40 Weeks...Happy Thanksgiving!

I have done a lot of visiting this week!  I visited Dr. Prica for my 9 month check-up.  He was impressed with my growth and how laid back I seemed during the exam.  (Good thing he never heard me cry!)  I now weigh 18 lbs, 13 ozs (only gained 13 ounces in the last 3 months!) and in the 63rd percentile.  I am 29 31/2 inches long, in the 97th percentile.  No shots this time, whew!
I got to visit Santa for the first time too!  I watched while Ellie sat on his lap and talked to him, and then Mommy put me on his other leg.  I inspected him really closely, and then started to pout when I turned away.  I never completely cried though.  I'm just not too sure about him!  I did get to hang out in the snow for the first time too.  It was pretty cool.  I actually don't mind being a little cold now that I am older.
I got to do a lot of family visiting too this week, because it was Thanksgiving!  I went to Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Tom's house first and got to taste some turkey and white potatoes.  They were OK, but sweet potatoes were my favorite!  I even let a couple of relatives hold me, including Uncle Jeff.  I surprised everyone with that!  The next day, we went to Nana Carol and Papa Ron's house.  I did the same there, and let Uncle Duane hold me for a long time.  I felt really safe in his arms.  Then, we went to a Christmas parade.  That was really interesting to watch all the people and floats and lights!  Today, we went to Nana Arden and Papa Rodney's house.  I had a lot of fun crawling around and watching my sister and cousins play.  I think this week wore me out!
I am really trying to stand on my own lately.  I am trying to balance when I let go and think I am pretty special when I can!  I have also been pretending to "give" people things and then take them back when they reach for them.  I have started taking things out of containers too this week.
I have been feeding myself a lot lately too.  My favorites are bananas and carrots.  I don't mind the pureed food, but I'd rather eat like a big girl.  And boy, do I have a big appetite!  I can eat a whole banana in the morning after I eat my regular breakfast.  Can't wait to see what else I get to put in my mouth!
40 Weeks

The many faces of Emily:

 Sweet potato drunk

 I needed a bath after that!

 They told Ellie not to leave anything out on her desk!

Sunning myself

First time in the snow!

This is not fair!

Sitting pretty with my book

Getting into trouble.  Yes, I climbed on this to get to the table!

Playing before my doctor's appointment

Turkey coma

Same pj's!

I think we look alike too

Kisses for Ellie

I loved sticking my thumb in this doll's mouth

Chillin' with Uncle Duane

Hanging out with Papa Ron

Papa Ron's girls

Waiting for the parade to start

Wrestling with Ellie

I love to read!

Throw me again, throw me again!

Kisses from Maggie

What is this?

I learned how this toy works!

39 Weeks...3/4 of a year already?!?

I can't believe I am 3/4 Years old!  That sure went fast!  I am still trying to be way older than I am though.  I love to feed myself and have tried lots of fruits and vegetables.  I have my doctor's appointment Monday, so we will find out what kind of Thanksgiving food I can have!
Daddy switched out my car seats this week, so now I am a big girl in the car too!  It is really different having to get in and out of the car instead of just staying in my seat.  Mommy is really having to adjust to that too.
Mommy took Ellie and me to another MU volleyball game and it was a lot of fun!  Some white stuff came out of the sky that day too.  They called it snow, and I liked to watch it and Daddy even took me outside to feel it on my head.
One day, Mommy took me to help in the workroom, to get the car seat installation inspected, then to the library.  I did great!  She was really impressed.  I've been pretty crabby every day since then though.  I am getting up about an hour earlier lately (around 6 AM) and seem to be teething.
I really like to look at the pictures on the wall of my family and the one of the Last Supper.  I can always find "Jesus" when I am asked!  I also love looking for my owl back.  I like to point at things with my whole hand and am doing a lot of waving lately.
39 Weeks

 I feel so free in just a diaper as long as I have Ellie's comb

 You caught me!

 I love when Ellie plays with me!

 Mmmmm....this tastes good!

Another MU volleyball game!

 Playing at the library

I crawled up the whole flight of stairs by myself!

38 Weeks...I wanna be a big girl!

I did some new big girl things this week!  I have been drooling, biting my fingers, and being crabby lately.  I wonder if that means more teeth are coming in.  Mommy can't see or feel anything yet though.  I started eating small chunks of food by myself!  I have tried bananas, carrots, and pears.  I think I'm pretty special when I can put them in my mouth by myself!  I also started waving to people at Ellie's parent teacher conference!  Sometimes it takes me a while to think about what I need to do, but it always gets a smile from the person I am waving to!  I also like to pull my socks off.  I think it is fun, but everyone keeps commenting on how cold my feet must be.
I went to Paint the Town for a birthday party for Ellie's friend and Mommy carried me around for over 2 hours.  Some may think I am spoiled, but isn't that what she is supposed to do?  We also went walking at the mall with Marion and Autumn because it was too cold outside, to help in the workroom, and to the library.  Marion took our family pictures and my 9 month pictures this week on the Mizzou campus.  Can't wait to show those off!
38 Weeks

 Let's see if you have any boogers in there!

This is my usual sleeping position

 Snuggles with Mommy

 A few of the big girl things I am doing...

 Notice how I am using the box to climb on top of the toy!

 So big!

 They think this will hold me back!

 Tag-team wrestling with Daddy

 Eating bananas

 Chilling in our white Little Sister, Big Sister shirts and pink pants at Nana Arden's

Wrestling with Daddy

37 Weeks...A change in routine

I got to do some new stuff this week!  After trick-or-treating, our family drove down to Tan-Tar-A because Mommy had a conference.  We got to go shopping and go to Applebee's before going home.  Mommy gave me a long snuggle before we left.  I had a really hard time drinking milk when we got home.  Daddy tried a bottle and a sippy cup, but I didn't want anything to do with either!  I eventually took it with cereal in a spoon, but he tricked me into it!  I finally decided to give up and took a little from a sippy cup for him (he bribed me with puffs in between sips) and Miss Annie.  It was nice being back with her.  I liked playing with the other baby there and looking at the pictures of my sister on the door.  Miss Annie told Daddy that when I was upset and cried, it sounded like I said "mama" and when I was really cranky and crabby, it sounded like I said "dada".  Miss Annie wasn't feeling well and ended up in the hospital the second day with enterovirus!  She is ok though, and I don't think I caught it.  Mommy did take me to get my second flu shot though.  They didn't even take me out of the car seat for it.  I was really tired and cried a little bit and then took a nap on the way home.
While Mommy was gone, Daddy and Ellie and I played chase outside.  I really enjoyed watching the leaves blowing in the street.  I have been practicing putting things into containers and taking them out.  It is really interesting to know that I can make that happen!  We also played downstairs and I got faster at crawling.  We visited Nana Arden too.  After all this playing, I took a 2 hour nap!
Now that Mommy is back home, I am nursing a lot longer and for a while, a lot more often.  I was really hungry!  I have actually dropped a feeding and am only nursing about every 4 hours now.  Mommy took me with her to vote, to Ellie's school for lunch, on another walk with Marion and Autumn, and to a counselor meeting.  She set me down on the floor while the counselors were in a circle, and I practiced crawling.  I started going toward Lillian, but when she stopped talking, I crawled to Sarah.  She looked like a nice Mommy, but I was looking for my Mommy!
37 Weeks

We look tiny in this huge bed!

 I wonder what Mommy packed for me

 I made a baby friend at the Lego table at Carter's

 I am pretty happy wherever I go

 This is a very informative ad

 Rosy cheeks after my 2 hour nap

 Getting into trouble, I mean playing, with Ellie

 Finally drinking my milk from a sippy cup!

 Looking at old pictures of Ellie at Annie's house

 My new baby friend at Annie's

 Ellie and me hanging out in the leaves

 I love nature!

 My teething blocks

 What can I get into up here?

 Trying to take down Ellie

 So big and happy!

 Keeping busy at Mommy's meeting

 

Rolling a ball with Ellie

 

 Fist full of paper

 

I just let Ellie think she got me.  I've got her right where I want her!