The Huntington's

Merry Christmas

2011-12-26T11:42:00.009-06:00

My little one got to wake up to all her new toys on Christmas morning, but it was much more special this year because it was snowing! It was the prettiest snow combined with the happiest baby along with some new toys to enjoy.

We spent the morning at our home and just enjoyed the excitement of Emery exploring her new chair and toys. She really made us appreciate Christmas and the excitement you forget about as you get older. It was just so sweet to get to see Christmas morning through Emmy's eyes. We had the best Christmas because of that beautiful child! One of those moments I will never forget, she really makes life so much more special.

Seeing the stuff Santa left for Emery

Just So Excited! (I love that)

I wish I had the camera recording her reaction, she was just screaming with excitement

I love these two

Showing Daddy her toys

Making her momma laugh

Our beautiful girl!

Opening a present from her Aunt Gail & Uncle Norman

Kind of hard to see Emery's reaction,
but she was so excited to have her own cell phone that she can talk to Daddy on

Christmas at My Parents

2011-12-26T11:33:00.006-06:00

After our morning of hanging out at home, we all headed to my parents to do a late breakfast and Christmas with them. Emery and Andréa had so much fun playing with all their new toys. Uncle Andrew did a great job getting Emery an elephant that blows balls out of its nose. The girls were so tickled by it, they just kept laughing and screaming. Tio did a great job this year!!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T11:04:00.005-06:00

Emery had a great Christmas Eve with all her cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents showering her with attention. We were able to have a Christmas Eve dinner at our home this year, which was a lifesaver considering my house is child proofed enough for Emery. Emery was such a little delight and I'm pretty sure her favorite part was opening her presents.

I think one of her favorite people is her Uncle Bryan, he is just so sweet to her

Carrying her gift around the house

Middle of the kitchen seems like a good place to open gifts

Santa stopped by!

Thankful for So Much

2011-11-28T15:18:00.006-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Santa Fe this year along with Noah's 30th birthday which fell on Thanksgiving Day. It was a beautiful trip and we ate at a fabulous place called Bishop's Lodge. Our Thanksgiving meal was outstanding!!

It was a little tough to take Emery to such a nice place; she did not want to sit through the meal and made a giant mess under the table for our waiter. She was tough this trip because she is walking and constantly wants down to explore. Guess I don't blame her though.

Thanksgiving night not a place was open for dinner expect IHop, where we were able to have more of a low key dinner with the whole family to celebrate Noah.

I am so very thankful this year, even if our trip was a little on the stressful side. I'm so thankful for my loving husband and my sweetheart of a daughter!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-03T12:39:00.007-05:00

Emery had such a fun Halloween, it was her first time to hit the trick or treating trail down at the lake and I think she had a blast. She was a sock monkey, and we gave her a pink sock monkey as her Halloween gift. Emery and Andréa were so cute together, they would just scream and laugh while we went to different houses. They are the two sweetest little girls!

(Sorry for all the rough pictures, I forgot my camera and only had my phone. )

Emery's Birthday Party

2011-09-28T15:58:00.015-05:00

I am personally of the belief when it's your birthday, you should be celebrated all week long. That's what we did with Miss Emery!

On her actual birthday we took her out to Tanglewood for dinner with the Grandparents and picked up a couple of cupcakes from The Ruffled Cup. She wasn't sure what to do with her red velvet cupcake, so she ended up sharing with Daddy.

Her big birthday party was at our house, man that's an undertaking! We were so exhaused when the party ended, Emery ended up taking a 3 hour nap. When she got up, all her new toys, clothes, and books were layed out neatly so she could dive right in!

All she cared about was the frosting, that's my girl!

You don't have to ride in your seat belt on your birthday, do you?

Opening her birthday presents from her Great Aunts & Uncles

No Mess snack cups, Mommy could not be more excited!!!

The Hawaii Glenns got her this great snail, she loves chewing on this thing!

Emery got these blocks from her Mammaw, I think every one of them have been in her mouth!

Emery's Birthday Party

Ms. Piggy's did her cake, the owl matched her thank notes

My great friend Lisa snazzed up the silverware containers

LOVE THESE KISSES!

One of my best friends, Lisa

For the first part of her party, Emery only wanted her Granddad. So sweet

Getting help digging into the new toys with Andréa

Playing with Grandma

Are grown adults supposed to act like this when cake comes out?!?
(Poor, poor Emery, this is your Aunt and Uncle)

She loved the part where we all sang to her!

Andréa so sweetly waiting for her piece of cake

Emery's cousin, Brecken. He was out number by the girls. Doesn't he look thrilled

Emery is so loved and blessed, her family really showered her with gifts

Waking up from her nap, it's over from here!

Emery's One Year Photos

2011-09-25T08:13:00.041-05:00

We had Emery's 1 year photos shot a week ago, they turned out better than I could have hoped for. We used Bomb City Photography, and she did an amazing job! The photographer was sweet enough to let Emery's cousin, Andréa share some of her photo shoot time. So, my sister also was able to get some great pictures.

Happy Birthday Emery!

2011-09-21T15:22:00.015-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

EMERY!

You are amazing and I cannot believe you have been apart of our family for 1 whole year!

It seems like you have always been apart of our lives, I'm starting to not remember what life was like before you came into the family. The memories are so much better now that you are here.

Your 1 Year photo shoot will be up later in the week, I have to get them from the photographer. If some of you would like to see her preview on Facebook, it's under Bomb City Photography

You are one active little girl.

You still are only crawling, just in the last week you have let us hold your hands and try and walk with you. I think you know it's much faster to crawl to get where you want to go.

You have really started mimicking us and the sounds we make. It keeps us rolling with laughter to hear you.

You love to be chased around the floor. We play this game where we growl at you and you take off crawling as fast as you can. It is the sweetest game when it's you and Daddy playing.

You are so ticklish! I love to get your little underarms when you raise your arms up high. You laugh so hard, best sound ever!

You can throw a fit! I mean better than any other baby I have ever seen. When you've had enough, you let everyone know it. Especially when you are tired, you really don't want to be messed with.

You love sleeping, you sleep from 7pm to 8am almost every day along with 2 naps a day. You also really love your bed, when you get really fussy I can put you in your bed for a few minutes and you just cuddle up with Curious George and chill out for a moment.

You are in size 3 diapers.

You are in 9-12 month clothes, you just aren't quite to 12 months because you are still so tiny.

We go to the doctor next Wednesday and I will come back and post your weight, height, and stats.

You are happy! I love this about you, you have the sweetest little personality and charm anyone.

You kiss everything, everyone of your stuffed animals gets kissed daily and you warm our hearts with your big, slobbery kisses. They are the best!

It's like the dishwasher is your personal jungle gym, you crawl up and down it all day

This cracks me up, the more I tell you No, don't get up there the cuter the faces get when you defy me. As your Daddy puts it, let her do whatever she wants. She's too cute to say "No" too!

Your birthday lunch with Daddy

Miss Emery, this has been a tough year for this momma. I think some days I am still dealing with the feelings of having you in the NICU for the first 10 days of your life. I still hurt about the care you received, I felt so helpless just allowing people to poke and stick you with things that your Daddy and I saw as unnecessary. I will never in my life forgive Northwest Texas Hospital for the horrible care you received. I pray you never have to go to that hospital again. I still sometimes get chocked up about not having those pictures of our little family getting to leave the hospital together. Instead I remember how broken hearted I felt when your Daddy and I left the hospital without you. I sobbed the whole way home, every night for those 9days.

I'm also still carrying a lot of guilt that I wasn't able to breastfeed you. You never latched; I felt my heart rip apart when it became apparent you and I would never be able to have that closeness. I feel like I should have tried harder or used the lactation nurse a little more, and then you would have been able to do it. But, honestly one of the prerequisites for coming home from the NICU was you had to be able to eat on your own. Either from me or a bottle, your Daddy and I chose the bottle because it meant we would get you out of the hospital faster. I am sorry for not trying harder Emery, we just felt the care you were receiving was awful and it was more important to get home and safe with two people who would do anything to take care of you.

You have changed my world; the first 4 months were the hardest thing I had ever experienced. You taught me how to live for someone else. I needed to grow up and start to think for someone else. You have made me a better person. You opened up an emotional side of me I had on lock down. I know what it's like to have my heart full of love and joy; because I experience it every time I pick you up to kiss you. Emery, you are the center of our world. We are so happy to have you; we strive to be better people because of your sweet face. I feel like I will never be able to express the love I have for you, I can't put that much love into words.

Happy Birthday my amazing child, you are more loved than you could ever know.

These Are of Few of Our Favorite Things

2011-09-20T13:23:00.016-05:00

I wanted to list a few of our favorite things we have found over the past year that has worked for our family. I have had a few people email me and read the blog to get things I recommend, like I have any clue what I'm really talking about. It's pretty neat that blogs can help out clueless mother like myself. I remember reading a random blog while I was pregnant, and this person listed some of their favorite items for the their baby's first year. I always thought that was so helpful to hear from a mom that wasn't getting paid to suggest things and just recommend things that worked for her and her baby.

I thought, since Emery is a year old tomorrow and that will be a totally different post, I would take today and list some of our favorite things for our little girl.

The AngelCare Movement and Sound Monitor

First off, since Emery was a preemie I would hands down suggest this monitor to anyone! We were terrified of SIDS for at least the first 8 months of Emery's life. No joke either!

This one is the cheaper version of what they have out now. I might even suggest the one that has the temperature inside the parent monitor, since they say when a baby gets too overheated that's can be a factor of SIDS. But, we bought this monitor at Target and I think it's cheaper on Amazon . We put up a thermometer in her room and we got that for less than $5 at Wal-Mart. I was a little disappointed this monitor did not come with a camera in it as an option. I sometimes wish we had a monitor with a camera in it.

SwaddleMe Infant Sleeper

These were the only things Emery took too right away. We always called them Emery's straight jackets, because you have to tie them up so their arms cannot get out. But they work! When we started to use these, we would get hours of continual sleep a night. Emery really loved to feel snuggled and warm. We got the idea from my next must have.

Happiest Baby on The Block

Oh my gosh! I could kiss this doctor, he saved me from pulling my hair out trying to figure out what Emery needed. Emery wanted to be held ALL the time those first few months and we never knew to swaddle Emery until we watched this video. We did not buy any of this stuff, instead I put the DVD on our Netflix que. This worked so well for us, the tricks he taught truly saved us from a lot of stress those first 4 months.

Sophie the Giraffe

Emery loves Sophie! It has really helped with her teething, we got rid of the pacifier at 7 months because Emery gave it up. My cousins wife, Sarah suggested this toy and at first I though man that toy is $20 bucks, Sophie better be worth it. SO thankful I listened to Sarah! Emery still chews on Sophie when her little mouth is bothering her, this is such a great toy for teething!

Laugh & Learn Musical Table-Fisher Price

I laugh at this toy sometimes because when we brought it out for Emery, Noah said, "I would work to keep batteries in this toy at all times." As you can guess, Emery just loves this toy! My mom bought this for Andrea when she turned one, so my sister has just let me borrow her table. This is one of those toys that would be worth the money. It has really helped Emery with her balance and pulling up. Emery doesn't have a long attention span, but this toy has defiantly kept her attention the longest.

TinyDiner

Who ever thought up this idea is a genius! I love it, I use it all the time when we go out to eat. I am not a fan of Emery eating directly off a table at a restaurant. Plus, it catches most of what Emery drops, so it is less of a mess for me to have to clean up. It can also go through the dishwasher, so it's perfect when we go out for dinner.

Shea & Cocoa Butter Body Wash and Lotion

One of the best smells, ever! I love when Emery gets out of the bath and she smells like this stuff. I makes me want to squeeze her even tighter. I think there is nothing better in the world than a good smelling baby to cuddle up with!

Diaper Bag

I love Etsy! You can find anything on this site, and it has to be handmade. You can really personalize your order when you buy on Etsy. I actually ordered this bag in the "deluxe" size and so glad I did, because Emery has so much stuff to haul around. It has held up great and had so many compliments over the last year.

Precious Planet 2-in-1 Projection Mobile

This mobile is great, Emery loved that it projects images on the canopy. We have now removed the canopy and let it project on her ceiling. It works great, because after naps instead of screaming for us right away. She will crawl up and push the button to turn it on, then lay back down and watch the images.

Pictures with Our Phones

2011-09-06T20:25:00.006-05:00

Our little one is on the move these days, she doesn't slow down for a second. Kind of the reason for such grainy Iphone pictures, Emery is getting so fast these days I don't have time to grab the good camera to capture these sweet memories.

VeggieTales with Daddy
Following her cousin around, if she was just a little bigger

She found the air conditioner with Daddy

Eleven Months Old

2011-08-21T09:59:00.005-05:00

Precious Emery Kate,

you are 11 months old today!

You are into everything!

You are on the verge of wanting to walk; you can if you have something to hold on to.

You study your cousin so closely when she's walking around. You want to keep up with Andréa so badly.

You are a real talker; you have added "Hi" to the list of things you say. You even sometimes wave Hi when we can get your attention.

You LOVE the dogs, but not fan if I have one of them on my lap. That's your spot and you make it known (secretly I love that.)

You love the vacuum cleaner, you have this funny game where you chase it but never want to get real close to the vacuum.

One of your favorite spots is in front of the refrigerator, we put magnets down at your level and you pull them off and put them back on so much throughout the day.

You are eating everything we eat, your favorite is our Frazzleberry frozen yogurt. It's so funny how serious you are about getting to that ice cream.

Sleeping habits are still the same (Thank the Lord!) It's always 7 or 8 until 7 the next morning

You are the happiest little girl! You do get a little frustrated because I am always in your face trying to steal kisses. But, you tolerate me quite well. I love every second with you, and I find moments where I get a little chocked up that you are growing so quickly. I love what the future holds for you, but truly cherish each day I get to cuddle and kiss you. I am so madly in love with you Emery, everything you do makes my heart just melt. You are the best little girl and I want you to know how much we enjoy everything you bring into our lives. I love you, Em!

Sweet Emery

2011-08-15T14:57:00.015-05:00

We have been so busy lately; I haven't had much time to get some of these sweet pictures on the blog.

A quick summery of what we are doing is...
Noah has been working 45 hrs lately and on Saturday's he has been helping my brother-in-law mow yards (9-10 yards every Saturday.)

I have been really working with Emery on learning new words, flash cards, and trying different foods. Frustrating at times, but she is a total darling! I also have been in full party planning mode, I am so excited for her first birthday. We just ordered her present last week and can't wait for all of her friends and family to join us. I have mixed emotions about Emery being 1, but I so enormously thankful it's been a smooth first year.

Emery has been checking everything out. She is so mobile and not slowing down. She is so interested in the dryer and what the dogs are doing at all times. She is starting to try and stand on her own, she is still not sure about the walking thing though. She is happy all the time; we love that about this lovable little girl. I think she is working on her top tooth at the moment, we have been a little fussy and lots of drool lately.

We are borrowing this toy from Aunt Elise, she loves this table.
Makes all sorts of music and noises

Avocados and cheese!
Doesn't Daddy look thrilled to be watching Barney

She even has had enough of the stupid purple dinosaur!

The Dryer!

Usually when I can't find her, she is hiding in here watching the dryer. So cute!

Tanglewood Tailgate Party

On Saturday we hit the lake's tailgate party, Emery loved the live music and the dancing with Granddad and Daddy!

Afternoon at the Pool

On Sunday, we headed back down to the lake to hit up a neighbor's pool with Andréa and Emery. Those girls had so much fun, they are just adorable together!

Checking out Andréa splashing and having fun

She just realized it was a little cold

Sweet Child

2011-08-05T11:22:00.001-05:00

I love you, as simple as that

The Day to Day

2011-08-02T10:59:00.005-05:00

I haven't been blogging as much as I would like lately. I spend most of my day chasing Emery around the house and I love watching her explore all these new things inside. She is such a happy baby and she is defiantly starting to chill out a bit more now that she can go where she wants. She is less frustrated now that she can chase the dogs, get to her toys, and come to whatever room I am in.

When Emery has been down for naps I've been spending my time planning her first Birthday party, I dumbfounded it is only a month and a half away. Noah and I want to make this birthday so special since we were not able to celebrate Emery when she was born. Her birth still breaks my heart and upsets me when I let myself stop and think how awful her entrance into the world really was. So, it will be wonderful to have a nice party and all of her family come and love on her like they should have been able to do when she was born.

She is constantly crawling to the window to look out at the neighborhood

She gave me this face when I asked her to get down

This is Emery's new toy, I can't unload the dishwasher without a little bit of help

She is always smiles!

Emery and her Daddy have this sweet game where he will point to something in a magazine and say excitedly "This!" Emery will crack up, sweet moments.

10 Months Old

2011-07-21T15:30:00.007-05:00

Little girl,
you are 10 Months Old Today and
such a joy to be around!

You are getting a beautiful little personality

You are just too sweet, but you let us know the second you do not like something. I think you are starting to test the waters with fits. We cannot help but laugh at you sometimes.

You have a tooth! I cried when you got your first tooth, I was so sad to lose that sweet toothless grin.

You are crawling!! You started crawling on July 2nd (but looked like a wounded animal for a week until you really got the coordination down.) All over and you are into everything. I love it, you are less stressed because you can get where you want to go.

I think we are finished with baby food, we give you usually what we eat. You have really taken to avocados and cheerios

You have started talking, "buh-bye, da-da, momma, and ba-ba" seems to be the 4 main things you say. You say Da-da ALL the time! Need I remind you who carried you for 9 months?? I try everyday to make you a momma's girl, but I think I'm losing that battle to Daddy.

You and Daddy have this special thing where you mimic the sounds he makes to you, it is just so sweet!

I think you have also figured out the garage door sound, the second you hear it you look around for your Daddy to walk through the door.

Still such a great sleeper, you always sleep from 7pm to 6am. This is wonderful!

We are still getting between 2 and 3 naps a day, fine by me.

It seems like you have grown so much in just a month, your Gigi thinks you weight more too.

I think you are still really small for your age, but you have grown so tall. The outfit for your 10 month pictures was from your Aunt Gail and it's size 12 months. Such a long and lean little girl!

You are so inquisitive about everything, you everyone talk and you just listen and watch facial expressions.

You love for your Daddy and I to kiss, your whole face lights up. It's so sweet.

You squeak in excitement every time the dogs walk into the room.

You crack up laughing when Maddie licks you; you crawl over to her just to get her to lick you.

Your favorite toy is the dogs water bowl, I clean that mess up nearly everyday. You just laugh!

Emery you are just so sweet and we love to spend every second with you. I am not sure if I will ever be able to express what kind of love you have brought into this home. I never knew what we were missing until you came in and showed up. You are a wonderful little girl who we love so much!

Emery Keeps Us Laughing

2011-07-07T10:32:00.003-05:00

Emery has been doing this panting lately, it cracks us up every time. We also have been working with her saying "Buh Bye." We are loving how her little personality is really starting to shine.

Busy Holiday Weekend

2011-07-05T14:15:00.013-05:00

Our little family was so busy this weekend. Emery went from dinners with family members, to two parades, to crawling into everything when she had down time. We hit the Lake Tanglewood parade to watch Uncle Andrew participate with the firefighters. Followed by a fajita dinner at our house with Noah’s family. On the fourth, we headed to Canyon to watch their parade and spent the evening with my parents for some amazing food!

This solely was her Daddy's idea to give Em a popsicle 5 minutes before company was to arrive
My cousin Ron
My cousin's twins had the same dress as Emery so we had to get them together for a matching picture
Ron's wife, Susann made this sweet hat for Emery. She's not sure about wearing it, but it's super cute for the winter.
I LOVE Andrea's face, Emery was chewing on Andrea's headband Susann made her
My little firecracker in her dress for the parade. It's a little big, but I bought it for 12 months so she could wear it for Labor Day also.
Uncle Chris and Emery's cousin, London waiting for the parade to start

Uncle Andrew riding in the Lake Tanglewood firetruck, proud of this kid!

London called this the, "Jesus bouncer"

Someone's crawling all over
We put Brecken to work when he comes over
Brecken and London with some of their friends from our neighborhood
The Canyon parade on the 4th
Uncle Chris with his boys, Aunt Sunshine could not make it.

She works nights at the hospital, sure missed her!
The Panhandle Plains Museum, my favorite job. Worked it my senior year of college, it was across the street from our old apartment.
Our first apartment, great memories!
This picture could make me cry, she kept reaching her hand up to feel her Daddy's face and then would go back to sleep. So thankful Emery has a Daddy that loves her so much.
Nothing like a sweet bond between a Dad and his daughter, so thankful for these two.
How cute is Andrea's Fourth of July outfit!

Sitting on Gigi

Second Cousins

2011-06-30T07:04:00.003-05:00

My cousin Ron and his crew stayed one night with us last week. They were on their way to Colorado for our family reunion that Noah and I were not able to attend. I will never complain about my one child because Ron and Susann have 4, their youngest are twins! I am really not sure how they pull it together, most days I feel I'm overwhelmed with Emery. I was so excited for Emery to have some houseguests; she loved all the kids and especially the attention. We enjoyed their visit and they are welcome anytime; I do enjoy well behaved kids!

Parker is the smart one, he just sits quietly while he's outnumbered by his 3 sisters.

Susann getting picture of Emery in her precrawl position

I love this; Elizabeth is trying to comfort Emery because Elizabeth was crying. She wanted to say bye to my dogs before heading to Colorado.

Emery is being held by Noel, Noel just so good with Emery. She played and watched her for a few hours so the grown up could catch up. I might have to employ Noel for the summers, she's a fantastic babysitter!

The twins giving Emery hugs before they left, too sweet!

Nine Months Old

2011-06-21T09:16:00.009-05:00

Adorable Girl,
You are Nine Months Old today!

You are 15 lbs 12.8 oz(6th percentile) and 27" long (40th percentile)

You are in a size 3 diaper

You are talking up a storm these days

You say, ba, ma ma, da da, and ga ga. It cracks us up, when the dogs walk in the room you scream Ba at them.

You love other kids, you just scream to get their attention

You sleep so wonderfully, it's always 7 or 8pm to 7am. LOVE THIS!

You only like sweet potatoes, squash, and carrots. You are such a picky eater.

We introduced Gerber Puffs this month; you go crazy for the sweet potato ones

We also introduced some popsicles this month, you love those too!

Before bath time, we put you in your swing outside and let you demolish a push pop. I think it's one of your favorite things.

You are tolerating strangers a little better these days. You don't scream the second they talk to you. If you ask me, I would prefer you to scream at strangers still. I want you all to myself a little longer.

One of my favorite times with you is when you get up from sleeping. You are so happy to see us, your whole face lights up. I pick you up and just cover you with kisses.

You are becoming quite good natured, unless you are tired. Usually you just ride along so happily and talk the whole time. We love your baby babble!

You are so close to crawling, you get where you want by rolling everywhere.

You are so squirmy, it's like you are ready to check everything out

You pay attention to every sound, so inquisitive already

I still cannot believe you are mine. Each month gets so much better than the last. I almost feel like we won't be able to top the last month on how wonderful you are. I love staying home with you, I'm so thankful for your daddy for providing us the ability to stay home together. I love your daddy more everyday for working so hard for us. We both are so head over heels for you Emery, you are the sweetest and happiest little girl and we are awfully proud of that!

High School Reunion

2011-06-20T08:22:00.011-05:00

My high school reunion was this past weekend. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about going. Now, I'm not sure why I was so nervous to go, most of the girls I graduated with are mommies now so I got a lot of great advice from those other sweet moms.

My best friend, Ashley came with Noah and I, her husband was not able to come so Noah was a little less than thrilled. Everything worked out because our other great friend Erin brought her husband. I really miss getting to hang out with these girls, so many great high school memories with these two!

Emery just adored Erin and her son Aiden, I think she went to Erin just to get next to Aiden. Emery has good taste! Courtney, Ashley, and Erin
Not sure if these girls know how awesome they are!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T13:30:00.018-05:00

Emery Kate, you have one special man in your life that thinks the world of you and would do anything in the world for you. You, little girl, have captured your Daddy's heart from the very second he saw you. He has stood over you and taken such sweet care of you in some bad days, and been your source of laughter in brighter ones. He is over protective of you, thankful for every moment with you, and loves to come up with different noises just to see you light up.

Your Daddy is one stand up guy, I am so thankful for the bond you two already have in 9 short months.

He was the first person to get to kiss your sweet head

He would rub my belly to get you to kick

He cried almost harder than I did the moment you were born

He guarded you with his life the second you got into his arms

He sat and prayed and spoke to you every day you were in the NICU

He helped you find your first Easter eggs

He whispers sweet songs into your ear to help you calm down

He always makes you feel like the prettest baby in the room

He was with you when you touched sand and the ocean for the first time

He took you for our first walk around the neighborhood, when mommy was too afraid

He loves the moments you will lay on his chest and coo at him

He reads your favorite books

He makes sure we have everything before we leave the house with you

He bought you, your favorite monkey before you were born

He was your first Valentine

He was the first person to take you to the Zoo

You are the reason for his first Father's Day breakfast

We love you Daddy!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Day at the Pool

2011-06-08T10:34:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was the first time I've taken Emery to the pool. Emery's little side kick, Andréa also joined us along with her other cousins. Emery was not sure of all the kids and the loud noises; she did not want to leave my side. She played for almost an hour before we hopped out and had lunch at McDonald's. Emery was just too cute in her bathing suit and received lots of attention.

Emery's Hawaiian Vacation

2011-06-01T13:30:00.018-05:00

We just got back from Emery's first vacation; she was a tough baby while flying to Hawaii. She did not like to sit still for the flights but was a pretty good traveler once we got to Oahu. My Aunt and Uncle were so kind to let us stay in their beautiful home, I'm sure it was tough to have an 8 month old there for a week. They were so good to her and she sure didn't go without attention the whole week. My Aunt and Uncle were even so sweet to let Noah and I go out for a date TWICE while we were there. That was the first Noah and I had been out without Emery since before she was born.

Miss Emery was in such good hands, after dinner one night we came home and Uncle Norman was just walking her around in her stroller. She looked like such a little princess; she was so spoiled on this trip by two amazing people!

Turtle Bay Resort

2011-05-23T14:12:00.007-05:00

Noah and I were so excited to take Emery back to the spot we got married, it was so surreal to take our baby back to such a special spot for Noah and I. I cannot believe 6 years have already flown by since we were married at Turtle Bay Resort.

It was just as beautiful as we remember it to be, and Emery was a pretty good sport. We even made to sure to get her a little gift from the gift shop, a baby turtle.

Kuilima Point, we were married here at sunset

The chapel, I walked down this path to meet up with Noah to start taking pictures

(We took pictures first to catch some sunlight)

Emery is sitting on Kuilima Point

Noah and I had breakfast the morning after our wedding on the patio

Eight Months Old

2011-05-22T13:55:00.006-05:00

You wonderful child,
Emery you are 8 Months Old now.

You are so happy and smiley to everyone

But, you still do not want to be held by anyone you don't know too well.

You are still a momma's girl, and I love every second of it.

You sleep great! But, you do require your own bed when you are tired. We can't just put you down anywhere.

You are now sleeping from about 7 to 7, could not be more thankful for that!

You do like to go to bed with some kind of toy, you have a favorite monkey your Daddy bought for you when I was pregnant. That seems to be now your favorite toy.

You are slowly wearing size 9 month clothes because you are so long! We went to the doctor on May 9th and you were 14.6 lbs, still a thin girl. Your doctor is so proud of your growth process, she said you have tripled in size and she could not be more excited about that!

We can't keep you still, you roll everywhere. I think it's a matter of weeks before you crawl. You can get up on all fours and rock, the doctor said that you are ahead of 90% of babies your age because getting up on all fours.

You eat so well, usually 2-3 jars of baby food a day and a 10oz bottle every four hours or so.

You hold your own bottle now!!! Such a triumph for all of us.

You have a new playmate you just love, Andréa and you just sit and play together. It gives the grown ups a bit of a break because you two can interact together now.

You are a sweet girl, and I feel like you have really matured a lot this month. You aren't always crying, but you do still screech to get our attention.

We are both so in love with you, your Daddy just thinks you hung the moon! You two are becoming great buds, and you are starting to look so much like him. Unfortunately, you have your momma's personality which I'm sure won't serve us well when you get older.

You are perfect, I love the smiles and laughs! I don't think I could love anything in the whole world more than I love you! You are the best thing about my life.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T15:47:00.007-05:00

I cannot express how blessed I feel on my first Mother's Day. I have an amazing husband and the sweetest baby, my heart stays so full because of these precious two people. Noah and Emery bought me a picture frame and had it personalized with Emery and I's name on it. It meant so much to me! Noah took over with Emery all day to give me a break, it was nice to get to relax all day and have my daughter so well taken care of. Emery has such a great Daddy, I'm not sure if she will ever know how blessed she has been.

We had a Mother's Day filled weekend. We had breakfast with Noah's stepmom, Cathy on Saturday morning. I forgot to take some pictures because I was so preoccupied with Emery. Emery was able to start her weekend loving on one of her three Grandmas. She is still pretty glued to our hips, so poor Grandma only got a few minutes with Emery before she was right back in my arms.

Sunday, we had lunch with Noah's mom and sister and her family. We waited almost an hour and a half for a table at Abuelo's. But, it was really nice because it was a beautiful morning and we were able to sit and visit before heading into lunch. Emery enjoyed all the attention, the warm breeze, and getting to be outside. My sister in law told us at lunch she starts her training tomorrow to be the nurse who flies on the medical ambulance. How amazing is that!

We met my mom at Texas Roadhouse for dinner. I didn't get to spend much time with her since that is the loudest place! But, it was nice to go out and have dinner as a family. My Dad was so sweet and bought all the woman in his life a beautiful bouquet of flowers, such a sweet Granddad.

I had a wonderful first Mother's Day!

Happy Birthday Aunt Elise & Andrea

2011-05-04T06:39:00.010-05:00

My sister had a great backyard birthday party for Andréa who turned two! Neat thing is, Elise and Andréa share a birthday, so it's like Elise gets to have fun birthday parties all over again.
The sweet birthday girl headed outside to jump

Andrew and I got Andréa a sandbox for her birthday

She is doing the motions to Itsy Bitsy Spider

Our little one finally decided to join the party, she slept most of the party. Thank God, because she was acting awful!

A Dora Doll!
Emery is enjoying Elise's birthday dinner

Easter

2011-04-24T18:34:00.016-05:00

We had a fantastic Easter as a sweet family of 3. Holidays are so much more meaningful and fun with a little one. Emery was so sweet all day and had fun kissing her cousin. She was able to hunt Easter eggs twice and the Easter bunny was good to her, he even got her a new Easter basket with her name on it. We had lunch at my parents, it was probably one of the best meals I've ever had. They are such good cooks!

This blog entry will be a picture overload, since Noah got me a new camera.
A family picture

Waiting to hunt her eggs

Checking out her Easter basket
Tough to get a picture without the girls trying to grab for each other
Sweet Girls!
Hunting eggs with Mommy
Andrea helping Emery look through her loot
Breaking confetti eggs on her Daddy
She was not having the confetti egg broken on her head
Andrew was eating one of Noah's eggs

Seven Months Old

2011-04-21T09:19:00.012-05:00

Happy Girl,
you are 7 Months Old today!

You are rolling over all over the place.

Your two favorite toys are the dogs, you get so excited when they come up to you.

We had a rough transition from 6 to 7 months.

We figured out you were more hungry and started to give you more baby food, it totally changed you!

Still no teeth

You are still in size 1-2 diapers, and wear clothes from 3-6 months. The 6 month clothes are a little big on you. You are so sweet and small.

Anything distracts you from eating, and I think you would rather play in the food most times.

You eat just about anything but bananas, you might be a little allegric to those.

Your two favorites are carrots and squash

You sleep great!

Usually it's 2-3 naps during the day and then from 10pm until 7:30am

I think you are really hitting a growth spurt, all you do is eat and sleep!

You love drinking water from a straw, you notice our cups and usually make a direct move for the cups

You are starting to kiss us. You will look at us then put one of your sweet hands on our face and give us the most slobbery wet kiss. It is absolutely heart melting!

You are still a tough cookie, you let us know immediately if things are not going your way

We call you our bipolar child, because you will change your demeanor in a blink of an eye. (Not sure where you get that quality, surely not from your Momma ;)

You are like your Momma, if you are tired we better get you somewhere to sleep ASAP! It is not good for anyone around if you are tired.

You still don't like to be held by many people, you are tolerating Aunt Elise & Gigi better. You do take to Granddad and on certain days Uncle Andrew. But for the most part, you are a Momma & Daddy's girl.

We are back to being held ALL the time.

I rarely get to put you down and most days I'm ok with it.

Some days I would like to get some of the housework caught up.

You are on the verge of sitting up by yourself, your daddy tells me you would be sitting up if I would just put you down.

You always fall asleep during the morning tummy time

We no longer use a pacifier, you gave it up. You never really just took to one.

We also took you off your SIDS monitor this month. You roll around so much in your sleep it kept waking us and you up when you would get off the monitor.

My little model

You really love Sophie the Giraffe, that's your constant teether.

Trying to look under your mobile

First Trip to the Zoo

2011-04-20T09:11:00.005-05:00

We took Emery to the zoo on Monday; I'm not sure what she thought of all the noises and animals. She seemed most interested in the railing on the outside of the cages. We stayed for 30 minutes because we did not want Emery out in the sun too much since her momma forgot her hat and had to borrow Daddy's for most of the outing.

Noah had the whole day off with his family, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Noah's been working really tough hours, and his boss gave them the day off for finishing a big wind farm project out in Vega.

Our first stop was the herpetarium

Noah's trying to show Emery a turtle and I'm distracting her

All she cared about was grabbing the railing

An attempt at a family picture

Leaving

(Doesn't Noah looks so thrilled for another picture)

Before Bedtime

2011-04-09T10:45:00.003-05:00

Every night before Emery's bedtime, Noah takes a moment to cuddle with her. She usually falls asleep for an hour on his chest and that's their cuddle time. She is so sweet, and loves her daddy. I think she was really wanting to play, but just didn't have the energy.

Some Randomness

2011-03-31T10:04:00.010-05:00

I have been so scatter brained lately; I can barely complete sentences at the moment. I would think your brain would function less during the newborn stage, but I'm finding out at 6 months I'm totally focused on Emery and nothing else. So, this post is about 3 weeks late.

My parents took me for a birthday dinner when they got back into town, I was lucky enough to have my Uncle Stephen & Aunt Mariglyn in town and they joined us. I was so excited for Emery to finally meet a Great Uncle & Great Aunt. She will meet her Uncle Norman & Aunt Gail later in the year when we invade their house in Hawaii. See there is a down side to living in Hawaii, you get guests!

Emery is a bit of a momma & daddy's girl, she doesn't really like to be held for too long without wanting one of us back. But, Emery took to Uncle Stephen. She was so cute with him, and he was so good and sweet to her. He would walk her around and show her different things and talk to her. You could see the Granddad beaming out of him. It was just so cute to watch!

My Aunt got a way better picture that will be going in her baby book

Emery's deciding what to order

My Aunt got a great picture here too, one without Emery screaming

A glimmer of hope she will start to let someone else hold her

My little brother was playing with our new camera and took some really great pictures of Andréa

A full cup of ice

Now picking up the ice before she gets caught spilling it

Andrew took this picture

Andréa just loved Aunt Mariglyn

She's going for the dogs

Totally focused on Maddie

Helping Daddy with homework

She just realized we are a PC family

She cracks me up when she gets into her highchair, she knows it's time to eat

6 Month Photo Shoot

2011-03-23T15:49:00.013-05:00

As most can tell our total focus in Miss Emery. We had 6 Month pictures taken by Carol McKinney. Neat thing about Carol, she watched Elise and I when my little brother Andrew was born. Now Carol is taking pictures of our kids!

I just love how sweet these turned out!

Six Months Old

2011-03-21T18:17:00.013-05:00

Adorable Girl,

you are 6 Months Old!

13 lbs-3rd%

25" long-25th%

16 1/2" head circumference-25th%

You have been busy this month

You just had your 6 Month Photo Shoot,

we get your pictures on Tuesday and will make sure to blog those!

You are in need of constant simulations,

if it's reading, being sang to, or trying to

figure out all the different noises we make.

You sleep great!

You go down around 9 or 10 and sleep at least until 7

You take two naps a day

One usually starts around 1 and the next one is around 5:30

You require both!

Much to the dismay of the grandparents, you have been quite difficult this month.

I'm not sure what's going on, but you scream at me all the time.

You hate to be put down, or in a room for a second by yourself

Still no teeth

You roll over without even blinking

You are starting to figure out to pull your legs under you,

you know it will get you somewhere

The pouty lip, love it!

We brought out the high chair and that has helped so much with spoon feeding you.

You really just love Pears and Apples, we haven't tried anything else.

Sometimes when we have sherbet we will let

you have a small taste, of course you do this

cute excited grasp for air because you love it!

You make this adorable monkey face constantly, it's so cute!

You love your feet, they are your favorite toy next to Sophie the Giraffe

You love boys, you would rather a man hold you

You love to be out in public, you take in all the sights and sounds

We usually go somewhere everyday, just to get you out of the house

You are crazy about Andréa

I love these two peas in a pod

You two girls are just adorable!

Your daddy bought you this swing for
the warmer weather, so far you just love it

You are the darling of the neighborhood

When you are in your swing, you have
all the ladies down the block stopping by just to see you

You watch what we eat and drink

Uncle Paco is so good with you

You are so angelic when you sleep

Your first golf cart ride around the lake

You love the dogs, you would chase
them if you could figure out how to crawl

You just pat them and feel the texture
of their coats, it's so cute to watch

I love you little girl, I can't believe you are 6 Months Old!

You have rocked our world the last 6 months!

There have been good and bad days over the last
25 weeks, 181 days, 4344 hours, and 260,640 minutes

You have opened my heart, it's so full when you smile
and I could burst into tears the second you laugh.
You have soften this cold momma's heart
You are always teaching me something, usually it's how to be selfless or patient.
I just love every minute with you, it breaks my heart to see you get older. I know 6 months is nothing when we have so much more time to watch you grow but reality sets in, you are growing like a sweet little flower.
I love everything about you; your smell, your little fingers you wrap around ours, how you look up at us with your big beautiful blue eyes, your toothless smile.

I always want you to know, I'm so in love you!

How Our Time is Spent

2011-03-16T12:27:00.004-05:00

Ever wonder what a normal week is for these Huntington's, well we do a lot of cleaning, reading, and sleeping and wake up to some early mornings! Emery is really starting to come alive and we just love it. After almost of 6 months of hard work, we are finally getting some rewards. She is laughing, following us with her eyes, and wanting to be around us at all times.

One of her favorite spots!

Checking out the newest Pottery Barn Kids catalog

She is always this happy in the morning!

Our Sweet girl

My Birthday!

2011-03-09T12:31:00.004-06:00

I got to celebrate my first of many birthdays with my new and extended sweet little family. Noah took me to Outback on Saturday because we weren't sure with his work schedule if we would be able to go out on my actual birthday. But, Noah managed to pull a small birthday party together for my actual birthday. So, I got Outback again on Tuesday! Pretty great husband! I always love getting together with my sister and brother and so glad they could make it (my parents are out of town, boo!)

On my actual birthday, my sister took me to lunch at one of my Grandmother's favorite places, Crickets (used to be Catfish Shack.) We like that place because it's always quite and never a crowd which is great when you bring two kids under 2.

After Crickets, we headed to this new frozen yogurt shop up the street from my house called Frazzleberry's. It's amazing! Noah and I have been trying to go for a month, but it is always such a long line. Luckily when you go at 1 in the afternoon, no one's there. Elise and I both got the White Chocolate Mousse which is non fat and amazing!

My little one waiting for a table

My Actual Birthday

Lake Tanglewood Fires

2011-03-03T17:39:00.005-06:00

Last weekend was absolutely crazy! My sister and her family along with my parents had to mandatorily evacuate the lake because of wildfires. It was the scariest thing, luckily my brother is a volunteer firefighter and was able to stay at the lake and give us updates on what was going on and where the fire was headed.

After the winds died down (60 mph gusts) and people were allowed to return back home a total of 7 houses where completely destroyed.

Thought I would share some pictures of the houses and the locations for some of the readers who used to live down at the lake.

Miss Andréa was having a blast at her sleep over, such a sweet party girl!

We ended up watching Andréa so my

sister and brother-in-law could help out.

Elise passed out food and water to the fire

fighters and Paco also volunteered to fight the blazes.

The fork in the road on South Shore

South Shore

South Shore

This is about 3 houses down from the owner of the Big Texan

Owner of the Big Texans house,

it burned 3/4 of the grass around his house, but missed burning his house

South Shore

Ben Fry's old house, it was being demolished

today because the owner of the lot next to his

old house wanted to tear it down to extend his driveway!

By the way, this house was not touch by fire.
Nothing like blowing money!

The three pictures above is

Dr. Garner's house on South Shore.

His house is next to the back entrance

next to Palisades at the end of Tanglewood

Two pictures above are the same house on Bayshore.

This house is across the street from

Eschle Smith to the right, (Lankford's old house)

Can you notice the two cars that were also burned?

Fire got up the back hill leading to

the golf course, it did not burn the house

Across the street from the golf course

That's the back side of the Newman's house

Getting Ready for Easter

2011-03-02T20:06:00.006-06:00

Ever since I found out I was having a little girl, I have searched for a cute Easter basket for her. I was really excited to finally have found one. Especially since I've been looking for almost a year now! Her basket should be here by next Monday and I'm so excited to get to fill it for her.

We got our sweet Emery the purple one with her name on it from Pottery Barn Kids, I figured she already has so much stuff that's pink and I should give that color a rest! I was just too excited not to share.

Five Months Old

2011-02-21T08:01:00.010-06:00

Beautiful Girl,

you are Five Months Old!

You are in still in size 1-2 diapers

You are slowly easing into 6 month clothes

You have really grown this month, you are so long but still really skinny

You love being around Mommy & Daddy

You know the second we slip out of the room

You take about 2 naps a day

One around 9:30 and then again around 12:30, you know when you've missed your nap too!

You have this super adorable pouty face, it really makes us laugh more than feel sorry for you

You love to be held

You are already so defiant; we have been letting you cry it out if you wake up too soon from nap time. That is not working for us, you will cry as long as it takes for us to come get you. When we come get you, I think you just wanted to know what was going on without you being a part of it.

Look at you stick the bottom lip out

You have been drooling like crazy, but still haven't seen a tooth

You have really picked up eating by a spoon

You have tried Bananas, Apples, and Sweet Potatoes

You love apples

You hate bananas

And I don't think sweet potatoes quite agree with your tummy right now

Still only trying 1 fruit or vegetable a week since your daddy has food allergies

We feed you cereal 6-7 times a day through your
bottle, and make you eat by a spoon at least 4 times a day

You are like textures

You love to pull the blanket or burp rag up to your face

You are still so bald, you are one gorgeous bald and toothless child

You love to be read too!

You stay most focused on Goodnight Moon

You still like your swing

Still not a fan of tummy time, but you roll over

almost every time so you now tolerate being put on your tummy

You have found your voice, you have this scream you do that cracks us up

You play this game with daddy by grabbing him by his mouth and yell at him

He says you are already bossing him around

You are such a delight!

Daddy says "You are so much fun these days!"

Your personality is really starting to take shape

You have been starting to sleep longer

You go to bed around 8pm and usually don't get up to eat again until 5-6am

We love cereal, it has been keeping you fuller longer

You are in a much better mood because you are fuller

Life is so amazing since you starting smiling, laughing, and interacting with us

I really never think I could express how in love I am with you

You are the best thing that has ever happened in my life!

Our Sweet Valentine

2011-02-15T10:44:00.005-06:00

Our special little girl was such a delight on Valentine's Day. She let mommy take a bunch of pictures of her and her gift to her daddy. I would love to say this was an original idea but it wasn't. A good friend from high school, Tori put this idea on her blog and I just loved it and thought it would be perfect for Noah. Noah got his little girl another monkey, Curious George. He started to get her monkeys while I was pregnant. So sweet they have a little thing, just the two of them.

Our Valentine's evening was pretty special. I made tacos, Emery ate apples, and we watched Toy Story 3 as a family. Emery only made it 10 minutes into the movie before deciding it was her bedtime. I love having a sweet little girl to enhance each holiday!

Superbowl XLV

2011-02-09T09:56:00.009-06:00

What a difference a year can make!

Just last Superbowl we were doing this:

And this year we have one of these!

Catching a nap on Daddy before the big game

She loved this bouncy rocking horse

I think this year's Superbowl was quite a bit better than last years

Our Baby Dedication

2011-01-31T10:45:00.011-06:00

On Saturday we had Emery dedicated at Trinity Fellowship. We really love this church and the head pastor. I have been somewhat apart of that church since I was going to Mother's Day Out there. It was a sweet service and I was so thankful we could be apart of it. Emery looked precious and was such a little delight, but we did have to leave the service early because she started getting fussy. Never fun to walk out with an upset child when you are sitting on the front row.

We had a family dinner at Hoffbrau where we reserved their party room so we would all be able to sit together and the kids would not have to remain seated. It was a special evening and we are so thankful to everyone who attended, it really means so much to Noah and I.

Our beautiful girl in her new dress, she looked so sweet! Of course she would smile for the iPhone, but not the camera so I could get a better resolution!

So calm in daddy's arms

Outfit change before dinner

Emery's Uncle Chris & her cousin, London

She crashed out on her own party, just too much hub bub

My sweet niece, the only reason reason I got any attention from Andréa is I was by sitting by Emery

Miss Emery was given two presents from her grandparents. Granddad and Gigi got her a hairbrush and comb engraved with her name and the date. So Sweet!

Noah's parents, Grandma and Grandpa gave Emery this picture frame. I love it and can't wait to get a picture in the frame and up on her wall

Four Months Old

2011-01-21T11:42:00.012-06:00

Precious Girl,

you are four months old today!

You are a happy happy happy baby!

Weight: 11.2 lbs-8%

Height: 24" long-42%

You are in size 1-2 diapers, and we prefer Pampers

You are right on par for an average 4 month old,

meaning you caught way up within the last month.

That is fantastic considering you were born 3 1/2 weeks early, my amazing baby

I love every second with you, we spend our day talking and cooing.

You have found your hands this month, you chew on them constantly

You are so interested in what we are doing these days, you study our every move

You have started to take notice when your daddy or I leave the room, it starts an instant cry

Your whole body lights up when someone talks to you, about the cutest thing I've ever seen!

You have been doing this scream/squeal that we find hilarious this month

You prefer me these days, I love it but your daddy hates it! You act like you could careless if he was around, but light up for me. I know this will change soon, but I'm loving every minute of it at the moment! He'll get his chance soon enough.

You are a big fan of your play-mat

You have been doing so well when I have to change your clothes, before you would scream your whole way through it.

You have been going down between 7-9pm, and don't get up until 2-4am for a feeding. Then, it's right back to sleep for us! I can't stress this enough, I LOVE this new schedule you put us on!

Your favorite song is The Itsy Bitsy Spider, you just light up when I sing it to you

You have a favorite blanket now, out of all the sweet homemade ones you chose this polka dotted one we got in a bulk pack

You are stubborn, and definitely my child! I will catch you during tummy time just put your head down and wait out the time. It cracks me up

You have been grabbing at objects and try to bring them to your mouth to figure out what they are, you growl at your "friends" hanging above your play-mat because you can't quite get them to your mouth

Our sweet little buddy

I remember holding Andréa while she was wearing this onesie, you are fitting quite nicely in all her handmy downs

Sitting in our bed talking to the ceiling fan

Daddy is absolutely the best at getting you to go to sleep

Andréa's first time around you, she had been gone to Hawaii for 10 days & around no other children. So we let you two interact together

Our first walk alone, without your daddy's help

You study everything Andréa does, you try so hard to talk to her and mimic the sounds she makes. It's too cute to watch!

You love watching yourself in the mirror, you study everything about yourself

Reading, "I Love You Through and Through" it's your favorite book right now.

Thanks Aunt Jenn & Uncle Bryan for the shirt, I wear it with pride Ha!

Your new wall hanging, your grandparents brought it back from Hawaii for you. We were supposed to go on that trip with them, but your daddy and I thought it was still too early for a baby to fly. Yeah, I know we are crazy, but you come first now!

Happy 2011!

2011-01-03T11:25:00.009-06:00

We had a great New Years Eve night, my parents & Aunt Elise and Uncle Paco came over with Andréa. We fixed some snacks and played our Pandora from our TiVo, mainly to see Andréa dance. She is such a little doll.

Our party didn't last until midnight and everyone went home around 11:30. I think we had some really tired kids on our hands. It was nice to celebrate with just Noah, and I did sneak into Emery's room to catch a picture of our baby at midnight. Thought I would try and take a picture each year of her at midnight.

The little dancing princess

Sweet Emery at Midnight

New Year's Day, enjoying time with Granddad

I love that people write out their goals for the New Year and share them on their blogs. I'm not big into the tradition of making resolutions, but there are some changes I would like to make for the coming year.

1. Learn to argue with Noah away from Emery. I have such a quick mouth and get so mad so easily, I need to learn to put the argument on hold until Noah and I can go into another room and hash out the problem. I remember my dad telling me he remembered my grandparents (his parents) used to argue like that and I always remember thinking how classy that was to have discretion to take the fight away from the kids.

2. Slow down on the cuss words, to say I'm able to give them up is a bit of a stretch for me. So, my goal is to work on my mouth. My mom always tells me, Emery isn't going to have many play dates with a dirty mouth. Moms don't want their kids talking like sailors. She's right, but hopefully she doesn't read this :)

3. I would like to cook more at home; we already cook the majority of the weekdays at home. But, they are pretty boring meals. I need to learn to cook really great dinners.

4. Use less paper towels; I use paper towels for everything. We go through so many rolls and it drives Noah nuts. I just feel like they are way cleaner than dish towels and I would never consider using a sponge from the sink to clean anything.

5. This year, I'm going to allow more people the chance to get to know Emery. I've been a nervous wreck about germs and her getting sick. I think in the spring, I'm going to try and let go and let her be a kid. I know so many people want to hold her and love on her, but I've put the brakes on that until spring. So, after April or May anyone can hold her and kiss on her. Not just immediate family members. I also want her to have friends, so after the cold and flu season I want all of her cousins to be able to play with her.

6. Drink more water! I've gotten in this bad habit of drinking too many Coke Zeros during the day. I need the caffeine to keep up with Emery, and I have let the water drinking fall wayside.

7. Read to Emery and work on flash cards, two family members (Susann & Sunshine) have really bright kids and they started their kids out early on flash cards.

8. Be attentive to my dogs, they have really taken a major backseat to Emery. I need to remember they love walks, treats, and belly rubs and need to be reminded they are still apart of the family.

I'm not going to list out weight loss goals or goals to get into shape. I think that's too personal for me, but if you've seen me lately please know it is one of my goals this year! Get this baby weight off! Emery deserves an in shape momma!

I'll give a status report at the end of December on how well I did this year.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-27T16:17:00.010-06:00

We had a great first Christmas with Emery.

She is such a doll these days, she has the sweetest personality and stole the show Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
We attended a Christmas Eve party at Noah's sister's house, Santa stopped by, and Emery and I got everything we asked for! She was pretty fun this year and I know it will only get better when we can really do Christmas up for her.

My wonderful family, I just could not
catch a picture of Emery looking at the camera

Hanging out on Grandma's shoulder

How pretty is her Aunt Jenn! So cute they match

Santa Came!

Emery was such a good baby for the last 3 months,
Santa wanted to come even though she won't remember it

Sophie the giraffe is ready to combat the teething process

She will be rocking the pink for sure!

Posing next to Santa presents

Enjoying her new bumbo and rattle socks her Aunt Jenn got her

All of her presents from Santa, Mommy, & Daddy

Sitting in her Bumbo talking to her daddy

She has spotted Emery

The shoes just help pull off the Elf look

Cute Reindeer Bottom

Aunt Elise & Uncle Paco got these clothes for Emery,
out of all the toys Andréa received she wanted Emery's clothes

Andréa was sharing her animal crackers with Aggie, such a sweet girl

Daddy got a handprint kit for Christmas.

I think this was the third attempt at getting her hand

Three Months Old

2010-12-21T09:36:00.024-06:00

Sweet Emery, you are Three Months Old Today!

The big thing this month, you've started smiling!

You wear size 1 diapers

You have been eating 4 to 5 oz just about every feeding,
I think you are going through a growth spurt

Your Daddy and I love, to see you smile.

It's the best thing about our day hands down.

You are sleeping about 5-6 hours a night

On December 15th, we put you in your crib for first time to sleep

Love this picture, I caught that bottom lip thing you do before you get really upset

You did great sleeping on your own, I'm talking fantastic!

You woke in the best mood, all smiles and ready to talk

You are so much more enjoyable this month, last
two months were tough because you would cry all the time

You do great sleeping on your own & and we are sleeping better too

You won't stay asleep without the hair dryer going though,
so we put in on cold and hang it so it doesn't touch anything

We are still scared of SIDS, so you sleep on a SIDS monitor,
in between a baby positioner, with a humidifier running, a pacifier,
and a little thermometer to make sure you room doesn't get too hot.

It has helped us all to be in our own rooms,
you were ready for a little bit of space

You have turned into our whole world

Your Dad and I always comment about how different things are,
they are SO MUCH BETTER BECAUSE OF YOU

You are so enjoyable, you just smile and try to talk all the time

When you throw a fit, we usually will mimic you and
you stop and look at us like we are crazy

We also do that trick with the mirror, you seem to
find it funny and start to smile once you notice the baby in the mirror crying

You recognize your bottle

You don't seem to cry as much, only really when you are tired or hungry

We can usually figure it out pretty quick what
you want, much different than the last two months.

You are going to be a talker (like your momma)

You make all sorts of funny sounds trying to figure out your voice.

My favorite is this squeal/scream
you do when you are really happy

You like having your diaper changed these days, before you used to fight it

Something about not having any clothes on seems to
make you really happy, your cousin Andréa is the same way

Speaking of Andréa, we have slowly allowed you to be around her a little more.

Andréa loves to shower you with kisses, we let
her kiss your feet and the back of your head
It's the sweetest site, she already loves
you and is so ready for you to play

Andréa will do this funny thing, if she sees your pacifier or car seat;
She demands we put you in the car seat or put the pacifier in your mouth
She usually doesn't get her way, but it's funny to see
her get so serious about telling us what to do with you

I'm pretty sure you've learned when we say Hi to you,
your whole face lights up more than any other word

My Happy Baby!

Your sweet Aunt Mariglyn got you this cute I Love Santa outfit, you will wear it either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day

Speaking of Mariglyn, your Uncle Stephen's birthday is today---Happy Birthday Uncle Stephen!

This month's updates had to be done in these Christmas outfits,

too cute to pass up a Christmas outfit

Your shirt says, Baby First Christmas

Our sweet neighbors came over to meet you

with some outfits for you to wear during the Christmas Holiday

All the other onesies in this entry is from them, pretty great neighbors huh!

We call you our little gremlin because you
make this hilarious growling sound all the time.
You curl your hands up to your mouth and growl

You make my heart so full!

Every time I pull out the camera, it distracts you and you stop talking

Right after your bath

Daddy's Little Elf

I tried to sneak a picture of you sleeping in your room
for the first time, but you heard me
and started to cry.
You were ready to eat!

Another cute outfit from the neighbors

You love being read to, I think you love being spoken to all the time

You get this great big smile when we talk directly to

you and you try so hard to talk back with us

Checking out the book of numbers & colors

Mommy's Little Deer

You are getting the sweetest personality

You love to cuddle-you've been getting up at 6am and after you eat we snuggle up and you and I go back to sleep until about 8. I LOVE this time with you!

I heard someone once say having a child is the closest you will get to heaven here on Earth, they are so right. You are the best thing in our lives!

I Love you little girl!

Things I've Learned This Month

Trust the motherly instinct, didn't even know I had that

You don't want to be picked up over little whimper. I would pick you up the second I heard your start to cry or whimper. It was interrupting your sleep, I didn't know you would cry in your sleep. You usually cry for a second and then stop

You are learning all the time, I'm not sure I realized you were such a sponge

Each month will get better, the first two months I was so overwhelmed. I wrote Sarah Glenn Sharp all the time, just because I knew she felt some of the same things I did in those first two months. I was pretty sure Sarah was stoned when she would tell me it will get easier, well she was right. This month has been the best! (Thanks Sarah!!)

Again, I'm amazed how deeply I've fallen in love with you. I reluctantly say, I wasn't to sure about you for the first two months. I was more afraid what could happen to you, so I approached you like a chore. I didn't think I could let myself fall in love with you. I feel guilty about that. I had a bad attitude about all the work and I'm sorry. You are and will always be worth every second of hardwork and tears I've experienced.