Exciting days.... (a.k.a. hard ones)

Project 'Keep Baby Inside Longer' has begun and we've had two trips to Labor and Delivery.  As with Emmeline, Momma is on partial-bed rest which complicates life just a wee bit. With no going out, lifting or pushing and little on my feet time we've been pulling out all the stops of making our home play environment new and exciting for this little toddler.  She is a good sport, taking great delight in putting on and taking off shoes and coats and hats (no doubt hoping that one day we'll go somewhere).  We've read lots and lots of books, colored on far too many things not to be colored on, diapered all the animals and dolls and starting sitting on the potty.  We're thankful to have reached 27 weeks in this pregnancy and pray that baby girl will stay put for a while yet. In the meantime Miss E is working on five teeth at once! Yikes. Its easy to bemoan these long winter days and the counting contractions too early moments but there's so much to be thankful for: 27 weeks!, not being on complete bed rest, the ability to spend time with my daughter and its still so cold I don't really want to go out anyway.  

Sixteen Months

 Dear Emmie B,

You are sixteen months old. In one way that doesn't seem possible. Weren't you just born? But in another, you've learned and grown so much that I have to pinch myself to remind myself you are actually only sixteen months.  You are twenty-two pounds and 30 inches tall! You are so busy. You move all the time. You love to rock on chairs, climb on chairs, climb on tables, hide behind things and ride your bike. You kick in your crib to go to sleep.  You are such a wonderful helper. You love to carry things to the laundry basket, to put things away, to sort jars and cans in the cupboard, to feed the cats and wash your hands. You know how to put shoes and clothes on by yourself and can use a spoon successfully.  You can come up and down the steps holding the railing and a hand. You read books out loud and your vocabulary is amazing.  You know the sounds of cat, dog, chicken, cow, pig, horse, sheep and bunny.  You still love birds, early music such as Rameau and Bach, peas, blueberries, strawberries and yogurt.  You are making great strides in independence and can transition to people you do not know and befriend them after a few minutes.  You finally like to cuddle and offer kisses, hugs and snuggles to pictures of babies and cats and even your bath toys.  You've begun to mother your baby dolls, which is good news for the adventure arriving in a few months.  Your greatest joys include dancing with your papa, playing outside when it is not cold or snowy, playing with your cousins, discovering the sound of new words and learning to identify new pictures.  Sweet baby girl you are a toddler and we delight in you. We rejoice that you are obedient and polite, in your "amens" at dinner and in the the joyful nature that bubbles out of you.  We love you Emmie B, our beautiful little girl!

Does Baby Like the Snow?

At the beginning of winter we discovered our baby girl hated going outside in the snow. She didn't like being cold or wet. She disliked bulky coats, hats and gloves. Boots she didn't mind if she could wear them inside.  We've now had many many times to experiment with snow and we've decided that Emmeline really and truly does not like snow.  She'd much prefer to be inside in a pool of sunlight reading her books or curled up in front of a cozy fire.  She has such decided opinions about life for being so tiny! 

...because it hasn't snowed enough this winter...

I opened the door to look outside, and couldn't see anything...

...so I went outside to have a look...

...and discovered that we had been transported to the North Pole overnight.

(...and that apparently our garage door needs new weatherstripping.)

Signs of Spring

 Papa took a trek out in the yard yesterday to survey the damage from the storms we had this week. Lots of downed tree branches and sunken boughs made our yard look a bit sad.  However, he found hints of spring hidden within the icy sculptures- buds on trees!  The appearance of bluebirds (haven't caught a photo of them yet), and the brighter afternoon sunlight help us dream that spring is coming.  In the meantime we've had the flu, lots of tea parties by firelight, inside playing and resting.

Emmie and her Hammer

In the middle of more snow and ice Emmie has been practicing her hammering 

skills. She wants to be like her Opa!  This sweet little girl makes us laugh so.