17-month Milestone Monday

Spring Break Hammock Time in the backyard!

It has been a long time since I documented all the changes Emerson has gone through and I realized that I am blogging so that he can look back at his "baby blog" and learn all about the early years of his life (or maybe it will just be me reading and reminiscing after his high school graduation).

As a 17-month old, Emerson has been steadily walking for 3 months, is practically running in his bull-legged toddler way, and he climbs on everything.

Over the past month, he started to learn how to dance (he bobs up and down and shakes his head), has climbed up the playground and gone down the slide by himself (the BIG slide, included), enjoys swinging and giggles the entire time, likes to push things around the room, store, park, and is trying his hardest to "tumble" after watching his older cousin somersault.

Emerson still eats more than his mom and dad! His average meal consists of some chicken, cheese, yogurt, fruit, and veggies when we can. He LOVES bread (even though we don't have it around the house much), has recently become a fan of grilled cheese sandwiches, still loves blueberries and bananas, and will pretty much each anything he can "dip" into some form of sauce, mainly ketchup or ranch, which are his favorites.  Since he has all but 2 of his baby teeth (except for the 2-year molars), he is getting better and better at biting and chewing.

"Dipper" in ketchup- which he then bathed in!

Hair and head covered in ketchup!

Emerson is also getting better and better at communicating. He signs "more" and "please" and "thank you" regularly. He blows kisses. He says "yea!" to almost any question you ask him (guessing he can tell the tone of your voice means you are asking a question). But he has a bunch of words he uses regularly. He says "ma" and "da" for mom and dad, socks and shoes, truck, ball, airplane ("aaahh poon"), and makes a number of animal noises.  He can tell you what an elephant says complete with the trunk motion (his arm). But when you ask him what a pig says, he just blinks his eyes really hard. Who knows?!

While Emerson is constantly changing, I am still working on changing! The 2 months of workouts and the 1 month of dieting (I'll be real, eating what people SHOULD eat and not just what I WANT to eat), I am getting stronger and stronger, and hopefully soon will be able to proudly sport a bikini again after almost 2 years of avoiding it. As it reached 90 today in Phoenix, I better get a move on! Good thing it is Spring Break and I have spent the majority of the time off working out and organizing our house. Luckily I have found some time for fun (a pedicure, a massage, a hair cut) and for Emerson to hang out with friends.

Happy St. Patrick's Day and Happy Spring Break 2015!

Emerson's St. Patrick's Day Shirt

St. Patrick's Day Selfie

We had a Target date but he didn't like the hat

Play date with Levon! Levon was so affectionate and was hugging Emerson all day!

Levon hug!

My St. Patrick's Day Green Vokda Diet Tonic! Cheers to health!

St. Maarten Monday!

I confess that this is not THIS month's milestone, but 2 months ago Emerson was the lucky traveler once more and got to visit the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Maarten. Half Dutch and half French, we happened to be there during the "down season", which gave us a lot of freedom on the island, and also during the World Cup, which gave us a reason to care about soccer.

There were SO many things we did while on the island, and again many of which others looked at us as if crazy while doing with a baby. Emerson also got to experience a number of firsts while on this voyage.

We started off with a long airplane trip once more, this time through Miami and then into international waters.
Emerson was a little more energetic at this age, so we were glad to have 4 hours in Miami to let him crawl around. However, the meanie American Airlines employee in Phoenix made us check our stroller through to the island, so we had no stroller and had to carry him around (until we just gave in a bought a smart cart). Luckily on the way home the St. Maarten travel agent was nicer and we got to keep it for the return trip.

So happy to play- thank you Aunt Shannon for the blanket!

Daddy is happy at the Irish Pub!

Our makeshift stroller

Sunset over the wing as we fly over the Atlantic

Upon arriving on the island, where we were to stay at Grandmom Davis' timeshare The Flamingo Beach Resort, we found out that the rest of the family got caught in Phoenix due to hurricane shut downs of other airports, so we were lucky to have family friends there for us on the 4th of July!

Emerson spent his first 4th in a foreign country, where there were no fireworks, which greatly saddened his patriotic and pyromaniac mother, but we still grilled and you really couldn't complain as we were staying right on a private beach in a bay.

Emerson's 1st 4th of July outfit!

The "horrible" view that wasn't fireworks

Emerson's first time in the Atlantic!

Yep, that is a shark hat. Too cute.

A patriotic family.

Swimming with daddy!

Other adventures included traveling to yet another country, Anguilla, and seeing the most perfect and secluded white sand beaches ever. (And perhaps drinking the strongest Rum Punches ever). We got a private pirate ship tour in St. Maarten. Mom and dad got to Scuba dive while grandmom and friends watched Emerson. The cousins and aunt and uncle Keiren, Aidan, Brett, and Anji got a lot of baby time! We ate great food, especially on the French side, and mostly sea food, and we relaxed a lot in the water. Emerson seemed to really enjoy the ocean and slept really well the entire trip.

A true "beach bum" playing in sand

Do you want to snorkel?

No, just nap on the beach in my cabana

Getting on the pirate ship in my pirate onesie!

Cups keep me happy while we sail.

As does chewing on rib bones- so yummy!

Up on the prow with the family! So windy and so fun!

May have had a few too many rum punches.

Mom found her an anchor! No surprise...

Oriental Beach Bar lounging

Waiting for my cousins to swim with the dolphins on Anguilla. Auntie tied me in the chair

A private beach on Anguilla where dad found his own "lounge chair"

And so did mom!

Swimming with the cousins and daddy!

And I had to try eating sand at least once while we waited for the planes to land at sunset beach.

Oh, and one time I took a little nap myself, and when I woke up I couldn't find Emerson or Kyle in the water where they had been. I frantically looked around until all of a sudden, there they were, on the floating raft WAY off shore. Awesome.

Emerson "swam" out there on daddy's chest. Good thing Kyle is such a good swimmer and trained lifeguard.

I will say it is certainly easier to have family on vacation to help out, as Kyle and I even got a date night, and to have a condo with a kitchen and American electric outlets.

Goodbye island life!

Overall, thank you to everyone who made it such a wonderful and relaxing vacation. I even got to finish Fault in Our Stars, only the 2nd book I got to read for pleasure since Emerson was born. And we returned to school tanner, more relaxed, and feeling like our summer was fulfilling.

Emerson's First Father's Day!

I didn't forget that this past weekend marked yet one more important milestone for both Emerson and Kyle- the FIRST FATHER'S DAY!

We were already in Colorado, so really I didn't have to work hard to look for something fun to do.

First, I surprised Kyle by planning a family photo shoot with our wedding photographer, Paige Eden Photography! I really wanted some updated photos of Emerson, since the last professional photos we took were for Christmas when he was a month old. Also, I just wanted a cool landscape with trees!

Next, we had a Father's Day brunch in Denver with my dad, my family, and Kyle. Then we headed up the mountain and met up with our friends the Haneys for a drink by the lake at the Tiki Bar. Last, we celebrated with Kyle's dad at the Cala Inn for dinner, even though trivia was cancelled.

I also bought Emerson this adorable onesie to wear to document the special occasion from Zullily.

Emerson's funny face! Looks like he is wishing his dad a happy father's day verbally!

We also took some great shots with his dad on our own, but don't worry, I will share the professional ones once we have them!

Super happy!

And you can't beat this view at sunset!

My First Mother's Day!

Emerson planned a really fun day for my first Mother's Day.  I was really hoping to start a memorable tradition for this special day as well, like I did for some of my other favorite days. Since this task wasn't exactly in my hands, then I didn't know how to make sure that this would happen.

First, I got my first home-made gift from daycare.

 

Of course, the gift contained a good story. First, it has an English teacher's nightmare of a grammatical error. Next, it was funny because we tried to make those Christmas ornaments I talked about in an earlier post, with his footprints, and then the daycare worker told me that he wouldn't cooperate with his left foot and kept curling his toes up.

Then, on the actual Mother's Day, daddy made reservations for brunch in the Compass Room at the downtown Hyatt. This was very fancy! Mimosas, a carving station, and the craziest "pancakes" you'll ever see! I was just happy to dress up and go someplace we never go!

Yep, pancakes... and a free flower and mimosa! (Ok, not free, with the cost of brunch!)

Waiting for brunch- Emerson wore anchors for his momma!

Getting hungry~

A room with a view!

Then we headed over to the neighboring Japanese Friendship Garden, but Emerson fell asleep so he missed most of it!

"Out" for a walk!

Mom loves waterfalls!

Last, we headed to another garden, the Desert Botanical Garden, so we could take in the Chihuly exhibit once more before it ends. Since we are members, we took advantage of the cooler weather to visit before the summer season. It was a perfect, relaxing day, during which I did no grading and got to spend plenty of times and take plenty of pictures of and with the family!

The star burst at the entrance

Another "momma" was celebrating her first Mother's Day! Found in a cactus in the wildflower garden section!

Emerson taking in the sights

"It is too bright, momma!"

This is much better!

Wish this was real! And permanent!

Taking in some shade in the mud hut.

What is that wet stuff? So neat!

The sun began to set as we watched all the people walking by on the path.

So happy!

This is the "mother's" sculpture- it was pink, white, and purple.

Sunset!

The most beautiful sun ever...

Saying goodbye to the garden!

Same sculpture, different lighting...

Last, we capped off the night at Caffe Boa downtown Tempe for a glass of wine and some bruschetta. It was the best way to spend a full, as usual, but unique and memorable Sunday. My first Mother's Day- the only "first" one I'll ever get!

I guess that made up for last year's last-minute card...