Eleven Months

It's true: my sweet Emma is one month away from being a year old.  I can't believe it, but won't dwell on it today.  At eleven months, Emma is testing her every boundary.  She fights her naps, loves cords and outlets, and laughs wholeheartedly when we tell her no.  So, yeah, we've been busy.

But of course she's still as sweet and lovable as she can be.  For just about a week now, Emma has continued to cry some when Sara and I leave her room at school in the mornings.  I've found that the crying is way less dramatic if she has something to eat.  Yesterday she had waffles, and barely gave a whimper.  Every afternoon, she is absolutely beside herself with excitement when we pick her up - I love those moments!

Like the rest of us, Emma enjoys the pool.  She loves to just float and watch the activity; she's especially entertained by Sara's big splashes when she jumps in the water.  Emma also continues to love bath time.  Our new bathtub has a really slippery bottom, unlike the one in our old house, so I had to buy one of those mats to keep Emma from slipping all over the place.  It doesn't help that she loves to stand in the tub, and even after I put in the mat, she managed to find the few inches of uncovered tub space to stand and slide around in.  Also, she thinks that having to get dressed is the world's worst form of torture.  The tears she can conjure up in the minute it takes to get her dressed really are impressive.

Emma is still wearing her nine-month clothes and size three diapers. She went back to the ENT last week for a re-check on her ears. Her hearing test had improved significantly, the tubes were in place, and no infection was present. Hallelujah. We'll go back to the pediatrician for her 12-month check-up in September; more growth stats at that time.  As of today, she has six teeth: four top, two bottom.  Emma's preferred mode of transportation is bear crawling on hands and feet.  She loves to stand, but hasn't shown much interest in walking.

And of course, Sara is still Emma's favorite person.  One time recently Sara was playing dress-up in her room, and she shut her door.  Emma was just outside of it and started crying immediately.  Sara opened the door and let me know that her sister could come in to play, but that I could not.  The fact that she let her sister in was enough to override my disappointment in not being invited to the party.  I know that the bond they have is one that will forever exist with or without me.  What an amazing thing.