Emma - Seven Months

Height: 26 inches
Weight: 14 pounds

Sleep: Still sleeping 7-630 with one night wake up. This is the month Olivia stopped waking in the middle of the night. Fingers crossed! Naps are hard.

Eating: She's been loving solids. So far her favorite food is green beans. What? She's not a huge fan of fruit, but mostly she hates purees. She gags a lot. She gets whole pieces of food to gum and loves it. We were eating stuffed sweet potatoes with chili powder - a little spicy. I was feeding Emma plain sweet potato and she kept reaching for mine and gagging on hers. Finally, I let her have a bite thinking she would hate it - she loved it! She ended up eating a few helpings of spicy sweet potatoes. 

Milestones: This girl is mobile! She's rolling and scooting wherever she wants to go. She can only crawl backwards. And her sweet self gets so frustrated when she gets farther and farther from her target. She's able to get where she wants to go, and she's loving it. But she still wants to run around with the big kids. She loves the water and its so funny how she kicks and paddles like she's ready to swim. She started sitting up by herself last month and loves being able to sit and play with toys. 

Clothes / Diapers:  Still size 3 and 9 month - she's evening out to be true with her age. 

Best Moment of the Month: When Emma started babbling. The doctor said "by 9 months she'll start saying consonants - 'ba ba ba' 'da da da'" I thought it was funny because Olivia never did. Since she had those ear and hearing issues, she didn't really follow normal language development. But sure enough in the past week or two Emma has been saying her consonants. She'll act really mad and yell "DA DA!" It makes me laugh thinking she's calling for Dan or mad at him.

Parent of the Month: Definitely the sand face plant. I was behind the camera, not paying attention. Dan was too far away to catch her in time. We both failed. 

Favorites: Can this entire month be my favorite? She's just so happy and so laid back. She loves to hang with the big kids and squeals with delight when she sees them. She's along for the ride - whatever that may be. She doesn't need to nap, ever really, so we can plug along until someone needs to eat. I am loving this age and just trying to soak it up. Before long she'll be big and telling me "I no like your face."

We've put most of the baby products in the attic. Still love those sleepsacks, our moccs, and the exersaucer. Now that she's old enough to use sunscreen, this is our absolute favorite for the whole family. 

One more picture:

Weekending

We have had the most fun weekends this summer, and I never post about them! Figured I'd mention the last two.

Have you seen these water balloons? It fills up 30 at a time and then you pull the hose up and the rubber bands slide on the balloon sealing them. Our children will never know the agony of filling and tying 5 water balloons. And saving them because they took so long. We played water balloons with the neighbors.

Then I commissioned some art for the play room. Once I spend the 92 hours I have left caulking the built ins, and paint, I'll post some pictures.

Olivia and I also played with chalk paint. I got this set and it was so much fun! I'm not convinced that it'll ever come off of the driveway. 

We then went to friends to grill out. The girls stayed up until 930 before Emma melted down. Pretty solid. 

Dan chopped off our cute shoes - but Livi and I were wearing cute shoes!

Monday evening Olivia had a pool party for one of her friends. There was a water slide and this girl was in heaven. Friday she had a birthday party for the boy next door and they had a blast. She can't stop talking about her Cinder-yella party when she turns free in Octover. 

My parents bought a lake house so this weekend we went to check it out. These girls love  the water! Olivia only got out of the lake to eat dinner and got right back in. She woke up ready to run to the water! 

Olivia dressed herself. PJs and Halloween bows.

Emma didn't want to stop eating to play. She can multitask already. Also, thats her wine.

We came back from the lake with enough time to change swim suits and head to the pool for one of the last days of summer.  Emma loves to be splashed, kick in the water, have you help her do 'strokes' with her hands, she just squeals with delight and tries to make her way to the water. I really think I birthed two of the same human: one with blonde hair and one with red.

First Week of School

Olivia had a pretty rough drop off after her first day. The teacher peeled her off Dan and he texted me "she officially hates me." When she got home she told me how she cried and she didn't like school and the teacher made her eat her cheese before she could have the raisins in her lunch (no idea why they said that!).

She asked if her friend, Lorelei, who is in another classroom, cried too. I decided it was best to lie. "She did cry, Olivia." Why mommy? "Because the classroom was new. And new things can seem scary. And doing scary things is hard. But we can do hard things. You can ride your bike - thats hard! You can draw the letter O, and thats hard! And by the end of the week, it wont be new anymore. And it wont be scary." 

We're all just winging this mom thing, right? No one else knows what they are doing, right?

Each day seemed to get better, but we didn't talk about it too much.

On Friday, when I picked her up, she came running toward me: "Mommy, today I didn't cry!! It wasn't scary any more!!" 

We made a cake to celebrate her first week of school. My big girl is growing up. 

Destin (again) 2016

We spent the past week in Destin, and, again, it's my favorite place ever. We split the ride up by stopping to see my mom in Atlanta. Once we got to Destin we realized we would never survive the 10 hour drive back. In 20 driving hours (which took probably 40) Emma cried for about 18. Love her. 

Since most schools are back in, there were hardly any people there. Olivia had a blast in the ocean: "make the waves bigger mama." Once the seaweed came in on Wednesday, we spent the rest of the week at the pool.

Emma is starting to really love the water. She burns so easily that we kept her inside most of the time. Next year, Emma.

Olivia fell out of the bed one night. She fell on the side that was against the wall. Actually got wedged upside down between the bed and the wall. She woke up screaming "GET ME OUT!" Obviously, in my sleep deprived state, I leaned over to Dan "your turn, I think she has to go potty." 

Dan saw her foot sticking out the side. Once the trauma was over, Olivia kept saying "Daddy, you must have seen my purple toe nail polish!" 

The first night we tried to take pictures on the beach, we had Olivia hold Emma. Emma seriously questioned our decision. 

Rightfully so, because three seconds later she face-plated, open-mouthed in the sand. 

It was, hands down, the worst day of Emma's life so far. Dan had to shower her face off. 

The next time we handed her to Olivia, Emma immediately disagreed.

So much for sweet sister photos this trip.

Real world starts tomorrow, and I'm not ready. Most of Olivia's friends are moving up to the 3s and she will be in the older 2s. With her October birthday, she'll be old for her grade, and her friends mostly have summer birthdays and will be young for the grade above. She's nervous about a new room and new teachers - I just wish all her friends would be with her. She's wild and crazy at home, but she's still my shy / nervous little girl out. Luckily, Dan does drop off.

Five on Friday - Olivia edition

1. I asked Dan to throw down an outfit for Emma. He threw it, it landed on the floor and I picked it up ready to change her. Olivia looks at me "good catch mama!" I said "was that sarcasm?" She starts cracking up and goes "yep, I made fun of you! You no catched it!" Who is this girl? She's TWO.

2. We were listening to uptown funk - one of Olivia's all time favorite songs. I was throwing her around. After the song was over she goes "mama, can you funk me up again?" I believe she meant throwing her around to the song. I have a feeling she'll say that in public and it'll be incredibly awkward.

3. Olivia's whole life we told her that spaghetti squash was spaghetti. Its always been a favorite and we don't eat much pasta. There's a local, freshly made pasta place nearby. I got it for dinner - and Olivia just kept yelling "YUM!" "Oh mommy this is so yummy!" "What is this food?!" "What do you call this food?" It was hysterical. Like an alien who had never had food before. 

4.  We are teaching Olivia to write her name. Its hard because she hates to learn. So the second she realizes she's learning she throws her pen and moves on to the next activity. So we started with one letter at a time. The first time she wrote Oli she goes "Wow thats a good job! I'm going to go get my phone to take a picture of it!" (I was laughing so hard when she returned with her toy phone. 

When she wrote Oliv she goes "I'm so proud of me!" Haha.

5. Olivia said "Draw Emma's name!" and forced a marker in my hand. When I started to draw she stopped what she was doing: "Mama. When I hand you something, you say thank you!" Well ... touche Olivia. 

Turns her doll crib into a "four baby stroller."

Emma vs Olivia - Six Months

Same bow. Not planned. They definitely look like sisters. Olivia's eyes are bigger. Emma has more hair. Olivia is clearly tanner with darker eyebrows/lashes and then theres pale, pale Emma. Love seeing the comparisons!

 

Emma - Six Months

Half a year already - there's no way! She is the best age. So happy! Always squealing. Easy to lug around. Only gets frustrated when she can't run around with her big sister. Loves everything Olivia does. Olivia loves everything Emma does. The two of them are so similar, always squealing in the backseat at their own jokes. I am loving this age. I love to hold Emma and hold her every chance I get. I know they grow up too fast. When I hold her, I have full access to kiss those chubby cheeks. I'm obsessed with both of my girls. It's a little weird. 

Height: (will update with her height and weight soon)
Weight:

Sleep: I think we are down to just one night wake up. She has been horrible with naps. I'm talking 2 15 minute naps a day and thats it. I think they are supposed to be napping around 5 hours a day. So she's a little off from it. Makes it hard to get much done during the day. But I also love that if we have to lug her around, we never have to worry about it being during nap time. 

Eating: We just started trying foods. She's had avocado, sweet potato and asparagus. So far she doesn't like anything. Actually hates the feel of food in her mouth. She takes the spoon out of my hand and slams it on her high chair. Maybe because all she really wants is queso? I feel you, Emma baby.

Best Moment of the Month: This one is kind of silly. I have a thing about not using the double shopping carts with only one kid. When Olivia would beg to ride in the race car carts I would tell her that she could when her baby sister was big enough to sit beside her. Yesterday at Lowes Olivia's dream came true. It seemed so far away at the time, and now we have two that are big enough to ride in a shopping cart. 

Parent of the Month: This one goes to Dan. We had our friends Sam and Jason over. Jason, no kids, goes to get Emma from her nap and heads to change her diaper. Dan walks in and says "what are you doing?" It smells so bad - she needs a new diaper. "No she doesn't! Are you saying my house smells?" Dan takes her downstairs and after another 20 minutes realizes that Emma did, in fact, need a new diaper. And she sat it in 20 minutes longer than Jason would have let her. 

Milestones: She wants to crawl and stand and run so bad! She will not try to sit. Stiffens her legs and throws herself backward so she has to stand. Not sure when she'll learn to sit. When trying to crawl she keeps her belly on the floor and paddles likesshe's trying to swim or fly. Its so funny, and she gets so frustrated when it doesn't work.

Clothes / Diapers: Still 9 month and size 3 diapers. Not growing as quickly as she did in her first few months.

Favorites: Emma has this toy with a few balls hanging from the top of a teether. They rattle and crinkle and she is obsessed. We still love her exersaucer and have been bringing it outside so Emma can play too. I got a Maya ring sling and I love carrying her on my hip in it for hands free. We got Emma these breathable lovies for her crib. She'll cry laying her down, but she grabs at these lovies and chews on them and calms right down. She never took a paci, so wanted her to have something to hold onto. 

This age is my favorite. She's so happy. And so content to be lugged around, as long as she can see the action. Emma baby, never ever grow up.