Two weeks old already!

We had a busy weekend...Emmy got to meet her cousin Abby, Aunt Stacy, and Uncles Greg & Kevin for the first time. She is able to stay awake for longer periods of time now, and continues to eat like a champ (and has a buddha belly to prove it!). Keith's mom is here for the week, and we are able to get a little more sleep. It's a big help having another pair of hands around. My mom is coming next week, and is very anxious to meet her granddaughter!

I can't believe Em is already 2 1/2 weeks old already! In that short period of time, we have learned the following about her:
1) She is Queen of the Poopsies (as previously detailed, and then proved again when she got her Nana Stouder this weekend)
2) She sleeps like her mother (mouth open, feet uncovered, like a log)
3) She definitely has her daddy's nose
4) She's not a big fan of tummy time
5) She likes music (humming, lullabies, she's not terribly picky)
6) 3 am car rides are a favorite sleep aid
7) She knows her Mommy & Daddy by voice now
8) Camera flashes are no big whoop
9) For her, day is night and night is day (anyone know how to fix this?!)
10) She is very chatty, and has a good set of lungs

This is what keeps us awake at night!

Daddy & Emerson

The weather was so nice yesterday afternoon, we all went for a walk. Emerson tried out the Baby Bjorn with Daddy, and it was a big hit! She snuggled up with him, and had a nice nap after meeting some of our neighbors.

Let's Hear It for the Swing!

Last night was a long, long night. Emerson just couldn't get settled into sleep, and was fussy and noisy all night. Keith took the early shift with her, and let me sleep until about 1am. Once I took over, she never fell alseep for more than 15 minutes...which means neither did I. By this morning around 11am, I was beat. I fed her and then had a brainstorm...we have a baby swing upstairs that's assembled and ready to use! I strapped the kid in, turned on the music, and within 3 minutes she was out like a light! Thank goodness!!! That swing is my new best friend, and Em likes it too.

Oh, Whatta (poopy) Morning!!

Okay, so let me set the scene for you. We have a Pack-n-Play in our living room, and this is where the babe has been hanging out most of her sleeping hours. Our bedroom is awfully cold at night, so we've been taking turns sleeping on the couch, next the the P-n-P. It's worked out nicely, and the P-n-P has a little diaper changing station attached to it.

Well, this morning at around 5am, it was my shift to care for Em. It was time to eat, so I woke her up, wanting to change her before mealtime. When I checked her, she had a poopy diaper...but, clearly, she wasn't quite finished. This isn't a new phenomenon...she often decides she needs to do more business at diaper change time. No big deal, I'll give her a sec to finish as I get out a clean diaper and get some wipes ready. No prob...she seems done and I start cleaning her up.

Now, let me make a slight aside here, and just say that our dear daughter is the Queen of the Poopsies. She's not dainty about it, there's no getting around that fact. If you happen to be holding her, you would think a seismic event was occurring. The sound effects provided are rather disturbing coming from such a small being. But, I digress...

Back to the story...so, just as I am lifting her legs to clean her backside, she decides she's still not quite done. The damage done in that microsecond was, well, difficult to comprehend at 5 am. I've never seen poop fly like I did this morning! With a loud "squirt", there was poop up my arm...on the carpet...on the couch...all over the Pack-n-Play...and she even managed to hit the cat (who looked appropriately mortified and ran out of the room). It was everywhere, bright yellow, and daring me to freak out.

I have to say, I remained calm (must be the sleep deprivation). She, however, was
thoroughly ticked off it was taking me so long to finish changing her. (I couldn't decide where to begin cleaning up!) Poor Amos came back into the living room as I was finishing, and begged me to help him out. Wet wipes to the rescue...she really nailed him! I have a feeling we will all be a little gun-shy about diaper changes for a while.

Quote of the Week

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one.
~Leo J. Burke

The hardest job you'll ever love

Well, we've survived our first week as new parents. Once you bring a baby home, there's a whole new reality to adjust to, and it isn't easy! There's very little sleep going on at our house (except for Emerson, who sleeps like a hibernating bear). Around the clock feedings, diaper changes, and midnight car rides....ah, yes, this is what we signed up for!

I must say, and forgive me if I sound incredibly biased, but our kid is super cute. She is already used to the camera flash going off in her face, and isn't fazed by pictures taken during bathtime. We've seen little personality quirks coming to the surface, and it's so fun to watch.

She has arrived!

Yep, she was 2 weeks early! Our daughter, Emerson Grace (Emmy), was born at 5:27pm on 2/8 after 18 hours of labor. She weighed 7lb, 2.5 oz and was 19.5 inches long. She has a head full of thick, dark hair and is cute as a button. She had a good report from the hospital pediatrician team, and is such a good girl...even at 3 am. She is a joy and a blessing, and we are so glad she is finally here.

It's starting!

I was up last night at 2 am, having some pretty good contractions every 8-10 minutes. Finally, at 4am, I decided sleep wasn't gonna happen, and I got up. The cats kept me company as I walked, and did deep breathing. At a little before 8am, the contractions tapered off and I've only had a couple since then. I thought my OB appt was today, so we went in, and were told the appt was for tomorrow...oops, blame pregnancy brain. I talked to the triage nurse about my night, and the doc did some baby monitoring and then checked me. Right now, I am 1-2 cm dialated and 80% thinned out. Since I wasn't actively contracting, she let us go home to try to get some sleep. She thought she might see us later tonight though! We'll keep ya posted on our progress...off to nap while we can!

Maybe She'll Come Early??

Well, there are signs that I am in early labor....says the OB I saw today. Of course, early labor could last all week! Let's hope this means Babygirl will decide to make her arrival sooner than next Tuesday. (I'd certainly be all for it.) I would much rather go into labor naturally, than have to be hooked up to Pitocin. Plus, we're just tired of waiting for Babygirl to show her face...we want to meet her! We'll keep you posted!

How to Leave a Comment

So, we realize that many of you who view our blog are new to the whole "blogging scene". We wanted to make sure everyone knew how to leave a comment. We've changed our settings so that you don't have to have a Blogger/Google account in order to leave a note.

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Couldn't be easier, but if you don't do all three things, we won't see your comments! If you did it right, you should be able to see your comment posted immediately. We look forward to hearing from you!

Quote of the Week

Life is tough enough without having someone kick you from the inside. ~Rita Rudner

Yes, I was thinking this last night at 2 am, as I was in bed wide awake because Babygirl just couldn't settle down. She was a wild woman!