Just Truckin'

I know it is almost Emmeline's birthday, but we could not resist buying her this wooden truck from IKEA on Saturday:

The little black piece that hangs off the back has a magnet that picks up the six blocks that were included.  At $12.99, not bad for a quality wood toy.

It is getting increasingly difficult to keep Emmeline entertained.  We try to rotate her toys so that every three or four days she has "new" things to play with, but she has been wise to this trick for some time now.  Like any curious baby (or cat) she wants to play with things that are not toys: plastic bags, cat toys, paper, boxes, junk mail, cords, cell phones, remotes, tubes of diaper cream, and so on.  I have tried the kitchen utensils, sauce pots, baby jars filled with things that jingle and rattle (thanks, Sarah Kim, for this idea), and different colors and textures of cloth.  We are having some better luck with the board books, as she will now look at them briefly before trying to eat them. But unfortunately most of these things only work for a few minutes, if even. So, if you have any great, cheap ideas on how to keep an increasingly curious and active baby entertained, please let me know!

Hey! Cool truck!

Oh neat!  It has a string, too!

Watch out! Rudy is eyeing the string!

OK, mom...what's next?!

Lions, Tigers and Bears...Oh My!

Today was Emmeline's first trip to the zoo!  We took her to the Philadelphia zoo and had a beautiful day to lose ourselves among the various paths and exhibits.  We had a wonderful time, but in actuality it was a horrible weekend to go.  The holiday traffic to the zoo was horrendous and the zoo was so packed with people and strollers that it was very difficult to navigate through.  The big cat exhibit (with lions, tigers, pumas, cheetahs, and jaguars) was so busy that we were not able to get close to the guard rails or windows.  Actually, this was the case with many of the exhibits.  But Emmeline didn't mind as she seemed happy to look at all the people and ride on my back.  We were the most excited to show her the bears, as that is one of the words that she knows.  She at first called the bear a cat but was able to name him correctly after we prompted her.

I realize now that we did not take very many pictures or even any good ones.  But at least I have a few shots, albeit poor, to share:

 

Getting to know a tortoise in the

new Children's Zoo

Watching a beautiful grazing giraffe

Watching peacocks roost (mommy's favorite!)

Just enjoying the ride

Today was also Emmeline's first trip to IKEA...

can you see the building behind her?

She had a very big day!

One is right around the corner...

Our little baby is eleven months old today and it is hard to believe that in one short month we will be celebrating her first birthday.  This past month has been filled with exciting developments for Emmeline.  She is now saying six words: Mama, dada, tat (for cat), hi and bear (sounds more like "beah") and baby (sounds like "beebee").  She is saying quite a bit more in her own babyspeak, but she says these six words deliberately and usually attaches them to the person or object or uses them in the correct context.  She has not picked up any signs but she understands what some of them mean.  She does, however, point to things and people quite a bit.  I think this is because we are always pointing at things and naming them for her.  Her walking is coming along quite well and her balance is rather amazing.  She is so cute when she is walking towards me because she hurries her last few steps into my arms as if she is running.  Her play is definitely active but she is also becoming more interested in looking at books.  In the mornings before her nap she enjoys sitting on my lap, sucking her thumb and looking through a book. She likes the books that have actual photographs of things as opposed to drawings.  She can successfully find the cat, but we are still working on all the other animals.  I can't wait to see and experience what the upcoming month will bring!

We took these pictures on Saturday at Bellevue Park's MayFair:

Emmeline and daddy have a chat

Yay!

Enjoying some custard at Rita's

More please!

Yum!

Our dear friends, Kate and Mike.

(Pst! They are 14 weeks pregnant!)

Sweet Treats

A couple months ago I started giving Emmeline these little flavored puffs made by Gerber that are supposed to dissolve in your baby's mouth.  They worked great and she loved them but I didn't look at the label close enough to see that the fourth ingredient is sugar.  So I switched to organic cheerios (no sugar!) but she doesn't like them as much.  I have started to combine the two so that we can get rid of the puffs but still encourage her to eat the cheerios.  Do you know what that little stinker does?  She picks out the puffs and leaves the cheerios, like marshmallows in sweet cereal:

Mmmm...puffs!

On Wednesday we went for a long, lovely walk.  Delaware is really quite beautiful in the spring and the weather is pretty mild.  We had rain yesterday so we were cooped up inside except for a brief walk at the mall.

Indulging her mommy with a smile

In Brandywine Park with daddy

Emmeline loves to push her own

stroller

Offda!  It is hard to push on the grass!

On the swings again!

He he, daddy!

First ride on the slide!

Emmeline Walks

I took this video today of Emmeline walking in our kitchen. She has been wanting to walk on her own more and more over the last few days. In this video she stumbles to the ground but gets up all on her own without holding onto anything. She just started doing that this afternoon. She also manages to multi-task as she walks while chewing on a teether. Half way through the video, though, she loses interest in walking and decides to explore the kitchen cabinet under the sink.

Mother's Day Top Ten

Top 10 reasons why I love being a mom:

10. There is a special holiday to celebrate me.
9. People stop me where ever I go to "ooo" and "aw" over my especially adorable child.
8. Making new mommy friends and learning from them and their babies.
7. If I am late, I can always blame it on the baby.
6. I get to play with cool toys and have a reason to go to places like the zoo.
5. Never a dull moment.
4. Understanding my parents like I never understood them before.
3. Watching my husband cuddle, entertain, clean, feed, love, adore, and play with our child.
2. Life has a new wonderful meaning and purpose.
1. Emmeline.

Happy Mother's Day!

Little mommy Emmeline

I took this video yesterday when we were in Pottery Barn Kids. Emmeline had a lot of fun pushing around this baby stroller. I can't believe how fast she goes!

Break on through to the toddler side...

So it has happened.  Emmeline is walking.  At ten-and-a-half months. Offda.

For the past couple weeks she has been taking an unassisted step or two here and there but tonight, I think, was a turning point.  Paul and I were urging her to walk in between us as we were seated on the floor.  She got up to about seven/eight steps on her own and she did it several times.  It was close to bedtime so it was hard to get her settled down after that.  She was pretty proud of her newfound skill!

For the next few days we will probably be safe from any daring escapes.  She still seems to prefers to crawl, as it is much faster from point A to point B than her wobbly toddling.  But we will probably not be safe for long.  I have heard that in many ways pregnancy lasts for nine months after your baby is born.  The baby still want to be held, cuddled and fed constantly.  I think we are officially past that stage.  Emmeline still likes to be held, but this is usually when she is tired, wants to nurse or is unfamiliar with her surroundings.  Yesterday at our Birth Center group there were more babies and toys than usual.  Emmeline was squirming to get out of my arms from the second we walked in the door.  When I put her down, she crawled right into the midst of it all and didn't look back (sniff).  Today when we were walking at the mall I had a hard time keeping her in the stroller or in my arms.  She didn't mind being put on my back in the carrier, though.  I am glad for that.  I will wear her as long as she allows it!

Emmeline and her friend Haley playing in

Bellevue Park last Friday

Whazup homey?

Practicing walking behind the

push-car

"I can do it, daddy! Let go!"

Taking a ride on daddy's shoulders...

Having fun in Pottery Barn Kids

today at the mall

"I'll make dinner tonight, mommy!"

Ergo Baby Carrier Contest

Click here for a chance to win a free Ergo Baby Carrier.

Photography faux pas

As all parents and grandparents are well aware, the professional portraits taken during a child's first year are very important.  Portraits are traditionally taken every three months, as babies change so much during their first year.  We have stuck to this generic schedule but up until recently have been extremely exasperated.

When Emmeline was three months old my mom and I took her to the Grand Forks JC Pennies to get her portraits done by a so-called "professional" photographer.  We were sorely disappointed.  We had fun and Emmeline was as cute as ever but the customer service was crap. Absolute crap.  Did you know that if you order portraits the moment after you leave the studio they count as "reorders"?  And they cost about three times more?  We were not explained this. For Emmeline's six-month portraits, Paul and I took her to a Sears here in Delaware (we are on a budget here people!).  During the session the seventeen-year-old photographer (very inappropriately attired, thong included) asked us if Emmeline was our biological child because she looked "chinky."  She even made a slanty motion over her eyes to emphasize her question.  Ah...what?!

These experiences (and the subsequent prices) have soured us to conventional "professional" photography.  Thankfully we have a wonderful friend, Kerry, who is a photographer.  Not one of these chain department store photographers...no, no.  She is a real photographer.  An artist.

One lovely day in April she very graciously agreed to take Emmeline's nine-month portraits. We went into Brandywine Park and she snapped away.  I have not seen all of the pictures yet but her very nice boy, Dave, snuck me a few via email.  I hope you love them as much as we do. Thank you Kerry!  These pictures will be truly cherished.

My favorite of the bunch so far.

He he!

Things that make you go "hmmmmm?"

She tried to eat these...

No words necessary

Isn't this the most adorable picture ever?  One of my friends just sent it via email along with some other pictures of the picnic that we attended on Sunday.  My friend Carla was trying to get her daughter Marysol to show everyone that she was "So big!" but she was a bit camera shy. Emmeline heard Carla's "So big!" prompts and decided to take over the spotlight... everyone agrees that she is such a ham.  I will add more pictures later once I get them downloaded onto my computer but I needed to share this picture with you all immediately.  It makes me smile.

What a Downer...

Today was one bummer after another.  I don't mean to complain, but why hide?  To begin, Emmeline woke up three times last night and was up and at 'em at 8am.  She did not want to eat her breakfast porridge (which is very out of the ordinary) and fussed until she finally went down for a nap (after several tries).  After all that work our alpha cat, Rudolph, pushed open her nursery door and woke her up with his 10 decibel "MEOW!".  Due to all the fussy hullabaloo, I was behind schedule and missed our appointment to get her new big-girl car seat fitted.  I had to reschedule for the third time!  Later in the afternoon we had a nice time at at our Birth Center group, but I spent the entire time chasing Emmeline around the room and trying to keep her from running over the other babies and away from exposed outlets.  She can be a bit of a bully but more of this has to do with her size, I think, than anything else.  She really is such a sweet baby but simply does not know her own strength!  When we got home from our play group, she went down for a nap right away.  This earlier-than-usual nap was great because it allowed me to watch most of Oprah's episode on the new Sex and the City movie coming out the day before my birthday!  I thought this early nap would make her go to bed early tonight but I was very wrong.  We missed Survivor because we were trying to put her down early (at about 8).  This did not work so she played and fussed for about another hour and a half.  She is finally down but I am wiped out completely.  The house is a mess: cruddy high-chair, Cheerios everywhere, cat hair everywhere, dirty dishes (though I just did them last night and this morning), etc., etc., etc.  What a day.  I hope tomorrow is a better, brighter day.