The Walkers

It's Contagious!

2011-11-13T14:27:00.007-06:00

So this is the worst quality video ever. But it's really not about the video, it's more about the sound! I'm always reluctant to watch videos on blogs and facebook, but this is so worth it. You will have to laugh! Turn your volume up (maybe not if you're at work).

I can't think of a better sound!

Confessions of a New Mom: Part 2

2011-11-11T11:30:00.004-06:00

I still gag a little bit each time I change one of these "solid food poopy" diapers.
My silly faces, singing, dancing around- much worse than it was 2 months ago.
I question whether or not EC sitting in her bumbo on the kitchen counter in the mornings and Jeremy and I running around her making breakfast, doing dishes, packing a lunch, getting coffee, feeding the dog, etc. is really quality time with our child.
I have resigned myself to never getting quality sleep again, maybe for the rest of my life. On the few nights that EC actually sleeps till 6am without a peep, I wake up at least once (more like 3 times) and worry about whether or not she's ok.
I am not looking forward to discipline . . . I see it on the horizon.
Whatever Emme does in public, I feel that it's a reflection of me as a parent. In all honesty, how can I control a 7 month old baby? I can't, but I still feel really guilty if she screams or makes noises at an inappropriate time.
Despite feeling an extraordinary amount of relief to be finished breastfeeding, I ever so slightly, like a pinky finger amount, miss it. Or maybe I just miss quiet time alone with EC.
I have contemplated not telling anyone at work that I have stopped pumping, so that I can go in the closet and have some down time for 20 minutes twice a day.
It really bothers me if EC's socks don't match her outfit, even on days when she if not leaving our house and only sees me, Jeremy, our nanny, and Aunt Sarah.
I adore her more than I ever thought possible! Everyday I feel so lucky to be a mom to her.

The Catalog Incident

2011-11-10T21:27:00.002-06:00

It finally happened. The Little Miss used her crying to express dissatisfaction over not getting her way! I've suspected that she might be doing that in the past, but I didn't know she was quite capable yet. No doubts now!

We received a catalog in the mail today and I went into the kitchen to show Jeremy (it was a David Yurman catalog, if you must know!). EC was sitting in her bumbo on the counter (I know you're not really supposed to put them on the counter, but we keep a watchful eye). She started reaching for the magazine. I thought it was funny that at 7 months old, she's already interested in jewels, specifically DY. We let her look at it and scratch on it. She loved the sound it was making when she scratched on it.

I started getting dinner ready and Jeremy started looking at his iPad. Pretty soon, EC had dropped the magazine and she couldn't reach it, so she started a little whine/ cry. Jeremy picked it up and handed it to her and she was back to playing with it. Then, we saw her putting it in her mouth. Well, who knows where that little magazine has been??? Do postal workers wash their hands? We don't know, but magazines are probably not appropriate for chewing. So Jeremy took it away from her.

The bottom lip came out and she was in a full on cry! She did not have gas, she was not sleepy, she was not hungry-- she wanted the DY magazine! Of course, Jeremy and I start laughing that she's actually crying about this. We gave her another toy and she was fine.

But wow- I wasn't expecting this so soon!

Falling Back

2011-11-09T21:55:00.002-06:00

I've been seeing the time change on the horizon for a few months now. While most people are celebrating the extra hour of sleep, I've been worrying about how EC is going to handle this big shift. I'll be honest- I was worried.

The entire week prior to Daylight Savings, I tried to go ahead and move her schedule by 30 minutes (at least). She did pretty good- slept till 7ish most days. And even slept a little longer for a few naps. The only feeding that did not change at all was the 6:30pm feeding. I'm not sure if she's a little cranky by that time, but we almost always fed her right at 6:30.

Saturday was a little rough- she did not nap well at all. She normally takes naps that are at least 2 hours and she was barely napping for an hour. I was very worried!

Sunday she woke up about 6:15am- not too bad. She napped great and was right on schedule! Nothing to worry about!

Monday she did great- right on schedule!

Tuesday was a different story!

7 Months!

2011-11-08T08:27:00.000-06:00

Typically, when we take these monthly photos, it's nearly impossible to get a smile out of Emme Clare. She gives me that look- "this is ridiculous" and might give a small little smirk, if anything (see past monthly posts for examples). Not today. Today, she was all smiles and big grins!

If only, we could have turned the camera the other way. Jeremy and I looked like zombies! This little pumpkin was up at 4:45 this morning! So much for the whole "doing great with the time change" thing. Clearly, it did not affect her good mood! She was having a ball in her crib at 4:45am.

This past month has been a delight! EC has been a complete joy as usual. As of this past Saturday, she is exclusively drinking formula. She also has an evening meal. So far, we have tried avocado, zucchini, pears, sweet potato, pumpkin, rice cereal, carrots, and turkey. Her least favorite has been turkey. She seems to really like pears and zucchini. I think it might have something to do with texture.

Over the weekend, we finally put away all her 3 month clothes. They were getting just a tad snug. However, most 6-9 month outfits are too big. She's kind of in between right now.

She absolutely loves being in her jumperoo (still can't quite touch the floor, but that's what a big book is for!). And still loves watching Winnie, but now, she really wants to pet Winnie. And by "pet," I mean grab a fistful of Winnie's fur and pull really hard. Winnie is handling it all like a champ, but she's definitely learned. I see Winnie jerk back anytime EC's hand comes toward her. Win is in trouble when EC learns to crawl/walk.

EC still doesn't turn over from her back to her tummy and rarely does it from her tummy to back. She's content to lay on the floor and play with a toy. She's sitting up really well, but we still need to work on the rolling over.

Overall, she's doing fantastic. She's making more and more noises and I love watching the world through her eyes!

Sweet Emmeline-

You are precious! We are so proud of you and we love spending time with you. You've been off of your schedule a few times this month and you've taken it all in stride.

Daddy and I work all day and absolutely love coming home to your precious smile! You're still a little stingy with your laughs, but that's ok- we like a challenge. And we sure look silly trying to get you to laugh!

Your personality is showing more and more. I think you are going to be a very opinionated little girl! You aren't shy about letting us know if you don't like something.

Sometimes it seems like time is just flying by and despite our best efforts to hold on to these moments, they are slipping away. You woke up so early this morning and mommy and daddy were exhausted. We did everything to get you back to sleep, but you just wouldn't have it. Finally, I gave up and sat down with you in the rocking chair and started singing. You stared into my eyes and listened to me sing. Eventually, you fell asleep for a few minutes and I stared at you and your little hands, your little eyelashes, your little nose, your little mouth. And I prayed for you. Prayed that you will know the love of Christ, that you will be a Godly young woman, that you will know how much you are loved by your parents and your Heavenly Father. And I thanked God for the miracle that you are. For letting us have a little piece of this Heaven. Despite all my tiredness, these are the moments that I love and I wouldn't trade them for the world (or lots of sleep!).

Oh little- I love you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. You are such a blessing in our life and we adore you! "Hold to Jesus, because he's holding on to you!"

Love,

Your mommy

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:45:00.005-05:00

Happy Halloween from our Little Cupcake!

Happy Fall Y'all!

2011-10-29T15:18:00.000-05:00

From the cutest little pumpkin!

Doctor Visit- 6 Months

2011-10-18T22:13:00.005-05:00

EC had her 6 month well baby check up today. She had to get those yucky shots again! Do these ever end? She cried a lot when she got her shots, but got ok pretty quick.

Height: 26 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 15 lbs 14 ounces (50th percentile)

Overall, our doctor is really pleased with EC. She's sitting up so well and really active and happy. She did skip one of those milestone steps. She should technically be able to roll over from her back to her tummy before mastering sitting up. I'm not sure why she skipped this step. Our doctor is not too concerned, but hopefully, it will happen soon.

The introduction of solids is still going pretty well. She still really likes avocado. She tried some sweet potato and wasn't overly impressed. She only had a little bit. We also tried rice cereal and she did not like it one bit. Not at all. She made the yucky face every time.

As for an update on swaddling, EC has been sleeping with both arms out of the swaddle for about a week now and she's doing great! We are still using the swaddle- I think it's a habit and kind of an indicator that it's time for sleep. It's also a good way to keep her warm, since she can't really have a blanket. She definitely plays for a little bit longer now, but overall, I'm glad we've made this transition.

A Weekend of Firsts!

2011-10-17T21:33:00.003-05:00

EC had SO many firsts this weekend!

First bites!

Since she's a little past 6 months old, we thought she was more than ready for her first "real food." First up was some delicious avocado. EC LOVED it! She made a few yucky faces, but for the most part, she kept coming back for more. She probably ate about 2 tablespoons. Plenty of it ended up on her face and bib. I so hope she's a good eater. So far all signs point to yes!

First horse ride!

EC's daddy and Doc went for a horseback ride and they couldn't resist showing EC what all the fun was about. She mostly looked a little bit overwhelmed. Not really scared, but also, not having the time of her laugh. She has plenty of time to develop her love of horses (and plenty of people to foster that love- I'm looking at you Aunt Ali).

First night away!

Sorry no photo for this one. It would really just be me passed out with a big smile of delight on my face. We had our first night "away" from EC. I'm using the term very loosely. We stayed at the guest house and EC stayed at my parent's and my mom had the video monitor. But it was literally the first night that I've been away from Emme and the video monitor. It was amazing!

She has been waking up several times throughout the night lately. She immediately goes back to sleep when we give her the pacifier, but it's exhausting waking up 2-4 times during the night. Sometimes, it's even more like 10 times. A continuous night of sleep was pure bliss! We are SO grateful to MaeMae for giving us this priceless gift of sleep.

As a side note, Friday night was a little rough. My mom had to get up several times, even change her diaper during the night. But Saturday night, she slept straight through until 6am. Didn't make a peep! What?!?! I can't remember the last time she did that for us.

Controversial Decision

2011-10-15T22:05:00.000-05:00

Well, sometimes this parenting gig is tough, really tough. One of the hardest things for me has been breastfeeding. I have a love-hate with breastfeeding. I love that it provides my baby with such wonderful benefits and is really so good for her, but I pretty much hate everything else about it. I by no means, have had some of the struggles that I know others have endured, but it's been a major source of stress for me.

Going back to work only increased the stress. I've been pumping twice a day and feeding her in the mornings and at night. Can you say awkward (pumping at work)??? My supply has been up and down. For the most part, I've been pretty nervous about the number of ounces and numerous times, borrowed from my freezer supply. Needless to say, it's dwindling.

I had a little mishap with the pump at work- when it just didn't work one day and the error message meant that the pump needed to be charged for a continuous 24 hours. I didn't have 24 hours to keep my pump plugged in. I rushed home and fed EC. It was a little bit stressful for me.

After struggling with this decision for several weeks, I've decided to stop breastfeeding. It's been a really hard decision and I have such conflicting emotion about it. I wish I could say I'm 100% confident in my decision, but I still have some lingering doubts. I do know that I'm going crazy worrying about it and wondering each day if I'm going to have enough for her.

It's a slow transition. I'm only pumping once at work now and all of her bottles are a mixture of breast milk and formula. I'm hoping to be completely stopped by mid-November. Let's say maybe around the 16th?!?!

You might wonder why I'm blogging about this. It's not really something essential for the baby book. Mostly, I want to write this down, so I can remember my thoughts at the time of this decision. It hasn't been an easy decision and not something that I took lightly. Overall, I just want a little bit of stress gone. And I think I'll actually end up being a better parent to EC, when I don't have to worry about feedings and cleaning all the parts and how I will have time to take care of pumping at work and if I remembered my freezer pack and if people at work think I'm weird or just never at my desk.

Anyway, I know it's controversial. I've read all the "breast is best" literature, but at this point, stopping breastfeeding seems to be the best decision for me and EC.

6 Months!

2011-10-08T21:01:00.005-05:00

Wow! Can not believe this little cutie is already 6 months old! Time flies when you're having fun! This month has been so much fun!

EC is so generous with her smiles, but a little bit stingy with the laughs. It takes quite a bit to get her to laugh. But when she does laugh, really laugh, it's the best sound I've ever heard.

Two big changes in terms of Emme Clare's sleeping- swaddling with one arm out and dropping her 10pm feeding. We've been trying off and on to stop the swaddling, but it hasn't turned out all that well. She's doing pretty good with the one arm out, so hopefully, we are a little bit away from stopping it completely. Last night was our first night without the 10pm feeding and she did great! I was SO nervous. I just knew she was going to wake up screaming at 3am. But, I was starting to feel like waking her up was more disruptive than helpful. She would cry from the moment we woke her up and throughout the feeding and even while we changed her diaper and put her back to sleep. I think it will be helpful overall (for both of us!).

She is making so many more facial expressions and really seems to be noticing things. She loves Winnie now and if Win is in the room, Emme can't take her eyes off of her. She smiles at her all the time. Win is a little bit indifferent to EC and mostly, just wants attention from Jeremy and me.

For the most part, Emme is wearing size 6 month, but she can still snugly wear 3-6 month sizes. A few of the 6M size are a little big. She is changing so much- each week seems to bring new experiences and phases. EC's Aunt Sarah has been helping her sit up and she's so, so close to being able to do it.

She still hasn't rolled over from her back to her tummy. Overall, she's doing really well. She weights about 15 pounds, 8 ounces. Her doctor appointment is next week.

Sweet Emmeline-

You bring us so much joy! We love spending time with you and we are trying so hard to enjoy every minute of this stage. We know you won't be this little for long. You are so sweet and a delight to watch. We love seeing you notice new things.

You grab our faces all the time now and we love laughing with you and singing you songs and reading you books. You make all kinds of silly noises and screams. We can't wait to have conversations with you.

You are one amazing little and we could not ask for a better baby! I absolutely adore you.

Always know that you are important and special. You are such a precious baby girl and we love you!

Love,

Your mommy

*As a side note- I tried to change it up for these 6 month pics. I tried out a cute little hat, instead of the usual big bow. Let's just say- it didn't go that well. EC was not a fan. I'll let the pics speak for themselves . . .

An Angel Baby

2011-10-02T09:49:00.017-05:00

EC and I took another flight and trip to TN. We were really bummed that Jeremy couldn't make it, especially since the primary reason for the trip was a family photo with his extended family. Even though, we missed him, EC and I had a great time.

Not pictured: Jeremy Tyler Walker

She did SO good on the flight to Nashville. She fell asleep for about 30-45 minutes of the flight and when she was awake, she was totally hamming it up with the other passengers- smiling at them and making all kinds of faces. They loved her. Well, everyone loved her, except the stuffy business man sitting right next to me. He did not say one word to me and mostly, looked super annoyed that I had a baby with me (even though she was a total doll).

Gram, Pop Pop, and Aunt Ali picked us up from the airport and we headed to their house for lots of fun and quality EC time. We did a little shopping and were completely entertained by Emme Clare.

Saturday was the big family picture! EC did great! It was really cold- not at all what she's been used to and she didn't even cry. She's doing this new thing where she smiles, but when she sees someone she likes she smiles and crinkles up her nose. It's so cute!

I was really awful about taking photos, so I only have the ones from my phone and the photo shoot.

Before we knew it, EC and I had to head back home to see Jeremy and Win. I was a little nervous about the flight, since EC hadn't been sleeping so great at night, but again, she impressed me. What a relief! As we were taking our seats on the plane, I looked to see who was in the seat beside us. It was a young hipster guy with a wake boarding shirt, a hat and a fancy laptop and headphones. He didn't look the most kid-friendly. I just looked right at him and said- I'm really sorry. He said- that's ok, I'm on my way to visit my niece and she's 3 months old! He didn't mind EC one bit. Towards the end of the flight, the flight attendant came over to me and said- "You have an angel baby." Yep, she was a total angel. I really said- why don't you come over around midnight tonight. ha!

Such a great trip! Lots of wonderful memories! And if there were girl scout type badges for moms- I think I would have earned one for taking a baby on a flight by myself!

Birthday FUN

2011-09-26T20:20:00.021-05:00

Happy 31st Birthday to Jeremy! We celebrated with a night out on the town. It was only our 2nd date, since EC has joined our family. We had a delicious meal at Eddie V's and EC was in great hands at home with Aunt Sarah, Big E and Aunt Lisa.

EC was already snug in her jammies when it was time for us to leave.

For his main gift, Jeremy got a new pair of boots!

The babysitting report was all good, except for a minor incident with a blowout, which resulted in wiping down the playmat and an outift change. A normal evening for Em!

The next day, we went to lunch to celebrate with everyone.

Happy birthday to a wonderful husband and father!

Strollin'

2011-09-11T21:01:00.003-05:00

Now that the weather has cooled off ever so slightly, we have been enjoying the outdoors a little more. We took EC on an evening stroll and it was her first time to sit up in the stroller (without being in her carrier). I think she enjoyed it!

It was also a great chance for Emme Clare to show off her new kicks from MaeMae!

Mostly, she enjoyed licking the straps. I'm excited about the cooler weather and a lighter stroller!

Spending time with these 4 (Jeremy, EC, Sarah and Win) is my favorite!

Not pictured: Aunt Sarah

Best Friends Forever

2011-09-10T21:52:00.001-05:00

EC gets to spend most of her day with LD. I think they are becoming best friends. The other morning, as I was leaving for work, they started holding hands- it was so sweet!

I'm so thankful for a sweet friend for Emme. We love watching them grow up together!

Heart Walk

2011-09-10T20:59:00.017-05:00

Saturday morning, we headed out for the Heart Walk. It was near the Fort Worth Stockyards and it was a beautiful sunny day. MaeMae, Big E, and Aunt Sarah were able to join us for the big event! There was so much to see and do!

Big E always gets her to laugh. She thinks he is hilarious!

We even enjoyed a little breakfast! Such a fun, family day!

5 Months!

2011-09-08T20:57:00.020-05:00

Another month has flown by! I can’t believe I have a 5 month old! She is so great- we are so blessed to have such a wonderful baby girl. Of course, the biggest change in this sweet girl’s life was her momma returning to work. She didn’t skip a beat and has been an absolute doll.

She’s doing so great with taking two bottles a day. She loves her nanny and her sweet friend, L. She wakes up about 6:30am and I feed her and then, J and I take turns playing with her and getting ready for work. She goes back to sleep about 8:00am. She’s with our sweet nanny until we get home from work around 5:15 or 5:30. We love every second that we get to spend with her.

She weighed in at 14 lbs 3 ounces- still around the 40^th percentile for weight.

Emme Clare is laughing and smiling all the time! She had her first really big laugh this month and it absolutely melted our hearts! You can’t watch the video without cracking a smile!

She is fascinated by Winnie and watches everything she does. Sometimes she just smiles really big when she sees Win. She’s doing great with holding her head up and sitting up with a little bit of help. She hasn’t been rolling over quite as much, but if I’m being honest- it might be because we don’t put her on her play mat as much as we should!

This month we have been able to spend so much time with family and friends and it’s been wonderful. Overall, this transition has gone better than I could have ever hoped!

Sweet Emmeline-

You are one amazing little baby girl! We adore you from the top of your head to the very tips of your little toes. Your laugh is the best sound we have ever heard!

I miss you SO much while I am at work, but I know you’re having a great day. We have a ton of fun together in the evenings and on the weekends.

I love watching you see life. You are fascinated by your hands and that they move. You love all of our silly noises and faces. I’m so excited that you finally seem to enjoy reading books (or at least, you don’t cry when we get them out).

You are precious to us! I thank God every day that he picked me to be your mommy. I know that I don’t deserve you and all the wonderfulness that you bring to my life.

I hope you always know how much we treasure you and how much you are loved by your parents and Heavenly Father. I love you!

Love,

Your mommy

Happy Labor Day!

2011-09-05T20:59:00.005-05:00

Hope your Labor Day was great! EC was just chillin' with Big E!

Jumperoo

2011-08-29T21:38:00.011-05:00

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'

2011-08-28T21:31:00.002-05:00

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

2011-08-20T21:09:00.018-05:00

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 . . .

2011-08-15T20:55:00.008-05:00

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

2011-08-13T21:05:00.000-05:00

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

2011-08-09T17:35:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-08-08T17:41:00.002-05:00

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

2011-08-05T22:19:00.003-05:00

She did it! This little is rolling over!

Squeals of Delight

2011-08-04T10:22:00.004-05:00

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

2011-08-01T20:09:00.013-05:00

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!

Hi Ho Hi Ho . . .

2011-07-31T22:10:00.000-05:00

It's off to work I go! That's right, I'm headed back to work.

I definitely have mixed feelings about returning to work and leaving EC, but it seems that working is what is best for my family right now. We are in the process of weighing our childcare options and figuring out how this can all work.

I'm very excited about the new position! I'll be doing compliance work for a company that is very close to our house- about 10 miles away. It's going to be very new for me and definitely challenging, but I'm really excited about it.

I have no doubts that this job was completely God's timing for our family. Family friends forwarded my resume to the CEO in January- before we even moved here. For whatever reason, my resume got lost on his desk and he just stumbled across it a week ago and wanted to see if I was still interested. What great timing! I would not have been ready for this a month ago.

No doubt, it will be very hard to leave this cutie pie, but just like God can provide this wonderful opportunity, I know He can provide a childcare option that will work for us.

I'm so thankful that I've had these 4 months at home with her. It's gone by so fast, but I've loved it!

Dear Self

2011-07-29T19:05:00.000-05:00

When I was in high school and then again, just out of college, I was a waitress for a little bit. Let me just say- that wasn't my calling in life. A restaurant term frequently used by servers was being in the weeds. That meant that maybe a server had several big tables, everyone was seated at the same time, the kitchen was backed up, we were out of the special, the bar tender was slow, etc. Basically, you just can't catch a break.

I think those early days when we brought Emme home was like being in the weeds.  At times, it felt like this never ending sleepless haze where things kept seeming to go a little bit wrong (no sleep, jaundice, nursing issues, mastitis, a/c broken, plumbing issues, no sleep, bacterial infection, the Ivy situation, etc). Right now (I know this could change at any moment), I feel like I'm out of the weeds. Things are the definitely not perfect, but they are much better!

I thought I would write a little note to myself, just in case I'm ever in the weeds again. If you're a new mom, you might enjoy my "fresh out of the weeds" perspective.

Dear Self:

It's going to be okay. Take a deep breath and relax. Even though it seems like a big deal right now, next week you are barely going remember this incident.  It's tough when you don't get much sleep. Take a nap EVERY chance you get . . . like when your baby is sleeping. I know everyone keeps saying that and you can't seem to stop doing laundry every chance you get, but really- it can wait. You need sleep.

Ask for help. People want to help you, so let them. And remember, it's going to get better. It really is. I know that right now, you can't imagine it getting better, but it will. Your baby will stop crying, you'll get more sleep and this crisis will be resolved.

Most importantly, fight like crazy. Fight like crazy to be in the moment and hang on to each of these days. It's so easy to muddle through and look forward to that next phase, but don't miss this one. It goes really fast and you don't want to miss one second. They are little for such a short time and you won't get these moments back. Hold her a little bit tighter and tell her one more time that she's the love of your life and your precious gift from God. You can't say it enough!

It really is going to be okay.  You have a Heavenly Father that's looking out for you and He's not going to give you more than you can handle. Some days it might seem like, He forgot what you're capable of handling, but He didn't!

This isn't a competition to see who is the best mom, so stop comparing yourself to other blogging moms.  Focus on you and your baby! Those blogs are tricky and might not be telling the whole truth! You're doing the best you can. And your little is one lucky baby to have you as a mom.

One day, you're going to look back on these days with fondness.

Love,

Me

Half Marathon

2011-07-27T11:56:00.001-05:00

I’m a little nervous to even type this out in bold black type . . .

I am registered for a half marathon.

The email confirmation hit my inbox and I immediately felt complete and utter FEAR. What was I thinking?!?! I just had a baby! A half marathon?!?! I’m not a “runner.” I have lost my mind!

It’s definitely pushing me WAY out of my comfort zone. And just as much as I’m scared, I’m so excited! The best part . . . it’s at Disney World!!!! It’s the Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World in February 2012.

The good news- I have some time to prepare and I have a lot of people encouraging me. I’m still scared, but I know it’s going to be one crazy fun adventure . . . and a little bit magical!

Schedules

2011-07-26T11:57:00.004-05:00

I love schedules! I thrive on routine! I enjoy planning!

Since coming home from the hospital, EC has been on a schedule. Mostly due to the fact that she was born early and had jaundice. The pediatrician recommended waking her up every 3 hours (at least) for feedings. In those early days, I literally woke her up for almost every feeding. She was sooo sleepy! But needed to eat!

Over time, we slowly cut out the middle of the night feedings and she slept later and later.

For quite some time now, EC has been on a pretty consistent 3 hour schedule, starting around 7:30am with her last feeding at 10:30pm. I feed her every 3 hours for the most part with a total of 6 feedings a day. She’s definitely gone close to 4 hours between feedings, but it’s worked out great. Very dependable day. I can plan errands around this schedule and I generally know when will be a good nap versus a bad nap.

As of late, it seems that more and more, I’m having to wake her up from naps for feedings and for the past few days, she’s not taken a full feeding or simply refused to nurse at one of the later feedings. This all points to a schedule change!!!!! Yikes!

I really struggle with these changes! The old scheduled is so familiar and worked so well. But we are giving the 3.5- 4 hour schedule a try, which will mean 5 feedings a day.

Change is hard, but I’m pretty sure that’s being a parent. Some type of change is always taking place. And really, a 4 hour schedule can mean a little more freedom for me!

UPDATE (7/27/2011):
The schedule change is a no go. The first night, she woke up at 3:00am- she almost never does that! We went in her room and patted her belly or gave her the pacifier about 5 times. I finally fed her at 7:00am.

The next day she woke up at 4:00am and I fed her at 6:30 and she pretty much ate every 3 hours the rest of the day, maybe 3.5 hours a few times. Overall, it looks like she just wasn't ready to cut back a feeding. We can try again in a week or so.

Girls Lunch

2011-07-25T11:58:00.007-05:00

EC and I met up with Lisa, Deborah, Delancy and Cynthia for a girls’ lunch! We enjoyed the fine dining of Pluckers and they got in lots of cuddle time with Emme!

EC is one lucky girl to be surrounded by such a loving family!

Celebrating Gram's Birthday

2011-07-24T13:44:00.039-05:00

Gram celebrated her birthday and EC insisted on being part of the celebration. Gram, Pop Pop, and Aunt Ali came for a weekend visit!

We made Gram a cake and had such a great family weekend.

Emme was fascinated by Aunt Ali's shirt! She could not get enough of the bright colors!

She loves spending time with her Pop Pop. He always gets the biggest smiles out of her.

We took a trip to the Apple store, so Gram could get a cover for her NEW iPhone. And I needed to get my iPhone camera fixed. I see lots of facetime in our near future!

On Friday night, we went to a local Fort Worth rodeo. It was a first for Emme Clare! We also tried out the Baby Bjorn.

It only lasted for a little bit and EC was with Gram- one of her favorite spots!

I'm not sure how much of the rodeo EC actually experienced. She spent lots of time sleeping on Gram!

On Saturday, we had a lazy day at home, enjoying EC. Emme is smiling more and more all the time!

She LOVES her Aunt!

Winnie had a great weekend, too! She has the best time playing with Maddie! They were both worn out at the end of the weekend!

Thanks for coming Gram, Pop Pop and Aunt Ali. We had such a good time. Happy Birthday, Gram!

July Weekend in Abilene

2011-07-17T13:35:00.025-05:00

We loaded up our car once again and headed to Abilene to spend some time with MaeMae, Doc, Uncle Big E, and Aunt Sarah!

We had a great time just hanging out and trying lots of new recipes! Melissa and John got to stop by for a quick visit.

Mostly, it was just some good quality family time! We didn't even leave the ranch (except for church on Sunday)!

We were ready to leave Sunday afternoon, when Jeremy realized our keys were locked in the car. The set of spare keys was at home in the drawer where the extra keys go. Great place!

Ethan, Jeremy and our neighbor, Charlie tried everything to break into the car. No luck! They could hit the lock button multiple times, but the unlock button wouldn't budge. We finally broke down and called a locksmith. He was there in no time and had it unlocked. He let us know that Trailblazers have a special anti- theft feature and the car can't be unlocked (using the button) unless someone is sitting in the front seat. It has a weight sensor. Good to know! [You know I got in the backseat and reached over to the front seat and tried to unlock it, so I could be sure. He was right!]

Despite leaving a few hours later than planned, we had a great time!

Happy camper on the way home!

Quickly became a not so happy camper!

In Love

2011-07-14T17:05:00.000-05:00

We can't get enough of this little girl!

Confessions of A New Mom

2011-07-13T23:52:00.000-05:00

I still watch the train wreck that is MTV's "Teen Mom." Seriously- should over 30s moms even be allowed to watch Teen Mom?!?!
Multiple days go by and I don't step one foot outside. The closest I get is opening the back door and yelling for Winnie to come inside.
I do at least one, if not two or more, loads of laundry EVERY day. My pet peeve is dirty laundry piling up- can't take it.
I will do ANYTHING to see Emme Clare smile. And I mean, anything- silly faces, farting noises, sing, clap, talk in the most annoying high pitched baby voice ever. It's worth it for that big, gummy grin! Good thing I'm not on Teen Mom.
I still cry about Ivy.
My standard uniform is yoga pants and a t-shirt (aka- sweats). I swore I wouldn't be "that mom," but I'm consistently covered in spit up or milk or poo or all of the above. It's just not worth it!
Winnie hasn't been to the groomer in over 3 months. Poor Win!
I have googled/ blogged almost every baby issue possible and at the end of the day, I can tell you that it's pretty much half and half and a lot of people have really strong opinions. You just need to do what's best for your baby.
I owe some serious thank you notes. Thank you notes that were due prior to the birth of EC. Yikes!
Sometimes I feel this tiny twinge of envy for the old me and my freedom. But one look at the big, gummy grin and I wouldn't trade the laundry, the spit up, the exhaustion, the never-ending diapers, the lack of "me" time, the worry for anything in the world!

Get Caught Up With Us

2011-07-12T14:45:00.003-05:00

Well, I got a little behind on blogging, so here's a bunch of new posts for you to catch up on us and what we've been up to lately. I always tell myself I'm not going to get behind again. It's so much easier to do a post every day or so. But life happens! I'll do my best!

3 Months

Happy 4th!

Celebrating Independence Day

Cribs: Baby Edition

Our Father’s Day

Popsicles for Brinley

Happy reading!

3 Months!

2011-07-08T12:16:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe that another month has gone by and ECW is bigger than ever! She's such a doll and an absolute delight for us.

We are definitely settling into a routine, but as most parents of newborns know, that could easily change at any given moment. We had a rough couple of weeks with nursing- not eating much, only nursing on one side, crying during feedings, etc. We had several different theories about the problem and even now, who knows?!?! This past week, she's been great, no hint of a problem. For the most part, she sleeps until 6:00 or 7:00. Our goal for this month is to sleep until 7:00 or 7:30. But I seriously can't complain! I distinctly remember a week (or 2 or 3) in there when I literally did not know if I would ever sleep again for more than 2 consecutive hours. I'm such a better person now! ha!

EC had so many firsts this month! Her first flight, visited so many family and friends in TN, first race, first time to sleep in a real crib, first birthday party, and hosted her own first party! She handled it all like a champ! I can definitely notice a difference when she's out of her routine, but thankfully, she bounces back pretty quick.

She doesn't have a doctor's appointment this month (yay!), so I weighed her on our home scales and she came in right at 11 pounds, 14 ounces. She's a growing girl!

I can definitely see that she's turning into more of a "baby," instead of just a newborn. She's really good at holdiner her head up while we hold her. Tummy time is so-so, she gets a little bit angry when we leave her on her tummy for more than about 2 minutes. She also does not like for us to read books to her still! So sad for me!

Sweet Emmeline-

You are the apple of our eye! We fall more in love with you every day. You make it so easy with your sweet disposition and your irresistible smile. We can't get enough of you!

You took your first flight this month and while you didn't do exceptionally well, you did just fine and I"m sure your daddy will give you another chance to prove that you are an A+ traveler. You had so much fun visiting your dad's hometown and you got to spend so much time with Gram, Pop Pop, Aunt Ali and Granny B.

We are seeing more and more of those precious smiles. You love it when we make silly faces at you. We are also starting to see more of your personality. You don't like to be cuddled quite as much as you used to. You want to be sitting up and facing out, so you can see everything that's happening. You don't want to miss any of the action (even if it's just you, me and Win at home). It makes me sad, because I love a cuddly baby, but I know you're soaking in everything and it's good for you to be curious.

You're also cooing and babbling more each day. You stare so intently at our mouths- we can see the wheels turning. It's like you just want to figure out how we get that sound out of our mouths.

You are a precious gift from God and we love you so very much! You are our baby girl and we treasure each day with you!

Love,
Your Mommy

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T13:24:00.001-05:00

Happy

Fourth

July!

Celebrating Independence Day

2011-07-03T21:00:00.002-05:00

Emme Clare hosted her first, big party! We celebrated Independence Day with our family and friends with a backyard BBQ.

We had a great time getting ready for the big party. We borrowed Mae Mae's new silhouette to make a USA banner. We put white flowers in mason jars, made cupcakes, and even carved a watermelon (Thanks, MaeMae!).

We were excited that so many family and friends made it out for inaugural July Fourth Party (i.e. this is going to be an annual event). Despite the heat, everyone had a great time!

Earlene and PaPa

Uncle Randy and Doc

Winnie (don't judge- she has an appointment with the groomer!)

Emme Clare loves spending time with Doc!

A very rare pic of Amy and I together (guess who hasn't seen much sun?!?!)

Am & ECW

The Moore/ Walker Family

Brinley and ECW

The girls "hugging"

Hope you had a fantastic 4th!

Cribs: Baby Edition

2011-07-01T15:21:00.001-05:00

After months of waiting, Emme Clare has a crib! AND her crib is decked out-- all thanks to her MaeMae. The room is not 100% finished- as in, we have nothing hanging on the walls. But we are getting there. It's really hard to find time to hang things- she's either sleeping or with me, neither is a good time for hammering.

She LOVES her bumper pads! She coos at them and grins at them. I don't know if they are full of secret messages, but she's a big fan.

And we made it before the 3 month mark, as promised! Let's hope we can get it completed before the 4 month mark!

Guess who else is a big fan of EC's new crib look???

WINNIE!!!!

Our Father's Day!

2011-06-25T21:27:00.021-05:00

We were a little busy (and out of town) on Father's Day. So EC and I surprised Jeremy and made Friday, Our Father's Day. And I have a confession to make- I have really dropped the ball for occasions and gifts for Jeremy lately. Not just a little bit, I mean really! I didn't even get him a card for our anniversary (I'm working on a make-up day). And Father's Day came and went with just a pat on the back and a good job from me. Not at all the message that I intended to send for J's first celebration as a father.

He has handled all of the past few months' craziness like a champ. He changes diapers, rocks Emme Clare, gets me more water, picks up dinner at least 5 out of 7 nights (the other 2 we eat leftovers), puts up with my roller coaster of emotions (especially where Ivy is concerned) and most of all, he loves us!

I surprised Jeremy by putting up this sign when he got home from work on Friday.

Even better, I surprised him with this chocolate cake. You can find the recipe for the cake and frosting at Our Best Bites. It's a really cute blog with lots of yummy recipes! And we went out to dinner at Chuy's- his choice.

He loved the cake and loved his gift from me and EC!

Since moving to Texas (for the 2nd time), we have a joke about how every company is called Lonestar Something. Lonestar Moving Company, Lonestar Plumbing, Lonestar Electric, etc. We point them out all the time. If they don't actually have the name Lonestar as part of their company's name, usually the shape of Texas or a longhorn is included in the logo.

I thought it was only fitting to get him a Lonestar Dad t-shirt for Father's Day. And of course, EC had to have a Lonestar Baby onesie!

A friend from high school (and college) has an Etsy shop and sells really cute t-shirts. I contacted her about making one of her shirts slightly custom for us. And she did it no problem! They were perfect! Check out her store if you're in need of some cute tees- Piddle Designs!

Happy Father's Day to a wonderful daddy and husband!

You're Never Fully Dressed Without A SMILE!

2011-06-23T13:46:00.000-05:00

This little cutie had a rough evening! We are really not sure what went wrong, but it was unpleasant to say the least. We are trying to be grateful that these nights are few and far between. For the most part, she's an excellent baby!

I fed her around 7:30 and she stayed awake for a little bit. We tried putting her down around 8:45 because she was a little fussy. She would sleep for about 10 minutes and then wake up crying or fussy. We rocked her, patted her belly, sang to her, played music, bounced her, etc. She would fall asleep for a few minutes and then, crying again. We finally stopped trying to put her down around 9:30. She was smiling and cooing and loving spending time with her daddy.

She started getting fussy again around 10:00, so I decided to feed her. By the time we got her diaper changed, she was real deal screaming crying. Then, she absolutely refused to nurse- it made her even more mad when I tried. I tried comforting her while Jeremy heated up a bottle.

She was inconsolable! We tried the bottle and she would not take it- more screaming. We bounced her around, walked with her- she was only happy if we held her sideways and walked around. No sitting! We made a call to MaeMae and Doc and they offered a few suggestions. Jeremy headed to the store to buy some baby Gas-X. We gave her that and she was still crying. She would fall asleep in our arms for 3 minutes and then, wake up screaming.

We finally tried putting her in her swing and she calmed down a little bit and took the bottle. When she was finished, right back to crying. I changed her diaper and she just stopped crying and was back to her normal, happy self. I swaddled her and put her to bed (about midnight at this point). She slept till 5:30am and woke up happy!

We love seeing her smile! It's so hard to hear your baby crying when you can't do anything about it! I know it's part of life- babies, kids, people cry and sometimes, nothing can make it better. But it doesn't stop us from trying!

***I first tried taking the picture of her on her belly with her pink bow. It didn't work out so well. Not sure if the bow was weighing her down or if her hand was too delicious!

A New BFF

2011-06-22T18:41:00.000-05:00

My friend, Mandy, was in Dallas for a few days, so Emmeline and I headed over to their hotel. We couldn't wait to meet Miss Adelyn, see Grayson again, and catch up with Mandy. Emme is exactly one week older than Addy, but if they had both been born on their due dates, Addy would have been born on the 20th and Emme on the 21st.

Ironically enough, their hotel was right next to the restaurant and dueling piano bar that we went to for my bachelorette party about 4 years ago. My how things have changed!

Miss Adelyn is a cutie!

Addy: Why is your mom shining that big light in our face?

Emme: I don't know- she does it to me all the time.

Addy: By the way, did you realize that you're not wearing a shirt?

Emme: I don't want to talk about it- I'm embarrassed.

Addy: She's still snapping away.

Emme: Give her a smile and then, she'll stop!

Addy: My eyes are hurting from all the flashes of light.

Emme: Try to pretend you're having fun.

Addy: Seriously?!?!

Emme: I'm sure she's about to stop.

Addy: What's that thing on your head?

Emme: I'm DONE!

Big Brother Grayson

Such a great time catching up and seeing little Adelyn and Grayson. Although Addy and Emme were side by side, I'm pretty sure they didn't really acknowledge each other's presence. Ha! I know it will be a very different story the next time we see them!

Thanks for hanging out with us, Proctor Family!

Trip to TN

2011-06-21T19:19:00.002-05:00

We headed to Tennessee so we could introduce Emmeline to the rest of Jeremy's family. This means- our first plane trip with a newborn. All in all, it turned out fine and we had a terrific time. I'm definitely able to laugh about some of our misfortune now (not so much in the moment).

We started out by heading to DFW- about a 15 minute drive from our house. We left 2 hours before our flight was scheduled to depart. We accidentally took the wrong exit and DFW just happens to be doing construction on a few parking lots, so we took this crazy parking lot detour, but finally parked our car. Next, we ended up getting on the wrong parking lot bus, got back off the bus, waited for a new bus, new bus never came, decided to walk to terminal, waited for bus to take us to our terminal, and finally get to our terminal. Jeremy ran to the AA counter, but it was too late. DFW requires that bags are checked 40 minutes in advance, not 30 minutes.

They assured us that our bag would be on the next flight to Memphis, arriving at 10pm. Not ideal, but we said ok. We headed to security, which was a little crazy, since we were so rushed. We also didn't know Emmeline had to be listed on our ticket. That created a bit of a delay and some major anxiety for me, but they finally let us through security. We were pretty much the last ones on our plane!

Emme did really well at first, but she started to get a little fussy. I attempted to feed her, but that did not go so great. She hated the nursing cover and was a little vocal about that. She fell asleep the last 20 minutes of the flight.

Upon arrival in Memphis, Jeremy headed to the baggage claim to discuss our situation. Unfortunately, the AA rep was really busy giving herself a manicure and didn't have much time to chat. When she got to a stopping point, she suggested that we have our bag FedExed and we would get it "the next day." Done! We headed to Gram and Pop Pops with EC and only our carry on luggage. Got a call that night that our bag arrived in Memphis and we would get it "the next day" between 8am and 5pm.

The next morning J and I headed to Wal-Mart to pick up a few essentials. Emme didn't want to go- she was embarrassed to be seen with us! I think the black sandals and purse really make the outfit for me and I'll refrain from comment on Jeremy's ensemble.

Headed to Wally World

Emme got to meet lots of new friends and family on Friday! She was especially excited to meet her great grandparents for the first time.

Granny B with Em

PaPa Walker, Jeremy, Pop Pop, and Nanny Walker with Emme

Gram, Jeremy and Granny B with Emmeline

Friday came and went with no luggage.

Emme got lots of time with her Gram, Pop Pop and Aunt Ali. They love her and she loves them just as much!

She's disgusted with all this picture taking!

Saturday came and went with no luggage and the announcement that it would be delivered around noon on Monday. Um- our return flight was 3pm on Monday and we needed to leave for the airport around noon. We made arrangements to pick the luggage up ourselves on Monday morning. In other words, our bag was of zero use to us the entire trip! What a waste of $25 to check the bag and $100 to have the bag delivered via FedEx!

On Sunday, we headed to church and EC got to meet lots more people!

Cody and Aunt Ali with Emme

Cousin Jessica with ECW

Still trying to catch a smile on camera!

Emme also decided to help Aunt Ali with wedding plans. She had lots of input!

Happy Father's Day!

Cousin Mark

We love this little girl!

Of course, Sunday came and went with no luggage.

REUNITED! We got our bag on Monday morning about 10am- a little late for it to be of any use to us!

EC did ok on the return flight- she cried a little bit, but not too bad.

We stepped off our flight at DFW, made a quick stop at the bathrooms and headed to baggage claim. One lone bag was sitting on the conveyor belt at baggage claim- our bag! We appreciate that, AA, but it can't make up for FOUR DAYS without our bag.

We had such a great time in TN, despite the luggage mishap. We love spending time with our TN family and it was so nice for Emme to meet so many important people. We definitely have plans to go back, just not sure if we will be flying or driving!

Taking Flight

2011-06-18T14:21:00.001-05:00

We recently took our first flight with Emmeline. I can best sum it up by saying -- it was a learning experience. In the hopes of helping others, I'd like to pass on a few tips.

1. Plan to leave for the airport at least 3 hours before your airplane departs- you never know when several parking lots are going to be closed and you'll have to detour about 4 times to finally get to the right parking lot. Leaving your house 2 hours before the flight departs is not sufficient.

2. On plane ride day, choose your outfit very, very carefully. Choose something that you might like to wear for the next 4-5 days.
*Bonus tip- black sandals go with everything and men can wear umbro capris.

3. If you're traveling with a baby, your baby needs a ticket. Even if you plan to hold your child (that is under 2 years old) in your lap-- still need a ticket. You can have them added to your ticket at the gate, but you're probably going to hold up the security line while they find a manager to authorize that.

4. Don't leave your stroller at security.

5. Some babies don't like nursing covers. At all.

6. Just because you pay to have your bag delivered NEXT DAY does not mean you will get your bag the next day, the next, or even the next after that.

7. Wal-Mart and your in-laws stash of extra toiletries = your best friend.

8. If you are blind as a bat, it would be a very good idea to travel with your eye glasses in your carry on. Otherwise, you'll be wearing your contacts non-stop for the next 4-5 days and your eyes will be blood shot and itchy. People will wonder exactly what you've been up to . . .

9. DFW Airport requires that all baggage must be checked 40 minutes prior to the plane's departure, not 30 minutes like you might assume. And they don't care if you're traveling with a 2 month old.

10. Traveling is an adventure and flexibility is your motto!

Emme on her 1st (maybe last) plane ride

Home Improvement Project: The Fountain

2011-06-15T17:00:00.000-05:00

We take a break from your regularly scheduled Emme updates, to bring you this home improvement project. No need to worry- we will return to Emme updates shortly.

Our new house came with a fountain in the backyard. It wasn't in the best shape when we moved in, but we definitely saw the potential. Like many things with this house, it's been on our to do list for quite some time. The early arrival of Emmeline, plus a few other events helped in the set back of getting things accomplished on said list.

It was full of leaves and dirt and gross. It was stinky and disgusting. And in much need of some improvement . . .

In the meantime, it served as a playground of sorts for Ivy and Winnie. They loved running up and down all the rocks. The first time I saw them on top of the fountain, I was so worried that they would fall into all of that gross water. So far, so good.

Jeremy has diligently been working on the fountain in his very limited spare time over the past couple of weeks.

Winnie has been helping him out- offering her input and guidance, as he worked through some issues with the fountain set up.

Several trips to the pool store, Home Depot and Lowes, a little bit of trial and error, lots of new pipe, 2 coats of pool paint, hours of sweaty manual labor by Jeremy . . . and I'm excited to announce, we have flowing water in our beautiful fountain!!!!

Here's our pool boy . . . oh, no, wait . . . that's just Jeremy! We are currently taking applications for a pool/ fountain boy. It takes a lot to keep the leaves out. The pay isn't terribly high, but the fringe benefits are amazing!

And does Winnie look guilty? Like maybe she took a big swig of fountain water? Ah, yes- a new worry for me. Win will consume large amounts of chlorinated water . . .

I'm so excited about the fountain! It looks so pretty all lit up at night. We still have some work to do on improving the backyard in general, but we are well on our way with the beautiful fountain. Way to go, Jeremy!

Doctors, Needles, & Shots! Oh my!

2011-06-15T13:37:00.000-05:00

First of all, why didn't anyone warn me?!?! I feel betrayed by my mom friends. Emmeline had her 2 month check-up and she had to get 4 shots (2 in each leg). She screamed and cried like I have never heard her cry before. And while the nurse was giving her all these shots- her mom and dad were holding her down. Poor thing!

I did not feel adequately prepared for the trauma and excessive crying. The doctor warned us that she might be a "little" fussy and clingy. What?!?! You mean screaming her head off, so that nothing could make it better?!?!

I'll give you one guess as to whether these pics were taken before or after the doctor visit! Ha!

Overall, Miss Emmeline is doing great. The doctor was pleased with all of her progress. She's a little concerned that she seems to mainly turn her head to the right. But we are just going to work on making sure she also looks to the left during the next 2 months. If it doesn't get better, we can take action at the 4 month check-up. As a side note, guess what's also in store for us at the 4 month check-up?!?! A repeat of the exact same shots!!!! Dread.

Height: 21 inches (8th percentile)

Weight: 10 pounds 10 ounces (40th percentile)

Head Size: 14 3/4 inches (14th percentile)

Hmm, we are a little off on the percentile. It doesn't look like Em got any of the tall genes from either side of the family. But you never know, she still has lots of time to grow!

She is smiling more and more every day. She kind of has a shy smile- she looks away and puts her hands up. It's adorable, but very hard to capture on camera.

We got home from the doctor's office around 4:00. She had fallen asleep in the car (finally) and stayed asleep until I fed her around 5:00. She pretty much screamed from then until about 9:00. It was apparent that she was in pain and it was soo sad. Nothing could calm her down! A few things would work for a couple of minutes, but she would be right back to crying.

Luckily, she did just fine after we put her to bed at 11:00 and she woke up this morning with a smile on her face!

Dublin Dr. Pepper Weekend

2011-06-12T17:11:00.002-05:00

Well, we took our first road trip plus hotel stay this weekend. Emmeline did exceptionally well! She's a rock star with traveling and getting slightly off of her routine.

On Friday, MaeMae, Aunt Lisa, Emme and I headed to our hotel in Stephenville (Jeremy met up with us a little later). We got things all set up in our room and then, we headed to a family dinner. It was so great to see everyone and Emme got to spend lots of time with family- MaeMae, Doc, Aunt Lisa, Aunt Tina, Uncle Randy, Cousin James, PaPa, and Earlene. We enjoyed a delicious steak dinner and took lots of pics!

Emme with Aunt Lisa

MaeMae and Emme

4 generations

PaPa & Emme

After dinner, we all headed to bed early, so we could get up early for the big race. As a side note, Miss Em slept until 6:00am! Yay! I can take more of those nights!

Early Saturday, we headed to Dublin for the race. Uncle Ethan, Aunt Tina, and I (with Emme) ran/ walked the 4K. Jeremy, MaeMae, Aunt Lisa, and James ran the 10K. We were super proud of all those runners.

Ready to run!

The runners

The main selling point for running this race was the FREE Dublin Dr. Pepper. While there was some available, it wasn't quite what we expected. There was ONE really long line for the DP. But all in all, we had a great time!

Em loves Dublin DP, too! Hopefully, there will be more DP and more races in our near future!

Popsicles for Brinley!

2011-06-11T21:31:00.000-05:00

A very special little girl turned 2 this week and we celebrated with popsicles and outdoor fun! Happy Birthday, Brinley!

As you can see, Brinley's mom has an eye for the details and thought of everything when it came to making this a perfect popsicle party! I made one very small contribution . . . popsicle (and "b") cookies!

Don't you love this cake?!?!

The birthday girl had a blast in her popsicle swimsuit.

Rocky, Amy and B

Emme couldn't pass up a chance for a pic with the b-day girl

Pictures don't lie . . . Emme was the life of the party! It just wouldn't have been the same birthday without her pizazz and enthusiasm! ha!

Even when we got home, she was still out! This little miss had such a busy weekend and I think it all caught up with her. I mean, she did run/ walk a 4K earlier that morning. Her mom and dad were pretty tired, too!

Two Months

2011-06-08T15:59:00.000-05:00

Miss Emmeline is 2 months old today! Once again, time flies. It's been a busy month for us and Emme has changed so much.

She is doing fantastic at night- I usually feed her around 10:00 or 10:30 and she wakes up somewhere between 4:00 and 5:00. This is so helpful for this momma that needs sleep! She gets a little cranky in the evenings, but overall, she's so good.

Watching her change this month has been so exciting. She's much more alert and aware of her surroundings. If you watch closely, you can catch a big grin or a million dollar smile. It melts our hearts!

I weighed her on our scales this morning and she tipped the scales at 10 pounds 3 ounces. We will get the official measurements next week at the 2 month doctor visit. She also moved up to size 1 diapers during this month! She's still wearing newborn clothes, but just barely. She's been in a few 0-3 month outfits, depending on the brand.

She loves playing on her activity mat- she gets so excited and kicks her legs and moves her arms. This is the best chance for catching that allusive smile. We couldn't be happier with this little girl.

I don't want to jinx it, but I'm pretty sure by my 3 month post, she just might have her real deal crib!!!! Stay tuned for updates!

Sweet Emmeline-

You are the light of our life! Watching you grow and change this month has been so very exciting. You are getting so big!

Your smiles absolutely melt our hearts and we can't wait to see more of them! You still love taking a bath and you also got to take your first road trip to Abilene. You did amazing!

Your Gram, MaeMae, Doc and Pop spent lots of time with you during this month and they can't get enough. Everyone loves you!

We also took you to church for the first time and you didn't make a peep. We hope you will always love going to church.

Sweet, little girl- you are so precious to us. During this month, we also lost our beloved Ivy. We are so sad about this news and we regret that we won't get to watch the two of you play together as you get older. But losing Ivy has reminded us how precious life is and we are so thankful for you. Lately, we've been holding you a little bit tighter and telling you a few more times how very much we love you. Please know that you are so important to us and we are blessed to be your parents.

Emmeline Clare Walker- your mommy and daddy love you! God gave us you!

Love,

Your mommy

Meeting PaPa

2011-06-07T13:06:00.040-05:00

While we were in Abilene over the weekend, Emmeline got to meet my PaPa, her Great PaPa, for the first time. I think it's safe to say- he was smitten. He held her for such a long time and it was so sweet.

He told us lots of stories about my dad when he was little and my dad, Papa and I remarked on how much my MaMa would have loved meeting Emme and getting to know her. They would have adored one another!

We laughed about how different things are with kids now and how much technology has advanced. He talked about my dad riding in the cab of their pickup truck- standing up! No car seat, not even a seat belt. He had to stand up so he could see out the window. PaPa said he would hold his arm across him if he had to stop short. Ha! I don't think I would make it down my block with Emme standing on the front seat before someone would be reporting me.

I love that these two finally got to meet! PaPa has been such an important person in my life and I know Emmeline will feel the same way!

UPDATE ON IVY:

We are making it. Coming back home has been really hard, because there are SO many reminders that she's not here. Every time I see a dog on tv, I look over for Ivy to start barking. At night when we go to bed, I still wait for Ivy to put her legs up and whine, so we can pull her into bed with us. In some ways, our house seems so empty and quiet.

Winnie is so sad- she walks around looking for her and just sighs, and lays down. She's getting better each day, but she lost her best friend and it's just going to take time to move forward. We are trying to keep her routine as close to normal as possible.

I want to tell you that I'm fine and that I'm over it, but that's not quite accurate. I'm not sure why this adjustment has been so hard. Probably the combination- emotional, little sleep, the suddenness, the shock, and so so much change in the past few months. My mind keeps replaying the images of me trying to help her while Jeremy was on his way to pick her up, seeing her so small and scared at the vet clinic and picturing her all alone when she passed. I wanted better for her. And it's hard not to focus on what could or should have been different about the whole ordeal.

I listened to a sermon by Matt Chandler (Leaving) and it was a really great perspective. I encourage you to check it out. Of course, he was talking about people dying and I don't want to act like Ivy is the same as losing a spouse, child, parent or sibling, etc. But Matt said- "No one [or dog] dies early." It's God's plan and our human perspective might think we got robbed of a few years or cheated out of life, but God knows what he's doing and when our work is done, it's time. It was Ivy's time- her business was finished here.

That doesn't mean we won't be sad or grieve, but we can't keep clinging to the what if it had been different. Each day is better and we will get through this. Thank you so much for all of our sweet comments and for helping us to remember all that was good about sweet Ivy.

Heartbroken.

2011-06-05T12:18:00.000-05:00

We are simply heartbroken. In the hours that have followed the bad news, we keep repeating that this all seems like a very bad dream. Ivy was happy and playful all day Friday. It came without warning.

How did it all go wrong so fast?

I fully realize that there are many tragedies facing families in our country right now- devastating tragedies that I probably don't even comprehend. I want to move forward, but it's really hard. Ivy was literally like a member of our family. Jeremy and I picked her up about 3 months after we were married and she's been with us ever since. To hotels, on vacations, visiting family, moving to Nashville, OKC, and Fort Worth- we took her everywhere. And she loved traveling and seeing people. In many ways, Ivy was like our first kid. We absolutely adored her!

We brought her to Abilene and buried her at the ranch. She loved it there.

She had so much personality and life and love. We also keep saying- we wish that we would have known, we wish that we would have known it was our last time to see her, take her on a walk, her last road trip, get a big wet kiss from her. But isn't that true of life?

If we had only known . . . there are a number of things we would do differently. That's just not that way it works.

It's a reminder to hold tight to what is precious and say all those important things because you never know when you might not get that chance. Life is short.

I know that in a few days (maybe weeks for me), we will move on. We will know a new normal without her. Of course, we will never forget Ivy, but the pain will fade. But we can't forget that none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. It's up to each of us to make the most of today and live life to the fullest.

Putting our faith in God and knowing that He is in control is what gets us through. Over the past few months, I feel like I've had a lifetime's worth of lessons in control. It's a true struggle for me. I try to plan and prepare for every possible scenario. We took Ivy to the vet regularly, gave her special food for her allergies-- we even had her microchipped in case she got lost. There are some things in life that we can't prepare for and you can't plan around some things. It's hard admitting that. Admitting that it's in God's hands and He knows what is best for us.

If we knew how it would all end, would we have done it any way? Yes.

We never could have resisted that 3 pound white puff ball, even if we would have known the tragedy of today.

All dogs go to heaven.

2011-06-04T09:19:00.000-05:00

And if there was ever any doubt, I'm one hundred percent sure now. Our precious Ivy went to Heaven today. Words can't express how saddened we are by this loss. Ivy was an integral part of our family and we absolutely adored her.

Yesterday was a normal day. Like most days, I was mostly preoccupied with taking care of Emmeline. This afternoon Ivy and Winnie were playing in our backyard. I planned to feed Emme at 4:00, so I wanted them to come inside before I fed her. I called them both inside with a treat- Ivy was waiting at the door and Winnie was playing in the yard. Ivy bypassed the treat and headed straight for our bedroom. Winnie ran inside and got her treat. Ivy is not one to pass up a treat, so I went to find her. She was under our bed and looked hot. I went to the kitchen to get her some water. She wouldn't drink any water or eat the treat. She had diahrea and I immediately suspected heat stroke. I got her into our bathroom and started putting cold paper towels on her and getting her wet. She was lethargic and started throwning up. I called Jeremy to come home and take her to the vet. He rushed home and our vet said she needed to go to the emergency vet clinic.

She did not have heat stroke. She was diabetic, had a severe bladder infection, and acidosis. They wanted to keep her in ICU and give her fluids. I went to see her around 7:45 and she looked awful. She had been throwing up blood by that point. They were doing everything they could do for her, but she was very, very sick.

They called us a midnight and said she was improving slightly. We were so hopeful. By 3:30am, they called to say she wasn't going to make it. Jeremy rushed to the vet clinic, but he was too late.

Our sweet Ivy has been such an important part of our life. Her 4th birthday is a week from today. She was irreplacable and we are devestated by this loss.

I can remember so clearly the day we brought her home. She was a spitfire from the beginning and she stole our hearts from the first time we saw her.

We were so worried about how she would react to Emmeline, but we shouldn't have worried for a second. She loved her and hated it when she cried. I'm so going to miss watching Emme grow up and play with Ivy.

We are not sure how sweet Winnie is going to react to all of this. As of now, she's just really confused. She's sticking by my side- like she knows something isn't quite right.

All in all, we just can't believe it. The vet has assured us that we are not to blame. But that's so hard. As a parent (of a baby or a dog), you feel like it's your job to protect them and love them. Somehow we let Ivy down. I wish we would have noticed the signs, but we just didn't and there were too few.

Our lives have been forever changed by our Ivy and we are going to miss her terribly. I have to believe that she is in heaven and that one day, we will be together again.

What's In a Name?

2011-05-26T21:34:00.002-05:00

We have had several questions about Emme's name, so I thought I would post about it, just in case you've been wondering.

Emmeline (pronounced like Caroline)

* the pediatrician's office says Emmelene (rhymes with Darlene). Every time!
* a few people have said Emmelyn (rhymes with Lynn)

We chose Emmeline, just cuz we like it! It doesn't really have any special meaning or family history.

Have you ever seen the movie Ann of Green Gables? Have you seen the sequel to that? Ann of Avonlea? I LOVED those books and movies when I was younger. I've seen the movie a billion times- never get tired of it. You have to be a true fan to really know where I'm going with this. Anyway, in the sequel, Ann goes and teaches at an all girls school. She befriends a wealthy family and they have a daughter named Emmeline.

[Also, Emmeline's dad proposes to Ann and although, he was a great guy- we really knew that Gil was the only one for Ann. Anyone still with me??? No? Well, trust me. Great movies- you should see them some time.]

Enough about that! I first heard the name Emmeline in those movies and I always really liked it. When we were listing names we liked, it made the short list and ultimately became our favorite.

We often call her Emme (like the award given to actors- Emmy) for short. We also say Emme Clare!

Clare (pronounced just like Claire)

We chose the name Clare after my paternal grandmother, Clara Faye. She passed away when I was in high school and I thought it was a great way to honor her memory. We thought Clare sounded better with Emmeline, as opposed to Clara.

And there you have it, the history and pronunciation of Miss Emmeline Clare!

Daddy's Girl

2011-05-24T15:30:00.000-05:00

Sunday Church

2011-05-23T21:24:00.005-05:00

We finally took Miss Em to church. She was perfect- didn't cry once! We love this little girl!

Road Trip

2011-05-21T20:40:00.001-05:00

Emmeline took her first road trip! Jeremy went to Nashville for work for the week, so my mom came to our house for a few days to help me with Emme.

And then, the three of us plus Ivy and Winnie headed to A-town. Our car was stuffed- we practically loaded up Em's entire room. Folding and packing the pack 'n play was a small challenge- for a minute there, I really thought we might have to load it without folding it down. It was comical.

Emme did so great in the car. We didn't even hear a peep out of her and Ivy and Win did great with her.

When we got to my parents, I fed her and we headed to dinner with Dad and Uncle Big E. She was perfect during dinner, too!

Em had a great time out at the ranch. She loved watching Ivy and Winnie play in the yard. She also got to meet Hank. He just really wanted to give her a big, sloppy kiss. He settled for playing with Ivy and Win.

Ivy loves hanging out with Mae Mae. Now, we all know why! The proof is in the pictures.

Doc watched Emme while Mae Mae and I went to Pilates. I'd like to say it was a refreshing little getaway, but I'm pretty sure I could barely walk for a few days after my one session. Clearly, I need to make that a more regular class.

All in all, we had a great time in A-town and Emme was a perfect angel on the trip home. We were so excited to get back and see Jeremy!

Movie Star

2011-05-19T17:54:00.000-05:00

Star might be a little far fetched, since Miss Em really doesn't do many tricks just yet. Nevertheless, here is Emmeline in her debut movie appearance.

DISCLAIMER- This video will probably only be interesting to very close family members, i.e. grandparents and aunts. If you are merely a casual blog reader, don't feel that you have to spend the 2 minutes to watch this clip.

One Month Check-up

2011-05-13T13:57:00.000-05:00

This little cutie had her one month check- up yesterday and the doctor was pleased with her progress. She's doing great and direct quote from the doctor- "absolutely perfect!" We think so too! We might be a little biased, but I know I'm going to get an amen from MaeMae, Doc, Gram and Pop Pop.

Length: 20 1/2 inches

Weight: 7 pounds 15 ounces

20th percentile for both!

An Evening Stroll

2011-05-13T13:47:00.000-05:00

The weather was amazing last night- the perfect temperature and only a slight breeze. We loaded up Em in the BOB and got Ivy and Winnie ready and headed out for an evening stroll.

I would like to say Little Miss loved seeing the 'hood, but I'm pretty sure she slept almost the entire time. She woke up for a minute when we put the bug cover on her stroller. Oh well! Lots more evening strolls to come!

Jeremy, Ivy, Winnie and I had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful trees in our neighborhood.

Bath Time with Em

2011-05-12T22:22:00.001-05:00

Up until now, we've been giving Emme a little sponge bath, but last night we broke out the froggy tub and gave her a real deal bath.

Much like her sponge baths, she loved it! I think she's going to be a water girl.

Photo disclaimer- Daddy was taking all the pics, so that explains why her face is in almost none of these pics! ha!

Waking Sleeping Beauty

2011-05-11T13:09:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, we still have to wake Emme up to feed her. Actually, most of the time. We try to keep her swaddled while she's sleeping, but that little stinker usually finds a way to get at least one arm out.

This is one of my favorite times with Em. She is so snuggling and sweet right when I pick her up out of her crib. She makes the sweetest little noises and starts stretching.

But after some cuddling with momma, it's time to change that diaper and get some lunch. She's still so sleepy.

Big stretching

She's not ready to wake up

Being a baby is exhausting!

More stretching

Finally- awake!

Hmm . . .

Starting to get unhappy!

Time to put the camera away and take care of this little sleeping beauty!

All Caught Up

2011-05-10T10:13:00.000-05:00

I'm all caught up for now! Scroll all the way down and you might have to hit the Older Posts button at the bottom to see all the new posts- 14 total!

A Song for Emme
Mother’s Day
One Big Month
Time for Paci
Nap Time
A Visit from Aunt Ali
Happy 1st Easter
FOUR Years
I love bath time!
Our Trip Home
Lots of Visitors!
Well, hello!
She’s Here!
Babymoonin’

A Song for Emme

2011-05-09T17:29:00.000-05:00

You're gonna love this video!

http://rockyandamymc.blogspot.com/2011/05/no-time-to-blog-about-our-weekend-but.html

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T14:46:00.001-05:00

Being a mom is hard. I’ve only been at it for a month and it’s definitely one of the hardest times in my life. But also—the most rewarding. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. And that’s saying a lot, because I desperately want to sleep for a significant amount of time, like a week.

Becoming a parent also puts into perspective how much my parents love me. It’s hard to fully understand until you look at your little girl and know how much she needs you and that you would do anything in the world for her happiness.

Throughout my life, I’ve had so many strong, caring women (mom, mother-in-law, grandmothers, aunts, etc.) who have really shown me what being a mother means. Words can’t adequately describe my gratitude for their support and encouragement over the years.

Mom- you are one amazing lady. I really hit the jackpot with you for my mom. Thanks for still partaking in those sleepless nights to help me with ECW. You taught me everything I know about being a mom and I'm so glad I was able to learn from the best. I love how much you adore Emmeline. Most importantly, thank you for being such a wonderful woman of God and teaching me that nothing is impossible with God. Thanks for being my biggest fan!

While becoming a mom has been hard at times, I am so thankful for the support of my mom and mother-in-law. They have been a tremendous blessing to Jeremy and me, as we transition to the role of parent. I’m so glad that Emme Clare has these 2 wonderful role models, as she grows up.

Rita- Thank you so much for welcoming me into your family from day one. I could not ask for a better mother-in-law. You have done so much for Jeremy and me and we so appreciate you. Thank you for raising such a wonderful and caring son, who is also a wonderful father. I'm so glad Emme Clare has you as a grandmother.

Thank you MaeMae and Gram! We couldn’t do it without you!

One Big Month

2011-05-08T13:50:00.002-05:00

I can not believe Emmeline is already one month old! It’s gone by so fast, but at the same time, I feel like it’s been a year since I had a good night’s sleep. Right now, I’d be happy with a solid 4 hours- maybe next month?!?!

Our lives have been completely turned upside down, but we have so much love for this tiny baby girl.

Sweet Emmeline-

You are the joy of our lives! We love you more than words can express. We spend so much time just staring at your sweet, little face. You’ve grown so much over this past month—I think your doctor is going to be really happy with your progress at your one month appointment.

At your first pediatrician appointment, you weighed 5 lbs 6 ounces. We think you’re a little over 7 pounds right now.

Just when I think we have a routine going, you remind that you’re a baby and I can’t schedule a baby. Overall, you are so good. You cry sometimes and your dad and I just don’t know why. Rest assured- your momma has read every article and blog on parenting and feeding a newborn. It’s hard to admit that sometimes, we don't have all the answers.

You’ve met so many new friends and family this month and they absolutely adore you. If I fall behind on sending out pictures of you, I hear all about it. You make so many cute facial expression and all kinds of noises. Some of those noises are a little embarrassing for a lady like yourself, but we won’t tell anyone about those.

We love singing you songs, rocking you, reading you books and cuddling with you. We try to soak up every moment, because we know you won’t be our “little” baby for long.

We hope you always know how very much we love you and how blessed we feel to be your parents. God has blessed us so much with you in our family and we could not be happier or more thankful.

Love,
Your mommy

Time for a Paci

2011-05-07T17:03:00.002-05:00

We were waiting until that 4 week mark, so we finally gave in and let Em have a paci. The jury is still out on how much she likes it.

She will keep it in her mouth for a little bit, but not too long. I'm not sure if it's about preference or if she just doesn't have the hang of it quite yet. We'll see how it goes. I'm not going to force it on her!

Nap Time

2011-05-02T15:00:00.003-05:00

A Visit From Aunt Ali

2011-04-28T13:52:00.007-05:00

Aunt Ali is in vet school and unfortunately, that means she can’t pick up at a moments notice and drive to Texas, even when her favorite niece is born.

We are so excited that she took a little break from school and came to spend a few days with us. We had such a great time and Emme Clare was so glad to finally meet her.

I would love to show you pics of all the fabulous restaurants we went to and all our shopping steals. But I’m pretty sure our days revolved around one sweet, little baby. We had takeout and watched Emmeline.

We apologized to Ali for the lack of excitement, but she said- she got what she came for- quality time with Emmeline Clare!

Happy 1st Easter!

2011-04-24T13:57:00.001-05:00

Several weeks ago, I wondered if ECW would make her appearance in time for this Easter. Little did I know, she would be 2 weeks old!

We had the pleasure of hosting my family for an Easter celebration, complete with ham and an egg hunt. I’m so glad that Em’s first Easter was so special.

A friend from Peru, Jacke, was visiting my parents and she got to participate in the Easter fun. I think she enjoyed learning about the American Easter traditions.

After lunch, we headed out for the Egg Hunt. Although most of the hunters were adults, don’t think it wasn’t an intense search for eggs. One person even took a tumble (I’ll not name names) and no one is sure if the fall was a result of aggressive reaching or if they were purposefully tripped (again, I’ll not name names).

Uncle Big E offered to take Emme’s basket and get her Easter goodies. Oddly, there was not a single prize egg in her basket. Hmmm.

Such a fun day with family and friends. Happy Easter!

FOUR Years

2011-04-22T14:41:00.017-05:00

Amidst this craziness of becoming first time parents, Jeremy and I celebrated our anniversary! FOUR years. Time has flown and it's so surreal that we have an extra person celebrating with us this year.

I didn't expect much for this anniversary- things have been so crazy. And we are hoping to limit Em's exposure to germs, so we are trying not to take her out until she's 2 months old. Plus, it's a successful day around here when I get a shower, but Jeremy made it so special.

First of all, he made beignets for breakfast. We took a trip over the summer to NOLA and had the delicious beignets from Cafe du Monde. He duplicated those at home and they were amazing! I was beyond impressed.

I had been asking him for a while to try and take off of work on our anniversary. He doubted that he would be able to do that, but he handed me a card first thing that said- I'm spending the day with you and Em. I was so glad!

For most of the morning, we spent time together- pretty sure that time was spent napping. And then, we had to take Emme to her 2 week doctor's appointment. All was good there and J took me to get a much needed manicure (see to do list from Em's birth day).

Then, he served up a delicious dinner (with the help of Central Market). It was so nice having help with Emme all day and spending time with the two people I love most.

I recently read an article about how a lot of marriages fall apart after the birth of a child. While it's definitely a challenging time, I know that I love Jeremy more than ever. Seeing him as a dad, makes my heart melt. He loves Emmeline so much and that is priceless. I'm so fortunate to have such a wonderful partner in this adventure.

Happy anniversary, Jeremy!

I love bath time!

2011-04-19T14:37:00.003-05:00

Our Trip Home

2011-04-11T20:33:00.030-05:00

In keeping with my theme of honesty, I was so scared to leave the safety, security, and comfort of the 3rd floor at the Women’s Center. Sure- I wanted to get some sleep without nurses taking my vitals and dietary bringing in my food tray at 7am. But things were so safe there! I knew ECW was in good hands and I had a number of experts on hand to help with any little problem.

But by Sunday afternoon, we were definitely ready to be in the comfort of our own home.

Getting ready to go home

Family of 3

Checking Em out of the nursery

First time in the car seat

Also, the pediatrician was a little concerned about jaundice. We had to have home health come and drop off a light “blanket” to help with her levels.

And when we got home, we realized our air conditioner was broken and it was HOT. I’d like to say I handled the blanket situation and no a/c like a champ, but not so much. I definitely cried! Let’s blame it on those post-partum hormones.

Your eyes do not deceive you- we brought our first born child home to sleep in the pack and play

Our little glow worm

Ivy and Win were not sure what to think about the ECW or the light blanket

Despite the fact that she didn’t have a crib or beautifully decorated nursery (or air conditioning), Emme settled in nicely to her new home.

And luckily, we had help from Gram and Pop Pop to get the car unloaded and adjusted to our first night as a family of 3.

Lots of Visitors

2011-04-10T20:29:00.003-05:00

So many visitors couldn’t wait to meet Miss Emme Clare! She was one popular gal!

And she loved all of them!

Gram and Pop Pop

MaeMae

Doc

Amy

Melissa

Brinley (with Amy)

Great Uncle Randy and Great Aunt Tina

Great Aunt Lisa

Cousin Delancy

Uncle Big E and Aunt Sarah (stay tuned for a name change or feel free to submit nickname suggestions for Aunt Sarah!)

Well, hello!

2011-04-09T20:23:00.002-05:00

I had a long list of to-dos for the latter half of this week and the weekend:

Get car seat checked . . . check
Haircut . . . check
Breastfeeding class . . . check
Manicure . . . nope
TX driver’s license . . . nope
Crib . . . nope
Clean out some closets . . . nope
Finish 5 blog posts I started . . . nope
Pack hospital bag . . . nope
Returns on a few baby items . . . nope
Make meals to freeze for post-baby . . . nope
Finish up thank you notes . . . nope
Lots and lots more to-dos . . . nope

Notice anything not on the list? Have baby! We never saw this one coming! Ha!

On Wednesday evening, I went to a breastfeeding class from 7:00-9:00pm at the hospital where we planned to have Emme. Unfortunately, Jeremy got stuck at work and was not able to attend the class. You can just imagine how bummed he was about that! Ha!

I got home a little after 9:00 and Jeremy still was not home. To be perfectly honest, I was a little annoyed. Annoyed that he missed the class and that he wasn’t home yet. He finally rolled in around 10:30. I also wasn’t feeling my best. In fact, my back was really hurting. Probably the uncomfortable chairs at the class.

The back ache continued and seemed to hurt pretty bad, then stop, then start again, then stop. I started thinking about it and around 11:30- I told Jeremy- honey, this might be it! We were both in shock and totally not prepared. I wasn’t really sure since it was all in my back. And most of all, I knew we just were not ready. We didn't even have our bags packed. It was just by the grace of God that we even had the car seat properly installed. Good thing He is in charge!

We went to bed around midnight and by “we,” I mean Jeremy. I took a shower and tried not to worry about that really long to do list. Finally, around 2:00am, I told Jeremy we should probably go to the hospital, since contractions were about 4 minutes apart.

At the hospital, they monitored me for 1 hour and said contractions were regular, but not quite intense enough. Just what every pregnant girl wants to hear!

We trekked it back home and again Jeremy went to bed and I was yet again unable to sleep. I had contractions on and off all night and the next morning. We though it might be time to head back to the hospital around 3:00 on Thursday afternoon. Again, they monitored me for an hour and then, they let me walk around for an hour, which really helped things progress. Around 5:30, they decided to admit me and get us a room. I requested pain meds- stat!

It was a long night and 2 hours of pushing, but Emmeline Clare arrived at 6:10am. We were so overwhelmed and in awe of this little miracle. She was perfect in every way!

She’s here!

2011-04-08T20:22:00.003-05:00

A little sooner than expected, but more precious than we could have imagined!

Emmeline Clare Walker

April 8, 2011

6:10am

5 pounds 11 ounces

16 ¾ inches

Babymoonin'

2011-04-04T14:14:00.002-05:00

babymoon- n. time spent by parents without their baby; (hence) a vacation or holiday taken by a pregnant woman and her partner

I'm not sure if it could count as a vacation or holiday, but Jeremy and I did take some time away to enjoy the just the 2 of us (+ Ivy and Win). We didn't really make it too far out of our backyard- the downtown Fort Worth Sheraton. We really enjoy this hotel and it was fun to spend the night away and focus on relaxing and being together.

We had spa treatments scheduled for the afternoon and it was fabulous!!! I loved every second of it. And we finished off our night with an 8:45pm reservation at Eddie V's. An 8:45pm reservation! I don't see too many more of those in our near future. The food was so amazing- some of the best shrimp I've ever had.

We tried to imagine how different our life will be as soon as we have a little baby girl to take into account. Not matter how hard we try- I think we will still be in for a shock once she gets here!

We considered leaving Ivy and Win at home, but we thought they probably deserved a babymoon, too. They LOVE staying in hotels. They just prance right through the lobby and hop on the elevator. While they are SO good at traveling, I don't know how many hotel stays are in their near future. Traveling with a newborn and 2 little white dogs seems daunting to say the least. At any rate, Ivy and Win are in for some BIG changes!

Our babymoon was the perfect weekend and I'm so glad we have this memory of just the 4 of us!

Breakfast Snack

2011-04-01T16:28:00.001-05:00

Since Jeremy's work was so generous in giving us a baby shower, I decided to make them a Friday breakfast snack to show our appreciation. I made Monkey Bread and sausage balls. This Monkey Bread is not to be confused with the homemade Monkey Bread rolls that are very popular in the Moore Family. I'm not sure how they each got their names, but they are not really similar at all (besides being of the bread category).

This recipe is SO easy and it's perfect for weekend guests or to bring to a breakfast event. It transports very easily and you can make it the day before you serve it. It really is best served warm, but that's not always an option.

Monkey Bread

3 (12 ounce) packages
refrigerated biscuit dough
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 9 or 10 inch bundt pan.

Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan.

In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. No need to cut- the bread just pulls apart.

Cookies Galore

2011-03-27T12:38:00.009-05:00

I was a little perplexed about what to give my friends as hostess gifts. They are all really crafty and cute, so I knew it needed to be something special. I thought it would be best to just go with something I know- cookies.

I made them little gift bags with three kinds of cookies, a cute spring dish towel and some stationary with their initial. Nothing too fancy, but hopefully, they know how much we appreciated all their hard work. I thought I would share the cookie recipes.

First up, I made my traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe. You can find more on those here.

Next, I decided to make Granny B’s Famous Sugar Cookies. These are Jeremy’s absolute favorites. I previously posted the recipe for PaPa’s sugar cookies, but these are a little bit different. They are very soft and a little bit chewy. Don’t let them get brown at all (not even the edges).

Granny B’s Sugar Cookies

½ cup butter or margarine

½ cup shortening (like Crisco)

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda
Additional sugar

In mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually, add to the creamed butter mixture. Shape into balls. Roll in the extra sugar. Use a glass to slightly flatten the balls. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

If you like soft sugar cookies that are not too sweet- you’ll love these!

Last, I made chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips. They were good- just not my favorite. I think I’m just more of a traditionalist when it comes to cookies. Chocolate chip will always be #1 for me, followed closely by sugar.

You can find the recipe I used here. You really can't go wrong with any of these easy recipes- all delicious!

Happy cookie baking!

Showered with Blessings

2011-03-27T10:39:00.002-05:00

We have been so blessed by such wonderful friends and family. I can't think of another time in life that the support and love from family and friends is so important. We are so excited about the arrival of ECW and it's so nice to know that those that matter most to us are excited too!

Four fabulous showers were held in honor of Miss Emmeline Clare! Diapers, blankets, pacifiers, onesies, bath toys, and everything else cute a little girl would need (or maybe just want!).

My work friends had a little shower for us before we moved from OKC. I didn't get too many pictures, but Karla and Rachel were the organizers and did a fantastic job!

Rachel, Karla, and me

Next up, we had an amazing shower in Jeremy's hometown. No detail was overlooked and we got so many wonderful things for Emme Clare! Jeremy's friends and family are truly some of the sweetest and most generous people that we know.

Katie and me- she came all the way from Birmingham to help celebrate!

There was a mountain of gifts!

Aunt-to-be- Alison was the master mind behind all the beautiful decorations (and the cake!!!!)

Jeremy's office also had a shower for us and it was incredible. For a group of people that have only known us for a few short months, I was so overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness. We had such a good time.

All my best girls had a wonderful shower for us in Dallas. They thought of everything! The party even coordinated with Emmeline's nursery colors. I had such a good time catching up with my friends and family.

The fabulous hostesses- Sarah, Amy, Michelle and Melissa

The grandmothers- Granny B, Gram, and Mae Mae

You can also check out Am's blog for more baby shower details!

And I think we're all set! Just a few more things to get before she comes!

Oh wait! Except for the matter of the crib! It's a little bit delayed, but at my last call, they are hoping it will be here some time in mid-April. Crossing our fingers that it's before her arrival.

All of the gifts and sweet things for ECW have been amazing! We feel so loved and blessed! No doubt- we have the very best family and friends and Emme is one lucky little baby girl!

Waiting for Emmeline

2011-03-23T15:47:00.000-05:00

So after a brief (ok, ONE YEAR) blogging hiatus, we are back in business! So much has happened and so much has changed. I could write a 10 page long post about all of the past year's events, but I'll just get down to the important part and sum it up for you in 4 easy words : BABY ON THE WAY!

We are super excited and a little bit nervous. Miss Emmeline Clare is expected to be here one month from today! Yikes! I can't believe how fast time has gone flown by over these past few months. We also moved to a new state, bought a house, Jeremy got a new job and I quit my job.

In an effort to keep all of our family and friends updated on our bundle of joy, I'm vowing to do my best to keep this blog up and running. I'm not exactly sure what that's going to look like (maybe less home cooked meals, more pics of a baby, fewer pics of Ivy and Win), but I won't wait a year before my next post.

I couldn't resist adding EC's latest photos. I'm going to be honest- this first pic doesn't mean much to me. Did you see that Friends episode where Rachel was crying in the ultrasound room, because she couldn't see the images? I felt exactly the same way. But what mom wants to admit that she can't even see her baby on the screen?!?!

I'm including this next one, just because I can definitely tell that this is her foot. Have you ever seen a prettier, cuter foot?!?! I didn't think so!

Keeping checking back here for updates (and maybe a few recipes) as we wait for Emmeline!

Pretty Much Sums It Up

2010-03-25T19:56:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my MIL, Rita, for sending me this (slightly too) appropriate comic! ha ha!

Best Dishes

2010-03-06T16:47:00.003-06:00

Several months ago, my aunt gave me a set of dishes that had been my grandmother's. I couldn't wait to use them! They have some lighter colors in them, so I wanted to wait until spring to set them out on my table. Although it's not officially spring, it's close and I'm ready to start using them.

I couldn't really see making anything besides chicken fried steak for these dishes debut dinner in my house. My MaMa was famous for her chicken fried steak!

I attempted to make chicken fried steak once in college and it didn't go well- at all. It was way too greasy, barely done and the gravy was lumpy and flour tasting. Really, I didn't even eat much of it.

I was pretty nervous about giving it another go, but I knew that nothing else would do these dishes justice.

I emailed my aunts and asked for their advice. They told me how they do it and explained a few differences. Butttermilk v. milk. Cracker crumbs v. only flour. And double dipping is a must!

I read a couple of other recipes online, just to see how other people do it and I felt ready for the challenge!

It turned out pretty darn good. Now, it's definitely not my MaMa's, but I think if I made it a few more times, I could get there!

Here is my Aunt Tina's recipe:

Chicken Fried Steak

Round steak or cubed steak or tenderized round steak – 1 ½ to two pounds
1 “sleeve” of saltine crackers, crushed
2 cups flour
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ cups milk
Salt, pepper, fajita seasoning
Oil for frying

Beat the steak with a meat mallet (or the edge of a saucer). Trim off fat and cut meat into serving-sized portions. Sprinkle meat pieces with salt, pepper, and fajita seasoning – set aside.

On wax paper make cracker crumbs by rolling over crackers with rolling pin or just squeeze the ends together while they are still in the “sleeve”…then used a rolling pin to make the crumbs very fine (You can also buy cracker crumbs.) Mix cracker crumbs with flour on the large sheet of wax paper. In a shallow bowl, mix milk with the beaten egg.

Coat each tenderized, seasoned meat piece with flour mixture. Then dip in milk and dip for a second time in flour/cracker crumbs. Cook meat in a skillet of hot oil, turning when browned on one side.

My Aunt Polly said she just uses flour and buttermilk. So, I pretty much followed Aunt Tina's recipe, but I used buttermilk. I used my food processor to grind up the crackers. And I fried my steaks in canola oil.

The gravy is made by using a few tablespoons of the oil and whisking in some flour and then, add a cup or so of milk. You'll also want to use lots of black pepper!!!

Good enough to eat!