Emilia's Journal

Dear Emilia,

We’ve noticed that you have an interesting habit of arranging things, specifically, you are very concerned with the placement of your cup on your high chair:

You will often make sure that it is turned just right before going back to eating your food. If I move it around, you will make sure to put it right back.

We’ll see if this follows through when it comes to putting your toys away and keeping your room clean!

Love, Dad

Dear Emilia,

Much to your Mom’s disappointment, you have stopped saying “Ma Ma Ma” and now you are constantly calling out, “Da Da Da!”

You saw me raking leaves in the yard, and I guess you were trying to get my attention!

It’s fun to hear you babbling all of the time, we keep wondering what your next words are going to be! (And don’t worry, Mom knows that you still love her. Any time you are upset, or want to be picked up or hugged, you go for her first!)

Love, Dad

Dear Emilia,

It’s been a long time since we’ve written about you here on the blog. A couple months in fact! Mom has been keeping a list on her computer about things that we need to write about, and yet every day and night seems to go by without getting a moment to add these things to your journal. We’re going to start in on a few of them tonight.

But first, (and I don’t have a picture or a movie of you doing this,) my favorite new thing that you do is put your head on my shoulder and snuggle. Mostly when you are getting tired, I’ll softly whisper “shhhhhhh” in your ear and run my hand across your head. You’ll turn your head to the side a bit and lay it down on my shoulder and squeeze me in tiny little hug.

Unfortunately, usually you then realize that I’m trying to get you to sleep and start crying, but some of the time you just lay there on my shoulder, resting. It’s a wonderfully peaceful feeling, and whatever kind of busy or stressful day I’ve had, I completely forget about it and give you a little hug back.

Love, Dad

Dear Emilia,

You were a little duckling for halloween this year! We took you to a few friends’ houses in the neighborhood.

I think that you were mostly confused by the whole affair, especially when you saw other people in costume.

By the time we got back, you were sweating because Mom had about 47 layers of clothing on you underneath that costume. (In case you see this someday and think that you were overweight as an infant, don’t worry, it was just the extra clothes.)

Love, Dad

Dear Emilia,

You’ve discovered your hands this week! Not the fact that they are there, but the fact that you can do things with them!

Today you made your first sign. We’ve been using the signs for “more”, “food”, “plane” and others with you for a while, but this morning you very clearly and deliberately put your hands together in the “more” sign.

We smiled at you and gave you another piece of food. You responded by shrieking loudly in excitement.

Also, you’ve been clapping when exciting things happen, and waving goodbye when we drop you off at daycare.

I think you are going to have a lot to say when you start talking.

Love,

Dad

Emi,

Just because you are so cute with little ears!

Even if you aren’t happy about it.

Love, Mom

Dear Emi-

Since you have started some finger foods, we decided to give you a few bites of our pancakes. Here was your response . . .

While we were at it, we thought we would try some chopstick
cuisine . . .

Looks like you aren’t afraid of new foods, now if you just liked your peas!

Love, Mom

Emilia-

Wow, 9 months already. What did we do to celebrate? Well, you had your check-up with Dr. Reid and got a flu shot (you didn’t even cry). We did one of your favorite acitivities- a bath, where I gave you a mohawk. It is much longer than the last time we tried that!

Only a few months and you will be a year already.

Love, Mom

Dear Emi-

Wow how time does fly. You have been changing this past month faster than your dad and I can keep up with. For starters your mode of transportation has evolved rapidly. You started the month getting around by laying on your belly and pushing yourself backwards. The more you tried to get something in front of you, the further backwards you would go. You often got stuck with your legs on either side of a corner or under furniture and we had to rescue you. Soon you were up on all fours and bouncing. You then would get a few inches forward, and by August 11- you had put it all together. Here you are showing off your stuff.

From crawling you moved onto pulling yourself up to a stand and even taking a couple steps holding onto things.

Another thing that has been changing daily is all the new sounds you make. Your dad taught you how to breathe in and out of your nose to try to get boogers out. You then started doing it all the time by scrunching up your nose, giving a big gummy smile and breathing as fast as you could in and out of your nose. The next noise that became your favorite was sucking in your breath like you were surprised or shocked by something. By the end of the month, you learned to clap your lips together to make a funny noise . . .

You also developed quite the babbling vocabulary as seen here after getting excited by a box.

Another thing that we could barely keep up with this month was your changing appetite. You went from happily eating your pureed foods to spitting them out and wanted to use the spoon yourself. We then knew we had to start some foods that you could feed yourself. Here is one of your first few attempts at finger foods, and while you did not get much of it in your mouth- you clearly loved the new foods. We also decided to take your shirt off for those early feeds because it was soooo messy!

Each day you continue to surprise us, make us laugh, and remind us how you won’t be a baby for much longer. It is so fun to see the little person you are becoming and while you are quick to let us know when you are unhappy about something, (mostly when you are hungry, thirsty or do not want to take a nap) you are generally very smiley, curious and busy exploring everything. You still get very quiet and observant in new situations, but venture out once you feel comfortable. You also have gotten a bit shy with new people, but eventually let them hold you (especially if they have something that interests you like shiny buttons or a pretty necklace). You say all sorts of things like mamama, dadada, bababa, ooooohh and occasionally say things that sound like words (even once saying oh-ba-ma: which I tell people you already know who the president is). If I am out of your site- you will yell MA!, and then give me a big smile when you see me. You also love pointing at people’s noses and have even tried to pick a few. I can’t wait to see what the next month brings.

Love, Mom

Dear Emilia,

We bought a bike trailer from a friend last week, and you are seeing the city in a whole new way! We have used it almost every day since we bought it, and you love riding around looking at all the sights.

Today though, we were caught in a big downpour as we biked over to Tangletown to visit a bike shop.

Luckily, your new trailer has a plastic rain cover. You stayed dry and happy. (I got a little wet.)

It’s fun to have a passenger along for the ride!

Love, Dad