The Rodgers Family

Tidbits from December

2012-01-23T22:01:00.006-05:00

Our Little Artist

Go Wolfpack!

Helping Mommy make Christmas Bark...

Poinsettia Prettiness

2012-01-23T21:47:00.001-05:00

Rodgers Family Christmas

2012-01-23T21:05:00.004-05:00

We spent Christmas Day with Kyle's family. By this time Emma Claire was getting the hang of opening presents and would ask for more. She received lots of fun art supplies, Elmo slipper, an Abby Cadabby doll and Sit & Spin, her favorite gift - her Minnie Pillowpet, and more! Unfortunately my new camera broke early into the day and I left Kyle in charge of photographing with our other camera and he doesn't get quite as photo crazy as I do.

Pence Family Christmas

2012-01-02T20:01:00.014-05:00

The weekend before Christmas we traveled to Charlotte to celebrate Christmas with my family. Emma Claire didn't quite get into the unwrapping of gifts as much as I expected but she really enjoyed playing with her new cash register, baby doll, and easel among other gifts.

Pretending to play XBox with her cousins

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2012-01-02T19:26:00.004-05:00

Christmas this year was truly different. Emma Claire loved anything and everything Christmas. Here are a few highlights from the season that we'll remember fondly...

She learned quite a few Christmas songs - Oh Christmas Tree, Away in a Manager, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and Jingle Bells.

She loved playing with her Little People Nativity and one night she even wanted Baby Jesus to sleep with her in her crib. She knew who Mary & Joseph were and Daddy even taught her what the donkey from her nativity says. If you asked her whose birthday it was, she would sing Happy Birthday Jesus.

She also loved looking at Christmas lights. One of the most outlandish displays happens to be on our way home so we stopped several evenings to see them. She would shout out, oooohhh, Mismas lights!". I have a new appreciation for being who go all out decorating for Christmas after seeing the the excitement it brought her. We are going to have to step up our decorations outside next year.

We waited an hour and forty minutes to see Santa and still got smiles. While standing in line, she shouted out "Hi, Santa" and started waving at him. Almost two weeks later she still randomly starts talking about sitting on Santa's lap and getting her picture taken. And this makes it all worth the wait.

Go Canes!

2012-01-01T23:54:00.008-05:00

We headed to a Carolina Hurricanes game recently with our friends Kellie, Brad, & their son Carter. We had a great time despite the Canes losing. Here are a few pictures from the night.

Dance Party!

Just Like Daddy

2011-12-24T00:48:00.003-05:00

Our Jack-O-Lantern

2011-12-24T00:43:00.002-05:00

Trick or Treat

2011-12-24T00:21:00.005-05:00

For Halloween this year, we joined Carter & his parents for dinner and trick or treating. Despite a rainy night, we still had a great time. I wasn't sure Emma Claire would really get the hang of it this year but she caught on right away!

What happens when you skip naptime...

2011-12-24T00:17:00.002-05:00

This is from back in August. I'm playing catch up and this is too cute not to share! We were having dinner with Kyle's family after a day where she refused to nap. This was the end result.

Hill Ridge Farms

2011-11-23T01:33:00.004-05:00

Back in October, we headed to Hill Ridge Farms for the day with Super Dude and his parents. We had a fun day full of sliding, playing in corn ...or not (Emma Claire wasn't a big fan), hayrides, picking out pumpkins and more.

Emma Claire and Carter had a great time together even though you can't tell from the pictures. We couldn't capture a smile from either of them hardly at all. Emma Claire has been talking about Carter, her "buddy", ever since.

NC State Fair

2011-11-23T01:25:00.003-05:00

We strategically planned our trip to the State Fair this year for the drizzly night which turned out to be perfect in terms of crowds. Not so photo friendly however. Emma Claire did not ride any rides this year. We did however check out the exhibits and eat some delicious fair food. Her favorite part was definitely the deep friend snickers!

Museum of Life & Science

2011-11-23T01:08:00.004-05:00

One beautiful Saturday in October, Kyle, Emma Claire, and I spent the day at the Life & Science Museum in Durham. If you live in the area and haven't been, it's a great museum. A large portion of the museum is outdoors with animals and different interactive exhibits. Here are a few pictures from our day.

One beautiful Saturday in October, Kyle, Emma Claire, and I spent the day at the Life & Science Museum in Durham. If you live in the area and haven't been, it's a great museum. Here are a few pictures from our day.

20 & 21 Months

2011-11-23T00:46:00.006-05:00

I've fallen off the bandwagon with the monthly posts & pictures. So here is my attempt to catch up on the last few months.

Our baby is less and less a baby and more and more of a little girl each day! This past week we took the rail off her crib. We haven't had any problems with her getting out of it. No rush to get her out of the crib although I do have a pretty awesome "big girl bed" planned for her thanks to pinterest.

She loves anything art related - she calls markers "colors" and would color all day if you would let her. She also loves play-doh. Toys aren't much of an interest to her these days which is making Christmas shopping extremely challenging. She still loves Sesame Street characters although these days she prefer to watch Mickey cartoons when we let her watch tv. I've been recording the old short cartoons that Kyle & I watched as kids and we've enjoyed watching them as a family. Her other love is the iPad. Her new favorite app is the Easy Bake app where she can decorate cupcakes. She still would prefer to be playing outside but the shorter days and cooler weather are making playing outside harder and harder.

Her vocabulary is shocking - there is truly nothing she can't say - and these days she is regularly talking in sentences. She knows her colors, can sing her ABC's, and can count to ten. She still loves music and loves to sing. She's added quite a few new songs including Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes and Oh How I Love Jesus.

We are in the toddler picky eating stage although we are trying not to indulge her and what we eat for dinner and is generally what she eats or nothing at all. Dinners have been more successful lately with rotisserie chicken, pork tenderloin, and tonight she threw down the steak & broccoli. Lunch is probably the most difficult right now. Favorite foods include yogurt, fruit, applesauce, cheese, cheerios, and your normal kid foods of chicken nuggets, fries, & pizza.

Recently she has started exhibiting fear for the first time. One day she became terrified out of the blue of the bathtub so for now she takes showers with Kyle or I.

Growth wise, she was tracking in the same percentiles at her 18 month appt which was actually more like 19 months. It looks like she's going to be petite - remains in the 5-10% percentile for both height & weight. She is currently wearing 18-24 month tops, pants, dresses, and pajamas. Pants tend to run long and I often have to roll them up. She was just measured for new shoes - size 5.5 although that leaves room for growth. She still has a few pairs of size 4 she is wearing although they are getting short on her toe.

I think that about sums it up. I can't believe we are just 3 short months away from her 2nd birthday!

Enjoying the Fall Weather

2011-10-15T22:37:00.007-04:00

The weather is FINALLY cooling down and we have been enjoying lots of time playing outside! I also got a new camera lens that I'm in love with so I've been snapping lots of pictures. Emma Claire is into all things "art" right now so this week we broke out the sidewalk chalk and she loved it.

"Airplane!"

BBQ for Babies

2011-10-15T21:20:00.005-04:00

The 3rd Annual Duke Intensive Care Family Advisory Board BBQ for Babies was October 1st. This year I served as co-chair for the event and couldn't be more pleased with how the day went. We had beautiful weather, a great turn out, and raised almost $7,000 for the Family Advisory Board. Funds raised provide welcome bags for the families, a weekly meal, meal passes/parking passes, and other special projects such as a tv for the waiting room.

This year was especially fun because Emma Claire was old enough to enjoy the activities and we shared the day with friends & their children we've grown to know through the board. Uncle Ryan & Aunt Katie came out to help as well.

19 Months

2011-09-26T12:56:00.006-04:00

We have reached the point where she's no longer our baby - she's definitely our toddler!

She is wearing 18 months now in most clothes, size 4 shoes, size 4 diapers.

Her vocabulary has exploded - she communicates exceptionally well for her age.

Her temper has also started to come out more - we are having to work on asking nicely for things rather than hollering and she is starting to test boundaries.

Knows quite a few of her colors & shapes - our favorite "lellow"

The rest of her teeth are finally coming in - with her cuspids & molars has come quite the whiny hiney! We'll be happy when these last few breakthrough and hopefully her normal demeanor returns.

Is finally feeding herself from a spoon without creating a total disaster! This is particulary handy in the morning when she can now feed herself her yogurt.

LOVES to brush her teeth. If you ask her if she wants to go brush her teeth, she runs giggling to the bathroom to get her toothbrush.

Has starting participating in saying her prayers at night. At the end of our normal prayer, we say "God Bless".... and name off family, friends, etc. On several occasions she has named people but last night when we got to that point she launched right in on her own. We caught Mommy, Daddy, and then a string that we couldn't make out. So adorable!

Begs to play with my iPad - she loves a flashcard app that shows a picture of an animal, transportation, etc. and the accompanying sound & name and also an Elmo ABC app.

Is OBSESSED with school buses! She loves playing with her musical school bus and on the way to/from school if she hears one she will scream BUS! Followed by swish swish with the hand motions (for the wipers).

Loves puzzles - most mornings when I drop her off at school she goes straight for the puzzles.

Holy Guacamole!

2011-09-21T13:25:00.003-04:00

Emma Claire LOVES guacamole. We make fresh guacamole at least a couple of times a month. Emma Claire often eats it from a spoon but she's learning to eat it from a chip. This particular day - no lie - she tried to lick the bowl. Here's a link to our favorite recipe I found a couple of years ago - we add freshly diced tomato to it as well.

Our Girly Girl

2011-09-21T13:14:00.002-04:00

Emma Claire has become quite the girly girl. She loves her hairbows and insists on wearing one all the time, loves jewelry, baby dolls, and now loves to pretend primp. She will come into the bathroom when I am in there and beg "up up" to sit on the stool and play. I have to keep a close eye on her because I've already caught her with the mascara unscrewed and ready to go!

Dancing in the Rain

2011-09-08T12:40:00.003-04:00

For the past few months, Emma Claire has been fascinated by rain. She can even sing Rain Rain Go Away. On Monday night we had a tropical storm moving through that brought lots of rain. I took her to the sliding glass door to watch it and she leaned over and starting pulling the door handle and asking to go outside. My initial reaction was - "you can't go out silly, it's raining" but decided why not? Bathtime was next so it she was going to be wet soon enough anyway. She had a ball running around the deck in the rain for a good 5 minutes or so.

Labor Day Fun

2011-09-08T11:59:00.004-04:00

On Labor Day we headed to Lake Wheeler Park to take Emma Claire to the playground. She got so excited when we got out of the car and she saw it. She started squealing and laughing and wanted down so she could run to it. She had a blast and especially enjoyed all 3 of the slides which she went down all by herself. She would have stayed all day but after an hour or so the rain clouds rolled in and forced us home.

Little Ham

2011-09-05T01:26:00.004-04:00

The grandparents get a daily phone photo sent to them each morning so I've compiled quite a few cute ones over the past few months along with some random other moments we've captured. Here are a few of my favorites...

Blowing kisses to her grandparents!

Singing Skidmarink a Dink

Signing Ice Cream

Taking a "big girl" bite

1st Football Game of the Season

Lots of ice cream this summer!

Cookies & Milk before bedtime with Nana
A little sweet tea never hurt anyone :)

Poppy's Girl

2011-09-05T01:14:00.004-04:00

Emma Claire has decided she is Poppy's girl and no one else's. We honestly aren't quite sure why this became so embedded in her mind because she has not been coached to say it but if you ask her if she's mommy's girl or daddy's girl she will shake her head no and say Poppy's girl. She has also started saying at random times - walking to the car after school, while riding down the road, etc. Here are a few pictures of her playing with Poppy!

Mess!

2011-09-05T01:04:00.003-04:00

Relinquishing control of the spoon to Emma Claire has been a bit hard for me due to the obvious mess that accompanies a toddler feeding herself. She is doing much better but on this particular day our Blueberry Applesauce ended with being sprayed down in the kitchen sink. And yes... that would be temporary tattoo on her arm courtesy of school. Let's just say Mommy & Daddy are not a fan...

First Haircut

2011-09-05T00:56:00.003-04:00

Emma Claire's hair has grown alot recently and has really started to thicken up. It was starting to look scraggly so we broke down and decided to trim it in an effort to shape it up. For whatever reason her hair is much longer in the back then on the sides so the plan is to keep trimming the back and let the sides catch up. Lucky for us, her teacher - Ms. JoJo - also cuts hair so she came over to the house and trimmed it. Emma Claire sat suprisingly still for it and it looks much better!

Baby Love

2011-09-05T00:46:00.002-04:00

Emma Claire has recently begun showing more interest in dolls. She loves to push them around in her baby stroller, pretend rock them, hug and kiss them. This past week she's been spotted pretending two of her babies were kissing each other and today baby made her first outing with us to lunch & the grocery store. We convinced her baby was going to take a nap in the car during lunch but we let her take her into the grocery store and she rode in the cart with her.

Tuckered Out

2011-09-05T00:42:00.001-04:00

We've been giving Emma Claire a pillow some at naptime/bedtime so she can get used to it as we start to look forward to transitioning into a big girl bed (Mommy is in no rush!). As you can see the pillow was a big hit on this particular day. Notice the Teddy Ruxpin pillowcase from my childhood!

Backyard Fun

2011-09-05T00:30:00.003-04:00

Here are a few shots of an afternoon of backyard fun. I love the picture of Emma Claire & Savannah - those two love each other!

Emma Claire can climb the wall on her swingset now by herself.

Helping Daddy in the garden

Signing Time

2011-09-05T00:27:00.003-04:00

PBS has a sign language show for children that we DVR for Emma Claire. On this particular day she was signing along with the show - she is signing water in the picture above. She was pretty proud of herself as you can tell from the picture below!

A Day at the Park

2011-09-05T00:20:00.003-04:00

We had a playdate at the park with Jeremiah who until recently was in Emma Claire's class at school. He's the most adorable little boy and the two of them are adorable together! He's protective of her at school and they've been caught hugging/holding hands/etc. on multiple occasions. Sadly he moved up to the next room but we are looking forward to more playdates!

Hot, tired babies!

Hanging with Pops

2011-08-18T15:14:00.004-04:00

Up until the past month and half or so, Emma Claire was a Mommy & Grandma's girl. Lately she is all about the men in her life... Daddy, Pop, & Poppy. Here are a few cute shots of her & her Pop.

Mismatch Day at School

2011-08-18T15:12:00.003-04:00

This summer Emma Claire's school has had a theme for each week. The above picture was from Mismatch Day during Spirit Week. I did my best to pick out her outfit but Daddy said it could be worse so he put together this concection. For the record, those are Cookie Monster socks.

4th of July & PA Trip

2011-08-18T15:00:00.004-04:00

For the 4th of July, we made a roadtrip to Pennsylvania to see our friends Dave, Stacie, & their girls. We went to Antietam Battlefield (Civil War Battlefield) for their 4th of July Celebration. It was probably one of the more memorable 4th of July's as it was neat to be in such a historically significant place to celebrate the freedom of our country. There was a concert followed by a long fireworks display and firing of cannons. Emma Claire slept through the entire fireworks display & cannon firings (20+ minute affair). Here are a few photos from the weekend...

Learning to eat with a fork

Getting pushed around in the baby doll stroller

Super Proud Mommy

2011-07-18T11:43:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago we dug out the potty we inherited from my nephews for Emma Claire's bathroom since we had been successful intercepting a few bathtime disasters by sitting her on the big potty. The intent was to sit her on it every night so she could get used to it but we had not yet started that.

Last night when getting her ready to get into the bathtub she went over and opened the lid to the potty. I asked her if she needed to go and she nodded yes. I took her diaper off and sat her on it not expecting anything. I continued to run the water and when I went back to get her she had used it! I asked her if she was done and she nodded yes. Kyle & I were completely blown away that at 17 months she initiated using the potty all by herself.

By no means are we going to force potty training at such a young age but we will continue to encourage her signs of readiness and hopefully potty training will go smoothly when the time comes!

Donuts!

2011-06-28T15:33:00.002-04:00

For Father's Day & my birthday, we went to Krispy Kreme for breakfast. Emma Claire's response when we opened the box of donuts... "ooooooooooo". We try and limit the amount of junk she eats to a minimum but in celebration of the day she devoured an entire donut.

Kiawah Extras

2011-06-28T15:27:00.002-04:00

Here are a few cell phone pictures from Kiawah too cute not to share...

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-28T12:46:00.005-04:00

We had a busy but fun Memorial Day weekend full of swimming and grilling out with friends. Here are a few pictures from our weekend...

Flirting with the lifeguard

Playing with Davis & Ella (children of my high school friends)

Duke ICN Graduates - Carter, Clay, & Emma Claire

A Week at Kiawah Island

2011-06-22T09:44:00.006-04:00

We were blessed to get to spend a week recently at Kiawah Island with our friends Michael and Mandy who had rented a home and invited us to come along. We had a wonderful week with absolutely no agenda. It was so nice not to have anything we had to do or any place we had to be. And it was especially nice to get to spend an entire week with our sweet girl. Our days consisted of playing on the beach, napping, riding bikes, reading, and relaxing. Emma Claire LOVED the beach including the taste of sand... Here are a few pictures from our week!

Charleston Battery

She fell asleep everyday on the way back from the beach.

Doggy Love

2011-05-26T15:46:00.002-04:00

Savannah must be a part of our bedtime routine or she expresses her unhappiness. She lies outside the tub during bathtime and lies in the floor of Emma Claire's room while we get her ready for bed and storytime. One night this week Emma Claire decided to give Savannah some love AND ride her like a pony. Savannah wasn't fazed in the least and kept right on chewing her bone. These two have such a sweet relationship and I know they will be the best of buds as Emma Claire grows up.

Family Picnic at the Park

2011-05-26T15:19:00.004-04:00

Sunday afternoon we headed out to Harris Lake for a family picnic. We spent a few hours playing (baseball, playground, and geo-caching) and finished the evening with a delicious grill out. It was truly the dirtiest Emma Claire has ever been and she loved it! Our picnic site was in a gravel area and she loved playing with the rocks. She also went wading in the lake. It was a great way to finish out a busy but fun weekend!

Got to Be NC Festival

2011-05-26T15:12:00.002-04:00

To conclude our busy weekend, we spent Sunday morning at the Got to Be NC Festival. A free event featuring NC foods, wines, and vendors as well as rides and animals for the kids. It was a hot day but we enjoyed walking around. We were talking about how much Emma Claire will enjoy next year when she can ride the rides until we discovered she needs to grow another 7" which could be a long shot for our little girl! She may have to wait 2 more years!

Charlotte Visit: Momaw & Papaw's

2011-05-26T15:07:00.002-04:00

On our way back to Raleigh, we stopped for a visit with Momaw and Papaw. After more hugs & kisses and we were on our way home. Here are a few pictures from our visit:

Charlotte Visit: The Van Wingerdens

2011-05-26T14:51:00.003-04:00

We continued our stay with a night at Aunt Courtney, Uncle Michael, Brayden, & Jackson's house. Emma Claire loves playing with her cousins. She had lots of fun reading stories, playing ring around the rosey, playing outside, and swimming! Here are a few pictures of our stay.

Charlotte Visit: Nana & Poppy's

2011-05-26T14:35:00.005-04:00

Last weekend we headed to Charlotte to visit with family. The first part of our stay included a sleep over at Nana & Poppy's. We practiced their names on the way there and she had mastered Nana by the time we arrived but we are still working on Papa. She had lots of fun playing, lots of hugs & kisses, and some shopping time with Mommy & Nana.

Duke ICN Reunion

2011-05-26T14:25:00.002-04:00

Earlier this month we headed back to Duke for the Intensive Care Nursery Reunion. I make the journey regularly for volunteer work but this was Kyle & Emma Claire's first time back since she was discharged. We were so thankful to be in attendance with our healthy, thriving girl! Unfortunately we didn't see any of the other families/staff we were familiar with from Emma Claire's stay. Emma Claire did get to meet Blue! She wasn't a bit afraid of him to my relief - now we just need to convince Daddy that she's ready to meet Mickey :)

Walking in Daddy's Shoes

2011-05-26T14:22:00.002-04:00

Kyle and I were in our bedroom with Emma Claire one evening when she went over and started trying to put Kyle's shoes on. It was the sweetest thing! She tried on several pairs. Here she is modeling! She also will try and put her on shoes & socks on.

Future Soccer Player

2011-05-26T14:03:00.004-04:00

Emma Claire, Lane, and Grandma had fun playing soccer on a recent Sunday. Kyle will be thrilled if Emma Claire turns out to be a soccer player. Looks like she is off to a good start - even in a dress!

Donuts in Bed

2011-05-26T13:56:00.001-04:00

Emma Claire & Kyle let me sleep in on Mother's Day and surprised me with hot Krispy Kreme donuts in bed. No pics of me :) but here is Miss Emma Claire enjoying her donut!

Daddy's Little Gardener

2011-05-26T13:45:00.003-04:00

Emma Claire loves to tromp around & get her hands dirty in the garden with Kyle. Here are few photos I snapped of the two of them.

Our Little Fish

2011-05-23T10:42:00.003-04:00

I took Emma Claire swimming for the first time this year on Saturday and she is quite the fish. She didn't want me to hold her and kept insisting "down" not understanding that she couldn't get down. She watched Brayden & Jackson run and jump in the pool and wanted to do it too! Here is a video clip of her going underwater. She loved it and did it over and over again! I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time in the water this summer.

Babies Don't Keep

2011-05-17T14:27:00.002-04:00

Babies grow up, we have learnt to our sorrow,

So try and leave jobs that can wait till tomorrow.

Children grow older while you are not looking,

And years stretch ahead full of cleaning and cooking.

So quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep,

I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep.

This is one of those proverbs that makes its rounds every few years in a forward. As Emma Claire grows older I grow more and more aware that my days of rocking my baby will soon be coming to an end and how true this proverb is. For this reason I cherish rocking her every night and sometimes rock her just a few minutes longer knowing the time will be coming to an end. Last night my sweet girl woke up at 2:30AM and was awake to just a little past 4AM for no other apparent reason then she wanted her mommy. So as tired as I was we rocked and rocked and although I don't want to make a habit of middle of the night rocking sessions I must admit it was kind of wonderful sitting there rocking my baby in the peaceful quiet of the night. Babies don't keep and I'm getting all the rocking in I can!

And she's off...

2011-05-04T10:06:00.003-04:00

Miss Emma Claire is walking! She's been taking a few steps at a time for a few weeks now but after this past weekend she's walking longer distances on her own.

March of Dimes

2011-05-04T09:41:00.003-04:00

This past weekend was the March of Dimes. Kyle and I were disappointed we would miss it due to travel plans but Grandma & Aunt Katie took Emma Claire to walk as part of the Duke ICN Team. Together they raised $330 and helped the Duke ICN team raise over $5,000. Thanks Grandma & Aunt Katie!

The March of Dimes is a cause very near to our hearts not only because of Emma Claire's premature birth but because of my niece Chloe and nephew Jackson, friends we've made from Duke, and many other preemie stories that have touched our heart this past year. We hope to make it a family tradition each year to walk in memory and in honor of the many premature babies.

15 Months

2011-05-04T09:39:00.015-04:00

Our sweet girl is getting so big! Here is what she is up to this month:

Mostly 9-12 Month Clothes

Size 3 Diapers

Weaned - we dropped her morning feeding first and then her evening feeding. It was a farily easy transition for her and a bittersweet one for Mommy!

Walking!

Very verbal! Her teachers are amazed at the words she knows and has even starting stringing a few together... "Bye Mama" "Bye Bye Dog Dog". She will also string signs together "more milk".

New words: No No (while shaking her head back and forth), Outside, Thank You, Katie, Grandma, Night Night, Bobble (Brayden's nickname), Erin (teacher), "at" (hat), Fall Down (see next bullet), Shoes, Good Girl, Nana, Lane Lane (cousin), Hello. She's several others only once or twice and not consistently saying them yet.

Can respond with the appropriate animal sound if you ask her what does X say for cow, dog, cat, bird, duck, pig.

Current loves are birds, hats, anything outdoors, Savannah, and balls. Anything round is a ball (cantalopes, watermelons, etc.).

Loves to play Ring a Round the Rosie

Has become quite the dancer - as soon as she hears music she starts dancing and sometimes clapping

Enjoys play that involves getting objects out of a container and putting them back in one by one (animals into Noah's Ark, etc.)

Here is her 14 Month 15 Month comparison photo. Click to enlarge.

First Piggies

2011-04-27T15:14:00.001-04:00

Miss Erin gave Emma Claire her first piggies today at school. Aren't they adorable?

Easter Eggs!

2011-04-20T11:32:00.005-04:00

Sunday night we dyed easter eggs with Emma Claire. She likes to look at them and bang them on her highchair (Big Bird was slightly injured in this process). I tried to get her to decorate them with stickers but she just tried to eat the sticker so I think next year will be a bit more successful. Here are a few pictures of our fun!

(what happened when I took an egg from her)

Emma Claire's 1st Tea Party

2011-04-15T19:46:00.001-04:00

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-15T08:52:00.003-04:00

Emma Claire had an Easter Egg Hunt yesterday at school. Here are a few pictures they took for us.

Wolfpack Baby

2011-04-09T12:29:00.001-04:00

So close...

2011-04-09T12:00:00.002-04:00

Emma Claire is soooo close to walking. She's been taking a few steps at a time this week. We call her Evil Kenevil because she has no fear. Here are pictures of her taking a few steps...

Sleepy Girl

2011-04-09T11:55:00.003-04:00

Emma Claire has had a chest cold this week and ran a fever off and on. On a good day the swing makes her sleepy, yesterday she gave in. Poor thing slept for a good thirty minutes or so in her swing.

First Tooth

2011-04-09T11:33:00.003-04:00

Just ran across this picture and you can actually see her first tooth (bottom). She has two more now on top and a mouthful coming but it's hard to catch them in photos.

1 Year Portraits

2011-04-06T09:47:00.003-04:00

We just got the proofs back for Emma Claire's portraits and they turned out amazing! Here are a few of our favorites...

Photos were by Passion Photography by Leslie.

Mommy's Little Helper

2011-04-06T09:14:00.003-04:00

Sunday Best

2011-04-05T21:01:00.003-04:00

Pretty girl all ready for church!

14 Months

2011-04-05T15:28:00.008-04:00

These posts take a bit more time due to the photo editing and for whatever reason I've put it off the past few months. I kept my notes on what she was doing so now it's time to get caught up!

At 14 months, Emma Claire was:

Wearing mostly 9-12, still has a few 6-9 things she can wear

Size 3 diapers

Sleeps 10-11 hours at night is for the most part is down to one nap during the day

Weaned to morning and evening feedings only

Says bird, baby, book, ball, "ba" for balloon, bubble, kitty, mama, dada, woof woof, duck, bye bye

Signs more, milk, all done, and please. Please is my very favorite - she can get ANYTHING she wants I think just by signing please.

Understands simple directions from us - on your bottom, push the button, etc.

Can stand up without holding onto anything

Can stand from sitting on her own (without pulling up on anything)

Cruises with ease, speed crawls, & attempts to climb objects

Takes 5-10 steps on her own. We are expecting her to take off any day now.

Mastering toys that require placing objects in holes, putting shapes into certain places, etc.

Mimicing us more - I have a tickle game that I play with her and she has started to mimic the sound & arm motions I make and play back with me.

Can point her belly, eye, nose, & ear by name.

Loves birds, books, balloons, playing outside, bathtime

Here is her 13 - 14 Month comparison picture. Click to enlarge.

B is for Books, Balloons, & Birds

2011-03-26T21:19:00.005-04:00

"B" seems to be the favorite letter right now at our house. Emma Claire is into books, balloons, and birds all of which she can also say. She reads during diaper changes, when she's getting dressed/undressed, in the bathtub (tub books), in the car, etc. She recently started crawling up into her chair with a book to look at. She is really enjoying touch and feel books and lift the flap books these days.

Reading while Daddy dries her hair

She also loves balloons. We kept her birthday balloon tied to her highchair until he finally died about a month after her birthday. You can ask her where her balloon is and she will point to it or grab it while saying balloon. She also gets really excited by all of the balloons in our Kroger produce department. We ended up replacing her birthday balloon with a new one since she loves them so much.

And lastly, she loves birds. They have a bird feeder at one of the windows in her classroom and also at Grandma and Pops house and she loves to watch the birds. She also has learned to identify Big Bird and will point to him and say bird. It's probably my favorite word that she says right now because it sounds so sweet. I'll try to get a video soon.

Bedhead

2011-03-26T21:13:00.004-04:00

Celebrating the completion of her swingset...

2011-03-22T22:22:00.000-04:00

Daddy worked hard all day Saturday finishing up Emma Claire's swingset while Emma Claire played outside. She loves it! She especially loves to crawl around in the playhouse part and slide too. And she does pretty good and climbing the ladder with our help. Every day this week we've played on her swingset for a good half hour or so after school/work. Here are a few pictures of playtime on Sunday. Got to love NC weather - shorts & tshirt on Saturday, fleece jacket & hat on Sunday, and Monday we were back into the 80's.

The Great Outdoors

2011-03-22T22:13:00.004-04:00

Spring has sprung and we've been enjoying some beautiful weather these last few days. Emma Claire absolutely LOVES to be outside. She was outside 4-5 hours straight on Saturday. I tried to bring her in for a nap and she would have nothing to do with it. She was perfectly content to play in her pack n play or sit in her swing and watch Daddy finish her swingset.

Ready for Spring

2011-03-19T23:25:00.003-04:00

I was excited to break out the shorts this week for Emma Claire and her new bunny shirt! Isn't it adorable? They had to change her shirt at school because she kept trying to eat the bunny tail.

Water Table Fun

2011-03-19T23:11:00.003-04:00

Emma Claire got a water table from her cousins for her birthday and lucky for us we had an unseasonably warm day in late February that we were able to break it out for some fun. Here are a few pics of her playing.

13 Months

2011-03-19T23:00:00.001-04:00

Miss Priss is 13 months old! Here is our monthly update. We are changing the format of the pictures moving forward as she was getting too wild in the glider.

Size 3/4 diapers
Size 6-12 & 9-12 month clothes (still some 6-9 as well)
Size 2 Shoes (3-6 months) Smallest feet ever!
Eats 3 meals, 2 snacks, & nurses 3 times a day
Sleeps 11 hrs/night and takes 2 naps.
She drinks cow's milk now at school and took her last bottle on her 1st birthday. She now drinks only out of sippy cups.
Says Mama, Dada, Bye Bye, Woof Woof, Book & tries to say baby, doggy, more, & birdie
Understands when we say book & balloon and will locate the respective object (she loves her balloon left over from her birthday)
Signs "more"
Favorite foods are bananas, peaches, blueberries, green beans, bread, cheese
Walks while holding your hands or alone while holding on to a push toy
She is turning into a little monkey and likes to climb on things (stand on toys to reach other toys, attempts to climb into her toy box, on top of end table, into/out of bathtub, out of highchair/shopping cart, etc.).
And after 13 months, I'm very happy to report she is finally has her first tooth! Looks like her lower left front tooth and it's just broken through the skin.

Here is our 12 month comparison (click to enlarge)...

1 Year!

2011-03-19T22:51:00.000-04:00

At Emma Claire's 1 year appointment, she weighed 18 lbs 5.5 oz and measured 27 1/2 inches tall. She's fallen into the 5th percentile for height and just above the 5th percentile for weight. It's been an amazing first year and we've enjoyed every second of it! It's hard to be too sad about her turning a year old because she is so much fun right now! Here is what she is up to these days:

Size 6-9, 6-12, & 9-12 month clothes

Size 3/4 diapers

Size 2 shoes (equivalent to 3-6 month)

Eats 3 meals, 2 snacks, & nurses 3x a day

Crawling with ease

Pulling up with ease

Cruising around objects and will let go of one object to turn and grab another

Climbing the stairs

Says Mama, Dada, Bye-Bye, & Woof Woof

Waves bye, blows kisses, claps

Her favorite toy is probably either her Leap Frog Learning Table or Potsy (singing pot with veggies in it).

She is becoming more and more interested in books. She likes to turn the pages & also enjoys touch and feel books.

She loves all things Elmo and Sesame Street, Savannah (our dog), going on walks in her big red car, and bathtime.

Here is the 11 month comparison (click to enlarge)...

11 Months

2011-03-19T22:39:00.000-04:00

Gasp! 11 months, already? Here is what she is up to...

Crawling - up on her hands and knees now
Pulling up on anything and everything
Will cruise between objects that are close together
Drinking out of a sippy cup & straw
Sleeping 10-11 hours a night
Eating 3 meals, 2 snacks, and nursing 3-4 times daily
Size 4 diapers
Mostly 9 months but some 12 months clothes
We are fairly certain she is saying Dada and Mama - we question whether its concidence or intentional.
Waving bye
Taking bites -we can give her bigger pieces of food and she will take bites off

Here is the 10 month comparison...

10 Months

2011-03-19T22:24:00.005-04:00

Getting caught up on the monthly posts and realized I never did one for 10 months nor do I have any notes besides our weekly posts. Here is her 10 month picture and 9 month comparison though... Looking back now it seems 10 months is when she started to lose some of her baby look.

(click to enlarge)

Adventures in Daycare

2011-03-08T22:01:00.002-05:00

The #1 reason I resisted daycare for the first 10 months of Emma Claire's life was the inevitable sickness that goes with it. I love that she obviously loves it & is thriving but I absolutely hate the sickness that goes with the territory. We are now on count it... ROUND 3 of antibiotics for Emma Claire's ear infection that just won't go away. She has had it for going on a month now. Somewhere in the midst of that she also managed to catch the stomach virus which she shared with Kyle who unknowingly shared with his Mom, Dad, and Brother. By some miracle I managed to escape it other then being fully initiated into motherhood by Emma Claire throwing up all over me. Hopefully this latest round is what she needs to be on the mend and our household to return to health! I have to say through all of it she has been a complete trooper! The stomach virus barely slowed her down.

Sweet Cheeks

2011-03-08T21:58:00.003-05:00

I love, love, love this picture. The story behind it is she had a really bad diaper rash this weekend so Kyle and I decided maybe it would help to air it out. Sounds like a good idea, right? She proceeded to pee in the floor twice and all over me once in about a 10 minute span so the diaper went back on. We got lots of giggles though.

It's not always fun and games...

2011-03-08T21:55:00.003-05:00

As a side note... look how long her hair is getting!

Swingset Fun

2011-03-08T21:49:00.004-05:00

Emma Claire got a swingset for her birthday. We are so excited about the many years of fun it will bring her and can't wait for the weather to warm up for good. Kyle has it about 75% assembled - enough that she can swing. Her are a few pictures of her enjoying it.

Brushing her hair

2011-03-08T21:44:00.003-05:00

Tonight Emma Claire was fussing while we were getting her ready for bed so I handed her the hair brush. She immediately started trying to brush her hair on her own. Too smart!

1st Birthday Party

2011-03-08T21:20:00.005-05:00

On Sunday, February 20 we celebrated Emma Claire's first birthday with our friends and family. Here are a few pictures from the day!

Emma Claire, Nurse April, & Trey

Playing with her cousins in the bounce house

Worn out from all the fun!

Cupcake Pops made with love & many hours by Mommy & Grandma

Her birthday banner I made

Emma Claire's 1st Sign!

2011-03-03T21:04:00.003-05:00

Tonight while feeding Emma Claire dinner, I signed more while giving her more meat. She responded back by signing! Mid way through the meal we could just say more without showing her and she would sign when we said more and by the end of the meal she was signing more on her own when she wanted more. How very exciting to see her soaking everything in! Here is a video of her signing.

Also new tonight, I asked her in the bathtub what does the doggie say and she responded "woof woof"!

Laps

2011-03-02T20:58:00.002-05:00

Miss Priss is totally infatuated with walking behind her walker. She made laps around the living room tonight for probably 10 minutes tonight. Here is a video of her in action...

Our Big Girl

2011-03-01T20:59:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update tonight. We discovered today that Emma Claire understands now when we tell her to blow a kiss. We can tell her without showing her and she will respond with blowing a kiss!

She also decided tonight to start walking behind her walker. We have hardwoods so it goes a bit fast for her. Daddy slowed it down by holding on the front and she did great!

Pictures and 1 year & birthday party posts coming soon!

The next chapter...

2011-02-16T21:58:00.002-05:00

Can you believe it? My next post will the the big ONE YEAR! Stay tuned for cake smashing photos & party fun.

I vowed to do the week by week posts for the first year but it's a lot to keep up with it so after our 1 year post I'll be posting a monthly update on milestones & growth and we'll check in between monthly posts with random cute photos from whatever we've been up to.

Thanks for watching our sweet baby girl grow this past year! We are looking forward to all that this next year holds for us.

51 Weeks & 52 Weeks

2011-02-16T18:58:00.007-05:00

I'm catching up on the past two weeks. We've survived the first round of sickness other then minor colds. Emma Claire spiked a fever and we found out she had double ear infections. They caught it early so luckily for us she wasn't miserable. We had a few days before the diagnosis where she wasn't quite herself but for the most part it didn't slow her down much.

She has picked up on alot the past two weeks. Here are a few of her new tricks:

Blowing kisses - best thing ever! She will blow them to us at random times.
Saying woof woof
Picking up her toy phone and putting it up to her ear like she's answering it
Climbing the steps - she picked up on this quick! She can made it all the way to the top. She loves to crawl over to the stairs and when you come after her she just giggles.
Saying bye bye. I dropped her off at school one day and told her bye bye. She looked right back at me and said clear as day "bye bye". Most of the time now she whispers it or mouths the words when waving.
Definitely saying Mama and Dada now with intention. She will even point at Kyle and say Dada.
She loves to point now. If you show her a picture of a doggy, kitty, myself, Kyle, or Elmo she will point accordingly if you ask her where's the doggy, where's Dada, etc.

Here are a few pictures from these past two weeks.

She uses Savannah as a jungle gym. Fortunately Savannah doesn't mind.

She is starting to really show interest in our nightly storytime.

Having a blast at school!

50 Weeks

2011-01-28T21:09:00.012-05:00

What a fun-filled week for Miss Emma Claire. At school this week she made her first art project! Just adorable. She's really thriving at school and she has perfected her wave bye bye. When I drop her off in the mornings she holds our her arms for her teachers, smiles at me, and waves bye. She will even wave now without prompting when we start to leave somewhere.

A note from one of her teachers - all of the staff know & love her!

On Saturday we went to Lilley's 2nd birthday party. It was an adorable farm themed party and we had lots of fun! Emma Claire looked like such a big girl at the table with the older toddlers. I wasn't planning on letting her have any cake (I wanted to save it for her birthday) but they set a plate in front of her and before I could take it away she dove in with both hands and went to town! I can't wait to see her on her birthday with a whole cake!

On Sunday, Kyle, Emma Claire, and I met our friends Tony, Iti, and their son Sebastian for lunch and then headed to Marbles Kids Museum to let the little ones play. We had a great time and can't wait to take Emma Claire back when she can do more.

New this week, Emma Claire has learned how to strum her lip with her finger making a sound. She will mimic us while we do it and she also does it on her own. We also are fairly sure she is saying Mama and Dada now but unsure how intentional it is. She is also trying to say Doggy. She makes the "d" sound when she sees Savannah. I'm also fairly certain I heard her say bye bye once. She's quite the dare devil and has absolutely no fear. She will completely let go of whatever she is holding onto and is starting to cruise between objects that are close together. She also was able to climb a few stairs this week at Grandma & Pop's house. Here is one last random pictures from our week. Savannah was standing outside the door and Emma Claire was watching her.

49 Weeks

2011-01-28T21:09:00.008-05:00

I've let myself get behind in my posts which means the weeks are running together. My only real note for this week is that Emma Claire begin waving bye. She is also up on all fours now while crawling and getting better each day at it. We made a trip to Charlotte and here are a few pictures from our time with family.

Watching Brayden's basketball game with Poppy

Racing with Brayden

At the Christmas Tree Burning Party with Aunt Courtney

Bundled up with Jackson

Pulling up on anything and everything!

48 Weeks

2011-01-18T15:51:00.011-05:00

We are getting awfully close to 52 weeks! Here is what Emma Claire has been up to this week...

She has been chewing on her fingers alot and a few other possible symptoms of teething. We don't see anything peeking through yet.

On Monday we had a playdate with Davis. Davis' mom and I went to the same school growing up and they have relocated to the area. We had a lot of fun and can't wait to do it again!

Emma Claire starting drinking out of a straw this week. She does really well with it and Mommy is happy because she's finally found a cup that doesn't leak. Her new favorite food is "Craisins". She loves them and if she can see the bag she fusses for more.

47 Weeks

2011-01-09T22:06:00.007-05:00

We had a great & busy week with our growing girl. It seems like the past few weeks she has been taking huge strides. New this week is sitting up on her own from lying down and pulling up to standing in her crib. We had to move her mattress down and most of the time when we go to get her out she's sitting or standing waiting on us. She's also starting to cruise a little and also try to take steps when you hold her hands but she still doesn't quite have the hang of it. She also loves music and will frequently start dancing when you play it. I picked her up one day this week from school and they said she woke up from her nap and starting dancing to the music that was playing.

Watching it snow before it quickly turned to ice

On Saturday we went to meet Baby Cora - the daughter of my college roommate. We can't wait until she gets bigger and the two of them can play together.

46 Weeks

2011-01-09T22:06:00.003-05:00

Emma Claire had a big week this week. Monday was her first day at a daycare center - I prefer to call it "school" and I transitioned back into the office five days a week. While I would much prefer being at home with her, I am pleased with where we placed her. She goes outside every day (weather permitting), has music twice a week, PE of sorts once a week, and will eventually have chapel once a week when she moves up to the toddler room. She's becoming more and more busy & active so I think it will good for her to have the other babies to interact with. So far she has done well and has not cried at all when dropping her off and she seems happy when I pick her up. Apparently she's taken to following another little girl in her class around.

Ready for her 1st day of school!

She also went to her first Carolina Hurricanes game on Monday. Daddy is all excited because he thinks he has a sports fan on his hands. She had a lot of fun checking out all of the sights and sounds.

Watching the Canes warmup

Lots of progress in mobility this week! At the beginning of the week she was pulling up to her knees but she quickly progressed to pulling up to standing. She even gets brave enough to let go with one or both hands from time to time. Her crawling is improving as well but she has taken to crawling with her head on the ground? I've only seen her do it briefly but apparently she crawls around her classroom this way.

Her new favorite food is blueberries. She shovels them in as fast as we give them to her. She's getting better about eating her veggies. And most dinners, she eats all or a portion of what Kyle and I are having. She also started drinking out of a sippy cup this week. She still plays with it quite a bit but she's getting better.

In adding to clapping consistently, she's getting better about waving. Kyle left for work this morning and I was trying to get her to wave. As soon as he walked out of the door, she started. We've also started working with her on some baby sign language which they also use at her school.

It's been a busy but good week with our baby girl!

45 Weeks

2010-12-27T16:34:00.000-05:00

This week was Emma Claire's first Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with my side of the family and Christmas Day with Kyle's side of the family. Emma Claire was spoiled by all with new toys, books, movies, bath toys, clothes, a CD player, and keepsakes. She didn't get much into the unwrapping of presents but she did like eating the ribbon.

We also had a big snow the day after Christmas - somewhere around 8 inches. We took her out in it for a few minutes and although she couldn't touch it she seemed to like it. She liked watching Savannah run around in it.

A few new things from this week... She has started raising her legs perpendicular and spreading them when you pick them to wrap them around your waist. It's really cute! She is also starting to pull up on the side of the tub, my legs, and on toys. She has gotten up on her knees a few times to play with toys or reach something.

One of her favorite new toys!

First Christmas as a Family

Christmas Morning in her chair Santa brought her

Emma Claire met her Great Grandpa Bowman for the first time

44 Weeks

2010-12-27T15:23:00.000-05:00

Our big news for this week is that Emma Claire started crawling! We went to Savannah for the weekend and when we returned on Sunday night she was down in the floor and took off. Mind you, she doesn't get up on her hands and knees yet but it's a trench crawl and she gets where she wants to go.

As for our trip to Savannah, it was our first "vacation" as a family. We've been to visit friends and family but this was our first "vacation". She was a complete angel the entire weekend despite her schedule been disrupted and few naps. Everywhere we went people commented on how good she was. We toured the Green Meldrim House, walked all through Savannah, visited Bonaventure Cemetary, & Wormsloe Plantation. We also had lunch at Mrs. Wilkes Boardinghouse. Emma Claire loved the home cooking! She had green beans, lima beans, black eye peas, fried chicken, macaroni, biscuit, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, and even a bite of banana pudding! She also loved my baked ziti I had for dinner one night. It was definitely a different trip having her along but we had a lot of fun and look forward to taking her on more trips as we hope she inherits our love of traveling.

Outside the Green Meldrim House

Lunch at Mrs. Wilkes

Ride a horsey on River Street

Wormsloe Plantation

43 Weeks

2010-12-27T14:56:00.000-05:00

This week was another rough few days for Emma Claire. We thought for sure she was teething but nothing has popped through. She didn't feel well for a good part of the week so there isn't much to report other then she met Santa and told him what a good girl she'd been all year long! She didn't fuss but she kept looking up at him like "who are you?" and gave his beard a few tugs.

This is one of the days she didn't feel good. We sat her down on the couch beside Savannah and she laid her head down on her.

Emma Claire can stand up now while holding onto something. You have to watch her closely still or she will eventually topple over.

I interrupt this blog...

2010-12-22T10:24:00.000-05:00

Ever heard of Swagbucks? I've been doing it for a few months and have already earned $30 in Amazon Gift Cards. Amazon has some pretty sweet deals on diapers so I've been scoring free diapers using by Swagbucks :) Right now I'm averaging a $5 gift card a week just for using the Swagbucks search engine instead of Google. You can also redeem them for lots of other gift cards (Starbucks, Lowe's, I-Tunes, etc.) or prizes.

It's really easy - you sign up for an account (just click below on the icon which will give me credit for your referral) and use the Swagbucks search engine to search the internet. You are randomly awarded "Swagbucks" for searching and every time you earn Swagbucks I will too. You can also earn swagbucks for taking surveys, taking polls, making purchases online through websites such as Walmart, Target, I-Tunes, etc.

Hope you'll sign up! Let me know if you have any questions. And... they won't harass you with junk e-mail in case you are worried.

42 Weeks

2010-12-12T00:12:00.001-05:00

We had a fun and busy week. On Saturday we got an early and unexpected snow but what a nice surprise. It was just enough to leave a light coating. It wasn't Emma Claire's first snow as it snowed the day we brought her home from the hospital but it was the first that we have pictures of. Emma Claire also got to meet Stevie, a childhood friend of Kyle's from Ohio. He was in town so we had dinner and made a trip to the mall with him. Stevie is great with kids and Emma Claire had a lot of fun hanging out with him. On Sunday, we had my Bible Study Christmas Party. Emma Claire was getting tired so I took her upstairs to Kyle where the men were watching football so I could grab some dessert before we took her home for a nap. I never heard a peep out of her and the picture below is her passed out on Daddy's lap. We also broke out her baby doll this week that she got as a baby gift from our friends Jenn, Michael, and Lilley (Baby Tripp has since made his arrival). She is enjoying playing with her baby doll and it's so cute to see her playing with such a feminine toy.

Our most exciting development this week is we learned that when we say "yay" Emma Claire will smile and clap her hands. Here is a video of her performing her new trick. It's just the cutest thing and how exciting to know she understands us.

Here are a few pictures from our week...

Too much partying!

Emma Claire and Stevie

41 Weeks

2010-12-11T23:59:00.000-05:00

The Friday after Thankgiving we left early for a trip to Pennsylvania to spend the weekend with friends. Emma Claire did great on the car ride both ways. She had a lot of fun playing with Sarah and Abbie and we enjoyed our visit with Dave and Stacie and the girls. Not much new this week other then we are starting to give her more bites of our food and Kyle gave her some Cranberry Juice which she couldn't get enough of. We've figured out that she will eat much better if we give her table food with more flavor/seasonings rather then bland food. For the most part we eat pretty healthy so their is normally a few things off our plates that we let her try depending on what we are eating. She's not big on anything green other than cucumbers. She loves her yogurt and gets really excited when she sees you get it out of the refrigerator.

Giving Daddy kisses

40 Weeks

2010-12-11T23:41:00.001-05:00

This week Emma Claire had her first Thanksgiving. She and I drove to Charlotte on Tuesday, had dinner Wednesday night with my family, and drove back Thursday for Thanksgiving with Kyle's family. She got to try lots of new foods at Thanksgiving - turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and even a taste of pumpkin pie! She also helped cheer the Wolfpack to victory over Carolina and made the cutest cheerleader ever! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are so thankful for our healthy, adorable baby girl!

Ready to dig in!

Our 1st Thanksgiving with Emma Claire

Cutest cheerleader ever!

Bathtime fun

9 Months

2010-12-11T23:25:00.000-05:00

9 months, already? At her checkup, she weighed 17 1/2 lbs. (25th percentile) and measured 26 inches (10th percentile). Adjusted for her due date, she is 38th percentile for weight and 29th percentile for height.

The bunny pictures were virtually impossible this month. She is rarely still these days. I think we are going to have to figure something else out for our monthly picture from here on out.

She's still not mobile which is ok with us for now. She has gotten herself on her hands and knees a few times so I don't think it will be long before she figures it out. No interest yet in pulling up but her legs are much stronger and she can stand with little assistance other than for balance.

Here are a few other things of note...

Wearing 6-9 Months or some 6-12 Months Clothes and
Size 3 Diapers
Loves bathtime - sits up now and plays for as long as we let her but has also started trying to roll onto her belly to play
Starting clapping hands together but not yet intentional
Feeds herself finger foods
Going through seperation anxiety - if you leave the room she will fuss not understanding that you didn't actually leave her

***Note, no babies were harmed in the making of these pictures.