6 Months Old

6 months

183 days

4,392 hours

263,520 minutes

15,811,200 seconds

We can't believe that our little girl is 6 months old. It has been so amazing watching her grow and develop her own personality. Josh and I have been very spoiled so far. Emma has basically slept through the night since she was about 6 or 7 weeks old. She takes great naps during the day too. She definitely loves to sleep. We have been able to cut her down to 4 bottles a day now. She eats her fruits and veggies for lunch and dinner. Sometimes in the mornings she will get a little bit of fruit to eat for breakfast. She loves eating baby food. I think her favorites are the sweet potatoes and bananas. She will open her mouth wide and stick out her tounge to let you know she is ready for another bite. I think her favorite thing right now is her feet. She loves to grab her feet and also to stick her toes in her mouth. She has learned to do so many things. Rolling, eating food, sitting up, laughing, holding a sippy cup[kind of]....etc. We are so proud of her. She is such a great baby/big girl. [Pictures are so much easier to take now that she can sit up] Just gotten out of the bath tubLove that pudge [she just had a bottle]Always with her feet in her face

Learning New Things

Emma has been learning to sit up and also to hold her sippy cup. She can now sit for about 3-4 minutes by herself. She does great until she tries to turn and look at something. Then she just falls over. She has been drinking from a sippy cup for a while now but we've been working on letting her hold it herself. She does pretty good....still learning though.

Jumper

This past Thursday Emma and I went out to look around a few stores. I had never been to "Once Upon a Child" so I went to kind of check it out. I was looking around at their exersaucers and also the free-standing jumpers. They didn't really have too much there that I was interested in but as we were leaving the store a lady walked in with a jumper that was still in the box. I stayed around a few minutes to see if they were going to buy it from her. This jumper was brand new in the box and had never even been opened. The store only wanted to give her around $25.00 for it. Well, she wanted more than that so on her way out of the store, I stopped her and asked how much she wanted for it. We ended up agreeing on $40.00. It is a Baby Einstein Jumperoo and it sells for around $80-90 in the stores. I was so excited. What a great deal!! I got home and put it together and Emma really likes it so far. I am so glad that I went there and got this great jumper.I guess I was just in the right place and the right time.

Where are you going?

Emma has been rolling over like crazy the past few days. Anytime she is on her back, she is trying to roll. Last night when we put her to bed, we were watching her on the video monitor and she was turning on her side to sleep. She even went to her stomach at one point. It was so funny to watch. Now that she knows she can be in different positions, she doesn't want to just be on her back anymore. Today I laid her on the floor to play and before I knew it she had rolled from back to front and front to back across the whole floor. She made it over to her swing and hit a dead end when she landed under it. It was so funny. I'm so glad she is getting more mobile. It makes for some really great moments.

Swingin'

Today we went to visit my mom and dad. It was pretty nice out today so we let Emma swing and also I pushed her around in her stroller. It was fun until the sun went away and it got a little cold. This was the first time Emma has ever been in a swing outside. She seemed to really like it. Swingin'Look at her cute little hatEmma and Papa

Emma's 1st Valentines Day

Emma's 1st Valentines Day was so much fun. First we gave daddy his presents. Anyone who knows me, knows that I HATE pictures being taken of me. So ofcourse Josh has always begged me to have some. So for Valentines Day, I took Emma to Portrait Innovations and we got a picture of the two of us together and we framed it for Josh. We also got him some chocolate and I helped Emma make a card for him. I really think he liked everything that he got. Then we went to my mom and dads house to visit and also to give them their Valentines Day cards. I got Emma some of the little princess cards that we used to give out in elementary school. They are so cute. I would put them in her hand and she would try to give them to people herself. She just didn't understand that she had to actually let go though. But it was too cute. Uncle Sam invited us over for dinner last night. We had chicken, potatoes, green beans, and biscuits. SOOOO GOOD! Overall, we had a great Valentines Day...hope you all did too. All the great stuff Josh got for Valentines DayEmma holding her presentJosh and I got our little drool monkey new bibs for Valentines Day but all she wanted to do is chew on themEmma looking at the card that Josh and I gave herReady to GO!!The card that Emma and I made for themEmma giving mom her little cardEmma absolutely LOVES this darn bird on the playmatKatie and Joe before they went out to eat....aren't they too cute?Emma playing in her excersaucer at mom and dads houseWhile we were at mom and dads house Cheyenne came over because their were babysitting....it was so much fun to get to play with her.Emma took at great nap at mom and dads houseJosh and his Valentine at Sam's house

5 Month Pics

Rolling Over

Emma first rolled over back in December however, she had not done it since until this week. She doesn't like to be put on her stomach so I guess she never really wanted to roll. But now that she has figured it out, she does it anytime you lay her down. She still has a hard time getting her arm out from under her but she's practicing and it is getting easier for her.

Our Song

Yesterday while going through some of my iTunes, I came across a song that I hadn't really heard in a little while. I have always loved this song and I haven't heard it since Emma was born. Well, now that I am experiencing what it's like to be a mother, this song has a whole new meaning for me. Listening to this song really pulled at my heart strings. So I have decided that from now on, this is me and Emma's song. It is so perfect and I absolutely love it.

In My Daughter's Eyes

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I want to be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes
Everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light
And the world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me
Gives me strength when I'm weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about
It's hangin' on when your heart
Has had enough
It's givin' more when you feel like givin' up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes
I can see the future
A reflection of who I am
And what we'll be
And though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone
I hope you'll see
How happy she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes

Mommy loves you my sweet baby girl.

Preemie Heart

With valentines day coming up tomorrow, I thought I would tell you all about the purple heart. The purple heart is also known as the preemie heart. It is a keepsake that has grown to become one of the most meaningful symbols of preemie unity thoughout the world and especially the NICU. The Preemie Purple Heart is born of an idea borrowed from the US army, a medal given for being wounded in battle. What bigger battle is there than the battle for life and the wounds of premature birth live on with the infant and family forever. The color was once reserved for royalty, making it special and it is gender neutral. The heart is not a solid color and the strips in each heart are a little different, just as every child and every journey is a little different, but the basic design is the same just like the basic experience is the same. The heart is made of glass.It is strong but not unbreakable. The premature child is strong but not invincible. It is a heart because the heart is our center, it's every beat renews life and hope, it symbolizes love. At the bottom of the Preemie Purple Heart is a teardrop, it is symbolic of the tears shed during the journey of a premature family, good and bad, joy and sorrow. When I first started working in the NICU over 2 years ago, I was a little nervous and scared. I wondered what I would say to the families who were having to watch their little babies fight to survive. There are a lot of people who say..."I don't know how you can work there". But to see a baby who is born 16 weeks early and barely weigh a pound at birth, grow and get stronger, and go home with their parents is the most amazing thing I've ever witnessed. Ofcourse, we do have hard times here but there are far more good times. The nurses that I work with are amazing. It takes a special person to be able to care for these babies and comfort the families while they are going through the most difficult time they will probably ever have to go through. These babies are strong fighters and I'm so glad I am able to see these miracles everyday.

Emma's Day

Here are some cute pics of things that Emma has done today. I love black and white pictures so I mostly did those today. I think they turned out so awesome. She is so beautiful. The video is of the newest thing that she has learned to do while eating some apples. Enjoy!!Eating her applesEmma playing with her "Hello Bee, Hello Me" bookPlaying with her toyThe sweetest smileShe always has her fingers in her mouthKissing her little teddy bearIn the tub with her little ducky
Playing in her exersaucer
Nappin' on daddy