Bath Time Again

We put Emma upright in her tub tonight and she did great! Mike did sit and supervise in case he needed to intervene but she did very well. She enjoyed sitting up (I guess reclining in the tub is far too relaxing for our uptight little girl). She played with her toys and was just precious! It did help that since it is warm outside it is warm in our apartment too and she was not freezing. It is fun for her to move ahead and so sad at the same time.

Home Again

We had the most wonderful trip to St. Louis. It was so great to see Emma with Mom and Dad and to see how much she loves them. It is so hard to be so many miles apart but Emma enjoyed all of her time there. Her ear infections are still plaguing her and she has a horrible diaper rash to go with it, but hopefully we are on the mend. All three of us came down with a nasty cold and are still overcoming that but I think the end is in sight. Here are some more pictures from St. Louis and a few from today back at home.

Poppa made this shirt for Emma for Christmas. She looked very cute in it!

Emma and Poppa spending time together. She loved Poppa's silly noises and games.

Poppa spent lots of time reading with Emma. He especially enjoyed reading her the Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed and adding the part about Emma being a little monkey that fell out of bed and bumped her head...you will have to read about the next picture to understand this.

Emma slept in her pumpkin seat while she went through the worst of the double ear infection. That was until she managed to throw herself out of it when Mike walked out of the room for 30 seconds before he could strap he in. She currently has a bruise on her forehead and we are still trying to figure out how she landed where she did. She really is amazing and I would put her down in her seat for naps in the living room and she would just suck her thumb, rub duck and go to sleep without a peep...Ah, how far we have come!!!

Mom helped me with bath time one night. Yes, it takes two adults to give Emma a bath. She is so squirmy that it is impossible alone. Mom had to sit down in Grandma's tub so that she could hold Emma and I could wash her. It was pretty comical...Emma loved it!

She is just so cute! She loves bath time!

Emma has mastered the art of sitting up. She is able to balance herself, reach for toys and sit up from a reclining position.

We are borrowing a jumper from the Shorts and finally pulled it out and put Emma in it today. She hasn't quite figured out how to bounce yet, but she did figure out how to spin in circles. We will see how that goes.

Emma got to soak her bottom in the sink tonight. It was her first "bath" in the sink and she loved sitting up and playing with her new tea set from Tante Janet. Mike still had to hold her the whole time because she slides all over still. Her medicine for the ear infection is causing diarrhea which is causing a horrible diaper rash. The pediatrician told us to let it get air and to soak it in warm water. Emma loved both treatments today. She even started to splash...look out!

A Week in St. Louis

Since Mike is currently without a job, we thought we would take advantage of the "vacation time" and visit Grammy and Poppa in St. Louis. I had this trip planned for a while for Emma and I to go visit after Grammy and Poppa returned from Egypt. Aunt Janet was also here for the week. It was such a blessing to have Mike come with us. It has been wonderful to be loved on and cared for all week with great food and help with Emma, especially while she has been sick. It is just so hard for mom and dad to be so far away and the time we are able to be there is just invaluable. It was difficult though because Sarhea, our niece, had surgery while we were gone and it was a struggle to not be there for the procedure to support the family but we were able to keep in touch and the surgery went well.

We were so thankful that Emma "knew" Grammy and Poppa when we arrived. She has started having stranger anxiety at times and it would have been very hard for mom and dad if she screamed at them since they cannot control how much time they spend with her. She sees them every day on the computer via Skype and knows their faces and voices although she does not get to see them very often. It was very sweet for her to remember them when she saw them and obvious that their intentional effort to spend time with her over the distance paid off. After just a very little time of studying faces she was comfortable with Tante Janet and Great Grandma and it has been great for her to let everyone hold her without any tears or drama. It also has been good for Emma to be with people other than mommy since we have been secluded in the house for the past month because of the weather and the increase in sickness going around.

We have had a great time and Mike and I even got to go out on a real date! It was so fun to just enjoy dinner out together and not have to worry about Emma at all. None of us are eager to go home but will have to return some time this week. Here are some pictures from this week.

Great Grandma loves to hold Emma although we have to watch pretty carefully because Emma does not like to be held, especially sitting down. Grandma has been so sweet with her and Emma just smiles at her!

Grammy has enjoyed holding Emma and seeing all of her fun girl clothes!

Grammy has let Emma have lots of time with her "piggies" out of her socks so Emma can play with them. She just squeals when she sees her feet and will not let them go.

Emma is continuing to get stronger each day. She loves tummy time and is interacting and playing with her toys without our help now.

Poppa is so fun! He loves playing with Emma and spoiling her.

Emma was all ready for bed while we ate dinner. She hadn't had a nap and we were concerned that she would fall apart, but she could not have been more content and precious while we ate dinner. She really has become such an easy baby.

Emma sits in her highchair during meals and has a great time watching all that is going on around her. She has been very content to play with a spoon and soak in the attention of everyone at the table.

Tante Janet found this tea set for Emma to play with in the bath tub. It was so fun to have so much time with Tante Janet.

We sure wish we got to see more of Tante Janet. Emma just loved her!

More fun with Tante!

Emma has clearly been the center of attention all week and is loving it.

So Sad

We are in St. Louis and Emma started running a fever yesterday. As the fever climbed and Emma's situation deteriorated quickly, we realized that we needed to get her to a doctor. The Lord was so good in providing a good doctor to take care of Emma. It turns out that she has a terrible double ear infection. Poor little girl. We are thankful for the medicine and are praying she will have a quick recovery. We are, however, enjoying the cuddle time with our normally squirmy girl.

Visiting Sam...Finally

Emma and Aunt Abby

Aunt Becky and Sam

Emma liked to pet Sam's hair.

Cousin Meg and Sam

Aunt Sue...aka the Mentor...and Emma Kate

Sam jumps and flails his arms while squealing in his saucer.

Waking up in the morning to see each other

We tried and tried for a good picture of both...this one is pretty sweet.

Abby spoiled me with great food. This is the stromboli she made for lunch on Saturday. YUM!

We were able to go visit Sam, Aunt Abby and Uncle Andrew last weekend. We secluded ourselves for the week prior to the visit so that we would be healthy and able to see them. It was wonderful to spend time with Sam. He is the most joyful baby I have ever seen. He loves to jump and squeal and smiles all day long. Uncle Andrew, Uncle Ben and Mike went to the Rooke's cabin in central PA for a guys weekend while Aunt Abby and I stayed with the little ones at the house. Sam's grandparents, Pampee and Grandma Susie, came to visit as well as Aunt Sue and Cousin Meg. It was a very busy visit and Abby and I were exhaused after all of the business of visitors and the typical demands of a day with two five month olds.

It was so fun to get to spend time with Sam and get to know him a little bit. I am so much in love with him and it was so very hard to leave him. We sure do wish we lived closer. Emma loved Sam. As you will see in the pictures, she found his hair and liked to pet him. They did not get to be close to each other except for pictures to limit the germ chances. We got on the webcam with Sam the other day and Emma just squealed and tried grabbing at the screen for Sam's face...it was precious. I posted a few pictures but have also included a link to the entire album of pictures we took...we took about 150 pictures while trying to get both kids to cooperate and some of them are super cute. Enjoy!

Visiting Sam

Five Months Old

Having fun playing on her tummy and showing how strong she is getting

Emma always has to know what is going on all around her.

Five months old and getting taller by the day!

That is how mommy touched her tummy when Emma was inside...it is kinda looking like there is something in there. :)

Emma can't get enough of her feet. They are in her mouth all day long.

Sucking her thumb!!!

She has such a precious smile!

Grammy sent Emma this dress for Valentine's Day.

Today was Emma's five month birthday. I don't know exactly how much she weighs although I can guess it is about 16 1/2 pounds. She is growing quickly and changing even faster. Here are just a few of Emma's changes we have seen this month...

1. Emma now prefers to play on her tummy and has learned how to turn herself around in circles and scoot backwards.

2. She is a happy baby!!! There were weeks that we never thought we would be able to say that! She is easy and joyful with lots of smiles and giggles each day.

3. Emma wakes up from her naps and in the morning talking in her crib instead of screaming. This is a very welcomed change as she has learned to let us know she is there and then she waits instead of demanding immediate attention.

4. When Emma cries, it is for a reason. Gone are the days of crying without an identifiable reason. Another very welcomed change.

5. Emma has returned to sleeping through the night. After a 2 1/2 month run of horrible nights with the pacifier, Emma now wakes up and sucks her thumb! Independence is wonderful!

6. As I mentioned, Emma now exclusively sucks her thumb. It is very sweet.

7. The stroller and car seat are some of Emma's favorite places to be.

8. Emma now reaches for our faces while we are playing with her, feeding her or reading to her. She gently touches our faces and smiles at us.

9. "The Wheels on the Bus" is Emma's favorite song. She will stop crying instantly when we sing it to her. I have to admit that we are getting very tired of it, but it works!

10. Emma giggles and laughs frequently, which makes us laugh as well.

Growing and Changing

While I was waiting for the other pictures to post in the first entry, I was looking through all of the pictures and could not believe how much Emma has changed. If I didn't know better, I would not know the newborn pictures were Emma. Most of all, I noticed how much dark hair Emma had to start out and now how light it is as it is growing back. The difference isn't as dramatic here as it was in IPhoto, but if you double click on the pictures to make them bigger you will see the hair even better. I chose this current picture just because I think it is hilarious!