Halloween

We dressed Emma up as a Bunny this year.  We went "trunk or treating" with our church and our downtown community last night.  Emma was in *shock* the entire time we were there, so we did not get more than just one smile out of her (when she saw the balloons... she loves balloons!  And no, it is not pictured).

With her (only 3 weeks older) friend Eva.

Emma & Ames.  These two are growing up so fast!

Ring-ring!

"Need to call cousin Ames today to see if he wants to come over and play.  Let's see, I think his number is 85#5-*3"

 

"Hello? Ames?  Want to come over and play today?"

  

"I am 14 months old and just started standing up on my own.  You should come see me do it.  I also took my very first (5!) steps this week.  I haven't done it again since.  I am taking my time."

 

10-31-12

We enjoyed lunch today with a few friends.  

My friend took this picture of Emma with her camera -- I have no claim over it.

Emma spent her lunch time eating her new favorite food: grapes!  She was not very interested in her cheese, but gladly ate her pa pa (bread).  Some of her bread fell on the floor and ended up throwing a fit because I wouldn't pick it up and give it to her (I do this all the time at home.  Yes, my daughter eats food off the floor *shame*). 

Peek-a-boo

The gift of being parents.  What a blessing to enjoy dinner time with a little somebody!

Daddy's birthday

We celebrated Byron's birthday last Saturday with the Morris family at our home.  The cousins had a great time together.  The girls took Emma out to play outside and swing her on her swing.

Sandwich kiss from her two favorite cousins <3 br="br">

Ames enjoyed being inside with all the grownups.  

Emma loves McNeill.

Family picture with the cake.

Emma helps daddy open gifts.

Mommy & daughter

 Finally, a picture of the two of us!

This was taken after a Duck Dynasty party we had with our Sunday School class this past Friday night.  Emma did very well in the nursery while mommy and daddy had fun with friends.  

Chapstick

I have a confession to make -- I have an addiction.  A real addiction!  I am not kidding.

Every day of my life since I was a junior in high school, I have carried chapstick with me.  It has gotten so out of control I even sleep next to it in case I wake in the middle of the night and need some.  Byron calls it my "life line."

Well, it seems as if Emma has become dependent of it as well.  She signs for it all the time by placing her finger over her mouth and moving it around her lips.  She will "put" it on herself (by sticking half the stick in her mouth) and then will "put" some on mommy and daddy as well.

These are some pics I took this afternoon of her crawling and messing around with it.  I love the third picture b/c is shows how she carefully stood it on the chair while keeping her balance on her feet.  (On a side note, today was the first day we have noticed her standing on her own a lot.  I hope this means we'll have a walker sooner than later).

Crazy hair

 Emma's hair is officially out of control.  It's too short to be able to let it fall nicely behind her ears, but too long to just let it be.  Bows and whatnot last about 5 seconds in her hair, and pig tails will only last slightly longer.  Pig tails these days are our safest bet.  But as you can see, she eventually pulls them out and makes her hair even messier.  

I put her down for her nap this afternoon with her pig tails on, hoping that she'd be too tired to mess around with them.  When I picked her up after her nap was over, this is what greeted me at the door:

I busted out laughing and ran to get the camera in order to capture the moment.

In the morning

 Emma is such a little helper.  As soon as daddy jumps out of the shower in the morning, Emma is right there "helping" him pick up his dirty clothes, and well... mostly just making a mess out of everything in the bathroom (pulls out the creams and lotions from cabinets, messes around the with combs, you get the idea...).

After daddy finishes in the bathroom, they head to the bedroom where he puts on his clothes.  Emma will put daddy's dirty laundry in the basket (and then take it all out, of course) and then "help" him make the bed.

Then last but not least, she accompanies him in putting on his shoes.  

This video shows Emma taking one of daddy's shoes to him in the bathroom.  I think she noticed that they were out of place (at the door entrance instead of bedroom) and that he would need them to get ready.  So she "walked" her way to daddy to give it to him.

Melt.my.heart!

Here and there...

I have not fallen off the face of the Earth.  I was out of commission -- without internet for five days.  

Longest.week.of.my.life!

AnyWHO, let's recap -- 

Gearing up for the holidays -- wearing winter PJs while holding her trick-or-treat pumpkin.  Great combo!

Multitasking at its finest -- speaking on her cell phone while reading a book with daddy.

This was Emma's version of helping mommy fold laundry -- take everything out of the basket and make a big mess out of everything.

Emma has finally become interested in her walker.  This is how she asks to be placed in it --

How she "walks"

 Emma is days from turning 14 months and is still showing NO interest in walking.  She is simply a very efficient little mover -- a highly efficient crawler, and now days, a very efficient knee-walker.  Emma will get from one place to the next by standing on her knees and getting places that way.  

Emma wore this little outfit to church this past Sunday.  Memma and Poppa found it at Nashville a few weeks ago when they were visiting.  She did amazingly well in keeping the hat on for most of our time at church.  Of course, she got countless praises!

 

On a side note, but something worth recording -- Miss Kathy, the female officer who helps with security at the church, is very fond of Emma.  She has no problem in making it known to others that Emma is among her favorite children at church.

Early October pictures

Helping her mama with the dirty laundry...

Sweet feet...

(this is how she always crosses her legs when she sits in her high chair.  So precious -- and so proper)

 

Like mother, like daughter -- 

it's amazing to watch her catch on to things I do every day without thinking about them.  

Black eye

Emma got punched in the eye by a boy at the church nursery this past Tuesday.  Now she has a black eye :'(  When I was told of it (they even wrote a report on it) I was like:  "Eh, whatever!  She's okay.  Life's tough sometimes."  But when I messaged Byron with a pictures of it, he obsessed over it all day:  "What should I do about this boy?  Is she being bullied?  Well... at least it wasn't a kiss."

But it's all okay.  It was an accident.  Just thought it was worth picturing and remembering for the future.

Bath time with Da-da

I love these pictures because it takes me back to when my baby girl was a baby girl.  After bath time she has been letting Byron wrap her up in a little taco and hold her like she were a 2 month old -- so sweet!

But don't let these pictures deceive you -- our little Emma girl is growing!  And developing...

Though she is still not showing any interest in walking, she is a very efficient crawler.  Her new thing is to "walk" on her knees though.

Her vocabulary is beginning to skyrocket.  Emma can communicate the following:

* Ball
* Bath time (ait aim)

*Dog (it sounds more like daaawg)

* More (in sign language)

* All done (also sign language)

* Milk (sign language)
* Hi (hheeeiiii)
* Bye (bah-bai)

* Da-da

* Ma-ma (melt.my.heart)

* Pa-pa (in reference to Byron's dad -- Poppa)

* Pan (bread in Spanish.  I believe this is her first word in Spanish)

She can also make her nose move like a bunny, ask for her paci using facial expressions, make monkey and insect sounds.  Today she began making noises like an airplane during her breakfast.

How she sleeps

Our video monitor is one of our most favorite luxuries.  It is fun to be able to "spy" on our Emma girl and watch her be herself while she does not know we are watching.  

For her afternoon nap today, after one hour of tossing and turning, and after throwing *everything* out of her crib (Bunny, Monkey and her blanket), she finally fell asleep.  And this is what she looked like -- (the hand eventually came down, but the leg remained sticking out for quite some time after).

Then tonight we peeked at her again and this is what we found -- (oh my!)

In Athens

We went to visit my sister in Athens this past Saturday.  It had been over two months since we'd last seen her.  She had won a $50 gift card a while back to an oriental restaurant and wanted to use it to treat us out.  So sweet!

We enjoyed our meal together, while Emma enjoyed ignoring hers.  By the end of our time there, 80% of her food was on the floor along with three torn us napkins.  *sigh*

 Being the geniuses that we are, though we paid our parking meter one hour worth of time, we did not set it up correctly and ended getting a $10 ticket for it.  

Tia Alison welcomed Emma girl with a sweet welcoming sign in Spanish.

 

It was a fun trip!  Glad to get to spend time with my lil' sis.

 

Life with a one year old

Blogging and picture taking have recently become secondary in my life.  I am now a part time graduate student (in addition to being a full time mommy).  I am also slowly realizing that though I am a full time stay-at-home-mom, between MOPS, school, tutoring, and (trying to go)/going to the gym twice a week, I am not spending much time with my little girl as I used to.  (This is a sad realization, but beside my point).  Hence, not as many pictures, not as many moments to capture.

But in addition to time being an issue, life with a one year old has taken a turn for the worse.  Yes, I've got stories to share, but they are not the stories I wish to share.

You see, my Emma girl seems to want to drop her morning nap, but she hasn't quite made up her mind about it.  This then results in a very grumpy baby girl.  She is very much fond of her daddy (and her Memma!) and will cry when mommy comes to take her.  She does not like me to change her diaper or change her clothes, or sit still in the grocery cart, and will throw a fit until she gets her way... this means she'll also bite, yes, BITE me on my shoulder until she gets her way.

*sigh*

But don't you worry about me.  I just share this to inform you (and to remind myself later in life) of how things are in the Morris household these days.  I've got four teaching years of experience with unruly children under my belt -- I think I can handle this one!

But there are also sweet moments that I want to be able to remember:
-  The way she crunches her nose and mouth in imitation of a bunny.
-  The way she extends her arms up at me when I go into her room to pick her from her nap.
-  The way she signs for milk or food.
-  The way she stretches out Bunny at me because she wants to share his softness.
-  The way she takes her medicine and then claps at herself when she knows she has done a great job taking it.
-  The way she gladly follows me around the house, crawling from one end to the other within seconds.
-  The way her cheeks weigh down when she is still and is concentrated looking at something in her hands.
-  The way she says "bye bye" at people.
-  The way she smiles.
-  The way she likes to keep mommy company in the kitchen.

My baby girl enjoying her new swing in the yard.

Pig tails

I am realizing I am becoming quite bad at taking pics since we got back from our trip.  Having said that, it's been a fun, fun, fun week for us.  It's been great having my baby girl back in my arms every day.  She is such a sweet companion.  Will almost always be content just following me around the house or running off to her room all by herself to play.

Her hair has become very long and a bow will no longer stay in very long (she pulls it off), so I've been starting to put pig tails on her.  She suddenly looks so much bigger in them.

While Byron was getting ready yesterday morning, he noticed Emma just laying on our bed, with his watch on one of her hands and "putting on" some of Mommy's chaptsick.  So chill, yet so silly!

 

Georgia Aquarium

We hit the ground running as soon as we returned from our vacation.  The very next day after arriving home, we drove 2.5 hours to Atlanta to meet my cousin Farizet and her family and visit the aquarium with them.  This was the first time Emma and (three months younger) Sarah met.

They enjoyed talking and sharing their food with each other during lunch time.

And then watching the fish swim by.

Fary is two years older than me.  We are two out of 20 Charruf cousins.  Our dad's are/were brothers -- two out of seven siblings.  

I found out yesterday that her and her husband had full intentions of naming their own girl Emma until Emma herself was born three months earlier.  They opted to not have two Emmas in the family and named their girl Sarah instead.

Rich, Sarah, Emma and me.  

 Uncle Rich became Emma's best friend because he kept giving her Maria cookies to eat.  My baby girl may have some Mexican in her after all :)

The six of us before we said goodbye.