Sun, Sand, and SLIDES (An early start to Spring)

Las Vegas has completely disregarded Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of 6 more weeks of winter. On February 2 he declared he saw his shadow and that meant more cold, more chill, more low temperatures. Maybe for some, but for us here in Las Vegas it was quite the opposite actually.

 

I can’t remember having an “actual” winter day this year… we did reach freezing temperatures a couple days in December, but since then, we have been getting warmer, and warmer, and warmer. Emery’s birthday, February 25^th, was a bright and sunny day with a crystal blue sky and no need for a jacket or even long sleeves. Most people are loving the beautiful spring weather we have had the last month or so, and I have to agree that it is wonderful and makes enjoying the outdoors that much easier, however- I fear for the upcoming months and wonder, if we are already reaching temperatures in the 80s now, what will July and August feel like this summer?!

 

Well, instead of dwelling on the unknown of how excruciatingly hot it may or may not (but probably will) be, we have been doing our best to spend our days outside and take advantage of it while we have it. Emery is an outdoor girl for sure! She LOVES the fresh air and being in the sun. It has been so fun to watch her listen for new noises, like the birds chirping or the rumbling of the garbage truck rounding the corner.  We try to spend a couple hours outside every day walking around the yard, swinging on her swing set, or digging in the sand. She loves to play in the giant sand box that daddy built for her. OH and, her newest obsession is climbing up and going down slides. I was able to track down a “new-to-us” plastic climber set, and good thing too, because Emery LOVES it and boy does it keep her busy and wear her out (double bonus)! As soon as I got it put together she was trying to figure out how to climb up it. She loves being able to do it herself and when she gets to the top and stands up inside, she has the biggest smile on her face. Sometimes she gets so excited she squeals and cheers for herself!

 

She has learned the meaning of “sit down” and will do so when I tell her to before she goes down the slide. It still amazes me how quickly she is going from a baby who doesn’t know, to a toddler who understands and does it. I love being able to teach her knew things and watch as she absorbs the information and uses it the next go around. We worked on and practiced “sit down before you go down the slide” one day, and the next day she would climb up, stand up, walk to the top of the slide and sit down before going down- all by herself. Now, she doesn’t do it perfect every time of course, but for the most part, she gets it and is getting really good at it!!

We have also started getting better about getting out and interacting with other kids (and mamas too, which this mama is very happy about J). She is really liking her weekly playgroup filled with singing, reading and activities. We also go to a tumble class on Saturday mornings with Cousin Liam which is teaching her to jump, climb, grip, swing, and roll. Her favorite thing in gym class right now is the vertical ladder climb, although I am starting to see her trying to “practice” at home- climbing up and down things like couches, and daddy’s office chair. Oops! She also understands the “high bar”, and holds on with a death grip allowing her to swing like a monkey and even flip up and over the bar (with help from her teacher, Miss Lisa). What a treat it is to watch her pick and choose her favorites and see her get more comfortable with these things week after week.

Well, the last 6 weeks certainly weren’t filled with frigid temperatures or chilly storms for us, but they were filled with lots of sun, sand, and slides, as well as birthday parties and lots of friend playtime. Great Grandma Sellan had a Shirley Temple  birthday lunch on March 1st, and we celebrated Liam's 1st birthday March 9th in the sunshine and with Mickey ears on! With spring officially starting at the end of this week, I have to say that I am eager to continue to introduce Emery to all of the beauty and excitement that Mother Nature has to offer, and watch as she discovers new things day after day.

 

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."
-- Margaret Atwood

(Quote found on Uncle John's Facebook page)



Great Grandma Fran's Birthday

Liam's Birthday Party

In our backyard

Time to swing!

 

 



Snuck outside with Dallas!
(through the doggie door)

At the Park

Big girl climbing up the stairs

Bye - Bye Baby!!

WHERE DID OUR BABY GO?

Last weekend we celebrated Emery’s 1^st Birthday. Her FIRST BIRTHDAY….. wow- how did that happen? I promised myself that I wouldn’t be that mom who constantly tells her children that “it seems like yesterday Daddy & I were bringing you home for the first time” buuuuuuut  it really does seem like yesterday!  Ok, maybe a few months ago, but not a year. A year already?!  When I say this out loud to other parents, mainly those who have grown children, their response to me is “Just wait, it won’t be long ‘til you are throwing her a sweet 16 party!” Noooo I don’t want to be there already… I want to hold my baby Emmy Bear forever and keep her tiny- with her tiny feet and tiny hands, her little voice and all the adorable babble she rattles off. I want the clothes to stop getting bigger, the hair to stop getting longer, and the pitter patter of little feet to stop getting louder.  Okay-okay, not really- but if it would slow down a little that would be GREAT! ;0)

No- but seriously, it was a few weeks ago that Em and I were at a little boys 1^st birthday party that I finally realized she really isn’t a baby anymore. Well, she will always be my “baby”, but this girl was walking around this party like she owned the place. She had her sippy cup in one hand and a pink plastic robot arm in the other (that was the theme of the party; robots) and she was on a mission to see how many people she could get to tell her how cute she was, and to conquer the step between the sliding glass door and the patio (which she did in about 2 tries). I watched her walk from the kitchen out to the patio where the other, bigger girls were playing with chalk, and thought to myself “where did my baby go?”

A few days later, while Matt and I were out shopping, I picked up a pack of baby hair ties to attempt for the ba-gillionth time to pull her ever growing hair out of her eyes. When we got home I took two hair ties and gave her pigtails. She reached back up to me looking for her sippy cup, and off she went with her cup in hand & pigtails bouncing on top of her head. That was it…that was the final straw…. no more baby- we officially have a real-life little person! She knows what she wants & where she wants to go, and she knows how to get there! 

Farewell 2013!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!! 

Whoa…. I cannot even begin to explain how quickly the last month flew by for us and I can hardly comprehend that we are waking up this morning to a new month and a new year! Good morning January 1, 2014, nice to meet you.

Our New Year’s Eve was certainly unlike any we had ever had before. We had a pizza party over at Grandma Chris’ house and left Emery with her so that mama and daddy could go out and have a wild and crazy night............. at home watching a movie and casually drinking a glass or two of wine. YEP- we were baby free and all we wanted to do was put an action movie on with no regard to how loud the speakers were turned up, open a bottle of wine and ring in the New Year when the clock struck midnight. Emery is off to a great start for the New Year as well, she slept a solid 10 hours at Grandma’s house with not so much as a peep.  Hopefully that is her New Year’s resolution! 

Let me back up a little and explain what led to the want and need of a little R&R for mama and daddy. December proved to be a very exciting one with lots of Christmas excitement. We trimmed the tree, strung the lights, carried out old and introduced new traditions, hosted family at the house, paid a visit to the Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick, baked cookies, opened presents, started walking, cut FIVE new teeth, grew an inch or so, and learned to get really good at waving hello and goodbye.  Ok, those last few were only Emery’s accomplishments, but we were there every step of the way- so it feels like we worked on and achieved them as well. J

Let’s start with the big one, YES- she started walking!! We knew it wouldn’t be long, as she had looked as though she was strong enough to do it for about a week or so, and finally one Sunday afternoon (December 15^th to be exact) she let go and took her first steps. I was in the middle of making her baby food for the week when I looked up and saw this little person in her baby blue footed pajamas, with her arms stretched out in front of her, cautiously balancing her wobbly legs as she took one step, and then another and then another. I stood in awe with my mouth literally opened as I watched her take 4 or 5 steps, and then gracious fall back down to her bum. She turned her head back to see me and we both smiled a large grin and applauded the big achievement. She was so excited, and I was even more so. I grabbed my phone and stood her back up and made her do it a few more times so I could capture it on video to show to daddy, who unfortunately had just stepped out to run to the store. Since that day though, Matt has been able to see many more steps as she keeps on practicing her new “trick”. She has gotten pretty darn good at it too! She is starting to pick up speed and has really figured out her balance and the grace of falling. Luckily we haven’t had many hard spills (knock on wood!).

It was a month jammed packed full of a babbling baby now on the move, lots of holiday fun, an overdue visit from the Meyers and many-many tireless nights as Emery worked on cutting 5 new teeth all at once.  Needless to say by the time midnight rolled around on the 31^st, Matt and I looked at each other, clinked our wine glasses, kissed a New Year’s kiss, and headed off to bed. It was the perfect way to end a very exciting year full of new beginnings, and lots of firsts. We woke up this morning without the usual New Year’s Day hangover, feeling refreshed and ready to start 2014 out right. Matt is finally able to focus 100% on his real estate business and has bid farewell to the Palms Casino shenanigans for good. I have made a pledge to myself to focus more on finding a better balance of motherhood, work, and time for myself. We even talked about the possibility of me reentering the workforce on a very part time, simply to allow a little more daddy/daughter time, and a change of scenery for this homebound mama. It’s tough to say what this year will bring, but one thing is for sure- it will be full of new adventures, and possibilities!

{ EMERY'S FIRST RECORDED STEPS ARE BELOW THE PICTURES. SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW VIDEO :) }

 

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

                      

Well, it didn’t happen as fast as I had hoped, and today we are still working on getting the bulbs and ornaments on the tree, but getting the tree in and the lights on proved to be very fun for Emery!  Daddy put the tree up during bath time Sunday night, so Emery woke the next morning to a tree in her living room. Needless to say she was very interested in why this large tree was in her play area! She didn’t race over to it though, she admired it from afar. Then, last night, mommy and Emery put the lights on the tree, and she really enjoyed that!  With Christmas music blaring in the background, we took the, oh-so-very popular baby in lights pictures, played with some jingle bells, and finally - were able to get the lights on the tree.  Daddy and I were (and still are) very worried that she would want to use the tree to pull herself up, or want to put the branches in her mouth- pulling it over, but she was actually very gentle with it. She used a chair and table to pull herself up and get close enough to it to smell it and of course, taste the lights, but she didn’t pull, tug, or grab at the actual tree. Even this morning, she is playing around the tree with her toys, but has left it alone so far. Fingers crossed her curiosity won’t peek and cause a big crash. (Just kidding- we wouldn’t let that happen!)

 

So the lights are on the house, the tree is IN the house, and with the arrival of a special package full with Christmas gifts for Emery (thank you Great-Grandma Jan, and Great Aunt Jody!) it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! Vegas has also complied with winter standards and has FINALLY dropped down into the 5low 50s the last few weeks, with it currently in the mid 40s. Sure - it isn’t in the 20s with negative wind chill (like our relatives in Colorado), but we are just grateful to finally have weather we can wear our coats and hats in.

 

VIDEO: Sorry it's a little fuzzy- we had the lights low so we could admire the Christmas lights.  

If you listen closely you can hear her say "Dadda".

 

November Has Come & Gone

Another month has come and gone. I can’t hardly believe that we are a mere 4.5weeks away from Christmas, sure to be followed quickly with a big New Years Eve bash and then we will be working our way into 2014. YIKES!!

Ok, rewind….. back to November. Yes, it sure went fast but lets try to take it back and reminisce about all the craziness that Emery has started to embark on. Well, we all saw that she is well on her way to walking. Thank goodness she isn’t quite there yet, but she gets braver by the day, and is picking up speed both in her walker and with her push cart. She has almost mastered the art of “driving” forward in her pink car walker, backwards is not a problem, and is working on her turns. I think she’s a ways off from parallel parking, but who knows- the girl surprises me every day.

She is becoming a master pianist with her Fisher Price Step’N’Play piano. She made me remove the infant chair so that she can get the full effect of both sides of the toy and really work the keys. She loves it when she strikes the keys that play the songs. I swear she is starting to recognize the songs, and will “sing” along to them. Ok, maybe sing isn’t the right word, but I think it is her kind of singing, and she definitely goes along with the melody (sometimes)! She even sang us a few songs on Thanksgiving! We were all very impressed, and who knew we would be getting dinner and a show at the Thanksgiving dinner table?!  We all just listened and laughed, while Emery belted out her own tune and had we not all be so full, she probably would have earned herself a standing ‘O’.  Her very first Thanksgiving and she has already made herself the star of the party. She enjoyed the turkey and even the occasional brussel sprout (thanks to Auntie Laurel), but she stayed true to her mama’s colors and spit the mash potatoes right out.

Emery’s new favorite “trick” is clapping. One night, after Matt got home from work, she was sitting in the middle of the floor doing something that impressed daddy, so he clapped for her. She watched him, with her furrowed eyebrows of wonder, and mimicked him with her hands. The first couple times she missed, but it didn’t take long for her tiny little hands to connect and make a small little pop. Her eyes lit up and a giant smile dashed across her face. She has been showing off ever since. She is that much more animated now when she gets excited about something. She will drop her jaw, bounce on her little fluffy bum and clap her hands. Makes it a bit harder to take her pictures these days though; her fast clapping hands usually come out all blurry and sometimes make her look armless.

 

Ahh yes, November was full of great fun. We are working on more teeth. She is up to 3 now on the bottom, and if my tired mama sensor is correct, I would say she’s got a few more on the horizon. We are also in full fledge stranger danger mode these days. We started to see signs of this about a month or 2 ago, but look out, she’s got it bad these days. This wouldn’t be such a bad thing, if the “strangers” were in fact strangers, but when it is her Uncle John, or one of her aunties who just want to hold and hug her, feelings are hurt more often than not. Fortunately, I think most of the “strangers” understand that this is just another phase that will come and go, and she will soon be giggling at their funny noises and silly faces!!  And although this phase makes it extremely difficult for mama and daddy to find time away, we just keep reminding ourselves that it is a good thing that she is attached to us, and that one day soon she will realize that she doesn’t need us all the time (that day will probably be harder than dealing with the wails of today).

 

Well, I think that about sums it up and brings us back to today. We just took down all the fall décor and tomorrow the stockings will be hung and the Santas will be up. This is going to be such a special holiday season. I can’t wait to spend it introducing Emery to the wonder of Christmas and the good-ol’-fashion spirit of the holiday. We started it off right two nights ago. We watched the local Christmas tree lighting together, saw our first glimpse of Santa Clause, and felt a bit of Jack Frost on our noses. Daddy put the lights up on the house today, and the Christmas tree will hopefully be trimmed next weekend….. hmmm—I wonder how that will be with an almost-walking, busy little curtain climber buzzing around?!?!?!

 

Bath time, Fun time! 
 

Christmas tree Lighting

 
 

 

Up On Her Feet!!!

Well, it happened! Emery has discovered the joys of being upright and over the weekend figured out how to use her push toys to stay on her feet and get to where she wants to go that much faster.  Friday afternoon she decided to try it and by Saturday evening she was doing laps from the living room to the kitchen and back.  I tried my very best to capture this on video, but to be honest the first time she started doing it, I was in shock and had both excitement and fear running through my veins. Of course, initially I was so excited for her.  She was so proud of herself and was smiling from ear to ear as she put one foot in front of the other and pushed her walker toy down the hall.  At just 8.5 months she was walking and loving every minute of it. Then my excitement drained and my mama-bear panic mode kicked in. She’s going to fall; wipe out; hurt herself.  It took everything in me to not swipe her up in my arms and protect my little girl from the potential pain that this new adventure could cause her. Okay-okay, it wasn’t quite that dramatic; but close. I stood in front of her walker and guided it down the hall way with my foot just off the front of it to make sure that it wouldn’t slip out from her as she walked all the way from the living room to our back bedroom. She was so happy with this new, foreign experience and didn’t want to stop. As soon as we got on the carpet (the "safe-zone"), I turned on the video and started to record it.

Since then, she has discovered that her little, pink car walker works a whole lot better if she stands on the outside of it then if mama puts her in it. Emery, the little daredevil, doesn’t like to be restrained and has the “I can do it by myself” mentality. (I wonder where she gets that from?!)  She spent most of Saturday pushing her pink car around the house, figuring out how to maneuver it around the dogs, chairs, and walls, She quickly learned that when-in-doubt, walk around the car, grab on to whatever is close and keep on going (this gives me a slight panic attack every time she does it)!  She was so impressed with herself, she practiced all day, & continued to show off for daddy when he got home from a long day's work.

It’s a weird combination of feelings watching her grow and figure out the world around her. I can’t help but feel proud, and share in her joy as she learns new things and becomes more and more independent, Then again, there is a tinge of sadness & longing for the little 7lb 14oz baby girl born not that long ago, who would just sleep in my arms and snuggle with me until I decided to put her down. Now she’s off and running (well walking), figuring out & doing things on her own. (Note to self: invest in many pairs of no-slip socks).

I know, I know- everyone warned me, “Enjoy it, it goes fast”, but you don’t realize just how fast it really goes until it’s gone and the next step is already here. I have no desire for things to go any faster than they already are.  Do as the country song says, and "let them be little".  I continue to remind myself with every  challenging day (yes, we have those) and every exhausting night, that these days will come and go too, just as those days that she would just lie in her rocker and stare up at me are long gone. There are many things that I miss from her early days, but they are replaced with new, exciting things- so I suppose it all balances out. Today it is walking with her push toys… I’m not sure what tomorrow will be- but I can guess that it will be exciting as well. So as I jet off to rescue my little love from her morning nap, I leave you with a few clips of her new “trick”.

 

 

 

October- Fall Family Fun

 

 

 

 

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 ctober proved to be yet another busy month for the Meyer Family. Matt is still working double time, putting in long hours at the Palms Casino and working day and night expanding his real estate business. After getting his first listing and it falling into escrow just 3 days after hitting the market, he is more motivated than ever to make the transition out of the casino industry and into something of interest with limitless potential. Inside the Meyer house, mama and baby Emery are still trying to figure out that incredibly challenging balance of work-at-home vs keeping house vs chasing baby. So far, chasing baby is winning with the “work-at-home” a distant, yet somehow successful second, and as far as the “keeping house”…. well, let’s just say that it’s a good thing we haven’t had any unexpected guest visits (or planned for that matter) lately!

October has always been, and will always be my favorite month. With it being the heart of my favorite time of year, fall, and of course the re-introduction of Starbucks’ ever-famous Pumpkin Spice Latte… it also holds a special place in my heart with our wedding anniversary on the 24th and of course the tricks & treats of Halloween. This year was no different, although, with continuing to figuring out new “sacrifices” in order to keep me at home with Emery, my PSL addiction switched to home brewed pumpkin spiced coffee grounds (which actually turned out to be a very yummy "sacrifice") And then there was Halloween, which somehow creeped up unexpectedly fast with little-to-no time to plan a family themed costume, so the month ended with the cutest little lady bug and a very poor attempt of a retro golf couple.

 Luckily, we were able to find some time to enjoy each other on our anniversary by taking a nice drive up to Mt Charleston.  Matt, Emery, and I – along with Dallas in tow, drove up to the mountains to enjoy a brief couple of hours out of the hustle and bustle of the city. Clean air, a brisk breeze, and sweet smell of cedar trees, was enough to keep a smile on Emery’s sweet face as we introduced her to the great outdoors. Matt & I took turns wearing her up the small hiking trail, but it didn’t take long to realize, it has been way too long since we have done anything active, and promised Emery that we would work on getting back into shape so that we can do more hikes, more often! :- )

Emery has been super alert and active since the day she was born, and 8 months later- nothing has changed. She is crawling around the house like crazy, chasing the dogs and anything else that might catch her eye. Luckily, our house was already pretty baby friendly, so she pretty much enjoys the freedom of going here there and everywhere, with mommy keeping a close eye on her of course. Although I am hoping for a little longer before the bear crawls turn into full blown walking, I'm not sure it is far off. She is constantly challenging herself by pulling herself up with the help of every table, wall, or stool, as well as figuring out how to balance flat footed with little to no support. Just last night, as I was making dinner and she was discovering the joys of an open dishwasher, I looked down only to discover that she had both hands full with utensils, and her feet planted flat on the floor, waving a large plastic ladle in front of her face. She looked up at me and smiled, which broke her concentration, causing her to gracefully fall down to her bum. . I couldn’t help but be amazed at how quickly this little girl goes from not doing something to just all of a sudden figuring it out. I fear the next time I write, I will be talking about the joys of the pitter-patter of little feet.

She has also started to figure out using her tongue and lips to make different noises and form different “words”. We are still a long ways off from her actually saying anything with meaning but she is mastering her “b’s”, and recently (to my delight) her “m’s”, which in turn translates into “mama”.  Matt was first to catch it one night when he was changing her into her pj’s. “She’s saying mama” he said to me. At first I thought he was crazy, but the following few days, it was unmistakable, and she, for sure was getting the hang of ma---mmmmm—ma-ma.  Whether she understands what she’s saying or not, it still warms my heart every time I hear it, and of course she understands she gets quite the reaction from us when she does it! Lately I have been trying to get her to work on her “ds” and I’m sure it won’t be long before Matt gets to join me in this sensational feeling. She has also caught on to the dogs’ vocal ability, and when they get excited or bark at the front door, so does Emery- well- sort of “barks” it’s more of a yell but it’s quick and high pitched like their bark, and of course SUPER cute!  The other thing she has picked up from her “puppy brothers” is the shaking of her head. I’m pretty sure she saw Dallas shake his head back and forth with a toy one day (which he often does), and now she does it every time she gets excited. It proves to be pretty funny to us, since in our minds it looks like she is saying “no”, but ultimately she is merely at the beginning stages of repeating everything she sees. 

A reminder to us that is it time to watch what we do and say! 

                               On the move

 

 

 

Emery's 1st Pumpkin Patch                                             Helping mama work

 

Hanging out with the pups