Emily is 10 Month's Old!

Another month has gone by as our little girl approaches her one year birthday. It is unbelievable! Our family had a great month that was special for many reasons but especially because it was my first Mother's Day as a mother. Thank you, Emily, for earning me this title...I am so lucky to be your mommy. Over the past month Emily has...

-Spent an amazing weekend with two of her favorite people, Patrick and Yolie when they visited. They had a great time and even got the chance to tour Cowboy's Stadium and get her picture on one of the stars on the field. Next visit she vows to partake in the Babe's and lemon cookies that everyone else enjoyed!

-Ate lots of new foods, the favorite being spaghetti. We can't imagine why Emily would like carbs...no one in her family does at all :) She also loves garlic...in anything and everything! We have never seen a baby with just two teeth take on so much food with such abandon!

-Had our first Mother's Day! Emily really liked the cheese, bread and green beans at our special Mother's Day lunch.

-Went swimming in her Gigi and Papi's swimming pool with her Daddy. She is a natural floater (and very trusting of her Daddy) and had a good time in her very big bath. She looks forward to many summer days in that backyard making memories (with lots of sunscreen on, of course)!

-Continued to develop her incredible sense of humor. She laughs so much and so often. She was especially tickled when her Daddy tripped in her room while she was on the changing table. Rather than concern, she expressed laughter...he continues to replay the trip just to hear her laugh.

-Is excellent at pressing buttons on her toys with just her pointer finger. She demonstrates such grace and precision when she presses things!

-Became a big cousin when she welcomed her cousin Rose into the world. She can't wait to show her the ropes of being a cute, lovable baby girl next weekend.

-Spent some QT with her Deeda while Gail was on vacation. They had lots of fun together shopping and eating with friends (especially when said friends have garlic mashed potatoes!)

-Continues to protest crawling and is bound and determined not to adhere to the typical development of an infant. It's no fun doing things like everyone else!! :) Rumor has it that Einstein never crawled :)

-Went to the park for the first time. The slide is fun, but nothing beats the swing!

Emily is 9 Month's Old!

Our sweet baby is becoming such a big girl! This has been a fantastic month for our family. Amazing that plans are already under way for her first birthday party. Emily has been up to a lot this past month. She...

-Took a road trip to Austin for her Uncle Mike and Aunt Hava's baby shower. She had a great time and anxiously awaits the arrival of her newest cousin Rose. She had some fun entertaining us with her fine-tuned (and extremely advanced :) ) peek-a-boo skills.


-Celebrated her first Passover and hosted a Seder for some of her friends. She did not get to try her Deeda's matzo ball soup this year (made by her Mommy), but will certainly have the opportunity next year (as long as Daddy is willing to share)!

-Went to her first swimming lesson. She was the prettiest baby in the pool with the adorable swimsuit that her Aunt Ashley gave her. She enjoyed being in a VERY big tub and took to the water well. She got to go down a slide and take some jumps in from the edge of the pool (with just a little assistance)! She is practicing for Gigi and Papi's pool this summer!

-Celebrated her first Easter! She got her very own Easter basket filled with lots of fun toys and candy that Mommy and Daddy happen to really love! She looked beautiful in her pink princess dress and took good notes on the egg hunt so that she can have a solid strategy next year and collect lots of loot for her piggy bank.

-Had a rash (pardon the pun) of ear infections and rashes! She had one ear infection twice. The antibiotic did not knock it out. This is what her mommy gets for bragging to her friends that her daughter had never gotten an ear infection! She was such a sweet girl, even with the infections...did her best to keep her spirits high. She also came home from Easter with a nice case of hives and just got a viral rash with her ear infection! Emily just likes to keep things exciting for us new parents!

-Watched her very first NCAA tournament and Red Sox opening game with her daddy. Daddy is not too happy with his Sox, but that's another story.

-Learned how to clap and wave...and is so proud of herself when she does it! Now if we could just get some upward mobility...or a basic crawl for that matter! Hopefully we'll have some news to report in that arena next month!

-Had a blast at her first Greek Easter (she is such a multi-cultural little girl) with her friends at the lake. She spent time with Nate and Noelle taking in the scent of goat on a spit! She had fun playing, eating, and relaxing with her buddies...Mommy and Daddy had a great time, too!

-Continues to try new foods (lamb, pasta, ham, lentils, turkey, brown rice) and enjoys feeding herself. She still loves water and loves to drink from her mommy's water bottles when she is having one.

Looking forward to another amazing month as Emily's parents!

Emily is 8 Month's Old!

This one snuck up on is, hence I am a few days late reporting on Emily's goings on! It has been a great month for our family and we continue to marvel at our little girl. We manage to have more and more fun with her each day that goes by...she is a treat! This past month Emily has...

-Continued to enjoy dancing with her Mommy and Daddy. Many evenings she gets a solid dance party with them and kicks and laughs to the music. Emily loves music and has more rhythm than you would expect!

-Eaten lots of new and exciting foods. Favorites still are cheese and avocado, but we've taking a liking to chicken and lentils, mango, and blueberries! Eating has become a fun time and we enjoy introducing her to new tastes. She is a great chewer and really works those two sharp teeth that she has recently sprouted.

-Taken a bath nearly every night. Bath time is happy time! Emily loves splashing and playing with (putting them in her mouth) all of her bath toys. She especially loves taking a bath in the sink at Gigi and Papi's house when she has sleepovers.

-Missed both Mommy and Daddy, as both of them have had to go out of town this past month. Mommy for work and Daddy for play! She enjoyed her quality time with each of them but was very happy when both of them were back together...they were very happy, too!

-Enjoyed seeing her Papa for a few nights when he was en route back from Africa. She is very proud of him for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Once day she will want to look at all his pictures of the fun animals he saw.

-Took her first visit to the zoo with Mommy and Daddy. She enjoyed a beautiful day looking at all the animals and people at the zoo. She is going to get a season pass so that she can go back whenever she wants and learn about all of the animals.

-Enjoyed her first pajama party with her friends from the neighborhood. She had them over for a breakfast of pancakes and other goodies and spent much of the morning in her PJ's playing. She had such a good time and hopes to do it again soon!

-Had her first really bad fever and sickness. She had Roseola which is a high fever that eventually goes away and is topped off by a skin rash! She was a trooper throughout and even managed to eek out a smile, sick eyes and all!

Emily is 7 Month's Old!

So time flies when you are having fun, well how about when you are enjoying and loving the most precious gift that you have ever received?! Emily is over half a year old now and changing and growing (literally!) every day. This has been such a fun and exciting month for our family. So many highlights, none of which top the fact that she has made some serious sleep duration improvements ;) Since January, Emily has...

-Given her mommy a real kiss. Okay, so, it was rather open-mouthed and her aim was a bit off, but it was certainly a bonafide attempt at a smooch!





-Discovered that "Da Da" is quite the fun sound to make and it makes her daddy's day to hear (no idea why)! She will just sit there and say it over and over in the sweetest voice that you have ever heard.


-Had her 6 month appointment. She was 27" long and was 15 lbs 15 oz! She is 97 percentile for height..we can't believe it!

-Eaten a variety of fruit and veggies. So far she has dined on sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, peaches, and peas. Most of it ends up on her rather than in her, but she is making small improvements. With Kyle and me as her parents, we can't believe she has not taken to food more, but we figure in time, with our genes, she will see the light and realize the wonders and joys of food! She does really like her puffs and yogurt drops, but we certainly want to work on more nutritious foods! She is getting the hang of her sippy cup and really likes water.


-Really gotten the hang of sitting up on her own! With proper precautions (padding behind her), Emily can sit up without assistance and play with her toys. No signs of crawling yet, but we can certainly wait as, from what I hear, once they start going, they never stop!

-Sleeping better and is no longer swaddled. She loves the new breathable blanket (thank you, Jill) that we got for her. She loves to cover herself with it and play peek-a-boo with it.


-Reached a huge milestone in the Nickell family. Her first trip to College Station for an Aggie basketball game with Gigi and Papi!! The Aggies even did her the honor of winning the game (against Tech!!) just for her. She loved all the people watching and lights during the game. She sat in her first high chair at dinner and really seemed to enjoy herself. She watched as all of us stuffed our faces with greasy/fattening food and watched as we enviously devoured our Shake's desserts! She was promised some of it at next year's game! She was, of course, exposed to some Longhorn hating (picture on Bevo with sawed off horns) but she humored her daddy and grandparents with it and will secretly support the Longhorns just for her mommy. ;) She knows that she was not born with orange hair for nothing!





-Had another fun visit with her Deeda and Papa. Papa saw her for a few days en route to his trip to Kilimanjaro (he summitted and she is very proud of him) and Deeda spent the week with her. They had a lot of fun hanging out together and Emily can't wait until she gets to see her more often.

-Had over two days of extreme fever! Being sick is no fun for anyone, but she was a trooper about it. I think she secretly enjoyed it a bit as she got a full day of daddy/daughter time! She had a high fever for several days and just could not kick it. Mommy learned a lot about how to treat a fever thanks to her friends and will be ready for the next one!

-Had another fun slumber party with Gigi and Papi! She was their official Valentine while Mommy and Daddy had a date. Activities included a bath in the sink, playtime on the floor, visiting with Great Aunts and Great Grandparents, and much more!



-She discovered the perfect wonders of a snow day! In her lifetime, she has already had two serious snows! This one was incredible...a foot of snow in Texas. I think Kyle and I were a little more excited than she was, but there will be a day when she appreciates it just as much!

-Emily went to Nicole's going away party. She had a good time but is sad
that her NJ is moving away (as is her mommy). She wishes her all the best, though!!

Emily is Six Month's Old!!

Kyle and I went for a run (jog!!) with Emily tonight and I told him at the end that I just can't believe that Emily will be six month's old tomorrow. Everyone warned us about her growing up quickly, but I did not fully believe them until now. It seems like just yesterday that we brought our sweet girl home. I think the only thing that seems the same from then is that she is still not really sleeping through the night ;) Kyle and I both agree, though, that we would wake up a million times a night for her as long as she stays happy and healthy..."this, too, shall pass" and we will laugh reminiscing about all the nights of interrupted sleep we had with her. We are so very blessed to have such an amazing little girl and I don't ever take the gift of her that we have been given for granted. Emily Grace is the love of our lives. Over the past month....



-Emily has stuck to her diet of breast milk but is just about ready to sample the fruits and veggies mommy and daddy made for her over the Christmas break. Can't wait to see what she thinks of all the yummy food!



-She officially turned from her back to her belly! She had already mastered belly to back (anything to avoid tummy time) but just got the hang of back to belly. It is now not uncommon for us to walk in o her room at night and find her on her belly. She takes after us..both of us sleep on our stomachs!


-Emily had an amazing first Christmas with Ashley, Gigi, Papi, and the rest of the Nickell side of her family. She got lots of great gifts and got a preview of all the tasty foods that she will get to eat next year. She enjoyed spending the night at Gigi and Papi's and waking up (or being woken up by Gigi) to all of the presents. She also got her first picture taken with Santa. There was no screaming and we are hoping that this luck holds next year although from what I understand it is doubtful.


-She continues to laugh and giggle wholeheartedly. We do ANYTHING to make her laugh. She loves to anticipate us when we are doing something silly...it really gets her going.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0rK2h2kqEs

-Emily enjoyed her first Hanukkah and watched her mommy every night for eight nights light the menorah. She also can't wait to play with all of the fun toys that her Deeda and Papa gave her.

-Like her daddy, Emily loves music. She loves to dance...it gets lots of smiles. She is also a little bit of a fighter. She laughs and laughs when we use her feet and hands to whop each other and make punching/hitting sounds.


-Emily spent New Year's with us in Austin visiting her Aunt Hava and Uncle Mike. She also got to see her Auntie Yolie who gave her an adorable LONGHORN dress ;) She had a great time with her Aunt and Uncle and was honored to sleep in her future cousin Rose's crib.


-She still enjoys her bouncer and her exersaucer and laying on the floor playing with her toys. One over her favorite toys has become the crib toy that Deeda gave her. We play it for her anytime she is in her crib..it has lights and music. We call it her Stevie TV (from Friends).

-Apparently Emly enjoys blood rushing to her head! Our daughter loves to lay on our lap with her head hanging upside down over our knees...just need to make sure with the doctor that this is okay to do a lot!

-She continues to enjoy her time at Gail's. She has a new friend, Jonah, that is her age...she was not bashful about getting to know him!


-Emily had an awesome play date with her May-July baby friends. She has so much fun with them (as does her mommy with their mom's)! We are so glad to have gotten to know all of them!




-Emily can't wait to see her Deeda and Papa in February!

Emily is 5 Month's Old!!

We can't believe it, but Emily is nearing her half year birthday. Time flies when you have the cutest baby ever! Life with Emily just gets better and better every day. Kyle and I can't (and have no desire to) remember life before she arrived. A lot has happened this month...

-Emily had an amazing time seeing the Jeroslow/Beasley side of her family for Thanksgiving in Colorado. She had so much fun with her Grandpa/Grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousin Alex (of course). She saw her first mountains and I can't say how impressed she was but I am sure one day she will appreciate them more! She did not get to eat any of the yummy food but has been promised lots of tastes next year!

-Emily continues to enjoy her time at daycare with Gail and all of her friends. This month she even went to her first (and I'm sure not last) birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese. She had a lot of fun celebrating Joshua and Jordan. She loves Gail a lot and is going to miss seeing her this next few weeks while Gail enjoys some time off.

-Daddy and mommy are very funny according to Emily (maybe she is the only one who thinks so..but that's fine with us)! We make her laugh a lot with fun sounds and words and songs. The sure fire ways to make her smile are as follows: (in no particular order) Daddy singing Hello/Goodbye by the Beatles, singing Pat A Cake and Wheels on the Bus.

-Emily has only turned over from back to front once, but Gail said she has done well with front to back. Anything to avoid tummy time!

-We think we have discovered Emily's first allergy and it is to something that you are supposed to give baby's to eat first because of the low risk of allergy! Twice she has pulled some exorcist action after we fed her rice cereal. Hence, we've decided to hold of on real food until she is 6 months old...maybe we'll have better luck then!

-We don't yet have bragging rights to Emily sleeping through the night, but we are doing better. She is sleeping longer and longer and without feedings, so we are confident that we will get there soon!

-Emily celebrated her first Hanukkah this month and enjoyed the pretty lights of the menorah and the presents from Deeda and Papa. Next year...Matzo Ball Soup..Daddy will be more than happy to feed it to her.

-Emily learned this month that her Aunt Hava and Uncle Mike are having a girl cousin for her to play with..she is very excited to teach her the ropes on being a baby girl!

-Emily went to the Christmas party at Gail's and had a great time. She got lots of neat stuff to play with!

-Emily can't wait to celebrate her first Christmas at Gigi and Papi's house!

-Emily still talks away all of the time. We have no doubt she will be singing herself Happy Birthday at her one year bday party just like her Aunt Ashley did.


-Emily had a great time at the neighborhood Christmas party with lots of her new friends. She particularly enjoyed hanging out with her friend Noelle who is 10 days older than her. They enjoy hanging out together and sucking on their hands.

-We had a lot of fun with one of Emily's new noises. She has discovered that when we vibrate our tongues at her, she can do it back. She takes it pretty seriously, though, and does it with the utmost concentration! Here is a link to her in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_BgUm6pq3M

Emily is 4 Month's Old!

So, we have fallen behind on our parental duties of keeping track of all of the wondrous things that Emily does every day. A lot has happened since we wrote last. We will start updating her progress every month on her birthday. If we don't, Emily has permission to nag us about it!

-She continues to laugh and smile at the silly things that we do and at all her new friends at day care.
-In September, she met papa for the first time and saw deeda again. She had a great time with them.
-Emily still loves her baths and smiles even if she is in a grumpy mood (which is rare) when mommy bathes her.
-In October she met her Uncle Shun and cousin Alex for the first time and saw her Aunt Laurie again. She had such a good time with them.
-Emily went to daycare for the first time when mommy went back to work. Gail is so much fun and loving and the other kids are so good with her. She always smiles when she sees Gail in the morning. Mommy comes and sees her every day at lunch since she is only five minutes away.
-Gigi and Popi came to Emily's first Halloween party at Gail's. She had a great time but she was not a huge fan of her flower costume. She also went to Gigi's fall festival at her school and saw Great Big Mom win 2 cakes at the cake walk.
-Emily went on her first road trip to Austin to visit Aunt Hava and Uncle Mike. They babysat her while mommy and daddy went to a wedding and gave them a good parenting 101 lesson!
-Nicole had a first when she made Emily laugh from giving her raspberries on her tummy!
-Emily threw her first party when we had a BBQ at the house with friends. She was certainly the hostess with the mostess!


-Emily met two of her favorite people in October - Rhonda and Earl. We all drove the airport to meet them when they had a layover in Dallas. She loved meeting them and they had a great time seeing and holding her.
-Ashley gave Emily the cutest rug for her room..it is perfect and makes us all happy (except for Bailey who no longer has access to the room since she'd get it dirty)!

-Emily is loving her feet these days..what neat creations!

-She has also had her first bouts of sickness. Some bad colds mixed in with some croup. She always tries to smile through it, though...such an amazing little girl.
-Emily loves playing on her aquarium play mat and especially loves Ollie, the octopus, who hangs from it. Early on, he got a ton of smiles and laughs from her.
-We've started carrying Emily around in her Baby Bjorn and she enjoys it because she can see everyone. She loves to watch everyone and everything!
-Emily continues to grow. She is 26" now and 13 lbs 8 oz.

We could not be in love more than we are with our little redhead. She completes us!