Play Date

Emma had a play date with her BFF Erin tonight. (Actually, Mommy and Daddy had a playdate with Erin's mommy and daddy, Carrie and David.) Carrie had Erin almost 6 months before Emma was born. Throughout our pregnancies, we joked that Erin and Emma would be BFFs.

They were so cute tonight! David grilled us some awesome steak and asparagus at their house. Emma thought Erin was so cool; she laughed and giggled hysterically just watching Erin run around and play. By the end of the night, Erin was patting Emma on the back and giving her hugs. We had a great time.

"Please, no autographs; I can't read yet"

This is kinda long, but bear with me.

So, I know it's cliche when people always say, "I know I'm probably bias but my baby is the cutest baby in the whole world." I'm beginning to think Emma really is the fairest baby in all the land.

People are constantly telling Kevin and I how gorgeous Emma is, how long her eyelashes are, how blue her eyes are, what a pretty smile she has, blah blah blah. I truly feel burdened by it sometimes. I hate it. Now before you start thinking I have nothing to complain about and I should be thankful, let me explain a few things. Lets go back to when I was pregnant....

**Imagine Wayne and Garth wiggling their fingers and saying "Dodudo, dodudo, dodudo"**

Kev and I teased each other constantly that we were probably going to have an ugly baby but hopefully she'd have a great personality to make up for it. Our "joking" escalated to the point that I was actually afraid we really might have an unattractive baby which would lead to no one liking her, she'd never get picked for dodge ball, no date for prom, no college scholarship, etc. (You can see I easily let things snowball in my mind). Anyway, I had a dream one night that totally changed my fears. I dreamed that I had just had the baby and was still in the hospital with her. I was holding her swaddled in my arms just staring at her. I was overcome with this sense of joy and pride and peace. I look up at my friend and say, "Wow, what a beautiful baby." "Yeah," my friend says, "you hardly even notice she only has one eye." What!?!?! In my dream, my baby was a Cyclops. The thing is, she was mine so in my eyes she was flawless; I truly didn't even notice that she only had one eye! I realized that, as a mom, I'm never going to look at Emma and worry about whether or not she's pretty nor will it matter to me.

Ok, now fast-forward to today. Emma's daycare sends little "report cards" home telling us about her day. Today's note said, "I should be in a fashion show with my pretty purple outfit and gorgeous blue eyes!" Now I know that they are just trying to give a compliment. Or, maybe they couldn't think of anything productive from the afternoon so they were making something up. The point is, I fear that she will continue to be so beautiful, that's all people will notice. Again, I know, I know, I'm snowballing. I know that beauty is from God and beauty can be part of God's plan (just ask Esther). I just pray that Emma will have a heart for Christ a and soul as beautiful as her dimples. I pray that people notice her for her character not just her cuteness.

I know I'm just on a rant. (Thanks for listening). And please, don't stop telling me Emma is cute. I always love to tell mommas how precious their baby is, too. Maybe I've had too much coffee today...

Knock on Wood...

...but I think everyone in my house is healthy now. Kev's bug only lasted about 12 hours and Emma's was pretty much gone by yesterday. I had a little bit of stomach flu several weeks ago and it is miserable! I felt so bad for both of them; it stinks when you can't do anything to make it feel better!

Things have been pretty busy in our world. Kevin is trying to finish last-minute projects that need to be completed before graduation. My new position at work has been a little stressful and Emma is growing and changing every day. She wants so badly to crawl. I think it's still going to be several weeks before we see any creeping but she has her eye on the prize. She will stretch and reach and grunt trying to get a toy. She high-centers on her belly with her hands and feet in the air; she almost looks like Superman!

Today was Emma's first day at a new daycare. Ugh, that's not fun. We got a call a few weeks back from Cox's daycare (local hospital where Kev works) saying that our name had come up on the waiting list (we were put on when I was 6 months pregnant.) At first we totally dismissed it, thinking, "We already have daycare." But then, we started weighing the pros and cons of our current vs. potential situation. We don't have any real gripes with the lady who had been watching her, (well, a few but not worth the details) but we felt like Emma could benefit from a little more structure and curriculum. It's more expensive but the hours are more flexible, it's closer to home, they provide more supplies, and most importantly: they make a true effort to work with the kids to meet goals and develop skills. Even 6 month old Emma has goals they will consciously work on with her. She's starting to sit without support, drink from a sippy-cup, and is wanting to crawl.

She had a bit of a rough day. Apparently she cried a bit and wouldn't let the photographer take her picture (today was school picture day). When I called to check on her at lunch, she was in the middle of a melt down! Apparently, she had a dirty diaper shortly after that and was in a much better mood :)

Kevin's at a Cards game tonight with his brother David. He just texted me to say they were losing. Bummer. I'm going to a game tomorrow afternoon with my work. I heard it might rain. Bummer. Oh, well.

Poor hubby

Emma has passed the torch on to Daddy. Today was the first day she hasn't thrown up...and the first day Kevin has. Poor guy. Hopefully Kevin's will be shorter lived than Emma's and I won't catch it!

Poor baby: part deux

Last night, she had another vomit/heaving spell around midnight. After that, though, she slept through the night until about 7:30 this morning. I went to work while Kevin stayed home with her. He introduced liquids a little at a time and she seemed to be doing better. I came home for lunch to check on her and decided I'd feel better if we had her looked at (just in case.)

Even though she had managed to keep everything down this morning, she was kinda listless and her eyes were a little gunky. She also had a low grade temp and a little diarrhea. So we loaded her up and headed for my work to see the doctor. Something told me to sit in the back with her on the way there and am I glad I did! She started vomiting everywhere! We were almost there when this started so I told Kev to not stop, just get there. Then I realized that we hadn't packed a change of clothes. Nice. I ususally have some random clothes/blankets in my car but not today. Nope, that would have been convenient. There was puke ALL over her, her carseat and her blanket. Yeah, good times. Luckily, my work stocks packages from Newborns In Need, so we borrowed one of those when we got there.

After her exam, the NP said it's probably just a viral bug that's got her. One of her lymph nodes was a little swollen so we started her on an antibiotic just in case it's bacterial. Sweet girl, she's decided that amoxicillin tastes fabulous and takes it like a big girl. She and I took a nice long nap when we got home and she seems to be doing better. She just took some Pedialyte and some diluted formula. Cross your fingers that it stays down!! I'm hoping she'll be fine tonight and able to return to daycare tomorrow- she only has two days left at her current babysitter. Oh, did I forget to mention? We're switching daycares. More on that later...

Poor baby

My poor baby is sick. Projectile-vomit-high-fever sick. Turns out, two kids at her daycare went home puking today and she has started with it tonight. We called the on-call doctor because I was worried; she's never been sick before and her temp was 102.9! He wasn't too concerned and said it was probably a virus. Kev's going to stay home with her tomorrow and keep an eye on things. We set the pack-n-play up in our room so we can keep her near us tonight. I had put her to bed in her crib earlier, but she woke up after about 30 minutes from puking everywhere. I had to give her another bath. Say a little prayer for my poor baby. I'll update you tomorrow.

Happy late Easter

Sorry I haven't got anything up here sooner. We had an awesome Easter. After an uplifting sermon at church we spent the day with Dave and Cort. Emma had an adorable Easter dress. So cute. For Lent, Kev and I both decided to give up TV. It has been awesome. It's now 4 days later and we still haven't turned the tube on. I don't know that we will totally give up all television forever (we really love a good movie...and Guitar Hero) but we have learned alot about our priorities and what can give.

Kev's mom came for a visit Monday - Wednesday. That was really great because we hadn't seen her since January. And, I'm excited to say, we're going to Farmington this weekend. We haven't see my dad since the first week of December. That is entirely too long for a grandpa to go without his baby granddaughter. We're also going to meet up with my Aunt Cindi and cousin Lesley. I'm really excited and will hopefully have some fun family photos to post.

Hope you're all having a great week!!

TAG!

I've been tagged by my dear friend Laura.

You have to tag 5 people (you can't tag the person that tagged you)-You leave them a comment on their blog (‘you’re tagged’ and ‘why’)-Direct them to your blog for instructions…when you get tagged, you post ten fun facts about yourself!

So, in no particular order, here are my 10:

1. I love coffee. I drink it every single day and feel miserable if I don't. I tried desperately to give it up when I was pregnant but then I was getting caffeine-withdraw headaches! I love it with lots of cream, no sugar. I am totally happy to pay outrageous prices for Starbucks and Churchills. Coffee is how I socialize, it's how I work, it's how I worship. You'll never see me at work, with friends or at church without my trusty travel mug.

2. I love video games. Mainly in the Nintendo family. Recently, however, I've developed a love for PS2 Guitar Hero. Rock on, baby. I grew up playing Mario and Zelda with my mom, who was also a video game nerd. Before miss Emma came along, I could completely lose myself in Zelda Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask and an entire day would pass before I realized it. Unfortunately for me, I'm really good at getting all the way to the end of a game but then not having the skills to beat "The Big Boss." Oh well. One of these days when I have some free time...

3. I love naps. Sometimes on the weekend, I will mentally "schedule" a nap. I like to stretch out on our couch with a blanket and pillow and crank the ceiling fan and snooze away. I was one of those weird kids that always asked if it was nap time yet. I've always been a person who needs plenty of sleep to function but I always seem to come up short. (Maybe that's the reason for my #1). I like to take naps outside, too. I grew up on a country road with no neighbors in sight. I would lay on our picnic table and sleep under the sun. Those are some sweet memories.

4. I love my husband. I've known since the day I met Kevin, when I was 15, that he was the one God had for me. We have so much fun together and think the same things are funny. He lets me be a dork and clumsy and awkward and then tells me I'm beautiful. He picks me up when I'm weak but still allows me to be strong. He can read my heart and knows all my secrets. He is gorgeous and romantic and funny and smart and faithful. He is my everything and I am thankful to God for blessing my life with him.

5. I love my baby. She is my joy and my earthly purpose. I never tire of staring at her or snuggling her or comforting her. My biggest fear is that I will fail her (which is probably inevitable to happen at some point). I daydream about the plans God has for her life and the great things He will do through her. I hope she loves God. I hope she hates scary movies. I hope that she will let me hug and kiss her when she's 14 and I hope that she can come to me with any problem. I hope she is athletic like Kevin and has a heart for people like me. I hope she keeps her blue eyes.

6. I love God. I've always known He was there but I ran from him for a long time. I didn't discover a personal relationship with him until about 3 years ago. I am thankful for his mercy and grace; without them, I wouldn't stand a chance. He has proven himself faithful in my life, has blessed me beyond what I deserve and gives me a hope.

7. I am domestically disabled. I want very badly to be June Cleaver, but it ain't never gonna happen! I know how to cook but I absolutely hate to do it. I can often be pretty lazy (see #3). I hate to run errands. I hate balancing the checkbook. I leave laundry in the dryer for days and pretty much refuse to clean the litterbox. That being said, I do clean quite a bit (the kitchen, bathrooms, sweeping, dusting, etc.) The problem there is that I don't pick up after myself once everything is clean. It's kind of a never-ending battle. Thankfully, Kevin is a great and willing cook. He reluctantly but faithfully cleans the litterbox. He's good with the money and doesn't mind running to the Post Office.

8. My name is Mandy, and I am a Shopaholic. Just ask Kevin, the one with the checkbook. I love to buy things. I love shoes and clothes and purses and baby stuff and home decor. I love scrapbook stuff, electronic stuff, and pet stuff. If there's a sale in a 40 mile radius, I'll find it. I'm exaggerating a little, but not much. I think I've gotten better since Emma has arrived. I really really really hope that I don't pass the shopping gene on to her.

9. I love to read. I used to read borderline romance novels by Jenny Crusie. I have most of them. My latest passion has been Christian stuff. I really like Max Lucado, John Ortberg and Gary Thomas. My favorite book of late has been Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. This book was totally written for me and has changed my life and my relationship with God. If you've never been into Christian literature or if you've ever struggled with your faith on any level, I totally recommend it.

10. I really enjoy my life. I don't have much room for complaint. I have an awesome job with Jordan Valley Community Health Center and recently got a promotion. I work with amazing people who are totally dedicated to serving others. I have an awesome church that lifts me up, inspires me and refreshes my soul. I have some amazing friends who've become like family and are always around when I need them. My family is amazing. Both my natural peeps and my in-laws, I am truly blessed with a circle of love. My husband and daughter complete my happiness. God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!

So, I can only tag 2 people because everyone else I know has already been tagged! I'm going after Mae and Jill.

6 months ago today

my baby girl was born. Wow. Half a year. I can not believe that so much time has passed already. In a sense, I feel like I have loved and known her forever. Other times, I feel like it was only a month ago that our lives changed.

I had my first date with Kevin 10 years ago and feel like we have a solid relationship. Boy, has Emma put that to the test. It's amazing how conversations with your spouse change when it is 4:30 in the morning, and you've both been surviving on 2-3 hours sleep for over a week. Or when you're in the middle of a restaurant trying to decide the course of action when you have a screaming child, but your food hasn't arrived yet. Or when you just know if your spouse would bounce her this way she would stop crying but you can't say anything because you're BOTH the parent and you BOTH have to learn your own ways to care for her and your way is NOT the only way. My life is changed forever, and so is my relationship with my husband.

I never knew how sexy a man could look with a child sleeping on his chest. I never knew my heart could skip a beat from seeing my husband brushing our daughter's hair. I never knew I could laugh so hard by watching a man make silly faces and noises, just to make our girl smile.

I know I have changed, too. I can't tell you how, you'd have to ask Kevin about that. I know I have more stress and chaos in my life than I've ever had but that comes with more love and joy and kissies and laughter too. My life is awesomely blessed. Thank you all for being a part of our daughter's life. There's more to come.

Overheard in the nursery...

Today at church, I had the joy of volunteering in the nursery. So after Sunday School, Kev took Emma to service and I hung out with a bunch of 3-4 year olds. It was a blast! It's been awhile since I've been around kids that age and I had forgotten how funny they are. But, today I remember. Here are some things I overheard today:

"Jesus should have shot a web at the mean men!"

"I have to go potty!!!!........Nevermind."

"I got a tattoo on my chest, like Daddy."

I'm sure there were more mention-worthy conversations but I was too busy chasing after them to remember.

Face-Lift

Do you like the new look? I was getting sick of the pink and this seemed a little more like Spring. We've had a great weekend so far. Kevin's family is Irish so we had an early St. Pat's celebration yesterday with Dave and Cort. Cort got us all some silly hats from Wal-Mart and we played dice all night. We don't get together and hang out much anymore (with the exception of our Sunday night Bible study) so it was great to have some fun. Dave and Cort are both in grad school so that keeps them pretty busy.

We've started using a doorway jumperoo type thing for Emma and she absolutely loves it. I have a cute video of her in it that I will try to post later. She's getting so big! She will be 6 months old this week! Time has flown by and I have loved every second of it. I thought I'd post some of my favorite pics that we've taken recently. Have a great Sunday!

Kevin passed the HESI!

What is the HESI? Basically, MSU's nursing program requires all seniors to pass a comprehensive HESI in order to graduate and be eligible to sit for their boards. It is a huge, standardized test that covers everything they've learned from the start of the program. It's rumored that the HESI is designed to be more difficult than their acutal boards. Why? Simple. In order to remain in good standing for their accreditation status, MSU needs a high pass rate on state boards. They don't need a high graduation rate. So, they administer a test harder than state boards as a graduation requirement with the idea that everyone who takes the boards has already passed a harder exam. Whew, that was kind of exhausting!

Anyway, it's a huge test that they anticipate for 2 years and they finally got to get it over with today. I am happy to report that Kevin passed with a 96%!!! Yay!!! It's easy sailing from here until graduation.

I've had a good week, too. I'm getting settled into my new job as the Pediatric Clinic manager. It has been really awesome (and a little nerve-wracking) stepping into this new role. Everyone has been really supportive and encouraging.

Emma's first two teeth came through last week. She really didn't have too hard of a time with it. I'm hoping the rest come in as smoothly. She's getting better and better at rolling over and is getting close to sitting up on her own. Also, she has fallen in love with her feet! She loves to hike her legs up in the air and grab on to both of her feet and stick them in her mouth.

Our Bible study with Dave and Cort has been going really well. We're in II Corinthians now. I really feel like I have grown and developed alot during our studies. We've also decided to become accountability partners for each other.

We hope all of you are having a great week and are ready for a fabulous weekend!

Here's a sweet pic of Emma. She looks like she's doing a hula dance! I love her blue eyes...

Thanks!

My meeting today was an evaluation at work. I've been waiting for a while for this to come through and it finally did. I can't divulge all the details yet, but I have been given a promotion and a raise and am very excited about it. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers today!

A favor to ask

I wanted to make a quick note to ask for prayers tomorrow. I can't go into too much detail yet but tomorrow is a big day for me (Mandy). I have a meeting tomorrow morning around 9:30 during which I will find out some significant information. I will post more on what the meeting is and what the outcome is tomorrow, but if you could just keep me in your thoughts and pray that everything goes well, I would really appreciate it!

In other great news, I can finally post that my friend Misty had her baby girl!!! Isabel Grace was born last Monday and is thriving and doing fabulous. I've been able to see a few pictures of her and she is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations Misty, Joel and G-Man!

The above pic is from last Saturday at the park when we were having some fabulous weather. Emma and Daddy had their shades on to keep the sun out of their eyes.

I'll be back with a report tomorrow. Much love, good night!

Heat Wave!

Missouri weather: you never know what you're going to get. The past 3 days have been absolutely gorgeous! We're talking temps near 70. And what's the forecast for tomorrow? Snow. Go figure.

We didn't let one second of this great weather be wasted. Yesterday, we took Emma to the park for about 2 hours. We walked along a trail, played on the swings and then stretched out on a blanket in the grass. The girl had so much fun and really enjoyed this new adventure.

We went to the same park today after church and walked the trail again. Emma smiled and played the whole time. She loves it when a breeze blows across her face. When we got home, she and Kevin stretched out on the couch under an open window and took a nap. Paradise.

We're just gonna hang out the rest of the afternoon. Dave and Cort are coming over tonight for our Bible study. I hope you've all had a blessed day in the Lord's presence and feel refreshed for Monday!