Bright Lights, No Nap

I took Emma to San Francisco today, to visit a dear friend. It was her debut in the big city, and I think she had a wonderful time. The three of us walked all over, enjoying the hustle and bustle of a city that is teeming with energy and activity.

Our first stop was Bloomingdale Kids in the new mall on Market Street, where I found a benevolent-looking catepillar reminiscent of a Dr. Seuss character. Fittingly, I have named him Seuss. (I hope Emma doesn't mind.) He boasts a rainbow of colors, a rattle, squeaky mid-section parts, and a tail with a bell. Kids get the coolest things! And, he was a modestly priced, I must say.

Feeling peaked after our initial walk, we headed to the food court, where Emma got to try miso soup, broccoli, a bean and some carrots. The miso was a big hit with her. I think the carrots were underwhelming. Ah, well, you can't win 'em all, right? She was also shamelessly eyeballing my tempura prawn, I might add.

After grabbing something to eat, the three of us walked around the Market Street mall, went outside and checked out the mothership of all things cosmetic and good-smelling: Sephora. Emma drank it all in, loving the abundance of colors and light, the delighted sales people upon seeing their youngest customer ever, and the intoxicating, yet cloying, bouquet of a hundred different perfumes hanging on the air.

Next, we grabbed the mana from heaven, a.k.a. coffee from the much-prized Coffee Bean, and headed back down Market to see the sights. After a few hours of walking, we girls collapsed in an exhausted, but contented, heap in the car and headed home. A glorious day!

Just for the Quack of It

Emma is learning to take baths in the "big tub." This is a milestone for her, since until about a week ago, she has been bathed exclusively in an infant tub in the sink. Now, she's getting used to a new room and a new tub in which to take her baths. I thought it might ease any anxiety she might feel by plunking her in an enormous, inflatable rubber duck and make quacking noises at her. Sounds fun, right? Sadly, the transition was not so smooth, at first.

Basically, Emma hated the duck tub with the fiery passion of a thousand suns, which no amount of cajoling, singing, soothing or pleading could mollify. I tried just about everything I could think of, short of standing on my head while singing the national anthem, to distract her from her giant-duck-induced distress. I'm not sure why she hated it so much, or the bathroom, for that matter. Maybe the acoustics or the harsh lighting? I know I hate our bathroom.

True to form, however, she came around after about three days. And, now she gets an initial quiver in her bottom lip and then decides she's OK in the giant ducky. Seriously, who doesn't want to bathe in a giant duck?? I ask you. Just a little slice of heaven.

My name is Emma

Emma is a charming and curious 7 1/2 months. Her world is getting bigger every day, filled with new smells, sights and sounds. Her favorite things to look at are trees, her favorite smell cinnamon and her favorite sound laughter.

She is trying so hard to crawl, but has not quite put it all together yet. But, she is content to sit for short periods and look around. I am so excited for her to start crawling, and probably do not realize how good I have it right now, while she is still anchored to one spot.

Little bee sleeps through the night, but hates to sleep during the day. However, I did manage to get photographic evidence of a daytime nap. Of course, one runs the risk of waking the baby when one sneaks up on her during a nap.

Emma also love kitties and is eager to reach out and grab a whisker, much to their chagrin. I'm trying to teach her to pet nicely. Baby steps!

She will eat anything, which can be problematic when she reaches for a notebook instead of a cheerio. But I love that she has a healthy appetite!