Move aside, Mia Hamm

When I was pregnant and reading What to Expect When You're Expecting, I learned that around the 30 week mark, I needed to count the baby's kicks to make sure she was kicking at least 10 times every hour. However, I never made any attempt to count Amelia's kicks because I knew without a doubt that baby girl was kicking well over 10 times every hour. It was more like 10 times every 10 minutes.

And now all of that in-womb kicking has really started to pay off as Amelia has discovered a new love for "soccer". I put soccer in quotes because she's not really playing soccer so much as just kicking the ball down the hallway over and over and OVER and OVER again. And y'all. I know I am partial...but she is REALLY GOOD!

But you don't have to take my word for it, I have documented her mad soccer skills on video for proof.

She insists on playing "kick the ball" as she calls it every afternoon with her Nana before I get home from work. And then she's ready for some more "kick the ball" with mama after dinner. And she doesn't just simply stand there and kick the ball. She dribbles the ball down the hallway and then kicks it hard into the "goal" aka my feet and then hustles her cute little toddler tush back to the end of the hall where she's ready to receive the pass and start the game all over again. It really has begun to feel like we're doing drills and I start to feel a little guilty after so many times because I can tell she's exhausted, but then I remember...I'm not making her do this! This is all her idea! And even if she's having a blast, I know it is wearing her out, as evidenced by the fact that she needs to rest against the wall in the photo below.

So there you have it. We have a veritable soccer star in the making. She's got the hustle. She's got the dedication. She can dribble like Mia Hamm. She can drive like David Beckham. Before long, she's going to perfect her scissors fake and her scissors kick. Ok...so is it obvious to anyone that I am not familiar with soccer terminology and had to Google the words "soccer terminology" in order to compose this post?

If Amelia is going to pursue her dreams of being on the USA Women's Soccer Team, I better get my act together and brush up on my soccer knowledge. Because this ex-softball and basketball playing mama does not have a clue, and I would surely hate to embarrass Amelia by being the dork in the stands cheering, "Yay, sports! Win the points!"

Who am I kidding? If Amelia is going to force me to be a soccer mom, then I might as well embrace the stereotype. Load up the Volvo and somebody get me a velour track suit and a visor while I load up the cooler with lots of snacks for the team.

Happy Thursday! Now, who needs a Capri Sun?