ANOTHER ear infection!

     Yep, that's right!  We went to see the ENT docs today for a follow up appointment after having tubes placed in Emily's ears on March 4th and... she already has another ear infection!  Poor baby girl!  Her only symptom, as usual, is a runny nose.  I was curious to know whether or not the tubes were working since her nose had been so runny.  Well, the left ear and tube is perfect, and the right ear is infected and the tube is clogged with gunk.  Antibiotic ear drops for 10 days and another check up next week!  They mentioned already our next step would be a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, but right now she is too small so it is not an option.  Hopefully these warm, summer months ahead will give us a small break in ear infections!!! 

Eleven!

     Wow. One more month to go until the big O-N-E! Emily is now 11 months old! She even celebrated her monthly birthday this past Friday with a set of tubes for her ears! This is WAY overdue since we have now had 8 (?- I've lost count!) ear infections since turning 6 months old. Everything went extremely well and she got to pick out a toy for being such a good girl... a little stuffed animal dog, of course. Here's to hoping and praying these tubes WORK! Our eleven month stats are...

• Eating whole Puffs! HUGE accomplishment for us!!! 
• Drinks water from a sippy cup... kind of... She is not a big fan of juice either
• Taking steps! Won't be long now... 
• Feeds herself! And me, and her dad, and anyone else nearby 
• Has discovered how to feed the dog her food AND also where the dog eats his food... 
• Says (and understands what she is saying!) Ace, Dog, Mama, Dada, Ball, and Uh-Oh! 
• Loves to kiss, hug, and love on mama, dada, and any stuffed animal toy
• Points her little finger at everything (gets this from Chad) 
• Still only 2 teeth... 
• Keeps her shoes on, finally! 
• Hair is curling around her neck, it is getting SO long! 
• Likes to open up the kitchen cabinets and pull ALL of mama's Tupperware out and then push it around the house. I keep finding Tupperware in random places...

I'm sure there is more to post about her but that's all I can think of for now. She is changing and learning so, SO fast now. Everyday brings something new and fun... And, of course, here are some pictures of my big sweet girl! There are quite a few of them... I just couldn't pick!
 

Her Curious Face

One of MANY trips to the Doctor this past month...

Emily and Pop!

Emily and Rhett

LOVES the balloons

Getting her Ear Tubes placed!

She did this all by herself...

Happy baby!

With her favorite, mr. pillow pup

Likes to push the wagon as well as ride in it

A classic Emily face

When she was sick, poor baby girl...

Sweet smiling girl!

Tupperware...

Wagon riding with daddy

Do we look alike???

Have I mentioned she LOVES to swing!

Chad and Emily

My Picky Eater

     Emily has turned into a VERY picky eater...  The only things I can REALLY get her to eat are sweet potatoes and any kind of baby yogurt (Gerber and Yo-Baby are her faves).  Thank Goodness Yo-Baby yogurt comes in some veggie mixes too!  I'm not sure if this is a "baby food is gross" pickiness OR a "I have reflux" pickiness.  She has gotten to the point where she taste tests her food before opening up her little mouth.  And when she is "all done", she blows raspberries with whatever is in her mouth and then turns her head away from you.  If I try and get her to eat ANYTHING that she does not want or like, this little girl will promptly gag and throw up!  It scared me at first, but now I'm pretty used to it.  I definitely stick with what she does like when we are out in public!  Whether it is texture or taste, I'm unsure because she used to throw up with just puffs (even broken into tiny pieces), but now she is downing them along with those lil' crunchies they make.  Thank goodness though because I thought we were going to have to eat everything pureed for a LONG time at the rate she was going. 
     Also when we sit down to eat, Emily thinks it is time for her to eat as well, regardless of when she last ate.  Her favorite grown up foods so far are bread, ice cream, any kind of noodle, potato, cooked carrots, and dill pickles.  I "experimented" with an all time favorite dish of mine, Macaroni and Cheese, to try and make it more healthy.  I mean, who doesn't love Mac and Cheese?  It actually turned out AWESOME and Emily LOVED it!  Since it was so good, I thought I would share it with everyone!  I hope I get the ingredients down right for you since I tend to just throw things together until I think they look right...  Enjoy!

Mandy's Carrot Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups of Whole Wheat Pasta (I used Barilla Penne)

2 cups Shredded 2% Milk Sharp Cheese

1 8oz block Velveeta Cheese (reduced fat if you can find it!)

About 1 cup skim milk (had to add a little to thin it out some)

1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup finely grated carrot

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. Butter

1 Egg

Boil pasta until done and drain.  Do not rinse.  Set your noodles aside in a bowl.  In a saucepan, melt your Velveeta, milk, and butter together until smooth.  Add in your egg and stir just until mixed.  Pour sauce mixture over noodles.  Add in your carrot and salt and pepper to taste.  Add in shredded cheese, reserving a little bit to sprinkle over the top.  Pour into greased dish and bake for 30 minutes at 375 until the center is set.

Loves to Swing!

Emily and the box of tissues...

I walked into the den and found this today...

Don't worry, I didn't ACTUALLY let her eat it... but it probably wouldn't have been her first time!

10 Months Old

     Now that Emily is 10 months old, I feel like we are "over the hill" and swiftly heading towards being a year old!!!  It's crazy how fast the time has flown by with her.  She is at the age right now where she is doing something new everyday- whether it is a new sound/noise, word, hand movement, or action- she is SO much fun to watch and be around right now!  Emily is (as of RIGHT now)...

• Taking Steps!!!  Yes, we will have an early walker on our hands...
• Says "Ace" (I know that is crazy, but she really does say his name)
• LOVES to read books and beelines it over to you when you have one in your hands
• Is finally eating baby food well again and I believe we have hit a growth spurt...
• Can tolerate "chunks" of food as long as it is really mushy (this is a huge improvement for us)
• Starting to wave bye bye!
• Kisses and Hugs/Loves on EVERYTHING in sight, especially her pillow pet dog
• When we ask her how big she is, she raises both her hands in the air!  So cute-  stole this one from my nephew Chad who learned it first!
• Claps ALL the time!  Wakes up in the morning and claps her little hands and kisses us!
• HEALTHY as of right now! And I hope it stays this way for awhile!!

     She has started having some separation anxiety issues, especially at daycare, but since I have to go to work so early and am not the one to drop her off, I don't have to feel so guilty! Poor Stephen... And finally, we are back into our house as of yesterday!!! Thank goodness, it is SO nice to be home. Our floors are beautiful and we definitely got our "Spring cleaning" done early! Enjoy the pictures below!

"Hmm, should I try and stand up in the tub again?..."

Laughing Baby

Kisses for Mommy!

All Clean!

So BIG!

Standing and cruising around...

Cousins

With her pillow pet

New Floors!

Playing at the Doctor's office

     You can always tell when Emily feels GOOD at the doctor because, well... you will see in the video below!

     Thankfully Dr.Ward does not mind us playing with the paper on the table!  Her ears and lungs were all clear at this follow up visit!  We head to the ENT doc later in February to check on ear tubes.  Might not have to get them since the cold weather, and all the illness that comes with it, is hopefully is almost over, but we shall see!