Emma K, passed out on the bed after some good eatin' Thanksgiving morning!
Emma and Daddy at the fire station in Hollins
Together for the afternoon!
Emma's first Thanksgiving- Daddy had to work, so Emma and Mommy spent the afternoon with him at the fire station.  A local church does "Operation Turkey Drop" to provide all the Roanoke Fire stations with a t-giving meal- it was a lot of really good, homemade food!  We had a great afternoon and Miss Em enjoyed visiting with the other firefighters.
A little playtime on the mat- Emma especially likes the big flower and the mirror- who is that cute baby in there?!?!
Trying out veggies- a cold, wet carrot is fun to play with at least!  She did briefly sample it, but didn't want to pose again once we had the camera out...  She had a pretty good day today with some nice naps and a little time outside taking care of the animals- it was in the low 50s today with no wind at all, so she was comfy in the carrier under Mommy's coat!  It puts her to sleep almost instantly usually.  Emma had a fun time afterwards dancing around the kitchen to Jack Johnson, now we're about ready to start settling down for bedtime, since Daddy has to work again tomorrow after picking up an extra shift today as well to help out... we'll see what Emma K has to say about it... :)

We had a great day today- We went into town to get breakfast at Cracker Barrel- Emma slept through most of the meal, and just when we thought Emma was getting fussy, she seemed to calm back down again.  After a quick trip through a few stores, we went to the mall where Daddy carried a sleeping Emma K around in the carrier- she had a brief glimpse of Santa!  She did really great- she seemed to enjoy the walking.  Meanwhile, Mommy was finally getting her hair cut- it was long overdue, and "in the holiday spirit" she decided to chop it off and donate it to Locks Of Love.  Mommy says she feels at least a pound lighter! :)

After coming home and having a little nap and some milk, Emma napped again...  She had a wonderful bath (I guess it was just right this time!) and got all nice and clean, pj's on, and just hung out for a little while.  Emma K even let Mommy and Daddy eat their dinner with two hands, and start a movie before she remembered it was her duty to keep us on our feet and bouncing!

Hopefully we have a good night ahead of us, filled with lots of sleeping!

What the.... ????

Emma K has definitely decided that she likes daytime better than nighttime...  We had a *very* rough night last night... Miss Emma was due for a bath, but had just fallen asleep when we were finally ready for the bath, so we waited a little while.  She enjoyed the bath for a few minutes but then started fussing, Daddy thinks the water may not have been as warm as she wanted.  We'll try to do better next time!  So things started out a little rocky.  She ate a bedtime snack, then crawled into bed with Mommy and Daddy and slept for a little while before deciding to get up again.  From about midnight until 3:45am, there was very little resting and an awful lot of fussing!  We tried burping, nursing, diaper changes, bouncing, swaddling, etc to no avail.  She is still very hot/cold with the pacifier, and won't ever take it when she's riled up already.  Mommy and Daddy tried to take turns snuggling/cuddling/bouncing/shushing little Em until she finally decided she was tired around 3:45 and stayed asleep in her swing as long as it was moving...  Finally some peace and quiet, Mommy and Daddy were soooo grateful!

Needless to say there was major sleeping late and napping going on.

Emma has had a pretty good day today- much less fussing, but I think she's still pretty tired from last night!  We tried her afternoon bottle of breastmilk and she took it pretty well, all in all she had about 2 1/2 ounces from it over about a 45 minute period, and after that, of course she wanted to top it off right from the tap!  We're relieved that she seems to be taking to it a little better, and glad we started working with the bottle a few weeks ago, as it has been very rocky.  Mommy has to work two days in early December to help out while 2 doctors go to a conference, and Emma will be hanging out with the office staff for those days.  Unless it's really slow, if Emma wants to eat, it will have to be from a bottle on those days!  (Argh)

The white noise CD from Dr. Karp's "Happiest Baby on the Block" program has really come in handy- we've got it on the iPod and try to keep it ready at hand when she's really inconsolable- she really responds to the noise of the hairdrier and the rainstorm sounds.  

It's been a dreary and drizzly day here, so no trips outside for Emma K, but we're hoping to get into town Wednesday to get some shelves to organize more of her baby stuff and maybe to get Mommy a *long* overdue haircut!  

Out and about in town

So yesterday we went out to Christiansburg.  We stopped by mommies office and visited with Pam.  Then we went to some other stores like Target and Home Depot and slept while mommy and daddy had lunch at a pizza restaurant.  At Target, we got a new bottle and slower nipples so that feedings can go a little easier.  The other nipple may have let milk out too fast.  I overheard several times that I was a good baby.   I slept with daddy while the Hokies were on beating Duke. Now, I'm swinging while mommy tries to get some more sleep.   Until later, I'm Emma bean and I say "peace out."    Go Hokies.

Emma is currently out of the office...

Emma is sleeping in the sling, so I thought I'd post a little update with some pictures from the visit at Grandma and Grandpa's house recently.  We had a great time, got to visit with a lot of people for the first time, and got to share the fun of a sink-bath with Grandma and Auntie Kimberly.  We've had a bit of excitement here, as I think Emma is starting to figure out how to smile- she and I were making faces at each other this morning, and I saw a glimpse of a true smile! It was so great.  Then she started making new sounds too- "Ah-roooo"  it was too cute.  I can't wait until she starts making more little noises and trying to talk.  We're still working on introducing a bottle of milk (so she's used to it when I go back to work) and while it worked like a charm the first two times, recently it has been much harder- she has a hard time when she wants to sit and take a break but milk keeps dripping out of the bottle... I think she gets frustrated and sometimes tries to choke on it- scary.  I think we'll try to find some slower-flow options if there are any...  

The first two pictures are here at home a while ago, I caught Daddy snoozing with little Emma K and thought it was priceless.  The next picture at the top is actually Emma K in the swing bundled in Grandma's blanket- can you find the baby?  :D

Sleeping in is a good thing

Mommy and I had a good morning, we slept in a little to make up for some lost sleep overnight. After some good ole naked time on the play mat, I'm dressed again and taking a little cat nap in the sling.  Today was my first day seeing snow outside!  Big flakes flurrying around, some stuck to the grass overnight, but not enough to play in.  It's been a cold day here, and I'm starting to understand how blustery it can be here!  Thank goodness the sun is coming out to warm things up to 29 degrees!  We're cuddling to stay warm.

Night owl Emma K

Mommy and I are sitting on the couch, trying to go to sleep... I look like I'm asleep, but as soon as Mommy goes to move me or put me to bed, I'll wake up!   This is a fun game I like to play, until I get tired... around 1 or 2am.  We went to a special class tonight called "The happiest baby on the block" at the hospital were I was born.  It was a good class, but mommy and daddy had cheated- they had already seen the video, and already knew the information!  Plus, I was the only baby there, everyone else was still inside, including a couple of twins I sat next to.  They sent us home with a DVD and a "white noise" CD to try, as well as a nice swaddling blanket.  Maybe I'll like to be swaddled in that one... I don't really like it in any of the other blankets... just trying to keep mommy and daddy on their toes!  Hmmm, I really am tired... maybe I'll stay asleep this time... we'll see...    ....   ......    .........

Hello to everyone

Our first post.  Emma is away visiting mommies family in Ashland this weekend.  Daddy is at home painting and working on the staircase.  All the animals are good.  Jack is sleeping beside Greg on the couch while we wait for paint to dry.   It is about 50 outside, windy and occasionally sprinkles.  In Ashland, Emma and mommy have visited with Grandma and Grandpa Avery as well as Great-grandma and great-grandpa Avery, Alta, Auntie Jamie, Aunt Kimberly and Uncle Chris, Uncle Maffis and Chelsea.  They are due home on Sunday.