A few weeks ago, Jeff had a few days off, so we FINALLY took Miss Emma to the zoo for the first time. The day was perfect… a little bit cool in the morning so it wasn’t scorching hot by the afternoon.

We got there bright and early, waiting for the gates to open. Little did we know the gates open 30 minutes before any exhibits do. So we walked around and had a snack as the precious minutes before nap time started to count down.

But once the exhibits opened, I swear the animals put on a show just for Emma. The baby polar bear took a giant leap off of a rock into the water. A tiger walked right in front of the window where Emma was standing. And one of the lions let out a mighty roar that even I had never heard. It was absolutely amazing to me. I can only imagine how awesome it must have been to our little lady.

We also went to the Children’s Zoo, where Emma walked among some goats and brushed their hair. She petted a sheep, giggled at the loud ducks, and yelled at the horses to come closer. Every time we saw an animal, she kept saying, “More please!” She really did love it.

Unfortunately, she got worn out pretty quickly, so we had a quick (and somewhat crabby) lunch on a picnic bench at about 11:15am and headed home around 12pm. I have never seen her fall asleep in the car so fast. We were barely out of the parking lot and she was out. Even after the 45-minute drive home, she let me transfer her to her crib, where she slept another 2 hours.

As if that wasn’t great enough, Jeff then shooed me out the door to get a pedicure while he stayed (read: also napped) with Emma. Life is good!

Here are a few photos of our trip. Of course, none of them compares to watching Emma experience it all for the first time. What a wonderful blessing to see such pure joy and amazement through the eyes of a child. If only we looked at God’s creation through those eyes every day!

Passing the time before the exhibits open…

Mesmerized by the polar bears

A mighty roar just for Emma

Brushing a goat’s eye…which he totally appreciated!

Laughing with the duckies

Besides our yucky cold, the last few weeks have been a lot of fun. The nice weather really makes a difference in Emma’s mood… and mine. The only problem is convincing her that we can’t LIVE outside, but I’ve come up with a few full-proof tactics (i.e., “Let’s see if Mickey Mouse is on!”).

We spend a lot of time visiting the SLIDE! at the park, which is Emma’s absolute favorite thing in the world. Since we’ve been sick, we haven’t been able to go, so every time we drive past it, she moans, “Slide,” and lets out a fake cry. Really, she has such a hard life.

She has also finally taken to the swing. She loved it as a baby, but wasn’t so crazy about it until the last few trips. She also loves to go for walks, which is good for this pregnant lady. I get exercise and a few moments peace and quiet!

Another favorite outdoor toy is her house from Grandma and Grandpa and her Mickey chair I got on sale from Jewel. Her old push toy also allows her to go “shopping” outside.

I’ve even had the chance to see how life is with two children the last few weeks after watching my nephew and Emma’s best girlfriend. She had a blast with both of them and sharing has gotten much better. When Cricket came to visit, we had a lot of MINE! moments, but that seems to have gone away… at least for now. She loves playing with kids and usually gets pretty sad when it’s time for them to go home.

Inside, we’ve been practicing coloring and playing with play dough. Interestingly enough, she really hasn’t tried to eat the play dough as much as I thought she would. She gets bored with it pretty quickly, but I think that will change with time. For now, it gives us something else to do besides play ring-around-the-rosie for the billionth time.

She really enjoys animals, especially watching the “tweet tweets” fly by our window and the “hop hops” run along our grass. My favorite thing is when she makes her eating noise as the birds peck along the grass. It’s so cute!

Developmentally, she is doing great. She’s just starting to form small 2- and 3-word sentences and is really expanding her vocabulary. The only problem is that many words are starting to sound the same, which makes it hard for me to understand her sometimes. Most of the time I can figure it out. And I swear, she says “garbage truck” cuter than anyone I know. Well, that and “grapes.”

For a while the counting thing went by the wayside, but it is now back and in full force. With a little help, she can count to 10. The only numbers she has a hard time with are 7 and 10, and I usually have to start her out by saying “one.” Still, she impresses me. Of course, you have to catch her on a good day or there is no way she’s showing you her stuff. I think that’s her way of humbling Mommy and Daddy!

Miss personality is also getting more and more opinionated, which I knew was going to happen. She prefers to wear certain shoes; we can’t pass an open door without closing it; and as I put her to sleep at night, she often stops me mid-song to tell me she’d rather I sing another one. Sometimes I have to sing five before she chooses the one that fits her mood. Sigh…

Sleep has been good. Nap is about 2-3 hours and bedtime is still at 7pm, although I’m trying to move it to 7:30pm-8pm. For a while she was waking up at 5:45am, which was not fun. The last few days, though, she’s been closer to 6:30am, so we’ll see what happens.

She still loves blanket and binkie at night, and adores baby and Minnie during the day. And as much as I hate to admit it, Elmo, Mickey Mouse, and more recently, Pooh Bear, are also favorites. I am telling you, this girl can spot these characters from any distance and within seconds. It’s actually pretty cute how much she loves seeing their faces, and I can’t bring myself discourage it — no matter how much I am NOT a character person.

Books are still the only things that captivate her attention for any long period of time. She just sits and goes through book after book. She has started memorizing some of them and many times, she finishes my sentences. She can point to just about anything and tell you what it is. Next on the agenda is colors!

I know there are a million Emma-isms I am forgetting, but that will have to do it for now. Hope you all are enjoying the days as much as we are!

Until Friday…