31 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

December 25, 2014

Guess who finally started to cut her second tooth just in the nick of time for Christmas!  We didn't know it was the culprit at the time, but her new tooth kept waking Little Miss Emily up almost hourly the night before Christmas Eve, who in turn shared the fun with her loving parents!  I'm not kidding -- she slept from 8-8:45pm, 9-10pm, 10-11:20pm, 11:50p-1:20a, 1:30-3am, 3:25-3:40am, 4-7:30am, and then 7:45-8am.  We obviously knew something was up with so many wake-up-and-cry sessions, but it wasn't until Wednesday morning that I felt the tips of that tooth finally cutting through.  Needless to say, Mommy and Daddy were pretty tired when it was time to get up and get packed on the 24th.  But, we somehow managed to pull ourselves together and make the 2 hour drive north to my aunt's house. We didn't get there until after 3 pm, but better late than never!  ;)  An early Christmas present from Emily to us is that she slept for well over an hour in the car on the way there!  It wasn't all at once -- she woke up twice and then fell back asleep a few minutes later -- but that is absolutely the most she's ever slept in a 2 hour period, and by far the most she's slept in the car!  After such a rough night, that was a pleasant car surprise!  She slept pretty well at Aunt Barbara's house too... woke up her typical 2x a night to nurse, but that was much better than she was doing the prior few days at home!

Emily also figured out this week how to bend her wrist and make a waving motion with her hand.  So far, she mostly does it while holding a toy.  She keeps practicing and practicing and practicing over and over and over again!!!  It's all just so exciting that those little fingers and chubby little wrist can bend and move!  ;)

And just in case a new tooth and new found hand control aren't enough, Emily reallllllllly wants to stand up independently.  The drive this girl has is incredible {and exhausting}, and very advanced for her age!

As for Christmas, she didn't pay as much attention to the Christmas tree or the gifts as I thought she would, though OF COURSE she tried to eat the presents, wrapping paper and ribbons!  She did really like her new toys though!!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

7 Months Young!!!!!!!

Last Monday, Emily turned 7 months old!  Whoever invented the adage "the days are long, but the years are short" was sorely mistaken.  The days, weeks and months just keep flying by!!!  My itty bitty baby girl is more than half a year old!

All About Emily:

• Measures 18 pounds, 3 ounces and 28 inches long; head measures 42 cm around.
• Still wearing size 3 diapers.
• Wearing mostly 6 months/some 9 months clothing and mostly 9 months footie pjs.
• Over the past month, has started pulling on/caressing the front of her own hair when she's nursing and tired.  I guess that's her way of trying to go to sleep?  It is the most adorable thing to see..... it just melts by heart and brings a smile to my face!  She has also on a few occasions tried to eat my hair when she's really tired.  This girl has a thing for hair!
• Speaking of hair, hers is really coming in!  It's beautifully blonde, and oh so soft.
• Learned how to sit unsupported, sit up on her own from a laying position, crawl and pull herself up onto her knees while holding onto something all last month!  She also got her first tooth this past month and has her second tooth on the way in!
• Is eating solids!!!  Emily eats oatmeal for breakfast every morning, and eats a veggie or fruit for dinner too!  So far she's tried sweet potatoes, butternut squash, avocado, carrots, peaches, pears, winter squash and sweet peas.  She's still a very messy eater, but she's getting better at it every day!  She immediately shoves her hands into her mouth after each bite of food, and she tries to grab the spoon away from us when we feed her!
• Still won't drink from a bottle and takes very limited sips of water from her sippy cup.  She mostly chews on her sippy cup or throws it on the floor.  She has gotten a few sips of water from her sippy cup on occasion and acts startled (not in a good way) each time it happens!
• Has mastered the art of throwing things off the side of her high chair to watch them fall!  Gotta love babies exploring "cause and effect"!  :)
• We've started teaching her a couple hand signs --- "milk", "food", "more", and "all done".  It's hard to tell if she fully understands what we're doing but I'm willing to bet she's going to surprise us one day really soon and sign on her own!
• Typically still waking up 1-2 times a night to eat.  She also babbles when about to go to sleep.  She surprised us a couple times this past month with some 6-6.5 stretches of sleep at night, and 2 nights of falling back asleep ON HER OWN IN HER CRIB two nights in a row {while I shushed her from the other side of the room for a few minutes}.  But now she's back into the throws of teething and all sleep has gone far out the window.  ;)
• Has gross smelly poop now that she's eating solids!  Ewwww...
• Had to slightly increase her Prevacid dosage earlier this month once she surpassed 18 pounds and started spitting up a lot more, even with the solid foods.  On this new dosage though her reflux seems to really be under control though -- knock on wood!
• Prefers to "sit spin" (basically, spin around on her bum while sitting, or do sit-kneel-sit scooting sequences) instead of crawling to get around her play mat.  She sits up as soon as she wakes up, and prefers to be sitting or kneeling on her play mat.  She also tries to get up on her knees, but hasn't quite gotten the hang of that trick.
• Has the CUTEST little baby smirk smile.  She did it a bunch before her first tooth came in, then stopped for a little while but is now doing it again now that her second tooth is cutting through.  She also makes blowing sounds with her mouth a lot while she's teething.
• Moves her feet like she's doing an Irish jig when you hold her up in the air under her arms and move her from side to side.
• Is able to pick up objects with one hand and pass them to her other hand.  Her finger control is getting better and she frequently spreads her fingers apart.  She loves pulling my hair, grabbing our lips, and sticking her fingers up our noses.  She isn't quite able to pinch things with her thumb and pointer finger yet, but I'm sure in the next month or so she'll have that pincher action down!
• Recognizes her name when it's called.
• Insists on trying to roll off her changing table at every. single. diaper change.
• Still loves reading books, but is now a lot more calm when being read to.  She focuses on the photos in the books and can sit quietly {for a little while anyway!}.
• Babbles repetitive syllables, uses her voice to express joy or displeasure, and responds to changes in the tone of our voices when we talk to her.
• Tries to put EVERYTHING in her mouth!
• Loves taking her socks off and playing with her feet.
• Laughs hysterically when we do silly play time and squeals with delights when we pretend to eat her belly.
• Loves to jump and has a blast in her jumperoo or jumping with help from Mommy or Daddy!  She also loves being {pretend} tossed up in the air, climbing up the torso of whoever is holding her, and scratching her nails against her crib sheet.
• Has recently learned how to play catch and gets very excited when she catches her ball!
• Has a wide open-mouth smile that is bright as the sun in summer!  The happiness on her face when she sees one of us walk in the room is worth all the sleepless nights in the world.

Ho ho ho!!!

Merry Christmas one and all!

30 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The big 3-0!!!  Oh wait, I don't think that magical number is as big of a deal for babies as it is for some adults {ahem....}

Ta-Da!!!

This baby is as active as she is adorable, so you can just imagine how tricky it's getting to take her photo!  But somehow I still manage.  ;)

This was an exciting week in our home!  Mommy & Daddy got Emily her first Christmas tree!

I'm not quite sure she knew what to make of it {except that it's impeding on her play space}, but we think she generally likes it!

She also tried pears, which she instantly LOVED!!!!  She was licking her fingers to get every last bit!

Emily also tried carrots this week, which she liked as well!  Especially smeared all over her face...

And of course since she has approximately 79 Christmas outfits {I'm exaggerating a little bit....}, she's already been very festively dressed fashionista!

To celebrate the lights being strung up on the tree!

Rudolph's bestie

My Elf-On-A-Shelf Candy Cane Striper

#truth #notholdingmybreath

Looks like someone is posturing for extra presents!  #smartgirl #santaspet #thatsmygirl

I'm relieved to say, the little bambina survived her first cold, which was rough!!!  Her nose was dripping like a faucet for a week straight, and despite all the many doodad thingamajiggies we have to "easily" remove boogies from a baby's button nose, it was nearly impossible to pin her down!  This meme could not be more perfect!!!

Source: http://itsliketheyknowus.tumblr.com/

Once Emily was feeling better, she was back to her old silly, fun self!  Mommy taught her how to play catch, which she got a biiiiiiig kick out of!

Who knows what tricks she'll learn next!  :)

29 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Thursday, Emily hit her 29 week birthday!  Unfortunately, she also had her first cold {sniff, sniff} so we had to postpone her photo shoot a day.  ;)  Here she is on Friday, in all her drippy-nosed glory!

Over the past week she's been crawling, crawling, everywhere!

And despite all the many dozens of toys and a beautiful play mat we have for her, she just looooooooooooves going under that couch!  She makes a b-line for it several times per day.  Cutie pie.

Emily can now play the piano while sitting up!

I call her Little Schroeder.  :)

Last weekend, she perfected the art of blowing raspberries and soaked both me and the arm of a chair while on a raspberry-blowing kick!  She thought it was hysterical.

And when this baby is smiling, one can't help but join her!

I wish I could box up that happiness and save it for a rainy day.

Emily also learned how to get herself into a sitting position from her tummy last weekend, just about a week after being able to sit up on her own unsupported.  Move over Alicia Keys, because THIS girl is on fire!

Now that's she's pulling herself up, we had to lower her crib mattress!  Mommy may have gotten a little teary at this big milestone!  My baby girl is growing up sooooo fast!

Post Baby Body

I want to address this post to all the pregnant women and mommies out there.  I remember reading the below OpEd last summer, after seeing Kate Middleton all aglow -- hair blown out, fully made up in a designer dress and her signature wedge heels -- while introducing the world to Prince George, a mere day after giving birth.  This was before I was pregnant with Emily, yet even to me it seemed unrealistic that someone would, or should, look so "put together" after going through labor and delivery.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joy-gabriel/kate-middleton-and-the-mom-in-the-mirror_b_3672553.html

To my surprise, apparently more people were stunned that she still had a pregnant-looking belly one day postpartum than at the fact that she was made up to look like she was attending a charity luncheon instead of leaving the hospital.  I get that she's a celebrity, but it still surprised me that she didn't take a day off from looking perfectly made up.  I guess I shouldn't be so naive.

Do you want to know what I looked like leaving the hospital?  I had showered, but hadn't washed my hair, which was pulled back into a frizzy ponytail.  I was wearing loose-fitting cropped maternity yoga pants with a ruched t-shirt, under a zipper hoodie.  No make-up whatsoever and huge bags under my eyes from not sleeping for a couple days.  Shep took a photo of me before we left the hospital, which shows me sitting in a wheelchair with an inflatable donut seat between my knees, holding my sweet little baby girl asleep in my arms.  And I had a huge smile on my face.

Here's another great read that I wanted to share:  http://www.momof4istired.com/2013/11/this-blog-is-going-to-embarrass-my.html

Source

Our society is focused way too much on physical appearances, which can make it hard for anyone who feels less than their "best" self, whether it be due to weight, hair color, height, illness, a life-changing event like giving birth, etc.  Giving birth is exactly as the phrase says -- you are bringing another life into this world!  Your body formed, grew, nourished, and then produced another entire human being.  It's pretty remarkable.  It doesn't matter what size your jeans are, that you have some extra weight or stretch marks on you, or some newfound wrinkles or eye bags.  What matters is that you gave life.  Your amazing body did that!

The authors of the above-linked posts did a beautiful job of explaining why mothers should look different than they did before they had their babies, and each story brought tears to my eyes when I first read it.  I hope you'll enjoy reading these viewpoints as well; and for those of you struggling with any self-image issues, I hope these women help you feel better about your perfectly wonderful self!  Your babies love you just the way you are.

So smile your best smile, and don't think twice about what you look like before you get in that photo {click to follow link} with the littlest love(s) of your life!

xo

28 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

{a few days late}

Last week was a biiiiiiiig week!  Sitting up unsupported, crawling and a first tooth -- all in a few days!  It's no wonder I haven't had time to write this post until now.  ;)

Emily started the morning of her 28 week birthday by eating oatmeal with Daddy.  Apparently there was a food fight, because when I came out I saw this...

Note that this photo was taken after I cleaned her face off.  The pajamas weren't so lucky though...  I'm guessing Daddy won the food fight.  Or maybe Emily won, depending how you look at it.  The high chair definitely lost..... that thing looked like it was taken out and used it like an ATV through a mudslide.  Em had oatmeal in her hair, up her nose.... it's a wonder if any of it actually got into her mouth!

Later in the day, Little Miss had her 6 month well-visit.  She clocked in at a very healthy 17 lbs 4 oz, a surprisingly long 27.5 inches {though I'm not convinced the nurse measured her accurately as she kept kicking her legs and squirming around a la typical Emily}, with a head circumference of 42 cm!  All great numbers!!!  There were also shots.  Ouchie.  Triple ouchie to be precise.  All the typical vaccines, plus her first flu shot.  Emily handled them like a champ -- she screamed of course when she got them, but thanks to Daddy's amazingly entertaining  doctor's office tap dance routine, she cried for less time than she did at her previous visit!  She was calm in no time, and ready to go home.  This girl has lots of new skills to practice after all!  ;)

First Tooth!

If all Emily wants for Christmas is her 2 front teeth, then consider her wish list half-granted!  That's right, ladies and gents, Baby Em got her first bottom central incisor!

And if things weren't going into her mouth often enough BEFORE, well they definitely are now!!!  Milestone cards, her fingers, my fingers, washcloths, her bib, her toys, her clothes, my shoulder, my chin..... it's all fair game!!!

As you know, I've been saying for a long time now -- approximately 3 months to be more specific -- that Emily was teething.  Well, last Thursday/Friday I finally started to feel her little tooth cut through her gum.  Over the weekend it cut through a bit more and was a bit more sharp, and on Monday it was sharp enough that when she bit my finger it left a little dent!  But it wasn't until yesterday/today that you could easily see the tooth.  It's tiny, but visible!  Poor babe had a heck of a time sleeping late last week and over the weekend, but I'm hoping now that it's fully broken through it will be a bit less painful for her.

I tried to get a photo of her little chomper, but it turns out that's like getting a photo of a leprechaun riding on a unicorn running under a double rainbow over a pot of gold.

This is the best I could do.  :)

And if you look realllllllly hard at the center of her bottom gums, you can sort of see it in this photo...

Well, there you have it!  All the anticipation and now we've experienced sitting up, crawling & a first tooth all in one week!  The trifecta is complete.  You can now return to your regularly-scheduled programming.  ;)  I'm going to hit the sack so I can snuggle with my baby girl tonight when her crawling practice and pearly white wakes her up!

From what I've read, teeth usually come in pairs, so perhaps Baby Girl might have 2 front teeth by Christmas after all.  Stay tuned!

Look Who's Crawling!

I knew the crawling clock was ticking and that this day would soon be here!  Emily has been "army crawling" for months already, and frustrated for about the same amount of time that she wasn't more mobile!

Then, on November 14th, she got up on all fours!

Last week, she gathered the courage to raise her right arm up in the air a couple times while up on her hands & knees one day.  That's when I knew our time with a baby who stays on near her play mat was limited.

Well, the wait is over!  Emily officially crawled for the first time!

Want to see our girl in action?  Here she is!

Of course such an occasion called for some photos with her little milestone card!  These photos are getting harder and harder to capture, but here they are!  She was so proud of herself!  Or maybe I'm just projecting.  ;)  She was definitely happy though!  And I am one proud mommy!!!

Sitting!

In my head, the title of this post is pronounced like "winning!" but is instead "sitting!".  ;)

Our little cutie pie is sitting up like such a big girl that it was time to break out the milestone card!

It's technically not the first day she sat up, as she's been semi-independently sitting for about a month or so now.  But, since she's soooooo active {if I had a dollar for every time I've heard that phrase I wouldn't have to go back to work!}, she could only hold her balance for a second or two due to all her kicking, reaching and general body movement.  She still gets a teensy wobbly, but today I propped her up and she sat up unsupported long enough for me to get the milestone card and the camera, so I'd say that counts!

She even cooperated and smiled for Mommy!

That's my adorable big girl!  Anyone up for a game of musical chairs in the near future?

#sitting!

27 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 27 Week Birthday to Emily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This little turkey is finally starting to cut her first tooth!  Trust me, I'm in no hurry for Emily to grow up any faster than she already is.... but I feel like she's been teething for 3 months already and hope when the tooth finally pops out she will get a little relief!  Between the soreness of her gums and the non-stop drool that causes chapped skin on her chin {despite my applying cream several times daily!}, she could use a little break I'm sure.  I know I've been saying for weeks, even months, that her first tooth is imminent, but as of Tuesday I can actually feel the sharp little edge in her gums so it really should be any day now.

Crawling could also be any day now!  She lifted up her right arm several times in a row the other day while she was up on all fours, so she's definitely getting closer!

Emily tried sweet potatoes {which she looooooves!} and avocado {which she doesn't} this week!

I *think* she's finally getting past her 6 month growth spurt / mental leap.  For the past few weeks she's been extra fussy, waking up screaming multiple times a night, and impossible to put down in her crib for naps or nighttime even if she's fast asleep.  The second you lay her down, her eyes pop open and the crying starts.  The other night I sat up holding her for 3 hours because each time I put her down she woke up and immediately started screaming.  Shep thought she was having nightmares.  I think it was either her teeth or the mental development she's been going through {known as "wonder weeks"}.  Either way, she's been a little bit easier to put down {*knock on wood*} the past day or so, so hopefully the worst is behind us!  Of course I probably just jinxed myself.  Shep and I have been practicing our ninja moves though just in case!  Escaping a sleeping baby really should be an Olympic sport!  If you haven't seen this video, it's pretty funny, and oh so true!!!

Our little butterball has her 6 month wellness visit next week, which means she'll get measured and receive some more vaccines, including her flu shot.  Hopefully they won't be too painful for her this time around!

6 Months Young!!!!!!

6 MONTHS ALREADY!?!?!

I can't believe how quickly time has just flown by!  Our little girl turned 6 months old this past Saturday!

Here's a quick video of the half-birthday girl!  :)

Emily has changed so much since her last monthly update!

• On 11/12, she weighed over 16.5 pounds (73rd percentile), was 25.75 inches long (54th percentile) and had a head circumference of 41.5 cm (29th percentile)!
• Started eating solids!  She loves her oatmeal in the morning for breakfast and her sweet potato puree!  She leans forward to get the spoon in her mouth, and we can't feed her fast enough!  We tried avocado once too but she wasn't a fan -- we will try it again though!
• Celebrated her first Halloween!
• Met her Great Aunt Nancy & Great Uncle Gary for the first time!
• Has been practicing her "up on all fours" maneuver in preparation for crawling!  She does this really cute thing that Shep has named her "frog leap", which is a little like the baby version of the "downward dog" yoga pose, and gets excited when she thinks she's getting somewhere!
• Hates having boogies cleaned out of her nose, but also doesn't like having boogies in her nose.  Go figure.
• Loves being cuddled for a little bit with her head on my shoulder when she wakes up.
• Still not sleeping very well -- waking up several times per night and taking ~3 x 30-40 minute naps a day.
• Loves grabbing my lips with her hands.  Shep likes to joke that's her way of telling me to keep quiet.  ;)
• Kicks her right leg around while I'm holding and feeding her.
• Is sleeping {mostly} in her crib for naps and nighttime!
• Can sit up with support, but doesn't sit still long enough to really balance all on her own!  She'd much prefer to stretch out onto her back or belly!
• Loooooooves her Sophie teether, and putting anything she can get her hands onto into her mouth!  ...Except a bottle or pacifier.  ;)  She especially loves chewing on the plastic books she has.
• Laughs when I sing "The Wheels On The Bus" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes".
• Gets SUPER excited when Daddy comes home from work, and smiles when she hears his voice on speakerphone.
• Loves kisses from Mommy:

• Finds a way to get her limbs stuck in her crib, despite the mesh bumpers we have:

Is getting a little tired of the paparazzi woman who keeps following her around taking photos of her in all her cuteness:

• Is still very amused with trying to get under the couch:

• Newly fascinated with looking at and grabbing my fuzzy slippers and socks on my feet.
• Has experienced some pretty chilly days!

• Started making an adorable little smirk that causes her to look even cuter than usual, which I didn't think possible!

• Gets bed head just like her Mom!

These past six months have been some of the most tiring, but most exciting, of our lives.  Though we wish we could slow time down and soak in all of Emily's adorableness forever and ever, we can't wait to see what the next few months have in store for us!  This little girl is growing up way too fast!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Today is a day for giving thanks, and there isn't anything I am more thankful for in this life than my husband and my baby girl.  These two turkeys make all my days happy!

 

We were all set to head North to visit Shep's mom for Thanksgiving, but thanks to a foot of snow and power outages up there, we had to change plans last minute.  I couldn't let Emily's first Thanksgiving get cancelled by a little snow though!  She was already wearing her pre-dinner outfit and practicing her sprinker dance moves!

So, I put on my boots, went to the grocery store at 11am, and grabbed whatever I thought I could cook in order to cobble together an edible meal.  Considering I once forget to drain the water out before adding cheese when making mac & cheese many years ago, this isn't as easy as it might sound to you Julia Child types...  In fact, Shep was verrrrrry, shall we say, skeptical.  Heck, I was even skeptical!  But I didn't let it show.  I walked in the door, proudly announcing that dinner would be served before 4pm, and quickly got to work.  Shep was on Daddy duty while I was on kitchen duty.  Just me and my little 3 pound butterball.  Nope, that's not a typo....

Luckily, I'd bought a roasting pan on sale last month, which I didn't know would come in handy so soon!  This picture shows you just how tiny our turkey for two actually was:

But, I'm proud to say it all worked out!  We ate a proper Thanksgiving meal after all!

We even whipped out our formal wedding china and set the table!!!  We're so fancy.  ;)

And Emily sat right alongside us in her big girl high chair...

 wearing eating her own sweet potatoes!

When she finished those, she looked around for more.

She was still hungry, so she ate her washcloth!  {I was going to lie and pretend that she was wiping her mouth like a lady but I figured nobody would believe that one anyway...}

From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!!!