Chow Down!

I just have to share how well Emerson has been doing lately. She loves to eat and sticks her tongue out down to her chin before each bite. I've just started introducing finger foods and I've started with Puffs which are great because they almost instantly disintegrate in her mouth. It's always nerve racking starting solids, you just hold your breath and pray you don't have to do the heimlich. She also cup drinks about 1/2 cup of rice or oatmeal cereal a day which my friends think is amazing to watch her do. She is currently closing in on 16 lbs. Just when I think those cheeks couldn't get any bigger. Here is a picture of a face only a mother could love!

Emerson has also made enormous strides in her physical ability. In her bag of tricks is now sitting up on her own (although we do have to put a pillow behind her because when she get tired she flings herself backward), rolling over multiple times to get a toy, and she just started this week pushing all the way up on her arms. Most importantly she is a smiling queen. We do have a hard time capturing it on photo because she sees a camera and then just stares at it. Go Emerson! We are so proud.

This past weekend we had friends over with their 1 1/2 year old son, Sam. I took some pictures of him with Ella and wanted to share them because I feel they just capture her personality. She is such a ham!! I don't know what this elbow pose is all about, whenever I say "cheese!" this is the pose she strikes.
She also loved dragging poor Sam all over the house and telling him what to do. I know she will be the girl in Kindergarten who picks out a boy and says "Hey (insert shy boy's name here), just so you know, you're my boyfriend." She is so loving, so smart, and just a great big sister.

These past months I know were very hard on Ella as well. She had to endure the hours of crying just like we did. She also had to put up with a mom who was unavailable a lot because she was soothing a baby. It's amazing how she just pulled through. She loves her baby sister and when she crys manages to still say, "Oh, poor baby". We've had some challenges now that she is 2, but I'll take it! She is so much fun!