Easter Fun

We had a good Easter weekend, spending it at the Smith Mountain Lake State Park in Virginia.  We rented a cabin with Stacy, Greg & Abby.  The weather was fantastic, and we enjoyed an Egg Hunt at the Discovery Center at the State Park, hikes around the lake, and cousin time.  The girls played together and entertained Liam.  They were able to dye & decorate eggs, have a mini-Egg Hunt outside our cabin on Easter morning, and do some Easter crafts.  We really enjoyed the park, and think we will make the trek up to SML again.  It was about a 2.5 hr drive for us, and the lake is very large.  In the summer, you can rent all manner of boats/canoes/kayaks, etc.  There are activities scheduled throughout the year, and the cabins were really nice.  Excellent find!

Liam's Word List @ 10 months

Liam is quickly learning words, and it is clear that he understands much of what we say to him.  He can sign "more" (vigorously in some cases!), and has started mimicking his sister's actions.  They have started playing copy-cat games, which usually results in a fit of giggles from both of them.  This week, Liam said "ni-ni" and waved good night to Daddy before heading up to bed.  He can say Da-Da, Ma-Ma, ba-ba and bye-bye.  He's working on "kitty", and I swear he said Je-Je when I asked him if he was ready to go see Jeffrey.  When I ask where his belly is when I am changing his diaper, he loves to slap his tummy to make a funny sound.  His little personality is so sweet & fun.  He is usually all smiles and has a great sense of humor.  10 months is a fun, fun age!

You Say Goodbye, and I Say Hello...

It's been a season of change here at our house...little boy is changing very rapidly this last month.  Lots of new milestones celebrated!  He's sprouted 2 little teeth on the bottom (so dang cute), learned to crawl (which sorta reminds me of someone doing the worm across the living room floor), is waving bye-bye, doing "touchdown" when prompted, signing "more", and playing peek-a-boo.  He's a big ham, and loves to smile & laugh.  Such a fun, fun age.  We brushed his little chompers for the first time tonight.

I have officially stopped breastfeeding, and that was met with a little sadness mixed with elation.  I feel like a free woman, but also sort of mourned the fact that it was the last baby I would nurse, the last time my body would do this.  It's very empowering to be able to feed your child with your body.  On the flip side, I can begin running & exercising without pain again, and that feels so, so good!

I registered Emerson for kindergarten last week.  Sigh...I can't believe we are sending her off to school in the fall.  Real school.  Have to plan your life around the school calendar kinda school.  She is so very ready for the challenge of kindergarten, and I know she will love it.  The school she will attend has 5 kindergarten classes, and each teacher has a blog.  I hope to be able to get involved at her school in some way...maybe PTA, maybe volunteering in her classroom periodically.  I am the library helper at her school now, which means we get books for the class each weekend that follow the theme for the coming week.  I do love that, and the teachers are so grateful for the bounty of books.

I am making a commitment to my BFF, Jen, to run a half marathon with her this fall.  I've never run more than a 5K, so this should be interesting!  The destination is still undecided...maybe Chicago, maybe someplace warmer.  I have begun running again, and am up to 2.5 miles.  I intend to try to join a local running group for some pointers & inspiration to hit those longer runs.  I need to load my iPod with some new running songs, and get some new shoes.  I am looking forward to the challenge, and hope that at the end of this year, I can say that I enjoy running (can't really say that now).  We'll see!  I intend to start doing some 5K's in March & April, and work up the distance from there.

I am attending a week-long CME conference in Raleigh this week.  I have to recertify (take my national boards) again on 3/31.  PA's have to do this every 6 years to keep our certification, and the ability to stay licensed.  It's a very broad, comprehensive exam...covering all facets of medicine (surgery, emergency med, peds, OBGYN...much of it stuff I haven't practiced in quite some time).  I am giving a lecture at this conference as well.  The audience is almost all PA's and NP's, and the attendance this year is around 400 people.  Wow....anxiety-provoking at all?!  I may need a glass of wine at lunch to make my talk go a little more smooth.  I look forward to catching up with some former classmates who are also recerting soon.  Should be a good week!

We had Liam's dedication service at church this past weekend.  Not a baptism, more like a blessing.  Liam attempted to leap out of my arms during the entire thing...enthusiastic little bugger!

And....she's 5!

Emerson celebrated her 5th birthday at Glazed Expectations, a paint-your-own pottery shop.  She invited a gaggle of girls, and it was so fun to see her interacting with her friends from school.  We often hear about these girls over the dinner table, so it was cute to see them all clustered together around the table, heads together, giggles galore.  Everyone got to paint a piece of pottery, we made tiaras, colored princess coloring sheets/had a princess quiz game, and had snacks & cake.  Em requested a butterfly cake, which I was happy to create.  We had a school party on Weds, and we baked butterfly butter cookies, which Em helped decorate.  On the morning of her birthday, she was greeted downstairs with a giant Ariel balloon and birthday banner, and a pile of presents.  She had requested only 2 things:  a cash register, and a running suit.  We went out to dinner that night, letting her chose the location.  She decided upon Red Lobster, requesting a crab cake, popcorn shrimp & a cheese biscuit.  She didn't think they sang to people at that restaurant, but she was wrong!  She got a serenade & an ice cream sundae.  Overall, I think it was a successful 5th birthday!

PS...the little boy standing next to Em in the class photo wants Emerson to be his Valentine!

7 months, not quite 8

There are so many things to love about Liam!  He has completed our family, although I will say it is amazing how different parenting a second child is, compared to the first.  We are no longer "green" parents, worrying over the smallest detail or sound.  Not fussing over developmental milestones, and allowing him to be who he is, at his own pace.

Some things I am especially enjoying about the wonderful age of 7 months...

1)  Rolls and dimples everywhere...knuckle dimples, wrist rolls, double chin, buddha belly, chubby thighs...I love them all.
2)  How his eyes light up when his sister (or one of the cats) walks into the room.
3)  His head of thick curly brown hair...it's totally adorable, and earns him compliments everywhere we go.
4)  How he holds his own bottle, and the little sighs and contented groans he makes when he drinks his milk.
5)  Nursing no longer is painful (but those teeth are bound to show up soon)
6)  Speaking of no teeth, I know the days of gummy smiles are numbered, but oh, how I enjoy them.
7)  The babbling, and occasional sounds of ma-ma, ba-ba, and da-da that we hear.  I don't think he really correlates them to anything yet, but I sense he understands what we mean when we say them.
8)  The high-pitched squeals when he's excited about something...they can occasionally be ear-piercing, but they are his way of communicating right now.
9)  His eyebrows are so expressive.
10)  He's a tummy sleeper, and can finally do this safely.
11)  He's close to soldier crawling, but right now can only spin around on his belly.  He usually does this in order to see what his sister is doing.  He gets frustrated that he can't do more yet.
12)  Emerson can elicit big belly laughs from him like no one else.  It's a joy to see them interact.
13)  Learning to slash in the bathtub.
14)  Watching his mind work as I do sign language, sing him songs, read a book or play patty-cake...he's soaking it all in silently.
15)  I love to let him sleep on my shoulder after the last feeding of the night.  Milky breath, baby snores, and the smell of baby shampoo.  I could stay there all night.
16)  I'm so glad that his baseline disposition is that of happy boy, much like his sister was a happy baby girl.  He's an easy-going little guy, as long as the milk delivery is kept on schedule.  
17)  I am so thankful he is a healthy, robust little boy.  I worried we wouldn't get here 7 months ago when we were sitting in the NICU with a 5 lb baby.

I love this kid, and wish his babyhood wasn't flying by so quickly.  I really am trying to remember to take time to enjoy this period, rather than tiredly slog through another day.  It's just another day closer to a first birthday, a first day of kindergarten and a hundred other firsts.  

Age 4, not quite 5

Emerson will turn 5 in February, and I must say, I can't believe how fast the time has gone.  I have enjoyed age 4, with all the stubbornness, growth spurts, sweetness and sass.  This girlie has got quite a personality and charms everyone she meets (then yaks their ear off).

Things I love about Emerson at age 4:
1)  We must "pinky promise" a lot these days.
2)  Her sense of humor, and the oodles of giggles that erupt from her regularly.
3)  Her vivid imagination, and eye for details (she completely recreated the dentist's office the evening of her appointment, and replayed the visit word for word in the living room!)
4)  How she skips everywhere we go now.
5)  That she seems to have finally conquered the thumb-sucking habit, and she is immensely proud of this.
6)  She is on the cusp of becoming a reader...she loves to copy words down, asks how to spell everything, and enjoys practicing writing.
7)  She has wrapped and unwrapped various gifts for virtually every family member at least 3 times.  No telling what's inside.
8)  She loves to help Mom in the kitchen, which usually means a mess will ensue.
9)  She still wants to hold my hand, and occasionally will tell me, "I want to hold your hand forever"...love.
10)  She seems to have friends all over Chapel Hill, as it I don't think we can go anywhere in this town without someone yelling out, "Emerson!"  (and then, "oh, Hi Emerson's Mommy")
11)  She routinely tells us, "OK, here are your choices..." or, "OK, guys, here's the deal".  I find this hilarious.
12)  She is an amazingly loving big sister, often kissing Liam's head and telling him how much she loves him.
13)  Her fashion sense by far surpasses her mother's.  (and man, can this girl accessorize!)
14)  She still must have her blankie to sleep.
15)  She has a wonderfully compassionate and giving spirit, often thinking of others.
16)  She has memorized countless Christmas carols, and belts them out in the car.
17)  She will finally talk to people on the phone...much to everyone's joy.
18)  Her "r's" still sound like "w's", and honestly, I will be sad when she can pronounce them the right way.
19)  She loves to play opposites, rhyming words or I Spy....any time, any where.
20)  She has been drawing family portraits, which usually include her in pigtails, and Liam in a Santa suit.

I love this girl, and am so thankful for the joy she has brought to our lives.

December Happenings

We're only a week into this month, and it already feels rather full.  Last weekend, we went to Hillsborough to the annual Holiday Parade.  Such a cute little town, and fun to watch the marching bands and fire trucks go down the street.  I wore Liam in a baby carrier, and he took in the sights.  We took some food to our friends who adopted a newborn boy (cute as a little button) a few weeks ago.  They looked tired, but so full of joy.  It was a lovely thing to see.  Em had a birthday party at the Little Gym on Sunday, and hung out with her new little bestie girlfriend, Katie.  I got some cute pics of them together and Katie's family invited Emerson over for a playdate...her first!  We put up the tree & Christmas decorations over the weekend, and blasted Christmas music to help get us in the mood.  It's been unseasonably warm here, so it's hard to feel holiday-ish when you can wear shorts.  I pulled out the Advent calendar that I made a few years back, and Em has been enjoying opening a tin each morning...she is so amazed when the events match up with what we're doing that day...how totally cool is that?!  We're going to see Disney on Ice (Tangled) soon, and we will begin doing some holiday baking this week for a cookie exchange at church on Sunday.  Em and I were making a mental list of the things we want to bake over the next few weeks...carmel corn, chex mix, butter cut-out cookies.  We're trying a new cookie recipe for the exchange...peanut butter reindeer cookies, thanks to Pintrest (my newest time-suck!).  Liam is scooting around the floor on his tummy, and somehow makes it from one side of the room to the other without rolling or crawling....it's sorta like a slow-motion slug, but way cuter.  He still hasn't popped a tooth yet, but is definitely teething.  Em was playing beauty shop with him tonight, and he was very tolerant.  He's back upstairs in his crib at night now, and it's going pretty well.   I need to get going on sewing his Christmas stocking...it will be here before we know it!