11 months

Emma is 11 months old!

Here's what's new with her:

• She is pulling up to a standing position and even took a few steps.  She nows loves to pull up to standing on everything, including stairs.  

• She crawls all around her crib.  We frequently find her in a sitting position playing with her pacifiers when we go in to get her.  She also has been sleeping on her tummy.

• She crawls at lightening speed now, and always wants to be put down on the floor to explore.

• Her language is rapidly expanding as well.  She "talks" all the time now, and still says "mama", "dada", "boo", and "puppy".  

• She is still taking 2 naps a day - one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  She goes to bed around 7:30 at night and sleeps 'till about 6:30am.  

• She loves to eat and is still having three meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  We are now giving her snacks.  She even signed to me the other day that she was hungry.  She also loves to hold her sippy cup.  She has whole milk at breakfast and dinner, and water at lunch/snacktime.  Sadly the breast feeding is tapering off a little.  She still likes to nurse in the morning when she first wakes up, and at night before bed.  I hope my supply keeps up as I would like to continue nursing her for a few more months.

And perhaps the most exciting news of all, I am going back to work!  I received an offer from a construction company to do Records Management, and I have accepted.  My first day is June 16, and that will also be Emma's first day at daycare.  It is bittersweet for me.  I am very excited about my new position, however I am also sad at the thought of leaving Emma.  We are doing a few test days at the daycare leading up to her first day.  Our lives, schedule, and routine are really going to change.  But we'll roll with it!  I'm excited for Emma to play with other kids her age every week day, and actually start learning some stuff.  I think it's going to be a good change for all of us.

10 months old

Emma is 10 months old!

Well, can't keep the sticker on her anymore.  She is moving and grooving!  Here is what's new with her:

• officially crawling everywhere, always on the move, wanting to explore
• doing a little downward dog yoga posing
• pulling herself up on things up to her knees
• talking a lot, saying "Mama", "Dada", and making all kinds of noises
• throwing temper tantrums when something she wants gets taken away from her
• she has a voracious appetite, eats 3 square meals a day plus still breastfeeding
• sleeping through the night!
• still taking two naps a day
• very curious about the world around her, loves to get out and see and do things
• waves "hi" at people
• gives giant open-mouth kisses
• obsessed with tiny things:  buttons, things on the floor, zippers, strings, etcetera 

Emma is such a big girl now.  My little baby is gone!  It really does go by in a blink of an eye.
School is winding down for me.  My last day of class is May 17.  So excited to be done!  I've been applying for jobs but haven't had any interviews yet.  Emma is scheduled to start daycare on June 2.  I have mixed emotions about it.  But I really do think she will love it and will have so much fun playing with all the kids and the teachers.  I will miss her at first, but I know it's best for everyone.  I don't think I could handle being a stay at home mom if I didn't have school or some kind of work outside the home.  Plus I really want Emma to experience the socialization of being in daycare.  It will be a big transition for our family but we are ready for it! 

9 months old.

9 months old.  My little baby is 9 months old.  Look at her up there!  She's huge!  Can't keep her still for pictures anymore.  Only 3 more months 'till she's a year.  I'm sure I will be a weepy mess at her birthday party.  

Well Emma has a lot going on!  She hit the 8 1/2 and 9 month mark and bam!  She was off.  Here's what's new with her:

• she is crawling!  She just randomly started doing it one morning.  Now she crawls all over the place.  All over the living room, all over Maggie's dog bed, basically wherever we put her down.
• she is officially in love with Maggie and constantly crawls over to her to pet her. Maggie is tolerating it so far.  Emma also likes to let Maggie lick her hand at dinner time, and then she laughs and laughs.  It's adorable.  I've got to get it on video.
• we transitioned her out of the Baby Merlin Magic Sleepsuit.  Randy went in to get her one morning and she had rolled in her suit, so we were done.  I put her in a Halo Sleepsack at night and the transition has been fine.  I also give her her Wub A Nub and a blankie at night.
• sleep is still going okay.  Emma is still waking up twice a night for feedings.  She also usually wakes up around 4:00am.  We let her cry at that time and put herself back to sleep.  She usually does in 20 minutes or less.  Eventually I'm going to have to stop the nighttime feedings.  I know they are just habit for her at this point.  But since I'm not working right now I don't mind getting up.  
• she says "mama" and "dada" and knows what that means!  Randy loves hearing her call him "dada".
• I am still breastfeeding her.  She loves her milk, not sure how weaning will go whenever we get around to that.  She also eats solids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I give her real food.  She loves it!  Now that she is mobile she is hungry.  She wolfs down her dinner, and if she wants more she will smack her tray.
• We started swim lessons with her and she absolutely loves it.  She is a little fish, just like her mama.  She wasn't scared of the water at all (it helps that the pool is heated to 91 degrees).  She kicks her arms and legs, floats on her back (while I'm holding her), and even didn't mind water getting on her face.  I  hope she loves the lake just as much!  
• We started stopping at the park on our daily walks.  She is big enough to go in the baby swings now.  She loves it, and we get big smiles and giggles as we push her.  

I am super busy with school right now, it's crunch time for me with a lot of projects.  Graduation looms.  I have also started applying for jobs.  Emma is scheduled to start daycare on June 2.  Hopefully I find employment by then!

8 months old

Emma is 8 months old!

We just enjoyed a great visit with Emma's aunt, uncle, cousins, and Oma (grandma).  It's amazing how much she has changed since the last time they visited.  Now she loves to play and laugh with them.  She really bonded with her Oma, it was so sweet to see them together.  And her aunt and cousin can really make her laugh.  It's great to see Emma turning into a "real kid" instead of just a baby, if that makes sense.  Also sad.  Her babyhood is flying by.

Well as always, let's discuss Emma's sleep.  We've had some exciting developments!  I broke down and did Cry It Out sleep training with her.  I had reached my breaking point.  Emma was not getting quality sleep at night and neither was I.  I had tried everything else.  I  knew I finally just had to let her cry.  I'm doing a modified version, where I still go in and feed her twice a night.  Other than her two feedings she sleeps the whole time, 'till 7:00 or 7:30am.  Occasionally we'll hear her cry out or very rarely start crying, but I don't go in to get her when she does that.  Here's how it went down:
NIGHT ONE - went in to her room and nursed her at 10:30pm, 12:30am, and 1:30am.  After the 1:30am feeding she woke up exactly 10 minutes later.  I did not go back in.  She cried for 30 minutes.  And then slept 'till 7:30am.  I got five hours of uninterrupted sleep.  That hasn't happened to me in over 3 months.
NIGHT TWO - went in to her room and nursed her at 10:30pm, and 1:30am.  She woke up at 4:00am babbling, and then cried.  I did not go in.  She cried for 15 minutes.  And then slept 'till 7:00am.
NIGHT THREE - went in and nursed her at 10:30pm, 11:30pm, 1:30am.  She woke up at 3:30am.  I did not go back in.  She cried for much longer, about 45 minutes off and on.  She then slept 'till 7:30am.

Since then she's been waking up for her two feedings and that's it.  Randy and I used earplugs to get through the crying.  It was hard, and there were a few times where I had one leg out of the bed ready to go in.  But I knew I needed to stick with it.  And you know what?  Emma has been so much happier since then.  She is perky and playful all day.  She really needed her sleep.  What a difference it has made.

Other Emma news:

• She's still not crawling!  I'm growing a tad concerned as it seems like all the other babies her age that I know are crawling.  Emma will get up on all fours and rock back and forth, but that's it.  I just keep reminding myself she'll do it in her own time.
• She also still has no teeth!  She's been drooling A LOT and chewing on everything, but nothing has popped through.  Again, glad I don't have to deal with her biting me, but worried that none of her teeth have popped out.  All in good time
• She babbles and talks all the time
• She lifts her arms up to me when she wants to be picked up
• I make sure to say "bye bye" to her when I leave for class on Saturdays.  She and her Dad have a great day together, and she is so happy to see me when I come home
• She can lift herself up using the side of her toy box and reach in and grab a toy!  Like a big girl!

Randy recently accepted a new position and will be starting his new job soon.  He will have a few days off before he starts, and we are looking forward to having him home with us.  I am plugging along with school.  We will be purchasing a jogging stroller soon.  Looking forward to getting outside again every day, and combining Emma's afternoon nap with some exercise for me.

My sneaky ninja

Lately Emma has been on the move!  She has developed a new butt scootching move.  She leans all the way forward with her legs splayed out and scootches her butt forward.  I will put her down in the middle of the rug and step away for a minute, and when I come back she has scootched all the way across the rug to the toy she wants.  She's sneaky like a ninja though, and won't let me capture it on video.  She is also getting closer and closer to crawling.  Today at storytime she actually lifted her torso up and was on all fours.  So any day now....

Here are some other new, fun things Emma has been doing:

• talking a lot, and saying "mama" (but she doesn't know what she's saying)
• shaking her head back and forth like she is saying no (again, she doesn't know she is saying 'no', she just likes to shake her head)
• having lots of fun playing with other kids, her grandparents, and her auntie K
• exploring things on her own; she will happily play with toys on the carpet for a long time

Some not so fun things Emma has been doing:

• still waking up 3 times a night, and at least a couple times a week waking up every 2 hours
• getting super crabby at dinner time and screaming, and arching her back in her high chair, and kicking her high chair
• screaming/back-arching at bedtime.  I now have to pace back and forth in her dark nursery with her while patting her back to get her to settle down for bed.  I think she is just developing so rapidly, it's hard for her brain to slow down at bedtime

I am busy with school and taking care of the Ems.  We are eagerly looking forward to spring time and being able to go for walks outside!  Also need to start job hunting soon.  Time flies!  

7 months old

Emma is 7 months old today!  As I say every single month, TIME IS FLYING BY.  My baby is getting so big!  Here's what's new with her:

• her sleep has returned to normal after being sick, thank god.  We start bedtime at 8:20 and she's down by 8:45.  Previously I had pushed bedtime back to 8:00 but it was a struggle to get her down.  I would be in her room with her for over a half hour trying to get her down for bed.  Finally I said enough is enough.  8:20 works for my baby and that's what were sticking with.  Now that I've gone back to her original bedtime it's been a breeze.  I'm sure it will get pushed back to an earlier time as she gets older, but for now this is what works for her.  She is waking up twice a night to eat, which is not too bad.  And she's sleeping 'till 7:00am.  THAT'S RIGHT, 7:00AM.  I never thought I would see the day.  She is still sleeping in her sleepsuit at night.  However when she starts crawling and can push up to a sitting position by herself, I'm taking the sleepsuit away. Then we will lower the crib and just put her in there in her jammies at night.  Dun, dun, dun!!  I am hoping she will like the freedom of movement and being able to sleep in any position she wants?  Also going to purchase a video monitor so I can obessively watch her after we take the sleepsuit away.

• still not crawling yet but she is very, very close.  She lifts her butt all the way up in the air and pushes off with her legs.  She just can't figure out her arms and her head.  She is very good at scootching backwards though.

• She sits up and plays with toys all on her own now.  Nice little break for mommy!

• She loves reading books.

• She loves hanging out with other kids/babies and "playing" with them.

• She is eating solids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner now.  She eats a combination of purees and "regular" food.  So far she's tried cheese quesadillas, a french fry, a pickle, oranges, banana, and toast.  The only thing she doesn't like is avocado.  It's so fun trying new foods with her.  We are still breastfeeding as well.  I plan on breastfeeding her until she's 12 months old.

As for me I am enjoying my last few days of freedom before school starts up.  My first day of class is February 8.  Between school and all the activities we go to, these next 4 months will be busy, busy, busy.  It is bittersweet. Last night we toured a new daycare facility that I think we are going to put Emma in.  Yes, even though Emma's not going into daycare until this summer we have to reserve a spot now.  I can't believe I will be going back to work soon and not spending all day with my daughter.  I'm sure the daycare ladies are going to have to push me out the door as I'm hysterically sobbing on the very first day.

In sickness and in health

Last week Emma came down with her first real illness.  It was terrifying and exhausting, but I am happy to say we are all on the mend now.  Let me break it down for you:

Tuesday night last week:  Randy and I decide to order Chinese for dinner.  As I'm getting ready to put Emma down to bed I say to him, "my stomach doesn't feel good".  Shortly after I get Emma down for the night I am violently vomiting in the bathroom (sorry not sorry).  At first I think it's food poisoning.  I soon realize as I continue to get sick that it's something else.

Wednesday:  Randy stays home from work to help out.  I am weak and miserable and need him to take over with Emma for a while so I can sleep.  He takes her to a playdate.  I lie in the recliner in front of the tv and sleep and generally feel like I am dying.  Randy and Emma come back from the playdate that afternoon.  As I'm holding Emma on my lap she coughs and projectile vomit comes shooting out of her.  I attempt to nurse her.  Vomit, vomit everywhere.  I get really scared and start crying.  Randy was calm (or pretending to be) and we call the nurses line.  Get in to see the doc and the doc is like, oh, it's a gastro intestinal virus, aka norovirus.  Nothing you can do but let it run it's course.  Awesome.

Thursday:  Emma and I are starting to feel a tad better.  And then Randy gets struck down.  Vomit everywhere, again.

It has taken a whole week to recover from this virus.  And now on top of it Emma has a little cold.  Really?! To say this has been exhausting is an understatement. Emma has (understandably) been super fussy.  Her sleep is totally off with her waking multiple times a night.  And guess what?  You don't get to call in sick when you're a mom.  Still gotta show up, even when you are recovering as well.  It's the saddest thing in the world for your baby to be sick.  I just want everyone to be well and back to normal!  Also I would like to sleep.  I would always like to sleep.

In other news, I made some changes to my school schedule for the upcoming semester.  I'll be taking two classes on Saturday, back to back.  This works out much better for everyone.  I won't be home late on a weeknight, forcing Randy to either do bedtime by himself or keep Emma up.  And Emma is much less crabby pants during the daytime.  Randy will have fun daddy/daughter bonding time while I'm at class.  I'm sure they'll enjoy their Saturdays together.

4 months 'till I'm done with school.  4 months 'till I (hopefully) find a job and go back to work.  4 months 'till Em goes to daycare.  4 months to hold my little girl and make memories.