Emery and Baby #2 Update

Two thoughts: #1---I haven't done a general "Emery" update in quite a while and she's saying and doing so many fun things that I should record to remember! #2---Poor baby #2 is getting pretty shafted when it comes to me recording things about this pregnancy. So, to make me feel better, I'm going to address those two things. This might be one of those lengthy posts that are mainly for me, and not so much enjoyed by you...just sayin'.

Emery...

is 21 months old and so much fun! I'm loving this stage more than ever. 

My favorite things she says:

"Hey Mama!" waving, when I come into the room.

"I neeeeeed Mama!" Said in various tones---mad if someone is bothering her, sad if she just got hurt, and like a broken record when she wakes up in the morning until I come get her.

"Look at the kitty climbing" this was mostly exciting because it happened at the Hoyt's and I'm pretty sure it's the first time she's put together 5 whole words on her own.

"I need your help!"

"Come play, Mama!" while grabbing my finger and pulling me to her toys.

"Silly Mama/Daddy" if we forget something or do something funny.

"Must be hidin'" anytime I ask her where something is or pretty much anytime we can't find something.

"Holy Cow!" (said like Hohwey Cow!). I don't think she knows what it means, she just likes how everyone laughs when she says it.

"She's cuuute. And niiiiice." After playing with her friend, Azalea, the other day. Now, no one is ever nice without being cute too.

"I miss (insert any of her friend's names)" It's fun how much she talks and thinks about her friends. I'm glad we live close to many of them in Atlanta and can play with them lots.

"Where's the kitty?" 

"Dolphin show!" which she loves, and we go to almost weekly at the aquarium.

"Happy Turkey Day! Gobble Gobble." On Thanksgiving Day, I taught her to say this, and now she just randomly bursts out with it sometimes, which is pretty funny.

"It's mine!" Said very seriously.

She loves running around and hates riding in her stroller. She also really likes music and I love singing songs with her---often in the car. She's catching on to lots of them and sings along with me. I even catch her singing the songs by herself while she plays---mostly just one phrase from a song, sung over and over again, but it's so cute! I hope someday in the near future we can get a piano, and that Emery continues to love music.

She takes a 1.5-2.5 hour nap during the day and sleeps about 11 hours at night. She still goes to bed pretty early and wakes up around 7 or 7:30. This is, of course, when we're not on vacation, dealing with 2 and 3 hour time changes and new places. 

She loves being chased and "hiding" (which means standing in random places, covering her eyes, and waiting for me to find her). After practicing for weeks, she finally got both feet off the ground when attempting to jump on Thanksgiving Day, and promptly fell back down onto her behind :) She loves hopping and jumping. Emery would play in the sink, dumping water from cup to container or washing her hands, for hours if I let her. This often keeps her entertained while I clean or get other things done around the house. 

For the most part, she's a great toddler. There are days when I can tell the terrible two's are approaching, but all in all she's a pretty happy girl and doesn't really get into things too bad---I haven't really had to do intensive "baby-proofing" of the apartment. In fact, since Emery is a pretty relaxed toddler, I'm  a bit nervous for what #2 could have in store for me.

Christmas was so fun with her this year and I think will keep getting better. I have this strange desire for Christmas to be exactly as awesome and exciting for me now as it was when I was a kid. This year, I learned that it's even better when you experience it through your own kid(s)! Emery was really excited about Santa Claus (but wouldn't sit on his lap), liked opening presents, and especially loved playing with Nativity sets. I loved teaching her about the very first Christmas---when Christ was born. It's so cute to hear her talk about Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and what seemed to be her favorite part of the whole story, "a new star!" 

Baby #2 at 16 weeks...

is moving lots! A couple days ago, I woke up to fluttery movements in my abdomen and knew for sure that I was feeling this baby move for the first time. I had been feeling something in earlier weeks, but wasn't quite sure if that's what I was feeling or not. I can't wait to find out the gender! I've got a girl name all picked out, so that means it will probably be a boy :) 

Pregnancy-wise, everything has been pretty similar to my first. Nauseous in the first trimester, but never threw up. I get light-headed and dizzy if I don't eat right away in the morning, but all in all, not too hard of a pregnancy. Luckily, those days when I was exhausted and needed to just lay on the couch for hours, it worked out that Pete was home, or Emery could be entertained watching movies, or something allowed me to push through it. 

As per my last pregnancy, I'm loving eating gross things that I usually don't crave---like french fries, and junior bacon cheeseburgers, and nacho cheese doritos (did you know taco bell has a dorito taco?!? Like a nacho cheese dorito taco shell filled with taco stuff!  Mmmmm so good). I'm usually not a meat eater, but man, when I'm pregnant...let's just say Pete feels like he's died and gone to heaven with all the meat and other fatty, creamy, salty stuff I want to eat. On the bright side, since I'm not feeling sick anymore, I'm eating lots more fruits and veggies, and Caesar salads sound especially good these days :) I love being pregnant during the winter, but man, all the holidays and their delicious foods make me think there's no way I won't gain 40 pounds like I did with my first pregnancy. Such is life. I keep feeling like I need to put a picture somewhere in these last few paragraphs, but all I have is a tiny ultrasound photo on my fridge at home :) Hopefully we get some more of those soon!