A Visit to the Farm

Yesterday we visited a local farm with one of the play groups in which we participate. This was Emilia's first experience with many of the animals and she seemed very intrigued.

Here's Ava, Liza and Ethan (left to right) checking out the chicks.

Cole, Ava, Connor and Wyatt (a.k.a. "the big kids") with the baby goats.

With help from mom and Liza, Emilia managed to pet the baby goat without pulling its hair (she has recently become a big fan of grabbing other people's hair).

And here's Emilia just checking out some of the roaming birds.

Good Hair Day

Emilia was having a particularly good hair day yesterday (thanks to a bath from her papa just prior to bedtime the night before), so I felt the need to post a picture of her.

Nine Month Check-Up

On Monday Emilia had her nine month check-up, where the doctor confirmed that she continues to be "petite", as many people point out to us. She is very light, at only 15 lbs. 7 oz., which puts her in the 4th percentile (meaning only 4% of babies her age are lighter). She's in the 50th percentile for height, at 27 1/2 in. What is perhaps most surprising to those who don't know Agustin and least surprising to those who do, is that she is in the 90th percentile for head circumference, at 18 in. While her weight percentile is going down and height is holding steady, her head is quickly taking her to the top of the charts. What a big brain she must have! We also continue to assume she will be (or in fact IS) left-handed. She sucks her left thumb, maneuvers her sippy cup primarily with the left hand, and usually reaches first for whatever off-limits thing she's trying to grab with--you guessed it--her left hand. The doctor confirmed that she is a happy, healthy baby. It will be interesting to see how Emilia tackles standing alone and walking if her body continues on this top-heavy path.

Emilia Learns to Swim!

Okay, mom is once again exaggerating her daughter's talents. But Emilia has really taken to the water. Besides splashing around in her bath and kiddie pool, she's spent a good amount of time in the water at her grandparent's house on Lake Minnetonka. The picture above was taken at the wedding we went to at Breezy Point up north.

Her grandma and I have also taken Emilia to a local pool twice now and she's loved it. She kicks and splashes and even goes under with mom (and is very brave about it). Here are a few photos from our trip to the pool last week.

Emilia Learns to Read!

Okay, she's not quite reading yet, but she is looking at the pictures and listening to me read to her as much as if not more than trying to eat the books. Baby steps, right? Tomorrow Emilia turns 9 months old!

Family Picnic Photo

Every year my mom gathers her nine brothers and sisters and their families at my parent's house for a picnic. And she always insists we take a group photo. People tend to complain about all the shuffling around and trying to stare into the sun while holding a smile, but in the end everyone appreciates the photo. Anyway, here's one of the best takes, as promised in a previous post.

Amy & Brett's Wedding

With the students gone, I thought August would be a bit quieter and I could make some progress on reading and researching my dissertation topic, but that hasn’t really been the case yet. This past weekend we headed to Breezy Point Resort for my cousin’s wedding. The weekend was a blast, despite the fact that Agustin and I played some of our most pathetic golf ever (which, if you’ve ever golfed with us, you know that’s really saying something).

Here’s a picture of the happy couple, Amy and Brett. Congrats and best wishes to you two if you're reading!

And here’s a picture of Miss Emilia all decked out for the occasion. Her outfit was actually made by the bride, who used to design baby clothes for Target (and we are super grateful for all the samples she gave us!).

We stayed in a cabin with my whole immediate family (yes, it was as crazy as it sounds) right at the resort, so we were able to put Emilia to bed, leave her in the cabin with a babysitter, and return to the dance floor for a bit more unrestrained fun. It was almost like a date!

Full Steam into August!

Okay, lots to report, but I think I’ll attempt to tackle it in small chunks with the hopes that it’s easier to accomplish that way during Emilia’s naps. Last week I said goodbye to the students I’d been working with from Ecuador, Guatemala and Venezuela. It was sad to see them leave, but I look forward to seeing all the amazing things I know they are going to accomplish in the future. The Minnesota Daily published a so-so article about the program; it’s available at http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2007/07/25/72123.

As I mentioned in my last post, my college friends AnnMarie and Kim visited at the end of July. I was having so much fun with them that I forgot to take many photos. Thankfully Ann remembered and sent me hers. Here are two cute ones she took. Her other photos can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/annmarieharris/.