1st Birthday

(3rd cake with your family in Louisiana!)
(second cake at your TX birthday with crawfish)
(Cake 1 celebrating with just Mom and Dad on your Birthday)


Emery, my precious little miracle...you are 1 today. We've been singing you Happy Birthday for days and trying to teach you to blow out your candle. However it comes out more like a zerbert than an actual blow! LOL! You are too funny little one.

When you woke up this morning I couldn't help but sing to you and tell you over and over how happy I am that you are here with us. We went shopping for your party this weekend, a crawfish boil in honor of you! Minnie mouse is your theme and your Nanny made you a beautiful dress to go along with it. Because you will have another party in VP at the end of the month with your family!

Everyone loves you so much and you got many presents and cards today in the mail. You love opening the paper and then trying to eat it. And lots of people called and texted and sent you messages on Facebook to celebrate your birthday with you!

In the last year you have grown and your personality is starting to shine through. You are a determined girl. Even when you get frustrated you don't give up. You may put it aside after fuming but then eventually you go back to it and try your best to learn. You are down to 1 bottle in the morning when you wake up, with milk and very little formula. And food, you eat just about everything. You love shrimp, cantaloupe, grapes, peanut butter and today we learned you love cake! You can crawl so fast that I think the reason you don't walk yet is because you can get across a house in seconds! Your words are coming..so far you have Dad-dee, Mom-mma, Da (dog), Ti (tiger), duck-duck, sometimes it sounds like you say "got it". You can make sounds when we ask for them...duck (quack), dog (ah-mah), cow (mooooo), tiger (roar). And you can point out some of your body parts...belly (you take both hands and pat your belly), Feet (you grab them or stomp them), hair (you pull it), ears (you start in your hair and work down), you can close your eyes and make pretty eyes, you can open your mouth (and stick out your tongue) and today you started reaching for your booty when I said where's your booty! LOL!
You stand and cruise the furniture and you use your toys to walk. But you won't let go and if you do you slowly sit down. We know you can stand and balance, we've seen you do it, but you just aren't ready for it all. So its for split seconds before boom down you go!

Daddy and I got you a cake today to celebrate your birthday. At first you didn't know what it was. Then you tasted it. You thought it was so good that you went crazy smashing it all over your highchair and picking it up in handfuls and and eating it. When you were done it was everywhere, including on me and Daddy, on the dog and the wall too! We loved celebrating with you.

I cannot believe a year has come and gone. You are still small for your age but right there in milestones. I love you more than life itself. I already miss the nights you fell asleep on me. I miss having you sleep in the bassinet next to me. I miss rocking you to sleep. I love that you sleep through the night and that you are very independent, but still so loving and sweet. You will hug and kiss us (lots of slobber and open mouth!). And you will hug your stuffed dolls and say "awww". But you can play on your own with your toys. You love this show called "brainy baby" oh yeah you can say "baby", because it has lots of babies on it and shows little spurts of information.
I love you my darling little miracle. After all the trials to conceive you, all the pain, all the heartache in wanting you and the thoughts that maybe we would never have you...we do have you and you are nothing short of perfect. I cannot imagine my life without you in it. Some nights I wake up and just go in your room and cover you, just so I can be close to you.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!!

11 Months Old & Happy Valentine's Day

(I love this pic..its like OMG I'm 11 months??)
Emery's First Valentine's Day and her 11 month birthday on the sameday! It was wonderful. Emmie was all dressed up in her pretty gingham and smocked hearts outfit and we took lots of pictures. Em and I got Daddy his first Valentine's Day gift a frame that says I love Dad with a picture of the two of them together! He was very excited.

Emery is letting go of things slowly, she still won't completly let go and stand on her own but we know she can. And she can totally lower herself down into a squat and stand back up. She will take steps holding on to the couch, our arms or her walkers, but will not do it on her own. So we are all guessing its coming soon. She flies across a room when she crawls. Don't turn your back for one min or else she is outta where you want her to be. She also likes to climb and get into spaces she shouldn't be and sometimes cannot get herself out of!

Temper tantrums have started and if she doesn't get her way she rawrs at you and makes a fake cry sound.

Also she is all of sudden eating stuff she likes and spitting out what she doesn't like. She will throw food on the floor if she doesn't want it. And this week she learned to feed the dog from her fingers. And then she cracks up after he eats it. But if he eats it without her giving it to him, she cries.

Emery is learning to say words. Dada, Momma, Dah (dog), Dak (duck), sometimes we think she says "got dit" (got it). She can now be directed to do certain things. Sounds for dog (woof), Duck (wack), Tiger (rawr). She will put her Arms Up if you ask her to, she tries to snap, she claps if you say clap or yay and during the song if you are happy and you know it. She can also give Pretty eyes (she squishes up her little face, crinkles her nose and then blinks her eyes). She will close her eyes if you say Em, close your eyes. Emery will try to point to her nose but gets as far as her lips when you ask where her nose is.

I can't believe its been 11 months. We are starting to plan her first birthday party and cannot wait to be back home with our family to celebrate our little miracle and her first year on this earth!

10 months and 2 weeks

(Protector Dog)
Emery "walked" with her rolling car walker yesterday! She did it all on her own, I wasn't holding it! Our big girl!
She is using her sippy cup a bit more but not a whole lot! But I think she is getting it!
Ok not a big update but I still had to update! Walking with a walker! Whoo hoo!

10 months and 1 week

Well my darlings not much has changed in the last week or so. Emery is still pulling up to a stand and not bending her knees when you try to help her "walk". She is however getting better with recoginzing words and sounds of words and mimicing sounds the words make. So its like she hums the words. She does know Momma, dada, da (dog), ca (cat). She will raise her arms high in the air if you say Arms Up or Touchdown.
Emery is still napping well, two naps a day and about 12 hours at night. And she loves her bath. She will stay in there long after the water has gone cold.
We are still working on the sippy cup. She doesn't go for it or drink from it. But we offer it all day everyday. One day she will catch on, I mean everyone learns to drink from a cup right?

Its been a long time!

Ok not that long but long enough. Emery is still cutting those four front teeth. The top two and one on bottom have poked through, but they are taking FOREVER to grow. So for now Daddy calls her "snaggle tooth"! Poor baby. I really hope she has great teeth, because lord knows I had horrible placement and had to have a lot of orthodonsitry done to make my grill look good!
Her hair is filling in and getting a bit longer. By bit longer I mean she doesn't look bald anymore. But its so light, like almost blonde! Where did she get that from? I am positive it will darken up and it will be a wavy mess just like both of her parents!
Emery has been pulling up to a stand for weeks and is shuffling her feet while holding on to the couch or something. On Sunday she let go of her walker and just stood for like 1 second. And she is consisitanly letting go of the couch and only holding on with one hand. So I am guessing standing on her own isn't too far away and then walking...ohhhhh someone save me!
We are trying to teach Emery words, we do flash cards and videos and reading and pictures. The funniest is when you say, "Emery what does a Tiger say?" she says "rarrrrrrrrr"! She sees the word Hi and usually will wave, sees the word wave and will wave, sees the word clap and will sometimes clap. If you say "Touchdown" she raises her hands in the air and if you say "arms up" she will raise her arms. And most of the time if you say open your Mouth she will.
Emery loves to wave at her stuffed animal collection when she wakes up from a nap. And she in the last week has formed an attachement to this stuffed bunny her Mimi sent her at Easter 2011. She thinks its fun to dump out all of her toys from her baskets and take apart everything. She will unstack or unpack, but doesn't put things back yet.
Slowly she is taking a cup. Not often, but she gets the concept. I am just not sure if she is thirsty since she is still taking in formula. She can eat most foods now, if they are cut up small, but still perfers the stage two purees. We need to work more on getting her to eat what we eat and less on the purees.
Emery you are so funny. You crack your Daddy and I up often. You love your bath time so much! You had your very first ear infection and have been on Antibotics and probotics for the past 9 days. Your poor body doesn't like it and you have the worst diaper rash ever! We feel awful for you and give you oatmeal baths and use lots of ointment and give you pain reliver when you need it.
Well its time for your lunch pookie poo!

Wear Em out & they'll sleep..

So we've all heard the brilliant theory, let a kid stay awake and wear themselves out and they'll sleep. Now I knew from friends that this doesn't work. And I read from experts that this theory is wrong and kids in fact sleep better when they have good sleep and routine.
But yesterday quite by accident we tested this old wives tale. We all have to learn the hard way sometimes. and we did. Em had two very short naps and stayed up till 10 pm. Short sleep on the way home and bamn woke up several times, screaming, on the middle of the night. And still woke up in the am at her normal time.
We are all tired today. Planning on some hopefully good naps and a good sleep.
Vacation is fun. We love being with our family and friends. But being off routine sucks!!!!

Yayyyyy

Just overnight night our little genius learned how to clap! Now she does it all the time. Clap clap clap.
She also waves hi and bye. But its a funny wave opening and closing her hand and turning it sideways.
And learning uh ohh. She just says uh, but its close.
the wonderful world of games. I drop it and say uh...and you pick it up and give it back for me to drop out again!
Awe you crazy kid. We love you.

Em first Christmas and teeth

(Naughty or Nice???)

Emery has had a great Christmas so far. Daddy got her a beautiful E charm with a pearl attached. Mommy got her mickey mouse and mm clubhouse dvd. And so much more stuff came from Santa.
Then we drove on out to VP and she has been spoiled by Daddy's family. Nanny enjoyed getting her all kinds of clothes, dvds and blocks and minnie mouse. mimi papa got her a vtech walker and clovis crawfish books signed by her great great uncle who illustrated them. And she got so much more stuff I could write a book. Its too much.
And then Santa decided to give her one moore present...Teeth! Yep top left poked through a couple of days ago. now bottom left broke through yesterday and the rights on top and bottom are swollen.
Being off schedule, lots of simulation and teething make a very unhappy baby!

9 months!

Happy Happy 9 months this week to our beautiful Emery Ruth!
My darling in the past month you have learned so much. You have gone from a couple of ba bas to mumbling consteants and saying Dada, mama and pu for Puppy.
You've moved from an army crawl and snake slither to up on your hands and knees and flying across a house.
You went from pulling up to your knees and freaking out to pulling up to your feet and taking a couple of steps with help from Daddy or the couch.
You are climbing on things and scaring the crap out of your Mom!
From eating Stage 2 foods to wanting a bite of everything we have.
And from having no teeth on Dec. 15, to having a Top left tooth poking through!
You my darling are learning at a rapid pace all of a sudden, with no signs of slowing down.
You are still teeny tiny. Just 15lbs, 27 inches. We moved your diapers up to size 3 only for the lenght and clothes you fit in 6-9 months (though baggy) but your waist is 0-3 months still. So pants are a pain to fix!
You still don't smile much or laugh often, but you are so serious and watch and take in everything. I think you are going to be very smart.

38 Weeks

Miss Emery is moving and shaking. In the last 4 weeks she has grown with leaps and bounds. She is now sitting up on her own with her funny leg position (one out in front and one cocked behind her), she is reaching up to grab for someone, learning cause and effect, pulling up to her feet, crawling on her hands and knees, laughing, talking, trying to say Mama, Dada, Puppy, crawling through a tunnel, liking favorite toys, eating hard books, picking up food and feeding herself and so much more.
We are trying to teach her to use a sippy cup. She'd rather throw it across the room than drink from it. LOL!
She is so funny, she makes the best sounds and tries to say Mama especially when she is hurt.
Speaking of...this weekend she fell off the counter. She is fine, I freaked out, ran grabbed her, cried, took off all her clothes and checked every piece of her body. She has a small light bruise on her cheek. This is the first time she has been hurt. I got her in the rocking chair and just held her and cuddled with her until she felt better. My poor sweet baby girl. I never want anything to happen to her. Everynight since I have gone into her room after she is asleep to touch her and stroke her and cover her and just make sure she is ok.
With her pulling up I am so scared she will really take a tumble soon. Every move she makes my heart flutters and I cringe.How am I going to make through the rest of her life without having a nervous breakdown?