No pictures or videos yet, just the delight that is parenting. Emiline has been on the verge of walking for a few weeks now, she'll stand up and take a step and then sit down and crawl. Over the weekend, she took a couple of steps and today, as she turns 10 months old, she took six steps as we coaxed her to walk between me and Eric and even Jane. Every time she did it, cheer like mad, even Jane, and it was such a fun, delight some moment!
I know I felt this with Jane and I'm fairly sure I expressed it somewhere, but it's all afresh with me today with Emiline: the joy of parenting. The things I got really excited about (other than boys) in my single life were also satisfying: being accepted into a grad program in Wales, chosen to sing one of my songs in the songwriter's showcase, mastering a good climb, in the last step of revision of an essay when it was all really coming together, anytime I got to teach, being introduced to a real brain-burner of an idea or perspective. But the joy I find in parenting, the depth of the satisfaction, the sparkling delight of excitement, is on a completely different level and a wider, broader, more sustaining feeling. I was full of it as Emiline toddled back and forth between us.
I'll have to go back and check the videos, but it seems that Emiline's first steps are very different then Jane's, and it goes back to Emiline's momentum--once she starts moving she just goes for it! She waited a bit longer til she was steady, then took big, fast steps and swung from side to side (a bit like a drunk), her balance in question until she got to her destination. I am excited to see where her enthusiasm, and her walking, take her!
'Round Here
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I have a half dozen unfinished posts and a few more in my head that I may or may not get to in the near future. 'Round here we've been busy doing this:
The packing and planning is going well, I feel confident and capable and my back is holding (yay for good health!) But I feel like in order to get it all done with two kids underfoot, I have to spend all my free time working on it, and then some. So I've been neglecting this blog, and friends, among other things.
So far I have 24 boxes packed and some pretty clean closets. I've lost count but we have taken at least 3 dozen of bags to the thrift store (about 7 or so loads to Goodwill in our little Focus). But my house is usually in disarray since I'm always in the middle of packing something and that is getting old. D-day for me and the girls is April 14, which is 2 1/2 weeks away.
Hopefully by then, all of this (photo taken yesterday)
will be melted and gone, gone away. A little crazy that I can't pack up the winter stuff yes? Well, that's Minnesota! And here we are trying to love it! It was a nice day, into the 40s, so we went for a walk.
And the real reason for squeezing this post today? Photo Shoot!
My daughter finally has enough hair to put in foam curlers and she let me do it last night. It was a bit of a whim and it was strange how excited and nostalgic I was to do it (my mom put is in curlers all the time for church. And a good portion of the time I hated sleeping in them, but still. It felt really cool to be doing something with my daughter that my mom did with me SO many times. (And yeah, all the words to describe it for ya are "really cool.")
So after our bonding experience (so cute how she played with the curlers while I was doing it, reminded me of Becca how she pretended they were little people and had them talking to each other and playing with each other and doing their voices and everything):
We were able to get these sweet shots today after church:
Those were for you, Mom!
The packing and planning is going well, I feel confident and capable and my back is holding (yay for good health!) But I feel like in order to get it all done with two kids underfoot, I have to spend all my free time working on it, and then some. So I've been neglecting this blog, and friends, among other things.
So far I have 24 boxes packed and some pretty clean closets. I've lost count but we have taken at least 3 dozen of bags to the thrift store (about 7 or so loads to Goodwill in our little Focus). But my house is usually in disarray since I'm always in the middle of packing something and that is getting old. D-day for me and the girls is April 14, which is 2 1/2 weeks away.
Hopefully by then, all of this (photo taken yesterday)
will be melted and gone, gone away. A little crazy that I can't pack up the winter stuff yes? Well, that's Minnesota! And here we are trying to love it! It was a nice day, into the 40s, so we went for a walk.
And the real reason for squeezing this post today? Photo Shoot!
My daughter finally has enough hair to put in foam curlers and she let me do it last night. It was a bit of a whim and it was strange how excited and nostalgic I was to do it (my mom put is in curlers all the time for church. And a good portion of the time I hated sleeping in them, but still. It felt really cool to be doing something with my daughter that my mom did with me SO many times. (And yeah, all the words to describe it for ya are "really cool.")
So after our bonding experience (so cute how she played with the curlers while I was doing it, reminded me of Becca how she pretended they were little people and had them talking to each other and playing with each other and doing their voices and everything):
We were able to get these sweet shots today after church:
Those were for you, Mom!
Snow???
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It's not like I didn't know it was coming, I saw the five day forecast projecting snow today...I just didn't believe it, come on, we've had highs in the low 50s for almost a week. And there was grass again, sure the biggest piles of snow where still ringing the parking lots, but the grass was CLEAR! It was even the tiniest bit green, not totally brown. And I'm having a hard time not being really annoyed about it all. I want to be all Pollyanna about it, honest! I could declare a snow day and indulge in hot chocolate, be grateful I didn't put the winter coats et al in deep storage, declare it a reading day in thick sweaters... But all I can muster is YUCK!!! We are supposed to get 1-3 inches today. It looks like there is already an inch out there and it's falling faster than ever...*sigh* I'm more antsy about spring this year than I was about being overdue with Emiline!
Just for fun
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My little sister is deploying for Afghanistan tomorrow. I'm really excited for her and I know she'll be amazing and do incredible and learn so much (and of course it will be hard) but I'm also very much going to miss being able to talk to her on the phone whenever for however long. She is one of my favorite people to talk with, as well as just one of my favorite people ever, and I wanted to send her with something that would communicate our family's love for her.
She loves music and will have different access to it and all media while she is there. So my mom and I came up with this idea for each member of our family that could to pick a theme/topic for a playlist and put together a bunch of songs around that theme/songs she would like. I decided to make Album Art for each of the lists to make it a little more visual and immediate. Initially, I was supposed to be able to see her one last time before she left and deliver the gift in person, but my mom was there and put all the images together, playlists, and the notes we each wrote her, into a little compact album. I think it hit the spot and I hope it cheers her and helps her over and over in the next year.
I thought I'd post the images here so my family could see how it all turned out.
I took this on our way to the San Antonio temple
I took this the first 4th of July we were married at Lake Powell. It's a sparkler.
This was submitted by my bro and his wife.
A picture I took on our "driveway" in TX
(about 4 miles up a "mountain" to our house on the lake).
A picture Eric took of the crepe that looked like a face
An image from Flickr.
an image from flickr
a public domain image also found on flickr (LOVE THIS ONE!!!)
A friend of my oldest brother took this, it's of Idaho, these are wheel lines, and it's the closest thing I've found that captures the beauty of summer sunsets in the country.
I took on our way home from our first spring break as newlyweds,
it's just a pretty field between Dallas and Austin.
Our "backyard" in Austin.
So it turns out I only took cool pictures before I had kids ;-) And/or when I lived in TX.
She loves music and will have different access to it and all media while she is there. So my mom and I came up with this idea for each member of our family that could to pick a theme/topic for a playlist and put together a bunch of songs around that theme/songs she would like. I decided to make Album Art for each of the lists to make it a little more visual and immediate. Initially, I was supposed to be able to see her one last time before she left and deliver the gift in person, but my mom was there and put all the images together, playlists, and the notes we each wrote her, into a little compact album. I think it hit the spot and I hope it cheers her and helps her over and over in the next year.
I thought I'd post the images here so my family could see how it all turned out.
I took this on our way to the San Antonio temple
I took this the first 4th of July we were married at Lake Powell. It's a sparkler.
This was submitted by my bro and his wife.
A picture I took on our "driveway" in TX(about 4 miles up a "mountain" to our house on the lake).
A picture Eric took of the crepe that looked like a face
An image from Flickr.
an image from flickr
a public domain image also found on flickr (LOVE THIS ONE!!!)
A friend of my oldest brother took this, it's of Idaho, these are wheel lines, and it's the closest thing I've found that captures the beauty of summer sunsets in the country.
I took on our way home from our first spring break as newlyweds,it's just a pretty field between Dallas and Austin.
Our "backyard" in Austin.So it turns out I only took cool pictures before I had kids ;-) And/or when I lived in TX.
Grammar Check
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While it is true that I was an English major it is also true that while I was doing said major I had what I thought was a healthy disdain for prescriptive grammar. Yes, being married to a Ludlow, who is so thoroughly wired to rules, has changed my perspective slightly. Apparently there are people that cling to rules instead of intuitively leaping onto the real meaning of a phrase, sentence, or conversation. And I adore the one I'm married to. But the consequence of all that is that my children have his genes. And Jane has already started grammar checking; she even corrected Eric yesterday! (lest you think my grammar is all that atrocious!
Some examples:
Eric told Jane to put something in one of the garbages. She told him she could only put it in one of the garbages. And then emphasized "I will put it in a garbage." She is kind of hung up on plurals right now and has corrected me MULTIPLE times on this one, even plural verbs (like "is" vs "are")
When we are walking or driving somewhere, Jane will comment on something like "Mommy, this road is really bumpy" and I'll say "Yes, it is a little bumpy" and she'll say "no, Mommy, it's a big bumpy." She's very specific with relative adjectives, etc.
She also understands that one person says thanks/gracias and the other says your welcome/de nada. And I think she thinks they alternate because if she says thank you about something and both Eric and I say your welcome, she gets a little upset and tries to correct us.
Maybe she'll shape me up yet!!
Some examples:
Eric told Jane to put something in one of the garbages. She told him she could only put it in one of the garbages. And then emphasized "I will put it in a garbage." She is kind of hung up on plurals right now and has corrected me MULTIPLE times on this one, even plural verbs (like "is" vs "are")
When we are walking or driving somewhere, Jane will comment on something like "Mommy, this road is really bumpy" and I'll say "Yes, it is a little bumpy" and she'll say "no, Mommy, it's a big bumpy." She's very specific with relative adjectives, etc.
She also understands that one person says thanks/gracias and the other says your welcome/de nada. And I think she thinks they alternate because if she says thank you about something and both Eric and I say your welcome, she gets a little upset and tries to correct us.
Maybe she'll shape me up yet!!
Bright Time
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Jane did NOT take a nap today, despite TWO attempts, one hour in her bed, and later another hour in the pac n' play. So it was early bedtime tonight. And it wasn't quite pitch black yet so when I told her it was time to get ready for bed, she looked out the window and said "it's not dark! It's not night time, it's bright time." Clever little stinker.
Lessons Learned
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One of my favorite people, who happens to be my cousin, comes from a family of optimism. She, like my best friend from college, would probably love and be very good at playing the "grateful game," you know, where to get yourself out of a funk you start listing things you are grateful for until you feel better. For the record, for my most of my life I have detested the grateful game. I don't think you should ever wallow in a funk, but I also don't think you should jump straight to talking yourself out of it. I think it's better to feel what you are feeling so you can narrow in on what is bothering you and come up with a solution and then move on. I used to detest the grateful game.
Enter Chronic Pain.
One of the most problematic things about any kind of chronic condition (I think bed rest can fit in here, too, even though there is an end in sight) is that it is practically unsolvable. So I had to rely on gratitude to change my worldview instead of coming up with or implementing a solution to change things. In the last 2 1/2 years as a mom, with a husband in school, with some other problems, and with my back problems, I have learned that gratitude is the key to joy.
I think that's why daily prayer is so important. Offering real gratitude to the giver of all is one of the best ways I know of growing happiness. And keeping your sanity in certain conditions...
The year before Jane was born, I discovered something important about myself. I tended to base my self-worth on my productivity. If I got a lot done, then I had value as an individual. I knew this was a problem and I tried on my own to change my perspective, but I also asked for help from the Lord (which is always risky, He most certainly throws a "trial" in your way to help you grow). After Jane was born, I never fully recovered. I bled for 12 weeks, I had this burning pain in my pelvis that got progressively worse every time I was standing until my jaw was clenched and my hands were shaking. Looking back, I can laugh at my ineptness at caring for myself, listening to my body's signals, and the state of pain-tinged, sleep-deprived stupor I was in just trying to cope. I was just so overwhelmed with all the changes (moving when Jane was a week old, starting law school, moving again, oh right, and motherhood) that I really wasn't thinking straight. And I just didn't know what was going on, not like I do now.
In addition to that fearsome pelvic pain, at 5 1/2 months post pardum, I "threw my back out" pretty bad. The doctor thought it was a herniation (it wasn't). And I couldn't even lift a gallon of milk without causing severe back pain and spasms. Moving around at all sucked, but eventually became doable, but on my back I was pain free. I had to farm Jane out for 2 weeks because I simply couldn't care for her, and after that was a long journey to figure out how to be healthy and strong again, with several bumps and hurdles along the road (breast reduction to help with my goofed up spinal curve, more PT for the pelvic issues, another "outage" and very likely herniation this time, but I was 8 weeks pregnant so we couldn't do imaging, more PT, gave up on PT, tried chiropractic, had the baby, lots of gym time not much improvement, had a MRI-no nerve impingement but three bulging disks, referred to different and AWESOME PT- a 12 week program, graduated with near normalcy.) I don't have it all figured out, and I still have pain here and there, but for practical purposes, my pain doesn't keep me down anymore. Some days it makes me more ornery than I otherwise might be, and I don't think all my energy or stamina has come back, but life is so much more livable and functional now that it feels like normal.
So back to the lessons learned. Looking back I can easily see the blessings of all of that. For example:
It's very possible that without my back and pelvic problems that I would have whirled around trying to do a million things and completely missed taking the time to enjoy the moments with my child/children. But I was forced to slow down and sometimes just lay on the couch and play with Jane and just enjoy her and come up with silly games and do lots and lots of reading together. I'm really grateful for that blessing, because to Him, and to me if I keep a grateful heart, that was a huge blessing! The amount of joy I've gotten from just slowing down, as well as the insights I've gained into my kids, it's changed how I love and parent them and the satisfaction I get out of it all at the same time. There are lots of other things I have learned that I wouldn't trade for anything, but those are for another post someday.
In closing:
Doctrine and Covenants 46:32
And ye must give athanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with.
My take on that scripture is if you can find a way to give thanks in "whatsoever blessing[/trial] ye are blessed with," then you will that blessing/trial as a blessing. I think gratitude changes our paradigm to one much more elevated and like God's vision. Boy, I'm grateful for gratitude!
I even play the grateful game. Sometimes. In my mind. But with different rules.
Enter Chronic Pain.
One of the most problematic things about any kind of chronic condition (I think bed rest can fit in here, too, even though there is an end in sight) is that it is practically unsolvable. So I had to rely on gratitude to change my worldview instead of coming up with or implementing a solution to change things. In the last 2 1/2 years as a mom, with a husband in school, with some other problems, and with my back problems, I have learned that gratitude is the key to joy.
I think that's why daily prayer is so important. Offering real gratitude to the giver of all is one of the best ways I know of growing happiness. And keeping your sanity in certain conditions...
The year before Jane was born, I discovered something important about myself. I tended to base my self-worth on my productivity. If I got a lot done, then I had value as an individual. I knew this was a problem and I tried on my own to change my perspective, but I also asked for help from the Lord (which is always risky, He most certainly throws a "trial" in your way to help you grow). After Jane was born, I never fully recovered. I bled for 12 weeks, I had this burning pain in my pelvis that got progressively worse every time I was standing until my jaw was clenched and my hands were shaking. Looking back, I can laugh at my ineptness at caring for myself, listening to my body's signals, and the state of pain-tinged, sleep-deprived stupor I was in just trying to cope. I was just so overwhelmed with all the changes (moving when Jane was a week old, starting law school, moving again, oh right, and motherhood) that I really wasn't thinking straight. And I just didn't know what was going on, not like I do now.
In addition to that fearsome pelvic pain, at 5 1/2 months post pardum, I "threw my back out" pretty bad. The doctor thought it was a herniation (it wasn't). And I couldn't even lift a gallon of milk without causing severe back pain and spasms. Moving around at all sucked, but eventually became doable, but on my back I was pain free. I had to farm Jane out for 2 weeks because I simply couldn't care for her, and after that was a long journey to figure out how to be healthy and strong again, with several bumps and hurdles along the road (breast reduction to help with my goofed up spinal curve, more PT for the pelvic issues, another "outage" and very likely herniation this time, but I was 8 weeks pregnant so we couldn't do imaging, more PT, gave up on PT, tried chiropractic, had the baby, lots of gym time not much improvement, had a MRI-no nerve impingement but three bulging disks, referred to different and AWESOME PT- a 12 week program, graduated with near normalcy.) I don't have it all figured out, and I still have pain here and there, but for practical purposes, my pain doesn't keep me down anymore. Some days it makes me more ornery than I otherwise might be, and I don't think all my energy or stamina has come back, but life is so much more livable and functional now that it feels like normal.
So back to the lessons learned. Looking back I can easily see the blessings of all of that. For example:
It's very possible that without my back and pelvic problems that I would have whirled around trying to do a million things and completely missed taking the time to enjoy the moments with my child/children. But I was forced to slow down and sometimes just lay on the couch and play with Jane and just enjoy her and come up with silly games and do lots and lots of reading together. I'm really grateful for that blessing, because to Him, and to me if I keep a grateful heart, that was a huge blessing! The amount of joy I've gotten from just slowing down, as well as the insights I've gained into my kids, it's changed how I love and parent them and the satisfaction I get out of it all at the same time. There are lots of other things I have learned that I wouldn't trade for anything, but those are for another post someday.
In closing:
Doctrine and Covenants 46:32
And ye must give athanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with.
My take on that scripture is if you can find a way to give thanks in "whatsoever blessing[/trial] ye are blessed with," then you will that blessing/trial as a blessing. I think gratitude changes our paradigm to one much more elevated and like God's vision. Boy, I'm grateful for gratitude!
I even play the grateful game. Sometimes. In my mind. But with different rules.
A Flight Alone
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I was at the gym today doing my back exercises and didn't remember to bring my iPod until I was already in the weight room so I had some time to let my mind wander without little voices distracting it. I noticed, at least today, that what I'm thinking about when I don't have to think about anything else is the future. My "screensaver" is planning. If you know anything about the details of our life right now, you know that's kind of hilarious. And painful.
At some point, my mind was thinking about April and I realized that I have a flight by myself! (I think I'm going to book one with a really long lay over.) And I started to get all excited about sitting on the plane and maybe reading a book. And then I thought maybe I could write one...then I laughed at myself. It really seems like that much uninterrupted time! I think I may need to reorient myself with the space-time continuum. Anybody got an app for that?
At some point, my mind was thinking about April and I realized that I have a flight by myself! (I think I'm going to book one with a really long lay over.) And I started to get all excited about sitting on the plane and maybe reading a book. And then I thought maybe I could write one...then I laughed at myself. It really seems like that much uninterrupted time! I think I may need to reorient myself with the space-time continuum. Anybody got an app for that?
Emiline is 9 Month's Old!
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Oh boy, this kid is a squirmy onesie of joy! I'm loving falling so completely in love with this darling of mine.
I decided to pay tribute to my hairless girls and force Emiline's hair into a rubber band just like I did with Jane's hair at the same age. If you care to compare my kiddos (or you are one of the vast number of people that think they are spitting images of each other) click here. Emiline's rampant mobility makes it difficult to take pictures, but her cuteness makes up for it, dontchya think?
I got adventurous the other day and decided to take a billion pictures in a candid kind of photo shoot with my kids one morning. I'd been reading that the key to cute kid pictures is 1) taking a billion and 2) getting the right light. So here are some from my attempts at morning light.
Above is a classic Emiline smile. I think my kids do look alike, at least like sisters, but their smiles are all their own.
By the time I did find the light, Emiline was ready for a nap... her cry is all her own, too. My girls look very different when they cry, too. My dad and I kind of have this joke. Every time he calls he asks about the kids and comments something like, "Well that Emiline sure is a good-natured kid. Always so happy!" And I say "yeah, she is. Except when she's not." So far Emiline is not a luke-warm kind of kid. Hot or Cold, baby. Hot or Cold.
She has been into really playing with her tongue while vocalizing lately, thus we hear a lot of "lool, lool, lool. la, la, la. loola la, lool." At the moment, she also thinks she is a monkey. A few days ago we were reading Where's Spot (one of her favorites) and when we got the monkey, I made the noise, then Jane made the noise, then Emiline made the noise. Jane and I both laughed and Emiline did it again. When Eric got home, we showed him and Emiline likes pleasing the crowd. Since then, she has been making monkey sounds throughout the day and will always parrot you back. Speaking of communication, she does some signing, and actually signs more with her Dad (probably because I know what she wants sans sign and just get it for her. He waits. He's great at that;-) She'll do milk, more, and water with him.
Meet Roxy, Emiline's chosen lovey. I bought this cow from IKEA when Jane was a baby because I thought she was so cute. Jane was not moved. It was love at first sight for Emiline, however.
Even with the nose crusties, she's got a pretty cute smile, eh?
This is Emiline's thinking look. I know it looks pensive + sad, but it's more pensive + tired/lonely/hungry. I know this face, but I wouldn't necessarily describe Emiline as a big thinker, not like Jane is/was. Emiline is a mover. She doesn't think on a problem so much as she attacks it. She gets into things and tries to make things happen with pure momentum. I love to watch her crawling and cruising around the room just to see what she'll get into and experiment with next.
Probably because of this appetite for experimenting, Emiline is a fantastic eater! It has been such a joy to watch this kid eat. The above picture could be captioned "Oh my gosh I love pizza and smoothies SO MUCH I can't stand it!" Every meal time is filled with sounds of Emiline grunting in appreciation and smacking her lips. It's hilarious. The only thing she "won't eat," which means she's refused it a half dozen times, is bananas. Every thing else she'll try, especially new things. Tonight we had asian vegetables with sesame seeds on rice with pot stickers and cantelope for dessert. She hadn't had pot stickers before. After she had some of everything else she started making a fuss and "asking" me for a pot sticker. She was not satisfied til I give her one. I really hope this keeps up! She drinks from a cup with help. She thinks she knows how to use a spoon.
This last picture is a shot of Emiline getting stuck under the couch, which happened fairly regularly up until a few weeks ago when Emiline started cruising on everything possible. She was on the verge of crawling for more than a month (I think she was slowed down by getting sick). But then she finally figured it out. Before she was even crawling, she was pulling herself up a lot. Now it's non stop. I think she's wanting to walk and today she kept standing on her own unsupported for a few seconds throughout the day. Boy, was she proud of herself for that! So was I!
Other fun facts about my girl:
Emiline has two teeth and holding. No sign of anymore.
Emiline is a great night sleeper (11-12 hours). Bedtime is around 7:00 depending on how the afternoon nap went (or didn't) and she's usually up by 6:30. Like her sister, she seems to be wanting to give a nap already. Half the time she takes a morning nap at 9:00 or so, the other half it's not til 11:00. When she has an early morning nap, she'll sometimes take an afternoon nap, but not til 2:30 or 3:00 and it's usually pretty short. If she takes a late morning nap, it's not afternoon nap and an early bedtime. She has a short sleep routine of a story, a song, tucked in with blanky, kiss from Roxy, a binky, and some patting by mommy. If she's going to sleep, she goes right down. If she's not, well, she's not. Hot or Cold.
She's started to be more into books. She loves all flap books and all books with pictures of babies in them. Other than that, not so interested.
She still giggles like crazy over Wash The Ladies Dishes. And she went through a If Your Happy and You Know It Period, as well. But clapping for fun was so 8 months old. She loves to play mimic with Daddy, it's crazy what he can get her to do. And recently she likes to play chase with Jane. Although, she doesn't like playing chase with Mommy. She is starting to have separation anxiety with me. She loves to be kissed and to kiss. She loves to climb up me when I'm holding her. And she has earned herself the nickname "Squirm-a-whine" lately. She whines when she is frustrated or sick. She squirms all the time. I'm realizing more and more how unusual Jane was (and I can't tell if Emiline is unusual on the other side of the spectrum or just normal). For example, Emiline put her hand in the toilet today. Jane has still never done that.
And on that note, let's reveal the stats:
Height: 27 1/2 inches (50%)
Weight: 14 lbs 2.6 oz (55%)
Head: 45.8 cms (95% - which is small to me, Jane was WAY off the charts at this age)
I'm so pleased to have Emiline in our little family. I can't imagine not having her. I remember how worried (terrified) I was at having two. I remember how strongly (stubbornly) I thought that kids needed more space between them. And I'm happy to be wrong. We all need Emiline right now, especially Jane. And having two has been delightful (as long as I can keep my cool when it's time to go anywhere, what with all the hat, coat, gloves, shoe, diaper bag, keys, purse, and phone grabbing that goes on). I can't wait to watch her grow and have the opportunity to continue to nurture her. I'm so grateful to be her mother.
I decided to pay tribute to my hairless girls and force Emiline's hair into a rubber band just like I did with Jane's hair at the same age. If you care to compare my kiddos (or you are one of the vast number of people that think they are spitting images of each other) click here. Emiline's rampant mobility makes it difficult to take pictures, but her cuteness makes up for it, dontchya think?
I got adventurous the other day and decided to take a billion pictures in a candid kind of photo shoot with my kids one morning. I'd been reading that the key to cute kid pictures is 1) taking a billion and 2) getting the right light. So here are some from my attempts at morning light.
Above is a classic Emiline smile. I think my kids do look alike, at least like sisters, but their smiles are all their own.
By the time I did find the light, Emiline was ready for a nap... her cry is all her own, too. My girls look very different when they cry, too. My dad and I kind of have this joke. Every time he calls he asks about the kids and comments something like, "Well that Emiline sure is a good-natured kid. Always so happy!" And I say "yeah, she is. Except when she's not." So far Emiline is not a luke-warm kind of kid. Hot or Cold, baby. Hot or Cold.
She has been into really playing with her tongue while vocalizing lately, thus we hear a lot of "lool, lool, lool. la, la, la. loola la, lool." At the moment, she also thinks she is a monkey. A few days ago we were reading Where's Spot (one of her favorites) and when we got the monkey, I made the noise, then Jane made the noise, then Emiline made the noise. Jane and I both laughed and Emiline did it again. When Eric got home, we showed him and Emiline likes pleasing the crowd. Since then, she has been making monkey sounds throughout the day and will always parrot you back. Speaking of communication, she does some signing, and actually signs more with her Dad (probably because I know what she wants sans sign and just get it for her. He waits. He's great at that;-) She'll do milk, more, and water with him.
Meet Roxy, Emiline's chosen lovey. I bought this cow from IKEA when Jane was a baby because I thought she was so cute. Jane was not moved. It was love at first sight for Emiline, however.
Even with the nose crusties, she's got a pretty cute smile, eh?
This is Emiline's thinking look. I know it looks pensive + sad, but it's more pensive + tired/lonely/hungry. I know this face, but I wouldn't necessarily describe Emiline as a big thinker, not like Jane is/was. Emiline is a mover. She doesn't think on a problem so much as she attacks it. She gets into things and tries to make things happen with pure momentum. I love to watch her crawling and cruising around the room just to see what she'll get into and experiment with next.
Probably because of this appetite for experimenting, Emiline is a fantastic eater! It has been such a joy to watch this kid eat. The above picture could be captioned "Oh my gosh I love pizza and smoothies SO MUCH I can't stand it!" Every meal time is filled with sounds of Emiline grunting in appreciation and smacking her lips. It's hilarious. The only thing she "won't eat," which means she's refused it a half dozen times, is bananas. Every thing else she'll try, especially new things. Tonight we had asian vegetables with sesame seeds on rice with pot stickers and cantelope for dessert. She hadn't had pot stickers before. After she had some of everything else she started making a fuss and "asking" me for a pot sticker. She was not satisfied til I give her one. I really hope this keeps up! She drinks from a cup with help. She thinks she knows how to use a spoon.
This last picture is a shot of Emiline getting stuck under the couch, which happened fairly regularly up until a few weeks ago when Emiline started cruising on everything possible. She was on the verge of crawling for more than a month (I think she was slowed down by getting sick). But then she finally figured it out. Before she was even crawling, she was pulling herself up a lot. Now it's non stop. I think she's wanting to walk and today she kept standing on her own unsupported for a few seconds throughout the day. Boy, was she proud of herself for that! So was I!Other fun facts about my girl:
Emiline has two teeth and holding. No sign of anymore.
Emiline is a great night sleeper (11-12 hours). Bedtime is around 7:00 depending on how the afternoon nap went (or didn't) and she's usually up by 6:30. Like her sister, she seems to be wanting to give a nap already. Half the time she takes a morning nap at 9:00 or so, the other half it's not til 11:00. When she has an early morning nap, she'll sometimes take an afternoon nap, but not til 2:30 or 3:00 and it's usually pretty short. If she takes a late morning nap, it's not afternoon nap and an early bedtime. She has a short sleep routine of a story, a song, tucked in with blanky, kiss from Roxy, a binky, and some patting by mommy. If she's going to sleep, she goes right down. If she's not, well, she's not. Hot or Cold.
She's started to be more into books. She loves all flap books and all books with pictures of babies in them. Other than that, not so interested.
She still giggles like crazy over Wash The Ladies Dishes. And she went through a If Your Happy and You Know It Period, as well. But clapping for fun was so 8 months old. She loves to play mimic with Daddy, it's crazy what he can get her to do. And recently she likes to play chase with Jane. Although, she doesn't like playing chase with Mommy. She is starting to have separation anxiety with me. She loves to be kissed and to kiss. She loves to climb up me when I'm holding her. And she has earned herself the nickname "Squirm-a-whine" lately. She whines when she is frustrated or sick. She squirms all the time. I'm realizing more and more how unusual Jane was (and I can't tell if Emiline is unusual on the other side of the spectrum or just normal). For example, Emiline put her hand in the toilet today. Jane has still never done that.
And on that note, let's reveal the stats:
Height: 27 1/2 inches (50%)
Weight: 14 lbs 2.6 oz (55%)
Head: 45.8 cms (95% - which is small to me, Jane was WAY off the charts at this age)
I'm so pleased to have Emiline in our little family. I can't imagine not having her. I remember how worried (terrified) I was at having two. I remember how strongly (stubbornly) I thought that kids needed more space between them. And I'm happy to be wrong. We all need Emiline right now, especially Jane. And having two has been delightful (as long as I can keep my cool when it's time to go anywhere, what with all the hat, coat, gloves, shoe, diaper bag, keys, purse, and phone grabbing that goes on). I can't wait to watch her grow and have the opportunity to continue to nurture her. I'm so grateful to be her mother.
Daddy's Girl/Cuddle Bug
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Excuse the cross-posting (facebook) but I wanted this on the blog, too.
Getting my girls to nap has never comes easy, when it comes. It is a source of frustration, but also one of amusement. On Friday, this was the conversation Jane and I had while Emiline was sleeping, I was tired, and I was sure Jane was, too.
I was so impressed with her reasoning skills that I did follow her into the kitchen and we did make heart sandwiches.
After church today I fed the girls and put them both down at about 3:15. Jane was pretty sad, she's been sickish the last few days, and she was crying every few minutes. I checked on her here and there and she was laying down, cuddling lammy and looking exhausted but awake. After about an hour I hear a very pathetic "Mommy!" I go in and she's sitting up (against the Sleep Rules). I decided to go with the Nice Mommy reminder of the rules and a hug instead of the Firm Mommy reminder and assistance laying back down. This series of events is pretty typical and has happened dozens of times. But here is where things get weird (for Jane).
I asked her if she wanted to lay down by me for a few minutes. And she said YES! Then she CUDDLED next to me and FELL ASLEEP within TWO minutes. Jane has not cuddled with me in bed since....ever? She's not really a cuddler. I can get some surreptitious cuddling in if we are also reading a story or if I also tickle her or play some other game. And she has not slept next to me since she was a tiny newborn. Even when she's sick and wants me to comfort her by laying down by her (which is also rare), she never falls asleep. She just stares at me. I was befuddled at this afternoon's events, but also thrilled. I did my best to soak up the moment. It was so sweet and peaceful as she snored next to me. I love parenthood!
Getting my girls to nap has never comes easy, when it comes. It is a source of frustration, but also one of amusement. On Friday, this was the conversation Jane and I had while Emiline was sleeping, I was tired, and I was sure Jane was, too.
I was so impressed with her reasoning skills that I did follow her into the kitchen and we did make heart sandwiches.
After church today I fed the girls and put them both down at about 3:15. Jane was pretty sad, she's been sickish the last few days, and she was crying every few minutes. I checked on her here and there and she was laying down, cuddling lammy and looking exhausted but awake. After about an hour I hear a very pathetic "Mommy!" I go in and she's sitting up (against the Sleep Rules). I decided to go with the Nice Mommy reminder of the rules and a hug instead of the Firm Mommy reminder and assistance laying back down. This series of events is pretty typical and has happened dozens of times. But here is where things get weird (for Jane).
I asked her if she wanted to lay down by me for a few minutes. And she said YES! Then she CUDDLED next to me and FELL ASLEEP within TWO minutes. Jane has not cuddled with me in bed since....ever? She's not really a cuddler. I can get some surreptitious cuddling in if we are also reading a story or if I also tickle her or play some other game. And she has not slept next to me since she was a tiny newborn. Even when she's sick and wants me to comfort her by laying down by her (which is also rare), she never falls asleep. She just stares at me. I was befuddled at this afternoon's events, but also thrilled. I did my best to soak up the moment. It was so sweet and peaceful as she snored next to me. I love parenthood!
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