seventeen months - 07.27.13

emery annabelle is seventeen months old!

this week, when we ask emery: "what color is this?" and she answers: "yeh-yo" (yellow) - for everything. occasionally she'll say "bu" (blue), but usually it's yeh-yo. 

she finally started to sign and say "pees" (please) and when she signs, she rubs her belly with both hands (the sign in one flat hand, rubbing your chest). yesterday, when i let her taste a little ice cream, she smiled big and signed and said: "peeeees!" she got one more bite.

frequently when i get her up in the morning or from a nap, she asks: "daddy wir?" (daddy work?) or where's daddy? when i remind her that he's at work, she says: "bye bye, daddy." when i ask her if it's windy, she blows air out her mouth -- same as when her food is too hot. 

above our table there is a tiny hole in the ceiling where we tried to hang a lamp. emery points to it and says: bug! bug! so i've explained to her: it's not a bug, it's a hole. this week, she heard a dog and said: ruh ruh ruh, and i said: he's not barking, he's howling. and she pointed to the hole in the ceiling. i guess she thought i said he was hole-ing. haha. 

for a few weeks, she's been very interested in reading books. she brings book after book after book to blake or me, sitting on the floor. she backs up and sits down to listen to the story. or maybe just one page of the story - because then she's off to get another book. most mornings, we "read" [the first page of] over 20 books. 

she also likes to color and frequently requests that we "do-dar" (color) during breakfast (we usually wait till we're finished eating). she sometimes colors in her book (at least one crayon in each hand), but most of the time she just works on putting the crayons in to the box. 

emery sang her first song: the sesame street song. it sounds like "Uh uh ay." (it's the right tune, minus actual words). this could be "Sunny day..." - or one of the other 4 lines in the song where those three notes are sung, ending in the sound -ay: Clouds away, On my way, Come and play, or A-OK. she also sings the Hot Dog song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - complete with arm moves like Goofy.

emery has 10 teeth and i can see at least one more on the bottom right. the opposite tooth shouldn't be too far behind. she has her hands in her mouth frequently. if i tell her to take her hands out of her mouth, she will. but they go right back in a moment later.

emery is very loving and enjoys giving kisses: to her stuffed animals, to mommy and daddy, to herself in the mirror, to herself reflected in the shiny car at the car dealer.

"emery can you do a flip?" she's almost ready for cheer tryouts!

back to burke lake - 07.26.13

tonight we went back to Burke Lake Park to go for a walk after dinner. emery enjoyed quacking at the geese.

emery didn't want to walk on the path, she wanted to go back to see the geese.

so we tried to lure her back with her big pink ball.

instead, she decided it was time to sit down.

fourth of july - 07.04.13

today we rode the train at Burke Lake Park. this train has been there for a very long time - i remember riding it when i was very little. emery loved the ride!

 

 after our ride, we walked over to the lake. emery quacked at the ducks.

though emery ate at home, we got an all-american dinner at Five Guys. emery loved eating some fries.

sixteen months old - 06.27.2013

emery annabelle is sixteen months old!

emery jabbers a lot and i'm starting to understand more and more. she also tries to fit conversations in to what she knows. this week, when emery was eating quickly and swallowing food whole, i said to her: "emery, you need to chew." and she said: "ah choo!" and a few weeks ago, i was reading the names of the runners in a track meet on the tv and i said: "elinor" [kirk of UAB]. and emery made the trumpet sound of an elephant. when i was changing a very messy diaper, i said: "shoot!" and emery said: "shoes?"

it's getting hard to keep track of all the words she knows now. i think she's starting to put words together. in the morning, when we come out of her room, she says: "daddy?" and i say: "daddy's at work." and she says: "buh bye, daddy" complete with waving. she repeats herself a lot and will continue to say, buh bye, daddy, for the next several minutes and every time she notices blake's picture on the bookshelf. she also stands at the ottoman (the blockade to her play area) and says: mama! mama! mama! mama! mama! mama! even when i'm only 18 inches away at the table. so i sit on the floor with her, thinking she wants to read a book or do a puzzle with me, but really she just wants me nearby while she does those things herself. and (most of the time) i'm happy to oblige this little cutie.

for a while, her favorite lovie Peter (Rabbit) was called "paw-puh" but this has since changed over to "pee-pee." thankfully, she only talks about him at nap/bedtime. haha. and now when she prays, she says: "tee-too, jee ju" (thank you, Jesus). we're working on "amen" which sounds like "ah-ma." this week she's started to say "uh oh" more often, although some times it sounds like "oh oh."

her favorite things are dogs, cats, and balls. she can spot any of those three things anywhere. even a quick commercial on the tv for golf balls: "bahl bahl! bahl bahl!" or a little dog on the bulletin board at the doctor's office: "pup pup! ruh ruh ruh!" (over and over). at church softball games, she can see the softball being used in the game, the balls in the dugout, the guys playing catch warming up for the next game, and the guys playing basketball at the next court -- and she'll point out each and every ball she sees every time she sees it. last week, even the moon was a ball. :) so, tonight, we brought our own balls and she carried one in each hand and even shared one with her little friend (a third ball, not one of her two. haha.)

all four molars have come in and now she has a grand total of 10 teeth. i suspect the two on the bottom next to the middle two will be coming next, but i haven't notice the buds yet. her hair is finally starting to get longer - today i realized i could actually clip a bow in it - and it's definitely red. in the sunshine it's much more red than it looks inside.

i discovered a few weeks ago that she enjoys (prefers) to feed herself at mealtime. so i've been cutting up food and putting it in a bowl in front of her at the table, and she does great. for a while, i was concerned that this method would result in an upside down bowl on the floor (for good reason) but she actually (usually) keeps the bowls upright and on the table. i start with her least favorite and when she's made a good dent in that, i bring out the next course. i think she prefers to eat at her own pace (shovel shovel shovel) and all on her own.

at her fifteen month visit at the end of may, emery was 19lb 1oz (5th pctl) and 29.75in (25th pctl).

kiddie pool - 06.23.13

tonight we filled up emery's kiddie pool in the backyard. the water from the hose was cooold! but emery enjoyed the water and her plastic toy balls (that she sees everyday).

her first glimpse of her pool all filled with water.

whoa! the water is cold to sit in!

by the way, toddlers are repetitive.

where's the block - 06.13.13

emery likes to play the Hide the Toy game.

emery: "were's da blah?" (where's the block)
emery: "were's ih?" (where is it?)