Baby Talk and Preschool

Emily will be turning 10 months on Sunday which means her first birthday is right around the corner.  Mom is already making plans to throw her a big birthday bash with the help of the grandparents and aunties.  Not only is her birthday in the works, but mommy and daddy have decided to place Emily and her sister in daycare when I go back to work in October.  Up until now our close friend who lives down the street has been watching Emy everyday but Brian and I have always planned on placing her in a daycare when she turned a year old to get socialization skills and be in a learning environment. 

We found a place called Legacy Preschool on Moore Street that takes infants from 6 weeks to 4 years old and also has an after school program.  It is a brand new facility with new equipment and very experienced directors and teachers.  After visiting the Preschool we knew it was the place for Emily to attend so we signed her up and are excited she will be going to school there in the Fall.  Amongst getting socialization skills she will also be on routine schedule and learning simple toddler skills as well as baby sign language.  Emily's little sister will be attending as well and will be in the classroom right next door, so mommy and daddy will have an easy time taking both of them and picking them up. 

Good news...Emily now says Dada and has made daddy so happy.  From one week to the next she added mama and dada to her vocabulary, and she also has a new tooth.  One of her top incisors has poked through and the one next to it is almost out.  With this new development I am wondering if I should start her on soft chunky baby food.  She already eats baby puffs and can bite her rice cakes so I'm sure she will be ready for soft food.  I'll have to try it out and see how she reacts, although I'm sure she will love it since she is always trying to feed herself and has a healthy appettite.

What more does this little gem have in store for us?  I'm sure lots more...I'm hoping her next word will be baby since her baby sister will be here in approximately 5 weeks.  I had a doctor appointment yesterday and am already dilated 1cm.  We will have a sonogram next week to see the growth and development of the baby.  Still no name, but working vigorously on that so there will be one soon.

Here are some pictures of Emily banging on the back door while daddy waters the plants.  She screams at the dogs.



My growing girl





Banging on the door





Look at all that new hair



Miss Curious

On her 9 month checkup, Emily weighed in at 20lb. 4 oz and was 29 1/4in. long.  Although we had been told that she wasn't going to get any shots this time, we ended up with one Hepatitis B shot that they failed to give to her at her 6 month checkup.  She did well as always, except she hates to have her ears looked at and always starts crying when you place her laying down on the examination table.  She seems to do that on her changing table as well, so I'm hoping it's just a phase she grows out of soon.

Emily is now crawling everywhere and has learned how to pull herself up into a standing position with the help of objects such as chairs, tables, couches, and people's legs.  Not only can she pull herself up but she taught herself how to get back down into a sit position without falling backwards.  She can lalso side step around the coffee table, which means everything she can break or get into her mouth must be immediately removed from her sight.  Anything that looks remotely interesting to her is automatically reached for, examined and then placed in her mouth.  Needless to say, she has to be watched constantly, no more leaving the room for a minute while she watches Dora the Explorer, because the next thing you know, she is on her way to whatever catches her eye.

Yesterday, as I was cooking dinner, Brian stepped out into the garage and within a few seconds I could hear something on the ground moving.  I called out to Emily but there was no response, although I could still hear movement of an object.  When I turned the corner, I found her splashing the water from the dog bowl with her little hands.  Gross!

Emily is starting to mimic as we found out the other day when she was playing with Brian.  She makes her hand into a fist and moves it across her mouth to make a vibrating sound with her voice.  Brian did the same thing and before you knew it they were both going back and forth with the sound.  Emily thought it was the best game ever.  Antoher game she loves is Peek-a-Boo, which we have played before, but now she is more involved and she has learned when she gets a hold of a blanket to immediately cover her face so you can play Peek-a-Boo.  It is such a riot!

Little Miss Curious also learned how to drink the water from her bathtub.  As she was playing with her toys, I suddenly see her bend her body towards the water and place her face down.  I thought to myself, oh my she is about to drown herself, but to my surprise she opened her mouth and scooped some of the bath water.  She immediately started to choke on it since she gulped too much, but then proceeded to do it once again.  I have never seen an infant do such a thing.

The biggest news of all is that she has learned how to say MAMA!  I don't believe she really knows who mama really is, although she does say it when she needs or wants something. She has also learned when someone says "Bang Bang" to start banging on the object in front of her, which is a delight.

Soon to come - walking.  I know it's just around the corner because she is starting to attempt to walk, with guidance, without you having to initiate.  Baby sister will be making her appearance in the next 6 weeks, so I am cherishing these moments with Emily before chaos ensues.