Awwww!

We went to the park with Johanna and Addison this afternoon. It is so beautiful outside! It was Emily's first time at this park and it was a lot of fun. She liked the swing but I think she liked sliding down the slide in my lap the best. The park has a splash pad but Emily was not a fan. Everytime I stood her up on it she started crying. I think the water might have been too cold for her - or maybe it was just sensory overload. I'll have to try it again when she gets a little bit older. I'm really excited about the weather cooling down. The park is going to be so much fun this Fall!

We had a great time at Avery Shelfer's playdate today. Emily was laying on a blanket when an older boy crawled up next to her. They were really sweet together and he was just looking at her and holding her hand and patting it while Emily was smiling. I caught some of their little love affair on my camera. Too funny! I also got some cute pictures of Emily with Avery.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!

LOVE,

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Our precious baby Emily is now 5 months old! We've had several more developments this month. She is now eating cereal at least once a day with 2 tablespoons per feeding. When I first started it took forever just to get 1 tablespoon down, but now she gobbles up 2 tablespoons fairly quick. The doctor told me to work up to feeding her 2 T per feeding twice a day, but I rarely get two cereal feedings in. We are getting there though. She is getting so much stronger too. Rolling over is easier than ever and she never stays put on her back anymore. And now when she is on her tummy she really gets her legs kicking and can pull her knees up. I'm thinking that it wont be much longer before she figures out how to crawl. When I put a toy in front of her, just out of her reach, she really works to push forwards and she eventually gets the toy every now and then. She will also roll over and over to reach a toy, which is really funny to watch. The newest development is sitting up unsupported. It is now her favorite position. She started out just doing the tripod, but a couple of weeks later she was pushing herself up and balancing on her own for short periods of time. Now she is sitting up and holding toys on her own. I still have to be close by to serve as a bumper, but she is getting the hang of it!

This month was Emily's first over night trip and everything went well. Ben and I had a great time at the wedding in Dallas, but I was ready to see my little baby girl when we got home. Emily did great at my parents house and did not appear to be bothered at all by our absence. She gets constant attention from Mimi and Granddad, so it is a treat for Emily. We also had our first trip to the farm with Emily as you can see in the pictures. She was especially interested in the trees. My mom and dad took her on lots of nature walks and she loved it! Emily also attended her first birthday party this month. She was sad she couldn't have any cupcakes, but it won't be much longer before she can!

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The Babies R Us on Westheimer at Eldridge is closing and everything is on sale. Emily scored big today!

Emily is rolling from her back to her tummy with ease now. Tummy time is a lot more fun on your own terms!

Ben and I are going to Dallas for a wedding tomorrow. Emily is going to Mimi and Grandpa's house for her first overnight trip. Everyone involved is very excited! Emily packed up all her things this evening and is ready to go!

We started Emily on single grain rice cereal this week. Her pediatrician thinks it is best to start at 4 months. The purpose is not so much to increase nutritional value to her diet, but to get her in the habit before it becomes a huge ordeal. Emily has been exclusively breastfed for four months so anything other than the breast is a big change for her. We are starting with one tablespoon of cereal about 20 minutes after her normal morning breastfeeding session. The cereal is not supposed to replace any breastmilk at this point so we aren't cutting out any feedings in it's place. And actually, the doctor has us mixing the cereal with breastmilk instead of water. I made a big deal out of her first bite of cereal, insisting that Ben be there to get it on video. Ben described it as very anti-climactic because he pointed out it is basically just slightly grainy breastmilk in a spoon and not much different. (To be fair, I really built up the whole thing quite a bit...) But considering Emily's aversion to breastmilk in a bottle, the fact that she takes anything from a spoon without fussing is beyond fantastic! So far so good.

When I took Mella for her yearly check up, the vet said that I shouldn't be surprised if our very lean dog who is fed nothing but the regular amount of dog food starts to pack on weight out of nowhere. Apparently a lot of pet owners come in trying to figure out why their dog suddenly gained 5 lbs, until the vet discovers there is a small child in the house that has just started eating solid food. We never give Mella any people food and Mella is always inside with us so the vet warned me this could happen.

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