June Pictures!

Emma in June - A Month of Cake

Then and Now...

Emma and Calvin's first date:

1-2 weeks old
(14 June 2009)

Many dates later:

2 years and 2-3 weeks old
(19 June 2011)

My how time flies! They were WAY easier to photograph when they were brand new! They were laying across the pack and play in the first picture and longways in the 2nd. My how time flies and kiddos grow!

Nap Time or Gymnastics Time?

Getting Emma down for a nap has always been a nightmare, today was no exception.

Backing up, yesterday I had the brilliant idea that Emma and I would get up, eat breakfast, and then head right out to "the big park" which she has been asking to visit for 2 days now in the hopes of tiring her out and making nap time go smoothly. We ended up having a slower morning than intended, but she was happy playing and watching Dora while I did a few chores. At any rate, we were outside at 8:45. Emma sprinted down the steps while I struggled to get the jogging stroller which she had asked to ride in out of the house and down the steps. As she's watching me, she said, "Come on Mommy! Go BIG park, ride swings, go FAST!"

We played at the big park for a while, walked around a pond, played at a smaller park for about 3.5 minutes, and threw leaves off a bridge into the stream. At this point, Emma asked to back to the big park and climbed back into the stroller. When we got there, she DID NOT want to be there...little girl was getting tired! As I pushed her home, she fell asleep and ended up sleeping in the stroller for about 15 minutes. I attempted to transfer her into her bed, but of course she popped right up and was ready for a snack!

After lunch, I could tell she was tired, but was fighting it. I sat with her and watched a Dora hoping that would calm her down. It didn't. She wouldn't let me take her into the cool dark basement and wriggled away from me and back up the steps screaming the whole time. I tried laying down with her in the guest bed, in our bed. Nothing worked. I asked if she wanted her pack and play. She said yes. I put her in, she said, "Bye bye Mommy." So I kissed her and left. Next thing I hear is Emma crying...and it's getting louder, not because she's increasing in volume but because she's getting closer! Little monkey climbed out of her pack and play! I took her back upstairs and put her back in...she immediately vaulted back out. It was pretty impressive. I put her back in and rubbed her back for about 30 seconds and she was out.....finally! Here's hoping she gets a good 2 hours in!

Morning Snuggle Time!

This morning, Emma padded into my bedroom when she woke up. Although we're trying really hard not to bring her into bed with us, I did bring her into bed to snuggle for a few minutes before we got up for the day. She immediately laid down on the pillow on her side with her hands up under her face and smiled. She was gorgeous! As I laid there and woke up slowly, she would lean over from time to time and give me a quick kiss on the cheek or on the lips. It was one of the best ways to wake up!

One of my favorite things....

Kinda weird but...the smell of hours old sunscreen and dried toddler sweat on a happy, snuggly kid. (I'm relatively sure that the kid has to be mine for me to appreciate this.)

All better!

After a brief rain shower this evening, Emma convinced me that we should go outside. We walked, skipped, ran, and walked backwards until we got to the park. Emma didn't believe that the park would be wet. Specifically she said, "I see it Mommy." The slides and the swings were indeed wet. When Emma saw this, she picked up a stick and said, "Time to clean up. I make it all better." She then proceeded to 'clean up' all three slides and a climbing wall with her small stick. She also dumped the water off all three swings. We ended up playing there for a while, because, although it was wet, it was also 80 degrees, so I figured it wouldn't hurt her too much. She enjoyed getting her hands wet. Towards the end of our time there, her friend Natalie and her parents came out to the park and the girls had fun playing (not necessarily together, but at least at the same time!)

This was the first time that I've heard her use the I make it all better sentence. It was cute! 

2 year stats

Emma had her 2 year well check today. She is a little on the small side at 26 pounds (45th percentile) and 33 inches tall (25th percentile) but the doctor said not to worry about it and that she likely will even out in the next year or so. Emma was very brave and did great getting weighed and having her height taken. She even let the nurse listen to her heart without a fight. By the time the doctor came in though, Emma started getting antsy and was a little fussy. The doctor did her exam with Emma wigging the whole time. Emma had a 2nd Hepatitis A vaccine and will now be good on vaccines until she's 4 (aside from the flu shot which she will be able to get via flu mist this fall).

The doctor assured us that Emma is right on target and perhaps a little advanced developmentally for her age. We learned that we're not supposed to pressure her to use a potty for her BMs and that sometimes it takes at least a year until kids can master that. The doctor also gave us a few discipline pointers to try to get Emma to stop hitting us when she gets mad or frustrated and told us that the biggest way to mitigate tantrums is to watch for clues such as hunger/tiredness/general over stimulation.

Although we know that Emma is thriving, it's always nice to have an 'expert' chime in and tell you so too!