Sleeping Like a Baby

After leaving Emma with Daddy for a whole day, I come home to this...

Daddy 'n Me!

Daddy, Mommy, and Emma spent some time outside this evening. I took some nice pictures of Emma and Daddy. If you can't already tell by the pictures, Emma is a Daddy's girl. It is hard to get pictures of her smiling UNLESS she's with Daddy.

Ordinarily, she tends to see the camera and get really curious about what I'm doing with it. She puts on her curious face then, and my picture perfect smiles are gone! Today, she was so thrilled to be outside with Daddy that I was able to snap the pictures easily and without her noticing. It was just too good a moment to pass up.

Fun Picture

I almost (but not quite) feel badly for admitting that this picture is one of my absolute favorites. This was taken Easter weekend by a pet photographer (I don't feel bad admitting that, either). If you look closely, you'll notice that Emma has just spit-up on herself. There is a little spit on on her dress and on the ground near her foot. The expression on her face is priceless, and in case you thought I didn't care, those are my hands in the picture. I realized that she was going to puke and was reaching for her to steady and comfort her. Before the incident, she was laughing and happy. Once she was cleaned up, she'd forgotten the whole thing and was back to being her normal happy self. The headband is pushing down on her ears, making them stick out more than they actually do. I think it makes her look more like Daddy! I like this picture so much, I almost ordered an 8x10 for the wall!

Summer Days

It has been so hot here lately. Emma gets sweaty and cranky. She just runs...er, crawls around in her diaper all day. Sometimes I wet my hands and run them down over her limbs to help keep her cool. I am hoping we get our pool opened soon. I can't wait to introduce her to swimming! I have been keeping an eye out for some age appropriate pool toys for her. I'd also like to get her a swing for her swing-set outside, I think the daredevil in her would appreciate swinging in the evenings.

I've also been letting her sip cool water from my own glass. She doesn't really need it, but she enjoys having some of what mommy's got. I have been thinking long and hard, and I am pretty sure I don't want to give Emma sippy cups to tote around. I realize this isn't the norm, but she does so well sipping from a normal glass, that I don't really see the point of buying sippy cups.

Not only that, I think it's annoying when kids are always toting a cup and a container with snacks in it. I can't see why people just don't offer their children snacks and drinks every two hours. Having food available all the time just doesn't seem overly healthy and I think it encourages compulsive eating. If the snack is there, they eat for entertainment and just because they can. I would rather not encourage that kind of thinking and behavior.

We'll see how that goes...

What is a Butter-Sausage?

Butter-Sausage is the nickname we gave our daughter because she's a healthy little baby who LOVES to eat. We don't feel badly about making fun of the fact that she has three fat rolls on one thigh and two on the other. She's almost 8 months old and growing so fast that I can SEE it happening! If she ends up reading this blog years from now, we're confident that she won't be overly embarrassed. Our intent is to raise Emma to understand that good-natured teasing is ok. She already has a wonderful sense of humor and a bold, active personality. She is afraid of nothing, and eats absolutely everything we offer her.

My purpose for this blog is to chronicle her life. I'm convinced that I'll remember all the important things and when they happen, but other (more experienced) mothers tell me that this simply isn't true. So with that in mind, here are some things Emma Grace is doing and experiencing right now:

1. Emma can crawl - She's a maniac and has to frequently be contained. She is into everything!

2. Emma can pull herself up onto the furniture - the coffee table is no longer "safe."

3. Emma is starting to talk - So far we can recognize "Daddy, Hi, Honk, and Ahhhh, (when I poke at her gums to see if her teeth are sprouting yet).

4. Emma mimics sounds she hears - She likes to growl and make "murloc" noises. She growls at the dogs.

5. Emma climbs - We had to remove her second mattress because I was afraid she'd flip herself over the crib rail and get hurt.

6. Emma waves - She does this better for people other than mommy. I have no idea why.

7. Emma raises her hands when she'd like picked up.

8. Emma's favorite game is "honk" - This is similar to eskimo kisses, Emma loves it when we touch her nose with our own and say "HONK!" She often greets other people by touching her nose to theirs. Most people don't realize that "honk" is her way of saying hello!

9. Emma recognizes the word "MILK" - It sends her into a begging frenzy. We're working on curbing this.

10. Emma can call the dogs - This one is one of my favorites. She pats her thigh and says "Ooo, Ooo (baby-speak for "Link") until the dog comes. Before he reaches her, she automatically braces herself and closes her eyes as protection against his big tongue.

Other developments include the introduction of some soft adult foods such as small pieces of cheese, tiny tidbits of meat. She absolutely loves melon as a treat. She does not eat baby food or solids every day of the week. She is still almost exclusively breast fed. We tend to let her taste things when we are out and about visiting friends or eating at restaurants.