Big girl car seat

This week Emma graduated to a forward-facing car seat. She really enjoys that she can see us and look around. It was a little more challenging for her to sleep in the car. She did take a little nap when we drove up to Wilmington, but once Martin was in the car too, she was wide awake. I'm sure it will just take a little adjustment and she do better.

Here are some pictures of her getting introduced to the car seat in the house.

Big sister training

Emma is getting in some training for being a big sister. A few days a week we are watching our friends' son, Kellen. He is such a sweet baby, and Emma absolutely loves him!

She was eagerly waiting to hold him

So pleased with herself! She has one arm around him and the other is on his knee.

Then she wanted to read him a book

And help keep that pipe in his mouth

And of course, she is all about giving him hugs. I usually have to tell her no more hugs, because they are non-stop!

And then she got to help with his bottle. This was a bit more challenging because she likes to shove it into his face!

But still soo sweet!

She is already concentrating so hard on taking care of babies! Martin and I are hoping that this keeps up for the next 6 months or so!

Our Weekend

We had an awesome but crazy weekend. Emma and I picked Martin up from work in Wilmington on Friday and headed to Ellicott City. Sarah was in town from Miami, and we had dinner with the family from Hagerstown. Late Friday night we piled in the van with my parents, Sarah, and Oma, and drove to Greenville, NC. We got to Becca's apartment around 2:30 in the morning and Becca ran down the sidewalk to greet us.

We had a relaxing morning on Saturday with plenty of sister time



Boberry biscuits!

And Emma loved hanging out with everyone

Playing peek-a-boo with Pap pap

Snuggling with Aunt Becca

Emma loved playing with the luggage cart at the hotel!

The big reason for us going down was to hear Becca sing with the Maggie Bells, an acapella group of girls. They were so good! We all really loved the music, and the girls were great. They sang a wide variety of music from the Beatles to Lady GaGa to Journey. Becca was also the musical director for the group, so she was responsible for starting each song in the right key and tempo.

Emma actually enjoyed the show more than anyone there! She was totally mesmerized for a good 45 minutes. She clapped along with the girls during the songs, and mimicked them dancing with her hands over her head and bouncing on our laps. She had a cracker in her hand at one point, but was SO into clapping that she smashed the cracker to bits :-)

Becca had a solo during the Beatles medley.

We drove back to Maryland late Saturday night, getting in around 1am, so earlier than the night before! It was so nice to get some sleep Sunday morning...even Emma slept until 9:30.

A tired Sunday morning picture

We weren't done there, but headed home via our friends' new house in Baltimore, where we ended up hanging out through dinner.

It was quite a weekend, but such a blast too. Martin and I enjoyed the time in the car to talk and read, and Emma was really great the entire time also.

Better Late than Never

Last year, we planned to have a Passover Seder with Karene and Jeremy and we just couldn't get it planned. So this year we were able to do it, just a few weeks late. But hopefully we will be able to do it on time next year!

We had a really great time preparing the food, going through the different elements of the seder, and then hanging out until late in the evening. Emma sat very well through dinner and especially enjoyed the potato pancakes and charoseth (a sweet apple mixture).


Totally staged...

Matzah ball soup, of course

And a picture of Karene and Jeremy (and little Proffitt that we can't wait to meet this summer!)

Baby update and Emma update

We've been taking care of doctor's appointments this past week - which means updates!

I am almost done the 1st trimester - 14 weeks on Sunday! I have been feeling the baby move since 11 1/2 weeks, which was an awesome surprise! At my OB appointment I heard the baby's heartbeat as well - a healthy 150 bpm - and everything is normal.

Emma had her 15 month check up and is getting tall - nearly 2 and a half feet to be exact! She is still a little peanut though, weighing in at just over 20 pounds. She only says a few words, most of which are D's (Dad, Dog, done, dis), but she has started saying yes. She knows about 20 signs now, including baby (she says ba sometimes). She loves babies, so we are hoping that continues when she gets a little brother or sister! Martin has taught her what a gorilla says...she goes 'oooh!'.

We dressed alike the other day and Martin took a bunch of pictures of us outside. Here are two of my favorites!

Emma Watering - Video

From the other day...

Playing with Friends

The warmer weather has brought us outside a lot more, and we've enjoyed playing outside with our friends, the Johnstons. Emma especially has enjoyed tagging along with David and Owen. These pictures are from a few weeks ago, playing on a little play set together.


David really enjoyed catching Emma as she went down the slide. She thought it was really funny too.

Mommy's little helper

Emma is learning all kinds of new skills now that it is warm. Yesterday we tackled watering the flowers. I held her hands the first time and we watered together. But when that (little) watering can was empty, she started signing more right away! So I let her do one watering can full on her own...

It was a little heavy at this point.


But she was able to lift it...just ended up watering the grass instead of the flowers.

But, hey, watering the grass can be fun, right?

Ooop...aiming for flowers but burying the nozzle in the mulch.

Whew....I can do it Mommy!

And there, perfect technique only one watering can later...

Emma's hat

We got this hat for Emma several months ago, and she would have nothing to do with it. As soon as I tried to put it on her head she would squirm away and rip it off. So a few weeks ago I decided that it was time to train her to wear the hat. Summer is on the way, and she is going to need the protection from the sun.

It took about a week of putting the hat on every day. We'd tell her she needed to try and wear it, that she couldn't pull it off, and how pretty she looked in her new hat. Then one day (the day I took these pictures) she decided she liked the hat after all. Now she enjoys putting it on herself and walking around the house wearing it!


She has also started running! Go, Emma, go!


And she loves her new cup with the straw - such a big girl!

She even posed on Mommy's rock...

Is that not the cutest hat you have ever seen??

Easter Egg Hunt

Several weeks ago now (I'm falling behind!) we had an Easter Egg Hunt with our playgroup friends from church. I wasn't sure how Emma would do, especially because there was a steady drizzle coming down. The first egg she picked up she dropped immediately, shaking her hand to get the water off! (so prissy) Then she got the hang of it.

First I set the basket down next to an egg to help her.


She got it!

Then she decided she could carry her basket around by herself.

AND put the eggs in it at the same time!

Not quite a smile, but I'm pretty sure she had fun!