These Eyes

When Greyden was born, there was no question as to who the baby daddy was which parent he looked like. The kid was a spitting image of his daddy, from his cute, crooked toes to the permanent scowl on his face. So when Emerson was born, I kind of figured the poor kid would look like her daddy too. Imagine my surprise when she came out looking like neither of us, at least that's what I thought. 

Immediately after she was born, people started telling me that she looked just like me. I was skeptical. I mean, she was a newborn. She looked like a little old man. I don't think I look like a little old man. Maybe I'm wrong? Granted, she was the most adorable and gorgeous little old man you will ever lay eyes on, but it takes a few days for newborns to fill out and start looking like babies, especially when you have the peanut-sized munchkins that I had. True, she had a lot of hair when she was born, but I was pretty sure that was about as far as our similarities went. Then people started commenting on how she had big eyes, just like mine. Hmmm. I've never noticed anything different about my eyes. I thought they looked just like everyone else's. (And I can now verify this statement being as I have spent an insane amount of time staring at myself in the mirror wondering if my eyes are indeed "big".) 

When people started making the "big eyes" comments, I was reminded of a conversation that I had had with my parents before Emerson was born. They were cracking up because when I was a baby, they kept my bedroom super dark so that I'd always think it was nighttime and therefore I'd sleep a lot. Hence, they said, the big, owl-sized eyes to see better in the dark. (Before you call CPS on them, consider the fact that they may have been on to something, since I was and still am a really good sleeper. Come to think of it, if you're going to call CPS on them, tell them that my parent's idea of a "baby monitor" was to turn the stereo up louder so that they couldn't hear me. Or maybe tell them about the time when I was in 7th grade and had an allergic reaction that caused my eyelids to swell, reducing my eyes to slits. Obviously before they could take me to the doctor, they decided it would be much more helpful to walk around with giant mixing bowls upside down on their heads like Chinese bamboo hats, all the while talking in "Chinese" and calling me by my newly appointed Chinese name: Ah-choo.) Needless to say, my big eyes have become somewhat of a running joke in my family (as has the name Ah-choo, unfortunately). Because, let's face it, everything becomes a running joke in my family. THESE PEOPLE DON'T FORGET ANYTHING.

Of course when they told me I had big eyes, I argued like hell. Just like I argued when they told me how effective their "baby monitor" was and how effective their Chinese impressions were at fixing my face. Not that arguing with them helped at all. Then, about a month later, Mom and I were in Coachlight in my tiny hometown of Cass City doing some Christmas shopping. We were standing in line to check out and, as it often happens in a small town, chatting with people we knew (which happened to be everyone. Did I mention CC is really small???) One of the people in line happened to be my old bus driver. Mom turned around to say hello and mentioned that she was there with me and asked my bus driver if she remembered me. My bus driver looked at me, got a huge grin on her face, and said "Of course I do! Who could forget those big eyes?"


Checking In!


Emerson - 6.5 months! (30 weeks)
6 Month Well-check Appointment Stats:
Weight: 14 lbs (12th %) 
Height: 25.9" (54th %)

Total weight gain/loss: I'm still stuck at my 161-164 weight range. Well, I say stuck, but I guess that would indicate that I have been trying to do something about it. Of course, if you count bitching daily to my friend Katie about how fat I am, then I most definitely am doing something about it. I think I'd probably have better luck if I, oh, I don't know, stepped on my treadmill once or twice. As for Emerson's weight gain, the doctor said she isn't on her curve anymore, meaning she's not gaining as fast as she should be at this point, and she shouldn't be losing since she's not mobile and burning calories. So we've upped her cereal and solid foods. We have a weight check in a couple of weeks. To be honest, I'm not even close to being concerned. She still nurses like a champ (every 2 hours STILL) so she's getting plenty of food.

Maternity Clothes: Well, I'm not wearing any. Although, maybe I should be, being as last week I was trying on my work clothes in preparation for a work trip to Texas that Kevin and I were taking with the kids, and couldn't fit into any of my old work pants. Or, if I could get them buttoned, there was no sitting down in them. Oh, except for the pair that split from zipper to rear belt loop when I tried to sit. I could sit in those ones just fine. I guess I can say I am not officially in them anymore, but only because I've bought bigger sized jeans.

Sleep: Emerson is a pretty good sleeper when she's not sick. We have nights when she's up once, and we have nights where she's up two or three times. Or when she's sick, like she has been for the past few days, she's up 5 times a night. So, nope. No sleep. The de-swaddling process went well though and she's been doing great in her sleep sack. She's a tummy sleeper. She also gets a goodnight hug and kiss from her big brother every night. Actually, she gets a hug, a kiss, and a high five (usually off of her forehead).

Best moments this week: Well, not this week, but a few weeks ago when I was changing Greyden's diaper, he was holding his feet in the air for me. I started to ask him to put his feet down so I could fasten the tabs and he put them down before I could ask him to. I told him "wow, you've done this before, haven't you?" He looked at me with the most serious expression and replied "Daddy's changed me a couple of times."  

What I am looking forward to: Our friend's wedding is this weekend! I have to admit, I'd be looking a lot MORE forward to it if any of my old dresses fit and I didn't have to go out and buy plus sizes. (Okay, I may be being slightly dramatic).

Milestones: Emerson is sitting up on her own and only face plants after 5-10 minutes or more. Much better than every 30 seconds. Still no crawling yet, although she gets on her tummy and starts flailing her legs like she's trying to swim to wherever she's going. We also started her on solid food on Christmas Eve. Currently we give her a lot of oatmeal because she LOVES it (I have no idea why, I swear I'm not adding brown sugar). We've tried a few other food with her, namely applesauce, sweet potatoes, and bananas. So far the only one that she doesn't make gagging faces at is bananas. I'm sure I'll have MUCH better luck when I try out the peas and green beans this weekend (insert sarcasm here). One small challenge we need to overcome is her tongue-thrust reflex. Basically as soon as you put something into her mouth, she pushes it back out with her tongue, which makes meal times really, really messy. But she's slowly getting better and I'd say she's getting about 75% of the food down now. The girl may look like me, but she DEFINITELY does not eat like me.

Cuddling with Harley

Big shoes to fill

Emerson's new wheels

Kisses from Big Brother

Getting a bottle from Grey

Our budding genius.

Okay, maybe not.

4 Months! And 5 Months!

My baby is growing up so fast! Maybe not super fast, but at any rate, she's growing faster than mommy can write new blog posts. She's already 5 months old. Of course it feels like we've had her forever (especially at 1:00 in the morning).

In the last month she's started rolling front to back, then a week later, back to front. Now she's trying to sit up on her own and actually manages to stay upright for a few seconds before faceplanting into the floor. Next week she'll probably be crawling. Although I hope not since I'm not very mobile at the present time.  

I have to say, Greyden is the best big brother ever. I had to take both kids to the doctor for their well visits a few weeks ago. Of course both needed shots and Kevin was out of town. I had them do Greyden's first so that I could calm him down before doing Emerson. He cried for a few minutes, but I asked him if he could help Sissy with her shots. He said yes and climbed up on the step stool next to the table and held her hand. It was precious. It's also amazing how much Emerson adores Greyden. If he's in the room, she has to be watching him and, if possible, touching him. There is nothing the two of them like more than laying next to each other in Emerson's crib before their baths each night. Emerson just reaches for him and laughs the entire time.

Here are her 4 month pictures:

And here are her 5 month shots:

Checking In!

Weeks Post Partum: 22 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: A TON. Well, not quite a ton. But I was thrilled to step on the scale last week and see that I was down to 165. How? I have no idea. It must have been the fact that I haven't exercised since October. Or maybe the fact that we order pizza at least twice a week. Regardless, I'll take it. (And if that's the case, bring on the Christmas cookies!)

Maternity Clothes: I have officially ditched the maternity pants. Literally. I threw a pair of jeans away. Granted it just about killed me since I hate throwing away clothes. I'd love to say it was because they were too big on me, but to be honest, the belt loops were ripped off (from me hauling them over my love handles) leaving gaping holes where my muffin top was squeezing out. How's that for a visual? 

Sleep: Have you ever heard of the 4 month wakeful? Apparently at 4 months, babies are hitting a stage where they're becoming more aware of their surroundings and therefore are sleeping a lot less. I remember Greyden going through that phase. I just laughed this time thinking about how Emerson would never start waking up at night. She's been sleeping all night and only getting up once since day 1. No sense in ruining a good thing, right? Then she ruined it. At about 4 months and 2 weeks, she became very difficult to put down. I used to nurse her, lay her in the crib, and walk out. Now I nurse her, lay her in the crib, walk out, walk back in, put paci in, walk out, walk in, put paci in, sit in chair because I'm sick of walking out, walk out, go downstairs and relax for 15 minutes, go upstairs, nurse her, lay her in crib, walk out, walk back in, put paci in....you get the idea. All I could figure was that it was because she was fighting her swaddle so badly. So we stopped cold turkey. For the 3rd time. The last 2 times we gave up and reswaddled her again after a few sleepless nights. This time, we're sticking with it. She's getting a little better. I only have to go back into her room 1 or 2 times before she's down for the night. And when I say "down for the night" I mean, down until she gets up at 11, 1, and 5.

Best moments this week: 

 
What I am looking forward to: Christmas! I am so excited for Santa to come for the kids. We've been telling Greyden all about Santa. While Kevin was explaining that Santa was coming to bring presents, Greyden suddenly stopped and looked at the door. Then he looked back at Kevin and said "Someone here, Daddy!" HA! Not quite yet, buddy. We took them to see Santa last week. There is a little one room schoolhouse that the Brighton Historical Society opens each year to host Santa and Mrs. Claus for the kids. It was perfect. No mall, no lines. There were probably 20 people there total, and most were running it. And they had baked goods. We've definitely found our Santa spot. I'm still shocked that Greyden went and sat on his lap. Emerson was ALL about the candy cane (which Mommy later ate - refer to weight loss section above).

Milestones: Rolling front to back (18 weeks), back to front (19 weeks), and wanting to sit up on her own. We've also moved her into the big bathtub with Greyden since her little infant tub was causing tsunamis all over the mirror and countertop. The girl likes to splash just a leettle bit.



This is when we caught her rolling from back to front. Doesn't she look proud of herself?

Babies are Hazardous to Your Health

Guess where I spent the morning today? If you guessed at my desk and hard at work, you'd be wrong right because my boss reads this blog! However if you guessed at the local Urgent Care clinic, you might be a little closer to the truth.

We have been dealing with sick kids lately. The coughy, sneezy, snot dripping down their chins kind of sick. You know, the kind every other kid at daycare also has right now. It's been awesome. Greyden, although still stuffy and crusty, appears to be on the upswing. On the other hand, Emerson is still pretty bad so I decided to keep her home from daycare yesterday. I figured that letting her get a good nap and keeping her nose cleared out would help her progress along. After napping from 9:30 - 1:30, then again from 4:00 - 4:45 she did seem to be a little better. Still, you can see where I'm going with this, right? Sick baby....urgent care..........................a knee injury.....*sigh*

Yesterday afternoon I went up to the nursery to get Emerson when she woke up from her nap. As I was holding her and gently swaying back and forth (while belting out Christmas carols at the top of my lungs), my knee cracked. In my mind it sounded like the crack of a gun shot, but truth be told, it was probably closer to a knuckle cracking really loudly. Regardless, you could definitely hear it over my singing so you know I'm not exaggerating too much. Immediately it started to hurt and as the night went on it kept getting worse. By the end of the evening I could barely walk on it. I was hoping that resting it overnight would help, but when I fell stepped out of bed this morning, it was obvious that it was no better. Therefore, I found myself sitting in front of the Urgent Care waiting for them to open.

After successfully elbowing all of the other patrons out of my way (I said knee injury, my elbows were fine), I was the first one in the clinic. The doctor turned out to be an older gentleman who was apparently hard of hearing. As I'm describing my unbearable symptoms (sharp pain below my kneecap, stiffness, extreme pain when walking on it) he's telling me to open my mouth and say "ahh", looking in my ears, checking my lungs, and telling me about all of the cases of strep and pneumonia he's seen lately. Huh? Granted, I wasn't expecting stellar health care from a walk in clinic, but I thought (was hoping?) that they might be able to land a little closer to the old goal line than that. Then he started listening to my heart and telling me that it sounded "funny". Dude, really? I figured it would be just my luck to come in for a knee injury and leave with a heart attack.

Eventually he got around to sending me off for x-rays (of my knee and not my chest believe it or not) which of course came back clear as we figured they would. My prescription? Ice and immobilization. Because THAT will be easy with a 2 year old and a 5 month old. He did give me a prescription for pain meds (the good stuff - regular strength Tylenol since I'm still breastfeeding), a referral to a sports medicine doctor, and sent me on my way. He told me that if I'm still having pain in a week, I am supposed to make an appointment with the sports medicine doc (since the orthopedic places can't get me in until the end of January) and we can discuss an MRI at that time. So I have at least a week of hobbling around like I'm 90. Oh, and he did say that I could use crutches, but recommended a cane instead since I have to carry around a baby wherever I go. (Yes, I'm trying to picture this too). Not that it matters since I don't own a cane and we can't even find both of my crutches. Kevin's been using one for an awning opener on the RV for the last 2 years. The other one is probably........ somewhere....... shop maybe........ basement........ Kevin was nice enough to apologize for separating them and losing one since he "thought my clumsy days were over" and therefore didn't realize that I'd ever need my crutches again. He also said he should have known better. I told him that I wasn't being "clumsy" this time since I was literally just standing there. Clumsy would have obviously involved falling over. Then we got to take a trip down memory lane as he recounted all of my previous "clumsy" injuries....the big ones being slipping down the stairs of our boat, landing on my ass in the cabin, and spraining my ankle, and walking through a door and breaking my foot (while failing to mention that the raised threshold that was the culprit, of course). Yes, I may have landed myself on crutches a time or two before, but who's counting? Definitely not Kevin since he also told me that he's lost track of all of my other injuries.

So that's my morning in a nutshell. There goes my dream of finishing up my Christmas shopping at lunch today, since I'm obviously limited to stores with Amigo scooters. And while I'm beyond thrilled to have an excuse to put it off for yet another few days, I'm also a little scared that I won't be able to walk next week either, although not as scared as the people whose gifts I haven't bought yet should be, since I'll have to send Kevin out for theirs. I'd tell you who you are, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out on Christmas morning.