Weekend in Iowa

We had a wonderful but busy weekend in Iowa. Steve and I headed to Boone on Saturday, for his friend's wedding. Steve's parents watched Emry overnight. That was my first time being away from her for the night and even though we missed her, we were thankful for a night with friends. On Sunday, we celebrated Zach, Maddie, and Brian's birthdays at Steve's parents. I love watching Emry interact with her cousins as they don't get to see each other very often.

Yummy!

I shared an apple with Emry from G & G Sheriff's backyard. She was very curious and loved the juice! Thanks for the yummy apples!

New Toy

One of Steve's coworkers gave us this Leap Frog table and it has quickly become one of Emry's favorite toys. She does pretty well holding on and loves the sounds, colors, and flashing lights.

8 Months

Our sweet girl is 8 months today! It's unreal how fast she has changed in less than a year. She was miss cranky pants for her photo shoot...notice the first one. Here is what our busy Bean is up to these days:

~ Eats 4 times a day

~Loves rice puffs and is working on feeding them to herself

~Take 2 naps a day that last between 1 1/2-3 hours

~ Wakes up around 7:15

~ Goes to bed around 8:00

~Says "mmmum" and "I-da" and recently started saying "ba"

~ Gets on all fours and is very close to crawling (any day now)

~ Has two bottom teeth that have come through but aren't all the way in

~ Big belly laughs when Steve and I are silly

~ Loves anything that's not a toy

~ Wears 9-12 month clothes

~ Can drink out of her sippy cup like a big girl

~ Loves other kids

You're the best thing that happened to us! We love you, love you!

G & G Love

This weekend, Steve's parents graciously hosted my mom, step-dad, Steve, Emry and me at their house in West Des Moines. Emry's G & Gs don't get to see her very often (which makes my heart ache) so you can imagine the kisses, hugs, and smiles that were sent her way. Emry also watched her first ISU football game and put on her best spirit wear. She looked absolutely adorable! It was a shame the team lost but we all had fun regardless.

A New Friend

Through mutual friends, Steve and I met Angie and her husband Buddy, who recently moved here from Minnesota. It also turns out Angie and I went to the same church growing up. AND...they had a daughter on January 14th, about 5 hours before Emry was born! Talk about small world! We went to dinner and the girls were cute as can be. Emry and Madison kept staring each other down while we adults chit-chatted. The two girls loved sharing a spot at the end of the table together. I'm positive this is just the beginning of a great friendship!

Buddies

We got together with Emry's buds from breastfeeding group last night and Emry made her presence known when a turd fell out of her pants as I was taking them off to change a blowout. It definitely landed on Tori's carpet! As soon as she got that out of her system...literally...Levi, Tori, Riley, Gianna, and Emry played, played, played! I hope we can continue our get togethers when the kids get too old for BF group. The kids and their MOMS love it!

Silly Girl

Labor Day 2010

We headed down to Lake of the Ozarks for Emry's first Labor Day adventure. Our good friends Scott and Natalie so graciously invited us and another couple with two young boys to spend the weekend. We absolutely had a BLAST! The weather was gorgeous and the water was warm. Such a perfect way to end the summer. Emry floated with me in the lake and went on her first boat ride. She also had amazing afternoon naps so something must have been in the water! Thanks again Morrisons!

Little Love Bug

7 Months

I know you've heard this before, but I CANNOT believe that God blessed us with our little miracle 7 months ago! She changes so much each month. It's so amazing to witness her learning and growth. I never knew I could possess such a deep love for someone so small but I DO! Steve and I absolutely love being parents, especially to such a unique little girl. Each day, I do my best to stop and cherish each moment because I know the next time I turn my head, she'll be WOW-ing us with something new. Here is what our precious bean has been up to:

~ nurses 4-5 times a day ~ has tried all fruits/veggies

~ eats Oatmeal or rice cereal twice a day

~ is practicing holding and using a sippy cup (not very successful yet)

~ sleeps 10-11 hours a night

~ takes two, 2 hour naps and sometimes an early evening cat nap

~ goes to bed around 8:00

~ has perfected the art of sitting and even reaches for toys far out of her reach

~ rocks forward in attempt to reach things

~ knows how to roll over both ways but prefers not to

~ takes a bath in the REAL tub

~ says, "a-da, dah, dah" and "I-da"

~ says "mmmm-um" when she's whining

~ LOVES other children and has giggling fits when she's around them

~ is a bit of a mommy's girl

~ is very sensitive to loud sounds

~ is very curious about Rosie, our cat

~ loves being outside

~ sits like a big girl in her stroller

~ is fascinated by everything that's not technically a toy

~ passes objects back and forth between hands (still working on the pincer grasp)

~ smiles when I baby sign to her

~ only has her pacifier at naps and bedtime

We love you baby! Happy 7 months!

Broken Tree: Part 2

Quick Storm= Big Damage

A brief yet very INTENSE storm passed through our neighborhood this afternoon. While I was sitting in a meeting for work I received a text from our neighbor sharing that the large tree in our front yard had been split in two by strong straight-line winds. Her husband so kindly walked over to assess the damage and assured me that the fallen piece hadn't hit the house. When I got home and had a chance to study the chaos up close, I found that the tree limbs were lying only a few feet from the house. We thank the Lord that he was watching over our house. Since Steve and I both have to work tomorrow, our damaged friend will remain an eye-sore until the weekend. Steve and a buddy from work are going to cut everything down to the stump and then we'll go from there.

Goodbye Summer

I really have no idea where the summer went. I feel like the last day of school was yesterday and now I'm going back to work tomorrow! What!?!? I cherished every moment with Emry this summer and we ended our break with a bang! We went on a long power walk this morning with my friend/neighbor, then we headed to the pool with Natalie and Fletcher, ran some errands and went to night breastfeeding group. Even though my heart breaks when I leave Emry every morning, I realize that I have the best job a working mom can have. I get all holidays and random days off and a LONG summer break. She's going to Gayle's house again this year and I'm so incredibly thankful for that. It makes working a little easier knowing she's in such wonderful care. Here are some pics from today.

Sweet Pea