I can't believe it!

Emma has decided that she doesn't need a nap during the day and needs me to entertain her. So instead of getting packing done, I took advantage of her good mood for a little photo shoot.

We scored a Baby Einstein exersaucer at the consignment store and Emma LOVES it.

Emma loves to stand while holding your fingers, so I thought I'd see what would happen if I propped her standing up on the couch.

Well . . . she stood.

She stood for several minutes.

I was dumbfounded

She looks like she's praying she doesn't fall over. .

Dear Lord, please give me the strength to stand tall

She even tried to take a step

Taking a rest and smiling at her new accomplishments!

She's got the hang of it!

Our friends Christina and Russ gave us a Jump-a-Roo and Emma is finally big enough to use it. At first I thought it was bouncing and she was playing along. . . now I know she's has more control over her movements than I thought. . . what do you think? You be the judge.

Emma is now holding her head up while on her belly and pushing herself onto her knees. As much as I fear mobility, its amazing to see her develop everyday.

Who's baby is this?

After our trip to Illinois and eating fried everything, I realized that I REALLY need to get back to working out and take advantage of the $2 an hour day care at the gym.

So Tuesday morning I packed Emma up and we went for a tour of the daycare at our gym. (Yes, the gym I haven't set foot in . .. in maybe 7 months. . oops.) The staff was really pleasant and helpful, and I went ahead and put Emma on the schedule for 4 days a week. I figure that if she's on the schedule I have to go. It gives me a little extra accountability and motivation.

All day Tuesday my mind was racing. I was consumed with mixed feelings about leaving her there. . .

Will she go into uncontrollable meltdown in my absence?

Will she cry the entire time because she doesn't know these people?

Will I be the mom they have to page over the intercom to come and get your kid because she's so badly behaved?

Well today is day three and apparently she hasn't shed a single tear.

What?? Are you kidding me? Not one little, "where is my mom" or "how could she leave me here?" tear! Nothing? Nada? Zip? Come on, she had to get a little upset, right???

Nope!

Apparently she sits in the lap of one of the workers, smiling, laughing, jabbering, and watching all of the older kids. For the third day in a row the only time she's cried is when I put her in her car seat to leave.

Harumph!! Thanks for worrying about me, kid!

And to top it off. . .every day when I go to pick her up I hear, "Emma is the happiest baby." Great. Happy baby, but doesn't have any allegance to her family. She's just like Truman. She'd get in the car and take off with anyone. Ha!

On another note, we pulled out a new Emma containing contraption, and she LOVES it!

You could see the wheels turning. . .

"so what do I do with this thing?"

"Hey, my feet touch the ground. . and I make myself bobble"

Enjoying a bounce with "Green man"

Happy 91st Thelma!

We spent the weekend in Rockford, IL celebrating Brian's Grandmother's 91st birthday. Emma got to go on her first plane ride and sat in first class. We make sure that girl travels in style, don't we? Actually we cashed in all of our frequent flyer miles to make sure her first trip went as easy as possible. She was reasonably good for a 3 month old with a horrendous cold. Both she and I got sick the day before we left and spent the first couple days with a cough and low grade fever. Just enough to make us miserable. Emma was a trooper and handled the situation much better than I did!

Thelma is still sharp as a tack, and I am amazed at how well she gets around. Had I met her on the street I would have thought she was in her 70's. I hope I age that well. We spent the weekend eating out and playing pass the baby. It was nice to not have to hold Em for a few hours at a time.

Emma with her great-gram, Thelma!

Emma asks, "Can you believe she's 91?? I can't!"

Having floor time with cousins Danny and Sarah

Showing Grandma Nancy the proper form for fitting your entire fist in your mouth

Hanging out with Aunt Robin learning to say, "Grandpa, Visa!"

Dancing with Nancy. ..

(It was hot as Haites in Denny's so we stripped Emma down to the bare essentials and she fell fast asleep)

It was gorgeous Sunday so Emma got to hang out in the dead grass.

A Trip to the Island

Our birth class had our reunion on Vashon Island at the home of one of our classmates. Brian and I took an early ferry and tooled around downtown Vashon before our party. Vashon is such a beautiful place. . . . so peaceful and a little bit of country just outside the city.

We had a really nice time and really enjoyed seeing everyone again. The babies were absolutely beautiful, and everyone had such a wonderful story to tell!

Here's Emma on the ferry. I had invisioned pictures of the entire family, but she was asleep and Brian was in the bathroom. So you take what you can get, right?

Here are 7 of the 9 babies. Two of the families could not attend.

Emma and Samuel. Sam was Em's first date. . . . We met Sam and his mom at Stellar Pizza when Em was a week old and Sam was a little over 2 weeks. Boy have they changed!



Here's a picture just because. . .look how big she's gotten. She now fits into her bear suit!

Talking Fool!

Emma is a constant source of entertainment and she's recently started talking up a storm. Granted, she gets its honestly. . both Brian and I can talk a person's ear off.

She's definitely one happy girl, and finds amusement in the simpliest things. Swinging in her chair, hanging out with her puppy, laying on her blinking mat. . . everything seems to spark a monologue and a smile.

Here she was telling me that frog tastes like chicken.

Here's our post bath conversation about how she'd like another soap fragrance. . . lavendar is so yesterday.

Chatting, bumbo style.

this evening I actually got here on film, right before my batteries died.

Child Labor Laws

Emma and I are working 7 days a week, and many 9 hour days while Brian is working his butt off getting the new store ready.

Its amazing how "go with the flow" she is. Even on her worst days, she's not too bad. She's been such a trooper. She has accepted her role as customer entertainer, and she gets a ton of attention. Its funny to hear big burly guys turn into a squeaky pile of goo the second they see her.

Here she is talking with one of our customers.

Here's the three phases of Emma's work day.

Surprise, that we have so much work to do.

Coy smile as she milks a customer out of the benjamins.

and a well deserved nap.