Emerson is 1-year old!

Well, there are certainly many things that I could share about Emerson's first year that I have not already shared. There are things that have changed in my life over the past year that I didn't anticipate, and some that I could have never imagine life without at this point. I have a few posts in the works to share his birthday party and his first-year photo shoot, but this post is dedicated to the changes.

It only seemed appropriate this fall season. "To everything turn, turn, turn, there is a season..."

Emerson at 1 year with his newborn picture taken by Sarah Goodman Photography

One year ago, sleepless nights were purely by choice.
Today, sleepless nights are sometimes unwanted, but at the same time they have become so common that they are no longer distressing.

One year ago, making a meal was more work than I liked to do, and that was just for two, but we found time for homemade meals on a regular basis.
Today, making a meal for three is a nightmare when it comes to time commitment, but Emerson gets homemade meals daily, and his parents, well, lets just say we are grateful for "options".

One year ago, getting up to get ready for work was annoying (for a night owl), but I could manage getting up and out in under 30 minutes.
Today, getting up to get ready for work would NOT be possible without Kyle helping to get Emerson ready. And 30 minutes, in my dreams...

One year ago, showering was a luxury where I'd spend time relaxing, waking up, and soothing aches.
Today, showering is "how fast can I get in and out and still technically be 'clean'"?
One year ago, enjoying a moment alone meant watching TV, reading a book, blogging, surfing the net.
Today, enjoying a moment alone, wait, what?! What is that? Oh wait, I need a nap.

One year ago, traveling was stressful, but we could make last-minute decisions on our agendas, could race through the airport, barely making our flights, and could adventure at will.
Today, travel, well, don't forget to start packing a week in advance. Make 3 lists so you don't forget any vital elements, and make sure to leave for the airport 3 hours in advance. And schedule everything. Even naps.

One year ago, any free moment was spent on Pinterest imagining the perfect space for our little Blueberry.
Today, any free moment is spent watching that little Blueberry grow more and more, learn each day, and amaze us in ways we never imagined.

One year ago, we were Kyle and Erica. The Davises. The ones still trying to get everyone else to go out and be social. (Everyone else already had kids).
Today, we are dad and mom. The Davis Family. The ones still trying to get everyone else to be social, but at the same time wanting to stay in and spend time with each other more and more often.

We love you, little Emerson. It was a magical first year.  Keep on giving kisses and smiles!

The first 12 months!!! Start at the upper left corner and follow around clockwise.

Summer Family Photos

So we are pretty late sharing our family photos from this past summer (Emerson's 8th month photo shoot combined with our family photos set in beautiful Colorado with our wedding photographer!) I was reminded to share them as tomorrow is yet another photo shoot (1 year!?) and also school picture day for Emerson.

I had decided for Kyle's Father's Day gift to schedule a family photo shoot without telling him. I booked our wedding photographer in Denver, Paige Eden Photography, by some miracle on a Saturday in June, and got our coordinated outfits packed without really giving anything away, thanks to needing "outfits" for my brother's and parent's celebrations that weekend.

The day was my brother's 2nd wedding reception, but we figured taking an hour or two away from the family for a short photo shoot would be ok. That was until the storm blew in. Golf ball size hail started falling from the sky and lightening and thunder warned us to cut our shoot short. Unfortunately, we waited until the sky opened up and started pouring down rain before we got into the cars. We may have gotten soaked, and may not have gotten the last few shots in, but we sure have the memory and we got plenty of adorable pictures out of it, anyway.

A beautiful park with many trees!

Our little poser!

Playing with daddy is so fun!

Humming to myself as we walk through the park!

I'm flying!

Mom! I just love being outside so much!

Not so sure about my crazy parents here...

Kisses from mom!

And "kisses" for dad...

Mom's favorite picture!

So happy with daddy!

I am always posing...

Mom's 2nd favorite picture! Look at that concentration!

I am thinking about eating this grass...

On this day in 2013...

Really hard to believe, but this day, last year, we were taking our maternity photos (and just in the nick of time, as Emerson came, very early, 10 days later.  I realized that we never had the time to share these beautiful photos taken by Sara Goodman Photography. I felt absolutely beautiful in them, even though I was so large. (Thank you goes out to Kelly Taylor for doing my hair for the shoot since I am clueless when it comes to styling). We found this little hiding spot in the middle of a Queen Creek neighborhood to take the pictures in. I insisted on the pumpkins. Oh, an even though we are decked out in fall clothing and accessories, it was still over 90 degrees out in Arizona! Luckily you can't tell in the pictures that we were melting. I know that maternity photo shoots are a splurge, but I don't regret doing one at all. Being pregnant IS a special "occasion" (that lasts 9 months) and the first time being pregnant was filled with so much wonder and awe that I am glad I captured some of it.

This is my favorite one! I dreamed of doing it from the moment I knew we were expecting in the fall!

We hadn't revealed his name upon taking these, but had it picked out already. How appropriate that we had this prop from our wedding to use in the photo shoot!

Colorado TBT

As we pack up and prepare for Emerson's 3rd trip to Colorado tomorrow, I remember the last time we visited our favorite state and how much fun we had!

Summers in the mountains allow for an escape from the heat of Arizona summers. I already shared that we spent Emerson/ Kyle's first fathers day in the mountains.  Even though Kyle couldn't be with the entire trip, Emerson and I got to visit with a lot of our friends and had a lot of play time.

Here are some pictures to help get pumped up for tomorrow!

Beautiful wildflowers. This trip will bring fall colors instead of summer flowers.

Gorgeous sunsets over snow-capped mountains.

Emerson loved the papasan!

Visiting our friend Lotus in Pueblo West during her t-ball game!

This is how I great daddy after I haven't seen him for 5 days.

All dressed up from grandma and grandpa Jensen's 40th anniversary dinner.

Hanging out on the porch and enjoying the view!

Feeding Frenzy!

No matter what research I have done, and what resources I have read, nothing has really been able to accurately prepare me for the challenge that is converting Emerson to "people food".

This. Kid. Loves. Food.

Squash goodness...

Chik-Fil-A is the most kid-friendly place to get fast food!

I am so happy to sit in big-boy chairs!

I am eternally grateful that he hasn't had any obvious food aversions, allergies, or digestion issues. However, nothing is more nerve-wracking than trying to figure out "what to try next".

At first, we had some fun making baby food with our Beaba baby food maker. Vegetables were almost always perfectly pureed, but fruit was sometimes too watery. The trick was the thicken it up with some baby cereal.

Although I truly felt like the healthiest route was to be making food without preservatives and without additives, for full disclosure, if you are considering going this route, keep these things I learned in mind:
1. Preparation in a baby food maker is easy. Preparation to PUT food in a baby food maker, is not.
2. Gerber will not kill your child.
3. Baby foods will dye their containers, so I suggest using glass for longevity, even if they are a bigger up-front expense.
4. The 4-day rule is probably a good rule to follow (try 1 food for 4 days before introducing a new one).
5. Get ready for smelly poos.

I want to share this experience because it was one of the moments when I felt like this was much more than I was anticipating as far as work load is concerned. When making Emerson some peach puree, I learned just why we don't normally peel peaches. Peeling the peach, pitting it, and then cutting it, times 3, took about 45 minutes. That is a 45 minute prep time, 15 minutes to cook, and then, what did I have, 4 servings (about). 1 hour for barely 1 day's worth of baby food. And that was just the FRUIT. Once Emerson got started, we were doing 1 fruit and 1 vegetable per meal. Then, with 2 of those meals a day, adding up the time spent preparing anything beyond green beans (no cutting or pealing required), it became a sort of second job just making food. We managed this by tag-teaming the preparation and making food in large quantities on Sundays or one evening a week.

The good news, however, was that the pureed baby food stage was short lived- we moved onto roasted veggies and steamed fruits soon after, because Emerson quickly realized that he wanted independence during feeding, and stopped cooperating when being spoon fed.

Now, feeding time is still a chore. We cut the foods up in tiny pieces, because he doesn't chew much, and we prepare more food than I believe any 1-year-old could consume in a single setting. He has never turned down food, however, sometimes in recent feedings he is actually slowing down enough that we can recognize that he is full. A good sign is him trying to crawl out of his chair or spitting his food back onto his tray. He also starts to play with the food in his fingers and letting it fall onto his lap. With all the extra work each meal time requires, it is still entertaining to watch as Emerson gets super excited for his next bite, and how he likes to talk to himself when eating because he is just so happy. He squeals in glee!

I will say that our best friends are Happy Baby puffs and Happy Yogi bites. While we prepare his meals, we can keep him occupied with these and he is really good at picking them up himself and staying content, even if not patient.

Also, we have learned recently that even if we feed him a full meal, if we eat after him and he is still with us, he wants more food, too. So we have already learned the purpose of and value of family meal time.

Things have progressed well in the feeding world, and now we feel comfortable taking Emerson to restaurants and ordering him food. Most places have at least some chicken or turkey for kids. We have ordered salads with extra chicken to give to him, noodles without sauce, and plenty of different types of seasonings to expose him to multiple flavors.

And, oh yea, one more note on feedings, today Emerson ate his first inedible object, part of his mobile. He is tall enough to reach it when standing in bed. We should have known something was up when we put him in bed and he was pleasantly quiet for awhile. When he cried a bit later and I checked on him, part of the mobile was on the floor with a bead bitten off...

We'll see how that one turns out tomorrow, I hope... :)