Emilie is Crawling!

Emilie has been doing a lot of army crawling, but yesterday while we were all playing in the basement I looked over at Emilie and she was crawling across the (icky, cold, concrete) basement floor like she had done it all her life. It's a funny crawl- more on her forearms than hands, but her stomach is off the ground and she can really move!

Marin got really excited about it and grabbed her play camera to take a video of it too. Like mother like daughter. She kept telling her, "Good job 'lil sweetheart!"

Break out the baby gates and the running shoes. There are two babies and dog loose in our house!

What I want my girls to always know

I realized the other night as I was feeding Emilie and literally whispering sweet nothings in her ear as I rocked her, as I do most nights, that if something were to happen to me tomorrow, my girls would have no memory of me at all. I can nearly recount, in detail, every minute of their sweet little lives, and yet if I died tomorrow they wouldn't as much as recall the sound of my voice, despite them having to hear it more than they probably wish on some days.

I know it's morbid, and I have no plans for that to happen; that's why just before the tears fell, I pushed the thought out of my head and went on to blissfully sing to my baby girl as she cooed back at me. But then this morning after a gigglefest with Marin and a sweet moment with both of my girls around the breakfast table, (where Marin told me, "These eggs are extra good, Mommy!"), I dropped Marin off at school and decided to go to a little coffee shop by our house with Emilie. And as she was sitting like a big girl in the highchair beside me, slapping the the table with her open hand, and proudly spouting out da-da-da-da-da and ah-ah-ah to me as if we were two old girlfriends catching up, the thought hit me again. This time, hard enough to make me actually cry big alligator tears right in the middle of the coffee shop.

I couldn't help but think, if something happens to me, will they ever really know how totally and completely crazy ga-ga I am over them? Will they ever know how lucky I feel to be their mom? Will they ever understand how much I love that I get to be home with them every day? Will they ever learn that the fork goes on the left and that the knife and the spoon (in that order) go on the right? Jason could fill an entire lifetime of stories about how much I loved them, but let's face it- he's never going to teach them how to set a table.

If you've been reading a long time, you may remember that right before Marin was a year old, I wrote her this list of things I think every girls should know. Emilie, ditto. But I'd like to add a few more personal things. So girls, here goes. Listen up.

If something were to happen to me tomorrow, I want you both to know...

- That being your mom is the single greatest joy in my life.
- That I love you in amounts you will never understand except maybe possibly when you have your own children. And yes, this includes those moments when you have thrown yourself on the floor kicking and screaming because you don't want to wear pants.
- That I love your Daddy very much. And that he makes me laugh as much as he makes you laugh. And that I think he's fun and smart and handsome and adventourous, and yes, sometimes stinky.
- That even though I may never let you know it, putting your arms around me and telling me you love me can get you out of any time out, no matter what you've done.
- That I notice you caring for your friends and it makes me extremely proud.
- That I love listening to you talk to yourself as you play and imagine.
- That I love to dress you up and comb your hair.
- That you can do anything in the world that you want to as long as you put your mind to it and believe in yourself. I believe in you and I am proud of you. (and I'd want you to know that I've whispered this to each of you before you go to sleep each night for nearly your whole lives.)
- That I don't consider anything that I do with you or for you a chore.
- That I love to celebrate you. On your birthdays or on a Tuesday.
- That even thought it may not always seem like it, I am never to busy for you.
- That nothing is more important than either of you.
- That I love to read to you.
- That when you learn something new, every fiber of my being beams with pride.
- That the days that you were born, and the moment I first laid eyes on each of you were the very happiest moments in my life.
- That your smiles make my heart skip a beat.
- That the sound of your laughter is better than the music of the finest symphony in the world.
- That nothing makes me happier than when you snuggle with me. Even if it means I have to watch some ridiculous kids show.
- That you are beautiful, precious little girls with giant hearts and beautiful manners. And I hope that the world never tarnishes that for you.
- That many times I can not get enough of you- so much so- that I want to eat your cheeks and kiss your face a thousand times.
- That I am always thinking about you. Whether it's things to do together, or ways to work on your development, or strategies to parent you the best that I can. I want the very best for you every single day.
- That Daddy and I never go to bed without checking on you each first and kissing you goodnight one more time before the day is done.
- That you make me happy over and over and over again every single day.

I'm not planning on going anywhere. And hopefully we're reading this together someday after your own children are having babies and you're wheeling me in to meet them. But just in case we don't get that chance, now you know- that never were there two beings on this planet, more special to me than you.

Emilie- Eight Months Old!

Eight Month Stats:

17 lbs. 7 oz.

It's no surprise that this month flew by as quickly as the others. What has been really fun is that this really was the month of Emilie! She has really changed and (for lack of a better word) blossomed this past month. She is really developing more and more of her little personality every day, and so far it is completely joyous and fun, and sunrise to sunset chock full of smiles!

* Emilie is doing a lot of army crawling. Although she gets up on all fours, she doesn't do much of her moving that way. She is beginning to try to pull herself up, which means that soon we will be lowing the crib mattress- a true sign that there is no longer a tiny baby in the house (sigh). Although Emilie does move her feet to "walk" a little when you hold her hands, she definitely doesn't seem in a hurry to walk.

* Emilie is doing a lot of "talking". She says da-da and ba-ba. Ba-ba her first "word", and da-da came very shortly after. She says da-da a lot. It seems as though she has full conversations with herself and I just love to listen to her! It is the very sweetest sound.

* Emilie is still completely enamored by her sister. I think I have said before that watching the two of them interact together is the greatest joy in my life. This remains true, and is only getting better. Emilie is reacting much more to Marin now, versus just Marin reacting to Emilie. Emilie just completely lights up around her sister. Marin is starting to play more with Emilie and I'll catch her asking Emilie sweetly, "Emilie, may I please play with your little Minnie?" and then, "Mommy, Emilie said I may borrow this!" Whatever Marin does, Emilie wants to do too.

* Emilie is holding her bottle. She holds one hand on the side, and the other at the end of the bottle. It's a pretty good idea, and it cracks me up.

* Emilie really knows her name well and responds well to it when you call her name. In fact, she turns and smiles when you call her name. And she loves the camera!

* Emilie is really laughing now. It's not really a squeal, but she is really giggling, and remains the happiest baby on the planet. Recently she went sledding with her sister (just down a little hill) and I could hear her laughing from the top of the hill. Emilie kicks her legs whenever she is excited about something. And she can really get those puppies moving!

* Food still isn't a priority for Emilie. She will eat solid food, but she's not thrilled about it, and she's pretty picky. As I did with Marin, I am making her food. Emilie is very particular about the consistency of her food. If it's not just right she won't eat it. I always keep some Earth's Best baby food on hand just in case I'd run out, and she gobbles that stuff up right way. She even leans forward for more. Here I am, making her food and packaging it all away and then she's lunging for the stuff in the jar.

* I think she's teething, but like her sister at this age, not the slightest sign of a tooth. She chews on anything and everything in sight, however.

* Emilie had her first antibiotic this past month, for an ear infection after a cold. Poor baby. She seems to be fine now though, and we'll go for an ear re-check next week.

* Emilie loves reading books with us. She loves to reach for the pages and flip up the flip books or feel the fuzzy pages. She loves to snuggle with her soft animals and she still loves her Sophie giraffe.

Emilie is an absolute joy all the time. She hardly ever cries and is extremely laid back. She totally goes with our (sometimes crazy) flow and smiles at people along the way. I love watching her become a little person. It goes without saying that we love her like crazy.

RIP White Fish Emilie

Well, our remaining white fish, Emilie, was either unhappy with her conditions on the counter of our second floor bathroom, or she had just watched Finding Nemo where she learned that all drains lead to the ocean; because sadly, she took her life early Thursday morning.

Jason found her laying in the sink next to her bowl early on Thursday. She was last seen alive Wednesday night swimming in her bowl just a foot away.

When Marin woke up I gave her the news that White Fish Emilie had died. She stuck her lip out and said, "Mommy, now I just have no fish left in my bowl." I told her that White Fish Emilie was probably happy to be in heaven with Orange Fish Marin. She agreed and was over the entire issue about 30 seconds later.

Gotta love (almost) 3.