It Started Yesterday....

Emma has started putting her toys in her mouth!

She still has trouble holding them, but when she gets them they go straight to her mouth! The fun begins of making sure everything is extra clean and the dog toys are out of her reach!

On a side note, we are still struggling with nap time. After getting some great advice from my cousin Jenny and friend Becky, I noticed a common theme they both had is that they read the Baby Wise book. So off to the book store Emma and I went this morning. This week, I have really focused on having a more set routine for her, and started to feed her a little more to see if that would help keep her asleep before going to letting her cry. I do think that she wasn't getting enough in her bottles because since the increase she has become more smiley and talkative. But sadly, it didn't help with naps in her bed. She also started waking up a little more then normal during the night. They say that if your baby sleeps through the night early, they will start waking up again at around 3 months. This is because they are more aware of their environment and realize that mom or dad aren't with them. So it is time to teach her how to fall asleep on her own.

So the rest of this week we will continue working on our schedule and I will start to read the book. Then officially Monday will be the start to a long week. Wish us luck. I'll let you know how it goes!

Trying New Things

This week as been full of us trying new things with Emma. She has really started liking sitting up more then laying down. Even when she is laying down, she is trying to sit herself up. Since she gets in moods where she doesn't want to lay down, she doesn't always want to play with her fish mat. So this is a new way for her to play with it!



We are also still struggling when it comes to naps. My friend Becky told me that her little girl, Carly, loved to sleep with something soft by her face. So out came one of Emma's smaller stuffed animals. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be doing the trick, but she sure does look cute holding it! I am going to give it a couple more days, and then I think I am going to have to resort to just letting her cry it out. (Have I said that before? Can you tell I am avoiding?!)

Also notice that she is just in her crib? She moves her arms and legs a lot while she sleeps. Her arms and legs have gotten long enough that she hits the sides of her little bed when she moves them. So now she is just in her crib where she has more room to move around. She looks so tiny in it compared to how she looked in her other bed! She did really well sleeping in it last night. The only problem is, when I went in to give her her pacifier first thing this morning (trying to get just a little more sleep time out of her) she had thrown it across the room! In her little bed, it kept everything very confined!

Emma also got to have her first taste of pear juice. She has been having some issues with constipation and the pediatrician recommended trying 2 ounces 1-2x a day. We did it for the first time yesterday, and had great results today. No tears! Now we just have to try to figure out the right amount and combination of days to keep things easy for her.

This picture doesn't really go with this post, but I thought it was so cute how her legs are up and almost crossed. It really makes it look like she is just hanging out watching TV!

New Interest

Ever since Emma has been able to do this....

She has discovered there are things far more interesting then her toys.

She stayed focused like this for awhile

See her in the mirror? She can't take her eyes off of this.

What is it?

Unfortunately she has discovered TV. This time she was watching Wipe Out!

A New Hobby?

After I saw this....

I became obsessed with the idea that this is what I want Emma to wear on her first birthday. After looking up the tutu, bib, and hat, it was going to cost us a small fortune. I don't have the bib and hat figured out yet, but I was sure there was some way for me to make the tutu. (They all said hand made). So after doing some exploring on the Internet, I found instructions on how to make them.

Robert had to work on Saturday, so my mom came over to see Emma and for us to play with making tutus. It is a little time consuming, but pretty easy to do. After making one, we have some ideas on how we want to try the next one to see the difference. We were able to figure out how to make one that would fit length wise for Emma now, as well as when she is older. The one I made for her is too big for her little waist, and she wasn't happy about modeling, but you get the idea!
On a quick side note...mom played with the left over ribbon and her new job is to make bows for Emma's hair!

2 Months

Our little girl is already 2 months old! We fall in love with her more and more each day. We can hold a "cooing" conversation with her and love her big smiles she gives us. She still wakes up happy in the mornings, and does not want anything to do with naps. It was sad to pack the newborn clothing away, but exciting to have new cloths to pick from. The other accomplishments that came about over the last month include spit bubbles, sleeping in her own bed at night for 6-9 hour stretches, holding her head up and centered during tummy time, batting at toys, and establishing a daytime routine of eat-play-sleep. And of course she gets more and more beautiful everyday!

Doctor's Appointment

Emma had her 2 month check up today. (Check back tomorrow for her 2 month photo!)

She is 11.5 lbs, (71%), and 24 inches (95%). The doctor said she looked great and to keep doing what we were doing.

While she is at the top percentiles for height and weight, she is at the bottom when it comes to head circumference. Even though the doctor wasn't concerned at all, I made the mistake of coming home and looking up "baby has small head" on the Internet. Big mistake, and I know better! We tell our families all the time at the hospital that there is anything and everything on the Internet. Luckily I talked to Jessica and she calmed me down. Before I talked to her, I was ready to drive Emma right back to the doctor's! So as long as she keeps meeting her milestones and her head doesn't start looking funny, I will wait until her 4 month doctor's appointment to talk more about it!

She also got 5 immunizations today - 2 shots in each leg and 1 oral. The nurse gave them as quickly as she could and Emma screamed while she was getting them but stopped as soon as I was holding her. She was so brave! The doctor expected her to be fussy, tired, and to have a slight fever today. So far no fever, and not too fussy, but very tired. She is waking up just to eat and then goes back to sleep. Here is her picture of what she has been doing all afternoon. (If you look closely you can see where they did 2 of her immunizations)

Happy 4th of July!

We had a nice, relaxing 4th of July hanging out at our house.  Robert was on call this weekend and even though the phone rang a lot, he never had to go out on a call.  

Grandma and Grandpa Green stopped by in the afternoon to say hi and play with Emma.

Then later that night, Robert B-B-Q yummy cheese burgers and hot dogs.

I tried all day to get a picture of Emma smiling in her 4th of July outfit.

We tried in her Bumbo....

We tried standing.....(I think the TV screen is funny.  Talk about timing!)

This is the closest to a smile that we got!

There is a firework show just down the street from our house at Schnepf Farms.  We can see the show if we walk just in front of our house.  We were trying to decide if we would go out to watch them or not.  We decided to wait and see what Emma was doing when the time came.  When it was time for the show to start, it was still pretty warm outside and Emma was fast asleep.  We decided to go ahead and just let her sleep.  As I am typing I can hear them.   If the house across the street from us didn't have a tree, we would be able to watch them from the front bedroom window.  Oh well.  Next year Emma will be a little older and we will try harder to take her to see them.

Hope everyone had a great 4th!

Changes and Ways to Save Money

Well it is official. I have the best and most important job in the world - taking care of Emma...and as of yesterday it is my only job. I turned in my resignation at Phoenix Children's. I wasn't sure how people would take the news. Especially with me not coming back for a little bit after maternity leave, but everyone was extremely supportive and understanding. The day was definitely filled with mixed emotions. But I have to admit, the happiness because I get to stay home with Emma Grace was stronger then the sadness of leaving.
While I was cleaning out my desk, I was inducted into the "poop explosion club". Emma got a little fussy so I checked on her and there was poop everywhere! All over her leg, her outfit, and her car seat. It was quite the adventure! I cleaned everything up the best I could there, and then went to my mom's work to clean up the rest. Mom treated us to lunch at Paradise Bakery to celebrate our new adventure.
This will be the first time in a LONG time that I will be with out a job and a pay check. Which leads me to the second part of the title. I stumbled across this blog which is great. She has ways to get free samples, coupons, and tells you about great deals. The other thing I really liked is she tells you exactly how she used the coupons so you can get the best deal. It has become one of my new favorites!

July 1st!

July is here! We are getting ready for the 4th!

Doesn't it look like she is practicing waving a flag?!

Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th!

Lunch Date With The Girls

Yesterday, Emma and I had a nice relaxing lunch with Jessica and Sophia. We met up with them at Ra for some sushi. We don't get to go out for a lot of sushi since neither Matt or Robert like it, so Jessica and I were both ready for some! It definately hit the spot.

It was great to finally get to catch up with Jessica and was Sophia was as cute as ever.

Thanks girl for a great lunch!