So much has happened over the last few weeks. First, we had a heat wave like no other! It was so hot and unbearable. The house was 85 degrees at night and even though we put a fan in Emma’s room to cool it down it did nothing. Judith took Emma to the park everyday and hung out there – there is a gymnasium that is air conditioned so it was the coolest place. Emma even had her own version of a swimming pool – one day Judith filled up her bathtub and put it outside. Emma had a blast splashing all around. She definitely enjoyed being cooled down.
Emma also has become very good friends with Audrey. Audrey is a week younger than Emma and they play with each other every day at the park. I am friends with Susan, Audrey’s mom, and it is so great that Emma has a partner in crime. It is good for her development so she can parallel play and it is also nice for her on a social level.
Emma also started music class. She absolutely loves it! She is the youngest in the class but there is a little boy who is a few weeks older than her. She loves banging on the drum and pays attention to everything going on. She loves touching all the different instruments and likes hearing the songs. Judith said that she smiles the entire time. I was lucky enough to go with her to her class this week and it was wonderful to watch her! She really likes it and we are so thrilled that she is doing this. She was flapping her wings (arms) throughout the class, laughing, smiling and watching everyone in the class. I loved that I got to go with her and I hope that I can go with her again!
On September 1, I had to go to LA for work. What did this mean for Emma? Well she stayed in SF for two nights without me and Jamey took care of her at night. I was so beyond sad to leave her – I know I didn’t see her one night in June during E3 but I was at least in the same city. Now, even if I wanted to I couldn’t see her. Well, for the most part she did very well. She did great during the day but at night she missed me. She screamed and cried every night and refused to eat. Jamey was at his wits end. He was so upset that she wouldn’t eat and that she was so unhappy. Of course, this didn’t make me happy and there was nothing I could do. When I saw her Friday evening I was so excited… but she wasn’t. It took her a moment to be nice to me and smile – it was evident she was mad at me for leaving her. But after 30 seconds or so she got very excited, started flapping her wings and kicking her feet. I loved that she got so happy and was so playful. 
Emma got to see almost all her extended family. On Friday, she was with Grandma Marcia – Emma recognized her and was very sweet with her. Emma also got to play with Gracie. Emma was so excited to be around a dog! She absolutely loves dogs and on the weekends we go “dog hunting” (walk around the neighborhood to see dogs) so she can play with them. It is really cool to see how her face lights up when she sees a dog. She goes crazy and starts talking and tries to touch them. Gracie was very good with Emma. I have never seen Emma play so much with a dog – it was great exposure for her. We have to get dog! Only problem is the added responsibility of a dog but we know Emma would love it more than anything. The dog would definitely become her best friend.
On Saturday, we went down to San Diego for Meredith and Jason’s engagement party. There we saw Grandma Barbara, Ron, Aunt Judy and Uncle Ed and of course, Mer and Jase. Emma was on her best behavior and was the star of the show during the day. It was nice to see Mer and Jase again. We saw them in Hawaii – Jason’s family was there and we hung out with them for an afternoon. It was really nice to meet his family before the engagement party and we got to visit with them. Emma loved being with her family and was even liked Ed this time. In the evening, we took her to the engagement party and she was a princess. She did great in a crowd and was so friendly to everyone. She loved being around all the people. One thing we have noticed lately is if someone other than me or Jamey is holding her, she will look at one of us to make sure it is OK. You can tell that she is getting or already has slight stranger anxiety but it isn’t that bad. We hope it won’t get worse but this is the age that it develops. People at the party were saying how good she is not only in a crowd, but also how she did well being passed to different people. As we have said before, Emma loves being the center of attention and being social. These are great traits and hope that they carry on when she is older. 
On our way back to LA, we stopped off at my Nana’s aka Emma’s great Nana. Nana hadn’t seen her for many months so it was nice to stop by. Emma also got to meet Auntie Barbara, Uncle Jay and cousin Lanie for the first time. I loved that Emma met them and that we all were able to spend some time together.
We made another pit stop before heading to my parents’ house. Randi and Brian were in town and we met them for a late lunch in Manhattan Beach. It was so nice to see them! We saw them a couple of months ago and it was great that we were all in LA at the same time. They kept commenting on how much Emma has grown and what a great little person she is. Emma was great during lunch and we actually got to eat and enjoy our meal. Later that evening, Emma went to the Ferkel’s Labor Day party with Jamey and my mom. I had to work so I wasn’t able to go. My mom was showing her off to everyone and was so that Emma was there.
On Monday, Emily and her mother Fiona came over to the house. Fiona was so kind and brought Emma a touch and feel book. Emma really likes those kinds of books now and touches everything. It is really neat to watch her touch the pages and discover what the different things feel like.
At lunchtime, we took Emma to see her Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. It was really special for Emma to be with everyone. It brought smiles to my grandparents faces. It means a lot to me for my grandparents to spend time with Emma. My grandma just beams when she sees her and it melts my heart. We took her swimming in their pool and she had so much fun! She was kicking and splashing and having a grand ole time. It was special for me to have her swim in their pool since it was the pool where I learned how to swim. My grandma absolutely loved seeing her swim and seeing her in her little swim suit and hat.
Lately, Emma has been scooting. She has gotten into crawling position but hasn’t quite figured it out yet. She will lounge forward, put her arms in front of her and move one leg back but then she doesn’t get that second leg underneath her – most of the time. So she will then revert to either diving on her tummy so she can start rolling to get whatever she wants or she will sit back up and decide to play with something else. She will be crawling soon, we think. But she does love “standing Emma” so maybe she will forgo crawling and just walk.
Another new thing for Emma is she is waving all the time. She loves to wave at everything – and I mean everything. She will wave at the pictures on the wall, her stuffed animals and toys, herself in the mirror and of course people. What is a lot of fun to watch her do is wave to strangers on the street. Of course the people all love that and say how adorable she is. Jamey said the other day she waved at the waitress to get her attention.
Emma is really growing and becoming her own person. She is fun to play with, “rough house Emma-style” as Jamey says, roll around with her and just watch her in amazement. I still can’t get over that she is mine and that Jamey and I made her. Life is such a gift and we got the most wonderful baby girl ever! I love just looking at her and watching her explore new things – the way she touches objects, the decision she makes on whether or not to put something in her mouth, which object she is going to pick up is just amazing. I really enjoy watching her because I get to see the world a little through her eyes and it is really a neat experience. It is hard to put my thoughts into words but I sit in awe when I am with her.
