The Emry Board: May 2012

There is a lot to talk about from May, and we'll start with Whitney. Whit has been smiling a lot and has even laughed a few times recently. Her favorite thing (besides mom) is playing on her playmat. Within the last week or so she has started trying to roll over from her back to her stomach. She can't get over her shoulder yet, but she's getting really close. Whit is also holding her head up very well, and she has started sitting up in her Bumbo. Whitney has also been babbling a little, so she's changing a lot but she's still just a cute little infant to us!

Emry still enjoys helping out with Whitney, she is even helping her learn how to roll over.  E's vocabulary and social skills continue to expand each day. She's at a point in her life where she is trying to do more things physically, but she's either very clumsy at most of them or doesn't realize how to do them properly. For example, we have to watch her pretty close when she's around Whitney. She means well, but she's accidentally hit Whitney in the head with her feet, knees, toys, a cup of apple juice, etc.   Another example is she likes to color, but she doesn't realize the paper is the only thing she should color. (Thank the Lord for magic erasers!) Needless to say, Emry is starting to become a handful, but its a lot of fun to experience.  She also likes to imitate actions mom and dad do. She likes to brush her own hair in the morning and one day she took a bottle opener out of the kitchen drawer and said "shave." Then proceeded to rub it up and down on her cheek. When doing these things, especially coloring, we've noticed that Emry has been favoring her left hand a lot lately.  Maybe we'll be able to teach her how to write after all!

The family also took an airplane ride to NC this month. It was Whitney's first airplane ride, so Emry had to show her the ropes.  We were worried if Emry would get stir crazy from sitting in her seat for the whole 90 minute flight. Luckily she had a little video player from the library and she watched some Elmo's World to keep her occupied most of the flight.  Emry also spent time trying to figure out the seat belts, opening the food tray on the seat in front of her, and looking out the window. We kept asking her what she saw out the window and sometimes she would say "Cloud" and other times she would see the wing and say "Airplane." We actually lucked out and had a full row to ourselves both on the way to NC and back. The girls did well on the plane, no crying baby or screaming toddler!  So that was a relief for us!

While in NC, the girls slept in the metal cribs provided by the hotel. Our room was super crowded looked like a Russian Orphanage.  Near our hotel was a Harris Teeter grocery store, and we took Emry there each morning to shop. They had small carts for little kids, and Emry loved pushing it down the aisles and putting random things in the cart.

The girls also got to do a fun Mother's Day project for their grandmas this month. They painted some flower pots and put their hand and foot prints on them. Another project we started for Emry on Memorial Day weekend was a wooden swingset, which will be a present for her upcoming birthday! You can read about both projects in more detail on runningthesmiths.(once it finally gets posted!)

The last big adventure this month was going to the zoo. Emry went three times this month! WE could bore you by writing about it, but we'll let her tell you about it herself...

Helping paint some flower pots for mothers day...I think
we've got another southpaw in the family!

Planking..."Get with it Emry, that's soooo 2010."

Experimenting with the pony tail...looks like she's getting ready to sign
the declaration of independence or fly a kite in the rain.

After seeing these first 4 pictures you're probably thinking, "Did they
allow their kids to wear clothes this month?" The answer is yes, see below...

The obligatory sleeping baby picture for the month

Emry is quite the stylist!

Her trademark is using lots of water when styling her hair.

We can't resist the sleeping baby pics...here's another one of Whitney
after a hard afternoon of playing on her "playmat."

Watching Elmo's World on the airplane!

Free apple juice!

Hopefully these girls will find a loving family
to take them home one day

At least one of us could sleep on the plane...note the wing outside the window.

Reading labels at the Harris Teeter....way to much sodium!

What is the most hazardous thing in this picture?
1) the ladder the child could climb and fall from
2) the clamps the child is playing with that could pinch her fingers
3) the power drill with 3/8" bit that could mangle the child in a multitude of ways