22 Months

My sweet and sassy Amberly Girl,

Your baby sister will be here before we know it and I need to document your newest and latest, not to forget the very cutest, things that you do. 

Before I met your daddy, I had a vivid dream about my daughter who had dark hair and was extremely intelligent. Undoubtedly it was you, and that was when I first began to fall in love. :)

Exploring the rocks and beach at Canyon Ferry Lake, outside Helena Montana where Grandpa Ditto grew up

You make me laugh every day and you sincerely impress me every day. You love to be tidy and to organize things, especially your beloved books. You adore puzzles which has made nursery one of your new favorite places. You thrive in a structured, quiet place where you can contently explore new shapes and things. You seem to grasp spatial concepts very well and I envision you becoming some kind of engineer in your college years. You are very very bright!

I wish Daddy had taken a picture of the day you arranged all of his garments so tidily around your Pack n Play...Meanwhile I find little arrangements such as these around the house and it brings a huge smile to my face.

The library is your nirvana so I try to take you weekly or at least every other week during the summer. Whenever you're missing at home, I know that you are most likely in your room, quietly exploring your newest books we rented from the library. It's adorable.

More and more, you are becoming my little buddy and I am obsessed with this! You like to do the first few minutes of my exercises with me, and when I am not feeling super energetic and need a little break, I'll ask you "Want to watch our dancing show?" 

It's pretty fun for me that you're quite taken with So You Think You Can Dance! You love to sit in your "big girl seat" in the theater room right next to me and you are content to clap your hands and watch for a few minutes. Of course, you can only sit for so long until you have to get up and begin twirling yourself. (I totally get it!)

And so, you truly are becoming Mama's buddy, or as I often call you,

My Little Bestie. 

CHEESE!

End of summer snuggles at the pool. I could never ever possibly get enough Amberly snuggles!

Life still isn't perfect, of course. With your new developments come new challenges. I think our biggest challenge has been nap time ever since we had to take your pacifier away at 18 months. Your teeth look amazingly better and there is no longer a gap forming from the binky, but you have a hard time calming down for your midday nap. It tends to be a Mommy/Daughter battle most days. Even if I just leave you in your crib, you associate that with play time and you will not fall asleep on your own. I have tried for up to two or more hours and if you have decided you are NOT falling asleep, it's just not happening that day. It's pretty tricky, little one! Daddy and I feel like your naps are still so important. I'll keep trying but the bigger my belly gets, the less fight I have in me. So on the days you don't nap, you're in bed by 7:15 or 7:30. ;) At least you rock and sleep 10 - 12 hours each night.

Every now and then we have success, so I send a victorious picture to Daddy.

You have the funniest little personality. You seem so nonchalant about things in public, but when you're at home in your comfort zone your expressions, your babbles, your happy vibrant little self comes out. You weren't too thrilled about the pirate treasure hunt we did at the Ditto Reunion, but we still had fun. I think you were particularly concerned as to why everyone was yelling at each other in pirate voices...

Mommy and Daddy adore family time with just the three of us (soon to be four!) and we had some standstill moments on the lake in Canyon Ferry. Loved it.

Daddy is the only one I would trust to take you on a canoe ride this young! He takes such good care of his girls, I just love that guy.

The most common question strangers ask about you is (after they've raved about how darling and beautiful you are) "How do you get her hair to curl like that?"

It's all natural, baby! I admit, I'm obsessed.

The best is right after I give you a bath, how your curls really do fall so perfectly! 

Some things about life really are perfection, like your Shirley Temple curls. :)

You are loving nursery every Sunday! It took a  few months but they won you over once they pulled out the puzzles and this horsey.

Your love for your baby dolls is so intense, I can't help but feel hopeful for the upcoming transition ahead with your baby sister coming home. I often find you in your room taking care of Baby Jane. Oh your precious Baby Jane, now dirty with black toes and black fingers. She goes everywhere with us including the grocery store. 

Amberly and Aliya at the Mecham Reunion

4th of July Pagoda Firework tradition!

Last night and this morning you had some solid bonding time with your Nanna Ditto. You are so loved by all who know you, Amberly Faith.

This Daddy of yours is completely smitten of course and always will be. Your favorite game to play with Daddy is Hide and Go Seek, hands down. You also love when he throws you and tickles you.

Oops...sometimes we play dress up. I'm only a tad bit excited to put you in dance class next year!

Favorite Foods: French Toast, Chicken, Greek Yogurt, Watermelon, Corn on the Cob, Pears, Bananas, Quinoa, Daddy's Fluffy Pancakes (German Pancakes), Cheeseburgers, Carrots, Green Smoothies, ice cream

A few of your cutest words: "Purple"  "Baby" "EEAase!" (Please) "Cebo" (Cello) 

"Huh-II" (Hi) "Wah" (water) "Buh Buh" (Bubbles) "Bahbie" (Barbie) "Bah!" (Ball)

Favorite Books: "I'm a Big Sister"  "The Very Hungry Caterpillar"  "Calm Down, Little Monkey"  "Love you Forever"  "I Ain't Gonna Paint No More"   "Giraffes Can't Dance"  "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Other Nursery Rhymes"   "Princess Sophia"   "Bea at Ballet"   "Brown Bear Brown Bear What do You See" "Ten Little Bluebirds"  but the list could really go on for days!

And in case life gets crazy between now and your second birthday, just know that you are my little universe and I would do anything for you. Thank you for coming to earth and letting me be your Mama. It is truly the best job I have ever had and nothing has brought me deeper joy. 

We love you, Amberly Faith!

Love, Your Mama

Preggo Thoughts

My body is on loan for your development, Baby Girl. 

26 weeks! 

And you are so worth it. 

This is becoming more real every passing week, soon we will be a family of four!

Fun randoms about this pregnancy: 

Peppermint Smoothie Tums are my best friend and eliminate heartburn immediately. 

This pregnancy has graced me with a sweet tooth times ten.

I still have a hard time eating certain salads that I would eat on a regular basis.

I even like to drink milk this pregnancy (I normally only buy regular milk for Daddy).

Daddy feels your movements almost every day because you are so active.

Amberly always got the hiccups, but I don't think you've had them even once yet. You just jump all over the place whenever I'm sitting still.

We can still kick box together and it makes me so happy!

I tried a slow jog with you and Amberly in the jogging stroller and I have to go slower than molasses to avoid Braxton Hicks contractions.

The Braxtons started early in my fifth month, now in my sixth month they come even more frequently (take it easy, Baby and body. Let my little one grow!)

I still get nauseous if I wait too long to eat.

I was still able to sleep on my back and stomach until about a week and a half ago.

I LOVE not being freezing all the time. I called it my X-man power of pregnancy last time and my powers have returned! I'm actually more comfortable temperature-wise when I am expecting than when I'm not pregnant. 

My hair rocks, I hardly shed at all.

I can go to the bathroom on command, no really I can.

Amberly initially pointed to her tummy when I asked where the baby was, now she's got it down and she points at my tummy. :)

I feel like you and Amberly have known each other for a very long time and have a very special bond. Your spirits go way way back.

Daddy and I thought of another name we both really like. We're excited to have three top choices and to see which one matches you perfectly.

I am constantly tired and almost always hungry.

Daddy loves you and is so excited to see your beautiful face, to be around your spirit, and to see Amberly's face when she first looks at you. 

We love you, Little One. 

Love, Mama

Mecham's Rule - Lagoon 2015

My mom really wanted to take the her clan (kids, spouses, grandkids) to Lagoon for our immediate family reunion for 2015. Sometimes I wish that our "Griswold Moments" as I'd like to call them could be made into our own movie. Every family vacation we've ever had seems to have spurts of complete chaos, typically beforehand. The prepping for this get together was no exception to our rule. I wasn't present to witness the scene, but apparently my parents were stuck in traffic after already leaving an hour and fifteen minutes late, took the wrong exit to Lagoon, got the trailer stuck in someone's yard on the way to the campground, my dad fell in a knee-deep hole (booby trap!) while trying to get the trailer unstuck which hurt his wrist, and Kailee and Nayla were pouting in the truck because they had waited for three hours to get to Laguna Beach. My mom might have had a couple meltdowns, trying so hard to make the trip perfect and provide happy memories for everyone. On top of it all, my dad couldn't sleep the night before because he had an extreme toothache and is in dire need of a root canal! Timely.

But it all worked out. 

 We had to warm Amberly up to going on the rides by starting really small and making sure she either had one of us or her cousin Eli with her, but within a few minutes she was pointing at any ride she saw exclaiming "EEaaaassseee!!" (Please) because she wanted to ride every last one.

 Cousin Love!

 Eli is a little sweetheart and took such good care of my girl! I asked him to keep his arm around her on anything that went up high, and they were adorable little ride buddies!

Eventually my big girl was brave enough to ride the single kiddy rides! So cute.

Aliya did awesome as well! She rode with Keira most of the time.

(I wish I took a photo of Sarah and I doing the pregnant lady thing at Lagoon all day...glad we were in the same boat!)

They looked horrified the entire time, but Amberly and Aliya even rode Puff with their daddies!

The Mecham clan on the train ride. We sure missed Seth but we loved being together. 

This is Amberly NOT appreciating the camera in her face...

Stockton loved Rattlesnake Rapids! He was laughing the entire time. 

Dad and Brian watched Amberly and Aliya so the preggos could get at least one good ride in (without risking our growing babies)!

We took a family photo at Lagoon's western photography studio which needless to say, was probably the biggest success of the entire day...am I right or am I right?

 Priceless. The three cowboys in the front kill me. Okay everyone's facial expression kills me. These are too great.

Grandma and Stockton

Daddy and Amberly

We had a few Mommy Daughter moments where I got to be alone with Amberly and take her on some kiddy rides that adults are allowed on. I adore my daughter to pieces! Being her mommy only becomes more fun as she grows older.

 

Our family vacations/reunions always have a way of working out, even if they only provide humorous and embellished stories for the next year that we can laugh at together as a family. 

Thanks Mom and Dad.