New Things Every Day

Emmalyn amazes me; she does something new everyday. Here is what she is doing these days... She has found her hand and enjoys sucking on it whenever possible...

She is blowing bubbles...and she is GOOD at it!!

She loves to sit up and look around at everything...

Believe it or not, she loves to stand up with a little assistance from mom and dad...

We are thinking of getting her one of those entertainment saucer things that she can stand up in because it gets a little tiring holding her up all day. She makes me smile with all the new things she is trying to do. What a big girl she is!!!

A Beautiful Blessing

On February 1st, Emmalyn was given a beautiful blessing by her father and was surrounded by all of her loving family and friends. We want to thank all of our family and friends that traveled far to come for the special day. It was so wonderful to have all of you there.

I tried really hard to make sure she was fed and sleeping when it came time for the blessing but Emmalyn was determined to stay awake so she could be a part of the blessing. Fortunately she stayed calm and listened as her daddy spoke. As you can see from the pictures she fell asleep afterwards. She looked like and is our little angel and we are so blessed to have her in our family. I'm sure she has a lot to teach her parents and siblings as they come along. She has already taught me a love that cannot be described with words.

The whole day was great being able to spend time with both the Olson's and Thorpe's and for Emmalyn to hang out with her girl cousins that are just a few months older than her. They were fun to watch and listen to as they cooed back and forth to one another. Brailee is on the purple blanket and is about 6 weeks older than Emmalyn, and Eisley, who is on the pink mat is about 10 weeks older than Emmalyn. It was fun getting to see what I have to look forward to in the months to come as Emmalyn develops. She is already surprising us with the things she is able to do; worming her way up her mat while we do tummy time, recognizing objects and people, smiling and cooing, holding objects for a brief moment and knowing how to melt mom and dad's hearts.

Family Fun

Yesterday we finally got out of the house to enjoy our first "fun" family outing. I've been wanting to go bowling for quite some time so as soon as we got Emmalyn to fall asleep we ran out the door and headed to campus for a good ol' bowling showdown. Fortunately we weren't bowling with anyone else because I am pretty competitive when it comes to bowling, ok let's face it, when it comes to anything, and for some reason, I think being pregnant and giving birth threw my game off...at first. We didn't choose to have bumpers on our lane but thank goodness they were because they saved me a couple of gutter balls. In the end I still beat Joey (it's the only thing I can beat him in) and got back into my groove. It was so fun to get out and to do some form of physical activity. Of course Emmalyn was sleeping but I know when she is big enough to throw a bowling ball she will be another one I will have to compete with, and beat!!

Sleeping is good

It seems that 99% of the pictures that I am able to get of Emmalyn these days is of her sleeping. I cannot complain though because the times that she isn't sleeping when she is supposed I wish she was. Emmalyn will be one month old tomorrow and I can't believe how fast it has gone and how much she is changing. I can already see her personality shining through. It is tough for me to admit this but she's a lot like her mom, fiesty and stubborn but so stinkin' cute! I can say that right?

Anyway, I love how much she wants to cuddle and the noises she makes while she is nursing and sleeping. She makes a lot of grunting and snorting noises. She is also laughing and smiling a lot more and it makes me very happy.

I couldn't ask for a better baby; I feel so lucky to have her as my best friend while daddy is in school. The best part of the day is taking naps with her and then getting to talk to her when she is awake.
I often wonder what she is thinking when I am talking to her. She is probably thinking to herself, "I wish that mommy would change out of her pajamas and take a shower today". Until she starts talking and tells me to do so it isn't going to happen and I am ok with that!! Joey started his second semester of school and so we are back to studying, studying and more studying. Oh well, it is worth it. Life is wonderful and like so many other parents say, I couldn't imagine my life without Emmalyn.

Emmalyn is here

I am so excited to announce the birth of our daughter Emmalyn. She was born on Saturday, December 13th at 1:39 am. I wish I could share the entire experience with everyone but I will spare you the details and say this, bringing a child into this world is an incredible experience and one that I will never forget. I can't believe just a few days ago she was inside of me and now she is in my arms, looking at me and allowing me the privilege of loving her and being her mom. Joey and I feel very blessed to have our healthy and happy baby in our home.

Joey is an incredible father and and a very proud one; I can see it in his face as he looks at her and she looks at him. He is handling all of this very well seeing that he has had to take finals this week with little sleep and a lot of studying. We look forward to all of the changes this will bring into our lives and the miracles we will see along the way.

The Countdown Is On...

I thought it would be fun to do a poll to see when friends/family think this little one inside of me is going to make her arrival. Now here is the catch...the doctor that I was seeing in Colorado gave me the due date of December 21st after my ultrasound, but the doctor here in Utah has given me the due date of December 26th according to the "wheel". When I went to the doctor on December 1st for a check up he was surprised to see that I was already progressing (dilated, effaced, etc.) and wanted to move the date to the 24th but I told him not to bother with the dates anymore; she'll come when she comes. I have another appointment this Friday and we will see what he says then. Obviously I would love for her to come sooner than later but not until Joey has completed his last final which will be the evening of December 17th. It is getting more and more exciting and I can't believe that we will have our daughter here before the year is over!! What a blessing it has been to create another life and to carry her for the last nine months. It makes me appreciate my mother and all the other mother's in this world for the sacrifice(s) that they make. Thanks mom!!! Maybe I will honor you by having our little girl on your birthday; Christmas Eve.