Emily update

I was going to write about the insane weekend we just experienced, but it seems like Emily has been changing and growing every day so I think I'll tell you about some of those things instead. Or, first, anyway.

Emily has learned how to talk on the phone. She loves listening to either of her grandmas on the phone, although she doesn't have anything to say back. After this weekend, she is even more crazy about her grandmas, and the feeling is certainly mutual! She picked up a little electronic game that I had originally had out for her cousins to play with, and she was carrying it around on her shoulder yakking, and I'm certain she was imitating me on the phone. She had done a little of it with her uncle Pat's actual cell phone, and apparently any small electronic-looking thing is a phone to yak into. It was pretty cute, although I did feel a little bit mocked. She also laughed at me tonight while I was trying to get her feet into her little footie pajamas. She kept getting the one out as soon as I'd get the other in, and I was getting frustrated, which was just hilarious to her! I can't get her to laugh out loud like that any other time, although Travis can.

Emily flaps her arms in front of her when she's excited about butterflies (happens more often than you'd imagine, actually, with books about caterpillars and such), and she can sign for "more" now. She has the cutest little thing she does if you ask her for a "hug hug hug" - she puts her hands on her chest and wiggles her shoulders back and forth. It goes nicely with her pirate dancing. :) She's particularly fond of one of her pairs of pants, although she'll take any of her clothes and play with them - PJ's, onesies, socks, whatever. Travis didn't think I was funny when I suggested that she might become a "materials" engineer. I guess because it's not really that funny. :p

She also had her first experience in the snow (pictures on her picasa site), with the help of her cousins showing her what fun snow can be. I've got two snowmen in my front yard, although one seems more like just a big spear. It was a beautiful snowfall, but it made for rough travels for my parents and sister's family, and for my grandparents who were trying to get back to Ames after dropping visitors off at the airport. They stayed with us last night, unexpectedtly, and it was a lovely visit. A nice way to wind down after a crazy 4-day weekend.

I am thoroughly impressed with how much work it was to make dinner for everyone on Saturday night, and I didn't even do it all myself. I made mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and rolls, and somehow I was absolutely exhausted at the end of the day. Did I do anything else? I can't remember. Jenny did the pies and corn, and mom did the turkey and gravy. How on earth did women use to spend all day in the kitchen making meals for big farm families? Without running water in the house? Insane. But my fridge is full of leftovers, so that's a nice side-effect. And I had a really great time with my mom and my sister, right up until everybody started throwing up. Nothing like a stomach/flu bug to really bring everybody down. :( I feel so bad for my 3 nieces, who all took turns throwing up in their car, and especially bad for my sister who not only had to clean it all up, but also weather her own stomach ailment. Travis was sick all day today, too, and for the whole morning he could only sit and whimper. I hope Emily and I don't get this!!!!!!!

The Holiday Season

This is the week that begins the holiday blur. Thanksgiving plans have been fruitbasket-upset in the past week, and we are spending 2+ days in Barnum instead of going to Michigan now. My sister's family is making the trek to Iowa again (Sorry it always seems to come down to you guys doing the driving :( ), and we're having Johannsen Thanksgiving at my house on Saturday. It should be a very fun few days, with lots of family and free time to socialize and enjoy each other.

And then, it's on to Christmas! I always have mixed emotions about Christmas, because although it is a fun holiday, I dread all the hullabaloo that goes along with it. I prefer things to be simple, and there's a lot of details that go along with Christmas. But, the anticipation does make December go quickly, which is nice because it's a miserable time of year anyway. And, I think it will be really fun to start being Santa.

Emily has a case of the boogers today, and took an early morning nap. Last week she was thinking she didn't need any morning nap at all, but she is apparently not a cold-turkey kind of girl! I don't mind at all - this weekend she slept in my arms each morning. Now that I am watching her tear around on two feet, I will gladly take any chance to sit and snuggle my baby!

Walking and singing!

So, I guess technically, Emily is walking now. There's a video of her at her picasa site, if you'd like to see her Frankenstein imitation. She still prefers crawling if she's sitting down and wants to go somewhere, or if she wants to go somewhere far away, but if she's standing she'll start off walking, at least until she falls. :) Each day, she gets a little further, and is a little better at regaining her balance. I guess the kids at daycare are really excited whenever they see her take a few steps - so excited that they frequently knock her over. I guess that's good practice too, right?

This weekend was the last home ISU football game (thank god that's over!). This season has solidified my impression that I really do not care to tailgate anymore. It's not that I don't want to hang out with my friends, but that I want to do so in a setting that isn't centered around a bunch wasted of 20-year-olds - or wannabe 20-year-olds - and a football team that continues to break my heart. I guess I grew up. Isn't that sad??

Emily has a favorite song now. We have a singalong book for Baby Beluga (Raffi), and she likes it so much that she actually requests it! She learned how to say "baby," because we like looking at all the birth announcements on our refrigerator, so I'm not sure if she understands why there's a bunch of whales and other aquatic life in the book when we're singing about baby beluga. But, this weekend she requested a book, and started saying "baby" and a few other things in the same rhythm of the song, and when I started singing the song she sang along!! It was the sweetest thing!! I know it sounds like I'm being one of "those moms" and I'm probably projecting my interpretations as her true desires, but she really did sing along with me. Now, I'll warn you that if you don't know the song, you could look it up on YouTube and see a nice little video of belugas swimming along with the song, but then it will be stuck in your head for weeks and weeks. So, spare yourself the insanity that I am living in right now and DON'T learn the song unless you have to. It's like the song that has no end - it just keeps circling over and over and over. But Emily likes it, so as soon as it's out of my head, she wants to hear it again. I guess, I'll do anything for her, even drive myself insane with a catchy little tune!! :)

Already???

In case you didn't know by now, it's Christmas season. How do I know? Is it the red bows and wreaths and velvet red dresses in Kohl's? No. Is it the Christmas music I heard playing at the jewelry store that cleaned my ring? No. Is it the freaking cold wind and rain coming down? No. All that can be dismissed as just jumping the gun a bit. Nono, I know it's Christmas because I saw my first commercial for engagement rings tonight. *sigh*

A weight off our nation's shoulders!

So, I hope all of you enjoyed Tuesday night as much as I did! Doesn't it seem like there's a new spirit in the air? I mean, for a while there, I was SO nervous, and every time I'd hear the news in the car or on TV I would just get a tiny twinge in my stomach that it might all go horribly wrong. But it hasn't! I'm so happy! I may be imagining things, but it feels like there's a different tone to the news now, and everybody is ready to see big things happen. I really think they will! Yay!!!!!!!

I was quite surprised to feel just how cold it was today. I have forgotten just how cold 30-degree temperatures are. I shouldn't be surprised, considering winter lasted clear until May last year, but it's still a rude awakening nonetheless. I need to get Emily a winter coat, because I don't think she's quite big enough for the one I found super-on-sale a few weeks ago. But she will be next year! She's so darned cute with a hood up, framing her face. OK, she's cute regardless. :)

We are really starting to get in a groove with this whole part-time work thing. Emily still takes a little morning snooze, but I'm okay if I want to take her somewhere and we skip over it. She's really mastering some of her toys, so we'll have to get some new things for her soon to keep her interested. It's fun to see her work on her puzzle. It's six pieces, cut apart with wavy lines, that fit onto a little board. Of course she doesn't get any of them in the right place, but she does put them face up all in the center of the board. And then she picks one up and turns it around and places it carefully in a different spot. And over and over and over again. She works so hard at it, and she's so focused! It's so neat to watch her learn.

p.s.

I forgot to mention one of the highlights of the Halloween party. Since we were also celebrating the election and the fact that it's FINALLY almost here, we were very much in the democratic spirit. When it came time to choose the best costumes, we turned our selection process into a caucus. It was hilarious, especially considering how many very large, bulky, cardboard costumes there were! Like I said, I have some pretty interesting friends. :)

Punked

We have the most insane friends here in Des Moines. Although, the more I think about it, any of my friends from around the country would have eagerly jumped at participating in the surprise last night: "I Got Burgled '08", the theme for the Halloween party this year.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sullyjava/IGotBurgled08

That's right, everybody chose an item that was stolen from us, and came to the party dressed as it. There are a few more that I don't have pictures for just yet, but they will be posted when I get my hands on them. I can't believe how clever the costumes were!!! Incredible. I totally did not see this coming.

So, as you might have guessed, the party was a ton of fun, as once again Johannsens hosted the social event of the season. Emily had a good time being a Tiger one last time, and she seems to have successfully switched to the time change (thought I might be speaking too soon). She took her morning nap early enough today that we went to church, and she was just an angel throughout. At first she just cuddled with me and sucked her thumb, but then she got comfortable and started looked at books, smiling at strangers, and was really quiet except for a few very happy shrieks. I mean, come on, who really minds a few happy baby sounds here and there? About halfway through, she made the sign for "milk," and I got out her sippy cup and she was very happy to see it. I am so thrilled to be able to communicate with her, and for her to communicate with me!

And, I think in a few days time, we may be done with crawling altogether. Again, I may be speaking too soon, but she was working on taking a few steps last night, and she's gotten more confident today. I figure that some day this week, I'll drop off a crawler at Amanda's and pick up a walker!!