However, one thing has suffered. I’ve continued to take many pictures and videos of Emma as she’s conquered one milestone after another, but I have not posted any blogs lately. So this one will be long as Emma has started to crawl backwards, has been eating more and more solids, has enjoyed bouncing in the swing, is playing more and more with the toys in the exorciser and has been sitting on her butt without any support. In short, every day is an adventure as she discovers new things.

First, I’ll start with Emma wearing the Free Range Cycles onsie that she received from one of Rory’s favorite bicycle shops.

Next, here is Emma crawling backwards all the way behind the table.

And then, she moved backwards on the hardwoods until she got herself stuck by the book case. Silly Emma.

She loves, loves, loves sitting on her belly and pushing herself up with her arms. And of course, Teika isn’t far away.

And more crawling…

Emma now grabs things very easily. Everything her little hands hold goes directly in her mouth.

Emma has been enjoying avocados, carrots and sweet potatoes. Here she’s full of sweet potatoes.

And she’s learning to drink water.

Emma enjoying the swing. First by herself, then with Rory, Teika and I.

Playing with the toys in the exorciser.

She can now sit without any support. And when she’s barefoot, she gets extremely fascinated by her feet.

And she loves the mirror. She is intrigued by the little baby that looks back at her.

We also went on a short road trip and enjoyed some last days of summer sunshine.

Needless to say, the days were miserable. But by the next week, things eased up and I started to get into a rhythm. Work is extremely busy which keeps me nice and occupied while I’m there. And though I’ve enjoyed my moments with Emma during maternity leave, I now savor every moment and hug and kiss her every chance I get.

The following pictures capture the most important part of life, the priceless times and love we share with family.

And then, some mother and daughter time.

Followed by three generations together, a daughter, a mother and a grandmother.

As Emma looked at Teika today, she asked “Are you my mother?”…

After some licking from Teika, Emma looked at her, but her teeth seemed really big and she was very furry…

“Could this be my mother?” she asked…

Emma kept on looking, and looking for her mother…

And when finally she looked up at the camera, Emma knew she found her mother…

“You are my mother” she said as she held on tight to me…

The end!

It is very fun to watch mom with Emma. You can see the huge love she’s got in her heart for her. And Emma seems happy as can be.

It is obvious that I could not stop taking pictures of the two of them. And as I’m writing this blog, I cannot decided which ones to exclude either. They are all so, so precious!

I don’t turn many pictures into black and white because the colors are so nice, but I thought I’d try a few in this set just for fun.

And of course, Teika was ever so present and laid there watching us…

Happy times!

At four months, we had a great two weeks traveling with her. She’s an amazing little girl and even at times when we were 8 hours in the car she did wonderful. And she slept through the night every night making for happy, well rested mommy and daddy!!!

We began our car adventure on Thursday, July 15th after Rory got off work. Our goal was to reach our first hotel destination in 6 hours getting there around 10:00pm. Unfortunately, due to construction and a big truck that was on fire on I-5 it took us 8 hours to get there. Emma slept most of the way there and when we got to the hotel, she continued to sleep until 5:00am. Easy, breezy first night!

The next morning while I was taking a shower, Rory decided to entertain and play with Emma. While he was holding her above him on the bed, Emma decided to give him a present. A very big present!!! She puked all over him. I mean, the biggest puke you’ve ever seen. His t-shirt was drenched. Rather than trying to clean it up, we just left it in the garbage can. Yuck!

With that, we started another long day of driving. By Friday evening we arrived at our next hotel in Pleasanton California. Our room was comfortably big.

We spent Saturday with Rory’s parents Ron and Carol. We drove to Monterey and enjoyed some beautiful scenery and some well needed relaxation.

We saw a lot of scuba divers and Rory and I both wished to be in the water too. Maybe next time we visit when Emma is older, we will.

The day was perfect. And Emma enjoyed being chauffeured by all of us, especially Ron and Carol.

We saw a lot of sea lions. I mean a lot!!!

And Ron and I couldn’t stop taking pictures…

 
While we were with Rory’s parents, we also enjoyed an hour away in the pool at the hotel while they babysat Emma. It was our first excursion without Emma. It was great because we knew she was in great hands and enjoying the love of her grandparents.

We were in Pleasanton celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of friends of Rory’s. Here are a few pictures from the event. Needless to say, the weather was fantastically warm.

After a few days in Pleasanton and some great times with Rory’s parents, we parted ways and headed for a few days of camping. Our drive took us through the wineries along highways 101 and 1. Both roads were quite curvy and scenic.

The first two nights were spent at a camp site in California right next to the ocean.

Although we were in California, the weather was actually quite cold and so we had to be bundled up.

Our signature shot is to hold the camera in front of us and take a picture. Of course we had to take a picture with Emma too.

and a few more…

and yet a few more…

The weather was hit and miss. It was never unbearably cold, but it was windy and chilly enough for a sweater. Still, it was great to explore the beaches.

While exploring the beaches, Emma was held in the Baby Bijorn which we received from a friend. It has been a great thing to have to carry Emma in places that would be hard to go with a stroller.

And it had the added benefit of allowing Emma to fall asleep in the comforts of our arms.

Back at the camp we made fire and cooked our meal over it. Though not pictured here, we roasted marshmallows for smores and they were delicious!

All while Emma happily and sometimes not so happily played with her blocks.

As we left California, we made a detour to drive through a tree. Apparently this is a well known thing but I never heard of it. Still, it was fun to see if the Rav4 would fit…which it did.

When we arrived at the second camp site, we discovered that the Oregon campsites are much better than those in California. At least they were more luxurious and cheaper. Instead of having to boil the water, we could use it right off the faucet. There were free hot showers instead of ones we had to pay for, there was a kid’s playground (good to remember in the future when Emma is older…) and the campsite cost less per night than in California.

Emma loved it too as she enjoyed some nicely welcomed sunshine and warmth.

Just a short little walk from the camp was Harris Beach.

This a great spot for camping with a great beach and wonderful weather.

And at the end of the day, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

Early next morning, before our departure from the campsite, we took a stroll on the beach. Only the fog was really thick and hard to actually see the beach. Still, I love the colors in the photos below.

And of course we had to have breakfast! All cooked up by Rory…yum.

In the car and when she was not sleeping, Emma kept herself entertained with a little monkey and friend.

Our last stop in Oregon was in Manzanita where we enjoyed a great big room overlooking the ocean. Here we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. Though you cannot see the ocean in the picture below, just imagine a beautiful ocean front view right from those big windows.

After a long drive here, Emma enjoyed some well deserved belly time on the bed.

I’ve got to say that sleeping in hotels with a four month old is awesome. Not only are the rooms big and can fit the play n’pack, but also the beds are kind size. What a different it makes. And being on vacation is also an excuse to not worry about the strict sleeping schedules that so many new parents suddenly discover. Everyone says it’s really important for babies to take proper naps, etc. And while I don’t disagree with that, it is tiring and a great excuse to ignore it for a few days.

The second week of our vacation was spent in Cle Elum. It’s always very enjoyable to go there as it is nice, peaceful and quite. This trip was no exception.

The first day there we enjoyed spending some time on the deck. Emma’s outfit was given to her by Rory’s parents cousin Conrad.

One of the things I haven’t seen since my childhood days are currents. At least not fresh ones that you can eat. These used to grow in my grandparents garden.

And of course the next day yet again we wore the Baby Bjorn. We just love that thing! And Teika loved being in Cle Elum too.

Again we enjoyed some relaxation time on the deck. Father and daughter… happy times.

At one point, Teika thought she saw something in the garden. She was all ears and alert.

Emma and I also had some fun giggly times.

In the evening we enjoyed some beautiful sunsets and thunderstorms. Though I could never quite capture the lightening really well…

This was a great first vacation with our little girl Emma. She is growing up so quickly I can’t even breath that fast!

Until next vacation… Adieu!

If I don’t look at her, she’s not there…

In the picture below, Teika is definitely asking me what have I done, bringing this little baby home… Ah, but I know she’s secretly in love with Emma. I can see the carrying motherly instinct in her every time Emma cries.

And of course, Emma is ever the curious…

Of course the instant she grabs on to something, she wants to put it in her mouth!

Everything, absolutely everything is fascinating to her. It is so refreshing to watch her get so excited and curious about everything. I’m sure all parents can tell me this, but it is so different when one actually experiences it first hand. Parenthood is amazing indeed!

I love her cute little chubby feet. They curl up in ways only babies feet can. It’s as if there are no bones in there!

As the weather wasn’t so hot on Monday, I took the blanket outside and Emma and I spent a few minutes laying in the shade. It’s tough when no one else is home, so I trusted my handy dandy tripod to take some pictures of the two of us. Emma really loves to stand. I think she’ll be very, very excited to walk as soon as she can do it.

But before walking, she just learned to fully flip over today. So for your enjoyment, I’ve captured her rolling.

“Where is Emma” song that mom and I are singing in the video below is one that I learned at my PEPS meetings. It is a song that I sing to Emma very often when she is fussy and getting ready to cry. Amazingly, it stops her from crying. She loves to hear it and watches me with intense focus when I sing it.

Bye, bye, mommy… until next time!