Baby Mama Dramas

2 Kinds of Moms

2012-02-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

I just saw this great post on a real parenting blog about how there are 2 kinds of moms- not stay at home vs. working or any other such arbitrary distinction, but the Good and the Not-so-good. Duke Ellington appparently made a similar statement about there only being 2 different kinds of music- the good kind and the rest of it. I hope to be in the "good" category, and be the kind of mom who makes the most out of whatever I'm doing and makes things the best I can for my family. I loved this quote though because it made me think how little difference there really is amongst all of us different mothers- we're all just trying to do our best by our kiddos no matter what our circumstances and that is a tall order sometimes whether you are working or not. I realized early on in my journey through motherhood how great it is to have a variety of mommy friends- some stay-at-home, some working and some in between- and how each of these friends fullfills some different need or perspective taking experience in my life. And in the end, we have so much in common no matter how different our journeys may appear on the surface.

Poop

2012-02-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

Since my last post was so serious-sappy, I thought I'd ruin the moment by talking about poop. Or at least by talking about how Emmy likes to talk about poop. It is rather odd to me how the princess phase and poop phase seem to have coincided in our house. Em is currently obsessed with talking about poop and making jokes about poop and just saying poop for the heck of it. Sometimes it is funny and sometimes it is just ridiculous. I'm trying to not give attention to this behavior in hopes that it will be extinguished over time, but it is hard. Poop, poop, poopy!

Lily

2012-02-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

Lil will be 5 months old next week. How that happened, I have no idea yet it also seems like she has been here forever. I still don't know who she looks like, which is kind of surprising to me. I thought for sure she would look like Emmy, but she doesn't at all. They both have the Whitt blue eyes, but that is where the similarities stop. When Emmy was born, I took one look at her and thought, "I've known you all of my life... and here you are." It was the coolest thing. I looked into those big, blue eyes and saw part Greg, part my mother and part some old soul that I felt had always been there. When Lil was born, I took one look at her and thought, "Aren't you the most precious, tiny little thing... are you sure this one is mine?" I still look at her sweet, smiling face and wonder who this little person is, but she is definitely mine-all-mine. Emmy has always been a bit of a Daddy's girl, though we are super close too. I tell her she is Mommy's girl and she agrees but reminds me that I have to share her with Daddy. Lil, on the other hand, just might be my gal. Maybe it's because I'm still breastfeeding and she loves to eat, but maybe just maybe this one will be Mommy's girl. I know it is sick, but I just want them both to love me best. I wanted to become a mom so bad it hurt and Greg kind of fell into fatherhood because he was along for the ride (though it turns out he is a truly gifted parent, of course). But shouldn't they love me best, though? I am the mama! Oh, little girls and their daddies. He is so cute and nice, which makes it even harder. He also gives into Emmy's whims much more than me, and he is around less which makes him seem more special. I'm just boring old Mom. Hmm. Well, anyway, I may have some luck left with Ms. Lily. So far, she continues to be an excellent baby. She is our Chill Lil. Super laid back. Only learned to roll over because I made her, and content with whatever. She has been battling RSV since starting daycare 5 weeks ago, so her coughing tends to wake her up in the night which makes me sad. She had been sleeping through the night quite well until recently. She sure is growing up too fast. Much faster it seems than Emmy. These baby months are going too quickly, and I hate that. We'll never have another baby in the house again so I'm trying to relish these days even when they are hard. Sometimes they are very hard, too, I'm not going to lie. Like being so tired you just have to cry for a minute at the end of a long day hard, and I am generally a pretty tough chick. But this motherhood, especially times two, is the biggest challenge I've ever faced. It is also the best thing that has ever happened to me and I thank God for it. And my husband. And my girls. Thank you, Ms. Lily for the toughest yet absolute best 5 months of my life.

Hold Them, Take Care of Yourself

2012-01-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

Just took a moment to read a few words from one of my favorite blogs. This other mama blogger was sharing her advice for her baby sister who just became a mother to twin girls. She said the most important advice was this- hold them, and take care of yourself. I think that is brilliant advice, advice I will share and remember myself. Let the house be dirty, let the dinner be overcooked, let my sleep be interrupted and my bed shared by many, let me always be running a few minutes late- I will hold them every chance I get. And somewhere in between it all, I'll even take care of myself some too. I've been running in the evenings after I put Lil to bed with some other mama-friends and really enjoying this time for just for me. I'm trying not to feel guilty about it either, and it is doing me some good and even giving Emmy & Daddy some special time. Hopefully, my family will benefit from this indirectly as well. Some familial, trickle-down economics perhaps.

What Did You Said?

2012-01-24T06:03:00.000-08:00

As I have said before, Ms. Emmy is a talker, which surprises me a little since the first year of her life she was nearly entirely silent. As a baby, she really never babbled. This worried me very much, and made me wonder if she would ever talk. Em had constant ear infections from age 6mos to 18mos, and this likely affected her ability to hear and form sounds. Two sets of tubes and an one adenoid removal later, the child finally got some relief. A few months after that, Em began talking non-stop and she really hasn't stopped since. She speaks very well for her age (of course I am extremely biased), but there are some things she consistently says "wrong" that are actually adorable. I just wanted to record some of these things here because they are already starting to fade and are being replaced by proper words, phrasing and pronunciations. G noticed one such change this week and he and I both were sad to see this little saying go. So here are a few Emmy-isms for the record:

"What did you said?"- in place of "What did you say?"

"What smells like that?"- in place of "What is that smell?"; E actually said this one correctly this week, which made G and I a little misty with nostalgia

"Lellow"- instead of yellow

"Mudder"- instead of Mother

"Olib"- instead of olive

Princess Phase

2012-01-18T08:39:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months, our home has been invaded with lots of sparkly, pink, princess stuff, which I must admit I routinely refer to as princess crap. Having a somewhat bossy (yet awesome!) older brother, I was never fully able to embrace my inner princess or more feminine self as a child. I definitely wouldn't say I'm a tomboy, but I've always been more in the middle. I've never worn much makeup and could certainly spend more time on my appearance. I love the outdoors and sports, yet I love ballet, crafting and admire fashion. I consider myself to be pretty good at math (statistical modeling is a personal hobby of mine as a doctoral student), and never met a challenge that I thought was too much for me either physically or intellectually just because I am a woman. In fact, I never thought much about gender stereotypes other than to think that they had little applicability to my life. But then I had a daughter. Two year olds, as you may know, are dichotomous little creatures in many ways who enjoy seeing the world in black and white. They are also just realizing certain complex realities and processing them in this dichotomous manner. For example, I want something, I will take it. I love Daddy, I will marry him. I am a girl, I must love all things feminine. Boys like "boy things." Sometimes, in their 2 year old zeal, kids will overidenitify with their gender in spite of their parents' best efforts to avoid stereotypes and provide an array of options for play and exploration. This explains the nearly fanatic zeal for princess stuff (aka crap), cars and monster trucks. Being a psychodynamically trained therapist, I understand that kids go through phases and need to explore certain issues before they move on. Therefore, while I don't go out of my way to promote princess play with Ms. E, I also don't actively discourage this. I don't think she is any more likely to grow up to be a princess or shallow Paris Hilton-type than her male counterparts are likely to be mechanics. Obviously, I have to continue to work to provide her with a balanced experience in her life that is not shallow or perhaps this is what she will become. It is an interesting issue to ponder. I've given it a lot of thought due to various articles and books I've read about raising girls, similar issues confronted in my clinical practice and my own interest about how culture affects children in subtle ways. I'm certainly not ignoring the potential for negative influence, in fact G and I have daily discussions with Emmy about what is important (i.e. loving to learn, having a good heart, being kind, being helpful, making your own choices, etc.) because her obsessive princess play actually presents us with numerous opportunities for these discussions. Mostly, I'm just blown away by her imagination and capacity for fantasy play. It's pretty impressive! Well, those are my thoughts for now on this issue, but I reserve the right to change my mind (it's a mother's perogative!). I've received (and worse, Emmy has received- shame! shame!) criticism for her obsession with princess play, which I must admit bothered me somewhat. When I discussed this with my mom, she expressed similar distress about my brother's decision to be the Sheriff for a year or so and bring his 6 shooters everywhere he went. I guess it could be worse, she could be obsessed with guns! However, she reassured me that this too shall pass. I should probably be saving my energy for worrying about the next phase around the corner, and for now enjoy my lovely daughter who is always dressed and ready lest a royal ball to come up at the last minute!

Lil's Working Model

2012-01-11T08:42:00.000-08:00

If you were reading this in the past, then you may remember that I wrote about an interview that I do with all of my clients called The Working Model of the Child Interview. This is a chance for them to talk about the child and their shared relationship. I wrote up my thoughts about Emmy, and now I want to document my "working model" of my relationship with Lil, age 4 mos. Forgive me, this is quite self-indulgent but I wanted to document this for my family:) It's the kind of stuff that I'll read to 13 year old, Lily and it will make her want to throw up and pretend she doesn't know me around her friends!

Personality:
--sweet: Lil smiles and coos constantly, when you pick her up she latches on like a little koala bear
--laid back: It amazes me to say this, but it is so striking given that Lil resides in a house filled with 3 Type A personalities! She is very calm, pleasant, rarely cries (unless her Zantac has worn off), is patient.
--happy: She seems happy and content no matter the situation. Home, daycare, etc.
--curious: Lil is a watcher. She is taking it all in. She loves people and noise and she studies your mouth when you are talking like she is trying to figure out how to say those same words.
--loud: This is no surprise. Lil babbles constantly and is so loud sometimes I think she is going to wake up her sister down the hall! She's a talker, as all the Whitt-Woosleys are.

Relationship:
--surprising: I am so pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to fall in love with baby #2. Everyone who knows me knows that Emmy has been my world for the past few years, but somehow there is equal room in my heart for my Lily.
--sweet: Our time together is just sweet, sweet, sweet. Lots of mirroring and babbling together, and little books and patty cake.
--shared: My newly forming relationship with this child is different in that we have less 1-1 time together, which I thought would be hard. However, we have these great special moments with Emmy and I reading books to her and Emmy and I playing patty cake with her, and I realize that what Lil loses in 1-1 time with Mommy, she gains so much more from having this whole extra person to adore her.
--cherished: I adore this kid and realize how special our relationship is, and it sure seems like the feeling is mutual. Since I am the keeper of the milk, Mama is still #1! (I'm just enjoying it while I can, I'm sure she will go through her Daddy's girl phase soon enough.)
--easy: We just have an easy relationship. Infants are blessedly less complex than their bigger counterparts and I'm kind of relishing in that right now. I think it is an easy relationship for her, too at this stage. Right now it's just all about the love, meeting her basic needs and providing a stimulating environment.

Baby New Year

2012-01-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012! Here is our little baby new year, wasn't she cute? So far, our year is off to a great albeit busy start. G is working long hours for the man in Frankfort, but seems to be enjoying himself and still making room for quality time for his girls. Em is back at school working hard on things like learning to spell the word "mop" (not sure why they start with that word but I'm all for promoting the joy of chores), washing baby dolls and she is still painting every day, all day like it is her job. I'm not sure what do with all of these paintings, so we recycle them into other things as much as possible. I am back to work, which has been an easy transition thanks to having the same job for 12 years and working with a team of people I truly enjoy. But most notably, Ms. Lil has begun daycare, and she is doing great! Charming the pants off of everyone she sees and sleeping, eating and pooping better than any baby on the block (other than smiling and cooing, that really is all they do at this age!). She also exceeded my expectations by achieving her first daycare related illness in record time (in just 4 short days, good people!). Lily Q, my little overachiever. So that is what we are up to, at least in part. I've started running again, which has been great even though my right knee is protesting and clearly had gotten used to the last year of sluggishness. We've spent a bit of time outdoors as a family thanks to some glorious weather, had some lovely visits with family and friends lately and even a little bit of down time at the hacienda just hanging in our sweats. I am really, really please with this year so far. The only exception being that I cannot find the time to take down our Christmas tree! I am slightly embarrassed by this, though I also don't give a crap. I mean obviously, or I would have taken it down already! I just have better things to do. Seriously. We have been busy and even when we don't have plans or work or something I have these 2 amazing little people that I just can't get enough of. Their dad is pretty alright, too! The Woo Crew definitely keeps me entertained, and life is moving so fast that I'm trying very hard to only invest energy in the things that matter most. Yesterday morning, Emmy was explaining to Lil how she was a big girl now and she was almost 3 years old. She is so excited to be turning 3, but man that really breaks my heart! Where has my baby gone? Em went on to explain that Lil could tell that she was her big sister because she is "this tall," has very "long knees" and a "long head." It was hillarious! She is a riot, but she tells the truth. Her head and knees are getting long, and they are growing so fast.

One Year

2011-11-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

So it has been a year since my last post, I am ashamed to say, but man what a year! This time in 2011, it was just the 3 of us and now POOF! Here we are a family of four. Last January, I was at dinner with Em at our favorite sushi spot. My fortune cookie that night said that the best things were yet to come. I found out the next day that I was expecting Lillian, and that many good things were indeed about to happen. Lil, or Big Lil as we like to call her, is the unexpected angel that came into our lives and made our family complete. Today, she is my 10 week old darling, who can't help but smile all over herself most of each day. She is our best baby girl, Emmy's little sister and my parents' 6th grandchild just to mention a few of her other starring roles. She coos and talks non-stop, which helps her fit right into this chatty family. Lil has already squelched all of those mother doubts about being able to love your second child as much as your first- hard to believe, but you really can fall in love all over again.

So that is a bit of catch-up on the story of Lil. And then there is Emmy. Emmy, Emmy, Emmy. Our little firecracker, our sweetheart. She has grown up so much this year. She is an excellent talker, is bright and curious and has an imagination that does not stop. We are deep in the throws of the Princess Phase. She refers to herself mainly as Snow White or any other princess, speaks about herself in the third person, wears her Snow White halloween costume on a daily basis, refers to her dad as Prince or Beast (as in Beauty and the...), and I am usually Queen or Malefecent (you can see whom she tends to favor since the queens are usually evil). She makes up stories and songs that go on for hours sometimes about her royal kingdom. It is both precious and a bit too much at times! She will also only wear dresses that "twirl," which is inspired by the princesses, ballerinas and her dear friend, Ella, with whom she could twirl all day. This results in lots of skirts and dresses layered over sweat pants and jeans now that it is winter, which makes her look a little homeless at times but keeps her happy. Other favorite activities for Em right now include cutting (just got some safety scissors, trying to keep them away from her hair), reading books and learning phonics both at home and at school, playing doctor and "helping" take care of her baby sister. Em is extremely loving to Lil, but I joke that she is like the abominable snow man cartoon. She is a little rough and may just love her to death if not closely supervised!

So having 2 little girls just 2 years apart is amazing, crazy, fun, hectic and without a doubt the biggest blessing of our lives. G and I live for these girls and enjoy them so much, but we have far from figured out how to run this whole operation. I'm just starting to get into a groove but I return to work in 5 weeks, which will change everything. Should be a wild ride! Always is around here. The pics above are just a few from the past year, some good memories I wouldn't want to forget.

Baby Mama Photo Dramas!

2010-11-15T11:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I realize that it has been 4 months since I've blogged. I am a delinquent blogger! The summer just kept getting busier. We traveled to Florida twice, New Orleans, St. Louis, and Maine this summer. We also renovated our kitchen, painted the outside of house and did some other home improvements. It was kind of crazy to say the least! Then the fall has been even busier, but fortunately with lots of fun fall events. This summer was hot and sunny every day, and the fall was warm and bright as well. We have had the best weather, and lots of fun times to enjoy it. Winter is arriving fast, however, so I should have more time to blog. While I have been terrible at finding time to write, I have kept up with taking pictures. For the next little while, I am going to try to do more photoblogging and see how that goes. Here is our weekend in pictures! Emmy went to her first UK footbal game (Go Hats!), we did some bike riding, painted and played with lots of play-do. This was our first weekend spent mostly around the house in a while and we really enjoyed it!

That's Right! The Women Are Smarter!

2010-07-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

The women are smarter, that's right, that's right! If you don't already know, this is a great Grateful Dead song (Man Smart, Woman Smarter), and this is me singing through the keyboard! It's a peppy little catchy little number, and seems appropriate (at least tangentially) to my brief topic of the day. This morning, my little gal figured something out that neither her dad or I could. On one of our recent road trips, we stopped at Cracker Barrel (of course, about the only place you can get away with taking a wild 1 year old on the road) and we ended up buying BG this groovy little fire truck. We thought it was cool because it is the kind that you pull backwards, then it propels quite a distance on its own. This morning she was playing with it in her car seat and I suddenly hear sirens and see lights flashing. We had no idea the toy could do that! She figured out what we could not, I'm embarrassed to say. Might have to change the song to Man Smart, Baby Smarter!

Little Ms. Firecracker

2010-07-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July is a family favorite, and we had a great holiday. We spent the 3rd downtown with some of our dearest friends and their baby who is also super-awesome. Baby J and Em seemed to enjoy the parade and the downtown spectacle, and they didn't even complain about the heat! To top it off, we decided to have a late lunch at Dudley's and the toddlers acted like they ate in nice restaurants every day of the week. They are both superstars, I tell ya. Then, on the actual 4th (don't know why Lexington decided to celebrate on the 3rd instead, rather odd really), we enjoyed a street party with our neighbors. Em ran around like a crazy girl, and loved every minute of it! She was so happy that she just ran around squealing in delight. She liked the fireworks too, which thankfully weren't very loud. She didn't even wake up for the big fireworks that went off in the night. G and I were grateful for that!

One last thing, I can put Em's hair up in pigtails now! It is silly, I know, but her little piggies make me so happy! She looks very cute in them. I put her hair up in two messy little buns, which my friend Rach said looked like fireworks on her head! This pleased me to no end, as that was actually the intended effect! So cute...

Excuses of a Delinquent Blogger

2010-07-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Adrienne and I am a delinquent blogger and poor documentarian of my baby's life. I can't believe it has been 6 weeks since my last post, but this spring/summer has been off with a bang! Also, BG keeps me hopping and requires quite a bit of my physical and mental energy these days, leaving me with little stamina for hobbies such as writing or anything beyond survival for that matter. Here is a typical day in my/our life:

Toddlerville: A Day in the Life...

Wake at 7
Shower very quietly so as to not wake up Sleeping Beauty
Dress self, dress BG
Feed her breakfast while trying to finish getting ready and fending off dog from eating baby's breakfast (this is hard because she is always attempting to feed the dog, which makes her giggle uncontrollably)
Try to get out the door by 8 without burning self or baby with necessary travel-vat of coffee, or dropping self or baby to the ground
Drive delightful BG to school while singing Old MacDonald and pointing out favorite points of interest along the way (i.e. trees, men on the street who remind BG of Daddy, the horse or "neigh neigh" statue in front of the Chase building, firetrucks, trucks that aren't firetrucks but we pretend they are, etc.)
Bring BG into her classroom, give her teachers copious notes on what I perceive to be her special needs and/or issues of the day
Try to simultaneously reassure her that I will return for her later while also disappearing without her noticing because separation brings much anxiety at this time
Drive to work like a maniac without harming pedestrians or other drivers
Work hard at saving the children for 8 hrs while running errands to help save my own children on my lunch break
Leave at 4ish to go pick up BG
Go home, take care of Bobby and then have outside play time, which she demands by crying at the door, screaming "outshide! outshide!")
Cook dinner while fending off dog and keeping an eye on the BG
Then, around 6:15 or so, Daddy mercifully arrives home and we all sit down for dinner
I then alternate between feeding myself and BG, which usually goes pretty well though sometimes takes some wrangling, coaxing and bribing with animal crackers
Then, we have a little more playtime, a walk or family bike ride (we love this! just got Em a seat for the back of G's bike and it totally rocks!)
Then it's time for playing with "bubbles" otherwise known as bathtime
Then a book and some milk, real quick, then time for "night nights"
By now, it is 8:30-9:00 and I always have big ideas about exercising, cleaning, reading, writing, etc. I manage to fit some of these things in here and there, but never as much as I hope to.

As you can see, blogging and nearly everything else gets a bit neglected in my rush to keep up with Ms. Em! It's hectic and may sound awful to others, but I love it all! My only regret is that being this busy makes time go by so fast...

Developmental Update:

Em sings along with or sings parts of songs (Old MacDonald- obsessively!, Wheels on the Bus, Down in the Jungle)
Is saying probably 50 words or more (hard to keep up because there are new ones everyday! My current favorite is her frequent, and correct, use of the word "happy." Por ejemplo, yesterday when we arrived at the pool, Em stopped and got a little grin on her face and whispered to me, "happy!")
Can practically sprint, tries like crazy to swim (wants to go underwater, which is definitely off limits since we've already had 2 sets of ear tubes!)
Knows and names most body parts (favorite is "bellybutton"), animals, animal sounds, articles of clothing, modes of transportation (bike, truck, car, choo choo, boat, etc.)
Walks up stairs while holding the rail, rather than climbing up
Can feed herself with utensils somewhat- it is pretty messy and we have some more progress to make, but she really wants to and tries very hard
Recognizes all of her family members in pictures and seems to have a longer ability to remember people that she doesn't see every day (this makes Granny and Papa very happy!)

Working Model

2010-05-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

For the last 11 years, I have spent my working life evaluating families and trying to understand the complexities of the parent child relationship. One of the procedures that we do at our clinic to help us understand these relationships a little better is called the Working Model of the Child Interview. I just did one with a mom this afternoon that made me think of what I would say about Emmy. One part of the interview involves picking 5 words to describe your child's personality. Another part has the parent select 5 words to describe the relationship. These likely change all the time. Here are mine, right now, about my little 14 month old darling:

Personality:

Big- as in you have a big personality for such a tiny girl and you are already a force to be reckoned with; you also think you are so big already and can do things on your own (you will be getting your own apartment next week)
Fun- you love to have fun and you make everyone around you have fun; you have a very playful nature
Busy- you give your old Mom and Dad a good run for their money! you are definitely on the active end of the spectrum and you get the most out of every moment
Curious- you are so smart, curious and interested in everything; like your father, you want to know what everything is and how it works; you are fairly patient in your attempts to figure things out for being such a little one
Free spirited- you laugh like a hyena and as your Tiny Tots teacher says, you really like to "shake your stuff!" You will get up and dance in front of a crowd or just to yourself and sometimes the music is only in your head!

Honorable mentions: intense, joyful, beautiful, loving, nature lover, animal lover, feisty, smart, confident, generally awesome:)

Relationship:

Bliss- our relationship is characterized by such happiness right now with the hard times being so small
Entertaining- I think we both entertain each other quite well! It could just be me and you in a room and we would find ways to have fun and laugh for quite a while!
Loving or affectionate- I kiss you so much that you probably think I am trying to eat you and you give wonderful hugs, kisses that often resemble nibbles, and snuggle like none other!
Constant-we are together a lot and you definitely are my girl. This mother-daughter thing is 24-7 and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Intense- the mother daughter bond is everything they say, with intensity being a 10 out of 10! (or as they say in Spinal Tap, "these ones here go to 11!"). What a close and wonderful relationship- I'm so glad I get to experience it, especially with you.

Tiny Tater Tots

2010-04-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

Emmy has moved into the one year old room, where she is now a scrapper. There has been an incident report every day. Every day she bops herself on the head with a toy, walks into a door, gets bitten or bites someone. Every day she leaves home looking like a living doll and comes home with filthy black clothes (from playing on the play ground), with multiple food stains on her shirt, adorning a new minor injury, sticky with sunscreen (which leaves her smelling like the beach, mmm....), and with Sweaty Betty dreadlocks where her curls and hairbows used to be. I must say that she seems happier in the Tiny Tots (one year old) room, and she seems like such a big kid. She walks with authority, talks more, uses her paci less and seems like a kid on a mission. When I arrived to pick her up yesterday, she was standing on top of some toys, with a sensory-play scarf flapping in each hand, squealing with glee and wearing a huge smile on her face! The tater tots teacher said Emmy is spunky, happy and isn't intimidated at all by the older kids. Little Ms. Firecracker. Should've been born on the 4th of July!

A note to 1 year old Emmy:

Dear Ms. Emmy,
You are funny! You crack Mommy up with your constant talk of dogs, babies, balls and "wha dis?" questions. You are absolutely too fun. Please, however, stop growing up so fast. You are breaking your old Mom's heart. Seriously, what have you done with my tiny little baby girl? Ah, scratch all that. You keep up the good work, kiddo! You are doing great and my heart bursts with pride. Just one thing, please don't bite your cousin Lucas anymore at school. I know you little tater tots are into the biting thing, but just don't bite your cousin! He is such a sweet boy! I love you, munchkin.

Love always,
Mommy

Blackbird

2010-03-31T10:52:00.000-07:00

I have been a delinquent blogger and documentarian of the life of Em. This month has been super-duper busy, which is way more intense than just super busy. Birthdays, work, the seemingly endless dragging on of the legislative session, spring outings, Easter planning, vacation planning etc. The list goes on and on! Things have been busy but good. Em has literally learned to run in the last few weeks. We went for her one year old check-up and the doc said, "Well, Mom, I don't have to ask if she has started taking her first steps yet," as she ran circles around him like the Tasmanian Devil. We're still speaking mostly space language (actually, Em has about 10 real words she says with consistency, though she prefers to loudly babble on like an alien), but her motor skills are advanced, I think. Actually, her "motor" is a highly revved machine! She is a whirlwind of activity, which is great, except her nearly middle-aged parents can hardly keep up! Em is curious and into everything. She is so excited about the world around her, which is delightful to witness. In the evenings, we have been having trouble settling down for bedtime because there is just too much to see and do. My current secret weapon is singing. I've always loved to sing and was in choirs and choral groups throughout my youth, though I am no soloist. Em doesn't seem to mind. The soothing song of choice these days is Blackbird by none other than the Beatles. She also is partial to (G, don't laugh) a "Bret song" by the Grateful Dead called I Will Take You Home. The music of my college years is all I can actually remember the lyrics to, so I try to pick what seems most appropriate. Oh how I love singing to that sweet little girl!

Emotional Rescue

2010-03-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

Today is a very, very special day. Emmy is 1 year old! What a sweet year with our sweet little girl. I've loved it all (with the exception of a few sleepless nights), and it is hard to believe the first year is over. Every day is a new adventure with her, and she is so much fun. I hope she is having a good day and I think she is. We had a big time this morning riding her new wagon around in the house (there were lots of "oohs" and "ahs" when she saw it), and I had lunch with her at school (Em had fried chicken for the first time- there may be no going back now!). This evening we are meeting Daddy at Monkey Joe's to check out the toddler play area and then go home to have spaghetti (Em's favorite) and some giant cupcakes. The real party will be Saturday, though and we can't wait to visit with family and friends. We are having a Dr. Seuss-themed party to celebrate Em's love of her bookies, her favorite "toys." What a glorious, spring day it has been, which seems fitting . I know it's not all about me today, but this day means more than my own birthday now (which is exactly 4 weeks from today- argh, I'm getting old fast!) and I've enjoyed it too. Good times... great memories...

By the way, Em loves the Stones. I mean, of course she does, right? She has good taste in music. She, like her mama, has a nice appreciation for the 80's disco-pop Stones, too. I love Emotional Rescue and she loves to bop along to it to. She/we also love She's So Cold, but note to parents out there that you need to kill the volume at the 2:38 mark, unless you want your kid going to school or church telling everybody they learned to say bad words while listening to Mommy or Daddy's Stones records. We might have to work in a little retro, birthday dance party this evening as well.

Well, cheers to Emmy! She has been a champion of babies this year. Happy birthday, my sweet girl! And many more...

The Talking Tree

2010-02-23T06:23:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since my last post, but I have been too busy chasing a fully walking baby to do much writing! The girl is walking so well now and as a result, needs some new shoes. She has been wearing the soft, baby Roby shoes, which are great for learning to walk. However, these shoes are not moisture proof at all, and Em is ready to walk (and practically run) outside. Given that we are in a constant state of slushy and/or frozenness in KY these days, we need some real shoes! I have to warn you that this post is anti-climatic, but it is a memory nonetheless so I feel compelled to document.

Yesterday, I was sooooo excited to take Emmy to the Howard Curry shoe store to buy her first pair of real shoes. This is the store where my first shoes were purchased, though it recently relocated. For all locals, you know that the highlight of the Howard Curry experience is the talking tree (that always knew your name, just like Cheers), which I had been informed had made the move to the new store. So we go to Howard Curry's yesterday, ready to lay down $45 for a pair of baby shoes that Em will wear for 2 months (can anyone spell "highway robbery?"). We come in and the new store is quite nice; it is brightly colored and kid friendly. Nothing at all like the drab, 70's version of the old store, which I must say I still prefer, but there was the blessed talking tree just as promised! Em had a ball running around, while I looked for the perfect shoe. Now I must admit that my girl has some petite feet, but would you believe they had only one pair of baby girl shoes in her size??? They were cute and fit her well. Little navy t-straps, but I was kind of hoping for something more casual and in the brown/pink range. We may go back, but we left without making a purchase. Worst part of all- they did not have the talking tree say goodbye to Emmy!!! Perhaps you have to actually buy something to obtain a farewell from the tree? I should have at least bought her some socks so she could get a shout out. Well, we will be back. For now, we're off to Stride Rite to find some tiny shoes for the tiny princess!

Emerson, Pearl Jam & Nirvana

2010-02-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

As I have mentioned before, we are serious Sirious satellite radio jammers in our house. Em seems to love music as much as we do. G and I thought we were majoring in music with a minor in slacking in college, which is why we collectively saw a half-million concerts but took 80 years to graduate. I hope Em doesn't love music quite that much, but actually... on second thought I think I do. As long as she eventually leads a productive life, that is.

Our music listening has been making me feel a little old of late. Em and I had an awesome, leisurely breakfast and morning together because today was a snow day for the local school district. This means our daycare is on a delay, therefore, Mommy is on a delay to stay home with our homegirl. So we took our time eating breakfast, turned the music up and jammed out. Good times all around! I love these moments, and I remember them when I am super tired and the runaround business that is life leaves me exhausted. Ah, so sweet! Then the Pearl Jam tune Santa Cruz came on. I love this song but seriously how old are we that Eddie Vedder is now waxing poetic about having kids and remembering being 17??? Even sadder that I can totally relate. Are we officially middle-aged? Who cares. Too tired to get wrapped up in the "I'm so old" self-pity party. I laughed out loud this morning when I remembered that the theme song for my senior prom was Pearl Jam's Alive. Isn't that funny? Good song but what about that song says prom? Maybe we should have picked Jeremy instead. At least it has a school oriented theme.

Another old-school music moment happened on Friday. G and I were looking through some old cd's (remember those? precursor to mp-3 files? round, shiny...), and we found Nirvana's Nevermind. Em got to rock it out to some grunge-masters who never grew old, well at least Kurt Cobain didn't. She seemed to like it for a while, though after a few songs she began to take on this surly, semi-depressed attitude and when she asked for a flannel shirt and some dirty sneakers we thought we better turn it off.

Well, we finished off our morning by jamming out to the Replacements. Em seemed to dig this, too. All in all, I think she has pretty good taste in music, but I'm reserving judgment until she is in high school.

Walkerson, the Gym Rat

2010-02-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

Big week in Woosleyville! Ms. Em is a walker- woo hoo!!! Just call her Walkerson. Walkie-talkie. Walker, Texas Ranger. Whatever, the girl can walk! All weekend long she was walking quite well, but she still insisted upon holding onto one of my fingers. On Monday, I guess no one at daycare was touring her around all day, so she decided to walk. I picked her up on Monday afternoon and she just walked on over to me like, "Hey Mom! What's the big fuss? Walking? Of course, I can walk... been doin' it for years!" I reminded her that this was not actually possible since she is not quite one year old, but she continued to argue with me and assure me that she could practically run. That girl sure has an argumentative nature! Not sure where she got that... couldn't be from her attorney father or her generally disagreeable mother. Well, the point of this whole mini-drama is that the girl can walk. She has been walking, at-will, ever since. She isn't traveling any far distance, but can take as many as 10 steps at a time. Funny how fast it happens. Now, let's see if she ever talks in any intelligible language!

Another major event occurred last night. Ms. Em made her first trip to Rupp Arena, and the girl seemed to love it! Of course, she comes from a long line of gym rats in this family. Just ask her Aunt Polly what her favorite meal is and she is likely to tell ya it's a hot dog/popcorn combo from Memorial Gym. I don't know who started the whole gym rat tradition, but I'd guess it came from the Cox boys (Uncle Johnny, All American and his bro, Uncle Cokie- both players!). I know my mom loved watching Cokie play amongst others. I learned to love the sights, smells (yes, oddly enough!) and sounds of a basketball gymnasium by spending years of my life watching my brother in action. I may have complained on occasion, but I loved it! Em seems to love basketball, too. She really could not take her eyes off of the court, but she also seemed to enjoy the band. Great memories! Thanks to G's wonderful colleague for the great seats!

Van Morrison, Foo Fighters & Pele

2010-01-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

You are thinking, what in the heck do these cats have in common? Nada! Except an afternoon of lovely memories with my little gal. Yesterday, we were singing and dancing to Van Morrison's Caravan. She was so cool! I swear she was bouncing along and trying her best to sing! The next song that caught her attention during our little mid-week dance party was Foo Fighters' Wheels (gotta love Sirius' The Spectrum- keepin' it real, keepin' it random, keepin' it really random!). Em's got some moves, of course, she always looks like she's bouncing along to Snoop Dogg or some old school funk tune. I don't know where she got it, but Little Sister's got some soul!

The next highlight of our evening was Emmy's interest in kicking around her ball. She now walks pretty well while holding onto one of our hands for light support. She can actually get up some speed and practically run. Apparently, Daddy had been teaching her about kicking without my knowing it, and last night she was dribbling her big green ball around our house like she was Pele, or perhaps the next Mia Hamm! It was impressive, and I have hope that she may not be as athletically challenged as her mother. Fine, fun evening!

Unrelated

2010-01-22T11:31:00.000-08:00

Unless you believe that everything is related (and it probably all is), this blog entry has little to do with parenting or babies. It's just a blah, wintry afternoon and I wanted to list some things that make me happy. They are not in any sort of order. They are random. Unless, of course, you believe that nothing really is random (and it probably isn't).

1. Emmy when she wakes up laughing and/or smiling.
2. Emmy in her bathrobe- don't know why but a baby in bathrobe cracks me up.
3. Emmy walking- it's a zombie-like gait for now, but oh-so cool.

10 Non-Emmy 'Things'
1. Bird Nest by Charlie Parker
2. Mobiles
3. Bob Dylan & Woody Guthrie
4. God, though He/She probably doesn't recognize me anymore- I've been making too little time for spiritual reflection. Yet another parenting adjustment to make...
5. Trees
6. Mountains with their tops intact
7. Post-it notes & the fact that UK supplies me with all I need (xo, UK! One of your finest features:)
8. yogurt- Emmy loves it, too. Inexplicably, G hates it.
9. Old pictures
10. My dining room table. A little shabby now, but it was my grandmothers. I often think of my whole family crowded around it back in the day.

Legislative Effects on Childrearing

2010-01-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

We have now survived two weeks of the legislative session in our household, which may not seem to be a big deal to most, but is to us. G, being a small part of the legislative machine, now departs early, early in the mornings which leaves me to get Em up, dressed, to school, me to work, me to pick her up, me to care for crazy bird dog while simultaneously suppressing desires to turn him loose while simultaneously cooking dinner all before my loyal and talented co-parent is released back into the wild and is able to assist me again. I will admit that there have been a few moments that brought tears to my eyes, but all in all it has gone pretty well. I like having the extra time with Emmy in the mornings, so that is a nice bonus, and she has been such a kind and pleasant baby of late. It sure does make my job easier, but she still fights me every morning when I put her coat and hat on! She hates it! Yesterday, I was able to make this process pain free by singing to her, but today that did not work at all. I need a better distraction or at least some better songs.

Hey, does anyone remember that educational cartoon from way back with the song "I'm just a bill, up on Capitol Hill..?" It gets stuck in my head all the time whenever G is talking about his work. Maybe I should sing that one to Emmy next time we are putting on our coats!

Dylan

2010-01-11T10:50:00.001-08:00

Most of you who know us know that G and I both have a slight obsession with Bob Dylan. Because of this I have always loved the name Dylan, and I had hoped to someday use this name for one of our offspring. In the meantime, the name Dylan exploded in popularity. I guess we have Beverly Hills 90210 to thank for this (and as a closet 90210 fan, I figure it's a small price to pay). In my career as a social worker, I have known literally hundreds of kids named Dylan, Dillon, etc. Alas, we did not use this name, but geeze I still love Bobby D! Maybe we'll name a fish or a cat after him someday. I was listening to a random Dylan mix this morning on my way to work when I heard him croon in that endearingly, nasal and croaky voice of his, "She has a face that shines like the sun in the sky." Of course, I thought of my girl. We haven't had too much sun lately, but I've hardly noticed. That is is a big statement coming from me because I am usually sun-starved by this point in the season (yes, I know it is still early winter!), but lately I have been having too much fun to care that we are stuck inside and it is nearly always dark and freezing cold. Em is clearly feeling better (thank you, Dr. Van Metre!), and we have had a great deal of fun so far this cold and blustery winter. I want to take her out in her new snow suit, but it hasn't really been warm enough yet. Hopefully we will have a balmy, 20 degree day soon and we can get out and play in the snow for just a minute at least. Maybe we'll even build a snow girl! And name her Dylan...

The New Adventures of Young Emerson

2010-01-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't."
-- Barbara Kingsolver

Emmy is on the move for real now! She can take a couple of independent steps before falling into our arms, she cruises with ease and stands on her own. She can bend down to pick things up and sits down from a stand rather than falling down. Little BG is going to be walking before you know it! I am amazed and proud of her, but those little snuggly baby days are just slipping away so fast. We only have two months left until her birthday, which seems unbelievable. G and I were talking about taking down the co-sleeper last night because it hasn't been used in 6 weeks or so, and I realized that it has been taking up all of the space in our tiny bedroom for a whole year- crazy! It is a little nuts that it is still there, but Em slept in our room until she was about 8 months old, not because she wasn't ready to move on but because I wasn't. She transitioned to her room no problem, heck she was probably relieved to have some quiet and privacy! I'm a nut. Anywho, the girl is also talking more and more as well. Today she said "book" several times, which is no surprise because she has been book-obsessed for months now. They are still (in spite of the awesome toys she received at Christmas) her favorite play-things and we read at least 20 of them a day. While she likes to read, she loves to look at them, play with them and chew on them just as much. It's funny to watch her and wonder what she is thinking about. I wonder if she is making up her own stories about the characters. It is even more fun to watch her kiss several of the characters or pictures in her favorite books. Current kissable favs include Mr. Brown, a gorilla, a baby, and a picture of her Dada in a photo book about her. She babbles more and tries to say words now when we are reading, which is a rather new development that I attribute to a recent improvement in her hearing since receiving ear tubes over the holidays. I hope this continues and her speech begins to take off. Little baby voices are too sweet!

Holiday Update 2009

2010-01-06T08:28:00.000-08:00

I was thinking a little holiday update was in order and I received some encouragement from a fellow blog-sister, so here it goes! I feel like so much has happened since I last wrote that I hardly know where to begin. It has been since last year, you know! I am 33 years old and I still love making lame, completely humorless new year's jokes. Sad. Anyway, we had a great holiday! It was so nice for G and I both to have two weeks off to spend with Emmy. We had a lot of different functions in the evenings, but we spent nearly all day every day just hanging out with each other. She is so close to walking and actually talking that this time was invaluable. We could practically see her developing into a toddler over the break she was changing so fast. Spending time with her and being in church with my beautiful little family on Christmas eve were the best parts of this holiday for me, but there were many other highlights. I will try to recount them in list form. Happy 2010 everybody! xoxo- A

Top 10 Things About Christmas Break 2009 (the highlight reel, sports fans)

10. All three of us staying in pj's nearly all day long

9. Watching UK beat UofL- we're back baby!

8. Enjoying "wine-thirty" a few times thanks to my brother-in-law who brought us a case of "two buck chuck" from the Trader Joes in St. Louis

7. Watching Emmy chew all of her new toys and clothes and realizing we could've just given her sticks

6. Enjoying excessive use of red and green hairbows on my child in spite of her having limited hair (hey, she was in costume as a present!)

5. Bowling with the fam- I got a strike!!

4. Spending nearly all day in our jammies... did I mention that I enjoyed this?

3. Playing elfen helpers to Santa Clause for the first time

2. Watching Emmy's face light up when she got her new baby doll from Granny and Papa

1. Being thankful to have the chance to see most (though not all) of the people I love most around the holidays, and for us all having pretty good health and situations for the upcoming new year. God bless us, every one!

Honorable mention: Eating 2 lbs of the awesome beer cheese that my father-in-law made and all of the breads, cookies and candies given to us by our dear, sweet friends. You all made me fatter, but I love ya for it! Peace out and enjoy 2010!!!

Santababyland Diaries

2009-12-18T07:15:00.000-08:00

I realized this week that I have not blogged since Thanksgiving. The holiday season has been extra busy this year with baby in tow, and I have been ever mindful of the need to start some family traditions, which has essentially translated into extra work. Christmas is a week away and I have to say that I am nearly depleted of the energy necessary to do much more than lay around in my p.j.'s, drink cocoa and play with Em and her presents. I have been in a bit of a holiday mania, where I want to do things with Emmy, write letters to Santa, cook things, pretend I'm Martha Stewart and redecorate the front door wreath, make goodie bags for friends and co-workers, decorate the house inside and out, shop, sing, etc. I have been so excited about the holidays that I can hardly fall asleep at night! At least until last night. Last night the sudden and inexplicable burst of energy disappeared. On my way to pick up Emmy from daycare, I found myself sitting at the gas station unable to muster the strength to pump my own gas and pay for it. So I pumped the gas and drove off. Just kidding! I paid for it but it really was a challenge. So the outcome of all of this is that I am done. For this remaining week, I shall attend our last few parties and family functions and not worry about what we're all wearing or bringing. I will try to wrap the presents I ordered online that have not yet arrived, or at least slap a bow on them. Otherwise, I will be at home, in sweats, playing with the kiddo. Do drop in! We'll sing you a carol or even two if you let us. I vow to soak up this last week and not mess it up with too much scurrying about. I also vow to go to church and remember the real reason for the season, and to share this joy with my daughter. And lastly, I vow to finish rereading Holidays on Ice (David Sedaris) for bookclub on Monday night. I love his zany accounts of holiday experiences as a Macy's elf and with his nutty family, and I need to finish reading it before Emmy eats my book! She has been chewing it to the point that it looks like the dog tried to eat it. Happy holidays to all! I can't wait to report on how Ms. Em likes Christmas morning. Until then, be more nice than naughty!

Hair Bows and Gender Roles

2009-11-23T05:47:00.001-08:00

This weekend was Emmy's Aunt Polly's birthday, and we went to visit her of course. For this special occasion, Ms. Em decided to dress up like a birthday present and wear a bow in her hair for the very first time ever! It was beyond precious. I am quickly realizing that I have this deeply rooted, girly side of me that I suppressed for many years. I have certainly indulged this side of my personality at various times in my life, and I'm pretty in touch with my feminine side now (i.e. I love to shop, love makeup, would be into dressing up/fixing up more if I had the time, love musicals, dance, knitting, even starting to enjoy cooking, etc.), which is all in a bit of a contrast to my early 20's grungy-hippy phase (Yes, I had a bit of a time finding my self! Cue the image of a thrift store fashioned, makeup-less, moccasin wearing, strange person). I know the things I listed aren't exclusively in the female domain but I guess I am sometimes surprised at how traditional I am/have become in regard to gender roles. For example, this weekend I was mopping the floor with Emmy watching me in her exersaucer. I was telling her how to do it, you know, step by excruciatingly detailed step in order to keep talking and hopefully pacify her while keeping her contained. I was telling her how important it would be to learn to take care of a home for herself and her family, but that I really hope she will find a man who will enjoy mopping the floor, cooking, etc. I explained that her daddy is actually pretty progressive in his willingness to engage in all forms of domesticity, but that often he and I can be a little traditional in our approaches to getting things done. G does all of the outside work and I work a lot on the inside. You can tell this because our yard usually looks great, but the inside of our house is often a wreck. G would probably argue that he does all of the outside work and half of the inside work, and he would probably be right . But it made me wonder what "traditional" will even mean when Emmy is my age? Because boundaries are being broken and lines being crossed or blurred more and more it seems important to give children, especially young girls, a range of experiences. Of course I plan to follow Emmy's interests, but until her interests are more fully formed, I guess I'm going to have to remember to encourage her exploration of "traditionally" male oriented activities. Maybe G should talk to her about how to fix the lawn mower. And I think I'll start by buying her a dump truck for Christmas. Maybe she can drive her baby doll around in it!

Random Things

2009-11-20T06:42:00.000-08:00

Vacuumed the rug with a baby on my hip last night. This was a first because until now, Em screamed bloody murder at the sound of a vacuum. She, like I, hates to do housework, but she was fine with it last night. I felt so domestic...

I love that song Beautiful Boy by John Lennon. Always have, even before I had a child of my own. We were listening to it last night while playing and I re-realized how much I love it. Not only is it a sweet song of a parent's love and hopes for his child, but such a tender moment of love expressed by a daddy. John Lennon was quite the renaissance man. Men still don't openly express such love for their children all that often in our culture, but this song came 20 years ago or so. It is such a shame he is gone.

So I took Em to the museum to see the new photography exhibit the other night, but there was a board meeting going on in that room. The new, main exhibit right now is The American West. I'm not so much into this one, but Em loved the Native American headdresses. They really are cool. She also liked some of the jewelry and apparel. I was on campus the other day and saw a young, hippy-ish fellow who was wearing moccasins. Reminded me of my moccasin phase (yes, I had a moccasin phase, unfortunate though it was...). I hesitated to show the American West exhibit to Emmy because I had flashes of how this might inspire some future, disastrous fashion moments for her as well. I really empathized with the Native American plight when I was about 17-18 or so (Mom, I know you remember this! Reference college dorm room decor circa 1993). I still do have empathy for Native Americans, of course, but there was something about the whole situation that really resonated with my teenage angst. Mmm mmm mmm. What will it be when Em is full of angst, energy and bold albeit strange fashion sensibilities? As Lennon said, "I can hardly wait to see you come of age!"

One last thing... Upon viewing the permanent collection at the UK Art Museum, Em and I were pleasantly surprised to see that they have an Alexander Calder mobile (The Star). I have no idea how we have missed this before other than I am sad to say that perhaps we failed to look up???? Anyway, it is magnificent and our cool, art student-docent du jour set it into motion for us. Em was mesmerized, as was I. There is also a beautiful sound sculpture right below, which we had noticed before but had never heard as it is clearly labeled "do not touch" and we can be rule-followers at times. The docent also set this into motion for us and we loved it. Check these out if you can!

Where is Julie the Cruise Ship Director When You Need Her?

2009-11-18T10:35:00.001-08:00

We are quickly approaching winter here in KY- the days are short and the temperatures are falling. Until now, Em and I have spent a good half of our weekday evening hours outside. This has involved playing, walking the dog, going to the park, visiting friends and neighbors, etc. Good times really. I pick her up every day at 4 o'clock or a little before, and G does not get home until 6:30pm. This gives me over two hours of solo responsibility for entertaining the baby. This used to be easy because of the above listed outdoor activities and her being a mostly immobile, little blobish baby girl. Sitting on my lap on the porch swing and reading the occasional book was really all the added entertainment needed in addition to our outdoor rec. Oh, but the times they are a changin'! Playing outside is out of the picture most days now, though you can that believe any day 50 degrees or above and we will be at the park (maybe even in the high 40's if we bundle up!). And Ms. Em is an expert crawler and non-stop cruiser. She thinks she can walk, and needs constant play and exploration opportunities yet my options are more limited than before. Oh, and did I mention that Mommy is a generally, low-energy thirtysomething who lacks in creativity when tired? Poor Em! I try to combat against these obstacles by structuring our time somewhat. We have days when we visit family and friends or have visitors, which are really nice. Em loves to visit and so do I. But we also have our Mommy-Daughter days, which are truly special but also times when I occasionally lose steam. Em has pretty intense needs for stimulation right now, and if you don't keep her occupied she just wants to get into trouble! She tries to mess with the dog (poor Bobby!), fall on her head, eat the mail, lick the glass while looking out the front door, etc. So sometimes field trips are in order! Em still has no idea about half of the stuff that exists in this world, so I figure it is all pretty interesting to her. I can take her along on errands and tell her about what we see, and she loves all people so there is always that point of interest. Sometimes our trips are more fun. Today I'm going to take her to see the new photography exhibit at the UK Art Museum. I know she is a little young to have any true artistic appreciation for it, but she loves photographs right now. Especially photos of people, and this is an exhibit of rural life which should satisfy this artistic inclination of hers. Last time I took her there I got some strange looks, and she was much quieter then. I am curious to see how long we last before she starts squealing or trying to lick the displays! I'll let you know how it goes. Actually, you'll know it went poorly if I report that our next field trip was to a demolition derby or chainsaw factory instead of a museum.

Blessings

2009-11-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

It is nearing Thanksgiving so I guess it is time to start counting our blessings, and it seems like they just keep coming this year. Yesterday was Emmy's baby dedication (our version of baptism, christening, etc.), and it was truly one of the best days of my life! It was a beautiful fall day, we presented our sweet little daughter to her church family for a lovely blessing, and we got to spend the entire day with dear family and friends. It was wonderful! I was so happy that I nearly couldn't fall asleep because really the whole day was like a beautiful dream. Don't you love days like that? We should all get to have more of them than we do, but you have to savor them when they come. One of the sweetest moments for me was when the preacher acknowledged what a crowd of supporters Emmy had present and asked all of our family and friends to raise their hands. When we looked out and saw how many were there, Greg and I were both touched by the support that our little family has. It meant so much! But the best part came when the preacher said that with a support group like that, he knew Emmy would never be neglected. Simple words really, but given that I have spent my entire adult life trying to end the heartbreaking neglect of little children, this was especially touching. He is right, and the difference for Emmy (unlike the precious foster children I meet every day) is a little bit of good fortune and a big supportive family. We could not do it without our loved ones and God's blessing. What a day!

Like a Very Tiny Rolling Stone

2009-11-03T08:28:00.000-08:00

We have had some family trips of late, and Ms. Em has been riding the rails with us (actually, we took our station wagon, but isn't it more fun to picture her as a little, baby hobo?). I think I can speak for us all when I say that we had a blast! The first trip was to the mountains, where G did some serious kayaking. The plan was for Em and I to do some serious hiking, but the weather did not cooperate. It was freezing cold and snaining that weekend at the Breaks (snain being my bro's favorite term to describe that lovely sleet-snow-rain combo). This was a bummer, but we still had fun. We took beautiful drives, took pictures at the many scenic overlooks and introduced Emmy to the Russell Fork River, where she will have many good times and create countless childhood memories. She seemed to like it and enjoyed watching some boaters carve it up on the play wave at Rat Hole. That is a good thing because I spend much time hanging out at Ratliff Hole (river take out) waiting on her daddy, and now she can keep me company. In warmer times, this is a great swimming hole too. So Em got to meet a few more of G's boating community, and she and I met all sorts of friendly locals at the lodge. We had a great time! True to baby form, I think the highlight of the trip was Em's discovery that our lodge room had a ceiling fan. You know she loves them! I must say this was about the only highlight of that lodge room. It was pretty bad, but I was glad to have it given how cold it was that weekend. Fortunately by the end of the weekend, it had warmed up a bit. On our way home, we decided to do some hiking in the Red River Gorge. It was beautiful and so many fellow hikers stopped to comment on the tiniest hiker in the Gorge and to commend us for getting her started early. This was so fun and the golden autumn day was surreally beautiful. G and Emmy were a hoot, and we laughed and squealed so much that we probably scared off all forms of wildlife. G and I may never see a deer again!

So that was the country, but our next stop was the city by the lake. Chicago, though a totally different experience, was absolutely wonderful. I think G and I were both energized by being in the city for a week, and Em loved all of the people. I have to tell you that I never realized what a friendly city Chicago was until I went there with a baby. Folks everywhere stopped to interact with her, open the doors for us and comment on our cute little one. She loved the throngs of people walking toward us on the street, and in the museums she was convinced that the people were the art! Em was in heaven as was I! We enjoyed the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was actually pretty cool to see with a baby. So many of the installations there are quite large and easier for a baby to experience, albeit on her pint-sized level. Our mutual favorite was a photography exhibit titled, Disco Ball in a Forest. This involved a dark room, where a large-format, video of a forest scene was projected onto a wall. It was a typical, snowy, nighttime forest scene except there was a shining, spinning disco ball suspended from one of the trees. Emmy laughed and clapped for this one, and I did too. I can't quite convey its grooviness, but it is worth seeing. We also loved the Art Institute, of course, and Em got her first taste of some of the greats. I was a little concerned at first because every time we entered the Impressionist wing, she would cry. I thought perhaps impressionism is not her cup of tea? But alas, she just needed a new diaper. So I changed her and then we were off to enjoy Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Pissaro, etc., etc. What a day! For me the highlights were the Jackson Pollack pieces. Em was worn out by this time, so I have a lovely photo of her passed out in front of Greyed Rainbow. Such inspiration to be had in a city. The beautiful art. The architecture of Millennium Park and city block after city block of impressive buildings. G and I vowed to work at making sure Emmy is exposed to creativity and big thinking, which can be harder to find in some ways in a small town.

Overall, both trips were such successes that I can't wait for our next adventure. It will likely be spring before we motor on again because G will be busy making the legislature happy over the winter months. I hope we can pack a little lighter and I'd really rather fly than drive more than 3 hours ever again, but otherwise I wouldn't change a thing!

Ramblings

2009-10-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.... what? what? Did I miss something??? Sorry, I just haven't been getting much sleep lately. The wee one has taken to waking up at 3 a.m. wanting to eat, play or whatever. She is clearly getting another tooth or teeth, which I now know disturbs her sleep. Because my sleep has also been disturbed, I feel like I don't have a clear thought in my head. Even some casual blogging seems to require the mental energy of splitting atoms, but there have been a few thoughts rolling around in my head and there are events to be recorded.

This weekend was Emmy's 7 month birthday, and she decided to suddenly start crawling like she has been doing it all of her life. She is also starting to talk, I swear. She calls G "Da Da," rather than just randomly making the sounds. She also refers to her bottle ("baba") properly. This morning I said, "say bye bye, Bob-Bob" in reference to our dog, and Em said "by by Bob Bob." Crazy! She has also said "hi" and "bye" sounding noises to her daycare gals, whom she loves. They are my witnesses, which I know I need since I am clearly an overly proud mama! I guess I am not surprised that the kid is trying to talk. Anyone who knows us knows that G and I talk to the girl and each other probably way too much, so I'm sure she is just trying to get a word in edgewise. Also, I think she has a pretty strong Southern accent. Awesome!

On another note, we have two more weeks of swimming left in this session. Last week went well again, though she was a little sleepy from fighting a cold. The best part was that Em had a whole crowd cheering her on, and she loved that! Daddy, Granny, Papa, Katie and Sienna all came to watch, and she couldn't take her eyes off of them. I have the sweetest family. Also, we are getting ready for some fall traveling, which is very exciting! The one thing about being pregnant and having a newborn is that I have traveled less this year and a half or so than ever in my adult life. It has been killing me! I cannot wait to go on these little mini-trips, and I am really excited to experience them with Emmy. We are just going to the Breaks with G for some outdoor rec this weekend (We got Emmy a super-cool, Euro backpack carrier for hiking and city walking. She loves it!). Then, on Wednesday we leave for Chicago for 5 days. G has meetings during the day, so Mama and baby will cruise the city together. I plan to take her to the Shedd Aquarium (I think she will like looking at the big fish), and I plan to take me to the Art Institute. She may not enjoy this as much, but it will be good for her to be surrounded by all the fabulous art nonetheless. We are very excited! Pictures and hopefully good stories to come....

Growing Up

2009-10-07T09:14:00.001-07:00

BG is now 7 months old. It is hard to believe that 7 months have already passed, yet it also seems like she has been with us forever. I have said many times how it pains me to watch her growing so fast, but it is also a delight. She becomes more fun every day, and I know that each phase brings new accomplishments and experiences. Papa said to me the other night that he wished we could keep her this little forever and I agreed, but I don't think either of us really meant it. We know we will love her more and more as time goes on. I really do want to see her fly!

"It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg." C.S. Lewis

Our Little Goldfish

2009-10-02T06:43:00.001-07:00

Emmy love, loved swim class. We had so much fun that I cannot wait to take her back next week! I wish I had pictures. G should be able to stop by on his way home from work next time, so perhaps he can be our sports photographer. She had no fear, kicked and used her arms like Michael Phelps, jumped in and out of the pool like a cliff diver, and splashed herself silly! At one point, I took a pool toy away from her that she was trying to put in her mouth (of course), and she stuck her head under the water to go find it. Didn't seem to bother her one bit! This kid is so much fun...

So, last night G and I took our first trip out of town (though just for the evening), and left Emmy behind at Granny and Papa's. By all accounts, she did great and seemed delighted to be there. She couldn't quit smiling at Granny and Papa, even when I woke her up in the middle of the night to take her home. Too sweet!

Another major first will occur this weekend. I will be home alone with the baby all weekend while G is out of town kayaking. I must be ready for this now because I'm not even anxious about it. When he suggested going out of town in June and leaving me to be a single parent for one night, I nearly had a panic attack. All good things come in time. Now I actually feel sorry for G that he will miss her all weekend. I know he will (and she will miss him, too!), but he will have a great time. He really deserves it. I know some great daddies out there (my own dad, my brother, many friends), but I have to say that G is definitely one of the best! He does it all, never complains and he shows Em so much love. She adores him. So do I. But cheers to our first girls weekend! Keep your fingers crossed for us, and I'll let you know how it goes...

Some More Firsts

2009-09-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

This girl of ours just keeps on suprising us! This week was as eventful as the last. Emmy decided she would crawl this week. She has been on the verge for a few weeks now, but has largely been pulling herself along with arms only. This week, however, she incorporated the use of knees in order to assemble a legitimate crawl. God bless her, she does not look like the smoothest or most coordinated crawler just yet, but she gets it done and is fairly fast. I may never sit down again! She had me hopping all weekend to keep her from crawling over and rewiring the tv or taste testing dust bunnies under the table. I have to play man-man defense now to keep her safely contained to her blanket or whatever play area I have designated. Good times! While it is great to see her so mobile and independent, it kind of breaks my heart. The snuggly, newborn days are officially over for this little girl! She is so excited to explore the world that she just can't sit still or stop looking around her for the next new discovery. It is pretty awesome.

Other events of note... We took Em for a big hike yesterday at Raven Run. It was the biggest hike we have done there, and really only the second legitimate hike of her life. We have a little infant carrier that she still fits into, but we really need a hiking backpack if we are going to do anything more extensive (G, get to work on finding this apparatus! Fall is here and we have hiking to do!!). She loved it!!! Most of our family and friends know that Emmy is a little tree-hugger at heart. That girl has loved trees, both looking at them and touching them, since day one. She seems to feel quite at home in a forest. She and her dad stopped to inspect half the trees on the red trail, and Emmy talked and sang to them with a look of pure delight on her face! Well, yesterday G introduced her to creeks, and she seems to love them as well. He is trying to train her to be his future boating partner. Of course, before she can become a kayaker like her dad, she must become a good swimmer. Em starts swim lessons at the YMCA tomorrow, and I can't wait to see how she does. I will keep you posted!

Additional events of the weekend... Emmy can now count to one! G has been counting with her and she will raise her finger up to show "number one" on cue. It is adorable! She unfortunately did not get to show off her "we're number one!" skills this weekend while watching the UK game. We were terrible and she passed out during the first quarter. It was too miserable to watch!

A Weekend of Firsts

2009-09-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

Emmy's first concert... Tony Rice and Peter Rowan. It was lovely. She and our friend's baby were starting to get a little fussy, but when Uncle Pete started singing they quieted right down! Thank God the girl seems to love music!

Emmy's first family reunion... Cox family. Good people, good food, good times. She was all smiles! Thank God the girl seems to love a party!

Emmy's first UK/UofL game and glimpse of what it does to our neighborhood...We won. Hallelujah! She seemed pretty surprised at all the commotion around here. We were supposed to take her tailgating but I stayed out too late with friends the night before and the game started at noon. We plan to tailgate before the Florida game next weekend. Go Cats! She seems to have the C-A-T-S arm motions down already!

Emmy's first flu shot... made her sick. She ran a low grade fever all weekend, but still had a good time. Thank God our girl is a trooper!

Emmy's first utterances of "dadadada" and "mamamama"...Too cool! She is trying to talk, love her little heart. Such a sweetie! At some point, every day, I'll be holding her and stop and look over at G and say softly, "I love this baby." He just shakes his head, laughs, and says "I know babe... I know." I can't help but be taken aback by some of her sweet little ways. Hearing her voice more and more is like music to my soul. One of our sweet neighbor friends gave us this awesome card that says, "A baby's laugh is the heart set to music." I feel that her laughter, which I also thankfully hear all the time, as well as her happy little babbling noises are just that. The heart set to music. Mmm.. love it!

Thank God she is our girl! I mean it... Thank you, God.

Moving and Shaking

2009-09-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

"For the first six months or so, your opponent has been unable to escape. Alas, the rules are about to change drastically... The enemy is now mobile." Peter Mayle

Oh my goodness! Just when I thought I had a handle on things, BG has become another creature entirely and the rules have certainly changed. She had lulled me into a sense of calm over the past few months of sitting, rocking, and putting her in her swing or bouncy seat when I needed to do something. Forget all of that! Those activities are long gone. Now we are busy, busy, busy! We play, we walk, she rolls, she writhes, she screams, and I just try to keep up. Today, I changed a diaper upside down for the first time. Every time I lay her down to change her diaper anymore, she immediately rolls onto her tummy. So I had no choice but to change the diaper with her in "tummy time." She is wild! She is also even more fun than I ever imagined. BG is much more interactive, and strong and into physical play. She loves, strangely enough, for us to swing her in the air and pretend we are going to throw her out into the street like a little orphan child. Twisted, I know, but she loves it. She has also gotten so smart. BG has begun imitating me (Lord, help us all!). If I snap my fingers, she tries to snap her little fingers. If I dance, then she dances. It is too precious! Guess I better start watching how I act and what I say. Little eyes are watching! I need to start inventing some alternative curse words....

Emmy-bear is so smart...

2009-09-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

Emmy-bear is so smart she can even do this! She can even make a sound like a gold fish kiss! Seriously. She can. Sounds just like one. Pip!

*N.B. Reference Dr. Seuss' Book of Wonderful Noises, Mr. Brown Can Moo Can You? It is a family favorite, for sure.

Half-Birthday Present

2009-09-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Poor, poor little BG got a tooth for her half-birthday. What a lame gift! A tip of one of her lower, front teeth just broke the surface this week. It is somewhat exciting because she is growing up, but I feel sorry for her because it obviously hurts at times. She doesn't really cry about it, but she is babbling constantly, and her talking gets quite loud on occasion. I think she is trying to express her frustration, which is good. No need to keep it in! She has always been on the loud end of the spectrum, so it really isn't all that different. I went out and bought her every teething aid I could find. I bought numbing gel, Motrin, Tylenol, gel chew toys, and baby toothbrushes (my friends say their kids loved chewing on these when teething!). I don't know if anything helps other than the Motrin and Tylenol, but I figured it was worth a shot.

As for other half-birthday events, we had a nice family dinner (BG slept through half of it!) and bought her some big girl toys. We got her a ring stacker (she just takes the rings off and eats them) and a lion-shaped boppy toy that is bigger than her. It is supposed to help the babies develop gross motor skills, but it will probably just make her aggressive. We'll see! Also, I had to buy her some new clothes for fall not that she needs them, as G pointed out. I couldn't help myself because they were just so cute! All sorts of stuff with owls on them, which I love (I find these nocturnal creatures to be super-adorable!). G and I finally got our camera, and we do love it. We've taken about 300 pictures in the past few days and some video, so we'll be adding this on soon. G has promised to be my technical support. Well, that is all for now. Here's to another 6 more months of baby bliss, and then we will have a real celebration!

An Achievement of Monumental Significance

2009-09-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

Emmy can sit up on her own!!! She actually sat up and played with her blocks for 15 minutes without any support or toppling over, that is until Bobby (dog) came into the room and she fell over laughing at him. It is crazy how my little, bitty baby can do so much on her own now. She thinks she is Miss Independence, though I try to tell her otherwise. Actually, I am quite proud of her and her intense desire to always be doing more. She is so curious and loves to explore her world around her. I don't know how, but I swear she is also on the verge of crawling, standing and even pretty close to walking. She just needs the slightest support (like holding on to my fingers) to do these things. Maybe I am reading too much into it all, but it also seems like her personality is really emerging as well. First and foremost, Emmy seems to be very happy (thank you, Lord!). She laughs deliriously with minimal provocation- this week it is blankets. All I have to do is throw a blanket or towel over her head or mine, and the kid will crack up. So while light-hearted and a lover of a good laugh, Emmy is also a real go-getter. She loves to explore and do things on her own. I can't wait to see what she will do next.

P.S. The camera purchase really is going to happen this weekend. So hopefully next week's posts will contain pictures and/or video. I'm so excited!!!

Baby's First Fall (the season, that is!)

2009-09-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

Oh, I love fall. Such a beautiful season. I'd say it was my favorite except that for me it is a three-way tie between spring, summer and fall. I love them all, just not a big fan of winter. Winter is fine but there is too little sunshine and it inhibits the amount of time you can spend outdoors, which is something that I am really dreading now that we have the baby. So many of our recreational activities involve spending time as a family or with our friends outdoors. Emmy has gotten to enjoy Tuesday night bluegrass, Thursday Night Live downtown, a few other concerts, pool parties, cookouts, a tour of every park in Fayette County, regular strolls, hanging out with neighbors on porches, and the list goes on and on. We try to spend as much time as possible being outside (in spite of the vicious mosquitos), and we are going to miss this soon enough. For now, at least, we are soaking up the gloriousness that is warm weather. Yesterday we spent three straight hours walking to the park, visiting neighbors and walking Bobby (aka Hobbs, our dog) because it was just so nice. It was sunny and beautiful and the air had the crispness of fall even though it is still three weeks away. Emmy seemed to enjoy herself, and it was nice to see that she wasn't a sweaty mess when I got her out of her stroller. She is such a sweater, that one! I am already dreaming of taking her hiking and showing her the golden glow of fall. One of the most magical places I know in late October/early November is the Pinnacle. It is so beautiful there in the late afternoon sunlight with the trees aglow that I always think that this must be what heaven looks like. I hope she likes it too.

Peas, please!

2009-09-01T05:54:00.001-07:00

Emmy loves peas! I love that Emmy loves peas, because I love peas, but G hates peas. Of course, I don't actually love pureed peas, but I am hopeful that in the near future Em and I will be enjoying peas with our dinner. Actually, G will eat sugar snap peas, but I love all kinds including regular-old peas and apparently our girl does too. She is so cute when she eats them! I wish I could post a picture of her eating them because she gets all green and gooey around her mouth, and it is precious! A picture would really make this blog entry, but I am boycotting our current camera due to its interminable crappiness. We were all set to go out and buy our new camera on Sunday when just before we left, G nearly cut his thumb off. We decided that an emergency room was no place to bring a baby (unless of course you have to), so Em and I just dropped Daddy off and wished him luck. Fortunately, we live across the street from a hospital, so G didn't have too far of a walk home. Isn't that sad? I felt kind of bad for the guy, but he is a trooper. Anyway, all of this to say that this weekend (barring any emergencies) we are buying a new camera. Pictures and videos of baby cuteness are coming soon!

It's Official

2009-08-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

I am officially a mom. This occurred to me last night as I found myself at Krogers at 9:30pm, doing a full grocery shop (not just popping in to get ice cream or beer) and violating every possible rule of fashion. I had on navy leggings, an aqua tunic, a brown hoodie, and black shoes. I'm pretty sure I had a spit up stain somewhere on me, and my hair was in my standard pony-tail. All of this, and I couldn't have cared less who saw me! This must be true because I run into someone I know every time I go to the store (frequently my brother, not that he would care or notice how I look!). I love that about Lexington, but it does mean you can't just run out in your jammies. Or you need to learn to not care how you look as I clearly have. I am hoping to eventually become one of those gloriously fashionable and put-together moms, but I'm not there yet. I have many friends who fit this description, so I guess I need to get some tips on how to look less scary in my day-to-day life. In the meantime, I hope my niece, Katie, keeps nominating me for "What Not to Wear." I could definitely use the makeover and $5,000 wardrobe boost, though I'm afraid I would still go out in the outfit described above!

Doctor, Is My Baby Bulimic?

2009-08-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

I should begin by stating that I am aware that bulimia is no laughing matter- I'm a mental health professional for goodness sakes! But I couldn't help but wonder if Baby Girl had developed an acute case of bulimia this weekend. Perhaps all the talk about how gloriously chubby she is finally got to her... or maybe it was that ill-advised afternoon spent watching the America's Next Top Model marathon when I was 9 months pregnant (I'm embarrassed by this but in my sluggish, late pregnancy phase I watched a lot of crap. Just ask G, he'll gladly vent about this one!). Poor Emmy had a rather violent stomach bug beginning on Friday, which she undoubtedly contracted at daycare though really it could have come from anywhere. She is currently in the phase where she would lick the bottom of your shoe if you let her. Everything goes into her mouth! I really struggle with this because I am slightly obsessive-compulsive when it comes to germs, and I don't want to let her put anything in her mouth yet I know she needs to. This is how they explore their world, and she is probably teething. I try make sure she "explores" clean things, but really what can you do? Well, needless to say I am no longer concerned that Emmy has bulimia. Why the sudden glimpse of clarity on my part? Because I'm pretty sure bulimia isn't contagious. G and I caught this bug, too, and got our first taste of parenting while sick. There were some good times and some bad times, but we survived. Together.

Baby Bliss

2009-08-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

There are a few things going on this week with our baby girl that I just adore. I want to write about them because they are seemingly small things that could easily be forgotten, yet they are special to G and me. In the past few weeks, Emmy has really discovered laughter. Sure she has been laughing here and there for a while now, but now she has daily periods of uncontrollable, chest-heaving laughter. It is awesome! She thinks everything is soooo funny. Daddy's face, the porch, me saying "chicky chicky," her pink towel, Eeyore, our dog, you name it- hillarious! She has even been laughing in her sleep! BG has been so joyful of late that she wakes up startled, with hands waving in the air and a smile on her face just by the sheer pleasure of being alive. What a beautiful way to live, a way of being that we must forget as we age. I try to see the world through this 6 month old's eyes, and I get glimpses of pure joy from the little, every day things in life, too. For example, early this morning we were swinging on the front porch (like we do all day, every day- we are professional porch swingers!), and it was raining. Every time the wind would blow the leaves with any force she would smile and laugh, and it was beautiful yet something you might not even pay attention to unless you had a small, child guide to reintroduce you to the beauty of the ordinary. What a wonderful time in this little girl's life... I can only hope that this happiness or at least some of it stays with her throughout her days. Her dad and I are not the most exuberant people in the world, so we are not sure where she got such a joyful personality, but we are sure glad she did!

Untreated Ear Infection = Major Parenting Infraction

2009-08-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

Baby's first illness requiring actual medical attention occured this week, and I now feel a new level of parental guilt. Poor, sweet little Baby Girl is always so sunny and pleasant that I had no idea she was sick! However, I now know there were clues, pretty obvious clues, that we overlooked or explained away. So here is how it all went down...

"I just wanted to bring her in to be checked out but I'm sure she is fine," said Mom.
"Well, let's just have a look at her and see... let me check her right ear," said Dr. Mack.
"Whaaaaaaaaa!" screamed Emmy.
"Your little girl definitely has an ear infection! Has she been pulling at her ear or coughing any?"
"Um... yes, for about a week or so," said Mom very quietly as she had now shrunk to the size of an ant.

So at this point, I begin to feel physically ill. The guilt has gripped my heart with an intensity that is palpable. We did notice her coughing a little, but she was so smiley when she did it that G and I decided she was showing off her acting skills and doing it for attention. It was cute, so we laughed along with her. I also noticed her pulling her ear, but decided it was a nervous tic developed from the stress of starting daycare. These are explanations only contrived by self-involved, therapist-parents. Poor kid doesn't stand a chance! All behaviors are not psychologically motivated, perhaps there is an underlying medical reason to be considered (real a-ha! moment here). But I don't know medical reasons, therefore, they are scary and to be avoided. Well, not anymore! Good thing about learning things the hard way is you are less likely to forget. Emmy so much as brushes her ear with her hand and we are calling the pediatrician! I need the doctor and a shrink (for me) on speed-dial.

Cute on Babies

2009-08-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it has to be said that there are some things that are simply adorable on babies that would otherwise be unsightly or simply obnoxious when displayed by adults. Of course, it helps if it is something involving your baby, and you think everything they do is cute and precious. I think Em's every little movement, gesture, expression, smell (Seriously! Well, not all smells...)etc. is wonderful and entertaining. I guess I am a wee bit enamored of her! So here are the top 5 cutest little things about her that even I recognize are only cute because she is a baby.

1. Her Buddha belly- I love it! The fatter the better, I say! It is so big some days that you would think she just downed a six pack and a bowl of beer nuts. But I promise that the only bottles she is hitting hard have milk in them!
2. Her "thunder thighs," as our friend, Norma calls them- They are huge and have several rolls of fat. They are so cute that I can't help but pinch them every time I get the chance!
3. Her first, full-fledged scream- This occurred for the first time this morning as her father and I were attempting to suction her stuffy nose. She did not like this one darn bit, and she let us know with a seriously loud scream. Sounded like an angry 7 year old was in the room! We laughed at her, which probably psychologically damaged her in some way but it was just so cute!
4. Her thinning hair- Many middle aged men would disagree that there is anything adorable or humorous about hair loss, but I love Em's little bald head! She was born with a head full of thick, black hair, but now she is going bald (or "going egg head,"as G so sensitively puts it) everywhere except for a ring of hair on the back of her neck. Looks like she has a mullet, or as our friends Aimee and Joey more aptly named it a "skullet."
5. Her tooties- Okay! Okay! I know this one is sick, but I don't really think they're cute, I just think they are funny. Sometimes you would swear a drunken sailor is in the room, and that there is no way a tiny little girl could unleash something like that. Em will be mortified by stories of her epic tooties when she brings home her first date!

Well, that is the whole list, for now anyway. I'm sure it will grow as she grows, and we'll find new things to love about this little person every step of the way.

Romantic, Anniversary Celebrations... "Table for three, please!"

2009-08-10T05:36:00.000-07:00

So this past week was our first anniversary celebrated with baby. Who knew that the traditional gift for five years of wedded bliss was a little baby girl? G and I are both actually very happy with this gift as long as we don't get a new one every five years.

So for the first time ever, I did not so much as get G a card. I feel quite badly about this, but I could not find the time. We are not big gift-givers in our little family, but I usually like to make him something or get him something small yet meaningful. He actually bought me flowers and wrote me the sweetest card I have ever received in my life. I get sentimental just thinking about it, and how our entry into parenthood has shaped our marriage in new ways. I recently read a quote by writer-director, Nora Ephron that struck me as being fairly accurate. She said, "When you have a baby, you set off an explosion in your marriage, and when the dust settles, your marriage is different from what it was. Not better, necessarily; not worse, necessarily; but different." Having a baby did change our marriage, and things seem reorganized, though I must say that I believe it is better overall. At times, we bicker more, which I regret. This was especially true in the super-sleep deprived, early days. However, we also seem to work as a team better than ever before, and I feel that G is my equal partner in raising our child. More than anything, I enjoy seeing this whole new, sweet and wonderful side of him emerging in his relationship with our daughter. So even though we rarely have time alone, have an extra guest at the table for anniversary dates, bicker more, and honor special occasions less, I wouldn't change a thing! And I'm pretty sure he feels the same.

Top 5 Reasons Not to Wait to Have Children in Your Thirties

2009-08-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

I have to issue a warning that I have not slept well this week, which may somewhat color the following statements. Maybe just a tiny, teensy bit.

Having children is a wonderful part of life, and it is certainly a serious endeavor. One might think you ought to wait until you are older to have children for a variety of legitimate reasons. In my case, I was concerned about getting married first (which took me a while), having a willing partner (which took him a while), and achieving financial stability (which took us a while). These seemed to be appropriate concerns yet in the meantime something happened... we got old! Seriously. I haven't pulled an all nighter in well over 10 years, and back then I had two very handy assistants- nicotine and caffeine. I haven't smoked in over 5 years, and I can't drink caffeine past sundown. Why you might ask? Because I am old and way too tired to stay up all night or to even stay up late and get up early. Also, my back hurts. I know this is whiney and pathetic, but it is true. There are other similarly pathetic reasons, which shall be summarized as follows:

Top 5 Reasons Not to Wait to Have Children in Your Thirties
1. Staying up all night hurts
2. Hunching over tiny babies to clean them, diaper them, etc. hurts
3. Finding enough energy to get through the day is a challenge
4. Finding enough energy to stay alive long enough to get said kids through high school will be a challenge
5. You may wish to retire someday but instead will be working double shifts as a Walmart greeter to pay for your kid's dorm room

Seriously now, I am convinced that having kids in your twenties is easier, but this could be a "grass is greener" phenomenon. Anyway, I love my kid more than I ever could have imagined and somehow I find energy to be present for her that I never thought I had. I've said it before and I'll say it again, SHE IS DELIGHTFUL. She really is. The true, best reason to not wait to have kids until you are in your thirties is because the sooner you have them, the sooner you get to love them.

We find a delight in the beauty and happiness of children that makes the heart too big for the body.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Poopapalooza

2009-08-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

No one is interested in this one, but I am merely making memories (just the facts, ma'am)! I can't make an accurate record of my journey with BG without saying something about poop. All parents know that poop is a typically, daily part of life with your kids. For some reason, my baby loves to get me with a poo-splosion every time. This morning, still half asleep, thinking it's time to close the diaper up and get out of there, and bam! She got me. When will I learn to be alert, on guard, and prepared to defend myself against enemy attack? I was ill prepared at best- out of wipes, cursing, and wishing for a third hand. Ahh, I'll miss these times with her soon enough, I suppose!

Daycares are Just Covers for Little Baby Sweatshops

2009-08-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

Did you know this? It must be true. I imagine that Emmy is making hundreds of pairs of tiny little Nikes each day, and she is exhausted from the sweat and the hand cramps and being hunched over her tiny little sewing machine. All of the machinery and sweat and mean bosses with switches are whisked away just in time before the mommies and daddies show up at the end of the day. Perhaps Kathy Lee is even there.

This must be so because my daughter is exhausted, ex-haus-ted! She has slept so much the past two evenings and just seems worn out. G says it is because she is not being "coddled" and held all the time, and she is simply exhausted by her new found freedom. Since when is he Mr. Optimistic? Well, I guess we are both adjusting. The daycare gals tell me that she is all smiles and seems to enjoy herself during the day. I suppose I will believe them!

Bienvenidos!

2009-08-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I am actually blogging! I swear I am much more likely to be clogging than to be doing something as high tech, new millenium as blogging! My husband and I just got the internet hooked up this very weekend after a 2 year hiatus, and let me tell you a whole new world was created during this time! You may be thinking, "Welcome to the 90's!" and you are right, I am out of touch. Anyway, it's good to be back, and I think blogging is one of the cooler developments of recent times and I intend to make good use of it. So in my years off the grid, one very important thing happened to me- I became a mom! My husband/homeboy, G, and I recently had a beautiful baby girl, whom I shall refer to as Emmy, Emerson, Baby Girl, BG, Bear, Teddybear, Ladybug, Boo, Monkey, Ducky, the list goes on & on! As most parents know, creating nicknames for your baby is an entertaining and nonsensical process. G and I love it, though not nearly as much as we love creating songs in her honor (that girl of ours is rather inspirational!). My husband is the master of this activity, though I have to say I can hold my own in the goofy song department. It is these activities exactly that motivate me to create this blog. Some dear family and friends may choose to read this or perhaps no one will, but I wanted to create this blog to record memories both for us and for our sweet girl. I have been writing in journals (with paper and pen- can you imagine!), but I have decided to take advantage of some modern conveniences in my journey through parenthood and this is one of them. Stay tuned! Things happen fast in baby world...