not diggin' the headbands

Okay, so we all know that Emma Jane is a little hair-challenged at the present time. After many comments of "Oh what a darling little boy!" I have tried to make her girliness more obvious by putting in the occasional headband. When I initially put one on her, I hold her up to the mirror so she can see how adorable she looks. She smiles at her reflection and really seems to be admiring her new look. As soon as I put her down, she rips the headband off and runs! I was trying to get a few shots of her wearing it today, but she was too fast for me! She even tried to hide the headband in her clothes hamper. I think her daddy has been giving her secret headband sabotage lessons! After sneaking the headband back on her, I quickly sat her in the rocker to snap a photo. She finally gave in and let me take a picture, but her expression seems to be saying, "I'm only doing this to humor you, mom."

welcome to my humble abode

Emma Jane loves her playhouse. She opens and closes the little door a million times! She isn't crazy about the slide just yet, but I think this is because she is still unable to climb up by herself and she doesn't like to be dependent on us for anything! Here are a few pics of her playing in it today.

splish splash

Emma Jane attended another birthday party this weekend. Her little friend Natalie turned one. There was a sprinkler mat at the party and Emma Jane was thrilled! As you know, she has just recently discovered sprinklers! We couldn't tear her away from the play mat, even when it was time to eat! She is definitely a water baby, thank goodness! She also likes to kiss ANYTHING that has a face, so in the last picture you can see her kissing the sun.

in a pickle

Paul was able to leave the hospital at noon yesterday so he took his two girls to lunch. At the restaurant we discovered that Emma Jane REALLY likes pickles! She didn't even pucker or make a sour face! After letting her hold the whole pickle and suck on it a bit, Paul cut it up into bite size pieces and she ate the whole thing!

bumblebees and leaves

I took Emma Jane to the zoo again today. First we have to walk through the botanical gardens to a tram that takes us to the zoo. I think Emma Jane likes the gardens much better than the zoo. She seemed to have a lot more fun on our walks in and out of the gardens. She points to the animals at the zoo, but I think they are too far away to really hold her interest. She would much rather walk around and pick up leaves and pinestraw. She also spied a bumblebee in the flowers today! It's nice to see her appreciate the simple things life has to offer...for now!

sprinkler discovery

Emma Jane had her first run-in with a sprinkler today, literally! She just walked right into the path of one at the botanical gardens. After her initial surprise, she ran right back into it for more! She was soaked by the time we left, but it was well worth the pure joy it brought her. I guess we need to get a sprinkler for the yard now....

friends and fountains

Emma Jane met her buds for lunch today. After a quick lunch, (she was so excited that she couldn't stay seated in the highchair!) we took the girls to look at the fountain in the courtyard of the shopping plaza. Emma Jane was enthralled, but she wouldn't touch the water when I held her close. As always, it was fun watching these girls do their thing!

hamming it up

Yep, there's no doubt about it. Our girl knows how to ham it up!

sneaky monkey

Emma Jane has gained insight into the art of sneaking. She LOVES getting into the wipes box on her changing table shelf. We tell her "no" and we know she knows that it's something she's not supposed to do. Today I caught her in the act! Check out her expression in the video I've posted. She has also become quite the monkey and gets herself into some pretty precarious situations. Today she climbed up onto the couch in the few seconds I walked away from the playroom. This couch has a wooden frame and isn't very low, so she had to really work to get up on it. When I walked back in, she was ecstatically jumping up and down on the couch in triumph! Of course, I had no idea how she got up there, but she showed me right away. She climbed into the basket of books next to the couch, perched her feet on the tallest book in the basket while holding onto the side of the couch, and then climbed up onto the couch. Later tonight she also climbed the changing table to get to the wipes box that I had placed on top to get it out of her reach. I sent Paul to grab the camera and we got a few pics of her going up. She actually made it to the top, but I had to grab her before she fell. Apparently we have a little daredevil on our hands! Uh oh!

wagon ride

We took Emma Jane on her first wagon ride walk today. Grandma Jane and Grandpa Bill gave her a Jeep wagon for her birthday. She likes riding in it, but still doesn't understand the concept of staying seated. Throughout the walk we had to watch her like a hawk to make sure she didn't stand up and tumble out!