Every day Emma learns something new or does something that makes us smile. Since it's been a while since we've blogged, we'll try to catch you up on some of her most recent highlights.
-When we first set up the Christmas tree, it didn't seem to phase Emma that a tree was in the house. She has walked up to it several times and wanted to touch it. We show her how to carefully touch the branches, but she usually ends up getting pricked a bit and she quickly loses interest. Today, however, she did touch the tree and looked at the ornaments. She then sat down in front of it and reached for a gift underneath the tree. I think she's ready for Christmas morning!
- Emma has recently discovered wires and cords. She likes to pull them and then try to put them in her mouth. The first cords she found were the power supply cord to the laptop and the wire connecting the headset or webcam to the computer. This past week, on one of our many walks around the house, she found the mess of internet cables hidden behind a bookcase in our living room. Keep in mind, we have never shown her these or even stopped to look at anything else in this area...she found them by herself! Oh my are we in trouble when she starts moving by herself!
- Emma has also found that plastic bags make a very fun crinkly sound when they are touched. The kitchen shelf where we keep bread and rolls happens to be right at Emma height. We stop to play here frequently throughout the day. Why does she have such interest in all of the most dangerous items in the house?
- In case you didn't know, we spend a lot of time helping Emma walk around the house every day. She is very adamant when she wants to walk and is not easily distracted by toys if we don't happen to be in a walking mood. Emma lets out the cutest little squeal whenever she walks down the hallway toward the front door. At first I thought she liked seeing our shadows on the floor, but then realized that she likes the stained glass looking window in the door which is always brightly lit.
- More on walking: Emma used to be very good about holding our hands while she was walking. Recently though, she apparently thinks she is a proficient walker because she will rip her hand from ours and attempt to walk. Every time she does this, my heart skips a beat as I grab her because our floors are hard tile. Very hard and very unforgiving. Obviously, we're looking forward to carpeting when we return to the States!
- Emma still isn't crawling. She does get on all fours a couple times a day, but this is usually a result of her attempting to reach a toy or our hands so that she can stand up. She has half-crawled a couple times towards a toy, but as soon as she reaches the toy, she quickly rolls onto her back. We've noticed that even when she's by herself, she's starting to use anything, even the smallest of toys, for leverage to attempt to stand. We see quite a few faceplants in the near future!
-Emma has very slowly started to warm up to solid food. Generally, she's in the mood for it or she's not. When she's in the mood for food, she eagerly grabs the spoon and attempts to feed herself. It's a little messy but super cute! When she's not in the mood, she eagerly grabs the spoon and shakes it all over (even with us holding on to it). It's very messy and not fun at all!
So far, Emma has had peas, beans, pears, carrots, bananas, apples, sweet potatoes, rice cereal, mashed potatoes, bread, and possible a few other tidbits from our plates. By far, she likes fruit the best (although the mashed up banana didn't go over well at all). She seems to like mashed potatoes, but not if they're too garlicky. Rice cereal is her least favorite, even when some fruit is mixed in with it.
Her favorite treats are definitely cheerios and her sippy cup! She has a lot of fun playing with the cheerios before eating them. She has yet to actually get one in her mouth herself though...they stick to her wet fingers. Emma also enjoys water from a sippy cup. She's still working on learning to hold the cup and tip her head back herself.
-Yesterday, we were out to lunch with a friend and Emma sat in a restaurant high chair for the first time! She was right at table height and quickly proceeded to taste the paper table cloth. We think she had a lot of fun nibbling on some bread and playing with her toy while we ate lunch. Afterward, we walked through a store and Emma laughed, giggled, and talked the entire time! It was so wonderful to hear her so happy! She also amused several people in a waiting room. She talked to them and gave them the most precious smiles when they talked back to her.
We are just having so much fun with her and are excited for Christmas. We know she will probably like the wrapping paper more than the presents, but that is just as fun. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, and we will be back to the States before you know it!
