emma {3 months}

Unbelievable. She's three months old? How did this happen already?

See the bears hanging from the canopy of the crib? Emma has figured out how to kick them! Her daddy lowered the canopy so that she could see the bears better, and in the last couple of days she's started kicking them. It's so fun to watch... she stares the bears down and then readies her feet, then POW!... she kicks as hard as she can. Love it!

Taking the three month pictures was a bit challenging.

Hmmm... too many shadows, and you can't really read the sign. Let's change to better lighting, shall we?

Okay, better lighting (the background's weird, though) but now we're blurry.

Oops, still blurry, can't see the sign, and what's with her expression?

Okay, here we have three adults trying to get a decent picture of one tiny baby... Daddy's hand is by her face trying to get her to smile, Uncle's hand is holding the sign, and Mommy's standing on a chair trying to get a decent angle. Meanwhile, you can see all the crap in the background...

Oy. :)

peek of the week {baby hip ultrasound}

Did you know that first born baby girls who are breech have a higher risk of hip problems that can translate to crawling/walking difficulties? Yeah, me neither.

We went to the hospital on Wednesday so that Emma could get an infant hip ultrasound. I was really nervous about it; I had visions of technicians holding her down while she screamed. I dreaded the possibility that she would be fussy the rest of the day. Also, they were running late and by the time they called us it was time for her to eat. Great.

Thankfully, everything went very smoothly. We were in a dimly lit room and everyone was very mellow. Emma smiled the whole time as I distracted her with stories and such. She was great!

The doctor who did the ultrasound says that things look good. We'll follow up with our pediatrician later, but hopefully Emma's hips are fine!

I'm linking up with Peek of the Week over at Happliy Home Sewn!

wip wednesday {star blocks}

I haven't finished very many projects lately, but I have started a few!

I'm super excited to be going back to the Inn at City Park for another quilting retreat with Amanda Jean! She's so fun to hang out with. This year we are working on different machine quilting methods and so we need 12 quilt sandwiches that are 17" square. I'm piecing stars (for the first time) and am loving the result! I finally cut into my Prince Charming fat quarter stash... I forgot how much I love this line.

Four stars down, eight to go!

I've got a couple other projects in the works, but a certain Miss Crankypants is demanding attention at the moment. :)

I'm linking up (for the first time, yay!) with Freshly Pieced.

peek of the week {halloween}

I swear, I am doing crafty things! But this little person takes up most of my time these days...

Hubby's company invites employees to bring their children in to trick or treat at Halloween every year. We dressed Emma up as a cupcake and showed her off around his office. No candy, just baby!

She wasn't too thrilled about the costume. Shortly after the last photo was taken, she had a meltdown in the middle of the (quiet) office. Luckily, a bottle was the answer, but she still wasn't crazy about all the strangers fawning all over her. She cried in the car on the way home and then conked out. The lighting in this next photo is awful but I wanted to show off Daddy's Little Pumpkin!

I just realized all the photos show her with her pacifier. She does love that thing.

I'm linking up with Peek of the Week over at Happily Home Sewn!

emma {2 months}

My girl is 2 months old today!

Our little family is gradually settling into a routine. We're all getting more sleep and Hubby and I are figuring out what our new "normal" looks like.

I love her smile! It melts me every time.

At two months, Emma...
~makes lots of eye contact with us
~focuses on objects and follows them when they move
~coos and uses her voice (other than crying, although she does that too :) )
~is beginning to reach for things and people
~loves to snuggle with Mama and Daddy
~catnaps during the day but is sleeping longer stretches at night
~likes to look at the pictures in books
~likes to listen to us singing to her, and to music on the radio
~focuses on the tv when football is on :)
~loves to be wrapped in the Moby wrap when we're walking around a store

happy baby!

The last one is my favorite...

baby gator

I can't find my camera cord, and the battery inside is dead and can't be charged. Sad! :(

However, I did take a couple of pictures of Emma on Saturday before the battery died. I'm an alum of the University of Florida, so we are huge Gator fans at our house! (Hubby knows there's no choice in the matter, plus I root for the Red Sox to support him.)

Here's our newest Gator fan! Chomp chomp!

Touchdown!

handmade for baby

The ladies of my quilt guild got together and made a quilt for Emma! I absolutely adore it!

Everyone made a different block, and then they were put together with a gray gingham and bound in a darker gray. It is so beautiful! Thank you so much to Tara, Jane, Penny, Michelle, Patti, and Adrienne!

The love continues... Michelle designed and made this awesome quilt using Little Apples! I love her fussy cuts! Every time I look at the quilt I find another little picture I didn't see before.

And Penny made this great changing pad and pouch! How did you know I needed another one? Plus, it's hard to see because my photography skills are less than stellar, but the center and the back both have ostriches with hearts. I love it!

Emma says "Thank you very much!" And Mama thanks you all, too! I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. :)

(I put a burp cloth under her head because you never know when she's going to spit up. SO glad I did!)

And this is Emma getting mad because the photo shoot has tested the limits of her patience. :)

emma {4 weeks}

Wow, I can't believe our little one is 4 weeks old! The last month has been jam packed with equal parts of stress and joy... I won't bore you with the details (special thanks to N for being my victim there) but I'm so relieved August is over!

This is my favorite photo of Emma at 4 weeks old, taken on September 2nd. She's just waking up and stretching, and I absolutely love her expression!

I've got my eye on you, Mama!

Over the last four weeks, Emma is...
~discovering her hands... waving them around, and sucking on her fingers for comfort (and also when she's hungry!)
~opening her eyes wide and looking all around her world
~lifting and turning her head for brief periods when we hold her upright
~gaining weight (finally!)

are you interested?

WANTED: A patient soul who can get up at night with a hungry little monster at least 3 times.

Qualifications: Willing to part with sleep during nighttime hours. Needs good ears for hearing baby noises. And must be able to change a squirmy baby's diaper. Must be quiet so Mommy and Daddy can sleep!

Salary: My undying gratitude and devotion. Also, breakfast in the morning. If you're awake, that is. :)