Is It a Match?

Top: Baby Jessica

Bottom: Baby Emily

Did I finally get some offspring that look like me? For the first two, I felt like an incubator that produced children that looked exactly like their father. This time around, I definitely see some of Tim in Emily, but there are also some similarities to me, especially from my baby pictures. What do you think?

Water Baby

Guess who loves her bath like no one's business? That's right, Emily A. Drinks. I'm trying to aim more towards a regular schedule, so I do the bath every night around 7 PM. I swear she hears the faucet running and gets a little grin on her face. I sink her little buns right down into the warm water and she immediately grabs my finger. She has to hold on for the entire bath, so I have to do the washing with the other hand or call Timmy over to help. She used to scream when I took her out of the water, but now she enjoys her lotion rub-down after I dry her off. Then it's into a fresh gown and a feeding on a couch--what a life! "Hey guys, could we run some more hot in here? I like it steamy"
The frog face is most appropriate for this little water-lover.

Deep in thought during her bath. Emily likes to mellow during this time.

Winter Break

I think someone is smitten...
I love this smile! She only had eyes for Daddy though...

On the play mat. Emily had a lot to say to Caroline.

More talking from Baby here...

Much of this Winter Break will be devoted to relaxing on the couch.

The "Elvis lip"

Her noggin is growing so fast that all my hats will probably fit for a week!

Some face time with Caroline.

Hanging out with Garrett

Merry Christmas!

It's impossible to not reflect back on your year when Christmas and New Year's roll around. I cannot believe how the time has flown by! In one year's time I have gotten married, gotten pregnant, and had another baby....wow. Pretty busy by anyone's standards, I would guess. Timmy and I were just talking about how the baby brings about a paradox of feelings: on one hand, I feel like I just had her, like she's still so little and new and five weeks feels like five minutes. On the other hand, my next thoughts are "I feel like we've had Emily in our family forever. The last five weeks feel like five years." Even though Thanksgiving is the traditional time to give thanks for what you have, I think it's even more appropriate during Christmastime.
1. I am thankful for my family. Yes, I may have to travel to see them most of the time, but I have family, and that is more than what some people have.
2. I am thankful for my husband. It took a long bumpy road to find him, but it's like I had a piece of the puzzle missing for so long and he was the perfect fit.
3. I am thankful for my healthy happy baby. The internet was too forth-coming with all the bad things that can go wrong with a pregnancy. When you think about it, it's a miracle that any baby makes it through nine months of pregnancy and childbirth safe. There were so many times that something could have gone wrong, and it didn't. She's here, she's wonderful, and I am thankful every day for that.
4. I am thankful for my older kids. Their independence and responsibility are shocking at times. I have helpers when Emily needs something, and they are old enough to get breakfast, get dressed, and get out of the door for school when I have been up all night. Garrett and Caroline are just nice kids and being a teacher, I have seen my fair share of brats and bullies. I am thankful that I didn't raise any even if I have to teach some.
5. I am thankful for my dog. Sable was the ultimate teacher: patience, kindness, encouragement. She could give a bear hub like no one's business. She taught my children to love something other than themselves.

Christmas Memories 2010 Emily's first ornament (thank you Aunt Carrie!) from Disney World
Emily's first Christmas

Timmy, Mary Jo, and John. Mary and John are due with Baby Brooklyn in about 4 weeks.

Mary and John's dog Pepper will have to learn to share their affection. Her "sister" will be here soon!

Hanging out on Dad's lap.

Caroline got a bed from Santa for her American Girl doll but Emily insisted on trying it out first.

Me and Baby.

Caroline on Christmas Morning

Garrett got a skateboard (hence the helmet) and a whole pile of other goodies. I would say the kids were on Santa's "nice" list this year.

Emily got fussy from all the Christmas commotion. She was promptly swaddled, passed out, and had a nice nap with daddy.

Christmas Eve

We have big plans to go to Peggy and Joe's house for dinner, but most of the day (from 9 AM on) was for Emily's plans of napping.....eating.....and napping. I wanted to get some chores finished up (load of laundry, clean up bathroom, vacuum the bedrooms) but Emily had other ideas. She was determined to be held the whole day with intermittent snacking and diaper changes. At 2:33 PM I was "allowed" to lay her down for a little nap in her crib while I updated the blog! Here are some pics of her sleeping on me (tie dye onesie courtesy of Andrew & Mel). Check back in a couple of days for some Christmas morning pics! My snuggle bug
Don't let the relaxed pose fool you. The minute I try to lay her down, all hell breaks loose.

I didn't even realize I had this picture until I was downloading them! I think Emily is trying to give me a message about my attempts to put her down throughout the day ;)

Emily: One Month Old

Emily is officially one month old! We went to the doctor today for our one month check up (stats below) and Dr. B said that Emily is perfect! She is holding up her head, makes eye contact, smiles when I talk to her, makes an "aaa" or "ooo" sound when she's content, and can track objects with her eyes. She got her Hepatitis B shot (we opted to postpone this one til now; it's usually done in the hospital when the baby is born. But I don't have any risk factors, and I wanted to give her immune system time to get stronger before introducing vaccinations). Emily screamed for about one minute then quieted down for her favorite activity: eating! We headed to Target to get Vitamin D drops, which Dr. B said to start once a day; breast milk is lacking in Vitamin D and the babies need the supplement.

STATS:

Weight: 9 pounds, 3 oz.! This baby is getting big! A weight gain of 2 pounds, 5 oz. in only 4 weeks.

Length: 21 inches (increase of 2 inches in 4 weeks)

Likes: taking a bath, getting rubbed down with lotion, her sleeping "bag" (blanket sleeper with big sack at the bottom for her legs), eating, hanging out in the Baby Bjorn (thanks Carrie!), sleeping on people

Dislikes: getting out of the bath, waiting to eat, the swing (for now), burping, being in her car seat for more than 20 minutes, having a Onesie pulled over her head
What's Next? Back to the doctor on Jan. 18th for her 2 month visit and more shots! :(

Early Christmas

Since Cammy won't be in the country for Christmas, the kids got their presents early. They were so excited! Garrett got two shirts and a giant LEGO set. He started right in on the 36 bags of pieces (the instruction book was about the size of my chemistry book from college). He emerged from his room about 27 hours later, exhausted but triumphant. Caroline got an American Girl doll that looked just like her, down to the pierced ears and layered blonde hair. Caroline immediately named her "CJ" for Caroline Junior. I did matching hairstyles for the two of them before CJ was "put to bed" for her required nap (apparently, hair styling is just exhausting for dolls). Kingdom Castle from LEGO--844 pieces of pure joy
Two peas in a pod!

Momma Caroline and her mini-me

Cammy's Visit

My mom came up to visit this weekend. We decided to celebrate Christmas this weekend since she is going to be out of town for the actual holiday. We had a great dinner at Roma's on Friday night, then played in the snow on Saturday. Tim kept the baby while Cammy, Caroline, and I went for pedicures. If you have seen Cammy's feet, you understand that this was a lengthy endeavor AND required a large tip for the woman who had to sand and scrape her heels. I texted Tim several times to find out how the baby was doing, and he said "fine" every time. Turns out he was being stoic and Emily was fussy and awake the whole two hours! And of course, she fell asleep in Timmy's arms about 5 minutes before we pulled into the driveway. Kids hamming it up for the camera
Trying out Cammy's gifts (sleds). They probably work much better when we get more than 3 inches of snow.

See that face? Emily was awake for most of the morning and afternoon. Maybe this means I will be sleeping for more than four hours tonight?! A girl can dream...

I went with a traditional reddish pink while Caroline decided to spice it up with a blue green color. We were equally enthralled with the massage chairs.

Santa Baby

The kids have been home for two days (3 inches of snow will all but shut down this county) and the roads were clear as day, so we decided to head into town for Santa pics at the mall. There was no wait (very surprising since all surrounding counties were out of school today) and we dashed right up to Santa's waiting lap. Caroline was dead set that she wanted nothing to do with the whole she-bang. I asked nicely, threatened to punish her, etc. and it just wasn't going to happen (she had a sleep over at her friend's house last night, and I suspect that extra sugar and lack of sleep were to blame for her surly mood, but I digress). Emily was more than willing to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas (a warm meal and endless people to hold her) and Garrett even got into the act by asking Santa for a LEGO set on the way out. I asked Santa for four hours of continuous sleep and a new washer and dryer set. The photographer just giggled at me. Merry Christmas!

Four Weeks Old

Wow, what a difference four weeks makes! Emily went from a basic blob of beautiful baby to a little person with opinions, wants, needs and demands. We see more of those pretty blue eyes every day, and dare I say we're moving towards a more predictable schedule? Well, for the past couple of days she sleeps well at night, doesn't need the swing to fall back asleep, and wants to nap from 8-10 AM, then wake up til noon. I don't know a weight/length report til Monday when we go back to the pediatrician. More updates then! I know I'm little, but I run this household!
Did I mention I love my hand plastered to the side of my face?

I sleep on flat surfaces now! No need for the swing/bouncy seat!

This is what peaceful looks like.

Hello Sweet Slumber

Somebody (I don't want to name names because I might embarrass the neonate) has been refusing to nap longer than 4 minutes unless she is located on a person. Namely, me. She sleeps great if she is bunched up, face down, on the reclining chest of a warm body. But put her down for a couple of minutes and try to pee, get food, etc. and she wakes up with a screech and wants back on her human pillow NOW. At night she sleeps on her changing table, in her swing, or in her car seat, but never the bassinet. We tried the bassinet for a week and gave up. So I have been spending the nights on the couch while Timmy has the bedroom. Today, I decided to put her little non-napping butt in the bassinet and see what happens. The pictures below are proof that she can sleep in a bassinet, it just has to be severely modified to her liking... (and yes, I know that the Boppy pillow clearly has a tag that says "Not for use while sleeping"). Notice the swaddling blanket, Bobby pillow, and music box/vibrator on the side. At this point, Emily has been listening to some women sing lullabies for about 15 minutes.
Yes, I get how unsafe my rig is. But seriously, she's SLEEPING and I can't justify changing the setup if it means I will be holding her for naps until she's five.

Thoughts of a Wide Awake 3 week old

You put me in this carrier with a snuggly blanket, and guess what? I am not going to sleep. Not one wink.
This is my face that says I just realized you want me to sleep. And I will not do it.

Hmmmm, what else could you do with your time? Dishes? Laundry? Nope, I will require you to carry me around and/or feed me every 10 minutes for the next 5 hours.

Hahahaha, victory is sweet! See you again tonight when we watch 3 hours of Golden Girls!

3 weeks old

Somebody has gotten a little more predictable in her routine. I can now expect about an hour of wide awake time from Emily around noon. Today, she had some floor time with her Baby Einstein ocean floor mat. It has great pictures, bright colors, and a music player that flashes lights. She actually turned her head to look for the source of the music and lights! Then looked away when she decided she was over it. When the floor became boring and she got a little fussy, we took off for the Food Lion, where she amazed the cashier by holding her head up and got a lot of attention for being so little and adorable. She was wide awake for the whole excursion and promptly crashed when we got back home. Not too impressed by my attempt at "floor time"
Turning towards the lights and music...

Full-on stare down with the stuffed whale