My Big Girl

As a preschool teacher, I came into motherhood with certain prejudices. I feel that independence is an important goal, one that I will work hard to help my child achieve as early as possible. I know not every parent feels that way, since I have actually had children come into my class at 18 months having never (no, not ever) fed themselves. Or been told no. But that's an aside. Both from the way I was raised, and from everything I've learned through the Montessori training, young children WANT to be independent, they want to try to do things themselves. If they can't quite do it, that's ok, I'm here to help, but my experience has been that most children (especially under 3) really love to try to accomplish something "myself." The kid in my class who FINALLY puts his own shoes on is so very proud that he did it. One of my kids' constant refrains is "I didi!" (I did it!) The motto in our class is "Help me to help myself." Coming from that angle, I sometimes have to put up with a little extra mess or plan a little extra time to allow Emmeline to really try to help herself. Since she's not quite to the point of say, dressing herself yet, the main time we get to practice these skills is meals. We started with the open cup back when she started solid foods. I would say by about 7, maybe 8, months, she had that down. She now drinks out of a big girl cup, the tupperware bell cups just like I had when I was little! Em has always done pretty well with a fork, provided I load it up for her. But I was stuck on spoons. I am ashamed to admit that I was still feeding her yogurt, applesauce, and oatmeal, because I was absolutely not prepared for the mess that I was sure would ensue if I let her go with a spoon. Yesterday I made her some baby muesli, and as I stirred it I realized it was pretty thick. I thought, hey, she's 11 months old now, surely I can give this spoon thing a try...and we were at school, so someone else would have to clean up the mess, right?! She did so beautifully, she ate the whole bowl, and would hand me the spoon to reload after every bite. By the end of the bowl, she was trying to scoop it up herself. Last night at dinner, I decided to try letting her feed herself the sausage with the fork. Previously, if I had ten minutes to sit and help, I would load up the fork, but most nights, I left a fork on the table and went on my merry way, happy to have her preoccupied with dinner while I did the dishes or got Shawn's and my dinner ready. Well, not only did she use the fork for every bite, including peas, but she tried valiantly to poke the sausage with the fork. It never left her hand the whole meal. I'm really proud of her! She's just getting older and bigger in front of me.

Need a Little Christmas Spirit?

I have the answer for you: It doesn't involve baking, cleaning, wrapping, shopping, singing, dressing up, praying, or even leaving your computer chair. (Although you are welcome to do any one or all of those things too!) One of my all time favorite blogs is hosting a fund raiser for 14 different charities, one each day for two weeks. They have invited everyone to donate $1 every day to help people who need help. Friday's charity of choice was charity:water, an organization that drills wells in third world countries. Today's group is St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Who knows who will benefit tomorrow? The writers at CakeWrecks are choosing the charities based on user comments. There were several requests for the ASCPA, the Human Rights Campaign, and Operation Smile. I know $1 a day is not going to break the bank for anyone, especially for only two weeks. Cake Wrecks has a readership of about 80,000. Can you imagine donating $80,000 to Heifer International? Awesome. If you don't agree with supporting some of these charities, then give double to one you do like. If you don't want to donate to any charities, at least you'll get a hearty laugh out of seeing some dubious cake decorating over at their blog. (Who can resist a cake that says "Leave Blank" ?) Merry, merry Christmas!

Santa Claus!

Emmeline got to visit Santa Claus last night - and she did really well! She was a little hesitant about sitting on his lap, but didn't cry or anything. However, when he asked me to turn her around so she could see him, she wasn't having any part of it.

The coolest part of all this is that this is the SAME Santa my brother and sister and I went to when we were little, and my uncle went to see him too! I think he looks pretty good for being this old (he's been "Santa" for 63 years!!!)...He is really the TRUE Santa. In trying to explain to Shawn how awesome this guy is, I realized myself how what can be just another holiday hassle for parents can shape a little kid's life. He always gave us little cards with a picture of the Nativity and a Bible verse on the back, would lecture us about making sure that our grades and homework came first, and explicitly stated at every year's "press conference" that he would absolutely not be bringing anyone toy guns, swords or other weapons. Parents with children under 2, who obviously don't have lists, get to skip to the head of the line for the pictures - which, by the way, are not something you get charged for. You can bring your camera, and take your own pictures, or his "head elf" will take them for you. This year, since Emmeline has no list, he provided me with one, and told me to pick out a gift to give my daughter. On the list?

Patience, Kindness, Wisdom, Respect, Consideration, Committment, Willingness and Time. A Santa with ethics, not just some guy a mall hires. He's been at Merrifield Garden Center since the 70s, and our family has been going since then. We've skipped the few years since Alex was too old and before Em came along, but I am so excited to have this part of Christmas back!

A Few Seasonal Pics

I'm not sure how exactly she managed to suck some of the mint out of this thing, but she must have, because she was awfully reluctant to give it up. Here I thought I was giving her an innocent prop to keep her hands busy.

I'm sorry - what do you mean I'm not supposed to chew on ornaments?

Oh Mom, you are HILARIOUS when you make quacking noises...do you realize how dumb you look? Whoo, you kill me.

So Many New Things

9 months seems to be Emmeline's month! This girl has covered a lot of ground since turning 9 months old. She mastered all kinds of new things this weekend. She started clapping this weekend, giving high fives, barely blowing kisses, has begun imitating almost any sound she hears, and added a few new words to her repertoire. Cutest among them is "Uh-oh," which she has been dropping into the conversation whenever something falls, or a loud noise is heard, or sometimes apropos of nothing. This is accompanied by raised eyebrows, and sometimes an index finger pointing at the offending item. She thinks it's hilarious to fake laugh when adults are laughing about something. Tonight, she started dropping things from her high chair purposely and watching for our reaction. We had our first for-real tantrum this weekend too, when Shawn took her cup away (since she was playing with toys instead of drinking). She clenched her hands, and shook and growled. Yikes.

She's moving ALL OVER the place, on her butt. Em has also started standing, provided someone assists her in the pulling up process. I sort of put her hands on a table or ottoman or edge of a chair, and she stands there for a while before trying to let go of said prop. Pretty awesome. Fine motor wise, she's very into putting things into other things - balls into tubes, little people into bowls, napkin rings onto paper towel stand. At school, her teachers showed her the lesson with the parmesan cheese shaker...and as soon as I have that all set up here, I'll get video/pictures up of that. She is such a big girl all the sudden.

Lastly, if anyone has seen the movie Team America, I'm slightly afraid that we have a terrorist on our hands...If you haven't, check this out- You will hear Emmeline's newest word or phrase used many times. :)

My Review of Bearington Baby - Wee Lamby Snuggler

Originally submitted at BabySakes.com

Your baby will love to snuggle with this soft Bearington Baby Wee Lamby snuggler. Made from the softest creamy fabric with a lamb head and feet, it is the perfect size for baby. Measures 9.

Bearington Baby - Wee Lamby Snuggler

Love this little lamby!

By Sandi from Fairfax, VA on 11/4/2009

 

5out of 5

Pros: Easy To Clean, Cuddly, Durable, Portable

Best Uses: Infants

Describe Yourself: First Time Parent, Child Care Professional

My 9 month old little girl LOVES her little lamb - she cuddles with it to fall asleep, and her face lights up when she sees him. I love that it's not so big; I can easily stuff it into my purse, out of her sight. She's been in love with her lamb since May, when she got him.

(legalese)

Happy Halloween!

From our little flower!

Who is blossoming beautifully. Our big girl has decided against crawling; the butt scoot is SO much cooler. And she's pretty adept at it. She also flatly refuses to stand up, pull up, or in any way demonstrate an interest in what could one day lead to walking. Which is not a huge deal, just unusual. She's making up for her lack of physical prowess in the language department. I know, with a dad like Shawn, how could she not have A LOT to say? She says daddy, mama, night night, hi, izz?, more and water. I know it sounds unbelievable, because she's only 9 months, but I am truly not hallucinating this. Others have heard her say these words. The only one that is slightly questionable is water; she doesn't say "wah-ter", she says na-na. But, she only says it when she is thirsty, and pointing at her cup. So, although it's not WATER, it means water. I give her half credit. I'm going to try to get some video up of her chatter. It's really pretty sweet.

Mealtime at Our House

I give you, the thirstiest girl in the world.

Jet Setter

We took Emmeline on her first ever plane ride on Friday...and held our breath for 4 hours, as we waited for her to lose it. She acted like she flew every day. No big deal. Never even fussed on our way to Denver. Ear pressure? What's that? Altitude sickness? Nah. Not even when we left Denver and drove another 3500 feet in elevation to Winter Park, CO for our friend's wedding. She was a little weirded out about our hotel room, although honestly, so was I. It was nice, it just smelled awful. She really enjoyed the backpack we got, taking a hike with Shawn through the gorgeous Rocky Mountains. Truly, I think if Shawn ever convinces me to move away from NoVa, it will be to move to Denver. Judge for yourself, this was the "altar" where Craig and Shaina got married...could it possibly get more beautiful?

So, at any rate, Emmeline behaved beautifully on both of our flights, LOVED getting to meet so many new people (and a few dogs), and had a great time hanging out in the backseat of the rental with Cassie (THANKS for all your help!) Along the way, she also mastered a fun new skill - waving. She has a whole new way to begin interactions with strangers now, and she had so many opportunities to practice while at a wedding, in an airport, and on a plane. It was very disappointing to wave, and wave, and smile with big eyes at the man across the airplane aisle, only to have him ignore her every time. He was asleep, after all. She'll get it some day...

A Little Crawling, Sort Of

FINALLY...it posted.

A Little Military Action, Here, In My Kitchen!

WHOOOOO! My baby is not a total lump. This morning, she actually ARMY CRAWLED to me! She was playing ever so nicely on the floor, and when I finished getting everything ready so we could go, I asked her if she was ready. She mae her way over to me, talking the whole time! It was so nice not to have her typical response: "WHINE, WHINE, WHINE." (read: pick me up, slave)

Four Beach Babies, OBX (too cute, no?)

Does This Qualify as a Life Event?

I finally did it. I have joined the legions of stay at home moms. SAHM. "Do you work?" I'm not sure how to answer that... for a paycheck? No. But, yes, I work.
Anyway, this new thing won't start until after Halloween. I gave my boss my notice today, but I gave them 8 weeks. I have a strong sense of guilt. I feel like I'm abandoning the kids in my class and their parents, so I wanted to give my boss a good long time to find a good replacement. I have two kids starting toileting in the next month, so I can't abandon them to some quack off the street. I know they'll all be just fine, but I still worry.
I worry a lot. About everything. What if I get bored? I'm used to working with lots of kids with various things going on, not just one kid. What if I end up with a spoiled rotten, Mommy's-girl who won't go to strangers and cries unless I hold her? What if I go crazy, having no me time? What if Shawn loses his job? What if I lose all sense of my identity? What if I worry about things so much I don't just enjoy my daughter, which is why I'm doing this in the first place?
I'm sure it will all work out in the long run.

This Girl...is impatient

And that's being kind. You can clearly hear her grunting and growling. If we don't get the food in her mouth fast enough, we hear about it. Luckily, she can feed herself finger food, like Cheerios and cut up fruit. In fact, she won't let us feed her if it's something she can do. I think she may have developed a little bit of a 'tude.

Our big girl is getting...well, big. She still looks like a chub, but in fact is quite skinny. You wouldn't know it by watching her eat, though.

She's starting to eat some finger food, like the salmon (cat food?) at left. She does great with Cheerios, and we tried bananas this morning. Hilarious. No worry about choking, she made sure to pulverize the bananas first by pounding the plate. Reminded me of some kind of comedy routine you'd see Peter Sellers doing, pouding the food to make sure it's dead on the plate. She has lots of adventures lately, going to the Baltimore aquarium with Grandma Patsy when she was in town, and enduring new windows being installed. Very loud. The aquarium wasn't as cool as I thought it would be - she didn't really care about the fish too much. She did enjoy Grandma Patsy being here, and showed off appropriately. (Emmy and Daddy at Phillips' Crab House in B-more)

Back to Basics

Now that Em is sitting up, it is time for new toys! She loves the ring stacker, and also enjoyed a pot and spoon I gave her on Monday night.

Splash Time...Oh, Nevermind.

As you might be able to tell from the pictures, our church had a little water night for the kids. The flyer said "birth to twelve," so we lathered Emmy up in sunscreen, and put her mermaid swimsuit on. The little wading pool was not happening, (I think the water was too cold!) but she did enjoy sitting in my lap loving on her duck. Emmeline also got to taste her first ever watermelon. She definitely liked it until I snatched it away from her because she was able to gum off a chunk large enough to choke on. Which she promptly did.

She also got to have her first meal in a restaurant on Sunday night - I don't count nursing while I eat. We went to Tequila Grande in Vienna, and she sat in her big girl high chair and ate broccoli and cereal. Once she had that experience, there's no holding her back. She got to eat out again on Monday for Uncle Alex's birthday dinner. Having a big girl dinner with Grammy, Grampy, Uncle Alex, Aunt Katie, Blake and Sebastian was SO exciting.

Truly, though, it is this picture that captures the weekend, and her attitude generally. This was taken at Wegman's; she's so cool. So casual. So grown up. My silly monkey and her baby doll.

A Bris!

We attended our first ever bris this weekend, of little Jeffrey Schneibolk! He made it through just fine, as you can see below: Mercifully, Emmeline napped through it, so we didn't have two screaming infants. I'm not sure how psyched I am to attend another one, however.

After the bris, we went to lunch with Grandpa Tom. Emmeline loved sharing his salad - Grandpa kindly donated a slice or two of avocado to the "Keep Emmeline Entertained While In Public" fund. It was lovely. We didn't do anything too exciting for the Fourth, since babies like to go to sleep well before fireworks begin. We all had a nice dinner over at the Blomases before the fatigue hit.

In other news, our hungry hungry hippo is eating like a champ! She's had so many foods, and so far really likes....eating, mostly. She doesn't care too much for peaches, but has decided that everything else is a go. We're going to start going a little further afield, with pearled barley and millet in the next few weeks (both have lots of protein, a surprise to me). She's sitting up so well we put her in the grocery cart tonight. Although, by sitting up, I mean propped. Not solo. That is not in her repertoire just yet.

Next weekend, we have water night at church - I'll be sure to post pictures!

Our Weekend

Emmeline has had a pretty packed weekend. (Don't they all seem to be?) We got our weekend off to an early start since Shawn left work at 4! Shawn and I spent Friday night moving lumber that idiot lumber delivery men had left ON OUR STREET, not in our backyard, as requested. By the way, when I say "Shawn and I," I mean Shawn, Andrew and our neighbor Mike. I tried to help, but honestly, they were very heavy pieces of wood. Saturday morning, Shawn, Andrew and Dave began building our deck!!!! YEA!!! She also met Dave's dog, Pibber. Turns out, Emmy LOVES doggy kisses. She was laughing and laughing when Pibber kissed her.

After Em's morning nap, we headed over to Erin and Gracie's house. Then we went swimming with them. Man, funny how much more Emmeline enjoyed swimming when Daddy wasn't dunking her in the pool. She had a great time, thanks in no small part to Grace's benevolent sharing of a very chewy dolphin. We came back, took another nap, and then headed to the Blomases for a patio warming party. She dined on broccoli, and then went to bed.

This morning, we went to church, where she enjoyed the nursery. It's amazing how much more Shawn and I are able to enjoy church now that we're not shushing her, bouncing her, and walking her throughout the service. And, she gets to move and talk as much as she wants, which is how it should be.

In the most important news, our good friends Craig and Jessica welcomed their first baby boy on this weekend! Weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz, Jeffrey Andrew Schneibolk was born Friday night. Shawn and I are going up to Maryland this afternoon to meet him and give our love to the newly expanded Schneibolk family. Emmeline will be hanging out with some great girls from our church.

5 Months Old???

In reflecting on my daughter today, I decided to do a 5 month old update, a la Erin. I'm so impressed by all the skills Emmeline has developed in the last few months. She's really growing up. Rolling from her belly to back is old hat - she's been doing that for a few months. It's been in the last month that she mastered rolling back to belly. And that's where she prefers to be now. Unlike the early days, she prefers to spend her time on her belly, so she can watch people (and cats and rabbits), and grasp at things easier. She loves to grasp onto anything, including but not limited to my hair, my keys, any toys that might be close, and the sleeve of my shirt as I carry her anywhere. What she does not care to grasp is the expensive musina toy lent to us by Erin - you see, she can't bring those toys down to her mouth. In Emmeline's world, something is only worth grabbing hold of if it then makes its way to her mouth. I know babies explore the world orally. I work with babies. This is not new information. THIS KID IS EXCESSIVELY ORALLY FIXATED. Even her teachers at school have commented on how oral she is. It's not just me. Given this oral fixation, I feel that we introduced food at a good time. So far, she has sampled egg yolk, broccoli, avocado, green beans, mango, peaches and sweet potato. She's starting carrots tomorrow. Em has no problem letting you know if she doesn't like something or if she's done eating. She just turns her head and purses her lips. Very clear communication. She's also clear about when she is excited: her new movement is to flap her arms and grin. Of course, I can't help but crack up, she looks so ridiculous. It's quite endearing. She's been holding her own bottle, although I don't know how long she's been able to do that, since she only gets about one bottle a week. We discovered this when Shawn put her to bed solo the other night. I'm sure that's not hugely ahead of developmental expectations, it was just a surprise since she doesn't have a lot of bottles. Bedtime itself is a whole other experience now too. Our bedtime routine is so wonderful. Quick bath, pjs, eat, read two books, lights out, and Shawn and I leave the room. She cries about one night out of ten, and then for less than two minutes. Most nights we either hear nothing, or a little baby chatter then silence. Glorious. Tonight was the first night she rolled herself in bed, so despite being put to bed on her back, I guess from now on, my big girl can choose to sleep on her belly if she likes. (I can only sleep on my belly, I certainly can't blame her)

Long story short, I think if I blink, she'll be graduating high school. She's like a real baby now, not my little defenseless newborn anymore. She has an attitude, can be a little drama queen, and knows how to bat her eyelashes to get what she wants. How did this happen?

Raleigh!

She's thinking...peaches? Are you people nuts? These are awful!

Clearly a little worried about this whole "swimming" business. Still cute in a bathing suit though. Since that's what matters and all.

Road Trip!

We took our first ever road trip with Emmeline this past weekend. We drove down to Raleigh to visit Merissa and Luke. It was a packed weekend, with a trip to the Farmer's Market, a dip in the pool, new food, and waaaaay too much time in her carseat. Em liked the Farmer's Market about as much as she likes the one here. She was absolutely not a fan of the pool. This may have been because her bathing suit was too small. This may have been because it wasn't incredibly hot outside. This may have been because Shawn thought it was necessary to dunk her in the water. In any case, she did not like the pool too much. Unfortunately, she also didn't care for the peaches we made for her either. She did love watching Clemson, Merissa and Luke's cat. And she did love cuddling with Luke and Merissa who were hoping I might accidentally leave her behind. She pretty much hated being in her carseat for 6 hours on Sunday, driving back. Pictures will follow.

Some Extra Pics

Emmeline and Grandma Patsy

Shawn and Emmy before graduation

Emmeline LOVES to chew on Erika!

Em and her Daddy at Jessica's baby shower

I Think I Could Win an Award...

for crunchiest hippie mom. I've already told my mom a slightly different version of this story. I will highlight the "Things White People Like" for you, in green. (appropriate, no?) A few weekends ago, I decided to take Emmeline with me to the Farmer's Market. I went to get her dressed, and put her in her cloth diaper. I made sure she had her Barack Obama onesie on - it's so cute! I packed her up, and loaded her carseat into my Honda Civic Hybrid. We drove to the Farmer's Market in Vienna. I put her into her Baby Bjorn carrier, and quickly picked out some organic produce. She started getting upset, so we drove home and I put her down for her morning nap. While she slept, I steamed the veggies and made some baby food for her. As my mom pointed out, the only thing missing was my Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte. So this weekend, Shawn and I thought we would make a repeat performance, with Starbucks. I swear, we don't set out to be like this. I guess we balanced it out by forgetting our reusable canvas grocery bag. We had to use a plastic one.
Honestly, I LOVE making her food! It takes no time at all, and is significantly cheaper than the jarred stuff, especially if I wanted to get her organic food. I can make small or large batches, then I freeze it. I have ready for her broccoli, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears and zucchini. That way, when she's ready for new tastes, I have some ready. And, the ice cube trays I use to freeze individual servings are about 1 oz each, so I know how much she's eating. Of course, I have to plug the machine my mom got for me: The Beaba babycook. It steams and purees in one piece. VERY easy. I'll post more pics as I take some.

Gustatory Delight

Emmeline has had her first taste of food...and is now addicted! She's an eater. You can't tell that from her faces, but she really has loved eating, and tried to "help" feed herself. So, egg yolk + breastmilk is good apparently, in case anyone was wondering. Next stop: Veggies!

Emmeline Found Thumbthing She Likes

I had really hoped for a few weeks that we were clear of the pacifier AND the thumb. I was wrong. The thumb has made it's appearance, and it is NOT leaving anytime soon. So far, she really only goes for it when she is in bed, or is very tired. VERY tired. Like tonight. We have a lot of family in town for Shawn's graduation, so she has had a few long days. Luckily, Emmeline has fallen in love with her Grandma Patsy! She also has met Aunt Pam, Uncle Charles, and Cousin Carl. Today Emmeline got to have a ladies' lunch date with Grandma Patsy, Aunt Pam, Anita, Toni and Mommy. Then she hung out with Grandma Patsy, Toni and Anita while I went to get a pedicure. Tomorrow, we will all venture downtown for a little tourism before a barbecue, and then hit the National Mall Sunday morning for Shawn's graduation ceremony. I'm hoping she makes it through the weekend not TOTALLY spoiled.

Crunchy, Hippie, Granola Momma

Emmeline in her very bulky cloth diaper.

I promise I'm not trying to win any awards. Or prove anything. I committed to using cloth diapers before Emmeline was born. Maybe I've been brainwashed by the Montessori world, or maybe by shows like 20/20 and Dateline. The idea of Emmeline's dirty diapers sitting in a landfill somewhere for 70 years while her poop runs into the groundwater horrifies me. However, it's absurdly difficult to fit cloth diapers on a newborn. And the cloth diapers I had here were all-in-ones, which are so bulky, that virtually no pants fit over them. My memories of the diapers provided by the ONLY diaper service around here were of a similarly large bulk. I was beginning to despair of ever getting her in cloth only to come across a bag of fitted diapers loaned to me by Erin. Grace had long since outgrown them, and I had borrowed them, then promptly forgot about them. Well, they fit beautifully! We've been trying them out in the evenings and weekends, and I LOVE them. I have just ordered enough online to cover her butt for a while. This does mean more laundry for me, and there's an argument to be made that I'm doing an equal amount of damage to the environment by using so much water....but I'll do it. It's not like a day goes by without me doing two loads of laundry anyway. And I will continue to use disposables, just much less frequently. I have to plug these diapers, because I think they're so great: Kissaluvs fitted diapers. They have 2 rows of snaps so you can use one size for a long time (between 10 and 25 pounds!). I ordered two different kinds of covers, so I'll see which kind work better. I'm pulling for the cheaper ones.

In developmental news, Em is trying SO HARD to roll from her back to her belly. She can get up on one side, and then hangs out there for a while before giving up. She's grasping at everything, chewing on anything she can get, and has lots of new noises.

Here is Emmeline, shocked at accidentally chewing on Daddy's finger. Ew.

See? Onto her side, but not quite all the way over. Someday.

She Cracks Me Up

School Days, School Days...

First things first:

Emmeline in her Easter finery. We had a great time with family, and at church. Please note the adorable shoes.

Now, onto more pressing matters. I am back at work, which means little miss is at school with me. Of course, I was dreading this: I know my baby best, and her schedule, her needs etc. I know the Nido teacher is good, and it's not that I don't trust her, just trust myself more. Also, I was worried about the pacifier thing: no pacifiers at school, and she's been falling asleep with one for a while. I have seen babies come into the Nido for 5 years now, and many of them have a really tough time with the transition.

Naturally, my fears were unfounded. Emmeline has done so well these past few days. She is staying awake longer, and has begun to put herself to sleep, sans pacifier, in the space of 5 minutes. Of course, she may have begun to do those things at home with me anyway. But I really think that the help of an objective third person has made this easier. I know babies cry, and I don't even mind my baby crying, but I do like to minimize it.

Hopefully things continue like this, at least for a little while as I get used to being back at work!

We've Got the Sniffles...

My poor little girl has her first cold. Somehow, she contracted it BEFORE starting school. Shawn and I can hear her on the monitor at night making beautiful music with her nose. That is, when we're not in her room snorking out her nose with that awesome blue bulb. Man, she LOVES that. I can't imagine being woken up by an inability to breathe only to have someone shove something plastic into my nose and forcibly drag snot out. What a way to spend an evening! Through it all though, she keeps smiling and playing. She hasn't acted sick at all, just coughing and sneezing and wheezing her day away. Of course, when I added the injustice of a few vaccinations to her day, she did hit the roof. And I don't blame her.

But I titled this post "We've" got the sniffles. No, Shawn and I are not sick. But I go back to work on Friday, and Em phases into the Nido tomorrow. WAAAAAAA!!! I am looking forward to being with my crazy little toddlers again, and I can't wait to have someone objective helping me out with Emmeline's napping issues, but I am shocked by how sad I am to think that somebody else will get to see all those post nap smiles, and hear her babbling all day. This is what (according to my research) 56% of mothers have to do. I know. Get over it. I will, but for now I'm shedding a little tear for the impossibly stupid laws that only allow a woman 12 weeks to take care of her infant before returning to work. As if 12 weeks could possibly be enough. Canadian mothers get 6 months, and most European moms get 1 year. And there are actually PACs here that claim that America is more family friendly than Europe. Get real.

There's Just Something About Babies in Hats

In a Pooh bear outfit her cousin sent her: Going for a walk on this beautiful day:

A Little Better, Maybe?

It seems we may have straightened Emmy's napping out a little. She's done very well the last four days, taking at least one big nap every day, and going down easier. She's also started putting herself to sleep at night in her big girl bed. Shawn and I tell her goodnight and leave, and she does the rest. Very exciting. Now, if we could help her stop rolling out of bed at 1:30 a.m.....

Insomniacs, Unite!

Sleep is kind of becoming a big issue at our house. I don't sleep at night, and my daughter doesn't sleep during the day. While I was pregnant, I prayed every day that this child would not inherit my sleeping habits. I prayed that the baby would sleep like Shawn. Well done, Sandi: Shawn can't nap. Is physically incapable of sleeping if the sun is out. Well, not in the morning, the guy can sleep in. Apparently, I failed to take that into account. So Emmeline doesn't like to nap. She'll fall asleep no problem, it's the STAYING asleep that is tough for her. Then there's me. I can sleep until she wakes me...then I'm up, my mind racing. Thinking of idiotic things like the lyrics to a theme song, or the name of someone in my high school French class. Things that clearly don't matter. Grrrr....

(Pic is after the farmer's market on Saturday)

In other news, the time has come to speak of other things. Of ships, and shoes and sealing wax, and cabbages and MY BABY MOVING INTO HER OWN ROOM! It is bittersweet, but she must move on. She is moving into her big girl bed full time starting tonight. I wanted her to be transitioned before I go back to work, and thanks to a kick in the pants from Erin, tonight's the night.

Roly Poly Emmy!

Emmy rolled over this evening, from her tummy to her back! Shawn was with her, and said she did it like she'd been rolling over for weeks. No big deal. I'll see if I can get video of this amazing feat of strength.

Funny Girl

This is a short video of Emmeline's MANY stories. She will talk to anyone who will listen - including the walls, mirrors, pictures of butterflies and her butterfly mobile. We've also been experimenting with cause and effect this week - much to my amusement. She will get so excited that she'll accidentally kick one of the butterflies on the mobile, sending it spinning. Then her eyebrows will go up, and she'll watch it intently, trying to figure out what happened. I've also given her her little silver rattle, and she turns her head trying to figure out where the sound is coming from. I think it's all pretty funny. Coming soon: rolling over? I think it's way too early, but she sure is trying hard!

Busy All The Time

I feel like every time I post here, I talk about how busy we are. But, we really do a lot! Last weekend, we went for a hike at Sky Meadow State Park. Emmeline slept through it, but seemed to like the baby bjorn carrier we busted out for the occasion. After that, we went to Naked Mountain winery, where she continued sleeping. Sunday, Emmeline and I went to the National Zoo with Erin, Ryan, Grace, Connie, Jelani, and Aliana. It was a beautiful day, and somehow, Emmeline stayed awake for the whole visit! (She fit in a few catnaps as we strolled.) She was alert and loved the company if nothing else.

She had another pediatrician appointment last week - Over 11 pounds! She also got some vaccinations, but on the whole, did better than the last round.

We're currently working on independent napping. While Emmeline is a pretty good sleeper, and has no problem napping in her bed, the putting herself to sleep portion of the nap is a little rocky. Gee, I wonder where she got that trait? Shawn and I are working hard on this, although I'm not sure I have the skill set to pass on, so we'll see how it goes. Any tips are welcome. We want Emmeline's transition to school next month to go as smoothly as possible. To that end, maybe we can teach Miss Susan all the silly songs Shawn makes up for Em, such as the amazing hit "Love My Baby." The words aren't silly so much as the voice that is used.

6 Weeks!

The time has flown by, and Emmy is already 6 weeks old! She has been so many places, and met so many people, I can't believe she's only 6 weeks. Last weekend, she met her first dogs, and could really have cared less. (It helped that Humphrey and Roxie were very nice, and that I was feeding her at the time) She has gone out to several meals, attended church, checked out Eastern Market, and had her first bottle, and subsequently, her first babysitter. She was incredibly well behaved for all of these events. Of course, in keeping with the way things have gone, strangers LOVE to tell me that she is entirely too young to be out of the house. Possibly too young to even be out of the womb in this big scary, germy world. Sorry strangers, but it is NOT too cold to have a little one outside - if she is appropriately dressed! Infants in Alaska and Sweden go outside every day. They live to tell the tale.

After all my worry about her taking a bottle, she proved me wrong and acted like it was something she does every day. Shawn really enjoyed getting to feed her, and now we know she has no food hang ups. This also allowed to me to relax about leaving her with my mom last night for Shawn's and my first date! We went to an amazing Belgian restaurant and had a really good time. The whole night was kind of a grandma gift - Grandma Patsy had gotten us a gift certificate, and Grammy did the babysitting. Thanks to both grandmas!

We finally got a chair for Emmeline, to help with the alleged reflux. She LOVES it, and will sit in and talk to me while I fold laundry or...any number of other activities. (This glorious chair allows me to shower freely, while she sits on the bathroom floor, chattering away.) Em has also started to really love working on her movement mat, watching the butterfly mobile so generously loaned to us by Miss Susan, Em's future teacher. She kicks her legs, and waves her arms, and tells all kinds of tales to the butterflies.

Invest in a Wet Nurse, Seriously.

The good Lord has blessed me with a beautiful little girl who loves to sleep. She goes to bed sometime around 10 pm, and generally sleeps for 4-5 hours. When she wakes up, all she wants to do is eat, and go back to sleep. Which she does without protest. In case of spit up or the hiccups, the Lord in his wisdom has also blessed me with a husband who has volunteered to be back up - if she has trouble falling back asleep, or needs a little holding, he takes over after the eating part of our night is finished. I realize how incredibly lucky I am to have these two elements contributing to what should be incredible sleep with a newborn. What I seem to be lacking is either a) the money to have hired a wet nurse to wake up with my darling girl in the night or b) the ability to put MYSELF back to sleep when she's so clearly taken care of. Every night, she falls asleep within minutes of waking up (seriously, I'm talking within 15 minutes), and I lay awake. Tonight, I've almost managed to make it to her next feeding. I've tried counting things, I've tried getting out of bed, I've changed positions, Shawn has rubbed my back. The only thing I haven't tried, and I'm getting really close, is my own pacifier.

The Reason for Having Kids

The moment parents look forward to, that tells them this has all been worth it, has happened. Well, the first one. I think hearing Mommy for the first time will be one of those moments too. Em smiled at me, not at gas today. How do I know this is the case? I tested it. I left, telling her I'd be right back. 4 times in the course of the day, when I came back after a minute and said hi, and smiled at her, she smiled back! Whoooo! I guess the jury's still out on whether or not she loves Daddy, but I've been confirmed. I'll also see if I can get a short video of her newest trick. She either loves or is terrified of a horsey/tractor noise. You know, when you blow air out through your lips? Grandma Patsy found out that she reacts quite strongly to that noise. It's incredibly cute.

Baptism

Emmeline was baptized today, and was SO well behaved! She slept for most of the service, and woke up only when Pastor Dave sprinkled the water on her. She had a great time at the party we had afterward at our house.

On Thursday, Em got to meet Grandma Patsy! She was a little cranky at first, since she was ready to nap, but has warmed up to Grandma. They have been having a great visit all weekend. At 4 weeks, Emmeline is holding her head up beautifully and loves to watch people. She is talking and talking, especially to the picture of the butterfly above her changing table. She tells him all her woes, and the good stories too.