Emery Cate | 16 months old

Our sweet Emery! I wanted to write to you now that you are 16 months old so I can remember all the sweet things you do. This is such a cute age and I just love it so much.

(all photos by Megan Martin Photography)

You are so, so sweet and you sure do love your momma! You love to be held and this is so different than your sister ... she was always so independent and you are too, but you still prefer to be near me.

You are getting so good at talking! You say so many words now. "Daddy" "Momma" "Mickey" "Donald" "Bye" "No" "MeMe" (just a few of the words) You say Momma the most! :) You will try to repeat almost every word we say! You follow commands so well and you are starting to string "gibberish" words together and it is so cute! You just talk and talk and I know you are trying to say something important by the look on your face :)

You still love mickey mouse SO much!! The CUTEST thing ever is when you say "donald." I purposely find pictures of Donald Duck so I can hear you say it. You will spot Mickey Mouse from all the way across the store sometimes and I will hear you say "Mickey" & I'll search for what you see and it sometimes is so far away. You are obsessed, to say the least!

You have 8 teeth, have light brown hair and blue eyes. You are in size 5 diapers and are in 2T clothes. You are probably around 26 pounds now! You are taking 1 nap a day and you sleep pretty good at night with the exception of those nights where you love to stay up for a few hours at a time at 3 am. 

You love spoons and you usually want a spoon if I give you ANY meal. You will basically throw a fit until you have a spoon in your hand.  You usually will just hold the spoon in one hand and eat the meal with your other hand. Speaking of spoons, you LOVE to eat. I usually have to decide when meal time is over with you because I swear you would eat all night if I would let you!

One of my favorite things you do is giggle! You will randomly smile and giggle and it is so cute. I also love when you nod your head to tell us yes. You do it so forceful and I love it! You LOVE to dance! Any music you hear you will start to dance, I swear its like you can't help yourself - you just have to move to the music! :) You sway side to side and then will bounce up and down.

You are already starting tantrums. You love to throw things down if its not what you wanted and will lay face down in the floor and throw your fit. Lord help us. :)

You love being with Avery. Y'all don't play very well together but you still love to just "be" with her. Whenever she goes, you go. Whatever she is doing, you want to do. You are really patient with her most days and will usually not pay her any attention when she throwing her fits.

You get so excited every time you see your cousin Bryson. You love him so much. He gets the most hugs from you than any of us!

Emery, we love you so, so much. Words cannot describe how blessed I feel that you are my daughter. You were quite the surprise to us and Lord knew I needed you before I did. You are so precious to us and we have enjoyed watching you blossom over these last 16 months. You are such a ray of sunshine to everyone and we cannot imagine our lives without you sweet girl.
Keep growing big and strong baby!

a letter to emery | ONE

Emery Cate,

I absolutely cannot believe you are already one! It seems like yesterday that we were bringing you home from the hospital!

You are 25.1 pounds and 31.25 inches long! You are in the 97% for height and weight! You have (light) brown hair and blue eyes! That dark hair didn't stick around too long. You are so beautiful! You have 2 teeth! You say "thank you" "squeaky," and "da da!"

You are such a happy baby!! You are content playing by yourself, but you do love to see what Avery is into. Most of the time, she doesn't like that too much. You often will pick up a baby doll (that she may or may not be interested in at that current moment) and you will take off in the other direction because you know she will want it. It's funny to watch!

You love to dance to music! If you hear a song on the tv, radio or if I am singing one, you immediately start dancing! It is so cute. It's every single time... It's as though you can't help yourself!!!

You are definitely a mommas girl and I love it! You prefer me over anyone and I am soaking it in!

You are napping 1 time a day and you are drinking whole milk now and you love it! You are such a good napper and sleeper and you lay down so good for us at bedtime.

You hate to get dressed and have your diaper changed and that is a constant struggle for us! I leave you in your diaper most days at home because you seem to prefer that over clothes.

You love to play with big kids and you are such a daredevil! You love to climb on anything you can. If you climb in a chair, you will immediately stand up! You give me so many heartattacks daily! We tell you no and you will squat down and whine a little and then stand right back up ... repeat! You also will climb into the little tyco cars at meme and papa's and you are always so content in them. I believe you have spent upwards to an hour in one before.

You are walking so good now! (& you are super bowlegged) Avery loves to tell me "Emery walking" everytime you're on the move.

You love to eat! You will eat everything we give you and you love feeding yourself.  You are content sitting in the high chair just picking up your food. You will eat it all most of the time!

You have to most delicate sounds when you are trying to tell us something  .... usually combined with the sweetest look on your face. You will hold out what ever toy you have in your hand and mumble something so quiet but you look so serious about it.

We love you so much baby girl. Life is so much fun with you and we are beyond thankful we get to be your parents. You have been such a joy and we love watching you learn and experience new things.

Keep growing big & strong baby!

a letter to emery | 10 months

Emery Cate, you are officially 10 month old! I am enjoying this stage so much! You love to eat with your hands, you enjoy playing with toys and you are so easy to please! I love to hold you and just kiss your little (big) cheeks! You love momma's kisses!

You love to eat! If anyone has food, you can bet you are going to crawl over to them for a bite! And, chances are that you aren't going to get fed fast enough for your liking so you will get mad and start doing your fake whine accompanied with a face this looks like the world is ending. You love it all and won't turn down a bite.

You are so active and you love to follow Avery everywhere! If she is playing with a toy, you have to check it out. You are so curious about anything she is doing or eating. When Avery has her meltdowns, you are never phased. Most times you never even glance at her which is really funny to us. You must be used to the noise. Papa calls you am octopus because you just reach and grab for anything and everything until you get something in those hands.

You are mostly in 12 month clothes and are wearing some 18 month clothes. You are a chunk & I LOVE it!

You still only have your 2 bottom teeth and your hair is starting to lighten up some. I'm in denial about that because I want your hair to stay dark like mine. Your eyes are still blue like your daddy's!

You are taking 2 maps a day and will sleep a long stretch a night. You will still want a bottle during the night a few times a week and you let us know but doing the loudest groan! (I can't even explain this sound!!)

We are already planning your first birthday which is so crazy to me! I can't wait to watch you dive into your smash cake! Your daddy and I love to imagine you with your smash cake because we know you will love it!

You are so precious and so happy! You are so smiley and only whine on occasion ... usually when you are hungry or sleepy! You do love to pull on mommas leg when you want me to pick you up, but other than that, you are very content playing or watching Avery!

Our precious Em, you are so, so loved! 

Keep growing big and strong!

avery and emery | september

photo credits: emersonirisphotography 

(check her out on instagram - she did a great job!)

letter to emery | 9 months old

You are 22 pounds and 28.5 inches. You still have brown hair and blue eyes. You have TWO (bottom) teeth! YAY! The first tooth you sprouted was a huge surprise! I wasn't even checking your mouth hardly because you weren't showing any signs (no drool AT ALL) and ave didn't get a single tooth until a few weeks before she turned one...so, needless to say, I was shocked! If it is even possible, your smile got even sweeter with those two teeth shining!

You love, and I mean LOVE table food. You never really took to baby food so I was eager to start you on table food. You have taken to it like a pro! You love everything that you have tried and as soon as your tray gets empty, you are fussing for more!

You can clap your hands together and you love to play peek-a-boo! You love to look at yourself in the mirror or phone and you still love to watch Mickey! You also love to dance. When music plays or we sing to you (emmy, emmy jump up and down) you start doing what I call the "two step". You will start stomping your foot on the ground. It is so cute!

You can say MaMa, DaDa, PaPa, and ByeBye ... and a bunch of other sounds! You can get really loud when you are squealing! You have the sweetest laugh and no one can make you laugh quite like your cousin bryson can!

You are so active! You love to crawl after Avery wherever she goes and you pull yourself to standing so you will be able to play with her.  You are already standing by yourself and you love to push a push walker. You get so proud of yourself when we all clap!

You are so patient with Avery. If you have picked up her paci on the ground and slipped it into your mouth & she runs to take it, you let her and just carry on. If she wants you to "walk" holding her hands, you will let her drag you along. If she wants you to eat a crumb she has bitten off of her bite of food, you let her put it in your mouth. If she wants to "holds you" you let me pretend to put you on her hip. If she wants to feed you a bottle, you always let her...even if she pulls it out of your mouth a million times.  If avery doesn't want you to have a toy you are playing with and runs over to you saying "no ma'am emmy" you just move onto the next toy. You love to grab up her cups when they fall on the floor...you have already learned that her drinks are better than yours so you never miss an opportunity. :)
You are the best little sister!

You are wearing size 4 diapers and size 12 month clothes & sleepers. I am already predicting that you will catch up to Avery next year! There is only a 4 pound difference & 5.5 inch height difference between the two of you right now!

You are a complete momma's girl and I love it! You usually won't go to anyone else if I am holding you and if you spot me across the room, you always crawl to me or whine for me. Believe you me, I am soaking it in!

We love you so much Em! Keep growing big and strong ...  we sure are enjoying watching you rock your milestones! 

letter to emery | 8 months old

How have you been here with us for 8 months, Em?! Talk about an amazing whirlwind of the last 8 months! I feel like I need to start this off by saying just how incredible of a baby you are. You have been an amazing blessing to us. You are SO relaxed. You hardly ever fuss and if you do its because you are hungry. You are just such a happy thing no matter what is going on and I cannot express enough how much momma needed you! You smile and laugh so much and you always can calm momma down with just a smile.

You are the sweetest thing! You love to follow avery and bryson everywhere during the day. If we go into the kitchen to make breakfast, you follow right behind us! I can put you on the ground in the mornings after we get up and you will play for hours. You love to crawl around to the furniture and pull up and see what you can grab onto. If you can get anything in those hands, you best believe it will go straight to your mouth. We really have to watch avery because she will leave crumbs  everywhere and lets just say you may have got an early taste of chips. ;)

You are not only pulling up, but you are cruising too! We have also started letting you try to push a walker around and you have actually done very well pushing it. It's incredible how strong you are, little bit. You amaze me everyday with something new you are doing!

If I am sitting in the floor with you, you deliberately look for my hands because you love to use them to stand up. So, I will put my hand out and you will put your little hand in it and reach for my other one so you can pull up. It is so cute that you do that.  You are also starting to pull yourself up on my legs if I am standing in the kitchen which makes cooking mighty hard!

You are still a chunk and you have the best rolls on your thighs! You love to eat! We are slowly introducing table food because while you will eat baby food, you really aren't thrilled with most of it We all feel so guilty eating in front of you because you are so, so interested so you are getting small amounts of table food and you are loving everything. You are also doing so great with a sippy cup!

You do prefer veggies over fruit like your daddy!

Avery still takes away anything that you are playing with and she will say "no no no," We are working on that! She is so good about bringing your paci and lovie to you if you are fussy and she loves to kiss you on your hand and head. She is saying "Em" now but still mostly calls you "sissy." You really love to follow her around and if she is running from the kitchen to the living room, you are following right behind her.  You are extremely patient with her. If she insists on giving you a bottle, you will just sit there at ease and let her take the bottle out of your mouth and then put it back in, over and over.

You are really interested in TV and will break your neck if you hear a commercial with songs on it. You will literally come to a dead stop to watch the commercial. It is so funny! Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is definitely your favorite!

You are a belly sleeper and you love to sleep with a lovie. You are still waking up about once a night to eat, but thankfully you go right back to sleep. You take 2 naps a day and sometimes will even nap for 3 hours! You are in size 4 diapers and you are wearing 9-12 month clothes! 

I love you so much Emery Cate! You are so special to momma and daddy and i hope you always know that! 

keep growing big and strong

you are so loved

**pictures were WAY harder this month!

Emery Cate | 6 and 7 months

Life has been super hectic lately so I figured I would just combine the 6 and 7 month posts (sorry, little bit!)

You are such a little chunk and I love it! You are probably close to 20 pounds as we speak! You wear 9 month clothes and are in size 4 diapers like your sis! Your chunky legs are amazing! 

You are starting to discover your voice more and more and you will get super loud! You have a deep growl sound that you do which is so cute! You stick your tongue out all the time and you love to smile! You are so busy and so squirmy! You try to get your hands on anything and everything that you see! You really do wear anyone out that tries to hold you! You have the sweetest laugh and we usually get to hear it the most when your cousin Bryson is around! He sure loves to make you laugh!

You are sitting up by yourself and you have mastered crawling! And, you are now trying to pull yourself up on furniture! You are such a strong girl!

Your eyes are still blue and your hair is still curly and brown (& thinning) You are so beautiful! 

Avery calls you "sissy" and she has started taking things that you are playing with and will say "no no no!"  Goodness do you love looking at her! You smile at her all the time and you are so interested in everything she is doing! There is no doubt that the two of you will be the best of friends!

You are the happiest baby and will let anyone hold you! Anyone that has spent a significant amount of time with you always comments on how good of a baby you are! 

You went to myrtle beach for the first time and you napped in a wagon on the beach every single day. You also loved to be put in your baby float in the baby pool and you just cruised around! It was so cute! Avery loved to push you in it.

You are such a blessing to us sweet girl! We were so nervous how life was going to be with two little ones so close together and you have made things so much easier for momma! You are such a good baby!

Emery Cate | five months old

Our sweet, sweet Em! You are such a light to us! Your smile is so contagious! You are the happiest, most content baby and we are so thankful for you!

You are a chunk of a thing! I don't know your exact weight right now because you didn't have a wellness check this month, but you are on the verge of being in all size 9 month clothes and you are officially in size 4 diapers!! Ah! That is so crazy to us because Avery is in size 4 diapers! Your rolls in your legs are my favorite!!

You tried rice cereal when you turned 4 months old. You had a hard time getting the hang of swallowing it! I would put it in your mouth and you immediately start smiling at us and it just pours out of your mouth. you have tried oatmeal, rice, green beans, and peas and you haven't seemed to like  much yet. You eat so much and I am very surprised you haven't really liked baby food yet. Most of the time you make a disgusted face or you will start making noises with your tongue and it goes everywhere!

And, oh that tongue! You sure love to stick it out! Everyone gets so tickled by how much you stick out your tongue! It is so cute!

you love to roll! I have to keep my eye on you because before I know it, you will be half way across the living room! as soon as I lay you on your back, you immediately turn over! If toys are laying on the ground, you try your hardest to get to them and as soon as you do, they go straight to your mouth!

You are such a good napper! When you are on the verge of drifting off, you will put your arm over your eyes. your daddy sleeps that way :)

You are so ticklish. We noticed it when you we're just a little thing, but it is so noticeable now! I will be zipping up your sleeper and when I get to your neck you start giggling. it is so cute!

you still love to be carried facing outwards. you are such a curious little thing. if you are whinny, chances are that we can just pick you up to look around and you will be fine! 

One of my favorite things is to see you laugh at Avery. I have THE best videos of you laughing at her! Oh, my heart could burst seeing the two of you interact! You will smile and laugh at her all day long! You get bunches of kisses from Avery!

Your hair is so curly when it dries after bathtime. it is so pretty! It stands about 2 inches off your head because your hair is so long! Your PaPa Keith had hair just like you when he was a baby! 

you still love your pink soothie paci and Lamby! you love to spend time in the walker. you get to see everything so I'm sure that's the reason. As soon as I get you out of it, Avery climbs in it.

We love you baby girl!

a letter to emery | one month

Our precious Emery! How are you a month old already, little bit?

 I'll tell you what, I never expected to have two children so close together, but man oh man am I so glad to have you. You are a piece of me that I didn't even know i was missing. 

Our world has been rocked once more and we couldn't be happier. It has honestly been a whirlwind of a month, but I feel like things are starting to finally become our new normal.

You have had a rough few weeks of life but you have proven to be quite strong. You had to be hospitalized at 2 weeks old for RSV. The doctor told us in the hospital when you were born that we could expect you to get sick sooner since we had a young child at home, but we definitely didn't expect for you to get sick that soon. You sure did scare us, but after two weeks I can officially say you are better!

Judging by your 3d ultrasound, we thought for sure you would be identical to Avery, but you definitely have your own look about you. You have the most beautiful dark brown hair and the prettiest skin. I think you favor your momma. :) 

You are holding your head up for long periods of time and you love being put in the moby wrap. (it's almost like being pregnant with you again). You love looking at lights. You make THE BEST kissy face with your lips puckered up and it gets me every time! I just love it. I absolutely love kissing those cheeks of yours and I pretty much just kiss them constantly.

 After you sneeze, you make the cutest "sigh" sound. Ah, its just adorable! I never want to forget that sound. You have hiccups a few times a day and you absolutely hate them. You will fuss and fuss until they are gone.

We have been working on a nickname for you. I usually call you "little bit" but since we call your sister "bird" we are waning an animal nickname for you. Your cousin Bryson wants you to be called "owl" because you will name the "O" face and look all around like an owl. (he came up with that all on his own and we were so tickled by that!) We will see what sticks in the next few months!

You are quite the eater! I was told that since you were 8 pounds when you were born that you would be a hungry baby and that you are! You eat so much little bit! I can't wait until your next appointment so I can see how much you weigh! 

Your sister just loves to give you kisses and hugs and she looks for you immediately in the mornings. She points at you and walks over to check on you. I cant wait to watch the two of y'all grow up together.  We have spent the last month watching your sister and you in awe. She knows you are something for her to protect and something for her to "pet" and love on. She loves to touch your head and will giggle and get excited every time she touches you or you make a sound. Watching the two of y'all together is a new favorite of mine.

You are officially smiling at me! What a sweet day that was when you smiled at me for the first time. You have only smiled a handful of times so far, but oh I already love that precious smile of yours.

Sometimes the most unexpected things are our biggest blessings and I thank God every day for changing our plans by giving us you. 

You are so loved baby girl.