Hand

Emmy has discovered her right hand.  She just stares at it for minutes at a time as if she is trying to figure out what it is and what she should do with it.  I bought her a hand rattle which I think really threw her for a loop.  Not only is she determining exactly what her hand is, now she has to figure out how a blue elephant got there!

Staring at her hand

Now there is a finger?

Where did the elephant come from?!

Our little Fashionista

Okay, I only have a few more days left before I go back go back to work so I had to do it...  dress Emmy up in some outfits and take pictures :) She was such a trooper and looked so damn cute!

Her sporty look with her ugg boots courtesy of my parent's neighbor who bought them for her in Australia!

Her first girly dress, doesn't she look pretty?!

Motherhood

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a mom.  Back in junior high and high school when a teacher asked me to write about what I wanted to do/be when I grew up, expecting me to write about a profession, I'd write about being a mom.  The funny thing is I wasn't necessarily surrounded by many babies growing up, if any.  The only babies in my life were my younger cousins who lived 3,000 miles away.  So, it wasn't as if I knew what to expect or was prepared for what motherhood would be like.  What I did have to go off of were my memories of what my mom was like growing up and that is the best example I could ever have.  I had NO IDEA just how incredibly, unbelievably, wonderful it is to be a mom until I had Emery.  Yes, at times I have been exhausted, overwhelmed and even frustrated but I have loved and do love every minute.  Taking care of a little being who is completely helpless without you is the most rewarding responsibility anyone can have.  My life before her seems so selfish and not meaningful.  I can spend every minute (and do) of the day watching her play, learn and grow.  I even miss her when she is sleeping and can't wait for her to wake up!  The only good thing I can think about going back to work is coming home at the end of the day and seeing her glowing face looking back to me.  Nothing in the world compares....

Me and my girl...

Our first meeting

Staring at mommy

After a rough night...

Hanging out on the couch

Ready for Easter brunch

Saturday

Well, we had a great day today.  Josh took Emmy this morning so I could sleep in until 8am.  Even after sleeping in I was still tired after I fed her, so Emmy I took a nap from 9a - 10a! 

I finally gave in today and we went to get a new TV.  I didn't understand why we needed a flat screen TV when our old one still worked, until we got our new TV home.  It looks great and makes our old one look like a dinosaur!  I had to help Josh move the old one to the garage and I swear it weighed 100 pounds.  I think Emmy likes it too, I am convinced she watches the TV.

Watching the basketball game together

I headed out to Babiesrus this week and bought Emmy a new toy.  It is a fish that lights up and plays music when you touch it.  I put it in her crib this afternoon and she seems to like it already!  Yes, I know I put it close enough to her that it is inevitable that she will hit it, but I like to think she was doing it on purpose :)

Emmy playing with her cool new fish toy 

2 Month Appointment

We took Emery to the doctor for her 2 month appt on Friday.  She weighs 11 lbs 8 oz and is 22 1/2 inches long!  They think they were off on the measurement last time because she is measuring the same length.  Considering she grew out of all her newborn sleepers in the past month I know she has grown in length.  She got all her shots and was a brave girl.  She hasn't been too fussy either.  Compared to the ultrasound, the shots were nothing!

Here are a few pics from this week.  It went from 98 degrees to 58 in the matter of a few days...

Trying to stay cool in just her diaper

This one is for you Dad - I know how you love to see her BIG eyes!

All bundled up later in the week

One more week...

Well, I was able to postpone my return to work by one more week.  I really wish it could have been longer, but I will take any extra days I can get.  Fortunately, my mom will be in town my first week back to look after Emmy and help out while I get used to being back at the office.  The following week I am able to work half days so I can ease Emmy into daycare.  Honestly, I am probably the one that needs more easing.  Every time I think about leaving her I tear up.   I am going to be a mess the first day I drop her off.  My schedule moving forward allows me to work from home 2 days a week which will be great.  She will be attending daycare 3 days per week.  We got her into a top notch daycare up the street from our house, "The Baldwin Academy".  It is very reputable and has a great set-up.  Of course it is the most expensive one around so it better be good!  The name sure sounds fancy enough.  Don't you just picture a bunch of babies and kids in collared shirts? 

A weekend of firsts

Well, Emmy had a fun filled weekend this weekend.  She had her first night play date with little Kash, took her first trip to Target, spent an afternoon at the bay and started sucking her thumb.  She is so infatuated with her right hand it is hard to keep it out of her mouth!  

Night play date with Kash, they were really exciting....

Taking a nice nap at the bay

It took her a little while to actually find her thumb on her hand :)

Hip Ultrasound Update

I probably should've explained in a little more detail why we had to have the ultrasound on her hip.  I think it may have sounded more serious than it was!  The doctor thinks that maybe when she was in the womb her hip did not fuze entirely into the hip joint.  It looks like it might be just a hair off which would only cause her problems later in life - I am talking in 40 years from now.  They can fix it now by using a brace but I don't think it will be necessary.  I am pretty sure she inherited it from her mom because I have loose hip joints that occasionally cause me problems.  I guess if that had the same sort of technology 30 years ago it may have been prevented :) 

Play Time

Emery loves her play mat, thanks to Nannie and Papa who bought it for her.  She is mesmerized by the flashing lights above and has started to bat the sunshine that hangs above her head.  Sometimes she stares at it as if she wants to reach for it and just can't figure out how.  I think her favorite toy is the lion that we hang from her car seat.  She stares at it all the time, especially when we are in the car.  I have also started putting her on her stomach more for "tummy time" so she can strengthen her neck to lift that big noggin of hers.  She usually just licks whatever she is laying on.

A few pics of playtime

Tummy Time!

 

Trying to hard to lift her head! (Sorry it is sideways)

Playing on her play mat

Our Perfect Little Angel

I don't think we realized just how good Emery is until we starting spending time with other parents and their babies and heard their stories.  Not only has she slept in her bassinet and now crib perfectly from day one, she has continued to sleep for longer periods of time.  Not to mention she is always in a good mood, ready to chat and smile all day long :)

Last night we went to dinner with friends and their 6 week old son, Kash.  He refuses to sleep anywhere but on their chests and in their arms and was awake and needing to be held the whole dinner.  It was no bother to us, but I can only imagine how difficult it must be to enjoy a meal.  Our little girl on the other hand fell asleep in the car around 6p and continued to sleep through dinner and the car ride home.  We woke her around 10:30 to feed her.  She then fell asleep and proceeded to sleep 7+ hours straight for the third night in a row!  (I of course had to get up to pump still but surprisingly I am getting used to getting up in the night at least once.)

Our Perfect Little Angel!!

Asleep in her swing while we ate breakfast this morning

Sick with a cold

Poor little Emmy has caught her first cold.  I think this past weekend with all the outings and spending time with her cousins was too much for her.  Too many germs.  Poor girl is so stuffed up and doesn't know how to clear her nose.  I tried to suction it out with one of those bulbs but it was too big for her little nose.  Fortunately, she must have thought it was funny, or tickled, or something because she just smiled while I did it :) 

To make matters worse, we had to go for a hip ultrasound this afternoon.  The doctor thinks her hip may be loose in the joint.  Our trip started off by me getting completely lost and then parking in the furthest parking lot possible.  The children's hospital was a complete maze, I think I made 15 turns before I got to radiology.  I was like some sort of sick joke.  When we finally got in the not-so-nice technician made us hold her down in multiple positions which of course upset her.  She could already barely breath because of her cold but she started screaming so hard she was hysterical.  Thank goodness Josh was there to help me.  The woman doing the ultrasound was not very patient and was annoed that I didn't have a bottle to give her.  She works at a children's hospital you'd think she'd be patient!  Anyway, we made it and she has been sleeping ever since.  She is going on 4+ hours, hopefully that doesn't mean she'll be up all night!  Even when she is sick, she is still so damn cute....

Happy Easter!

We were very lucky to spend Easter with Josh's Brother and his family.  Zach, Amy, Elijah and Dylan drove down from Sonoma for little vacation in SD.  We were all very brave and took all of the kids to an awesome brunch this morning at the Catamaran.  The food was incredible, you could literally sit and eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at one sitting.   Any type of food you could imagine they had.  There was also an area roped off outside for an Easter egg hunt for the kids, even the Easter Bunny showed up.  Elijah was happy to meet him but Dylan wasn't too entertained by a big guy dressed up as a bunny.  I have to admit the highlight of the day was when Elijah decided the best place to pee was on a fake bush in the middle of the egg hunt.  It was priceless!  It was so much fun and we've decided to make it an annual tradition.

What a pretty girl!

Elijah with the Easter Bunny

Dylan hunting for some eggs

Thank you Amy for all the goodies in my first Easter Basket!

Having fun with Aunt Amy and Uncle Zach

The Chin

When I was pregnant I was convinced Emery was going to be inherit my features, dark hair and dark eyes.   We all debated whether or not she'd have brown or hazel eyes since mine are almost black and Josh's are hazel.  To all of our surprise she has blue eyes and her dad's fair features.  She looks just like Josh!  When I was home a few weeks back my mom pulled out a bunch of pictures of when I was a baby and I started to see a resemblance.  For those of you who knew me when I was a baby or have seen pictures, I was more than just a chubby baby, I was huge!  I had to have had at least 3 chins.  Well, Emmy may have inherited her looks from Josh, but she inherited my baby chin.  Here are just a few pictures of her growing chin.....

Videos

We've taken a few videos of Emmy just using our regular camera but they have turned out pretty good!  I have wanted to email them but the files are too large but now I can put them on the blog.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Lifting her head on Josh' shoulder.  She is trying so hard!

 

Playing with her toy.  Not to brag but I am pretty sure batting a toy is quite advanced for a 5 week old!

This Weekend

Last week Emery started smiling and it is the greatest thing ever!  Especially when it is 3am and I am up again exhausted, changing another poopy diaper and she looks up and smiles at me.  It just melts my heart.  Josh and I have been trying to get her to smile all the time and have been pretty successful.  Capturing it on camera is a little more difficult :)  Here are a few good ones we caught this weekend.

She also started sitting in her Boppy pillow.  I originally got it to breast feed but never really used it but I am so glad I have it because she loves sitting in it!  She looks so cute just chilling on the couch I swear she was watching TV.  The best is when I came home from the store and Josh had her dressed up in a summery outfit with sandals.  She looked like such a big girl for her 6 weeks.  For all of you who have met her in person and understand how big her feet are, the sandals actually fit!

Chilling in the Boppy... 

All dressed up

All smiles!

Welcome!

Dear friends and family,

In an effort to keep you all updated on our lives, mostly little Emery's, I have decided to start a blog.  I hope to be able to update it regularly with pictures, videos and updates on how our beautiful daughter is growing up.

Enjoy!