I love my weekends with Emma!

What more is there to say!?

8 Months

When you were born and we were still in the hospital, I told Dr. McLelland that I wanted you to stay just like this (itty bitty and snuggly). She told me that you couldn't stay that way, but as you changed, I would love each stage and that each stage would have something wonderful that I wouldn't want to live without. She was right! Every stage has been my favorite through these eight months, and this one is no different. Here are some of my favorite things from this past month!

Last month you really started getting a kick out of Peek a boo. This month you've started playing with us! You like to take a blanket (or anything else that will work) and cover your face. Then daddy and I say, "Emma! Where are you!? Where did you go!?" You quickly pull it from your face and laugh with that big, gorgeous smile of yours! It is so much fun!

You have learned the word bye-bye. At first, you would just hold up your hand. Now you hold up your hand and open and close it. Sometimes you turn your palm in towards yourself and look at it, other times you open and close it towards whoever is saying "bye bye".

You are just like your mommy and daddy - you love to talk! You are always gibber gabbering, saying things like mamama, dadada, tatata, aD, aG. Most recently, you like to hold a conversation, especially when we're driving in the car. You say "dadada" and then daddy says, "dadada". Then you say, "aD" and then daddy says, "aD". This goes on for quite alwhile. It's really neat!

Toys, toys, toys. Emma bear, you love your toys!!! You love to just sit and play with your blocks, stuffed animals, fishies, and more. You especially love any remote control. You started pulling out toys from your fishbowl. You don't like to put them back in yet. You now realize if we take something away from you. You get quite upset. You also get upset when you drop a toy and cannot reach it. In addition, you have also started tossing your toys on purpose to play a little "pick up" game with mommy and daddy.

You've graduated to forward facing riding in your stroller. You absolutely LOVE it!! Even though you're buckled in, you lean forward, sitting straight up (pulling the back of the stroller with you), and hang on tight to the tray. It is the cutest thing!

One of my most favorite things, and has been for awhile, is your open-mouthed smiles. You light up the room when you smile! I also love your open-mouthed kisses! They are just wonderful!

Crawling is coming soon. For awhile, we didn't think you really had any desire to crawl. We'd put toys out of reach. You'd try to get it for a second and then just give up. In the past few days, you've started a little rocking/wiggling motion from left to right. You slowly make your way to a toy that you want to play with.

Teeth are coming soon too! You don't have any "toophers" yet, but we're sure that one will make a debut soon. The other night, as we were snuggling before you went to bed, you started gnawing on my arm. You actually left two bruises! Ouch!

You lost all of your gorgeous, dark hair that you were born with (except the little mullet at the bottom of your neck), but more is growing back. It is more of a dirty blonde color right now, growing slowly, but surely!

It's amazing that having a child fosters a love in your heart so strong that you never imagined existed. Emma, you'll never quite understand how much your daddy and I love you until you are grown and have a little precious one of your own. You are the love of our lives little one. Each day you bring sunshine into our home. What did we ever do without you?