So, Emerson is actually closer to one year by now but who's counting, right? 

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We have been so busy traveling that I feel we haven't really had an open weekend since August. Yes, you read that right. August. I am so excited to be able to stay in town for the next few weekends, that's for sure! And, maybe we'll get a chance to take down our Christmas tree and decorations. But, I can't promise anything.

Emerson spent her first Christmas with us and it was truly so special to see the magic in her eyes. She is still too young to understand and appreciate the spirit of the holiday season, but she was just so happy to be around family (and eat fried turkey, Shealy's green beans and Ma's rolls). 

I'm going to keep this post short and sweet, but we had a great December and loved seeing Emerson emerge into a new stage and fun personality. 

I would say that the biggest thing that happened this month was that she finally starting cutting her first tooth! I actually noticed it the day she turned 11 months and noticed a second one coming through a few days later. You can still barely see them, but they are definitely starting to grow. 

She is walking with the help of a walker and is doing much better now than she was a few weeks ago. 

She still loves to clap, dance, wave and say "dada." 

She is STILL in size 2 diapers and 9 month clothes. She is just a petite little girl and I am okay with that. She is eating so well so I know she isn't missing out in that department. Although, I'm beginning to wonder if she's a vegetarian (joking) but seriously, every time I give her meat at home, she throws it on the ground. She'll eat all of her peas, blueberries, etc but the second I put chicken, fish sticks or steak in front of her, she doesn't want anything to do with it. It's strange because she eats all of this at school and has eaten it in the past at home. 

Speaking of food, we introduced whole milk this month. We are mixing breast milk with the whole milk so that she can easily transition to just whole milk since the taste is totally different. She drinks it out of a sippy cup and let's just say, we need some help here. She does so well with her bottles but just doesn't seem to have much interest in the cup. Any suggestions? 

I am beginning to wean myself from breastfeeding and pumping. My initial goal was to breast feed for 1 year and I can proudly so that I will meet that (if not go a little longer depending on how weaning goes.) I will write another post on this later but with going through mastitis turned into staph infection, I never thought I'd be able to say that I fought through it and would make my goal. I have a full freezer stash of milk and actually had to store some in a second freezer, so I am thankful that my supply has been plentiful. I will most likely just keep giving her the breast milk until I am out of it or just donate it. 

To recap this past month, we traveled a lot. Emerson met Santa for the first time (on two different occasions) and did great! She didn't really cry at all, so that's a plus.

We celebrated Christmas with family and had a blast watching her open presents and see the magic through her eyes. It was so special and I can't wait for the upcoming years when she understands it better.

We traveled to Richmond, VA to visit our friends Caroline, Reid and their sweet daughter, Lucie. Lu and E had the best time together and we can't wait to see them grow up together. Then, Andrew and I flew to New Orleans to watch our Tigers play against Alabama in the playoff game. It was a blast and although it was a short trip and didn't have the outcome we wanted, it was still worth every minute.

So, here are a few pictures since last month. 

We will be celebrating Emerson's 1st birthday next weekend with family and friends and although it will be a smaller celebration at our home, we are so thrilled to be able to celebrate her and the past year that she has brought love and joy to our family. 

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Emerson is Nine Months

Emerson was born on Friday the 13th with a full moon in the sky. She also turned nine months on Friday the 13th and I just sit here wondering where all of this time has gone. She is at such a fun stage in her little life and we couldn't love her more. She is moving all over the place and babbling and eating everything in sight. 

Some of her biggest milestones this month were starting to wave hello and goodbye when someone enters or leaves the room, and she is beginning to eat real table food. She's had "table" food for months but not like this month. She feeds herself and can't get food into her mouth fast enough! We also introduced water and a sippy cup this month. So far, she is doing well and drinks most of her water at school. She is pulling up on everything. She loves standing up against the coffee table and warming drawer of the oven (obviously when it's off).
Two of her favorite things: cell phones (only real ones, she could care less about the fake ones) and tv remote controls.





We had her 9 month wellness appointment this past week and she's a little over 17 pounds and 27" tall. She is still tiny for her age (37th for weight, close to 50th for height and 90th for head circumference), but she's doing great on the growth curve. She got her flu shot and it just breaks my heart to see her in pain. She is mainly in 9 month clothes (but still rocking some 6 month), and is still wearing size 2 diapers.



Her school menus crack me up. I keep joking about it but she really does eat better than I do! And, she still doesn't have any teeth so I don't know how this girl eats all of these foods but she loves it.








She went to her first Clemson game this month! The Tigers played Wake Forest and she did so well...a lot better than I expected. So well, that she made it through the first half and the only reason I took her out was because I was hot, and I needed to reapply her sunscreen.  She was a trooper.







We took her to Ehrhardt, where Andrew is a member of a hunt club. We drove around in our Kubota and she absolutely loved riding around.

We took her shoe shopping for her very first pair of shoes, but sadly, we came home empty handed. Apparently her feet are too small and narrow for hard soles, so we'll try again in a few months. But, she loves her Zutano soft soles that she wears to school. 

Here are a few pictures from school. We LOVE all of her teachers and are so thankful for the wonderful experience we've had so far. 

She loves playing at home with all of her toys, and we mostly enjoy snuggling and kissing on her. 

And for those of you wondering. Yes, she is still a thumb sucker. 

We are totally obsessed with you, sweet baby. We love you to the moon and back. 

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