Standing up all by herself

Tonight she did it -- she grabbed the side of her crib and pulled herself completely up to a standing position, then squealed with glee! She was so proud of herself, or at least that's how it looked to us. She actually did it three different times. We honestly think she might just start walking and skip completely over the whole crawling thing. She has still only been able to get her knees up under her with Mommy's help, and then is not inclined to move from that position, but she loves to pull herself up and stand. The crib rail wasn't set in the "up" position tonight so it was easy enough for her to grab onto... there's no way she could reach the top if the side was all the way up.

Emma has also decided that she usually needs to be near someone. When we walk out of the room briefly and leave her sitting there alone, she often starts crying and yelling, until one of us comes back to sit with her or pick her up. She does love to be held, and it's hard not to pick her up when she is crying but it's obviously a thing she has learned... if she cries, someone will pick her up and carry her around. She would rather be held with no toys or books than sitting alone with toys but no people nearby.

Tomorrow is supposed to be another rainy weekend day. We would love to take Emma for more springtime walks in the stroller, but it seems like the weather is nice when we're at work and then rains all weekend every time.

Another milestone

Last night, Nichole called me upstairs to see something. I went into Emma's room, and Emma had pulled herself up to the side of the crib, all by herself, from a sitting position. I think that had she not been in her pajamas (a "sleep-sack"), she might have even been able to pull herself to a sitting position. She was very proud of herself. Of course, we immediately lowered the crib mattress!

Emma is getting bigger all the time. Lately she has been babbling more, and you can really see her fine motor skills starting to improve. She is not crawling yet, however. Nichole has helped her onto her knees a couple of times, and she definitely does the rocking back and forth thing that most babies do before they crawl, but she doesn't seem to be able to get herself onto her knees alone yet. And she just gets mad when it's tummy time! She is still a very sweet baby... we took her to a bowling alley this weekend to bowl with Tricia, Craig, Sue, Brian and all their kids and she was in a good mood the whole time, despite all the noise and being handed off from one person to another for several hours.

She also seems much happier now that the teething has slowed down. She has two bottom teeth, two teeth on the top (but not the ones in the middle, so she is going to look like a little jack o'lantern for a while) and one more that seems to be poking through on the top as well. For a while, she was pretty cranky, and we weren't sure if it was the teething or if our luck had just run out... but it seems to be that when her teeth were breaking through, she was crabbier. She is back to being a very sweet little baby!

Nap Time

Daddy and Emma take a nap together on a snowy Sunday afternoon. 

It snowed again here on April 22, 2005 -- about 8 inches! 

You know you're tired when...

You know you're tired when you can lean over to pick up your blankie and fall asleep in that position! 

Tuckered out after a busy day at daycare... 

Emma and Uncle Dennis play with his RC mini-cooper 

Emma's first word!

Today, Emma said what we believe is her first word... she said "Dada" very loudly and clearly a number of times. She made some babbling noises, then very clearly in the middle of it said "Dada". Then she said it again a few seconds later, without any extra babbling. Jordan, Abbi, Nichole and I all heard it very plainly. Don't know if it's a fluke, but it certainly sounded like she was saying "Dada". And on her seven-month birthday and Jordan's birthday too!

I love green beans! 

More teeth!

We checked tonight, and Emma has three more teeth! One on the top has come completely through (almost overnight) and two more are on their way. The weird thing is that they aren't her two front top teeth... they are the ones to either side of the front teeth. I joked with Nichole that she's going to look like a jack o'lantern... with the two middle teeth on the bottom, and then the ones on either side of the front spaces on top.

Despite the fact that her teeth are coming in, she is remarkably happy, and has been having belly laughs all day. She's drooling and definitely always has her fingers in her mouth, but she's not crabby at all. I guess we're lucky there, from what I know of teething!

Emma, April 2 

Getting bigger

We took Emma for her 6 month doctor's appointment not too long ago. She now weighs over 15 pounds, and is in the 50th percentile for length and weight, but still the 90th percentile for head size. Just like her brother and sister!

She is getting bigger all the time. She has been eating baby food for a while now (her favorites seem to be sweet potatoes, pears, and oatmeal) and lately she has been "scootching"... pushing herself backwards a little bit when she is on her tummy. She finds it very frustrating, to be trying to reach for something but ending up further away from it. She can also sit unassisted (if you put her in position) and can reach down to pick up toys and then sit back up. She has two bottom teeth now, but by the way she is drooling we wouldn't be surprised to see some more poke through soon.

She is still a super-happy baby. She only fusses if she is hungry, and she smiles at us all the time. Lately, though, she has been going through a phase where she seems wary of strangers (or people she hasn't seen in a few days)... for example, Aunt Karen and Aunt Vicki. She seems to get over it quickly, but sometimes when we hand her off to other people, she looks back at us as if to say "don't leave me!"

More later -- for now, we're off to the store!

Emma, ready to go for a walk on one of the first warm
and sunny days of the year! 

Emma finds her toes

Emma is fascinated by her toes, now that she has discovered them! 

Emma finds her toes - February 2005 

March 15, 2005

Forget pears, I am so hungry I could eat a frog!

March 12, 2005

From Aunt Karen's cell phone

Dinner time January 29

Rolling over and squealing

With all the holiday and post-holiday events and things to do, I have been slow in updating the page, so here's a quick synopsis. I hope to have pictures posted by this weekend. Emma has been rolling over from front to back fairly regularly, and goes through periods some days where she just squeals for joy -- at an incredibly ear-piercing volume! She has not quite managed rolling over from back to front yet, but has come close once or twice. Last night, she spent the first full night ever in her crib -- up until now she has been sleeping in her bassinet. She must like the crib, because the last couple of nights she has slept very well. Of course, she has never really had any trouble sleeping. She is still the happiest baby, and we can't get over how she almost never cries. She does, however, seem to get a little cranky now when her diaper is wet. More updates to come... Stay tuned!

...Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Emma sucks her thumb while Grandma holds her, after Christmas dinner. We all had very a busy day!

Emma, sprawling out after opening her stocking and all her presents. Whew, that was hard work!

Emma and Uncle Aaron, very early on Christmas morning.

Dressed up for Christmas Eve church services.

Merry Christmas from Emma and all of us! (Isn't she cute???)  

Brrrrrr!

Today was a cold one -- when we woke up it was only 7 degrees! Even so, we decided to run up to Bryan's for breakfast. But we made sure we bundled Emma up in her snuggly car seat cover. Thanks, Dave and Maggie... we love it! After visiting with Santa and cooing to all the waitresses who came by to see "all that hair", Emma decided it was time for a nap.

An unexpected visit to Santa

Emma visited Santa today, who was at Bryan's Coney visiting with everyone who came in for breakfast. I think she was too stunned to tell him what she wants for Christmas!

Emma giggling at Grandma

Hooray for Emma!!!

Today, Emma rolled over for the first time - and then did it again! We were stunned. Neither of us saw the first time since she was in her crib, but when I went to check on her she was on her back, and I had put her on her tummy! Then I called Nichole upstairs, and put her back on her tummy, and she did it again while we watched! We were so proud... we tried again later (with the video camera) but of course, she wouldn't do it again.

Home with Daddy

Emma and I had another good day today. She slept in, conveniently letting Daddy get several hours of work in, and then woke up for a bit and talked... and then I put her down in her boppy and talked to her while I got some email out of the way. Apparently my work is quite boring to her, though, because as I was explaining what my email was all about, she fell asleep in the boppy. She didn't even wake up when I transferred her over to her bassinet. The rest of the day was a pretty even mix of work for me and play for her, and we had dinner with Mommy when she got home.


Emma dozing off in her Boppy

Mister Mom, sort of

I'm working from my home office for most of the rest of the month, which means I get to watch Emma... and she doesn't have to start daycare yet. It means I have to really plan my workday and conference calls around naptime, and do some work in the evening, but it is sure worth it. Right now, she is napping (on my shoulder) after her second bottle of the day. Luckily with a laptop, blackberry, cell phone and PDA, I can still stay in touch and let her sleep at the same time!

O Christmas tree...

Emma's first Christmas tree. We started with a real tree this year, but once we started putting lights on the darn thing, needles started dropping... and dropping... and dropping. Every branch was quickly becoming bare. So after several fruitless hours of putting up lights, we decided it was no longer worth the effort and that we somehow got a tree that wasn't very fresh. So now it sits out in the back yard, collecting snow, while this one is in our living room... a nice, fresh, artificial tree with pre-strung lights. Ahhh. You can almost smell the pine. 

Hard to say goodbye

Tonight I left for a business trip for a couple of days. In the morning I worked in my office upstairs while Emma napped, and then I fed her and changed her before putting her back down for a second nap, while I packed for the short trip. It's not even three days but I already know it will feel like a lot longer. I took Emma to her Grandma M's in the afternoon, and when I was packing her up in her car seat she was just grinning and giggling and smiling at me. Normally, that's a very good thing and it definitely did make me smile too, but the sad thing is that it was harder to leave her today because of it. I just wanted to hold her and cuddle her and talk to her. She's such a happy baby, and her smile is infectious. I miss her already and can't wait to come home.

Emma sleeping in the car, 12/5/04 

Emma, 11/28/04

Emma's Thanksgiving Day Bath

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Emma's first Thanksgiving, and we all have so much to be thankful for... Emma, of course, is the newest thing we have to be thankful for. We're also thankful for our family and wonderful friends, and all the blessings in our lives. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!


It snowed last night!

Emma says Hi!

Tonight we were just sitting playing with Emma, and I said "Emma, can you say ''Hi'' to Abbi?" and out of the blue, she let out with a squeal that sounded exactly like the word "Hi!" We were all stunned. Every one of us heard it, and Jordan immediately wanted to call everyone he knew to let them know that Emma said hi. Of course, this is obviously just a fluke, but it was still amazing and very funny!


Emma ''talking'' to Abbi

Emma coos and makes noises all the time now, and is a very happy baby. We can take her anywhere and she won't fuss or make a scene, and she smiles quite a lot... even at complete strangers! The exception to this was, of course, when we took her to get her Christmas photo done. No one could seem to make her smile that day, and she definitely did not like being moved into all the different positions they tried to place her in.

Emma sucks her thumb in her sleep.

Big smiles!

Emma's smiles just keep getting bigger. There are a lot more pictures I just posted at the other site, Emma's Photo Page. Click the link here or the small icon below to visit the photo gallery. There is also a permanent link on the right side of this screen.


Big smiles! 

Another good night's sleep

Emma has been sleeping through the night all this week, by the way! So we have been sleeping quite well lately. :)

Vaccination day

Today we took Emma to her two-month doctor appointment. She weighs 11 pounds 5.5 ounces which is in the 50th percentile, she is 22.5 inches long which is also 50th percentile,, and her head was 16 inches in circumference which is 90th percentile! She is a very healthy and happy baby (which we knew) and everything looks good. She got three vaccinations today, though, which made Emma cry a LOT. She was not too happy about being poked three times -- twice in one leg and once in the other.

OK, OK, OK...

So it's been a long time since we last updated the site. We know! We've been hearing about it from all of you... apparently people are visiting to see what's new with Emma a lot more frequently than we imagined. We should start advertising on sleepers and bibs!


Emma smiles at Daddy, 11-5-2004

I plan to post more photos here and at the other photo site for Emma later today. So check back, don't give up faith, and keep visiting! And hey, if you visited and like the site, leave us a message -- even if it's an "anonymous" comment!

We've been quite busy these last few weeks, with a trip to Grand Rapids, Halloween in Gaylord, and lots of visiting with friends and family. (Plus lots of shopping with Mommy!) Emma was a ladybug for Halloween, and although she didn't go door to door this year, she went with us in the car while Jordan (who was an Orc from Lord of the Rings) and Abbi (who was "Spiderella") gathered up tons of candy.

We took a trip to Grand Rapids in Early October for a Conference my company was participating in, and Emma was a perfect angel the whole time. Actually, she has been very good every time we have ever taken her anywhere. OK, except for that one time at Wal-Mart. I swear every kid yells and screams when they are in Wal-Mart. I think they must sell more candy that way at the checkout counter.

Emma is now 8 weeks old, and has begun smiling all the time. She even smiled at Jordan on Halloween. The best part is, we can definitely tell she is smiling on purpose, and that it's not just gas. She has also started occasionally making "cooing" noises, and she gets quite excited, like she really wants to tell us something. She's still on her normal schedule of bedtime around 11:30pm and then one or two feedings between about 3am and 7:30am. Although last night she slept straight through until 7am. (She might have a slight cold starting... I'm sick with one myself and have been all week, and I wouldn't be surprised if I've given it to her despite her higher levels of immunity right now.)

More later, including pictures -- I'll try to "pre-date" them so they follow chronologically and match up with the dates in the blog, so be sure to scroll down and check them out!

Oh yeah, and here is one more photo of Emma, animated for your enjoyment!


Emma, being silly.

Boo!

Halloween

The kids had a great time trick-or-treating tonight. Well, Jordan and Abbi had a great time anyway. Emma slept in the car. And then slept when we got back to the hotel. It was a little chilly and a bit rainy, but the kids were glad they didn't need to wear coats to run around the neighborhoods we visited. (There's nothing more lame than an Orc in a down jacket, after all.)


Shhhh... The ladybug is sleeping.


Watch out for the orc!


Verrry scary!

Busy weekend

This weekend was one of very little sleep at night for Nichole, Emma and me. Emma seems to be waking up a lot in the middle of the night with a voracious appetite, and sometimes it even takes a supplemental bottle to get her to go back to sleep even for a short while. So this weekend felt busy, at least, since our internal clocks were all out of whack.

We did make a few excursions out and about with Emma, including to lunch today and then a trip up to Bay City to take Jordan and Abbi back to their mom. Emma has been very good about riding in the car for the most part... she seems to be lulled to sleep by the motion. On Friday, I strapped her into the Baby Bjorn carrier for the first time, and we did some chores around the house including taking the trash to the road. She fell asleep almost immediately, so maybe we'll try this on a day when she's fussier as well to see if it soothes her. It sure is nice carrying her so closely in the Bjorn.

Sadly, I think we are going to be giving our cat "Putter" away to my niece Andrea. The cat was fine for a couple of weeks, but now seems to be taking out his frustrations by using Emma's clothes and Abbi's bed as an alternative to the litterbox. Which we won't stand for. It's not something we can tolerate, and locking him up in the basement or keeping him out of rooms by keeping the doors shut all the time isn't fair to him or to us either.

We are sure he is acting out, since it has only happened once the initial shock of the new baby in the house wore off, and it only happens to things in Emma's room (and our bedspread once when we were holding her at night). He's left Jordan's room and any other belongings alone. So... tomorrow, off he goes to my niece's house. She has another kitten so maybe he will be happier there. We will definitely miss him a lot, though... he is a sweet kitty and very affectionate (when he is not acting like this), and he knows his name and comes when called. At least he will go to a family member who will love him.

Crankypants

Emma has been a bit cranky over the last three days. Last night she only woke up twice in the night, but both today and the day before yesterday she wanted to eat nearly constantly and was often crying and acting hungry when she was not eating. We're concerned she might have a tummy ache, so today Uncle Aaron stopped on his way over to bring us some Mylicon. Hopefully that will help.

I've been back to work for three days now, and have spent most of my time in my office working during the day, either on the phone with customers or firing off one email after another. I felt a bit sad today, because I realized I had not kissed or held or cuddled Emma since I woke up this morning despite the fact that today I'm in my office here at home all day. :(

We continue to get some wonderful gifts for Emma... a big Thank you to the folks in my region who sent us a beautiful gift basket of onesies, washcloths, bibs, and a blanket and to the ladies in Boston who sent us the Harry and David basket of goodies! Also thanks to Dave, Maggie, Charlie and Jack who sent us a car seat cover from L.L. Bean... it will definitely come in handy for Michigan winters! We've been blessed by so many warm wishes and gifts that it's hard to list everything, but thank you to everyone who has sent a note or card or a gift. They are all truly appreciated, and we're very grateful to have such wonderful and generous friends!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

Nichole and I took a walk with Emma tonight around the subdivision. It was a beautiful night, and we walked further than we usually do. Emma, true to form, slept for the entire ride and woke up shortly after we walked back in the door, ready to eat again. And again.

Oddly, we still have not met very many families or couples in the subdivision with children. We've lived here well over a year, and barely know the couple next door who have a little girl only a week older than Emma, and although we know their names we don't really know many of our other neighbors either. We figured maybe going for walks in the evening would cause us to run across other neighbors with children, but so far this hasn't been the case!

Up half the night

Last night was a long one. After spending the afternoon at Grandma S's house visiting with family, we came home and thought we would have a good night's sleep. We thought wrong: Emma was up nearly constantly. It seemed like she was perpetually nursing, or crying because she was hungry, or in need of a diaper change. So I got very little sleep, and Nichole got even less. I think Emma got the most sleep of any of us, since at least she was able to nod off while she was nursing. On top of that, giving her supplemental bottles hasn't really touched her hunger... She either wants more right away or spits it all back up because she gulps so quickly from a bottle. As a result, today we've spent the day here at home, both of us feeling like we have hangovers. We had plans to visit Nichole's family, go grocery shopping, and maybe enjoy a walk in the afternoon since it was a gorgeous day. Instead we'll be lucky if we make it to the grocery store!

Long night

Emma was up a lot last night. I lost count, and I know Nichole was up more than I was with her. (Also, we hit a milestone: Emma spit up for the first time on Nichole after eating... I've been the target a number of times but this is the first time Nichole has had the pleasure.) Nichole is struggling a little bit with feeding, since Emma tends to "cluster feed" at certain hours of the day, and during those times does not seem to be able to get enough to eat, no matter how long she nurses! We are both looking forward to the weekend, when we can take a few naps when Emma sleeps.

Visitors

Today Jane and Mary Ellen came to visit, and brought a nice lunch with them to share! Jane held her first, and Emma promptly filled her diaper. Apparently once she is old enough, we are going to have to work on her manners (Emma's, not Janes!).

We also took the kids back home this afternoon, and Emma went for her first long car ride. She did pretty well, until half way home, when she woke up and was very hungry... so hungry we had to stop to feed her. Afterwards, we stopped off at Grandma S's house to visit for a few minutes, and then called it a night.

Big brother and big sister head home today

Jordan and Abbi will be heading back to their mom's house today. I am thinking they are going to really miss Emma. The last week, we have truly been a family and have spent a lot of quality time together, and the kids just seem to adore her. They don't even mind taking care of messy diapers when needed! I plan to send them regular emails with new photos of her, and give them some pictures they can take back and show their friends.

I think Emma is expecting some visitors today as well... Nichole mentioned either Mary Ellen or Jane might stop by today. I'm heading off to bed for now, so won't write much more... Emma kept us up last night and tonight we seem to be headed for at least a few hours of quality sleep. Got to catch them while we can! The good news from all of this has been with all the running and household stuff (plus the stress, I am sure) I've lost quite a few pounds. Nichole is looking great, too. I think taking the baby for walks has helped, and it certainly has been awesome weather for that. Hopefully the weather and the walks will continue! :)

Happily napping

Emma sleeping in her bouncinette


Emma sleeping with Daddy

Today we went back to the doctor for Emma's 2 week visit. She has regained all of her birth weight and is back up to 8 pounds! Everything seems to be going very well for her. Last night, we actually watched her sleep and she was dreaming... and in the middle of the dream she smiled and actually *giggled*! We know it's not a real response, but it was just so cute.

Emma's First Bath

Emma really didn't care for her first bath.

...but she felt better after we dried her off!

Mommy holds Emma, 9/21/04

Mommy holds Emma, 9/21/2004

We've discovered that Emma likes to be held when she falls asleep. Some children you can lay down when they are groggy, and they'll fall asleep quickly. In Emma's case, she likes to snuggle up after being fed and curl up against your shoulder... she actually tucks her arms and legs in, and can sleep for hours like this. It's very sweet.

The headache is gone!

Hooray! Nichole's headache is finally gone. Also, her stitches seem to be healing nicely. (When we went to the ER the other day, they just cleaned the wound and put some new steri-strips on to hold things together... nothing to worry about, really.)

Since Nichole felt better, yesterday we all went for a short drive out to get some dinner at Leo's Coney Island (I think we were all feeling a bit of cabin fever) and then went to visit Grandma and Grandpa M. for a little while. I took Emma out during the day for a couple of walks... she slept most of the way. I guess that's enjoying it, for an infant; if they wake up and scream, they don't like it. If they stay asleep or fall asleep, they do. :) Emma slept most of the night last night, waking only at about 4:00 for a feeding. Then she slept straight through until 10am, so we all got to sleep in!

Today we plan to stick close to home, most likely, but it's such a beautiful day that maybe we'll play outside or something. Jordan and Abbi have had their stay here extended due to some unforeseen circumstances, so it's great to have all five of us here for this long! I'll write more later.

Jimmy and Lindsay visit

Jimmy Rock holding Emma


Lindsay holds her too, but Emma is not too sure!

Back to the E.R.

We're back in the ER again. Nichole woke up this morning and said her head felt a lot better... And then she walked into the bathroom and noticed that her incision from the C-section was bleeding! It wasn't gushing blood and there was no pain, so we had time to get showered and dressed, but now I'm in the waiting room of the ER at Huron Valley with Emma. She's mostly sleeping, and occasionally wakes up to wiggle a bit and look around. (By the way, this car seat/carrier we bought is terrific -- it snaps into the base in my car or Nichole's, comes loose to turn into a baby carrier, and also can snap into her stroller.) Anyway, we think the doctor will probably either give Nichole new stitches or bandage her up more securely, and I wouldn't be surprised if they put her on an antibiotic to make sure there's no infection. I'll write more later if I have time... Right now, it sounds like Emma is filling her diaper!

First trip to the doctor

Today was mostly an uneventful day, but we did get to take Emma for a walk in her stroller all around the neighborhood since the temperature was just right and there wasn't too much sun. It actually felt more like a Sunday today than a Friday.

We also had Emma's first doctor appointment. She was checked over briefly, and weighed. She has gained back 3 ounces since we left the hospital, which is a real credit to Nichole... the doctor was quite surprised to find that Nichole was able to be successful at breastfeeding with a spinal headache, and that we haven't had to supplement too much with formula. Everything else seems normal. Last night, the majority of her umbilical cord remnant dropped off, too! It's pretty early for that to happen, but she still has a small stub remaining which should drop off in the next couple of days according to the doctor.

Tonight we tried to all have dinner together in the kitchen, but Nichole wasn't able to sit erect for that long due to the headache, and had to take her meal into the living room and eat it in a prone position. I sure wish her headaches would improve. Maybe tomorrow she'll feel better... it will be more than 72 hours since the blood patch procedure, and the stuff we have read on the web seems to indicate that most patients find some relief by now.

Hopefully we'll have more pictures of Emma to post tomorrow! If you haven't been to her picture page yet, you can follow this link.

Jordan and Abbi meet Emma

Jordan meets Emma for the first time...

...and gives her an eskimo kiss!

Abbi holds Emma for the first time.

Abbi kisses Emma on her cheek.