Birthday toys

Emily loves her new toys she received for her birthday. She plays with her airplane daily. Today she also gave her baby a kiss! It is finally getting a little cooler her, so hopefully we won't be couped up in the air-conditioning much longer.

Bridal Shower

We attended Chelsey's Bridal shower this weekend. It was fun to watch her open all of her gifts!

Yum-O

Notice she likes to drink it out of the cup!

Yogurt rules! One of Emily's favorite snack happens to be yogurt. We buy the Baby-Yo, it is made from whole milk so it packs more calories which our little one still needs. It is also Organic, which is another postentirely.

little Drummer

We had some musical playtime today. I was discussing with a friend this week about the baby classes Kindermusik, where they teach kids rhythm and music appreciation, at the low, low price of $180 per 15/wk. I suggested we just do this at our house, I am sure I could round up enough things to bang around with. Emily and I didn't have to hunt far, daddy's drumsticks, bells, and pitch tuner are right in the office. We have a marching snare and drum set in the basement. Hmmm, maybe I should start a class.... anyway Emily had fun, she liked swinging around those sticks!

New pj's

Did you know that pajammas made for 1 year old have special requirements?

Children’s Sleepwear: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission sets national safety
standards for children's sleepwear flammability. These standards are designed to protect
children from burn injuries if they come in contact with an open flame, such as a match or stove
burner. Under amended federal safety rules, garments sold as children's sleepwear for sizes
Consumer Federation of America · 1424 16th St., NW, Suite 604 · Washington, DC 20036 · 202-387-6121 larger than nine months must be either flame-resistant or snug-fitting. Flame-resistant garments do not continue burning when removed from an ignition source. Examples include inherently flame-resistant polyesters that do not require chemical treatment. Snug-fitting garments need not be flame resistant because they are made to fit closely against a child’s body. Snug-fitting sleepwear does not ignite easily and, even if ignited, does not burn readily because there is little oxygen to feed a fire.

Since the summer has been so hot, Emily has mostly been sleeping in her diaper or a t-shirt. We have started to pick up a couple of sets of 12-18 month pj's. Most of them fit Emily funny. Her tummy is nice and round so shirts always fit her snug around the middle, but are loose everywhere else.

Spagettiooooos

Yum, nothing is better for lunch than noodles and sauce! We are working hard on using spoons. I can say to Emily "use your spoon" she will pick it up use it once, then hold it in her hand as she continues to use the other hand to eat!

State Fair!

Question: What's the most important thing about visiting the Iowa State Fair?

Answer: Getting a Cyclone tattoo!

Outside help

I hauled the pack-n-play outside today for the first time. I placed it under the Linden tree, which gets shade nearly all day. I filled it with a couple of choice toys and books and plopped Emily inside. To my surprise she was quite content for almost an hour. She didn't touch any toys though she spent the whole time peaking over the edge watching me pull leaves.

"typical" week

Will Emily's generation ever know a phone with a dial?

6:00 am, Let's go!

I made it to the top stair

This week is our first "typical" week trying to figure out our part-time stay-at-home schedule. We seem to take Bo for a long walk on the days we are at home. Emily is a morning girl just like me, only she looks so much more beautiful at 6:00 am than I do! I think I should have a plan for each day, full of activities, lately we have been catching up on errands. We have found enough to keep busy.



Emily loves reading her books and lately we have worked alot on animal sounds. Now when we talk about doggies, she gives us a ruff, ruff. Oh and she loves crawling up the stairs. So far we have only mounted a gate at the top of the steps so she can't fall down, but she loves crawling up them. She is getting quite good!

More

We are working with Emily to learn and use American Sign Language. Many experts believe using ASL will reduce frustration and tantrums, facilitate speaking and promote learning. We have been signing a handful of words with Emily when she was about ten months. This week she has mastered signing "more". It is especially useful when eating!

Rash, Rash, everywhere a Rash

I was vaguely listening during Emily's 12 month appointment, as I took in the words possible rash 7-10 days after vaccination. I missed the why. After some research I think it might be from her chicken-pox vaccine. Today we called First Nurse to figure out if Emily's rash fit into the normal reaction. The nurse said it takes about 48 hours to run it's course and can be uncomfortable. Today we just went with a comfy diaper. It is too hot to wear much more anyway! We also went to Des Moines today to pick up my bridesmaid dress for Greg's wedding. As a surprise we met Lynne and Mom as well.

Meeting mommy's aunt Cheryl and uncle Jim from California

Happy Birthday Lowden is 150

This past weekend we help my Mother's family and the town of Lowden celebrate there Sesquicentennial. It was pretty amazing, they put on quite the parade (well over 100 entries) for such a little town. We joked, would there be anyone left to watch the parade. Our "Fehling Family Float" featured a patriotic theme. We all enjoyed Emily's first ride on a hay rack. She loved it when the Farm-all sped up and we got a breeze on our faces.

Happy little girl

You can tell when Emily has had a "good" nap. She wakes up happy and babbling. One of my favorite moments of each day is having her greet me after a nap with her happy face. I am so blessed to be able to witness these events. Lately Emily loves grabbing hold of the crib and bouncing up and down.