Amara Grace: 2014

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

First Birthday and Second Christmas!

So much is happening these days! Amara is saying more words and sounds and growing bigger by the hour, it seems. We celebrated her first birthday by going to the San Diego Zoo. Amara loved seeing the monkeys, birds, bears and ducks. She also loved checking out the gift shop where she got two new books. Have I mentioned that Amara LOVES reading? She can sit and read/explore book after book. Mom and Amara often read 6-8 books in a row without losing interest.

We enjoyed seeing a lot of family this Christmas. Grandma Patty, Grandpa Hamid, Uncle Cyrus, Patty Ann and her family, Aunt Veronica and Jim, and Mary and Jacob all came over for Christmas dinner. Amara sat in her high chair and ate dinner with the group. And she spent hours crawling around and playing with our guests, enjoying new wooden toys and lots of hugs!! Last but not least we attended an upscale "Meet your Advisors" (client appreciation) post holiday luncheon at the Loews Coronado Hotel. Amara wore her Christmas dress from Grandma and was a hit at the event. We are so proud of our little girl!

Monday, December 15, 2014

Early Christmas in Arizona

We had a wonderful time in Arizona visiting "Boppa" (Grandpa Bob), Jan, Auntie Anne, Uncle Carl, cousins Nathalie and Carter, and Uncle "Noons" (Uncle Don). Amara was SO excited to play with Nathalie and Carter and to explore Boppa's house. She has been perfecting her crawl which is more of a fast scoot with her right foot on the ground. So cute! Amara has been talking in baby language and has sooo much to say! We wish we could understand it all. She also has 6 teeth now. Her front two teeth are coming in nicely. We love to see her smile. Sometimes she tilts her head back and smiles a wide grin when she knows her photo is being taken. In Arizona we enjoyed a lot of play time (reading books, playing with play silks, and climbing on a large stuffed dog named Floppy). We also had a fun outing at Tohona Chula where we saw holiday lights, art, and live music. Amara's favorite was watching a trio of fire dancers. Amara and Mom stayed a couple extra days to spend some one-on-one time with Boppa. We went out to dinner at Olive Garden and Jerry Bob's. Amara tends to get a lot of attention in public places because she is so cute and expressive. She loves to wave and say "bye" to people. Precious!

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

11 months!

There has been much excitement in our lives recently! Amara is now 11 months old and crawling, babbling, teething and saying words! We love her so much and are so proud of her recent changes. WORDS: Amara says Dad, Mom or Mama, "dog", "hi", and we think she said "cat the other day PLAY: Amara loves reading with her parents before bed and loves to crawl and explore. She loves blocks, balls, Grandpa's red whistle (which she learned how to blow), music and peek a boo. In fact she loves just about anything new. Amara had fun playing in the sand with Colton and even tasted a little. THANKSGIVING: We had Grandpa Hamid, Grandma Patty, Uncle Cyrus and his girlfriend, Jennifer visiting

for Thanksgiving. Amara loved the company and she loved the food (as evidenced by the photos). She is now a baby with 6 teeth. Wow! Her smile is quickly changing. We also had family photos taken by our friend, Robin. We love these photos!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

First Halloween!

Amara had a great time celebrating her first Halloween. We went to a pumpkin patch with Grandma Patty and Grandpa Hamid. Amara enjoyed seeing all the bright orange pumpkins and touching straw and a tractor. Amara also went Trick or Treating in the neighborhood dressed up as a lobster! She received plenty of smiles and candy! Amara has also cut two new teeth (both "canines"). She has handled this like a champ. And most exciting of all -- Amara is now officially a crawler! She is very happy to be more mobile and independent and is exploring the world more and more each day. She loves to wave "hi" and "bye". It is really cute!

Friday, October 24, 2014

Ten months old!

Amara is ten months old and lovin' life! Last week our family took a trip to Detroit to visit Brian's relatives. Grandpa Joe ("Ja Ja") met Amara for the first time as did many special family members! We also took a recent trip to Los Angeles for Brian's work and got to connect with Kate and Scott and their new dog, Chance. Amara loves dogs and was very pleased! Here are some of Amara's recent developments: SENSE OF HUMOR: Amara is showing a fun-loving sense of humor these days. She laughs when playing "peek a boo", when it is time to dance, when Mom drops something or makes a silly face, and at many other random times. Last night she found it hilarious to watch Dad walking up the stairs right behind Mom. SIGNING: Amara claps her hands frequently, showing us what she really likes. She also makes the sign for milk frequently. We have come to realize this means "I want something". It could be milk or food or a toy. MOVING AROUND: Amara is very close to crawling. She has many cleaver movements to "get around", including scooting on her bottom while sitting up (hard to explain but she can move across the room this way). Amara likes to practice crawling on the bed where it it is soft. She can get up on all fours this way and push herself to a seated position. OTHER FUN STUFF: Amara LOVES her music class and sings in a soft high voice at times. Mom and Dad use many of her music class songs to bring a smile when Amara is tired of being in the car. Amara is eating a greater variety of foods in increasing amounts. She LOVES to feed herself "finger foods" such as Os, cut up blueberries, and yogurt melts. I could keep writing and writing about how this little girl fills our life with joy and excitement but I better move on to the photos!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Nine months old!

Amara is 9 months old! She is growing taller by the day (and getting longer hair) and she is moving around much more. She practices crawling (scooting around on her belly and rolling over and over) and is getting closer every day. She especially loves to practice on soft surfaces (like the bed) so Mom and Dad have to watch closely! Amara loves being around people and watching kids of all ages crawl, walk and play. FIRST WORD: Mamma -- Amara started saying Mamma at about 8 months while we were in Hawaii. She talks in baby language often -- adorably making new sounds and using different intonations. Amara is definitely a vocal child! FAVORITE FOODS: Amara has started eating yogurt and she loves it. She also has tried "puffs", blueberries cut in half, beans, oh yes and a couple of french fries! Really she loves to feed herself and has developed a great "pincer grasp" to get objects to her mouth. FAVORITE TOYS: Anything new is fun to play with! Amara was given some wooden blocks and funny animals recently. She was also given a colorful lama. Sometimes the most exciting toys are not toys! Amara loves to play with spoons or straws at restaurants and she loves tupperware! Who knew? FAVORITE OUTINGS: Amara has been to the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park recently. She likes to sit on a blanket and play with another baby. She loved seeing the fish and the gorillas at the Zoo. She also enjoys looking and listening to the fountains at Balboa Park and visiting the artists in the art studio village. We are so happy and proud and love watching Amara grow!