Crawling? That's Boring!

Well, after a mere 6 days of crawling, Emerson was totally bored with it and on to the next challenge-standing! The Sunday after she started crawling, she was able to pull herself up on things. It started out of course on things that were pretty low and she could get some leverage. A week later I found her standing in her crib chewing on the top railing when I went to get her from a nap. She works herself around the ottomans and is already convinced that she is good enough to let go. Um, not quite... we have had quite a few tumbles but it doesn't slow her down in the least. She looks around like "whoa, what just happened?!", shakes it off and pulls back up to try again! We are also fully into the process of learning what is Em's and what is Mommy and Daddy's. Something tells me that might be a long process!

I thought she was following me from her room to the laundry room-she took a detour to check out the pictures in the entryway.

Who knew door stops could be so much fun? Mommy didn't realize that they were also a choking hazard...those little caps come off the ends! Wow, so much to learn!

Who needs to sit in the exersaucer?!

She is going to have strong legs-you rarely find her sitting anymore regardless of where you leave her.

Look Ma...one hand!!!

HAPPY 1/2 BIRTHDAY!!!!

Wow...Emerson is 6 months old today!!!! She is soooo much fun right now. Shawn and I truly fall more in love with her everyday. It is amazing to watch her grow and change-it seems like she learns something new everyday. I really think that she is the happiest baby that I have ever known. She is all smiles the majority of the time. She is so adorable as she is learning to crawl...she is still not completely coordinated with it but it is amazing how fast she is picking it up. Unfortunately part of her birthday involved getting shots but she even left there smiling and laughing. She weighed 18 pounds 8 ounces(90%) and was 28 inches long(off the charts!). The doctor said that for her age she is very advanced(but we already knew that right?!) and said that we don't have to see him again until 9 months.

I could be a little biased but is she cute or what?!

Crawling to try and get the camera!

Poor baby...4 shots!!! Not exactly a good birthday present!

Baby on the Move!

Well, we are coming up on milestones a little faster than I am ready for. Just this past week Emerson learned how to get into a sitting position by herself. Shawn and I were wanting to peek in at her sleeping one morning. We opened her door as quietly as we could and were ready to tip toe in to see but as soon as we opened the door we saw the little princess sitting up in her bed waiting for us. This new talent progressed through the week and she started trying to pull on the bumper to get up even higher so our first project today was to lower her mattress. The other milestone that is just a little too much is that she is CRAWLING!!!!! She is still not real quick about it and not completely coordinated but she is getting better by the minute today. She will more than likely be all over the place by the end of the week. This brought about our next project for the day-attaching our bookshelves to the wall and putting latches on cabinet doors. Is this really all happening?! It was a fun weekend. My mom and Patsy came down to help out after the exhausting week we had. Patsy stocked the fridge with food while my mom played hard with Em giving Mom and Dad a much needed nap and a chance to sleep in this morning. It was GREAT. Also, I was able to go with Shawn last night to "Meet the Bears" to officially kick off a new football season!

I thought it was hilarious when she got herself in this position, she wasn't exactly sure how to get out of it.

This doesn't even look like the same baby to me anymore! She is changing every day.

Mom, enough with the pictures, I am trying to play my music!

She kept herself occupied with her basket of toys while we babyproofed!

A Sad First

Well, unfortunately we are in the midst of our first sickness. It started as a rash so we were off to the doctor yesterday. Of course with a rash it is a little hard to pinpoint what the problem is. He wasn't worried because she really didn't have any other symptoms and no fever. He thought it could possibly be an allergy to sweet potatoes but doubted it. This morning she woke up at 5:45-VERY unlike her and was very congested. She has yucky eyes and a yucky nose. The saddest part of it all is she didn't even catch it at daycare-she got it from me! All that to say, you would never know it if you didn't look really close to see the eyes, nose, and rash because she is just as happy as always! Oh by the way, they weighed her at the dr-18 pounds, 2 ounces! Will she ever slow down with the growing?!

I wish I was this happy when I was sick!

On the Road Again!

This weekend we were on the road again to Shreveport. Emerson is becoming quite the little traveler-this trip went much better than our first trip to GranSan's. She didn't cry at all on the way or the way home. We had a great time. Shawn and I got our first date night since Em's big arrival. We had so much fun. We had Mexican food at Cantina Laredo and then went to the Boardwalk. We did a little shopping and then went to see The Proposal with Sandra Bullock. I laughed so hard that I was actually crying! Thanks GranSan for the night out!

I love my GranSan!

Surprise, surprise-GranSan had new toys and Em loved them!

Emerson got to play with Jerry and Janet's new puppy-it was so cute!

Playing hard with Aunt Janet!

First piano lesson!

Look at those cheeks!

She took her first trip up to Jerry and Janet's house while GranSan was babysitting

All ready for date night!

"Y'all are doing what?!"

That was the question I got repeatedly last week when I told our weekend plans. We went camping in New Braunfels on the Guadalupe River. Yes, I mean camping in a tent, and yes, Emerson went with us! While it was very hot we had a great time. Shawn's cousin David went with us and we spent Friday night and Saturday night in the tent. Emerson did great, as always. The entire weekend she only cried once and it was when we were in the car and she was fighting going to sleep...it may have lasted five minutes. Not one peep out of her because of the heat. I was wondering how she was going to do in the cold water of the river given that she loves her bath being pretty hot and is not happy if it isn't-she loved it!

Shawn and David setting up our palace

Em had quite a set up with fans and Shawn's homeade air conditioner.

Relaxing in the tent with Daddy

It was pretty hilarious seeing the two of them in the middle of the river with Emerson, surrounded by all the crazy party people-I think we were one of the few groups there for a relaxing family vacation!

Our first family camping trip!

Is she the cutest thing in her crab float or what?!

5 Months

Emerson Leigh is 5 months old and changing so much every day! We are definitely needing to start baby-proofing the house. She is not actually crawling yet but she gets to where she wants to go pretty quick. She rolls and scoots her way all over the living room. She gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth but hasn't quite figured out how to get her arms moving. We have added veggies to the adventure of eating solids. It didn't take long to figure out that she does NOT like green beans. She took a couple of bites and then the next time I went toward her with the spoon she started gagging! Shawn felt so sorry for her and I felt like a horrible mother-I couldn't stop laughing! She wants whatever it is Mommy and Daddy are eating or drinking...and more times than not she gets a taste. She seems to really like ice cream!

She loves her new Jenny Jump Up

She can sit up by herself for a little while but usually falls face first!

Her favorite new sleeping position!

The Best Medicine

GranSan came to visit the last weekend in June to see if Em could get her back on her feet after her surgery. I think it worked...the Monday after she left she got cleared to go back to work on Tuesday! Yea!!

Emerson sugars can make anything better!

Happy 4th of July!!!

For 4th of July we hopped on a plane for Em's first trip to Aztec. We were a little nervous about how she was going to do flying but she was amazing-she did not cry once on the plane ride there or on the way back! We had so much fun while we were there. Aunt Kristi, Tanner and Keaton have been dying to meet her and get lots of kisses! On Wednesday, Jeremy cooked out for us and we got to hang out at their house. On Thursday we went up to Mikala's work and had a blast. She works at a place that has one area that is like Build a Bear Workshop and then the rest has all of the inflatables to jump and climb on. Aunt Sissy had already made a monkey(Chunky Monkey) for Em that is adorable and Shawn and I made her a little puppy. Friday was awesome-we went up in the mountains and had a picnic and went hiking. It was in the upper 60s and 70s while we were up there. Emerson LOVED being outside! We had so much fun while we were there and wished we were closer so we could all be together more often!

Aunt Kristi and the boys finally got to love on her!

Papa looks pretty happy to have all his grands in one place!

Everybody else was snacking off the bar so she found her something!

I think she likes her new puppy-Sadie!

A little too small to race but she didn't want to miss out on anything!

Grandma and Tanner

Sliding with Aunt Sissy

She loved every second up in the mountains-who wouldn't love it there?!

I definitely got my work out on the hike carrying a little extra weight!

Little Miss USA

Tanner, Em, and Keaton

Our BIG Little Angel

Well, I am still in denial but our little princess turned 4 months old last Thursday!!! She had her checkup at the doctor and was 15 pounds 13 ounces(90%) and was 26 1/4 inches(97%). Needless to say, the girl doesn't miss any meals! He gave us the go ahead to start solid foods and we were pretty excited to give it a try. We tried rice cereal the other night and it did not go well! We came to the conclusion that it was not getting in her mouth as fast as she would like because not very long into the trial she was furious! Next time we will try when it is NOT time to eat just to get used to how to use a spoon! Emerson shopped very hard for Father's Day and Shawn got a digital keyring picture frame with pictures of the two of them and a mitre saw he had said that he wanted the last time he was working on a big project. Emerson has the best daddy in the world and she is loving getting to spend the summer with him.

It seems like most pictures we have of her she looks surprised...that flash will get you every time!

Happy First Father's Day!

I love you Daddy!!

Several Milestones

Something happened when Em hit the 3 month mark-she started hitting milestones left and right. The biggest change is that there is no more sitting back and relaxing(notice the picture in the swing below)...if she is awake, she is in motion! As soon as she hit three months, she started actually playing with her toys. She has two of the little gyms that she lays in with the toys that hang down. She started grabbing at the toys and could actually start the music by herself. She also discovered the joy of the Exersaucer! She just works her little way around and around to all the toys, pushing all the buttons! Then came rolling over. That is when we learned how determined she is . She would roll from her back to her stomach, start getting frustrated so we would roll her back to her back. At that point she would get even more mad and turn herself back to her stomach. This continued until she rolled herself back over to her back by herself. As soon as she did, she got a huge grin on her face and didn't try to turn over any more-she had accomplished her goal and she was satisfied! She typically only rolls in one direction so she just keeps log rolling her way across the floor. She also loves to be held where she can stand up. Church is now an adventure. Before she would just sleep through it but now she just climbs all over me! Shawn can get her to giggling and it is absolutely adorable. She did all of this while 3 months, what in the world is in store for 4?! She turns 4 months on Thursday-how is that possible?!

One of the times she will actually sit still-watching TV with Daddy after she eats!

Nosy Rosy had to help me finish my weekly report for work!

I think it is time to retire the swing before she nosedives into the floor!

I never thought I would see the day she was content being on her tummy!

I think we may bypass crawling and go straight to walking!