(Get ready for a long post! This is for those of you who live too far from Em to get to spend much time with her. Here is a glimpse into her world.)
Has it really been six months already?
My goodness I love this little girl more than words can express. Couper and I are always in awe of our little Em and wondering how we got so lucky! She's such a good little buddy to always have around; I am SO grateful to be her mother.
My good friend Brittney offered (..or rather consented ;) ) to take some six month photos of Emelia at the end of June. She did an outstanding job as usual. I really think she captured the "Essence of Em," this little girl has got a BIG personality. She makes us laugh everyday and has enriched our lives beyond explanation. We sure love our little Em! Hopefully this post will shed light on her cute personality and her development up to six months. It may sound cliche...but we really don't remember what life was like without her!
*We feel so blessed to have such a happy girl. She's a baby (and a girl ;) ), therefore has a constant roller-coaster of emotions, but is generally happy by nature. She started really smiling around 8 weeks and they turned into social smiles shortly after that. She is very quick to smile all day long, which i LOVE!!! You have to work a little harder to get the giggles out, but it's well worth the effort. Those giggles that come from deep down melt my heart every time.
*Everyone comments that she has "happy, smiling, eyes" (she got the Long family squints)
*Everyone says she has beautiful skin like a porcelain doll. (these pictures aren't touched up) I am constantly reaching for the sunblock and sunhat to protect her milky flesh!
*She already has many nicknames!: Em, Miss Em, Little E, Baby-Emi, Emi, and Em 'n Emi.
*Em averages around the 40th%tile when it comes to her weight/height stats.
*Em is very playful. She's good to play on her own for little chunks of time, but this girl LOVES human interaction. She doesn't want to miss out.
*Although she can be wary of strangers, she is extremely social. Especially with other babies and kids. Whenever she sees another baby she flaps her arms and kicks her legs, smiles and calls out, she can barely contain herself. It's adorable.
*She loves watching cats and dogs, and even reaching for them.
*She has been swimming a couple times and really enjoyed kicking and splashing....until she would splash herself in the face.
*She is discovering object permanence. When playing peek-a-boo around the corner of a wall we'll "peek-a-boo" and discover her leaning over as far as she can with the cutest little face trying to find us. It's our favorite.
*Em is very temperamental at bath time. In general she loves it. But if I've waited too long and she's too tired, there's a bit of a fit thrown.
*She HATES getting her hair washed, but is better if I provide proper distraction.
*Of all of the cute bath toys we were given her favorite things to play with are the old plastic Halloween cup I use to rinse her with, and a sponge-tipped craft paint brush that she came across on the desk one time...figures :)
*Emelia does NOT like to get dressed. You'd think I was torturing her. Especially getting jammies over her head at night time. She let's you know when she doesn't like something.
*She loves her hands. She is amazed by what she can do with them. She is often found using her hands to do interpretive motions in front of her face, examining the intricacies of God's works. They also make a great chew toy.
*Em has started clapping, it makes us pretty proud parents.
*She will occasionally try and wave "hi."
*She is mesmerized by faces and will often grab your nose with a kung-fu grip.
*This little one is all muscle! She has been holding her head up since she was 2 days old (from the first time we got to hold her in the NICU). The only time her head was on your shoulder as a newborn was if she was sleeping.
*She is often caught doing "crunchy frog" when left on her back to play. The only way to get a good view is to crunch! It is soo cute, and still makes us laugh.
*She started sitting up mostly on her own by about 4 1/2 months, but was pretty stable and independent with it the week she turned 5 months.
*These are some of the most common faces of a talking Em. It is not to be taken lightly. Talking is serious business, and she really wants to get her point across.
*She can say quite a few consonant sounds.
*Many people have commented about her voice; some of my favorites: "raspy, old woman," "a growl," "a pterodactyl," "incredible hulk." lol, you get the idea. It's hilarious. I've tried to post videos but can't get them to work....
*She's a little dramatic and it feels like she's "telling you off" when she does her mad cry, it's more like angry babble.
*Needless to say, we're already working on reverence in church.
*She is very good at fake coughing.
*We started working on signing. She seems to understand "all done" and "milk." We have witnessed her sign "milk" on more than one occasion, but aren't sure she's 100% aware of her skill.
*Although happy and playful, Em has quite the serious side. It mostly comes out when discovering how a new toy works or taking in a new place. It's quite endearing to watch her serious side unfold as she absorbs the world around her.
*Grammie Debbie made mention of her sensitive side. She gets sad when others are sad and has a tender heart.
*There are many times she is quite content to sit quietly in my lap looking around and playing with my hands or a small toy. I like those subtle bonding moments. And it makes Em the perfect little companion for visiting teaching and being able to make it through a few relief society lessons.
*Em is Miss Curiosity!
*She loves books! Sometimes they end up in her mouth still. But she loves listening and grabbing at the pictures. Touch and feel and books with mirrors are her favorites.
*One of her favorite activities is car-watching. One day when it was too windy and hot to play outside we watched cars drive by through the window. It keeps her very entertained! She'll grab eye-contact, smile, kick her legs in excitement, and even clap sometimes with every passing car. We make it a usual activity chilling on a blanket on the lawn.
*She loves lights. While we play in the morning she likes to be set next to the shadows of leaves and slits of light coming from the blinds on the carpet. She tries to grab them.
*She has this insane ability to blow-out of her diaper multiple times weekly....at least it's better then the 3-4 months of multiple times daily! Bring on the laundry!
*She can be quite stubborn when it comes down to it, and likes to get her way. She gets mad now if she drops or you take away a toy that she was playing with.
*Everything has to go in the mouth! She is constantly trying to suck our (yes, OUR) thumbs and eat my shoulder. I've also caught her gnawing on her foot a few times recently.
*She has taken to purees and using a spoon like a natural!
*Em is very impatient when it comes to food. It mostly comes out when she's ready to nurse. My mom jokes that her tummy gives one growl and it's all over, she thinks she starving to death. As a result I've gotten much quicker and prepping and nursing in public :).
*She has tried quite a variety but her favorites are pears, sweet potatoes, rice cereal, and prunes.
*She has discovered how to "Raz" in the last couple of weeks and thinks it's the greatest thing since boob-milk. Unfortunately, sometimes she'll do it after a bite of green beans or squash :(...adult sized bib please! The best was just a couple of nights ago. She woke at 4:30 in the AM 'razzing' ..not crying, 'razzing.' She talked to herself and razzed for about a half hour then put herself back to sleep. lol, yeah, it's that much fun, she couldn't wait until morning.
*She has discovered her ears and how to pull off headbands!
*Strangers everywhere have to stop and say how cute she is, and how blue her eyes are, even waiting to cross the street at a stoplight.
*Her hair is coming in very cute. It's still kind of hard to see because she's quite a blondie. She still has "shadow brows" as her Auntie Shantel says.
*She has a very keen sense of hearing and jumps at most any noise. Noises from the air conditioner turning on, to daddy's sneeze, to a distant dog barking, she has to look at you with wide eyes and wonderment, "Did you hear that too?! And am I going to be okay?"
*She loves all kinds of music.
*Dancing is a sure way to get continuous smiles and giggles.
*When playing with one parent and then she hears the other parent's voice enter the room, she puts a hold on whatever she is doing until she locates mommy or daddy and gives them a smile.
*She loves her Simba stuffed animal and talks to and cuddles him before and after naps. All stuffed animals and dolls make her smile and get a hug.
*Em is a little sweetheart and can be very coy. We love when we're holding her and people talk with and tease her. She flashes them a big gummy-grin then nuzzles into our shoulder. That's pretty close to a cuddle :).
*She is starting to reach back when she wants to be picked up.
*She can hone in on and pick up very small objects. She often tries to grab tiny buttons, or even polka dots off of the clothing I'm wearing.
*She has THE sweetest smile she'll give in moments of calmness where her eyes light-up and her lips purse together into a little closed-mouth, heart smile.
*Gramma Nise commented on her femininity. How her movements are very graceful and feminine when she picks things up and examines.
*Many of her uncles coined her "Posture-girl" because she always looks so prim and proper even when you're holding her.
*Tummy-time hasn't made the list of "favorites" as far as activities go. We've had to be very creative in our efforts to get her to stay on her tummy for more than 5 minutes at a time. She's strong, but impatient, and doesn't understand how being placed face down will help her see the world better.
*Tummy-time often results in planking and cranky Em.
*Therefore, she isn't crawling, or showing much interest, but she is getting better at grabbing out of reach toys and pushing up on her hands.
*She somehow still finds ways to move around. She's not moving forward, but she can easily turn a 180 on her tummy...still not really sure how she does it.
*Also, I always place her near the top of her crib when I put her down for the night because by morning she is all the way at the bottom or turned completely sideways!
*She was giving us a lot of grief when it came to sleep....oh the stories I could tell. But she took a turn for the best when she hit 6 months. Most nights bed time is around 7:30, a dreamfeed around 11:00 pm and then she wakes up for the morning between 6:30 and 7 (unless she needs a middle of the night "raz" party of course). There are still some gliches here and there, but she has made tremendous improvement, I'm quite proud of her.
*We love going to get her from a nap or in the morning when she is babbling, smiling, and kicking away.
*She seems to like textures, feeling and eating new things is fun!
(Don't mind my attire, it was Ragnar weekend and I was supporting the troops)
*Em loves her daddy without a doubt, but mommy is the favorite right now. :) I'm trying not to feel to guilty about it because I've heard from a number of people it's short-lived. Once weaning takes place daddy steps into the role of favorite. We'll see what happens, but for now I enjoy every minute of being #1 in her eyes.
*I love those moments when our eyes lock for no apparent reason. Sometimes there is a smile exchanged, other times it's a penetrating gaze, and others it's just a quick look that says, "I know you're my mom, I love you, and just wanted to make sure you were still there." (Amazing what a look can mean ;) ) Whatever the reason of our eyes meeting, there is a bond and connection that grows and deepens each time.
*Em isn't exactly a cuddler, she's loving, but doesn't like to snuggle. She wants to be upright and looking around. So breastfeeding has been a great way to sneak in some cuddle time. So one of my favorite times is our bedtime routine when we rock, nurse, and read stories (and cuddle).
I love you so much Emelia!
