Update

So instead of doing the usual Emmett-centered post, I figured I'd let you all know what's been going on with us first and then move onto his milestones.

A couple of weeks ago Jer and I celebrated our 5th anniversary.  Can we really have been married that long?  We went to Apollo's Greek Restaurant in Richland and the food was FANTASTIC!  We had planned on going to the Cool Desert Nights parade after dinner, but it was raining pretty hard.  So we went out and rented a movie to watch together.  It was a nice night.

The next morning we took Emmett and went to the Cool Desert Nights car show.  It was a lot of fun.  Emmett enjoyed looking at all the cars (and so did we) as well as the people.  His favorites were a 1960's forest green VW bug and a 1993 red Dodge Viper.  He had a blast pointing at all the cars and would definitely let us know if he wasn't done looking at a particular car.

For the 4th, we drove down to Utah to visit Jeremy's family.  Emmett FAR exceeded our expectations with how well he did for that long in the car.  We only had to stop like 3-4 times each direction so he could walk around for a few minutes before we continued on.  We had a really good time with Jeremy's family, and they really enjoyed getting to spend time with Emmett again since they hadn't seen him for a year.  Jer and I also met up with some old friends who were also living in Utah.

And now for the Emmett update:

• He is so stinkin smart!  He has figured out that doorhandles are what open the door and has started attempting to open them.  So far he has been unsuccessful, but I'm sure it won't be too much longer.
• He is starting to say "dada" a lot and I think he's put it together that that's what Jeremy is called (to him, anyway)
• He now has 10 teeth; all 8 front ones and then the two bottom molar-types
• He loves yogurt and cheese, and he went CRAZY over chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A
• He is such a ham!  The other day I was feeding him and in between bites he would scrunch his eyes and make a funny smile with his bottom jaw jutting out.  When he realized he was getting attention for making the face, he started making it even more.
• He can eat with a spoon!  At least, until he decides to reach in and attempt to eat with his hand...
• He STILL has this diaper rash (I CANNOT seem to get rid of it; it's been probably at least 3 months and it just cycles through getting better and worse) so we're on a last ditch attempt using Gentian Violet.  It was recommended by a friend of the family who is a nurse, so I'm really hoping it helps him.  The poor little guy has just been super itchy.
• Although Emmett does fantastic on long car trips, he doesn't do so well with sleeping in new places; he cried himself to sleep almost every night we were in Utah if I didn't lay down with him until he fell asleep.  And sometimes he would wake up 2-3 times during the night.  And then as soon as we get back home, he settles back into his normal sleep pattern.  Well, I guess you can't have everything, right?
• He has been loving the fresh fruit/veggies out of the garden. So far he has had strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, green beans, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and peas.  The only one he didn't like so well was the peas, and sometimes some of the others were a little hit-and-miss, but that's pretty normal, right?
• He understands the word "outside" and will come right to you if you mention that word.  He LOVES being outside and would spend all day out there if he could, even though it's been super hot!
• He got his first haircut!  He was super wiggly, so thankfully the stylist was really fast and really good with kids.  It was a little sad because he did definitely look older, but he still looks adorable.
• He has started kicking a ball around.  He doesn't do it terribly often, but he's definitely figured it out.
• He is a shameless flirt; he enjoys waving to little kids, especially girls.
• He LOVES dogs but didn't want anything to do with a little kitten or a fairly small bunny.  He wouldn't let me help him pet them.  I'm not sure what his aversion was, because he likes the full-grown cat.
• He loves to get into anything he's not supposed to: remotes, phones, dog toys, dog food, the drawers full of kitchen towels and washcloths, etc.  (And he apparently ate some dog food, too)

 Before his haircut

 The end result!

 His bath-time mohawk

Emmett is ONE!!

Happenings of the last month:

• Emmett took his first steps alone (towards the dog, not a person, of course) and then was full-out walking within 2 1/2 weeks.
• Emmett got tooth #8 (his lower left molar-type tooth)
• He "wagged" his tongue back and forth
• He got his first taste of yard-saleing (and the bounties it brings lol.  My mom and I got him $350+ worth of stuff for around $60)
• Emmett LOVES music.  One of his 'Little People' toys (that we got yard saleing) makes sounds, one of which is playing a song.  One day he would sit and push the button quickly to get to the music, look at a book while the music was playing, and then repeat the process.  It was ADORABLE!
• He has started pointing.  He'll point at things he wants, people, and things he wants to go look at.  It has definitely helped the communication!
• He figured out stairs.  The first time was when he was walking around the church during 2nd hour (he was being antsy in class so I took him out and let him walk.)  We were in the chapel and he went right up the steps to the pulpit without hesitation!  And he'd really never shown much of an interest in the stairs before.  Since then, he has conquered the stairs at my parents' house.  If the door at the top is open, he'll escape right on out to wherever his little heart desires.  Otherwise he'll either a) pound on the door until someone comes to rescue him or b) cry until someone comes to rescue him.  Luckily he hasn't fallen down them yet.  I'm trying to figure out the best way to baby-proof them; they're circular, so I don't know if a baby gate would even be able to grip the walls very well.
• Emmett went swimming for the first time and LOVED it.  Although he was not happy when I put his hat on him.
• He has figured out how to open the pocket doors in the house.  We had been using them to keep him from getting to the rest of the house, but he has learned how to open them if they're left open even 1/4" and sometimes manages to get them open even if they're completely closed.
• He has started "dancing."  He'll either sway to the music or swing his arms across his chest.  It's super cute.
• He loves to eat whatever we're eating for dinner.
• He will mimic some animal sounds, especially the dog barking.

Jeremy's dad was able to make it up for Emmett's actual birthday.  His work was kind enough to get him a route up this way and then allowed him to take a couple of hours and go off-route to see us.  It was really good to spend time with him and I know Emmett really enjoyed playing with him.  He made Emmett a super cute wooden car and trailer for his birthday.  Emmett LOVED them and immediately started playing with them.

For Emmett's birthday we had egg-free chocolate cake (which was AMAZING, btw) with fresh strawberries (from the garden) and whipped cream on top.  It was super tasty.  Emmett wasn't quite sure what to make of the big pile of goodness on his tray at first, but after I dipped my finger in the whipped cream for him to taste a couple of times, he went after it.  That kid sure loves his whipped cream!  Jeremy's grandma and one of my good friends from high school came to celebrate Emmett's birthday with us.

We also went and got pictures taken this past weekend.  Hopefully you'll be able to use this link to go take a look at them.  They sure turned out super cute.  And in case you were wondering, yes, he will be getting a haircut soon.  Jeremy wanted to wait to cut his hair until after we got his 1 year pictures taken.  So the appointment has been scheduled for Tuesday.  I'll try to get some pics up shortly thereafter.

And of course, what post would be complete without pictures??

Emmett with Grandpa Cress on his birthday.

 The classic cake shot: This was toward the end of him eating it.  Notice that all the whipped cream and most of the strawberries are gone, but there's still a goodly amount of cake lol.

 Emmett sleeps like this quite often, but I always think he looks adorable with his bum sticking up in the air!

 He was walking around holding these 2 glitter balls for probably 30 minutes, just having a blast.

Swinging in his new (to him) swing.  He LOVES it!  (In case you couldn't tell by his face)

Emmett "dancing" to Sultans of Swing

Allergies

Well, poor Emmett had his first allergic reaction this week.  Jeremy had made some tasty tater tots and eggs for breakfast, and Emmett was begging for food (as per usual) so we gave him half a tater tot.  And another half.  And probably a few more.  About half an hour later, Jeremy asked if Emmett had been scratching his face; I said he hadn't, and took a look....the poor little guy had pea-sized red spots all around his mouth and on his chin.  Emmett didn't really seem to be bothered, but I wanted to make sure the reaction got better before we put him down for a nap.  We gave him some baby loratadine that the pharmacist had recommended on a different occasion, and within an hour or so the spots were gone.  I was too worried about getting them gone (which isn't a bad thing) that I forgot to snap a picture.  Oh well.

So for now we'll try keeping him away from food with eggs in it.  And when we go in to the doctor next week I'll ask his doctor whether he thinks we should take him in to be tested.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll grow out of it (I did).  I haven't noticed a reaction before, and I know that most cakes and stuff have eggs, so maybe he really only reacts if it hasn't been baked; or maybe he just hasn't had enough exposure when he's had other things with eggs in them.  Either way, I'm going to talk to his doctor next week.  And it looks like I'll be making an egg-free birthday cake for him just in case.

11 Months

This past month Emmett has:

• grown to 26 pounds, 13 oz (94%)
• crawled through the glider ottoman to get to his books (they're in a corner behind it so he doesn't tear them up)
• started to pull off whatever he can reach from tables
• pulled a banana off the table and then proceeded to smash it all over the floor (including grandma's rug!)
• learned to wave
• dropped Cheerios off his tray to feed the dog (and then laughed when the dog ate them)
• gone on the swing for the first time; he even started to pump his legs/sway a little to keep the momentum going
• learned to click his tongue
• started to stand on his own for a while (10 seconds ish)
• held a hand and walked beside us
• started to understand the concept of chasing; he'll crawl away and look over his shoulder periodically waiting for us to come after him.  He'll also chase after us if we do the same thing (or when we're "running" away)
• enjoyed playing "this little piggy"  I think he finally gets it
• when we're reading books, he'll let us know if he approves of the selection.  He does this by leaning back into us, crossing his ankles, and sucking his thumb. If, however, he doesn't want that book, he'll push it away or throw it
• gotten his 7th tooth
• enjoyed getting into the fake moss in the fake plant pots and throwing it everywhere
• been having a biting issue...we're trying to teach him that it's not nice to bite people.  He mostly bites inanimate objects, but occasionally he'll get some flesh in there.  Any suggestions?
• been waking up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason.  But he will just stand and scream...it's totally driving us nuts
• caused me to have to call poison control for the first time: he somehow got the cap off his diaper rash cream and may have eaten a little.  Luckily, it's not harmful, but boy did I feel like an incompetent parent when I called in =(

We decided to do a small photoshoot with Emmett a week or so ago.  Here are some of our favorites:

 A scrunchy little smile

 Sucking his thumb, of course

 He decided to wave his arms around as I was taking the picture, but I just love the look on his face

 I just love this picture!

10 Months

We sure love our sweet little Emmett dude!  This past month has been pretty eventful!

• Emmett fed himself cereal for the first time...it was a huge mess, but he did get a little in his mouth.  However, we're going to wait a while before we let him try again.
• He mastered the art of crawling within about 3 days.  He now is ALL OVER the place and gets into everything!
• He loves to chase the dog.  It's really funny when he crawls toward her, gets close, and then she runs the other direction.  Then Emmett has to change directions and start the process over.
• Emmett LOVES to walk along things.  Quite often he'll crawl to something just so he can pull himself up and walk along it.
• One day while he was crawling around, Emmett found one of the dog's teeth-cleaning treats.  He, of course, promptly put it in his mouth and started gnawing on it!  It was so gross!
• Emmett fell down the stair from the kitchen to the laundry room.  He tried to crawl down it headfirst.  Since that first time, he has figured out that if he goes down slowly enough, he won't bonk his face on the hard tile floor.
• Emmett can pull himself to standing when he's in his crib waiting for us to come get him.  (Or when he's fighting taking a nap)
• He has figured out a system to get back down to the floor once he's pulled himself up to standing; he leans over and touches the floor with one hand while still holding on to whatever he was standing against with the other hand.
• Lots of times when he's sitting down, he'll cross his ankles.  It's really cute since his thighs are so chubby; his knees are bent and quite far apart, but his feet are interlocked around one another.
• He has started eating Cheerios by the handful instead of one at a time.  It's quite funny to see him try and cram an entire handful in his mouth.
• If he's crawling around and you put some food on your hand and hold it out to him, he'll come up and eat off your hand like a dog instead of grabbing the food with his hand.

Now, for everyone's favorite part of the post: pictures!

 One morning I went in to check on Emmett and found him asleep like this: he was laying on top of his arms.  I'm not sure if his arms were a little cold so he was trying to keep them warm, or whether he just felt comfortable like that.

 Emmett's cute little squinty smile

 When he tried to feed himself cereal; if you look closely, you can see globs of it all over him and the highchair.

 Emmett tried spaghetti for the first time; as you can see, he loved it!

And, as an extra, here's a cute video of him.  He's been really funny when eating his lunch lately, so I decided to pull out my phone and take a video of him.  Excuse the camera work at the beginning; it's hard to keep the camera trained on him while focusing on feeding him ;)  And yes, I do realize I sound like a crazy person.  Sorry 'bout that.

9 months

Wow... can it REALLY have been 9 months since this little man was born?  Where has the time gone?  People really aren't kidding when they say that time flies by!

Emmett had his 9 month wellcheck on Thursday.  He has gained an ounce in the past month so he now weighs in at  25 lbs, 4 oz (96%), and he is 29 inches (75%).

While we were at the doctor's, we found out that the little man has an ear infection.  We were surprised, because although he's been a little more goobey than usual, he hasn't been NEARLY as bad as last time he had an ear infection.  Luckily though, he was up-to-date on his shots, so he didn't need any of those.  =)

• Emmett now has 5 teeth (3 on top, 2 on bottom).  
• He has FINALLY figured out how to use a sippy cup!! We were so excited about that one!
• He makes the CUTEST little scrunchy-eyed smile.  He is such a ham! Although, I think he thinks that he can get away with ANYTHING if he makes that face, lol.
• He has mastered the art of feeding himself finger foods.  He loves Cheerios, fruit puffs, banana chunks (covered in baby oatmeal so he can actually get a grip on them), small pieces of green beans and cheese...pretty much whatever we give him
• He has started to move his hands and feet a lot when he's in his high chair - I keep asking him if he's going to be a conductor someday lol
• He enjoys standing up against furniture and has started to creep along it a little.  He has also become able to turn himself around if he's got stuff to hold on to.
• He can get from a sitting position to his stomach, but not back into a sitting position on his own.
• He really enjoys books; yesterday he let me read to him for at least 10 minutes and he just looked at the pictures and enjoyed it.
• He is beginning to grow out of his 18 month pants (Good thing I've been stocking up the bigger sizes when I can get them for super cheap!!)
• He LOVES bathtime.  He will lay on his stomach and play in the water as it's filling the tub, and he also enjoys sitting/laying and splashing.
• He definitely knows who mommy and daddy are; if anyone except us or grandma/grandpa try to hold him, his face melts and he starts crying.  Hopefully we'll get over this stage fairly soon.  

I've been waiting to post this until I had some recent pictures, but I keep forgetting to take some.  So here's the post and I'll put up some pictures in a couple days.

Chocolate Wonderfall

So yesterday Jeremy and I went out to Olive Garden for lunch for our super-late Valentines Day celebration.  We were having a wonderful time; good food, good service (yay!! our service track record at Olive Garden hasn't been spectacular, so we were super excited about that) and good company.  Emmett was sitting in a high chair next to me.  He starts grunting and we laugh a little about his lack of shame.  Then....it happens.

I happened to look over at Emmett and realize he's blown out of his diaper.  And not just a little, oh no.  It's all over his back, there's a pile on the high chair right behind his bum, and a baseball-sized mound on the floor underneath him.  It was awful, and it reeked!  So I start cleaning up the excess on the high chair and floor, while Jeremy tries to find something to put all the soiled wipes in.  (It's a super good thing I made sure there was an extra set of clothes and re-stocked the wipes container before we went!  I went through ALL of the wipes I put in the case!)  Our server brings us our food, and we gather things together and run to the bathroom to change Emmett's clothes and diaper, leaving our steaming hot pasta on the table.  Oh, it was a MESS!

But, we were able to get everything cleaned up and enjoy the rest of our meal.  And Emmett remained blissfully ignorant of the trouble he caused lol.  Now if we could only get him to have 2 poopy diapers/day instead of one ginormous blowout!  (This wasn't the first time this has happened!)  Oh well, such is life.  =)  We still love this little dude and think the world of him.