Louisville Part I - Emma & Ally

We landed in Louisville on Thursday and were surprised by Gigi, Auntie Marth, Lauren and adorable cousin Ally. On a side note, Emma was a great flier. She had a few moments of fussiness but only because she was tired of being cooped up and was never a problem for the passengers around us. She didn't seem to have any trouble with her ears popping and as usual had everybody around her just oohing and aahing. Back to Louisville, Ally had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby Emma. Unfortunately for Ally, as soon as we got there, Emma fell asleep and took a 3 hour nap. However, once both girls were rested and fed, they got to spend some time getting to know each other that afternoon. Ally was so cute giving Emma some love.

It was such a beautiful day that we got to play outside for a while. Emma got to use Ally's swing (she loved it!) while Ally was getting a wagon ride.

Emma tried to crawl up a hill and then tried to crawl down, which lead to rolling down the hill. She didn't quite know what that rolling was all about but seemed to enjoy it.

Before calling it an afternoon, we tried to corral the cousins so we could get some photos. This turned out to be not such an easy task with an 11 month old and a 19 month old. I can see why Mary Beth has trouble getting her little ducks all in a row.

On the way to the airport on Saturday, Ally and Emma held hands and Emma even gave Ally a little kiss when we were saying goodbye and I held her up to Ally. It was too cute! We can't wait to see Ally again and meet her baby sister Natalie due in December!

11 Down, 1 to Go!

Today Emma is 11 months old. I can't believe that we will be celebrating her first birthday in only a month. Emma is still cruising around and continues to be a busy little bee. She has taken two steps on two different occasions. However, both times, she thought we were holding on and the second she figured out that she was on her own, that was the end of it. It won't be long though until she is off and running; she just needs a little more confidence. Emma took her first plane trip this month. We'll have more about the trip in an upcoming blog. While there, she encountered steps for the first time in her life. I didn't know what to think about how she would handle them but she was like an old pro, which was a little bit scary for mom and dad. No more words but she sure does have a lot to say. She is constantly watching everything that is going on. The other night, cousin Ally was rolling a ball to Brad across the table and then Brad would roll it back to Ally. The whole time that this was going on, Emma was watching intently. After Ally decided that she was done with the game and left the table, Emma grabbed a ball and started rolling it to Brad or in his general vicinity. Also this month, Emma has become much more consistent with folding her hands to pray before her meals. She still needs help sometimes and sometimes she wants to clap but she definitely gets the idea. In the past week, we have really finally made the transition to table food and she loves it. She eats like a champ and seems to enjoy the table food much more than the baby food; can't blame her there. We can't wait to see what the next month will bring.

Yes, she is eating an Oreo!

Wordless Wednesday

Weekend Fun

Emma enjoyed her first Oktoberfest at Lutheran High this past weekend. She got a little doll and was so excited to chew on her head. Then she saw her little friend Charlie who is getting to be such a big boy. He'll hold up one finger if you ask him how old he is. She also saw some Irish dancers. Probably the highlight for Emma though was the funnel cake. She comes by her sweet tooth naturally. This Thursday we are off to Louisville for a couple of days to see Grandpa Jimbo, Grandma Kristi, Gigi, Great Auntie Marth, cousin Ally and all of the rest of Emma's family there. We are flying, which makes me a little nervous because Emma doesn't really get the concept of inside voice. Hopefully things will go smoothly. We didn't get any photos from Oktoberfest but here are a few more "fun in the kitchen" shots.

This is actually fairly tame for Emma

A New Hobby

Emma really gets a kick out of animals of all kinds as long as they don't get too close like the goat at the Pumpkin Patch. Whenever we go out for walks, she gets so excited to see a dog or a squirrel. She has also taken to watching the squirrels and birds out in our backyard through the sliding glass door. It is not hard to determine when Emma spots something because she makes this "Unh" that is followed by blowing the air out of her mouth and banging on the door. She gets so tickled by the animals. I think that what she is really saying is "Daddy, I need a kitty!". Brad doesn't agree with that assessment. One of Brad's projects this month while he is off is making a bird feeder for the backyard so Emma will get to enjoy even more of her friends up close.

Emma's New Job

Yesterday at daycare, Emma appointed herself the official keeper of the pacifiers. They keep all the pacifiers in a plastic storage bin in a drawer; Emma found said drawer and proceeded to remove all the pacifiers from the bin and stash them in a corner in the room. In addition to her duties as keeper and protector of the pacifiers, she passes them out to those in need. There was one little baby lounging comfortably in a boppy pillow sucking away on a pacifier. When said baby was placed in the boppy pillow, there was no pacifier involved. This little one is not mobile yet so where did said pacifier come from? Oh yes, that would be our darling little Emma (the only mobile baby in the room) who must have decided that she needed to share the wealth. I am glad to hear that she is sharing and what a big helper. The day before when Brad picked her up, she was gently rocking an imaginary baby in the swing. Nothing gets by this child.

Wordless Wednesday