Hmmm, what to write about. It's been long enough that I've forgotton all of those "I need to blog about this" ideas. I suppose I can just put up more pictures . . . that's why people really get on the blog anyway.

Oh, Emilee's 9 month check up happened (over a month ago). She is staying on her growth curves well. She was 28in and 20lbs. The doctor said Emilee is doing good by keeping her weight - normally babies at this time really plateau because they're becoming more active. Well, I think Emilee's always been more active maybe that's why she's still hugging the curve.

Emilee has taken up a new hobby. No longer is she content with just opening and closing things. She has decided that it is fun to pull things out of drawers. She started by pulling things out of her bottom drawer (mostly socks and bibs). Then she pulled out and threw all of Dad's socks while we were getting ready for church. Back to her drawer to completely empty it before being satisfied. Then she got into my drawer inside the closet (it took her all of ten seconds being inside the closet to find it). And, she finally moved on to the kitchen. I'm trying to help her understand the concept of putting things back, but she's not quite willing to learn that yet.

Emilee still loves being outside. She likes to just be out of doors. Not confined. Able to feel like she can do what she wants. New things to see instead of the boring walls of our house. And, she loves going places where she has a whole new audience to fawn over her.

I took Emilee to the park a few weeks back to visit one of my co-workers and her daughter who is a month younger than Emilee. We had a good time, but I wish we could have played longer --- it was just too close to nap time to last for long. It was funny because their outfits were coordinated well, and we didn't even plan for that! Emilee and Bella tried playing a little bit with each other, but mostly they wanted each other's toys, and Emilee tried to steal Bella's mom (forget about me)! My friend got some cute pictures, and we decided both these little girls have very expressive faces to go with their already present personalities. Gotta love them!

Emilee has also been pushing anything she can move around the house. She prefers to push two things at once so she can have something in each hand. Just yesterday, Emilee took 5 steps unassisted. And she did it more than once!!! She walked from the couch to the recliner. From the recliner to Mommy - and back again. Then when Daddy came home she showed him too. And when from Daddy to Mommy and back. True to form, she would not perform for the video camera. What a stinker!!! She'll be ready to show family her new skills at Thanksgiving I hope.

Lastly, bathtime. She loves playing in the bathtub. And, we like playing with her. We tried to get pictures of her first bubble beard.

And, this is Daddy's fave!!

First Halloween

A little bit about Emilee's first Halloween. We got up in the morning and did normal every day things; however, Mommy felt pretty excited about it all anyway. We even went on a walk and did some shopping with Daddy. In the afternoon we went over to Grandpa and Grandma Mehr's house to see some classic Halloween shows -- Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin" and Garfield's Halloween special. We got to see Grandpa carving some pumpkins (which is something we ran out of time for this year). Grandma and cousin Nadia played with Emilee, too. Grandma was sneaky and filled Emilee's bucket to the brim with candy!! Then we were off to Aunt Jamie's house to say a quick hello. We got a piece of candy there, too, I think. Then, we knew we were going to be late to go to our planned Halloween get-together with one of Desi's co-workers. We rushed home and Emilee fell asleep on the way which was perfect for Mom and Dad. Britt and I got changed as fast as we could and flew back out the door with a sleeping Emilee in tow. She woke up on the way, so we gave her a bottle and then changed her into costume when we arrived. Mom and Dad were chess pieces thanks to our friends who gave us the crowns and the idea. Emilee was a frog.

There were a few other families there. We ate and then took the kids to "trick or treat." I must admit I felt a little guilty taking Emilee up to get candy because there is NOOOO way I will let her have any of it this year. But, it was fun any way. It was nice being with other young families out walking and laughing at the kids. We didn't stay out too long. Once we got back to the house the kids played around and some ate their candy. Meanwhile Dad and the host watched baseball.

It was a nice holiday, and we're glad we were able to spend the time together as a family and with friends.