Hello, Again.

It's been a while...nothing too exciting to report around here.  I started my new job at the first of the year, and it's been a lesson in patience.  Not much orientation to the system, lots of computer issues, and lots of waiting around.  Ugh.  It's amazing how little you can get done when you don't have a functioning computer.  How dependent we are!  I think the work will be interesting, and the short commute and better hours have been wonderful.  I do miss getting to see my buds though...after 5 years of working with people, it's hard when you don't see them anymore!  

Em is sprouting yet more teeth...she's working on #9 right now.  It's on the bottom left, and a little farther back.  I'd imagine that one probably hurts a little.  That may explain why she kept waking up last night.  At midnight, I heard her over the monitor saying "Da-da" over and over.  Not in distress, more like, just trying out the syllables and seeing how they sounded.  She's babbling like crazy, and will try to repeat words now.  She's said "juice" (with a cute little lisp), book/"ook", kitty, mama/mommy, dada, and does lots of pointing now.  She will wave bye-bye after some serious thought, but has only said "bye-bye" one time.  She pulls up onto her knees, and will walk around a little on her knees...but she has utterly no interest in standing up yet.  I suppose when you crawl very efficiently, standing is just more effort than it's worth.  She is starting to get frustrated by not being able to reach things, so I see standing in the near future.  We have witnessed a little "hot-headedness" in our dear daughter...Keith thinks that must be an inherited Loehmer trait...I dunno, but the kid's got a temper!  

Her first birthday is in 3 weeks, and I'm trying to figure out her birthday plans.  It's on a Friday, so I thought I would bake cupcakes for daycare and have a little lunchtime party.  Nothing big, just cupcakes and singing.  We'll probably have a cake on Sunday at church, but again...not really a party, just cake.  A party might trigger sensory overload and then meltdown would ensue...no one wants to see meltdown!  I want to do something special to begin as an annual birthday tradition...anyone have any good suggestions?  

I'll attach several pics...as she looks so different now with all those teeth!