One year pictures

We took Emorie to Bicentennial Park, Greensboro for her one year picture. This place is special to us. We got engaged here, took our engagement pictures here, and two years later, we took our maternity pictures when Emorie was on the way. It seemed only right we take her one year pictures there, too.
She was way too interested in the park and what was happening around her to smile for the camera, but we still got some cute pictures.

Emorie is one!!

Emorie turned one on June 18, but we have been so unbelievably busy that I haven't posted about her birthday! I hope you all will excuse the fact that this is late.

We had a party for her at our church's fellowship hall on June 9, and many of her family and friends came to help us celebrate. She had a great time and got many wonderful presents.

Posing with Mama and Daddy

Pretty cakes

The cake was yummy!

Loving opening her presents!

And now for the usual developmental update:

Has 8 teeth.

New words: more (when she is eating), play (said as "pay"), baby.

Can take a few steps by herself, but hasn't truly started walking yet.

Loves to swing and play in the sandbox at the playground

Has started drinking whole milk, and is down to one bottle of breastmilk a day

Drinks only one bottle at night and all sippy cups during the day.

Eats table food and baby food, and is getting closer to mostly table food.

"Sings" to herself when there is music playing and dances.

Throws a ball and any round toy that she thinks is a ball.

Plays peek-a-boo and hides her own face.

Is going through separation anxiety- this is probably due to her being at home with me for the summer.

Likes to hug and kiss her stuffed animals and baby dolls.

Holds a toy camera up to her face like she is taking pictures, and holds a phone up to her ear like she is talking on it.

Christmas pictures

We went to Portrait Innovations for our Christmas portraits/Emorie's 6th month pictures. I am pleased with how they turned out...see for yourself!

The many adventures of Emorie Daye Boone

Emorie has had lots of "goings on" lately. Not only has she started holding her head up almost all the time, she also has started smiling and laughing ALL THE TIME. She used to only smile or laugh in her sleep, then started to do it sporadically. Now, she's sharing that cute little grin and giggle with us frequently. 

Emorie also enjoys sitting up and standing up, but she can't do those things on her own yet. Thankfully, she has grown into her Bumbo seat, so she has been sitting in it. We just turn on some music and give her some toys to play with, and she is happy as a clam!

She's also been taking naps in her crib during the day...she is still sleeping in her Pack 'n' Play at night.

Stay tuned for more updates on our sweet baby girl!!

Seven weeks :)

Our precious little lady is seven weeks old...almost two months old. She grows and changes a little more each day. Don't get me wrong, I'm very glad she is growing, but sad that she is growing UP. I just didn't realize how fast these changes would occur.

Miss Emorie is in the midst of her "PURPLE crying phase." If you've recently had a baby, you were probably sent home with the PURPLE crying DVD and you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, you may go here to find out more about it. It is difficult when she cries for three straight hours, no matter what we try, but I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Our baby is perfectly healthy and normal, and this phase shall pass.

On a happier note, Little Miss is growing like a weed. She is wearing mostly 0-3 months clothing, but fits into some 3-6 months. She has almost outgrown her size 0 shoes! She loves music- she loves to listen to her music boxes, the Rainforest waterfall on her crib, and Daddy's bluegrass (funny enough).

She has also outgrown her Newborn Napper basket in her Pack 'n' Play, but since we aren't quite ready for her to move to her room yet, she is sleeping in the Pack 'N' Play itself.

Here are some pictures of out little one:

Emorie, just a short time ago, filling up her Newborn Napper...she has gotten too long for it!

Waking up from an afternoon nap in her Pack 'N' Play. Still in Mama and Daddy's room, but with a little more sleeping space.

"Hey! Why are you photographing me in the tub?"

 
 

  Emorie got this outfit as a shower gift and had never worn it before. It was very cute on her, but I'm not sure she likes to wear bonnets. She didn't keep this one on too long.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Six weeks old!

Today, my precious girl is 6 weeks old. Emorie has a few things she is a fan of....she is a fan of the ceiling fan (haha) and lights. If she is anywhere near either of these things, she will stare to her heart's content. She also loves looking at her hands, and looking at faces.

 

Checking out the pretty baby in the mirror during tummy time.

Afternoon nap in the Rock 'n' Play

 Early morning, 6 weeks old.

Five weeks old, and one month appointment update

Emorie is five weeks old, and is getting more observant, alert and interactive by the day. She's been smiling in her sleep for weeks, but is now starting to smile at us quite often when awake. She's been making lots of eye contact with us and staring at things that catch her eye (usually light, mirrors, toys with certain colors, etc). She's especially interested in the little animals on her changing pad toy bar.

We went to the pediatrician this week, and learned Emorie has gained almost three pounds since birth. She is now 8 lbs, 14 oz. I was so afraid we'd have to supplement formula, but since she is obviously doing just fine on breastmilk, there's no need. We did start pumping and bottle feeding a bit since she'll be going to daycare this fall. The doctor said she is perfectly healthy and doing well. I went for my postpartum appointment and was told I am in perfect health. The doctor also cleared me to run again, so as soon as I find the time, I'll be strapping on my running shoes.

She really enjoys playing with her tummy time mat and gym, but this week, she fell asleep on her tummy time mat.

"This 'tummy time' thing sure makes me tired."

And doesn't she look cute?

She likes playing with her gym, too...she especially likes to study the mirror. Who IS that attractive baby?

Emorie engrossed in her mirror.

How cute is this?

She also likes lying in mommy and daddy's bed- but she doesn't sleep here.

 

Guess who....

is ONE MONTH old today?

We had to take a super-fast picture, since Tiny Girl learned how to take the sticker off the onesie!!

Emorie has had a lot of new developments this month- she still hates clothes changes and diaper changes, but she has decided bath time isn't so bad after all.

She spent some time this weekend with her daddy's side of the family, and got to meet her two cousins. Here we are with her cousins and two of her uncles (hiding behind our chairs). 

Miss Emorie has grown so much! She can no longer wear her premie and newborn clothes, so I have packed them away in her closet. I'm happy she is growing, but sad that she is growing so fast. She looks like her daddy a little more each day- sure, her little mouth looks like mine in my baby pictures, but the eyes, and the rest of her face? Michael all over again.

Due date

Today would have been my due date. I would have been 40 weeks pregnant today. To close out the baby bump pictures I took every two weeks as a mama-to-be, Michael and I have decided to take one last bump picture:



       In her three weeks in the world, Miss Emorie has accomplished a lot. She has celebrated two holidays, one at one day old (Father's Day) and one at two weeks old (Independence Day).

Emorie and Daddy on Father's Day

"Goodness, this July 4 thing makes me tired."

       Emorie and her cousin Caroline "celebrating" July 4... and

 by celebrating, we mean screaming.

Of course, we are still getting to know our little girl. So far, we have learned she dislikes baths, having lotion rubbed on her and having her diaper or clothes changed. She likes looking at faces, lights, and the ceiling fan; having her hair brushed, being read to and sung to, but she loves the most being cuddled in someone's arms.

From the time she was 1 day old, Emorie smiled in her sleep. This week she has started smiling when she is awake, and we absolutely love it. She has also started rolling onto her side,picking her head up, and  focusing on and staring at faces and other objects. Everyday we spend with Emorie, the more we fall in love with her. She's the light of our lives.





36 weeks!!

What We've Been Up To:

On the job, I said goodbye to my first class on Friday. My 19 sweet little students will always hold a special place in my heart, and sending them off to third grade was hard. I know we will see each other again, but needless to say, after spending 180 days getting to know them, it was a bit hard letting them go. They are wonderful boys and girls and I am very proud of their hard work this year. Now, I'm spending this week getting my classroom packed away and checking off my "end-of-the-year" checklist.

At home, we've been trying to complete some small projects before Emorie arrives. We've managed to get the outside of the house washed. Now, we're going to re-plant our famous pansies along the sidewalk and around the mailbox. There are also plans for some new porch furniture.

Getting Ready for the Little One 

Emorie's clothes, blankets, and bibs are washed and  put away. Thank you notes are written and caught up. Her car seat has been installed in the van. It's a strange feeling to look in my rear-view and see her  little (empty) car seat- won't be long 'til I look in the mirror and see our sweet baby in that seat- hard to believe.
Her diaper bag and our hospital bag are occupying the back of our van- guess now the only thing to do is wait.

Emorie's Graco Snugrude 35 with a Prince Lionheart 2-stage seat saver-

already installed and inspected by the fire department.

We also will attend our last Birth and Baby class tomorrow night. For five weeks, we've learned the mechanics of pregnancy and childbirth, the labor process (both vaginally and cesarean), medical interventions, and natural pain management- a lot of this information I already knew from my own research, but the more I learned about it, the more prepared and at ease I've felt. Last week, we went on our hospital tour. We visited the nursery, admissions, laboring suites, post-partum recovery rooms, and the newborn nursery. The hospital staff even brought in a newborn while we were outside the nursery. I am sure the poor parent wondered who all these random people were watching his baby be examined, but it was a neat experience anyway. Hard to believe our family will soon stand outside those same windows and watch Emorie's first bath and exams.

I also attended a one-evening class on breastfeeding, which was very informative. It was also taught by the hospital's lactation consultants, so they will be familiar faces when they come to check on me in the hospital.

Health Check
We are going back to the doctor on Thursday for an ultrasound, for which the purpose is to gauge her size and position. We've known for 3 weeks she is already head down and a bit lower, but on Thursday, I am crossing my fingers and hoping for zero-station. Not likely, but I can dream, right?

I was very unhappy after my last dr's appointment and I made a huge mistake in the fact that I did not assert myself. I had been having false labor for about a week. Luckily, I knew how to tell if it was real labor (irregularity, no increased intensity, they stopped when I changed position) so I never jumped the gun and went to the hospital. When I talked to the dr. she basically blew me off and gave me a laundry list of things that could "maybe" be causing the false labor. Maybe I was being a grouchy pregnant lady (and after waiting 2 hours in an office with a broken air conditioner, I had the right to be), but "maybe" isn't enough for a 34-weeks pregnant women who is concerned about preterm labor. I could have stayed home, looked on the internet, and found several probable causes for the false labor. She also refused to examine me to make sure everything was ok- this is where I should have demanded she do so, but frankly, I was hot, ill, and ready to leave, so I let that get in my way. Then, I went home and regretted not making her check me all week. The moral of this story is...if you are worried about something, get it checked out and don't take no for answer. If you find out you're worrying for nothing, great! I want to know everything is ok. Needless to say, this week, someone will be checking me.

A belly picture, perhaps?

Before you ask- yes, I was tired. Yes, I was puffy and swollen.

And yes, I am definitely ready to meet Emorie!!

32 weeks...Good morning!

What We've Been Up To:

We have surely been busy these days! First of all, Emorie's nursery came out wonderfully- I couldn't be more pleased with it. Michael did an excellent job painting and hanging her letters. Her closet is filled with sweet "little-girl" clothes, her Pack 'n' Play is set up in our bedroom. We're almost ready for our little princess to just get here!!

Michael surprised me by making an appointment with Tiny Toes Imaging in Greensboro for Mother's Day. We went yesterday, hoping to see what our little girl looked like. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of her face, since she wanted to suck her toes the entire time. Now we have a 2D taken at 17 weeks of her sucking her thumb, and a 3D taken at 32 weeks of her sucking her toe! What we did see was that Miss Emorie has lots of hair- not baby fuzz, but real hair- guess the old wive's tale about the heartburn must be true. Surely she gets this from Michael, as I didn't have any hair for much of babyhood. Her little cheeks and nose seem to favor Michael, while her little mouth looks like mine. She's also a good sized baby...can't wait to see her in person and hold her in my arms.

Last week, the family held a baby shower for us. Lots of our friends and family weren't feeling well, or were out of town, but a lot of our friends and family still got to come see us. We got so many nice things we asked for, and are grateful to everyone who has helped us prepare for Emorie's arrival. Among our favorite gifts was a bear made from one of Michael's baby blankets. I love it- it's so soft and worn where it's been loved so much, and it looks great in her nursery.

What's in a Name??

Even though those closest to us already knew her name, we wanted to use the weekend of the shower to debut Emorie's name. Since then, we've been asked a lot about the significance of her name. Both Michael's great grandmothers on his mother's side were named "Emma" and a good family friend of mine was named "Emma." We wanted to name her Emma, but were worried that the name is too common now. We chose instead to name her a variation of Emma, and go with Emorie. Less common, but with the same meaning intact. Emory, while a common girl's name now, was traditionally a boy's name, so we chose to make it more feminine by spelling it "Emorie." Her middle name, Daye, is Michael's mother's maiden name. In my family, most of the children born are named after another relative or close family friend. I say "most," because I can count on one hand the ones who were not. My mother is named after a close friend of her mother, my two uncles after my grandfather, my dad after his grandfather. I myself was named after a close friend of my mother. We chose to keep this tradition and name our baby after family. If we ever have a boy, he will carry my dad's middle name, which was my great-grandfather's middle name.

Pictures, anyone??

Emorie's aunts Emily and Heidi

Emorie's grandmas

A hippopotamus.

The bear, made from Michael's blankie.

The tag on the bear

And a few of Emorie's room:

See Michael's cute little baby face?