Jumperoo

EC has really been pushing up on her legs and trying to stand up.  We thought she would love to spend some time in a jumperoo.  Once we made the decision that she would love it- her daddy went right out and bought her one. 

Just one tiny problem . . .

Just in case you thought I snapped this photo in the middle of a really big bounce, nope.

EC's feet can't reach the ground.  Not even close, not even a little bit.

Mostly, she looked at us like- what's going on here, folks?

Summer Lovin'

Summer is winding down and while we are ready to get rid of this heat, we've loved all our summer visitors and all the daylight.  Of course, our biggest love this summer has been our baby girl.  EC is a dream baby!  She's doing so well with her schedule and we love every moment with her.

We have LOVED spending this summer with Emme Clare!

Work Week

Well, we all survived my first week back at work.  In all honesty, the week went so much better than I expected.  EC did great with her schedule, with naps, with bottles and with the nanny.  She was not phased one bit!

I felt a little bit overwhelmed and rushed.  It seemed like I was rushing to get ready, rushing to get our house picked up (we don’t want to show the nanny all of our crazy just yet), rushing to get to work and rushing home to see EC (and Jeremy!).  Pumping at work twice a day is not ideal, but it’s going okay.  My wiser friends tell me that it gets better with time.  We’ll see about that! 

I feel like this is some sort of milestone in my life and EC’s short little life.  For four months, we both just knew me staying at home and taking care of her.  I’m a working mom now!  I always want to remember how sweet it was spending all my days with her, but also how excited I am about the personal challenge of taking on a new job in a new industry.  It’s a mix of excitement, sadness, scared, happy, and a smidge of guilt all at once! 

More and more, I see that this mix of emotion is a constant on this journey of motherhood.  I think it’s about finding a balance.  And when I figure out exactly how to balance it all- I’ll write a whole post about it!  And maybe a book that I can sell?!?!

My Dear Emmeline-

I returned to work this week and it was so hard leaving you!  I missed seeing you wake up from your naps and tummy time and reading you stories and all your perfect little tricks.  I hope you will always know that you are my priority and I (along with your dad) wouldn’t have made the decision to return to work if I didn’t think it was absolutely best for our family.  The four months that I spent at home with you are so very precious to me and I am immensely thankful that we had that time together. 

When you grow up and have a career and a family, I want you to be able to make the choice that is best for your family.  I hope that you can see that there are so many options for a young woman and there isn’t really a right or wrong.  It’s about what works for you! 

Knowing all of this doesn’t make it any easier to leave you each morning, but I know that it’s what needs to happen right now.  I also believe that God gave me this opportunity and has worked out all the details so perfectly.  This transition has been even better that I could have imagined and I can’t forget to thank Him for orchestrating each step along the way.  I know that you are in good hands each day and I’m really thankful for that.  It makes me feel a little less worried about you.

Coming home to you each day is the highlight of the day for me and your dad!  We love seeing your big smile.  It could be my imagination, but your smiles for us always seem brighter when we’ve been away from you for a bit.  We absolutely adore you! 

Love,

Your mom

A Year Ago . . .

A year ago today, our lives were forever changed! 

We were SO excited!  We could have hardly imagined the beautiful blue-eyed little miss that has stolen our hearts.  What a great day!

As a side note, if I could go back and tell myself anything . . . it would be one word . . . SLEEP!  Sleep every chance you get, take naps often, get in your bed and just smile because you can stay there as long as you want.  If you think getting up to pee 2-3 times a night is annoying, Pregnant Self- you have no idea what it's like to be New- Mom Self!  Seriously!

But it's ALL worth it!  I couldn't have imagined how hard it is, but I also couldn't imagine the joy we have in being parents to such a wonderful baby girl!

OKC Visitors

Matt, Jenn, and Grayson made the drive from OKC to visit Miss Emmeline Clare (and us)!  Jenn and I have been able to share the ups and downs of being pregnant, new motherhood and breastfeeding, since G is just a little over a month older than EC.  It was so great to see them and see the littles together. 

I don't want to go the route of arranged marriages or anything, but these two look pretty cute together!  And I think G liked EC or at least, he was mesmerized by the color pink.  He probably doesn't see too much pink at his house. And as you loyal blog readers know, EC has plenty of pink!

Overall, the weekend was pretty low key.  Mostly, attending to these two littles and whatever they needed.  We ordered take out and enjoyed catching up.

The moms managed to sneak away for a much needed pedicure, while the dads took EC and G on a walk.

We love this sweet family of 3 and wish we could get together more often!  Thanks for coming to visit us!

The Big Debate

Who does EC look like?  Her mommy or her daddy?  I'll let you be the judge- I think the proof is in the pictures!

Erin

Emmeline

Jeremy

Emmeline

Jeremy

Emme

Erin

Emme

You can vote over to the side or make a comment and let us know what you think!

4 Months!

It's been an exciting month for Emmeline Clare!  She continues to delight us with her latest tricks!  I'm very excited to report that we have shifted to a 4 hour schedule and she's doing fantastic.  I feed her at 6:30, 10:30, 2:30, 6:30 and 10:30.  She usually stays awake for an hour to an hour and a half after each feeding, except her last feeding (she goes to bed immediately after eating).  She's in bed around 11:00 and wakes up around 6:30 (or a little before).  Over the past week, we have started giving her a bottle once a day, which is usually 4-5 ounces. 

(sometimes- I swear she's thinking- "just TRY and make me smile")



This month she rolled over from front to back for the first time!  And she continue to show us those big, gummy grins.  For the most part, she's such a good baby and does so well with napping and feeding.  Every so often, she has a little bit of a melt down and cries a lot, but luckily, that's rare.  She has started reaching for things and putting everything into her mouth.  She also squeals a lot!  She never does it on demand, so it's hard to capture on film.  She also has mastered control of those eyebrows and if you're doing something questionable, she will arch one eyebrow up, as if to say- what are you doing?!?!  It's hilarious!

She weighs a little over 13 pounds and is still wearing size 3 months in clothes and size 1 diapers.  I think she will be moving up pretty soon!  The dreaded doctor's appointment is tomorrow, so we will get the official measurements then.

We couldn't be happier with this Little Miss.  She's adorable and so much fun for us!

Sweet Emmeline-

We are absolutely in love with you!  You are so precious to us and we love watching you soak in the world around you.  Seeing things through your eyes is so fun for us.  Sometimes we wish we knew what you were thinking about.  Your facial expressions are priceless!

Every day, we hear new things about who you look more like- me or your daddy?  People have very strong opinions on the subject and it's about 50/50 on what people say.  We think you look like YOU and you're so pretty!

You have developed so much personality over the past month and you're not shy with your opinions.  We know if you really like or don't like something.  And sometimes, you're not patient.  When you're hungry, you want to eat right now!  You love to look all around and be able to see what's going on.  You've really started noticing Winnie and other babies or kids, like your friend Brinley.  Your eyes follow her everywhere she goes and sometimes, you just smile away at her. 

We are so proud of your for rolling over!  That is a very big milestone in your 4 month lifespan.  You don't roll over every time we put you on your belly- sometimes, you still get mad about it.  But overall, you're doing great with holding your head up! 

Oh little, we love, love, love you!  You are so precious to us!  This upcoming month, your mommy will be going back to work and it's going to be so hard to leave you every day.  But I know, you'll be in good hands and it will make coming home, that much sweeter.

Always know how very much we adore you and look forward to loving you each day!

Love,

Your mommy and daddy

***This month, for the first time, Emmeline noticed that the bunny was sitting beside her.  As soon as she realized, he was beside her, she grabbed him.  I'm not sure how the remaining monthly photos with the bunny are going to go . . . 

Roll Time

She did it!  This little is rolling over!

Squeals of Delight

I don't want to overdo it on uploading vidoes, but I love this one!  She's doing this squealing thing all the time now.  We hear her on the video monitor, just squealing away while she's in her crib.  Who taught her this?!?!  Jeremy and I certainly don't run around squealing. 

For now, it's pretty cute and we crack up.  We will see what happens when she tries it out in church!

As always, please excuse my super annoying voice!

Emme and Hudson

Our friend, Hudson, got to come and visit all the way from Washington, DC.  Emme loved meeting him and getting to play with him for a few hours before he had to go back home. 

Isn't he a cutie?!?!

Hudson is a little bit bigger than Emme and he can do way more fun things. 

Mostly, EC watched him, as he rolled around and play with toys.  Hudson's mom, Ali, got to come too!  She was very excited to meet Emmeline for the first time!

We had such a great time with these two and we hope they will come back for lots more visits!  Or maybe even relocate to this area?!?! (wink, wink- hint, hint)

And we couldn't pass up an opportunity for a little photo shoot of these two. Aren't their diaper covers (really- bloomers. I'm just saying diaper covers, since H is a boy and he might get offended by that term) so cute?!?! Ali got them for the kiddos and I think they look adorable!