17 Months

My baby girl is almost a year and a half!  (insert a tiny tear here)  This past month, she has started doing things that are making me feel like she really is becoming more of a toddler and less of a baby.  I knew this time would come, but I really thought that she would be my baby a little bit longer than this. 

She has had quite a month since the past post. She went to Galveston on a weekend getaway with her cousin Marlee (and parents of course).




















She went to the Theta Pumpkin Patch in El Campo.  We took her last year as well, but it was SO much more fun this year.  She was actually able to sit and hold herself up with all of the photo props. AND it helped that I made sure she was wearing clothes that would keep the hay from scratching her.  That was a big hindrance last year.























She went to College Station to visit Rah-Rah and take our family Christmas pictures. 

While there we also took pictures of Aunt B for her graduation which is coming up in December!  Emmy was super enthused to be a part of that. :)



She went trick or treating...








...and to the Hallelujah party at the church.



She visited her Grannie Nelson in Milam and we went "junking"/antiquing.

After writing all of this down, I feel like we barely had time to breath the past month, and there is no end in sight with the Holiday season upon us.  I love all the little trips and things that we do as a family though, so I don't mind being a little tired.

She has been doing a few new/strange things this month as well.

She has become very motherly with her dolls lately.  She picks them up and pats their backs and coos to them while she "puts them to sleep."  She also puts them on the floor and covers them up with blankets, towels, clothes, bibs or whatever else she can find and pats them to sleep.  It is soooo cute.  Linda told me she has even been doing it at daycare.

In a not so cute turn of events, she has also learned how to fake cry in a really loud way.  Instead of just throwing a fit when she doesn't get her way now, she can produce little tears on cue.  She hides her face in her hands and cries until she gets what she wants.  Once she gets whatever it happens to be, like magic, the tears are gone, and she is all smiles.  I am on to her, but she is really racking up some spoiled points with other members of my family with this new gambit.

We also had some random sickness this month.  For about three weeks, she has been getting sick at random times.  She has always had a sensitive stomack, but this has been ridiculous.  We will feed her or let her have something to drink or just be sitting around and BAM!  We are now wearing her last meal.  I think we have finally gotten past it, but it was getting crazy.  She lost a couple of pounds in the duration, but with Halloween and all of the candy she has eaten, I don't hink she will have any trouble gaining it back. :)

She likes: Playing with her baby dolls!, spending Sunday afternoons with Nana, Papa, and Aunt B, being chased (don't all girls though), riding in her wagon, riding in her car, going for walks, the puppies and petting them, drinking out of a straw from "big people cups", giving hugs, having her way, forcefully showing us where our eyes, nose and mouth are, dancing, playing with the dishes in the kitchen, playing with her kitchen, being outside (when we will take her), wearing pretty shoes (she really is my baby!), and doing things Emmy's way.

She dislikes: Being told no, having her hair rinsed in the bathtub, cabinet latches, teething (it is really rocking her world right now), not being the center of attention, head bands (she would not wear the cute antenna that came with her costume), letting me check her gums and teeth, and having to eat something that is different from what other people are eating.

She eats: Just about anything, but she does have favorites: chicken nuggets, pizza, apple sauce, broccoli steamers, ice cream, smarties (only occasionally), meat loaf, ravioli, yogurt bites, puffs, carrot slices, Ritz crackers, animal crackers, fruit grain bars, nad eggs.

She Says: Daddy, Mama, WahWah (water), Papa, Nana, Rah, Bea, GiGi, Puff, Ball, Dog, Baby, Hug, Kiss, Bite, Yeah, No, Mine, More, Hi, Bye, Night, Nose, Eyes, MonMon (monkey), Juice, Milk, Book, Shoes, Up, Hey, Duck, Nice.

Teeth: We have eight teeth now!  She has four teeth on top, two on bottom, and two molars coming in on top.

4th Anniversary

Well, it's been four years, but it's nice to know that some things are still the same.  For our anniversary, Bradley and I went out to dinner (Mexican food!) and went to a movie.  This seems pretty common right?  Well we hadn't been to a  movie in FOREVER so this was kind of a big deal for us.  Unfortunately, when your anniversary is right by Halloween, your choices at the movie theater are usually limited to a certain genre, so we only had one non horror choice, Pitch Perfect.  I was a little skeptical since it was a "Gleeish" movie, and I am not really a fan.  That movie was HILARIOUS.  There were a thousand one liners that you had to pay attention to get, but Bradley and I were rolling the whole time we were there.  I will definitely be buying that movie when it comes out.  Thanks for sticking with me these past four years Bradley!! LOVE YOU!





A little self picture taking in the car.



A little blurry, but I got a shot of the movie poster through the window.



This is the bench that Bradley got me for our anniversary.  It is the perfect size for the little space by our front door.  Of course the only drawback is that I cannot put it outside until Bradley seals it so for now, it sits in the entry way.  Maybe that will get done by our next anniversary. ;)

16 Months

This has been a good month for Ms. Emmy.  She has gotten to see a lot of her family and friends and attend special events.  One of those events was the wedding of my friend Marissa.  Emmy had such a good time at this wedding.  Her night started off rough and she had a few screaming incidents brought on by a Coke Zero, but once her stomach settled, she was in fine form.  She got the dance started.  Literally.  She was the first person to get on the dance floor and shake her groove thing.  Kaylon, a Hart boy, went out and danced with her.  Then once the reception really started, she hooked up with Beau a friend from college's little boy. They were so cute.  She held his hand and they danced around the dance floor to several dances.  When we tried to pick them up and take them back to sit down, they would NOT have it.  They insisted that they be allowed to dance.  Far be it for me to get in the way of anyone's blue-suede-shoes so we let them do their thing. By the end of the night she was KNOCKED OUT.  We took her back to the hotel, and she passed out so hard she didn't wake up until we were checking out the next morning.






We also had a birthday weekend for my dad this month.  Emmy had a lot of fun at all the parties that weekend because there was always some impressionable schmuck sap person to give her a little bit of cake or ice cream. It was also nice for her because their were new people around to shower her with attention.  At Red Lobster, the waitress kept going on and on about how pretty she was, and Emmy would just look at her and preen.  Such a little stinker!  :)

Emmy also got to go to a retirement party for my Uncle Steve.  He retired at 55 from Shell Oil where had worked his butt off for more than 30 years.  Emmy was on her "A Game" at this party.  She schmoozed the crowd and walked around socializing with everyone.  She got to see Halle and Oliver which is always special. Halle was so sweet and kept trying to share her Minnie Mouse doll with Emmy.  Of course Emmy took it and then did not want to give it back. Ever.

One funny thing happend at the party and one scary thing happend. The funny thing happened with Grannie Nelson.  I was helping Aunt Kathy pass out cake, and I took Grannie a piece.  When I handed it to her, I told her that I DID NOT want Emmarie to have any cake.  She had already ruined an outfit the week before by geting that fake whipped icing on her clothes (it immediately stained it).  I reinterated my point and then amde Grannie aggree to not give her any.  She agreed.  I went by their table a few minutes later and you can imagine my surprise when I saw Emmarie taking a big bite of CAKE!  I asked what was giong on,a dn reminded Grannie that we had just discussed this.  She said "but I'am not giving her the icing only the cake!"  I told her that I didn't want her to have either since they had already pumped her full of tea and other junk.  Granny just looked at me and said "Come on baby.  I am gonna have to take you somewhere where there aren't so many rules!"

The scary thing that happened was caused by Emmy's sneakiness.  There are several versions of this story depending on who you ask, but I will share my side.  I was taking pictures of the party since April was sick at home unable to attend.  I gave Emmy to Mom and Britt to watch.  She was making her way through the people so I am not sure who she was with last.  All I do know is that all of a sudden my cousin Steve brings her over to me and says that she was out in the main resturant by the soda fountain.  This was like thirty feet from our private room.  that had the door locked.  and many adults blocking the door.  She somehow managed to escape the room without any of us being the wiser.  I was so scared/mad when I found out.  I was scared because this resturant is located right off of I45 so if she had managed to get out in the parking lot so many bad things could have happened or someone in the resturant could have just picked her up and walked out.  I think that I could feel my hair folicles lightening to a dull gray as he told me about it.

Based on her current behavior, I may have to rethink all of my preconceived notions about baby leashes.  :(







She is eating: chicken nuggets, Strawberry granola bars,  milk (but only at daycare), pizza, some veggies, bananas, yogurt, whatever they have on the schedule at daycare, EGGS, cinnamon toast crunch, mashed potatoes, Gerber fruit and veggie pouches, cake, and just about anything that we don't want her to have.  She really likes to drink water, but they give her juice and milk at daycare.  She enjoys those as well.  Grannie gave her tea recently, and she downed that as quick as she could get it up the straw.

She likes:  dancing around and bobbing with the beat, picking up people's shirts to stick her finger in their belly button, playing with her baby dolls (patting their backs, covering them with dish clothes, arranging them on the floor), playing on the floor, being right by Mommy, riding the four wheeler, shrieking & whining if she doesn't get her way, giving kisses and hugs, pinching noses, CLIMBING, playing with dishes & cups, playing with my little tikes kitchen, singing, and in general getting her way.

She dislikes: Not being the center of attention, waking up in the morning, being told NO, eating cooked vegetables that aren't super soft, being left in a room alone, having a toy taken away, being forced to share (it has to be her idea), not being let and waking up in her bed alone.

She says: Mama, Dada, Nana, B, Rah (Kari), Pa, Ball, No, Ba, "hurry up", Bye-Bye, Wah Wah (water), baby, hug, dog, and other syllable sounds.

15 Months

Emmy went back to daycare this month. I would like to say that she fled back to society and "the establishment" with open arms, but a little birdie warned me that babies get a little spoiled when they spend 2.5 months at home playing with their Mommy. If I ever see that birdie again, I will shoot the messenger. I may be slightly over exaggerating the situation. She cried a little when I dropped her off, but she has been adjusting well to being back in a schedule. The first day, she took a 2 hour and fifteen minute nap!

 I went to pick her up the other day, and they were waiting for me at the door with papers to sign. As I was reading over the papers trying to make sense of it all, I caught sight of Emmarie in Britt's arms (she beat me to the daycare). On her nose were two red bloody marks and a little rug burn mark across her forehead. Apparently Emmarie dreams of becoming a trapeze artist or an Olympic Diver. They stacked the cots that the children take naps on, and unbeknownst to the teacher, Emmarie climbed up on them and jumped off. I couldn't be mad because she has done the same kind of stunts with me before. She is just a wild child in the making. I definitely foresee gymnastics in our future. Or a rock wall in the backyard. :)

She is eating: LOTS of chicken nuggets, Strawberry granola bars, not much milk, pizza, some veggies (especially if I feed her the baby food kind), bananas, yogurt, whatever they have on the schedule at daycare, EGGS, cinnamon toast crunch, mashed potatoes, and just about anything that we don't want her to have. She got to try Capri Suns at Halle's party and promptly drank two full pouches. After rereading this list, I fully expect that a parent of the year award is in my immediate future. Or not.

She likes: playing on the floor, being right by Mommy, shrieking & whining if she doesn't get her way, giving kisses, showing/poking other people's noses, ears, & mouths, CLIMBING, playing with dishes & cups, playing with my little tikes kitchen, singing, dancing, and in general getting her way.

She dislikes: being dropped off at daycare (but just those first few moments of separation), being told NO, eating cooked vegetables, milk in her sippy cup, being left in a room alone, having a toy taken away, being forced to share (it has to be her idea), and waking up in her bed alone.



Emmy and Halle are super enthused about having to wait for cake at Halle's party at Jumpalooza!



The girls playing on Halle's four wheeler!

14 Months

 One day out of the blue in early July, I got a message from the clinic.  They wanted me to call them to talk about Emmarie's test results.  Since we had given them a blood same about 30 days before, I thought they must have called us mistakenly.  When I called, the nurse apologized because somehow they had not notified me earlier.  they said that I needed to bring Emmarie in to get follow-up blood work because their were "issues" with her first sample.  I scheduled a time for the next day and hung up the phone smiling to myself because I figured they probably found, glove and skin tissue from the lady that drew the last sample.

The next day when we got there, we were ready to do our finger prick again, when the lady motioned us to the room next door.  I had brought Brad with me for back-up, and I was a bit suprised when she told me they would take Emmy from there unless we really wanted to come.  I must have looked a little suprised because she theyn asked if I was aware htey would be drawing blood through an IV today.  UM, NO, I was not aware that you would be shoving a needle in my baby's arm today.  Umkay, thanks.  I told her that we would feel more comfortable accompany them into the room.  At htis point Brad started to get a little green just thinking about the process and I told him he didn't have to come in but I would like him to.  The ladies took Emmy, and I tried to warn them that she was a fighter.  They gave a little laugh and said she wouldn't be a problem. 

 They really shouldn't have said that.

She proceeded to give them the fight of her life.  The lady stuck her three times before she even found a vein.  I was getting a little anxious because it is one thing for her to cry because she is throwing a fit, but this was starting to become the cry of a very scared little girl.  My mommy instincts started kicking in, and I asked them if I could have her so I could comfort her for a few minutes.  They gladly handed her over, and I tried to quiet her sobs.  Meanwhile they both took a break because htey were breathing pretty heavily.

I asked if it would help if I held her, and they tried in the other arm.  This way one lady could draw the sample and the other lady could devote all of her energy to holding Em's arm still.  They grudgingly agreed to do it my way if I thought I could keep her still.  In a matter of minutes they had their sample, and we were walking out the door.  They told me we should have the results by the end of the day and to expect a call.  Over a week later, they called and apologized again for not having gotten with us sooner.  They said that Emmarie is anemic and should begin taking soluble iron immediately.  Great, I thought.  She is going to love this.  After looking at three or four store, I finally found what she needed.  Amazingly, she didn't mind taking it.  I also increased her morning egg regime from two to three eggs.  We also made a concerted effort to make sure that she had a meat product at every meal.  We shall see if that helps.

Emmy had a lot of fun this month on our trip to Gulf Shores.  She played in the sand, ran into the waves (with us right with her), and soaked up some sun.  She also took two hour naps on the beach every afternoon under the umbrella.  It was like she was being lulled into a deep trance by the waves.  It gave us some time to just chill and not have to run after her every 10 seconds.  I will probably have to do a whole separate post about this trip to share all of the amazing pictures.

We have three teeth now!  Two bottom teeth and one of her top teeth.  I can see that the second one will be coming in soon, but for now, she looks a little bit snaggle-toothed.


She eats: chicken nuggets (cut into like 9 pieces), yogurt, apple cereal bars, milk (sometimes), 3 eggs every morning (to up her iron intake), some veggies, baby juice (cause quite an episode), WATER (you love it), chicken & apples, squash, mashed potatoes, french fries, toast, biscuits, iron drops, ice cream, cake, and cupcakes (thanks Nana).  You don't really like the texture of real meat or vegetables yet (except chicken nuggets) but you are satisfied with baby food for now.

You like: the ocean, the sand, building stuff, digging in the cabinets, climbing the stairs (we had to install expensive gates because you climb them so fast and it was dangerous), swinging, riding in your Cozy Coupe, playing with your water table, climbing on teh furniture, stacking soda cans at Nana's houes, going for walks, reading books, "talking" for everyone that you see, saying hi, dancing when we play loud music, and laughing on cue when other people laugh.  You think it makes you such a big girl that you are laughing with us.

You don't like: being told you can't get in the cabinets or climb on the stairs, the texture of real meat and some veggies (you immediately spit them out), having mommy hug other people or hold other babies if I am not holding you too, the dark, having to sleep in your bed (you only cry for a minute or two now), not having my full attention, having to be patient and wait your turn, and seeing other people play with toys without being able to take them.