I Guess It Isn't Nap Time Yet

September 8th

I started school again last week, and am loving it. I don't particularly like being away from my little sweetheart, but it is good for us to have some time away from each other. (This totally sounds like I'm breaking up with someone- ha). Since she was born, she has pretty much been attached at my hip. Her Leelee has given me breaks to run errands, pick Alan up from work, and even go out for a date. Now, Alan is taking off two consecutive days each week while I'm in class to watch Emmylou. Great daddy time! Hopefully this will help him become a really involved father. I'm excited for him to be able to spend quality time with her, without me. While I feel the urge to leave notes like "if she won't settle down, a bath might help.. or if she's stinky from spitting up on herself several times this AM already, a bath might help there too" or "if she's screaming in her crib, she isn't sleeping" and "don't forget vitamins in her bottle" and "burp halfway through bottle"... but have refrained from doing this so far. That doesn't mean I don't leave less subtle reminders like placing her vitamins next to the bottle (they still didn't get put in..).

Ch-ch-ch-changes:
Her hair has really filled out. She loves grabbing her hands and shoving both of them in her mouth. She also realized she can grab her shirt and chew on it. She can do the same thing with her washcloth at bath time. She is a talking machine! No words, but I swear she mimics sounds- the dog barking, noises that we make, etc. She's about 25 inches long, and around 16.5 pounds. Getting close to 4 months old! I can't even believe it.. my baby girl is growing up so fast. I've said that since before she was born, but she just won't slow it down!

3 Months

My little cutie patootie is 3 months old. That sounds so big.. 12 weeks sounds smaller.

Here's a look at the past month:

Emmylou grabbed a toy for the first time on July 20th
She can make spit/milk bubbles
I've seen her do that thing I do with my mouth (how do I spell it out?) twice. I don't think she really realizes she can do it yet.
She can put herself to sleep.. who knows how long she's been able to do that, but recently we've been putting that skill to use. She takes naps in her crib, and sometimes sleeps in it at night. She usually wakes up around 4 or 5 AM, at which point I feed her and bring her to bed with Alan and me.
Emmylou absolutely loves her jumpers- Leelee and Papi have one, and Alan and I have one. Last week, she discovered how to really jump.
She's becoming very talkative- adding new coos and goos to her baby vocabulary every day.

I can hardly keep up with all her changes, but am trying to do a decent job of documenting. I have so many things to post, and will date them to keep track of when they actually happened.

Love,
L

First Real Tears, and Pool Time

Today, Emmylou cried her first real tears. Of course she cries when she's hungry, sleepy, has a diaper in need of changing, etc. but her eyes have only watered some, with no tears actually coming out. Tonight a single tear ran down her cheek. Hungry, and I had just gotten home. I relieved my husband of his attempts at settling her, and there it was, the little tear that could! I know, not the most joyous of firsts, but still a first.


Emmylou in the pool recently

This was a different day- it was her first time in the pool. Hopefully I can figure out the dates for these photos.

1 Year Anniversary

A year ago today I married a man I hardly knew. It tops my list of "crazy things I've done". 08/09/10 seemed like a day to do something special. Alan and I were hanging out, as we'd done every day since we met. We decided to go to the Galleria, but that turned out to be a terrible idea because of traffic, so we ended up at Schlotzsky's for pizza. We weren't sure what to do afterwards, but had agreed that 08/09/10 was a neat day, and something neat must take place. I suggested going swimming, he suggested getting married. I cooly agreed to his suggestion, and it turned into a bit of a game of chicken, which apparently neither of us was going to lose. Off to the courthouse we went, and an hour later we were married. A bit daring and crazy, a touch of romantic, and entirely a leap of faith.

Here's to forever,
L

Natalie's Party, and 3 Month Update

Here I am, still in awe that Emmylou is finally here, when I realize she's almost 3 months old. She is growing by leaps and bounds. Today-- well, yesterday now, LeLe and I went to Babies R Us to look at a jumper, and Emmy started getting a bit fussy. I was carrying her, and she started reaching for LeLe to hold her. She's never reached for someone to hold her before! LeLe took her, and we went to change her diaper.. I picked her up afterwards, and she reached for LeLe again. So no, it wasn't a fluke the first time.. she figured out how to express what she wanted.

Also, she's really figuring out how to make rattles work. She hits the lion rattle that's attached to her car seat to make it jingle, and she's been playing with the attachments on her new jumper, and on her play mat. So proud of my little munchkin.

Love,
L

Emmylou attended her first party (well, other than her Sip 'n See)! A friend from middle school invited us to her 23rd birthday party on Friday night. It had been years since I last saw her- come to think of it, middle school may have been the last time I saw her.

Anyway, we had to dress up as something that starts with the letter "N", for Natalie's birthday. What a clever theme!

I dressed up as Night, scrambling for a last-minute costume. It wasn't until we arrived at the party that I realized I could have worn whatever I had on earlier and just been a "New mommy".. but I love dressing up.

(photo to come)

tights by Betsey Johnson, dress from American Apparel, earrings from Eden- a Houston boutique that is now closed :(, and vintage Gucci shoes

Emmy dressed up as a Newborn wearing a Nautical Navy little Number. Pretty good, huh? The birthday girl fell in love with her, and held her until we left the party. They looked so cute together!

Emmylou's romper is Janie and Jack, an excellent Good Will find. The top over it is also Janie and Jack, found at Kid to Kid, a children's resale store. The adorable socks are Trumpettes, given to her from Aunt Nedra and Adrian.

So Sweet- Taken July 29th

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She Grabbed Her Octopus!

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Dresser

A few months ago I picked up this 1950's dresser from the sweetest old lady. She was selling most of her furniture so she could move into a smaller house- the last of her five children had long since moved out. Her youngest son helped get the dresser into my car. I couldn't believe it was his when he was a little boy- he was a large man, and looked to be in his 40's now. The dresser only needed some refinishing, but I wanted to add something new to it. I cut up some scrap booking papers I'd bought at Michael's and Mod Podged them in the drawers and cabinet. I added a mirror to the cabinet door. It will be her future costume closet. Here and there are scribbled notes or cut-out images for Emmylou to find when she's older.

 

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong somewhere close to me

Far away from your trouble and worry

You belong somewhere you feel free

-Tom Petty

Surgery Today

for months, i've felt like this day was so far away. and then here it was. i got to the hospital at 7:30 am, and was having surgery a bit after 9 am. just before leaving the pre-op room, i was given a dose of something and was out before getting to the operating room. it was 11:15ish when i woke up in the recovery room. all i've heard about the surgery is that the tumor was larger than expected, and a few of my lymph nodes were also removed. mom is staying the night with me, but alan stayed with me for a few hours this afternoon. tomorrow morning i'll be released.. i still need to get the drain in my neck removed. hopefully the rest of my recovery goes well- i'm ready to get on with life.

i couldn't quite get that eye open while the anesthesia was wearing off.

Two Posts

I haven't had any time to write lately, unfortunately. There is so much to write about, but no time to do it. We haven't been getting much sleep and the days are really running together. During the first days home from the hospital, I couldn't tell day from night. I would wake up thinking I had left the light on in Emmylou's room, only to realize it was the sun shining through her curtains. Aside from that, I don't remember much of what we did that first week. I'm still getting used to breastfeeding. The first week and a half was rough! Emmylou may have ended up on formula if I hadn't read "Breastfeeding Made Simple: 7 Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers" by Nancy Mohrbacher and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett.

June 21st

My last day at Freebirds was May 26th, the day before Emmylou was born. On Tuesday the 24th, I told my manager not to put me on the schedule for the next week. I had a feeling that Emmy wasn't going to wait for her original June 1st due date to arrive. I guess it was mother's intuition or something! Anywho, I had planned on returning to Freebirds after I had the baby and continuing working until I had my thyroid surgery, and then looking for a new (and improved) job. It wasn't until the 26th that my manager informed me that my leaving to have the baby was considered a voluntary termination, but that I could re-apply there as soon as i felt ready to do so. It definitely wasn't a job worth re-applying for when I wanted to find a new job anyway. So, I've been able to have time off with Emmylou, which I am so thankful for. She's growing so fast, and I'd much rather spend time with her than at a job I don't particularly like. Now to get to the real point! One day, my mom and I were at Joann's Fabrics and stumbled across an ad.. a woman needed someone to sew appliques, etc. on children's clothes a few days a week. It sounded like a potentially good opportunity, so I called. It turned out to be everything I hoped! A job that allows me to work near/at home, and will teach me what I need to know about starting a business. I feel so lucky right now. A lovely little family, perfect job, and my goals finally seeming within reach. Now to get this surgery out of the way. Nervous.

PS: Alan turned 25 yesterday. Happy Birthday sweetness!

Love,
L

First Photoshoot

Yes, I made that there beautiful baby. Yesterday, she had her first portraits taken by Shannon, who has photographed my brother and I since we were in middle school. I still remember the first time she photographed us- she's something else! She captures moments that not many people are able to differentiate from any other moment, until the film is developed. This particular photo is just a peek at what's to come, taken from my phone. I am so fortunate that we know Shannon- it was so important to me to get professional photos of her at a week old. She will never be this way again. And photos taken by me with my phone or my digital camera just wouldn't capture that perfect newborn-ness. She's so dainty, small, and innocent. It amazes me that her thoughts and opinions about what she sees and experiences in her first years will be influenced by me. While I'll can't be certain how much my approach will affect her ideas about things, I'm going to be doing a lot of thinking about how I introduce her to the world around her.

Love, 

L