Christmas

This year was a special Christmas for us since it was Emmy's first Christmas. We spent the Sunday before Christmas with Susan and Robert. They came down to see Emmy and to bring her some presents.



We spent Christmas Eve in Channelview with the Nelson Clan. Bradley had to work, so Emmy and I rode with Mom and Dad. We had so much fun this year. There were so many babies, and we set up a little photo place in front of the tree.




 Christmas day, we were in EC. My grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins came down from East Texas to spend the day with us. We always have such a good time every time we get together. Bradley had to work Christmas day as well, so as soon as he got home at 8:00, we opened presents with Emmy. We wanted him to be able to see her open presents and still get to sleep. Emmy enjoyed opening presents, and she got better at each sitting. The only problem was that she was more interested in the paper and usually left the gift behind!

6 Months

This past month was a busy month of firsts for you! You tried green beans and LOVED them! As we were feeding you, you kept trying to grab the spoon out of our hands so that you could do it yourself. It made me seriously wonder if someone had already been feeding you solids...hmmm. You also tried green peas...those were not your favorite. I think I will blame the consistency of the peas. You kept rolling them forward and backward with your tongue as if you were trying to figure out whether or not you should spit them out or swallow them.

You also started crawling! You are now everywhere and we cannot contain you to any given area. This poses a problem at our house since we have all tile floors downstairs. We are currently in search of a good rug so that you can play at will.


You said your first word this month as well: DaDa. The way you said it is really a story all in its own. We were sitting at Nana's house and I told you that you could not do something (far be it for me to correct the perfect little miss Emmarie), and you started crying and said "dadadada." It was as if you were threatening to tell on me when your Daddy got home. I promptly called him and filled him in and he laughed and said I shouldn't have been so mean to you. (I THINK/HOPE that he was joking...) We are going to have to stick together when it comes to keeping you in line. You are so cute and can be so sweet that I am afraid it would be all too easy to give in to your angelic smiles.


You are also sitting up on your own. The sitting up and the crawling came about really quickly. One day you were pushing up on your hands and knees


At six months, you love: sleep!, Sometimes you can sleep until 11:00 a.m. if I let you, Playing with your toys, hanging out in your exersaucer, eating, saying DaDa, playing with your toes, MRS. RITA, throwing fits (you may have my temper), and crawling everywhere. You scoot, roll, bear crawl, or do whatever is necessary to get to what you want.

You eat: Milk, Green Beans, and Peas.

You dislike: the car seat (no big surprise there), the dark, being put down, being told "no," hunger in any shape or form, and not getting your way.

This month was a month of big changes for you, and it makes me very nervous/sad/excited about what we can expect this month!

5 Months

You are getting to be such a big girl! You are becoming a little bit mobile and love rolling all over the floor to get to whatever you want. Gone are the days when I could leave you in the middle of a blanket to play in the living room while I cook. You are trying to get into everything, and require CONSTANT supervision. The only way that I can get anything done without another person there to play with you is to put you in your exersaucer. You will play in that thing for approximately 15-25 minutes, and I madly dash around the house trying to get a few things done.

You love: having us sing to you (the Acorn song is still a favorite), rolling around on the floor, jumping and stomping the keyboard in your exersaucer, eating, playing with toys, eating your toes, doing stretches, watching the puppies play, "talking," and having things YOUR way.

You dislike: the dark, being ignored (or even perceiving that you might not be getting some one's full attention), your pack-n-play, the words "bye-bye," startling noises, and your car seat.

This month you are going to start trying baby food so we shall see how that goes. You seem content with milk right now, but your Nana is freaking out that she doesn't get to feed you baby food. We shall see how that goes.

April's Baby Shower

April's baby shower was a lot of fun.  If you know April, you know that she likes to travel the past of least resistance if possible.  This is not in any way supposed to be a way of calling her lazy.  There were several hostesses, myself included that made the shower a success.  Dana made the beautiful cupcakes that you see below.  They tasted SO good.  They recieved a lot of amazing presents that they can put to use once Oliver Liam gets here, and I know they were very greatful to everyone that helped.  Below are a few shots that I stole from Facebook since I took all of the pictures with her camera. :)

Happy 3rd Anniversary

We celebrated our 3rd Anniversary today.  Since Bradley had to work, it was quick dinner and out the door for him.  It really doesn't seem like it has been three years already, but this year more than the other two years, I really feel like things have changed drastically.  I can't find the picture of the two of us...even though I know we took one...so I am going to put a picture of Bradley opening the card from my parents.  (They bought us a memory foam topper for our bed.  Best. gift. ever.)  Happy 3rd Anniversary Brad!!

Halloween

Emmarie was a lady bug for Halloween. I found the costume online and ordered it after having a mini-heart attach when I saw the price of costumes for little kids at Carters and Babies-R-Us.  I think it was super cute, and I was really happy that she showed some personality while we were taking pictures.

Pumpkin Patch

A local sorority in EC does a pumpkin patch every year.  They decorate the park with fall decorations and pumkins, and you buy pumkins so you can take pictures of your little ones.  It is a really cool event, but in the past, I did not have a reason to go.  It worked out really well with the exception of it raining right as we were trying to leave.  Fortunately, Emmy did not get wet because Brad had already started walking her back to the car.  Enjoy some of the pictures of our "little pumpkin." (I couldn't resist)

4 Months

Emmarie,
You are so fun right now. Your personality just shines in everything that you do. Although we are not together all day, and I miss you, I think that you really love going to daycare. The ladies all love you and seem to be happy to see you in the morning. Every week when I take your weekly picture, I am surprised by how much bigger you are constantly getting. I am also a little afraid at how quickly the time is passing by. I was just telling someone the other day that I want you to be my little baby forever, but I know that won't happen. You have to grow up and become your own independent little person. For now, I am enjoying our sweet baby time together. Whenever you get upset and will not rest until I am holding you, I just remind myself that soon you will want to run around and will not want me to hold you anymore.

You found your toes this month, and that was really exciting. You constantly are doing whatever stretches necessary to get those toes into your mouth. You are not detered by socks or dirt. Your only objective is to get those little digits into your mouth. Your voice is also changing. You do not have that baby cry anymore. Your little cry is deeper and MUCH louder. I get to hear it anytime I put you down and run out of the room for a second.


You love: Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Papa, Beanie, Kari, YOUR TOES, your swing, your teachers at Methodist, your Bumbo, the rubber spatula from the kitchen, pretty much anything you can chew on to make your gums feel better, bright colors, television (still loving football and baseball), bathtime, and being outside.


You are not fond of: your carseat, the car (much to my disapointment), being cold, being patient, tummy time, laying flat on the ground, the dark, or being alone.

3 Months

Emmarie,
At three months you are:

• always smiling. You love to smile at me when you wake up in the morning. I will sing to you as I change your diaper and you just coo and squirm. It makes my day!



• Going to daycare. :( I took you to Daycare for the first time on the 1st of September. It was a really sad morning for me because I felt like I was abandoning you. I was used to leaving you with your G.G., but leaving you with strangers (even really nice ones) was scary. I cried as I left you there and sporadically for the next hour. I was so excited to see you that afternoon that I could hardly contain myself all day long.
• loving football and baseball. You will sit happily on the couch in your bumbo for quite some time!
• My snuggle bunny! As long as I am holding you, you are ready to do anything that Mommy wants.
• Maybe a little bit spoiled. Who am I kidding? At this point you are rapidly on your way to full blown spoiled...but we love it.

You love: Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Beanie, Papa, Kari, your bumbo, the swing at daycare(I don't know why you love theirs more than the one at home!), being outside (as long as you aren't hot), WATCHING TV (I foresee some issues here), football, the Aggies, and the Ricebirds!

You don't care for: the dark (you get that from me), loud sudden noises, riding in the car if you are by yourself in the dark, being wet or hungry (obviously), laying in your pack-n-play, or being put down if you want to cuddle.

2 Months

Emmarie,
At two months you are:

• Finally up to birthweight!!  It took you until July 11th to get there, but you are finally off the hook as far as weekly weight checks are concerned.  
• Spending a lot of time at hotels.  Your daddy's new job at Haliburton required him to go to Fresno (near Pearland) to do all of his training there.  They have been housing him at a hotel, and we have been going to see him and keep him company at night.  It is a little different being there since I don't take all of your regular stuff (your swing and bouncer), but you have adjusted well.  We only go for several days each week.
• Smiling.  It might now always be on purpose, but you are smiling a lot more now.  One night I had to stay up super late (like until 4:00AM) working on a presentation for a funeral, and you woke up.  I complimented you, and you just smiled and bobbed your head like you were so happy I said that to you.
• A little fish.  You went swimming for the 1st time this month, and you loved the water.  You get so excited and try to move around.  It was still a little cold since we went in the evening so you didn't stay in the water too long.  You also got a little bit scared when someone got water by your mouth.  Since then, you have had only positive experiences in the water!
• Scaring me to death!  I had to take you to the doctor because of some blood that I found in your diaper.  I was freaking out when I found it in the middle of the night, and it happened two more times before I could get you to the doctor.  You had a little bacteria, and they told me to just give you pedialyte until the antibiotics had time to kick in.  He was also concerned that it could be attributed to a milk allergy, so he told me not to give you formula anymore for a while.
• looking just like your Daddy.  I call you Daddy's mini-me.  You both stretch the same way when you wake up, you sleep with your mouth partially open, and you love to nap.  Everyone says that you are his girl.  Papa says that, "He stamped you good."
• Sitting in your Bumbo.  We tried it the other day, and you held your head up really well.  After 8 minutes or so, you start to sag to the side, but you are really building those neck and back muscles.

Stats at your 2 Month check-up:
Weight: 9 pounds, 10 ounces
Height: 21 3/8 inches

You love: Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Beanie, Papa, Kari,  the swing, the water (for swimming not bathing), your bouncer,  using the TV as background noise, listening to your lullaby CD, sitting in your bumbo, being held and cuddled, and having people "talk" to you and sing.

You don't care for: the dark, loud sudden noises, being forced to go to sleep at night, laying in your pack-n-play (it's too hard for your superior standards), being hot,  letting Mommy nap or get house work done (but I don't really mind), formula/bottles (we had to give you a few bottles per doctor's orders), or being put down if you want to cuddle.

1 Month

Emmarie,
At one month you are:

• Setting into a schedule.  You are sleeping a little bit better than you did right after I brought you home.  you wake up twice a night to eat, and you usually stay up about an hour to an hour and a half.  Since it is summer and your mommy is a night owl, this works out well for us.  Usually you will sleep again until about 8:30 or 9:00 before waking up again to eat.  You still have a lot of rough nights though if you do not burp right.
• You are awake a lot more during the day.  You look at everything around you like you are comitting it all to memory.
• Quite a traveler.  You have been all kinds of places this month and visited with so many family members and friends.  You've visited Cedar Park, College Station, Sugarland, Wharton, THE MALL (during the daytime after a doctor's appointment), Kingsland, Marble Falls, and IKEA.  
• A Facebook star.  Everyday of your aunts, your Nana, or your Mommy posts pictures of you on Facebook, and people just go crazy over you.  You garner more comments with a funny look than I could if I said something that was a groundbreaking break through on the road to world peace.
• Finally eating but not back up to birth weight yet.  We are getting really close though so hopefully our weekly doctors appointments will end after this week.  I am not in love with having to take you to the clinic all the time with the "sick" people, and I worry the whole time that we are there that some kid will sneeze in your face or something and infect you with some scary virus.

You love: Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Beanie, Papa, Kari,  the swing, your bouncer (especially in front of the door during "sun time"),  WATCHING TV (we have watched countless episodes of Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory this past month during our sleepless night sessions), listening to your lullaby CD (Thanks a million Lorie for buying that for her),

You don't care for: the dark (we spend a lot of time with light on and daddy doesn't love it), loud sudden noises, being forced to go to sleep at night, laying in your pack-n-play (it's too hard for your superior standards), being hot,  letting Mommy nap or get house work done (but I don't really mind), formula/bottles (we had to give you a few bottles per doctor's orders), or being put down if you want to cuddle.


You had your first scary road trip experience while we were visiting your great grandparents in Cedar Park.  We decided to go to Ikea to buy a shelf for your room because we have already bought you more books than will fit on the shelf above your chest of drawers.  You did great at Ikea, and you slept your way through most of the shopping trip. By the time we left, it was time for your next feeding, but you were waiting like a champ.  We get about a mile away from Ikea, and the Impala starts to overheat.  I was sitting in the back with you and Daddy and Grandma Susan were in the front seat.  Daddy turned the car off and got out to check the water level and see what was going on.  It instantly got hot in the car.  It was in the high 90s that day, but I didn't panic.  I took some wipes out of your bag and dabbed your forehead, underarms, and feet (places they say cool you off quickly).  We drove a little further down the road and the car heated back up again.  At this point, your grandma started to worry and got on the phone to call 911 or the sheriff's office so someone could come and pick us up.  GrandBob was getting off of work, but it would take him at least 45 minutes to get to us. While she was on the phone with the dispatcher telling him that we were having car problems and we had a 3 week old baby in the car, your Daddy was on his phone trying to locate the nearest gas station where we could buy antifreeze and get you out of the Texas heat.  We started the car and drove slowly and found a gas station about a mile away that Robert could meet us at.  I went in the store and told them about our car issues, and they said that I could stand inside with you.  At this point, you began to stir because we were about an hour late on feeding you.  Since you were still not up to birth weight, staying on schedule with feedings and giving you the best opportunities to eat was very important.  I started to worry that you would cry and be upset and annoy the clerks in the station.  I considered taking you to the bathroom to eat, but that seemed so dirty.  You were also still having trouble eating so we needed a better set-up.  I finally broke down and took you to the bathroom to eat.  We were getting situated when Susan knocked on the door and said Robert was there to get us. THANK GOD!  We found a parking lot nearby that it would be safe to leave the car to cool down until later that evening, and we rode with Robert in the van back to Cedar Park.  You were so excited to be back at Grandma's that night that you blew bubbles at us for the first time.