Big Girl!

Emily is so much fun! I am loving staying home with her and all the things we do during the day and watching her grow. We had a few unseasonably warm days (70 degrees!) so she got to ride in her stroller like a big girl-- in the actual stroller, not in her car seat on top. I think she loved having the wind on her face and getting to see everything. Plus, she looked adorable in her sunhat! She also had her first play date with my neighbor's little girl, Martha. Martha is 7 months old today so they are very different right now, but it was hilarious watching them interact. She was so smiley with Martha, and Martha just wanted to eat Em's Bumbo seat. They spent a lot of time staring at each other...too cute!

The other night we were watching her play with her puppy gym and she was batting at the toys like crazy. Then she lifted her knees up to her chest....3 different times! This is great- she's exercising her ab muscles and, one day down the road, doing this will help her to find her little feet and toes!

She is "talking" so much to us. She talks a lot to herself, too, if no one is paying attention--it's so funny! She has a really cute voice and I love listening. I've gotten a couple videos of it but the files are too big to put up here- I'll work on finding a way to shrink them so you can hear her- it's adorable!

Tonight Paul was on call so we had a "photo shoot" in Em's room. I put the same pink polka dot hairbow in her hair (she wore it briefly in the hospital but we took it off because it was HUGE) and guess what...it's still too big! Maybe by her 6 month pics?

New Developments!

OK, we had some major developments here yesterday. Check in Emily's newest album for pics of her doing the most successful tummy time yet!

She is also blowing spit bubbles and is holding her head up incredibly well on her mat. She gets increasingly cuter by the day, and is smiling so much!

She abandoned the infant sling in her bathtub the other night as well. Paul had the idea to let her sit in it without the sling and I don't think we'll ever get her to go back. She loves being able to sit up and see her feet in the water. I put a rubber ducky in there last night and she liked watching him float around, too. She even smacked the water, although I don't think it was necessarily on purpose.

Today or tomorrow her Bumbo seat should arrive- I can't wait to sit her in it and let her experience sitting up without a lap!

Merry 1st Christmas, Emily!

Hello! We just celebrated Emily's first Christmas! She had a wonderful time (actually, she slept through a lot of it!) but she received tons of nice gifts which we appreciated very much. She certainly is a lucky girl! We remarked several times at how odd it felt to be in the "parent role" instead of the "kid role"- but we are so happy and so in love with our little girl, we couldn't imagine it any other way.

Emily turned 2 months old on December 21. Where does the time go? She is grasping objects and likes to self-soothe a little by sucking on her fist. She's even found her thumb a few times! She also "unfolded" herself and stretches out a lot now, making her look more like a big girl and less like our little baby. She is so alert and follows people and objects left, right, up and down. Also, she is being a bit more generous with the smiles, although the best time to get them is still when she first wakes up. They are so beautiful. I am continually trying to get one on camera, so keep checking back- it's bound to happen one of these days!


Merry Christmas, everyone!

Almost 8 weeks Old!

Hi everyone!
Sorry for the lapse in updates- things are busy busy busy here! Emily is fantastic- she has mastered the smile and it literally melts hearts and lights up rooms when she graces us with one. We are so proud of her! She is holding her head up well when she's on her tummy, and when she's being held straight up she has almost full control of it. She's working on making different sounds and is experimenting every day.

I suppose the biggest news in our house is the decision that we made for me to stay home with Emily, and not return to teaching this year. It was the result of lots of hours of discussion and many reasons- but we both really feel that this is what's best for us all at this time. I will miss my kids at school but am truly excited to spend these precious months with Em and watching her grow up...which she's doing FAR TOO quickly, I might add! Every day she is doing something new--it makes me wish there was a way to freeze her in this age so she'd be my baby forever.

We are super excited for our first holiday season with our princess. We're visiting Paul's family near Christmas and my family will be joining us on Christmas day. Christmas Eve will be spent just the 3 of us and we are going to start our own family traditions...it still seems so amazing that we have become parents and have a little one to celebrate the holidays with this year. I wonder what Santa will bring?

We've got a pediatrician appointment on Tuesday for her 2 month checkup (see what I mean about time going too quickly?) The visit includes some vaccinations so I told Paul he HAS to attend, to console both of his girls. =) I'll post an update on how much our little piggie weighs after the appt.

PS- Lots of people have asked what Emily "needs" for Christmas-- the answer is she doesn't "need" anything! However, I opened a wish list for her on amazon.com and picked out a ton of wonderful children's literature. Little Em is read to every day, so a book would make a fantastic gift. You can use this link to get to the list: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/P309FHQLMGEY Thanks for thinking of our little princess!

1 Month Checkup!

Hi Everyone!

Emily visited the pediatrician today for her one month checkup visit. We were shocked to see that she has gained 2 pounds since Nov. 6-- she's a 9 pounder now! She's also grown 1 inch since birth, which puts her in the 50th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for height.

She is right on target for developmental milestones as well- she is tracking things very well with her eyes now, and is focusing on different objects. When laid on her back under her play gym (see Week 5 photos) she reaches for her toys, and.....drumroll, please.....she has started smiling! Her first smile was to Paul (thanks a lot, Emmy!!) on Saturday, November 24th. However, she did smile at Mommy later that day, so my heart wasn't completely broken. :) Paul isn't sure she has 100% mastered the social smile since she won't do it every time, but they are becoming much more frequent. She's also making more "ooh" noises now and this morning, while playing on her belly, she rolled to her side- TWICE! I thought for sure the first time was a coincidence, but when she repeated it I knew it wasn't. What a big girl!

And finally, to everyone's great relief, she has started sleeping better. It turns out that she does like to be swaddled for sleep time (she hates having her arms restrained at all during waking hours!) and uses a fan for white noise, just like her daddy! For the past few nights she has fallen to sleep on her own, in her crib, and is sleeping for at least one 3.5-4 hour period before waking to eat again. This is allowing Mommy to rejoin the land of the living! Emily is also settling down for a long afternoon nap, giving me some time to take care of things around the house. She's such a good baby! :)

Happy One Month Birthday Emily!

Today is Emily's one- month birthday!! We're so amazed at all she can do- she can really focus well now (she has staring matches now with whoever will challenge her!) and she is gaining a lot of control in her neck--she can hold it up for almost a whole minute! She has also outgrown her newborn diapers and is officially in size 1. What a big girl!

On Tuesday we go to the pediatrician for the one-month check up. Expect an update then!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

3 Weeks Old!

Emily is three weeks old now and time is simply flying by. She enjoyed a visit last week from Paul's mom and dad and seemed to welcome all the attention that they paid to her!
She is starting to "track" better with her eyes- if something or someone passes in front of her, she will haltingly follow it. This is great- it means her vision is developing!
Also, yesterday she was sitting on my lap and I sat her up to burp and she shot her legs out and stood up. Then, she "walked" left, right, left, right across my lap. Walking is a reflex, so this doesn't mean she's going to walk early or anything, but it was still very neat to see! I will try to catch it on video and put it on here.
She is going through a growth spurt right now and has begun eating every 1.5 hours...this is only slightly exhausting! :) She also has a whole assortment of new noises- she grunts, groans, coos, squeaks...you name it. She's a noisy girl!

Tonight a friend of mine is coming over to take photos of our family. Pray that Emily is cooperative and isn't too hungry to participate!!