52 weeks young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

52 weeks young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

364 days of diaper changes, smiles, feeding, playing, growing, sleepless nights, many "firsts" and lots of fun!!! 

Tomorrow this little beauty will be O-N-E!!!

She's grown sooooooooooo much over the past year. Here was her very first weekly photo.

She was such a tiny little peanut!  Those first few weeks are such a blur.... I remember trying to soak up every scent and touch of her.  I knew the time would pass by quickly, but I really didn't think one entire year would just FLY by this fast.  Wow.

This time last year I had just taken a long bath to try to regulate my contractions, which didn't exactly work.  I tried to eat some gnocchi that Shep had cooked, but couldn't stomach it.  After a call to our doula and then my OB, we were getting dressed and packing last minute items to take to the hospital. 365 days ago to this minute I was getting ready to walk out of my front door for the last time as a "soon-to-be mom".  I had no idea what labor, delivery, becoming a parent, and caring for my little one would really be like.  It's been such a wild ride.  There are moments from the past year that I will cherish as beautiful memories for the rest of my life.

Emily's arrival changed me as a person, changed us as a couple, and changed the world as we all know it for the better.  It's been absolutely incredible becoming a mother to such an extraordinary, fun, spunky little person.  I know I say this a lot, but I can't emphasize enough how very blessed we are.

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for." ~ Anonymous

And now for Emily's last weekly update!

• Tried beef for the first time!  She chewed on a couple little pieces for a while, but she was pretty unexcited about it.  She also very carefully picked around the little pieces of cheese we put on her tray with the beef.  {Deconstructed cheeseburger, anyone?}
• Tried a tiny little bit of peanut butter for the first time, on the tip of a sliced apple stick.  I can't imagine what a weird consistency peanut butter would be for a baby.... she wasn't a fan.  :)
• Tried yogurt for the second time and liked the vanilla flavor a lot more than the plain yogurt mixed with cut fruit that we gave her the other day.
• Took 1.5 hour long nap TWO days in a row over the weekend!  It was so surprising!
• Soon-to-be passenger of a "big girl" carseat!  Bye bye infant carseat... hello convertible carseat!  We're really hoping that Emily likes riding in her new carseat more than she has liked either of her infant carseats!  Fingers crossed that we picked one she'll be comfortable in!
• Attempts to climb out of her pack-n-play and makes it about a third of the way up the mesh side with her feet, while pulling on the top with her hands. I've said it before but I'll say it again -- this kid is STRONG!

51 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yikes!!!!!  How is my baby almost one year old already?!?!?!?!

51 weeks young.  Technically, since I'm late in posting this, she's actually 51.5 weeks!  Just a few more days until the big O-N-E.  Eeeeeeep!

She crawls, she walks, she dances, and as of the past week she is a non-stop babbler too!

Emily started her 51st week making “ga-ga” noises all day.  She then moved on to “Dada”  {woohoo!!  milestone photo op!}  and in case there was any doubt in my mind from earlier in the week, she definitely said “oof oof” when we saw a dog -- so that’s also an official word now!

Walking and talking.  My newborn infant has turned into a toddler and I simply don't understand where the time has gone!!!  ;)

We've been blessed with some really nice spring weather, so we've been spending more time outside.  Emily is getting slightly more warmed-up to the grass, even venturing to touch it voluntarily!

The weekend was fun-filled with firsts!  Emily visited Long Island {where I grew up!} for the first time, and attended her first birthday party!  A childhood friend of mine had a baby boy just 3 weeks before I gave birth to Emily, so we went out to meet the adorable little Trevor and help celebrate his birthday!  We also got to see some of my extended family members after the party, and then celebrated our first Mother's Day as a family together the following day at home!

On Monday, I took Emily to a waddler gym class for the first time, where she experienced a ball pit, tunnel crawl, swinging rings, a balance beam, a trampoline, and a bunch of exercises and other activities.  She wasn't very impressed with the ball pit or tunnel crawl, though she did finally go through one little tunnel after a lot of prompting by me.  :)

   

She looooooved the rings -- it probably felt to her like she was a human swing!  The smile on her face was just pure joy.

Emily's appetite for solid foods is improving, and she is getting very good at feeding herself some finger foods!  She used to gag when presented with "chunky" foods, but this week she scarfed down an entire 6 oz jar of chicken with pasta stars PLUS 2 clementines for dinner in one night!  The following night she ate an entire banana following her 4 oz jar of puree!  She's a growing girl, for sure!  Here's a little video of Emily eating some grapes:

The way she moves her little fingers to her mouth, and purses her lips when she chews just cracks me up.  I love watching her feeding skills improve over time -- it's been such a remarkable difference in a relatively short amount of time!

Well, that's about it for Week 51!  We have one B-I-G birthday milestone coming up in just a few days!!!!!!!!!!!!

50 weeks young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy May!

As of last week, this little pigtailhead is 50 weeks young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mentioned in my last post that Emily got a baaaaaaaad stomach bug.  She was sick for several days, unable to hold anything down besides milk, but this kid didn't let that slow her down!  She was soooooo sick, but still playful as ever.  In fact, the pediatrician commented that she was "a little too playful" when we brought her in to get checked out!  {That's my girl!}  She did get mildly dehydrated, but we were luckily able to avoid a trip to the ER for IV fluids, although it was a very close call.  Unfortunately, Daddy didn't escape the tummy flu.... Mommy was the sole survivor!  ;)

Nothing can keep this girl down for long though!  Despite feeling icky, Emily hoisted herself up on her pack-n-play and her feet were dangling off the ground!  She was holding herself up by her arms.... this girl is STRONG!  That was further proven when she picked up an accent table IN THE AIR, and carried it across our entire apartment.  She was hanging on it, and I tried to move her away from it when she grabbed onto it.  I lifted her up in the air so she'd let it go, and she HELD ONTO IT!  I then carried her across the apartment to show Shep, and she held onto the table the entire way!!!  Unbelievable.  She and I were both giggling the entire way, and Shep couldn't believe it when he saw me walk into the room holding Emily, holding a table!  He weighed the table and it was 5 pounds!  Supergirl!!!

When Emily & Daddy were feeling better, we took Emily to the park to put her feet in the grass.  It's a bit of an understatement to say that she was NOT a fan.

I thought she'd get a kick out of the way it would tickle her feet, but she was trying anything and everything to keep her feet, and hands, off the ground!  If Emily could have hovered over the grass, I think she might have!
Seriously -- what a city girl!

If you want a little giggle, check out this video.  Tooooooo cute!!  Seeing the world and experiencing new things through her eyes is just the best part of every day for me.

The rest of the week was filled with even more cuteness!  Emily tried bread for the first time, and liked it!

On Monday afternoon, we went outside.  This was about a day after Emily had fully recovered from her tummy flu, and I discovered she might have seasonal allergies!  At first I thought she was getting a cold -- what bad luck that would be immediately following the flu! -- but then I noticed that she and I were sneezing at the exact same times during our walk.  Sneezing and runny noses nevertheless, we had some errands to do..... Emily had an important card to send her great grandmother for Mother's Day:

Then we walked by the river to breathe in the much-awaited spring air, and spend some Mommy-Emily time together!  

While we were out walking, I heard Emily making an "oof, oof" noise and it took me a minute but then I realized she was trying to refer to the dogs we saw!  She was trying to say "woof! woof!"  Her little mouth making the "fff, ffff" sound is something I hope I never forget!  Since then, she'd made the "oof, oof" sound numerous times when we saw dogs or other similarly-furry animals, so I think she really is trying to say "woof, woof".  I'm a proud mommy.  :)

 

11 Months Young!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's pretend it's still April 22nd, shall we?  ;)

All About Emily

• Weighs over 21 lbs, 5 oz {80th percentile} and is 30 inches long {89th percentile!}!  Her head size is growing too.... 67th percentile!
• Wearing size 4 diapers, 12 months footie pjs and 9-12 months clothing!
• Has 6 teeth, with more on the way shortly I think!
• Hair is long enough to pull back with a bow or mini spike pony!
• Noticeable dimple on left cheek when she smiles big, which is often!  Emily has a big, open smile and sometimes likes to scrunch her nose up and smirk when she's happy too.  When she laughs, she makes a short burst "Ha Ha Ha" sound that is adorable!  :)
• Walking more every day, and is pretty steady for a beginner!  Still a much faster crawler though, so if she's in a hurry you'll find her on all fours.  She also still does her little one-legged jig too!
• Points her cute little index finger at everything!
• Enjoys being around other babies and children.  Smiles and then shyly turns head away from people in the elevator, and also recently began waving!  She's definitely a friendly kid, and being around people seems to make her happy.
• First official temper tantrum!  She was yelling and shaking -- it was quite a site!  Interestingly there was no "milestone" card for this in the collection we have.  ;)
• Very recently been making the "S" and "F" sounds a lot throughout the day.
• Started an impromptu game of "Hide & Seek" with me the other day while I was sorting laundry in our closet, and thought she was hysterical for sneaking up on me!
• Explores the apartment more and loves getting into things she finds interesting! 

• She especially likes tupperware, the recycling bin, laundry baskets and the washing machine!  And it won't be long until she figures out how to open our "babyproofed" cabinets!

 

• Loves climbing over things and crouching under things!

• Bites her forearm when teething.
• Rests her right foot up on her stroller while we're out for walks.
   
  
• Is a pro at using her sippy cup, and has started drinking water out if it more frequently.  Still prefers smooth purees to chunky purees and table foods, though she does eat puffs, teething wafers, apple off the core, and some bits of waffle when the mood strikes her.  She does pretty well at feeding herself the things she wants to eat, and she lets us know when she does not want to eat something!

• Likes "helping" (i.e., getting involved in whatever we are doing).

• Covers her face with my shirt when she's tired and nursing.  Also loves doing downward-facing dog pose {often with one leg up in the air} while nursing!
• "Dances" by bopping up and down when music comes on!  This is absolutely my new favorite sight to see.... it is CUTE with a capital C!
• LOVES looking at books -- she pulls all of our books out of her shelf and scatters them around.  She also sits quietly turning the pages and looking at the photos by herself for several minutes at a time!  We definitely have a bookworm on our hands!!

 

• She's growing sooooo fast and changing every day.  All too soon this little lady will leave infancy behind and move onto toddlerhood!  Gulp!!!

Mother's Day

Today was my first Mother's Day as a mommy!  After a delicious homemade brunch cooked by my hubby, I opened some very sweet gifts and then the three of us spent the afternoon at the park.  Emily went on the swings and then insisted on rolling around in the dirt a little bit, luckily after Shep snapped this photo of us.

It's a little hard to see from the photo, but we're wearing matching shirts.  Yes, I'm that mom.  The shirts were a Christmas gift from a friend and I've been dying for warm enough weather to wear them -- I thought today was the perfect day!

My first Mother's Day, and almost a full year of being Mommy.  Wow.  So many memories already, so many learnings, so much love, and so little sleep.  ;)   I wouldn't trade any of it!  How lucky am I that I get to spend my life loving this sweet little girl.  Emily, you'll always be my sunshine!  Thank you for filling my days with laughter, joy, love, and silliness.  Becoming your mommy has been more wonderful, difficult and fulfilling than I'd ever imagined possible, and motherhood is the best gift I've ever been given.  You fill my world with light, and make me happy when skies are gray.  I love you more than words can say, and am so honored to be your mommy.

I remember watching this video last year when it first aired.  Back then, I was still trying to imagine exactly what it would be like to "be a mom".  I have a lot of great mom role models in my life, and I tried to picture myself in their shoes, doing their job.  It's funny -- all of the expectations I had about motherhood were sort of right but also sort of wrong.

This is the most challenging ("There are no breaks!"; "No time to sleep!"), high stakes, high energy ("chaotic environment"), entertaining and most rewarding job I'll ever have.  Not every day is a "successful" one, but I love every minute of watching Emily grow.  I wouldn't trade my job as Mommy for all the money in the world, and I'd take this job over and over and over again, without a second thought.

*****

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful, amazing, loving, special moms out there!!!  Thank you so much for all that you do!  It is a tough job, but someone's gotta do it!

And to my Mom..... I love you!  Thanks for everything.  :)  xoxo

49 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These photos are getting harder and harder to capture because this lady is constantly on the move, and NOT a fan of her paparazzi mother.  ;)  But I managed to snap this one, which I love!

Emily began her 49th week off great!  She started an impromptu game of "Hide & Seek" with me while I was sorting laundry in our closet, and thought she was absolutely hysterical for sneaking up on me!  She spotted me through the glass panes of our door, and didn't think I saw her.  She crawled super fast toward me from the dining room with a huge smile on her face, and then got very slow and quiet as she neared the door.  She paused for a minute and then quickly moved her head around the door and busted out laughing, as if to say "Boo!".  I started cracking up -- it was adorable!

On 4/24 she slept for 7 hours (+ 8 minutes to be precise!) overnight, from 11:10pm until 6:18am!  What a shock, especially because in the afternoon she kept biting everything in sight and her nose was running all over the place, so I thought for sure it was going to be another "teething" night.  The sleep streak continued the following day when she took a 1 hour and 20 minute nap, whoa nelly!!!  Shep and I just stared at the monitor in disbelief.... she NEVER naps that long!

We started looking at convertible car seats and also picked up some 1st birthday goodies -- yikes, it’s coming up waaaaaay too quickly!

Emily had another successful swim class, and a playdate with her friend Nora, who is a year older.  It's funny how a year is such a huge difference in sizing, skills and personalities in small children!  It was so cute seeing the two of them interact with/ignore one another.

This week, Emily showed off her new-found bopping/dancing skills while sitting on her playmat playing with a toy that makes music.  It was so cute to see her bumping up and down to the tune.  I may be biased, but this girl has rhythm! I think she gets it from me.  ;)

Unfortunately, poor Em ended her week on a low note.  She caught a horrific stomach bug and was vomiting all over the place.  She couldn't keep ANYTHING down and ended up getting temporarily mildly dehydrated.  Poor kiddo almost had to go to the ER for some IV fluids, but we *luckily* managed to avoid that by the skin of our teeth.  It was so upsetting to see her so ill, but she handled it like a champ, as usual.  Even the pediatrician commented on "how playful" she was for being so ill.  That's my girl!

"I think I can sneak right by Mommy without her even knowing....
Oh wait.... I'm stuck.....Won't give up.... Keep squirming..."

My Sweet Angel

Carseat Model

P.S. -- Look who {sometimes} wears shoes now!