Emmeline - 5 month (and 4 weeks)

Man, I'm really bad at the monthly updates. I'll make this one fast.
So far this month, sweetest Emmeline does the following (I took this list from Babycenter.com):

• Distinguishes between bold colors
• Plays with his hands and feet
• Recognizes own name
• Turns toward new sounds
• Rolls over in both directions
• Sits momentarily without support
• Mouths objects
• Turns toward sounds and voices
• Rolls over in both directions
• Is ready for solid foods
• Mouths objects
• Lunges forward or starts crawling
• Jabbers or combines syllables
• Drags objects toward herself


Here are some pictures - highlights from the month!

Here we are in Linn Park. We went to the Veteran's Day Parade.

Here's Emmeline Thanksgiving weekend. We all had a stomach bug... can't you tell she doesn't feel good. Yeah, we couldn't either, except when she was vomiting.
She absolutely loves this swing. My sister-in-law let us use it and man, it is so fantastic!

On the state of our home . . .

If any of you should venture to our house anytime soon and wonder about the dull state of our hardwoods or the dust bunnies in the corners or the unfinished moulding or the raw wood doors, might I refer you to the poem below.

We are otherwise entertained right now. Emmeline grows bigger all the time. We'd rather not miss it (however the picture below shows how out of hand the craft loft has become).

Craft loft, a.k.a. storage, a.k.a. my next project

Anyway, on to that poem.

BABIES DON’T KEEP

Mother, oh Mother,

come shake out your cloth,

empty the dustpan,

poison the moth,

hang out the washing

and butter the bread,

sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house

is so shocking?

She’s up in the nursery,

blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little

Boy Blue (lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping’s not done

and there’s nothing for stew

and out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo

but I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?

(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing

will wait till tomorrow,

for Children grow up,

as I’ve learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs.

Dust go to sleep.

I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep…...

~Author Unknown ~

He was born on the third of July...

and died the day before Thanksgiving.

Calvin had to be put to sleep this morning. The cancer was back, and it was shutting him down. If you don't remember, Calvin was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma, the most invasive, blood born cancer a dog can have. They removed a ten pound tumor that had taken over his spleen in August of 2006, two weeks before our wedding. Calvin was eleven. The told us he would live four months, on the outside.

He made it three and a half more years.

He met Ginny.

He met Emmeline.

Now he's eating steak in heaven with all of his girlfriends.

We love him and miss him so much. He truly is the greatest dog I've ever known. Hands down. He introduced David and me. He was one evolutionary rung away from speech, I could see it in his eyes. He would hide rawhides from the other dogs, even at 14 years old. He went out smiling.

What a great run, Calvin.

I'm so blessed to have known you.

Seeing double . . .

I found this old picture in a stack that my mom gave me.

Me at exactly four months on my christening day.

And here's a new one.

Emmeline at five days shy of four months, in the same dress.

Same dress.

Same age.

She is totally cuter.

Emmeline - 4 Months

Emmeline is four months old today. She is growing up so fast! Her stats are:

Weight: 13 lbs. 8 oz. (up one and a half pounds in two months)
Length: 24.5"
Head: 17"

Developmentally, she is changing every day. Some new milestones include:

• putting toys and things into her mouth
• reaching for objects, like keys, grocery lists, etc.
• taking her paci out and putting it back in
• standing (supported by us, of course)
• passing toys from hand to hand (she has just started this)
• playing with her feet, including taking off her socks
• "chatting" with us, and she is adding in some consenants
• showing interest in our food (I don't think she is quite ready for solids yet, but she sure likes to sit in our laps and watch us eat.)
• slinging her toys around (she enjoys the rattling that they make)

All in all, she is a total joy, and we really love her so much.

"There's a thin line between Saturday night, and Sunday morning . . ."

Before we get started, does anybody know where that quote is from?

So yesterday (Saturday) was Halloween and today (Sunday) is All Saint's Day. Emmeline celebrated both, so here are the pics.

She was a rock star for Halloween. Her shirt says "The Hissyfits" on the front and "Rock Me!" on the back. She wore zebra print pants and I spiked her hair up with Karo syrup, a trick I learned from the guy who has been cutting my hair forever.

We went to visit David's parents and my parents and she was a HUGE hit, of course. She was quite cute and really seemed to like being dressed up. Of course, that could have been her high-contrast pants!

Today we baptized Emmeline at St. Andrew's, the church where I was baptized, and married. It was such a great service. She was a fabulous child and didn't get fussy until the very end. The choir sang an arrangement of "Be Thou My Vision" that was a wedding gift to me from my friend Michael Smith. It was so great to have it heard at Emmeline's baptism, too! We had a reception afterward and it was so wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better day!

This picture has nothing to do with Halloween or her baptism, but I love it so I included it. David took it in our back yard and she looks so sweet in it. I must say, my husband is a wonderful photographer!!!

Speaking of my husband, he is recovering from the swine flu, so send some good thoughts his way. David has had what he thought was a cold for a couple of weeks. Last Friday, when he was still feeling cruddy and with a long weekend of work and the baptism ahead, he went to a doc in a box to see if he had walking pneumonia. No, but he was at the tail end (we hope) of the swine flu.

Thank God Emmeline and I were spared (we think), knock on wood. We thought his cold was something he picked up from me or Emmeline since we have both been a little sick in the past few weeks. Who knew that it was swine flu!!!!

Anyway, that's all from here. I'll try to do another post this week about some of the non-baby things going on around here.

Emmeline - 3 months (and 3 weeks)

I sure hope you all haven't been waiting on the edge of your seats for this update, because it is LATE! It has taken some adjustment going back to work. Just when we had gotten into the swing of things - mama has to throw a wrench in it! I've had it started for a long time, but I'm just now finishing it. Perhaps I'll post Halloween pictures for Thanksgiving.

Anyway, Emmeline is doing great. She sleeps so well. We are very fortunate. She has adjusted to daycare without a hitch and really seems to enjoy it. Her two teachers, Mary and Amy like her because she is such an easy-going baby. She is such a little rock star (especially the hair), as you can see from the following picture!
We didn't weigh her this month, but she is a total chunk, and I mean that in the nicest way. I mean, look at those cheeks. I'd say her days of not gaining well are way in the past.
She is hitting all of her developmental milestones right on target. Her new accomplishments this month are:

• rolling over back to front and front to back (she accomplished both of these the day before she turned three months)
• mini-push-ups (see picture below, she loves tummy time)
• "stands up" if you hold her, bears weight on legs
• smiles and coos at our funny songs and faces (Tragically, "Party in the U.S.A." is a favorite.)
  
• "talks" and laughs
• Her favorite game right now is spitting-out-her-spit. It is equal parts gross and sweet. She seems so pleased with herself, even though her front is slimy wet all the time.
• "watching" us, following us and the dogs with her eyes
• She loves sitting in her bumbo. I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of that!

We have Halloween and her baptism this weekend, followed by her four month check up and her four month birthday at the end of the week. Also, I've been trying to make some progress on the craft loft so I'll need to show you that! It look like I'll need to be a better blogger. Somehow it seems like more fun to hug on the baby than to blog about her, but I'll do my best!!!

Emmeline - 2 months

Emmeline is two months old. I just can't believe it. She weighs 11 pounds 10 ounces and is 24 inches long. She is growing like a weed!
What is ridiculous is her hair. It is so long, or tall, depending on how you look at it. It stands straight up on the top and lays completely flat on the sides and back because of holding her.

Here are a few of her recent highlights:

1. She is getting so much personality. She has distinct likes (kisses, watching and batting at toys, singing) and dislikes (wet diapers, being hungry, being gassy).
   
2. She is a very happy baby. She only cries when she needs something, so not a lot of incessant fussing, which is great. She really doesn't like being hungry or sleepy.
   
3. She smiles a lot now - especially at David's funny faces and my singing. (I'm not quite sure how to take that.)
   
4. She laughs in her sleep, but I have yet to hear a real laugh out loud. We are really looking forward to baby giggles.
   
5. She coos and gurgles at us when she is amused.
6. She flirts with the ceiling fan. First she will smile at it, and then she will turn her head away coyly. It is quite funny - we think that it is her first boyfriend.
7. She will stand up, if supported.
   
8. She loves all of the toys on her activity mat. She grabs and holds onto the turtle and the octopus. She loves her mobile, too. The both play classical music, which she enjoys, and she hates when it stops.
9. She really likes chewing on her hands. It isn't really sucking her fingers, though she does that some too.
   
10. She sleeps very well (5-7.5 hours) and is getting onto a good schedule. This is what a normal day looks like. (A note: "play" means many things; tummy time, time on her activity mat or swing, walking around the house talking to me and the dogs, or even a running dialog about what we are buying at Sam's.)
    

• Up at 5 or 6 to eat and then back to sleep until 8ish.
• Up to eat and then play until about 10 and then nap until 11.
• Up to eat and then play until about 1 and then nap until 2 or 3.
• Up to eat and then play until 5 or 6 without much of a nap.
• Eat again around 7 or 8 and then play while we eat dinner.
• Bathtime (every other night) and then to bed, either in the pack and play in the living room or in your crib in our bedroom. Sometimes you like to be where the action is.
• Up to nurse (more like a dream feed) one last time around 10 or 11 when we go to bed.
• Lather, rinse, repeat.
  

All in all, we are so blessed to have such a beautiful and smart child. David and I are looking forward to getting to know Emmeline more as we all grow!

A new project . . .

I want to make this quilt.
It (and this photo) are from Anna Marie Horner, a fabric designer. I haven't picked the fabric yet. I'm looking at fabric.com, but I just can't decide. I could use her collections, but that seems like the easy way out. I'll keep you updated.

I'm sure this will take me FOREVER to finish, what with a small infant and going back to work in 3 weeks. Perhaps it will be done by next summer, along with that Winnataska t-shirt quilt I keep threatening to start.

So many projects, so little time. I guess I should go get the craft loft set up.

Emmeline - Week 6

The highlight of Emmeline's week was a trip to the beach. We spent a week at The Beach Club in Fort Morgan. It was a great trip. She spent a lot of time bonding with her Uncle Seth . . .

and her Grandmother.

We also celebrated my birthday while we were down there. While I was feeding Emmeline, everyone else decorated the condo and totally surprised me when I came out of our bedroom. Emmeline was slightly unsure about the whole thing.

She was the subject of multiple photo shoots, one of which is shown above.
All in all, we had a great time. Emmeline was well behaved and really enjoyed spending time with extended family.

David snapped this picture of her the other day and it is his new favorite. I like it too, so I thought I should included it.

This may be the last weekly update - I think I'll switch to monthly. Her milestones should be spreading out soon. So far, she:

• holds her head up really well
• recognizes faces (especially David, me and other folks she sees all the time)
• shows a preference for positions, people and toys (she loves her pink bear)
• smiles when we approach her to pick her up
• enjoys tummy time, especially on her daddy's chest
• smiles and approximates a laugh, but not that baby giggling yet (I.can't.wait.)
• "talks" to us using coos, sighs, gurgles and squeals, but conversational inflections, which is really crazy
  

I think she is doing really well. Below are her stats:
10 lbs. 7 oz. (up 2 lbs. from birth, and 2 lbs. 3 oz. from her lowest weight)
23.5 inches (up 2.5 inches from birth, but she is hard to measure, so this one is approximate)

Next post - not baby related - I promise!!!

Emmeline - Week 5

Emmeline's fifth week was a busy one. She took her first big trip. We went to the beach but I haven't downloaded all of the pictures yet, so those will have to wait until the next post. For now, here are a few pics of her other activities.

Napping in the pack and play and dreaming about puppies and fairies.

Chilling in the back yard, working on holding my head up.

Posing (a la Glamour Shots) for my one-month portraits.

Emmeline - Week 4

So I weighed Emmeline again on her 3 wek birthday and she had only gained 2 oz., no where near the .5-1 oz. per day recommended. Connie, my neighbor who is a lactation consultant, worked with me on some techniques to get Emmeline to eat more efficiently. She also left her scales for me to use. This was fantastic! I really got to see how well she was eating. She weighed 9 lb. 3 oz. on Sunday, up 6 oz. in five days. Connie and our pediatrician are no longer concerned. YAHOO!! She has also grown about 1.5 inches, so now she is 22.5 inches tall.Other events for the week include her first real bath. She wasn't quite sure if she liked it or not.
We went to church for the second time one Sunday. She did very well!
We went over to my grandmother's house for a birthday celebration for David and me. My grandmother LOVES Emmeline!
Emmeline is also becoming more aware of her surroundings, including her feet, as shown above. She also smiles when she sees us now. It is the cutest, toothless grin I have ever seen in my life!

Emmeline - Week 3

To celebrate David's birthday on July 23, his parent's bought Emmeline a tree, a brandywine maple, which they planted in our side yard. In the fall it should turn the most lovely deep purple color. I can't wait!
We also spent some time just chilling. It was great. We like taking her out on the back patio after the sun sets below the trees. As you can see in the above picture, Emmeline has some silly hair. And it gets sillier every day. She hasn't lost any yet (knock on wood) and it just keeps sticking up and out. I hope she keeps it.
We also had a setback with her weight gain during this week. She hadn't gained any weight at her two week appointment. The pediatrician didn't seem too worried, but suggested that I bring he back for a weight check at four weeks. I let her know that my neighbor is a lactation consultant who offered to work with me and borrow her scales if I needed to. The pediatrician said just to keep her updated on Emmeline's weight. I'll give you more info on that in the next post.

Emmeline - Week 2

The highlight of Emmeline's second week was a trip to Camp Winnataska for the dedication of the new ropes course.
The climbing tower was dedicated to Roger Soloman for his dedication to camp, especially during the interim between our joint venture with the Boy Scouts and our current independent configuration.

She had a doctor's appointment on her one week birthday. Her stats were 8 lb. 11 oz, up 7 oz. from her hospital release 3 days prior. Other fun events for the week were visits to Samford and the Hoover Public Library. We visited my aunt and uncle, and had many visitors to the house including my mom and grandmother, my dad and his wife, Madelyn, Colin and Annalisa, and a few more. She also went to David's sister, Sharon's birthday lunch and David's cousin, Tandy's birthday party. Thank goodness for the ring sling carrier! She was snug as a bug in a rug at all of her visits.

Emmeline - Week 1

Friends. I have neglected my blog. I have a good reason, and she is really pretty. Emmeline Violet was born on July 7 and we have spent the last four weeks hanging out and getting to know her. I'll (try to) post weekly for a while with her updates, but I'll spend the next four posts catching up.
I'll spare you the entire birth story, but I'll let you know that I was induced. They started pitocin at 7 am and Emmeline was born on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 2:18 pm. She weighed 8 lb. 7 oz., was 21 inches long and had a 14.5 inch head. Right after birth, she had trouble keeping her oxygen levels up. They took her for observation, but she ended up spending four days in the NICU for a pneumothorax and fluid in her lungs.
It was really sad, but for the best. She was in great hands and we got to spend a lot of time with her during visiting hours.I finally got to hold her for more than a second which was GREAT! She was still hooked up to monitors and still had the IV in her head, but I think it made us both feel better.
We brought her home on Saturday, July 11.
For those of you who were worried about the dogs, there was no need. Winni, as you can see, LOVES her. Ginny thinks she is her baby and comes in if Emmeline makes a peep in the other room to see why we aren't running to the rescue. Chica and Calvin love her too.
We really love her and can't wait to get to know her more. I'll post again soon.

One for me and one for E.V.

So I did some sewing last Saturday. It was really fun. I used two patterns from a great new book by fabric designer, Heather Ross called Weekend Sewing. I made one thing for myself and one thing for the baby. (I'd love to tell you her name, but I'm afraid to jinx it, so we will go with her initials, E.V., for now.)

For myself, I made the Weekend-Away Travel Bag.

Purple make-up bag, approximate dimensions 9" x 7" x 3"

The outer fabric is by this Japanese designer. I ordered it from superbuzzy.com a while back and just got around to using it. For the lining I used some lavender fabric with purple dots from the Hancock that I had in my stash. I liked the pattern, but I'll probably make some adjustments next time I make this bag. I wasn't pleased with how it all went together in the last step, so I'll rethink that before I try it again. Overall, it is PERFECT for it's intended use: a make-up bag to take to the hospital.

For little E.V., I made Lucy's Kimono.

Kimono styled shirt with side ties in a super fun fabric with red Maltese crosses!!

The main fabric is by Amy Butler from her Belle line. The binding is by Sandi Henderson from her Farmers Market line. This was a super easy project. I'm going to make more of these. I'll probably have to adjust the pattern (currently newborn to three months) so that E.V. will have some longer-wearing jackets for the fall. The only problem with this pattern is that it calls for 1/2 yard of contrast bias tape for the binding and I used 1 and 1/2 yards. Most likely it was just a typo, and it wasn't that big of an issue since I made my own bias binding with one of these.

All in all, these were two fun projects that led to some nice "instant-gratification" sewing!

WILL and WON'T

I'm due in four weeks - June 29 - so most likely I'll have a baby by the end of the month. (Wow!) I was pondering the change from holding my baby on the inside to holding my baby on the outside and I thought I should write some of those thoughts down. It turned into a list of pairs of things I WILL and WON'T miss about pregnancy.

I WILL miss feeling her move around inside of me.
I WON'T miss the use of my organs as trampolines and punching bags.

I WILL miss having a reason to rest and put my feet up.
I WON'T miss my feet being so swollen as a reason that I HAVE to rest and put my feet up.

I WILL miss people's genuine interest in my health and well being.
I WON'T miss being photographed and touched like some roadside attraction. ("Look Ma, its the world's only two headed goat. Can I pet it . . . them . . . it?" If we are friends, it is one thing - if not, lens cap on and paws off, please.)

I WILL miss people telling me how pregnancy must agree with me because I look so nice.
I WON'T miss comments like "Are you sure you are going to make it four more weeks. You're huge!"

I WILL miss being allowed to wear flip-flops to work.
I WON'T miss falling over like a weeble-wobble when I try to put on any shoes but slip-ons.

I WILL miss baby hiccups. (Totally cool and weird at the same time.)
I WON'T miss being out of breath after one flight of steps.

I WILL miss eating ice cream every day.
I WON'T miss being so hot that I feel like I should climb into the ice cream.

I WILL miss shiny hair and nails.
I WON'T miss trying to reach around my baby belly to shave my legs. (Seriously, it's kinda like trying to shave at camp again!)

I WILL miss sleeping (I hear that babies disrupt that).
I WON'T miss arranging five pillows to try to get comfortable in the bed.

I WILL miss knowing that my baby is safe, well and warm inside of me.
I WON'T miss the anticipation of meeting this miracle for the first time.

I really enjoy the duality of life, and this exercise pointed to that for me. We would all like our situations to be perfect all the time. But on the other hand, if they were spotless, how could we appreciate the beauty in the contrast? Would the sunset be so beautiful, if it weren't for the rain clouds? Perhaps that is why pregnancy can be, and birth is so painful - to give you a sense of the wideness and depth of the joy and love you will feel when you finally get to meet your child.

So, for these last few weeks, I'll be getting through all of this fleeting pain of pregnancy to get to the wonder of a little gooey bundle of joy. I can't wait!

100th post . . .

So this is the 100th post! I thought I'd show y'all a couple of the pictures from the 4d ultrasound. This is especially appropriate because I'm due one month from today. I hope she makes it that long because then she would share a birthday with my grandfather.

She looks so sweet in this one. These were done at 31 weeks. That is her foot up in front of her face and her hand under her chin. At that point she was sitting breach. I'm not sure if she still is. She may be. We will find out at our appointment on Tuesday.

She was totally over the whole process in this picture. This was the last picture they got. After this she turned away. I'm sure she was just warming those lungs up for the real deal.

We are so excited and can't wait to meet her!!!