Baby talk:)

Merry Christmas!

Daddy's girl!

Emersyn's first word!  Of course, she has no idea what she's saying, but it's pretty special nonetheless.

My baby is sleeping peacefully in her crib, and I am praying for the parents whose babies didn't come home from school today.

Dear Emersyn: 7 Months

 Is it just me, or are the months going faster than before?  I was looking at photos the other day of the week we brought you home, and my darling girl, you are growing much too fast for mama's liking.

You got your bottom left tooth Nov 29th, and your bottom right poked through about a week later.  You have been a little fussier than normal, but we've only had to do Tylenol once, so I think your necklace is still working.  This is going to sound very strange, but you get some pretty strong breath on occasion, and I think it might be teething related?

You've always loved to roll, but it was usually just onto your belly and then you were happy.  Now, you have figured out you can keep on rolling to get where you want to be (usually to chew on something you shouldn't have).  So, you've definitely mastered going from your belly to back now, and while it's not crawling, you're definitely more mobile.  This is really making diaper and clothing changes very difficult for mama.  You also show more interest in crawling when you're on your changing pad- you can get your knees up, or your arms going, but haven't figured out how to put them together.

You got to meet lots of daddy's relatives at an anniversary dinner, and you get to spend a lot of time with your great grandparents on his side, who love to come visit you!  We had your first Thanksgiving at mama's aunt and uncle's house, with relatives galore.  You do really well with other people, you're very friendly!  You still love mama and daddy best though- and have added reaching for us to your repertoire.  Love this.

I would venture to say (with extreme caution) that your sleep has improved this past month.  We moved your bedtime from 6:30/7 to 7:30/8 and that slight change has meant less wakups before your 10pm dreamfeed.  You still wake to eat again between 4 and 6am and then sleep until about 7:30am.  And your naps have improved as well!  You take your first nap around 9:30, and sleep for about 1- 1.5 hours.  Your second nap time depends a lot on when you wake from your first, but the length of it is about 45min to and hour.  Then another 20-30 min nap in the evening.  Of course, you still have times you wake up multiple times at night just wanting your paci, and you have days where you refuse to nap longer than 20 min at a time, but overall, this month has been a lot better!

As far as eating, no big change in frequency from last month.  You still eat about every 3-3.5 hours, have a dreamfeed around 10pm, and eat in the night between 4 and 6am.  What has changed is how fidgety you are during feedings.  You eat for about 5-7 min total each feeding, but around the 3 minute mark you start going crazy all over mama.  We start out with you laying on your side, and you literally roll over onto your belly while still attached.  Not cool, kiddo.  This is why I have no desire to drop your dreamfeed- it's the one feed of the day that you are peaceful and still and I love this last sweet time with you.  We've added a few more solids- sweet potatoes, green beans, and carrots, and so far, carrots are your very favorite!

You received a lot of hand me down toys and books from your cousins this month and you are in heaven.  Of course, you mostly like banging on the tub in which they're stored.  Actually, you like anything that makes noise:)

We love you, sweet girl, more and more each day.

Love,
Mama

Life lately

• Best news of the year- my dad is cancer free!  He ended up having 4 chemo treatments total, and his scans show no more cancer.  Unfortunately the chemo did a number on his liver, and also on his lungs.  He is now on oxygen nearly 24/7.  He is doing, better, but still having a lot of pain.  Not sure if it's still the effects of the chemo, or if there is something else going on, but for now, prayers have been answered.

• Every surface of our house we planned to paint has been painted.  We still have some touch ups to do, but we're SO CLOSE to being done.  What all have we painted?  Emersyn's room, including her trim, E's bathroom, the half bathroom, the dining room, the entry way, two hallways, Blake's mancave, Blake's mancave's bathroom, our bedroom, our master bathroom, the kitchen, the breakfast nook, the living room and the family room.  The only things we didn't paint out of a 3,300 sq foot home was one bedroom and the laundry room.  If I ever walk into a house we're looking to buy again and say, oh all it needs is a coat of paint, my husband has permission to smack me.

• We are hosting Blake's mom's side Christmas, and it has been good to have a deadline for all these house projects.  We still have to get new carpet installed in our living room, our new dining set in and assembled, pictures and curtains hung, etc, but we've been busting our bums to get things done.  Praying it all comes together soon so we can actually relax and enjoy the holidays.

• I saw a coffee bar on Pinterest before we moved and knew the perfect spot for one in my house.  It's happening, people! Freakishly excited for this one!

• We got family pics taken by a friend of mine that's a photographer- we've only seen the sneak peeks, but I'm in love with them and am already planning our next shoot.