Family of 4 Plus More: Emma

Since Emma turned 1 in May and that wasn't that long ago I'm going to put my letter to her in here instead of writing a new one for 13 months, I'll just add a little to the bottom to update her to now.

Dear Emma,

It's so hard to believe you are now officially 12 months old. I knew the time would go fast, but it seems like your first year went by in the blink of an eye!

You are getting so big! We went to the doctor today (5/9/11) and you were 22 lbs and 29 inches tall. She said you are right on target with your height & slightly about average in weight, but hey, aren't we all?? You are wearing 12 months and can also fit into some 18 months. We also have found shoes to fit your feet! Yay!! You're in a 3 wide. Just like your brother, the tops of your feet are a little chunky and you need a wide to get your foot inside the shoe.

I have shoes that fit!!


My new shoes!

You're still a really good eater! You love the Gerber toddler foods and pretty much anything off our plates. Your favorites seem to be mac & cheese, nuggets, lunch meat, cheese, bread, and fries. You are now mostly on milk. We had to mix it with your formula for a little while for you to take it. We're still working on a sippy cup. You do great with your straw one, but it leaks so we're trying others, however, you're just not interested.

You LOVE Aiden and follow him all around yelling his name. You love to be outside and swing or go for a walk in the wagon. Bathtime is still probably your favorite time of day. You get very excited and start squealing and hitting your big bare belly. You are still very much a Mommy's girl and don't let me get very far away from you. If I do, that high pitch screaming you do and crying comes out. You love to read books with Daddy & Aiden. You are doing so well with walking!! It's not perfect yet, but now that you turned 1 it's like you decided that's how you're going to get everywhere.

You ended up in the hospital right after Easter (11 1/2 months) because you were sick and and got dehydrated. :-( You were such a good girl! They had to stick you 3 times to get the iv in and now you are terrified of doctors and nurses and cry every time we have to go back to the doctor's office.

You now have 4 teeth! Big girl! You have your bottom front two, and two fangs at the top. Your top 2 front teeth haven't grown in yet. We love those big goofy grins when we can see those fangs! :-)

Your birthday party was May 7th. We had a cupcake themed party. You weren't very interested in most of the gifts and Mommy & Daddy had to open them for you. You did like the tissue paper and the car you can ride from Aiden. You were very overwhelmed by all the people and didn't get far away from Mommy or Daddy. You had a big cupcake to eat and you were so funny! At first it seemed like you didn't want to touch it, but then you grabbed it, flipped it upside down, and shoved it into your mouth and munched on it. You never took it away from your mouth, until it began to crumble. You were sneezing and still kept it up there. I knew you would love sweets!

You are a GREAT sleeper! You're still ready for bed around 8:00 and usually sleep until 7:00-8:00 am. You usually take 1 nap a day for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. You are definitely a crib sleeper! You do not like to be cuddled to sleep. If you're tired, you want in your crib and you put yourself to sleep! You are just like Aiden with your blanket. You LOVE it and love to snuggle into it. You don't like it if someone else is touching it and you can't get it from them. Boy, then you scream!!

You still don't have much hair but it is getting longer in the back. You finally have enough to put a little piggy at the top of your head or a little clip up front - so cute!

You love to nod your head yes to us all the time. If I have a snack for you and ask if you want it, you'll nod yes. If I ask if you want to go outside, you nod yes. Once I asked if Aiden was naughty...guess what your answer was..."yes". :-) Some may think you don't really know what you're doing, but I think you're a genius!!

You have brought us so much joy and happiness this year. We love you very, very much!

Love,
Mommy

**Side note - just typing this now and it being a month later, so many things have changed already! You now are getting to be a picky eater and don't want everything we offer and you love milk! Sippy cups are no problem for you now, big girl, and you are a pro at walking. It's funny to watch you running across the room. You love to play chase Emma! You also have 8 teeth now! Whoa! That doubled in a month!! Please stop growing so fast!!