Precious Moments

No, I'm not referring to the porcelain figurines. I'm talking about moments of such sweetness with Emma that I find myself overwhelmed.

I just laid Em in her crib for the night and have a few minutes to write before I'll hit the hay myself. We went to church this evening and she did really well up in childcare....fell asleep on the shoulder of one of the workers. I commented to Jon that she always seems to do that with everyone else but me. After church we stopped at home so I could feed the Peach, then headed to a restaurant to meet up with friends. She was such a good baby the whole time, playing (yup, actively PLAYING) with the toy hanging from her crib (I'm so proud of how attentive she's becoming) and squealing periodically when I'd catch her eye and make faces at her. We discovered she isn't too fond of lots of people clapping and creating chaos. It is the kind of restaurant that serenades people on their birthdays, and both times they did it Emma had a mini-meltdown. By the time we left to come home, she was pretty tired, so I thought she'd crash immediately and stay down for the night. She DID doze in the car, but then woke up considerably when we arrived home and I had to change her clothes. I decided to go ahead and feed her, a little earlier than schedule, so she could go to sleep with a full tummy. When she finished and pulled off, I was able to position her cozily up on my shoulder where she settled in and fell asleep. Ah, what a victory for me!

Honestly, I'm not sure there is anything that can compare to having the warm little body of a baby completely relaxed against you, her hair lightly brushing your chin, feeling her inhale and exhale, and occasionally sigh in her sleep. I wish I could somehow bottle up the experience to crack out in the moments of life that stink and leave me discouraged.

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, it's so cool to see Emma grow and develop, picking up new skills and interacting more with the world around her. But as all parents would probably agree, it's bittersweet. I hate that she's growing up so fast and that she'll never be quite the same ever again. I have the most perfect, good natured, sweet-tempered, and GORGEOUS little girl EVER!!! Of course, I'm a little biased.

On another note, Emma has a new cousin. About two weeks ago (almost, but not quite), Julie and Rob welcomed Sean Terry into the world. He was 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 20 1/4 inches long. Julie says he has a ton of hair and is a little jaundiced. Big brother, Jackson (2 1/2), is doing okay except is missing his "Mommy-play-time." Good thing Nannie and Grampy have been there to help out. Grampy has been a great playmate. I think we'll be seeing Rob, Julie, Jackson and Sean within the next couple of months as they come to Ohio for a wedding. That'll be great since we didn't end up meeting Jackson in person until he was nearly 2. I'm sure it'll be crazy to see the size difference between Sean and Emma, despite there only being 4 months between them. I'm shocked by just how much growth takes place in the first year. People tell me kids start to "even out" after that, and that the size discrepancy shrinks considerably.

That's all for now, except to say that I'm going to get free ice cream from Bruster's tomorrow and that Monday will mark the start of more disciplined eating and exercise. I need to trim down this waistline so I can fit back into my size 12's!

Gorgeous Girl

So cute after bathtime, sucking on her towel.

She's getting so big! I can tell best when she's in the bathtub.

She was SO cute in the carrier, but I was home alone and had to try to take the picture myself. Not so good.

She seems to like her stroller, and often falls asleep on longer walks.

I know you all must be anxious for more pictures. Here they are. Will write more later.

pinch hitting

This is daddy posting for mommy. I walked Emma around the kitchen today while waiting for laurie to come home and feed her. We explored the freezer and then the pantry and then we looked at her empty bottles sitting on the counter. Well she grabbed up the bottle and tried to start feeding. When nothing came out she got a little weepy. Thankfully she was able to eat about 20 minutes later when her mom got home. sleeping now. hooray.

FOUR MONTHS OLD

Sorry no pictures to add today. I just didn't have time while I was at work -- perhaps tomorrow. Emma is 4 months old today. I really can't believe it. Even just 2 days ago when people would ask her age I would respond, "she'll be four months old in ___ days." Jon jumped all over me for that, telling me I should just go ahead and say she's four months. I've resisted that because I don't really WANT her to be this old already! It's going too fast. Although I must admit it's fun and exciting to watch her becoming more aware of the world around her, discovering new things every day.

The weather was great yesterday so Em and I took a long walk -- to Handel's Ice Cream and back (about 1/2 hour in each direction). I would have felt a greater sense of accomplishement -- that I'd done something great for myself in getting all that exercise -- were it not for the decadent Buckeye ice cream cone I ate. I can only hope that the first half of the walk ramped up my metabolism and that the second half motored through the calories at a monsterous rate. Emma slept part of the way, but woke at the ice cream stand and watched me the entire time I ate. Em stayed covered the whole journey, but mom got a little pink on the arms.

Our Peach had a meltdown this evening and we have no idea what caused it. Really, it started before I even picked her up from the daycare. She experienced a brief reprieve in the car for the 2 minutes home, but kicked off at a new high before I could even get her out of the carseat. The thing that finally quieted her was nursing, yet she had eaten only an hour and a half before. Not sure if she might be hitting another growth spurt, or if nursing just gave her a sense of security she needed to calm down. Her poor little body kept shuddering for a long time after, trying to recover. That pains me. Jon commented on what a helpless feeling it creates in us when she gets so hysterical for no apparent reason. So true and so hard.

It got up to 80 degrees today. If Em wakes up later this evening, I think we'll try to get out for a stroll, but I have a feeling she might be down for the count.

Wet T-Shirt....Without the Contest

I had a first today....soaking through an item of clothing by the simple act of lactating. I was getting ready to pump this afternoon and had bared myself when I got a call from a co-worker. Since I'd not hooked anything up yet, I let my shirt drop back down and took the call. After a few minutes of chatting I felt something a little out of place and looked down to find two big wet spots on the front of my t-shirt! Lucky for me I was also wearing a fleece pull-over, so I was able to just strip off the t-shirt from underneath. Whoa. Close call. What if I'd NOT had the fleece? Not sure, honestly. I probably would have asked the gal next door to run to our house or else shield me from view so I could get out to the car and go home myself. Oddly enough, I feel like I've been initiated into some kind of club.

Emma and I got out for a walk this evening. It got up to 73 degrees today, although by the time we got out it was already starting the cool down. The next few days are supposed to be great temperature-wise, however rain is in the forecast. Em stayed awake the entire time! I was shocked at her fortitude. I took a couple of photos. Perhaps I'll post them tomorrow.

EVERYTHING is going in Emma's mouth already. Really, I thought we'd still have awhile before hitting this stage. Not sure if she's moving towards teething and it just feels good on her gums, but she ALWAYS has her fingers, OUR fingers, her rings or her blanket shoved up between her cute little lips. She soaked a cloth diaper the other day...with saliva, not pee. It's rather endearing.

I'm Sick

Stayed home sick today, while Jon took Emma off to daycare. It was the first time, I realized, I had ever been home along WITHOUT Em since she was born. Weird. I slept pretty much all morning and dreamed about the Peach -- about how long it would be before she woke again and needed to be fed....and had to keep reminding myself that she wasn't here. She had a good day at daycare, though all of her naps were pretty short. She made up for it when Jon brought her home. I finished feeding her a bottle then we hopped in the car for a trip to Target. She fell asleep almost immediately and stayed that way for a couple of hours -- long after we'd returned home and made supper. She's awake right now, but will be heading up to bed shortly.

I hate being sick. I've got a head cold or the flu -- sinus pressure, runny nose, sneezing, body aches, and the occasional chills. Unfortunately I couldn't go back to sleep after 12, no matter how long I laid there trying. Once Emma goes down for this next nap I think I'll be heading to bed myself. Hope the rest of you are healthy.

It's a Napping Kind of Day

Argh. Spring, where are you? I am so anxious for the sun and warm weather. Today is mucky -- cloudy and wet, and still cold enough that it's miserable. Not good weather for stroller rides or picnics on the grass, or swinging in the backyard (what we have of one, anyway!)

We had a decent weekend. Out late Friday night -- the play was good, and the company afterward even better. Emma did really well for Kim and gave us sweet smiles when we returned. I think she was having a particularly cute day. Saturday Em and I just stayed at home, and I tried to nap during her first nap. Really, I ought to know better. Her first nap of the day is never very long. Later in the afternoon she had one that was MUCH longer, but I was in the midst of "stuff" and didn't sleep myself. Sunday we split services -- went for the sermon of first service and stayed for the music of second. That way Emma got to hang out with Wendy in the nursery for a little bit, then slept in Wendy's arms during worship. Jon wrote a song that was played/sung during two of the services this weekend, which was neat. He did a really good job on it and I had it running through my mind the remainder of the day. My afternoon was spent preparing for my Sunday night class -- making a batch of "haroset" for a Seder meal. Rather labor-intensive.

For any of you that this would be relevant for: the next infant dedication at the church is scheduled for Mothers' Day Weekend, May 12-13. Mom, I misinformed you the other day. Susan and Crystal, it would be cool if we could coordinate which service to have the kids dedicated at so they can all be together.

I guess that's all for now. This is just a short break from camp-planning. The day is almost over. Whew!

Birthday Cheer

Today I turn 29. To celebrate, tonight Jon and I are going to see the play "State Fair" in which Haley, the daughter of Tim and Kim, has a role. Tim will be going to the play as well, and Kim will watch Emma at their house (she saw the play last night and will go again this weekend). We haven't yet decided if we're going to do dinner beforehand. Not sure there's an appealing place nearby. Hmmm...actually, Der Dutchman is close. I'm sure Jon would love to have a full turkey dinner!

Last night my wonderful husband threw me a "surprise" party. I have the word surprise in quotes because the cat was out of the bag the night before. He worked so hard to get things cleaned beforehand and got up early yesterday morning so he could run to the store and pick up supplies. We had make-your-own sandwiches, chips, pop, and Cheesecake Factory CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE (Godiva chocolate, that is) as my birthday cake. MMMMM! Lots of dear friends came to celebrate with us....and the house was filled with BABIES! Emma, Kalli, Wyatt, Grant, Alex, and then Kyle, who is 1 1/2. One couple, Scott and Laura, commented that they felt they should have brought a baby too! (Their boys are middle school and high school) I heard Laura say, "We didn't bring a baby, but maybe we can take one home!" That made me smile. It was very special to have everyone there, ESPECIALLY those with infants. Isn't easy getting everyone out the door in the evenings, so the effort is noted with love.

Emma went through 3 outfits yesterday. Aunt Wendy bought her a new ADORABLE sleeper on Wednesday night when we were out shopping, and I put Em in it knowing we would see Wendy again last night. The thought DID cross my mind, "I wonder if it will make it 'til tonight," but I went ahead and put it on her anyway. Should have listened to my subconscious. Fortunately, it's been through the wash already and there are no traces of the blowout. Whew!

Back to work. Hope you all have a good weekend.

Babies, Babies and More Babies

Emma and Kalli

Wyatt, Emma, and Grant

I love black and white photos!

Emma's getting good at holding her head up.

Well, yesterday was a day of visitation. Our first stop was to visit Susan and the twins, Wyatt and Grant. They're two weeks older than Emma, which explains why they're so close in size. Susan and I had a nice visit, swapping stories of what the babies are doing and how each one is developing. It's interesting to me that the boys are giggling a LOT, but aren't grasping objects yet, and it's just the opposite for Emma. We have to REALLY work hard to get a laugh out of her. Hmmm...hope that doesn't indicate that she's bound to be a serious baby. Smiles are easy, though, so I'm guessing not. Since it was a nice day again (after the rain cleared out), we packed up the kids in their strollers and hit the pavement. We strolled through the neighborhood for 20 minutes or so and we shocked by how windy it was! Grant has a hard time catching his breath in the wind, and Emma fussed herself to sleep, so we headed back to the house sooner than Susan or I would have liked. It was just so nice to be outside and to be getting some exercise at the same time. As you can see from the photos above, we had our own little photoshoot. One of my co-workers commented that someday we'll be posting the pictures on the youth bulletin board -- when our kids are in high school and we want to embarrass them!

Our next stop was to see Crystal and Kalli. Despite having just been with the boys, Em seemed to be more aware of Kalli. We laid them on the blanket beside each other and more than once Kalli's hand nearly wound up in Emma's mouth -- both on her initiative and from Emma grabbing her hand and pulling it towards her! The picture above makes it appear that Emma is longer than Kalli. Not true. She's still 1-2 inches longer, and weighs more....as she should for being 6 weeks older. Our Peach is only in size 1 diapers still while Kalli has moved up to size 3. WOW! Emma looks like a little baldy compared to Kalli! Check out that head of hair. It's so neat that they girls sort of have "built in" friends even at such a young age. I'm looking forward to future play dates as they grow up together.

Poor Jon. Last night Emma gave him a run for his money. I went shopping with Wendy (with absolutely NO success....my luck ran out when the clock chimed midnight Saturday, I guess) and Em cried nearly the entire time I was gone. Now don't go thinking it's because she MISSED me or anything. I'm fairly certain some gas played a roll. Five minutes before I arrived home, Jon put Em on her belly on the couch and she suddenly was fine. Same thing had happened with her earlier in the day while visiting C & K. Took the belly-position to calm her down. Within 20 minutes after arriving home I had her up in her crib asleep. She'd worn herself out and only got up once in the night at 3:30.

We've got light snow flurries outside right now. What a swing! 73 degrees yesterday, and snow today. Oh.....Ohio. ::sigh::

Fresh Air Does a Body Good

Medmmm...72 degree weather has come our way, and it's fabulous. We opened the windows throughout the house today to let things air out, and it seems to have had some side benefits. Emma took a GREAT nap up in her crib, breathing in the fresh air and looking so peaceful. Then we took a LONG walk (well over an hour) during which time Em fell asleep again, and now she's exercising her newly cleansed lungs! It's hilarious to hear her screech and groan as she lays here beside me on the couch. It's the most verbal I've heard her get all day.

Oh no! I just heard a hiccup. She had them AT LEAST 4 times yesterday, and this will be her second or third time to have them today. Geez. Is there anything we can do to chase them away? We've tried blowing in her face, but it doesn't work. Neither does trying to get her to suck her pacifier. Oh, and they last so long --- usually 1/2 an hour. Feeding her is about the only thing to do the trick, but I can't feed her everytime they attack!

Dinner time (for me, that is). I'll write more another day.

A Batch of New Pictures

Can we guess who gave Emma this shirt?

Asleep on Jennifer during my Sunday night class.

The 70's Leisure Suit

Oh Happy Day

I took today off (comp time from this past week and weekend) to spend at home with Emma. It's been a good day. She actually had a 7-hour stretch last night...she went to bed around 10 and slept until 5. I was thrilled! I went to bed by 11 last night, and I guess was snoring, so when I woke up to get Em at 5, I noticed Jon wasn't in the bed. He had moved to the guest room. We got a new mattress set a year ago (almost exactly, in fact) and it already has "body grooves" in the spots where we each sleep. So, to try to help even things out, when I went back to bed after feeding the Peach, I moved to the middle of the bed to sleep on the hump.

When Em was born we decided we needed to purchase additional life insurance. To get the coverage we wanted, we're required to do the "insurance physical." A lady came to the house this morning to get a urine sample, to draw blood, and to ask a slew of questions. Yuk. Glad it's over with!

Once she left, Emma got a bath (oh, how I love bath time!) and then ate. Must have worn her out, because she didn't stay up for very long after that. She was down for a nap before noon, and I also climbed back into bed. We both slept for over 2 hours. Mmmm...felt good. While we were sacked out Jon did grocery shopping and then went to see the movie 300. I'm so glad he likes to shop. I consider it drudgery. He came home to find Em and me upstairs on the bed, playing with her rings and a teether bunny.

Every day our little girl gets stronger. I took a few pictures today of her during "tummy time". She does a GREAT job holding her head up and I anticipate she'll start rolling over sometime soon. Wendy thinks Emma is going to be a great "tantrum-thrower" because of how she digs her feet into whatever she's on and arches her back. Hmmm.

Last night I had to teach a class at the church and Jon had youth group, so Emma was in childcare. She was supposed to eat at the same time we were both occupied, so Jennifer, one of the gals in the infant room, tried to feed her a bottle. Said Emma took 2 sucks then went ballistic! I guess she was just so tuckered out from the day that all she wanted to do was cuddle. Jennifer spent the rest of the evening rocking Em while she slept. She was still in that position when I came to retrieve her at the end of the night. The sight was heart-melting. Jennifer, who has 5 children of her own, commented that "Mommy must be proud of Emma's little thighs....good breast-fed thighs." Apparently babies who breastfeed put weight on different areas than formula babies. Anyone else heard of that? It was news to me.

This is turning into a novel, so I'll stop for now. Look for new photos tomorrow.

70's Leisure Suit

I dressed Emma in an adorable outfit today which was given to us by our friend, Kim. It's pink -- a polo-type shirt that snaps like a onesie, and long pants which flare a bit on the bottom and have a flat front with elastic at the back. When Jon saw her looking so sweet, he commented, "It looks like she's wearing a 70's pantsuit!" Hmmm...yes, I guess it does...but it's SO CUTE on her! And aren't all of those styles coming back? (Actually I hope that era will stay buried.) I'm going to take some pictures yet tonight, so perhaps one will appear so you can see for yourselves.

We're still having some issues with eating. Last night Emma ate at 9:45, then again at 2:00 am, but then didn't want to eat when she woke up at 6:20. I tried a couple of times with her, but she wouldn't eat until the daycare staff fed her a bottle at 10:00. I hate starting my day with her like that. I got frustrated --- at the fact she wouldn't eat, and that she seems to be "fasting" in the middle of the morning rather than at night when she's sleeping. It put me in a very quiet mood, and I found myself fighting tears most of the morning. Lesley, the daycare director, suggested that, when she gets up tonight, I feed her a couple of ounces from a bottle rather than nurse her...enough to tide her over for a few hours, but little enough that she should be hungry when she gets up in the morning. If anyone else has some words of wisdom to offer, I'm all ears (or eyes, I guess would be more accurate).

Today it got up to 50 degrees (or at least the news said that's what it was SUPPOSED to be) and felt GREAT! I am so anxious for spring to finally arrive...and then summer. They are my favorite seasons of the year...maybe because of growing up in Maine and spending 4 years in Canada. When Jon dropped us off at the church this morning we took the stroller as well. It was my hope that Emma and I could get out at some point during the day to take a walk -- even if just around the parking lot. However, I was working on the same thing all day long (which still isn't finished) and wasn't able to retrieve Em until after 5:00. We made up for it by walking straight from the church to the mailbox toward the front of our neighborhood and back to the house. I think the fresh air was good for both of us, and it was good for me to get that exercise. I thought Emma might fall asleep in the stroller, but maybe it was too bumpy.

Tomorrow we are going on a hunt for some new clothes. My in-laws sent me a generous birthday gift and I have a couple if gift cards...here's hoping I can find some pants which fit EVERYWHERE they need to.

My Feelings Were Hurt

This has been a particularly stressful week...especially today. I have a TON to do at work with a deadline of the end of the day Friday, and it's taking its toll on me mentally, emotionally, and physically. I'm SOOO looking forward to the weekend.

What impacted me more than anything today, though, was Emma refusing to nurse this morning, and then again this afternoon. I guess it probably was an appetite thing and that I shouldn't take it personally (now knowing that she didn't eat from 3:30 a.m. until noon), but I really felt rejected....and robbed of the limited time with my girl. It's a strange phenomena.... no matter what, moms want to make sure their kids are fed. I know she won't starve if she misses a feeding now and then, but it just feels awful when it does happen. I was so relieved when she DID nurse some this evening.

She's asleep right now, and Jon is off with his small group, which gives me these moments to write.

At this time a year ago, I was pregnant but didn't know it yet. Weird.

The Picture I Promised

Sorry So Quiet

Sorry we've been so quiet this past week. I guess it's a combination of busyness, tiredness, and occasionally not having a signal. Today Em and I are just hanging out at home while Jon works, trying to enjoy one another AND get some good naps in (that's BOTH of us). Seems like the Peach is having sort of an odd day, taking lots of little naps, and being hungry earlier than she's due, and also being a bit cranky. Right now as I post, she's laying in her crib watching her mobile, and is making lots of groaning noises. I suspect she has the hiccups and it's making her mad. My hope is that once the mobile stops she'll drift off to sleep. I'm confident she's TIRED due to the sleepy looking eyes and frequent yawns. It'll all depend on whether or not she'll give in to the fatigue. She's taken to giving us somewhat of a fight each time we prepare for a snooze.

I'm having to retire yet a few more sleepers. We went to the doctor's office yesterday so I could have Emma weighed and measured. I'd like to keep up with where she lands on the growth charts....not out of any concern about her growth....really just curiosity. My mom told me that I usually fell in the 90th percentile...and that my sister was in the 97th! I'll admit to being relieved that the first few months of her life were in the 50th. However, Em is now -- at 3 months old -- 12 lbs. 15 oz. and 24 inches long! She's a full 2 feet when stretched out. I can't believe it. And now according to the charts, she's jumped a curve to the 75th percentile. I'm quite amazed by how rapid the growth is in this first year. I really wasn't prepared for that, despite everyone commenting that "they grow up so fast." I guess I thought they were mainly referring to the passage of time rather than their actual GROWTH.

Hmmm...all is quiet now. I wonder if she's sleeping.

Yesterday as Jon and I were finishing up getting ready for work we laid Emma, freshly bathed, dressed, and oh so sweet, onto our bed, in my spot, on my pillow, with a blanket over her. We can keep an eye on her easily enough by just peeking around the bathroom doorway. When I'd finally finished the last touches of makeup and considered myself put together, I rounded the corner back out into our room and found Emma sound asleep. OH THE CUTENESS! I did actually take pictures but will have to post them from work on Monday. I hated to disturb her, but we needed to drive Jon into work. I gathered her up into my arms then got her into her carseat without her every waking fully, and she slept the entire drive to Meijer and back to the church. Honestly, though, when I saw her there I just wanted to sit on the foot of the bed and watch her sleep.

On the daycare front, Em seemed to do a little bit better this week. She was only there W-F but I think she napped a little more frequently and did pretty well eating. My mom asked how often I go up to peek on her. The answer is usually once to feed her (at which time I grab her and go back to my office to nurse there), once to take up the bottle (because I always forget to take it first thing in the morning -- from the refrigerator in the kitchen across from my office), and occasionally b/c I've left something in her diaper bag which I need. Hmmm...these "forgetful" times just might be my subconscious giving me excuses to go up. The daycare staff say I don't need an excuse, but I think I feel the need to justify the trips. Oh, and yesterday I was giving a tour of the building and had to pop in and point her out. ::grin::

I nearly took off a couple of fingers yesterday trying to open up Emma's stroller. Today they're a touch sore, but I'll survive. We had to go to Kroger to purchase something work-related and as I was opening the stroller I discovered my left hand wasn't in a good spot. Unfortunately for me, my reflexes really aren't that quick, so by the time I made the necessary adjustments, I had indentations on my index and middle fingers -- marks that lasted at least half an hour! Never had I thought of a stoller as being a dangerous piece of equipment, but you can be sure I'm going to exercise more care and caution in the future!

Anyhow, I guess I should close for now and try to catch a few zzz's myself.