Amelia takes on the holidays

Amelia entered into the New Year of 2009 in good sprites, but with some teething pains. Her holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, were spread out between Chicago, Waycross, GA, Jacksonville, FL, and Atlanta. Check out the Flickr.com site here to see pictures of the month’s past events.

While in the Chicago area for Thanksgiving, she received excellent care from her Mimi and two sets of aunts and uncles over a couple of days, thus allowing her parents some time to shop and explore in downtown Chicago. She got to see her cousins who enjoyed playing with her. Amelia is certainly a social creature and loves a crowd.

Christmastime included a trip to see Santa at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta. On Santa’s lap, she enjoyed pointing to the lights, cameraman and the sights of the mall. The cameraman had Santa distract her just long enough to get her arm down for the annual photo.

On the 20th of December, her grandmother Mimi flew in to join us for Christmas. Mimi and she spent time looking at books and going to the park to swing. On Christmas Eve we all left for Waycross, GA. Once in Waycross, Amelia spent time seeing relatives and opening gifts. She had fun walking up and down the halls of the Pond View Inn in downtown Waycross where we stayed. The day after Christmas, Amelia with her parents, Mimi, Big Mamma and Big Daddy, went an hour or so southeast of Waycross to Jacksonville, FL. She lunched with everyone in the San Marco area before heading to take a nap in her Uncle Tot’s new hip loft space. She stayed up late for dinner at the Chart House Restaurant in Jacksonville before mostly giggling her way back to Waycross. The next day, she wasn’t keen on sleeping during the 250 plus mile trip home until about a mile from the house when she finally couldn’t resist sleep, but she returned to her happy toddler life in Atlanta.

Amelia at fourteen months

Amelia is walking now. So far we can keep up with her. She babbles and she points at everything. Many objects are known as "bee" or "baa". She must be southern because she sometimes likes to say "Bubba". This month she traveled to Amelia Island in Flordia once again. Next month she takes her second plane trip,this time north to Chicago. Please see the new photos on flickr.com website.

New portraits

We had photogapher Shannon Holden come to our home and take new profesional photos of Amelia at age one. Shannon has put up a slide show of the session on her site. Please see them here.

www.shannonholden.com/clients/2008-08witte


I am not sure how long these photos will be up on her site, but please have look.

Amelia Turns One

August 6th Amelia turned age one. The common description of having a baby around is that they grow up fast. We were warned that a year goes by fast and so it is true. I invite everyone who has paid attention to the blog here, or even if you have not, to take a look back in the next month at our year with Amelia. I plan on deleting some past online stories soon after I make some copies. I need space for more adventures. We have grown as parents since the first few days she came to us in during hot dry days of August 2006. We know that ahead there is more to learn and experience.

Amelia for a one year old has covered a lot of ground in one year. Sometimes it was like I wanted her do everything in one year of her tiny life, all with hovering hands and parental supervision of course. So far she has been to five states, flown on a plane, had a brief ride on ferry boat, rode a New Orleans streetcar, been to an art museum, aquarium, farms, church services, islands and beaches. All this and I remembered the other day, she hasn’t ridden on a Marta train here in Atlanta yet, oh well. There is so much time ahead. I know time will zoom by with Amelia because I’ve been warned. I’ll try to snap the pictures fast.

Be sure so the pictures of Amelia’s first birthday party on the flickr site.

Amelia at eleven months

Amelia is now less than a month from her first birthday. She is crawling, sometimes at rapid speeds, around the house. Amelia can now stand and cruise around the edge of a low table. At times she has found herself standing without any nearby support showing us that walking can’t be too far off. Recently in June she spent time on Amelia Island in Florida. New pictures are now loaded on the picture site. See the photos here.

Amelia flies for the first time with visit to New Orleans

At nine months of age Amelia made her first plane trip. She slept most of the way both coming and going to the Crescent City. She spent four days and nights with us in French Quarter at the Astor Hotel at the corner of Bourbon and Canal Streets. She was joined in New Orleans by her Mimi Witte, her Big Mama and Big Daddy Gillis.

At our hotel, Amelia’s nighttime sleep, with her usual white noise sound machine, was mixed with occasional pluses of sound from nearby Bourbon Street as people partied five stories below. Amelia withstood this new temporary environment and enjoyed exploring new territories. With Amelia in a stroller, we went around the French Quarter, rode the St. Charles streetcar line to the Garden District and stopped to take pictures in Jackson Square. In the pictures you will see her reaching for a New Orleans favorite, a Po-Boy sandwich, which she can try for real in few years. We had rental car which allowed us to visit friends on Bayou St. John near City Park. Amelia met a friend’s baby, Aidan, who is a month apart in age from her. We ventured to see the progress in the Katrina damaged Lakeview neighborhood. Things look better there than in May 2006 when we first returned to visit after the storm. On Lake Pontchartrain, we watched the sun set over the lake while we dined at the new Landry’s Seafood restaurant.

Amelia likes being the well traveled baby, but she likes her time home as well as she explores the carpets and floors while crawling. She will return to Amelia Island in Florida for a visit in June. That will be a car ride, though she seems to like the speed of air travel.


Please see the photos by clicking here.

Amelia travels to Louisville

Amelia has now added the states of Tennessee and Kentucky to her list, OK maybe it is our list, of places she has traveled to. For the Easter weekend Amelia made her first trip up to Mimi Witte’s home in Louisville, KY. Since she needs a break from her car seat at around four hours we stopped overnight in Nashville, TN and took in the sights.

Once in Louisville, Amelia got familiar with a new crib ,purchased just for her, in Mimi Witte’s house. Amelia had a visit to the famed Churchill Downs and her parent’s favorite shops on Bardstown road. But this trip wasn’t just about places it was about people. Amelia was introduced to other members of her family when Uncle Ken, Aunt Susan and Cousin Amanda Witte came down from the Chicago area to meet her. The day after meeting her Witte relatives, she was introduced to her Mimi Witte’s friends with a gathering at the house complete with cupcakes and punch for the adults.

The return trip to Atlanta included another stop in Nashville. We wheeled around the massive Opryland Hotel east of the city. On the way home the next day we went up Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga. We entertained the idea of seeing Rock City, as some many roadside signs instruct you to do, but there was not enough time and so we had lunch before continuing back to life in Atlanta. Next month, Amelia adds Louisiana to her list of places. She won’t remember all these travels, but the pictures here are the proof. Click here for pictures.