Splish, Splash

Emily loves bath time. We hope believe this passion for water may one day lead to an Olympic Gold Medal in swimming or, at the very least, a full scholarship to an Ivy League School. Meanwhile, we encourage her.

Avocados, Yuck!

In attempting to keep up the with Jones (or in this case, the Hortons, my college roommate), I decided to feed Emily home made baby food. The first on the list...Avocados. I figured, how hard could this be. I just peel a piece, mush it up, and WA-LA homemade food. No more jars. Emily would praise me in years to come. I would receive mother of the year.

I gave her a big bite and she gave it right back to me. A few tries later and we were back to the jars. Emily just prefers processed food. See how happy she is after her apples.

Jealousy

Daddy remains Emily's favorite person in the world, so I am wearing the color green lately. I just can't figure it out. I did hold her her in my body for practically ten months and then, I even breast fed her for 5 months. Daddy changed quite a few dippers and stayed up with her. Still, I would love to trade functions for the next child.

Watch Emily use her new mobility to hone in on her father and crawl to wherever he is:

Away from Emily

Before September 29 passes, I decided I better post a new message on this blog. I just returned from a weekend in Napa. To be more precise, we went to Sonoma. The wine people explained that there is quite a difference. I thoroughly enjoyed talking, drinking, traveling, and eating with my close friends, but I missed Emily - and of course my husband.

When I picked her up from daycare, I woke her up from her nap. I just couldn't wait 90 more minutes to see her. Hopefully, sleep deprivation does not have long lasting effects on brain development.

Fine Dining

Emily enjoyed her first meal in her own highchair. She fought gravity as her little but kept slipping down the seat. However, within the next few weeks it should be the perfect fit. Her fine motor skills are improving. With each "solid" feeding, she keeps more of the food in her mouth. Carrots appear to be a favorite. I know the food is going somewhere in that body, because she weighted in at 17 lbs on Thursday at her sixth month appointment. (75th percentile for weight and 80th for head circumference - a lot of room for thinking!)

Shrine to Emily

I went a little overboard upon ordering Emily's professional pictures.
But who could resist this cute face!

Letter to Emily: Month Six

Dear Emily,

You are six months old today. You, who changed my life forever. I remember last June, laying on the couch praying the lime Gatorade would stay in my stomach. I thought "Is a baby really worth it?"

You closely examine any object placed in your reach from the red blocks to the rubber-made lids. Maybe you are preparing to be a scientist - someday studying microscopic viruses through a lens.

When we lay on the floor to play, you grab, with intensity, your yellow dinosaur, shake it once, and stick it in your mouth.

In your last life, I think you were a bird. Whenever you are excited, you flap your arms exerting such a wind that my hair blows. Then, you start panting like you just completed wind sprints.

Your father moved your bath time to after dinner when we found cereal in your hair, on your legs, between your toes, within your elbow crease, and all over your face. The first time, he exclaimed, "Why did we just bathe her?"

I am definitely breast feeding your siblings. A few weeks ago, your father and I spent the weekend getting sick, so you spent it with GranAnne and GranDan. By Sunday night, Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Stephen, and GranDan caught the baby flu. But you never got sick.

We ran errands last week with Aunt Jennifer. In all three stores, people stopped us to goggle over you and exclaim how cute you are. "She looks like a cabbage patch kid."

I think you are on the verge of crawling. By next month's letter, I predict we will be Emily proofing the house.

Love,
Mom

Advertisers Everywhere

If you are expecting this next post to be about Emily, you should stop reading now. Instead, I am using my blog as an avenue to vent about the advertising industry and how it permeates all aspects of child rearing. (I am currently reading "Packaging Girlhood," but more on that later.)

Like many of my friends, I subscribe to Baby Weekly, an on-line news letter that provides tips and developmental charts for "baby" on a weekly basis. This week's letter discussed eating solids.

"Now that your baby is eating some solid foods, fresh is usually best. However, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, beets, carrots, collard greens, and turnips contain large amounts of nitrates in some parts of the country. Nitrates can cause a type of anemia in your baby. Even though you can't personally test the vegetables in your area, rest assured that baby-food companies take precautions not to use vegetables high in nitrates. So if you want to feed these vegetables to your baby, it is safest to buy commercially prepared jars."

Carrots and beets are some of the first vegetables recommended to feed babies. This letter asserts that commercially prepared jars are the best. I have a hard time believing that the baby food I make at home contains more hazardous ingredients than commercially jarred food.

Firsts

Emily successfully cut her first two teeth last week. She spent the weekend at GranAnne and GranDan's house while Dave and I celebrated Suzanne and JP's wedding. Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Stephen contributed to her entertainment as Emily decided it was more fun to be with other people than to play on her own. (Jennifer inquired, "How can 14 pounds rule an entire household?") During the reception, Dave called Jennifer to check on Emily since my parents attended the wedding as well. She said she noticed a little white in the baby's mouth when she put her to bed. Of course, my mom and I shared the Jennifer-does-not-know-what-she-is-talking-about-look. The next morning, my mother called me and said we would be disappointed because we missed Emily's first teeth. Dave and I actually got lucky as the teeth are still in her mouth today.

In other news, Emily started solid foods last week. Accustomed to the continuous flow of milk in a bottle, she cries like a banshee in between bites. I can't possibly get the spoon re-filled and into her mouth quick enough. Wait until I introduce ice cream.



She now rolls over and over and over. Dave has her on a strict work out regime so we expect her to be walking by the end of the month.

Beach Beauty

Emily went to Duck, NC for Memorial Day weekend to celebrate Suzanne's up-coming wedding. Since she carries both Dave and my genes, I though she would crave hours in the sun, relaxing to the sound of the waves. However, after about an hour, she decided the sand and heat irritated her skin. I decided that her wining irritated everyone else on the beach, so Dave and I spent the day portion of the vacation planning Emily's first stay with her Grandparents. Emily thoroughly enjoyed cocktail hour by the surf and she slept so well those nights I enjoyed three margaritas before feeding her.

Power Lunch

Emily insisted on meeting her GiGi for lunch yesterday. She said they had some serious business to attend.


Emily wonders, "Why do I have pants on when it is a 100 degrees out here? Would somebody please show that woman how to dress me properly. Can't she see how flush I am?"

First Love

Emily met her first love when we went to Richmond to visit Jackson.

Then, we decided to use her as the center piece for brunch with Great Aunt Nancy since Mom ran out of flowers.

Bottled Emotions

Lately, my emotions are linked to the number of ounces Emily decides to eat from the bottle at each feeding. I start my mornings out grumpy as I fight with her to eat a mere 3 ounces. The day usually improves as she increases to 6 by the 12:00 feeding. Yesterday, I felt high as she guzzled 8 ounces at once. I think she will be ready by the Fourth of July for the Coney Island Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Snowsuits in May

So much for posting every other day - though I refuse to allow it to become every other week. Emily's millions of fans protested the last picture claiming it added pounds to her usually flat stomach. Although, as her publicist, I am not pulling it from the blog, I will no longer post "skin" shots. You will notice in these pictures, she is very well covered.

Why is Emily wearing a snow suit in May? Because her parents are crazy. Certifiably crazy. A chill seemed to fill the air and I didn't want her to catch a cold. Even though all my microbiology classes taught me that viruses and bacteria cause colds, not actual cold weather, I was not taking any chances.

Emily likes to take a walk with her parents every evening before bedtime. Because she struggles to see when she is trapped inside her carriage cell, her father carries her, facing out of course, for our two mile walk. He tries not to complain about her weight because we don' t want her to develop eating disorders.

Baby Jesus

It has recently come to my attention from an unnamed source (Grandma) that certain members of the Natale clan (Kevin) call Emily "Baby Jesus." Why? Because her neurotic parents prevented her from being passed from person to person on their last visit. Now I ask you, wouldn't you be a little wound up if, upon entering a strange house, you were forced to go from arm to arm with heads twice your size breathing in your face? Emily prays for protection.

Moving Day

Although she is not rolling over, Emily is definitely on the go. She managed to scoot her 12 pound body across the crib. Inverse crawling.

She beams when I enter the room. I love picking her up in the morning. On the weekends, Dave and I vi over who gets to go in first.

Sleep Disorders

Who knew an infant's sleep habits would could cause so much anxiety? I am frantically reading through every book I can find on naps. (again, who knew an entire library exists on such a topic) Emily has decided that she would rather play with her best friend, then nap. I don't actually blame her, but, like everyone, she is in quite a mood by late afternoon.

Under Observation

Emily tracks my every move. According to Week By Week: An Infant's First Year, she can now see up to 24 feet away. However, I like to get right up in her face when I speak with her. I am sure, when she can communicate in English, she will tell me she has space issues.

When she is not watching me, she closely exams her hands. She is not yet sure what to make of them. After about 10 minutes of scientific probing, she happily sticks them in her mouth.