Random Facts and Photos

Call me lazy, but I thought it might be fun to just give you some random updates on Emma's adventures, along with some just-as-random photos. Enjoy!

Facts:

She is in the 50th percentile in her weight (18 lb, 5 oz) and supposedly off the chart in length (30 in), but I think they measured wrong. My guess is she's more like 29 in.

She is currently eating peas (yes, again) and seems to be doing okay.

She loves to feed herself. So far, we've tried rice cakes, rice pasta, and brown rice. Wow...that's a lot of rice, isn't it?

She can hold her own bottle now, but only does during lunch. (Hey, if I can't nurse her, I reserve the right to hold her for as long as I want...)

She loves to point with her pointer finger (that is, when she's not chewing on it!)

Her fav toy of the month is her push toy thingy. She LOVES the fact that it helps her walk all by herself.

She tries really hard to imitate what you say, but all words seem to end up sounding like mmmmmmmmmom.

She lets you know when she's hungry and even attempts to sign "bottle." (I didn't teach her to sign milk, because formula isn't milk. I'm annoying that way.)

She yawns and rubs her eyes when she's tired.

She is taking two long naps now and is sleeping well at night (but still wakes up before 6am...but I'll take it!)

She clears her voice to get your attention if you ignore for too long (as in 10 seconds!)

She only gets her binkie during naps and at night (at least, on my clock...)

She gets all shy when she "meets" someone new, especially a male. She tilts her head into your shoulder and grins all cute like.

Her summer wardrobe is ridiculously large and fabulous, thanks to some very generous friends. (Hand-me-downs rock!) I can't wait to play dress up!

She enjoys taking her medicine and gets all exicted when she sees it.

She is not afraid of the vacuum cleaner AT ALL and even lets me use it to scoot her along!


Okay, I could go on and on, but then what would I write next week? :o) So without further ado, here are the photos:

Rice cakes (or as Gram and Gramps B would say, Styrofoam cakes) YUMMMMMMMMM!


She's Got Legs (courtesy of stylish boyfriend Cricket!)






Weeeeeeeeee!


I'm Walking, Yes Sireeee!


Cabin-et Fever (Get it?? Okay, maybe I'm getting too much sleep now!)

9 Months

Okay, Miss Emma, I think 14 should be your "lucky" number. First, you get a cousin on your 4-month birthday; then you celebrate 6 months on Valentine's Day; AND to top it all off, you turned 9 months old on Mother's Day. How fun is that!? I guess you like to make sure it's a party every time!!

To think that your next milestone will be 1 year is too much for me to handle right now. I'm still coming to terms with 9 months! How did this happen? What happened to my little 3-month-old peanut? I truly can't believe how much you've grown up.

You are now zooming all over the house. No corner is left unexplored, no object untasted. You truly understand that the world is yours for the taking, and you will take what you please, thank you very much! You LOVE to stand and cruise along furniture, standing toys, and anything that will support your little body. Sometimes you misjudge and take a tumble, but you're a pretty tough cookie. You usually just complain for a second and off you go again. You just started to figure out cabinets and stairs, both of which are being baby-proofed as we speak!

You are very curious, and almost a little more serious lately than when you were younger. You are always checking things out, often peeking around my shoulder to make sure you aren't missing anything. You love the choo-choo train that goes through our backyard and stop everything the second you hear it coming. Hopefully the weather will stay warm soon so you can see it outside as opposed to from the window!

We play all the time, and you love chasing me around your Fisher Price gym set. We crawl through tunnels, play peek-a-boo, and race eachother around this colorful plastic maze. Your giggles tell me you are having just as much of a blast as I am (although that may be you laughing at my fat butt trying to squeeze through the tunnel!) You still enjoy banging on your silver mixing bowls, and your stacker is always a good snack when you feel the urge. I think your top teeth are coming in soon, which means your teething toys have become a must anywhere we go. Of course, a nice cold shopping cart suits you just fine, but isn't quite acceptable to your Daddy, who goes into a panic attack every time you move in for a taste.

Speaking of which, you love any food we give you, but the only one that seems to like your tummy is sweet potatoes, which you have for dinner often. You have oatmeal for breakfast and lunch, and you just started to snack on rice cakes. Hopefully we can expand your diet after we get the go-ahead from your doctor this week. You have been very tolerant of the bland food you've had up until now. I know you're more than ready for the yummy stuff -- I just wish your tummy would cooperate.

You are more vocal than ever, but the only words your father and I are smart enough to understand are mama and dada (which, by the way, get you anything you want!). You still razz a lot and try to raspberry, but right now you usually just produce a whole lot of spit. I'm sorry to say that you may have inherited your raspberry-blowing deficiency from your mother. Hopefully your daddy will have better luck teaching you this trick than he did teaching me! You also like to make this funny squealing noise when you are really excited, which is usually accompanied with your turbo kicking legs. You can wave hello and goodbye, although only when you feel like it, of course.

Although I'm a little nervous to share this, I feel I owe it you after all of my complaining: I am happy to say you have been sleeping great these last few weeks. Your morning nap is like clockwork now, but we are still working on the afternoon nap, which you usually need a little help with about half-way through. Nightime has become Mommy and Daddy time, and for that, we are truly grateful. We aren't quite used to this though, so we often check on you to make sure you are okay. If you happen to wake up during the night for some reason, you are now able to fall back asleep without our help. Usually I don't see your smiling face until morning, when you greet me with the biggest grin and the bluest eyes I have ever seen. Who needs the sun when I have you to brighten my every morning?

The verdict is still out on who you look like most, but your Daddy and I think you look like Emma -- absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way. Your face is so petite, but your blue eyes and infectious grin are big and bright! Your hair is really coming in now and even seems to have a tinge a red in it, which has us all scratching our heads. You wake up with fuzzies on the back of your head all the time, so we're just waiting for the curls to emerge. I think we may even be able to put a bow in your hair in the next month of two!

You are starting to get more comfortable around other people now, and love your grandmas, aunts, uncles, and especially your little cousins, who love to play with you and make you smile. You are happy to let others babysit you, and you even have your first sleepover coming up this weekend with Grandma, Grandpa, and Toby. They are so excited, and I know you're going to have a great time playing and getting lots lof hugs and kisses!!!

So, happy 9-months, bunny. Our adventure is really getting exciting now. Seeing you learn and grow has been such a wonderful blessing, almost as if experiencing a miracle every day. As I watch you from afar, I am just so proud and I have to admit, it is tempting to take credit for you. But as I sit in awe of your beauty and curious mind, I know now more than ever that you are God's creation. I am just someone who got the awesome job of loving you until He needs you back. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to do that job as well as I can, no matter how old you are. I love you!!

Emma and Cricket Visit

The Happy Couple

Here, you try...

Common interests are good.




One of many Emma body slams

Our East Coast Friends

This hostess stuff is exhausting...

Future Husband Found

Well, Miss Emma certainly has all her bases covered. She already has a best friend lined up (Makena), a bodyguard (Evan), and now a boyfriend, whom we shall call "Cricket." The latest edition to her entourage was unmistakable this past weekend, when our friends Cara and Bryan came in from Maryland and brought their adorable little boy with them. The two of them instantly clicked.

In one corner, there is Cricket: the active, yet patient male with a great sense of style and amazing athletic abilities such as standing on his own. In the other corner, we have Emma: the active, yet impatient female who appreciates a well-dressed man and is eager to learn as many tricks as you can teach her.

The outcome: Emma can now wave, say Mama, and is more determined than ever to stand. Cricket is now standing on his own for long periods of time and is more patient than ever after dealing with Emma's countless body slams and hair tugs. I swear he smiled and giggled even more after these episodes! Ahhhh.. true love.

To say the weekend was fun is a complete understatement. Watching these two cuties interact was so cool. They truly had NO PROBLEMS being around each other. In fact, they acted like they have always shared the same home. They played nicely together, happily exchanging toys and drool, but they also did their own thing, knocking each other down or crawling over each other to get to their intended destination. Thank goodness we have photos and videos to remember it all. And yes, to Jeff's dismay, we took the bathtub shot -- it was a must (although it might as well have been an Olympic sport trying to get these two to sit still for one nice shot!)

Of course, it was also nice for me to have a playmate around. Cara and I go WAY back to 6th grade and have had our ups and downs since she moved out east. Thankfully, it was in God's plan for us to reunite for the most exciting times of our lives. We reconnected just before her and Bryan got engaged a little over 2 years ago. I was able to stand up in her wedding, and we ended up "planning" our pregnancies at the same time (without even knowing it). It has been such a blessing having her by my side these last few years. She truly brings a new perspective to my life. We are different, but the same in many ways. I mean how many people can go a year without seeing each other in person, but live together for 5 days straight with total ease. I truly believe we were meant to be friends and will be for many, many, many years ahead.

Okay, okay, back to Emma. As you know, our bunny is already 8 months old and is quickly crawling toward 9 months. She is into everything she shouldn't be and thinks she can stand by herself, although she hasn't quite worked that out with her legs yet. Thank goodness for the cushion of a diaper. I hear nothing but that thud ALL.DAY.LONG.

Food is still a hang up for us. Emma loves anything I give her, but her tummy still isn't sure about anything other than her formula and cereal. Carrots failed, but sweet potatoes and squash seemed to have been okay. Bananas and now peas seem to be questionable. Both showed some signs of reaction, but I am not totally convinced. I stopped bananas before we could get confirmation, and we're still working on peas. I'm not sure how much of this is her system getting used to new foods and how much of it is her system rejecting the foods. Needless to say, I am anxious for our next doctor's appt., which is on May 18. I am ready with a long list of questions!

As I said, Mamamamama is our newest word, and baba is also finding its way into her vocab. Dada is still there, but you need to ask for it a few times before she'll repeat. I don't think she quite knows what the words really mean yet, but they are still music to my ears. That little voice just melts my heart, even when it isn't so little (which is most of the time!)

We've been working on waving for a while, but she seems to have finally picked it up. She will do it in response, but only when she wants to, which seems to be a recurring personality trait. :o)

Her naps and sleep habits are okay on the whole, but still fluctuate between good and bad days/nights. I'm very good about respecting her nap and bed times, but I've come to the conclusion that she'll get as much sleep as she needs. I can't make her stay asleep; I can only make sure she gets the rest when she needs it. If she wakes up, there's not much I can do about it.

That should do it for now. I will be posting photos of our fun weekend with Cara, Bryan, and Cricket over the next few days. Stay tuned!

We Won!!!

Hey everyone! You're persistance paid off -- Emma won the photo contest! Not that we're shocked she is the cutest baby or anything, but it is fun to let the world know too! :o) We even get some cool prizes -- a changing pad, burp cloth and bib gift set. Check it out here.

Thanks to everyone who voted. We love you all!

Our Little Bunny

What's in this thing?

Keep Voting!!!

Remember to keep voting for Emma until Monday!! My friend Cara just started a new web site (www.urbanbabyrunway.com) that reviews hip baby wear and gear. To kick off her site, she is having a photo contest of the cutest baby enjoying the recent spring weather.

Of course, we all know Emma is a shoe-in for this contest (hee, hee!), but we need your help to prove it! Here is the link for voting: Urban Baby Runway

Voting is from 4.10 - 4.17. You are only allowed 1 vote per IP every 14 hours. The winner will be announced on 4.18. If we win, we do get some cute, free stuff, but really it's all about telling the world what we already knew... Emma is the cutest Spring Chicken! :o)

Love you all!
Lisa

Double Trouble

We now have two teeth! The other one popped up on Sunday, and boy must it be bothering her. At least that's what I am attributing her recent melt downs to. It doesn't really seem to be bothering her at night, but she is totally clingy and is going through MAJOR stranger danger. Maybe it has nothing to do with teeth and is just "a stage," but I hope it passes soon. I love my babe, but this whole crying and thrashing business gets old fast! I am already picturing the clashes we may have later in life as my little princess gets more strong willed. Lord, help me!

On that note, it comes as no surprise that she is EXTREMELY determined to stand.I mean, this child is not happy unless she is standing. I leave her alone for a second and she is propped up on something or she is stuck in the squating position on the floor. Not sure if this is a sign of early walking, but I am exhausted. It's like I'm a human jungle gym! I didn't even realize how used to this I was until the other night when she was "playing" on my lap (i.e., climbing up my chest, grabbing my face, pulling my hair, and pinching my neck), and Jeff was like, "Be nice to your Mommy, Emma." He then gives me a kiss and says, "Lisa, are you okay?" Honestly, I didn't even realize that anything out of the ordinary was going on. This is what we do ALL.DAY.LONG. As long as those nails are cut, I'm good!:o)

Emma's turns 8 months on Friday. Can you believe it? I can't - it's crazy how fast this has all gone by. People always tell you that, but like everything in Mommyland, you don't believe it's true until you've experienced it. Nine months used to seem so far away and now it's just around the corner.

I haven't really taken a ton of photos lately, but here's a few of her playing with her favorite "toys." Who needs Fisher Price?

No You Didn't

Just in case you were wondering...

You did NOT see a knock-off of Emma's adorable, non-refundable Easter dress for a mere FORTY DOLLARS less at Target. It is an illusion. Emma has a one-of-a-kind, well-made, and totally-worth-it dress and shrug that are NOT making me regret splurging on something she will only wear twice if we are lucky.

Just wanted to make that clear...

On the Move

Well, we knew it was coming... Emma is crawling. It actually started hours after my last post (of course!), but that was only a few scoots. She is now moving across the floor, although she still doesn't quite understand that this means she can go wherever she wants to... thank goodness! That gives us some time to baby proof! I have video to share, but I haven't had time to look into how to get it on the blog, so bear with me. Hopefully I'll get that up and running soon.

We also had to move our little bunny's crib matress down since she is constantly trying to stand. After a few nights of worrying she might fall out or bang her head on the ledge, we finally moved it all the way down. And I think she likes it that way. The other day she didn't call for me until 20 minutes after she woke up from her nap. She was having a good 'ole time just playing with her binkie and her blanket. I heard her moving around and went upstairs to get her, but she didn't even notice me. Usually she is staring at the door with those big blue eyes. This time it was me staring at her -- she is so much fun to watch. I have also gotten better about letting her play by herself, and she really enjoys it. I even cleaned the entire downstairs yesterday without one complaint out of her. She's such a good girl!

So, we're doing great. Jeff went away this past weekend with our youth group, so I was a single mom for an entire weekend, which was interesting. We had lots of places to go, so it was a bit exhausting. Needless to say, it was really nice to have Jeff home Sunday night. I think Emma was getting sick of me! :o)

It's Here!

We have our first tooth! It's the lower right-hand one, just as the Doc suspected. I felt it for the first time this morning, but it has a long way to go. So I'll get my gummy grins for a little while longer!

I also think the second one is close behind. When I felt the tooth today, I felt a bump on the other side, so who knows! It's so much fun to see Emma go through these milestones -- she is getting so big!

She is moving around pretty easily now, but is still frustrated that she can't crawl. She tries, but actually puts more energy into trying to stand. I am eager to see which will come first.

Well, "eager" isn't really the best word choice...maybe curious is better. As much as I love seeing her grow, it still takes some getting used to. She now greets me sitting up when she wakes from her nap and is starting to play with her sippy cup. Thankfully she still thinks it's a toy. I don't think I"m ready to see her drinking like a big girl yet. The mere thought makes me well up!

We're also happy that Spring is here! Now that the weather is nicer, we've been trying to take daily walks. Emma loves watching the birds and seeing the neighborhood kids play. I can't wait until it is warm enough to go to the park. We're going to have so much fun. I can't explain how thankful I am that I get to spend these days with her. I am so blessed!

Here are some pix of our lil' spring chicken!

Reality Check

Okay, so apparently Emma is truly psyhic. The night, and I mean the night, I wrote my "mountaintop" entry, the sleeping stopped. Just stopped competely and was replaced with constant night wakings -- as in EVERY HOUR. It has taken me this long to come to terms with this fact and share it will all of you. Which reminds me, this is officially my last "sleep habit" entry. Not that I believe in superstition or anything, but I swear the second I let myself get comfortable with this mommy thing, I get humbled. Plus I'm sick of hearing my own whining. On that note, I might as well mention that naps are gone too. Oh yeah, we don't do anything in moderation around here. It's all or nothing. I'm lucky if I get 45 minutes out of her again.

So why the waking? That question swims thru my head every nanosecond of the day. What did I do? Maybe her matress should be on a 33-degree angle instead of 35? Maybe the new organic rice cereal we put in her bottle upsets her stomach? Or maybe it's the carrots she reacted to a week ago? Maybe she's teething? An earache perhaps? Or maybe, just maybe, this is the life of a mom -- no sleep. Accept it.

But I can't. My brain tells me there is a reason for everything, which is why I am literally driving myself insane...

But I digress. The good news is that we can rule out the earache thanks to the absolutely unnecessary doctor appointment I made on Thursday. I did find out, however, that she is most likely getting her first tooth as indicated by the bump on her lower gum. "Oh, so that's it!!" I think as a rush of peace washes over me. That is, until the doctor gives me a reality check with the dreaded word "but"... and I quote: "BUT those bumps can appear and reappear several times before the actual tooth appears, so it could be a while still." Great.

Thank goodness MIss Emma is the cutest baby ever or I might have to sell her to the highest bidder... (hopefully ya'll know I'm kidding).

But I really do think she's teething. She's chomping on things more than usual and the drool faucet is on overflow. Thanks to her cold (yes, ANOTHER cold!), it's thick, stringy drool, which is oh so fun to clean up. But then I get that gummy grin and can't help but kiss on her. I think she literally gets kissed a thousand times a day from me alone. Isn't that why God gave her cheeks?

Our princess is also having a grand old time moving around these days. She's not crawling, but she is constantly on all fours. I see that little turtle head peeking up at me over her crib rail every time she wakes up -- totally adorable! She also keeps rocking forward and pushing her butt up in the air as if ready to get a running start. And as of yesterday, she can officially get herself from a laying position to sitting up, which was totally random. One minute she was complaining that she was on her back, but by the time I got to get her, she was sitting back up. I quickly looked around to see if Jeff decided to take a half-day, but then she did it again. This time I got to see her stategy... she rolls over from her back to her belly, gets up on all fours and scoots herself back onto her butt and sits straight up. So grown up, my little one. It's so weird how much they can teach themselves. I'd love to take credit, but this was all her!

Oh, and "dadadadada" is her word of choice, especially when she's happy. Of course, she only makes "M" noises when she's sad or hungry. But I guess Dada deserves it. You should see how happy it makes him!

So that's where we are at. I'm convinced she'll be crawling soon, so stay tuned. I'm hoping to figure out some of the programs out there that allow me to post video footage for ya'll. We'll see if I can get it up and running. If anyone has any pointers or suggestions, let me know!

A Fun Visit

Uncle Johnny and "Auntie" Stefanie came home from college this past weekend and paid Miss Emma a visit. She had lots of fun playing with them and showing off all her new tricks -- sitting up, attempting to crawl and stand up, saying "dadadadada," and blowing raspberries (well, kind of...). She can't wait until they're home for good!!!

Where's the Mountaintop???

I have been waiting 7 loooong months to say these words, so here goes...
EMMA IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!

Yep, you read right, but just in case, let me write it again: EMMA IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! As in 11 hours straight. No bottle. Maybe one pacifier moment at the most, but that's it. 7pm she's down; 6am, she's up. And no papasan. Life is so good!

It all started last Wednesday night when Jeff was supposed to give her the late-night bottle. (Yes, the day I complained about our lack of sleep!) Of course, she decided to give her Dada a break (cough, cough...) and never woke up for the bottle until 5am. This continued until Saturday and got later and later: 5:30am, 5:45am, 6am, and this morning, 6:15am. I hesitated to share this news for fear that it was a fluke, but after 5 days, I figure it's official.

And the papasan thing happened on its own. Apparently, Geneva is the place to make major adjustments to your child's life. We spent the weekend there with the B clan, and Miss Emma had to sleep in her Pack and Play. This was a challenge since it isn't on an angle, but we figured this was the time to do it. We were on vacation, so who cares if we don't sleep. Plus, not bringing the papasan with forced us to stick to our guns. Friday night went okay once she was sleeping, but getting her to sleep took me almost 2 hours. She feel asleep immediately, but the second she was on a flat surface, the eyes opened and the thrashing began. Finally, she decided she was tired enough to tough it out, and I didn't hear from her the rest of the night.

I have to say that these moments make me so proud. You would have thought she won a Pulitzer the way my heart felt -- so full of love and pride. Such a small thing, I know, yet I know how hard it is for her (and painful), but she figured it out on her own and made it work. I can only imagine how my heart will feel when she accomplishes even bigger things.

We also started carrots last night, and she loved them. I kinda think she's going to like anything we put in her mouth, but I guess peas will be the real test. Thankfully, that won't be happending for a while. Our doc wants us to do squash next and then some fruit. The green stuff will follow. I can't wait for all the beautiful artwork I'll find in her diaper! :o)

Back to the weekend: We had a great time. The weather was so nice (when it wasn't raining that is), so we were able to walk around in Downtown Geneva. Emma took it all in and loved being in her stroller without her carrier. We're going to put her in an upright carseat as soon aS the weather gets a little warmer. The carrier bunting is nice for the winter, but hopefully spring will come early -- that thing is heavy!

We also stopped at an outlet mall, where we totally blew our new budget. But who could pass up that cute little Nike outfit that was obviously made for Emma, not to mention the absolutely gorgeous Easter dress and shrug from Gymboree? My justification for the latter was that she needed an Easter dress snf it was from an outlet store (although I won't reveal the ridiculous amount I still spent. I'm still having anxiety attacks over it...) Anyway, I am probably supposed to wait for the big day to reveal its cutenss, but I can't contain myself. So scroll down for a preview of the world's most adorable Easter dress, but keep in mind that it will look a billion times cuter on!! :o)

But first some family photos:
Emma and Papa



Mr. Evan


Jeff: The Life of the Party...


Gammie and her babies


And...
The Outfit:

We love playtime!!!

...I have the neglected toliets to prove it!! :o)




Up on all fours, but no movement just yet...

The Sparkle Is Back

Wanted to let you all know that our little peanut is feeling much better these days. The nose is still runny and the cough and raspy voice are still there, but they are quickly fading. That was quite a cold! I am not looking forward to the next one let me tell ya. In fact, I might be a little obsessive about germs these next few weeks. I've really tried to be casual about that whole issue since I think so many parents go overboard, but man, now I understand why. Once you experience one of these killer colds, it's enough to make you bathe your child in antibacterial hand sanitizer!

So I am happy to have the twinkle back in my little girl's blue eyes -- not to mention the kick in her, uh, step? -- yet, I am sorry to say that her lovely sleeping habits are back as well. Why does this child nap for over an hour some days and others she basically closes her eyes for a long blink. I mean, I am pretty good about routine, etc., so why does it vary? Yes, because she's human, but it's enough to drive me insane. I know she needs more sleep because she yawns like crazy after her "snaps," so why doesn't she just sleep longer? Don't get it AT ALL. Yes, I know I never will, but I can't help but think, "Well, maybe if I try this..." When will I get it through my head that I have no control?????

Perhaps this little outburst is all stemming from the night wakings that have also crept back into our lives, making me a tad (just a tad!!) irritable. Why is she waking again? Well, I usually get annoyed when people say this, but I admit that my theory is that she's hungry. Let me explain: I stopped solids after she got sick because 1. She could barely swallow her own flem let alone oatmeal mush; 2. How was I going to recognize an allergic reaction in the midst of mucous mania?; and 3. I might as well have spoon-fed her boogers with the constant runny nose. Anyway, so I stopped and only gave her bottles, which she seemed okay with.

But then she started to get better, and I noticed she was hungry earlier than usual, and she was waking up at 11pm and 4am instead of 12:30am and 6am. So we started cereal again this week for breakfast and dinner. And she is loving it! Okay, sure, maybe that's because of the spoonful of pears I put in there, but hey, it's working so I'm going with it. So I guess I'm doing a mini pear trial. Yes, I know that it's sweet and I'm risking the chance of this child never eating a vegetable, but I'm willing to take the chance. After this week, we'll do carrots and on we go to the less fun stuff like peas, etc.

So is all this helping her sleeping? Um, no, but I'm still hopeful (a.k.a. in denial). Her waking issues also have to do with the fact that she is sleeping without her papasan... well some of the time. The first 2 hours are fine, but after that she starts choking and coughing and fussing and crying, so I keep caving in and back she goes into the papasan. I don't know how to solve this problem. Which is the worst of the two evils -- a papasan that is a little too small for a growing baby to sleep in or acid bouncing up and down my baby's throat, causing her pain. Okay, so obviously those were biased descriptions, but that is how my mind works at 2am when my baby is unhappy. So how do I get past this and let her wiggle around enough to find a comfy spot that doesn't bother her reflux? Not sure I have it in me, but I guess we'll figure it out one of these nights.

Another issue I am totally perplexed about is her meds. We were giving her 2 ml of Prevacid twice a day, but the pediatrician suggested going to 2.5 ml once a day and the new medication 3 times a day. Well, during the cold from hell, Emma was on Tylenol, Motrin, and then a decongestant (I only did that for a day), so I didn't want to give her more medicine, plus everything I put in her mouth made her choke like crazy, so I stopped. Once I stopped the fever and cold meds, I gave her one dose of Prevacid a day with the intention of giving the new med, but somehow never remembered to do it. Plus, the one time I did give it to her, her cheeks broke out. A coincidence, perhaps, but I did find a Web site that said the new med had lactose in it. My doctor (and the 3 pharmacists she checked with) swear there isn't any in there, but I am a little hesitant.

So, here is my plan (which I am totally unsure about): I am giving her the Prevacid twice a day again, and I will only give her the new med if next week's anti-papasan bootcamp causes major issues. Until then, I want to see if the increase in solid food and the Prevacid are enough to make life bearable. It would be so much easier if this stupid reflux would just go away already. This child deserves a normal tummy after almost 7 months of misery. Keep praying!!

The upside is that my bunny's smile and giggles are back in full effect and make all of the above seem like minor setbacks. We have been playing a lot lately, and I just love watching her figure stuff out. She really investigates her toys and is starting to get annoyed that she isn't mobile. Slowly but surely she is reaching a little farther to grasp things out of her reach, and she is wiggling around, propping herself up on her knees and trying to figure out how she can move forward. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I'll be chasing around this one.

Oh, a final note: hair is finally coming. It's light and thin, but it's there and growing every day. It's still too short to confirm curls, but between me and Jeff, I'm pretty much banking that Miss Emma will have at least waves. It is just so much fun to think about!

I guess that's enough for now. Hopefully I'll get some new pix up this week. Stay posted!

Are we ever good enough?

I usually try to keep this blog pretty upbeat because, hey, it's all about Miss Emma. But once in a while a mama needs to vent, right? So here it is: I miss breastfeeding. A LOT. I mean, I know what's done is done, but I truly miss that connection with my little wiggle worm. No, we weren't perfect at it, but it was still a bond no bottle can duplicate.

I was putting away all of my nursing gear the other day and got really depressed. It's offically over. (Trust me, I have the training bra boobs to prove it!) It was on my terms, I know, but it kinda wasn't. I hope I can do it longer with our next child. I miss the closeness, the convenience, and well, the unexplainable feeling you get from knowing your body is providing nurishment to your child.

And then there's the guilt. Yes, I know I shouldn't feel guilty, blah blah blah, but I do. Emma has been really sick since last Saturday with the most awful cold. I mean HORRIBLE. Temp of 102 that finally went away YESTERDAY (yes, as in 4 days later!), a nose that is chapped from the constant flow of mucous, and the hacking cough. Oh, the cough -- it scares the crap out of us. She chokes and chokes to the point that Jeff and I fear she'll stop breathing. Jeff even took to the couch for 2 nights so she could sleep with me and I could ensure adequate airflow.

So what does this have to do with breastfeeding? Well, maybe a lot, maybe nothing. You see, this certainly isn't Emma's first cold, but it is her first without the boob juice. And it is the worst BY FAR!! It required two trips to the doctor and constant "check in" calls to him. I can't help but wonder if this cold would be milder if I was still breastfeeding. I always thought breastfeeding prevented sickness in general, but maybe in a crazy cold season it just helps keep the symptoms to a minimum...

Yes, I am a little nutty. Why did I stop breastfeeding? To relieve myself of the pressure of possibly eating something that caused her pain. And why do I now wish I could? To relieve myself of the pressure of possibly causing her sickness. Does this constant blaming ever end? Probably not.

I guess in the end, no one -- including me -- is good enough for Emma. Just wait until someone else hurts her in some way. Mama Bear will be ready to rumble!