The Life of a Mom

Well, back to another school year for me, and back to Carol's for the kids! Can't believe how fast the summer flew by. But then again, it always does. I loved spending the summer with my kids. I know these "baby" days are also going to fly by and I am trying to savor every moment. We had an action-packed summer with swimming lessons, birthday parties, ridin' horses on the ranch, playing in the water, and trips to the zoo, Lake Tahoe and the coast. As for the updates, Bryce is still not walking on his own but he is very close. He has taken a couple steps on his own here and there but only when he doesn't realize he's doing it. But he crawls at lightening speed! His newest word is, "hi." He also now weighs the same as his older sister. Oh, and he loves to dance and bob his head to the music. ;) Emmi is growing taller and becoming such a "big girl." My favorite moments are when I'm in the car with her and she just jabbers away in that sweet little voice, non-stop. She asks question after question, most of which she knows the answer to but just wants to hear if we know ;) For example, driving home from Nana and Papa's tonight:

Emmi: "Mommy and daddy look at the sky, it's pink. What color is it mommy?" Me: "Well, it's pink honey." Emmi: "And blue?" Me: "Yes, and blue." Emmi: "Why is it blue mommy because that's the sky?" Me: "Yes that's right."

And conversations go on and on and on like that with hardly a break. The best is that I can count on my 2-year old daughter to keep me in check. As I'm driving to work the other day (first stressful week back at school) and am running a few minutes late, I just barely miss a green light and have to stop (at one of the longest lights in history, I might add). So I make a frustrated, "ugghhh" noise. And Emmi says, "Mommy, that did not sound very nice." So of course that makes me feel awful and I go on to tell her that she is very right and that I should not get frustrated at little things like that. And Emmi replies, "yeah." That's the life of a mom...they pick up on every little thing we say and do, even when we don't even know they are paying attention.

Since Emmi was a baby, we started a routine where we would read her a book before bedtime. As she has gotten older we also say our prayers after we read the story. Well, lately Dustin has started making up stories and telling them to her. So now every night she asks, "Daddy, can you talk a story to me?" It the cutest thing ever!! And every morning when daddy gets her up, she comes running to me saying, "mommy!!!!" And Brycie greets me with a big 'ol grin from his crib. Oh, how I am going to miss those moments when they are teenagers! Well, maybe I won't miss the moments like when I'm trying to help Emmi "go in the big girl potty" as Bryce is unrolling the TP, then helping Emmi wash her hands as Bryce darts behind me, lifts the lid, and starts playing in the toilet water before I can get around Emmi to stop him. But okay, that's the life of a mom....and I know someday I'll even miss those moments too!!

Happy 1st Birthday Bryce!!

Our baby boy turned 1-year old yesterday, Tuesday July 12th, 2011!! It's so amazing how fast this year has flown by! Our baby has grown from 8 pounds, 3 ounces on that special day one year ago... to 23 pounds, 5 ounces at his check up yesterday. We celebrated his birthday last Saturday at Nana and Papa's ranch. Mommy put together a "barnyard animal" theme highlighted with cow print table cloths, farm animal lollipop favors and centerpieces, and a giant cow-print smash cake just for Bryce (shown above in my favorite pic from that day). And Auntie Tami did an awesome job decorating the coordinating barnyard cake! Nana and Papa were nice enough to host the whole Rostomily/Emslie clan again for this shin-dig (as they did for Emmi's 2nd b-day). Aside from a small delay from the post office for the favors and decorations, everything went smoothly. Bryce started off the party with a little bit of a grumpy demeanor, but that all changed the minute he dove into his cake! He didn't hesitate for one second before he "smashed" it to smithereens!! We all watched, laughing, as he double-fisted that cake and shoveled it in as fast as he could. He definitely earned his nickname, "Tank!" He has actually accumulated a small list of nicknames..."Chunk-a-munk" (given by mommy), "Bam-Bam" (given by Carol, his daycare provider)," and "Brycie" (endeared by all). Some of his accomplishments the past few months are: waving/saying "bye bye," crawling lightning speed, pulling himself up and walking along furniture,walking with his push-toy, calling every dog "Tessa," shaking his head "no," and giving kisses. His list of words include: mama, dada, papa, bampa (gpa), Tessa, Jinx, pizza, bye-bye, and dat (that). Some party highlights were: Bryce's cake demolition of course, swimming fun, making barnyard crafts, and exploring Nana's garden. The party finale was Bryce opening presents in his jammies (well, mommy opening presents and Bryce eating the paper) and Bryce receiving his 2 new rides: a "ranch mobile" from nana and papa, and a "CARS 4-wheeler" from Gma and Gpa. Fun was had by all, but whew...I was exhausted!!

It's crazy how much they change in this first year. They go from this helpless little precious baby that can't even hold up their head, to a small child, full of personality and taking their first steps toward independence. And in looking at Emilie, who is now 2 1/2 years old (going on 5) it's even crazier how much they change in the next 2 years. I'm just trying, like every other mom, to hold on to every moment, every milestone, every precious smile. Happy birthday Brycie!! Can't wait to watch you grow! Mommy and daddy love you so much!

Blessings in Disguise

Many have gone through some sort of trial in their lives...or maybe even several...that they believe was a blessing in disguise. Thus far in my life, as you know, mine was infertility. It was something I believe I needed to go through in order to learn more about myself, my life, my priorities, and my faith. This trial was one that was big in my life so far, however there are so many others out there who are fighting through things much bigger. People that live through those trials and still stay strong and hold onto their faith....those are the people that amaze me. Just recently my mom showed me the testimony of a family friend who is battling cancer. He has had several surgeries and most recently the cancer had spread to his legs. He is a father of three young boys. The oldest boy was the ring bearer in my wedding when he was 5 years old. This man's name is Rudy. In his testimony Rudy writes of his struggle with cancer and he writes about the things that have helped him live through his struggle, most importantly his family and friends. He talks about what God has been teaching him along the way....that he needs people around him and close to him to help him through. The fact that Rudy can talk about his faith and what God is teaching him as he continues to go through this life-threatening disease, is amazing to me. There is a song that is often played on the radio called "Blessings" by Laura Story. Every time I hear that song, I think of Rudy. I have posted the lyrics below to the last chorus because I love the words so much. I have also posted the entire video and song to the right of my blog. If you would like, please push play and listen to the words of this beautiful song. And if you are so inclined, please keep Rudy and his family in your prayers...

Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops

What if your healing comes through tears

And what if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is a revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storm, the hardest nights

Are your mercies in disguise

Light

Three years and nine months ago, in August 2007, I wrote a post on this blog called, "Tunnel." I chose the name "Tunnel" for my post based on one of my favorite songs by Third Day. Our 8th fertility procedure had just failed, and little did we know, we were about to have 2 more failed attempts, and finally on our 11th attempt (almost a year later), through a frozen embryo transfer, we got pregnant with our precious Emilie. In that Tunnel post, I talk about my feelings of starting to lose hope. I also talk about holding on to my faith, knowing that God has a plan for me. At the time, having faith was not always an easy thing to do, but it was the only thing that kept me going. A quote from that post: "One day when we have our baby, whether it be from pregnancy or adoption, we will be able to look back and say, "Oh, that was your plan, God." And we won't be able to imagine it any other way." And yes, almost 3 years later, I do see God's plan. You can see it too, above in that picture! Little did I know that His plan was not only to give us one precious child, more than we could have ever wanted, but to give us two!! God's plan is not only great, it is greater than you can imagine.

Last week was "National Infertility Awareness Week." Many posts on Facebook read, "Infertility is a heart-wrenching, faith-questioning, relationship-testing, life-altering experience." Only those that have experienced it, know the truth of that statement. For all the friends and family I know, and the millions I don't know, still fighting infertility, this post is for you. As I said in my post almost 3 years ago, "I know there is a light at the end of this tunnel somewhere but sometimes it's so hard to see. I pray that God will show me that light soon." Just keep fighting your way towards that light. Two little ones, named Emilie and Bryce, are proof it's there. :)

The Phase of a 2-year Old...And Other Fun Events

Yes, we are beginning to enter into the opinionated, independent, tantrum-bearing phase filled with the lovely tune of, "No, I don't want to go to time-out!" It's the phase of the so-called, "terrible twos." And yes, this phase does earn its name. But thank goodness, for the sanity of mommy and daddy, it's not always Emmi's evil twin that shows her face. It's amazing how in an instant she can go from that, to melting our hearts once again. All we have to do is hear her say one of these Emmi classics: "Hi daddy, I love you; Tessa is a good doggie; Mommy, will you read me a book?; Mommy, are you doing okay? (as I slave away in the kitchen); and Mommy, I love you so much." And I have to admit, even when she's trying to be naughty, Dustin and I have to sometimes hide our faces so she won't see us laughing. Along with the 2's she is becoming smarter and smarter everyday. One day a couple of weeks ago, she turned to her daddy and said,"Daddy, dinosaurs are extinct." Four days earlier we were at the doctor's office and our room had a huge dinosaur mural on the wall and daddy was telling her all about dinosaurs. She was just quoting her daddy! And on the way to daycare the other day she said, "Mommy, there are blossoms on the trees." Apparently Carol had taken the kids for a walk at daycare and they were talking about springtime and the blossoms on the trees. They mean it when they say kids are like little sponges!! She soaks in everything she hears...and remembers it! Consequently, Dustin and are really starting to have to watch what we say around her!! Cause she will spout it out a week later.

Bryce update: Our big boy is getting bigger and bigger everyday. He is now almost 8 months old and over 22 pounds. As we like to say, he has not missed a meal! Although we thought he would be way more excited about eating solid foods than he is. So far he loves applesauce and pears (all mommy home-made, of course), but gags every time we try to feed him a vegetable. He loves that bottle of his more! What's more to say about Bryce? The thing that stands out most is that his giant smile lights up the whole room. And those dimples are to die for...talk about, melting mommy's heart! I'm going to have a hard time saying no once he enters into the "2 phase!" All he's going to have to do is bat those long eyelashes and flash me that adorable smile, and I'll be in big trouble.

The Past 2 months: As usual, it's been awhile since I've posted. So just wanted to quickly write about some fun events/trips that have happened in this time. The pics above highlight those events. First of all, we celebrated Emmi's 2nd birthday with family, up at Nana and Papa's ranch. We had a "penguin-themed" party with penguin crafts, penguin decorations, penguin cupcakes, and even a penguin pinata! Really, it was a birthday weekend, as Nana and Papa hosted my whole family from Lodi for the weekend. We had fun playing with the horses, roasting marshmallows at night by the fire pit, and eating lots of yummy food! We also had a fun weekend visiting Uncle Nate and Aunt Nikki in Nipomo. It was beautiful weather that weekend so we got to go hang out on Avila beach. Emmi loved playing in the sand! And Bryce just loves being outside no matter where we are! We also got to spend a weekend up at Shaver with some friends. It was the coldest storm of the winter, but we made it up there and the kids all had a blast...and the parents too :) And last but certainly not least, was our favorite event of all...DISNEYLAND!!! Thanks to Nana and Papa, we got to spend a weekend at Disneyland in celebration of Nana's retirement! The whole Smith clan was there and it was a trip to remember. Emmi and Bryce's first trip to Disneyland! I don't know who had more fun...the kids on their first trip to Disney...or me?!

I've said it before but I'll say it again...this parenting thing is the hardest job on earth...but it's also the BEST! And how blessed I am to be able to do it...twice!!

Merry Christmas 2010!

(Above: Our silly picture with Santa. Got the kids all dressed up and Emmi all excited to see Santa, only to get there and have them tell us their computer system crashed so we would have to take pics with our own camera. Par for the course these days! We had a window of about 3 seconds before Bryce started bursting into tears so this is the most decent photo we got. Emmi is making a weird face and Bryce looks like he's terrified...classic Santa pic!)

Last year at this time we had one crawling baby girl. This year, a walking, talking almost-2-year-old and a 5-month old. Emilie is our little smarty pants. She can sing her ABC's, count to 10, and say anything a 5-year old can say. "Mommy, I'm making guacamole," she says as she contentedly works in her play kitchen that grandma and grandpa bought her as an early Christmas present. Excuse me, are you not even two yet, and saying words (with all the correct sound pronunciation, I must say) like guacamole in a full sentence?? At home she never stops talking. Around others, she is very quiet and reserved...much like her mommy in that way. Of course, since she is almost 2, she does have that "terrible two" streak in her. Like when I ask her to do something and she says, "I busy right now mommy." Or when she points her little finger at me and sternly says, "I NOT going to time-out!!" But what fun would it be if she was ALWAYS so sweet and loving?? ;) Emmi is very excited about Santa this year. Oh, and also the Grinch. "I love the Grinch mommy," she says, and in the same thought she tells me, "Santa is coming to town!" It just makes my heart melt every time.

Bryce is also coming out of his "baby shell" a little more each week. He is our future offensive lineman, weighing in at 18 pounds, 8 ounces, only 6 pounds less than his sister. Although with those huge hands, mommy still thinks he might have a shot at quarterback. But for now, he loves to sit in his bumbo and watch his sister play, loves to stand up (with mommy's help of course), and loves to sit on the couch and watch the game (whether it be football or basketball) with daddy. As long as his tummy is full and he's not being confined to his carseat (which he hates with a vengeance), he is a happy little boy. And with that smile, those dimples, big brown eyes, and long eyelashes, I am sure I will have to chase the girls away. It's hard to believe that next Christmas he will also be running around and talking up a storm!

Just a little over 2 years ago, I didn't have either of these 2 beautiful kids in my life which is difficult to even imagine now. I wanted kids more than anything else in the world, but I didn't realize the degree of absolute, pure joy they would bring me every single day. Emmi likes to say to us, "I love you THIS much" (with arms outstretched as far as she can reach). Little does she know, that doesn't even begin to describe how much she is loved back.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

What a difference a year makes!

Ahhh, fall...my favorite time of year! Hard to believe that last year at this time we were a family of 3 and Emilie wasn't even walking yet! What a difference a year makes!

Here is my Top 10 List of the differences from then to now:

Difference #1: Life is busier and crazier than ever

Difference #2: As you can see, it's much harder these days to capture a family photo

Difference #3: Dustin and I have to "tag team" getting ready in the morning. It goes something like this...Dustin feeds Bryce while I get ready, I get Emilie up while Dustin gets Bryce dressed, I get Emilie dressed while Dustin feeds Bryce again, Dustin gets the kids in the car while I carry the diaper bag, my pump, Bryce's milk, and my purse to the car, and Dustin gets ready while I take the kids to daycare.

Difference #4: Speaking of daycare, $1400/month vs. $700/month

Difference #5: I used to rush after work to go pick up Emilie as soon as I could. Now the only time I have to get anything done is between work and picking up the kids...so let's just say, Carol has the kids until at least 5:00 on most days

Difference #6: Any simple task, such as going to the grocery store or going to the post office, takes major planning on my part...I have to pretty much plan my whole week around it

Difference #7: The word "multi-tasking" has taken on a whole new meaning

Difference #8: Little baby boys are way more high maintenance than little baby girls

Difference #9: There is nothing more fufilling than watching your baby girl run over to her baby brother, give him a kiss, look up at me and say, "I love him" ...and watching him stare back up at her with "googly eyes" and a huge smile (with dimples of course!)

Difference #10: Twice the fun, twice the laughs, twice the love, twice the blessings

Month #1 as a Mommy of Two!

Well, I made it through my first month...and the past 2 weeks of being on my own at home everyday with an 18 month old and a newborn! The past couple weeks have just been trying to settle into a routine. And my #1 goal has been acoomplished: To get BOTH kids napping at the same time!! Woohoo!! The other thing that helps the situation tremendously, is to get out of the house at least once a day. Whether it be, going on a walk, making a trip to Target, meeting daddy for lunch, or going up to Papa's ranch for a swim in the pool. Even if it does take us 45 minutes to get out the door!

BRYCE: Our precious baby boy has turned into an eating machine. He is "hooked up" to mommy pretty much 90% of his waking hours. This makes it difficult to get anything accomplished such as showering, getting dressed for the day, eating lunch, or tending to Emilie. But somehow I seem to pull these things off eventually...however they are sometimes accomplished while Bryce screams his head off in the background. He is sleeping a lot better at night, ever since Dustin and I figured out that he needs to be swaddled so he doesn't startle himself awake. On a good night, he will sleep 3-4 hour stretches. On a bad night, he is awake every 2 hours. Thankfully, the good nights are out-weighing the bad nights at this point. And let me tell you, this boy is wiggles and moves more than any baby I've ever seen. It's difficult to even hold him sometimes because he's moving around so much...bobbing his head, kicking/pushing with his feet, and flailing his arms around. If this kid isn't an athlete, I will be surprised! He's a strong little guy already! He is so much different than Emilie was, who would just lay on us and chill out for hours. However, she would "chill out" so much that she wouldn't eat, which posed a big problem for nursing. At least Bryce is a good eater! My favorite part about Bryce so far is when he is actually content with a full tummy and wide awake. He intently looks up at me like he is listening to every word I say to him. I love that sweet face of his!

EMILIE: Big sis, Emmi is doing better than expected in getting used to having a little bro around. She gets so excited to see him and says "Bryc-ee", runs over and kisses and touches his face. It's the cutest thing ever. She does have her moments where she wants all my attention and tries to climb on me while I'm feeding Bryce. She has also said a couple times, "Bryce down," in wanting me to put him down. Emilie's language continues to grow amazingly. She is using 2,3, and 4-word phrases! "Oops, I drop it; Miss you daddy; Love you mommy; Silly daddy!; Funny mommy; Mommy do it; Bless you Bryce!; I want a (apple) juice; it's a airplane; where daddy go?" Just a few examples...that's the speech therapist in me! She has grown to love the following: shoes, horses, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Dora. She spends probably 75% of her day trying on and taking off her shoes...and everyone else's! My mom says I used to do the same thing when I was her age...funny. She also had her first horse ride with her Papa on his new horse, Tabby. Typically Emmi is very timid and leery of new things and takes awhile to warm up to them. Not the case with Tabby. Nana asked if she wanted to ride the horse and she said, "Yeah," told Nana to "open" the gate...and climbed right on the horse with Papa. I couldn't believe it. I think we have a cowgirl in the making...a cowgirl who is obsessed with shoes! ;)

Emmi goes back to daycare on September 1st and I go back to work on October 1st. Hopefully I get a little better at this "mommy of two" by then! ;)

Bryce Robert Smith

Bryce Robert Smith, was born by C-section on Monday, July 12th at 3:09 pm.

He was 8 pounds, 3 ounces and 21.25 inches long.

We are all glad to be home together! Bryce is doing great, mommy is recovering slowly but surely, daddy is loving his bonding time with his new son, and Emilie adores her baby brother. Bryce is a wonderful, content little baby. He is a very good little eater but sleeps very well in between his feedings. And he absolutely loves to be held. He has such a sweet little face and a big dimple in his left cheek, which I love! It was the first thing I noticed when the doctor pulled him up and showed me his face for the first time.

Of course not everything is bliss as a parent of a newborn. I am having a hard time not being able to really be Emmi's mommy like I'm used to. I can't even pick her up because of the surgery. Consequently she has become very clingy to her daddy and doesn't like him to be out of her sight. That's just her way of dealing with all the changes affecting her little life the past week. At 18 months old, she is still a baby herself and needs constant attention. We have been blessed these first couple of weeks to have help first from Nana and Papa (Dustin's parents) and this week from Grandma and Grandpa (my parents). It has been wonderful getting dinners cooked for us and to have help with daily chores and with Emilie. We are so spoiled!!

All in all, even with the exhaustion from getting used to the midnight feedings again and from adjusting to having another child to take care of, I feel overwhelmingly content. I look at Dustin holding Bryce, and Emmi sitting next to us on the couch, and I feel so complete. We are our own little family and it feels so amazing!!

On the Countdown...

Yes, I'm on the final countdown...12 days from today we are scheduled to meet our baby boy!! My C-section is scheduled for July 12th, his daddy's birthday! It makes me a little nervous because my doctor is going to be out of town the entire week before, so I'm hoping this little guy holds out until then. Before I go on, just a short update on his big sister...our Emmi.

Emilie continues to amaze us everyday. I can't believe at 17 months old, how smart she is! She's like a little mini person running around and talking non-stop. Of course her mommy speech therapist has been writing down all her words, a list that grows longer everyday. We are up to almost 100 words and about 15-20 two-word phrases. Some of which include, "love you, bless you (yes, in response to a sneeze), clean up, all done, good girl, (ex)cuse me, No Tessa, and her personal favorite...."NO MINE!" We've been working on eliminating that last one ;) Emilie loves to dance (especially the "booty dance"), sing, and have books read to her. And as a result of her ornery moments, she has also learned to put herself into time out...until mommy and daddy ask her if she's ready to be a good girl and she says her favorite response, "yeah," and comes over and gives us "loves." She talks non-stop and the sound of her sweet little voice just melts my heart every time I hear it. Of course, she does give mommy and daddy a run for their money at times as well. But from what I hear, that's part of being parents ;)

Back to "baby brubber"...the nursery is ready to go, my hospital bags are packed, and he already has a closet-full of clothes, thanks to lots of hand-me-downs, and presents from friends and family. We even have the car seats and double stroller ready to go in the car!! Those are the ways in which we are prepared. But with that, there is a lot we cannot really prepare for. First of all, it's still totally surreal that we will have a newborn in the house in less than 2 weeks. I see my sister with her 2 week old baby boy and I think, am I really gonna have one of those??? Of course, I'm little anxious about the surgery and going through the recovery again. I'm also curious to see how Emilie is going to handle this huge change in her little life. And I'm wondering what the heck our life is going to really be like with 2 kids under the age of 2!! But the truth is, all that is out of my hands right now. So although I'm a little nervous about the unknowns, the overwhelming feeling I have is excitement. I just can't wait to meet him. I can't wait to see Emilie give him kisses. I can't wait to see his daddy hold him. And most of all, I can't wait to hear another sweet little voice someday call me mommy.

And I bet you all can't wait to hear his name! Ha! Stay tuned....12 more days!

All things are possible...

After 1 year of Emilie posts, it's time to introduce the new addition to my "road to a miracle" story...our son!! Wow, that sounds surreal to say and to see on the screen! And so the story goes...as you all now know, we are expecting a baby boy in July. We have never gotten pregnant on our own so we thought, why use birth control? If it happens, it happens. Well, it happened! We were surprised right around Thanksgiving time with a positive home pregnancy test. Had to do several double takes and even look at the instructions a hundred times to make sure I was reading the results correctly. Was this really happening? But it's impossible! Well, after 3 more ultrasounds, it is finally starting to sink in. We are having another baby! I've grown up in church and I've heard this Bible verse a million times. But never has it proven more true in my life than now:

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

God has blessed us with the most beautiful gift in the world, our daughter Emilie. Didn't think anything could top that. Didn't even need anything to top that. But God had more in His plan for us than we had even hoped for. He has also given us a son. Yes, I truly believe that with God, all things are possible.

I'm One!

Emilie turned one on Friday, January 22, 2010. We celebrated her birthday on Saturday, the 23rd by having a birthday party at our house with family and a few friends. She had an absolute blast! After a few minor setbacks, our Dora bounce house finally arrived and the party went off successfully. The kids bounced until their hearts content and Emmi basked in the glory of being surrounded by those she loves. The theme was ladybug, of course, and after having a week straight of storms and rain, the day was cool, but sunny and beautiful! Emilie's favorite part, of course, was the cake. She started out very lady-like by dipping her finger in the frosting. But by the end, she was just picking up the entire cake and shoving it in her face. And for about an hour afterwards, she just kept saying, "yum yum yum" over and over again. It was adorable!

Now, to bring this whole 1st birthday party thing full circle from where this whole blog started, I'm going to put it in the perspective from two parents that have been down the "road of infertility." Dustin and I have been to what seems like 100 first birthday parties for many precious little ones. There was a point in our lives where we questioned whether or not we'd ever be able to attend one for our own child. At that point, it made it difficult to attend many of those birthday parties. Not that we weren't happy for those who were able to celebrate, but it really served as a reminder of what we didn't have. For all those who have been through the infertility struggle, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Well, throughout all the fun on Emilie's birthday there wasn't a moment when these thoughts were not in the back of our minds. As Emilie sat there staring in awe at everybody surrounding her singing the "Happy Birthday Song," Dustin and I looked over at each other. In that look just between the two of us, we knew all the heartache we had gone through did not compare to the joy we felt in that moment. To realize what we had been through and how blessed we were to have that moment, was really indescribable.

Thank you Emmi for being who you are to your mommy and daddy. You will never know how special you are to us. It's hard to describe, but one of my favorite Martina McBride songs does a pretty good job. It's called, "I just call you mine" (playing now from my playlist). Everytime I hear it, it reminds me of my Emmi. Here are the lyrics to the first verse and chorus:

I pinch myself sometimes to make sure I'm not in a dream

That's how it seems

I close my eyes and breathe in the sweetest moments I've ever known

It feels like home

And here I am I want to be your everything

There you are

Turning winter into spring

And everyone who sees you

Always wants to know you

And everyone who knows you

Always has a smile

You're a standing ovation after years of waiting

For a chance to finally shine

Everyone calls you amazing

Yeah

I just call you mine

Almost-1st Birthday

Only 2 1/2 weeks away from Emilie's 1st birthday! I can't believe it's been a whole year since I held that tiny baby in my arms! There are times where I miss that, but at the same time, I love who she is now. It's amazing how quickly she picks up on things. She absolutely loves to imitate sounds, noises, and even some words. Her favorite thing to do right now is "roar" like a tiger..."rarrrrr!!" It's the cutest thing ever. She is also such a loving little girl. She gives kisses and hugs like crazy. She waves "hi" and "bye bye" without hesitation. In fact as soon as I pick her up at daycare in the afternoon, she starts waving goodbye to Carol. Her word repertoire consists of: "mama, dada, Tessa, uh-oh, and up." She is also quite the music enthusiast. Anytime she hears any type of music, whether it be on a TV commercial, a song on the radio, or music coming from one of her favorite toys...she starts to dance and clap her hands. I think it's all those dancing shows mommy watches ;) Whatever it is she does, Dustin and I just stand in awe at the fact that she is ours. Happy almost-1st birthday Emmi Rae!

Every little moment...

Our baby girl is now 9 months old. Amazing, or what? We found out at her well visit on Thursday that she now weighs in at 19 pounds, 3 ounces and is 28 1/2 inches tall. So in three months she has grown about 2 1/2 pounds and about 2 1/2 inches. We have had many "firsts" the past 3 months. Emilie's first camping trip in a tent, her first Halloween, and her first Bulldog football game and tailgate. We also have hit some big milestones, most importantly the one that has made mommy and daddy's job a lot tougher overnight...Emmi is mobile! Yes, she is crawling and crawling fast. It's amazing how a little baby can get from point A to point B in a matter of milli-seconds. And usually point B involves something she's not supposed to have. She'll crawl right through a pile of toys just so she can get to something FAR more interesting to her such as the blinds, Tessa's bone, magazines on the coffee table, the entertainment center, or a tiny white cord buried under the carpet along the edge of the wall. Nope, we are never bored around here anymore! :)

Emilie is now eating all kinds of veggies and fruits that mommy makes for her. She has tried zucchini, carrots, yams, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, apples, and pears. Most recently she has fallen in love with chicken and bananas. She is starting to learn how to pick up little pieces and feed herself. She has even appeased mommy by mimicking the sign for "more." She also says "mama" and "dada" a lot, but not always in context. And she melted mommy's heart today when she moved her head towards mine, puckered up her lips, and kissed me...3 times! Does it get any better than that??

Emilie's first birthday is approaching quickly. With all the holiday activities coming up I know it will be here before we know it. It seems like yesterday I was walking around at Christmas with my big 'ol pregnant belly and it was hard to imagine her being here with us. Now I'm watching her crawl across my living room. Sometimes I wish I could just freeze frame time. But I know time isn't gonna stop for me... so I just enjoy every little moment :)

My Big Girl

Yes, it's true what I have been told a million times by every parent I know...it goes by so fast!! My baby girl will be 8 months old tomorrow! She is continuing to grow and change every day. She is just on the verge of crawling. She gets up on her knees and rocks back and forth, however she has decided to take after her daddy in moving backwards from there! Yes, Emilie has inherited the infamous "backward crawl." We think it's funny but she gets frustrated because she gets further and further away from the thing she's chasing! She also loves to imitate sounds, sing to music, and pull Tessa's hair (poor Tess). She has learned to clap her hands and wave bye bye. She has started eating veggies (made by mommy) twice a day. Her favorites so far are yams and butternut squash. And lucky for us, she is a great sleeper! Goes to bed without a fuss between 8-9 and wakes up between 6-6:30.

Over the past couple of months Emilie has had her first trip to the ocean, her first time camping in a tent (with bears and all), and her first Bulldog football game. Unfortunately, mommy had to take her home before kickoff, thanks to the ridiculous Fresno heat in the middle of September. We also had the priveledge of dedicating Emilie to the Lord, at our church this past month.

Emilie just makes everything in our lives better. She brings joy to every day...every situation. No matter how tough, hectic, or stressful things get in our lives, it's all forgotten when we see her bright eyes and big smile. She brings perspective to everything. She is our happy little girl!

6 Month Update

Emilie had her 6 month check-up today. She weighed in at 16 pounds, 9 ounces! That's almost 4 pounds heavier than her 4-month appointment. She is also 2 inches longer, at 26 inches. Dr. Martin says that she is almost exactly average for a 6 month old girl...just slightly below the 50th percentile. Wow, she has caught up quickly! Just think, only a few months ago, we were having to go in for weekly weight checks because she was not gaining and was barely on the growth chart. We are going to start with solids this week...with zucchini to be exact! So we'll see how that goes. Rice cereal is not her favorite meal (don't blame her) so hopefully she'll like veggies better. The rest of her appointment went well. She screamed for a total of about 10 seconds after she got her shots, then she was fine. However, my sweetie has been asleep since we got home from the appointment 4 hours ago, so I guess it really tired her out! Next appointment will be at 9 months.

Six months old?!

I can't believe our baby girl is 6 months old today!! Every single day has been such a blessing. She is growing and changing everyday. She is rolling over onto her belly, starting to be able to sit on her own (for a few seconds), and has already cut two baby teeth! We also started feeding her rice cereal this past week...although I don't really know how much of it she is actually swallowing! When she gets excited she kicks and moves her arms up and down like she's going to take flight. It's so dang cute! And of course, she smiles and talks all the time.

I am of course loving every minute of my summer off with Emilie. We are having so much fun. We took our first vacation...a 10 hour trip to Crescent City with Nana and Papa to visit GGP (Great Grandpa Smith), where we spent the 4th of July. Then we went to Lake Tahoe to meet Grandma and Grandpa for Emilie's first camping trip. Besides the bear that decided to join us at our campfire one night, we had an awesome time. We went to the beach during the day and spent the nights around the campfire. We have also had fun celebrating Aunt Mimi's and daddy's 30th birthdays, cousin Reid's 4th birthday, and cousin Rena's 3rd birthday. It's been a busy, eventful, and exciting summer so far!

Emilie is such a happy little girl. And in turn, she makes us happy beyond words. I'm still amazed everyday that we have been blessed with her. Happy 6-month old birthday Emmi Rae!

Happy First Father's Day Dustin!

4 months old!

Emmi turned 4 months old on May 22nd and had her 4 month check-up yesterday. She weighed in at 12 pounds, 14 ounces and 24 inches long! That moves her up to the 13th percentile in weight and 25th percentile in height. Dr. Martin was cracking up because she was "jibber jabbin" the whole entire time. He said he doesn't think he's ever heard a 4 month old baby talk so much! And of course, she got her vaccinations...the part mommy dreads the most. But we got through it!

Emilie is more and more fun everyday. Daddy can get her giggling like crazy. It's so dang cute. She likes to grasp and hold things in her hands. And she can hold her head up really well now. Another big milestone (more for mommy than for Emmi) is that she has moved from the bassinet in our room to the crib in her room at night now. It was a very easy transition for her. She sleeps through the night and wakes up with a smiling face every morning! My favorite part of the day is going into her room in the morning and saying hello to her because as soon as she sees me, I get a huge grin...melts my heart!

Two more weeks of work for mommy, and then I get to spend every minute with my girl all summer long! Can't wait!

My First Mother's Day

Last year at this time, the day after Mother's Day to be exact, was when I found out that I was pregnant. I can still remember the joy I felt that day! I can't believe it's already been a year since then!

My first Mother's Day was all that I had hoped and dreamed it would be. Just spending the day with my baby girl, my daughter (still feels surreal to say that), was the best gift in the world. We started out the day by going to church. Then we went to breakfast and walked around Sierra Vista, which is where this picture was taken. After that we went home and just the three of us spent the day together. I held my Emmi as much as possible and just enjoyed every minute of the day with her. Who knew just staring at a baby all day could be so fulfilling!

In my happiness I also remember the pain Mother's Day used to bring. I know many girls out there who still feel that pain and my heart goes out to them. My prayer is that soon your pain will be turned to joy. My thoughts are always with you.

Everyday is a blessing to me, but this Mother's Day was so special. I can't believe how blessed I am!