Emily Moves to Her Own Room!

As new parents we weren't really sure what to do and how to handle Emily's sleeping arrangements when she arrived. When we first came home (almost 3 weeks ago!) we had borrowed a co-sleeper (almost like a pack-n-play) and put it at the foot of our bed and hooked our monitor up to work with it! It worked great, especially as I have been recovering from the c-section and having her close and not having to walk very far has been nice for both Micah and I the past 2 and a half weeks.
But we decided that we should probably try to move Emily into her own room now before she gets older and realizes what is going on. So, we moved her monitor, prepared her crib, gave her a cozy bath (although Emily might not agree about the cozy part), fed her, swaddled her, and laid her down to sleep in her crib in her very own room!
She was still pretty awake when we put her in, so she looked all around and wimpered a little bit and she was out! Sleeping like a little princess on her butterfly sheets! And she slept like a champ too! We put her down around 10:30pm and she didn't wake up until about 3:45am when she got hungry and needed a diaper change and then we got her all taken care of put her back in her bed all cozy and warm and she was out again until I went in to wake her up around 8am so that we could get ready for church!
Micah and I were so impressed with her. She likes her space, and we like for her to have it too! So the first night in her bed was a success and she is taking a nap in their now, and I hear her stirring so I need to go check on her.
One other thing to mention was that we took her to church for the first time today too! And that went really well. Everyone was so happy to see her and so full of compliments and praise on how beautiful she is! And speaking of how beautiful she is, here are a few pictures to display her cuteness!!!

Too cute to pass up....sitting with daddy at the start of bath time ~ love the eyes! (Oh and Micah is not choking her, we promise! That was the position she was most comfortable with.)

How we found her this morning in her crib!! Snug as a bug in a rug!

Exercising with Daddy!

We had a fun night last night! We had a yummy dinner delivered by our dear friends, the Morses. Since dinner wasn't coming until 6, Micah and I thought we would squeeze in a little exercising before! And since Emily had slept most of the day, as she traveled with Mommy and Mommers and Dooders to Waynesboro, she was awake and ready for some action so Micah decided to use her as his weight lifting work out!! It was too cute of a sight for me to pass up so I had to pause and snap some photos and a cute little video!

Also I wanted to add in a little update on our family and how things have been going, as this is Micah's 4th day back at work since Emily was born! Micah is a tired but dedicated daddy, so work is moving along although he says his eyes are a little heavier since he has been back at work than before! He is a great help to me. He usually gets little Emily up at night and changes her diaper before he gives her to me to feed. Then afterwards we take turns as to who burps her and puts her back down, so things are working out well so far!

Emily and I are adjusting to life at home together! We pretty much have a morning schedule down, which is nice, and in the afternoons I spend a lot of time thinking up new ideas to keep her awake so that sleeping will be better in the wee hours of the morning for all 3 of us! But so far she is doing well and only waking up twice at night~and this morning after daddy left I put her in bed with me and we snuggled up to enjoy the rest of her morning nap together! Man, let me tell you she is a little heater! We were so nice and toasty it was hard to wake up, but I knew our little angel needed to eat so I pulled us both out of bed and got her dressed, and now she is content with her cute outfit and a full tummy!

Being a mom is definitely challenging, but having a sweet little bundle to look at, hug, kiss, snuggle up to, watch smile, and just to have fun with makes it all worth it! I love my new career as a stay at home mom!

Now here are a few pictures and the cute video that I got last night of my cute exercising duo! Enjoy!

Little Miss Wide Eyes Marching with Daddy!

Now she's all close and snuggly ~ snoozing away as Daddy continues to March!

Love the Open Eyes & the way she holds her tiny little hands!
Just when we thought her eyes couldn't get any wider....

Out for the count! A successful exercise workout!

Daddy and Emily Exercising together!

We're So Glad When Daddy Comes Home!

After 2 wonderful weeks of having a stay-at-home husband and daddy, Micah went back to work yesterday! I started getting nervous for the day probably the Friday before! I wasn't sure I was up to the task, but Micah repeatedly reminded me that this was the day that I had been dreaming of and living for my whole life! I am now a stay-at-home mom! And even though I was really excited about that, I also had tons of new mommy fears!! Would I be able to handle Emily all by myself? What if she got hurt? What if she wouldn't stop crying? What if I started crying too? All these crazy things racing through my mind, but once again the old saying "dreading something is worse than doing it" rang true!
Monday morning came, and even though Emily had a rough night Sunday night we got Micah up and got him out the door for work by 7:30am!! At first I sat down and wondered what on earth we were going to do with our day? Then it was time to feed Emily once again, at that point I sat on the couch and pulled out my scriptures and started to read. The next thing I knew I had a full day planned for us!
We decided to have lunch with Micah, since he works so close to home & it was my first day being able to drive since Emily was born! Lunch was great and it was a fun activity that helped break up the day for all 3 of us (even though Emily slept through Micah's lunch in her car seat!). After lunch we headed into town, stopped by Mema's so that Emily could spend a few minutes with her Great Grandma and her Great Aunt Debra before we headed out to Mommers and Dooders house! It was a nice little visit and Mema and Debra both thought she had grown a little bit, so that was nice to hear! We are working on getting her back up to her birth weight and right now she is at 6 lbs 6 oz!!
When we got to Mommers and Dooders house Emily got her diaper changed and then got fed and then I headed out with my mom to the store so that we could get some more diapers. Emily got to spend some one on one time with Dooders for the first time! They apparently had a blast together, and Dooders even tried to keep her awake for me!!
It was so nice to have Micah around to help out with house projects and to play with Emily and to get to bond together as a family! And it is nice now to start creating a new chapter as we work out being a family of 3 with Micah working full time, me as a stay at home mom and our sweet little Emily!! Heavenly Father sure has blessed our little family and I am so grateful for each of those blessings. Emily and I are learning the words to "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home" and it is our new mommy daughter tradition ( for lack of a better word) to sing it every day when Daddy comes home from work! It's all about the small and simple things in life!

Here are a few pictures from the last few days and a cute little video that we took when we came back to Emily after she spent about an hour and a half with Dooders!! Keep Smiling!

One of Emily's Adorable Expressions!

Looking up at Daddy, on the verge of another nap!

All snuggled up with Mommy!

Not a huge fan of the car seat, but once the car gets moving she remembers just how much she likes to go for rides!

Another Cute Shot ~ relaxing in her tub before her 2nd bath!!

A Video clip of one of her first lessons that Dooders taught her!! Grandparents are THE BEST!

Our Cute Little Emily!

Here are a few more photos of some of Emily's firsts and then a few of her just looking cute (as she always does!). We decided yesterday, since it was sunny out and the rain had stopped, that it would be a good day to take Emily out for her first walk! Plus, she was a bit fussy yesterday morning and was having trouble napping so we thought some fresh air would do her good! And sure enough no sooner had we gotten her all bundled up and outside she was fast asleep on Daddy's chest!

We love this little snow suit that Mommers and Dooders gave Emily! It makes her look like such a big girl, even though in reality she is all scrunched up inside of the suit! That is her favorite way to be. She is our little slinky....anytime she is not swaddled she starts out all stretched out but within minutes she is scrunched up tighter than a little slinky!

We went for another walk today and she loved it again, although we really don't think she knew we were walking because as soon as she got all settled into the carrier she was snoozing the whole time! But the fresh air works wonders and she is sleeping away as I write this!

Here are a few more pictures, we hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed taking them!

Snug as a bug in a rug ready for her first walk with Mommy and Daddy!

Emily after the walk was over!

Here is a picture we took last night after she had finished eating! She was so content she was sleeping practically sitting up~we love her little hands!


"No more pictures please, I need my beauty rest!".

Emily Gets Her 1st Bath at Home!

On Tuesday, January 6, 2009, Micah and I decided it was time to give Emily her first bath at home! We decided to do it in the evening and right after our showers so that the bathroom would be nice and toasty for her small little body!

She definitely wasn't a big fan at first, but seriously who would be, she was nice and warm and then we took off her clothes and put her in a tub with water and wash her! Doesn't sound like fun just as you wake up from a nice cozy nap! But as you can tell from the pictures, she got used to it little by little and by the time she made it to her changing table, wrapped in her cozy towel, she was quite content.

Mommy's job was to give the bath and Daddy's job was to video the whole process! We both succeeded, and Emily was a real trooper too! I think we will give it another try tonight! She really enjoyed being cuddled, eating, and then getting swaddled after her bath. And she slept really well afterwards too! What a little princess we have!!


Enjoy the pictures of the progression of Emily's first bath......

The Beginning, Adjusting to her new tub!

Feeling the water, "Okay this isn't so bad."


All Done and wrapped up, snuggling with Mommy!

Bath time really works on a little girl! All cozy and waiting for Daddy to put her diaper on!

Our Little 1-Week-Old Fishing Princess In Training!

Dooders had been telling us that he was going to get Emily a special gift, Just From Dooders, but not until after she had arrived. Micah and I had tried to guess what it would be, but we couldn't come up with anything unique, so we just waited.
Yesterday afternoon he and Mommers came up for a visit, and as they got out of their car we noticed that Dooders had "the gift" in his hands. And what was it? Nothing less than Emily's very own pink princess fishing rod, along with a letter and a poem from her grandpa!

So last night (in our attempt to keep her up a little while before bed time), we thought it would be a great idea to have a mini photo shoot with Emily getting a feel for her new rod and reel! Enjoy the photos!!

She's ready with her rod in hand! What a strong grip she's got already!!

Holding her precious rod, while being cuddled in Daddy's arms!

Talking with Daddy about her future adventures!

Mommy couldn't resist a moment to cuddle with her little princess!

Emily Loves her Daddy so much! Look at those adoring eyes!

Today was Emily's 1 week check up! She gained an ounce since her previous checkup, and is good and healthy. Here is a little video clip of her trying to wake up after we got home again.

We have been home with Emily for 5 days now! It seems so hard to believe as I sit here typing up this blog that one week ago she was still inside of me and we were anxiously anticipating her arrival. She has been a tremendous blessing to our family in just the short 7 days that we have had her! She is the cutest thing that we have ever seen (but of course what parents don't think that about their children:)) And even though she still has her days and nights pretty mixed up, she is the most precious little angel, and we love to just stare at her...whether she's sleeping, eating, smiling or even crying. She is the funniest little girl already, it is for sure that she belongs here in our family!

We have been so blessed to have so many people care about us, and parents who are more than willing to come help out in any way that they can ~ even if it's Dooders whose arms must have sleep sand on them, because every time he has Emily for more than a minute she is out like a light! We have decided that he should only visit around the midnight hour!! :)

I guess since this is my first official post since she was born I should record a little about her birth day, Monday December 29th. I will admit I was frightened that morning. I wasn't sure I was ready to become a mom, or have a c-section, or be in the hospital ~ but with Micah by my side we went in Monday morning around 7:15am, we had the nicest nurse who set us up in our room, and a wonderful friend from our ward who volunteered to be at work that day so that we would have a familiar face near by, even though she wasn't on the schedule to be there! She was a life saver because our c-section was scheduled for 9:15am, but we ended up having to wait until 10 o'clock due to some other patients the doctors had to care for first.

But finally it was time and they took us down to the operating area on the maternity floor. It was at the operating room doors that I kissed Micah good bye briefly as he had to go and "suit up" for the operation. I walked in to the operating room to find the doctors and nurses also getting ready for the procedure. They were all very friendly and very talkative. That really helped me to relax. Once I was inside they led me over to the table, and that is where I got 2 shots, one to numb my lower back and the other was the spinal anesthetic. I was amazed at how quickly they took effect. They helped me up on the operating table and very shortly thereafter I was totally numb from my waist down.

Then Micah was ready, and they brought him in. Dr. Wolanski very promptly began the c-section after that. It seemed like one second I saw him make the initial incision (probably the scariest part for me, gotta love seeing reflections in a light!). Then the next thing I knew the anesthesiologist (who was talking to me the whole time) said that her head was out and then I saw them lift her whole body up and they carried her over to the warming lamp! (Our nurse took our camera and was snapping pictures the whole time, we will spare you from those as they are pretty intense!!) I remember looking at her and thinking, "Was that baby really just inside of me? How big is she? 10 pounds?"

She was absolutely beautiful and at that moment I felt the love of my Heavenly Father so immensely. Everything else scary about the c-section and all that I had heard about recovering afterwards didn't even matter. This little girl that He sent from Heaven was a direct answer to our prayers. We had been praying for her to join our family for over 2 and a half years and I had been looking forward to the day when I would become a mother for as long as I can remember. Even though I know it will be tough, as it is already proving to be with sleepless nights and the joys of learning how to nurse correctly, I know that what we have endured, and all that we will be called upon to endure as parents, will be swallowed up in the joy and happiness that is our little Emily Marie! She makes us smile by doing the smallest little things. Now for a few pictures................

She is VERY serious about her sleep. We had just gotten her out of her crib and laid her in our bed for a minute and she looked so cute we couldn't resist letting her get a few more minutes of beauty rest while we snapped a few photos!
One of her very first outfits that she wore...can you believe it is "Newborn Size"! Look how big it is on her!! It is true....the best things do come in small packages!! Time for Emily's 1st fashion show! Micah and I were doing our best to keep her awake...you can see that our efforts were futile!! This dress and the lovely white shoes were given to Emily by her Aunt Sarah and Uncle Nathan!!!

If you look closely....you can see her little eyes are barely open! We knew this little bathrobe was going to be WAY TOO BIG right now, but it was just too cute to resist ~ Mommers and Dooders gave this one to her! Check out her skinny little legs!!

Here I am with my precious little girl! My parents came over yesterday and my mom took me out to get a few things at the store and to get some pictures copied! It did a world of good! Thanks Mom! Don't you just LOVE her little hair bow? She wasn't all too interested in it yet, but all in due time!!

(Watch this little video clip , she is so cute to watch drift off to sleep when she is not being swaddled).