Bath Time, Birthday Plans, and New Hairstyle

It's been such a nice week being home with Emma. She is much happier with Mommy playing with her all day. The house is a mess and I could wash clothes for three days and still not be caught up, but it's not going anywhere and she is changing every day. She is crawling less and less and her balance is getting better. She still looks like a weeble wabble at times when she walks.

Emma loves bath time. She kicks and smiles when we ask her if she wants to take a bath. Her favorite is splashing in the water and playing with her bath toys.

I have been busy getting her birthday plans together. Her first birthday is going to be so special and we know how fortunate we are to share it with her. There are other families that dont' have that opportunity and we are going to enjoy it. Her birthday is on a Tuesday so we are going to celebrate the Sunday after. More details to come. I am still working on decorations and food. I want to incorporate the Korean culture as well as American traditions so it should be a neat experience.

As you can tell in the photos, Emma's hair is getting longer and I tried a new hairstyle today. She looks so cute but Mommy certainly needs to work on her styling skills.

Look at her go...

Snapping a few pictures in her birthday outfit for invitations

It doesn't matter what her hair looks like, she's still adorable!

Pigtails for my sweet girl

Staying at Home, Emma is Walking!

This is probably one of the most difficult posts to write. The past couple of weeks have been challenging to say the least. I went back to school, teaching, after being home with Emma for 14 weeks. Initially I thought the transition would be manageable. Emma had a very difficult time being with a sitter and after consulting with an adoption therapist, we decided it would be best for Emma if I stayed home with her. I am so blessed to be able to do this and also very thrilled to be with her during the day every day. As I told my teaching family, my hearts also breaks that I won't be able to fulfill my obligations to my students and see friends that I have grown close to as often. I know that God has a plan and he can see the entire picture of our life. With that said, I know He has something great in store for our family. We have been prayerfully considering an amazing opportunity within the adoption community and hope to proceed with it now that I have some spare time. More about that as things progress. So as I left school Friday afternoon, it was a bittersweet ending to a wonderful experience at a school where everyone loves and welcomes each other.

I am also in the process of planning Emma Tol party, her first birthday celebration. I've been researching traditional Korean customs and hope to incorporate those into a Korean American celebration. It's hard to believe she will be a year old in a few weeks. She is constantly changing and I think it safe to say she is officially walking as of yesterday! She's still wobbly and falls down, but it doesn't keep her from going where she wants to go!

Here's our little girl standing up on her own and taking a few steps...

She loves her sippy cup. It only took her a few minutes to learn to drink from a straw.

One of her favorite things to do is to pull everything out of the drawers in the kitchen. She does it very well!

Happy 11 Months Emma

Our sweet girl is 11 months old now! That is so hard to believe! She is growing, learning, and changing so much every day. So what is our big girl up to these days? Here are 11 things that our sweet girl is up to:

1. She is talking all the time. She loves to say "night night" at bedtime and yesterday she pulled up to me and said "take."

2. Her new favorite game is riding a horsey. We played it the other night and today she sat on my leg and started to jump. As soon as I began to sing the song and bounce, she giggled and smiled.

3. It is the sweetest thing to see her interact with her brother. She is quite the charmer when she blows kisses to everyone and winks.

4. Her walking skills are getting more and more defined. She is taking several steps at a time before stumbling over.

5. She is also standing up in the middle of the floor by herself by pushing up with her knee. Our sweet girl is quite strong!

6. I love the way she sits and plays with one leg behind her and the other in the front. She is so limber!

7. She tried Goldfish for the first time this week and loves them.

8. She mastered a sippy cup this month. Her favorite are the ones with a straw. She loves apple and white grape juice.

9. Emma's dancing abilities are amazing. She loves to dance to music and has started adding vocals. Her favorite Barney song is Deck the Halls and sings the fa la la la la on key! She also enjoys singing hymns during church.

10. Emma loves her baby doll and likes to hug and love on her like we do Emma

11. Emma is turning into quite the explorer. Her ability to clean out a cabinet, drawer, or laundry basket must be a record...

Snow Day

The snow came down overnight on Wednesday which allowed for a snow day!!! Not only did we get out Thursday and Friday of last week, but we have been out Monday and today this week! Chase enjoyed playing in the snow with his sled he got for Christmas last year. Emma wasn't sure about the snow at first, but enjoyed it after getting used to the cold. She was so cute all bundled up! It looks like we'll be back to school tomorrow as most of the snow has melted. Emma and I are staying warm and enjoying just hanging out at home. I've been getting things prepared for her big 1st birthday party coming up in Feb. 2. There is lots to do especially since this is her first birthday and the Korean culture places a great emphasis on the first birthday (Tol). She has a special outfit called a hanbok that her foster parents sent. This is the traditional dress that Korean children wear on special occasions. Hope all is well with everyone...Stay warm!!!

Emma wasn't a fan of sledding. She doesn't care for motion whether it is in a stroller, car seat, wagon, or even a sled!