(17 months) Today Emily and I made a short visit to the park. It was a hot day and a little swinging seemed to be the best plan for the day. I had Emily walk from the car to the park by herself. It isn’t too far and she loves to swing so there wasn’t anything to get her distracted from our destination. As I was walking beside her I asked her if she wanted me to hold her hand. She said “yeah” and turned to me while putting her hand up for me to hold. My heart melted! While it was very sweet, it also reminded me of how fast she is developing and learning. Some days it is really easy to miss how much she understands because she chooses not to respond to my instruction. But today it was very plain to see!

(17 months) We are happy to announce the introduction of two new teeth in Emily’s mouth. We think that they are the two top molars, but there isn’t very much of it to see at this point. It has been so long since we have seen any new teeth and she has so few we have been hoping that she would get some new ones soon! She was a little fussy this afternoon which is what made me look to see if there had been any changes. One step closer to eating like a big girl!

Emily and I went to our city outdoor pool to play in the hot Tennessee afternoon. I didn’t take my camera and get photos because I wasn’t sure that I could manage both the camera and the child at the pool. Now that I have been once I know better what to expect and will take one next time. The pool has a ‘walk-in’ shallow section with water that shoots into the pool. We started walking in at that point so that Emily could get used to the water. I sat in the water as she inspected the shooting water. I was surprised that she didn’t last very long there and actually wanted to walk deeper into the pool. Most of this section was only 2 feet so she was able to walk pretty far before the water got very high on her. At some point she decided that she wanted to walk and explore outside of the pool. I wouldn’t let her do this and she found it quite upsetting. She just didn’t understand that the hot pavement would hurt her tender feet. To offer some distraction she and I went into the deeper section of the pool and played games of spinning and bouncing in and out of the water. She was very happy as long as she was holding on to Mommy. She was not keen on the idea of floating on her back and letting go of Mommy. Swimming was not much more successful, for some reason she wants to maintain some amount of control. After a little over an hour she was tired and a little grumpy and we headed home to get a much needed nap. The whole trip was fun and we will have to do it again soon.

We had a scheduled ultrasound for the baby yesterday. Everything looked good for the baby and they told us that the baby weighs 7 oz. As of yesterday the baby was 18 weeks and 3 days, the baby measured at 17 weeks and 6 days. As the technician made all of her measurements it was just amazing to see all of the little parts of the baby. The most amazing part is the heart as it is pumping in and out. After all of the measurements were completed we were delighted to be told that the baby is a girl! We had our guesses, but it is so exciting to hear with finality what the baby is. Emily will be a great big sister for her little sister. Emily came to the ultrasound, but only made it long enough to hear that she was going have a sister and then wanted to play. She got to take a walk with Grammy and Granddaddy while we finished. The baby was very active during the ultrasound at it was so wonderful to see her move. Her favorite movements were to kick the placenta and put her hands over her face. She seemed to put both her hands and her arm into her mouth at different moments. At one point she waved at the ultrasound wand. It was so sweet. This should be the only ultrasound that we have for this baby unless they doctor orders another one. We will look forward to seeing her when she arrives in October.

Emily and her Mommy went to see a movie (Nim’s Island) this morning. The movie was sponsored by our local theater and hospital and they provided toys and employees to help watch the children and the exits. It was an opportunity for Mommy to watch a movie and for Emily to watch as much as she wanted of a movie. Emily found the lighted steps most fascinating. She learned how to walk up the stairs and somewhat crawl down the steps. We only had one spill. Over all it was a wonderful activity and we will watch for more opportunities to catch some movies together.