our shrimp

The Forbes met us for dinner at the new Rubio's for shrimp tacos and black beans. Emery has been doing a great job of feeding himself lately... it's much more fun to go out to eat with his participation now!

knock knock. who is it? 1987.

So I'm thinking of going back to my old hairstyle-- straight bangs and a perm.
I heard neon colors and Ray Bans are coming back in style, so I'm pretty sure this look would work now.

p.s. Michael, my baby cousin in the picture, is graduating from college next month. I'm old.

clean hands

Last night, Emery broke the streak.

He woke up 4 different times throughout the night.
We were both tired this morning.

He then refused to take his morning nap, throwing me for another loop.
A stinker, but still adorable.

I finally decided to stop fighting it and embrace that he was awake.
We headed down to Provo for some errands.
He fell asleep upon backing out of the driveway.



After a few hours, we were on our way home.
Fussy, I handed him a bottle of hand sanitizer, as he loves anything new and different
(especially something that's normally off limits).
That was all it took- 30 seconds later, he was back asleep.



At a stop light, I turned around to check on him and found this:



He woke up 30 minutes later with the bottle still in hand.

my son

I've been rather tearful the last couple of days as I think about my little boy. He is changing so rapidly and it seems every day brings a new discovery for him. I was looking over some blog entries from a couple of months ago and can't believe how different life was. I am grateful for the day to day memories I have captured, because they are often easy to forget. Here are some of his current activities, likes and dislikes, and personality quirks that make him so special to me.

1. His favorite place to be has changed from his walker to the floor, sitting with his mommy and playing with toys.
2. His favorite toys are blocks and a plastic bucket. He loves to dump them all out of the bucket and then bang two blocks together or put one in his mouth (he especially likes the blue circle block).
3. For the last week, he has all but refused to eat baby food. He much prefers slices of turkey, string cheese, cottage cheese, and fresh bananas and strawberries.
4. The baby cheese puffs that he used to devour, he now tolerates. However, he adores baby yogurt melts. They have saved me a couple of times at the store to buy a little more time to finish our errands.
   
5. Like clockwork, exactly one hour after he wakes up, he wants a big bottle of formula and then a nap. This past week, his naps in the morning lasted for an hour and a half each-- a big improvement!
6. His fuse is short-- when he's done eating, for instance, I have about 17 seconds before he lets me know that he needs to get out of his high chair immediately.
   
7. His loves music, especially Raffi. He smiles and starts banging out a beat whenever I turn it on.
8. He REALLY loves household chores. He follows me in his walker as I do laundry, wash dishes, and vacuum, with the latter being his ultimate favorite.
9. When he gets excited, he squeals/screeches at the top of his lungs, kicks his legs, puts his hands into tight fists, and bites his teeth down.
10. He loves to play with the lids of baby food jars while he's eating in his high chair.
11. He adores Max and any other animal/child under the age of 10. He shows us his excitement by doing what's listed under #9.
12. While he hasn't crawled yet, when he gets mad he rocks on his arms and legs. Usually, though, he'd rather sit up to play with toys.
13. If he's really tired or angry, he'll violently throw his head back. He's almost given me a black eye before... he's quite strong!!
14. He lifts his arms up when he wants to be picked up. If someone is holding him and he wants to go to another person, he'll lean forward with his arms stretched out, completely bending at the waist, reaching for them.
15. Although he used to love being on his changing table, he dreads it now.
    
16. He loves being outside, especially if it's windy.
17. He's most happy right after a nap.
18. Lately, when you pick him up, he pulls his legs up and attaches himself to you like a monkey. It only lasts for a second, though-- he reaches for anything and everything within site once you're holding him.
19. Most often, the first time he tries a new food, he'll make a face like he hates it. But then he'll open his mouth for more and smile.
20. When my face is close to his, he'll reach up with his chubby fingers and put his hand on my cheek. He loves having our heads touch one another. If I kiss his cheek, he'll push his head into me and talk.
21. He babbles often, usually saying some version of da-da. When he falls asleep (whether I'm rocking him, he's in the car, etc.) he talks/moans to himself as a way of self-soothing. It usually lasts a couple of minutes.
22. When he gets excited, he huffs and breathes really rapidly through his mouth. Hard to explain, but pretty funny to watch!
23. Within 10 seconds, he can rip his glasses completely off, head strap included. The last couple of days, I haven't been able to keep them on for more than a half hour at a time.
    
24. When I rock him to sleep at night, right before he closes his eyes he looks at me and smiles with so much love and sincerity. It takes my breath away.
    

It's oh so quiet.

I have not had a full night's sleep, uninterrupted, since June 2, 2008. I went to bed Thursday night fully expecting to be awoken around 4am for a little cuddling and a bottle.

Imagine my shock when I heard Emery on the baby monitor and rolled over to see the alarm clock read 8:42AM. As in, I had just slept 8 glorious and continuous hours.

Friday night was the same story. Could a new pattern possibly be developing?!?

school house rock

Emery adores Brooklyn.



Today, we went with my mom to her standing Friday appointment
as a room grandma in B's class.
Emery and I sat outside on a blanket as school was getting out.
He was entertained by all the kids leaving and loved seeing the cars driving up.
But it wasn't until he saw Brooklyn that his face lit up- pure joy.





You know he's a fan when he leans in to give a headbutt of love.



And what cute hair Brookylyn had for school pictures!
Cheryl did an amazing job crimping it...

SO big.

Today was Emery's 9 month check up. Current stats:

Length: 30.5" (97%)
Weight: 23 lbs. 14 oz. (90%)
Head Circumference: 47.5 cm. (off the charts)

Everything looks great for our little boy-- he's growing like a weed! When we had a check up right before our Seattle trip to make sure it was ok for him to fly with his cold, he weighed 24 lbs. 15 oz., so he's lost a pound in the last two weeks. Dr. Whiting said that's normal, given his teething, activity rate, and move towards solid food.

He had a hepatitis booster shot and didn't cry, which made it a lot easier for his mom. He also had his iron tested and is right where he should be for that, as well. It was a painless and fast visit-- we're getting good at this! Next visit is in three months, when he turns 1! Hard to believe we're getting close to his birthday. I'm cherishing each day with my baby, because he won't be one for much longer...

Costco

We met up with Allison and Emery's cousins, Emily and Bradley, at Costco today. I snapped a couple of pics while we were waiting for them-- he was too cute and too happy to resist.

awesome blossom

Today was an exciting day for us-- Emery started clapping. The only bad part is that no matter what is going on, the second we see him do it we start cheering and clapping. So who cares if we're on the phone, in the middle of a bite to eat... it's all about him!

On a side note, he's also cutting his first tooth on top. Grandma Jeanne had mentioned during our trip last week that my dad cut his two outside teeth before getting his tooth front teeth. Emery is doing the same thing-- he's getting in the tooth just to the right of his middle teeth. Hopefully it will come through soon, as he's had a fever for 3 days straight and is feeling pretty miserable. The bottom two came in without any issues, so this has been a bit of a change. Crossing our fingers that it's almost here!

visit to Washington

Grandma Jeanne has been in the hospital a few times in the last couple of weeks,
so my parents went to pay a visit last weekend. Emery and I tagged along.
Of course, the week before we left he started to get a cold, but after getting the go-ahead from Dr. Whiting, we left Friday afternoon.

It was Emery's 2nd plane adventure.
He fell asleep for the first 30 minutes, but awoke with a thirst only Diet Dr. Pepper could squelch.





There was a lot of fussiness and squirming, but we made it through.
A very kind young man switched seats with me so that I could have a little extra room for maneuvering.



Off the plane and finally free to move about, naked time after a diaper change was in order.





Clothing optional, this is his favorite position in his stroller-- sitting up and holding onto the bars.



We stopped in Seattle for dinner with Aunt Terri and her kids, cousins Chris and Tessa.
I had a breakdown with Emery being so fussy and tired, so there are no pictures to show for it.
Just imagine Emery and I both crying and you're there.

We reached Bellingham later that evening and had fun seeing Grandma and Grandpa.
After a quick visit, I left to put Emery in bed.
He fell asleep for about 45 minutes and then decided he'd rather be awake.
I had no tears left from earlier in day, so we both just enjoyed hanging out.



I'm not tired. Who's tired??

He finally gave in and fell asleep for good. Saturday and Sunday were spent visiting family,
including catching up with my cousin Brent, his cute wife Lisa and three adorable daughters at dad's staple, Round Table.

We headed back to Seattle Sunday afternoon and said goodbye to my parents at the airport.
Emery did great during the 2 hours car ride. I think he enjoyed having some company in the backseat.



Nate's mom and dad picked Emery and I up and we spent the night at their house.
Emery was enamored with his Grandpa Wynn and I very much appreciated the down time.

They played with the pots and pans







and Grandpa Wynn taught him how to read.



They were all set for our visit--
the pack 'n play was set up in our bedroom and the high chair was divine.
It's a lot easier feeding a baby who's restrained...



... and one who's armed with his kitchen toys of choice- measuring spoons.



We even got a sneak peek at Emery's new toy box Grandpa Wynn has worked so hard to make!
Here's the proud new owner and the amazing builder.



And here's Emery thanking his Grandpa for the fabulous custom gift!



First thing Monday morning, sweet Meggy and her little guy Daniel
picked us up for lunch downtown and then a trip to the airport.

Daniel and Emery got acquainted again, since our last visit during Thanksgiving.
They were enthralled with the each other's glasses.



We had a yummy lunch with my cute friends Candace and Jenny,
Jenny's adorable 6 month old Ethan and Grandma Lola,
after meeting up at one of our favorite stores, Land of Nod.





Randomly, Ethan and Emery had matching Old Navy outfits.
Great moms/minds think alike, Jenny!





On the way back to the car, the boys enjoyed a stroll in the warm sun.



We got to the airport in plenty of time and luckily ran into Aunt Lindsy, the wife of Nate's brother Kurt. She works at the airport and was able to help me get everything through security in one piece. She was a life saver and I can't possibly think of having traveled that day without her.

The flight was delayed two hours, but because we were there so early, we got bumped onto an earlier one. It couldn't have been better-- I strapped Emery into the Bjorn right before we boarded (after changing his diaper, feeding him, putting him into his PJs, and anything else I could think of that he might possibly need or want). After struggling onto the plane, we sat down and 4 minutes later he was sleeping soundly with his head on my shoulder.

He didn't wake up until we landed.

It was a thing of beauty for all passengers on board, especially those who had rolled their eyes seeing us take our seat. I even got a comment from one of them that I had a perfect little traveler. If only he had been on our flight to Seattle-- he wouldn't have said the same thing!!

I couldn't have been happier to see my smiling husband at baggage claim. All in all, I was proud of myself for staying the extra day. It was hard work but well worth it. Thanks to all for making it such a fun extended visit!!