Ten (and a half) Months!!

Holy Smokes, where have the last two weeks went. I can't believe I forgot to post Emma's 10 months stats and likes and dislikes, I guess these last couple weeks have gotten away from me. I have been working too much and not staying caught up on things, grr.

Anyway, Emma is 10 months old already (actually 10 and a half), which is crazy!

Emma weighs in at 19 pounds 6 ounces and is 26 inches long. She's really starting to fill out!

Emma's Likes:
-Crawling all over the place (she is still army crawling, but she can still move pretty quick)
-Getting into things she shouldn't (like power cords, cabinets, phones, etc...)
-Being outdoors (now that the weather has FINALLY warmed up, Emma just loves being outdoors, she kicks her legs and squeals when we spend time outdoors)
-Her purple pacifier (this one is her absolute favorite, and we are trying to gradually decrease it's use during the day and use it just at night)
-Breastmilk/Formula (we still have frozen breastmilk left, and she finally will hold her own bottle..if we make her)
-Johnny jumper (she loves twirling around and bouncing in this thing)
-Talking (holy smokes Emma loves to babble, on and on she goes, it is the most adorable thing ever)
-Food (Basically Emma loves any kind of pureed baby food and she really loves any flavor of those cereal puffs. I have tried a few regular food (toast and bananas) but she isn't too sure about that stuff yet)
-Bathtime (Yep, still loves bath time, and we just plop her right in the tub these days)
-Hanging upside down
-Playing with her toys (especially things like boxes and anything that crinkles)
-Car rides/stroller rides (something about the movement just relaxes her and she almost immediately falls asleep with either one)
-Daycare (Emma continues to do very well at daycare and seems to enjoy spending time there)
-Clapping (Her new thing is when we say "Yay" or clap, she claps as well..totally adorable)

Emma's Dislikes
-Socks (when they are on she pulls and pulls on them trying to get them off, and once they are off she kicks her legs in excitement)
-Diaper/clothing changes (she doesn't exactly enjoy having to sit still to get changed, so she fusses...)
-Getting out of the bathtub
-Being over tired
-Having her nose wiped/boogers sucked out

We have officially retired Emma's swing, little pink bathtub, bouncer, newborn toys, and her play mat/gym. It is so sad to pack away her things she's too big for, she is growing up way too fast! We also bought a new car seat because she is almost too heavy for her infant carrier.

Emma continues to be so much fun. She gets more and more interactive and is just a joy to be around. She makes it hard to be away from her, but I do love my work and I do enjoy my time around other adults. I just love my daughter, and I want her to stop growing up so fast!!

Playtime!

Exploring the kitchen

Mmm, Mom's watch.

Played so hard she passed out

Breakfast

Playtime with Dad

Johnny Jumper

April Ice Storm

Well, I think the worst of the storm is finally over. The last three days have been interesting. First, on Tuesday we had freezing rain, which coated everything with ice. The trees had a one-inch ring of ice around every branch, causing many branches to break off and fall on cars, houses, and electrical wires.

Luckily, our trees at home are only 7 years old or so, so we didn't have much for damage in our yard, but around town it looks like a war zone. It is going to take a long time to clear all the trees and branches off the streets and people's yards.

We lost electricity on Wednesday, so John was home with Emma (because daycare lost power as well) and they hung out in the basement in front of the fireplace. In the evening, we headed to John's parent's house as we didn't want to sit in the dark all evening.

Wednesday night, it snowed 6 inches. So, we had wet, heavy snow on top of all the ice we had. Which caused more problems with travel and power outages. At this time, there were about 20,000 people without power. We were still in this category.

The hotels in town were booked solid as people were trying to find a place to stay warm-with temps in the low to mid thirties at best. We finally got power back yesterday evening. I have never been so happy to have electricity again!

So, it has been a crazy April. It feels like the middle of winter right now, not spring! But, at least the precipitation has stopped for now, and the roads are finally clear and easy to navigate. There is more rain/snow in the forecast though, and the 7 day forecast has a high of 45 degrees is all.

I want spring. Like right now. But I guess for now, I will be happy just having electricity. If you are lucky enough to have sunshine and heat, enjoy it!

Here's a sample of what it's looking like around Sioux Falls...

Easter in Minnesota

This last weekend, our family traveled to Minnesota to celebrate a late Easter with my side of the family. We headed to Minnesota early Saturday morning, and spent the day hanging out with my parents and my brother.

We also went over to my brother's farm site and looked at the progress on his house. He is completely remodeling the house, and it is coming along great. He thinks he will be able to move in this summer sometime, so that is really exciting for him (he is currently living with mom and dad, so I think he's ready to be on his own soon).

Sunday, we went to church and then headed to Rachel's house in Mankato to celebrate Easter. It was really nice to see my grandparents and aunts and uncles, since I had not seen them since Thanksgiving. They were all thrilled to hang out with Emma of course too.

Emma did really well the entire weekend. She took good naps, and had a blast playing with her second cousins. She loved all the attention, and never really ever had a meltdown. We hope to be able to make it to Minnesota a little more frequently now that Emma is older and a little easier to travel with.

I planned to take a lot of picture this weekend, but unfortunately I was too busy visiting with family and enjoying myself to remember (maybe it was all the wine I drank?).  I did snap a few on my phone at mom and dad's.

Emma playing at Grandma and Grandpa Kiecker's

Grandma Patty looking at a book with Emma

It was a great weekend spent with family, and it was long overdue. Luckily we had good weather and easy traveling as well. 

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about today's weather. We are in an ice storm right now and a winter storm until tomorrow night. Yes, I know, it's April, but it sure isn't acting like it! There are power outages all over town, as branches are falling on power lines. It is a mess out there. Luckily, I have today off work and John is working from home right now. 

So, please send some warm weather our way!

Easter 2013

Emma's first Easter has come and gone. Hard to believe she was still in my tummy last year at this time. All in all it was a good holiday.

We spent Easter morning giving Emma her Easter basket (which contained 2 books, bubbles, a stuffed bunny, and a couple easter eggs). We also dressed her in her adorable easter dress, which she didn't really like very much. We tried to get some good pictures of her, but of course she was being difficult.

We went to our church for Easter Service and then we headed to John's parent's farm for the day. Emma did pretty well. It took forever to get her down for a nap with all the distractions, but I think she enjoyed her day. And everyone enjoyed seeing her of course.

The weather could have been a little nicer (it actually started snowing in the afternoon). But we had a great Easter and we get to head to Minnesota this next weekend to celebrate with my side of the family.

Hope everyone enjoyed their Easter :)