1 YEAR!!

Emerson had a great 1st Birthday and we loved being able to share it with so many of you.  He took his first steps last Sunday!  His check up went very well...still tall, skinny and healthy. He says 'Hi', 'ights' (lights), 'ot' (hot), ball, he attempts to say thank you and outside, and has also said something resembling "all done" on a few occasions when his bottle was empty.  He can point to eyes, ears, and nose when asked.  He barks like a dog when we point to a picture of Bodie and ask what sound a doggy makes. Blueberries are his favorite food. We are having so much fun!

11 and 1/2 months!

Almost 11 months!

Sorry it has been so long!  Scott has been in Portland Oregon for the past week attending an AWEA conference so we have both been busy busy.  Hmm...news.... I think we are still months away from walking, Emerson is totally not interested.  The excessive drooling had let up there for over month after his first 8 teeth came in, but it has returned in the past few weeks full force.  More teeth coming!  He hasn't spoken any new words, but he seems to be understanding a lot more of what is said to him, like when we ask "Where did your ball go?", he will drop what he's doing and look for it, crawl to get it, and throw it to us. He loves to play catch!  We are looking forward to Em's first Christmas and hope to share it with as many of you as possible.

10 months!

We've got a little climber on our hands and if it's off limits, dirty, or treacherous he is right there! He has also picked up a few words.  He says "Hi", "Daddy", and "Thank you".  He seems to actually understand "Hi" and has used it upon seeing someone new even before they have said it.  "Daddy" on the other hand is used to refer to most things in his world, and one of those things happens to be his Daddy so it works out sometimes.  He really only mimics "Thank you", but it is quite understandable.

1st Halloween and More!

It turns out this lobster costume was designed for Trick-or-Treating in the arctic!  We did not anticipate an 80 degree Halloween.  He wore it for all of two minutes and he was already drenched in sweat.  Probably the fact that he was mad about being in it in the first place contributed to the sweating.  He was tired before we even left the house so it was a recipe for disaster.  Needless to say, we made it to our first stop, took a few pictures, and then headed straight for home.  It was adorable while it lasted!

Almost 9 1/2 months

9 month check up

Alright, when I weighed Emerson on our home scale one month ago he weighed 23 pounds.  I did this by using the very technical method of weighing myself and then weighing myself holding Emerson and determining the difference.  I looked at the growth chart and panicked because that would have placed him somewhere like the 90th percentile and he has consistently been between the 50th and 65th percentile.  I was prepared to have a serious talk with his teachers tomorrow about how much food he is eating at daycare.  It turns out we either need a new scale or I need to refine my weighing technique.  He only weighs 20lbs.  That places him in the 50th percentile for weight, down from the 65th because he's crawling.  He is in the 60th percentile for length and head circumference, both down from the 75th percentile.  Perfectly healthy little guy for the most part.  He did get Scott's allergies, though to what severity we have yet to determine.  His chest is congested all the time from his constant drainage.  Scott finally went back to an immunologist last month to address his after 3 years of me bugging him and apparently he is allergic to everything, but mostly Bodie unfortunately.  That Dr. basically told  him we needed to get rid of the dog and if Emerson has allergies they will be the same as Scott's.  We have been forced to at least consider this and not for Scott's sake, because he would suffer through anything for that dog, but for Emerson's.  Scott's allergies contributed to developing asthma and chronic sinusitis.  However, Emerson's pediatrician did give us a hopeful attitude and said there is no reason we should get rid of the dog immediately and that studies show babies who are around a particular allergen from day one have a lot less problems than the kids who say, get a dog when they're 6.  We are going to wash and brush Bodie more often, get air purifiers and our next big project will be ripping up the carpet and staining the concrete.  We may start Em on Zyrtec for a few weeks just to see if it makes a difference, though I hate the thought of a 9 month old already having to take a medication regularly.

Emerson is the happiest baby we have ever met.  He is spunky and loves to laugh.  Just in the past few weeks he has become so much more verbal.  He loves to play with the volume and pitch of his voice.  Sometimes it sounds like he's trying to sing a song.  He is so inquisitive.  He is calm, but at the same time he is always engaged and interacting with his environment.  He crawls with intention.  He recognizes his name.  He waves, gives high fives, and claps.  His teacher at Middle Earth says that when his 3 month old classmate is crying, he crawls over and pats him gently or he will lie down next to him.  Em is such a cuddly guy.  He is always giving hugs and slobbery open mouth kisses.  We can't believe he will be 1 in just a few months!  More pictures soon... Love you all!

Addendum:  I forgot to mention how much he loves bath time!  He manages to transfer at least half of his bath water to the bathroom floor between splashing and simply filling up his cup and pouring it over the side.  He equally loves being outdoors.  If Scott and Bodie are outside playing ball he sits at the back door and bangs on the window until I open it, then he crawls right out.  Taking him outside has always been a quick fix for a grumpy mood.  He is not a picky eater what-so-ever.  He hates to be changed now that he's mobile...he has better things to do and how dare we prevent him from doing them! I just wanted to write all of this down so we don't forget!