The Gardens

We made our first trip to the Botanical Gardens today. Beautiful place. Too bad Emma wasn't in the best mood this morning. It all started when I had to take away her ball because we weren't allowed to bring it into the gardens. She was less than pleased with this news.

Thankfully we found a fountain and that made her happy for a little bit.


Then we headed over to the grassy area and she wanted to play with some bubbles that one of our friends brought. Fine. But then she wanted to put the bubble wands in her mouth. NOT so fine. I ended up just having to take them away from her. She was very upset about this. Coupled with the fact that it was hot and she was tired pushed her over the edge. I was about ready to leave but thought I'd try feeding her first. After we had our picnic lunch we went to another area that was shaded and she perked up again. She loves sitting up on things so I knew she'd love this bench.




Here is one of her shouting "Dada Dada" - She was looking for Josh:


She literally fell asleep before our car left the Gardens. She was so exhausted. Since she got a 30 minute nap in, she was awake and ready to go when we got home. I decided to take her outside.






Nala is playing underneath the blanket and Emma was so confused (You can see the cat's tail sticking out the right side of the blanket):


But then Nala popped out and Emma laughed hysterically because she thought the cat was playing peek-a-boo with her:


Then Emma got a hold of the camera and she took her first picture...pretty good if you ask me! Very artistic.


Last but not least, she colored for a little while on her new picnic table that Josh built her. Eventually it will be painted but apparently it has to "age" for a couple of months. She will enjoy it even without paint! Didn't he do a great job building it?

Wednesday

Today was a relaxing day and it was nice that we had no plans. Jaime came over to visit and we laid out a little bit during Emma's nap. Then after Emma woke up, Jaime watched her for a few hours while I went shopping. Do you know how long it's been since I went shopping solo? It is so much easier to shop when you're not constantly being tugged on or having to take a diaper changing break. The biggest difference was being able to switch floors in the mall without having to find an elevator. You wouldn't think this would be difficult but you have to either be in a department store (and the elevators are always in the very back corners) or in the middle of the mall where the food court is. Not very convenient. So this afternoon, I felt like a free woman when I got onto the escalator! Wahoo. I know what you're thinking - "you're a wild woman!" haha

Here are a few pictures that Jaime took while they were hanging out.




Thanks for the much needed break, Jaime!! Good luck on your interview tomorrow.

Farewell Mother Goose

Today was the last Story Time with Mother Goose at the library until the fall. Sad! It was a good one to end on though. Today's theme was "ABC & 123."

Emma decided to stand up and listen today:


Then after a little while, she decided she wanted to be a big girl and sit in one of the chairs to listen to the story:



Then it was snack time and she got very happy. It was so quiet in the room...all you could hear were little kids chomping on their snacks.


You would think that she was starving from her reaction of excitement to food. But don't be fooled! She had ate 1.5 eggs with cheese for breakfast not even an hour before we left. I think she's going through a growth spurt. And if she's not, I guess I can just say she's a "good eater!"

Lately

Lately Emma's favorite phrase is "Uh Oh." Except she just says "Uh!" most of the time. I've try to get her to say the OH afterward but it's so cute that I might stop trying.

Her favorite drink besides water is Fruitables. It has 1 serving of fruits and vegetables in it and it has a lot less sugar than most juice. So where I used to give her apple or grape juice, now I sometimes give her this. She likes it all, so I try to switch it up for her. I did find out that there is something out there that she doesn't like...V8 Juice. Hates it. Sticks her nose up at it. Swats it away if she sees it coming near her. I can't say I blame her.

She loves bath time. It's to the point now where it's tough to get her out of the tub. I let the water drain out while she's in there and she waits until it's all gone and then she waves bye bye to it. Adorable!

She still loves brushing her teeth. She can be totally unhappy and if I say, "Do you want to brush your teeth?" she immediately gets excited, giggles, and puts her hand out (waiting for her toothbrush to be put there). I get the same excited reaction when I ask her if she wants to read a book. She literally jumps up and down every day when she realizes I'm about to bring the books out.

She also can't get enough of washing her hands. She hates when she gets them dirty. If she's eating and food gets on them, even the tiniest bit, she stops eating and puts her hand out and grunts. She wants you to get it off. It thrills her when I lift her up to the sink to help her wash her hands. If she sees me in the kitchen washing my hands, she comes over to me and pulls on my leg because she wants me to let her do it too.

She thinks the best invention ever is a fork. You can put anything on a fork and she'll eat it and then laugh.

She is currently getting her last two teeth before her two year molars. So once these are fully in, she'll have 16 chompers!

If something is missing, I can almost guarantee that Emma has hidden it underneath the couch or the pack 'n play. Yesterday I lifted up the skirt on the pack 'n play and I found 7 pieces of her plastic fruit under there! The funniest thing was the shrill squeal that came out of her mouth when she saw that I found them. I'm pretty sure she planned it that way.

I am SO happy to have this little girl in my life and to have the ability to stay home with her right now. There are always going to be instances where I need a break or count the minutes until Josh gets home. But when I'm able to catch a glimpse of her in the car mirror dancing with that smirk on her face or when she leans over to rest her head against mine and then utters the word "Mama," I understand just how blessed I am.

Science Center

We visited the Science Center for the first time today with Martina, Alli & Melissa and all the kids. We had a great time with everybody as usual.









We took a break for lunch and had pizza. I got a little personal pizza that has 4 little slices in it. I thought me and Emma could share. That's the last time I assume I will get my fair share when I split something with her! She ate 3 of the slices and I only got one. AND she ate a breadstick and a few fries. This child must be going through some kind of growth spurt!


Then we headed to the water play area where all the kids had a terrific time!






We even got Emma to "show us her muscles."

For Her Next Birthday...

We went to the zoo yesterday with our friend Rachel. We had such a great time although there were a zillion people that had the same idea of going to the zoo that day too. We went to the petting zoo and saw all kinds of animals. Her favorite animals were the ponies! She just kept pointing at each pony and smiling. We talked about it and she decided she would really like a pony for her next birthday. I told Josh this news when we left and he just laughed...ummm but Emma was totally serious!

Here are a few photos of Emma and Rachel looking at the pony:




Then we went to pet some animals. Emma wasn't too sure about this.


She was very skeptical and wouldn't let me put her down:


She did finally let me set her down on a rock so she could see them:


But soon thereafter, she just wanted to get down and walk around:


She did love washing her hands afterward though (definitely my baby):



Then off to see the giraffes:


It was feeding time for them:


This picture was in front of lions. The male lion was walking down right in front of us and putting on a show for everybody. Then he started roaring and it was so loud that we actually thought it was coming from another exhibit. Rach and I had never heard a lion roar in person (for good reason I suppose) so it was pretty cool. Emma just kept looking around wondering what that new noise was.


Thanks for going with us, Rachel!

She's Back!

Our little girl is back...she went to sleep beautifully last night and slept all night. Josh gave it a go this time. He read her three books to get her nice and calm and then turned out the lights and set her down. She went right to sleep at 8:45. He's such a good dad. Emma didn't wake up until 8:00 this morning. She was SO happy when I opened the door to say good morning. That is the happy baby I've been waiting to see again!

With all the bedtime battle drama and the spots earlier this month, I haven't had a chance to update you on her walking. She's all over the place now. I kept hearing how once your child walks, it's going to be so much harder. I have to disagree. I find this much easier! She can get to where she is going on her own without trying to get me to figure it out and help her there. She is taking full advantage of her new found independence.

Here is a short video of her walking:


We went to Chuck E Cheese yesterday with some friends. Here are some action shots:








She took a one hour nap yesterday because she fell asleep on the way home from the fun. So I decided to get the pool out and let her get in it. Jaime came over and we watched Emma play. Here is a video of Emma playing in the pool while me and Jaime give the commentary:


And here are a few pictures:



She sees Nala in this picture and it made her so happy:



For dinner last night, we had steak, mashed potatoes and green beans. She was so excited about the meat that she just kept giggling when she would eat a piece. So funny.




After a long day, she wanted to curl up and lay on me and a comfy pillow: