28 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

{a few days late}

Last week was a biiiiiiiig week!  Sitting up unsupported, crawling and a first tooth -- all in a few days!  It's no wonder I haven't had time to write this post until now.  ;)

Emily started the morning of her 28 week birthday by eating oatmeal with Daddy.  Apparently there was a food fight, because when I came out I saw this...

Note that this photo was taken after I cleaned her face off.  The pajamas weren't so lucky though...  I'm guessing Daddy won the food fight.  Or maybe Emily won, depending how you look at it.  The high chair definitely lost..... that thing looked like it was taken out and used it like an ATV through a mudslide.  Em had oatmeal in her hair, up her nose.... it's a wonder if any of it actually got into her mouth!

Later in the day, Little Miss had her 6 month well-visit.  She clocked in at a very healthy 17 lbs 4 oz, a surprisingly long 27.5 inches {though I'm not convinced the nurse measured her accurately as she kept kicking her legs and squirming around a la typical Emily}, with a head circumference of 42 cm!  All great numbers!!!  There were also shots.  Ouchie.  Triple ouchie to be precise.  All the typical vaccines, plus her first flu shot.  Emily handled them like a champ -- she screamed of course when she got them, but thanks to Daddy's amazingly entertaining  doctor's office tap dance routine, she cried for less time than she did at her previous visit!  She was calm in no time, and ready to go home.  This girl has lots of new skills to practice after all!  ;)

First Tooth!

If all Emily wants for Christmas is her 2 front teeth, then consider her wish list half-granted!  That's right, ladies and gents, Baby Em got her first bottom central incisor!

And if things weren't going into her mouth often enough BEFORE, well they definitely are now!!!  Milestone cards, her fingers, my fingers, washcloths, her bib, her toys, her clothes, my shoulder, my chin..... it's all fair game!!!

As you know, I've been saying for a long time now -- approximately 3 months to be more specific -- that Emily was teething.  Well, last Thursday/Friday I finally started to feel her little tooth cut through her gum.  Over the weekend it cut through a bit more and was a bit more sharp, and on Monday it was sharp enough that when she bit my finger it left a little dent!  But it wasn't until yesterday/today that you could easily see the tooth.  It's tiny, but visible!  Poor babe had a heck of a time sleeping late last week and over the weekend, but I'm hoping now that it's fully broken through it will be a bit less painful for her.

I tried to get a photo of her little chomper, but it turns out that's like getting a photo of a leprechaun riding on a unicorn running under a double rainbow over a pot of gold.

This is the best I could do.  :)

And if you look realllllllly hard at the center of her bottom gums, you can sort of see it in this photo...

Well, there you have it!  All the anticipation and now we've experienced sitting up, crawling & a first tooth all in one week!  The trifecta is complete.  You can now return to your regularly-scheduled programming.  ;)  I'm going to hit the sack so I can snuggle with my baby girl tonight when her crawling practice and pearly white wakes her up!

From what I've read, teeth usually come in pairs, so perhaps Baby Girl might have 2 front teeth by Christmas after all.  Stay tuned!

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!!!

Sitting!

In my head, the title of this post is pronounced like "winning!" but is instead "sitting!".  ;)

Our little cutie pie is sitting up like such a big girl that it was time to break out the milestone card!

It's technically not the first day she sat up, as she's been semi-independently sitting for about a month or so now.  But, since she's soooooo active {if I had a dollar for every time I've heard that phrase I wouldn't have to go back to work!}, she could only hold her balance for a second or two due to all her kicking, reaching and general body movement.  She still gets a teensy wobbly, but today I propped her up and she sat up unsupported long enough for me to get the milestone card and the camera, so I'd say that counts!

She even cooperated and smiled for Mommy!

That's my adorable big girl!  Anyone up for a game of musical chairs in the near future?

#sitting!

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!

6 Months Young!!!!!!

6 MONTHS ALREADY!?!?!

I can't believe how quickly time has just flown by!  Our little girl turned 6 months old this past Saturday!

Here's a quick video of the half-birthday girl!  :)

Emily has changed so much since her last monthly update!

• On 11/12, she weighed over 16.5 pounds (73rd percentile), was 25.75 inches long (54th percentile) and had a head circumference of 41.5 cm (29th percentile)!
• Started eating solids!  She loves her oatmeal in the morning for breakfast and her sweet potato puree!  She leans forward to get the spoon in her mouth, and we can't feed her fast enough!  We tried avocado once too but she wasn't a fan -- we will try it again though!
• Celebrated her first Halloween!
• Met her Great Aunt Nancy & Great Uncle Gary for the first time!
• Has been practicing her "up on all fours" maneuver in preparation for crawling!  She does this really cute thing that Shep has named her "frog leap", which is a little like the baby version of the "downward dog" yoga pose, and gets excited when she thinks she's getting somewhere!
• Hates having boogies cleaned out of her nose, but also doesn't like having boogies in her nose.  Go figure.
• Loves being cuddled for a little bit with her head on my shoulder when she wakes up.
• Still not sleeping very well -- waking up several times per night and taking ~3 x 30-40 minute naps a day.
• Loves grabbing my lips with her hands.  Shep likes to joke that's her way of telling me to keep quiet.  ;)
• Kicks her right leg around while I'm holding and feeding her.
• Is sleeping {mostly} in her crib for naps and nighttime!
• Can sit up with support, but doesn't sit still long enough to really balance all on her own!  She'd much prefer to stretch out onto her back or belly!
• Loooooooves her Sophie teether, and putting anything she can get her hands onto into her mouth!  ...Except a bottle or pacifier.  ;)  She especially loves chewing on the plastic books she has.
• Laughs when I sing "The Wheels On The Bus" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes".
• Gets SUPER excited when Daddy comes home from work, and smiles when she hears his voice on speakerphone.
• Loves kisses from Mommy:

• Finds a way to get her limbs stuck in her crib, despite the mesh bumpers we have:

Is getting a little tired of the paparazzi woman who keeps following her around taking photos of her in all her cuteness:

• Is still very amused with trying to get under the couch:

• Newly fascinated with looking at and grabbing my fuzzy slippers and socks on my feet.
• Has experienced some pretty chilly days!

• Started making an adorable little smirk that causes her to look even cuter than usual, which I didn't think possible!

• Gets bed head just like her Mom!

These past six months have been some of the most tiring, but most exciting, of our lives.  Though we wish we could slow time down and soak in all of Emily's adorableness forever and ever, we can't wait to see what the next few months have in store for us!  This little girl is growing up way too fast!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Today is a day for giving thanks, and there isn't anything I am more thankful for in this life than my husband and my baby girl.  These two turkeys make all my days happy!

 

We were all set to head North to visit Shep's mom for Thanksgiving, but thanks to a foot of snow and power outages up there, we had to change plans last minute.  I couldn't let Emily's first Thanksgiving get cancelled by a little snow though!  She was already wearing her pre-dinner outfit and practicing her sprinker dance moves!

So, I put on my boots, went to the grocery store at 11am, and grabbed whatever I thought I could cook in order to cobble together an edible meal.  Considering I once forget to drain the water out before adding cheese when making mac & cheese many years ago, this isn't as easy as it might sound to you Julia Child types...  In fact, Shep was verrrrrry, shall we say, skeptical.  Heck, I was even skeptical!  But I didn't let it show.  I walked in the door, proudly announcing that dinner would be served before 4pm, and quickly got to work.  Shep was on Daddy duty while I was on kitchen duty.  Just me and my little 3 pound butterball.  Nope, that's not a typo....

Luckily, I'd bought a roasting pan on sale last month, which I didn't know would come in handy so soon!  This picture shows you just how tiny our turkey for two actually was:

But, I'm proud to say it all worked out!  We ate a proper Thanksgiving meal after all!

We even whipped out our formal wedding china and set the table!!!  We're so fancy.  ;)

And Emily sat right alongside us in her big girl high chair...

 wearing eating her own sweet potatoes!

When she finished those, she looked around for more.

She was still hungry, so she ate her washcloth!  {I was going to lie and pretend that she was wiping her mouth like a lady but I figured nobody would believe that one anyway...}

From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!!!