Big Change

For those of you who don't already know, Adam & I are making a big change over the next few months. We have decided that I am going to stay at home with Emery, and quit my work with the American Heart Association. I never thought that I would want to be a stay at home mom, but the last three or four months back at work have been incredibly difficult for me. I absolutely hate leaving Emery and in all honesty my heart just isn't in my work anymore - and that's not fair to my employer, either.

As of December 1st (tomorrow!) I will officially go part time until the end of February. After I finish up my work closing out the Go Red Luncheon that will occur earlier that month, my employment at the American Heart Association will be over. I have spent three years there, and while it is a very stressful job it is also very rewarding, and on many levels I will miss it. However, I know that I am making the right decision to spend more time with my daughter. I know that being at home isn't for everyone, but for us it just feels right. It will be difficult, we know, but worth the sacrifice in the end.

Rolled over!!

I am so excited to report that this past Friday Emery rolled over from her stomach to her back for the first time!! I had her on her tummy and (as we all know) she HATES it...so she got really mad and rolled herself over! Of course I was the only one to see it because Adam & his friend Eric had gone to get Chinese to bring home for dinner...but thankfully she was able to repeat the performance for them when they got home. In all, she rolled about four or five times on her own. I've tried to make her do it again since Friday, but she doesn't seem too interested - she did it once this morning but that's it. She is also consistently rolling from her back to her side. I am starting to find her that way in the mornings in her crib.

Yay for Emery! She's growing so fast!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend and have eaten our fill of turkey, sweet potatoes & pumpkin pie...and have plenty of leftovers to enjoy at least for the next few days! Emery did great all day on Thursday, she didn't fuss at all and let a lot of people hold her. She even had sweet potatoes for the first time! Our co-worker Amanda & her daughter Jordyn came to spend Thanksgiving with Mandy because her husband had to work, so it was also nice to have some new faces for the holiday. Mandy & Amanda stopped by my grandmother's in the afternoon, then headed to the Alford Thanksgiving dinner that evening. Jordyn is just adorable, and it was really cool to think that next year at Thanksgiving, Emery will be running around and getting into everything too!

I just have to say that Adam & I truly have so much to be thankful for, and it's hard to even express how much we love our little family. I think that if I had to pick one thing I was most thankful for this year, I would say that I am just in awe and so appreciative of the many people that Emery has in her life who love her. I am so thankful for her grandparents, aunts & uncles (and adopted uncles), cousins and family friends who are all playing such an important role in shaping who she is. We couldn't ask for Emery to be surrounded by better people.

Here are some fun pics from the day.



Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Four Month Doctor's Appointment

Yesterday we had Emery's four-month doctor's appointment, which included shots again (boo!). She did great, however! Her two-month shots were awful, she cried for a long time and was really fussy the entire day afterwards, so I was absolutely dreading this appointment. I am pleased to report that our little girl took them like a champ, only cried for a minute and then was smiling again.

The appointment was pretty standard, and her pediatrician is very happy with her growth. She is 14 lbs (still 70th percentile) and 24 inches long (60th percentile). Her development is right on track - Dr. Christian was actually surprised at how well Emery holds her head and neck, and marveled at the fact that she is almost sitting on her own! She said that she isn't worried that Emery shows zero interest in rolling, but encouraged us to keep trying with the tummy time. Even if she isn't rolling by 6 months she won't be too worried...but I hope that isn't the case! I didn't know this, but she told us that some babies just never roll for some reason.

She also gave us the go-ahead to start solid foods. I was originally going to wait a while before beginning cereal, but my dad (who went with me to this appointment since Adam had to be in Charlottesville) was so excited about it that we stopped on the way home and bought a box. When we got home, we just gave her a teaspoon's worth for fun - and she loved it! She sucked it off the spoon and kept looking for more. It was adorable. Below is a picture from my dad's cell phone since the batteries have run out of Adam's camera! I wish the quality is better, but at least we documented her first solid food:


Adam was a little disappointed that he missed it, so we repeated the experience last night at dinnertime. Emery did even better with Adam! She seemed to really know what to do when the spoon came towards her - she opened her mouth wide and moved towards it. And rather than sucking the spoon, she actually seemed to want it put in her mouth the correct way. Adam was amazed. I know that four and a half months is still a bit early (at least in my opinion) to start on cereal - let's face it, she was doing just fine on breastmilk alone! - but she enjoyed it so much that I suppose we'll continue with it.

Unfortunately the doc didn't have a lot of advice about the napping issue...she just recommended that we try to let Emery "cry it out" and I'm really not comfortable with that. I guess we'll keep doing what we've been doing, just trying to help her sleep as much as possible during the day (which isn't much). She sleeps pretty well at night for the most part, so I am really not too worried at this point.

The good news is that yesterday afternoon she took an hour-and-a-half nap and she slept through the night! I am sure that has to do with the shots, but sleep is sleep so I'll take it!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

November Already?! & Happy 4 Months!

It is so hard to believe that it's November already. I have been back at work now for almost two months, and Emery turned four months old this past Monday! Time has just flown since July.

We've been busy this fall so far - with me back at work, Adam's cell biology class, and Emery keeping us on our toes constantly, there isn't much time to update this blog.

A few weekends ago Adam & I had a nice "date night" when we went to our friend Jomi's beautiful wedding. Adam & Jomi are old friends from his St. Mary's emergency room days, and Jomi was the one to actually suggest naming our daughter Emery! We had such a nice time, the wedding was elegant and the food was delicious. John caught the garter at our wedding and within the month he & Jomi were engaged, so we like to think we played a hand in their marriage...albeit a small one. Thanks Jomi & John for allowing us to share your special day!

Then there was the week leading up to the Heart Association's annual Heart Walk. What an experience that was! Event time is always crazy (even when it's not my own event) but having a young baby at home made things extremely hectic. I literally went almost three full days without really seeing Emery except to feed her when she woke up in the middle of the night, and that was really hard for me. Thursday and Friday I got home after she had gone to bed, and Saturday morning I was at the Heart Walk at 6am and didn't get home until about 3:00pm. I have always enjoyed the Heart Walk because it is such a fun grassroots event, but I have to admit that it just wasn't as fun for me this year. I was exhausted and also emotional being away from my little girl so much. However, it was a great event despite the fact that it was overcast & rainy, and I lived through it and somehow caught up on my sleep...eventually.

And then there was Halloween! We didn't really make a big deal out of it this year, and ended up using an cute little costume that was a gift from my friend Vicky - appropriately, it was a "Little Monster" outfit that looked absolutely adorable on our little monster! We visited the grandparents on Halloween, and then went to a costume party at my brother in-law's house the following evening. Emery's cousin Grace (who adores her) was the judge for the costume contest, and Emery won first place! I believe the judge was a bit biased. Adam and I didn't have costumes so we went as a Mom & Dad...and somehow I ended up winning 2nd place in the contest. I think that I won points for being Emery's mom! It was a cute little family party that the kids really seemed to enjoy, and Emery did a good job that night - she wasn't fussy at all and took everything pretty much in stride.

So November 3rd rolled around - Emery turned four months old! I cannot believe how fast she is growing. The picture below was taken on the morning of November 3rd, it's an awful Blackberry picture but at least it commemorates her 4 month birthday.

I think one of my favorite times of the day is when I hear her on the monitor in the morning, taking and coo'ing in her crib. I walk in to her room and she is kicking up her feet and talking to her crib mirror, and it takes her a few seconds to realize that I'm there - when she finally sees me, she gives me the biggest smile, as if she is saying "Good morning, Mommy!!" I absolutely love it and my heart melts every time.

She continues to grab and shove everything into her mouth - we have to be really careful now about what we put in reaching distance. Last night she was sitting on my lap while we were eating dinner, and before I knew it her hands were in my plate! She is starting to act like she wants to roll over, though I think we're still far from her actually accomplishing that feat. She hates to be on her tummy, so I don't think she would put herself there on purpose. She does roll from her back to her side, but once she gets there she is stuck. She is also starting to get really funny now - everything she does makes us laugh. She loves to grab our faces and try to get our noses into her mouth, she is literally laughing and squealing out loud now, and gets so excited about everything. We say a million times a day, "She is so cute!!" We are convinced that her first word will not be Mama or Dada, but "cute."

So it has been a busy few weeks but hopefully the next couple will be more low-key. Thanksgiving is looming around the corner and I know that will jump-start the hectic holiday season!