A Week in Photos: July 21st - July 27th

July 21st:
Today, Ember earned the name Doogie. She just seems to be acting beyond her 7 months. When we picked up Andrew from work this evening, she stretched her legs on the front seat and reached for my coffee. She took off her tank top tonight while getting her jammies on and nodded when asked a question, I swear! Pride and admiration pours out of me for that girl ... even though she is in a ridiculous hurry to grow up.

July 22nd:
This morning Ember and Hugo made huge strides in their relationship. Hugo the cat has been disdainful since our girl arrived in December - she took all of our attention and redefined his territory. Over the last couple of months, Ember has become very interested in the cat and he has had zero tolerance in indulging her curiosity. Now that she's mobile and can chase after him, he's been slow to forge a friendship. That changed today though, when Ember pulled herself up on his basket. Hugo didn't run away or dodge her touch. Today, Ember made contact.

July 23rd:
Playing in the light of the morning. She's beginning to look like such a little girl, isn't she? Oh, my heart.

July 24th:
Another Saturday, another rugby pitch. Ember happily plays on the blanket while the game plays out behind her. She was so interested in the family beside us and the little boys playing with their dog. If she were able, she would have walked over and joined in the activity. No matter how she studied the play, she couldn't get any further than this in being upright.

July 25th:
I spent the bulk of the afternoon making jam. During one of my breaks, I came into the family room to find Ember had pulled herself up to standing on the basket. I made such a fuss over the accomplishment that she got distracted and plunked down on her bottom. She tried to get herself back up but couldn't manage it while hamming it up for the camera.

July 26th:
Funny girl shoved the smallest of her stacking cups in her mouth and sucked on it for several minutes. She is such a goof! I couldn't help but giggle at her. She would start to giggle back, but the cup would slip out of her mouth prompting her to slurp it back in.

July 27th:
Lunchtime today. Ember had fresh pureed apricots. She seems to like them because she opens her mouth for spoonfuls several times over but her face doesn't sell it that way. With each bite, she winces, kicks, her hands clench into fists and tears form. Does this look like a happy girl?! This is the only food that garners this reaction. I'm such a mean mummy for feeding it to her over and over again, aren't I?

A Week in Photos: July 14th - July 20th

The number one item on my 28 in 28 is to take a photo a day for 365 days. (Inspired by Wendolonia.) That alone isn't too much a challenge for me. However to take a photo to act as a journal for our family and actually document it the moment properly ... a wee bit trickier. Alas, I'm off to a good start and feeling good about the organization system I've created to succeed at the project.

Here are the photos from the past week.

July 14th:
My 28th birthday. I had a fantastic day with my family. I thought it fair to skip my morning run and laze away until Ember woke up. It just so happened to be 10 am when I woke up to Ember 'la la la-ing'. Though I like to think she was singing Happy Birthday to me. We stumbled out of the bedroom to find a birthday banner hanging on the wall and a note left by Andrew wishing me a wonderful day. What a nice surprise! After dinner we enjoyed a white chocolate mousse icebox cake which I couldn't resist having a family picture with.

July 15th:
While getting Ember ready for bed, I spotted dirt all over her piggies from her adventures from throughout the day. When Andrew began wiping her feet with a wet cloth, Ember erupted in giggles that came straight from her belly. Being that baby belly laughs are more contagious than chicken pox, all three of us laughed until we cried.

July 16th:
These bouquet of beauties arrived from my mother-in-law today as a belated birthday surprise. Aren't they lovely? Ember and I were battling over nap time and my patience was running dangerously low when the deliveryman rapped at the door. My mood was restored upon seeing these and I looked at Ember and said, "Nana just saved the day."

July 17th:
Andrew joined rugby late in the season this year. As he hasn't played for a couple of years, due to life and injury, he committed to third division. After playing just three games, the first division coach recruited him to come out and play with the premier boys. Saturday marked a big game for the club, against the only team to have beaten our first division boys this season; there was a lot of pressure on the team to win. It was a real nail biter of a game but our boys pulled it off - they won 18-16!! This photo was taken immediately post game.

July 18th:
Our trio was over at my father-in-law's for a belated birthday dinner. Very suddenly, the skies opened and rain poured down. It was a lovely downpour as the heat of the day remained. Ember just loves walking while hanging on to our hands for support. So it's not surprising that when I took her out to see and smell the rain, she gestured to get down and dip her tootsies in the small puddles. We did a dozen laps of the deck, or more, while raindrops fell on our faces.

July 19th:
Ember freaking loves rice rusks. It is pure, unadulterated love. I'd kept them in hiding for several days as I want her to learn to love fruits and veggies with the same passion. Today, I decided to let her have a treat after eating some applesauce. Just upon hearing that package, she began to vibrate. Check out the focus and desire on that face.

July 20th:
I wish I could have seen the look on her face when Ember realized that she could reach the top of the coffee table and pull herself up. My fear of the tumble that could take place, had me stay right behind her. She got right up on her feet and she giggled with pride. I giggled in response. But more so because her right pant leg was stuck under her left foot and as soon as she shot up, her pants drooped a bit.