Getting a little break....

I can't tell you how much I have loved the past week with Emma.  I thought I might go insane staying home with her....So.Not.True.  I could be with this little angel all the time.  I went back to work this week and am super bummed.  I love my job, and I am very thankful to have a job:)  But I miss this littel girl something fierce, and we had such a great time together.  Here is our time in pictures...



Playing with our new toys - she has gotten to be so big sitting up on her own!

Emma will make this flying motion every now and then and crack herself up.  She even does it on her stomach sometimes - future yoga move???

"Hey mom!  Look what I got!"

We took so many walks!  This was her first time riding in the BOB without her carseat.  She did awesome - and still managed to fall sleep fine.

We loved the chilly weather - thanks grammie and grampa for this snuggly outfit!

Sunflower's expression is priceless....

Love this one....Emma was super happy to sit with Sunny....Sunny might not have been as thrilled.

We wore red in honor of NC State's bowl game....it wasn't a succes though:(

"How you doin?????"

I love giving her baths now, and she loves playing sitting up!

We took several trips to the grocery store, and Emma loves looking around at all the stuff on the shelves!

We did a lot of playing and smiling together....

The cats are increasingly interested in mealtime with Emma...I think they know that soon enough food might drop onto the floor.

Homegoods was not as appealing to Em as it was to me...she looks super bored here!

My little snuggler....her eyes just light up my world.  Love this little girl!

Christmas back east...and a shoutout!

We drove to Washington the weekend after Christmas to be with Brent's family.  On Hwy 264 right outside of Farmville, the truck started beeping and the power to the engine was reduced significantly.  In true "girl" fashion, I started freaking out.  It was a little scary to be driving 70 mph down the road then all of a sudden have the car almost shut off, all the while coasting through the middle of nowhere.  We were right near the exit, so we pulled off and the truck was shaking something awful (again...cue panic mode for me).  We turned it off, and let it rest, then turned it on again.  Brent made some calls, and unfortunately the Chevy dealership in Farmville was closed on Saturday.  We were able to find an auto mechanics place where they could read the code off the truck computer.  We were able to drive it, and were only a half hour away from Washington (and also the dealer where we bought it).  It turned out that the throttle position/stabilizer sensor had gone bad (whatever that means), and it was ok to drive but we certainly didn't want to drive back to Durham Sunday without getting it checked out first. 

All I can say is, thank God for Lee Chevrolet in Washington.  Brent grew up with Michael Lee, and he has always taken good care of us (and all his customers).  He told us to bring it by and since their service department was closed, he would give us a loaner and take it look at it when they reopened.  I was glad, but a bit concerned about whatever kind of loaner we would get.  We were filled to the brim in the truck with bags, baby, presents, and had a stroller and other stuff in the bed of the truck.  All I could think was that we were going to get some Chevy Cavalier or something that would hardly fit anything.  Not even close.  They pulled around a brand new 2013 Silverado for us to drive - even white:)  Michael even offered to have someone meet us this week with our truck and make the switch if we couldn't drive back to Washington.  I will never buy from anyone else again.  Last summer, we had a problem with the tires that the manufacturer put on the truck, so Michael had me drive down there and he replaced them with Michelin's free of charge (almost $1000 worth of new tires). 

There are not many places that will take such good care of you...now, if only I could get Brent to buy me that Z71 Tahoe sitting on the lot:)

Cousins - Walker, Grace, Reagan, and Audrey

These kids LOVE them some Emma!

Such a big present for a small girl!

Again, Emma wants to eat the wrapping paper!

Granny gave Emma the sweetest angel doll and book about Jesus' birth.

Em-Em's first Christmas!

We have all sorts of nicknames for Emma - for some reason Em-Em and Poops are my go-tos lately.  NO, she doesn't poop a lot (or more than ordinary), we just love calling her that.  And I am loving seeing her turn her head to the sound of my voice:)

We decided to take the trek to Pennsylvania this year with my parents.  I thought about flying, but by the time we changed flights, it was faster (and cheaper) to drive.  Plus, we could control our stops/breaks by driving and take all we wanted to.  In true family style, we rented a mini-van and piled in - mom, dad, Brent, me, and Miss E.  I have to say that Emma did awesome.  Hands down, the best traveller.  It only took about an hour or so longer with her.  She was fantastic - she would nap at the beginning, then get entertained and fed by whoever was sitting hear her for the rest of the trip.  I was afraid she would nap the whole time, thus really throwing off her schedule, but she didn't.  She actually had a hard time falling asleep after being in the car for awhile, and that was really the only time she was fussy. 

Emma sleeping through VA...

We left about 10am Saturday morning, and got to Bethlehem at about 7pm - traffic in DC was awful.  Each night, she slept so great.  It was the first time she was sleeping in the same room with us, and she was a champ - it didn't phase her at all.  She went down at about 7:30 every night and slept until about 7:30-8 each moring.  My parents ordered us room service for breakfast (so delicious!).  The Hotel Bethlehem is a historic hotel right downtown and acorss from the church we attend there, so we walked everywhere...and it was so nice not to cook or clean for a change.  We have some family friends that also return to Bethlehem every year for Christmas.  They grew up with my parents, and while none of their families are living anymore, they all come back at Christmas.  The tradition the past 5 years has been wine, cheese, crackers, and meats in the hotel Christmas Eve night after church - talking, laughing, remembering.....it is really neat to hear all the stories from the past.

We also went to a train show while we were there.  My dad, uncle, and grandpa were very big into trains (as most males were that grew up in the early part of this century)...and it was really neat to take Emma.

Emma loved thr trains and all the scenes.

The church services on Christmas Eve are beyond compare - Moravians invented the lovefeast and candlelight service, so they do it right...and in a 207 year old church, it is such a spriritual experience.  We did Children's Lovefeast at 12:30, and took Emma.  She slept for half the service (snored to be exact) and was awake for the last half.  Thank God for Chewbeads necklaces....this girl loves to gnaw on those things.  I have two..and am thinking of investing in more.  They are super stylish AND functional!)  Afterwards, it felt as though every person sitting around us came up to tell us how beautiful she was and how great she did.  I was a super proud momma:)  It is amazing how many people come up to you once you have kids....it's kind of nice actually.  We then took Emma to the nursery for the 5:30 Candelight service.  It was so relaxing to be there, listen to the amazing organ and choir that Central Moravian has, and participate in a tradition that my grandparents and their parents did..and others have since 1747.  When we walked out of church, it was snowing...it could not hav been more perfect.  Back at the hotel, we put Emma down to sleep and enjoyed room service (complete with wine) and watched It's A Wonderful Life.....a very awesome Christmas eve indeed.

One proud dad.....

"Do I smile now, mom?"

I love this picture of Emma looking up to my mom.

Santa at the hotel....Emma's been enamored with beards lately. 

Christmas morning, we all piked into my parent's room across the hall and opened presents.  Emma had a blast, although she is a bit slow in the unwrapping department....and is more interested in eating the paper/gift than playing with it.  She was such an angel the whole trip - not sure if she even cried at all.  Did I mention that?  The child never cries - hardly ever.  She will fuss and moan....but she is easily calmed with food or a nap.  I know how lucky I am....trust me...I thank God every day for an easy baby (we all know Elizabeth couldn't handle anything more!)

Tired out from unwrapping presents!

We decided to drive back Christmas day since there was a huge snowstorm coming the following day. 

"Are we in the car AGAIN?!"

Sweet Emma....

It's actually way easier to travel Christmas day and the traffic is almost non-existent.  For those who travel, I highly recommend it if you can. 


The view Christmas morning from our hotel room.....Central church.

Hambone

We always refer to Emma as our "Hambone" because the child loves to smile.  She is so shy and innocent about it, wrapping us around her little fingers every time she flashes that smile.  I don't capture it very well, but she loves to just grin at you and then hide her face, as if she is playing peekaboo.  She loves to laugh at you, especially when we blow bubbles on her tummy, and she cracks herself up making new noises.  They sound sometimes more like terradactyl screams of pain, but she LOVES making them, and has a blast doing so!

Sometimes at work, I just stare at all these pictures of her on my phone (1726 of them to be exact) and I have this indescribable feeling of warmth and joy.  She is truly more than I deserve, and I thank God everyday for the chance to be her mother.

Lately.....

Miss Emma is growing up so fast!  I have been bad about posting lately and keeping up with her new moves, so here is a snapshot of the last month!

New tricks - sitting up on our own! (She just started getting the hang of it..but still a bit wobbly!)
Loving baby food - the kid eats anything - fruits, veges, meats, combos.....she currently gets 2 jars of babyfood a day, and formula the rest of the time.
Sleeping - still sleeping through the night, going down earlier as time goes on (was 8-9pm, now is more like7-8pm) and sleeps until 6:30am.
Clothes - wearing 6-9 month clothes
Favorite nap spot - carseat.  I can't take this child anywhere without her falling asleep.  I have been known to drive around town aimlessly so she can nap.
Favorite toy - cloth books, plastic tags, magazines, and a newly found interest in my phone

We are ready for winter!!! 

New obsession....magazines!

And....we eat the pages!  Reading is overrated!

Happy as a clam....even though we managed to "strain" so hard pooping that we bursted a blood vessel in our right eye!

 

 

Big girl chair...loving eating food in it and also banging on the tray.

 

 

Received a Christmas gift from Aunt Kim, and probably should have waited until the BIG day to open, but I couldn't resist.  Emma was SOOOOOO excited and inquisitive!  She could not wait for dad to come home so she could open it! 

 

"Come on!  I wanna see what's inside!"

 

"Whadoya mean, we gotta wait for dad to get home?"

 

 

 

 

"I'm not supposed to eat the paper?  That's not the gift? Oh."

 

"Best gift ever....bubble wrap!"

 

After we finally got to the real presents, all Emma wanted to do was eat them.

Thanksgiving

I was super excited about Thanksgiving this year, and our family had a great time relaxing and enjoying one another's company....I truly am blessed.

We spent Thanksgiving day at my parents, and had a blast.  My dad made this wagon for me when I was a baby, and I have the best memories of riding down the street in it with my dad chasing after me (probably not the safest now!)  It was so neat to see Emma in it - it was a Thanksgiving present and she is currently enjoying it in her room, with all her stuffed animals sitting waiting for their first ride with her.

Headed down the street..it was a gorgeous day!

My Emma bear, not really sure how she is feeling at the moment!  Probably a weird sensation!

 

We spent the weekend after in Brevard with some of Brent's family and also had a great time.  The weather was cold, and Aunt Sarah's house was so warm and toasty, and also happened to be perched on top of a mountain side with beautiful views.  I also really enjpyed downtown Brevard - wonderful local shops that I would highly recommed doing to!

Halloween

It has been a rough couple of weeks....last week I had a stomach bug/food poisoning...I say the latter because no one else around me managed to get it.  Lucky me, I have not thrown up since 2000 (yes, I escaped pregnancy and delivery without vomitting), but I literally wanted to die Sunday night.  I was out for 2 days, and then Emma had a slight fever later in the week so I had to drive all the way back to Durham, take her to the doctor only to find that she is teething and fine, and then take her to work with me in Raleigh....I might be getting a few more grey hairs just reliving that week of hell.  So this is my first normal week, and I love that we had an excuse to wear 2 outfits in one day (well...it ended up being 5...one Halloween daycare outfit, 2 outfit changes at daycare due to blowouts:), one cutesy/super impractical Halloween outfit, and then jam jams!)

Here is our week in pictures...enjoy!



Emma's first day of work....she had a blast rolling all over the floor of my office, then finally was rocked to sleep in her carseat.  It was not until that point that I could actually get some work done....



Because mid-rift and bare belly is in these days......



Someone looks like her daddy!




I love this one...she was too busy smiling and making new noises!  Every week she makes a new sound and it is sooo funny to hear her do it all the time!




"hey...when do I get to go panhandle for some candy?"