Emma 18 Month Update

On April 20th Miss Emma turned 18 months old! Time sure does fly when you're having fun. :-)

I'll update this post with her height/weight after her 18 month checkup. I will have to schedule that this week.

Update: Emma was 33 inches tall and 24 pounds. :-)

Emma is busy, busy, busy. Just since her 15 month update she's definitely grown leaps and bounds. Running, twirling on command, throwing things away, putting things in the hamper, and helping mama any way she can.

Food
E is still a snacker. Her favorites right now are black beans (shocker), broccoli, bananas, and veggie straws. Her least favorites are anything citrusy.

She eats in her high chair with us but she'll eat at her table too sometimes. She can use her fork and spoon very well.

Some of her favorite meals are any pasta with meatballs, macaroni & cheese with broccoli, and chili.

Sleep
Little E sleeps 12 hours every night-- usually from 7-7. When my in laws were here she stayed up a bit later, but now she's back to her normal routine. She naps for 2 hours everyday, usually from 11-1.

I nurse her before naps & bedtime. She doesn't nurse to sleep unless she's very tired. She usually finds her own comfy spot and falls asleep. I love our time together when I put her to bed/nap!

Play
I'll do a post on what her favorite toys are, but boy she is a wild thing! She just started "cooking" for us and bringing me food from her kitchen and having me sample it. She's a good cook!

She finally learned where her (and my) nose is, she sticks out her tongue when you ask where her mouth is, and knows all the other ones. Now we are working on pointing out animals in a book-- she can usually spot the dog & giraffe. We are also going to begin colors.

She understands basic commands (put this here, put this away, put it back, hand me that, etc). I'm very impressed with her development.

Fun
Gymnastics is still a big hit for her. We also have weekly playgroups or baby wearing meetings and Emma is very very social. To the point of awkwardness. At the library the other day she went right up to a mom, took her sunglasses and sat in her lap. She loves playing with people we meet.

She loves to mock me and laugh when I laugh. If I'm Nathan & I are talking she'll pipe in with her own opinion. She makes the strangest faces. Emma is not shy at all-- waves to everyone! She loves planes, dogs (any animal), coloring, Sofia the First, and bath time.

This month has been huge and the most fun for sure! Every day sure is an adventure. No real bad tantrums (yet), but she's very possessive.

Mom's favorite moment: Taking her grocery shopping before my in laws came and she pooped in the cereal isle. She also said "Hi Ma!" when she saw me in the basement a few weeks ago.

Dad's favorite moment: Sneaking out one day while I was on the computer and going to get ice cream! They were the first customers in line.

Happy 18 months to my sweet girl! Can't believe next time I do this she'll be 2!

A Peek Into Our Week (FL Boeses Visit)

We've had the best week! The weather has been so nice-- only rained one day so we decided to drive to Ikea. :) I got some goodies and I'll have to post some pictures soon! 

My FIL had work here Mon-Wed, but my MIL & SIL weren't coming until Wednesday. I wasn't really sure what they're plans were, so we just winged it. Monday night Nathan's dad texted and said he was coming over! 

Emma was stoked to see him and got some sweet one on one time with Papa. We went to our local playground, had dinner, and watching 906 episodes of Modern Family. 

The next day Papa had to work so Ems & I scooted off to Lowe's for some supplies for her workshop.  I had sent a picture to my FIL and he said it would be easy to build, so I was thrilled! He (& Caralyn) made my vision come to life! 

I also was the "fun" mom and got the race car cart at Lowe's. Emma loved it and didn't fuss one bit. We'll have to do that again. :-)

Wednesday Grandma & Caralyn were coming so we got some groceries, cleaned up, and returned library books. We had a fun new recipe that was good, I will have to share about it. 

After dinner we walked to the playground again. She's really into going down the slide all by herself! 

Doesn't she color like a such a big kid?! Also note: Our air vents that Emma learned how to pick up and put toys in. . . And her matching jammies. ;)

Thursday we went to the zoo. You can read about it here. 

Friday we hung around, my FIL did 811 house projects-- hung stuff, got us a bird feeder (I'll have to dedicate a whole post about that because I am obsessed with it), put new boards in our deck, painted them . . . 

And this beauty: 

Seriously! My SIL colored it and I couldn't love it more. Emma loves it and I only regret the door knocker on the top a little. We are going to find some rope/paracord to string through the hooks. It keeps Emma busy for a while!

We tried out a BBQ place and it was delicious! We also tried out using a booster seat instead of a high chair and it was so much easier. We still had to play "pass the baby" after about 20 minutes. :-) 

The BBQ was delicious and Nathan & I have mastered "inhale your food in 2.5 seconds" so we can get the hell out of the restaurant before we are kicked out. I kid. She's not bad, just wiggly. 

Not pictured: Under our table before we left. Don't worry we picked up. :-) My MIL was convinced the floor wasn't clean when we got there..maybe she was right because a small child could have lived off all that food for 3 weeks. 

Today (Saturday) we had gymnastics. No pictures because I didn't have pockets! We brought grandma & auntie and it was a blast. Emma ran around and was like "I BROUGHT MY GRANDMA! Do you have one?" She was a little distracted but still fun. 

I could write a whole post on the crazy obsession Emma has with my mother in law. She's very bossy for her, clingy, and will scream if she sees her leaving! I'm slightly terrified for them to leave tomorrow.

We hit up a larger park this afternoon. It was super crowded but Ems was thrilled to just swing with Caralyn. 

Nathan took this picture and he thinks it belongs in a greeting card-- Emma and her aunt swinging, my MIL mid swing smiling, and my FIL looking on and smiling..hahah. 

All in all such a great week. I'm so thankful we have them! They have done so much I could never list it all in a single blog post. We will probably burst into tears when they pull out of the driveway tomorrow. Actually Emma definitely will. I may make them leave in the middle of the night tonight. 

Okay hope everyone has a great Sunday! xoxo

Our Zoo Visits The Zoo

Yesterday we embarked to the National Zoo! Besides the traffic on the way there & back, it was lots of fun. 

They have a petting zoo right when you walk in, so you better believe that was the first place we hit up. We pet(ed?) a cow, alpacas, goats, pigs, and I can't remember the rest. They all start to look the same after a while. 

We brought our stroller which was appropriately used for purse storage. Emma wanted nothing to do with it once she saw the chimps. 

I wore her in the carrier which worked for a while until she wanted to walk. At the speed of pond water. 

Also note: I really really want a Tula. Anyone have any and care to tell me your thoughts? 

                       

All in all a great day. We got to see the baby panda, Bao Bao. Emma proceeded to say the name 1.4 billion times. I think she's going to start calling my MIL Bao Bao. Hey, it means treasure in Chinese. Boom. 

We spotted the giraffe on the carousel and I just knew Emma had to get on it. She loved it! My SIL said she wouldn't let go when it was time to get off. 

She spotted us as she went around and gave us a big smile. My sweet girl! Such an awesome day. It was a long drive (over an hour) each way, hot as a fat lady's girdle, and crowded..not one person complained. Oh and Emma had 1/3 of everyone's ice cream. YUM.

A Peek Into Last Week

How is it already Monday? Boo. With spring comes allergies and my husband & poor Emma are sniffling all day. 

My FIL is here for the night and we are watching our favorite show-- Modern Family. After dinner we walked to the playground and a certain toddler is passed. out. 

Okay back to last week: 

Monday Ems was feeling great so we spent 99.9% of the day outside. Love how coordinated her outfit is. My grandmother got her that shirt at a thrift store-- we aren't really the skull and crossbones type. 

Tuesday poor E woke up feeling awful so our day consisted of snuggles and Sofia the First. She loves Sofia! She knows the intro song and will come running and yelling. She also will bring me the iPad and yell at me to turn it on. 

We still hadn't left the house on Wednesday and we were getting pretty restless. Nathan insisted I don't take E out in case she would get worse, so we obeyed and stayed inside. Boo. I sent him this picture and then realized Cocoa's photobomb. 

After banging on the sliding door we busted out. E was thrilled! That morning I stocked up on fruit popsicles so we shared one on the deck. It was the highlight of our day. :-) 

Sent that pic (above) to my dad and he said if she was well enough to be outside, she was definitely well enough to go out. I agree! 

Found that pic (above) on Instagram and thought it was hilarious. We tried to give E formula once for an event and she was not having it.

Saturday we headed to DC and had such a fun day! Can you guess where we stopped for lunch? Emma is such a toddler-- We ordered a fruit cup, chicken nuggets, and fries. Emma had 1 fry and all the blueberries. 

Oh! My husband also ordered a large ice cream cone thinking Emma would have a few licks of it. A big gust of wind came and it got covered in dirt! Emma burst into tears. Or Nathan did, I can't remember. 

We ate outside and it was so nice! E stole my water so I ate the rest of the fruit cup. We wandered around this park, FaceTimed Papi (my dad), and talked ourselves out of getting more ice cream from Coldstone. 

Okay hope everyone has a great week! xoxo

Target Shenanigans

We love Target! Luckily there is one very close to us that we frequent quite often for essentials-- bananas, Diet Coke, and diapers. ;)

If Emma is good, we have a snack in their little cafe when we're done. They also have a Starbucks but I'm sadly not a coffee drinker. 

The Starbucks workers know us by name (ha, In all seriousness, we go to Target 2x/week). Some days I'll splurge and get her a cake pop, but they always give us free water. 

We usually have whatever snacks I brought in my bag, or whatever we ended up buying at the store, LOL. Her favorite snacks right now are bananas (duh), Nature Valley Oatmeal Bars, veggie straws, and blueberries. 

Leaving the Target cafe is somewhat of a hostage negotiation. Getting her back in the car for a 2 mile drive home sucks. 

One day I got us bubbles and we just hopped out of the car, stayed outside, and played with the bubbles. Homegirl loved them. Now she wants to hold the container or she wants nothing to do with bubbles. So? No more bubbles for us. 

So thankful the weather is warmer and we can spend countless hours outside! Also thankful for sweet Target workers who put up with my toddler tornado. :-)

Confessions

This blog is getting super lame. Sorry-- we have been so busy and poor Emma has a cold/sickies/germs something. 

:: When Emma finally goes to bed I lay in bed and play on my phone for way too long. I found this picture the other night and laughed out loud. Obviously I'm very tired and will laugh at anything. 

:: I bought some shorts the other day and had them on before heading out the door. Nathan saw them and said "You're wearing those? Aren't those pajamas?". Um, the first time I'm wearing something that doesn't come from the loungewear or athletic department and he says that? 

:: Quitting Diet Coke is going about as well as baptizing a cat. Someone I know sells Plexus and swears that it curbs your cravings and I should try it.. I don't know. Anyone recommend it or having any suggestions? 

:: With Emma being sick, we have watched way too many episodes of Sofia the First. She loves Sofia and points at her picture on her dress when she comes on. 

:: It's 10:47 and I want lunch. And it's time to put more Sofia on. Sweet!

Hope everyone has a great day! xoxo

Last Week Recap

We had such a great & productive week! It was kind of crazy there for a little but of course nothing we can't handle. ;) 

I don't know why I don't have any pictures before Tuesday-- guess they weren't worthy of the blog, LOL. Tuesday morning I had a checkup so Ems had some Dada time! 

Note that it's 10AM and she's still in her jams. On my way home I wanted to surprise Nathan and get him Chick Fil A breakfast but it was 10:40. Womp womp. 

Emma has so much personality/sass. I honestly don't know where she gets it from! N said she was getting a little restless/just ready for me to come back so they went outside. He said she stomped around for quite a while. 

Getting her dressed one day and couldn't believe how long her hair was! Some days it looks lighter and others not so much. Either way she likes to be thisclose to the television and we have to pullllll her back 600 times a day. 

During a banana run at Target I saw this shirt (above) for $7! Nathan is a big batman fan, so we surprised him and sent him this picture. It mad him so happy! 

Also note: She has been making that face a lot (with the tongue). She did it randomly to the cashier at Target yesterday. God I sound like a Target addict. 

Someone has mastered selfies. . . she is beautiful. When she sees herself in the camera she just lights up. Such a ham. 

Good Friday she wore one of the dresses Becky & I made her. I found the shoes at Target (shocking) and they were a bit of a splurge for a toddler, but I couldn't pass them up. 

And the syrup. I don't know why it's such a hot commodity for her but every time I open the fridge she comes running for it. She licks the top and thinks she's hot stuff with it. This is the same child that won't eat her pancakes or waffles if they have syrup on them. . . 

And Grandpa came for 1 night on Friday! He got stuck in major traffic so didn't get here until after E's bedtime, but someone couldn't wait for him. :-)

She was stoked! He went straight to work fixing our mixer. He is such a good grandpa and dad. We are very blessed! 

Not pictured: The two trips to Lowe's he took, the TV he mounted, the tulips he got us, the towel rod he fixed, and the countless number of soups he "drank" that Emma "made" for him. 

Saturday morning we trotted off to gymnastics while the N's worked on the TV. ;) The class was packed! More kids for Emma to try to hug so she was thrilled. 

This little "station" was forward rolls and when she was done she pretended to sleep. Her teacher (coach? instructor? whatever) kept saying "shh! Close your eyes". They are so good to the kids and I cannot say enough good things about this place. 

Peeked at Emma during "separation time", ha ha. 

Shocking-- my little teacher's pet was 2 inches from her favorite teacher. 

After they had a puppet show and E was too smart for that nonsense. She ran right up behind the mat to discover the fish weren't real! So funny!

Okay, have a great week people! xoxo