Thanksgiving Preparations and Name Practicing

We are in high gear today. We have what feels like half of the Great State of Texas flying in for Thanksgiving, and we have a house to clean. Emmie with her little broom will no doubt be putting things back where she wants them after we clean up, or as she sings "CleannnnnnnNUP!"

In advance of the arrivals, we have been practicing names. She has these down:
-Nana
-Papa
-Didi
-Pops
-Gigi

The rest are a bit more difficult:
-Saffren = frasen
-Uncle G = Ug
-Aunt Randi = ra
-Uncle Todd = unc toh
-Aunt Jen = gen

Now, as for other things she says, well, let's just say that last night she was stuck, and yelled loudly "SUCK!" After she caught us laughing, which we tried to hide, suddenly she was "stuck" more often.

Oh well, it could get worse.

Of to CleannnnnnnnnNUP!

We're Back!

I (Cody) am going to make an effort to revive this blog, as Emmie Reed deserves for the world to know how great she is, and because it is a forced journal, a gift we can all give Emmie.

Since the last post, which I believe was her birthday, Emmie has grown. Not so much is height as in sheer brilliance. She is talking and running and...wait for it...going peepee on the potty!

Anyway, I will write more later, but I wanted to share a photo from yesterday. She helped me plant fall flowers. By plant, I mean that she would pick the blooms off of the pansies and then stick them in the dirt. She was so proud. After all that, she helped me sweep the porch.


Most everything Emmie can hold becomes a phone. She will carry a dental floss container around saying "cheeeeesssse." We call that the floss phone, because she also has conversations with whomever may have the power to listen in. Lately, when we say cheese while holding an actual camera, she strikes a pose. Heart melting, indeed!

The Antics and Joys of Emmie Reed.

Just wanted to update you on our growing little Imp. She is bringing us great joy and we daily laugh at her antics. I think she may be paying me back for calling her "bulldog" a reference in part to the way she crawls and in another part to the way she bounces back from a challenge.

Sunday she decided that the protective plugs in the electrical outlets were unnecessary, so started to remove them. Coincidentally she also learned what a spanking felt like.

That same day she decided to conquor the cabinet locks. What took me 2 days to laboriously install and test she had beaten in a mere five minutes. We also introduced time outs that afternoon.

That night she laid in my arms, drank her bottle, and did a crib dive (no doubt exhausted by a day of world conquering, she cannot wait to get into her crib and sleep) but not before looking at me, smiling, and saying "dada" with a kiss. Transgressions of the day forgotten.

Monday she demonstrated that a genious can get out of a highchair regardless of restraint. This was not made clear until she landed in my lap during dinner. This was a good time to introduce the notion of no more dinner once you leave the table. (kidding aside, we did let her eat more, just not right then)

Finally, today she decided that gates were no obstacle. Kara sent me a photo. She pushed her new toy car over to the gate and climbed atop, ready to make the final leap to the other side, where she could make her way upstairs, a feat she mastered weeks ago. In all seriousness, this is fun. I am loving the action packed life we now lead. Please remember that she is only 9 months old. When you just cannot cram anything else into your head, please remember there is an infant in NC who is walking and wreaking havoc and two parents who are trying to stay one step ahead of the constant learning.

Happy New Year!

First Christmas

We had a great first Christmas. Although she will never remember, Emmie loved being spoiled with so many clothes and toys that we had to purge to make room. She hardly noticed the trees or lights, even though we kind of wanted her to at least stare in awe.

Hand Family Thanksgiving

Emmie's first Thanksgiving was also our first without my dad. We missed him so much at dinner. We had the cranberry sauce out of the can just for him. He is never far from my thoughts but we did our best to introduce Emmie to the holiday right. She was a blast. She sampled her first green bean casserole, sweet potatoes (with the marshmellows), mashed potatoes and gravy, and her new favorite a soft roll.


Here is Emmie showing the Hand Family Pride

Give us a smile Lady!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! The clean plate club

Gnome-- here she is.....