Our Pianist

My little Emma Bug loves her some piano. Mamma and Daddy love to listen to her play! My mother in law bought this fun piano for Emma and it has brought her so much joy. I'd say money well spent!! She plays delicately with one finger at times, and then other times, she is rockin' like Sir Elton John. She loves to turn the plastic pages (which make a swoosh sound like papers turning) and has started “singing” as she plays. She also has started swaying back and forth as she plays. She’s a very rockin’ chick! We tried to get her on camera singing and composing, but I think it was too close to dinner time because she wasn’t that happy. So this video doesn’t show her to be the amazing prodigy that I’m sure she is (ha ha), but you will at least see her enjoying playing some of the time.


She has a trip to the zoo planned today with some friends, so we wanted to make sure she would be protected from the sun. Of course, this doesn’t mean slathering her with baby sunscreen (which, note to self: we need to get!) but instead picking an outfit that had an adorable matching hat. And because I thought she was so adorable, I had to take some pictures. She’s cute, admit it.

She’s got a fourth tooth coming in which has resulted in her constantly grinding her teeth together. That sound is like nails on a chalkboard to me. My brother used to grind his teeth and I hated it. Fun that this is Emma’s new favorite thing to do. ARG!

We graduated to a new big girl car seat this weekend. It was sad to see the carrier at the end of its use for Emma, but exciting that she now can sit up farther! We also got a mirror (I know, how have I been a functioning mother for the last 8 months without being able to see my baby while I drive??) so I can now see her. It was hard to find a mirror that will fit in the back of the Hummer. See, the back seat has headrests, BUT they do not move. So that makes finding something that will fit/work/do what I need it to do, nearly impossible. Hence she is 8 months old and we just now are installing this. BUT, that being said, I LOVE to be able to see her. It’s sort of disconcerting because it looks like she is facing forward which she cannot do until she is both 20 pounds AND one year old. So I keep freaking out a little bit until I remind myself of the properties of mirrors and that we’ve got a double mirror action going. But it’s fun to watch her look around and seem to enjoy the scenery. My little baby is growing up.

With the new car seat, she’s also graduated to her new stroller. Jeff’s sister gave him a stroller for Emma for his birthday (some said that was an interesting birthday present for him, but he and I were – and are – tickled pink!). It folds up like her baby stroller and even has cup holders for Mamma. That is key. I need a place to stash my keys and phone and drink if I have one – digging in a Mary Poppins-esque diaper bag for keys or a ringing phone is not my idea of a good time. She loves being able to look around and see everything but Mamma’s only regret is that I can no longer see HER! I miss those little brown eyes gazing up at me as we wander through the grocery store or Home Depot or wherever we happen to be. But it’s good for her to enjoy the stimulus around her. I’ll get over it.

Emma continues to be a joy – she’s not crawling yet, but she does get up on all fours and rock back and forth. She also has figured out how to push herself backwards. And somehow, she sits but spins around 360 degrees, so she manages to “get around” just fine without actually crawling. I’m fine that she isn’t crawling yet – I figure it’s only a matter of time before we have to install the 4 gates I figure we need.

1. Top of the stairs
2. Bottom of the stairs
3. Entry into the kitchen from the living room
4. Entry into the dining room from the entry way

Kylie is going to be some confused when her paths around the house are blocked and she can’t get from A to B. Hmmm….that means we may have to rethink the placement of her water bowl. She’ll need access to that all the time. Secondary water bowls around the house? OK, I have to rethink that one. Didn’t count on Kylie’s hydration needs. Darn it!

We had to get some more 6-9 month clothes for Emma this weekend. She’s got a closet full, but we are very skinny in the 6-9 month size. I had to put more of the smaller sizes away again, which left it blaring clear that she was in need. Because we were so blessed with clothes before Emma was even born and I literally have a closet full of little girl clothes – I think I have stuff up to 3 or 4T – I haven’t had to purchase much. Jammies are hard to keep her in – she seems to outgrow those and socks most frequently (which, can someone explain that to me! How do day clothes fit but jammies don’t! Does the washing machine shrink jammies more?). So it is fun when I get to actually pick out and buy sweet little pink clothes for her. Unfortunately for Emma, her mamma loves the color pink and so we buy a lot of it! We managed to pick up about 6 new onesies and 6 pairs of pants. Most of which are interchangeable. That should make Daddy’s life easier. Pick a onesie, and it should go with any of the pants we bought. Now if we could just get him to coordinate socks…and brush her hair before a bow goes into it. Baby steps.

He’s such a wondrous help getting her ready in the morning so if socks don’t exactly match or a bow was hastily clipped into a head of unbrushed hair, I really have no room to complain. Jeff is so good with Emma. With my work schedule, he is the one who drops her off in the morning and is it Jeff who picks her up in the evening. He feeds her breakfast and usually has fed her dinner by the time I walk through the door. I hate not having as flexible a work schedule as he has, but I have to remember that I am blessed that one of does. He’s very hands on and she adores him. Nothing is sexier than a man with a baby. I have told Jeff many times that on July 7th, when little Emma was just hours old, I remember waking up in my hospital bed and he was sitting in the chair next to my bed holding Emma. He had a stubbly face (July 6th was a loooooong day if you remember) and was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. Crazy second day hair and his feet were bare, but he had this tiny pink bundle cradled in his arms and was looking at her with wonder and amazement. He was so handsome. Almost beautiful. I know you shouldn’t say that about a man, but he was. I fell more in love with him that morning when I didn’t think that was possible. Just tumbled right over the edge. I knew he would be a good daddy early on in our dating relationship and he has done everything to prove my suspicions correct. To see that little girl adore her daddy is priceless to me. We are a very blessed family of three.