Suzanne and I want to be the best possible parents we can be. And like any parent, we want nothing but the best for our child. This desire was behind the Mothercare all in one cloth diapers. A product that I think has had a profound effect on the sanity of Emma's parents, as I attribute them in no small part to Emma sleeping through the night, having no issues with diaper rash, etc. Our desire for "good parenting" status is also behind our very regimented sleep schedule for Emma (much to the chagrin sometimes of friends and family, as it means that we often leave the party early) and it is behind one of the most difficult decisions, breast feeding. Suzanne (God bless her) has made considerable sacrifices in order to make sure that Emma received the best possible diet on earth, mother's milk. In the beginning, there were issues with infections galore that caused her considerable pain, in addition to the agony of Emma's incredibly developed suction muscles. So it was with much trepidation yesterday that Emma received her first bottle of formula. I was worried that she would not take it after 8 months of her mother's milk... And apparently was worried for no reason, as she sucked down the bottle like it was going to be ripped from her grasp at any moment.

Emma discovered her nose today with her thumb (yes she is her daddy's little girl). She is also trying really hard to crawl, but she is trying to do it on her toes not her knees. It looks here as if she is doing press ups.

Emma has recently learned to scoot. Backwards. She gets excited and reaches forward, but when it comes to actual locomotion, she's straight backwards like a shot. I tried to capture this on video to share with all of her adoring fans, but she decided that she wanted to put on a bit of a show instead. (By the way, can you tell it was her daddy who made the bed?)

Last Sunday I discovered a tooth in Emma's mouth. I am always checking her gums to see if she has started cutting any teeth and to my surprise one of her lower teeth was poking through. Wow, I must say it went much better than I thought it would. I expected to be up all night, with a cracking, crying little one. Instead, it just sort of appeared. Have I mentioned how blessed Donald and I are with such a wonderful little lady? Well we are! I didn't get a shot of her tooth yet, it is just barely pocking through. So instead I am posting a picture I took when we first moved to London (I was thinking at the time of doing series of illustrations of children's toys). It was taking November 2005 in Hyde Park near Edinburgh Gate. Donald and I would love to move back with Emma and play with her in the park, we talk about it all the time and this is just a little inspiration for us.

We took Emma over to the pool yesterday just to see how she would react. I was surprised at how much she really loved it. Next time we go back it will be to really get in and play with mommy and daddy.

checking out the pool before taking the big plunge

splashing around with Daddy
getting to sit pretty in the cool water

a big smile for mommy after getting to splash in the pool

Emma and Daddy putting on their game face!


Today is Chargers first game of the season and the number one fan (daddy) is making his little girl into the number 2 fan. Emma is sporting the Chargers cheerleader outfit (from our good friends Rich and Jennifer) and Donald has on his new "LT" jersey! The Chargers played at home against the Chicago Bears (so if the Bears win I am sure we will hear from their number one fan my Uncle Keith)

Since it is a fun 3 day weekend, Daddy had his best friend Mike (aka Emma's Godfather) spend the night. They went go-cart racing and thanks to Kevin (Aunti Andra's boyfriend) they also got to spend their time playing PlayStation. But between games they got to play with Emma too!