What Emma is Eating and Doing.

Eating:

Baby-burrito with veggies and tofu, plain Greek yogurt, chickpea salad.

Doing:

Playing in the snow with her bunny.

Eating:

Roasted pepper and avocado sandwich with cheese, roasted tomatoes, vegetable soup, strawberry slices and grapes.

Doing:

Going to the Westchester mall, finding a favorite statue. 

"Mama, Daddy, Baby!" Horses

Eating:

Leftover cheese and basil, and brussel sprout mini-slices of leftover pizza.

Doing: 

Being silly!

Eating:

Cheese plate with asiago, mozzarella, feta, and sharp cheddar with grapes and apple slices. 

Doing:

Scooting backwards.

Eating:

Tofu and vegetable coconut curry

Doing:

Playing with the model trainset at the Treat Station! 

We're very lucky. Emma eats all of the food we make and we make all of the food she eats. Something happened in the past little bit; we no longer buy prepared foods or get carry out but instead buy fresh ingredients and make all the meals ourselves. We try new recipes most weeks and have a growing collection of favorites which we make regularly. I'm getting more creative in the kitchen and Emma is sampling a huge variety of flavores and textures.

I've come so far from cereal three times a day! 

A trip to the beach (in a box!)

We don't have a beach here. Even if we did it was 14° this morning and you wouldn't have found us there! What we do have is a box of some very special sand and the collection of shells we found that same morning at Siesta Key beach. Why is this sand so special? It is a powdery sand made up of 98% quartz. Quartz is a healing stone said to help remove negative energies and align your chakras. It covers the beach where my parents took me to swim and play in the sun, and shared with family when they came to visit. And while we can't be at Siesta in person, basking in the good vibrations, we are staying grounded and patient through these last weeks of winter just by feeling the cool sand between our fingers. 

--and our toes!

Emma and her daddy

What a Booduhduh mess!

Emma is beginning to form two word sentences with her growing store of words.

"Mama, help!"

"Back.. In!" 

 One of her favorites is to tack on "boo-duh-duh" (beautiful).  

"Cat.... Booduhduh."

"Moon!.. Booduhduh."

The other day she pointed to a cluttered corner of the livingroom where multiple toys and various pieces of puzzles and playsets had gathered for the time being and declared it "Mess, booduhduh." 

There are a lot of beautiful messes around here. Maybe it's the kitchen covered in flour and sticky with jam because Emma helped make our crepes that morning. It could be a day so full of unexpected incidence that our usual rhythm has been thrown off, but we still manage to glide through from morning to bedtime. Usually it is the toy covered floor being utilized in a number of ways as Emma explores, discovers, tests, and imagines using the toys, materials and space we have provided for her.. And watching parts of her own world unfold as she grows is the most booduhduh thing.

Some wintertime this'n'that

Hello 18 months! 

Emma had her 18 month doctors appt last week. Her doctor is so sweet, she gave Bunny a check-up as well to help Emma feel more comfortable. We played in the snow a little when we got back and discovered that Bunny is not snow proof!

We've been having fun this winter both inside and out. A little snow didn't stop us from going to the playground with our friends Helen and Millie(21 mo.) We followed some bunny tracks across the playground and Emma made some of her own by shuffling her feet through the snow.

The girls swung in unison for a bit.

Did I say a little snow? We've actually got a decent amount of snow here to play in. And play we are! I made Emma a path through the snow, with a large open room complete with seating and a slide from the outside. Emma practiced making "new-mah" (snowmen) which is just finding a ball of snow and setting it somewhere. Also she has been finding it fun to back up to a snow bank and fall onto her back, or sit down and create a seat for herself. Outdoor play, though limited has been a very fun activity for us. 

Steps leading to the slide. 

Back inside we're trying new crafts, recipes, and methods of annoying Catrick:

Not so bad...

Eh??? I wouldn't have believed you if 18 months ago you told me my daughter would be head butting into Catrick's belly while he tried to nap. He has really stepped up as Family Cat. It's taken effort on both sides but Emma has gotten the hang of petting softly down his back and resisting poking his eyes. Catrick has definitely gained a lot of patience since she's become mobile. He will give her a warning tap if he needs to but he won't continue and attack (like he will with Patrick and I!).

While mama makes dough balls for bread, Emma makes a playdough soup with the homemade dough we tried out this week. It was Yum-my! 

A note: Emma did test the playdough for deliciousness, found it had none, and resumed playing with dough in the appropriate way. Not eating it. 

Emma's favorite way of playing with the dough is to take her animals and make footprints or get them stuck in silly positions. She also covers an animals face with the dough then brings it to me saying "uh oh!! Wash!" The animal pack has been getting a lot of baths lately.

Another new activity Emma has been loving.... Dress up.

Holding a square silk over herself like a dress and one of my necklaces. So "booduhduh" (beautiful)

It looks like she may be holding it out for me to try on but... No, she is showing me the necklace that she is going to wear. 

Toddlers. It's all about her (⌒▽⌒)☆

Our Little Lamb

Sleep, baby, sleep,

Our cottage vale is deep:

The little lamb is on the green,

With woolly fleece so soft and clean--

Sleep, baby, sleep.

Sleep, baby, sleep,

Down where the woodbines creep;

Be always like the lamb so mild,

A kind, and sweet, and gentle child.

Sleep, baby, sleep.