41 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

{I'm sorry I'm so very late with this post -- this is becoming a bad trend, please forgive me!}

This kid.  She is amazingly lovable.  Her smile lights up the entire world.  She's funny, and she knows it!  She's incredibly smart and very driven.  It's pretty hard to believe she's only 9.5 months old given all she's already accomplished, and all the joy she's contributed to the world!

Here's a quick recap of Emily's 41st week:

Daddy joined us for our baby music class!

Emily said "mama" for the first time!!!  In truth, it was simply a repetitive sound she made -- versus actually referring to me by name -- but it was music to my ears nonetheless!

Emily tried "real" (i.e. non-pureed) blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, steamed broccoli, carrots and pancakes for the first time this week!  She took at least one bite of everything, but not much more than that.  As I told Emily though, the important thing is that she tried it!  :)

On the other hand, she finds her toys VERY tasty!

Miss Big Girl also took a couple more steps this week, and went strolling around the apartment holding Daddy's hands.  :)

In tribute to Dr. Seuss' birthday, there was a Dr. Seuss celebration week at daycare!  The kiddies wore special attire (silly sock Tuesday, wear green Wednesday, and crazy hat Thursday), and they read Dr. Seuss books.  Emily LOOOOOOOOOVES looking at books, so I'm sure she enjoyed the week!

The celebration must have really tuckered her out, because when I arrived to pick Emily up on Wednesday afternoon, I found this:

We finally have proof that this little one does in fact sleep at daycare!!!  Hooray!  The only downside is that I had to -- gulp -- wake a sleeping baby to bring her home!  Now THAT is something I never thought I'd do!

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!