A Zoo Day

Last Tuesday the hubs and I took Emma Claire to the National Zoo for the second time. We went last year when she was itty bitty. This time was WAY more fun! Plus we went with my friend Hayley and her twin boys. We all had a blast!

 

Emma Claire is such a ham.

 

They LOVED the birds.

Walking over the elephant enclosure!

 

Just keeping it real. This is the best picture of the two of us.

Daddy for the win.

And this is what happens when you try to get a picture of three toddlers after a long day at the zoo. Oh well. That's real life for you.

We had a blast and I can't wait to take Emma Claire back the older she gets.

A Buggy Day

This morning Emma Claire woke up early so I called my friend Hayley to see what they were up to, and we decided to meet up at the battlefields and let our early wakers burn off some energy. I just have to add that this morning Emma Claire wore her first ever "real" ponytail aka a pony on the back of her head. It was pretty stinkin' precious, if I do say so myself.

 

 

Before heading to meet up with Hayley and the boys we had to stop by our neighbors yard and say hi to our resident baby bunny. He was born a few weeks ago and comes out of his nest each morning. Emma Claire is just beside herself with excitement whenever we catch him out in the grass.

 

 

Right before loading up the car I ran inside to grab my diaper bag and saw THIS coming out of our entry closet. To say that I am terrified of spiders would be an understatement. And this sucker was big. Small body, big legs. No thank you. After freaking out for a while I did finally put on my big girl panties and kill it. Then we went on our way. And yes, I did feel creepy crawly ALL. DAY. LONG.

 

I did manage to get over myself and enjoy our time at the battlefields.

 

These three are a hoot.

 

After playing with the boys we ran to goodwill and then headed home to eat lunch. I just love her sweet little smile.

 

And tonight while in the bath I found a little visitor on Emma Claire's head. Her first ever tick. Because I wasn't buggy enough after my giant spider encounter. Thankfully I had the hubs home so he was able to help with the removal. He held her body/head down while I removed. No fun. Thankfully my neighbor came over and brought Emma Claire some fruit loops {yes at bedtime} and that made it all better. It's the little things. ;-) And yes, we kept the tick. The husband wants to keep it in our deep freezer in case we need it for identification purposes later down the road. I couldn't argue with being prepared. Good thinking, daddy.

So here's to tomorrow. May it be less buggy.

 

 

She Calls me Momma

I am so blessed to call this sweet girl mine. She's the one who made me a momma. I can't remember what my life was like before she was a part of it.

And just for fun, a little comparison.

She has grown SO much since last year!

Outside

My little princess is happiest when she's outside and covered in dirt. :-) Tonight we took advantage of the warm temperatures and sunshine and spent our evening outside. We ate popsicles, played with bubbles, dug in the dirt, and visited with neighbors. It was the perfect end to our Saturday.

 

 

 

I just LOVE her little legs. And that popped foot. Such a little lady...even when that foot is covered in dirt.

Day by Day: EC at 18 Months

It's no surprise that at 18 months Emma Claire is absorbing everything around her like a sponge. Her vocabulary has increased at a ridiculously fast rate these past few weeks. And each day she gets funnier and develops her sense of humor. So for the sake of documentation here is a little run down of what miss Emma Claire has been up to these days. AKA momma failed on an "official" 18 month post. So this is what I've got for ya. Ha!

- We had her 18mo appointment today and she is 31.5 in long (50%), her head circumference is 18.5in (which is around 75%), and she weighs 21.6lbs (>10%). Her doctor said she is "growing beautifully" and is doing great. She was impressed with her speech and social skills. 

- Right now EC is fighting a little virus and has been quite pitiful today. She has been running a fever around 101 and has a little runny nose. No other symptoms other than being clingy and fussy. And while I'll take the cuddles I hope she is better soon. I hate when she is sick. Hurts my momma heart. 

- Each morning the first thing we do is nurse. She is still sleepy and groggy at first, but by the time she has nursed on both sides she is wide awake. Some days I dose off again while she nurses. I am awakened by her waving at me and saying, "HI! HI! HI!" "Momma? Momma? MOMMA!!!" She will then proceed to violently poke me in the eye show me where my eye/nose/mouth/teeth/tongue/cheek/hair/ are. This goes on for about five minutes. I'm pretty sure this routine is akin to a morning cup of coffee for her. 

- Tonight when asked her, "What's your name?" she responded with "Eeeeemaclaighre". Getting there! haha! For a while she's been saying her name is Emma. And as hard as I fought for her to be an "Emma Claire" you'd better believe we aren't letting her stop at "Emma" ;-)

- I know I've mentioned her obsession with babies recently. What I've failed to mention is that she is obsessed with all babies. Everywhere. Any time of day. Boy or girl. Awake or asleep. In a carrier or out of a carrier. Being held. On the ground. You get the idea. Girlfriend has baby fever. She actually threw a fit in a restaurant the other day because I wouldn't let her jump inside of a {strangers} baby carrier. True story. 

- I'm pretty sure she is going to be a tan baby this summer. Cue excitement. I have always been pretty pasty, even during the summer. Well miss EC has gotten a little bit of sun this spring and even with sunscreen on her arms and legs have tanned nicely. I love this for her. 

-  She would eat avocados for each meal if I let her. 

- She is such a great "helper" these days. I let her put veggies and fruit into bags at the grocery for me, she loves to "help" cook and add food to pans, tonight she helped me make our smoothie by adding the fruit into the blender, she is ALWAYS trying to get the dogs more food/feed them food, whenever we have a baby at our house she is constantly trying to give them a passy/kiss them. I think someone will be a great big sister SOME DAY. ;-) 

- Girlfriend is a monkey. She can climb chairs, coffee tables, couches, end tables, stairs, outdoor patio furniture. You name it, she can climb it.

- She really is a little parrot these days. Just this week she has started saying "Sit" {as in...I want to sit on the counter. NOW. Wonderful}, Abby {a friends dog}, Elmo, Claire, spoon, kiss, and several others I can't think of now. She mimics almost every word we say.

- She can be very insistent when she want's something. If she wants a book, she want's a book NOW. She will say, "buh, buh BUH BUUUUUH" while signing book until she gets one ;-) 

This is such a fun age. I love watching her explore and learn more each day. She is growing into such a sweet, loving, feisty, and smart toddler. I can't wait to see what the other half of this year brings! I can't believe in only six months we will have a two year old. Time flies. 

Weekend Whatnots

This was just going to be a weekend {Saturday/Sunday} update, but I realized I have other random things to share. So here it goes, what we've been doing these days.

 

On Thursday Emma Claire and I had a lunch/play date with some friends of ours. The weather was perfect so we got to eat lunch outside and then play by the fountains after. EC even got some ice cream before we headed home. Please note that she INSISTED on holding it all by herself. Such a big girl. The top right picture cracks me up. She was dancing. I have to credit her moves to miss Raleigh Grace. Before traveling to NC last month EC would ONLY dance with her lower body. Now she dances with her arms and shoulders some times, which she picked up from the one and only Raleigh Grace.

Emma Claire loves clothes. She is always trying to put my clothes on while I'm showering.

Our azaleas are in full bloom and I am LOVING all of the PINK outside our house! Beautiful!

I took Emma Claire to a big antique store. Crazy or brave. You decide. But she didn't break anything. I call that a success.

I am finally getting around to several home decor projects that have been waiting to be done.

On Saturday Emma Claire and I went to a big community yard sale. We had to walk almost a mile to get there. Thankfully it was worth it!

I scored a like new play kitchen for TEN BUCKS. Oh and that fisher price doll house? One dollar. I'd say it was a good morning.

 

After leaving the big yard sale we met up with the hubs and drove around to a few more yard sales. We saw this little play cottage sitting out in a driveway and I sent the husband to ask how much it was. I honestly didn't even think it was worth getting out of the car for because I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something EC doesn't "need" yet. I was honestly shocked when he came back and told me "they want $25 for it" to which I said, "We're getting it!" ha! Ten minutes later it was strapped to the roof of the car and we were headed home.

 

 

We unloaded it into our front yard and Emma Claire didn't waste any time, she started playing inside immediately.

I have been blessed to have several photo shoots lately. However, that also means I've been leaving Emma Claire a lot. It's hard for me to leave her but I know she's in good hands. On Saturday I left her with my friend Hayley and her twin boys. I just love how these three love each other. I think she was well taken care of while I was gone.

New play kitchen in action. She loves it. And I cannot tell you how excited I am that I only paid TEN dollars for it. Mommy for the win. Oh and happy Cinco de Mayo. EC did in fact wear her festive dress to church. ;-)

She is obsessed with her cottage. And I don't blame her. It's pretty darn cute.

Emma Claire is obsessed with kissing right now. She is always making a kissy face and saying "mmmmmmmwah"

Another new trick. NOT sitting in the cart. She won't sit in the kiddo seat, and she won't sit in the big part of the cart. So now I spend about three times longer in all stores because I walk holding the front of the buggy, and her arm/back/jacket/whatever I can grab to hold her still. Toddler hood. So fun.

She has fallen twice on her face. She always scrapes her nose. Which I hate. But how cute is she in my sunglasses.

 Gracie {aka "bebe"} wins best dog award this week. EC is constantly wanting to "hooooode" her and bounce her in the bouncer. And Gracie lets her. It's pretty cute.

So there you have it. Emma Claire is officially EIGHTEEN months old. Closer to two than one. And she seriously is at such a great age. I am loving it. She is talking up a storm, still signing, still breastfeeding, she can run and tries to jump, loves babies and animals, and just has the sweetest spirit.

 

My photography business is doing well. I am having so much fun with my photo shoots and feel completely blessed.

 

Hubby has been working a lot but thankfully tomorrow starts our true weekend. We have plans with friends, some home improvement projects to tackle, and hopefully can fit in some relaxing.