Fashion Friday: The Christmas Outfit

This is from Emma's 2006 Christmas Collection, complete with sparkling nose juice!

Merry Christmas to all...

...and to all a good night!

Fashion Friday: Luxury, Baby!

This outfit is so impractical, I love it! What I love even more is that I didn't buy one thing she is wearing!

The hat: From Chico's... a gift from Grammie's fall outing with her girlfriends

The poncho: From a local baby boutique... a birthday gift from a very generous friend of the family

The shoes: From Preschoolians... a "just because" gift from boyfriend Cricket

The pants: On loan from my awesome girlfriend who has supplied 98 percent of Emma's wardrobe

Put all those things with my baby's smile, and it doesn't get any better than that!

Emmaisms...

I am so behind on Emma's "milestones," that I've been dreading this post. So much to write, but I know I can't possibly remember it all. Maybe that's because I should write these things down AS they happen, right?! I know, I know, I know...

So here ya go... a bulleted list of Emmaisms as of late. Enjoy!

Her first "clear as a bell" word is "Mommy." It sounds like a real person saying it... a little freaky actually.

Other real words include: Daddy, Grandma ("Maaama), Grandpa/Papa ("dop pa"), Todd, doggie ("dada"), more, all done, water, bye bye, banana ("nana"), up ("uppie"), nose, and NO! She also repeats apple and owl really well.

Some "non-words" that I still count: nye, nye; num, num; shhhh, mooooo, buzzzzzz

In case you didn't guess from above, she knows a cow goes "moo" and a bee goes "buzz"

She signs the words "more" and "water"... mostly because that's all we've taught her. I'm going to try to get better after the New Year!

We no longer walk... we just run/sprint. EVERYWHERE.

She gets into EVERYTHING. And I mean everything. I can't leave her alone for two seconds without fearing for her life. Honestly, she is determined to seriously hurt herself or ingest something fatal.

She still enjoys her books, which is very obvious by the bends, tears and chew marks they have endured these last 16 months.

She loves her baby more than ever. She puts her to nye, nye; feeds her; gives her some of her sippy cup; and loves on her constantly!

Anything even remotely furry also gets fed, kissed and is put to sleep. If she's in a really good mood, this sometimes includes non-furry things like blocks...

She still kisses just about anyone who asks, as long as they are not holding her. She also hugs by patting you on the back as she says, "Ahhhh."

She talks on her toy mobile phones by clutching them between her shoulder and her ear. Wonder where she learned that from???

She is a total goof ball and often runs around wiggling her head, smiling and saying, "Duba Duba Duba."

She will chase you around our kitchen/family room ALL.DAY.LONG.

She loves to dance -- this includes spinning around, kicking, shaking her arms, and we're working on shaking her butt.

She can do some the motions to a few songs -- "If You're Happy and You Know It," "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Head Knocker." My favorite is when she spins around in a circle with her fingers pointing to each cheek when we sing, "You're face will surely show it."

Playing outside is her absolute favorite, which makes this yucky weather a bummer. We bundle up every now and then for some playtime though.

One of her favorite indoor activities is climbing inside of the laundry basket while Mommy takes her for a spin!

She helps me load the dryer... sometimes. Ya know, when she feels like it.

She also knows what it means to clean up when we sing that Barney "Clean up" song, but again, only when she feels like it. Of course, that excuse will only last a few more months...

But my absolute favorite thing is when she runs over to kiss and hug me for no reason. There is no greater gift than that! Most of the time it's when I'm acting goofy with her. I love that she has such a great sense of humor!

I know I'm leaving out a million things, but this is all my mommy brain can remember right now. See ya'll tomorrow at Fashion Friday!!

Fashion Friday: GI Jane

Who says army gear can't be feminine?!

It's been a while...

Sorry I haven't really posted any long entries lately, but there has been a reason for that. Besides crazy work deadlines, a few things have been going on lately that have made it hard for me to write without sounding like a basket case. But enough time has passed now where I can coherently explain all that's been going on.

First of all, everything is fine. Praise God that He has blessed our Emma with good health. Besides the usual colds kids seem to get every 3 seconds, she is a healthy, growing child with a curious mind and well, a strong personality! We wouldn't change a thing!

But a few weeks ago I decided that I wanted real answers about her silent reflux. I was tired of relying on my own instincts to diagnose her, and I hated that she had been a medication for so long. I needed confirmation that she did indeed still have reflux -- or better yet, that she had grown out of it. When she was an infant, it was easier to tell when it was bothering her, but as a developing toddler, there are way too many other factors and issues that have made it hard for me to tell what's going on inside of her. (Hmmm, maybe that's why we have X-ray technology...)

Anyway, we made an appt. with the GI, and I was all ready to demand a scope, an upper/lower GI, or whatever they needed to do to give us some answers. But instead we ended up talking about Emma's enormous appetite. Now I know what you're all thinking... just feed her if she's hungry... it will all balance out eventually. But she is ALWAYS hungry... before AND after a meal. She practically jumps out of her high chair yelling, "Muh, muh" and will continue to do so until I pry her out of her chair. She eats EVERY morsel, and she eats A LOT. Case in point: Breakfast might include one scrambled egg, whole-wheat toast, fruit, and 6 oz of formula. And she is still hungry after that. The GI agreed -- that was a lot of food for a baby only in the 25th percentile of her weight class. He was concerned she wasn't absorbing her nutrients.

So before I knew it, words like Cystic Fibrosis, Celiac Disease, and Hyperthyroidism were being discussed. Tests were being ordered, and I was being assured that Emma probably didn't have the terminal form of Cystic Fibrosis since she hadn't had pneumonia or respiratory problems. Um, what?!!! It was all happening very fast, and I was trying to stay calm. I only wanted to check on her reflux.

So the following week we did all the tests. I apologize to those of you who feel upset that you are just finding this out now, but we really didn't want to worry anyone until we had answers. It all seem a little far-fetched to us, but we wanted to follow the GI's suggestions. We decided to only tell our parents so they could pray. And boy did we pray!

In the end, every test turned out to be NEGATIVE. Praise God! It took a few weeks to get all the answers, but slowly but surely, we were getting the confirmation of what we had known all along -- Emma just has a sensitive stomach.

So where are we now? Well, Emma has officially been off her reflux medication for one week and all seems well. BUT she has had an ear infection, so who knows. We'll see what the future holds.

We also started soy milk. At first, Emma didn't seem to notice that I was mixing it in with her formula, but then suddenly she wouldn't go near it. This was all around the time of her ear infection, so I don't know if it was the soy or the sucking (she wasn't drinking much of anything). Our pediatrician suggested we go back to the formula until her ear infection clears up. Then we'll try soy again.

I do have a feeling soy may have caused the ear infection because she never had a fever with this one, and it's strange that it took her 13 months to get the first ear infection and only 2 months to get the second. She also broke out in a horrible diaper rash while on the soy, and now it's gone. We're considering rice or goat milk, but our pediatrician isn't convinced soy is the issue. We're discussing it at our follow-up appt. next week.

Emma's diet is still fairly large, but I have also been trying to incorporate more fat into her diet. Because I make all of her food fresh, I wasn't always good about adding fat. I didn't do it intentionally. I just never thought to add it. I even let her eat her first cookie! Since I've been doing this, she seems to be less intense/hungry. I've also been trying to give her more snacks in between meals. Our 15-mo well baby appt. also put her weight at almost the 50th percentile, so maybe it is all balancing out.

All that I can say is that Jeff and I feel more blessed than ever to have Emma. When I was sitting in the waiting room a few weeks ago during Emma's tests, I saw a lot of sick children, and I realized food restrictions really weren't that big of a deal. I would love Emma no matter what, but her sake, I am happy she is healthy.

Fashion Friday: Flashback II

So, we have yet another ear infection and a VERY gooey left eye, so I went to the vault and resurrected another fashionable moment from Emma's "younger years."

To get us in the Christmas spirit, I chose her first official Christmas dress, which she decided to eat every second she got. The proof was certainly evident in her diapers, which were decorated with digested white fur. Yep, that's right. Now go get yourself a snack! ;)

Fashion Friday: Sweater Weather

How is it we were outside just 2 days ago, playing around in our sweaters and now we are all bearing down for 10 inches of snow? Only in the Midwest...

Ladies and Gentlemen... we have curls!

Fashion Friday: Outerwear

Our latest trick

As I Am Not pointed out in a recent comment, our cabinet doors are often wide open these days. It seems Miss Emma has rediscovered the joy of cabinets. Emptying them is so much fun, but apparently it is even more fun to crawl inside and close the door behind you. Therefore, this serves as official documentation that Emma enjoys doing this, and any resulting emotional damage can't be blamed on the mother.

First, the coffee pot comes out.



Then the feet go in.



And going...


Going...


Gone.

Fashion Friday: Hippie Chick

Fashion Friday: Casual Elegance

A girl has to look good whether she's just hangin' at home...







Or ready for a night on the town...





And a few more photos I had to share...

Bye Bye Dottle (and other changes...)

So first of all, who in the world left last Friday off the calendar? I mean, I certainly missed it. Surely you did too. Otherwise, that would mean I forgot Fashion Friday, or worse yet, neglected to fulfill my blogging responsibilities. And of course, that certainly could NOT be the case. Even if I was sick...

Maybe I'll make up for the universe's mistake with TWO outfits this week. Maybe...

Anyway, as you current or former toddler moms know, A LOT can change in a week. First of all, the bottle is gone. As in the nipples have been thrown away, and Emma has no idea it ever existed. She is still on small amounts of formula, but only via sippy cup. She was starting to ask for her "dottle" after a meal so I decided it was now or never. For the most part, it went pretty well. A few hungry/tired moments made it a little harder, but once she realized the sippy cup could hold more than just water, she was open to change. Well done, sweetie!

Of course, one step forward usually means a step back, right? Well it does around here. We are officially back on two naps. Yep, you read right. Miss Emma has decided that between being sick and the time change (another dumb universe mistake), she'd rather have her old schedule back.

Based on my post of a few weeks ago, you'd think I'd be jumping for joy, but I'm honestly a little bummed. I kinda liked having her around more, and it was nice to have a little more freedom. But hey, if a girl needs her beauty rest, you give it to her. At least you better give it to this little girl. TRUST ME on this one...

So that's where we are at for now -- drinking fine, sleeping more than usual, and on the road to health. Hey, that sounds pretty good doesn't it??? Come to think of it, I say this calls for a Starbucks trip. Emma and I could really use a day out of the House of Snot!

Our Busy Bee

Like the last major holiday, we were home today with a sick Emma. But we still had lots of fun!

She spent the day with her Grandma while Mama had her one adult day of the week (at work). Her "day costume" kept her comfy, but festive. Perfect for a little pumpkin with a sore nose.

Once I got home, we changed into our "night costume," and geared up for the trick-or-treaters. At first, Miss Emma wasn't all that crazy about her antennas, but once I brought a mirror down so she could see her new look, she thought they were great!

She kept the costume on all night, even with a drippy nose and very tired eyes. She stood in awe of our dressed-up visitors (all 5 of them!) and managed to stay in good spirits during a quick visit from her other Grandma and Grandpa. But after a busy day of sneezing and coughing, it wasn't long before our little bee was ready for bed.

Hope you all had a great Halloween!

Our day outfit…courtesy of Auntie Jenni

Perfect for pickin'



And now for the costume creating all the buzz…

The camera…again? Really, Mom.



Yeah, I'm a bee!


Hmmm… what's this??


Caught in the act!


What? I can't help it I'm so stinkin' cute!

A Lesson on Worry

As I have written in the past, I am a worry wart. Actually, it is probably more accurate to say I am control freak, which means I worry about things I have no control over. As a Christian, I know I'm not really in control of anything, but of course, that concept is a little easier said than done.

Enter Emma. Since the day I saw those two pink lines, I reached a whole new level of worry. Her sleep, her allergies, her reflux, colds -- and that was just the beginning. Now we have cuts and scrapes and who knows what else in our future!

So it is my nature to worry. Yes, it is in all of our natures to worry (especially as parents), but I happen to know this is one of those things God really wants me to work on. And, of course, is His total awesomeness, He gave me exactly what I needed today.

For the last few weeks, it has been the debate around here whether Emma was getting tooth #7 or cold #532. The molar that popped through last week seem to confirm the tooth theory, but the continuation of the runny nose, night wakings and ear pulling made me a little nervous another ear infection was around the corner.

The good news is that Emma always teethes in twos, so of course it has to be the other molar. No need to call the doctor. No need to worry. So what if she's always exhausted because she is waking up ALL.THE.TIME? And so what if she's eating goofy and hanging on my leg every second? It is her teeth. Yes, it has to be her teeth. (Breathe, breathe.)

Then this morning she wakes up with a bad cough and a REALLY runny nose. So cold #532 is officially here, and tooth #8 is not. I begin to wonder, are kids always sick or is it just mine? Between her tummy and her colds, I swear this kid is never 100 percent, which makes me so sad for her. And it makes me worry something else is really going on. Needless to say, emotionally, I was not in top form this morning.

So Jeff offers to stay home from church so I can go. I end up taking him up on his offer, although with huge amounts of guilt that I am leaving my sick child behind. But take one guess what today's sermon is called... "Wrestling with Worry." Of course it is!

Most of the message revolved around Matthew 6:25-34, which is always a great reminder that we are to give up our worries to God. Simply put, to worry is to distrust Him. Yes, we are human and will worry anyway, but we have to believe that He is in control and remind ourselves that if He has the power to create us, He certainly has the power to take care of the little worries in our lives.

But the real nugget I took away from today's sermon was a sentence containing two simple words that now mean more to me than they ever have: I Am.

You see, God is the "I Am," which means He is alive -- here and now. He isn't the "I Was" or "I Will Be." He is the "I Am."

In the same way, we are to live in today, because we truly don't know what tomorrow brings. And while the tragedies and sins of yesterday can't be forgotten, we also can't allow them to interfere with our joy today. I have a child I love more than anything right now, and in the end, nothing else matters. Not what happened yesterday, or what could happen tomorrow.

What a blessing those two simple words are -- and what a comfort! Knowing He is the "I Am" means I am loved and taken care of -- and more importantly, so is Emma. But without that knowledge, I am, well, just a worry wart...

Fashion Friday: A Change of Pace

Some of you may think this outfit is boring, but I beg to differ. The main reason I like it is because the colors are unexpected -- a nice change from the normal pink you often see our little lady wearing. And trust me, we needed some sunshine today. (It's been one of those weeks!)

And what girl doesn't need a pair of nice-fitting black pants? These particular black pants have an extremely cute detail. You can't really see it in the pix (which are getting harder and harder to snap these days!), but there is a thick white stripe and button that run along the rim of each pocket. A hidden surprise that makes them truly stylish.

Hope you all have a great weekend -- full of nice surprises!

Fashion Friday: On the Go

So this blazer wasn't free, but I got it over the summer at Gap outlet because it was just too darn cute. It is still a bit large, but I know we will get some good use out of this little jacket in the coming months. To me, it clearly says, "Woman on the Go." And as we all know, that perfectly describes Miss Emma.

Have a good weekend everyone!

The Shoe Debate

Yes, while other bloggers post about important controversial topics such as vaccinations and nursing, I am stuck on shoes.

So I read and read about all these ways to be the best mommy ever, trying to do my best while using some good judgement. I admit that my instincts are pretty good when it comes to Emma, but my confidence is not so good. Therefore, books offer me the reassurance I need. Information is my mommy mo-jo.

Anyway, I read early on about how soft-soled shoes are the best for kids (besides bare feet) until they are about 2 years old. And after my good friend turned me on to Robeez, I was sold.

However, as Emma and her wardrobe grew, I came to realize that Robeez do not match every outfit unless I plan on buying a million pairs. That plan might work if that darn money tree wouldn't have stopped growing, but it has, and so we are left with two pairs of shoes. Cute shoes, yes, but versatile, no.

So the search was on for soft-soled shoes that would be more versatile. I found a few online, but after a bad experience with a pair of soft sandals over the summer, I was afraid the shoes won't be the right size. And I HATE paying for shipping, let alone re-shipping for exchange. Plus, with rain and snow in the forecast, soft-soled didn't quite seem worth the investment.

I then started to entertain the idea of Stride Rites. Just a pair of gym shoes and a pair of dress shoes would do. No harm done, right? Other kids walk around with hard-soled shoes all the time. Heck, we survived without Robeez. But the guilt remained as I feared Emma's feet would turn into some sort of deformed paws. So still no shoes.

Then Emma received some cute hand-me-down hard-soled shoes from one of my friends. A brown pair and a black pair. They are cute, but certainly not Stride Rites. But they are free. And cute. And free. Emma also walks in them great and LOVES to wear them around the house. But these are on "borrow," so I don't want to scuff them all up.

So now I am asking you for your opinion. Your HONEST opinion on this oh-so controversial topic:

Hard- or soft-soled?

Stride Rites or Target?

And be brutal. I may not agree with you -- or take your advice -- but this mommy needs her mo-jo and baby needs a new pair of shoes. Help!

Fashion Friday: So Serious

Well of course she's serious. Doesn't this outfit just scream, "Stylish, but studious" ?

For some reason, corduroy always reminds me of school. I think that's why I love this outfit so much. It reminds me of something I would have worn to school as a little girl, but with an updated twist. I'm bummed you can't really see the ruffles at the bottom of the pants. They are too cute!

(BTW, if you can't tell, green and pink is my new favorite color combination!)

A Sad Farewell

I am sorry to have to say goodbye to you, my dear friend. I have grown very fond of you over the last year, and it hasn't been easy letting you go.

Our relationship has always come easy, requiring almost no effort on my behalf. You just naturally entered our lives, like you had been there all along.

And you were always there when I needed you. If I needed to get some work done or spend some time alone, you gave me my space. If I needed to rest, you provided. Sometimes you just let me cry, and other times you encouraged me to get my butt off the couch and take a shower. There were some days I honestly wouldn't have made it without you.

But now the time has come to bid farewell. I realize now you were trying to say goodbye weeks ago, but I was in denial. I didn't want to see you leave so soon. I thought I would have you for at least a few more months.

Still, we both knew from the beginning this couldn't last. Time goes by and people change. And in this case, I know it's for the better. Saying goodbye only means healthy growth and development, and for that, I thank you. You have done a good job.

I have truly enjoyed our relationship and will never forget all you did for me.

Goodbye, morning nap, goodbye. You will be missed.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy 31st to a wonderful father and very loving husband -- your girls love you VERY much!! :o)

Fashion Friday: Fatigued

Yes, you can be cute and casual -- not to mention adventurous -- in this little dress. But is the title of this post referring to the outfit or the fact that Emma decided afternoon naps are sometimes optional? I'll let you be the judge...

(BTW, any shoe suggestions for this outfit? I am stumped!)

Cute…

Casual…

Adventurous…

And…