How to Have Loads of Fun, Baby Style

Step 1.

Watch your daddy crawl away from you.



Step 2.

Follow after him.



Step 3.

Sit down and giggle until he comes and tickles you.



Step 4.

When you feel overexcited, cuddle with mommy.

Missed the Queen?

I know that all of you missed Emily. Don't worry, she is still the Queen and we are her loyal subjects. Now, however, she not only makes noises to let us know what she wants/needs, she will crawl to wherever or whomever she wants. I will put her on the floor while I am doing homework or cooking to free up my hands. She will immediately crawl to my legs and attach herself to them until I pick her up. This is both precious and difficult! I love that she now shows me when she wants me, I just feel even more guilty when I cannot always pick her up and hold her!

Holding her is a story all on its own. She does not really want us to hold her and snuggle, but wants to eat the book we are reading, scratch our faces, pull our hair, and other exciting things. I want her to be happy, I just don't desire the scars from her scratching. She is so stinking smart and curious. She wants to play with us when we have something she would like to eat. She knows what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get it.

Emily's intelligence amazes us everyday. She taught herself to stand up a few weeks ago, and now stands with everything! Stairs, chairs, our couch, and her crib. We will go in at night if she is crying and find her standing, waiting for us to come and rescue her. Amusing.

Her motor development is incredible to observe! Emily is so smart and quickly figures out how to solve problems (like crawling through tight spaces). We love to play with her and filled with joy everyday.

Sometimes being a parent can be frustrating. It is demanding and I am "on-duty" for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I am gaining more knowledge every day but often feel incompetent and foolish. Mothering is a humbling process.

Despite these downs, I have far too many blessings to count. With every experience I am learning a little bit more about our family dance. Every new stage is a journey. I love, love, love every moment. Thank you, Emily, for helping me on my way to perfection!

Once Upon a Time

I grew up believing that I could do anything, be anyone, achieve the impossible.

I married young, became pregnant, had a baby, and am now finishing my degree.

I am asked on a consistent basis: is it hard, being a mom and going to school? Many find this task impossible. Careful juggling has made this transition smooth for us.

We have some rocky times.

Take these last few weeks.

I had a few writing assignments due, a portfolio to complete, and many hours of internship to catch up on.
I fell ill. Not only did I fall ill, Emily  fell ill. B had difficult tests to take, and I needed to shoulder most of the parental responsibilities. Our adapter broke. Then, our computer broke.

Life was and has been a mess.

But, we were able to get a computer today. Our fairy has helped with the household chores. B. finished his tests and I finished my various assignments.

I think that knowing the semester is almost over has made the stressors much easier to bear. Our last day of class is next Tuesday, and finals begin soon after. We will finally be able to breathe.

Trials come and go and I still believe in my childhood fantasy of doing whatever I want, being whoever I want to be, and accomplishing the impossible.

I would say that with this semester almost over, I have pretty much achieved the impossible.

For now, I am focusing on studying for my last midterm (right before the final, crazy eh?) and completing my internship hours. I feel greatly blessed that my health has stabilized and that I have a wonderful husband who takes care of me and the Queen when we most need him.

In the Meantime

Finals are looming before us. Our sink is packed full of dishes, our room is piled with with loads of clean laundry, and we have toys littered all over our floor. Ben and I have homework, midterms, and papers to finish up. 2 weeks until classes end and finals begin.

Yet, we have a house guest who helps us tremendously. We will come home from a long day of classes to clean dishes and clean laundry. The toys will be picked up, stuff piled nicely in some corner, and pleasant aromas will assail our noses. We are very grateful for our personal fairy.

Emily has her regular bedtime. Because our fairy is here, she is not rudely awakened to accompany us to the store, school, or on our dates. We love having our girl with us, be feel her bedtime is more important for her (and our) health.

Although I am stressed to the max, I am very happy that the end is visible.

Much has happened that allows me wonderful breaks from the monotony of writing. Emily has finally mastered crawling. She crawls to everything she desires to play with-cords, paper, plastic bags-and finds ways to utilize her new standing ability. She is a constant joy to all of us, the fairy included.

While I do not have our camera up and going yet, I felt an update was necessary. Just imagine the cute angel growing up. Too fast, I say, but necessary. We love her so very much.

Turning Around Until We Can't See Anymore

It happened. I began to feel energized. I would wake up in the morning and not feel like sleeping for another 10 years. I could go through the day and not feel like napping every hour or so. I didn't hate the sun and the moon as much. I began to forget the constellations.

This is called sleeping through the night. Our bedtime routine of putting Emily to sleep at 8 pm has been going rather well.

Until she began teething.

Now, she wakes up every hour or so through the night. She is fussy. I am grumpy. Ben feels like I bite his head off every day (I probably do). The circles that I have never experienced have begun appearing underneath my eyes. I go to class and dream of sleep (and doze off). I alternate between feeling terrible for my little angel, frustrated that I am again familiar with all the constellations ("oh, hello Orion! I see that you are arising earlier every day. So am I." And yes, I am having imaginary conversations with my dear friends in the sky), and guilty for feeling frustrated.

Not to mention the irritation that our adapter broke so that I cannot post the wonderful footage we have of Emily crawling in her adorable outfit.

Combine all these emotions into one and you have the perfect recipe for a disgruntled and on-the-verge of a breakdown mother/student.

I am pleased that I am doing so well in my classes. I will not say anymore because I would like for my intentions to become reality.

I can talk about Emily's reluctance to really crawl and desire to walk instead. She began by pulling herself into a standing position from a crawling position on Friday. I was so shocked that I did not get a picture. I still haven't, but it is the most amazing thing to watch. She enjoys doing this much more than attempting to crawl. I don't blame her. Who knows, she just might skip crawling all together and walk instead.

If only I could paint an accurate picture of our little girl's beauty, but I guess that all of you will have to believe my words. She is not only gorgeous, but happy, energetic, and the most precious part of Ben and my life.

This is where our sadness for her pain begins. She brings so much joy in our lives that when she is in pain, we suffer with her. Literally. Being serious, we wish that we could get rid of all her pain for her, but we cannot. She must bear the pain of growing a tooth. I guess this is not the only pain that she will have in her life. I just hope that Ben and I can comfort her then, as much as we comfort her now.

For now, I will continue waking up with Emkly every hour at night, comforting, kissing, and praying for her. I would sacrifice all the sleep in the world if it might mean sparing my angel of pain.

Just allow me to be grumpy the next day.