9 months old

It's so exciting to think that in 3 months our little girl will be a year old. She is now 9 months old and growing so fast. This has been a month of major learning for Emsley. We are constantly seeing the little wheels turning in her head of how things work, how she can do things, and what else she can do! The days are going so fast because she is moving around and I love just chasing her! We are having a blast together and just love when Mike comes home to spend time with his girls.

Here are some stats as she turns 9 months:

-Weighs 22.14lbs and is in the 95th percentile
-Is 29 1/4 inches tall and is also in the 95th percentile
-Wears size 4 diapers
-She still wears some 12 month clothes still but mainly 18 months
-Eats 5 bottles a day still but is not necessarily finishing all of them
-East 3 meals a day and we have started to give her table food (rice, bread, bananas, avocado)
-Sleeps through the night like a champ!
-Bath time is more playtime...daddy is the best bath giver!
-As of December 26th she is now a crawler! She gets better everyday!
-She can pull herself up on everything...crib, table, chairs, and is getting pretty steady
-Still the friendliest baby I have ever seen...even when she was teething she was a sweetie
-She just got her 4th tooth this past Sunday...2 bottom and her 2 front teeth
-Clapping and waving are her favorite but has started pointing at things now
-"Talks" regularly...mama, gaga, ada...so close to dada!

We love Emsley so much and everyday gets more and more fun. Everyone told us that things would be so hard once Emsley starts crawling and walking. But honestly, it has just made our days more fun and entertaining. The days go by a lot quicker and she is just happier. I love being Emsley's mommy...each day gets better and better!

On our way to finalization...

That is right...we are one step closer to finalizing Emsley's adoption. Although she is so our baby, we are excited to make it all final and legal. Today we had our last meeting with our state appointed social worker Eva and went over last questions and she checked out our new house to make sure it was safe. Emsley was a wonderful baby while Eva was over and showed Eva just how happy and healthy she is with us. It was cool because Eva asked us where we went to church and how involved we are there. I loved it because we were able to say how involved we are with Project Hope (our orphan care ministry) and what it really means. We told her that the group isn't just a support group for those who have adopted but for those who want to care for orphans. I hope she saw a little of Christ in us today.

So what does this mean in our process? Well, Eva said that she plans on finishing her report for the court in about a month. Then she will have it approved by her supervisor, then sends it off to the courts and our lawyer. Our lawyer will then request a court date. Depending on availability, that could take 1 month or up to 6 months to get a date. Then we and our family and friends are able to go to court to watch us promise to be good parents to Emsley and it will be an absolutely special day. Secretly, I am hoping that our court date is either before or right around Emsley's 1st birthday. This day will be such a celebration and if the 2 fell at the same time it will make it just that much sweeter.

But since it has been a while since I posted pictures, here are a few of our baby girl. She is getting so big. An update on what she has been up to will be up next week (her 9 month update!)

Our first Christmas as a family of three!

Disneyland

More Disneyland

The Christmas tree on Main Street at Disneyland (seriously, I love this picture!)

Showing off her 2 teeth!

Beautiful little girl!

Reading a book on Christmas morning

Love that smile!

That scrunchy face pretty much makes my day!

Time with daddy on his Christmas break was the best!

Happy New Year!

Seriously...best year ever! I feel like I can't say enough of what a great year 2011 was. We were talking about what all the amazing things that happened and what we are looking forward to and praying for in 2012.

1. Had a great vacation, last time just the 2 of us, to Hawaii in March.
2. We got to be at the ultrasound where we found out our baby would be a little girl.
3. Got to spend all kinds of time with Miss Amy before little Emsley was born.
4. We were able to be at the birth of our daughter, Emsley Breanne on April 17th.
5. I became a stay at home mom and have been loving it!
6. Celebrated our 6th anniversary by going to the aquarium with Emsley & a date afterwards alone.
7. Celebrated many first holidays with Emsley....she is so cute.
8. Watched Emsley learn so many new things: smiling, cooing, clapping, waving, laughing, crawling.
9. Spent plenty of time as a family of three with our friends and family.
10. Fell more in love with each other!

But I think this year will be even better. Emsley will be turning 1 and we have another great vacation planned to Hawaii with family. This will also be the year that Emsley's adoption will be finalized, which will be a pretty amazing time for our family. But my prayer is that God allows us to be not only good parents to Emsley but also that she will see Christ in us as she learns and grows more. We desire to see God at work in our family in extremely amazing ways. I'm looking forward to what God does in us...places we go, people we meet, or ways He uses us to further His kingdom.

So, here is to 2012!