Sorry for the Wait

Sorry it's been so long since last posting. I'll bet your tired of checking back to see "Garlic Breath" still there. I'm pleased to say Emma hasn't had it since that day!

What's been happening with us lately? Well, the biggest event has been Emma's first birthday. I'm now the mom of a 1-year old!!!! She had a party on Sunday, the 25th, the day before her birthday, and lots of her friends came to celebrate. Wyatt, Grant, Kalli, Anna....along with Anna's sisters Corra & Cailyn. Adults to celebrate with us: Scott and Laura, Kim and Haley, Crystal, Jaime, Malinda and Paul, Wendy, and Emma's Grandma (my mom). She got lots of wonderful presents (thanks, everyone -- those who came to the party and those who shipped gifts from afar) and our living room will be a perpetual mess until we can buy a toy box/basket/something-or-other. We had cupcakes for Em's party, and I discovered that a cake-decorator-I-am-not. I have no future in that profession...or even hobby! Nevertheless I can say I made Emma's birthday cake, something I'll proudly do every year, I think, even though I really don't care to cook.

The other events of the recent past....Thanksgiving, of course, and then all of us getting sick (but NOT from Thanksgiving....but rather a stomach bug). We ate dinner with the Suttons for what was probably the 4th or 5th year in a row -- always a good time. One of the funny moments of the day was when Kim broke out the storage tote of Haley's old beanie baby collection. We put Emma down inside the bin and covered her with toys. Kim took some pictures....when she emails them to me I'll try to post them here. Emma loved it and sat there for quite a long time! Em and I came home early (the dogs needed to be let out and it was nearing her bedtime) while Jon stayed behind to play games. That's when the stomach bug started to present itself....one messy diaper and two outfits covered in vomit. Poor kid took it like a champ! She didn't even cry. She seemed to get better over the next couple of days but then threw up again on Sunday evening. I think this is what I dislike most about her being in daycare....constant exposure to anything and everything that's going around. I got it on Saturday evening, then Jon wasn't feeling well during the day on Sunday, and my Mom started feeling ill Sunday evening. Fortunately we're all now back on the road....nearly fully recovered.

Lest I forget, Emma also was paid a visit by her Grampie Terry (Jon's dad), the weekend before Thanksgiving. He had a trade show in Indiana and drove over the day after Jon's birthday (now the big 3-0) and was able to spend a couple of days with his granddaughter. They had a great chance to play together one evening as both Jon and I had commitments at the church.

Emma had fun with her Grandma. My mom does lots of silly things to get smiles from her granddaughter -- one of the most memorable being setting Em in a laundry basket, tying a bandana to the handle to pull on, then dragging her throughout the upstairs hall and bedrooms for probably a full half hour before bedtime. Emma was multi-tasking, of course, reading a book as she got the ride.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but Emma is picking up great speed crawling on her hands and knees, and she's pulling herself up like crazy. She'll take steps if we walk with her, holding her under the arms, but she hasn't really been "cruising" around the furniture too much. She's also been experimenting, it would seem, with her face! She's making all kinds of new and adorable facial expressions, sticking her lips out, making a tiny "o" with her mouth, etc. I don't think I'll be able to catch them with my camera, though. The shutter speed is just too slow.

That's all for now. I'll try not to be so long between now and the next post.