In 10 Months I've Learned...

how fragile life is

how to play chase like a champ!

when crawling like a 10 month old, you realize all the places you missed while dusting

that my daughter has the BEST laugh

that the holidays with a little one are extraordinary

that when you spend your entire life stationary and dependent on others, you just want to move around when you finally learn to

that T and I make the absolute best team

that family is all you need

that God is molding T and I into the parents we've prayed to be

10 Months Brought Us...

• One trip to the ER, 3 doctor visits, 1 x-ray
• the flu...which brought the above and below
• Tamiflu and the horror of night terrors and hallucinations
• a week long fever that wouldn't break
• the realization that my daughter inherited febrile seizures from me
• real, official, speed crawling
• pulling up on EVERYTHING and cruising furniture
• eating spaghetti! messy, messy eating!
• the ability to eat bananas like a monkey!
• the discovery that we're not so fond of raspberries
• sitting up and pulling up on our crib which led to daddy lowering it
• the desire to walk EVERYWHERE
• the first taste of a hamburger
• a love for mommy and daddy's cinnamon toast crunch cereal
• sweet potato puffs
• extra clinginess
• longer hair with the tiniest hint of a wave
• bath times in the big kid tub!
• crawling to the bathroom for bath time
• our first trip to a pumpkin patch!
• our first Halloween!

I'm sure I'm missing so much, but it was a HUGE month development wise!

Our 9th Month Brought Us...

faster army crawling

clapping

waving

ability to eat Cheerios

our first stomach bug-wow, what a weekend that was for all of us

introduction to Yo Baby yogurt-HUGE hit!

purchase of our first Halloween costume

trip to daddy's new office on sixth street and a sampling of lunch at Whole Foods and dessert at Yogurt Planet

LOTS of talking-lots of da da, ga ga

huge desire to walk

curiosity of things-looking under couches, behind toys, grabbing things, finding intended purpose for toys that had previously just been teethers

dinner at Jason's Deli-and a slurp of momma's ice cream! :)

lots of last minute #2's in the car RIGHT before getting to our destination. Sweet thing got shopping nerves!

Just a lot of plain old fun!

In 9 Month's I've Learned...

(9 Month Stats: 19lbs, 11 ounces [50-75%]; Length: 28 1/4 [75%]; 46cm [90-95%])

That army crawling gets faster and cuter everyday!

That the ability to grasp for and get a Cheerio in your mouth is a huge skill that is tougher than it looks!

That Gymboree at this age is so much fun!

That mommy was not comfortable giving you the flu shot this year. We'll wait until you're bigger and stronger for that one.

That stomach bugs are no fun at all.

A lot of big changes can happen in a short amount of time.

That in a pinch at a restaurant with a dirty table-hand sanitizer and a baby wipe will work to disinfect your eating space.

That you'll look back at that infant car seat that your child has outgrown and marvel at how you thought your little one was once so tiny in it.

A well packed diaper bag can keep a little one entertained and prepared for any situation.

That our life is so deeply blessed and rich. As each day passes I wonder what I did right to deserve all of this love and blessings.

That her one year birthday is coming faster than I can believe.

In 8 Months I've Learned...

That our stationary days are numbered.

How to entertain a little one in a car seat with any ordinary object.

That life in fast-ish restaurants with a little one is possible...yay!

That babies grow out of clothes way too fast. Inexpensive is the way to go.

That a child who is able to sit upright in a shopping cart opens doors to so many fun outings!

How to play peek-a-boo all around our house!

To always, always, ALWAYS pack an extra outfit, diaper, and wipes.

That holidays with a baby make the season so much more exciting!

That our hearts will forever be hers.

A Few New Recipes...

So I've been MIA enjoying my free time with our family and getting back into the swing of things in Kindergarten. I do have two great recipes to share that are both crock pot goodies!

This was a great bbq chicken recipe. It is SO tender and I used 4 frozen as a rock chicken breasts.

This is a GREAT lasagna recipe. It does have a bit of prep to cook the meat and combine with the sauce, but it was great!

7 Months

(these shots are blurry and you can blame early morning light in our kitchen for that!)

7 months is almost over and with this new month new changes have come up with our sweet Emerson. Here's the lowdown on all the things Emmy's up to:

• She got her first two teeth within a week apart! She has her bottom two teeth in and man are they so cute! They were heck on wheels coming in and we almost all lost our lives in the process, but we made it and boy is she a doll! We think a few more are coming in, but we can't tell if they are the top teeth or bottom canines. Time will tell.
• Her hair is growing so fast and it's CRAZY! It's so spikey and won't stay down at all! Water only works until it dries and then...Poof! back up again!
• She no longer wants to wear headbands or hats. As soon as she discovered she could reach up there and yank them, we were done. The only hat that stays is the one with the chin strap.
• She now puts her arms out like we do for a hug when she wants to be picked up or carried. She did it for me the first time last week at Target and I about lost it getting all emotional at the checkout line. My sweet baby can now show us she needs us!
• She's a rolly polly! I can't change her diaper, get her ready for bath, or set her down and walk away without her rolling from back to front and front to back and so on. No crawling yet, but I'm ok with that!
• She's eating like crazy! She's now down to six ounces every 4 hours, except the bed time bottle is 8 ounces. She eats three meals a day and at dinner she downs about 4 ounces of some veggie (usually carrots or a form of potatoes), a chicken/rice meal or a turkey/rice meal, and a fruit (usually bananas or pears).
• She's sitting up completely on her own...unless she reaches too far to her left or right for a toy and then boom!
• She's fighting naps and now stays awake anywhere from 3-4(yikes) hours at a time. I guess she's more aware of her environment now and doesn't want to nap. To be continued...
• Night time sleep-well I won't jinx it by saying it's great. I'll just say that she's resting and so are we!
• She's super vocal and loves clicking her tongue on her new teeth. Smacking is also a big one. It's super cute.
• She's done it for a while, but she crinkles her nose when she makes eye contact with you and smiles and will do it if you do it first. It cracks us up! She also does it when she's being ornery and she seems to know it works for her!
• Her laugh is the most contagious thing! It's so loud and she can laugh forever! Sometimes she laughs so hard she has to close her eyes and almost chokes on her laughter. Adorable!
• We had a setback on her reflux and had to up her Nexium for her weight. We seem to be back on track and hopefully she'll be more comfortable at night.

She's a fierce and tough cookie, but she brings so much joy to our lives. This girl will not be a wallflower by any means. I can't imagine what she has in store for us in the future. We've enjoyed our time so far and look forward to every day to come! :)