8 months

I first attempted to get his 8 month picture on his blue chair again but he kept trying to climb out so I got a lot of this:

And finally this:

So I decided to try in the living room and he kept creeping away.

And Finally I got a keeper (please disregard the dirty diaper in the background) Ha.

This month Emerson has taken an interest in books which makes this book loving Mommy and Daddy so happy but annoys his sister.  She is not very welcoming of him listening to stories with her or touching her books.

New foods this boy has eaten this month are pancakes (see previous post for adorable pictures), yogurt melts, cheddar cheese, apple chunks, noodles, fresh blueberries, fresh strawberries and peas. He still likes cheerios the best because it's easier for him to grab.  He isn't eating any pureed foods any more.  He doesn't have the patience of waiting for someone to feed him.  He still doesn't have any teeth so it is interesting to find foods soft enough for him to eat.  He also enjoys holding the bottle himself.

His joyful 7th month has led to a more tearful month.  He is trying to learn everything so quickly and gets frustrated easily.  He is frequently screaming angrily because he can't open a book, reach his food, get the toy he wants or have the choking hazard you just took away.  He is still quick to grin and laugh at his sister's tickles and funny sounds.

Emerson is army crawling all over the living room.  He hasn't gotten his belly up yet to crawl with speed.  He can stand for short spurts while holding onto furniture.

Right now he loves creeping and crawling, books, Abby's little people Princesses (especially the Beast), and any toys that play music.

We aren't sure if he sleeps through the night.  With the hot weather we noticed if we have our doors shut and the fans on we can't hear him so we have decided to let him cry it out since we can't hear him anyway.  So far we have only heard him 1 out of 4 nights.

I'm hoping by 9 months he is a good sleeper and still is not crawling so we can keep him under control.

Just hanging out with the big sister in our underoos.

A Vacation Treat

"Hmm, something new?"

"What could it be?"

"I'll just take one little bite . . .".

"YUCK"

Seven

What a month!  Right when I had declared he would skip crawling because he hated being on his tummy, he decided being on your tummy is pretty cool.  Now he wiggles, rolls, launches or creeps himself across the room into all kinds of trouble.  Abby has been overly excited to help scold him when he touches things he should not. 

This month he tried mango, black beans, mashed potato, cheerios and a blueberry/applesauce baby food.He's warming up to bananas but  it's still not his favorite.   His favorite still seems to be green beans or squash I roasted with pears. 

He is a much more cheerful guy now that he can sit.  All that screaming while I made dinner was resolved as soon as he was able to sit up and play.  It was such an amazing discovery to me I just started at him.

His little legs are already busting out of his infant carrier but I'm not ready to buy that next car seat.  I'm not sure of his weight, his next appointment isn't until August.

Right now he loves petting, pulling, tackling the cat; listening to Abby sing, or playing with musical toys.

He usually sleeps through the night but still has several nights a week where he wakes up 1-2 times.

He's at such a cute stage, I wish we could freeze time.

Mother's Day

Rumchata French Toast

A beautiful poem with Abby's little feet made at church

Chocolates, a handmade card, handmade flowers

Taco Pizza

Extended family

A home cooked dinner

First official family movie night - The Tigger Movie

My Perfect Mother's Day!

Cameraless

Dear Abby,

I want to capture a moment for you to today that I did not get on film.  We met one of our favorite families for a morning at the zoo and both mamas were thinking no camera today so we could be in the moment.  It's easy to get caught up in taking pictures instead of just enjoying each other's company.  You were a little afraid of some construction noises so Ms. Amy suggested you hold your friend's hand.  So you did . . . all day.  Especially when you were nervous or afraid.  He held your hand and excitedly chatted about the animals until you were more confident.  It was so sweet.  I moment I'll always cherish.  My big girl and her buddy holding hands and laughing.

Love you Gator,

Mommy

Our big girl at 3 years old

 This lucky lady had two birthday parties this year.  Look at this amazing cake Grandpa Dave and Sue got her.  It was delicious too.  This birthday she got a lot of princess and Dora toys so she was in heaven.  Also Uncle Jay got her some great sand/beach toys which has caused a daily discussion about when are we going to go on vacation.  Almost every morning she asks to go to the beach or vacation.

 She is still an amazing eater.  She loves bagels or oatmeal for breakfast these days with fruit and sometimes yogurt.  She often eats 2 breakfasts before her morning snack.  Lunch she has become pretty boring and wants only peanut butter, tacos or quesadillas.  She will eat baby carrots and fruit at every meal.  Sometimes she will eat well at dinner but usually not.  Then right before bed we have to hear how hungry she is -typical bedtime stalling.

 We are so fortunate to have found such a great daycare.  Lori does a craft and learning activities every day.  Abby knows her basic colors, shapes, how to count to 10 and can recognize all the letters of the alphabet.  This month they will work on writing their names.  She can not write anything yet so I don't expect this will really happen but it's nice to know how dedicated Lori is to teaching them.

 Her best buddies right now are still her cousin Kayden, Eli, Keira from day care and Hunter from daycare.  We saw Hunter at Target one day and she was shouting hello to him across the store until we went up to greet them.

 Bedtime is a long drawn out process and now includes many friends.  She seems to have outgrown her night terrors.

 She continues to love books.  We go to the library once a week to get new books.  She is enjoying teaching Emerson all about reading and books - well as long as he doesn't touch the pages.

 Her other favorite activities are puzzles, riding her tricycle, playing at the playground, blowing bubbles, coloring, painting, play douh, playing with her Disney princess castle and playing with her dinosaurs.  This summer we will get back into story time at the library and she will have swim lessons.

 This is adorable girl is completely potty trained.  I still can't believe it and am often nervous when we go out. Luckily she is not afraid of any public toilets and is really good about telling us when she has to go.  The last two accidents she had were right by the toilet because she couldn't get her pants off.  We had a rocky start but she learned fast.

The most difficult things for me right now are that she gets sick a lot   She only got sick once in the first year of her live and since Emerson has been born she has had 4 serious illnesses.  Also, she is getting sassy trying to test her boundaries but her tantrums are usually pretty quick.  I really enjoy watching her grow and the amazing new things she says and does everyday.  She is 30.5# (45th%ile) and 37 3/4 inches tall (70th%ile) today.

6 months

Emerson is 6 months old.  He still seems like such a baby to me.  I just can't imagine he'll ever speak or walk or even crawl.  He does make different sounds now key, gee and da-da.

  He has slept through the night two nights now.  Not in a row and it's been at least a week now.  He still sleeps best swaddled but keeps busting out resulting in crying fits in the night.  He has to have his Nuk to sleep.  He is doing well unswaddled for naps as long as he has a blanket. (We know, we know.  Don't tell the doctor on us.)

 He grabs everything in sight.  Your face, toys, choking hazards, the cat's ear, or whatever is handy.  He has been enjoying his play yard and jumper lately and seems to understand the idea of peek a bo and will cover his face with a blanket and laugh when you "find" him.

 He has a great smile that we are seeing more and more of.  He has an infectious laugh and loves to be tickled.

 Abby is still his best bud and gets the best giggles out of him.  She likes to teach him, tickle him, read to him, sing to him and scold him.  He's becoming more weary of people he doesn't see often and has give one of his  grandmas a complex by bursting into tears when he sees her.

 He can sit for a few seconds now.  Sitting and standing are his favorite positions these days.

 He refuses to ever be on his tummy.  He flips over right away to play with his feet.  I wonder if he'll be one of those kids that skips crawling because he never wants to be in that position.

He's eaten sweet potato, squash, pears, peaches, green beans, peas, and his favorite applesauce.  He did not like bananas at all and avocado did not agree with his delicate tummy.  I love making baby food so this is one of my favorite phases in babyhood.  The doctor said he can try Gerber puffs or cheerios, so for lunch I gave him a few puffs.  He didn't know what to do with it so Abby wanted to feed him one.  He looked like we were trying to poison him and spit it out.  He's really good at telling us when he isn't ready for something.

He continues to grow.  Today's stats were 80th%ile for head circumference,  16# 9 oz for wt (down to 35th%ile) and 271/4 inches (75th%ile).  Dr Cornell says growth curves have some bumps but he is right on his track.  It still makes me nervous to see the weight percentiles drop every visit but she is not worried and said "you aren't big people.  He won't be either.  Stop worrying."  So I'll try and continue her previous prescription of a glass of red wine nightly for mama.