day in the life

i started writing this a month or two ago so the info & some pics are a little dated but it still needs to be posted for this momma's fading memory.  i don't want to forget!  and since i'm not making a point to do them monthly [i'm hoping just to be consistent as life happens, so far...failing] i just need to fit them in when i can.  here's some of who little em is becoming...

em loves walks, like with her own two little feet, not strolling.  she started walking pretty well around 13 months, where she would take more than a few unassisted steps.  now at 14.5 months she is trying to run.  it is awesome.  she goes as fast as her little legs will carry her until she falls down or runs into something.  if we're inside she's doing laps around the house and if we're outside on the court [which is a very common occurrence] she doesn't run so much as stop every two feet to pick up leaves and rocks.  she is obsessed with leaves and rocks.

this is her around this time - 14.5 months

she is going to flip once all the trees around here lose their leaves.  i'm going to let her jump in leaf piles. -- it's now one month later...well, the leaves have fallen and oh man is she in love.  something that i find especially sweet is that she loves the ugly ones best.  there will be vibrant red or yellow leaves right in front of her in autumnal perfection and she'll specifically go after the ratty, broken brown ones.  ben says that she finds beauty in unexpected things.  i hope that it means that she'll love the unlovable someday.  either way, it's awesome.  i taught her how to stomp on crunchy leaf piles - it's a new favorite!  oh, and she found her shadow!!  on an especially clear day, she looked down and there it was.  i showed her how her shadow can wave and dance, so she giggled and chased it for a long bit.

em wore her little hunters this past week for the first time [a month ago].  she was so adorable but they are still a little too big for her and she's pretty unsteady in them.  i can't wait until they are in her normal shoe rotation. *** they officially are her go-to shoe.  when we're around the house, even in a diaper, she goes and gets her boots and wants to put them on so we can go play outside.  hint: if you want hundreds of strangers to comment on your babe's adorable feet you should invest in some baby hunters and just wait as the unsolicited raves come pouring in.  em's sweet aunts definitely nailed it!

more current 15.5 months

now that it's cooler we go on lots of target and mall runs.  it's a little dangerous for my wallet but worth it for you to get some exercise.  you've memorized where build a bear and the disney store are in the mall and they are the only stores you try and go in to.  sometimes you let me hold your hand when you walk, but only on your own terms.  you hate when i force it [for safety of course].

build a bear CEO

trying to convince me that a giant mickey mouse would look great in the living room.

she loves to run back to her room, even when the light is off [creepy] and sit down and turn the humidifier on.  hahaha when i go in and turn the light on she's just sitting there in the mist with a huge grin and giggles.

ems running like a maniac through a fabric store.  she LOVES to touch things

she plays little library and reads books, has tea parties and talks to all her 'babies'.  she has me make forts over her crib and then belly flops to the open side of her bed and just giggles and giggles.  she loves to put all over her bows in her hair at the same time.  love love loves to brush her teeth.  she can be focused on something for a pretty considerable amount of time now.  she can spend 20 minutes or so reading books or one of her favorite pastimes, moving her sharpie markers from one mason jar to another...a baby's work is never done.

em dances whenever she hears music and wants her poppa to play the guitar whenever it catches her eye.  she bobs her head in the backseat if a song comes on the radio that she likes.  makes me laugh every time.  she just recently started to try and sing herself, especially when i rock her to bed.  as i sing, she sings too.

em and si playing / screaming at 'family dinner'

she still doesn't say a lot of real words but she talks constantly and just this week started shouting "MAAAAAAM" whenever she can't see me or when she wants something. in a really loud voice.  when i tell her "shhh" she sticks her finger up her nose.  i don't know where she got that.

she eats everything, always.  like, really never refuses food.

she still takes two naps a day.  just when i thought she was becoming a one nap baby, nope.  still sticking with too.  most days its two 1.5 to 2 hour naps each and then bed for the nap from 7:30p to 7:30a.

something i'm obsessed with.  her facial expressions, namely, the brows.  she has these super expressive eyebrows.  when she's concentrating on something or thinks it's interesting she raises those little brows and her eyes get wide.  melt my heart.

she went on her first ride in a swing after a lunch date with our sweet friend bridget.  we'd tried the park a few times in the summer but with no trees covering, the black plastic seats we're basically a little inferno, ready to scorch.  fall is perhaps the best swing weather?  we shall see.

i can't believe how much she is growing up and changing.  this stage is so fun.  we laugh together pretty much all day long now - sometimes i think i need some adult conversation, a massage and lets be honest, a shower...but really i can't imagine being anywhere else, chasing this crazy little princess as she's becoming a little girl - for sure my favorite job.

and just for good measure...

an em in the wind

auntie liz airplaning em while momma takes a migraine break {THANKFUL}