on NYE. What did we do? The exact same thing we did last year. We switched the restaurant to PF Chang's and the movie we saw was "Up in the Air." It was so good, and we really enjoyed getting a night to go out on a date.

I decided not to do a 13 month update because I didn't have much new news to report since her 12 month one. She turned 14 months old on the 29th and I have been trying to decide if I would keep doing monthly updates since she is a year old, and I decided I'll just pop them in periodically when I have something new to share. She was growing and changing so quickly from month to month her first year, and she still is, but the developments have slowed down a tad. Also, I really hate trying to count up how many months old she is now. I would rather just say she's one when people ask. Is that bad? It's so funny to me when I hear someone say their kid is 22 months old. I have to do the math in my head. Why not just say, almost two? Anyway...

At 14 months, Amelia:

• is talking up a storm! She's been a chatterbox for a while now, but she is adding to her vocabulary pretty quickly. The words she says the most are da-da, ma-ma, baby, bye-bye, ball, book, dog (except she still says 'ga'), hey, papa, pa paw, cup-cup (she always says it twice. it's so funny), ba (ok, not a word, but she means bottle), and most recently cheese. I'm sure there are more, but these are the main ones we hear her say. Her first sentence was "Hey baby!" ha! Here's a quick clip I got of her saying cheese the other night. She said it much more clearly when I wasn't filming, and she really wanted to grab the camera, but you can hear her sweet little voice.
  
  


• has become a picky eater. She has been such a good eater from the start, but lately she has wanted to be on an all carb diet (much like her mama, oops). She loves bread, crackers, cookies, pasta, etc. Who can blame her, really? But I am trying my hardest to get her to eat more protein and veggies. I can sneak them in with her pasta, but she is too smart for me when I try to get her to eat meat. Hopefully this is just a stage, and she will start eating a more rounded diet again soon.
• has finally started really getting into everything. We were pretty fortunate that she didn't venture out of whatever room I am in, or get into stuff she isn't supposed to for the longest time, but she has discovered that there are some pretty fun things to be found in drawers and cabinets. We finally got around to childproofing, and it has devastated her not to be able to drag stuff out!
• can climb down off the couch by herself, but still can't quite climb up onto it. This is very frustrating for her.
• loves to play with her baby dolls and push them in her stroller.
• loves all books, but her favorite one is Five Little Ladybugs.

• still takes her paci at naptime and bedtime, and is down to one bottle a day, at night before bed. I kinda dropped the ball on taking it away because she was congested for several days and didn't feel like eating anything. I think she might just give it up on her own.
• is obsessed with eating goldfish crackers.
• still loves music and likes to sing and dance. Jay-Z and Alicia Keyes' "Empire State of Mind" is her absolute favorite song.
• loves nothing more than being growled at and chased! You will be her instant bff if you growl at her and say "I'm gonna get you!" She always squeals and tries to run away. Peek-a-boo and patty cake (pat a cake?) are also favorites.
• loves to play outside, but unfortunately we haven't been able to do that much lately.

We were busy girls during our Christmas break. We spent lots of time hanging out and playing at home, but we did some traveling too. Here are a couple of pics of her playdate with Madelyn the other day.

Yesterday we went to Hattiesburg to go wedding dress shopping with Aunt Mare. I had to snap these of her playing peek-a-boo with Grammy outside the bridal shop. I'm sure there are lots of photographic things wrong with all the sun, shadows, etc., but you get the idea that she was having a ball in that leopard print dress!

I do miss when she was an itty bitty baby, but toddler-hood is pretty fun too. She is such a fun little person now!