wisdom, stature, and favor: July 2012

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Yogurt

Sweet baby E loves to eat yogurt!

I've been mixing plain yogurt into some of her fruit and veggie purees, or mixing the purees into the YoBaby yogurts that already have a (teenytiny) bit of puree in them.

She also loves to play with/in it...

On July 8, one of the little boys in Emilia's playgroup turned one! Clark's mama, Ashby, has been one of my dear friends since we first moved to Austin four years ago and I joined her Bible study. It was so fun to be pregnant together and now it is even more fun to get together with our kiddos. She's my on-hand baby expert regarding sleep training, solid food, mobility, etc.

That's what I call a successful baby group shot!

All from our playgroup: Matthew, Clark, and Emilia

E holding her own on the playmat with all the boys

"What are these things? We don't have any of these boy toys at our house."

While I do think that my child is perfect, I think the fact

that she is the only child sitting still and sort of looking at the camera

for the group shot owes more to the fact that she is not yet mobile...

Emilia and birthday boy Clark

Clark checking out E's hair bow

Another success!

Matthew, Emilia, and Clark

Clark, we're so glad you were born!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Yay! The Mountains!

Taylor, Emilia and I were able to go to Estes Park, Colorado June 30-July 7 with Mimi, Dee, and the Smiths. We stayed at the YMCA of the Rockies, where Mimi has been vacationing for nearly fifty years!

I actually vacationed with Taylor and his family here nine years ago, the first summer we were dating, and he and I came back by ourselves last summer for our "baby moon." We were so excited to introduce Emilia to a place that holds so many special memories for us.

Emilia was a great little traveler, despite being awake for over nine hours. She was not, however, a great little sleeper. I think being in a new place and being able to see me two feet away whenever she woke up in the middle of the night just threw her off all week. She was none the worse for wear during the days, though.

Since Emilia is going through a lot of separation anxiety right now, we decided to just take her hiking with us. We were able to do three great hikes throughout the week, all about five or six miles roundtrip. I carried E in the Ergo, switching her from my front to my back. We timed the hikes to start around her first nap, so she usually slept on the way up, then got to look around on the way back down.

After about a week's hiatus from offering Emilia solid food, I decided to try again. On one of our first days in Colorado she rejected applesauce with oatmeal, so I decided to wait a few more days. Then, on a whim, I offered her a bite of my (whole) nectarine, mid-hike. She loved it and ate nearly the entire thing! Seems like baby girl is just over purees. She continued to eat pieces of other whole, raw fruits like watermelon and banana all week.

We loved getting to spend so much great time with Mimi, Dee, Aunt Meredith, Uncle Pat, and Cousin Elizabeth!

Aunt Meredith and Emilia

(and Uncle Pat in the background

...doing a magic trick?)

Cousin Elizabeth and Taylor

Emmers and Daddy

E loved looking at and listening to the water!

See that teenytiny mountain behind Emmers?

That's Longs Peak, a 14-er that Taylor and I

climbed (with "Uncle" Michael) the

first summer Taylor and I were dating.

Emilia, me, Taylor, and Pat on the way to Emerald Lake

Family photo at Emerald Lake

Aunt Meredith and E

Uncle Pat and E

Mimi and Emmy

Sweet Emilia kissing sweet Elizabeth

Dee, and E rocking PJs and Elizabeth's pink cowgirl hat

The real cowgirl Elizabeth and her mighty steed, Cupcake

Daddy and baby stopping for a snack mid-hike

Family photo at Odessa Falls...

and another one on the way back down

Mommy and baby

Emilia napping on my back in the Ergo

on the way back down from one of our hikes

Several days we went down to the playground so Emmers could swing

Elizabeth holding Emilia

Elizabeth watching the July 4th parade

Our family on the way to Cub Lake

Meredith and Pat on the way to Cub Lake

Emmers pigging out on my nectarine

Happy family!

Taylor and Cousin Elizabeth

E rocking her new Vandy sweatshirt Taylor brought her

from a recent guys' trip to Nashville

Happy baby (recognize the turtle on her shirt? Thanks, Aunt Catie!)

Is that my bitty baby pulling up?

Elizabeth enjoying an ice cream break

Emilia going for Dee's glasses

Love those gorgeous long lashes!

Can you see her two teeth?

Dee, Emilia, Elizabeth, and Taylor

Mommy and baby

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Happy eight months, Emilia!

We celebrated Emilia's birthday with a flight to Denver and then an hour and half drive to Estes Park. Emilia did great on the plane and on the drive, despite being awake for over nine hours!

Since Emilia was still coughing a few days before the trip, we took her to the doctor to get her checked out before we left town. Baby girl was perfectly healthy (except for the cough)! And we got her weight while we were there ;). She's just over 18 lbs.

We have quite the little jet setter/road warrior: in addition to flying to Colorado (post coming soon), this month Emilia made the 13+ hour drive to Florida and back, as well as the 3.5 hour drive to Dallas/Ft. Worth and back.

On that note, Emilia visited the beach for the first time ever this month!

This month Emmy met her only living great-grandparent on Taylor's side of the family, Mimi's mother Gigi.

Emmers quit saying "Hi" and waving this month - she's over it, I guess. She did say "Mama" repeatedly, though :).

Her best trick this month? Sleeping through the night more often than not. Ah, sleep! I missed you so. So much that I consider this Emilia's best trick and not her saying "Mama."

Emilia got her first tooth this month! I know I made a big deal out of her fake first tooth and hardly even mentioned her real one. Not sure what happened there. But she has a tooth! And I'll be honest, she wasn't noticeably fussier as it came in. So thankful.

Solid foods became a fight this month, even with Emilia's favorites like bananas, and even if I just gave her a chunk of banana to feed herself rather than mashing it up and feeding her with a spoon, so I decided to just give it a rest. I'll try again in a few days.

Emilia really figured out her jumper this month. She actually jumps in it now rather than only spinning around in it.

She is thisclose to crawling, and I am not encouraging it. She can get up on all fours and rock back and forth, and she has even taken to scooting herself backwards (photo evidence below). I'm so not ready for a mobile baby...