blueberry picking in Washington!

I visited my family in Washington a few weeks ago and while we were there, we went blueberry picking. My parents live in a rural town so the farm was only a four minute drive from their house! What a dream! Chris couldn't come with us to Washington and we missed him, but I definitely missed him most while picking berries. He loves blueberries so I was bummed he missed out. It was just me, my mom, Emi, and my nephew, and since we were running behind, we had to pick quickly before they closed at noon. I was really excited to take Emi but she made it very clear that she was hot, tired, and not interested in the berries. Which was really too bad because they were so sweet and juicy. Honestly probably some of the best berries I've ever had! Thankfully Emi fell asleep pretty quickly in the ergo, but it definitely was not like our strawberry picking experience earlier this summer. I guess you win some, you lose some!I brought our big camera, but without Chris' help, I didn't bring it out much. Which is kind of too bad because it was such a good trip, I would've loved to have more pictures. I got to celebrate and attend the wedding of a close friend from high school, see extended family, and meet my new twin nieces (I might share some pictures of them later since I took quite of few)! I played board games with my brother, my mom made three blueberry pies, and I went out to lunch with a girlfriend. My mom also arranged girl time and we all got pedicures! It was the perfect balance of laid back hang-out-with-family days and go-do-and-see-things days.I was really worried how Emi would do without Chris (and me without Chris for three flights...), but we did it and it somehow went really well! We really wished Chris could've come with but I'm so glad I got to spend some time with friends and family this summer. 

^^We picked thirteen pounds of blueberries! And by we, I mean I picked about maybe a pound in between eating handfuls and my mom picked the rest haha. Thanks mom! ;)

ten things about my ten month old

 Emi is ten months old! Her birthday feels like it's right around the corner and I'm having a hard time believing it. It feels like I just wrote "five things about my five week old" but here we are! There are so many things that I think I will remember, yet when I read my journal or old posts there are things I've forgotten. So here are ten things about right now that I want to remember.

1. Emi loves to suck on her pointer finger and thumb. She has a really funny habit right now of having a hard time choosing between her left and right hand, so she'll switch hands and fingers every few seconds.
2. She smiles more and laughs more than she ever has before and it makes me happier than anything. Sometimes when she just chats and laughs on her own I wonder what she finds so funny, but whatever it is, I'll take it!
3. That being said, it takes a lot of work to get her to laugh in response to us. We have to find a very specific spot when we tickle her, raise our voices embarrassingly high, and practically convince her to laugh. But when she does, it's kind of the best thing in this whole world.
4. When she has a lot of energy or when she's excited, she loves to kick her legs when she's laying on the ground. The mattress in her crib is a little springy and she loves to kick and bounce herself when she's in it.
5. Emi doesn't crawl but she rotates around on the ground. She'll kick and roll around and before long, she'll have moved a few feet.
6. She still has chubby thighs, big cheeks, and ankle rolls. She's so squish-able and I love giving her hugs.
7. Emi loves her greens! Spinach, broccoli, avocado, green peas, zucchini...all of it. She doesn't love fruit but she'll eat it if it's with a veggie haha.
8. She has four teeth!
9. Emi's developmental road is different than a typical child's, but as she gets older, the differences become more apparent (and will only continue to become more pronounced). Sometimes it's hard for me to see pictures and videos of babies Emi's age or younger since it reminds of what she's not doing yet and may never do. While I would give almost anything for her to be doing the same things, I'm trying to appreciate her extended baby stage and enjoy her right now.
10. Everywhere we go, people are drawn to Emi. It could be her big blue eyes and long eyelashes, but I believe it's because they feel her unique spirit. As her mama there's a natural bias, but Emi is exceptional in her own way and I'm positive that other people feel it, too. Or even if it is just because she's cute, I love the sweet love that people have for her.

***Since Emi can't quite sit up yet and rolls over after 0.2 seconds of tummy time, she's developed a flat spot on her head. We decided to help round it out with a cranial remolding helmet. She'll probably have it 4-6 months. I think the yellow was a good choice. It's such a happy color! If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask!