Just Call Me a Liar

I hadn't intended on writing a post until my last final was through. BUT I did manage to take one today (one more to go), so I am giving myself a treat. I guess there is another reason: Emily is lookin' mighty cute today. Her outfit is courtesy of Nananan.

Of course, I didn't even have to ask Emily to smile, because she wouldn't when she realized she was getting her picture taken.

Oh, but don't worry. She knows how to save face (notice we have a Christmas tree up, one step closer to actually decorating for the holiday).
Toward the end of the photo shoot, she did give me a smile.

I hope that you all noticed her RED hair. We can see the color a little more every day.
In case you all are wondering, she is getting better everyday (from her cold). She is still snotty-nosed, but not as sick as before. The only problem is that I developed a stomach virus. Now The Girl gets up every hour at night because I don't have enough liquids in my body to provide rich milk for her. It only gets tiring after the TWENTIETH day in a row. Ben really enjoys it, especially when she wakes us up with her piercing cries. I think these are the only moments, lately, that we ever argue. I won't tell you what about because they only make sense to those who are sleep deprived. It does make for nice comedy moments the next morning.

Mom's Vantage Point

Here I am, sitting on the bed looking at Emmy:



It is 10:50pm and she is awake. She did fall asleep in daddy's arms so, we moved her to the adjusted crib that helps her breathe better (more on that in a second). Luckily, she continued sleeping.....until daddy left. Then, she decided to wake up and play with mommy instead.




Maybe she will fall asleep eventually.
I guess that is what this update is all about. Emmy has a full blown cold Her nose is horribly stuffy, making it hard for her to breathe while she eats, sleeps, and plays (basically all the time). Her non-sleeping has influenced our sleeping patterns as well. Yeah, I know that sounds so happy and like we had a choice, the truth is-she doesn't sleep, so we don't sleep. Bottom line. Ben describes it this way: she wakes up at night screeching. Not crying, not even screaming. Screeching. We wake up saying: "what is going on?!" terrified that she is dying. We feel so sad for our little angel, she is obviously miserable. We see why it is so easy to get upset with little babies, when you are running on next to no sleep (with the red eyes to prove it), pretty soon your tolerance and patience runs pretty low. I think this is why God created husbands and wives. When one is down, the other is (hopefully) thinking rationally. I am so grateful for Ben in helping with Emmy the past couple nights, he has been really amazing with getting up when he hears the 'can't take this anymore' tone in my voice.
The incredibly sweet thing is that Emmy continues to give us beautiful smiles. Despite the difficulties, or even because of the difficulties, we are so grateful to have our little bunny rabbit. Of course, I have more feelings, but you will just have to read them elsewhere.
So, tonight if you are awake randomly grabbing a drink of water, or heading to the bathroom at around 3 am, just know that in Utah Amber or Ben, or both, are probably up as well. However, they are lucky enough to have a beautiful excuse for their late night excursions-Good Night!
P.S. Apparently, she just wanted to sleep on the bed next to mommy typing.

She is So Cute, that I Really Don't Need to Dress Her....

The Queen has a cold. This means that Ben and I get 10 hours of sleep every night, oh I meant 10 MINUTES of sleep. Nonetheless, we love her and feel so sad that she is in complete misery. Despite the sickness, she gives us plenty of smiles and enjoys playing.
I try and dress her in warm clothes, especially at night because of the rapid drop in temperature (like from 40's during the day to the teens at night).
Today I couldn't resist the cute yellow shirt and blue overalls. I think you can see why.
It seems like she is constantly changing. She looks so different today. She is growing up, I guess.

These Are Special Times

Now that Emmy has discovered some independence, she does not like certain things. These include (but are not limited to) swaddling, laying down on the couch, and mom ignoring her. I have remedied one situation: I put her on the boppy sitting up. She really enjoys that. She also lets us know when she is happy, and when she gets angry.
Now that school is over (well almost) I can spend a lot more time with Emily. I have really enjoyed the little moments of just precious bonding that occurs on a daily basis. Of course, if you want, you can check out my more inner feelings about many subjects here.

The Queen Returns

After our wonderful visit with family, we went home (brilliant, I know). We had begun getting Emily on a schedule, but with the vacation she regressed back to her I DO NOT WANT TO GO TO SLEEP mode. So, we sometimes attempt to put her to sleep while we try and catch some zzz's.


Those dang zzz's are just too hard to catch with the Queen around.
One comment about the first picture. Isn't it great how Emmy looks so dang happy and Ben looks strung out? All you parents probably recognize these feelings. The joy.

To Emmy, motion is everything

While I turned my back to grab Emmy's clothes for the day (as she enjoyed tummy time) she decided she had enough of being on her tummy.
I was so excited that I had to get the camera, and Ben. Now, all hope for Emmy staying a baby for a LONG time is over. Darn.

Bath Time, Alone

Ben had to attend to homework at school last night, so I attempted to bathe the girl alone. She was so excited to get into the bath that she peed on my right leg (just to show affection, of course).

Also, she felt that I was not clean enough so she soaked my left leg.

Needless to say, she was quite content when she got out of the bathtub. You can tell by how she grabs her feet.




Although I felt that I may not be able to do it alone, I did and I survived. Alas, the finished product.


We had fun, the girl and I.

Turkey Week

We were blessed to be able to go to California for a week (well a little less than a week) for Thanksgiving. The family got bored with Emily....NOT! She was a big hit. Ben and I ALMOST got jealous, but we understand their infatuation. I like having a commentary with pictures, so here I go!
First off, we missed Nana and Papa who were unable to make it due to health problems. So, in dedication to them we went to Hometown Buffet (a before Thanksgiving dinner tradition for the Turners).
Nan and Nancy enjoyed holding Emily for us!

Eli had his traditional big bowl of frozen yogurt

And felt GRRRREAT! afterwards
We enjoyed visiting with Aunt Sue and Henry.

Thom found every opportunity to hold his grandbaby and Emmy loved it.


Next, the BIG day. Nancy busily prepared a feast for us lucky Turners (and buh-lieve me, it was a feast). So, we busied ourselves with playing games and watching TV.

Oh, yes, we also ADORED Emily. We couldn't help but dress her in something funny.


Next, we went back to Ben's mom's (Linda) house and enjoyed a relaxing evening. Yes, Emmy had her first baby-sitters: Eli, Christine, and Linda. Ben and I went for a drink (non-alcoholic of course) and some nice conversation. Thank you family! (Unfortunately, no pictures).
Finally, Papa Wayne and Melanie made a delicious after Thanksgiving feast. Once again Emily stole the show. It was very endearing.
Then the big day, we had to go home. These are our final moments with grandparents, parents, and siblings.







Thanks to all of you for making Emily's first Thanksgiving so memorable! We love you all!

New Grip

So, we all have heard that little saying: get a grip on (insert whatever here). Emmy decided to do just that. Of course, her grip comes in the shape of: Ben's hand, Ben's shirt, my hair (thank you for pulling out the split ends), Ben's sweatshirt strings, my fingers, Ben's fingers, her blanket, her pacifier, and my chapstick. It is so cute to see her achieve that little milestone. We love to watch her tiny little hands grasp whatever it is that she wants to touch. It is especially touching when she grabs our shirts and pulls us closer. If you look closely at the picture of Ben sleeping with her in the previous post, you will see her doing just that. Before I say good-bye, a video of when Emmy started to become more coordinated with her hand movements (or at least more aware) needs to be posted. She is our darling angel.
Well, I can't really say good-bye without at least another lengthy discourse. As I have watched our little girl grow, from that first night in the hospital when Ben just adoringly watched as she took in her new world, to her new awareness of little things, like grasping, my love has intensified for her and for being a mother. I often ask myself how could we have started a family while we are both going to school, trying to make ends meet? Then, I look at our beautiful little sparkinly, blue eyed girl and realized that I could never ask for anything better. Even though we live in an apartment that has spiders (trust me, I hate spiders, maybe I will discuss my hatred a little later as it is rather long), I will never regret the decision we made to bring our daughter into the world now. I think that most of you would have to agree, she brightens up every room she is in. I love her and look forward to watching her grow into a beautiful, intelligent adult. I thank God everyday that I have been blessed to be a parent.

On Second Thought

I was just going to post the pictures of Ben and Emily I meant to include in the last entry, but I decided that would be a crime. Instead, I think you need to hear a story.
Once upon a time, a handsome knight, Sir Turner, courted a fair maiden, Lady Ambrosia. They met, they wooed, and realized they wanted to spend forever with each other. They married and moved into into a cozy little cottage. Soon after, they discovered Lady Ambrosia was expecting their first child. They grew more excited as the expected day approached. The day came, and went. A couple days later their bundle of joy arrived (maybe later than they wanted but unknowingly it was perfectly timed). She amazed them with their beauty and perfect complexion. They decided to name her Emily. A few months later, when reflecting on their name choice, they realized they had gravely forgotten an appropriate title to her name: Queen. Thereafter she became Queen Emily, the ruler of the house and her parent's hearts. Lady Ambrosia began to suspect that the Queen had Sir Turner wrapped around her finger. She loved how upon his arrival, Sir Turner went to the Queen and requested to hold her. Queen Emily would inevitably comply and allow Sir Turner to dance and play with her. One night, Lady Ambrosia came onto this scene:

She choked back tears as she realized how deep her husband's love was for their precious Queen. Her dream had come true! She had hoped to one day settle down with a husband that would love her completely as well as be fully devoted to their children. She now knew that Sir Turner fit this image exactly. The R&B singer, Case, said it all in his song "Happily Ever After" (featured in our playlist at the bottom of the page):
Couldn't we be happily ever after?
We could be strong together for so long
Couldn't we be happily ever after?
Leavin' you never 'till forever's gone
You don't have to look no further than me
You don't need much more than my lovin' to make you happy
Beneath the sign of God
I will make this vow to you
I'll be right here, stay with me
Lady Ambrosia found her "happily ever after" with the man of her dreams, her knight in shining armor-Sir Turner. She looks forward to the endless todays she gets to share with this wonderful man.

She is so glad that she also never has to worry about whether he will love their children and take care of them with sweet tenderness. He already does.

Emeelouwho

This is our Dr. Seuss outfit for baby. Isn't she cute?