Ten Months

Double digits! This has been another busy month for our sweet Emerson Jane.

She finally mastered crawling! She has also developed a new sense of adventure and is just beginning to explore more. Up until this point, her mobility hasn't really had that much of an impact on us. After the initial newness wore off she really didn't try to 'creep' around very much. Now that she can really crawl, she's all about it! She mostly crawls to the nearest thing that she can pull herself up on, proceeds to do so and then walks around that for awhile. Another favorite new skill is getting down from the things she's pulled herself up on. She practiced this for awhile by bending down, touching the carpet (or not) and going back up. She's still a little rough on the going down part. With her affinity for dropping/tossing things from any surface to another she also likes to bend down and pick things up (only to throw them down again).

As you can see, she's in the classic stage of take things out - take the clothes out of the basket/off the pile, take the dishes out of the dishwasher, take the diapers out of the basket etc. She's also helpful at clearing the end tables, presuming we wanted all of it on the floor. She'll settle for taking toys out of a basket or better books out of a basket.. but those things look like maybe they were intended for her to play with and, as we've established, the best toys aren't toys at all. 

Another big milestone was starting solid foods! I'll probably cover that in it's own post but here's the rundown. She loved it while it was new and now it's not that interesting. She has also mastered drinking out of a straw and (unrelated to the straw) has four teeth now (and is currently working on a fifth).

Emerson signs 'all done' very consistently now (which looks remarkably similar to her new attempts at 'more' and 'milk'). If you hold your hand up, she'll give you 'fives' and she's getting good at peek-a-boo or 'where's Emerson?'. In general she's still so observant, has to check every noise and movement out and picks up on some subtleties that surprise me. She loves, loves, loves it when daddy comes home and now when she hears the garage door she gets a big grin and if daddy doesn't come soon after she's wanting to go look for him. She still gives her biggest grins to her daddy. We have our fun too though. She enjoys playing reciprocal games and talking back and forth. Now that she's mobile she'll play a little more independently, but still checks in quite often and doesn't like me to get too far.

She is firmly in 12 and 12-18 month clothes now. Still on the small to medium setting on diapers, and we have occasional leaks with that even. She didn't really gain any weight this month, still 20.4 lbs but she is just over 29.25 inches long. She's slimmed down quite a bit (hence the tricky fit on the diapers) but she's doing a ton of moving so it makes sense.

Emerson continues to be a pure delight and we've had ten full months of joy with her sweet disposition. This was a busy month so there's a lot of highlights to share! She was (mostly) cooperative for her monthly pictures, but not too impressed with my attempts at getting a smile.

This is a true favorite (insert bobble, bobba, baadaa noise). She especially enjoys this when she's trying not to sleep.

What are you doing mom?

Okay, well if that's all you've got then.. I'm out of here!

Looking so big (and a little redneck with that gap) with those top teeth!

Hey there's the bunny you were playing peek-a-boo with! I found it!

Silly girl

zerberts

We tried out the swings at the park. It was windy and bright, so we sat in it backwards away from the elements a little.
A rebel already. 

What camera mom?

Big helper!

Participating in British Night

Grandpa and Grandma came to visit!

They delivered this pretty tractor to some family friends
(their horse above) that live near us. 

We might have a few more of these pictures in the future ;)

We had fun with grandma too!

Sad to say goodbye

My first 'dinner', salmon and sweet potato

We went on a 'hike' with Auntie Macey! Hopefully the first of many.

Can't wait to play with the chickens

Grandma is pretty fun

Uncle Jordan got me this cool shirt!

My good friend Ada came to play, not long before she went to New York City!

I also got to see Uncle Jared! He's so fun too. 

Auntie Whitney and Lincoln got me these pretty shoes!

My friend Lincoln turn one! We had a blast at his party.

I wanted to be like all the other kids, standing up and playing. Sure wish I could walk like they do!

Telling Lincoln happy birthday.

My friends M and Eli came over for a play date!

Seriously, walking around the furniture is the best!

Mommy's favorite pajamas. It's my job to take everything from up here
and throw it down there. It's how I help mommy clean.

Planting flowers

Eating dirt. Her diaper was peppered with dirt specks the next day!

Helping mommy weed (aka eating leaves). 

People always ask if she keeps them on all the time... no, just most of the time.
Clearly she's done this enough times to know what happens when she lets go.

I really am this sweet!

This shirt used to be a dress. 

In case you missed these

Wine tasting, I'm making daddy walk the line ;)

She realized the group of people were looking at her.

Getting ready for this summer!

Playing at the park

Feeling so big standing here!

Bits and Pieces

A blog post not solely devoted to Emerson!? I'm as shocked as you are! Here are a few things from our daily lives that seem worth sharing:

1. Toasted coconut flakes. These little puppies are rocking my world lately! They're reminiscent of popcorn but maybe healthier? Still some calories because of the coconut oil in them (but that's a healthy fat, right). You'd have to try these to believe how addicting and delicious they are. Even Blake liked them and he's not particularly a coconut fan. Toast a couple cups of coconut flakes, add a tsp of your preferred spices and a good quality mineraly salt (e.g.), mix and you're done! Pictured below are cinnamon and garlic-turmeric.

2. Moving. We knew when we decided to move into this house that we would be moving back out of it. I knew when we decided to get pregnant that I would be sad leaving the house that I (literally) birthed my child in. The house where I paced the halls in labor, paced the halls in lulling a baby to sleep and now pace the halls while she enjoys 'walking'. I knew it would be hard and... it is. As I rock her to sleep looking at our room, out the windows, at the decorations I put up while expecting her arrival. I remember swaying in the doorway to the deck, praying and singing 'Lord I Need You' while letting the sun shine on her back when we were worried about her jaundice. Now I look at that door and am reminded of God's provision and faithfulness. Besides the emotions, just practically, I'll miss the space, the open floor plan, the enormous master bedroom, and don't even get me started on how much I'll miss this kitchen. Again, I knew this would happen but that doesn't make it any easier. Also... I HATE MOVING! We're in the beginning stages of packing and purging... ugh. I just dread it.

3. Plastic vendetta. Bottom line: I read too much. I read this awhile back and it sent my plastic vendetta into overdrive. Our food related kitchenware has been pretty polymer free anyway, kind of following an 80/20 rule (80% ideal; 20% less ideal) but we do still use the occasional plastic container for Blake's cold lunch, plastic cutting boards and (guilty confession) we use too many zip top bags. I did recently start using wax paper 'bags' for some things though and I've stopped using plastic wrap for the most part (did you know it says on the box that you should keep it at least one inch from the food - because it can leach junk!?).
It's one small step but I found a beverage solution for our smoothies and for Emerson (most of the kid beverage containers are plastic, even stainless steal have plastic tops). We have a ton of mason jars for canning and they make different tops for them, but until recently I could only find plastic. Well, I finally found some that are stainless steal and also got some stainless steal straws. Loving them! I've used a few different sized jars but I'm always needing to drink more water so I finally just committed to the quart jar. For Emerson, I went for a silicone straw because I worried about the stainless steal jabbing her gums or palate. Silicone is still a polymer but is considered one of the safest plastics... I'm still not going to bake in it but until she's ready for stainless steal, it works.. and bonus, she loves it. She doesn't need to drink water yet but we've been practicing anyway. It's pretty cute.

Emerson's little pint jar cup. It's pretty
water tight and I'm planning on getting a silicone
sleeve for it. 

4. Hair loss. My postpartum hair loss started a little over a month ago, so now I have all those little hairs growing back in and it's as fun as it sounds or as you remember. The funny thing is it took me awhile to figure it out. I noticed I was losing a bit of hair but (guilty admission) I don't get it washed as often as I used to so I just thought it was from that. I also couldn't really figure out why my hair was a little funky but then I finally noticed all the little hairs at my hairline and put it all together.

5. Salve. I love this salve to the moon and back. I used to use another salve that was very similar but it was a little more expensive and shipping was more, so at the suggestion of a friend I tried the Eden salve. It's a little herbal smelling (like rosemary mostly) and it's green but man does this stuff work! We put it on anything and everything. Burns, scrapes, cuts, dry skin, diaper rash, bug bites.. everything. Comfrey is known for it's healing properties and aides in cell proliferation/regeneration. I recently had something removed from my skin and my doctor couldn't believe how fast I healed... it was the salve! Anyway.. it's awesome! In general comfrey salves are all pretty similar, so if you ever see one you should pick it up and give it a try. I do love this one because the company that makes it is Christian owned and it is organic, but that's mostly personal preference. I promise if you try it you'll never buy another tube of antibiotic cream again!

6. Hair love. Last time I was ordering more of the aforementioned salve, I decided to also try out this product. It's a herbal hair treatment that restores shine and health to your hair and enhances your natural highlights. I was a little skeptical but I was also feeling a little blah about my hair (likely from #4) and wanted to do something to liven it up, but I didn't want the upkeep or toxic load of chemical highlights. I'm happy to report that it worked! I left it on my head for about 2 hours and happily washed it out to find noticeably brighter blond streaks. I added peppermint essential oil to the mix so I didn't smell like herbs for a day (you rinse it out but don't shampoo until the next day). My hair feels and looks great! One order is a half a pound, but I only used 1/4 cup, so it should last me a long time!

7. Liver. At one point I said to Blake, "Well I might drink raw milk and add raw egg yolks to my smoothies but it's not like I'm going to start eating liver or anything!" And then one day I started eating liver. It's so good for you!! We follow the nutritional guidelines of the Westin A. Price Foundation and the book Nourishing Traditions (or we try to anyway.. again, 80/20). I started this journey because I'd been lactose intolerant for some time and my mom had been into WAPF for a while, and suggested I look into raw milk. I was reading the WAPF recommendations for pregnant and nursing mothers just before I said the above quote to Blake. I admit I don't get enough raw milk, liver or pasture raised egg yolks but it's a goal anyway. We're also following their guidelines for introducing food to Emerson, which primarily suggests not to give grains or legumes before at least age one, or preferably when molars erupt (indicating their digestive enzymes are ready to digest such carbs.). My neighbors butchered their (grass-fed) cows and I was thrilled when I found out they had a liver for me! I never thought I'd see the day when liver made me so excited (it was mostly the free part of the scenario that was so exciting). The thing was huge and we spent the better part of a day cutting it up and processing it. I pureed a bunch and strained it, then froze it in an ice cube tray so I can add it to soups, chili etc (I even added it to these chicken nuggets successfully! Blake had no idea!). Clearly, I don't eat it straight, I'm not saying that one day we wont (I've learned that lesson) but for now.. neither of us actually like liver.. we just hide it in our food for its nutritional benefits. I also swallow small pieces of frozen liver (aka liver pills) which don't have any taste unless you let them thaw. It's seriously a super food!

Processing liver.. seriously, that thing was HUGE! (I know, I know, plastic!)

8. Vanilla. So as not to end with liver.. I'll share this little project with you. Last fall I bought a bunch of bulk vanilla beans for a steal of a price (it was a group co-op order). I also bought some (very) cheap vodka at Costco. Put them together and wait 2-6 months and viola! Pure vanilla extract. It's darn tasty and was dirt cheap! It was usable at 2 months, but it's delicious now.

Bonus bit: I've reached the point that I miss blogging so much that I'm willing to make a few compromises to try to get a post out now and then (as well as the few other things I try to accomplish on my computer). So sometimes that means sitting at my desk with Emerson on my lap. Now I don't know if you've been offended by seen my choice to 'ban' screen time until Emerson is two but it's a pretty important decision for me. I really don't want her staring at my computer while I work/write, which has stopped me from getting much of anything done lately. However, recently I was doing something legitimately important and she was being particularly clingy so I just sat her on my lap and typed.. darn the consequences. I opened up the desk drawer and let her dig around. Turns out she could care less about the screen (unless there's a picture of her on it!) because throwing the pens etc out of the drawer is apparently AWESOME!. It's probably the most entertained I've seen her in a long time (I have a lot of pens). Today she discovered that the drawer goes in and out.. mind. blown. (I keep something sticking out so it doesn't get her fingers). Who knew something so simple could be so entertaining!

Outside

We have a few months left in this house, and that means only a few months left to enjoy the yard and, oh ya, get all that spring yard work done! It was tricky to get it done last year being pregnant, but this year Emerson can look on from the outside.

She tolerates sitting near us while we weed, prune etc. provided I find something to distract her. For awhile that was some toys on a blanket but you know, toys get old fast.

So really, this post is an excuse to post pictures of my sweeties :)

I've got this weed mom. 

What's on your head daddy?

Go Cougs :)

Thanks for this awesome toy mom!

Nine, Yes, NINE Months

This girl just keeps growing! How do we have a nine month old already?! A delightfully sweet nine month old at that. Gosh, we love her!

This month has flown by quickly. It seems like I just wrote about her eight month accomplishments last week (I guess it doesn't help that I got those up late). While my last post was full of developments, this month she's been taking things easy. Okay, not easy but she focused her energy on a few things instead of several. 

Emerson Jane is 20.4 lbs and 28.5 inches long! She's finally dropped to the 90th percentile in both areas. She is working very hard (much to her disdain) on crawling on her hands and knees. She's come along, but still does a combination of creeping and crawling which ironically looks a little worm like. She does not love to work on crawling but I'm a stickler for the developmental stages (having worked with enough pediatric occupational therapists who drilled in the developmental importance of crawling... although apparently that is not a universally accepted idea e.g., this and this). At any rate, baby girl gets held a lot so we try to encourage her to play on the floor a little every day. It's good for her and it's good for us because it gets us down there playing together as a family. 

What Emerson still loves to do (and what she'd rather do over crawling) is standing and walking around the furniture. She can pull herself up on shorter items, like her Zany Zoo play cube or book basket and from there sometimes she'll get to some furniture. She loves to 'walk' from end to end of the living room furniture. She carefully maneuvers the change from chair to table to couch to table to chair and back again. Or she just goes round and round the ottoman. She's getting pretty good at stepping, and will shakily 'walk' if you hold her hands. She can slide off the couch or ottoman, but I don't think she realizes she's doing it (daddy found this out) because she'll fall off too if she's not lined up right. She still has a ways to go before really walking but it's fun to see her enjoy herself so much.

Another milestone was the arduous work of cutting her first top tooth! There were a few sleepless nights thanks to that one (and the second one is following suit). That chomper took forever to finally come through.

She's also just recently expanded her babbling. She can finally say 'dada' (although it sounds a little like 'gaga' sometimes. She also started variegated babbling and telling longer stories. 'mama' and 'baba' are still her favorites though :) and sometimes 'ma ba ma'

While I love taking her monthly pictures, I can tell this is going to be increasingly difficult each month. I also have fewer and fewer to sort through because I don't take as many.. so maybe it's not all bad. It's so fun to look back and see the expressions and nuances that characterized her at the time.

Here are the highlights:

Just to scare the poo out of mommy...

Daddy came home!

She can still pull out a pouty face in 0.01 seconds flat.

I love her sweet chubby cheeked profile.

 And then... a rare thing happened.. she fell asleep and I could move her AND make camera noises...