November 2007 - January 2008

We have been very busy the last few months! Lots of new things going on including Jim starting a new job, me starting mine, and of course Emma learning new things all the time. We have been taking advantage of living so close to our families and have visited them often. Thanksgiving and Christmas were extra special this year. Jim and I hadn't been home for Thanksgiving in years and we could drive up for Christmas vs. flying across the country! Emma had so much fun eating like a big girl at the table with everyone and opening her presents. She was exhausted after all the excitement, but loved the attention. Emma saw the pediatrician the week after Thanksgiving and weighed 20 lb 5 oz. In November, she learned to put the phone to her head and say "hello" and "bye". She could combine 2 words like "thank you". She learned to Peek-a-boo and Hide and Seek, and her favorite t.v. show is "Jack's Big Music Show" (she asks for "Jack"). She knows about 6 signs, but we aren't really teaching them anymore because she learns to say the words just as fast. She fed herself with a spoon for the 1st time the day after Christmas-of course making a huge mess! She knew all the parts of her face by December, and by the end of January she learned her belly, toes, hands, and feet. She smacks her lips when she kisses. Her vocabulary is getting huge, we lost count of how many words she knows because she adds another every day or two! She can say Grandma ("Mahma"), Grandpa ("Papa"), Tim, Chad, Chrissy ("Ris" or "Rissy") and knows who Rachel is, but has a hard time with her name! She repeats a lot of what people say, so we have to remind everyone to behave themselves! On January 25th she got her 10th tooth (4 this month). My favorite new phrase is "La Loo" (love you). She got 2 Elmo books for Christmas so she loves him and calls him "Melmo". She started saying her name "Memma" but has figured out it is Emma. When asked how old she is she puts up a finger and says "One". She does "So Big" by putting up her hands and saying "Big"! She knows what her diaper is and sometimes says "Diapoo" when she wakes up and wants it changed. She can count on her fingers to 3. Jim and I are amazed at all she has learned in the last few months. She is looking and acting more like a toddler all the time! We will add more pictures again in a few months.

Emma's First Birthday

Emma's birthday was October 26th and she had lots of fun! Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Jim came down, and we went with Emma's 2nd cousins Taylor and Kait and their Mommy Natalie to Chuck E. Cheese. The girls enjoyed watching the show and playing, and the big people did, too! On the 27th we went to Grandma and Grandpa Sharp's to visit. On the 28th she had her big party. About 50 people came to share her big day, and she was spoiled with lots of goodies. Everyone loved watching her smash her cake all over her face! Everything was perfect and we all had a great birthday weekend. We have a lot of special memories from her 1st year, and we look forward to every exciting, wonderful moment of her 2nd year!
Keep an eye out for more pictures in a few months!

Emma's Twelfth Month

Back home in Indiana! We (finally) moved to Fishers on October 1st! We started the drive on September 29th and stopped in Georgia that night and Kentucky on the 30th. Emma slept quite a bit during the trip, and played with Mommy or had snacks to pass the rest of the time. She has acclimated well to her new home, but babyproofing is hard with boxes everywhere! We have finally put most things away, but it is still a work in progress! We are so happy to be back home. We love that we can see our family and friends any time we want.
Emma's first cold lasted 2 weeks. She had a runny nose and her eyes got really swollen for a few days, but otherwise she didn't seem to feel bad. We saw her pediatrician for the last time on the 28th. He said she is doing well, she weighs 19 lbs. (25th percentile) and her length is 29 in. (60th percentile). We will miss him, he was a great doctor! We see our new pediatrician for her 1 year shots on the 29th. Hopefully they will be as wonderful as Dr. Meyer! She learned 2 more signs, light and all done. She also learned to say eat ("Eee") and all done ("Ah da") when she is signing them. Now instead of saying "Uh oh" all the time it is "All Done"! She has been saying "Dat" for cat, dog, and duck, and now she can say fish ("Fsh")! She learned to make the doggie noise on the 7th and Grandma Sharp taught her to make the duck noise on the 13th. She does her noises very well! She tried whole milk for the first time on the 3rd and now drinks it 3 times a day. She only has breastmilk before bed. I am going to completely wean her from breastmilk after we get the OK from the doctor on the 29th. She eats a lot now! She is pretty picky, though. Of course, she loves anything sweet, so fruit isn't a problem. Meats and veggies don't go so well. I have been sneaking her veggies in the form of sweet potato and zucchini bread! Occasionally she will have a little meat, but I have been giving her peanut butter for protein lately. It is difficult to make sure she gets all the nutrition she needs, but I think we are doing pretty good. She now walks really well. She was only taking occasional steps last month, but on the 4th she walked across the entire living room! Once she realized she could do it, she has been all over the place. She is wobbly, but she is getting pretty fast! We went to Coulter's Pumpkin Patch in Westville with Grandma Sharp, Aunt Rachel, Uncle Tim, Grandma Debbie, Grandpa Jim, and Great-Grandpa J.J. on the 13th. She enjoyed looking at all the pumpkins. We tried a pony ride and but she was scared of it. Grandma Sharp taught her to blow kisses when we were leaving to come home. She still waves and says hi to everyone everywhere we go! She is such a sweet little girl and we are having a great time watching her learn and grow.

Emma's Eleventh Month

Our big news this month is that we sold our house! We will be moving the 29th and living in Fishers by October 1st. We can't wait, but this is going to be one busy month!
Emma learned how to point at things this month. If she wants something, now she can communicate it with us. She learned her second sign, eat, and tells us all the time that she is hungry!
She loves to cuddle with her blankie and with Mommy and Daddy. She said her 5th word, "Hi" on September 1st and waves and says hi to everyone she meets! She learned how to point to Mommy's nose and eyes. She said "Uh oh!" on the 4th and says it constantly now. She deliberately throws things just to have an excuse to say it! Our big day was the 5th when Emma took her first steps!!! She took 4 steps to Mommy and since then she has taken up to 6, but prefers to crawl for now. She only walks when she isn't trying, then drops to her knees as soon as she realizes it. She got her 3rd tooth on the 7th and 4th tooth on the 21st (top front). She does a huge smile with her eyes squinted to show them off. Emma and Mommy flew to Indiana (Emma's 5th trip up there by plane) for Uncle Tim's Confirmation. We were there the 7-17th. While we were there, she learned how to kick a ball. We also went to our first Purdue football game with Grandma Debbie, Grandpa Jim, Great-Grandpa J.J., Uncle Chad, and Tiffany. We watched Purdue beat Central Michigan by a landslide! Grandma Sharp taught her that a cat says "Meow" and she meows so good I think it really is Abby sometimes! She had macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese for the first time and loves them both! She loves to eat like a big girl. She has milk 4 times a day now, and 3 are in a cup. Unfortunately, Emma had her first cold at the end of this month. Just a runny nose, she was still herself playing and giggling as usual. We see Dr. Meyer for her last check-up before we move in a few days. Indiana, here we come!!

Emma's Tenth Month

This month, Emma started drinking her milk from her sippy cup. She has milk 5 times a day, and 2 of them are now from a cup. I plan to have her take all of them from the cup by the time she turns one and switches over to cow's milk. She can now drink from the sippy all by herself. She said her 4th word, kiss, and kisses us all the time. She also started hugging and kissing her stuffed animals. She threw/pushed a ball for the first time. We discovered a fun place called Play Zone that we now go to every Wednesday for Emma to play with other kids. They have soft play mats and toys for her to let loose. We still go to storytime, too. She waves at everyone and everything, especially at Daddy when he comes home from work. She can stand alone for about 30 seconds and walk when you hold her hands or when she has her cart to push. She can bend down and pick things up with great balance, too. She learned on her own to put her purse on her arm-she sticks her arm straight out so it doesn't fall off! She loves jewelry and shoes, too, so we will have trouble when she is a teenager! Her favorite book and song is Personal Penguin, she loves reading books and if she is upset, all Daddy or I have to do is sing that song and she calms down and smiles. She can turn pages all by herself and points at the pictures. She points to anything that catches her eye and to things that she wants. She still has just 2 teeth on the bottom, but I feel them on top so they may come soon. Her smile is so cute with her little teeth sticking out! We have been teaching her a few signs since she was about 4 months old, and she now can do the sign for milk. She recognizes more, eat and ball, but can't do them yet. All three of us went to Indiana for a visit for my 29th birthday and to apartment hunt in Indy. We didn't think we would be moving yet, just wanted to be ready when the house sold. When we got back, we had an offer and we close on October 4th! We are moving to Fishers, IN on October 1st. We will see the Pediatrician one last time next month before we move, but she didn't see him this month. She has been so healthy, she has never been sick. We can't wait to move back home and spend more time with our families!

Emma's Ninth Month

This month, we started things out by taking Emma to see the White Sox sweep the Devil Rays. She clapped and cheered like the rest of the crowd! For the 4th of July, we put her in her baby pool for the first time. She didn't really like it at first, but found out it was kinda fun after a bit. That evening, Mommy, Daddy and Emma went to see the Fireworks at St. Pete Pier. We were sure we had made a huge mistake and they were going to scare her, but she LOVED them! She cuddled on Mommy's lap and looked up at the sky for the whole thing. She has taken a few steps while standing along the furniture, but if we try to hold her hands and walk with her she isn't ready yet. She learned to drink with a straw! She is getting better at eating solids, and has explored more table foods. She is starting to get sick of the mushy jar foods, so I have been thinkening it up a lot or steaming veggies and fruits to feed her. If I cut them in little chunks she will eat them. She went with Mommy to storytime at the library, and Mother Goose read to us and we sang songs. Actually, Emma mostly crawled around and explored everything! She is extremely energetic and keeps us on our toes. She has to check everything out, and her favorite toys are not toys at all (Mommy's sunglasses, spoons, measuring cups, and of course everything she isn't supposed to have!). Mommy and Emma joined Jenni (her Godmother) and her family in Orlando for a day and went to Arabian Nights and Disney World! Neither of us liked Arabian Nights, Emma thought it was too dark and noisy, but Disney World was lots of fun! It was really hot that day, so we had to stay indoors a lot, but we managed to watch a parade, ride the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and have lunch with the Winnie the Pooh Characters! Emma loved to look at the characters and dance with them. The next day she said "cat" for the first time! This is her 3rd word, we thought she said "bye" a few months ago but it was just a fluke. She saw the Pediatrician on the 26th and weighed 18 lb. 1 oz. and was 29 inches long. She is at the average weight for her age (50th percentile) but at the 95th percentile for her length! She is getting big so fast! Her hair has grown a lot lately, too. She is starting to look less like a baby and more like a little girl!

Emma's Eighth Month

We had a big month this month! She learned to go from tummy to sitting at the beginning of the month. Jim's side of the family came to visit for a week to help us get the house ready to sell. While they were here, we went to the zoo and rode the Merry-Go-Round, went to Busch Gardens, and rode on our neighbor's boat. She got her first tooth on June 4th! She learned how to crawl the next day! It didn't take her very long to get really fast-she keeps me very busy chasing after her! She has tried some finger foods this month, mostly by me feeding her, but she is learning to grab things on her own, too. She doesn't have the pincer grasp yet so she rakes her hands over things and has a hard time getting them in her mouth. She practices drinking water from her sippy cup every day, but she doesn't quite get that yet so I have to tip it up for her. Jim had his first Father's Day, unfortunately it was spent mostly working on the house because we listed it the next day. He did get to take a nice nap with her and play with her a lot, and we plan to go out for a nice belated Father's Day dinner soon. Emma also learned how to dance this month. This is my favorite thing she does now. She has pretty good rhythm, too! On the 20th, Emma and I went to Indiana for a week to visit the family. We watched four of Uncle Tim's baseball games, visited lots of family and friends, went to a graduation party, swam in Grandma and Grandpa Sharp's pool, and took Aunt Rachel to Purdue to check out the campus. We hope she will decide to go there next year! It was fun to visit the campus again and show Emma where Daddy and Mommy met. While we were visiting Great-Grandma Rudy on the 22nd, Emma pulled herself up to the couch! Within a few days, she was pulling herself up to everything. Her second tooth popped in on the 24th while we were home, too. We hated to leave Daddy behind, but with Emma growing so fast we had to show off all she can do! Jim and I joked before we left that she would probably learn something new while we were away from him, and she did! We don't see the Pediatrician again until the end of July, but we weighed her at home and she weighed a little over 18 lbs. and was about 27 1/2 in. long. We have had a very fun month with her and we hope we will get to move home soon so we can share everything with the family.

Emma's Seventh Month

Emma can sit entirely on her own. She creeps around on her belly. She learned to slap my hand when I say "Gimme five". If you take something away that she isn't supposed to have, she cries and throws her whole body back in a tantrum. She said her first word on April 30th- Mama! It actually comes out more like "Mom-Mom". She usually only says it when she needs me, so more than ever she has me wrapped around her little finger. On May 21st she said Dada, which of course thrilled Jim. She waved and said Bye-bye twice, but isn't so good at that one yet.

My first Mother's Day was very special. I told Jim all I wanted was to spend time with the two of them. Emma and I joined him in Orlando for four days for a conference. We had a great little vacation, and spent most of our time splashing in the pool. This was Emma's first time in a pool and she loved it! When we got back, my Grandma and cousin came to visit for a week. Emma went to the beach for the first time on the 18th. She didn't like that so much yet since I wouldn't let her eat the sand, but she sure did look cute in her bikini! That week she also learned to kiss and say "Ay!" (yay) and clap her hands. We saw the Pediatrician on the 11th and she weighed 16 lbs. 7 oz. and was 27 in. long ( 75th percentile for weight and length). Her sleeping issue has gotten better, but isn't perfect yet. She still cries when it's time for naps and bedtime, but not for quite as long. Otherwise, she is a perfect angel!

Emma's Sixth Month

Half a year already! We can’t believe how time has flown. We celebrated our first Easter as a family, and Emma loved cuddling up on the fuzzy Easter Bunny's lap. She has learned some exciting new things this month. She can sit pretty much on her own. She just needs to work on her balance, and in the meantime, we surround her with pillows! Now that she can roll both ways, she rolls over and over to get around the living room. Now that she is mobile, child-proofing the house has been important. Since we are hoping to sell our house this year and move to Indy, my child-proofing has been to pack up anything she can’t get into and put it in storage! She loves bath time more than ever. She can sit up in the tub and likes to splash with her hands and squeal. Her teeth are still not through, but I can feel the bumps. I think she is getting used to it because she doesn’t cry about them anymore. She always has her tongue out to rub on her gums. It’s pretty cute. She is eating three solid meals a day now, cereal in the morning, fruit for lunch, and a veggie for dinner. She isn’t picky so far, except for green beans which make her gag. She says “Mmmm” with every bite, which is my fault. When she first started solids, I was saying “Mmmm” as I fed her without even realizing it. Now she thinks that is what she is supposed to do! We think it’s funny so we egg her on. We gave her a sippy cup with water for the first time to see if she was interested but she isn’t quite ready for it yet. We saw the Pediatrician on the 16th and she weighed 15 lbs. 15 oz. and was 27 in. long (still in the 60th percentile for weight and the 90th for length). Our only problem is with falling asleep. She has been sleeping through the night for about three months, but falling asleep is a nightmare. She cries and fights like crazy when I put her down for her three naps and bedtime. We are working on it and it has gotten better, but I guess she doesn’t want to miss anything! We are really enjoying her right now, she is lots of fun to play with and has such a cute personality.

Emma's Fifth Month

Emma now pushes her entire body up while on her tummy. She rolls from her back to her tummy all the time. She sleeps on her tummy now, too. If you try to flip her back, she goes right back to her tummy! She scoots her upper body around to follow things and reach for toys. She squeals when she is happy and babbles a lot.

Her teething is getting more painful now, she chews on things alot and sucks on her lower lip. She really started watching us eat and drink. She especially loves water bottles. She reaches out for them, opens her mouth and leans in to have a sip. Of course when she takes a sip it ends up down the front of her shirt, so we usually just pretend! She started grabbing my face with both hands and nuzzling when she is tired, which of course melts my heart. She still loves bath time and now kicks her feet in the tub to splash. We saw the Pediatrician on the 14th and she weighed 14 lbs. 9 1/2 oz. and was 26 in. long. When she was born, she was in the 80th percentile for both weight and length, now she is in the 60th for weight and the 90th for length. Maybe she will be a basketball player like Uncle Tim!

The doctor told us we can start cereal, so Emma had rice cereal for the first time on the 16th! She had it all over her face on the first day, but by day two she gobbled it up. She also tried oatmeal and bananas and loves those, too. After our Indiana visit, Grandma Debbie came to visit us on the 26th. She said she couldn't resist now that she is eating fruit and cereal! Emma is such a big girl and changing all the time. Soon her little teeth will poke through and she will be crawling!

Indiana Visit March 2007

Emma and I visited everyone back home for a long weekend in March. We flew alone, which I was a little concerned about, but Emma was great. I worried that without Jim's help I may have my hands full, but she had an 8 month old buddy on the way there and back that kept her company when she wasn't eating, sleeping or playing with Mommy. We visited Grandparents and Great-Grandparents, went to a Fish Fry with Great-Grandma and Grandpa Meegan, went to Uncle Tim's basketball game, and went to Lowell for the day on Sunday. Mostly, we just played and showed off all she learned to do since Christmas!

Emma's Fourth Month

Emma's fourth month was a busy one! We had some friends over for the Super Bowl, and we had fun cheering on our 2 favorite teams. Jim got permission from his company to work remote, so we are working hard to get our house ready to sell and move to Indy. We can't wait to be closer to our family and friends, but our friends here will be missed. Emma celebrated her first Valentine's Day! Daddy took his girls out to eat, then we came home and opened presents. That night, Grandma Debbie, Grandpa Jim, and Great-Grandpa J.J. came to visit for a week. Grandma Debbie, Mommy, and Emma went to the zoo on the 19th. Emma enjoyed her first time at the zoo. She slept for half of it, but woke up to squawking flamingos and watched them run around for a long time. She also loved to watch the manatees swim by in the aquarium and the stingrays flop around in their pool. On the 22nd, Great-Grandma and Grandpa Meegan came to visit. We went shopping and out to eat.

She is getting really good at holding her head and body up while on her tummy, and she can now roll from tummy to back. She giggles when we play and can bring toys to her mouth. She started teething, she drools and chews on things a lot. It doesn't seem to bother her so far, we can't wait to see her smile with her little teeth when they come out! She weighed just under 14 lbs. at the doctor on the 9th and 25 in. long. The evening colicky episodes are coming less frequently (thank goodness), and she is getting better at consoling herself. Emma is developing quite a personality and is a pretty happy baby!

Emma's Third Month

Emma has changed so much in the last three months. She has learned so many things since we got back from Indiana. She makes so many sounds now and changes the shape of her mouth and volume to make them sound differently. She mimics sounds we make to her, too. She can hold her head up almost entirely on her own and we do lots of tummy time each day to strengthen her neck muscles. She laughed for the first time this month on the 16th, and that was also the day she moved to the crib from the bassinet. I was sad for her to leave my side. I barely slept the first few nights she was away from me, getting up to check on her and listening for her to cry. She loves her crib and sleeps better than ever! She will sleep through the night sometimes if I let her, but usually we wake up once to eat so she isn't crabby in the morning. She is usually talking to the animals in her mobile when she wakes up, and gives me the biggest grin when I walk in. She is definitely a morning person!

She rolled over back to front once on the 26th, but not again since. She plays with her hands a lot, holding them together and touching her hair and clothes. She learned to suck her fingers and thumb, which has helped her to cry less and console herself. Her feet have been catching her eye, but she doen't know how to grab for them yet! She saw her Pediatrician on January 8th and her weight was 12 lb. 7 oz. and her length 23 1/2 in. She had a Hepatitis B shot in November, which was difficult to see, but this time she had four immunizations and it nearly killed me! I know for sure I could never be a pediatric nurse! I cried almost as much as Emma when her smile at the nurse turned into a pouty lip and crocodile tears. She was a trooper though! She is such a precious angel and we are having so much fun!

Indiana for the Holidays

We spent 3 1/2 weeks with our family and friends over the holidays. We left for Indiana on December 12 and returned to Florida on January 3. We stopped in Georgia and Tennessee for the night on the way there, and in Kentucky and Georgia on the way back. At 10 weeks old, Emma has been in 7 states! Our cat, Abby, even came along for this trip! The cat isn't much of a traveler, but Emma did just fine. She slept most of the time in the car, and despite a chaotic schedule most of the time during our visit, she did very well. She got to meet almost everyone that had yet to meet her. She was Baptized at St. Peter Church, where we were married, on December 23. Her Christening gown was made from my wedding gown. Our close friends, Andy Chopp and Jenni Kosinski are her godparents. Of course she was spoiled with gifts for Christmas, and loved to admire everyone's Christmas lights. She especially loved the lights in the Opryland Hotel on the way up. New Year's Eve was spent at Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Jim's. She enjoyed the evening, except for the noisemakers at midnight! We had a wonderful time for the holidays, but we were all pretty exhausted. We were ready to get back home and back to our routine!

Emma's Second Month

Emma gave us her first smile on November 21! Daddy came home from work early that day and Emma was very happy to see him. Since then, she smiles all the time. She really focuses on people when they talk to her, and started cooing back at us right before we left for Indiana for the holidays. Now she practically carries on a conversation! She loves looking at lights and shadows, and now turns her head to scan a room or listen to different people in a group. She can hold her head up for a short time while on her tummy. Our favorite thing to watch is when she talks to her bears in her bassinet mobile. For a few weeks now, she will wake up in the morning, grinning from ear to ear, and talk to the bears over her head. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen! She saw her Pediatrician last on November 27 and her weight was 10 lb. 9 3/4 oz. and her length 22 in. We can tell she has grown a lot since then, and can't wait to find out when we see Dr. Meyer next!

Emma is 1 month old!

Emma is already one month old! Here are the rest of the pictures from her first month:


Check back after Christmas for more pictures!