The Perfect Peach

Yeah, yeah...I know.

2009-06-10T09:10:00.002-04:00

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.

Winter Update

2009-02-11T13:30:00.002-05:00

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.

Fall Update

2008-09-29T14:41:00.002-04:00

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?

New Glimpses of the Peach

2008-09-02T16:11:00.005-04:00

@ 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.

Emma in June and July

2008-07-25T14:44:00.001-04:00

2008-07-25T13:32:00.001-04:00

I Hate Blogger Right Now

2008-06-24T10:47:00.002-04:00

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.

"Thank you, Mommy"

2008-06-02T14:33:00.002-04:00

More photos to come soon -- have to upload pictures from home.

Bigger news, though, is that Emma said her first phrase other than "I don't know" yesterday. I gave her a little piece of a bagel (which she then fed to Butter) and she turned, looked straight at me, and said, "Thank you, Mommy"!!!!!! Jon was right there, so he heard it too. It was music to my ears. Frankly, I was stunned. My brilliant child, in perfect context, THANKED ME, stringing together more than two words. It was a banner day. And we think she said it again this morning. Ahhhhh ::long sigh:: what a PEACH!

Some other words she's doing well with are:
Clock
Yellow
Avacado (yup, a weird one, we know)
Haley (a friend whose grad party we went to yesterday...sounds like "Hee hee")
Shoes
Blue
Elbow (I think this might be one of her favorites)
Bottle
Ew! (said most often while picking her nose, or when we're wiping it)

We're having a family portrait taken today for the church pictorial directory. Hope we all look good. We'll get a free 8x10 copy just for having the picture taken.

That's it for now. I'm sure we'll have more stories to share soon. Oh! Perhaps some tales from the Zoo. Wendy, Emma & I are going on Friday, and perhaps also Emma's friend, Kalli. I can't wait, even though I think it's going to be a scorching hot day.

Another Video

2008-05-12T14:13:00.003-04:00

Here are Emma and her friend, Otto, playing with the balls when Otto and his parents came over for dinner a couple of weeks ago. They had SO MUCH FUN! Unfortunately, we just found out that Otto's family will be moving due to his mom getting a new job in Cleveland. His last day at daycare will be June 6. We are REALLY going to miss him, especially since we've been having fun together outside already this spring. Who else will we feed the fish with? Or chase down the alleyway? ::sniff, sniff::

Emma at the Playground

2008-05-12T13:35:00.005-04:00

Here is Emma at the playground in our neighborhood. She loves to hang from these bars! She's getting better on the slides, too. On Saturday Wendy, Em, and I went to the playground and Emma ended up creeping down the tube slide on her belly! I was at the top, and Wendy caught her on the bottom. She was pretty pleased with herself.

100th Post

2008-04-29T11:11:00.003-04:00

Well, today marks my 100th post since starting this blog. Not sure it has appealed to most since it's really all about Emma, but hopefully the grandparents have enjoyed it.

I leave today in just a few short hours for Atlanta -- going to a small groups conference. I'll be gone until Saturday afternoon, which amounts to 4 nights and a full 4 days away from Jon and Emma. Pray for Jon while I'm gone! He has to manage work, Emma in the mornings and evenings, and the 2 dogs all on his own. While I've done the single-mom thing many evenings while Jon has had other things going on, I've never had to worry about taking the dogs out too. I set out clothes for Emma for each day (one outfit if it's hot, another if it's cool) at Jon's request. All he has to remember now is to feed her, change her diaper, do bottles, take her milk sippy to daycare in the mornings, and bring home all of her stuff from daycare Friday evening. Hmmm...it just occurred to me that Emma probably won't be able to see for the rest of the week -- I'm always the one to put her hair up, and I'm not sure Jon will dare to try! I've asked the girls in the office to check in on Emma throughout the day and maybe even take her for walks in my absence. Oh, I'm gonna miss that kid! I'm looking forward to Saturday already.

Quick Update

2008-04-23T11:35:00.002-04:00

Sorry, no pictures today. I have to add the newest ones from home now, since they're on my "big camera." It's a hassle to drag the whole thing in to work with me, and evenings have been rather full lately, hence the lack of communication.

Emma's walking is improving, and she now tries to run....but it's the herky-jerky walk that makes me hold my breath, anticipating that she's going to get herself going too fast and wind up doing a face-plant on the pavement. Ugh. Hasn't happened yet -- at least not with disasterous effects.

She LOVES to be outdoors. Yesterday it was absolutely beautiful, so I took off two hours during the afternoon, kidnapped her from daycare, and took her to the park in the neighborhood adjoining ours. They have a much nicer playground set and also some swings. We slathered on the sunscreen, changed into shorts and a tank top, slapped on a hat, and away we went. Unfortunately, the slides we too hot to go on, but on the other hand it's really hard to let her on the slides when I'm the only one with her. We really need someone up top with her, then another at the bottom to catch her as she comes down. The swings freaked her out a little, even though she's been in one before, so we didn't stay long on that. She really had fun watching other kids, climbing up and down the steps, and wandering around in the wood chips. I was starting to worry that we'd been out in the sun too long, and that I may have missed spots when applying the sunscreen, so we headed home to get a snack and then came back to the church. I had a meeting at 4:30, so I dropped her back at daycare, then got her again at 6:00. (Jon had to work late last night) As we got out into the parking lot we encountered a mom and her two kids who we haven't seen in quite awhile. All of our kids took off for the little daycare playground, and we ended up staying there for nearly 40 minutes!!! After finally getting home and eating supper (her, not me), we went out for a walk in the stoller and encountered several neighbors and their children. Emma conked out in the stroller before we got home, and woke only long enough for me to changer her diaper and give her a bottle. I couldn't bear to keep her up for a bath, so she went to bed with sunscreen on and her hair still up in a ponytail. Jon gave her a bath this morning. To emphasize just how tired she was, she slept until 5:45....a full hour longer than normal (as of late).

We've made friends with a little girl down the street -- Hannah -- who is almost 3. Hannah tries to hold Emma's hand, or hug her, and it's funny to watch Emma react. Sometimes it doesn't bother her, while other times she seems to not want to be touched, and she gets the furrowed brow. She got to sit on Hannah's Dora bike yesterday, as well as perch on her little John Deere "gator". Fortunately the battering was inside charging, so I didn't have to worry about the thing taking off at a touch of a button! Hannah is a very outgoing and generous kid. EVERYTIME we see her, even from a distance, she yells hello and tries to come to us. She called Em her "sister" yesterday. ::grin:: I'm excited to be meeting the moms of the neighborhood kids.

Otto, one of the little boys in daycare with Emma, also lives down the street. We're going to have Otto and his parents over for dinner on Saturday night. I hope after that we'll be able to invite him over to play occassionally on the weekends.

Words Emma has picked up on recently...
Elbow
Bubbles
Keys
Up
Down
Walk
....and she understands Playground and kicks her legs in excitement.

I guess that's it for now. Hopefully there will be new pictures with the next post.

Elmo on Her Back

2008-04-08T14:35:00.002-04:00

This is an Elmo Backpack that I got for Emma at a Baby Sale this past weekend. $2!!! What a steal. And it ended up being a woman I knew who was selling it, which put my mind at ease as to its cleanliness, etc. Emma was wearing it as we (Em, me, and Wendy) were walking into Target. I thought it was so adorable that I couldn't resist getting out my camera.

Puddle Jumping

2008-04-01T09:34:00.003-04:00

Last night Emma and I went walking down the alleyway behind our house. It was drizzling a little bit, and there were a few puddles around. Well, the Munchkin decided she likes the sound of the water slapping under her feet, and she went trudging back and forth through a puddle over and over again. By the time I hauled her into the house to get my camera so I could catch some video of her, her interest was waining. Alas, this video doesn't capture the true spirit of adventure that characterized the earlier "puddle jumping." When we finally went inside, her shoes, socks, and halfway up her pantlegs were SOAKED! I had to strip her down. It was so much fun to watch. I wish you all could have seen her in the glory if it all.

Major Photo Update

2008-03-26T20:08:00.025-04:00

This is the dress Emma wore for the Saturday night Easter service. The lighting in the house was poor, so it's not a very good picture.

Emma LOVES peas! I wish I could get her to eat carrots....

Em's first dum dum. Check out that blue tongue!

I love that I was able to capture this moment. Emma loves her dogs.

YUCK! She's learned to "lick" the dogs back....

Yup! Painted toe nails. She's facinated with them.

We were visiting friends and Emma had a chance to color. She enjoyed sitting on this little chair.

The Peach and her friend, Gabby, in the buggy at daycare.

I was being offered a jelly bean

During the Easter egg hunt at daycare. Fortunately I can enjoy these photo opportunities by being on site.

"Mmmm....how many can I hold at one time?"

I wish I could hold my leg up like that with such ease!

Fun perspective. I'm excited to have caught this.

Sleeping Beauty. She wasn't feeling so well that day and crashed on our bed. I took those moments to go in and clean her room.

Enthralled with her Dora Kitchen

We went out on a cold day. She didn't like the snow, but she did seem to like her snow SUIT!

Some days her ponytail is a fountain. Today it was a geyser!

Check out THAT face!

Emma was fixated on spots of chocolate Jon got on his shirt. This kept her busy for a LONG time.

Just a Few...

2008-03-17T13:46:00.003-04:00

Trying on sunglasses at the mall

Hanging out at Half Price Books while Grandpa was shopping

Yup. I turned 30 yesterday. The ladies at my Sunday night class surprised me with this cake.

Just a Quick Update

2008-03-13T08:52:00.002-04:00

Sorry this won't be longer. I have a full day slated and so only have a few minutes to slap something on here in the form of an update.

Emma is healthy again....FINALLY! After months of being sick with colds and flu, she seems to have bounced back to her normal, cheerful, fun self. I'm loving it. She's such a joy when everything in her body is working the way it's supposed to. Now if only she would sleep later on the mornings it's my turn to get up with her! (up around 5:15....whereas the days it's Jon's turn she tends to sleep until nearer 6:00. UGH!)

Our trip to Virginia ended up being canceled due to the yucky weather we had last weekend. All Skybus flights were canceled for the day. It was very discouraging, but then Grandma and Grandpa, in their desperation to see their granddaughter, hopped in the car and drove the 7 hours from VA to OH....in rain and snow. I wonder if Emma will ever understand just how WRAPPED she has them around her little fingers. We had a great weekend. Em finally snapped back to almost normal by Sunday afternoon. Jon and I got to go on a date Monday night -- movie then dinner -- while the grandparents put Emma to bed....without incident. Whew. Not sure when we'll see them again, but we've booked another attempt on Skybus in June. Snow shouldn't be a problem.

I turn 30 this coming weekend and have to go today to get a new driver's license. My last photo wasn't so bad, so I have high hopes for this one. I always get anxious when they make you do the eye exam. Why is that? I've been to the eye doctor recently, but it still makes my heart pound.

Anyhow, on to other things now.

Reading on the Toilet

2008-03-02T22:33:00.003-05:00

This'll be a short blog. Something I'm finding absolutely hilarious right now.... Emma gets me up early in the morning and during my time with her before Jon wakes up I have to pee. On more than one occasion, as I sit to do my "business" -- leaving the bathroom door open so I can still monitor the movements of my daughter, Emma grabs books and brings them to me to read AT THAT MOMENT. So, happily, the two of us sit on the potty reading Curious George or, better yet, Clifford the Big Red Dog. She's such a funny girl. Couldn't wait just a minute longer for me to be done and read in her room instead. Nope. The pot seems to be the hot spot. Tee hee.

New Friends

2008-02-26T11:47:00.003-05:00

We had some new friends over for dinner -- Mark, Angie, Ashley and Aubrey. Ashley is 3 and Aubrey will be 2 in May. All 3 girls climbed into the dog bed together. It was pretty funny at the time! Emma looks so tiny. Both A and A are in the 90th-something percentile for height, so they tower over Emma.

Had her 15-month check up yesterday. Not sure percentiles, but here are her measurements:

20 lbs, 15 oz

30 1/4 inches long

She's still fitting comfortably in 12-18 month clothes, and is still in size 3 diapers. Not sure when she'll grow enough to transition up to 4's!!!

She Cracks Me Up

2008-02-26T11:16:00.002-05:00

I love this short video. Emma has a Dora Kitchen that a friend gave us, and she often mimics the sound of the blender, which you'll hear for yourself. She usually dances to the music from the radio, too, but didn't in this clip.

The Flu Hits Again

2008-02-14T20:56:00.002-05:00

I just can't get healthy. I'm sick with the flu again. It hit a couple of days ago. Fortunately, I'm not feverish or achy anymore. No...instead Jon is experiencing those symptoms. Emma had diarrhea twice this morning, so she and I stayed home today. She doesn't seem to be FEELING badly... maybe just a decrease in appetite and some crankiness.

Anyhow, nothing else new to report. Maybe when we return to health and can get back on our feet.

Absolute Temper Tantrum

2008-02-11T22:28:00.000-05:00

Emma in her new Dora chair

This was positively hilarious.

Is there anything more peaceful than a sleeping baby?

Today marks the day that I would say Emma had her first FULL-ON temper tantrum. She's had other tantrums before, but this one topped them all. It involved screaming, screeching, sobbing, body contortions, arching of the back, super-baby strength, and incredible attitude which included not looking at Mommy in the face, and even pushing Mommy's face away. Yup. And guess what it was over? Leaving daycare. Shocking, I know. However, Emma had just gotten to go over to "the other side of the wall" after having spent 6 hours in the room she's too old for. They went for a buggy ride and then stopped off in the "big room" to play. Jon had to go to work (odd hours today) and had to take us home first (too cold to walk, and I hate to ask others for transportation, especially sans carseat), so we had to grab Emma from the "big room". Not a happy camper, to say the least. Jon and I laughed about it, but it took a good 20 minutes to get her calm and return her breathing to normal. Then, suddenly, she was her sunny self again, laughing as I tried to tug her socks off.

Anyhow, Grandma was here for a visit this weekend, and we had some great photo opportunities. Something that cracks me up is that Emma's hair will stay in the same "style" after I take out the pony-tail holder(s). You'll see for yourself. After Grandma left we went out and bought a chair that's just Emma's size. She's been trying to sit herself atop several things -- the ledge of the open refrigerator, Peanut..... Anything at just the right level for her to settle her bum on. Back to Grandma, my mom was a big hit with the daycare kids. They followed her around as she dragged Em along in a laundry basket.

Emma's getting more teeth. I think there is one coming in on the bottom, along with one or two molars. She doesn't seem too bothered. Maybe not eating the same, but she's been doing okay with bottles the last couple of days, which we're happy about. Speaking of bottles, the kid will NOT take milk from a sippy cup. Doesn't matter what we do. My only last resort will be to try the Nuby cup from which she usually has juice. I have known people to say...."If that's where the milk is, she'll drink from a cup." However, I think they underestimate the stubborn streak Emma inherited from her Mommy.

So, here are more photos. Enjoy!

I LOVE My Camera!

2008-01-30T20:28:00.000-05:00

Em crawled under Daddy's folding chair while company was over. We were amazed at her ability to contort herself to get out!

Our friend, Kalli

One of Emma's hilarious facial expressions. It's even better in person.

Don't worry. All the burners were off.

Emma hanging out in the laundry basket

Stir Fry

2008-01-28T21:02:00.000-05:00

Tonight I watched Emma eating stir fry out of her Daddy's hand. She especially liked the rice noodles -- grabbing bunches of them and slurping them through her lips! It was particularly cute. I will count us very lucky if our child appreciates the foods that we eat. She actually consumed all of her pineapple at daycare today. She's never eaten more than just one piece before! And baked beans, too. It was a winner of a day.

We had a fun evening together, the three of us. We played for awhile in the guest room while Jon was copying off resumes and cover letters to send out to several district superintendents. If we got caught up fiddling with the printer, or were talking to each other about something -- not her -- it wasn't long before she would demand our attention! At one point she wanted her diaper changed... so that she could get her pants and diaper off and run around in blissful nakedness. That's my theory, at least, since the moment the diaper comes off she turns into a crazy baby and does everything possible to evade re-diapering!

Em and I are both getting over colds. That's minor, though, considering that Emma's friend, Kalli, is suffering from croup.

Finally, New Photos

2008-01-19T21:19:00.001-05:00

Emma likes to sip bath water

I love that you can see the bath water moving

Em had fun at George & Judy's, playing with Gwynn

This is a VERY old toy that Judy had in her basement

After her nap, Emma didn't want to get out of her crib. I stripped her down and she played in her crib naked for quite awhile.

Daddy slides Emma down the banister and she LOVES it!

Watching something together...probably football!

I don't think Em was feeling so well that day...

Susan took some family photos for us right before Christmas

December 2007

JON GOT THE JOB!!!

2008-01-09T09:18:00.000-05:00

Yup, that's right. My husband is employed again. He starts at the cemetary on Monday. In case I didn't explain it before, he will be a Family Services Counselor, helping people to determine what they need to close out their lives (or a loved one's). Yes, it is a sales position, but the nature of it is much different than, say, someone working at the mall. His ministry background should come in handy as he deals with grieving families. Ahhhh....the return to financial stability, here we come.

Got the new camera and am trying to figure out how to use it. I haven't had a lot of opportunity to snap photos of Em in natural light since I really only get to see her at the end of the day. I'm looking forward to the weekend when I can fiddle more and catch her at home while she plays.

Well, that's all I have time for right now. Just wanted to share the good news.

New Camera Coming

2008-01-07T16:37:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm super excited to share that we will be getting a new camera soon which should yield much better quality photos of our daughter. I know you've all noticed the shortage of photos on the blog....it's because I haven't been taking very many! I've been so frustrated with how poorly indoor pictures turn out -- my flash isn't strong enough, or else it creates shadows -- and the weather isn't exactly prime for getting outdoor shots. Anyhow, you will hopefully get to see much more of the Peach in the near future.

I haven't seen it for myself yet, but Jon says Emma stood up for the first time on her own yesterday. What I mean by this....she was sitting on the middle of the living room floor and got to a standing position without any assistance. I guess she'll practice it, too. Jon yelled for me this morning to come see -- jerked me out of a dream-sleep -- and then she quit doing it by the time I stumbled downstairs. Maybe someday soon I'll behold this step of maturity with my own eyes.

Emma's hair is driving me crazy right now. It hangs in her eyes, not long enough to tuck behind an ear or even just stay to the side on itself. And she won't leave a barrette in her hair unless we majorly distract her with something else while I put one in. Even if we succeed, she can't wear barrettes at daycare. UGGGHHH! Forget about headbands, too. I just want to see her pretty eyes! I hope we don't have a battle during the teenage years of her wanting to wear her hair down over her face, as so many seem to.

That's all for now. More when photos are available.

2008 is Coming!

2007-12-31T10:22:00.000-05:00

Well, another year is right around the corner. Sorry for the length between posts, but I'm finding it more difficult to get on the computer at those moments when I think of things to write. I'll try to be better in the coming months.

Time for some updates on the Peach.
1) Emma had a great 1st birthday with lots of friends present for her celebration.
2) We just got through Christmas....it was fun trying to get Emma to open her gifts and then watching her experience the toys and books for the first time. She got several outfits, a few books, a couple of baby dolls, and some toys. One of my favorites is a push along toy that my parents got for her at IKEA. Emma likes to sit on the floor and push it forward then pull it back.
3) Along with Christmas DAY, Emma got to spend the weekend playing with Grandma and Grandpa (Huntress). She got to play with hair curlers and special little balls, and she got to read the "Eye" book. Emma also got to experience the "Bodies Exhibit", but I don't think she got much out of it! ::grin::
4) In the past couple of weeks Emma has become quite adept at pulling herself up on just about anything, and as been cruising around the furniture. She's also making use of a "walker" that Grampy bought her when he visited last month, and has been doing laps from the living room to the dining room, around the table, and back to the living room. I don't think she's too close to walking on her own, but she's not too far either. She needs to get herself into a standing position without holding onto something first.
5) Stairs are something we've mastered -- the going up part, that is. We're trying to teach Emma how to come down on her own (backwards), and it's so much fun to watch her do it....get to the very bottom, then go up and down a few steps PRACTICING. What a smart kid! It's best to practice when there isn't as far to fall.
6) Em has somehow learned to cross her fingers, like when kids make a promise but cross their fingers behind their backs. She examines her hands quite closely whenever she's doing it, too.
7) Oh, and she's discovered her tongue like never before. She sticks it out and pulls it back in repeatedly, making the most adorable sounds the whole time. I love to hear her do this, and to chatter. She still isn't forming words clearly, but there are times it certainly SOUNDS like she said something in particular which fit the current context perfectly.
8) The Peach seems to be getting better at entertaining herself for longer periods of time....looking at books, bouncing from toy to toy, cruising around the living room, etc. We don't have to give her constant attention for her to be content.
9) Finally Emma seems to be breaking, if even slightly, from her compulsion to he held by Jon and Jon alone. While I persist that he's still her favorite person, she has shared her affection more in the last few days and hasn't been as dependent upon him.

As for family updates, Jon had a second interview today for a job at a cemetary. It's for a "sales counselor" position and would be VERY close by. There is a third step to the process, so there isn't any news to report yet. I have had quite a bit of time off through the holiday and have very much enjoyed having some time at home with Jon and Emma. I've turned into quite a home-body and appreciate the days when we don't have to go anywhere. I also feel that Emma sleeps so much more (and better) on those days, which leads to her eating better as well. I just finished a book by Dean Koontz called "Odd Thomas." Pick it up if you can. I was hooked almost immediately, really came to like the main characters A LOT, and found it difficult to put the book down for the rising level of suspense. I HIGHLY recommend it. Another one of his I read recently was "The Taking." Another good one, but not to the same level. I think part of this evening will be spent at the Suttons' house, and tomorrow is wide open. YAY!

Happy New Year to you all.

Look at Those Teeth!

2007-12-14T10:38:00.001-05:00

Our friend, Susan, took this photo of Em at a Christmas party we had for all the babies. I love that you can see her top teeth. Sorry it's so small....when I pull it up on my computer I can see it LARGE...and it's GREAT!

I'm planning to add a video soon....of Emma climbing the stairs in our house.

Back to Normal

2007-12-09T22:25:00.000-05:00

Well, I think we're all on the verge of being healthy again. After Emma got over the stomach bug that plagued us all, she came down with yet another clod. A ton of kids have been out this past week in her daycare room and the one next door. One little boy, who is also a neighbor of ours, was out with pneumonia, which made me a little bit paranoid when Emma started coughing a deep, rattly cough. A friends of ours, Meg, who is a doctor, came over the other night to listen to Em's chest and to check her ears. She thought Emma sounded "croup-y" and warned us that it could be a rough night, but she fortunately did well and we didn't have to take her to her pediatrician.

The weekend has been a good one filled with lots of naps and decent mealtimes....for Emma, that is. She had one REALLY rough night during which she woke up screaming "bloody murder" after only a couple of hours of sleep. It took forever to get her calmed down and back to sleep. Then we were up again every couple of hours through the rest of the night. Last night was MUCH improved.

Emma blew me a kiss for the first time the other day....December 6, to be exact. I have been trying to teach her that "trick" yet she never would even mimic me during our lessons. Then, while saying goodbye to her and waving, she spontaneously and independently blew me a kiss. I was shocked and amazed that she did so without any kind of prompting, and that it was completely in context! What a little firecracker we have. Even though she isn't forming actual words yet and isn't yet walking, she has demonstrated such keen intelligence! I'll have to sit and record several of such discoveries, but our computer battery is dying and I must go plug it back in before I lose everything.

Pictures next time....or perhaps a video, I promise.

Sorry for the Wait

2007-11-29T10:03:00.000-05:00

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.

Garlic Breath

2007-11-13T22:41:00.000-05:00

Emma had garlic breath today. She ate spaghetti, green beans (a few, at least), and garlic bread for lunch @ daycare, and I could smell it on her all evening. YIKES! She's too little to smell so stinky....from her mouth (I fully realize the stink that comes from other places which is quite normal). Her teachers stripped her down to her diaper before giving her lunch....when I went to see her she was sitting there nearly naked, but wearing a LOT of tomato sauce! I didn't have MY camera, but Kari (her teacher) took some pictures with her's.

Gotta hit the sack since Em still isn't sleeping through the night.

Lipstick Tubes Beware

2007-11-09T09:46:00.001-05:00

Woof Woof! Emma wants to eat from Peanut's bowl...
What a sweet face

Isn't she growing? She likes to look out the back door, especially when Daddy's out there with the dogs. Makes it difficult for him to get back inside, though.

Our little jack-o-lantern on Halloween day. We carved the pumpkin's mouth to resemble Emma's right now....3 teeth on top and 2 on the bottom.

Oh, to explain the title of this post, Emma LOVES pulling everything out of my makeup bag and is quite taken with lipstick tubes, cover-up, and anything else that has a top she can pull off. This morning I set her up with the bag that holds all my "extra" (non-daily) stuff while I was in the shower. I came out to find all tubes minus their caps, and watched as she would keep trying to pull off more even where they didn't exist. Lipstick tubes everywhere BEWARE!

First Puke

2007-11-07T22:15:00.000-05:00

Well, the Perfect Peach threw up for the very first time yesterday. She had a fever a couple of days ago and hadn't been eating much, and we think she just overdid it with the daycare lunch of dino-nuggets and tater-tot letters...then the snack of chocolate pudding. Apparently she was jumping in the jumperoo and suddenly tossed it all. Her teacher said it scared her --- I imagine!!! The daycare staff buzzed me, and Em was still crying when I arrived a few minutes later. They had already stripped her down and were putting fresh clothes on her. Vomiting warrants a child being sent home, and the policy for illness is that the child may not return until having been symptom-free for 24 hours. Alas, with the exception of a jaunt over to the church for a meeting I needed to attend, Em and I stayed home today.

Other updates....
Emma is crawling quite proficiently now and will go from living room to kitchen, and will roam the upstairs hallway. I awoke this morning to hear her "hand-falls" coming down the hall and into our bedroom. So cute!!! She thinks it's funny when I crawl over her. I think we're going to need to install the gate at the top of the stairs THIS WEEKEND.

Our little girl is fascinated by the shower. She likes sliding the doors open when we're in the act of showering, and this morning she tried to climb in herself. Not sure she'd like it if she were to succeed, but perhaps we'll find out one of these days.

Em's favorite little game tonight was wetting her hand in a glass of water then transferring the wetness to her mom's shirt and face! She thought it was SO funny and giggled every time.

I think Jon is Emma's favorite person right now. She lights up like a neon sign whenever he comes around, and reaches out to wrap her little arms around his neck in a full-body hug. She drapes herself over his shoulder as if it's the most comfortable spot in the world, and she laughs at her playmate's silly antics. She loves her Daddy.

Emma's drinking juice (diluted, of course) MUCH better now. She finishes off the entire sippy cup in a day now. I'm not worried any longer about her being dehydrated. She's also taking he bottles of milk (2 per day) with ease.

That's it for now! I'll add more photos with the next post.

Continuation of the last post

2007-10-30T16:43:00.000-04:00

My little pumpkin

In the cute sweater Aunt Darcie made

Outside of the hotel in Richmond with Grandma and Grandpa. Em was too interested in my dad's hair to look up for the camera.

Telling us a story...

On the guest bed at G & G's house

Captivated by the passing train

On one of our last warm days

Feast Your Eyes

2007-10-30T16:28:00.000-04:00

Okay, so my mom urged me this morning to update my blog. It's been awhile, and as I admitted to her, I've thought about the blog several times but just haven't had the energy to add to it. So, despite my lethargy, here I sit to give a quick update and some wonderful new photos.

Let's see. Emma is now crawling on her hands and knees -- something which I thought we might skip right over. She does really well for 5-10 "steps" then will often slip back down onto her tummy and continue from there. She does best when she's only in a diaper (pantless), but with the weather cooling off, there won't be much opportunity for that level of freedom.

Em is also pulling herself up quite a bit -- on the back of the couch, in her crib at daycare, up and over the dogs as they're burried in our bed -- Jon has enlisted the help of a friend and will be dropping her crib mattress tomorrow. We laid the Peach down for a nap last evening and, after a long time of whimpers and other such noises, when I went to check on her I discovered her standing at the end of her crib, playing with a package of hair barrettes she had somehow managed to snag off of the dresser beside the crib. She'd gotten several barrettes off the cardboard and her bed was littered with them.

Three top teeth are visible, and I think number 4 is working it's way through. She's been a trooper. Last night was rough -- up at 2 am and then again at 4:30 am to eat....

Two weekends ago Em and I made another Skybus voyage to see Grandma and Grandpa in Virginia (see photos). Again she did well during the flights, and she had loads of fun being entertained and BEING great entertainment. We tried Em on regular (organic) milk that weekend, and she'd done splendidly. She's now down to nursing only 3 times a day and takes 2 bottles. Consequently, I got to sleep in this past Saturday.....for the first time since Emma was born over 11 months ago!!!! I got up with her to nurse around 5 am, then Jon got up with her when she woke for good. I didn't rise from bed until 10:00 am!!! YES!!! Double digits. Felt great.

Had our Mom's group last week and Kalli loaned us a festive outfit to wear. Emma really doesn't have anything "Halloweeny". The kids were dressed up -- the twins were a bear and an elephant, Kalli was a bumblebee, Kaitilinn was a ladybug, Isabelle was Lil' Bo Peep, and Claudia was a lamb. Wish I had pics to share of all of them, but the lighting wasn't so good, so I knew my camera wouldn't perform that well. I'm attaching a photo of Em that Susan took with her AMAZING camera. ::smile::

Rocking Fish

2007-10-09T14:44:00.000-04:00

We were at the home of some friends a couple of weeks ago and Emma got to play on this "rocking fish" that they've kept from when their 2 girls were little. It was positively adorable, and Emma really liked it. Unfortunately I didn't take note of the toy brand, and I've not been anywhere that I've noticed anything similar.

Anyhow, a few updates on our daughter...

1) As of Friday night, October 5, Emma has achieved sitting up on her own (by this, of course, I mean GETTING herself in a sitting position). She does this by rolling onto her belly, pulling her knees up under her, leaning sideways so her bum touches the ground, then she pushes herself up the rest of the way with her hands.

2) As of Saturday, October 6, we discovered Em has more teeth coming in. Not just one, as it turns out, but all 4 of her top front teeth. Consequently, the last couple of days have been rough. The poor kid is really feeling it. Fever on Sunday night that kept Em out of daycare on Monday, and two hysterical crying fits in the middle of last night.

3) Emma (as well as Jon and me) is recovering from what is probably her 10th cold in her 10 months of life. Her poor little nose. She's getting too good at turning her head away when I try to wipe, and has demonstrated super-baby strength whenever we attempt to suction out her goobers so that she can breathe again.

4) She's a tough kid. While I was doing my hair this morning and keeping an eye on Em from the bathroom door, she managed to go over the side of the bed and onto the floor. I couldn't get to her before she landed due to the hot curling iron in my hand. After a few tears and lots of hugs, her attention was caught by the Mickey Mouse Club and she forgot about the unfortunate incident. I think we're going to stick to floor-based activities while the curling iron is in use from now on.

5) Our child likes to "ride" her bathtub. Just moments after I start draining water from her tub, which makes it much lighter, she'll start rocking herself back and forth causing her momentum to make the tub move forward and back in the big tub. It's pretty funny to watch.

6) Speaking of bathtime, the other night I caught Emma sipping bathwater from the little blue basin I use to pour water over her. I thought she was just holding it close to her face to look at it, but then I heard little slurping noises! Jon thinks it's gross. I think it's adorable.

I guess that's it for now...or at least it should be for this posting. Hope all of you are well.

The Long Awaited Sweater Photos

2007-10-05T09:08:00.000-04:00

I wish these pictures had turned out better, but the lighting wasn't very good either time. The very bottom one is Emma in the church nursery. The others are in our livingroom, but it was nighttime so we didn't have any natural light. The weather has been unseasonably warm here (high 80's today and all week) so I haven't had the opportunity to put Emma back in the sweater since her first time wearing it. Didn't Darcie do a fabulous job? I wish the pictures showed off the stitch work and overall design of the sweater. Oh, and Emma loves the buttons. She likes to put them in her mouth.

If you haven't checked my blog in a bit, be sure to scroll down and read the 2 posts below this one. I've actually gotten on a lot lately, which is out of the ordinary. I don't want you to miss them!

Applying Scripture

2007-10-04T09:30:00.000-04:00

This post is going to be quite a departure from what I normally write about. Emma is definitely a part of it, but she's not the dominant theme. God is.

I read this verse this morning.... "My soul is downcast within me, therefore I will remember you..." (Psalm 42:6)

While I feel I'm getting though every day pretty normally, and without the constant feeling of being downcast in my soul, when I have those moments to really reflect on "life" right now (as I did a few days ago when I was unable to go back to sleep for 4 hours in the middle of the night) I realize that "downcast" truly is the reality of my soul. Jon has now been out of work since July 7 (with the exception of 2 weeks) and despite the large number of applications he's filled out and resumes he's submitted, nothing permanent has come up. It's been stressful not knowing when he'll be employed full-time again and looking at our finances, wondering if all will be depleted.

Don't misunderstand...we're doing remarkably well and are not resorting to eating Ramen noodles yet! ::smile:: Emma is not suffering in any way. We have just had to restrict our spending which means also planning our menu carefully and shopping accordingly. All in all I think it has been good for us, however we have certainly had our tense moments of trying to communicate frustrations with one another.

Which brings me to the point in Scripture which says, "therefore I will remember you." Here is what I remind myself of:

God has dealt with stubborn and foolish people (of which I count myself one) since the beginning of time, yet still extends abundant grace and forgiveness
Jesus didn't lead an easy life. He had to walk nearly everywhere (yikes!), people misunderstood him all the time, one of his friends betrayed him, he may have desired to have a wife and child of his own yet submitted himself to the Father's will, and ultimately he gave his life -- in a way that had to be as incredibly painful as it was injust.

I look back and see His hand over me through the years...

One of my friendships ended so that I could be drawn to God
I received a scholarship which allowed me to attend the college of my choice
My friendship with Jon (which at one point was non-existent) was restored which ended up in marriage
God wiped out a balance we owed on our moving truck when we relocated to Ohio....saving us hundreds of dollars we didn't have to begin with
My paycheck stretched during the 5 months Jon was unable to work at the beginning of our marriage
The Lord provided a "bonus" for me at the same time Jon required a root canal. It covered the bill
We have repeatedly come into "extra" money when we've needed car repairs, new contacts, etc.

And most recently....and in light of our current circumstances....I'm coming to realize that God was providing for us in advance, knowing that we would experience this "drought" if income...

The people of the church (and grandparents) were incredibly generous with baby gifts, and we've not had to purchase more than 8 items of clothing or very many other supplies
My student loan was paid off right before Emma was born, which freed up $200 per month
Emma was born in 2006, during which time we had 90/10 coverage through our insurance. At the New Year, our plan changed to 80/20. We were able to get all of the hospital bills paid within a couple of months.
I get an 80% discount on daycare due to being full-time staff, which equals about $1 per hour for care.
We have a friend/connection through the church who is able to supply us with diapers and wipes. We've only bought one package of diapers and one box of wipes since Emma was born, and that was during vacation in Canada just because we didn't want to pack them.
I got a unexpected and substantial raise this year which kicked in mid-June....right before Jon stopped working.

God has proven Himself faithful to us. I will continue to trust Him, even if it requires that we be broken down to $0 in all accounts and have to be in prayer for the next bill to be covered or the next meal to be provided. He hasn't let us down yet.

This has been very stretching spiritually. For a period of time Jon and I got into the habit (to which we need to return) of having "Bible time" together each evening. It was a great time for us to read together and communicate about the passage, which always inevitably prompted other discussions. I don't know what happened to cause us to stop, but I know we need to get back to it...now more than ever.

Some of you may be thinking, "Did we really need to know all of that?" Probably not, but this is my way of giving God glory in the midst of a dry time. It's something I can come back and read on the days when I'm doubting and am especially cynical. And it's something for Jon to be reminded of as well (love you, Babe). I'm sure my next post will jump back to the ins and outs of our incredibly SMART and beautiful little girl.

I am SO excited!!!

2007-10-03T14:21:00.000-04:00

Blogger added a video feature....I am SO EXCITED!! Takes forever to load the videos, even though they're only 30 seconds long....but despite the hassle, you are going to have to put up with viewing older videos of Emma that are in my files. Some of them are just too cute NOT to share.

On another note, I love OREO cookies. We got a few packages of them for only 25 cents each, and I've been feasting on one pack here in my office for the past week. They're double-stuff, which are good but present some additional challenges in eating. You see, I usually like to nibble things. With a regular oreo I'll bite off the top...usually 3 bites....then will have 3-4 bites of the bottom side with the cream. Sometimes I scrape the cream off with my teeth, which then prolongs the process. I can't do that with double-stuff. Everything comes apart in big chunks, and thus I can end up eating 6 cookies in the time it would take me to eat 3 regular ones and be satisfied. Honestly, I'm surprised the pack has lasted this long....

Jon is still looking for a job. I'm holding out hope that God hasn't allowed him to be hired anywhere because he's to wait for a certain youth pastor position here in town. It's really hard to wait, though.

Emma is getting even more mobile....moving faster across the livingroom floor and into the kitchen when I'm not watching. Jon said that the other day he turned around to find her with two pieces of dog food in her mouth!!! Mmmm....I think we're going to have to start locking things down. Not sure what to do about the dog food, though. The poor girls would probably revolt if we moved their dishes into the laundry room. Not that they'd starve right away...they each have some extra padding!

I put a "headband" in Em's hair the other day for the first time. There's a bow attached, and it looks very girlie. She's not allowed to wear the barrettes in daycare (choking hazard if it falls out) so it seemed like the only alternative for getting her hair up off her forehead and out of her eyes. I think that will be our only recourse for awhile. Her hair is thin enough that I don't think hair elastics will be an option for a good long time.

That's all for this post. My next one will contain some pictures of an adorable sweater Aunt Darcie knit for Em, and perhaps another video. Enjoy!

She's Moving...

2007-09-26T09:20:00.000-04:00

Well, since my last blog, Grandma (my mom) has been here for a visit, and Emma decided it was time to crawl! The first night my mom was here (so, last Friday), Emma started "inch-worming" across the carpet with intensity. Prior to that she would spin, roll, and occasionally make some forward motion, but usually only by an inch or two and that would be it. That night she surprised and amazed us all by trying to follow Daddy from the livingroom to the kitchen, and she also went (pretty aggressively) after the bone Peanut was chewing!

In light of this new development (and also in part that we have company coming for the weekend) we rented a carpet cleaner from the grocery store yesterday and I steamed the downstairs carpets, finishing this morning. Jon has to return it before 1:35 pm today. Yup...they're pretty strict on the 24-hour rental....down to the minute. I think it does look better, but I know that we could go over it 20 times more and still get crud. We'll need to make it a point to rent one every 3 months or so and try to maintain. We also need to institute a "no shoes" rule in the house. That may be difficult, though, since we frequently use BOTH the front and back doors.

Emma is eating more and more tablefood with great success. Yesterday she ate past w/ tomato sauce, green beans, and a breadstick at daycare. AND, she ate most the green beans by herself, while allowing her teacher to feed her the pasta off a spoon. Oh, and she ate a LOT. I was shocked. Now that she's crawling, though, I guess she'll probably burn through more calories and her appetite will increase.

Other tidbits about Em...
1) she likes raisin bran...or at least the bran part
2) she loves to stand on couches so she's facing the back-pillows and has her arms draped over the top
3) her hair is starting to hang in her eyes a little, but she's not allowed to wear barrettes in daycare...I'm pretty frustrated by that
4) she loves music and dances/rocks whenever she hears some
5) she's a very happy girl first thing in the morning

Time to Add More Pictures...

2007-09-18T13:30:00.001-04:00

Freshly bathed, in her pjs, ready for bed.
Thought this was a fun expression.

Emma with 3 of her cousins, Jessica, Rylan, & Alaina. It was the best group photo I could get!

Hanging out in Mommy's office after a feeding

I love this shot!!! This is a great sleeper -- white waffle-weave long-john material. She's so cute in it.

Can't remember what she was eating, but she loved it and it got all over her face.

I have this set as my "wallpaper" on my work computer right now. Love it!

Feeding the Ducks...or Emma?

2007-09-11T20:41:00.000-04:00

Okay, so it's been too long since my last post. Emma is hilarious. Here are a couple of quick updates:

1) We walked home from the church tonight (left Jon there playing volleyball) and stopped off at the pond in our neighborhood. There's a lady from down the street who goes over and feeds the ducks every night. Not just a few scraps of bread, either....LOAVES...she works near a bakery and purchases entire loaves of sliced, day-old bread for next to nothing. She was there as usual and we stopped for the free entertainment. Diane let Emma have a slice of bread to tear apart and throw to the ducks. Before I knew it, Emma had stuffed a corner of the slice into her own mouth!!! At one point she had bread in each hand and a large piece dangling from her mouth. I wish I'd had my camera.

2) Emma has tried several new foods in the recent past. Some she liked, a few she didn't.
She likes...
- grilled cheese and tomato soup
- any bread
- whole cooked green beans
- yogurt - Horizon organic strawberry
- banana muffins
- saltine crackers
She didn't like (and spit out)...
- regular tater tots
- scrambled eggs
- tuna

3) Em is getting closer to crawling. A pink golf ball from the desk of one of my co-workers is what has given her the motivation to try!

4) Our little Peach loves big pillows. She loves to drape her body over them and bounce up and down. It's pretty funny to watch.

5) Oh, and she has yet another cold. Poor kid has to have her nose suctioned multiple times a day and dreads that blasted blue bulb.

Labor Day Weekend

2007-09-03T17:12:00.000-04:00

Oh, it has been sooo nice having a long weekend. Time to shut off the mind and enjoy being with Jon and Emma....naps, walks with the stroller, and a trip to check out a local flea market that we've never gone to in the whole 7+ years we've lived here! Not a whole lot there except for some beautiful produce. We bought some glorious green beans and red potatoes and cooked them up with some barbecued chicken. YUM! Right now Emma is sleeping and Jon is off at his fantasy football draft.

We're searching for a piano for Emma. She LOVES the one at daycare, and we'd like to find something similar for at home. But, no luck so far. It's Fisher Price - one they don't sell anymore - with big colored keys and stars that light up as the piano plays music. We went to Meijer and Walmart today to look, but they didn't have anything close, and what we DID look at Emma didn't seem impressed with. I checked on ebay and there is ONE...but the shipping is just as much as the starting bid. Maybe I'll check some places like "Once Upon a Child."

Officially NINE Months Old

2007-08-27T15:35:00.000-04:00

Grandma's going to love this picture. As Emma has grown, I've taken pictures of her beside this bear to track that growth. Oh MY! There's a huge difference between the last one and this. The first of the series showed the bear as being bigger. I think we know who's winning now.

I don't know how well you can see it, but we put Emma's hair back in a barrette this weekend. It made her look even more feminine, and Mom liked it because she didn't have to brush the hair off of Emma's forehead constantly.

Aunt Wendy shared part of the day with us yesterday -- Emma's "birthday". Wendy was with us for Emma turning 6 months as well.

Slowing Down

2007-08-24T12:03:00.000-04:00

Emma's growth is slowing down. She had her 9 month check-up today (though she still has a couple of days before officially BEING 9 months old) and here are her stats.... Posted alongside her 6 month stats for the sake of comparison:

Weight: (6) 16 lb. 13 oz. 58% (9) 18 lb. 2 oz. 37%

Height: (6) 26.25 inches 65% (9) 27.5 inches 51%

Head Circ: (6) 16.5 inches 30% (9) 17 inches 22%

Elizabeth, we'll miss you!!!

New Discoveries & Saying Farewell

2007-08-22T21:18:00.000-04:00

Every day Emma seems to discover something new. Today it was my eyelashes.

One of Em's teachers (one who rotates in and out of her room to cover breaks and vacation), Elizabeth, is leaving for college next week. Friday is her last day. We're heartbroken. Emma has fallen in love with Elizabeth, and the feelings are mutual. Elizabeth jokes often about smuggling Emma off to Boston with her and says Em could be the "dorm baby." I want to try to put together some kind of gift to send with Elizabeth, but I have a class tomorrow night and lots of running around on Friday. I guess I need to fit it in on Friday morning around dropping Jon off at work and Emma's 9-month doctor's appointment. I uploaded photos of Em with her beloved teacher onto my computer at work, so I'll try to add a couple tomorrow.

I joined Facebook yesterday but haven't had a chance to fiddle around and figure out how everything works. Jon will have to give me a tutorial.

Recent Photos

2007-08-13T17:10:00.000-04:00

This dress really brings out the blue in Emma's eyes

Went swimming with "the boys"

It was like taking a cool bath except for Grant's splashing!

Wearing Aunt Darcie's first attempt at a baby hat. No, we don't have a little Jewish baby!

Hanging out with Daddy on the kitchen table. Emma from a very different perspective.

In my office yesterday. She was being pretty sweet.

Asleep in the car, clutching Duckie.

Photos Susan took at the park

Oh, so serious!

Smiling at last.

The Move is Complete

2007-08-12T09:59:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here in my new office on Sunday morning, blogging. I've been closing out all of the services this weekend, and since I sat through the service last night, I'm just popping in close enough to the end and am spending the rest of the morning piddling around, posting updates, and sending some emails.

YAY!!! So far I'm not missing my office downstairs at all. My furniture arrangement (which I played around with on paper beforehand) seems to be working well. I need to get artwork on the walls and all will be complete. Didn't take long at all last Thursday to get all of the furniture put in. My biggest challenge was getting my computer hooked back up properly to the network. Kathy, one of my downstairs "neighbors" thinks I'm going to hate all of the commotion of the upstairs hallway, but I think I'm pretty good at tuning things out, especially if I've got music playing. And I can always shut my door. The move IS helping with motivation. I'm much more peaceful about coming in here than I was downstairs. I don't think I ever realized how much the clutter was affecting me subconsciously.

We're getting together with last year's Zambia team this afternoon. The 9 of us have remained a pretty tight group and try to plan get-togethers often. One of the team, Kris, is leaving in a week or so to do a year-long internship at a Young Life camp in North Carolina. So this is a "send off" of sorts....an opportunity for all of us to see her before she departs. We're meeting at a park, and everyone is responsible to take care of whatever food their family wants. It's been so hot and humid this past week (heat index over 100 some days) that I'm desperately hopeful the temps won't climb that high. Not sure how Emma will do in the heat. It's been way too long since we've gotten out to take a walk because we both would have melted!

I bought more jars of baby food yesterday. Yes, I caved. After a pea-spitting incident in daycare, and watching her gag repeatedly on carrots, we've decided to revert back to the baby food and hope she'll make an easy jump to table food. She did eat some whole green beans at a friend's house the other night. And she loves little pieces of bread. She just can't figure out that she needs to release the food when it gets to her mouth. The daycare provides lunch for kids who are old enough, and I highlighted the menu on Friday indicating which foods she can start to try -- with supervision. Green beans, peaches, pears, carrots, pudding, juice popsicles, and a couple of others I can't remember.

Yesterday was a SWEET day with Emma. She was happy all day long, took great naps, and then was ready to go to bed by 8:00. Slept until 5, ate, then fell asleep in my arms (LOVE IT!) and went back to bed until around 7, at which time Jon got up with her so I could snooze a little longer. Oh, what causes a day like that? If I knew, I'd reenact the day as closely and as often as possible.

I know I need to post some new pictures. I'll probably take some today and then will have to load 'em up.

Purging is Good for the Soul

2007-08-07T22:27:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm sitting here in my office at 10:30 PM trying to clean and get ready to move to another office upstairs. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. I've been excited, but then tonight it finally sunk in that I'll be leaving this "home away from home" that has been mine for the past 5 years. My office downstairs is so much bigger (and nicer, I think), but I have way too much junk associated with my position and instead of looking like an office, I appear to have a storage room. Which, in fact, is what my current space is to become. I guess I wish the office upstairs could convert to storage and I could reclaim the spacious, wonderful office I once had.

So, in this entire process I've been going through files, cleaning off shelves, and doing a general overhaul. It always feels good to get rid of stuff, I'd say. Streamline. Have the opportunity to start fresh and do some re-design. I'm hopeful that it will kickstart my motivation and clean the cobwebs out of my head. Then maybe I can run full-steam-ahead and tackle the LOOOONNNGGG list of "To Do's" which grows even longer by the day.

Emma and I are having battles of will over eating....specifically over eating carrots that I cooked and that my mom ran through the food mill. Jon thinks she doesn't like the texture. I think it's probably the flavor -- much stronger than the "baby food" carrots in a jar (which she eats without hesitation). We try a few more bites each day, and the most successful we've been so far was tonight, mixing the carrots with her cereal (which she LOVES). I think she's adjusted already to homemade sweet potato, and we're still working on peas, and she likes regular jarred (not baby food) applesauce. I'm concerned about having to introduce meat into her diet and am not really sure how to go about it. Jon and I agreed we really don't want to do any of the baby food meats. They look pretty gross to us.

The bedtime routine is working like a charm. She's been sleeping through the night, though still waking a bit earlier than I would like...around 5:30 each morning. Some mornings she'll go back to sleep for a bit after nursing, but this morning wasn't one of them. Jon ended up getting up with her and they had some quality time together while Mommy slept a little more.

Poor Kiddo. She has a bit of a cold (though it IS seeming not to last as long or be as severe as others) and is so fed up with us going at her nose to suction or to pull out crusty boogers. She's becoming quite adept at throwing a block with her arms, and we now have to pin them down in order to access her tiny nostrils.

Grandma and Grandpa came for another visit and Em got to be a little princess for the weekend...moreso than normal. I asked my Dad, "So, which finger, exactly, is it that you're wrapped around?" His reply, "All of them." MmmmHmmm. So true. Good times were had by all.

On the job front, Jon has accepted a position at an academy for autistic kids and starts next Friday. I think it'll be good for him.

So Far So Good

2007-07-29T22:02:00.000-04:00

Last night was an 8:30 pm to 5:30 am. And at that point Emma ate then went back to sleep until after 7:30. Ahhhh....I'm hoping that 8 months is the magical age of sleep...for her AND for me. She went to bed at close to 9:00 tonight, but tomorrow will be an early morning since we need to have Em dropped off at daycare just a little bit before 7:30 in order to make it up to District Conference (in Mt. Vernon) before 9:00 am. I feel bad that she's going to have to eat so many bottles tomorrow, AND I think this will be the longest I've been apart from my babe since she was born, so I'm fairly certain I'm going to MISS HER! Thankfully we don't have anything happening tomorrow night, so we can just come home and have playtime.

Today was a happy day. I didn't see Em for a good chunk of the time (worked on preparing for Art Adventure camp which starts tomorrow -- took 6 hours!), but she was good for Dad and was super sweet during the times I DID get to spend with her. Oh, how she loves her baths now! I like having that as part of the bedtime ritual. She just has so much fun wiggling in the water, chewing on her rubber duckie, and splashing. Something else she's learned to do is make clicking/smacking sounds with her tongue, which is absolutely adorable. Grandma and Grandpa, who are coming this weekend for another visit, are going to love it! She grows more and more fun every day.

Will Tonight Make Three?

2007-07-27T21:23:00.000-04:00

Hmmm...the past two nights Emma has gone to bed around 8:00 pm and has slept through until 5:45 one morning and 6:45 the other. It's been amazing. I'm wondering if we've hit on something -- a routine of her eating, playing, taking a bath, saying goodnight to Daddy, then heading to bed. We've never been able to really do the "routine" thing before because of her sleep (or lack thereof) at daycare and her ever-changing eating schedule. If this keeps up, it will give me the opportunity to pump a couple of hours after she goes to bed, which will allow us to store up more milk in the freezer. At the moment we only have 5 or 6 bottles stored, and will have to use 2-3 of those on Monday while I'm at district conference all day (having to pump while away, of course).

Anyhow, there are a couple of things I've forgotten to blog about:
1) Emma's passport DID arrive in time. Really, it was at the last possible minute before we would have had to go through the messy process of birth certificates, state ID, etc. Praise the Lord!
2) Right before our trip to Canada I discovered I can fit back into pre-pregnancy pants. Woo hoo! Took 7 months, but I recognize that is quicker than for some. I'm ecstatic. What frustrates me, though, is that I just bought 2 pairs of shorts at the beginning of the summer that are now a size too big. Really, I ought to look online and see if they have any in the size smaller on sale and snatch them up for next summer. I've struggled for YEARS to find shorts I like.

Canda Pics Part 2

2007-07-23T14:30:00.001-04:00

In the airport, waiting to board
Checking out the view

Fell asleep on take-off

Getting acquainted with Lutes

Emma with Jon's Nan

Touching the roses

We took a quick tour of Green Gables

Mooooooo!

Who loves his girl?

Enjoying the water

Canada Pics Part 1

2007-07-23T12:29:00.001-04:00

This is one of my absolute favorites
Feet in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time!

Feeling the breeze with Daddy

The red dirt of PEI

The water is beautiful...I miss living by the ocean

Emma's great-grandmother, second cousin Gulio, and Grampie Terry

Posing with Nannie and Grampie

Long Awaited Photos...With More to Come

2007-07-22T10:21:00.000-04:00

Emma on Aunt Wendy's lap
After being in the water -- trying to dry off and warm up

Emma and Mommy in the pool for the first time -- the water was COOL

Checking out the garden with Aunt Darcie and Grandma

In her crib at Grandma & Grandpa's house

So many playmates!!!

Emma fell asleep in the jumper at daycare

Just ice...no flavor.

Getting close with Butter

Daddy getting a full-fledged hug from his girl, and loving every second of it

These all got inserted in the opposite order they were taken, so look through them again from the bottom up. Will post Canada pics once I've had a chance to upload them to my computer. Enjoy!

So Much to Share

2007-07-21T22:08:00.000-04:00

1) Emma started clapping yesterday and it's absolutely adorable.
2) We had a good vacation in Canada seeing friends and Jon's family -- Jon's Nan & Grandma, Aunt Carol & Aunt Diane, Emma's Nannie & Grampie, Emma's Aunt Julie, Uncle Rob & cousins Jackson & Sean. Saw PEI (Prince Edward Island) in the summertime, paid too much to walk through "Green Gables", and Emma put her feet in the ocean for the first time.
3) Moncton water does amazing things for my hair, but isn't so good for my face
4) Jon and I sleep better apart when we're traveling
5) My husband is addicted to the pursuit of candy bars that can only be found in Canada (except for at World Market where they're overpriced and probably not as fresh) and came home with enough to last 3 months (maybe)
6) Our daughter is delightfully freakish in that she falls asleep during airplane take-off....she did so every flight!
7) Spencer is our new, official dog/house-sitter. The girls were GREAT for him and didn't have any accidents. I think it's cause he let them sleep with him.
8) The new packaging of Excel gum (Canadian brand) makes for a great makeshift rattle for Emma
9) Em is eating more than ever -- likes prunes, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, corn casserole, applesauce, apples & strawberries, bananas, and her cereal
10) Used the food mill tonight to make sweet potatoes and pears...and now have 7 small containers filled with food. Will probably do a batch of carrots tomorrow.
11) Learned tonight about a market in town, called the Sunflower Market on 161, that sells organic fruits and veggies for great prices -- Jon and I will have to check it out soon
12) Thought I'd lost my cell phone on vacation and was dreading all that would be involved in getting a new one, then found it in an obscure pocket of our suitcase. I have absolutely no recollection of putting it there.
13) Jon is currently unemployed -- finished at Meijer right before vacation -- but may have a promising interview this coming week. PRAY!!!
14) Sometime soon we're going to have a burning party to torch Jon's last red Meijer-work-shirt
15) SOOOO sorry not to have posted pictures recently. Will do that as soon as I can. It's difficult to stay current since the pictures have to be added from work (takes much longer from home)
16) Emma turns 8 months old in a mere week. Makes me sad! Where has the time gone?

I guess that's it for now. I probably could think of more, but will keep for a later post. Hope you all are well.

Back, But Only for a Little While

2007-07-04T20:49:00.001-04:00

Well, we're back from VA. Had a great trip, and Emma did amazingly well on the airplane -- both ways. There was only a little crying on the way to, but only b/c she was tired and needed to fall asleep. That's on the plane, anyway. She had a major meltdown in the car on THE WAY TO the airport for our return trip, and had to cry herself to sleep....which was agonizing to listen to, especially the little gasps for air as her body tried to recover from the sobbing.

It's official that my parents are gaga over their granddaughter. We arrived at their house to find a room all set up for Em....crib, changing table, rocking chair, toys, a stack of books, and a booster seat. They were WELL equipped and everything had the touch of love. We felt very much at home. I'll post pictures once I've uploaded them. Our little Peach slept a good amount while we were there...mainly because EVERY waking moment she was played with, entertained, held, and was basically the center of attention. I have a fun picture of Grandma and Grandpa both laying on the floor with Em, getting down on her level to play. What a little princess she was!

Darcie is now home from England. She had a tough time getting here, though. Her flight from NY to Dulles kept getting delayed and then was canceled, so she spent the night in the airport and then ended up landing a flight from and to different airports than originally booked. I imagine that, by now, she's probably adjusted to this time zone and is in search of a "camper-van" to purchase, and is looking for a part-time job.

We went to a book fair on Saturday and I got some cute books for Emma. One is called "I Love You Through and Through" and it's absolutely precious. I also nabbed "What Color Is Your Underwear," "Clifford," "Emma Goes Shopping," and "The Best Father's Day Ever." Jon said that Emma started laughing at the Clifford book before he even cracked the cover.

Speaking of laughing, Emma is giggling more than ever, and more spontaneously. Perhaps it was the constant stimulation she received, but she seems to be more outgoing and expressive to me now. I guess she babbled A LOT at daycare yesterday.

Anyhow, in one week at this time we will be landing at the Moncton Airport for our vacation with Jon's family. We're looking forward to going to Beulah where we'll see lots of college friends, visiting with Nan and Grandma (Emma's great-grandmothers), meeting Em's cousin, Sean, for the first time, and seeing PEI during nice weather! It's been over 2 years since I was last in Canada. What we're a little stressed over at the moment, though, is Emma's passport. It hasn't arrived yet, even though we applied in plenty of time, according to the timetable they declared. We're praying it will arrive in the next couple of days, but if it doesn't we'll probably have to get an additional copy of her birth certificate, then also get a state-issued photo ID. Ugh.

Jon only has 2 days left working at Meijer. YAY! The Lord has yet to reveal what's next.

Stay tuned. Photos to come.

Virginia, Here We Come!

2007-06-25T14:56:00.000-04:00

Only a day and a half left before Em and I board a plane to visit Grandma and Grandpa, and OH, ARE WE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT! 4 days away from work (for me) and away from daycare (for Em). Sadly, though, it will also be 4 days away from Daddy ::pout::. Hopefully he'll manage without us and will be excited when we return Sunday morning.

So what will we do in VA? NAP!!! Well, other things, too, but that may be what I'm looking forward to most! ::grin:: I'm living in a constant state of sleep deprivation, even though many nights Emma's now sleeping from 11pm until 5 or 6am. I'm a 8-9-10 hour gal, so anything short of that leaves me longing for my bed. Aunt Darcie will be moving home from England, arriving at my parent's house the day after we do. She hasn't seen Emma since she was only 1 month old, so she's in for a treat! Rolling like a maniac, babbling, getting teeth, sitting unassisted....

I need to start packing tonight when I get home. And do some laundry. Mom said it will be HOT-HOT-HOT, so we're going to pack our bathing suits in case we need to take a "swim" in the bathtub. I'm looking forward to stroller walks (perhaps to Gypsie Hill Park), a pretzel at the Farmer's Market (seems to be a staple when we visit), and getting to fight the crowds at the huge Book Fair which will open back up on Saturday (I'm hoping to find a bunch of great books for the Peach...just have to be careful not to overpack our suitcase for the trip home!) Other than that, we're content to just hang out and visit.

After we get back, I have 6 work days before we fly the friendly skies again and go up to Canada to see Jon's family. Em will meet her great-grandmothers for the first time, and we'll get to see tons of college friends for a few days at Beulah Camp. It's kinda weird that most of us have kids now. Such a different stage of life. No late, late nights of sitting around talking, probably, since we'll have little ones who need to go to bed!

Anyhow, I'm sure I'll have lots of photos to share when we return next week. 'Til then...

The Photos You've Been Waiting For

2007-06-12T13:07:00.007-04:00

@ Homestead Park

She liked to pick up the little rocks....and try to eat them.

@ the park one neighborhood over

I think her hair looks so cute pulled back. Takes a lot of barrettes, though.

Check out those teeth!

Peekaboo!

We head to Virginia to visit Grandpa and "Gamma" in just a few days. I feel like I'm in a mad dash to get tons of stuff done at work -- with camps and getting the Zambia Team all ready to take off. Still need to do some cleaning around the house, too, to prepare for Spenser coming to dog-sit. I really hope the girls are good for him. He's the only sitter we've had who hasn't encountered unwanted presents left on our bed or somewhere on the carpet. We're really looking forward to being away for a bit. We were supposed to fly Skybus, but....well, you know how that goes. So instead, we're going to attempt the drive, leaving around 6:30pm so Emma will sleep most of the 7 hours it will take.

Had a bizarre occurrence last week -- blood in Emma's diaper. After a trip to the doctor and a traumatic experience with a catheter....then two days of waiting....we learned there was absolutely nothing conclusive to explain the blood. No UTI, no trauma. No calcium to indicate a kidney stone. We're a little mystified, but thankful nonetheless.

Emma LOVES playing "Ashes," otherwise known as Ring-Around-the-Rosie. And she always wants both me AND Jon to play with her. What I especially love is that she falls ALL THE WAY DOWN....flat on her back.

One of our neighbors, a little 3 year old girl named Hannah, gave Emma a rocking giraffe. She has been enjoying it for a couple of days, and gets going pretty fast! I think Jon might have been afraid tonight that she may tip over. I need to take some video of her on it. Maybe that will be my next post.

Saw Otto yesterday. He and his mom came back to Columbus for the weekend and the kids got to play together for awhile outside. Oh, Emma loves him. She gets so excited when she thinks she might get to see him. I'm hoping we might get to do a games night when we get back to VA at which we can have Otto's parents and several other neighbors over. I'll hang with the kids while Jon does the games.

The laptop battery is dying, so I must close. 'Til next time....

The Photos You've Been Waiting For

2007-06-12T13:07:00.001-04:00

Sitting pretty in her sweater knit by Aunt Darcie

Definitely Daddy's little girl

What a happy girl! Daddy was making her smile.

Playing with her bib while sitting in her Bumbo

To Know My Readership

2007-06-10T20:36:00.000-04:00

I certainly don't expect comments on a regular basis from ANYONE, but just so I can know my readership, would you each mind commenting just this ONCE so I'm aware of who's out there? I think some of you may be my Mom's co-workers (just how much DOES she gush about Em?), while others, I think, are friends and family. THANKS!

Green Beans are a Hit!

2007-06-10T20:13:00.000-04:00

Well, she loves green beans. In fact, the jar is completely gone. I hate to think of what her diaper is going to look like when the beans finally work their way through! We're planning to have green beans ourselves tomorrow night with dinner. I think I'll break out the food mill and grind some of them up for Emma in our first attempt at homemade baby food.

I'm somewhat on the mend. I'm not struggling so much with drainage STUCK at the back of my sinuses, but I am coughing more, which caused my ribcage to hurt all the more. I've been taking some Motrin to try to alleviate some of the stress. I have more energy and went on a bit of a cleaning spree this afternoon and evening...something much needed after a few days of being out of commission. Jon made an incredible stir fry tonight with chicken, veggies & rice noodles, but after living on Saltine crackers and popsicles for the last 2 days, my stomach doth protest! Guess I might end up losing those last few baby pounds after all.

Em and I will be making a trip to Virginia at the end of this month to visit my parents. We're looking forward to it. I started making my list of what to pack -- and it's actually TWO lists -- Emma's stuff and mine. Quite amazing how many things have to be considered....washcloths, bath towels, bottle warmer, pump equipment, gas drops, Tylenol, Orajel, burp cloths (just in case), multiple outfits for each day, cereal, spoons, blankets, toys.... My hope is to fit everything into one suitcase. I think I can travel fairly light since the trip will span only 5 days and I'm reasonably sure I won't soil myself!!! Shorts, t-shirts, underwear, sneakers, flip flops, and toiletries. We just have to keep it under 50 lbs. Hey, Mom....think you could pick up a bottle brush? Not really a very sanitary item to travel with, or I'd bring ours. If possible, one with a tiny brush attachment to fit inside the nipple-tip (I know Munchkin makes one you can get at Target....is your Target open yet?) Ooooo...I'm getting itchy to get up and GO!!! Jon is going to miss us....especially Emma. Wish he could travel with us, but he's got to work.

Enough for now.

Under the Weather

2007-06-09T13:55:00.001-04:00

Well, I've basically been under the weather since May 15. Had a cold which turned into bronchitis, took antibiotics, and now have something else which is flu-like in symptoms. Two nights ago Emma actually slept through from 11 pm to 6 am, but did I get to take advantage of it? Of course not! It was one of my worst nights ever -- alternating between chills and fever, unable to get comfortable in bed. I didn't sleep much at all...not solidly, anyway. I went to work yesterday just to drop Emma off at daycare and to take care of a couple of things, then came home to sleep, hoping some rest might knock this thing out, then got a call from daycare saying Em was coughing (which would make her cry) and that she wasn't eating very well. I went to get her at 1:00. Fortunately for me, I laid her down for a nap when we got home and she slept for 3 1/2 hours, which gave me a chance to sleep as well.

Wish I could say I feel a whole lot better today, but my improvement is only minimal.

I don't know why, but Emma doesn't seem to be doing so well with cereal anymore. And she hasn't seemed to acquire a taste for peaches. I attempted green beans with her this afternoon, but before even getting any in her mouth, I knocked the dish off her high chair and send green beans flying -- on the wall and on the mat beneath her chair (thank goodness for that!!! I'd hate to think of how challenging they would be to get out of the carpet! Not something I need right now, that's for sure.) We'll try the green beans again tonight at supper.

Em had pink eye last week. She woke up Monday morning with a crusty eye, so we got her into the doctor who gave a prescription for drops. We only had to do the drops twice a day for 3 days, and they cleared up the conjunctivitis very quickly. Then we had to go back on Wednesday for Emma's 6 month check-up and shots. She is now 16 lbs, 10 oz., is 26 1/4 inches long, and her head circumference is 16 1/2 inches. Everything appears to be healthy and she'd developmentally right on track.

Oh, and a tooth is on the way. Her bottom left tooth has broken through the surface, and we can tell she's playing with it a lot. Looks like she's always sucking on her bottom lip. We've had the baby Orajel handy, but I need to get some of those teething rings that go in the refrigerator.

Meant to upload some photos earlier today while I was at the church, but Em was getting antsy in her stroller...having to sit there and just watch Mommy. So, I'll have to add some new ones on Monday. And there are some precious ones! Keep checking back. You'll enjoy them.

A Rolling Maniac

2007-05-30T20:52:00.000-04:00

Our little girl is rolling. She can go in any direction, and just might roll off our bed one of these days if we aren't paying attention! It's been so fun to watch her get from one spot to another, although it still seems to be happenstance --- like she's rolling just cause she likes to, not because she's trying to get somewhere else. She's become a little wiggleworm in her crib as well...and I wish I could set up a little spy-cam to see how she flips herself around so quickly. I'll lay her down and go back 5 minutes later to discover that she's facing the opposite direction and is on her belly instead of her back or vice versa. I did peek in the other day and saw her hooking her little toes on the slats of the crib, using those to leverage herself around. Don't anybody say it!!!! She WILL NOT be crawling any day now! She is going to stay my little "roly" peach for awhile yet.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to see if they can figure out this crud I've been plagued with. The cough won't leave despite not being as wracking and constant. And it's harder to get a clear, full breath...or at least that's how it feels. My mom suggested walking pneumonia, but I sure hope not. Emma seems to be fine. She's getting a stuffy nose again, but if that's all it becomes, we can certainly deal with it!

Well, she's up again. Must go tend.

Feverish

2007-05-23T22:14:00.000-04:00

Emma had a fever yesterday and last night...the thermometer said 101.0. She wasn't flushed or cranky...she just wasn't as smiley as she normally is. By morning the fever had broken and we went to work/daycare, but then it started to return in early afternoon and we ended up coming home early. They took her temp at daycare and said it was 100.3, however when I got home, our thermometer only read her temp at 99.0. She's slept more than usual, and her awake time hasn't been as cheerful, but she doesn't seem to be displaying other symptoms. No teeth seeming to be on the way either, although Em keeps sticking her tongue out, and therefore in the way, every time I try to look at her lower jaw!

I'm the one suffering from poor health right now. I've had a cold for a solid week now...started in my head and has moved down to also fill my chest. I'm sneezing, blowing, coughing...and nothing seems very productive. I'm actually starting to wonder if I'm not rolling right into something else. Poor Emma...I feel like she suffers the most, though. I can't hold her as long as I want to without fear of stuff running down my upper lip (I'm constantly having to reach for a tissue), I can't kiss her (which I suppose hurts me more than her), and when I try to read to her books, I can't make it through without having a coughing jag. I miss her! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for both of us.

One Smart Cookie

2007-05-22T10:47:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday marked what I call a "developmental leap" of Emma rolling from her back to her belly. She was on the couch, on top of a blanket, rolled onto her side, then GRABBED THE BLANKET AND USED THAT TO PULL HERSELF THE REST OF THE WAY OVER!!! What a smart girl!!! We were so proud of her ingenuity. She did it a couple of times. Then, to make our smiles even bigger, when I laid her down for a nap...on her back...she decided that wasn't how she wanted to sleep and got herself flipped over. She's doing so well, too, at putting her pacifier into her mouth on her own. So cute.

Apparently with the developmental leaps also come some emotional ones. I was told that Emma had a little temper tantrum this morning in daycare. Not sure what finally calmed her down, or what triggered it in the first place, but I hope those don't become a frequent occurrence.

We've Got POOP!

2007-05-19T15:02:00.000-04:00

While that title may seem inappropriate or weird, it's cause for celebration in our house today. Emma last filled her diaper on Tuesday evening, and has only peed since then. We were starting to get a little bit alarmed and wondered how long we should let her go before calling the doctor. She's given us hope several times, but each time it turned out to only be NOISE. We started her on cereal a week ago, and I guess the change in diet caught up on her. So, I rejoiced when I went in to get Em from a LONG nap and found her stinky! Oh, and what a diaper it was. I won't go into details as not to disgust all of you, but I WILL say I was ecstatic that the diaper held it ALL! Unfortunately, I'm probably going to end up changing her clothes before church because it would seem the STINK has attached itself to the fibers of her onesie and sleeper!!! And NO, none got on her clothes...I've checked. It really is just the SMELL. Pew! Now I don't know if her good mood is more due to having a great nap or because her system just emptied itself!

Last night we went to the second wedding of some friends, William and Monica. William was on my last Zambia team. 3 1/2 years ago he and Monica got divorced. It's incredibly exciting that the Lord kept His hand on them and orchestrated things to bring them back together. They have 2 little girls. The service was great, and was followed by a cake and punch reception in the church cafe. I cut one of their cakes....a round one where you cut 2 inner circles, then slices all around. It was fun!

Oh, speaking of Zambia, I've been rejected for additional life insurance because of my travel to Zambia...mainly b/c there's a chance I'll go back. We're looking at other carriers now to see who will cover me. I guess if nothing else, on the next travel form I'm asked to fill out, I'll just have to say "no trips are planned"....which is true. Then they can interpret what they may.

A Great Weekend

2007-05-15T11:31:00.000-04:00

After so much attention this weekend, we went to Daddy's ballgame incognito!
Emma lovin' on Grandma

Watch out, Grandpa...she's got a hold of your glasses!

With Crystal and Kalliandra after the dedication

Can't they make a swing like this for adults?

My favorite hat of Emma's

Trying cereal for the first time

Thirsty girl! This was a hoot.

Having fun on Grandpa...she loved the print of his shirt!

Here are some photos from the weekend. We had fun preparing the house and food (I cooked soup!), saw friends dedicate their children, then woke up to a busy Sunday of Emma being dedicated and a house full of friends for lunch. The Peach was definitely the center of attention! She received her first Bible, which we'll start reading with her on a daily basis.

Monday was a little rough -- lots of stimulation from the weekend catching up to Emma. Not much sleep Sunday night. Last night was MUCH better, though -- a six hour stretch, and she didn't even have a blow out!

We've started cereal, though haven't been consistent with WHEN to feed it to Emma. We've managed a couple of mornings, but yesterday it was around suppertime. She's getting better at holding it in her mouth and swallowing. Doesn't seem to be curbing her appetite for nursing, though!!! Honestly, that shocks me! I thought for sure her time between meals would lengthen.

Enjoy!

Random Photos

2007-05-09T15:54:00.000-04:00

Mom appreciates being noticed, even when behind the camera

Sweet smiles for Aunt Wendy

Mmm...tasty feet

Em while watching Baby Mozart, sporting her Roots Canada t-shirt

Daddy using the computer with Emma at his side

This coming Sunday, May 13, will be a rather big day in our household. Emma will be dedicated in church, it is Mother's Day (my first), and Jon and I will be celebrating our 7th anniversary. My mom and dad are coming in town to join the celebration, and we're hoping to have friends over for lunch on Sunday in Emma's honor. I'd better get busy cleaning!!!

On Monday we did a "photo-shoot" with our dear and VERY talented friend, Susan, and her twin boys, Grant & Wyatt. She took some amazing family pictures and then some pics of Em by herself. I'll post some here, but not until after Mother's Day. I don't want to ruin the delight of Emma's grandmothers who will be receiving a CD with all of the photos. I will say that I can't stop looking at them!!!!

Hopefully there will be more blogging during this month of May. Our computer is down at the moment awaiting some software updates that Aunt Wendy is helping with.

Spring is Officially Here

2007-05-04T09:11:00.000-04:00

I think it's safe to say that spring has officially arrived and is here to stay. It's been getting really nice during the day -- sunshine, warm temps, and a nice gentle breeze -- then has been cooling down at night to where I start out under only one quilt, then layer on a second one after getting up with Emma. It's a great time of year.

Em and I went for a walk with Crystal and Kalli last night. The sun was hot on our backs, so we didn't walk very far. Emma fell asleep in the car for the 3 minute drive, so I just snapped her carrier into the stroller and off we went. When she woke up, we went into the backyard and Emma tried out Kalli's swing on their swingset. Never before have I seen Emma look SCARED...but she did on the swing, so I pulled her out of it pretty quickly. Kalli loves the swing and was all smiles. However, her dad throws her around a bit more than we do with Em, so I think Kalli may grow up to be a little daredevil.

I'm actually supposed to be at work right now, but the Peach got tired while we were still getting ready for the day and I laid her down for a snooze. She's sleeping longer than normal, so I'm waiting for her to wake so we can walk over to the church. I think she might be going through a growth spurt b/c she's been sleeping a little more than normal. We took the morning off yesterday -- we really needed a break, and the only way to get it was to just not go in rather than try to leave early -- and didn't go to the church until 2:00 p.m. IT WAS GREAT! Emma took 2 naps, and I got one as well. It made for a much more pleasant afternoon.

The weekend is nearly here! I have to be at all of the weekend services again, but I'm looking forward to having more time with my girl than I did last weekend. Maybe we'll walk to Handel's tomorrow for ice cream, or just hang out in the backyard on a quilt.

Mmmm...so what's Emma doing now that she wasn't before? Just a few days ago she started sticking her tongue out. Not really FAR out, but it just cracked me up to see her. She's also now grabbing her feet and pulling them up to her face. I haven't caught her sucking on her toes yet, but I imagine that's next. The Peach is also reaching out for things a lot more, and is able to really chomp down on a "chew toy" she has that vibrates to massage her gums.

Oh, Emma made it through the entire Baby Mozart DVD yesterday while sitting in her swing. It's only the second time I've put her in front of it...the first time she conked out before it was over. I took some video of her while she was swinging and watching, to catch how captivated she was.

I guess I'd better go check on her.... I'll try to add another post later today with more photos.

Fallen Off the Face of the Earth

2007-04-30T21:35:00.000-04:00

Really, I've not fallen off the face of the earth. It's just been an insane few weeks with work, and with Emma still not sleeping through the night, I've had a hard time trying to carve out moments to sit and blog.

Our camps brochure finally came out on Friday afternoon, but there was a significant piece of info we didn't know to include when it went to print. So, I needed to "stuff" over a thousand brochures with a postcard-sized insert....by Saturday evening. Jon and I were supposed to go to a dinner theater on Friday night -- for our second date in a week -- but we heard the show really wasn't very good and actually was rather lewd. We decided to give our certificate away to another staff couple and planned to do something else...since we already had a babysitter lined up for Emma. Well, Scott ended up coming down with a cold and Jon was invited to a game of Risk, so he went there and I spent 3 hours stuffing brochures and only got 3 out of 7 boxes done!!! Jon spent over 5 hours stuffing the last 4 boxes on Saturday.

Saturday I helped lead a 3-hour seminar for the district and then went across the parking lot to officiate a wedding. Mmm...I dropped one of the rings during the ceremony!!! This was my fourth wedding, and all of the couples I've worked with have desired to have short ceremonies. This wasn't the SHORTEST, but it WAS less than 20 minutes long. The photographer took 5 times as long afterward, and I had to stick around the entire time....I had to set chairs back in place before the evening service, and he set up all if his stuff exactly where the chairs needed to go. I finally go home around 3:00, starving and met by a hungry baby. I did get a tiny nap before having to return to the church, but I don't think I could call it restorative.

After church we went to a cool restaurant for dinner, called "The Noodle Company." Jon had been there once before, but it was my first time. It was a winner! I'm certain we'll go back again. I'm so tired of all the chains that are all alike -- Applebees, Fridays, Red Robin -- so this was a breath of fresh air. Emma slept through almost the entire meal. On the way home we were entertained by a lightening storm, then got pounded by some heavy rain. We love storms like that!

Yesterday was another full day -- at church all morning, running errands with Jon in the afternoon, then at a funeral viewing (the son of one of my Zambia team members took his life last Wednesday night). I had two "sweet Emma" moments that each had to end too soon. In the morning, right before I had to leave for church, Jon went to shower and I sat down in the rocking chair with Em. She fell asleep in my arms...head resting on my shoulder. I honestly could have sat there rocking with her all day! Then, shortly before having to head to the funeral home, I fed Em and she fell asleep immediately after eating. I had her on our bed, and so I just leaned back and laid down with her sleeping on my chest. Does one ever tire of such experiences?

I took today off but had a funeral to attend and had a scheduled phone call in the afternoon. Nap? What's that? Oh, how I long for one. Not just a 15-minute "power" nap...those don't exist for me. Anything less than 2 hours is a royal disappointment. Emma went to bed just a short time ago...and I'm heading there shortly. Just wanted to give an update on our happening.

She Rolled!

2007-04-18T19:35:00.000-04:00

Who does Em look like? Me....

...or her Daddy?

Hanging out on the guest bed

Another in our series of "teddy bear" pictures.

Emma and Me on Easter morning

Started this post early LAST week, but never got to finish....

Sorry it's been so long since our last post. My mom has come and gone, and had a great weekend with The Peach. Emma was certainly the center of attention from the time Grandma arrived until she headed home, and we perhaps over-stimulated Em a couple of times. It's just so hard to stay away from her! Kisses, hugs, making goofy faces and funny noises....presenting her with toys, lending fingers to suck on....and just staring at that adorable face without ceasing.

I tell ya, my mom could easily put herself in the poor house for how much she enjoys buying Emma clothes! We came away from her visit with a sweet little purple sweater to go with her dedication dress, a long-sleeved onesie from Old Navy, a few pairs of socks (which, by the way, Mom, keep falling off Em's feet cause they're still a bit big ::grin::), and an adorable pink shirt-dress.

Oh! The title of this post....Emma rolled! She has rolled several times from her belly to her back...mostly when we go in to get her up from a night of sleep, and occasionally when she gets up from a nap. This morning I went in to get her and she was far over to one side of the crib -- Jon had last laid her on her belly, so she DID roll over sometime in the night. (Though I suspect she was already awake when she did it)

Emma's also starting to reach out for things. Her newest favorite thing is PAPER! She reaches for it with the intent of getting it in her mouth. Mmm...might have to start the baby-proofing process. Oh, and she's really enjoying the game of grabbing fistfuls of hair. I've told Jon I'm growing mine out again so I can get it all up in a ponytail. Might have to get some new earrings now too...no hoops or danglies.

Why has it been so long between blogs? This past Friday we had a fundraising dinner and auction which took up the ENTIRETY of last week -- stress galore. The event went well, though, and we profited $8,000 for Zambia. I'm so thankful it's over!!! Now this week I'm doing premarital counseling for 3 days, a wedding rehearsal Thursday night, the wedding on Saturday, and am helping to lead a 3-hour seminar for the District. Oh, and it's a big weekend at church for me because we're doing a big push/promo for our summer camps, of which I am ultimately responsible, so I'll need to be present for all of the services. ARGH! I need a vacation! I hate incredibly busy weeks like this because I feel that I don't see Emma as much as I should and want to. And despite the busyness, Jon and I are going to be "out" two nights this week -- getting out to see a movie at the dollar theater tonight, then are redeeming a gift certificate for a dinner theater on Friday night with some other staff members. Sleep? What's that?

Anyhow, here are some much anticipated photos of us with Em. Enjoy!

Grandma's A-Comin'

2007-04-11T12:12:00.000-04:00

Emma's Grandma is coming for a visit this weekend. I think she's going to REALLY enjoy seeing how our Peach has grown and developed since their last visit at the end of February. My, how the time escapes us. Em is starting to giggle more -- we don't have to work as hard to get her smiles and sounds. She's also started screaming more -- not out of pain, discomfort or discontentedness...I'm pretty sure she's just discovering her voice and wants to try it out from time to time.

Last night Emma had a 6-hour stretch....between meals, but not in sleep. Even so, it was a relief to put her down for bed by 10:30 and not get up with her until almost 4:00 a.m. She slept in her "baby-bag" as Jon calls it...otherwise known as a "sleep sac." My mom brought it for Em soon after she was born, so the first few time we put her in it we had to roll the sleeves multiple times, and the whole thing would get bunched up around the top of her since it was so big and she was so small. Well, I mentioned to Jon this morning that she's almost reaching the end of it. YIKES! Mmmm...and now is the time she'll need it the most...as she will soon be starting to roll over and we may not want to have a blanket loose in the crib. Not sure if they make multiple sizes. Guess maybe I should look into that.

Had a glimmer of false hope the other day. Emma was upset in daycare, due to being tired, so I grabbed her up and got her to fall asleep on my shoulder. I then asked at the desk, "I know we don't have a sleep waiver on file (b/c the pediatrician refused to sign it, which led us to switch doctors), but could I, as MOM, go in and lay Emma on her belly for a nap?" They gave me the green light to do so and she ended up taking a solid 1-hour nap. Later in the day, after feeding her, Em fell asleep in my arms and I laid her on her belly again -- a nearly-3-hour nap ensued. I asked for another waiver form to send to our new doctor, and upon receipt noticed that form didn't have a spot for a doctor's signature. Suddenly all was thrown into question -- was the doctor's signature actually required? We didn't think so. I was overjoyed that they would now have the freedom to lay the Peach on her belly without the hassle of contacting the doctor's office. Yup, you guessed it. This morning the worker in her room declared that, upon further inspection of State guidelines, they ARE required to have the doc's approval. So, a fax has been sent to the office. I'm unclear, though, whether or not it went through since the fax machine spit out something afterward indicating some kind of error. Hmph!

Got a great picture of me and Em together on Easter morning. Will post once I get it loaded onto the computer.

4 Month Check-Up

2007-04-06T15:42:00.000-04:00

Well, this morning was Emma's 4-month check up, though a couple of weeks late. We've switched to another pediatrician in the practice and this was the soonest she could see us. I think we like her. She converses about things as if she's talking TO Emma rather than just ABOUT her, which is unique. She seems, also, to be a much more thorough doctor, interested in addressing any concerns I have rather than coming in solely with her own agenda, as was the case with the first doctor we tried. I talked with her at length about Emma's erratic sleeping patterns and she made some suggestions which we'll try to implement starting tonight. Of course I have to explain everything to Jon first. Em is growing nicely. She is now 14 lbs. 9 oz. and is 25 inches long. The nice nurse printed off a sheet for me documenting all of her measurements thusfar along with the percentiles they represent. Our Peach is now in the 63rd percentile for weight, the 76th for height, and only the 44th for her head circumfrence (I have NO IDEA how to spell that! Can someone correct me? I know it looks wrong). Mmmm....today was also another round of shots. YUCK! Poor thing didn't know what was happening and had a delayed reaction to the first shot. There were two shots in one leg, a third in her other leg, and an oral vaccine (which she did really well with). One bandaid has come off already, and we'll probably peel off the other one tonight. Depending on how she seems to feel in a bit, she may get a second round of the yummy grape baby Tylenol!

After her appointment we stopped in to see a wonderful friend, Tami, and spent a couple of hours (and lunch) visiting with her. Em was so good the whole time, but then crashed on the way home, and is still asleep right now as I type. We made a smooth transition from her carseat to her crib, thankfully, and now I just wait for her to make some peeps. Not sure when Jon will get off work today and I'm hopeful NOT to have to wake Emma to go pick him up.

Not sure what the night will hold for Daddy and Emma. I'll be over at the church for a bit working childcare for our Good Friday service. Emma might come with me, or may stay home with Jon. I'm going to let that be his decision.

Enough for now. Hope you all have a good Easter weekend.

Cutie Patootie

2007-04-02T14:37:00.000-04:00

Laid Emma on my office chair this morning so I could tuck in my shirt. Gives good perspective on her size these days.
We bought a Bumbo chair yesterday then got to try it out while having lunch at Panera. Em seems to like it, but gets tired quickly. I've heard it will help her develop her neck and upper back muscles even more than tummy-time.

No words to express...

Hanging out in daycare

Precious Moments

2007-03-31T22:00:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-28T10:40:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-27T13:11:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-26T18:55:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-21T22:00:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-20T20:14:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-19T16:26:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-15T11:31:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-13T20:50:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-13T12:54:00.000-04:00

Can we guess who gave Emma this shirt?

Asleep on Jennifer during my Sunday night class.

The 70's Leisure Suit

Oh Happy Day

2007-03-12T17:10:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-09T19:02:00.000-05:00

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

2007-03-07T19:28:00.000-05:00

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

2007-03-05T10:54:00.000-05:00

Sorry So Quiet

2007-03-03T13:51:00.000-05:00

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.

Mobile Magic

2007-02-27T16:57:00.000-05:00

It's been a few days since I last posted, and a few things of note have occured. First of all, my parents came for a visit and got to enjoy their granddaughter for a couple of days. She kept them both laughing the whole time with her smiles, sounds, and wiggles. My mom brought Emma some linked, colorful rings, and we got to watch as she became quite adept at gripping them. They are her new favorite toy. Grandma also bought the Peach a mobile for her crib, pictured above. The one I picked out is by a company called Tiny Love and has gotten great reviews from other parents. It was fun to watch her transfixed the first time we turned it on. She kicked her legs with excitement! I hope it will keep her entertained until we have to take it down b/c she can grab at it. The very top photo is from Emma's perspective -- I set the camera down beside her head so we could see what she sees. The mobile runs for 15 minutes at a time, playing tunes by Mozart, Bach and Beethoven. I also got Em a simpler mobile for her crib at daycare -- she'll get to experience that one for the first time tomorrow.

Yesterday we discovered yet another adorable thing our little girl does. If you blow on her face in just the right spot, she sticks her tongue out! It's hilarious. A friend tipped me off about how I might be able to post video on the blog, so when I get it figured out I'll show all of you.

Jon had Em here at home with him today while I went to work. He did the first feeding with her at 10:30 a.m. and he said she gulped the entire bottle down in no more than 10 minutes without taking a break to burp, and that when she was done she cried...probably wanting more. Okay, so that broke my heart. It's terrible to think she didn't get enough! He said she got over it quickly enough, though, and then took a 2 1/2 hour nap -- right up to her next feeding which I came home for. Around 5, right before I got home, I guess Emma got upset b/c she was hungry. Daddy soothed her by massaging her face. Yup...she's a girl after my own heart. There's nothing like having your head and face played with! She's so precious.

Clothes, clothes and more clothes

2007-02-24T15:39:00.000-05:00

I went to the garage the other day and pulled the storage tote containing 3-9 month clothes so I could take stock of what we already have and what Emma might possibly need. She's still wearing 0-3 mos, but I anticipate it won't be too much longer before we have to promote her to 3-6 mos. I got on the scale today - first without Emma and then with her in my arms - and the rough weight estimate is 13 1/2 lbs!!! We have a growing girl. Back to the clothes, I pulled all of the next size out and put them in one of her dresser drawers and organized the rest to go back out to the garage for awhile longer. We have plenty of sleepers in 3-6 mos, along with onesies, but not many actual outfits, persay. I'm going to dread having to retire some of the ones she's wearing these days -- they're so cute and I don't feel we've gotten enough use out of them. In the L/9 mos size, no joke, we have at least TWENTY onesies!!! Thankfully, I'm pretty sure she'll be in those during the warmer weather and so that may be ALL she wears.

Grandma and Grandpa are here this weekend. They've spent today over in Springfield, checking out real estate to see if they might want to move here -- to be closer to little Emma, of course. We (me and Em) were going to go with them today, but last night our Peach decided to be up every 3 hours. She ate at 10:30 p.m., then was up at 1:30 & 4:30 a.m. So we stayed here and napped. Tonight we're going to do church, where I'm supposed to help serve communion, then Jon and I are going to a friend's suprise 40th birthday party while my mom and dad stay here for some "alone time" with their granddaughter. Not sure what the plan will be for tomorrow. Unfortunately Jon has to work, so he'll miss out on whatever fun we cook up.

Sometime in the next couple of days will come more pictures. She's freshly bathed and in one of our favorite outfits, so I'm certain the camera will be hot tonight.

Kiatilinn Joyce

2007-02-23T13:49:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of Kiatilinn Joyce. Didn't get any of her and Emma together during our visit. Perhaps next time. KJ's two weeks old already!

A Rollercoaster Ride

2007-02-23T13:16:00.000-05:00

I had no idea that parenthood would be such a rollercoaster ride. One day I'm optimistic and things are going well, and the next day I can find myself in such a valley of discouragement. Apparently I DID speak too soon about Emma sleeping through the night again. She did have two nights of 7-hour stretches, but then last night we were up at 3:30 a.m. Again, I blame daycare -- not the workers, mind you, but just her having to be there. I know many of my posts have been along this same theme, so I'll spare you the breakdown of events. Suffice it to say, I'm having a really hard time being content in our current circumstances. I have to keep reminding myself of the single mom who works 2 jobs and never sees her kids, or of the couple who has lost a child and doesn't have the frustration of not being able to stay home with him. It would seem that, because of the way our circumstances have worked out, God wants me to be working, but I'm really struggling with it.

On a lighter, funnier note, last evening we had quite a poop incident. I had just finished feeding Emma and sat her up on my lap to burp when, simultaneously, she burped and filled her diaper. Unfortunately, because she WAS sitting, what came out of her had nowhere to go but up her back. I had to yell for Jon to come give me a hand! I held Emma up off my lap while Jon undid the buttons of her sweater and then pulled her pants off. It was so widespread that I ended up just filling the tub and Emma got a bath a night early. In the end she went to bed, snug as a bug in a rug, outfitted in the sleeper gown her Aunt Darcie gave her for Christmas. The clothes we had pulled off of her went immediately downstairs to be rinsed, sprayed, and put through the washer.

VICTORY!

2007-02-21T19:57:00.000-05:00

I hope I don't jinx anything by typing this, but Emma slept through the night last night -- a solid 7-hour stretch! Unfortunately for me, she would only eat on one side for her last feeding, so I was extra heavy and sore on the other side by morning...10 hours of milk production will do that. UGH. It would seem that she's eating more, even though my chest isn't necessarily any bigger. I assume she's eating more because now when I pump I'm consistently putting out 5 oz. rather than the 3 or 4 I used to. I'm really facinated by how the body works...senses what she needs and adjusts accordingly.

Today was sort of unusual for Emma in the daycare. As I've posted before, she usually doesn't sleep very well when she's there. At 1:30 when I retrieved her to nurse, she'd only had a 1/2 hour nap. After eating, she seemed tired, so I held her until she fell asleep. Then, wanting to get her to a deeper level of sleep before returning her to the room of chaos, I walked the hall to talk with my co-workers about work stuff. My journeys took me over to the school to set up a meeting with one of the teachers, but she happened to be free right then, so I stayed and we had a long discussion. All the while, I was holding Emma as she slept. I finally returned the Peach to the daycare at 3:00 -- she'd been asleep for an hour. I set her in a swing, snuggled in her blanket, and headed back to my office. Two hours later I went back to get Em to find her still in the swing, sound asleep. THREE HOURS she'd been snoozing. I lifted her from the swing and settled her on my shoulder, took her down to my office to put her in the carseat carrier. She stirred some, but then fell back to sleep in the car on the ride to get Daddy. I was starting to wonder if she might be sick for how sleepy she was being. Fortunately, we took her temp upon getting home and she wasn't feverish. Finally she woke to eat, stayed awake for a little over an hour, then laid down for a nap....which is where she is right now. Hmmmm. I miss her.

I'm getting a bit overwhelmed at work right now. We're planning to launch some summer day camps and I'm ultimately responsible for them as they're considered a community outreach ministry. I've had several camp-related meetings this week and have a deadline coming up at the end of the month that I'm going to have to work aggressively to meet. I really wish I had the option of cutting back to part time, or ceasing to work altogether so I could spend more time with Emma. I just don't have the desire or drive to continue doing what I'm doing right now. I feel worn out... I want someone else to be the responsible one... I want to have the option to say NO for once. I guess I am lucky, though, that it's not my nature to bring work home with me. I can compartmentalize pretty well, so at the end of the day I make an easy shift back to being wife and mom separate from being a pastor.

That's all for now. I'll try to post some new pictures tomorrow.

One Tired Girl

2007-02-20T19:26:00.000-05:00

Emma didn't sleep much in the daycare today -- just a couple of cat naps here and there. Alas, tonight when we got home she was pretty wiped out...yet fought sleep HARD! Jon tried rocking her for a bit while I was puttering around in her room putting things away and taking stock of outfits hanging in her closet. Eventually he passed her off to me so he could go fill a cookie order, and I assumed the rocking position in the chair, snuggling Emma in close wrapped in her Blues Clues blanket, with the pacifier at my right hand. Sounds all cute and comfortable, doesn't it? She didn't think so. I think our girl was a tad bit overtired, and so she spit out the pacifier, kept throwing her arm back to knock the blanket off her shoulder, and crinkled up her face to cry. I had to swallow laughter as she whimpered and whined unconvincingly. It didn't take long before her eyelids fell and she was snoozing. What a cutie.

I've decided we need to get Emma a mobile for her crib. Someone gave us a used one which we put up for awhile, but the plastic of the arm had a crack in it and every time we wound it up, we heard an ominous creaking. It wasn't long before we took it down. Now that she can see further, it would be nice to have something hanging up there for her to look at. I think I'll check out some websites to see what we can find.

The Peach did even better yet last night...to bed at 10:30, then up at 4:50. A six hour stretch!!! Too bad Mommy had a weather-induced headache and consequently couldn't take advantage of the opportunity for solid sleep. The 3 Advil I consumed at 5:15 a.m. kicked in and made the 7 o'clock alarm rather unpleasant. Fortunately it wasn't a bath day, so I could snooze a little bit longer and still get to work on time.

Wendy, our good friend and Emma's honorary aunt, called today with some bad news. Her dad had a heart attack this morning and is in the hospital. Wendy has gone up to her parents house, 2 1/2 hours away, to be there for whatever's next. We're all praying for Gary...and for Mary and Wendy. I can't imagine getting such a call. Lord willing, I never will.

On the Upswing

2007-02-19T10:23:00.000-05:00

It's Monday again, and the weekend has renewed my hope. We kept Emma on a very regular feeding schedule, even if it meant occasionally having to wake her from a nap. Saturday night she had a feeding at 11:20 pm, was down by 11:45, and didn't get up again until 5:00 am. Then she stayed asleep until 8:50!!! Last night she had her last feeding a bit earlier and was in bed by 10:45. She woke at 3:50, was back down by 4:15 and slept until 7:30. Hopefully each day will bring us closer to our goal of a 7-hour stretch.

What a good girl. We went to the 11:00 service at church yesterday morning and she lasted right up to the closing prayer!!! Oh, so close.

Grandma and Grandpa are coming for a visit this weekend. Emma is very much looking forward to seeing them. It's been a couple of months, and she grown tremendously since they last saw her in person. My mom is worried that her arms won't hold up to Emma's added weight! I think she'll survive. Our girl is doing so much more than she was at Christmas -- moving her arms and legs, smiling, occasionally laughing. But she's also taking shorter naps, is having more diaper blow-outs, etc. I guess everything happens in waves.

We're going to go visit with Kiatilinn this afternoon. More photos to come of Emma and her new friend.

(now over an hour after I started typing this post) Fed Emma here in my office and had her sitting in my lap as I was typing...and she filled her diaper....and then needed a clothes change. That's been happening more and more lately. I think the pressure behind what's coming out causes it to seek the path of least resistance, which just happens to be upwards and out her diaper! On Friday I dropped her off at daycare wearing a blue outfit. I went back later to peek in on her and couldn't find her!!! I subconsciously was looking for blue, and didn't immediately recognizer her in the sleeper gown they'd changed her into. Then, at the end of the day, she was in yet another outfit...one the daycare keeps on reserve for such times. I got her home, fed her a bit, changed her diaper and outfit (out of daycare clothes into something of her own), and resumed feeding. Wouldn't you know it, she leaked again. Poor kid wore 5 different outfits that day. Needless to say, Mommy did laundry Friday night.

Enough for now. Thanks for tuning in.

Color Me Discouraged

2007-02-16T13:07:00.000-05:00

My mom sent me an email commenting on how quiet I've been in the last couple of days. I'd have to say the reason is twofold -- 1) I'm exhausted and 2) I'm frustrated and discouraged. Yes, they are tightly tied together.

So anyway, before Emma started at daycare she slept solidly through the night (I'm talking 7 hour stretches from 11pm-6am) and did so consistently for a week. Seemed like we'd turned a corner. Now, since being in daycare, however, we're back to being up in the middle of the night, even on the days/nights when she's at home (the weekend, Wed. when daycare got closed b/c of the weather, etc.). Two nights ago I got her down for bed around 10:30 and she was up at 2:45. She ate, went back down -- on her belly this time -- then was back up at 5:00, unable to breathe well. After sucking all the goo out of her nose, changing her diaper, and feeding her on the side she refused at 3, she went back down....only to wake again at 6:20. Mom was rather grumpy and distressed, having only had 3 1/2 consecutive, uninterrupted sleep. Then last night she was in bed by 10:30 again, got up at 2:45, then was up for the morning at 6:00. Bless my dear husband, Jon got up and entertained Emma for an hour so I could sleep until 7.

Oh, but this is just the tip of the iceburg. Apparently I don't function well when sleep-deprived. Yesterday while driving Jon to work I realized my cell phone was sitting on the bed-side table rather than having found its way into my jacket pocket, and so I had to stop at home again before pulling in to the church. Then, as I was walking Emma over to the daycare to drop her off and, keep in mind had already made an extra trip home that morning, realized I'd forgotten to pack her bottle! I just wanted to sit in a corner and cry.

Emma had a nap in the daycare yesterday that was 3 hours in length -- while in one of the little swings. And since they knew I value her sleep, they decided to let her sleep rather than wake her up to eat. So, when I went to grab her at 4:00 so we could pick Jon up from work, they had just warmed her bottle. She'd last eaten at 11:00 a.m. We managed to get to Meijer with only a few minutes of screaming -- in part b/c her hat kept working its way down over her eyes as she turned her head back and forth. As we pulled up to the store entrance, I motioned Jon to the backseat and he fed her most of the bottle during the 10 minute drive home.

Today, she ate at 7:00 a.m., and therefore should have eated again at 10. I went into her room at noon to peek -- and to find out when I needed to get her to nurse again -- and discovered she'd fallen asleep in the swing again at 9:15, and had just eaten at 11:30 (and also had a blow-out, but that's another story). I'm starting to wonder if these missed or delayed feedings at daycare are messing up her metabolism, which in turn is causing her to be up in the night. We just might have to lay down more strict instructions for Miss Emma's mealtimes and see if that makes a difference.

Back to yesterday, Mommy was so tired that she fell asleep at 8:30 in bed, waiting for Grey's Anatomy to come on at 9:00. Jon tried to wake me THREE TIMES, he said, but I was unresponsive. I awoke at 10:10 to discover I'd missed my show, and was completely unaware of Jon's attempts to rouse me. I can't believe I fell into such a DEEP sleep in such a short period of time -- literally minutes.

Anyhow, I'm writing this during a break between meetings. I spent 3 hours in meetings this morning, have another two sometime in the next couple of hours, then have one at 3:30 this afternoon. Oh, and I need to get up there and feed Emma, too. Can we all agree TGIF? Whew! I need a break!

Sleepy Girl

2007-02-12T19:35:00.000-05:00

I just laid Emma down for her evening nap. She's not yet asleep -- we can hear the occasional whimper -- but she's tired and I expect will drop off shortly. I love when her eyes get heavy and her hands go still. She fights it for a long time, but eventually she'll spit out the pacifier, perhaps crumple her face in a fake cry, then get a rather serene expression as she slips into dreamland. I wonder what babies dream about?

I've been doing animal sounds with Emma in the last couple of days. What's absolutely hilarious is that she seems to especially like the meow sound! Even if we don't get a reaction out of her over the other sounds, she almost always gives us a smile when we meow like a cat. What a weirdo. She laughed for Jon today. He had her sitting on his belly then kept pulling her close to his face, making funny faces and sounds at the same time. I can't wait to find out if she's ticklish!

Emma is in the 50th percentile according to the growth charts. I looked it up today because I've always heard people mention "such and such percentile" but never knew what that actually meant. Essentially, for those of you who are in the dark as I once was, there are just as many kids Emma's age who are bigger than her as are smaller than her. I think I was always in the 90th percentile, which would mean that only 10% of kids were bigger than me. Being so tall has always been tough, so I'm pleased that we may have more of an average-height kid. According to a growth "predictor" online, Emma should be aroun 5 foot 7 1/2 inches. Sounds pretty good to me -- the perfect height. Still considered fairly tall but not too tall to find long enough pants! I kind of like, too, that she may get more wear out of her clothes! Right now she's still in 0-3 mos., which is great since some outfits have only been worn twice so far in her 11 weeks.

Em was home with Jon today. It's amazing to me how unburdened I am on these days as opposed to when she's in daycare. I'm hoping to maybe work from home tomorrow for the latter part of the day and can bring Emma home with me.

Hope you're all enjoying the pictures.