Wrinkles Will Only Go Where the Smiles Have Been

Hanna Anderson, Eat your heart out!

2011-04-08T17:46:00.003-04:00

I recently saw the new line of pillowcase dresses that Hanna Anderson has for the spring. $28 bucks.

"I can do that!" I think to myself.

3 hours (interrupted - could probably make this in half the time if it weren't for "have a tea party, mom?" and "put on my movie, mom!"), some old ribbon, and a $2.99 fabric flat in some of Emmy's favorite colors and voila!

The dress is blue and green retro flower print. Very Lilly Pulitzer looking. Used a pink polka dot ribbon and some scrap pink fabric for the bias on the arm holes.

Suck it, Hanna.

Emily has picked out a pink print with green ribbon for her next dress. I think I will try after she's asleep though.

My mom yelled at me for not posting pictures.

2011-04-07T12:33:00.002-04:00

So here are some pictures.

Trying again

2010-11-15T13:16:00.004-05:00

Tried to post a video of Christina's concert a few weeks ago with no luck. Trying again!

Looks like it finally worked!

Also, some pictures from Halloween. Enjoy!

Grammy and her little pumpkins (baby is my nephew, Griffin)

Getting excited for trick or treating by putting on Grammy's witch hat

Pink Butterfly

Blue Angel/Fairy/your guess.

Tiny Dancer

2010-07-22T11:10:00.003-04:00

Our newest obsession - dancing movies. For some odd reason, last night she grabbed a DVD - Barbie Nutcracker. If you've never seen this movie, avoid it. It's totally ruined a classic ballet and holiday story for me. Anyway, Emily is obsessed with watching it over and over and dancing along with the music. Sometimes WITH tutu on, sometimes without.

Standing on her toes, like Barbie.

Twirling and leaping along with Barbie. She's ready for dance class (except that she's not potty trained yet). She's about as graceful as an elephant!

Catching up!

2010-07-22T10:40:00.010-04:00

Here are some pictures from Gen & Beau's wedding (Emily was the flower girl) and 4th of July!

Checking out the hotel room. She insisted it was a castle, since it was a high-rise building.
At the aquarium. She LOVED it.

She kept pointing at each fish and yelling "NEMO!"
Dude turtles.
Sharks at the aquarium. She kept saying "Bruuuuuuuce"... She's confused Springsteen with Bruce the Shark in Nemo. "Fish Friends! No Food!"
At rehearsal.... she nailed it!
Emily hits it off with the groom's family!
So grown up!
Big Sis giving little Sis a ride home from the rehearsal dinner.
Fish face mandatory when watching Nemo, I guess.
Chilling out at the hotel before the wedding.

Riding on the bus to the golf course. This was her favorite part of the day. Cried when it was time to get off the bus.
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She practiced by picking buds off bushes and throwing the petals on the ground.

Aftermath. There are some angry groundskeepers at the golf course.
Emmy and her Godmother, Gen. What a beautiful bride!
The Wedding party
Flower Girl in action! Sadly, no shot (that I've seen yet) of her throwing the flower basket at the groom's feet.
Immediately post-ceremony
Chilling out now that her duties are done.
Bride and flower girl
Big Sis dancing with Little Sis
Sisters at the Wedding!
Ready for parade!
The yearly flag photo.
All the VE's
Swimming at the Clancy's between parade and fireworks. The goggles make her "special".
"I'm ready for fireworks!"
Watching "booms in the sky" with Grammy
Swim date with Grumpy at Uncle Ponz's pool!
"HEEEERE ALLIE!" playing with the dog.
Swimming with Grammy!

Spring Concert!

2010-05-14T14:48:00.011-04:00

It's spring, so it's concert time at school. This year, Christina was involved in both chorus and orchestra - she's a "dualie".

First, waiting for the show to begin.

Time for the intermediate chorus to perform.

Emily watches and listens patiently.

Orchestra time!

Holidays

2010-04-08T23:17:00.005-04:00

I've missed three - Mardi Gras, St. Patricks and Easter - so here are a few photos, with my apologies.

Em loves that she gets to wear ALL her pretty beads on one day a year.

We took the kids to see the Alexandria St. Patrick's Day parade -

Em on St. Patrick's Day in Mommy's shirt

And Easter Sunday's St. Alban's Easter Egg hunt (and obligatory stop on the playground for good behavior)

And while she actually looked for eggs this year, she was more interested in the cookies.

Chatty Cathy

2010-02-03T22:11:00.003-05:00

My my, does the girl TALK! She spent ten minutes on the ride home from the sitter's telling me everything - and I mean EVERYTHING - she ate today. It was exhausting.

She is now starting to order us around. "Get it, Mommy." is a favorite. She also yells "No Sadie" at BOTH dogs, regardless of whether it is Sadie or Marty. She also tells her baby doll that she can not have "Snoopy" snacks, because 9 times out of 10 when she asks Mommy, Mommy says no. We watch two movies on repeat - Yo Gabba Gabba and Little People. She will randomly tell me the plot of the Little People - takes a minute or so to figure out what the heck she's talking about. She loves watching the birds out in the snow. We decorated a house for the "Birdies" and hung it in our front tree.

She also knows how to really get to Mommy - when arguing over whether a bowl was blue or not (it wasn't, but she insists everything is blue, because it's her favorite color) she blurted out "BOO! BOO DEVILS, Mommy! BOO!". This Devils fan was crushed and she laughed hysterically.

Being Goofy at the Botanical Gardens

Big Sister at the Building Museum

Busted stealing pretzels from the pantry.

CHEESE!!!

Emily's Acting Debut

2010-01-03T11:22:00.003-05:00

Emily was asked to be in the St. Alban's Epiphany Pageant. Her official role was as to be the understudy to Baby Jesus - or Back up Baby Jesus. You know, should Baby Jesus not be able to fulfill his baby duties, Emily would be called on.

At rehearsal, Baby Jesus nailed his role, so Emily was given the option of being an angel or lamb. While we first chose to stand with the angels, it was clear there was serious competition to be the cutest angel at church. Almost every little girl aged 9 through 1 were suiting up to be angels, elbowing each other out of the way to get closest to the manger.

So we walked over to where the shepherds gathered. There were 9-10 little boys and a few girls all waiting to be shepherds. Some taking their shepherding duties more seriously than others. However, they only had one donkey and one lamb to watch over. So, being an expert at making sheep noises, Emily seemed perfectly suited to play a lamb. At practice, she would walk up to the manger, point and BAAA at the baby so we figured we had this part nailed.

Until it was time to leave for church this morning. Meltdown city!

The very cranky lamb was not at all interested in going and looking at the baby. She cried about 15 minutes before leaving the house.

Once we arrived and put our lamb hat on, she began to warm up to this whole pageant thing. We even brought her lamb puppet along, since St. Alban's was experiencing a major lamb shortage this year.

After they all came in, Em had zero interest in looking at the baby. The angels were all in the way anyway. The other lamb had run back to his father. Emily is looking at Mommy, as I'm frantically whispering "STAY THERE!!! GO SEE THE BABY! WHERE IS THE BABY?"

Instead she parked herself right up in front. Sat. Posed for pictures. Danced as the congregation sang.

As the "director" of the play kept saying, "She stole the show!"

When it was all done, she got her well-deserved cookie and donuts as we greeting her adoring fans. "No autographs, people. I'm eating here."

Christmas slide show

2009-12-26T09:38:00.000-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Snow and Crayons

2009-12-15T14:59:00.006-05:00

Our First Snowfall! Not a lot of snow, but enough to put on snow gear and take a few runs down the front lawn in the sled.

She really wasn't thrilled. Even with Daddy playing in the snow too - our "city baby" yet again proved to be really unhappy when exposed to the elements.

This is more Emily's speed. Some paper and a handful of Crayolas make Emily a very happy kid.

Notice how she holds the crayon! Just like a pencil!

She spent most of the time putting the crayons back in the box upside down.

18 Month Checkup

2009-12-05T10:21:00.003-05:00

We're now 31 inches long, weigh 21 lb 12 oz, and have a head circumference of 18 1/2.

That's about 25% for height, 50% for weight (finally!) and still 50% for head. We're getting to be more average.

Had four shots - for the first time, she connected the two together and after the first one, had to be held down. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree on that front (I was a TERRIBLE shot taker!). Finally got her flu shots (regular and Swine). No side effects!

She still has a VERY extensive vocabulary that seems to have just exploded in the last two weeks. On Thursday, she asked Mommy for panties instead of a diaper. I don't think she's quite ready yet, but bought some Elmo and Zoe panties anyway. She was so proud of herself walking around the house in them on Friday night!!!

Mommy's Little Helper

2009-11-18T21:52:00.003-05:00

Emily is now into "helping"... she helps with laundry (takes stuff out of the basket), helps with unloading the dishwasher (hands me each plate or bowl), and now feeds the dogs. She does this whenever she feels that "Mar-EE" needs "FOO". Of course, the poor dog only gets two or three kibbles at a time, and is yelled at to "MOOOOVE" if he's in the way of Emily putting food in the bowl.

Emily's 15 Month Stats

2009-09-14T21:38:00.003-04:00

She took her shots like a champ - barely whimpered. Nurse said of all the kids she gives shots to, Emily is the best at taking them. She didn't get it from Mommy.

She's 50% height (30 1/2 inches), 10% weight (20.5 lbs - long and lean), and 50% head circumference.

Doctor was VERY impressed with Emily's vocabulary - amazed that at 15 months she not only has a vocabulary of 50-100 words, complete with colors, "please" and 8-10 animal noises but she is also putting words together ("Baba, peeze (Bottle please... also goes for cheese, peas, strawberry, grapes)" "MOOVE Sa-ie (Move, Sadie)" "I wunning (I'm running)" and "I poo"). She guessed Emily will probably potty train early since she's letting us know what is going on with her diaper and using the potty at night before bath. Not concerned at Emily's recent vegetarian tendencies - suggested giving her tofu (ick) and beans (fun).

First Day of 6th Grade!!

2009-09-09T11:48:00.001-04:00

GO HORSE! GO!

2009-09-09T10:01:00.003-04:00

Emily riding her Fisher Price pony. She presses the button over and over to get to a song she likes, then she'll go. Sometimes when she gets stuck, she'll yell "GO!"

Dancing with Emily

2009-08-19T09:11:00.006-04:00

She's discovered she likes to dance. Here are two videos - one of her dancing topless to Neil Diamond (listen for her little BA-BA-BA in Sweet Caroline!) and trying to figure out how to dance to a card that plays Shout!

Enjoy!

5 minutes in Emily's world

2009-08-11T13:22:00.004-04:00

Here is 5 minutes in Emily's world. Lots of walking, talking, but no standing on her head (I'll try and get a good video of that, too!)

Beach Week!

2009-08-11T12:45:00.006-04:00

Some pictures from our vacation with Grammy at the beach!

July 4th Week in NJ

2009-07-12T13:59:00.008-04:00

Emily and I took the train up to NJ on July 1, to spend some vacation time with Grammy before Daddy joined up with us for the 4th.

Thursday, we went to Abma's farm. They had a petting z00.

Emily enjoyed petting the pony. It didn't bite her, even though the sign said it might.

Then we walked over to see the pigs. Emily stood SCREECHING "PIGGIE!" at them.

On Friday, we went to the duck pond to meet up with Mommy's friend and her daughter, Emily.

"The two Emilys" weren't sure what to think of each other. Plus, my Emily was distracted by the ducks.

Emily P is way mellower than Emily O.

We went to feed the ducks. Both mommies didn't realize you are no longer allowed to feed the ducks, because 30 years ago when we were taken there, that's exactly what we did.

The girls weren't quite sure what to do with the bread.

Emily O was more interested in feeding the bread to herself than to the ducks.

But she enjoyed how close they all got to her.

Then the girls had a ride on the swings before we left. Dueling "WHEE!"

On the 4th, we went to Grumpy's funeral home to watch the parade, since it's on the route. This is where I watched the parade as a kid. I put Emily in front of the big flag to recreate the picture the local paper took of me 30 years ago.

Emily wasn't all that interested in the parade aka "1001 firetrucks". She liked the balloons. She wasn't really bothered by all the sirens. She LOVED the bagpipes.

After a few short naps at home, we went back to the funeral home for a BBQ and fireworks.

First slice of REAL NJ pizza with Grammy!

Emily and her cousin, Kayden. Neither were really interested in sitting for pictures.

Again, Kayden was more interested in grabbing and hugging and kissing Emily. Just like last September!

Once it got dark, the fireworks started. Emily was mesmorized by them!!

"YAY!"

Middle School, here we come!

2009-06-26T08:42:00.006-04:00

On Wednesday, June 17th we said goodbye to Columbia Elementary, the school that was so good to our family through many rough times. Always understanding, always trying to help, always wanting what was best for Christina.

Christina had her 5th Grade Awards ceremony. All the kids filed into the cafeteria, dressed in their shirts for the party that followed. The theme for the party was "All the places you'll go", an "Around the World" theme. They came in, sang, then filed back out so they could be introduced by their teachers and given their "diploma".

Here's Christina's teacher introducing her class. This was also her teacher's last day - she retired after spending 22 years at Columbia.

Here she is being introduced by Mrs. Bugelski.

The "graduate"!

She went back up several times for awards - Broadcasting, SMART Team, Art Award, Honor Roll and Citizenship Award. Her final report card was 3 B's and the rest A's!!! We were so proud!!

At the end, they all sang again. I fully admit, I teared up. Those 5 years flew by! It feels like yesterday we sent her to Columbia for her first day of First Grade with Miss Blocker!

At the after-party, we'd planned all these outside activities (below, the kids all lined up to "Attach the German Castle" with water balloons), but it was raining. The kids LOVED it - they'd never been allowed to play on the playground in the rain before!!!

Christina and her friends on the playground in the rain!

With the "Around the World" theme, some parents made these AWESOME photo cut outs - Below, Christina and her best friend posed as penguins in Antarctica -

And as an African Lion -

Christina did some dancing (she's on the right, in plaid shorts)

Then she sang karaoke with friends!

One Year Stats

2009-06-11T14:37:00.005-04:00

Still a peanut, but a bit less of a peanut.

Weight - 19 1/2 lbs... 25th percentile
Length -29 3/4 in ... 75th percentile (HUGE jump, Dr. thinks someone measured wrong either last time or this time)
Head - 17 3/4 in... 50th percentile.

She was consistently in the 5-10th percentile on height/weight until this visit. Head circumfrence has always been in 50%.

She got three shots, finger stick and a TB test. Handled all really well - well maybe the last one not so well.

She also got her first haircut. I broke down and took her to get it cut - tired of fighting the ponytail/barrette battle so she could see.

She looked so little in that chair!

Mr. Le had a TV with Barney in front of her the whole time. I'm sure that helped in keeping her so still.

Blown dry like a big girl!!

I'm still getting used to the haircut - at least three little girls, including her sister, has said she looks like a boy!

Party Pictures

2009-06-08T22:12:00.008-04:00

Two days of Parties!

She loves balloons. I've been telling her for months when we see balloons at the grocery store that she can have them on her birthday. So I tied all these balloons to her high chair to surprise her when she woke up.

She was mesmerized! Kept saying "Baaa-ooon!" over and over. She loved it.

We found that she also loved the candle on the cake. I love that these pictures were taken by Christina. She captured the moment fabulously and really did a great job!

She loved the icing more than anything else.

Emily and her rocking ladybug from Grandma and Grandpa.

Emily and her Millie Doll. Very special gift!

Emily's Cupcake Cake. Thanks to Aunt Mary for decorating!!

Emily enjoying all her great toys from Grammy! All the "noise" toys were a big hit with the kids!

Emily and some guests. She was wondering who the heck were these kids playing with her new toys. But within about 10 minutes everyone had warmed up to one another

Emily and her buddy, Erin. Erin just LOVES watching out for Baby Emily, "Because I love her." Too cute.

CHEESE!!
All the kids gathering for cake and cupcakes.

Before blowing the candle out (which an older kid did for her).

Icing Face.
Emily and her best buddy Evie, being held by Mommy.

Opened some presents after dinner.

Had a bath after presents and before bed.

The next day, Em went for a swim in her pool in the yard. Marty kept taking toys out of the pool while Em was in. He went in for the plunge when it was empty. Here you see her "fishy face" and her stylish two piece (Thanks Grammy!).

Big Sister came home on Sunday, and posed for a great picture with her little sister and Aunt Mary.
Hope you all like the pig-tailed pictures of the baby... she got her first hair cut today. I will post those pictures when I'm ready *sniff*. The haircut was definitely harder for Mommy than it was for Emily.

Emily's First Birthday

2009-06-04T09:40:00.003-04:00

Happy First Birthday, Big Girl!!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Chairs and Stairs

2009-06-02T09:20:00.008-04:00

We're into climbing everything. We love to climb on and off our new Emily-sized chair!

Thanks for the great early birthday gift, Grammy! She loves it!

This makes Mommy VERY nervous - the STANDING on the arms of the squishy chair. She does it to torment Marty in the backyard who is barking at her through the glass door.

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Here we are giving pizza to her baby doll. We got a great kitchen set with dishes and pretend food from our friends and Emily just loves playing with it.

We can climb on and off the chair for HOURS. She loves exploring this.

And here we are going up the stairs. We go up like a champ. Often when I can't find her and I see someone (usually Big Sister) has left the baby gate open, I can find her upstairs in the bathroom trying to climb in the tub. Haven't learned how to go down the stairs yet. That will be scary, I'm sure.

I am remiss.

2009-05-19T22:07:00.005-04:00

I'm sorry it takes me SOOOO long to add stuff.

Before the baptism, something HAD to be done about Emily's mullet. She had this strand of hair that was from when she was born, that was much longer than everything else. So we finally cut the mullet. Pre-cut:

And Post-cut:
And yes, the hair is in an envelope marked "EMILY'S MULLET 4/15/09" and is in her baby book.

Now, pictures from Emily's baptism weekend:

Emily and her Godfather, Bob at dinner on Friday night-

With Grandma-
And Grandpa

We had a BBQ at the house on Saturday night with the family -

Danger Baby in her swing in the backyard - loves to be pushed as high as deemed safe by Mommy.

Emily and her Godmother, Gen.

Emily and Gen's boyfriend, Beau. Emily is VERY sweet on Beau!

Grandma and Grammy

Grammy, Mommy and Emily -
DANGER BABY!!!

Emily and her Grumpy

No pictures during the baptism, but a few from afterwards (Thanks Grandpa!). She was REALLY good - no tears, no fussing, and she didn't spit when the water hit her head, like she does in the bath. The dress had held up well - it was mine 34 years ago!!

At the party after Emily's baptism, she had her first cupcake. What a mess!

We had too much party, and we were ready for a nap. That, and vanilla icing is not good in the eye.

After dinner on Sunday night, she got to try a chocolate one. We liked chocolate much better!

Easter Pictures

2009-04-15T10:20:00.003-04:00

Some pictures of Emily at the Church Easter Egg Hunt and on the playground after wards. Christina scattered, so I didn't catch any pictures of her, unfortunately.

Grammy pushing Emily on the swing. Naturally, our little daredevil LOVED it. I'm going to have to get a move on in looking into a swing set for our yard.

After a nap and outfit change, we discovered that playing with the plastic grass was more fun than anything in the basket.

Cherry Blossoms

2009-04-07T16:15:00.004-04:00

Happiness is a Box of Tissues

2009-03-11T10:04:00.005-04:00

Piles of toys = $150
Box of tissues = $1
Happy Baby = Priceless

Crazy Hair and Contortionist Ways

2009-03-11T09:28:00.003-04:00

When we wake up in the morning, sometimes we have "Don King hair"

Sometimes it is difficult to feed Emily, because she'd rather be playing with her feet.

Valentine's Day trip to Buffalo

2009-02-25T12:37:00.002-05:00

Just a few pictures from our trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Buffalo over Valentine's Day weekend!

We went to visit Mommy's former co-worker who just moved to Buffalo!

Bathtime!

2009-02-12T12:35:00.002-05:00

Finally making use of the "baby washing" sink now that Emily just sits. It's much easier on my back to bathe her in the kitchen.

She loves bathing in the sink, because she can reach the toys and for some reason, has an easier time splashing in a smaller "tub".

The Living Doll

2009-02-09T22:06:00.003-05:00

I was playing around with the camera today and decided to put Emily into some of my old dresses. The blue one was also used for a long time as a Cabbage Patch Kid outfit - as Grammy says, "I remember it more on the doll than on you!!!"

Tried taking her picture in a pink dress that I had pictures taken in when I was 8 months old. Took this black and white one before the camera crapped out on me. Will try again tomorrow.

Emily still loves having her picture taken. Gets very excited, making a non-blurry shot tough with our point-and-shoot cameras.

She's not crawling yet, but does scoot around on her butt. Not really climbing yet - will pull herself on her knees to look over the side of the playpen to watch the dogs, but not to stand up or get out. Sits like a champ - but will occasionally launch herself forward on to her face.

DADDADDADDAD is still the usual babble - everything is DADADA when she's having fun. If she's upset, we get a big MAAAAAAAAA.

"Is Your Mama A Llama" is still a favorite book. "Such a Silly Baby" is a new favorite... she giggles through this book. She gets so excited during these two books, I can't read them before sleeping times, because she's too wound up afterwards. We stick to Dr. Seuss and the like at bedtime.

Emily now HATES having her diaper changed - she automatically flips over to her stomach and will have a tantrum (throws her head back and screams) when flipped back over to make the dressing process easier.

We wave now too with more frequency - still waving AT herself. This way she can tell she's doing it right.

We have tried eating cheese, corn bread, mushrooms, animal crackers and tomatoes. She liked them all. If she can hold it, mush it, and suck on it - she will eat it. The only thing she gags on and spits out are eggs. She gets a little red around the eyes when she gets straight eggs (soft boiled or scrambled are what I've tried) so I'm a little concerned that she may be allergic. Nothing made with eggs seem to bother her.

First Ride on a Sled and other exciting stuff!

2009-01-27T15:11:00.006-05:00

We got our first real snowfall today! Emily got all bundled up and we took a few runs down our front yard in the sled.

She really liked the snow until she leaned back. Decided we didn't like LYING in the snow.

Emily is getting to a point where she smiles whenever she sees the camera. Marty, not so much.

Marty has been so helpful in licking all the snot off my stuffed up baby. She's not sure if she likes that or not.

We've been experimenting with all sorts of new foods. We ate lots of new stuff while in Disney World - fruit, ice cream, waffles, turkey. So when we got home I picked up some Zweback Toast. She LOVES gnawing on this!

Disney Highlights

2009-01-27T13:50:00.012-05:00

Here are some of our pictures from Walt Disney World from over Martin Luther King Day weekend. If you'd like to see all the pictures, they're on Snapfish at http://www2.snapfish.com.

"I'm ready for the sun and the lines, Mom!"

Emily with the first character she was awake for... she handled it really well! Loved the Genie and all the rest of the characters she "met" during our trip.

Emily liked the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Mommy wanted to vomit.

Christina with a monorail car to herself! This is what happens if you stay at the Magic Kingdom until 11 pm.

Baloo and King Louie could not get enough of Emily at Animal Kingdom. I had to tell them several times that the baby had an older sibling waiting for autographs.

Emily, Daddy and Christina at the Hoop De Doo Revue. Good food and entertainment! (and drinks for Mommy and Daddy)

Emily sang and waved through the entire show!

When we got back to the hotel, Emily had her first swim in the pool!

Christina goofing off at Mexico at Epcot.

Emily goofing off in Norway at Epcot.

The girls in "China"... Emily fell asleep.

New Years and Fun with Food

2009-01-07T21:20:00.006-05:00

For New Year's Eve, our friends and their kids came to celebrate. We ate, danced for hours, played the Wii, and almost everyone made it to midnight (the two boys didn't).

Photos from the dance party:

Emily just kind of watched. She occasionally bounced around in her exersaucer, but she mostly just watched the big girls dance.

Bumbo seats are NOT made for 5 year old boys.

We've been having fun exploring solid foods. Emily still loves to sit in her high chair and eat.

This day, we had prunes! She goes "num num num num" as she eats something she likes. She will get excited and motion with her hands when she wants more.

Here, she's laughing at Sadie trying to lick the baby food off her hands, and eventually her face.
And when we get tired of waiting for Mommy to bring the spoon to her, she will suck on the side of the high chair. I guess it feels good on her gums?

Here she is enjoying dinner.

Making a total mess, and getting tired.
But look who is feeding her!!! As Emily is getting older, and more interactive, Christina is taking a little more interest in her sister. So the other night, as I was trying to feed Emily and get our dinner made, Christina offered to feed the baby. And notice, she's SMILING while feeding Emily!!!

Also note, the dogs are hovering. Circling Emily like vultures. They sit and wait for Emily to lean over the side, smile and put out her hand to pet the dogs, then they lick all the food off her little fingers. If she leans over too far, they hop up and get the food on her face too. It's a nightmare!

More Christmas pictures

2009-01-01T13:12:00.002-05:00

Uncle Pete took some great shots!

Poor baby, you can tell how sick she was for her first Christmas.

Pictures from Christmas

2008-12-30T17:15:00.005-05:00

Christmas at Grammy's!

We spent Christmas in NJ since Christina was at her mom's. Emily had a VERY nasty cold, but overall did really well on the trip. We had Christmas morning at Grammy's where Emily enjoyed her Exer-saucer. I don't know who invented this thing, but they deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.

We then went to Grumpy's for dinner where Emily bonded with Tony, the rug.

"nice kitty"

"Hmm. I will stick my finger in it's nose."

"It's not so scary"

Not sure how we feel about riding Tony.

"It has a tongue bigger than Sadie, but isn't licking me to death with it. Hmm."

Just a quiet morning with Grammy.

We had lunch with my friend Lisa, where she gave Emily her first Devils hat!
She got to wear it later when watching the game with Grammy. Go Devils!

And finally, from today. I swear in the last few days, she's become a little person. Showing lots of personality, and even protesting when something is taken away (by screaming, of course). We had lunch with a friend and she kept grabbing for food off my plate. So I gave her the pickle. She LOVED it and gummed it to death!

Yummy! Thanks Mommy!

Pre Christmas pictures

2008-12-30T16:56:00.004-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone!

Sorry for slacking as far as posting pictures goes. I'm trying to catch up!

A few from our Christmas party. I got a few of the babies, but not all the babies. At one point, there were three sitting in the dining room just chatting away with each other - all 5-6 months old. Very cute and probably a precursor to Emily's first birthday as far as guests go. What I really should have taken pictures of was the grown men pushing past children to play Guitar Hero on the Wii. That was funny!

Emily and her friend Evie (our sitter's daughter - they spend all day together)

Emily and Mommy's cousin, Gen. Poor Gen got roped into feeding Emily and then was puked on repeatedly. She never complained though!

The following are a few of the Christmas card pictures I tried taking.

She's such a doll!

Love how this one came out. You can see the adoration for her older sister in Emily's face.

Christina has gotten SO grown up!

Damn dogs just wouldn't cooperate.

This was the best I could do with the dogs.

I wish Emily had smiled in this one, or the camera had focused.

Emily opening her first Christmas card. She has a fondness for paper.

Cards taste good.

Finally getting around to posting pictures

2008-12-17T21:07:00.002-05:00

Sorry it's taken so long!! The rest of these are all from our trip to NY during Thanksgiving.

Emily at Fisher Price HQ, playing with the toys.

And playing hockey with Daddy

Six Months!

2008-12-04T22:58:00.003-05:00

Hope to post pictures tomorrow... but Em had her 6 month appointment today. She handled her shots like a champ. Was smiling and laughing at the doctor during the exam, then scowled at the nurse giving her the shots before crying. Poor baby.

Emily is still a peanut - measuring in a low percentile for weight, but since she's growing but still in the same percentile, the doctor isn't worried about her. She just petite. I keep telling her to enjoy it now... genetics say she will probably not stay so petite.

Anyway, some new likes, dislikes and talents-

Likes -

Daddy (really likes Daddy... new babble is da-dee-aaaaadd-ee like a song, with a BIG grin)

Mommy

Solid foods- tries to eat off Mommy's plate. Loves peas, rice cereal, and bananas (babbles nananana when eating bananas, when she wants more)

fingers and toes - still REALLY likes her fingers and toes

the dogs - she often laughs at them while they're playing

Sesame Street - especially Elmo. We saw the Elmo Live doll over Thanksgiving, and it was like Emily had seen the second coming. When Elmo moved and told Emily "Elmo loves you" and blew her kisses, her chin literally dropped and she was mesmerized. Very funny!

Stuffed Lobster (thanks Grandma!)

Fisher Price Keys that play "Wheels on the Bus" - we STILL love that song. Many thanks to the saint who gave us this toy at the baby shower.

Story books. If they're board books,that's a bonus because she can chew on them. "Is Your Mama a Llama?." is still a favorite!

Fisher Price stacking stars - her chin dropped the first time she saw this toy. Now she loves hearing the music, but hasn't figured out how to stack the stars yet.

We laugh at pretty much anything now, which is a lot of fun. Peek - a -boo gets big laughs. Who knew Mommy was a comedian?

Dislikes -

Not much, as Emily is a REALLY easy going kid and very easily entertained. Doesn't like wearing her jacket (just like her sister!) and is still fighting her naps. I guess she's afraid she'll miss something.

New talents -

Eating solids - we have yet to find a food Emily doesn't like. The kid eats like a champ. She leans INTO the spoon and gets very excited over meal times that involve a spoon.

Waving - this is something she figured out today. Very cute. Funny when Mommy waves to her, and she gets excited when she waves her arm back.

Washing her tongue. This truly is as odd as it sounds. I tried washing her face last night, and each time she stuck out her tongue. I'd wash her tongue, she'd giggle, splash a little in the bath, and stick out her tongue again, waiting for the wash cloth. I have such an odd kid. Very cute, but very strange.

Log Rolling. Will just roll until she hits something that makes her stop. Not a big fan of using her legs. The pediatrician today said she's "hypotonic" - meaning her muscles are really relaxed and she's very flexible. Predicts that she may walk late.

Grabbing the dogs. Has realized if they get close enough, she can grab the very shiny, jingly things on the collar. This scared the crap out of Marty the first time. Now Emily just laughs when they lick her hands. She tries to lick them back, and thinks "the dog says 'oof'" is very funny.

I'll try and post recent pictures tomorrow. She's losing more of her baby hair, but has enough growing back in that she doesn't quite look bald.

Our 5 Month Birthday!

2008-11-04T18:16:00.003-05:00

I finally got around to bringing Em to get pictures taken.

It was timed just right.

She had puked all over her cute little outfit about 20 minutes before while Christina and I were getting haircuts (BANGS for both of us!).

5 minutes before, she had fallen asleep in my arms.

She woke up for pictures and was all smiles!

Then we had a melt down and was cranky until bed at 7 pm. Didn't help that while playing on the floor Sadie got too close and scratched her face with her big ol' paw.

But we got some good pictures from 12:30-1:15 pm!

Five Months Likes and Dislikes -

Likes:
Daddy
Sadie
Mommy
"Wheels on the Bus" - no longer cares who is singing
Any toy that makes music
Prunes
Girl Scouts

Dislikes:
Yogurt
Naps when at home (naps better at the sitter's - she is used to being there since I'm working a lot!)
Sadie's kisses

More pictures from Buffalo

2008-11-03T08:05:00.003-05:00

Grandpa took some great pictures of the girls during our visit over Columbus Day weekend! Thanks, Grandpa!

Things in common with the Elderly.

2008-10-27T21:19:00.002-04:00

Tonight we discovered that Emily has many things in common with the elderly.

1. Her name. Long associated with old ladies, the name "Emily" is making a comeback.

2. She uses diapers too.

3. Her love of PRUNES of all things! Out of all the different types of foods she's trying - granted it's only been cereal, pears, applesauce and prunes - PRUNES are her absolute favorite. Does not make funny faces or spit it out. Opens her mouth up wide, waiting for more!

When we're done eating of the spoon, we suck what's on the bib off. Lovely.

Grammy Comes to Visit!

2008-10-27T21:14:00.003-04:00

Grammy came to visit us for her birthday! It was great to see her and we were happy to have her spend her birthday with us in VA.

We finally got a SMILE out of her on film! She normally smiles after the flash goes off.

Emily's first wedding

2008-10-27T21:02:00.003-04:00

We traveled to North Carolina for our friend's wedding. Emily did great and looked adorable (but I'm a little biased.)

Apparently, the dress tasted good too.

Our little Party Animal!

Girl Scouts

2008-10-27T20:56:00.002-04:00

We had our Bridging - or Flying Up - ceremony at Girl Scouts. This is where currentJunior scouts welcome new Juniors to the troop. The Brownies walk across the bridge and are welcomed into the troop.

Christina walking her new Junior across the bridge.

Emily likes Girl Scouts too. The other parents think I've lost my mind, letting the girls all take care of Emily. Two girls per meeting are in charge of Emily. By the end of the year, they will have all earned their Child Care badge.

Long overdue updates!

2008-10-27T20:45:00.003-04:00

Here are some long overdue updates!

Picture of Emily falling asleep while eating.

Pictures from the Octoberfest in Arlington.

From our trip to Buffalo:
Emily with Great Grandma G
Emily, her cousin Gio, and Great Grandma. Gio was absolutely mesmerized by Em... kept trying to share his toys with the baby.

Christina spent a lot of time "decorating" Grandma and Grandpa's driveway for the party.

And back at home, our independent little one tries to feed herself.

Four Month check up

2008-10-07T11:14:00.002-04:00

We had our 4 month appointment on Monday. Em weighs 11 lb 10 oz (10%), is 23 1/2 inches long (25%) and has a head circumfrence of 16 inches (50%). So she's still a peanut.

She did alright with the shots, although it didn't help that she also has a cold. At four months old, here are some likes, abilities and dislikes.

Likes:

Daddy
Sadie
Jeopardy noises
Elmo
Big pink stuffed monkey
thumbs
feet
mirrors
Mommy singing "Wheels on the bus"

She can:

Almost sit unassisted
Laugh
reach for toys while on her belly
scream just for the joy of hearing herself
almost roll over - she gets 3/4 of the way there, then screams for Mommy to finish for her.
Sleep 12 hours through the night

Dislikes:

Outfits with more than three snaps
toys that vibrate (they scare her)
ear drops or nose drops
the doctor

More new pictures

2008-09-29T13:34:00.003-04:00

Cereal!

2008-09-29T12:24:00.003-04:00

On a whim, I decided to try some cereal with Emily. Just a little bit. Mostly to let her feel the texture of it and see if she'd eat it.

I put her in her high chair, sans cute little outfit, knowing it would probably get messy.

She didn't actually EAT any of the cereal, but she looked pretty funny in the high chair!

Also, we took Emily to visit our friend's Aunt Millie. She recently had a heart attack, so we brought Em over for a visit, because she's still little enough for Millie to cuddle with.

New Photos and videos

2008-09-18T17:36:00.002-04:00

All are just random pictures and videos of Emily during the day.

We definitely have a thumb-sucker.

Sadie still thinks she tastes good.

Here she was giggling at the toy dangling over her head.

She's discovered if she moves enough and grabs at the toys, the seat makes noise, lights up and moves. This entertains her for about 10 minutes.

More time on the mat.

Tummy time! She will tolerate being on her tummy for about 5 minutes, max. She starts trying to roll over, gets frustrated and screams instead for Mommy to turn her over. She wants to move though... she's grabbing at the mat to pull herself forward.

I think in this picture she was deep in conversation with the doll on the left and the Zebra rattle on the right.

More thumb sucking on the floor.

First Day of school!

2008-09-06T16:50:00.002-04:00

I can't believe she's in FIFTH GRADE already. Seems like yesterday we were sending her off to first grade.

Emily and Kayden finally meet!

2008-09-06T16:36:00.004-04:00

Emily got to meet her new cousin, Kayden while in NJ. They weren't sure what to think of each other.

First, Kayden is trying to check out Emily...

He gets a little closer to check out this girl baby.

And then he goes in for the grope.

"No means NO, Kayden!!"

"Hey, I like girls!"

"Now she's getting clingy, not sure if I like her so much anymore."

Not the best pictures of me or Emily.

Grumpy with all the grandkids!

Overheard when this was taken: "This is why I had a BOY baby instead of a girl. They don't like me."

Graydon is AWESOME!

2008-09-06T16:24:00.002-04:00

While in NJ, we took Christina to Graydon pool. It is the town pool where I grew up and is basically a man-made lake.

She had a blast in the sand, diving off the high dive, and swimming with a family of ducks. She's been telling all her friends at home about the awesome pool in NJ and can't wait to go back next summer.

Christina's Trip to Manhattan

2008-09-06T16:16:00.006-04:00

While visiting my family in NJ, we went on a day trip to Manhattan to go to the American Girl store.

We got to the city a bit early, so we walked to Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Grammy and Christina in the doorway of St. Patrick's.

Then we walked over to where the Today Show is filmed.

We learned that if you stand next to the lady holding a sign that says, "I'm 88 and want to be on the Today Show", you too can be in the camera shot.

Then we made it to the AG Store, and Samantha got her hair done.

Then we all had a delicious brunch at the AG Cafe. Yum!

Bedroom Update!

2008-08-21T22:40:00.002-04:00

Because I know you're all waiting on the edge of your seats... hahaha.

Christina LOVED her bedroom. She had run up to her room to put some things away when she got home from her mom's today... and I stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting for a reaction.

Silence.

I'm getting nervous.

She then appears at the top of the stairs with her jaw hanging wide open. She's shocked and LOVES her new room!! She was thrilled with every little detail, recognized some of the fabric in the curtains too! Understood the position of "if you don't keep it up, this-this-and this will be removed" and agreed to it.

YES!!!!!

Video Experiment

2008-08-18T11:12:00.004-04:00

I tried out the video function on my digital camera. It's not the most exciting video - just of Emily in her Pack n Play enjoying the mobile and my irritating voice egging her on.

On another note, she's finally reached 10 lbs, and has slept 8-10 hours through the night the past 4 nights in a row! Woo hoo!

Birthday Surprise!

2008-08-18T11:01:00.006-04:00

Christina has been complaining for MONTHS that she hates her bedroom, despite the fact that she picked out the color and curtains, etc less than two years ago. We'd been telling her that unless she could take care of her room (keep it neat, put things away like clothes, not be destructive), she would not have it redone. She could not do that - even at one point tried convincing us that she couldn't keep her room neat because it was ugly. Nice try.

Anyway, as a surprise for her birthday, I added accessories, new curtains, pillows, bedding and painted. She'll be shocked when she comes back from her mom's on Wednesday!

Below are the before and after pictures!

BEFORE - a nice light blue (she picked) and black and white curtains. Note how the room looks like a disaster with clothes and other crap all over the place.

AFTER: Various colors and sizes of polka dots are now painted on the walls, the curtains are made from scraps of material I'd had, and they are reversible. All the same colors that are in the polka dots, and the bedding.

I finally finished her bookshelf - it'd been sitting out in our carport for over a year (I'm so embarrassed). Had painted it black when we moved here to go in her room, but added polka dots to it now. Christina also inherited my old stereo - three disk CD player, remote control and has a sleep function so I don't have to get up and turn her radio off in the middle of the night anymore.

If she can't keep her room up, that stereo will be first to be removed. Followed by the orange paper lantern over her bed, the cool new sheets and comforter cover, and curtains. If she likes this stuff, she needs to take care of it, that way, I won't feel like we caved on our original position on a room re-do.

Thanks for the cute barrettes, Grammy!

2008-08-04T15:34:00.002-04:00

They're just the right size for her little noggin!

Baby's First "Palooza"

2008-08-04T15:23:00.004-04:00

We brought Emily to Lushapalooza on Saturday. For those not in the know - this is an annual party thrown by the kickball team - Team Lush.

Every baby should have a warning label like this one. Our friends did not take caution and two were spit up upon.

Emily gets her grove on with her aunties Rebecca, Kelisa and Laura.

She relaxes with Auntie Kathleen.
Emily having the reaction that most women do to Uncle Darryl. He was preparing her for her first Notre Dame football game this fall. She looks terrified.

"I fell asleep and when I woke up I was wearing this stupid hat and covered in tacky purple beads!!"

Our Social Butterfly

2008-07-30T17:22:00.002-04:00

While most babies are soothed by a crib mobile and it helps them drift off to sleep, Emily sees the animals on the mobile as her playmates.

Each time I put her in her Pack N' Play or crib, facing up towards the mobile, she starts smiling and talking to the bears or ladybugs. It's like she thinks they're dancing just for her.

The Last Swim Meet

2008-07-28T19:38:00.002-04:00

Christina had her last swim meet of the season - the Divisional Championships. She swam in one event (an early one!!! woo hoo!) and finished in third place out of six swimmers. Unfortunately, she disqualified on a stroke (didn't do it correctly) but we were still really proud of her for finishing the IM (four strokes, four laps in the pool).

That night, there was the end of season banquet. Each kid got their ribbons from the Divisional Championships, a record with their personal records for each stroke they swam, and a "plate award". The plate award is something that Coach Dot does for EACH child on the team - she writes an award for each kid. Christina got the "Most Enthusiastic" award from Coach Dot - noting that at each meet, Christina was always eager to compete and always gave 100% at meets and practices. We are VERY proud of our Broyhill Crest Barracuda!

The Pool

2008-07-28T19:33:00.002-04:00

At a week shy of two months old, Emily is the most popular kid at the pool. The kids swarm around her when we get there, and literally line up to take turns holding her.

This is Emily with Angela. Angela is the youngest of the three daughters of the Pool President, Robin. Everyone knows Angela is a baby hog. As soon as we get to the pool, she comes over, asks to hold Emily, then walks around with her telling everyone, "This is Emily, Christina's sister." When she sits, you can see even the little boys all surround her to see the baby. Too cute!

Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Mary's visit!

2008-07-28T19:26:00.004-04:00

Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Mary came to Virginia for a visit. As you can see, Emily finds Grandpa very funny. She is smiling and "talking" more... and she's big enough for her high chair!

Aunt Mary and Christina at the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C.

More smiling at Grandpa!

Smiling for Mommy

When she's really content and eating in the high chair, she puts her foot up on the tray and kicks back. Too funny!

Then we pass out after the bottle.

Family visits are exhausting!

We have a budding artist on our hands!

2008-07-23T09:17:00.008-04:00

In an effort to keep Christina occupied after the funeral on Saturday, I gave her my camera. She really surprised us - she's quite talented.

Photos from Mt. Vernon yesterday where she continued to take some breathtaking shots.

Trip to Buffalo

2008-07-23T09:03:00.005-04:00

Sadly Grandma O passed away and we made the long trip north to Buffalo to say goodbye. It was good to see so many relatives, although the circumstances were sad.

I learned that there are an awful lot of you visiting that I didn't know were seeing this site. Please leave comments!!

Emily and her Aunt Mary

Christina spinning in her dress

Christina took this picture of me.

Emily intently watching Aunt Andrea

Christina and Emily with their Great Grandma G

Grandma, Christina, Emily and Great Grandma G

Emily and Danielle

Someone is a morning person!

2008-07-17T09:47:00.003-04:00

Emily is starting to take after Daddy, who is more of a morning person than anyone else in this house. She certainly doesn't get it from Mommy or her sister.

She's all smiles when she is fully awake (and changed) and waiting for her bottle. She's got such a precious little smile, but as her mom, I'm a little biased. As you can see, she is still grabbing onto burp cloths like its a security blanket.

EIGHT hours of sleep a night does her well, apparently. For the second night in a row, she went 8+ hours through the night. YES!

She also likes to make funny faces when the camera flash goes off.

Six Weeks!

2008-07-15T16:46:00.003-04:00

Here are some 6 week pictures for your enjoyment!

Just hanging out with Mommy...

Catching a nap in her favorite spot - the car seat. Now she's grabbing on to things.... usually Mommy's hair or a necklace. Today, while napping in the seat, she's refusing to let go of a burp cloth - clutching it like a security blanket. While still fussy, she is smiling more and starting to coo and "converse" with some toys, like the fish on the car seat.

The Swim Meet

2008-07-15T16:38:00.004-04:00

Now that Big Sister Christina is back, we've got swim team meets! She is in the red cap and blue suit. We had a "B" meet yesterday, meaning that they competed against a local pool, but it didn't count so the kids could swim any event they chose. Christina did the butterfly and breast stroke and IM (all four strokes - 200 yard swim!) She did a great job and we are so proud of her!

Baby's First Fourth

2008-07-05T11:26:00.004-04:00

We didn't go anywhere or have plans for the 4th, but Emily sure did look cute in her "First 4th" outfit!

Daddy took Emily outside to see if they could spot any fireworks. They got caught in the rain!

The problem with the swing

2008-07-03T21:31:00.005-04:00

Emily is now getting to a size that she enjoys being in the swing. She likes the motion and the sounds that it plays - either classical music or nature sounds. She even likes looking at the animals on top of the swing. Sounds great, right? However, when I walk away it can be quiet for some time, or I hear an ear-piercing scream, indicating an issue.

There is a problem with using the swing, as predicted. You see, the swing is the same height as the dogs. Marty just sits and watches the swing. Sadie views the swing as making her access to Emily much easier. She stands in front of the swing, waiting for Emily to come to her. Then she goes full force - or should I say, full tongue - at the poor baby.
We've had a relatively good evening tonight. She got a full bottle of formula from Daddy while Mommy ran out to the grocery store. She was full of bodily activity following that - pooped (finally!!) and spit up. She did sit through our dinner without screaming though.

When Mommy was finished eating, Emily got a new outfit and new diaper. That, of course, means it's time to pass out.

Week Four or "Oh no! Colic?!"

2008-07-02T15:47:00.011-04:00

This is pretty much how every day goes, these days. Emily is in a growth spurt so she wants to eat constantly. She's gassy, so she's uncomfortable. She's constipated, so she's REALLY uncomfortable. I think we're approaching a colic situation. If she's not eating or sleeping, she's screaming. **sigh**

Mommy went out to dinner with some friends early in the week, leaving Daddy and baby on their own (well, with a healthy supply of bottles). This is what Mommy came home to - both of them passed out. Apparently it was a rough evening of lots of screaming and Mommy is not allowed to leave them again.

We went to our first kickball game last week and our first ParrotHead event - a picnic. She did well being held by Mr. Bob at the picnic.

Then she crashed - heat, having just ate, and the over stimulation got to her.

Today, some neighbors came by with some yummy pesto and their dog for a play date. Emily was screaming when they arrived, but soon calmed down and crashed yet again - this time on Mommy.

Three week update

2008-06-24T13:50:00.007-04:00

Does she look bigger?

Emily is now three weeks old and sleeping through the night - about 6 hours. She's more alert during the day - which means more fussy periods for now. She's just about outgrown her newborn sized diapers and clothes. The 0-3 month outfits are fitting better now, except those with pants. The elastic waistbands are too big for this skinny mini and they fall right off her when I pick her up! We visit her doctor again tomorrow to see how she is gaining weight and determine whether or not just nursing her is enough.

Here she is in her car seat at the kitchen table, so Mommy and Daddy can eat dinner. She loves the Little Einstein toy attached to the top... she watches the fish.

Think the dog is attached?

2008-06-18T17:34:00.003-04:00

Emily had a shot at the doctor today. Sadie won't leave her side because she's feeling lousy.

Emily weighed in at 6 lb 11 oz. Doctor wasn't concerned that we have to wake her to feed her, or that she'll sleep through the night if I let her (he said to let her! YES!). We'll weigh her again next week to see if she gains back to her birth weight, and if not we'll talk about supplementing breast milk with formula.

Two weeks!

2008-06-17T18:34:00.006-04:00

I can't believe she's two weeks old already!

Before our first walk through the neighborhood on Saturday.

Lounging around after a diaper change.

Squirming around

And making funny faces for Mommy!

I had my follow up appointment to check my incision today. All is fine - healing nicely. And I have dropped more pounds than what the baby weighed (which is what I expected)... was 217 (gulp!) when I delivered... down to 196 today. Woo hoo! And I got the green light to drive again! Double woo hoo!

Em has her 2 week appointment tomorrow - hopefully. The pediatrician's office called to say they had a power outage and to call before going to her appointment. I'm hoping she's gained enough weight that I can let her sleep through the night. Everyone would be much happier if we didn't have to wake her up every 2-3 hours to nurse.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T19:30:00.010-04:00

We got to spend Father's Day weekend not only with Dad having two girls, but with Grumpy Dirk too!

Emily being tickled by her Grumpy

Emily being squirmy.

Grumpy and his girls!

A very serious Emily.

Mom, Dad and Emily - asleep and scrunched up.