Just Three Words...

BRAND NEW SMILE

Emmy's first bottom tooth broke through on July 9, 2010, 

and it's neighbor showed up a couple days later!

 A finger was sacrificed in the taking of this picture.  Those puppies are SHARP!

4 months down, 7 months old

July 16th marked yet another major milestone in this crazy year.  We celebrated 1/3 of the deployment behind us and Emmy's 7th month of life!

Nick is continuing to work tirelessly to lead his troops in their various mission sets, oversee the constant helicopter maintenance, complete his many administrative responsibilities, as well as tackle the daunting task of boosting morale.  His much-needed escape is in the gym doing his Crossfit workouts...The internet is down because many of his troops no longer want to pay for the shaky, at best, connection.  (Who could blame them?) For now, he is calling me as often as he can from the MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) phone with a 15 minute time limit.  There is no better sound than that of my husband's voice.

Perhaps it is tied with the sound of my daughter's coos.  Emmy derives great pleasure by all the wonderful noises that she can now make...Her latest sounds are "babababa", blowing raspberries and smacking her lips.  She literally squeals with delight whenever she gets excited.  Despite the fact that she is in the throes of her separation anxiety phase, she readily flirts with strangers from the safety of our Ergo pack when we are out and about.  It is impossible for me to exist anonymously anymore because she is striking up conversation with whomever should be near us.  In fact, while I was chatting with a girlfriend at a promotion party the other night, I turned my head to notice an older gentleman feeding her a Ritz cracker!  He was putty in her hand!  Little stinker.  I told Nick that I am going to make her a t-shirt that reads "Please don't feed the babies."

She has become very proficient at rolling over and began sitting up as soon as we got to California!  She can also stand on her own at the side of the couch (with Mommy as her safety net).  She loves experiencing the world from her new vertical vantage point.  She has become very "grabby," wanting to hold onto whatever happens to be in my hand. She loves any toy that has buttons to press as well as those that can be chewed on.  So far, she has handled teething fairly well aside from some minor sleep disturbances.

She is eating "solids" at breakfast and dinner and is still nursing in between.  I plan to introduce a lunchtime meal this week!  Her list of tolerated foods has grown to: rice, oats and barley cereals, bananas, avocado, apples, pears, carrots, mango, prunes, sweet potatoes, sweet corn and peaches.  Next up is cauliflower.  She tried Cheerios for the first time just a few days ago and is a huge fan!  At first she had trouble transferring the "O" into her mouth from her fist, and, understandably, became very frustrated.  By the second day, she was a pro.  Molly and Darla are jumping at the opportunity to clean up Emmy's stray Cheerios. :-P

Below are some pictures of my girl in a dress from her Grammy Horn; and also our first look at our Nick since he left four months ago (his grainy silhouette in the Steering Committee Video TeleConference doesn't count!)

Proud to Be Americans

It was Grandma's brainchild that we parade around the perimeter of her house playing kazoos in honor of America's birthday.  I can't think of a better way to publicly display our patriotism. We were all decked out in red, white and blue, waving American flags, humming (kazooing?) various nationalistic tunes.  JP and Andy led the way and Dad brought up the caboose with Jamie's picnic stereo, blaring "Stars and Stripes Forever," resting on his shoulder.  I believe that we did both Grandma and America proud.

Getting Loved on by G.G.

The day before we left California we paid Grandma (G.G. to her great grand babies) one last visit.  Grandma played cars with Andy, cheered for Clairey's mad walking skills and elicited giggles from Emmy as she nibbled on her toes and raved about her delicious toe jam.  She came through with one of her trademark off-the-cuff limericks and reminded us as we were leaving to always vote Republican.  Man, I love that woman!

 

Poppy's Birthday!!

We were so lucky to be in town to celebrate Poppy's birthday this year!  We had great fun at a wonderful family cookout!

Beach Breakfast

I decided that I couldn't leave California without seeing the ocean.  With our time quickly dwindling, Kris and I made last minute plans to throw the kids (jammies and all) into their carseats as soon as they woke up Sunday morning for a breakfast picnic on the beach in Half Moon Bay.  We agreed that even if we lasted just half an hour on the beach, the trip would be well worth it.  Two hours, six donuts and three sandy babies later, we reluctantly pried ourselves from the shore.  I have a hunch this will be something we talk about for years to come.

Emmy loved playing with the sand!

It's tough to say how much sand she ingested.

Overcast skies, mid-fifties temperature and a vacant beach made for ideal conditions!

This picture is a wonderful reminder of my new happy place. :-)

Ganging up on Clairey

Andy had fun chasing the waves!

Smiling at Clairey

Big Nights Out!

It's been awhile since I've been out after dark, and I was two nights in a row this week!  First, we celebrated Mom's (very early) birthday as a party of five at the delicious Esin Restaurant and Bar in Danville. I can't remember the last time we shared a meal as just the five of us! The next night, Mom, Kris and I snuck out after the kids' bedtime to head into the city!  We met up with Auntie Jackie at the Rockit Room to listen to my cousin Stef and her boyfriend Pierre's band, Gravy Trainwreck!  Stef sings back-up and Pierre plays the guitar and they make perfect harmony together!