Emery the Big Girl

March has been a busy month for us! Emery is growing up before our very eyes!  We've introduced potty training.  I can't say it's been a success, but given her stubborn personality, we've taken a more laid back approach.  She's wearing pull-ups/diapers during the day, recognizes the feeling, but I'm just holding back a little!  Partly I don't want to push her too fast, and partly I'm not ready to let go!  But mostly, I'm letting her take baby steps into it.  Evan learned at school in Minnesota and the peer pressure helped tremendously.  Emery is just her own independent little lady ... see photos below!

Loving her new Dora potty book from The Tobaks!

Big girl!!!  This lasted 30 seconds before she ripped them off and wanted her diaper back on.

She usually goes only with wearing the wings!

Another milestone...

Emery visits the Dentist

Emery was such a great little patient at the Dentist office! She allowed Evan to go first, but quickly jumped in the chair and asked the Dentist to come count her teeth!  The staff was great and took to the opportunity and allowed the hygienist to finish with Evan while Dr. took Emery!  I must give credit once again to the Nickelodeon franchise called.....Dora the Explorer! They have a book for everything!  Potty training, dentist, new school, sharing, manners, what's next Dating?!

I wish the pediatrician office was as great as the Dentist!  Huge playroom/waiting room, Toy Story on the big screen, safari toothbrushes, goody bags, pick your own toothbrush, and a special coin for the "gumball/toy" machine!  Emery has all her baby teeth, and then some!! She actually has an extra tooth!!!

And Emery has taken to having her friends in her bed with her ...just as Evan did, and just as I did as a child.  She always asks to have at least one book in with her too!  Each night we line everyone up and have lots of room...but each morning I seem to have to search for my little girl among her "friends"!!!  The big girl bed is not too far away...

Emery ~ 4 Months Old!

I can hardly believe this sweet child is 4 months old!!! Time has truly flown by. She's as calm and collected as a baby can be and she absolutely ADORES Evan! If he's in the room...her eyes are glued to him....she watches every movement and coos.

At 4 months, Emery is right on track:

14.3 pounds (75th percentile)
24 inches long (50th percentile)

Although she hasn't rolled over yet, she isn't far from it! She's begun to lift her butt up while on her back and wiggle/rock, brings her legs up and is getting better at tummy time. She has never been a fan of being on her tummy, but if Evan is around ...she tolerates it! She has discovered the exersaucer and enjoys looking around and playing with some of the toys. Emery continues to sleep through the night and occasionally wakes up for a 5 am feeding for a mere 10-15 minutes! I don't mind at all and cherish the moments where the house is so quiet, dark and just the two of us! We love watching Emery discover herself in the mirror during bath time and she loves kicking around naked and coos nonstop!

This past Friday night, my work held a belated holiday party at the bowling alley for employees & their families. It was such a good time to relax after a crazy holiday season for the country club staff. Alex was up to bowl, and Evan asked to go potty. I took Emery with me and helped Evan. Sitting comfortably on the potty, Evan let out a toot and Emery let out the biggest belly laugh! It was hilarious. It startled both Evan and I--we looked at each other and busted out laughing. He tooted again and she laughed! The giddiness was contagious as the three of us couldn't stop laughing! I'll always remember Emery's first true belly laugh and it's only fitting that it was because her older brother tooted! I'm sure many more toots & laughs are to come throughout the years! Last night, Alex witnessed it and we just enjoyed the fun. Evan would laugh (fake at first) and then Emery would giggle, then we'd laugh, and she let the belly laughs roll! Joy.

Lastly, an Evanism for the week. Our morning routine has been the same for a long time. I'm usually up and showered before the kids wake up and then while Evan watches his "shows" & has breakfast, I nurse Emery and/or finish getting things ready for the day. The other day, we were running a little late and kept asking Evan to go potty, get dressed, eat breakfast. I think I asked 5 times for each action (which isn't surprising but when running late, it became frustrating!) He kept asking for another episode and I refused until he listened. I finally got on to him and said "EVAN...DO WHAT I SAY AND GET YOUR SHOES!" His response: "MOMMY...DO WHAT I SAY AND PUT MY SHOW ON!" I laughed on the inside, but must have given him "the look" because before I could say a word he ran to get his shoes!

We've had a fun week and can't wait for the weather to warm up for good! We got to 33 on Monday and it felt sooo good outside. Amazing that it's still so cold but in comparison it feels warm! So, I took Evan outside so he could ride his trike for about 10 minutes (yes, he was wearing a coat and hat!)

March is finally here!

I couldn't be happier that March has finally arrived. We've had warmer weather (30s) so the snow is melting. Last week, it was almost 50 degrees!!! Evan was excited to ride his bike in the driveway. I was happy too, especially since we didn't have jackets on! Although, it feels extremely warm when it's 33 degrees out and usually we don't wear jackets! Layering is quite the skill to be mastered when you live in Minnesota! We're supposed to get some winter weather tomorrow and we got 2 inches yesterday, but it was the thick wet stuff...yuck!

Evan is so fast these days and soooo difficult to get a good photo. I think I need a camera with a faster shutter speed! Any suggestions would be great. I hate to complain about it since Alex just got me a new digital last year.

Lately, we've been working on colors, numbers and the alphabet. He can count to eleven, but skips 4 and 5. Colors seem to be more of a challenge as everything used to be yellow. Mainly because he loves to say the word. Now, it's blue. But, we are practicing and he's doing better.

Evan loves to sing the alphabet and although we get to A, B, C, D and then R,S, T followed by clapping!! His favorite song to sing is "The Wheels on the Bus". Last week, he imitated the singers on American Idol and sings with them. He didn't get it from me, (we all know that) but he can carry a tune!

He's definitely all boy. Trucks, buses, cars and trains! Alex and Evan play a game in the car. Alex points to a house and says "Is that a bus?", Evan replies "Noooo, house". They continue naming objects and then when they pass a bus...everyone goes crazy. It's quite funny.

His teacher says Evan is very observant and good about telling her he's wet or went Beep-Beep (#2). A few of the kids in his class are using the potty. So, I have ordered a potty training book and bought a potty today. He's still only 2 so, I'm not expecting any miracles. But, he's the one talking about it, so I figured we could explore the potty and play with it!