10 Months Young!!!!!!!!!!

Double digits!!  Look at my big girl!

All About Emily:

• 20.5+ lbs weight, over 29” long, 44.5 cm head size
• Wearing size 4 diapers, size 9 month clothes and size 9 month footie pjs {which are getting VERY snug on her!}
• Has 6 teeth {3 on the top and 3 on the bottom}
• Takes multiple steps regularly now, especially when she's not paying attention to what she's doing.  However, we haven’t seen her take 4 or more consecutive steps, which is what we’re waiting to count as officially “walking”. :)
• Has recently started making the “g” sound, in addition to the "m" sound that she's now pretty good at ("ma ma"!).
• Eats 3 “solid” meals a day: 1.5 oz oatmeal for breakfast, 4 oz veggie/fruit puree for lunch, and 4 oz protein puree for dinner.  She's tried a bunch of table and finger fruits and veggies, though isn’t yet a huge fan of “real” solids.  Emily dislikes chunky purees but still loves her smooth purees, and has mastered puffs and teething wafers.
• Drinks milk and water out of a sippy cup.
• Crawls fast as lightning, and does a funny shuffle that includes inching forward with one leg while kneeling on her other knee.  Shep calls this her Russian Jig.

• Enjoys getting into the pantry/recycling bin/garbage can/laundry basket/dishwasher, licking the windows/dishwasher/oven, and unplugging her nightlight from the wall.

 

• Fascinated by looking out the window

• Laughs out loud when being tickled on her feet or tossed in the air.
• Holds her arm and hand outspread like she’s yelling “hey!” to you from across the street while keeping a calm face.
• Recently found interest in her feet again.
• Pulls on and strokes her hair to fall asleep.

• Enjoys resting her legs and feet up on the wall when getting her diaper changed, up on our shoulders when we’re rocking her to sleep, and up on the chair arm when I’m nursing her.
• Understands “No”, though in her mind it just means turn and smile shyly before continuing to do what she’s not supposed to, or move slower in the hope that Mommy/Daddy won’t notice...
• Likes to smirk and wrinkle her nose while breathing fast when she's in a silly mood.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the past month!

 

7 Months Young!!!!!!!

Last Monday, Emily turned 7 months old!  Whoever invented the adage "the days are long, but the years are short" was sorely mistaken.  The days, weeks and months just keep flying by!!!  My itty bitty baby girl is more than half a year old!

All About Emily:

• Measures 18 pounds, 3 ounces and 28 inches long; head measures 42 cm around.
• Still wearing size 3 diapers.
• Wearing mostly 6 months/some 9 months clothing and mostly 9 months footie pjs.
• Over the past month, has started pulling on/caressing the front of her own hair when she's nursing and tired.  I guess that's her way of trying to go to sleep?  It is the most adorable thing to see..... it just melts by heart and brings a smile to my face!  She has also on a few occasions tried to eat my hair when she's really tired.  This girl has a thing for hair!
• Speaking of hair, hers is really coming in!  It's beautifully blonde, and oh so soft.
• Learned how to sit unsupported, sit up on her own from a laying position, crawl and pull herself up onto her knees while holding onto something all last month!  She also got her first tooth this past month and has her second tooth on the way in!
• Is eating solids!!!  Emily eats oatmeal for breakfast every morning, and eats a veggie or fruit for dinner too!  So far she's tried sweet potatoes, butternut squash, avocado, carrots, peaches, pears, winter squash and sweet peas.  She's still a very messy eater, but she's getting better at it every day!  She immediately shoves her hands into her mouth after each bite of food, and she tries to grab the spoon away from us when we feed her!
• Still won't drink from a bottle and takes very limited sips of water from her sippy cup.  She mostly chews on her sippy cup or throws it on the floor.  She has gotten a few sips of water from her sippy cup on occasion and acts startled (not in a good way) each time it happens!
• Has mastered the art of throwing things off the side of her high chair to watch them fall!  Gotta love babies exploring "cause and effect"!  :)
• We've started teaching her a couple hand signs --- "milk", "food", "more", and "all done".  It's hard to tell if she fully understands what we're doing but I'm willing to bet she's going to surprise us one day really soon and sign on her own!
• Typically still waking up 1-2 times a night to eat.  She also babbles when about to go to sleep.  She surprised us a couple times this past month with some 6-6.5 stretches of sleep at night, and 2 nights of falling back asleep ON HER OWN IN HER CRIB two nights in a row {while I shushed her from the other side of the room for a few minutes}.  But now she's back into the throws of teething and all sleep has gone far out the window.  ;)
• Has gross smelly poop now that she's eating solids!  Ewwww...
• Had to slightly increase her Prevacid dosage earlier this month once she surpassed 18 pounds and started spitting up a lot more, even with the solid foods.  On this new dosage though her reflux seems to really be under control though -- knock on wood!
• Prefers to "sit spin" (basically, spin around on her bum while sitting, or do sit-kneel-sit scooting sequences) instead of crawling to get around her play mat.  She sits up as soon as she wakes up, and prefers to be sitting or kneeling on her play mat.  She also tries to get up on her knees, but hasn't quite gotten the hang of that trick.
• Has the CUTEST little baby smirk smile.  She did it a bunch before her first tooth came in, then stopped for a little while but is now doing it again now that her second tooth is cutting through.  She also makes blowing sounds with her mouth a lot while she's teething.
• Moves her feet like she's doing an Irish jig when you hold her up in the air under her arms and move her from side to side.
• Is able to pick up objects with one hand and pass them to her other hand.  Her finger control is getting better and she frequently spreads her fingers apart.  She loves pulling my hair, grabbing our lips, and sticking her fingers up our noses.  She isn't quite able to pinch things with her thumb and pointer finger yet, but I'm sure in the next month or so she'll have that pincher action down!
• Recognizes her name when it's called.
• Insists on trying to roll off her changing table at every. single. diaper change.
• Still loves reading books, but is now a lot more calm when being read to.  She focuses on the photos in the books and can sit quietly {for a little while anyway!}.
• Babbles repetitive syllables, uses her voice to express joy or displeasure, and responds to changes in the tone of our voices when we talk to her.
• Tries to put EVERYTHING in her mouth!
• Loves taking her socks off and playing with her feet.
• Laughs hysterically when we do silly play time and squeals with delights when we pretend to eat her belly.
• Loves to jump and has a blast in her jumperoo or jumping with help from Mommy or Daddy!  She also loves being {pretend} tossed up in the air, climbing up the torso of whoever is holding her, and scratching her nails against her crib sheet.
• Has recently learned how to play catch and gets very excited when she catches her ball!
• Has a wide open-mouth smile that is bright as the sun in summer!  The happiness on her face when she sees one of us walk in the room is worth all the sleepless nights in the world.

Look Who's Crawling!

I knew the crawling clock was ticking and that this day would soon be here!  Emily has been "army crawling" for months already, and frustrated for about the same amount of time that she wasn't more mobile!

Then, on November 14th, she got up on all fours!

Last week, she gathered the courage to raise her right arm up in the air a couple times while up on her hands & knees one day.  That's when I knew our time with a baby who stays on near her play mat was limited.

Well, the wait is over!  Emily officially crawled for the first time!

Want to see our girl in action?  Here she is!

Of course such an occasion called for some photos with her little milestone card!  These photos are getting harder and harder to capture, but here they are!  She was so proud of herself!  Or maybe I'm just projecting.  ;)  She was definitely happy though!  And I am one proud mommy!!!

27 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 27 Week Birthday to Emily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This little turkey is finally starting to cut her first tooth!  Trust me, I'm in no hurry for Emily to grow up any faster than she already is.... but I feel like she's been teething for 3 months already and hope when the tooth finally pops out she will get a little relief!  Between the soreness of her gums and the non-stop drool that causes chapped skin on her chin {despite my applying cream several times daily!}, she could use a little break I'm sure.  I know I've been saying for weeks, even months, that her first tooth is imminent, but as of Tuesday I can actually feel the sharp little edge in her gums so it really should be any day now.

Crawling could also be any day now!  She lifted up her right arm several times in a row the other day while she was up on all fours, so she's definitely getting closer!

Emily tried sweet potatoes {which she looooooves!} and avocado {which she doesn't} this week!

I *think* she's finally getting past her 6 month growth spurt / mental leap.  For the past few weeks she's been extra fussy, waking up screaming multiple times a night, and impossible to put down in her crib for naps or nighttime even if she's fast asleep.  The second you lay her down, her eyes pop open and the crying starts.  The other night I sat up holding her for 3 hours because each time I put her down she woke up and immediately started screaming.  Shep thought she was having nightmares.  I think it was either her teeth or the mental development she's been going through {known as "wonder weeks"}.  Either way, she's been a little bit easier to put down {*knock on wood*} the past day or so, so hopefully the worst is behind us!  Of course I probably just jinxed myself.  Shep and I have been practicing our ninja moves though just in case!  Escaping a sleeping baby really should be an Olympic sport!  If you haven't seen this video, it's pretty funny, and oh so true!!!

Our little butterball has her 6 month wellness visit next week, which means she'll get measured and receive some more vaccines, including her flu shot.  Hopefully they won't be too painful for her this time around!

26 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emily turned 26 weeks young on Thursday, and was super excited about it!

This week has been filled with smiles galore, a couple bumps, drooling, gnawing on Sophie, not enough sleep, and lots of almost-crawling going on!  Not only is she up on all fours, but she rocks back and forth too!  She is sooooo close.  Now I'm wondering what will come first -- a tooth, crawling or sitting up by herself!  It's anyone's guess!

25 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Little Em is getting soooooooooo big!  This week she took her first ride on mass transit!  I don't think she knew exactly what to make of being on the train...

Emily and Mommy coincidentally had a coordinating pajama day...

Notice the light blue, animal, polka dot similarities!

And Emily worked on her crawling technique.  This afternoon she got up on all fours for a full second or two!

It's only a matter of time now before she's really mobile!  Watch out world, here she comes!!!!!