Da-da and Mum-mum

While she's been babbling for over two months with da, guh, buh, and other sounds we haven't identified, now Emma routinely says Da-da and Mum-mum. She began saying "Mum" the week before Mother's Day. What a gift! All of the baby literature tells us that she is just beginning to associate a word with a person/object/action, and it will be many months until she'll truly understand the connection. It's still mighty cute to us!

Supporting and Sportin' the Cardinals

Emma posed for a few pictures with Uncle Chad's Cardinals hat during their visit. Grandpa Mike loves that there is another Cardinals fan in the family. (As if Emma had a choice!)

Celebration Surprise

My brother, Chad, and soon-to-be sister-in-law, Stephanie, showed up on our doorstep last Sunday. They surprised my mom and me by driving down from Chicago to celebrate Mother's Day (the weekend after) and my birthday. Their wedding plans are in full swing! It was fun to hear all of the details. We enjoyed the visit immensely!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Scott brought Emmy to school on Monday to celebrate my birthday. I met them at the front doors at lunchtime. They were adorable strolling up to the school with the birthday balloon and flowers. What a nice surprise!

Steppin' It Up

After a few months of practicing, Emma can now pull herself up quite easily. Her new mission is cruising along furniture or taking a couple of real steps with our assistance. These photos are from Mother's Day weekend at the Schultzs.

Into Everything

Everyone told us that once Emma learned to crawl, she'd be into everything. We've put away many items and added safety features around the family room and kitchen. However, she still manages to find trouble now and again. Sometimes Emma thinks she's being a little rebel, like in his video. In reality, we thought this was one instance in which her curiosity was cute and safe.

School is Cool

Scott brought Emma to Oakland this week for a lunch date with Mommy. She was able to see the baby chicks that just hatched in the second grade classrooms. Observing all of the big kids was cool, too. But Emma thought the neatest part was the long division lesson I showed her on the SMART Board! I handed her a "pen" and let her write on it, which she loved.

Mum-Mum Are Yum-Yum!

We introduced Mum-Mum rice rusks to Emma this weekend. Kristen's parents gave them to her and Chad as babies. She likes the crunch!

Ten Months Old

What has Miss Emma been up to this month? Well, she now says dad, dada, mum, gu, and ba. She can pull herself up like a champ and has begun to cruise along furniture. She tries to escape during diaper changes. Table foods like cereal puffs, cheese, lunch meat, mashed potatoes, and noodles are yummy. Taking a walk in the stroller around the neighborhood, knocking down towers of blocks, crawling around the house, and bouncing to music are her favorite activities. She can wave hi and bye, show "so big," and give high-fives. Clapping is in the development stage. She is growing so much and wears 12-month or 18-month clothes. They have larger openings for her head and longer sleeves and pants. Several top teeth are coming in, for a total of six. This month she also decided that one nap a day is just dandy with her. Fortunately, that means that bedtime comes a little earlier.

Groovin' Girl

This Christmas Emma received a Learn 'n' Groove Musical Table. Before she was able to stand independently we had to brace her hips for wobble control or remove the table legs for floor play. Now that she can pull herself up and remain standing for quite a while, she enjoys manipulating all of the contraptions and bouncing to the beats. Get down, groovy girl!

Sick Baby

I was sitting in an special education meeting on Monday afternoon when one of the secretaries called me out of the room. Scott was on the phone. What would be your first thought? Yes, Emma was sick. She had thrown up while being rocked for a nap and Scott needed my advice. Luckily he had already cleaned her and himself up and Emma had calmed down. He had her laying on our bed, was stroking her hair, and giving me the play-by-play when, "BLAAAAAH! BLAAAAAH! BLAAAAAH!" Round 2! I rushed home and called the doctor's office. During the next 30 minutes we had two more dry heave rounds, cleaned Emma and Scott up again, and made our way to see Dr. Emm. Though the stomach flu was suspected by the nurse I talked to on the phone, Emma wasn't running a temperature or showing any other symptoms. No official diagnosis was made, but good advice for helping her recover was shared by our pediatrician. We kept a close eye on the number and volume of her wet diapers, because a urinary tract infection was one possibility. Who knew that vomiting was a symptom of a UTI! We were worried for the first 48 hours after the episode because she had very few wet diapers, even going all night without a drop on Tuesday. We knew that she was dehydrated from all of the vomiting, but did expect the wet diapers to be so few and far between. Now, on Wednesday, she is back to normal. Her mommy and daddy can breath a sigh of relief! Could it have been a result of sinus drainage? Could it have been a result of teething? Could it have been a result of a food that didn't agree with her stomach on this day? Who knows for sure! We sure are glad that our little gal has recovered so quickly and is back to her exploring!

Foley Family Feet

The collection by the garage door grows, not just in number of shoes, but also in style and size. What a beautiful family!