2008 is Coming!

Well, another year is right around the corner. Sorry for the length between posts, but I'm finding it more difficult to get on the computer at those moments when I think of things to write. I'll try to be better in the coming months.

Time for some updates on the Peach.
1) Emma had a great 1st birthday with lots of friends present for her celebration.
2) We just got through Christmas....it was fun trying to get Emma to open her gifts and then watching her experience the toys and books for the first time. She got several outfits, a few books, a couple of baby dolls, and some toys. One of my favorites is a push along toy that my parents got for her at IKEA. Emma likes to sit on the floor and push it forward then pull it back.
3) Along with Christmas DAY, Emma got to spend the weekend playing with Grandma and Grandpa (Huntress). She got to play with hair curlers and special little balls, and she got to read the "Eye" book. Emma also got to experience the "Bodies Exhibit", but I don't think she got much out of it! ::grin::
4) In the past couple of weeks Emma has become quite adept at pulling herself up on just about anything, and as been cruising around the furniture. She's also making use of a "walker" that Grampy bought her when he visited last month, and has been doing laps from the living room to the dining room, around the table, and back to the living room. I don't think she's too close to walking on her own, but she's not too far either. She needs to get herself into a standing position without holding onto something first.
5) Stairs are something we've mastered -- the going up part, that is. We're trying to teach Emma how to come down on her own (backwards), and it's so much fun to watch her do it....get to the very bottom, then go up and down a few steps PRACTICING. What a smart kid! It's best to practice when there isn't as far to fall.
6) Em has somehow learned to cross her fingers, like when kids make a promise but cross their fingers behind their backs. She examines her hands quite closely whenever she's doing it, too.
7) Oh, and she's discovered her tongue like never before. She sticks it out and pulls it back in repeatedly, making the most adorable sounds the whole time. I love to hear her do this, and to chatter. She still isn't forming words clearly, but there are times it certainly SOUNDS like she said something in particular which fit the current context perfectly.
8) The Peach seems to be getting better at entertaining herself for longer periods of time....looking at books, bouncing from toy to toy, cruising around the living room, etc. We don't have to give her constant attention for her to be content.
9) Finally Emma seems to be breaking, if even slightly, from her compulsion to he held by Jon and Jon alone. While I persist that he's still her favorite person, she has shared her affection more in the last few days and hasn't been as dependent upon him.

As for family updates, Jon had a second interview today for a job at a cemetary. It's for a "sales counselor" position and would be VERY close by. There is a third step to the process, so there isn't any news to report yet. I have had quite a bit of time off through the holiday and have very much enjoyed having some time at home with Jon and Emma. I've turned into quite a home-body and appreciate the days when we don't have to go anywhere. I also feel that Emma sleeps so much more (and better) on those days, which leads to her eating better as well. I just finished a book by Dean Koontz called "Odd Thomas." Pick it up if you can. I was hooked almost immediately, really came to like the main characters A LOT, and found it difficult to put the book down for the rising level of suspense. I HIGHLY recommend it. Another one of his I read recently was "The Taking." Another good one, but not to the same level. I think part of this evening will be spent at the Suttons' house, and tomorrow is wide open. YAY!

Happy New Year to you all.

Look at Those Teeth!

Our friend, Susan, took this photo of Em at a Christmas party we had for all the babies. I love that you can see her top teeth. Sorry it's so small....when I pull it up on my computer I can see it LARGE...and it's GREAT!

I'm planning to add a video soon....of Emma climbing the stairs in our house.

Back to Normal

Well, I think we're all on the verge of being healthy again. After Emma got over the stomach bug that plagued us all, she came down with yet another clod. A ton of kids have been out this past week in her daycare room and the one next door. One little boy, who is also a neighbor of ours, was out with pneumonia, which made me a little bit paranoid when Emma started coughing a deep, rattly cough. A friends of ours, Meg, who is a doctor, came over the other night to listen to Em's chest and to check her ears. She thought Emma sounded "croup-y" and warned us that it could be a rough night, but she fortunately did well and we didn't have to take her to her pediatrician.

The weekend has been a good one filled with lots of naps and decent mealtimes....for Emma, that is. She had one REALLY rough night during which she woke up screaming "bloody murder" after only a couple of hours of sleep. It took forever to get her calmed down and back to sleep. Then we were up again every couple of hours through the rest of the night. Last night was MUCH improved.

Emma blew me a kiss for the first time the other day....December 6, to be exact. I have been trying to teach her that "trick" yet she never would even mimic me during our lessons. Then, while saying goodbye to her and waving, she spontaneously and independently blew me a kiss. I was shocked and amazed that she did so without any kind of prompting, and that it was completely in context! What a little firecracker we have. Even though she isn't forming actual words yet and isn't yet walking, she has demonstrated such keen intelligence! I'll have to sit and record several of such discoveries, but our computer battery is dying and I must go plug it back in before I lose everything.

Pictures next time....or perhaps a video, I promise.