The week in pictures

My new favorite picture. Look at those blue eyes. Playing with the lion that Mimi brought from Africa.
Playing in the pool.
More pool time.
Something is fascinating.

Swimming with baby Jaylee.
Naked swim time.
Playing like a big girl with her activity table.

Have a great weekend,

Sabrina

I spoke too soon...

At last, I got this precious picture of Emy's tooth:)


More pictures to come tomorrow.

Little Things

I have not been good about posting the past couple weeks. I keep thinking of all these little things I want to mention but they seem so small to dedicate an entire post to. So, now I will create a post to incorporate all the little stuff that has been left out.

1. Emerson is getting her second tooth. Well, I guess technically she has her second tooth. It has broken the gum and is working its way up. This tooth is giving us more trouble than the first one. Emy has had a little pain, swelling and even some blood with this one. I WISH I could show you a picture of her precious teeth, but I am fast learning that getting a picture of a babies teeth will be like trying to catch a picture of Big Foot.

2. Emy had a real case of the giggles on Tuesday. Now, as many of you know, she is not the best laugher. She is getting better, but it takes some seriously hard work to get her to laugh. However, on Tuesday morning she was cracking up at everything for about an hour. It started when she was in her exersaucer. I was on the computer (sitting right next to her) and I hear her cracking up, I look over at her and she is just staring at our dog and laughing hysterically. He was not doing anything...just sitting there. So, then I start laughing and she sees me and laughs harder. This continues into our bedroom. I am playing with her on the bed and she is laying on her back and tilting her head back as to look at everything upside down. This is hillarious too. Toby, our dog, jumps on the bed and it startles her and this is hillarious. Ya'll for a child who does not laugh all that often, it was so much fun to see her with a case of the giggles. It is such a precious sound.

3. Emerson has a new habit while she is eating. She thinks that things would go a lot faster if I would just give her the entire bowl. Not the spoon, the bowl. So, we are constantly playing this game of keep away with the bowl. It is as if she is saying, just give me the bowl and I can handle things from there. I am tempted to do it one day just to see what she does. Of course, I would have to prepare for the inevitable disaster by covering her, me, the floor and everything else with garbage bags.

4. Emerson loves swimming, aka sitting in the pool. We took her out into the new baby pool several times over the weekend. She takes a little while to get all the way in since the water is cold, but once she is in, she loves it. The great thing about playing in the pool is that it completely exhausts her. So, if you time it right she is guaranteed to have a great nap. I have a bunch of pictures of her in the pool that I will post later today or tomorrow. Oh, and her swimsuit is adorable!

5. Emy thinks sneezing is hillarious. Either that, or the "Bless You" is hillarious. Every time she sneezes she either starts laughing or looks up at you with this huge grin and waits for the "Bless You". Once she even got the giggles over this. She sneezed, I said Bless You, she cracked up so I said it again. She laughed harder so I said it again...this went on and on for about a minute. At one point she was laughing so hard she had to actually catch her breath.

Love,
Sabrina

7 months old

Well, Emerson is 7 months old today. She is such a big girl now. She has a tooth, loves to sit and play, has a sense of humor, is extremely independent and loves to talk. It is hard to look at her and realize that she is the same sweet thing that 7 months ago was so tiny and helpless. It amazes me everyday how much she has changed in such a short amount of time.

Today she also demonstrated just how "mature" she is by being on her best behavior the entire time at church. When the nursery did not call at all today, I was sure that we would find her asleep in the swing...this would have been just fine with me- anything to get her to handle the nursery for an entire hour. To my surprise, when we got to the nursery, she was playing on the mat with another baby and two of the workers. I excitedly said to one of the women, "It looks like we made it okay today" and she replied with a big grin, "She has been just great. She did not make a peep the entire hour!" Wow, are you kidding me? It amazes me how much progress she has made in the past two weeks. Yea for Emy!

Love,
Sabrina

PS: We have been looking for a fun 4th of July outfit. Emerson will not be getting these, but how cute are outfitA and outfitB? Seriously:)

Random pics from the week

Playing outside

Clearly not wanting to smile for the camera
Fun in the bath
She already has her "Daddy's Angel" face ready to go

Grabbing for the camera, AgainLoving the excersaucer
Bathing suit preview

Sabrina

Scary bubbles?

So, I was at Target yesterday buying all kinds of fun summer items- a baby pool, swim diapers and something similar to this. Later in the evening, once Steve is home, we take Emerson outside and break out the bubble maker. I am so certain that she will be mesmerized and think the bubbles are fascinating or at least funny.

I press the trigger on the gun and she freezes and then lets out this scream. I stop and look at her, like "what the heck was that"? I call Steve over to watch and I pull the trigger again...the bubbles start coming out and she lets out another scream. Now, if you can imagine- her scream sounded something similar to that of a horror movie scream, not a baby cry. There was no whimper or whine to it, there were no tears involved, it was just a zero to sixty scream combined with a facial expression that clearly represented fear. We have never heard her do this scream before, but it was certainly a scream of sheer terror. Of course, Steve and I could not help but laugh.

We tried to determine if she was scared of the bubbles or the sound of the motor in the gun. We still are not sure, but needless to say we won't be using the bubble making gun again for a while.

Love,
Sabrina

So close, but not quite

For the past 4-5 weeks, Emerson has really embarked into the seperation anxiety phase. It is so frustrating and so sad at the same time. The only time that it is a real problem is at church. For the first several months of her life, Emy could be dropped off in the church nursery and do just fine. About 6 weeks ago that all changed and she has wanted nothing to do with it. Every week we try again and about 5 minutes into the service we get a phone call to come get her because she is hysterical.

Yesterday we dropped her off and Steve went and got a seat in the sanctuary. We have decided that we are going to trade off who picks her up when she cries so that one of us can hear the sermon every other week. (The one who picks her up sits with her in a cry area with a TV broadcasting the sermon- it is just not the same). Anyways, this week was my week to get her so I opted to stay near the nursery for a few minutes rather than going and getting a seat only to have to turn around and come right back. So, I stood and watched my child panic and cry a terribly sad cry through the one-way glass in the nursery. The poor woman was walking with her and rocking her and Emy was only getting worse. I could see why they would get so frustrated and call us so quickly. At one point when Emy was not looking, I popped my head in and told another worker to try putting her in the swing, obviously the current strategy was not working. After a few seconds of screaming in the swing, she became distracted and stopped crying. Thinking we finally solved the puzzle, I went to find Steve in the sanctuary.

The first few minutes that passed in church I kept thinking, wow she is doing really well. When the worship portion was complete I found my thoughts had changed to worry. I was concerned that she was screaming again and they were trying to call me and couldn't for some reason. Right before the closing prayer to the service, my cell phone started to vibrate. I looked at the caller ID and sure enough- it was the church nursery. I went down to the nursery to find Emerson screaming and being held by a woman in the hallway. Apparently she had done really well the entire time. The workers tried to change hands at the end and Emy had a meltdown. The sweet woman in charge said to me, "She almost made it this time. Keep trying and she will get it someday". Easier said than done.

Love,
Sabrina

Not a great week in photos

Well, here are some shots from the past week. I cannot say that I am in love with any of them (although the first one is pretty cute). Normally there is a favorite from the week, not this week though. I was not as diligent in taking pictures this week. I have found that all Emerson wants to do now that she can sit up is play with her toys on her own. She is showing a lot of independence. The problem is that when she is sitting up and playing with her toys she is almost always looking down. The remaining times, if she does happen to look at the camera she is reaching for the camera. This is cute a couple times and then it just gets a little annoying:)

Love,

Sabrina

Precious Sounds

Emerson is really "talking" now. She has been experimenting with what sounds she can make when she changes the shape of her mouth. Right now she is sitting in her bouncy just chatting away, "Aww, ba ba ba ba ga ga ga ga wha wha wee wee wee da da da da bla bla bla dwa dwa dwa...". These sounds are music to my ears.

Her tooth is still coming along. Every couple of days it pops up a tad more. It is definitely there and has broken the skin, but it does not look like a tooth yet. How long does this take? I am so anxious for her to smile at me one morning and see her lone tooth looking back at me.

The past two days we have been indoors and have not left the house. I would love to get out today just to get out, but it is storming. The idea of dragging her out in the rain is not worth it since we don't have anything that HAS to get done. So it seems that we will be locked indoors for yet another day.

Have a great day,
Sabrina

Happy Mother's Day

Today was wonderful. Getting to celebrate this holiday and also being celebrated felt so good. We did not do anything special today, it just felt perfect to spend this beautiful Sunday with Steve and Emerson.

At church this morning, the sermon was fittingly about moms. Specifically it was "How to be a prize winning mom". He compared the life of a mom to that of a marathon runner in many ways. One of the points that the pastor made was that in order to be a great mom you have to have the support of "cheerleaders". These people are God, spouses, friends and the church. At the end of the sermon, in order to bring this point home, he had all the moms in the congregation stand up and then the rest of the church gave us a very long and hearty round of applause. It was all I could do not to cry. Today it really hit home that I AM A MOM. I am appart of the elite group that gets to raise, support, love, guide, teach, punish and protect a child. Wow! What a responsibility. So, needless to say, I have been super nostalgic today. If Mother's Day has meant this much to me with a 6 month old, I cannot imagine what it will mean as the years go by.

Just yesterday I had lunch with a sweet friend and I was telling her how I had bittersweet feelings about Emerson's new sleep habits. She is a GREAT sleeper now. Before nap time and bedtime, we try to rock her a little and she just squirms and arches her back. It is as if she is saying, "cut to the chase mom, just put me in my crib". Sure enough, if we just put her in the crib, no matter how awake she seems, she grabs her bunny, rolls to her side and goes to sleep. It is amazing! However, I do miss the occassional snuggle. She wants nothing to do with cuddling anymore...unless she is sick or we are in a crowded place.

Well today it is as if she was giving me a special present for Mother's Day...she let me snuggle her before each nap and a little in between. It has been so sweet. I know that I may be regretting this tomorrow if for some reason she is reverting to old habits, but I don't feel like that is what is happening. Regardless, I will deal with it tomorrow because today it has been precious.

To my mom, Steve's mom, our grandmothers and all my friends who are mom's- You are all wonderful, remarkable women and I hope that you were celebrated today. I love each of you.

Love,
Sabrina

Milestones

Emerson is officially sitting on her own now. She definitely still wabbles, but she catches herself most of the time and she only topples over a couple times a day and it is usually at the end of the day when she is tired.

Other big news is that she is getting her first tooth. We have been watching a raised area on her gums for weeks now, but the tooth is actually coming through now...you can see it and feel the sharp edge to it. She does not seem to be fussy or in pain, so we are thankful for that. I don't know how long the process takes, but maybe in a few days we will officially have a tooth.


Here are some pics from the past week.

Mayfest Race on Saturday morning

Toby sneaking a kissChewing

Playing with Hayden

I can sit all by myself!

I can fly!

Love, Sabrina

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Dear Steve,

In honor of your day, I will list just a few of the things about you that I love.

1. Family and Jesus are the most important things in your life
2. You absolutely cannot help but smile when you look at Emerson
3. It has been almost 8 years since I met you and I love you more each day
4. You are incredibly kind to strangers
5. You are a great friend
6. You have a wonderful relationship with your parents
7. We have a bunch of inside jokes that never get old and will always make you laugh
8. You are a great cook- not just the basics, but really creative too
9. You have such a generous heart
10. You actually like to clean
11. You always put my needs and wants ahead of yours
12. You cannot resist bringing Emy and or Toby a "treat" home from the grocery store
13. You have the most amazing dreams and aspirations for our future
14. You cannot resist playing a game...if no games are readily available, you will make one up
15. Your infectious laugh
16. The fact that you cannot resist opening a package of something new when we are on our way home from shopping
17. You love trying new flavors of gum
18. You will hate the fact that I have posted this on the internet, but it will make you smile all the same

Have a great birthday. I love you.

Love,
Sabrina

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

We love this holiday! Why? Because it is a great excuse to get together with friends and have wonderful food. In tradition, we are having a few couples over this evening and cooking a wonderful feast complete with guacamole, tacos and margaritas. I can't wait!

If I am really on top of it, I will post some pics from our get together later today.

Love,
Sabrina

*Update* Birthday do-over

Well, my birthday ended up being great. Steve came home with Juno and 27 Dresses!! Yippe:) He also brought home a nice bottle of wine and cooked a wonderful dinner for me. What a sweet husband!

A birthday do-over?

Steve informed me last night that today we would be celebrating my birthday again due to the lack of effort or enthusiasm that went in to it last weekend. It has started off pretty well...I got served a yummy breakfast in bed and Steve actually sat with me while I ate instead of rushing off to work.

We will see what the rest of the day brings...

One of my best friends is coming in town to visit this weekend. Yay! She will be here through Wednesday, so I am not sure how much I will be online (oh, who am I kidding? I am sure that I will still be on everyday).

Have a great weekend,
Sabrina

6 month photos

Here are some of the pictures from today. For those who are interested, they were taken at Portrait Innovations. If you are family, do not print these off... you will be receiving some in the mail shortly:)

Love,

Sabrina

The perfect day completely by accident

Yesterday was wonderful. Emerson woke up at 7:45 am after having a near perfect nights sleep. I was already awake and piddling around the house when I overheard her squealing in her room. It was precious.

After she took an hour and 15 minute nap in her crib, we went to see Jennifer and baby Jaylee. They are doing well and getting adjusted to their new world together. It was so sweet holding a tiny baby again. It is amazing how quickly you forget what the newborn stage is like.

I put Emerson down for her afternoon nap at 1:00 pm. Steve got home at 1:30 and I went shopping to spend my birthday money:) I got lots of great stuff and it was so fun to spend a few hours on my own actually getting stuff for me. I kind of lost track of time and before I knew it, it was 4:00 pm. It was time for Emy to eat and I had not instructed Steve of this before I left home because I thought I would be back by then. I called him frantically to apologize for running late, tell him I was on my way home and to feed Emy. Steve informed me that she was still asleep! What?!!?!?! She had been asleep for 3 hours...in her crib! This was a complete shock. I immediately told him to go check to make sure she was still breathing. At this point I am pulling in the driveway. I walk in the door and Steve is holding a very smiley Emerson. He said he quietly went in there to check on her and she just looked up at him with her big grin. So, I guess her "long" afternoon nap has finally developed. Yippee!!!

The rest of the evening was great. Emy was on her best behavior and had no problem staying awake 4 hours until her bedtime. What a great day!

Today we are going to take 6 month pictures. Hopefully we will get at least one good shot. The problem: I scheduled the pics before knowing that Emy would transition into a long nap, so they are at 2pm. Hopefully this will still work out and she will get back to the long nap tomorrow...we will see.

Love,
Sabrina