9 months: Emerson Marie

Dear Emerson,
I can't believe how fast time flies! How quickly you've gone from my teeny tiny, sleepy little newborn to a crazy, crawling, will-climb-anything daredevil child on-the-go. At daycare they call you the "gymnast," and every day they tell us how much you love to eat. You have the sweetest disposition, but are not afraid to let us know when you don't like something. These past few months have brought such big changes, from sitting up, to crawling, to standing, and now dancing. I can't wait to see what you will learn next. Some days it feels like you have been with us forever, and yet some days I look at you and, even though I carried you for 9 months inside of me, and have now carried you for 9 months in my arms, it still feels surreal that you are here with us. We are so very lucky to have you in our lives. 

CATCHING UP WITH EMMY ...

Height: 28 inches  

Weight: 17 pounds 10 oz.  

Eating: Emmy will eat just about anything, but sweet potato puree and oatmeal cereal seem to be some of her all-time favorites. I make her purees of squash, zucchini, carrots, chicken, green beans, broccoli, apple ... pretty much any fruit or veggie we have on hand. She just recently started eating some of the toddler food provided at daycare along with her purees.The girl loves to eat (She gets it from her momma). She also loves puffs, and it didn't take long for her to learn how to get them into her mouth on her own. Surprisingly, however, she did not have the best reaction to strawberries and pineapples when she tried them recently. I don't know if it's the texture or if they are too tart, but it made for a good video. 

Likes: She loves toys that she can stand up to play with (i.e. pound on), the three colorful balls that came with her Fisher-Price Bright Beats, and she especially loves my cell phone. She has a strange attachment to her bath toys, which includes a book about a garden and a random plastic lobster. She also enjoys bath time in general, and gets a huge kick out of being around Teddy (our dog).

Dislikes: Getting into her carseat, getting ready for bed (although she actually goes down quite easily), and wearing a lifejacket.

Sleeping: Em goes to bed around 7pm, and wakes up between 6-7am. She takes naps that last 1-2 hours, but isn't really on a nap schedule, which is understandable considering she's at daycare during the week and it's bright and loud all day long. She used to be a terrible napper, and it's not until recently that her naps have started going longer than 45 minutes at a time on a consistent basis. 

Saying: a-bah-bah-bah-bah. The girl talks A LOT, I just wish I could understand her! 

Milestones: She is everywhere. She's now pulling herself to a standing position using whatever she can find to hold onto. She plays by herself in a play yard in the morning while we cook breakfast. She can put her pacifier into her mouth on her own (this is a huge win in my book!). She's just started waving good bye (if prompted), and is starting to crawl on her knees every once in awhile (as opposed to the belly crawl which she's been doing for awhile now). She also recently started dancing when music is playing, which I happen to think is the cutest thing ever!