Best Friends Forever

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

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!

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!

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

Jumperoo

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

Just one tiny problem . . .

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

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

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

Summer Lovin'

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

We have LOVED spending this summer with Emme Clare!

Work Week

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

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

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

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

My Dear Emmeline-

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

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

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

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

Love,

Your mom