Happy Birthday, Esme!

Sweet Esme Rose turned one last month. This was a bittersweet milestone. Esme's first year of life feels like it has flown by! It really does feel like yesterday that she was born.

To celebrate Esme's birthday, we had a little family party with cake and presents...

I made Esme a carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Though not initially impressed, I think she was a fan.

She had lots of help from her sisters and cousins!

We love you so much, Esme! You bring so much joy and laughter to our family, and I am beyond honored to be your mama.

9 Months

Miss Esme is 9 months old!

Eating finger foods and laughing at big sister, Alice.

She loves her "baba" (Daddy).

- The big news is that Esme is officially mobile! She crawls all over the place and loves to splash in the dog's water bowl. Of course.

- She claps her hands when someone says, "Yay!" 

- Her favorite song / thing is "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider". 

- Her favorite foods are: watermelon (still), blueberries, strawberries, and everything.

- She still only has two teeth (bottom), but one of her top teeth is starting to appear. 

- Her personality is starting to come out more. She is very sweet and cuddly, but also feisty and independent. 

- Her nicknames are Ez, Ezzie, and Ezzie May. 

We love you, sweet Ezzie May! It's so much fun to watch you grow!

8 Months

Our sweet Esme Rose is 8 months old! I am a bit behind with this post, but Esme has been growing so much and reaching some exciting milestones this month...

- Miss Esme is so full of personality! She is sweet and spunky, just like her big sisters. She loves to cuddle and play with her blocks.

- She is continuing to try new foods. So far, she has enjoyed: blueberries, banana, blackberries, vegetable curry, chicken, scrambled eggs, red pepper, kale, and much more. Her favorite is still probably watermelon, and who can blame her?

- She will wave when you say, "Hi!" and she can say "Mama".

- She has dropped her "dream feed" and is sleeping through the night, for the most part. She likes to wake up at 6 or 6:30am, which I am still getting used to!

- She loves her sisters and is fascinated by animals, especially our cat. 

We love you, Esme! It is so much fun to watch you grow!

7 Months

Our sweet Esme is 7 months old and learning so many new skills! These days, Esme can sit up on her own, ride in a shopping cart, sit in a high chair, feed herself... the list goes on and on.

The big news this month is that we introduced solid foods. We started with oat cereal, which Esme did not care for. Then we tried applesauce, thinking she might prefer a fruit. She was not a fan of that either. As it turns out, Esme does not like to be fed from a spoon; she much prefers to feed herself. Another independent woman.

One evening, I gave her a piece of watermelon to see what she would do with it. She went to town on that watermelon. Same with pieces of cooked sweet potato, chicken, egg, and blueberries. As it turns out, Esme will eat almost anything provided she can do it herself. Watermelon is still her very favorite.

It has been such fun to see Esme's little personality emerge. She is the happiest baby we have ever met, but she does have a sassy side. We think she will definitely be able to hold her own with her older sisters!