A Bowl of Water

So what do you do with a toddler who has been sick and is now teething? A wonderful little sleeper who has been sleeping like crap the past few nights? A sweet little girl who was so upset and screaming so much at school that Brad had to go pick her up early?

Right now, I'm willing to let her do (almost) anything that will make her happy. Thankfully, playing with water is all it took. She found Brad's water cup and enjoyed playing with that so much, that we filled a bowl of water and took her out side to let her slash around. She wasn't really sure what was going on at first, but it didn't take long for her have some fun. 

The poor little thing has had a rough few days. She had a little stomach bug (that she shared with mom), we think she's starting to get her 1-year molars, and may be having night terrors. Between throwing-up, diarrhea, fevers up to 103.1, waking up screaming so hard it causes her to throw-up, mood swings like crazy, and eating habits that are crap... we are all tired and ready to be done with this! 

But we had a great time playing with a bowl of cold water.

12 Months (just a week late)

In typical fashion, I'm late getting Emily's monthly check-in post up. Sorry about that.

Emily is now 12 months old. That's 1-year. That's 365 days. She's no longer a baby - we've entered into toddlerhood. We have a very sweet and independent little girl on our hands. She knows what she wants and is bound and determined to get it.

This month's highlights include:
- walking backwards
- still wears mostly 12-month clothes, but can wear some 18-month dresses
- got moved up to the next room at daycare
- understands more words and instructions
- has 7 teeth and we are working on several more
- loves brushing her teeth
- started whole milk (she's not a huge fan)
- has started throwing "fits" when we tell her "no" or don't let her do want she wants. We've learned the best way to get past the fit is to ignore her.
- has developed a little crush on Diego. Dora and Diego are on the cups on yogurt she has every morning. Silly Emily LOVES Diego. She's always pointing to him and smiling. And will pick a Diego cup over Dora any day. 
- had her first popsicle
- her birthday party was a huge success, minus the smash cake ~ more on that in another post
- We've moved her to a front-facing car seat in Brad's car. We are still doing research on car seats and trying to find the right one for my car. We need to figure it out quick cause she's about to outgrown her seat in my car (length wise, weight is not a problem). 
- at her 12-month check up she was 30.5 " long (90%), 20 lbs, 1 oz (30%) and her head was in the 70% (don't remember the measurement). She grew 10 inches and gained 12 lbs in her first year.

Happy Birthday, Emily Kate! We love you!!

1 Year Pictures

Yesterday we traveled across town to meet our favorite photographer. Jennifer took Emily's newborn and 6-month pictures, and we love her so much we booked Emily's 1-year session about six months ago.

It was hot, really hot, during the pictures, but Emily was a trooper and so was Banjo. Jennifer posted a little sneak peak of the pictures on her blog this morning. Click here to check them out.

And many thanks to Jennifer for putting up with a toddler who wanted nothing to do with posing for pictures :)

Silly Baby

So happy and hard at work!

Emily is getting a new tooth and has been rather cranky. Meals times have been an adventure and extreme mood swings are become more and more common. The other night, after a rather difficult dinner, we took Emily out of her highchair and let her run around the kitchen while we were cleaning up. 15 minutes later, we were all laughing.

Emily discovered the refrigerator magnets and the papers hanging from them. There were three papers that she could grab (two she "made" at school and the other is her Aunt's wedding invitation). She first learned how to pull each of the magnets and pages off of the fridge. Then discovered the art of sticking them back on. Once that was mastered, she would rearrange them - she had a real purpose and reason for putting certain ones in certain places. Next, she walked around the kitchen trying to make the magnets stick on other surfaces - the dishwasher was quickly discovered. So, she began moving the papers and magnets from the fridge to the dishwasher and back. Then, she would switch their places and rearrange them all over again.  And again. And again. And again...

hmmm...where should it go?

Brad and I just sat, there for 15-20 minutes, watching her. We were trying so hard not to laugh, cause she was working so hard. It was so cute and amazing to watch her little brain work so hard. She had a reason for putting her magnet and paper in a certain place. Every now and then she would look at us, smile, and giggle. Eventually, she got tired and just walked into the living room.

It was a happy ending to a cranky day.

Week by Week

Each Sunday we took a picture of Emily wearing a diaper, sitting in the same spot. Here's a little video of all of those pictures (starting when she was 5 weeks old, until last Sunday, Aug 8). The song is Father and Daughter by Paul Simon.

Wordless Wednesday...Is it Football Season Yet?

She's Not a Baby Anymore...

... at least according to daycare. Emily has been moved out of the Baby Room.

Monday morning, I walked into daycare and Emily's teacher, Ms. Jessica, gave me a sad look and said, "She's not in my class anymore. She's been moved up to the next classroom."  As soon as she said that, I was sad. I gave Emily a few extra hugs and sent her off to her new class. I knew it was coming, but I really wasn't prepared for it Monday morning. And I really wasn't expecting to be sad.

Emily walked into her new classroom and then turned around, put her arms up, and walked back to her old teacher. She just wanted Ms. Jessica to pick her up and give her a hug. It was so sweet. She loves Ms. Jessica and is very attached to her. I was really happy with the teachers in the baby room. They were so sweet and Emily loved them. From what I know about her new teacher, Miss Lynelle, she is going to be great, too. Emily has come home smiling and happy every day this week. There are only four kids in Emily's new class. Three of the four are girls and only one attends Monday-Friday. Emily will get a lot of individual attention.

As much as I'm not thrilled that Emily has to be in daycare, there are a lot of positives. A big one - it's helped me realize what Emily is really capable of doing. I have give daycare some credit for teaching Emily to fall asleep on her own (she REFUSED to be rocked to sleep at daycare). In her new class they eat their lunch and snacks at a little table - no highchairs. Apparently Emily has done really well during lunch. They also take naps on a nap mat. She also plays well with other kids - of various ages. And it's been nice for me to have people around who spend all day with kids that are Emily's age.

In just 10 days Emily will be 1. I guess she's really not a baby anymore.

She's even decided she needs to eat her food with a fork.