What a Big Girl!

For the most part, Emma's car seat will fit in the top basket of shopping carts. Costco and Walmart seem to be the only stores we have trouble with. I usually put her car seat in the shopping basket, which is fine, but it is very hard to fit all the groceries we need. Usually Robert's soda and juice get left out. Last week our checker outer had mentioned that he had seen babies smaller then Emma in the top basket with one of the shopping cart covers. So off to Target we went to get one.

Today was the day we tried it out. I made sure I had a couple of her favorite toys, and parked next to the shopping carts just in case it didn't work, I could easily get her car seat out. I have to say Emma did really good! I tighten the straps as tight as I could, and just had to re-adjust her a couple of times in the store. She looked at all the different items on the shelves, and fiddled with her toys.

I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck and didn't get half of the stuff on the list. Emma has been really interested in sitting up lately, but she doesn't last too long before she starts to get upset. So I wasn't sure how much time I would have. I think the only thing I will do differently next time is bring a couple of blankets or something I could use as a pillow. Towards the end, she was definitely leaning to the side and I think she was getting tired. I will still use her car seat when we run to target, but it is nice to know that know we have options!

Maybe This is Why We Haven't Been Sleeping...

We have discovered we can reach our toes, and they are much more fun to play with then sleeping!

This Cute Little Stinker....

Has decided she no longer needs to sleep! And boy is she proving to be very stubborn.

Robert's Birthday

Yesterday was Robert's birthday. Robert had to work, but we managed to surprise him by bringing him some rice crispy treats to his office. I was surprised that he was there because he had a big job to do, and didn't expect to be back at the office until late. We thought he would be coming home shortly after we left, but he got a call on his way home and made it home just before Emma's bed time. We managed to keep her awake and calm with her pacifier so she could help daddy open his presents. She wasn't too sure about the noise the paper made when it was ripped, but I think by Christmas she will be ready for it!

Some birthday smiles for daddy!

Emma got Daddy the book Daddy Hugs.

Looking at Daddy's new drill.

She was so tired by the end that she used one of the shirts Robert got as a blanket. She would not let go of it!

Shopping With Grandma

Yesterday, Emma and I spent the day with my mom at the mall. Emma did great and loved looking at all the different colors. Plus the restaurant we ate at had lots of fans, so we were set. It was a great day and the mall wasn't very busy which made it extra nice. Mom got Emma the cutest outfit at The Children's Place that I think will be perfect for her 6/7 month pictures. Gap was also having a pretty good sale where you got 40% off their clearance and mom conituned to spoil us by getting me some things.

The mall's courtyard has this water-feature that I wanted to get Emma's picture in front of. Unfortunately it was closed for cleaning, so we decided to get some pictures in the grass. It was Emma's first time to feel grass and first time in shoes! (She looked so old when we put her shoes on!) It was nice to finally be able to have her be outside for a little bit.

Thanks mom for a great day!

We are Rollin'

Emma rolled over for the first time today! (This was actually her 4th roll!)

Birthday Dinner

Last night we went to dinner with Robert's Dad, Chris and Kevin to celebrate Robert's up-coming birthday. Gary is also getting ready to go on a motorcycle ride up to Glacier National Park so we wanted to make sure we saw him before he left. We had yummy b-b-que at Texas Road House. It was the first time we had taken Emma to an "official" restaurant and she did great! While we were eating our food, she was eating her blanket. I wish I would have gotten a picture of it! Then she took a little nap. The bathroom was probably the worse experience for her. It was a smaller bathroom, and not only did I have an audience of little girls watching me change her diaper, but every time somebody flushed or would turn on the hand dryer, it scared her and she would SCREAM because it was so loud! Thanks guys for a nice evening out! We both talked about how nice and relaxing it was on the way home!

Here are some pictures from our night.

Waiting for Mommy and Daddy to finish getting ready.

The restaurant had these slings that were made especially for car seat. It worked out great, but Emma could barely see over the table!

While we were waiting for our dinner she would either stare at Uncle Kevin, or she would manage to find the fans!

Emma and Uncle Kevin

Grandpa, Grandma, Emma, and Uncle Kevin

Our first family picture since the hospital!

Naps

It has been a little over a week and a half that we have let Emma cry during her naps. I have to say, it wasn't has bad as I thought it would be. On the first day I would go in after 3 min, 5 min,

1o, and then 20min. The next day I would start at 5 min and so on and so on. There was only a couple of days that she would cry the whole 20 minutes and she wouldn't be crying that hard. By the 4th day she took her first official uninterrupted 3 hour nap!
Now, the longest she really cries is about 10 minutes and she only does that when she wakes up in the middle of one of her naps. That is the tricky thing right now. If she wakes herself up and hasn't slept long enough, she is a crabby baby! So Robert and I just have to figure out if she is really ready to get up, or if she needs more sleep. Her other new found skill is to pull the blanket over her head. So sometimes she is crying because she has gotten herself "stuck" under her blanket!
I wouldn't say that we are on a schedule, but more of a routine. She wakes up and goes to bed around the same time each day, and she usually takes a nap about 1 1/2 to 2 hours after she gets up. Her morning and early evening naps are usually a little harder for her to stay asleep and shorter, and her afternoon nap seems to be her best. I have also learned that if she is sleeping longer then I think she should, I just have to let her keep sleeping. I have made the mistake of waking her up from a nap and it wasn't pretty! I still feed her a bottle and rock her for a little bit when she goes to bed at night. I am not ready to give this time with her up yet. It is one of my favorite moments during the day. But for her naps, I lay her in her bed, give her her pacifier, put her bear on top of her head (so she doesn't pull it over her face), tuck her in, and turn on her animal show, and she goes to sleep on her own.
All in all, I am glad that we decided to do this. She is a happy baby the entire time that she is awake and even seems to sleep more peacefully during her naps. She has also stopped waking up in the middle of the night looking for her pacifier. (She really only uses it now for her naps.) And the best thing is when I go in to get her after she has a good nap, this is what I am greeted with.....

A Yummy End to a Good Weekend

Wow! What a great weekend we had! And to top it all off, Robert made cheeseburgers tonight, and I made cupcakes!

Nothing spectacular happened this weekend, it was just the first weekend in a long time that we had nothing planned and Robert didn't have to work. Emma was in a great mood all weekend, and was all smiles for her Daddy. It was so nice seeing them be able to spend quality time together! (Work has been so busy, that Robert only gets to see her about 5 minutes before he leaves for work, and she is already in bed for the night when he gets home.)

Another bright spot to our evening was that Emma officially giggled! I was doing patty-cake with her and all of the sudden she got a smile and let out this one little giggle. It was so cute. I called Robert over and we did patty-cake a couple more times with the same result! Needless, to say, after the 5th time of patty-cake she was over it! We all know what I will be doing tomorrow!

3 Months!

Wow! It is hard to believe that Emma Grace is 3 months old today. She has left the newborn stage and has moved into babyhood. Last night Robert and I were talking about how this time 3 months ago we were trying to figure out if we needed to go to the hospital and call into work. It seems like forever ago!
Emma continues to make us smile every day. I am sure this is something that will never go away! She continues to grow bigger and stronger and is still working to master holding her toys. Her new things include kicking her legs non stop when she is on her back. When she does it, she starts huffing and puffing! I think she is also close to officially rolling over. She will teeter like she wants to, but hasn't quite made it all the way over yet. Naps are also starting to improve. I can lay her down and she will go right to sleep, it is just a question of when she wakes up is she really ready to get up, or does she still need more sleep. The little stinker will trick us and start smiling and kicking, but the second we bring her out to play she is so mad and grumpy! When that happens, back in the bed she goes and she will usually sleep for another hour. I think she is about to have a growth spurt, or discover something new developmentally. The last couple of night she has woken up which is unusual for her. She goes to bed around 8:30-9:00, and will sleep until 7. She is down to 4 1/2 bottles per day. I can't believe in another month we will think about adding cereal!

She has also started to become interested in the camera. So now, instead of smiling, she has to concentrate on the camera. As soon as I put the camera down, she is all smiles and coos. I will have to figure out how to get her to smile even with the camera. Since I couldn't get her to smile, I can't decide which picture I should use for her 3 month picture. I need a specific one for her scrapbook and a first year frame I have. So I am going to post a whole bunch of them and let me know which one is your favorite!

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These aren't necessarily in the running... just pictures of our day today!

I'm going to get my keys and go to grandma's!

This is her new found skill. Every time she is in a dress, she spends more time lifting it up and putting it in her mouth!

I love her profile! Look at that cute little nose!

Look at those chubby cheeks!

This picture looks like she is done with me trying to take her picture!

Both Emma and the dogs have seem to have found a new interest in one another.

A Visit From Jamie

Jamie made a quick stop in Arizona to say hi to everyone before heading back to Africa for Mercy Ships. We all got together at Cathy's house where we had yummy cheese burgers and caught up with everyone. It was great to get to see Jamie. Unfortunately, Emma was having some tummy issues, so she wasn't her smiley talkative self.

Jamie with Emma. I'm not sure why Emma looks so funny in this picture. I am wondering if we took the picture just as she was starting to yawn! Hopefully one of the other girls got a better picture!

Jamie and Jessica with the girls.

Both Sophia and Emma fell asleep when it was time to eat. Cathy has a crib at her house that she uses for her grand baby. Jessica and I thought we would try to put the girls in it, but the second we laid them down, their eyes popped open! With having each other for company, they managed to stay in the crib just long enough for Jessica and I to finish lunch. Emma decided first that she had had enough!

Eliana and Cathy with a couple of cute tired girls!

The group. It is so weird to think that for almost the past 6 years I have been going to Cathy's house for 4th of July parties, our bridal showers, and then our baby showers, and know we are all there with our babies!

Thanks Jamie for squeezing in a trip to AZ! Can't wait for the next time we can all get together!