Emma and Santa Meet

The lady who keeps Emma had a Christmas Party at her house in December. Santa made a special trip to visit the little ones. Emma was fascinated with Santa from a distance, but when I went to put her on his lap she gripped on to me so tight. She admired him but wanted nothing to do with him. This is the only picture we have of Emma and Santa.

Happy 1st Birthday to Emma!

Emma turned ONE on November 12. To celebrate her birthday, we had family over on November 9th. Her birthday theme was ladybugs. My mom made the cutest ladybug invitations and an adorable dress with a ladybug applique for the birthday girl. You can check out the whole birthday ensemble on her blog: artforyou-geniatyson.blogspot.com. We had 2 ladybug cakes. One especially for the birthday girl and one for the attendees. I bought the book Ladybug Girl and had everyone sign it so she could have it when she is older. Emma loved all the attention. I had visions of her having cake all over her face, but she had NOTHING to do with her cake. She poked the ladybugs but would not eat the cake. It is crazy to think this time last year I had a tiny baby now I have a little girl who is all over the place. I could not get the pictures in order but here are some pics from her big day.

"Meme, they actually expect me to eat this!!"

The birthday girl!

Michael was a little nervous at this point. Emma was fascinated with the candle and wanted to touch the flame.

Here are a few things Miss Emma is up to these days:

1. She weighs right at 18 pounds. She is still rear-facing in the car.

2. She is still not walking but will stand for a long time. She has taken 3 steps. She is a little unsure of the whole walking thing. She will walk everywhere if we hold her hands.

3. She still LOVES dogs.

4. She is down to 2 bottles a day. She is not to into her sippy cup and wants someone to hold that for her.

5. She is becoming VERY uninterested in baby food. Coming up with ideas for food for her to eat is mindblowing.

6. She still loves to look at books.

7. She sleeps well at night but her naps are a little iffy.

8. She is in day care 2 days a week.

9. She laughs and smiles A LOT. She cries when she is tired or hungry.

10. She loves to be outside. She will point to go outside and even try to turn the doorknob to go out.

Happy Halloween

Emma had a pretty laid back first Halloween. Her Nana Gibson bought her a bee outfit for Halloween. Our neighborhood had a trunk-or-treat at our swimming pool parking lot. We headed down there for a little while to hang out with neighbors and eat hot dogs. We did not take Emma trick-or-treating. I knew I would be the one eating the candy. She did get one package of M&Ms but being the good Mommy that I am they somehow were handed out to a trick-or-treater. We never made it to a pumpkin patch this year. Not sure where all our October weekend went. Hope everyone else had a Happy Halloween (even if it is a month later)!!

Denial

I have not done an 11 month post because I am in denial that in 2 short weeks I will have a 1 year old. I figure if I don't post it then it is not true. Here are a few things Emma has been up to lately:

1. She has started pointing at everything.

2. She shakes her head no when we tell her no. She loves to test us and will even shake her head no when she knows she is doing something wrong (ex. playing in Cooper's toy basket, pulling on the plants, ) and before we can tell her no.

3. She says mama, dog, and dada. She will say dog when she sees a dog but she has also said it at the pumpkin basket.

4. A couple of times she has stayed standing up without holding on to anything.

5. She has 5 teeth.

6. She would much rather pull all of her books out of her basket then play with toys.

7. She will pinch our feet or pull on our pant's legs if she wants our attention.

8. She has started blowing kisses.

9. She has taken ONE step. I still think we are a ways away from walking which is fine by me.

10. She still warms our heart and brings a smile to our face everyday.

Spiritual Life for Women

I have joined a bible study at our Church that meets every Wednesday morning. This group of women has been a huge blessing to me. I have only been to 2 classes but I have learned a lot and am looking forward to the next class. The majority of the class consists of young moms but there is a "young" great-grandmother, a newly expecting mom, and a mom whose son is in Iraq. It is wonderful to hear all the different persepectives on everything from how to handle a bad day to being submissive in my marriage to how to raise Emma in a Godly way. Emma has been a great sport. She stays in the nursery and misses her morning nap. She knows Mommy needs the class. With all that said, tomorrows class is on motherhood and children. Each week we have different poems and prayers. I found the poems from this week to be a huge blessing and wanted to share them.



Blessing for a Child

May God protect you form every danger that you face.

May God give you the strength and courage to take failure, not as a measure of your worth, but as a chance for a new start.

May you care for the bodythat God has given you and thus be filled with health and wholeness.

May prosperity come your way, so that you are free from worry about food and drink, about home and shelter, but

May you never be so caught up in material things that you forget the essence of life lies not in possessions or money but in love and in God.

May you find the joy that is ever-present in God's creation.

May you find fulfillment in whatever you choose to do.

May you use your talents to serve in the way that God intends you to, helping your fellow humans and walking in the light of God

May you fully love and may you be fully loved.

May your happiness be unmarred by evil, spite, or maliciousness, either your own or someone else's.

May your path be one of goodness-leading to changes for the better in the lives of others.

May you be a source of light and inspiration to your family and friends, and may they be the same to you.

May God fill you with wisdom and grace, with virtue and knowledge, with patience and action, and with understanding and love.

May you be forever comforted by a strong and enduring faith in God, who created you and who sustains your life.



--- Ms. Elizabeth K. Camp

A Mother's Prayer

O God of boundless love, make my love strong, that I may perform with joy the duties of motherhood.

Help me persevere through times of fatigue and frustration.

Help me see the work of mothering as a sacrament, bringing your love to life, making it tangible.

Help me me become ever more awre of your countless blessings, so to fill my heart with continual thanksgiving.

Dear Lord, I receive such joy from you.

Grant that I may find the time I need to sit at the feet of Christ and listen, to fill his closeness, to learn of his love for me.

Teach me to make all my actions prayer, that busy or at rest I might always be near you.

Fill me with the quiet power of your spirit, so that through me, those I care fore may experience your most tender and merciful love.

Grant these my prayers for the skae of your Son Jesus Christ, who loves us without measure. Amen.

--- Dr. Karen A. Eshelman

10 Months Old

Emma started crawling the day she turned 9 months old. She has not slowed down since hence the lack in blogging. I sit down for a second, look up, and she is gone. It has been amazing wathing Emma explore and discover her world. Everyone said I would regret the day she started crawling but honestly I love it. Everyting is so wonderful to her. We have stayed busy during her 10th month but I honestly can not remember what we did. USC football has started back up so Michael has either been at the game or has has it on at our house. Michael's mom generously kept Emma for us so I could go to the USC/Wofford game. We enjoyed having friends in town and watching the Terriers play even if they did lose. This month was a sad month for us also. My grandfather passed away after a 5 year fight with congestive heart failure. As sad as it was to see him go we know he is in Heaven looking down on us. I know he is up there having the time of his life playing tennis, fishing, and hunting. One of Michael's good friend's father passed away the day after my grandfather. Unfortunately, it was a month of funerals and sadness. But we are able to relish in the joy of the precious daughter the Lord has blessed us with. I have been slack in taking pictures of Emma. I have been enjoying watching Emma and playing with her instead of spending the time taking pictures of her. I do regreat not having anymore pictures.

Emma dancing with Meme Haizlip.

Looking for the puppy dogs. Daddy attempting to read to Emma.
Still attempting to read to her. She was obviously more interested in making faces at mommy!

Nine Months Old

Where has my baby gone? It is hard to believe Emma is 9 months old. I think I say that every month. I am now officially one of those parent's that always says, " They just grow up too fast." Emma has had a busy 9th month. A few weeks ago, she was somehow scooting around. We would put her down in one place then come back a few seconds later to find her somewhere else. Then she began rolling over then sitting up on her own. Finally, I am happy to report she started crawling. It is pitiful at times. She will cry because she has to work to get to us. Also during this month she went on her first vacation to the beach. She loved it so much that her Doc is going to make her, her very own beach at the lake. Emma has really turned into a ham. She gets a kick out of us when we laugh at her. She is saying mama and dada. She is eating 3 meals a day. We are gradually starting to introduce more real foods. I am a little nervous about it because I do not want her to choke. She seems to like Cheerios. Everyday with Emma just becomes more and more fun. Michael and I look forward to all the fun times ahead. It is hard to believe in 3 short months we will have a one year old.

This is one of her recent faces. She would wrinkle her nose and blow out of it. Of course we all got a laugh our of it so she would do it again.

This is where we found her one day. We put her down in the middle of the rug in the den. I left for a second and came back in to find her pulling her toys out. This was before she was crawling.
She was so fascinated with the water. She studied it for the longest time.

Beach Bums Part 2

From Perdido Key we drove to Daytona Beach to spend a week with Michael's family. We stopped halfway to break up the trip. This trip was not as relaxing for me because Michael had to be in Lake Las Vegas for 3 days for a work conference. That meant I had to haul all the beach gear and Emma to the beach. Somehow we managed! I am happy to report I only fell down the stairs once. Emma got plenty of good attention from her grandparents, great-grandmother, and cousins. Needless to say since we have been home Emma has been fussy and all out of sorts. I can't tell if that is because she is readjusting to being home or because there is no one paying her attention constantly. Michael and I enjoyed our time away but we were ready to get home.

Beach Bums

For the past two weeks, Michael, Emma, and I have been on vacation. It was our first family vacation besides going to the lake. Our trip started off by us driving to Birmingham to meet up with the Johnson's. From there we all drove to Perdido Key, Flordia where we spent a week with the Johnson's and the Wansley's. We stayed in the Johnson's condo which by far is the nicest place I have ever stayed. It definitley spoiled me. Emma was the youngest of all the kids, and she loved all the excitment. She would watch all the kids running around. She also loved, loved the beach. She was not too sure about the ocean. Alot of that has to do with the fact that Michael took her out into the ocean and they immediately got knocked down by a huge wave. It was a very relaxing and much needed vacation.

Emma and Daddy right after they were knocked down by a wave. Michael did a good job of holding onto Emma.



Emma ate sand daily!!!

8 Months Old

Emma's first experience with Puffs. She seems to like them and will pick them up, but makes NO effort to put them in her mouth. She will eat them out of our hand but has no desire to feed herself.

These 2 pictures were of Emma after we went swimming at Michael's parent's house. She seriously stayed in the pool for at least an hour. She had a great time splashing, laughing, swimming, and watching her older cousins. By the time we pulled out of their driveway, she was out cold. She did not want to be bothered with. Emma is so cute when she is ready for bed. She throws her arm up over her head, turns her head towards her arm, and sucks on her bottom lip.
Emma is supposed to be working on crawling here but she decided to rest her little head instead.

Time is getting away from me. I missed posting a 7 month post about Emma and now all of a sudden she is 8 months old. Emma was with my parents this past week because Emma's caretaker was on vacation. My mom reluctantly offered to keep her. Michael and I were totally bored while we were home. We did not know what to do with our time. The house was way too quiet and calm. Don't get me wrong it was nice to relax and not have to work around Emma's schedule, but man we missed her a lot. It is hard to believe she is 8 months old. She seems to grow overnight. It is so much fun to watch her interact with her world. She is a great eater for the most part. I have not found a food she does not like except for peaches. She was not too fond of those. She does okay with veggies but usually after the second bite she refuses to eat anymore. Michael and I have started putting a little bit on the spoon then covering it in a fruit. Emma is not a great napper. Somedays she takes great naps then other days it is all I can do to get her to stay down for a nap. I put her down at the same time, let her cry, soothe her, etc but she just does not want to nap. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!!! She sleeps well at night. She is the most sporadic sleeper though. She wakes up at different times every morning. Somedays it is as early as 6:20 then a couple of times it has been as late as 9:00. She is not crawling and does not seem to be making too many strides in that direction. She is lazy like her daddy. I have even tried putting a toy she is interested in out of her reach. She will try reaching for it a few times but then decides the carpet is a lot more interesting. So she proceeds to play with the carpet or the floor and pick the dirt up. She is sitting up well, appears to be waving, smiles for the camera, passes toys from one hand to the other, and has just recently discovered the uh-oh game. She, like most babies, loves that game. She even played it with my mom's palm pilot and that did not go over too well for the palm pilot. She also has 4 teeth now and loves to grind them together. It is enought to drive one crazy. Enough jibber-jabber, here are a few pics from this past month.

Happy July 4th!

For Emma's first Fourth of July, we headed up to NC to visit the Wansley's. We all had a great time. The girls shopped and the boys got to hang out. The Wansley's hosted a cookout for the 4th. It was a nice evening and would have been better if a storm had not come up. I think we saw one set of fireworks. It is so much fun seeing Emma and Libby interact now. Even though Libby runs laps and is everywhere, they still like to watch each other.

Based on this picture, you would think Emma was not too fond of Libby but actually Emma adores Libby. At one point last weekend, Emma cried everytime Libby left her sight. Emma would just watch Libby play and run (Libby does not walk or sit still) around. Libby kept wanting to hold her and got upset when Emma was on her tummy fussing.

Yikes! Where has the time gone!

Future Wofford Terrier!! At least we hope we can afford the tution by the time she is old enough to attend Wofford.
Even though she looks a little nervous, she did enjoy her swimming time.

I am way behind on our blog. I keep meaning to sit down to post some pictures but I always end up doing something else. Miss Emma is growing everyday. She is 8 months old today. It is sad to think she is 4 months away from being a year old. She has had a busy 2 months. Michael and I were in Florida the first part of June for Amy Imfeld's wedding. Emma stayed with my parents for 3 whole nights. That was the first time we had been apart. Michael and I enjoyed our time away, but we were ready to get back to see Emma. Emma did great with my parents. I don't think she even missed us. Since then we have been going to the lake most weekends and staying busy at home. Emma also had her first experience in the swimming pool. She loved it! I think she would spend hours in there if we let her. She tries to grab the bubbles and likes to put her face in the water. I hope this love for swimming continues. I have gone back to work 2 days a week. This mommy needed a break from diaper duty. It has worked out well especially since Emma is in good hands. Here are 2 cute pictures of Miss Priss.

Our Little Riverrat

We were at the lake this past weekend for Memorial Day. On Monday, I decided to put Emma into her life jacket and see how she liked kayaking. I grew up going to the lake and love to be on the water so I am going to be terribly upset if my child does not like the water. She had to warm up to the life jacket but who can blame her (just look at the pictures). The life jacket swallowed her so much a fishermen could not even tell she was in there. She had a ball kayaking. She would squeal with delight and laugh when we went fast. She would cry when we stopped. Maybe next time we will attempt putting her into the big boat!!