Eight Months Old: "Mamadadababa"

Oh my, Emerson has changed so much in this one month.

We now have our first strand of consonant sounds "mamadadababa." He was saying "mama," but then he learned "dada" and forgot all about me : ( I guess "dada" is just more fun to say. He will also sometimes say "baba." Of course he has no idea what these words are associated to.

Emerson is also crawling! Well, he does an army crawl and on occasion he will get up on all fours and rock back and forth. Jesse claims he has crawled on all fours, but I didn't see it, so it doesn't count.

Due to his new found mobility, we have had to introduce the word "no" more often. He loves to tug on the curtains and chew on shoes (yuck) so those are the two things that get told "no" the most often to. He now will look at me before he goes to touch the curtain, as if he is just waiting to hear me say it.

Also big this month was Emerson got his first tooth! One on the bottom came in and the one next to it is not far behind.

See what I mean by a busy month!?!

 

Here is a breakdown of this months activities:

Sleeping: We are back to only waking up once in the middle of the night for a snack and then he goes right back to sleep. One time this month he slept ALL NIGHT! Oh how I needed that and I pray I can have more of those soon. His naps are finally starting to regulate more. He usually naps at 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., give or take 30 minutes. Lately each have been a good 1-1.5 hours long. Because his naps have lengthened a bit, we have officially dropped the fourth nap.


Eating: We can add new things to the "Emerson does not like" list, green beans and peas. I hope its not all green veggies. I think it is a texture thing. He loved apples, and most all fruits for that matter. He also tried his first table foods: a pickle and lime (not at the same time). He loved them!
 
Activity: He can move pretty fast with his army crawl and he definitely knows how to get to something he wants even if it is across the room. He is also sitting up all by himself really well without any support. Even when he does tip over, he can catch himself.

Love those cheesy smiles because that's when you see his cute dimples : )

Doctor visit stats:

• Weight: ?
• Height: ?
• Other: Obviously we didn't go to any doctor this month, which between the pediatrician and surgeons office I think this will be the first time we haven't seen a doctor within a month. Not complaining one bit!

Caught him mid laugh.

Likes, dislikes and other milestones:

• Favorite toys (right now): Still has some of his favorite toys. I know he is getting a few new ones at Christmas, so curious to see how he takes to those.
• Loves to play with hangers and plastic cups.
• Now that he is mobile, he is starting to get bored with his Jumparoo.
• We discovered a new book that Emerson loves, a Pat-A-Cake book with a Curious George puppet attached. He thinks the puppet is so funny.
• Likes to spit. I am not a fan of this trick.
• Has learned how to fake a cough.
• Loves to touch/scratch different textures, he especially loves to touch pillows.
• Sits upright in the bath tub now and loves to splash.
• Loves to sleep on his belly, bottom in the air.
• Does not like getting dressed or having to use the nasal suction bulb on his nose. He used to not mind either of those.

Things to look forward to:

• First Christmas and New Year!
• Visiting lots of family.

Ending this post with his classic confused look.

Thanksgiving 2013

I have very exciting news to share! But I am not going to tell you until the end of this post, so keep reading. (Or if you are lazy, then just skip to the end, but you will miss out on some good stuff : )

Anyway...

Emerson got to spend his first Thanksgiving in Tennessee. There were clear skies, cold temperatures, lots of family and of course great food! Emerson couldn't really take part in the food, but oh well, something for him to look forward to next year.

We drove, yes DROVE 13 hours to Nashville to visit Jesse's family to spend Thanksgiving week with them. The drive up was not too bad. It seemed to take forever, but all-in-all I think Emerson did great. Anytime I caught myself complaining, I just remembered how much money we were saving by not flying : )

Get ready for family picture overload!

Emerson and Pops.

 

 

Emerson does not like what this fox has to say. Don't worry, it's a fake one.

 

Turkey bottoms are too cute.

Family photo!

 



Turkey bib that Aunt Molly gave Emerson. Is it weird that I think Emerson and the face of the turkey on the bib look alike?

On our walk to the old red barn. It was a beautiful day.

Emerson could barely move his little arms in his puffy coat.

 

 Opryland Hotel Christmas lights.

OK, ready for my news? Emerson is going to get a new cousin! Two actually (not twins). My SIL, Molly announced over Thanksgiving that they are pregnant (due in July) and my brother and his wife are expecting another sweet boy in March. Two separate sides of the family are adding to their numbers and I am so excited for my SILs and for Emerson to gain cousins that are going to be close in age. The holidays will be even more fun next year! Congratulations to Molly and Jonathan Martin and Trace and Sarah Kirkpatrick!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Now I guess I better get crackin' on that Christmas shopping...

O Christmas Tree, 2013

I so desperately wanted to go to a real Christmas tree farm in order to get Emerson's first Christmas tree, however time did not allow, so off to Lowes we went!

 

Picking out our tree!

Traditional shot of Jesse bringing it into our home.

Even Emerson helped.

Putting up his own ornament. Some assistance required.

 

Happy decorating!

Thankful for Family

I have some catching up to do on my blogging! So here I go...

I just love this time of year because you get so many opportunities to spend time with family. This year we had the added bonus of celebrating my granddad Connie's 80th birthday.

You would never know he has turned 80 as he is healthy and young looking : ) I am very proud to call him my granddad and look up to the person that he is. Emerson is blessed to know him as well.

 

All the great grand kids with Granddad Connie

Emerson at our family's Red Rock for the first time. He can't engrave his name until he is old enough to do it himself.

 

 

 

Ooooklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains...

Driving in the pasture with Uncle Brent, first time to "drive."

 

 We also spent some time at my parents house.

Emerson thought the horse was very funny.

Feeding the cows with Granddad.

Time to eat! Emerson got to sit with all his cousins while he enjoyed his meal.

Quality time with cousin Lucas.

 

Separate from this trip, my brother, SIL and nephew came to Houston to visit us. We were all curious to see how the cousins acted towards each other.

 They didn't seem to mind each other : )

Love those blue eyes!

Cousin Jack wanted to join Emerson for his bath.

Ha, just love the faces on these two. Bath time must be serious business.

 

Jack and Emerson are only about 9.5 months apart, which at this age is quite an age gap, but I have a feeling they will be best buds when they get a little older : )

Ah, love all these family photos. Now that my pre-Thanksgiving family time is on the blog, I will soon post all the fun we had at Thanksgiving!

Seven Months Old: "I Want My Momma!"

I didn't think Emerson could become any more fun this month, but he is! I am sure each month will bring new joys, but we can't get over how fun he is. Loving this stage!

Along with all the laughter and joy our boy bring us, he is also learning what it means to be separated from us. Yes, separation anxiety has hit this month. Some days Emerson won't even let me turn my back before crying, wanting to be picked up. And it's not like a whine, it's his "you hurt my feelings and the world is ending" type of cry. Impossible to ignore, not that I would want to : )

Some day's are more challenging than others and I struggle with leaving him in the church nursery because I know he will just cry, but I also want him to learn it is OK for other people to take care of him and learn that I will return. I know he will grow out of it someday, so for now I am just enjoying the fact that he wants me to hold him.

He has also been a rolling machine lately. He is learning that rolling is a form of transportation. He is also starting to show signs of getting ready to crawl by tucking his knees under his chest and kicking. This of course results in more rolling, but he will eventually figure it out.

Here is a breakdown of this months activities:

Sleeping: I should have knocked on wood. Emerson's sleep just seems to be all over the place, which I believe is normal so I should just except that. All-in-all he sleeps really well though and I can't complain when we have a random rough night. I am learning that he does not sleep as well when we travel, which make sense. I don't sleep as well when I am away from my own bed. We will be traveling a lot this holiday season, so sleep should be interesting.


Eating: Loves solid food! The only food he has not liked has been carrots so far. I gave him his first piece of non-pureed food, banana. He wasn't too sure what to do with it, but liked playing with it.

Activity: Oh boy, this kid is everywhere! He has found his own way of getting around. He mainly rolls and kicks, but he no longer stays in one place when you put him down on the floor to play. He is also getting much better at playing independently. Some days he can play for up to 30 minutes by himself while I dance around him getting chores done. And some days he wants nothing but to be held : )

 

Doctor visit stats:

• Weight: 17 lbs 12 oz
• Height: Unknown, but my guess is he has grown
• Other: No more check-ups with the pediatrician until 9 months, but he does go back this week for his flu vaccine booster. We also had a second surgery on his bump and it went great. The difference between this surgery/recovery and his last were night and day. I was very pleased with the new surgeon and Emerson recovered from the surgery like a champ. So happy we went and got a second opinion.

Likes, dislikes and other milestones:

• Favorite toys (right now): anything that crinkles, his V-Tech car steering wheel, Mr. Elephant is still a favorite, Sophie the giraffe
• Favorite books (right now): "Peek-a-Who?" and "That's Not My Tiger"
• Loves to chew on everything
• Still no teeth
• Makes the funniest faces and sounds
• His hair is getting long enough in the front that it has a little curl to it
• Does not like riding in his stroller for very long. I think he would prefer to be able to see me
• Sat in the seat part of the grocery cart and loved it
• Now in size 3 diapers, probably will be in that size for a while
• Wears 9 mo clothing, very few 12 mo clothing
• Is now making all kinds of funny noises, but still no "mama" "dada" sounds
• Celebrated his first Halloween and looked adorable in his costume (I am a bit biased though)
• Started rolling over in his sleep and now prefers to sleep on his belly (and sleeps so much better this way)
• Will now occasionally fall asleep on my shoulder. Before he would only sleep in a reclined position
• Loved feeding the cows with Granddad and Grammy. He thought the horse was so funny, too
• Visited Great-Granddad Connie's house for the first time and helped him celebrate his 80th birthday

Things to look forward to:

• First Thanksgiving!
• Getting Emerson's first Christmas tree and decorating (hope he doesn't try to destroy the tree).

This photo made me laugh out loud. One of his many, many expressions.
I think he was making the "mmmm" sound with his mouth when I snapped the photo.

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Patch, 2013

We went with some friends to Dewberry Farms last weekend. The weather was perfect and I was so excited to go this year since it was Emerson's first year at the pumpkin patch!

The Farm.

He did NOT like the hay.

 

Nor did he like being put down next to the pumpkin's : ) Still love his pouty faces.

 

This is new, he now gives us a fake grin.

 

 

 At the flower patch.

 

This is just a crazy picture...do you see the bumble bee? Talk about good timing with the camera.

 

His hair is growing! It can now blow in the wind.

 

Entering the corn maze.

We never found the exit. That thing was hard.

 

We faced obstacles such as mud pits. Not so easy with a stroller.

 

We finished out the day watching football together. Emerson was all worn out.

 

I am learning that holidays are ten times more fun when you have a child to share or start traditions with. Bring on Thanksgiving and Christmas!