{Twelve Months Old - Emerson!}

Hi Family and Friends!

I AM O-N-E!! And boy does it feel great! What an exciting twelve months it's been! I can't believe all that I've accomplished and how much there is to still look forward to! A lot has happened in the last month...let me catch you up:

• I am officially drinking whole milk! Mommy says this will free up a lot of our time since we're not nursing anymore. I think whole milk has helped make me nice and round lately =)
• I can stand all by myself! My legs have always been super strong and they help me stay sturdy. Not only do I let go of the table or whatever I'm holding on to, but I can also stand from the squatting position without holding on to anything!
  
• I love walking behind my scooter. It makes me feel like I'm walking so fast! I walk as far as I can until I hit something...usually the wall or someone's feet. Then my big helper, Ethan, will come and turn the scooter around for me and I take off again. I laugh and giggle the whole time!
  
• I know you're not supposed to have a favorite parent, but I make it pretty clear who mine is. When I say "dada" it's in the softest, sweetest, angelic whisper with a smile on my face. When I say "mama" it's loud, demanding, and I'm usually throwing food or trying to tell her something.
  
• I am in size four diapers. That's right folks, I wear the same size diaper as my almost three year old brother.
  
• Mommy taught me how to give kisses. I open my mouth, lean in, and slobber all over mommy's cheek.
  
• I can follow simple instructions when people ask me to wave or clap.
  
• One of my most favorite activities is wrestling with my brother. Ethan likes to make a pile of pillows on the ground and we roll around and laugh. I don't know where my silly brother learned some of his moves, but his favorite is called the "Steamroller." He literally barrel rolls starting on my tummy and then over my face. Mommy doesn't like it.

• I have one tuft of hair that is starting to get some curl to it! Mommy really hopes my hair is as long and curly as hers when she was growing up!
  
• I have no teeth.

• A big accomplishment for me this past month was being able to crawl from room to room. I get really happy and proud of myself when mommy is changing Ethan's diaper in his room and I can crawl/crab walk all the way down the hallway and sneak up on them. I poke my head around the corner and they act surprised that I found them! =)



• I love having anything soft around my face. I like to take blankets or stuffed animals and press it against my cheeks, hug it, and roll around on the floor with them. Playing "where's Emerson?" with the blanket is also pretty fantastic.
• While I might've led you to believe earlier that daddy was my favorite, my mommy is pretty great too. I love to snuggle and cuddle with her. I lay my head on her shoulder while she's carrying or rocking me and I suck my two fingers. I feel safe and loved.
  
• My laugh sounds like I'm crying.
• I'm not gonna lie, my brother and I are quite a hit at the grocery with the older generations. Mommy usually gets stopped several times during our trip so people can tell us how cute (and well behaved!) we are. They talk in a funny baby voice and try to get me to wave. I always make them smile.
  
• I sleep 12-13 hours a night with a 90-minute morning nap and 90-minute afternoon nap.
  
• Now that I'm getting older and more mobile, I'm also having to learn the rules around the house. Mommy uses a very stern voice when I touch the outlet covers, pull up on the tv stand, and take toys from Ethan.
• I do have good news to report: I am not allergic to eggs or peanuts! Mommy and daddy were hesitant to try these new foods with me since my brother is allergic to them. But, I am all clear =) However, I do not like eggs. I refuse to eat them...even when mommy makes them scrambled with cheese!

• I may not like eggs, but let me tell you what I do like....oh yeah, EVERYTHING ELSE! Meat is my favorite thing to eat. Ham, turkey, chicken, sausage, hamburger, you name it. Fruits are another go-to...strawberries, watermelon, bananas, and blueberries are my favorite. I will eat anything dairy or carb related - cheese, toast, rice, yogurt, etc. Veggies are still probably my least favorite, but will eat green beans, carrots, sweet potato, and broccoli just to name a few.

Clearly, I've been a busy-busy bee this past month! Mommy and daddy are throwing me a birthday party and I'm so excited! It will be fun to have my family together and try a cupcake for the first time! Thank you for allowing me to share this past year with you - it's been fun to journal every month about the fun things I'm doing. I'm so happy you check the blog and always smile when I hear from my family and friends!

{Eleven Months Old - Emerson!}

Hi Family and Friends!

I'm 11 months old! Now, I don't know my numbers yet, but I hear that's only one month away from my BIG birthday. And you get a cupcake for your birthday...at least that's what Ethan tells me. It's been a super fun month filled with lots of sunshine, play time, and new adventures. This month I didn't have my best photo shoot. I had a fever for three days, and as you can tell, I wasn't smiling in a lot of my pictures. Daddy and Ethan were acting like goofs behind the camera trying to get me to laugh, but I was unamused. Plus, all I wanted to do was eat my sticker and crawl off my chair. Having said that, let me update you on some of the fun things I've accomplished in the last month:

• I've been perfecting my "crawling" - I still do a pretty mean scoot across the carpet, but one thing is for sure - I'm picking up speed! Mommy's been very happy with me so far because overall I stay in the area that I'm supposed to and don't do anything (too) bad.
   
  
• I pull up on everything and cruise along the furniture and tables. I love to stand at my activity table and press the buttons. It plays music and I just bounce my little legs up and down!
  
• I've discovered doorstops. They make a really funny noise - "boinggggggggg." It makes Ethan giggle.
• I love to spend time outside with my family. Mommy puts a blanket down and gives me toys to play with. I also play at the water table with Ethan. He likes to pour water on me.

• I wake up so happy all the time. I usually coo and play in my crib for awhile before mommy or daddy comes in to get me. They will always find me either sitting up or standing up with the biggest smile on my face. Mommy says one of her favorite things is coming in during the morning. She scoops me up and I usually put my head on her shoulder for cuddles. She says I'm always so warm and then she smothers me in hugs and kisses.

•  I don't need any toys of my own when my big brother has so many cool ones. I want what he wants. I play with what he plays with.
• I am learning how to put an object in a bowl or cup and listen to it rattle around.
• I love to play peek-a-boo with a blanket. Mommy or daddy throws it over my head and I pull it down quickly and laugh.
   
  
  
  
  
• Besides my "crawl," I've also found that you can get places by rolling. Sometimes I like to just lay down on the carpet and roll over pillows.
  
• Learning to be mobile doesn't come easy. I bump my head all the time on the coffee table, train table, or another toy. Or a lot of times I get knocked in the head by Ethan (don't worry, it's only on purpose sometimes). I'm pretty tough though - I usually just rub my head and move on.
• By now you should all know I have quite the appetite. I continue to love meat - chicken, ham, turkey, and sausage. I also love my fruit - strawberries, bananas, peaches, pears, raspberries, watermelon, and kiwi. Some of my vegetables come from a pouch, but mommy still offers sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, broccoli, and peas. I'm not as quick to grab vegetables as I am everything else. And let's talk carbs - who doesn't love pancakes, toast, and rice?

•  At my ripe age of 11 months, however, I would say my most favorite thing is cottage cheese. Whenever mommy pulls it out of the fridge, I start squealing and kick my legs. She puts a scoop on my tray and BAM! It's gone. I eat a fistful at a time. No joke. Many who have witnessed this in person say it reminds them of a lizard catching a bug with their quick tongue. Sometimes mommy feeds me cottage cheese just to make others laugh or to take a video. I'm okay with that.
  
• Besides food, I also like to eat bark, grass, silk flowers, real flowers, cat food, and even one of Ethan's cardboard books.
  
• My big brother is loving the fact that I'm more mobile and more fun to play with. He's always trying to get me to do stuff. He says, "sister, crawl! sister, sit down! sister, say dada! sister, throw ball!"
• And for my next trick, I will balance two cars in one hand while taking a knee... 
  
• I sleep from 8pm-8am every night with a two hour nap in the morning and a 90 minute nap in the afternoon.
• Mommy has long hair. I love to pull it. It makes it really easy to stand up when I can hold onto it for balance.

I can only imagine what it will be like when I am ONE. I'm learning so much every day and love spending time with my family. Thanks for catching up on our blog - more fun stuff to come soon!

 

 

 

ENOUGH WITH THE PICTURES MOM!!!

 

Springtime Fun!

Happy Springtime Friends!

We've been staying busy filling our days with as much outside time as possible! The warmer weather has been such a treat - quite the preview for summer! Last week, Bloomington held it's annual Strawberry Shortcake Festival downtown on the square. Such a fun community event packed with kiddos and their parents! Ethan wasn't quite a fan of the shortcake, but you better believe he gobbled up every bite of the vanilla ice cream =) Then he had fun playing in the dirt and even took it upon himself to eat a nice spoonful of mulch. Yummy. No ice cream for Emerson - she enjoyed playing in the grass and looking cute!

We are on such a watermelon kick around this house! All four of us can't get enough. We've enjoyed taking our meals outside on the back porch and soaking up every ounce of sunshine we can get. Ethan looked so cute sitting at his own table eating a slice of watermelon:

Mamaw was so sweet and dropped off a water table for the munchkins to enjoy and it was has been quite the hit! Talk about endless hours of fun! Ethan loves to pour water out, pour water in, pour water on his sister, basically anything that involves all of us getting wet! I love this picture of us having family time last weekend - Ethan playing by himself at the water table, Emerson playing by herself in the little pirate ship, and then their two parents laying out in the sun enjoying a mid-day drink...because we can! Haha! Such a happy memory!

Emerson tried spaghetti for the first time...think it was a hit? I love this face -

Ethan has been quite a busy boy painting fun arts and crafts. He painted a flower pot for Mamaw for Mother's Day - he was soooo incredibly proud of his work. He also painted a coffee mug for Ginka and a couple fun 'ornaments' to put in our flower pots here at home. He does a great job using a separate brush for each color =)

I'm just loving my days with Ethan and Emerson right now. We are all in a really good spot and am looking forward to fun summer days ahead!

 

 

 

 

{Ten Months Old - Emerson!}

Hi Family and Friends!

Mommy says she needs time to stand still. She's having a hard time grasping the fact that I'm TEN months old! I like getting older though. Because I learn new stuff every month and am making fun memories with my family. Here's a glimpse into my life at ten months:

• It's official: I'm on the move!!! I'm not a traditional crawler (yet) - I'm more so a scooter! I like to lunge forward with my arms, get up on one leg, and then scoot on my bottom. I can get places. Mommy will put me down in front of her and before you know it, I've made my way over to the train table and am playing with my brother. It's fun to move around.

• I have mastered the art of pulling up. My favorite things to pull up on include my crib, the coffee table, and daddy. My new trick of pulling up meant mommy and daddy had to lower my crib to the lowest setting.

• Who needs sleep when you can stand up in your crib? Sleeping is for babies - and I'm ten months old now =) (mommy says that is sarcasm)
  
• I love to talk. I say "ba-ba-ba-ba" and "da-da-da-da" and "ahhhhhhhhhhhh."
• I weigh 17 1/2 lbs! I've really gotten chubby since I started eating food!
  
• My hair is growing. But only down the middle part of my head. Sometimes people think I have a Mohawk. I think it's fun to reach up and pull my hair - it feels funny.
  

• Last month I sat in a highchair for the first time. This month, I got to ride in the front of a shopping cart for the first time. Whoa! Talk about fun. I dangle my legs and hold on to the bar while mommy pushes me around.
  
  
  
• Much to mommy's dismay, I seem to be very intrigued by the TV - especially when Mickey is on. Sometimes mommy lets Ethan watch Mickey for a couple minutes so we can have peace. I like him. He has a funny voice and seems really nice.

 

• I may be small in weight for my age, but let me tell you - food is my new best friend!! I will eat anything you put in front of me. Mommy has to make sure she has a full plate ready before she puts me in the highchair or I get very impatient and start squealing.
  



        

• Here's what I've been eating lately: strawberries, blueberries, pears, bananas, watermelon, green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, nutri grain bars, cheerios, bread, chicken, and ham! I have learned how to drink pouches too which helps me with my fruit and vegetable intake. I barely make a mess when I eat...that's because it all goes in my mouth! I not only use my "pincher grasp" to grab pieces one by one, but I also have a great shoveling method that works too. Sometimes I've been known to actually put my mouth on the edge of the table and just sweep it right on in!

 

• I sleep 11-12 hours a night with a morning and afternoon nap usually lasting 90 minutes each. I am in size 3 diapers and wear 12 month clothing.

 

• I like music. Every time I hear music of any kind, I like to wave my hand or clap.

• It doesn't take much to make me smile. Actually, just look at me and I'll smile. I'm a happy baby.

Thanks for stopping by the blog again to visit me. I've been having so much fun getting older, playing outside, and laughing with my brother. See you next month!