Please Continue to VOTE For Emma!

Hey folks, the contest is ending tomorrow night the 31st so please check out the link today and tomorrow and continue to vote. She is a little behind right now but I know we can get to the top with some help. I am really hoping she wins b/c we want to visit Heather Bookout's photography again. She will get a free session if she wins for January. So click on the link and vote for Emma! Thanks again!

Link: http://web.waaytv.com/bom/index.php

My Fairy Princess

Emma has recently started playing in her bedroom and loves it. She's always tugging on me and saying "mommy play in bedroom" and she wants us to play with all of her "babies". She likes to fake cry for them, comfort them, feed and rock them. It is so sweet and I love watching her act like a real mommy. Since I'm going back to work in about 4 wks I am trying so hard to play as much as possible during the day with her b/c her little world is about to change. So anyways, here is a pic of Emma playing in her room this morning. She has on her fairy princess costume and you can see some of her babies. She LOVES Elmo, Zoe, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore. Those are her favorites right now.
Sorry about the pic quality. I think all of the sunlight coming in on her made it look fuzzy. It is still incredibly cute!!!

Please VOTE For Emma!!!

Ladies and Gents,

Emma has been entered into the WAAY 31 Valley Baby of the Month contest where a winner is chosen each month. There are some awesome prizes and at the end of the year an overall winner will be chosen. I believe it is the child with the most votes from the whole year. So if you don't mind, please jump on over to the WAAY tv website and vote. You can vote 1 time every 12 hours! So please be a repeat voter if you can. :) Thanks!!!

Link: http://web.waaytv.com/bom/

So Pretty Today...

So we headed outside to play! Braxton even got to go out and enjoy the wind blowing at his face. Of course I took some pics to share. Emma's got beautiful eyes so I was trying to capture their blueness! Enjoy b/c tomorrow it is supposed to get cold again. Oh how I long for summer...

Playing with her chalk!

And my furbaby Braxton. He's my other child! :)

It's Almost Someone's 2nd Birthday!!

Emma is almost 2! Can you believe it? It feels like yesterday I was making her one year video montage and crying like a big baby because she was turning one. Where has the past year gone? I guess I better suck up the tears because my baby will have to turn 2. :(

This year George and I made Emma's birthday invites using photoshop. So today we took lots of pictures and picked one to go on the invite. Emma is such a little ham when the camera comes out (sometimes) and is the cutest little girl I've ever seen. :) Here are some of the outtakes...



Her sweet and innocent pose...


"Mommy where are you? Where'd ya go?"


"Peek-a-boo! There's Mommy!"

She has started putting her tongue on this one side of her mouth and I don't know why!

Thanks for looking! Our little girl is growing up so fast! Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about the pictures. :)

Bohemian Valentine!

Is this not the cutest picture you've ever seen?? Yesterday Emma attended a Bohemian Valentine photoshoot at Heather Bookout's studio down off the Parkway. It was our first time working with Heather and she is so awesome! She worked so well with Emma and knew exactly how to make her smile. I couldn't have been happier! Now that I am returning to work I plan on booking a full session with her and can't wait. Also, one of the best things are her mini sessions. One Saturday each month she is reserving for mini sessions which cost $35 each and last about 10-15 minutes. It's an awesome deal! So check out her website and blog at http://www.heatherbookoutphotography.com/ Her studio is so awesome and ask George, I can't stop talking about it! Love love love her work!!! Thanks Heather for an awesome experience yesterday and thanks Jennifer for booking it for us. We will definitely be back!

Nice Weather for the Park!

Today turned out to be a nice day besides the wind, so I took Emma to the park! We love Dublin park in Madison and went there several times last summer. As you can tell from the pictures below, Emma's favorite thing is swinging. I couldn't get her out of the swings this morning! Finally she got down and we got to slide and climb on the fort. It felt so good to get out and enjoy the outside.

Look at that cute smile!

Playing some music.

Emma climbed all the way up here with Mommy and then she wanted to slide down all by herself! So mommy slid down on the other slide so I could watch her and take a picture.

Weeeee!

Almost to the bottom! That was fun!

And showing that mean old alligator who's boss!

Thanks for looking!

Just Dance!

Emma has been going with Barbra to dance class on Thursday nights some and Barbra has been teaching Emma to dance! Barbra has some small tap shoes from another little girl and they actually fit Emma so here is Emma practicing her tap dance. She's such a cutie!

Happy 4th Anniversary George!

Today is our 4 year wedding anniversary and it has been a wonderful day. Of course George had to work today but he came home early and surprised me with my favorite-chocolate truffles! Boy does he know the way to my heart! My dear friend Tracy picked up Emma and George and I went to eat Japanese and then came home and watched a movie uninterrupted! Emma is now on her way back home and I miss her. She's been gone since 4pm and it is so quiet without her. :(

Also on this special day, I finally got my job offer! It will probably be 4-5 wks before I start but things are about to be changing in our household. I think it will be crazy at first b/c I'm so not used to waking up at 5am and getting dressed and out the door but hopefully I will manage. More to come later...

Happy Anniversary to my loving husband and terrific daddy. Emma and I are so blessed to have you and think you are an amazing. I love you with all my heart and look forward to many more wonderful years together. :)

Working on Valentine Pics!

So today I decided to try and get some decent shots of Emma in her Valentine attire. I think my color is off and I'm sure George can do a much better job but here is what I've got so far. What do you think? Is she too washed out? I wish we could go outside but it is just too cold! I'll keep working on getting some more but enjoy these two for now. :)

Way To Go Havoc Fans!

This past Saturday night was the 3rd annual Havoc hockey game where they auctioned off the player's hockey sticks and jerseys after the game. All of the proceeds go to the Melissa George fund and is used to purchase equipment for our local NICU. Of course we wouldn't miss the game for the world and we had a blast! Our dear friends Kylie and Ella Grace met us there and we got to chat and watch the game together with our girls. In case you don't remember, Ella Grace was born 12/21/06 (8 wks before Emma) and she was 1 lb 11 oz I think and was Emma's neighbor for several weeks. Kylie and I share a special bond and I feel like we've known each other for years. Emma and Ella were so incredibly cute together and kept feeding each other popcorn. It was a great night!

Now for the big news...this year over $53,000 was raised for our NICU!!! Isn't that awesome?! Last year they raised over $115,000 but with the economy problems this year I think that is still a great number. So thank you to all of the fans that donated money, blankets, etc as well opening your checkbooks for the auction. It means so much to our family after the 3 months Emma spent in there. We are looking forward to next year!!!

Choo Choo!

Emma got this train set from Gabby and Ru Rus for Christmas and she plays with it everyday! Since I haven't posted pics in awhile I thought I would snap some today.


Mommy says "smile!" and this is what I get!

ENT Update

On Friday Emma went back to the ENT about her sinus issues. Luckily she has been better and I think the Nasonex has played a huge role in that. Since she was better he said lets skip the CT scan. But after examing her throat the dr said that Emma has some huge tonsils! I had noticed them before and thought they were rather large but since noone else ever mentioned them I just kind of forgot about it. After looking at her tonsils Dr. Castillo also asked me how does Emma sleep at night. Before I could answer he goes on to ask "does she toss and turn constantly and wake up, etc? I was like that is exactly how she sleeps! The girl can't get comfortable and sometimes she snores. Most of the time she wakes up 2 times a night too. So then he ask "have you tried putting her in your bed to sleep?" I told him we have several times but she still tosses and turns and is just a crappy sleeper. He goes on to tell me he thinks her tonsils are the problem. She isn't able to get into a REM sleep and is possibly having a hard time breathing. We talk about it for a bit and he says he has no doubts that a tonsillectomy will benefit her. He says we can either do it now or wait until she is 3. He also wants to remove her adenoids and do a sinus irrigation. So after just having my tonsils removed back in July this was alot to take in! He said the only negative thing to doing the surgery now is when they are 2 they don't comprehend that they must drink liquids and take the pain meds in order to feel better. When she is around 3 she will understand better. He said we can expect to stay 1 night at least in the hospital and depending on how she is doing it might be more. They worry about her becoming dehydrated. So as of right now George and I have made the decision to go ahead with the surgery soon and just get it out of the way. We can always change our minds up until the morning of surgery. Tomorrow the ENT nurse is suppposed to call me regarding the surgery dates and I've got a few questions to ask so I'll keep everyone updated!

15 Things About Emma

For those of you who don't interact with Emma on a daily basis, you are missing out! She is so funny and makes George and me laugh all the time. She's got her daddy's awesome personality and her mommy's stubborness. I hope to post some new video soon. George and I have been sick ALL week long so we've been lounging around all week. So here are some things that Emma has been doing...enjoy!

1. Emma can sing the ABC song and wow, it is the sweetest thing ever!!

2. She randomly says to me "I love you" and all I can do is smile and try not to cry. :)

3. She is so maternal. She loves role playing with her babies by feeding them, burping, changing their clothes, diapers, etc.

4. Right now she loves to sing the Wheels on the Bus

5. She insist on being naked and likes to sneak her diaper off! She HATES wearing clothes right now.

6. She's becoming very independent. She wants to do everything herself including making her own chocolate milk, getting out her silverware, etc and gets upset if you try to help her.

7. Her favorite shows are Super Why! and Elmo.

8. I think she could eat chocolate all day and night.

9. She can spell her name.

10. She likes to say the colors of everything. For example, at the dr office she'll go through the lobby naming all the chairs colors and then do the tiles on the floor. She is so excited about colors!

11. She likes to talk on the phone...her conversations are like this "Hey, what's up? Ok love you, bye!" She listens to me way too much!

12. At the grocery store I always say "excuse me" when walking in front of someone in the aisle so now Emma does this. She will go "excuse us" and the person will stop and look at us and start smiling. She's so smart.

13. She is a complete mommy's girl. Daddy is not allowed to do anything for her or she will whine and scream and say "mommy do it!" It is very frustrating for both George and me.

14. Whenever we put her to bed and leave her room she will say numerous times "mommy, where are you? Where'd you go?" in this cute little girly voice. She will go through the whole family including Braxton and Lily asking these questions.

15. Last week I wrote her middle name "Grace" on her erase board and she started screaming "NO MOMMY" repeatedly and crying. Then she started saying "E" and wanted me to spell her first name Emma. That's the only word she wants you to write.

Bonus-she now knows her left and right hands/feet!

More Potty Success!

So until yesterday Emma had only gone poo poo in the potty twice. Well yesterday evening she said "mommy go pee pee potty" and I didn't get up at first b/c she has been saying that alot recently and then sits on the toilet for 15 minutes with nothing. So I didn't budge. Then again she says "go pee pee potty" and was trying to take her diaper off. She has also started removing her own diaper. So I take her and we sit for awhile...nothing. Then George switches out with me and after a few minutes she had gone poo poo!!! He said it was the most poo poo ever and I just took his word for it. :) No need for mommy to look!

Painting!

This morning Emma did a little finger painting and playing with Playdough. I think it's funny b/c she doesn't really know what to do with the Playdough so she likes to put it back in the container and then take it out again.

Here she is checking out her hands. Are they clean?


Watch out readers, she will be famous one day!

My Sweet Girl

So Emma is the sweetest little thing ever. She is so loving and is constantly loving on her dolls or whatever else she can find. She will even pretend that her blanket is crying and then she will snuggle up to it and say "don't cry blanket" in this cute little voice. It just melts my heart.

So today we had breakfast with a guy George works with and his wife. Afterwards Emma and I were driving to get the oil changed and the sun was so bright in Emma's eyes. She was squinting and just having a hard time watching her Pooh and Tigger DVD. Then out of nowhere she says "I'm sorry Pooh", "I love you Tigger" and I just looked back at her and smiled. She was apologizing to Pooh for not being able to watch him and for the sun being in Pooh's eyes. How sweet is that? She is just so thoughtful and caring. Gotta love the Princess!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Emma and I haven't been outside in a long time so today we went out to take some pictures! She was so excited to go out and play for a few minutes with her pink and yellow balls but it was so cold we didn't stay too long. So enjoy some cuteness on this Monday!

Emma Is Approved For Synagis Shots!

So I haven't mentioned this before on the blog but more than likely I will be returning to work sometime this month. It all started last summer when I talked with a company about possible opportunities but then the upcoming contract fell through. Surprisingly they called me back in November I think and said the funding came through and was I still interested. I already had it in my head that I wasn't going back to work but after talking it through with George decided it might be good to consider it. With all of the problems with our economy and stuff it might be good to make some extra money and eventually we will need a new car. So Emma has been on the waiting list at our favorite daycare and I'm just waiting for the call that I got the job.

So fast forward to today. I had mentioned to the pulmonologist a few months ago that I might be going back to work. We were concerned about Emma making the transition and being sick, etc. Especially after her rough winter and now being on asthma medicine. So since she's had so many problems and been on steriods and about 6 or 7 antibiotics our insurance approved the Synagis shots!!! Unfortunately Emma probably won't be too thrilled but if it helps her to stay healthy then we can live with a few tears. Oh and the shots help prevent RSV. So her first shot is tomorrow morning and then she will receive them for the next few months through April I believe and gets them every 28 or 29 days. This makes the whole work situation easier for us. Yay! So I will definitely keep you blog readers posted on my job situation and yes, I will post pictures soon!

Emma Went Poo Poo On The Potty!!!

I meant to post this the other day and totally forgot. But I believe it was on December 30th she said "mommy go poo poo" and I didn't realize that she wanted to go until she kept saying it and then we sat on the potty. After a couple of minutes she surprised us with some stinky poo (yes, she will hate me one day for saying that) on the potty. She's gone pee pee before but never poo poo so it was very exciting. I keep saying I will wait until she is officially 2 before I start on the training but who knows. There are times when she will tell us she needs to go but not that often for me to think she is ready. I will keep everyone updated!

Love You Kelsey!

Cousin Kelsey left this morning and we had so much fun with her! Yesterday we did a little shopping and last night took her out for sushi.
Kelsey, come back whenever you get a chance. We love having you here!

Merry Belated Christmas!

Finally, here are some pictures from our Christmas! We've been so busy since Christmas so I haven't had a chance to go through all of them. Here are just a few from each house we visited. On Christmas morning we always wake up at George's parents house, then go to my Granny Dunham's house and then to Granny Scott's house. Also on Christmas eve we do an ornament exchange with the Frounfelker's and this year we exchanged gifts with Aunt Kathy the day after Christmas. It was really busy! Of course, Emma got waaay too much stuff but it has been a blast playing with all of the new toys. Some of her favorite gifts include a princess pop up tent, her kitchen, Corolle doll with crib and high chair, keyboard, princess dress up clothes, princess golf clubs, and so much more that I can't remember right now. Do you see a trend of princess things?? Thank you everyone for such a wonderful Christmas and it was so fun to visit with all of our family.

Here is Mr. Ikey on Christmas morning!

We shut the door on the kiddos so we could get our cameras/video cameras ready. Here they are walking in for the first time...

Checking out the gifts...

Emma is so excited!

Graham and Ikey got a drumset!

Emma opening her 1st gift...

Then she decided to help Graham with his gifts. He didn't want the help though!

Some of Emma's gifts

Emma opening her keyboard from Ru-Rus!

Aunt Beth got Emma lots of play dress up clothes! It all came in a cute little hamper that I love!

At Granny Dunham's house. Melica crocheted Emma a cute hat!

And Monya painted Emma a cute Giraffe picture for her bedroom. Awesome!

At Granny Scott's house. Uncle Chris put Emma in this huge bag and she was not very happy!

Emma loves her new princess golf clubs! She is rather dangerous though so watch out!

And last but not least a cute picture on Granny's stairs.