More Swimming

Check out these two videos. The first one is near the end of her swimming lessons and is of her swimming to the side. The second is here at home practicing. She LOVES the pool!! We are sad that the summer is winding down and pool weather will be gone soon.

One of the best things we have done so far is the swimming program. She would spend all afternoon in the pool if we let her. She walks around on the steps, lays on the float, swims and and plays with the fountain. She was playing last weekend and her foot slipped and she slid in the water and just started floating. No panic just hanging out until I rescued her. I have to say it is a huge load off my shoulders that she is so comfortable in the water.

Catching Up....

What is Emma up to....she is a very busy, very happy, very opinionated 20 month old. We have moved into the "tantrum" phase. I am crossing my fingers that we have waded through the worst of it and moved on to just loudly objecting when she doesn't want to do something.

She runs to the door when you say let's go....
She loves petting and chasing Nickie beagle around....and the shrieks prove it
When it is time to go ..... she says bye bye..... and blows you a kiss (this also happens a bedtime)

She loves going to gymboree and she loves spending her days with Fain. They are so cute together, especially when they pass food to share.

When she sees Frank she runs up to him, hugs his legs and says Da!

Emma is swimming!

Emma is finishing up a six week swimming class and I am so excited I had to share this. I enrolled her in ISR (infant swimming resource) which is for six weeks, ten minutes a day. I know it sounds crazy but it is an incredible program and I highly recommend it for any moms with little ones.

Emma can jump in the water, come to a float on her back and then turn over and swim. This may sound weird but the last few days, the instructor has the kiddos in the water in full clothes. Yesterday was summer wear and today was full winter clothes. Check out this awesome video! Emma is floating with long sleeves, pants, socks, shoes, winter coat and a regular diaper (can you say five lbs of water weight!)

Felix the super beagle!

Felix was my first baby! I still remember bringing him home the first night and he was as big as my hand. He had the best temperament and loved to give special kisses. He's been with me for a long time, he tolerated Nickie beagle and then called her sister. He welcomed Frank to our family and called him dad. He had to leave us last week after 14 years. We are sad and we miss him but we know we had a wonderful life together and he was loved.

A Visit with Grandma

It has been a busy month for us and a lot has been going on since our last post. Most fun was our visit to Madison, WI to see Frank's family and celebrate our nephew Alex's graduation. We made it through many inches of rain and the threat of tornadoes....and Emma enjoyed every minute. She had so much fun playing with Lily (grandma's dog) and visiting with her Aunties.

The fun came to a quick halt when a 630am flight (yes waking a toddler at 5am on purpose) started the day being delayed six hours! Needless to say it was not a very fun day. But we stuck it out and Emma did great!! Thanks to Finding Nemo.....

18 months old

We had our 18 month well checkup yesterday and Emma is doing great!

Ht - 32 1/2 inches (75% percentile)
Wt - 25 lbs 8 oz (65% percentile)

She continues to eat well and enjoys trying new things. She has added green beans to her acceptable foods list lately but eating them depends on her mood. Still top of the list are blueberries and cantaloupe.

We are looking forward to visiting the Eaves side of the family this coming week, we just need to survive the travel including the three hour layover in Chicago!

Firsts and Favorites!

Emma is growing and changing like crazy. All of a sudden she is a little girl and not a baby! Today we went to our friend Tally's 2nd birthday party and had a couple of firsts....

1. First time in a bouncy castle... she really enjoyed it after she made it through the opening (thanks to Annabelle!!)
2. First time to pet a donkey and a goat
3. First sno-cone!

Needless to say there was quite a bit of crying when it was time to leave!

Other updates about Emma....she now has 10 teeth including two molars. She knows what "cheese" means and will now smile for the camera. She is very into books and we read every night but she is now into choosing the book. She is very interested in how things turn on and off and practices any chance she gets.

Breaking news....she knows how to turn the know and open the door. Not good! :)

This week coming up is our 18 month checkup and new pictures. The week after that we are off to WI to visit grandma and aunts, uncles and cousins!