New Year, New Tricks

2018 is here, and we are getting ourselves back in the routine of early morning wake-ups, daycare drop-offs, and short evenings before bedtime. The break was so wonderful! It ended with a few relaxing days at home as we celebrated the new year. Boomer and I had the opportunity to go to the Wake vs. Texas A&M bowl game in Charlotte on Friday, the 29th. It was a fun day date for Boomer and me, with Emmy staying in Kernersville with Grammy and Grandpa. Initially the forecast was calling for snow, which made me have second thoughts about going! Even though the temps were still pretty low, luckily we didn't have any precipitation. We bundled up in lots of layers and were pretty comfortable until the 4th Quarter when the sun went behind the stadium. Without the sun to warm us, it got chilly! The game was very exciting with both teams putting up high scores. Wake came out on top, winning 55-52. Go Deacs! The game went a little later than expected, so Emmy spent the night for the first time at Grammy and Grandpa's. She did great, and Grammy and Grandpa enjoyed her company as Grandpa continues to recover from his knee replacement surgery. With no rush to get home, Boomer and I drug out the evening with a nice dinner before making our way back to Kernersville.  

We spent New Year's Eve at home. We had plans to go over to the Houstons to ring in the New Year, but with Maddox still recovering from Hand-Foot-and-Mouth, we did not want to risk spreading the sickness. I'm afraid that Emmy is the one that gave it to him :(  Although it was a quiet evening for the Kennedys, it was still a good New Year's Eve. We picked up Japanese take-out and watched some football and the countdown shows. Emmy was asleep by 7:30PM. I thought I would make it up until midnight, but I only made it until 11PM. Maybe next year!

I haven't written lately about some of Emmy's newest tricks. With the monthly onesie photo shoots, I was a little better about documenting how she was growing and what she was doing that month. Now that we have passed 13 months, it is hard to believe that month 14 is just around the corner. The clock keeps ticking so fast! Emmy is eating all kinds of food now, and she especially likes her rice cereal, chicken pot-pie, Cheerios, and apples. Puffs and Teddy Grahams are her favorite special treats. She has also gotten very good at holding and drinking from her straw sippy cup. She drinks both milk and water from the sippy cup. One of the funniest things that she does right now is make an "ahhh" sound when she sees Mommy or Daddy drinking something. It took me a day or two to realize what she was doing, but it is quite obvious now that she is mimicking the sound we make when we swallow. Now Boomer and I will exaggerate the sound, and we all go "ahhh" together. It's pretty silly, but also adorable. Emmy also thinks it is so funny when Daddy sneezes or blows his nose. So of course, Daddy will be quite dramatic to get an extra laugh from Emmy. Lately she has been very attached to Daddy. We will play a little game where Boomer is holding her, and then he will shift towards me and ask if she wants to go to Mommy. She'll hold on to Daddy and cling to his neck. It would probably upset me more if she wasn't laughing and giggling. She is certainly a Daddy's girl already. Emmy is not walking yet, although she loves to hobble around on her knees, usually while holding a toy, the butt paste tube, or the Boogie Wipes. 

Although not walking, Emmy took her first steps a few days before Christmas. Caroline was over for dinner that evening, so we had a third-party witness, because of course I didn't have my camera ready. We had put Emmy's back against Boomer's recliner, and she took two small, quick steps before dropping to the ground to crawl. She has been a bit stubborn about doing it again. She seems quite content 'walking' on her knees or reverting back to crawling when she wants to get somewhere a little faster. She continues to use her cruiser and can even adjust it when she runs into the wall or a piece of furniture. In addition to her cruiser, her other favorite toys right now are the Fisher-Price stacking rings and the shape/mega blocks. 

She also likes playing with and ripping up paper. It's usually pretty easy to clean up afterwards, so I let her have at it with old magazines and coupons. She likes to rip the paper up into smaller and smaller pieces, which I figure is good for practicing her dexterity :)

Still wearing Christmas pjs!

In addition to her cruiser and blocks, another favorite toy right now is the big box that her new car seat came in. I had purchased the car seat several weeks ago with my sister's help, and Boomer and I finally installed it in my car last weekend. Normally not very happy about going in her car seat, Emmy surprisingly loved sitting in it while Daddy was reading the directions and adjusting it to her size.  

Our plan is to continue to have her rear facing for a little while longer. The new car seat can be converted to forward facing and even to a booster seat, so we should be set for a while. We are still using the infant car seat in Boomer's car, but it is a tight squeeze to get her in it, especially with the extra layers of winter clothes. Since Boomer does daycare drop-off in the morning and I do pick-up in the afternoon, our plan is to purchase a second convertible car seat this weekend so that we have one in each car. Then, we will officially retire the infant seat. [tear]

The new car seat isn't the only sign that Emmy is getting bigger. At daycare, she moved up to the 1-year-old class. Her teachers had talked to me about the move just before Christmas, but it still came as a surprise when she changed classrooms this week. The 1-year-old class is set up more like a school classroom, with cubbies and open-floor space. There are no cribs, and the children take their naps on mats on the floor. Since napping at daycare has not been a strength of Emmy's, this new stage makes me nervous. We sent a blanket for her, which is different, too. At home, she is still sleeping in a sleep sack, not with a blanket. Lots of changes! Boomer said to me "Just think when she goes to kindergarten!" ...but I'd rather not think about that yet! 

Boomer is at a basketball game this evening. The end of the break means the return of his busy schedule of winter sports. We miss Daddy when he has to work late, but luckily we were able to fit in a quick dinner before he had to be back at the school. Aside from car-seat shopping, we don't have too many other plans for the weekend. We are looking forward to two days of feeling like we are on break again!