Since I've not had luck in the recent past with posting pictures through Blogger, I sort of gave up on blogging. I've posted pictures through Facebook instead, and while it's great to be able to share the photos, it doesn't exactly give much opportunity to share what's happening in our lives with Emma. So, after making a list yesterday of "Emma-isms," Jon encouraged me to blog again. Whether this will be come a regular endeavor again, who knows. And whether or not anyone even checks the blog anymore, I'm clueless. Nevertheless, I'll blog today. At least it will someday give me the opportunity to print everything off and give it to Emma as a keepsake of her early days/years.
So, since my last post I'm sure a LOT has happened, but the most monumental of them all is that we're expecting another child in November. Yup, November. Jon's birthday is the 17th, Emma's is the 26th, and this kid is due on the 20th. I'll be the odd man out...the only one with a birthday in another month. So far the pregnancy has been remarkably unremarkable, which is pretty much in line with my pregnancy with Emma. Some minor nausea at the beginning, and some fatigue, but that has passed now. I am at 17 weeks. We'll find out (hopefully) the gender of this kid on July 14. Yes, I am a planner and want to know. If we're having another girl, we're completely set with everything we need. If it's a boy, however, we need to obtain clothes...and I need to prepare myself mentally and emotionally. I don't know if I have the energy for a boy, not to mention the patience. They just play so DIFFERENTLY!!! And they seem so much more destructive.
Due to the growth of our little family, we have finally gotten a second vehicle. We made it 9 years with just one car, and it was a little difficult for me to bend and get number two. And we got a minivan. I decided that if we were going to "invest" (yeah, I know, cars aren't really an investment) the money, I wanted it to be in a vehicle that could last us a longer term...one we can use to transport Emma and her friends, one that will allow my parents to ride with us when they are here to visit, rather than having to take 2 cars everywhere... Alas, we purchased (and will be paying on for 5 long years) a 2006 Toyota Sienna. Still feels weird every time I climb into it...doesn't feel like ours yet. I'm trying hard to keep it clean on the inside, removing all garbage and anything that doesn't belong each day when I get home.
We're also having lots of conversations about furniture, planning what we need to get and how we need to move things around in order to accommodate this little one. I feel the need to keep a guest room, so we're flip-flopping the bedrooms to the kids will share the larger one. IKEA is our new best friend. We have a list of items we'd like to get and just need to plan a time to go pick everything up.
Emma is 2 1/2 now, and is very much a little girl. Here are some tidbits about her lately:
- She loves to swing. We can go to a playground that has tons of great slides and other stuff, but she'll want to spend the entire time on the swings.
- Her vocabulary astounds us sometimes. She uses words such as actually and usually, and does so in perfect context. There are lots of others, but I can't think of them off the top of my head.
- Emma likes to sing and often creates her own "mixes" (just like Daddy) by combining songs together! For example, she'll sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but seemingly do the motions for Itsy Bitsy Spider. Or she'll just make up songs that we can't identify.
- Potty training came to a screeching halt a little while ago, and we have no idea why. She had been doing so well that I had high hopes, then suddenly she decided she didn't want to sit on the potty at all. We've only got 6 months left to get this kid out of diapers before having another one in them. She just moved up to the next classroom at daycare, so I'm hoping the other kids will influence her and that the regular potty times will help.
- Emma no longer uses her "paci." We got rid of it a few weeks ago. She's doing well and only mentions it occasionally. Seemed best to do it now so she has plenty of time to adjust before seeing her sibling with one.
- She can still fit into some 24 month/2T clothes, but anything I'm buying these days is 3T. I especially look for sale items ($3 or less) to stock up for the fall/winter. Long pants, long sleeved shirts... I've found a few things. Perhaps when we're in Canada in a few weeks I'll be able to find more.
- Our toothbrushing struggle is no more. She actually does quite well with brushing now. However, our new struggle is with changing clothes in the morning. She fights us on it nearly every day, unless we have something to use as leverage/incentive.
- And finally, here are our "Emma-isms": instead of "I want to take a bath" she says "I want to take a bathtub," EVERYTHING strawberry is "strawberry-cake" (Strawberry shortcake, strawberries themselves, anything strawberry flavored), she's facinated with her "beeping sound" which is her heartbeat, and she likes to put on 'oderant so she can smell good (that's deodorant if you couldn't figure it out).
Enough for now. Maybe another post coming soon.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Winter Update
I apologize to the few of you who actually get on to check that I haven't been posting lately. Once I encountered repeated difficulty in posting pictures, which is what everyone really wants to see, I switched over to posting pics on Facebook. And while I would love for you all to see how gloriously adorable Emma is these days, I'm not even going to attempt it today. Instead, here is a written update of what's been going in our lives over the last few months...
1. Early November Jon and I went on our first official vacation in our 8+ years of marriage. We took a Norwegian Cruise to the West Carribbean, docking at Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Emma stayed here -- my parents came for the week to stay with her. We had a wonderful time being in a warmer climate, seeing the expanse of the ocean, and enjoying one another's company. We got to swim in the ocean, Jon had Ben & Jerry's in another country, we ate tons (but didn't gain any weight, thankfully), I had an exfoliation treatment (won by raffle), while Jon had a pedicure (yup, you read that correctly) and a haircut. Emma did well with my parents, but toward the end of the week was acting mopey...and clingy. We were happy to get home to her, and she perked up immediately.
2. November 17 was Jon's 31 birthday. We invited the neighbors over to celebrate, and our good friends, Tim & Kim were also able to stop by. I made a cake from SCRATCH!!! I'm not kidding. If you know me, and my aversion to cooking, you will be impressed by my efforts. However, it didn't ALL go smoothly. I managed to make a royal mess trying to transport the filled pan from the counter into the oven. It is one of the round "bundt" type pans that has the insert. Well, I wasnt' thinking AT ALL, and my fingers ended up pushing the insert up which then allowed a bunch of cake batter to come down. Yuck. Fortunately, despite my mishap, the cake turned out well and was enjoyed by all. Jon received his requested first season of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, something he has watched ad nauseum...to the point he has Emma requesting it!
3. November 26 marked Emma's 2nd birthday. My little girl is growing up too quickly! We had a small party at the house for neighbors and friends, and she received many wonderful gifts that she thoroughly enjoyed getting to open. I tried my hand at making her a cupcake butterfly, and discovered I need to take cake-decorating lessons before her next birthday!!! Didn't quite turn out like the picture on the box. Next year we'll make either a purse or a flower, and I think I need to pursue a tasty frosting recipe. I was disappointed this year with how bland the cake mix and strawberry-flavored frosting turned out. It did NOT make me sad to throw away the cupcakes that were left over.
4. In December we enjoyed a neighborhood "progressive supper" with those families we've gotten to know and love. We had appetizers at one home, came to our house for the main course, then went to another home for dessert and for the kids to decorate sugar cookies. It was a wonderful experience. We've all missed each other terribly during these cold winter months. During the summer we ended up having a virtual "block party" every Sunday afternoon, then would see each other many evenings out with the kids. I think we all feel like we're experiencing a relationship drought!!! We have a brunch scheduled for this Saturday, and I'm really looking forward to it. Many tasty items on the menu...my mouth is watering already!!!
5. Christmas was more fun this year. Hard to believe it was actually Emma's THIRD celebration of the season. I came down with the flu on Christmas Eve and missed church services -- spent most of the day in bed while Jon kept Emma entertained. My parents had a horrible time trying to get to Ohio, but that's another long story in and of itself. They arrived late in the day Christmas Eve. Christmas morning we got up and had our traditional cinnamon rolls and tried a new breakfast casserole. I was still feeling pretty crummy but managed to eat some of each. We moved onto opening gifts and it was fun to watch Emma pull out tissue, tear off paper, and exclaim over whatever was in the package. Because she's at the age of wanting to open everything - COMPLETELY - right at that moment, we decided to let her take her time and play with toys AS she opened them. The intent was to allow unwrapping to stretch long into the day. Well...it ended up stretched over a few days...because Emma started throwing up early afternoon and spent the next 3 days miserable. I'm not kidding -- I think we did 12 loads of laundry over Christmas weekend. She was glued to my side for those 3 days and wouldn't let my parents do anything for her. I am so thankful we had the extra hands, though. There were a few occasions that required THREE of us to get Emma cleaned up, change sheets, change diapers, etc. because of how widespread the carnage was. I cannot even begin to express the relief I experienced when she started acting like herself again. Hope she doesn't remember this next year, or she won't like Christmas AT ALL.
6. January was pretty uneventful overall. Jon and I did go, at the end of the month, to the District Ministerial Retreat up in Sugar Creek, OH (Amish Country). Aunt Wendy stayed with Emma for the 2 nights we were gone. On the last day of the retreat, and the day we were driving home, a major snow storm swept through the area. Daycare was closed, so Wendy had to try to work from our house while keeping Emma entertained. And it took us an extra 1 1/2 hours to make the trip home. Emma was good overall, but there were some sleep issues the first night, and she ended up sleeping on our bed both nights we were gone. (Thanks again, Wendy!)
7. So far February has been marked with a split lip and an ear infection. Emma got the split lip last Tuesday...chasing after her friend Austin who was riding a bike in the "Big Room." Austin stopped suddenly and Emma fell into the bike. Then, later in the day, she came down with a high fever. I spend last Wednesday at home with her (daycare regulations), but she acted completely fine and no other symptoms appeared. She was fine Thursday, too. Then, Friday, her daycare teachers told me she was complaining that her ear hurt, and then she woke up from her nap crying over her ear. We got her in to the doctor that afternoon and he took one look in her ears and confirmed a double ear infection. Now we're struggling with getting Em to take the medication which, unfortunately, has to be taken twice a day for TEN DAYS! What were those drug manufacturers thinking??? Don't they know how atrocious it is to get a 2 year old to consume icky medicine? She's had the equivalent of 5 days of medicine, which means we still have a dreaded 5 days ahead of us. Grrrr...
8. Emma is talking more than ever. She tells stories, reads books herself, sings lots of little songs, can count up to 20 (almost without error), knows her colors splendidly, does her ABC's pretty well starting with "N", definitely has a sense of humor, and is proving to be quite a strong-willed and stubborn child. We are having issues brushing teeth which has led to either numerous time-outs and spankings, or us pinning her down on the bed to get it done. She is sleeping through the night from 8am to anywhere between 6:30 and 7:10am, which is a huge victory for us. And she's using her "paci" less and less, hopefully to go without it altogether soon. Her hair is growing like crazy, and it flows beautifully down her back. I can't bring myself to cut it for fear of the little wave at the ends being gone forever and ever. We're a bit biased, of course, but we think she is just the most beautiful child! No matter how many cute kids you show me, I would insist she rivals them.
Well, this is certainly long enough. Hope you feel caught up. I'll try not to let it go this long before my next post.
1. Early November Jon and I went on our first official vacation in our 8+ years of marriage. We took a Norwegian Cruise to the West Carribbean, docking at Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Emma stayed here -- my parents came for the week to stay with her. We had a wonderful time being in a warmer climate, seeing the expanse of the ocean, and enjoying one another's company. We got to swim in the ocean, Jon had Ben & Jerry's in another country, we ate tons (but didn't gain any weight, thankfully), I had an exfoliation treatment (won by raffle), while Jon had a pedicure (yup, you read that correctly) and a haircut. Emma did well with my parents, but toward the end of the week was acting mopey...and clingy. We were happy to get home to her, and she perked up immediately.
2. November 17 was Jon's 31 birthday. We invited the neighbors over to celebrate, and our good friends, Tim & Kim were also able to stop by. I made a cake from SCRATCH!!! I'm not kidding. If you know me, and my aversion to cooking, you will be impressed by my efforts. However, it didn't ALL go smoothly. I managed to make a royal mess trying to transport the filled pan from the counter into the oven. It is one of the round "bundt" type pans that has the insert. Well, I wasnt' thinking AT ALL, and my fingers ended up pushing the insert up which then allowed a bunch of cake batter to come down. Yuck. Fortunately, despite my mishap, the cake turned out well and was enjoyed by all. Jon received his requested first season of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, something he has watched ad nauseum...to the point he has Emma requesting it!
3. November 26 marked Emma's 2nd birthday. My little girl is growing up too quickly! We had a small party at the house for neighbors and friends, and she received many wonderful gifts that she thoroughly enjoyed getting to open. I tried my hand at making her a cupcake butterfly, and discovered I need to take cake-decorating lessons before her next birthday!!! Didn't quite turn out like the picture on the box. Next year we'll make either a purse or a flower, and I think I need to pursue a tasty frosting recipe. I was disappointed this year with how bland the cake mix and strawberry-flavored frosting turned out. It did NOT make me sad to throw away the cupcakes that were left over.
4. In December we enjoyed a neighborhood "progressive supper" with those families we've gotten to know and love. We had appetizers at one home, came to our house for the main course, then went to another home for dessert and for the kids to decorate sugar cookies. It was a wonderful experience. We've all missed each other terribly during these cold winter months. During the summer we ended up having a virtual "block party" every Sunday afternoon, then would see each other many evenings out with the kids. I think we all feel like we're experiencing a relationship drought!!! We have a brunch scheduled for this Saturday, and I'm really looking forward to it. Many tasty items on the menu...my mouth is watering already!!!
5. Christmas was more fun this year. Hard to believe it was actually Emma's THIRD celebration of the season. I came down with the flu on Christmas Eve and missed church services -- spent most of the day in bed while Jon kept Emma entertained. My parents had a horrible time trying to get to Ohio, but that's another long story in and of itself. They arrived late in the day Christmas Eve. Christmas morning we got up and had our traditional cinnamon rolls and tried a new breakfast casserole. I was still feeling pretty crummy but managed to eat some of each. We moved onto opening gifts and it was fun to watch Emma pull out tissue, tear off paper, and exclaim over whatever was in the package. Because she's at the age of wanting to open everything - COMPLETELY - right at that moment, we decided to let her take her time and play with toys AS she opened them. The intent was to allow unwrapping to stretch long into the day. Well...it ended up stretched over a few days...because Emma started throwing up early afternoon and spent the next 3 days miserable. I'm not kidding -- I think we did 12 loads of laundry over Christmas weekend. She was glued to my side for those 3 days and wouldn't let my parents do anything for her. I am so thankful we had the extra hands, though. There were a few occasions that required THREE of us to get Emma cleaned up, change sheets, change diapers, etc. because of how widespread the carnage was. I cannot even begin to express the relief I experienced when she started acting like herself again. Hope she doesn't remember this next year, or she won't like Christmas AT ALL.
6. January was pretty uneventful overall. Jon and I did go, at the end of the month, to the District Ministerial Retreat up in Sugar Creek, OH (Amish Country). Aunt Wendy stayed with Emma for the 2 nights we were gone. On the last day of the retreat, and the day we were driving home, a major snow storm swept through the area. Daycare was closed, so Wendy had to try to work from our house while keeping Emma entertained. And it took us an extra 1 1/2 hours to make the trip home. Emma was good overall, but there were some sleep issues the first night, and she ended up sleeping on our bed both nights we were gone. (Thanks again, Wendy!)
7. So far February has been marked with a split lip and an ear infection. Emma got the split lip last Tuesday...chasing after her friend Austin who was riding a bike in the "Big Room." Austin stopped suddenly and Emma fell into the bike. Then, later in the day, she came down with a high fever. I spend last Wednesday at home with her (daycare regulations), but she acted completely fine and no other symptoms appeared. She was fine Thursday, too. Then, Friday, her daycare teachers told me she was complaining that her ear hurt, and then she woke up from her nap crying over her ear. We got her in to the doctor that afternoon and he took one look in her ears and confirmed a double ear infection. Now we're struggling with getting Em to take the medication which, unfortunately, has to be taken twice a day for TEN DAYS! What were those drug manufacturers thinking??? Don't they know how atrocious it is to get a 2 year old to consume icky medicine? She's had the equivalent of 5 days of medicine, which means we still have a dreaded 5 days ahead of us. Grrrr...
8. Emma is talking more than ever. She tells stories, reads books herself, sings lots of little songs, can count up to 20 (almost without error), knows her colors splendidly, does her ABC's pretty well starting with "N", definitely has a sense of humor, and is proving to be quite a strong-willed and stubborn child. We are having issues brushing teeth which has led to either numerous time-outs and spankings, or us pinning her down on the bed to get it done. She is sleeping through the night from 8am to anywhere between 6:30 and 7:10am, which is a huge victory for us. And she's using her "paci" less and less, hopefully to go without it altogether soon. Her hair is growing like crazy, and it flows beautifully down her back. I can't bring myself to cut it for fear of the little wave at the ends being gone forever and ever. We're a bit biased, of course, but we think she is just the most beautiful child! No matter how many cute kids you show me, I would insist she rivals them.
Well, this is certainly long enough. Hope you feel caught up. I'll try not to let it go this long before my next post.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Fall Update
We went apple-picking with our neighbors on Saturday. There were 4 cars of us who went, and we all had a good time reaching for the biggest spotless apples we could find. I held Emma up a couple of time so she could grab an apple off the high branches...she had to grab on with both hands and PULL! She didn't like to let go of the apple once she picked it...trying to convince her to put it in the bag so she could get another one was almost a fruitless (no pun intended) effort. I made applesauce yesterday and it turned out great!!! We'll be eating it for days and days. It was a large pot...a little more than I intended.
I need to head to Lowe's in just a few minutes and buy a part to repair our toilet. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get a screw undone underneath the toilet to get the old part out. Not sure how to remedy this. I may have to get some help from a co-worker. I also want to price shelving while I'm there. We're in the midst of overhauling our downstairs, and I want to install some shelves on a particular wall. Our flooring will arrive on Thursday, so next Monday will be the first day of laying. I hope it goes smoothly and that we get it done quickly. I'm anxious to see the finished product.
Emma is turning into a little girl, even though she isn't yet 2 years old. Her language is expanding daily, and she's forming little sentences left and right. She's developing a little imagination, too, and likes to order "fwyed chickn and chino" for me -- that would be fried chicken and iced cappuccino -- from our neighbor's little Dora cash register. Grandma visited this past weekend and they had fun together. My mom brought Emma some Hello Kitty underpants, and I guess they were a big hit. She also got Emma a book about the potty, which we've read several times in the last couple of days. It would be great if Emma would catch on so that could wear the underpants daily! We need to break Emma of her pacifier soon. She's suddenly gotten really attached to it unlike ever before. People keep giving us suggestions of how to get rid of it....pretend someone else NEEDS her paci and ask if she'll give it to them, say it got lost, etc. Problem is, Emma's smart enough to realize that we have multiples! How do you get rid of 6 pacifiers at the same time? I don't think we can trick her out of all of them. Any other ideas?
I need to head to Lowe's in just a few minutes and buy a part to repair our toilet. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get a screw undone underneath the toilet to get the old part out. Not sure how to remedy this. I may have to get some help from a co-worker. I also want to price shelving while I'm there. We're in the midst of overhauling our downstairs, and I want to install some shelves on a particular wall. Our flooring will arrive on Thursday, so next Monday will be the first day of laying. I hope it goes smoothly and that we get it done quickly. I'm anxious to see the finished product.
Emma is turning into a little girl, even though she isn't yet 2 years old. Her language is expanding daily, and she's forming little sentences left and right. She's developing a little imagination, too, and likes to order "fwyed chickn and chino" for me -- that would be fried chicken and iced cappuccino -- from our neighbor's little Dora cash register. Grandma visited this past weekend and they had fun together. My mom brought Emma some Hello Kitty underpants, and I guess they were a big hit. She also got Emma a book about the potty, which we've read several times in the last couple of days. It would be great if Emma would catch on so that could wear the underpants daily! We need to break Emma of her pacifier soon. She's suddenly gotten really attached to it unlike ever before. People keep giving us suggestions of how to get rid of it....pretend someone else NEEDS her paci and ask if she'll give it to them, say it got lost, etc. Problem is, Emma's smart enough to realize that we have multiples! How do you get rid of 6 pacifiers at the same time? I don't think we can trick her out of all of them. Any other ideas?
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
New Glimpses of the Peach
@ the pool with "Aunt" Wendy
Emma, Brittany & Trevor in their hoodies
Check out that frown!! She didn't want her picture taken after devouring a donut.
This is what happens when Emma dresses herself...
While we were swimming with the boys.
Emma loved this little car
Unique shot -- had to include it.
Typical evening or weekend afternoon -- hanging out in the garage and alley while all the kids play.
Back at the pool -- the pictures didn't pop up in order for some reason...
Swinging with Kalli at her house
At COSI in the water area
Yummy yogurt. I love watching Emma feed herself.
Grant is so much taller than Emma now. Wyatt is closer in size.Friday, July 25, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
I Hate Blogger Right Now
Okay, so at my mom's request, I uploaded a ton of pictures last night, and wrote quite a lengthy blog. Wanna know where it is? So do I. I hit "publish," which it said it did effectively, yet it failed to appear. And it also fails to appear in the post list as one that's saved, but not visible. Unless I can find it, you'll all just have to wait a while longer to get any update from us. Sorry.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
