Week 47

Some bigs things are happening this week for little Embry. On Monday my family was over for my mom's 68th birthday. After we ate pizza, pink stuff, and cake/ice cream we went outside to let the kids play in the grass. So we're standing there and Embry is sitting in the grass and then Colter sits in front of her, so she grabs onto him and pulls herself up to standing and then lets go and just stands there all on her own for the very first time! She did it for like 10 seconds straight too! I had my regular camera out there and got some great pictures, then later in the day she was playing with the beach ball outside and she stood up on her own again, but this time I had the video camera out. That night she did it a lot more using my brother's arm and various other things and she would take maybe a wobbly step or two as well. Then Monday night she also said 'mama' twice, but not at all since then. She definitely didn't associate it with me either, but that will happen eventually.

On Wednesday morning Tony got me up because Embry was going from sitting to standing on her own and then taking a few steps to get to something she wanted (a toy or food). We sat across from each other on the floor and had her walk back and forth between us which was about 4 steps each way. Then I held out a wooden ring and kept moving it farther and farther away. The farthest she walked without stopping was about 16 steps. She will only do it when she really wants though. So I guess this means she can officially walk as of 10/7/09! I wonder when she'll decide that walking will be her main mode of transportation...probably not for a while.

My birthday is tomorrow. I'm turning 26. I decided I would like to go to either Apple Annie's or Buckelew Farms to go on a hayride, pick some pumpkins, and wander the corn maze. I think Apple Annie's sounds slightly more appealing even though it's about 30 miles further away because they have an apple smoked burger lunch. Neither has a petting zoo though, which kinda bums me out. I wonder if there's hot apple cider, or caramel apples? Anyhow, then we're supposed to go out to dinner (although depending on time and hunger that may not happen) and then we're meeting some friends at the Gaslight theater to see 'Cronan the Barbarian.' I'm so excited for that, I love the gaslight! I'd really like to get some chairs and fire pit or chiminea for the pool area, but it seems like by the time my birthday rolls around we never have any extra cash to go towards presents. I don't know how that happens, but it never fails. I mean, I don't really care about the present part, but I'd really like to get some of this house stuff done. I could ramble off the list of house things I'd like to have done, but it's virtually endless and extremely costly. I am fairly certain (judging from 2 $150 water bills in a row and our marshy lawn) that one of our sprinkler pipes is leaking. Money = stress. I'm so thankful for what we have and appreciative of all the blessings we've been given, but I'm sure everyone can understand that it's hard to not always want more.

This week both my brother and Tony were sick. Tony never really gets fully sick though. He rests right away when he feels illness coming on, then it never actually develops into anything major...so he seems to be ok now. It was incredibly bad timing though, you can look at my chart if you so desire to find out why, the chart. Then my brother, not sure what kind of illness he had since he stayed in his room virtually the entire time (which I'm very thankful for) and I would just drop food off at his door. He's doing better as well, but I'm hoping now that he's out and about around the house neither me or Embry catch what he's got. Speaking of illness, I had my flu shot last week and Embry got her first round this week. She only cried for a second and then we cuddled and she was fine. I told the dr that her diaper rash still had open sores that weren't healing so now we're mixing in hydrocortizone cream with the other 2 antifungal creams and then putting desitin on top of all of it. It seems to be getting better. Eliminating the juice from her diet has really solidified her poo, so I guess that's good for the diaper rash aspect.

I'm having issues figuring out this halloween thing. I want me and Tony to match Embry, so if she's a ladybug then I'd want us to be bugs, but the only adult bee costume I can find Tony says is not 'manly' enough for him. I don't really want her to be a princess if she's going to wear that for her birthday party, but if she is, then we'd be a king and queen, but those costumes are too expensive. I wish things were free.