Big Day for Emma Bean

Emma has been a busy critter since we've been here. At the moment she is standing in her crib, talking to her reflection in the window, showing it her new toy, a maraca, which I will talk about later. There are all sorts of new drawers and cupboards to explore, new outlets to try and eat, and new chairs to knock over... on herself.

I heard a noise and when I looked, it was like a crime scene. There was Emma, sprawled out on all fours, on top of her a toppled chair. It knocked the wind right out of her, and if she hadn't started crying instantly, I would have been panicking. She was obviously fine, with a few scrapes on her face and a bruise that went away in a few hours. I think she just scared herself more than anything. After a good 10 minutes of crying, she was fine.

In other news, she took a step! It was a teeny-tiny step, but a step non the less. Actually, I should say steps. This started about three days ago but we weren't sure if it was just a fluke or not. Then this morning, quite deliberately, she tried to walk toward me. She got about two steps in before she tripped over her own toes, but the intent was there. My (ever knowledgeable, med-student) husband predicts she will be seriously walking by 11 months.

(Emma dropped her maraca out of the crib. In an attempt to get it back, she also dropped her blanket. She is satisfied that this method will not work, and has returned to talking to her reflection)

Incidentally, she really is talking to her reflection. Yesterday she picked up "Hi!" Today it has gotten some serious usage and she is enthusiastically greeting every inanimate object she encounters. As for people, she is usually too busy showing off how cute she is to say it right away, but if they stick around for a minute or two she might decide to say it. She is also saying "Baba," which is Chinese for "daddy." Not bad for 9 1/2 months!

About that toy. Somehow in all the packing, we forgot to pack sufficient toys. Emma went for almost three days with nothing but a chewy butterfly, a book and two stuffed animals. So we went shopping. We picked up Eric Carle's Mister Seahorse and A House for Hermit Crab, and then at a tourist-trap store we found this maraca. We had a plethora of colors and styles to choose from, so we went with the cheapest, unpainted, plastic version in blue. Apparently it's the best toy we've ever gotten her. She plays with it constantly and you know what? For a noise-making toy it's pretty unoffensive. I really don't think we're going to get sick of it. As a $2.99 purchase it was totally worth it.

So that's my little list of updates for today. Feel free to comment on what you want to hear more about. I know I've been a little slack but there's just so much going on, sometimes it's difficult to pin down exactly what I should talk about. Toodles for now!