Weeble's Great Adventures

Happy New "Ear!"

2010-01-01T12:34:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! Or, as Emily would say, "Happy New 'Ear!'" And yes, if you ask her where her "new ears" are, she'll point to her ears.

Two is proving to be fun and challenging. She definitely has determination and a zest for life, which we figure will do her well as an adult, but will make her toddler years challenging for us parents.

She's talking up a storm and repeats 95% of what you say. We made the switch to a "big kid" bed about a month ago and she loves it. She and Big Red snuggle in for naps and are happy as clams.

And in case you hadn't heard, Emily is going to be a big sister (something she's very proud of). She has no idea what it means, but people keep asking her if she's excited to be a Big Sister so she keeps repeating it. Poor kid- she's in for a rude awakening. However, she still has some time to enjoy the spotlight- the baby isn't due until the beginning of June, so Emily has about 6 more months to be the queen bee around here. Then all bets are off... And no, we aren't finding out what we're having. The baby for now is known as "Wobble" to go along with Emily's in utero nickname, "Weeble."

More new photos to come soon, but we'll leave you with one last one for now... Happy New Ear, everyone!

"TWO Can Play This Game"

2009-07-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

Living with a toddler is proving to be fun and interesting. Emily has some new "antics" that we thought we'd share.

1. While she certainly isn't learning to count yet, she does understand that "two" is a unit of measure. The problem is, she feels that it can be used to measure everything. Case in point: If you ask her, "Emily, how many eyes do you have?" She will answer, "Two!" However, if you ask her, "Emily, how many toes do you have?" the answer is still, "Two!" So, unless our daughter is really a sloth, we still have to work on this counting thing.

2. While overall she still continues to be good natured and giggly, she also is showing just how stubborn and willful she can be. Second case in point: Her fingernails were getting long again and lest she claw her own eyes out, I decided it was time for a trim. I chose to do it after dinner while she was still in her highchair. Of course, my question of "Emily, I need to cut your nails. Can I please have your hand?" was met with a loud "NO!" and that's where the standoff began. I decided that this was not a negotiation, so I told her that she couldn't get out of her chair until I cut her nails. Now it was just a battle of wills - who would crack first? For a good 20 minutes we did the following:

Emily: "Out?"
Erin: "You can get out after I cut your nails. Are you ready to have your nails cut?"
Emily: "NO!"

I began to envision her sitting in that chair at 11pm because neither of us would budge. However, about 20 minutes in she got the gist that I wasn't budging and she gave in. In 20 seconds I was done and she was on her way out of the chair.

In case you're keeping score, that's Mommy: 1, Emily: 0.

3. And lastly, Miss Emily has inherited some rhythm and enjoys dancing around the house as much as possible. Her latest love is dancing to the Chris Brown song "Forever." I try to overlook that Chris Brown has been arrested for physical assault and just enjoy my daughter "dancing" by shaking her arms and twirling in circles.

The song came about after that crazy wedding entrance video was posted on youtube and became an internet hit. Emily LOVES that video. In case you haven't seen it, here's a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

And here's a video of Emily dancing to the music. Enjoy!

Mo Mo

2009-06-04T22:45:00.001-07:00

Emily's favorite things in life all are 2 word phrases:

Ma Ma

Da Da

Ba Ba = Big Red

Mo Mo = Elmo

At times having a Dad who works for the Dodgers has its perks, like when she got to meet Elmo when he threw out the first pitch at a recent game. Watching her face as we stood on the field during the Anthem was priceless- watching her look around with this big goofy grin at all of the people, and of COURSE she was excited to see the big Monster himself. We weren't sure if she was going to be excited or freak out and luckily it was the former. There are more photos from their meeting at the link at the bottom of this post.

Otherwise, Cheeks has been up to her usual Cheekiness- just more words get added weekly. It's fun to watch her learn things. She loves to color these days- in fact our coffee table has turned into a permanent coloring station.

She's also added more small bears to her crib when she sleeps. We often go in to check on her at night and it looks like the Apolcolypse and bodies have been thrown everywhere.

She's proving to be a quite funny. She pretends that she doesn't like to be tickled but she really loves it. And if you get her laughing hard enough, especially after she's had something to eat or drink, you'll get a surprise (which Daddy learned the hard way). But at least once a day she's in a fit of giggles, and often more than that.

Here is a video of Emily's current "Bag 'o Tricks." I'd like to mention that she was not coached during any of this, all we did was ask her questions:

Otherwise, here are some photos:

Click here to see recent Emily photos.

Shoes!

2009-04-03T20:25:00.001-07:00

My parents have been super busy putting up with my new "toddler" antics so it's been a few months since they blogged or took photos of me. But Mommy finally got her act together today....

A few new things about me:

1. My first word was "Shoes." Mommy was thrilled. Daddy wanted to vomit thinking about the future Credit Card bills.

2. While I only have a few words, I can understand almost anything. Whether or not I listen to my parents when they tell me to do something is another story. I consider their commands to be "suggestions."

3. I have dropped my morning nap. It was a little hairy during the transition, but now I'm taking 2 1/2 - 3 hour naps in the afternoon. Mommy doesn't know what to do with herself.

4. If you ask me where different parts of my body are I can point to them. Except for my belly button. No matter how many times Mommy and Daddy show me where it is, I can never tell them where it is when they ask. Maybe it's because mine looks different than their's do?

5. Big Red has a new friend, Little Red, who also wears an Indiana University shirt. I carry them around the house all the time, along with a small talking Elmo who is only amusing to me and annoying to everyone else.

6. Ask me to yawn and you're sure to enjoy a laugh.

7. I'm enjoying learning to brush my teeth. It tickles.

8. I was a TROOPER during our THREE roundtrip, 6 hour drives to and from Phoenix. As long as I had Big Red and snacks, I was fine in the backseat.

9. When I get mad I throw my toys and have been known to smack things around. Mommy keeps trying to put a stop to it, but I enjoy it.

10. I can't wait to see you all soon!

Click here for a link to some new photos of me!

Walking Machine

2009-01-26T22:40:00.000-08:00

Well, it only took 15 months, but Emily has FINALLY learned to walk. To commemorate the occasion, we bought her new sneakers with pink velcro straps that she likes to undo....

This was a video of her first few steps, but now she's a walking machine! She'll resort to crawling at times, but is mostly on her feet these days. The only problem is that she gets really mad if you want her to walk somewhere that she doesn't. Aren't the tantrums supposed to start at 2????

The Great Feast

2008-12-17T23:07:00.000-08:00

This was Emily at the Thanksgiving dinner table after Mom and Dad hosted for the firs time. Mom did all the cooking and it was quite a feast. Emily resembled a queen at her throne and she did eat quite a bit. Props to Erin for a great meal.

AND THEN SHE WALKED...KIND OF

This video is of one of her first attempts at walking. She took to it very quickly but as of early '09, she still hadn't taken more than a step or two on her own (at least not in front of her parents...Grandma Eileen and Grandpa Larry said that she started walking on her own as soon as we left for the Caribbean).

Happy Holidays

2008-12-09T20:30:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Yes, it's that time of year again. Time when we can "Elf" ourselves, which is just what I did for our little family today. Take a look at the video above and enjoy Big Red's cameo. Who knew Josh had such awesome dance moves?

Emily is getting excited to spend a week with her grandparents without us. Who are we kidding, as long as she has Big Red and her thumb, she won't even know that we're gone...

No walking yet... Her pediatrician says that if she's still not walking by 17 months that we can start to worry. Until then, it looks like it's up to Emily. She knows how to stand and "cruises" around everything. Apparently, she's just opting not to do it. Shocker...

Stay tuned for more walking updates!

World Traveler

2008-11-19T10:28:00.000-08:00

Cheeks has proven that she's truly a "Rawitch" - she survived 9 days on the road with us in 3 different cities in the midwest, and only melted down on the very last leg of the very last flight home.

But before our journey began, it was Halloween and yes, Emily was Manny Ramirez. Perhaps Manny can adopt the ruffle on the back of Emily's pants to his own uniform next year.

Then it was off to Cleveland, Kansas and then finally to IU for a few days. Emily even enjoyed her first trip to Nick's. She was disappointed, but we told her she was still a few years away from "Sinking the Biz."

We took lots of photos, so here' s a link:

Click here for Photos.

Birthdays, Pumpkins and General Silliness

2008-10-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

It's official. Cheeks is now the big "1." The Dodgers were gracious enough to lose in the 2nd round of the playoffs so she could still have her birthday party (Don't worry- she's still a Dodgerfan - she's going to be Manny Ramirez for Halloween! Kinda makes you glad that Josh and I aren't your parents, eh?)

She's about 20 lbs and just under 30" tall, which puts her in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th for height. According to her grandparents, this raises questions about paternity. I think with a 75th percentile for height, it should raise maternity questions.

She's "cruising" around on everything, but not walking yet. She's quite proficient with the crawl and well, I guess she figures why change what's working?

She has also shown her first sign that she's able to understand some things that we say. If you say "Emily, can I have a kiss?" she'll make little kissing noises. It's ridiculously cute, but makes me wonder what else she really understands and why she doesn't respond to more of it (like NO!)

Here is a link to her 1 Year photos, which include some from a recent trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Now that the season is done and I am almost done with some big projects, Emily may actually have her blog updated more regularly now...

Enjoy!

Click here for her 1 Year Photos!

Just another way to prove ourselves....

2008-09-21T00:23:00.000-07:00

Would this face cause trouble???? Nah......

Ms. Emily turned 11 months old this week and she certainly left 10 months in a fury. A return trip to LA on Sunday night from Oakland was particularly hellish after being delayed 2 hours and being alone with the little one (Josh was on the road and everyone else was on a different flight). Couple that with the fact that Emily was beginning to get sick and I managed to get sick as well Sunday night, and well, it wasn't a pretty picture. Tears were had by all, but in the end, we both survived the night and the week until Josh got home.

So, only about 3 weeks left until Cheeks turns 1. It's hard to believe. Not sure what we're going to do about her birthday party. It's scheduled for the 18th of October, but if the Dodgers are in the playoffs, we may move it. More to come on that.

In the meantime, here are links to her 11 Month photos. There aren't too many this time. Just wait for next month!

Click here for her 11 month photos.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2008-08-29T14:18:00.001-07:00

Sometimes the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Apparently not only did Emily inherit her big cheeks and crazy hair from her Mother, but she also received her love of Cream Cheese & Jelly sandwiches.

Here's Erin, circa 1979:

And now Emily, in 2008:

The only difference between the sandwiches is that while Erin's was made with real cream cheese, Emily's was made with Tofutti (I can just hear Josh gagging at the thought of Tofu based products). In case you didn't know, poor Cheeks is allergic to dairy. And not lactose intolerant- we're talking hives here. So, needless to say, finding food that Emily can eat is always a challenge.

Thankfully Trader Joe's carries several dairy free products, such as banana waffles and pancakes. However, Emily's favorite so far are Tofutti Blintzes. Not QUITE as good as the real thing, but hey, she doesn't know the difference.

And so we leave you with one last photo of Miss Emily enjoying her first Blintz...

Happy Labor Day, everybody!

Is there more to life than Cheerios?

2008-08-15T23:48:00.001-07:00

Emily turned 10 months old today and has celebrated by getting all deep on us. Is there more to life than eating, sleeping and pooping? (I don't know- if you ask Josh he might answer "no.")

Anyway, these 2 books sit on the bottom shelf of the bookshelf in our room, amongst many other colorful books. For some unknown reason, regardless of where these 2 books are on the shelf, she pulls them out first. Perhaps she's already trying to figure out the meaning of life? We'll keep you posted if she comes up with anything....

In the meantime, as promised, below is a link to her 9 and 10 month photos. We've had a fun and busy summer, as you'll see. And if you haven't already done so, be sure to check out the Giggling video below. You may want to bookmark it for bad days, because everyone can't help but laugh when they see Emily laugh.

Click to see Emily's 9 and 10 Month Photos.

Gigglepuss

2008-08-14T22:57:00.000-07:00

Emily spent her final day of being 9 months old not napping and giggling. I guess there are worse ways to spend the day, although I would have preferred more naps.

I guess the sweet potatoes were really funny today. Who knew? I wasn't able to capture it on tape, but after this giggling episode, Emily decided to make herself laugh by making really high pitched noises, then looking at me as if to say, "Did I do that?" and then laughing her head off at herself. Great, just what this family needs... another comedian....

I give you, Laughing Emily...

And the fun begins...

2008-08-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well, Emily has officially learned to pull herself up on things. She also is relatively fearless and I often find her attempting some daredevil move, which is why I've nicknamed her Emily "Evil Knievel" Rawitch. EK decided tonight that it would be much more fun to stand up in bed and jump around than go to sleep. I decided to catch it on video so Daddy could see the fun that he was missing... Enjoy! Oh, and 9 and 10 month photos coming soon!

My first chord

2008-07-26T00:05:00.001-07:00

After tackling baseball and driving over the past six weeks, Emily took her second trip to the East Coast to spend a few weeks with Grandma and Grandpa. It was there that she played her first chords on the guitar alongside a very accomplished professional musician, Little Toby Walker. On Saturday night, Toby was playing in front of 8,000 people at a Blues Festival on Long Island and on Sunday morning, he was lending his expertise to Little Emily Skylar. If she goes on to be the next Madonna or Shakira, we'll know when it all began.

Meanwhile, after Daddy had to go back home to LA to work, Mommy headed to Rhode Island for her friend Laura's wedding, marking the first time she'd be away from Emily for more than 24 hours. Grandma and Grandpa are learning what it's like to be hit by the Emily truck. It's like the hybrid version of the Erin truck, 30 years later.

All reports after one day of looking after the little one are positive. They're eating up every minute they have with her!

License To Drive

2008-07-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

Luckily this is (hopefully) as close as Emily will get to driving for about 14 1/2 more years, at least. One of the perks of having a Dad who works for the Dodgers is that you get to do cool things... like drive a Dodger Corvette.

We put Emily in the car for the photo opp- thinking she would just sit there- but low and behold, she grabbed the steering wheel on her own and even started to move the car with her feet (think Fred Flintstone style). Great, 9 months going on 16 years....

Otherwise, she's doing well and has the army crawl thing down. She's actually getting quite fast and you really have to watch her now. She's still "Ba-Ba-Ba-ing" all the time. We're waiting for some new consonants to make their debut.

The little one turns 9 months old on the 15th and we'll be celebrating in NY. More birthday photos to come!

My first word...kind of

2008-06-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

Put me in coach, I'm ready to play...bay-bah.

That was Emily's first word earlier this week. Daddy was hanging out with her at her favorite exersaucer and he said, "Emily, say 'baseball.'" Sure enough, she immediately said, "bay-bah."

Now there's some debate as to whether or not this really counts as her first word (Mommy thinks not), or whether she really intended to even say anything at all, but I think she's going to be a baseball superstar. Only eight months old and she's already working on her swing!

Perhaps It's Time To Remove The Bumpers

2008-06-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

We've been wondering when it would be time to remove the bumpers on Emily's crib. I mean, they are there to protect her so she doesn't get her little arms and legs caught between the bars.

However, I went in to check on her during a nap today and found her sleeping like this. Needless to say, if the bumpers aren't going to protect against arms sticking out, we don't need them. So, today was the last day of bumpers. Her crib looks strange without them. She looks more like a prisoner in there. Perhaps we'll get her a cup to bang on the bars...

In other Emily news, we took a short video of her mauling the camera today. Enjoy her in your face....

Me and my matzah ball

2008-06-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

Well, technically this is Samantha and Ethan's matzah ball, but they have passed it down after loving it for many years and Emily is very grateful.

She turned eight months old yesterday and got to spend it with daddy on Father's Day. In fact, she got a lot of Daddy time this weekend, as Mommy went to a wedding in Chicago. It was the first time she ever left Emily for more than a few hours so the big question is who would have a tougher time? I think it's safe to say Mommy did, but Emily was very excited to see Erin when she came home on Sunday morning.

She's still not quite at the crawling stage yet and it's possible she might walk first. She can practically stand on her own, but the only crawling she can do is of the army variety...scooting along on her forearms and even that requires quite a work-up of rocking back and forth. But, it's coming and then look out world.

Emily spent lots of time this weekend with Aunt Dana, Uncle Aaron, Uncle Jeremy and cousins Sam and Ethan at Grandma and Papa's house. The kids are really taken by her and Ethan, who rarely shows emotion, said goodbye to her last night by saying, "Goodnight, baby Emily. I love you." Talk about adorable.

Click here to see Emily's new 8 month photos.

I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille

2008-06-07T14:54:00.000-07:00

Call her agent, Emily is ready to be a star. She actually HATES these glasses on her face, but kept them on long enough for me to take a photo.

It was a slow week around here. Emily is trying really, really hard to learn to crawl. She gets up on her hands and knees, rocks forward and back, takes a flying belly-flop leap forward to move, then starts over. It's actually quite comical, although we know she's going to get it soon and we'll have to finish babyproofing.

She turns 8 months old next weekend! Birthday shots coming soon...

In Support Of The Theory Of Evolution

2008-05-31T20:58:00.000-07:00

In case anyone wants to debate the theory of evolution, our daughter single handedly (or bi-footedly) proves that humans are in fact descendents of apes. Yes, she holds her own bottle, and has since she was 6 months old. But sometimes she gets tired and needs some "help." That's where the feet come in. My favorite is when she pulls a "Look, Ma! No hands!" and only holds it with her feet. Call the circus, we have a sideshow act for you... And yes, she does only have one sock on.

In other fun, Emily-isms, she has taken to making this scrunched up face at random times for no apparent reason. We thought at first maybe her nose was itchy, or that she had to sneeze. But no, she just likes to make the face, apparently just because she can. Although today it might have been because I was trying to feed her carrots and she just wasn't havin' it.

Let's Get This Party Started....

2008-05-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

So, I've decided that it's time to start Emily's blog again. She's a woman of the 21st century, so it's time that she start documenting like one! Or, at least that we start documenting like one for her...

Emily is now 7 1/2 months old. In the past day or so, she has learned to crawl backwards. She gets up on her little knees and rocks back and forth and then pushes backwards. It's really cute to watch. I guess this means that we should babyproof...

But her FAVORITE thing to do these days is jump up and down. On anything. But we discovered that she particularly likes jumping up and down in the Jumpster Swing that you hang in a doorway. Yes, she is a lunatic.... Must take after her Daddy.... Check it out!

Hellooooo world. I have arrived

2007-10-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

I am now 11 days old and I have survived all this time with my parents, who have not yet killed me.

Of my 275 hours on Earth, I have probably been asleep for 250 of them. The rest of the time, I poop and I eat. Sometimes I sleep while I eat. I've also been known to poop while I eat. It's a pretty good life.

It's been a busy 11 days. I had a huge to do where they gave me a name. What's up with that? I went to the pediatrician who said that all my snorts, sneezes, hiccups and other strange bodily functions are all normal. Mommy and Daddy were relieved. I spent the first five days in the hospital and had lots of visitors. Clearly, I am loved.

Grandma Eileen thinks I'm an Anne Geddes baby. Talk to my agent about that. I mean, my hospital room did overlook the Hollywood sign, but I decided not to come out in that room, electing for the operating room. I made Mommy work for it and eventually they came and got me at 9:02 a.m. Mommy's first statement about me was, "Do you realize this means we have to pay for a wedding?" Unbelievable.

Grandma Cinderella poo-poos my yawns and was playing "Nice Grandma" at just two days old. I cried, but I think I'll like it later.

Grandpa Larry has documented every second of my life on his good camera. He took the picture above. I rewarded him with my first spit-up all over him in the hospital.

Papa Bob gave me my first drink of wine at my baby naming. I like Papa Bob.

Uncle Jeremy came to visit me a couple times in the hospital and even spent the night waiting for my arrival. Someday he will corrupt me but until then, he'll just pamper me.

Speaking of pampers, I have gone through about 75 in 11 days...I think my record was 10 in one day and four in one changing!

Auntie Dana is very excited about my arrival and has bought me all sorts of great gifts. She even has me showing off my political correctness with my Inspi(red) t-shirt from the Gap.

And my cousin Samantha made me an amazing book that was my favorite gift so far from everything I've received (and that's a lot, so thank you all).

All in all, despite their loudness, I'm happy to be in this family and look forward to performing for you regularly on this site. After all, you're all here to see me, right???

Weeble's a comin'

2007-10-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the doctor who said that Weeble seems ready to enter the world. Because Dr. Lee has other things to do on Saturday, Weeble will be gracing us with his or her presence on Sunday (or early Monday). We are very excited to meet this child after nine and a half months of poking at it from the outside. Mommy is in a little bit of shock but we are ready as we're going to be.

Grandpa Larry and Grandma Eileen will be coming to town on Saturday in anticipation of the big day. Bags are packed and visitors will not be allowed to enter the hospital without carbohydrates for Mom, as she has been nearly without them for four months.