Early Birthday Party!

We had Emma's birthday party today -- it was a nice time! We didn't have a big party, just a few close friends, and it was really nice. Here's a few videos.

Preparing for the party!



Yummy Cake!!






Done with cake.... SO full!

Emma's Christmas Dress

We had Emma wear this pretty dress to daycare yesterday, partly because we don't really have any Christmas parties to "dress up" for, but also because there was a sing-a-long at daycare and we thought it would be nice if she could dress up for that. She looked so much like a little girl instead of a baby!

The Model

Here she is! Modeling not only the sweater, but the matching scarf (tucked into the sweater) and hat (with ear flaps!) that Mommy made.

Busy, Busy Emma

As we creep closer to her first birthday, Emma is growing and learning by leaps and bounds. She constantly amazes me, and is a source of daily joy for me. Here are a few fun videos to share.

Emma wearing Daddy's fleece that I made him several years back. :)



This was fascinating -- this morning while Daddy ran out to get a few groceries for our crock pot recipe, Emma found our pans and was very methodical about moving them from one part of the house to another.

Memories

December is a month of memories for me. On this date, three years ago, we learned that we had lost our first baby. I was supposed to be 10 weeks, 4 days along (or something close to that). When I think of that night, those weeks, I remember the pain and grief.... and I realize that even today, there is a profound loss of innocence that I'll not be able to re-capture.

One year ago today, I was rubbing my belly and experiencing my little Trouble kicking, rolling and moving around, reminding me that she was there, alive and with me at every moment. I was so filled with love, and with hope. It was indescribable.

And now... today, I watch my daughter fall asleep in my arms, nestled in her blanket after a day of playing and giggling, of throwing herself at Daddy, burying her face in my neck for snuggles, and it's still amazing, still heart-stopping. I hope and pray I never, ever take her for granted.

And so this isn't just a sappy, word-filled post, here's a video of the last time we were at the zoo, and shots of our backyard fun later on that day. :)

*whew*

It's been a wee bit busy lately. I get up at 6am, am out the door by 7:30, home by 6, Emma in bed by 7:30, paperwork until 9pm, and then scramble to get a few things done until I collapse in bed between 10 and 10:30. I'm not sure if I'm coming or going sometimes! :) I hope there's time to plan my little girl's 1st birthday celebration. One year. There is NO way it's already been a year. Wow.

In the short term, my blog has been neglected but I have time to throw up a few videos. Here she is, playing at the "Planet" playground at the mall. We went there the Saturday after Thanksgiving when we got back from Chicago so that Daddy could take a nap in peace.

Thanksgiving Hotel

We had the most fabulous hotel room, thanks to Aunt Ann!! Emma and Daddy had fun with the chair, and Emma really enjoyed having two rooms to explore. Here's some video.

11 Months Old

Wow, where has the time gone? Is it possible that Emma will be a year old in 30 days? I can't really believe it. One year ago I was huge, enjoying the feeling of my baby girl growing inside of me and washing all her teeny-tiny clothing and today, I'm watching her walk around and talk to me, and putting her teeny-tiny clothing away in storage.

We weighed her naked this morning on the Wii, and she's a little over 19 1/2 pounds. She'll be 20 pounds by her one year mark, I'm sure. She's at or above 30 inches, and we went up to the next size car seat. Her old one is now in the basement crawl space, awaiting the next (if any) child.

She's walking with ease, doing some running, and very stable unless she's tired. She's eating more solids and her poo is more solid too. :) And she's "talking" more -- she's definitely said "Mommy" and "Dadda," "Kitty," and we've recently heard "Delilah" and "Hello." Daycare says that she'll say "All Done" and sign "all done" when she's finished eating. A few days ago she slept for 5 hours in a row at night without rousing -- hasn't done it since, but I expect we might once her first-year molars are through. She keeps working her back gums with her teethers, so likely anytime now.

Here's some pictures of Emma playing with the couch-cushion fort we built yesterday. Happy 11 months old, my baby girl!