library lapsit

We've been going to the local library once a week for a few months now. This is actually where we met our good friends! The program for Emma Jane's age is called "Lapsit" but now that she is more mobile, there isn't much lapsitting for her! We still attend and I am now chasing after her trying to dodge moms and other smaller babies. Today I took a few pictures of the fun! Emma Jane's favorite part is the bubble blowing at the end of the session. In the pictures you will see she is the only one standing. She is a little bit of a bulldozer! Her least favorite part is when they take away the shakers that they give the babies during song time. Last week Emma Jane actually chased the girl holding the basket after she took the shaker away from her! Slightly embarrassing, but I didn't blame her for being mad!

a day in the life of emma jane

We had a lunch date with Addie, Kaitlyn, and Lily today. Of course their moms were there too! The girls are starting to interact more with one another. Emma Jane and Kaitlyn even held hands today! After a nice long nap, I took Emma Jane outside to walk around our yard. She is still having trouble keeping steady on the very uneven ground in our backyard, but she kept her balance pretty well considering we live on a hill! While playing in the playroom today, she rarely let go of her special pink blankie. She loves to shake it in the air and walk around with it hanging from her teeth. She stops to cuddle with it every few minutes and then goes back to playing. A day in the life of Emma Jane....never a dull moment (at least in the eyes of a doting mom!).

roly poly

Emma Jane has been playing "roly poly" for awhile now, but I finally caught it on video today. We have a body pillow with a soft velour cover that she loves to roll around on. Whenever I say, "Roly Poly!" she lays down on her pillow and rolls around. It is so cute. She is definitely a fan of cuddling up to pillows and blankies.

baby chasing

Emma Jane has recently discovered the fun in playing chase with daddy. He crawls after her with the "dinosaur stomp" and she squeals in delight and "runs" from him! It is so much fun to watch. Enjoy!

rockin' caterpillar

After many close calls with Emma Jane's small wooden rocker, we decided to get her a rocker that's a little more baby friendly. The adorable wooden rocker has become her favorite thing to play with in the playroom, but it isn't a toy! She pushes it around and tries to climb into it on her own. She even tries to pick it up and lug it around! So in trying to avoid any major injuries, we are "retiring" the wooden rocker for now and have purchased a plush caterpillar rocker that is low to the ground and more stable for baby. She LOVED it! As you can see in the pictures, she was grinning ear to ear as she explored every part of this new toy. Of course, once the newness has worn off, I am sure she will be looking for her first love (the wooden rocker) but for now, I will feel better giving her some independence with this one. Don't worry, Grandma Jane, the wooden rocker is sitting in a corner in her room and will be used again soon when she can understand that it is not a push toy!

busy bee

Emma Jane has been a busy little bee. We went to Kaitlyn's pool today. If we keep this up, she is going to expect fun in the pool everyday! It was another beautiful sunny (but very HOT) day, so a swim in the pool was just what we needed to cool off. Emma Jane looked adorable in her pink suit and hat. She had fun splashing with her friends and seemed to enjoy the float more today. We went out to have an early dinner at a Mexican restaurant with friends tonight. It was the first time in a LONG time that we've taken Emma Jane out for dinner. It was a nice change and she loved sitting in the big girl high chair next to Kaitlyn. The most exciting part of her night was walking out of the restaurant holding mama's hand. She tried to walk right into the kitchen to see if they needed any help, but luckily I was able to stop her. Maybe she will take after her dad and grow up to be an excellent cook!?!

pool pals

We met friends at the pool again today. There were five bathing beauties in all...Addie, Kaitlyn, Lily, Natalie, and Emma Jane...all within a month or so of each other. The girls had a ball in the pool. Emma Jane still isn't crazy about the float because it's too "confining" for her (at least that's my guess). During snack time, Emma Jane had to walk around and check out all the other snack choices. I'm having a hard time keeping up with her. Needless to say, she was exhausted when we got home. Another fun summer day for us!

gator pull

Today Emma Jane spent an HOUR walking around the playroom pulling her little gator xylophone on wheels behind her. She was so proud of herself as you can see in the video. She would stop to look at other things, but as soon as she was on the move again, she would pull her xylophone with her! Thanks Aunt Susan and Uncle Brad! She obviously loves her early birthday gift!

little climber

Emma Jane is now in the climbing stage. She wants to climb anything and everything that is the least bit above floor level. This is loads of fun for her, of course, but not so much for her mama who has to be constantly on guard. Emma Jane still doesn't quite understand the concept of gravity.

shoes and starbucks

I took a trip to the shoe store today to fit Emma Jane for her first pair of "real" shoes. Now that she's walking, I wanted a good comfortable pair of shoes that are made for beginners. Our girl has a gigantic foot! She measured at a 4 1/2 shoe size which is pretty big for a baby not quite 11 months old. Emma Jane had a ball walking around the store while we tried a few different pairs of shoes on her. She even found some shoe boxes with tissue to tear apart so I had to get a picture of her terrorizing the shoe store. After our shoe adventure, we met our friends at Starbucks so the moms could chat and the girls could have lunch. This is a regular hang out for us these days, so we took a picture of our girls on the way out. Emma Jane is really starting to recognize her friends and gets so excited when she gets to see them!