I had thought that my opportunity to sign with Emily had probably passed, but I thought I'd try a couple of things anyway. I was getting tired of all the pointing and "Uhh! Uhh! Uhh!", and knowing that there's probably another year or two of that in store for me, I figured I'd give it a shot. All day yesterday, when Emily and I were eating, I'd make the sign for "milk" before I gave her her cup to drink, and when she pointed at it, I'd do it more. This morning, I saw her practicing moving her fingers in the sign, and I said 'Yes! Milk!" and I shoved the glass in her mouth. :) Tonight at dinner, she pointed at the glass, and I saw her little fingers go into a fist, and she looked up at me and smiled. I think we may be onto something!! This could be pretty cool, if I can stay constant and a step ahead of her!!
When I dropped Emily off at daycare today, her sitter gave me a about 6 or so pictures from their Halloween party last Friday. There were 10 kids there, all 4 years old or younger! Emily is the youngest, but yet in the picture of all of them in their costumes together, she doesn't stand out as younger. She used to be Baby Emily in a sea of kids, but now she's right in there with all of them. It's crazy what she has done in one year! And yes, I am still madly in love with her. She's just the most amazing little thing. When I go into her room after she's waking up from a nap or in the morning, she crawls over to her corner of the crib where her books are sitting, and she points and smiles and jumps. It's fun to see her find things she likes and get excited about them. What a little PERSON she is!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Yakity Yak
I have had a most fantastically busy week. Yesterday was particularly fun, because I socialized ALLL day :) Emily and I went and visited a friend of mine from college who was in town for a short time, and had a little playdate with her 18-month-old son. He was giving the terrible two's a trial run, so I don't think he had that much fun, but it was sure fun to catch up and chat about his little sibling on the way, and life as a part-time-working mom. J - come to town anytime! :D
Then I went to work, and I had one of those days where I got to talk to lots of co-workers, and technically they were mostly work-related conversations but it was fun to have a chatty day. Some days, I don't talk to anybody at all, so it was pretty fun. I've got some fun coworkers.
When I got home, my parents showed up at my house, and I made dinner for them and Emily. Then, I was off to girls' night, and I talked and laughed until after 10:00. It was fantastic, just to have a whole conversation and sit and laugh, knowing my daughter was safe and sleeping, and I could have a little bit of wine and not have to suffer the consequences in the morning. It was really, really great. I SO needed that! Travis had been really supportive in me finding time to have social time with my girlfriends, and he was genuinely disappointed when we put it together that he'd be out of town all week. It was great that my parents came down and helped me out. It's a long drive to babysit for one night, but they had so much fun with Emily that they said it was worth it. That, and they got a lot done in Des Moines and Ames when they weren't with me and Emily.
So, yes, Trav has been gone all week, leaving for work on Monday and heading to Moline with his coworkers until Friday after work. it's a little lonely without him, but I actually feel like I have company with Emily around. She's a good little buddy :) Her favorite thing now is pointing at things she's interested in: the butterfly print hanging on the wall, her red wagon, her milk, her tractor. It's so fun that she can communicate with me now! Especially since she doesn't know the word NO yet... and i am not looking forward to that day. She isn't walking yet, either, and I'm fine with that too because I can see that it's not for lack of balance (she stands really well on her own) or coordination (she walks all over the place if she's pushing a cart). And she's a lot easier to keep up with on all fours instead of two!
Then I went to work, and I had one of those days where I got to talk to lots of co-workers, and technically they were mostly work-related conversations but it was fun to have a chatty day. Some days, I don't talk to anybody at all, so it was pretty fun. I've got some fun coworkers.
When I got home, my parents showed up at my house, and I made dinner for them and Emily. Then, I was off to girls' night, and I talked and laughed until after 10:00. It was fantastic, just to have a whole conversation and sit and laugh, knowing my daughter was safe and sleeping, and I could have a little bit of wine and not have to suffer the consequences in the morning. It was really, really great. I SO needed that! Travis had been really supportive in me finding time to have social time with my girlfriends, and he was genuinely disappointed when we put it together that he'd be out of town all week. It was great that my parents came down and helped me out. It's a long drive to babysit for one night, but they had so much fun with Emily that they said it was worth it. That, and they got a lot done in Des Moines and Ames when they weren't with me and Emily.
So, yes, Trav has been gone all week, leaving for work on Monday and heading to Moline with his coworkers until Friday after work. it's a little lonely without him, but I actually feel like I have company with Emily around. She's a good little buddy :) Her favorite thing now is pointing at things she's interested in: the butterfly print hanging on the wall, her red wagon, her milk, her tractor. It's so fun that she can communicate with me now! Especially since she doesn't know the word NO yet... and i am not looking forward to that day. She isn't walking yet, either, and I'm fine with that too because I can see that it's not for lack of balance (she stands really well on her own) or coordination (she walks all over the place if she's pushing a cart). And she's a lot easier to keep up with on all fours instead of two!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
On my own, at last!!
Emily is done nursing!!!!
I've gotta admit, I'm sad for a few reasons, and excited for a few others. I'm sad because it means she's not really a baby anymore, and as soon as she gets up and starts walking and running around,she'll officially be a toddler and that's really scary to me to see how fast it all goes! I'm sad because it means I can no longer gorge myself at every meal, although I was getting kind of tired of that and my appetite has seemed to have re-regulated itself anyway. Most of all, I'm sad because I used to nurse her back to sleep sometime between 5 and 6 AM and she'd sleep until 7, but now when she wakes up because she's hungry, she doesn't go back to sleep - and neither do I!! We have both been pretty cranky the last few days, but we're getting through it. Last night, Emily had a bedtime snack of crackers right before she hit the hay, and that helped her sleep past 6, so we'll figure this out. We're getting there!
Most of all - I'm relieved to have some energy back! You would not believe how much Emily can eat, and it's crazy to think that not very long ago I had to process a good portion of those calories for her. Ooof. I think I'd feel more energetic if I hadn't been up at 5:20 the past few days, but I'm hoping I can get in a groove and maybe start exercising before Emily gets up in the morning - if we can get her to sleep long enough!
I am also going to call the eye clinic tomorrow to schedule my lasik. :) I do feel selfish about being so agressive in weaning Emily, but she seems fine with everything, and I just want to be able to see! My contacts just do not work anymore, and my glasses are scratched and bent and really not that attractive. So, having this done will be good for my self-esteem and hopefully take care of some headaches, and enable me to wear sunglasses whenever I need to. I can't wait!!
I've gotta admit, I'm sad for a few reasons, and excited for a few others. I'm sad because it means she's not really a baby anymore, and as soon as she gets up and starts walking and running around,she'll officially be a toddler and that's really scary to me to see how fast it all goes! I'm sad because it means I can no longer gorge myself at every meal, although I was getting kind of tired of that and my appetite has seemed to have re-regulated itself anyway. Most of all, I'm sad because I used to nurse her back to sleep sometime between 5 and 6 AM and she'd sleep until 7, but now when she wakes up because she's hungry, she doesn't go back to sleep - and neither do I!! We have both been pretty cranky the last few days, but we're getting through it. Last night, Emily had a bedtime snack of crackers right before she hit the hay, and that helped her sleep past 6, so we'll figure this out. We're getting there!
Most of all - I'm relieved to have some energy back! You would not believe how much Emily can eat, and it's crazy to think that not very long ago I had to process a good portion of those calories for her. Ooof. I think I'd feel more energetic if I hadn't been up at 5:20 the past few days, but I'm hoping I can get in a groove and maybe start exercising before Emily gets up in the morning - if we can get her to sleep long enough!
I am also going to call the eye clinic tomorrow to schedule my lasik. :) I do feel selfish about being so agressive in weaning Emily, but she seems fine with everything, and I just want to be able to see! My contacts just do not work anymore, and my glasses are scratched and bent and really not that attractive. So, having this done will be good for my self-esteem and hopefully take care of some headaches, and enable me to wear sunglasses whenever I need to. I can't wait!!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The Birthday
I'm tired tonight, so I'll quickly recap the events of The Birthday. What a fantastic weekend!!
I had a hard time being at work on Friday. I didn't have much on my plate to do anyway, and I knew that Ms. Amanda had planned a little birthday celebration for Emily, like she does for all her kids. When I dropped Emily off, there was a big printed balloon for Emily, and the kids all ran to her shouting "It's your birthday!! You're ONE!!" They had cupcakes, and they all made cards for her, one of which read "Emily, you are my best best best best friend. Love, Emma." They had glitter and drawings all over them. It was awesome. Have I mentioned before how happy I am with Emily's daycare? :) That night, Travis and I noted when the clock said 5:50 and Emily officially reached one year. All weekend, it was fun to think about what we were doing exactly one year ago.
Saturday was the family party, and we had a small crowd of enthusiastic celebrants. My parents, Travis's parents, my grandparents and my aunt and uncle all came down for lunch, and Travis's brother came later, too. Everybody was impressed by Emily's appetite. :) We opened presents, and Emily quickly caught on that behind all that pretty paper would be something fun for her! She got lots of fun books and toys, and a little red wagon. Then we had cake, and we discovered that Travis had somehow backed into the cake while taking pictures of the occasion, so my perfect creation was a bit marred!!! I wouldn't've cared at all if I had actually taken a picture of the cake when it was perfect! Rats.
And, that was pretty much all. It wasn't really much of a party, but everybody had a really good time, especially Emily! My grandmother commented that she didn't think she'd ever seen a baby enjoy her first birthday as much as Emily did. My guests told me stories about parents who sent out formal invitations with RSVP's and provided a catered meal for 100 people at their kid's first birthday, and even hired a sitter to watch the birthday girl during the event!! Another horror story - the birthday boy didn't get to open any of his presents because his mom opened them for him during his nap. I guess throwing a first birthday party is just like the rest of parenting - as long as I put Emily first, everything else will fall into place.
Oh - and tonight Emily learned something new! I was feeding her crackers for her snack, and she'd eat a couple herself and then I'd give her one, and then I'd eat one myself, then give her one... and then she picked one up and held it out for me to eat!! It was so sweet. Then at dinner, she offered up a little handful of spaghetti for Travis to eat. What an amazing little girl I have. :)
I had a hard time being at work on Friday. I didn't have much on my plate to do anyway, and I knew that Ms. Amanda had planned a little birthday celebration for Emily, like she does for all her kids. When I dropped Emily off, there was a big printed balloon for Emily, and the kids all ran to her shouting "It's your birthday!! You're ONE!!" They had cupcakes, and they all made cards for her, one of which read "Emily, you are my best best best best friend. Love, Emma." They had glitter and drawings all over them. It was awesome. Have I mentioned before how happy I am with Emily's daycare? :) That night, Travis and I noted when the clock said 5:50 and Emily officially reached one year. All weekend, it was fun to think about what we were doing exactly one year ago.
Saturday was the family party, and we had a small crowd of enthusiastic celebrants. My parents, Travis's parents, my grandparents and my aunt and uncle all came down for lunch, and Travis's brother came later, too. Everybody was impressed by Emily's appetite. :) We opened presents, and Emily quickly caught on that behind all that pretty paper would be something fun for her! She got lots of fun books and toys, and a little red wagon. Then we had cake, and we discovered that Travis had somehow backed into the cake while taking pictures of the occasion, so my perfect creation was a bit marred!!! I wouldn't've cared at all if I had actually taken a picture of the cake when it was perfect! Rats.
And, that was pretty much all. It wasn't really much of a party, but everybody had a really good time, especially Emily! My grandmother commented that she didn't think she'd ever seen a baby enjoy her first birthday as much as Emily did. My guests told me stories about parents who sent out formal invitations with RSVP's and provided a catered meal for 100 people at their kid's first birthday, and even hired a sitter to watch the birthday girl during the event!! Another horror story - the birthday boy didn't get to open any of his presents because his mom opened them for him during his nap. I guess throwing a first birthday party is just like the rest of parenting - as long as I put Emily first, everything else will fall into place.
Oh - and tonight Emily learned something new! I was feeding her crackers for her snack, and she'd eat a couple herself and then I'd give her one, and then I'd eat one myself, then give her one... and then she picked one up and held it out for me to eat!! It was so sweet. Then at dinner, she offered up a little handful of spaghetti for Travis to eat. What an amazing little girl I have. :)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Another of my dorky analogies
I have been sitting and watching Emily play this morning, and not even trying to get anything else done. I figure, when I'm at work this afternoon, I would love to be able to see her playing, so while I have the chance, I'm going to relax and enjoy it. These days will go too fast!!
So, while I was sitting, I was thinking about how women want to have it all, and there's this debate between SAHMs and working moms about who really has it best. And so, this little thought popped into my head, that maybe it's not that I can have it all, but that I can have what I want. Being an educated woman in the 21st century is like sitting at a gourmet restaurant with a pocket full of cash (and a fantastic metabolism). I can have absolutely anything on the menu, and the only limitation is that at some point I'll be too full to eat. I could have a little of everything, or a lot of a few things, but the choice is up to me.
I kind of liked that, so I thought I'd share. :)
So, while I was sitting, I was thinking about how women want to have it all, and there's this debate between SAHMs and working moms about who really has it best. And so, this little thought popped into my head, that maybe it's not that I can have it all, but that I can have what I want. Being an educated woman in the 21st century is like sitting at a gourmet restaurant with a pocket full of cash (and a fantastic metabolism). I can have absolutely anything on the menu, and the only limitation is that at some point I'll be too full to eat. I could have a little of everything, or a lot of a few things, but the choice is up to me.
I kind of liked that, so I thought I'd share. :)
Sunday, October 5, 2008
A busy October!
So, there's a lot going on in October!!
Emily's birthday is next Friday, and I am in disbelief that it could have been a whole year since I was waddling around the neighborhood, miserable. In a way it has gone really fast, but at the same time it seems like eons ago that I was still battling my old idiot boss at Des Moines Works. It still feels good to be away from there, though!
I am getting more and more anxious to schedule my lasik surgery, because Emily is down to one nursing a day now! She is a fantastic eater. It's hilarious to see her chow through an enormous pile of food as if it would disappear if she stopped for a second. I think she's getting more teeth, based on the excessive drooling, fussiness, and pawing at her own head, but I am looking forward to her having more teeth so I can worry a little less about choking. Emily's favorite is still yogurt, though, because I give her the store-mixed sweetened kind now (too lazy!) She has a little dance that she does when she sees that distinctively shaped container. Speaking of dancing, we've titled her dancing style "Pirate Dancing," because any time she hears a beat she'll take one arm and swing it in front of her as if she had a mug of ale. So cute!
We went to visit my sister's family last weekend, and Emily had a GREAT time! Her cousins are such fun girls to play with, and she survived her first major car trip like a real trooper. Michigan is beautiful this time of year, too, and with the beautiful weather we were able to go out and do lots of fun things.
Yesterday we went to the ISU football game, which turned out to be less than fun for Emily, and of course next weekend is the birthday. I think it'll be just some family that helps her celebrate on Saturday. I've got a cake pan from the library, and high hopes to make something super cute for her. I guess, even if it's not cute, we know she LOVES cake so she'll be happy regardless.
The weekend after that is another football game at Iowa State, so while I think Emily and I are through with trying to attend games, we might make a show at the tailgate if the stars align. The following weekend is homecoming at ISU, and then it's Halloween! These events all promise to yield tremendously cute pictures, so keep checking the picasa site for more smiles and laughs!
Emily's birthday is next Friday, and I am in disbelief that it could have been a whole year since I was waddling around the neighborhood, miserable. In a way it has gone really fast, but at the same time it seems like eons ago that I was still battling my old idiot boss at Des Moines Works. It still feels good to be away from there, though!
I am getting more and more anxious to schedule my lasik surgery, because Emily is down to one nursing a day now! She is a fantastic eater. It's hilarious to see her chow through an enormous pile of food as if it would disappear if she stopped for a second. I think she's getting more teeth, based on the excessive drooling, fussiness, and pawing at her own head, but I am looking forward to her having more teeth so I can worry a little less about choking. Emily's favorite is still yogurt, though, because I give her the store-mixed sweetened kind now (too lazy!) She has a little dance that she does when she sees that distinctively shaped container. Speaking of dancing, we've titled her dancing style "Pirate Dancing," because any time she hears a beat she'll take one arm and swing it in front of her as if she had a mug of ale. So cute!
We went to visit my sister's family last weekend, and Emily had a GREAT time! Her cousins are such fun girls to play with, and she survived her first major car trip like a real trooper. Michigan is beautiful this time of year, too, and with the beautiful weather we were able to go out and do lots of fun things.
Yesterday we went to the ISU football game, which turned out to be less than fun for Emily, and of course next weekend is the birthday. I think it'll be just some family that helps her celebrate on Saturday. I've got a cake pan from the library, and high hopes to make something super cute for her. I guess, even if it's not cute, we know she LOVES cake so she'll be happy regardless.
The weekend after that is another football game at Iowa State, so while I think Emily and I are through with trying to attend games, we might make a show at the tailgate if the stars align. The following weekend is homecoming at ISU, and then it's Halloween! These events all promise to yield tremendously cute pictures, so keep checking the picasa site for more smiles and laughs!
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