Emery is 2!

Emery made the big turn to 2 this week and with her, it's not just a number. She is actually acting 2, giving us her best complete sentences on a regular basis, running around, playing pretend, having independent thoughts and yes, even whining from time to time ... oh, let's be honest - more like on a regular basis.

But let's focus on the positive, shall we? The day started with a few small presents at breakfast - stickers, Elmo book, etc. I even arranged her morning "mina" (i.e. banana) in the shape of a face, since she regularly insists we draw her faces whenever the crayons come out. Alas, she didn't even notice the face and instead was completely absorbed by the dried cranberries I placed on top of the banana slices.

Anna Kimball dressed up for the occasion ... and promptly fell asleep.

Later, Emery opened her main present from us, a baby stroller and quickly got to work giving her dollies stroller rides. I'm also immensely proud of Emery for only trying to get in the stroller once.

We spent the rest of the morning on a Mommy/Emery day, which was a wonderful treat made possible by Grammie watching Anna Kimball. We got Emery all dolled up in an adorable birthday outfit from Henny and started with a Kindermusik class, then stopped by our bakery of choice for a blueberry muffin and finally swung by our favorite produce market where she (I!) was showered upon with loads of free fruit. 

After nap Emery set up camp on the deck and waited for her "party" to begin. (can you tell we still need patio furniture?)

We kept the party lowkey and just invited a few friends/neighbors to drop by. I have a hunch birthdays from here on out are going to be pretty exhausting and I'd say this one was one step below exhausting for me ... so better to ease myself into things here while Emery barely knows the difference, right?

Auntie Shannon was brazen kind enough to give Emery a practically real dog that barks, walks and whimpers, all with the push of a button ... that Emery insists everyone else push for her. Thank you Shannon!! :)

Grammie kept good care of Anna Kimball through all the festivities, who miraculously kept her birthday outfit relatively spit-up free the whole day.

And what would a birthday be without cake? I made our little cookie lover one big cookie ... and am terribly delighted that she has no idea about cake leftovers. That's a little secret we'll save for your 3rd .... or maybe 13th, birthday!

We love you, Emery! Here's to a terrific year of 2!

Sisters and smiles

Fortunately, Anna Kimball is growing out of her newborn fussiness and passing out infinitely more smiles than Emery ever did at this age, which of course is a fun surprise!

She even thought some tummy time on Emery's lamb blanket was a pretty good idea.

Now see Emery on the same blanket when she was a baby.

At first I thought this would be a clever side-by-side illustration of their different temperaments, but to give Emery credit, she wasn't even six weeks old in this picture and wasn't smiling at all. BUT, my hunch is that if she were in the same position at eight weeks, she'd have pretty much the same solemn expression.

In other news, Emery turned 2 this week! Birthday post and pics coming soon ....

A revelation

To date, Anna Kimball isn't exactly a happy baby. Not miserable, but generally discontent while awake. Except when she's on her changing table - then, for some reason, whatever ills have provoked all the fussing, writhing and tears seem to vanish.

I was thinking this over yesterday and it occurred to me that she also had the same response to being placed on the exam table at the doctor's office a few weeks ago. Never mind the poking and prodding, or being woken up from a good nap ... nope, she was as happy as a four-week old can possibly be!

So in an effort to coax some smiles out of this little one, I pulled the changing table mat over to my bed and here's what happened:

Perhaps I should take this mat with me wherever I go??

A sneak peek

Currently our new house is in disarray, despite the fact that Henny and Papa did so much to help us get settled, unpacked, baby proofed and even decorated a bit. So for now here are a few pics of the outside, and hopefully some inside pictures will be coming soon.

I love this picture of Emery in the backyard because it really does show you how BIG it is compared to how small she is. I can only imagine how big it seems to her!

Our house is in one of the most picturesque neighborhoods in Chattanooga with quiet, tree-lined streets, older homes with lots of character, a beautiful park with a walking trail, playground and pool ... I could go on and on. I really can't believe we get to live here!

The house itself, built in 1930, is much larger than we ever anticipated buying (thank you down housing market!). To give you an idea, frequently Emery will be heard wandering the house saying "Where's the mommy? Where's the mommy?" (Answer - hiding from you!!)

We think it stayed on the market so long because it lacks many of the amenities newer homes provide, such as updated kitchens that open up to spacious family rooms. However, I'm starting to realize that the kitchen being far removed from the playroom and also protected by doors will be a big advantage for me when I want to escape two precious, but often very needy and sometimes whiny little girls!

In other news, Emery got her first haircut!

Loving the new 'do!

No wonder the car seat seems heavy!

Today I took Anna Kimball in for her one-month check up and learned that she is 9 lbs 15 oz! That puts her in the 75th percentile for weight. She's also sprouting vertically, too, coming in at 22 3/4 inches long, which puts her in the 95th percentile for height.

I suppose because Emery was still in the 7 lb range at her one-month check up I didn't see this coming! But I was starting to wonder why those newborn diapers were so snug and lugging around the car seat already seemed to be giving me a workout ...

Getting bigger by the day!

Snoozing in Mama's bed 

Life as a newborn is just ducky!

Oh, and of course there's Emery - getting better at posing!

A good little helper

The other day while I was cooking, Emery decided to empty the spice cabinet / miscellaneous pantry cabinet.

Completely.

This will actually be a very convenient chore for her to tackle in about a week, when we will be moving to a bigger house! We close on the house Feb. 17, so I'll wait until after then to post details/pictures. Don't want to jinx anything of course.

So, like a good little helper, she obliged and provided a small bit of assistance in putting everything back.

In the middle of the night,

newborns are fussy. Shocker I know. But I'd actually really like to know why this is! What is happening at 2am internally, digestively, physiologically that isn't happening at 2pm?

Anna Kimball is actually a pretty mellow baby so far and it's not like our nights have been dreadful. Yet, these days she still seems fairly committed to making me earn my keep between 2:30ish and 5ish in the morning. On that note, here's a rundown of what goes through my head in the middle of the night. Other moms, perhaps you can relate?

• Maybe if I just keep my eyes closed while we endlessly rock and sway it will be like I've sort of slept?
• Forget it, I'm never going back to bed. Wake up! Open those eyes! Stay alert!
• Maybe we should give co-sleeping a try. I bet it would work. Matt won't notice I'm sure. (visions of smothering Anna Kimball quickly eliminate this idea, though it does pop back up again from time to time).
• It sure will be nice to get Matt's sympathy in the morning. Better start thinking of some good adjectives now.
• I really should be praying right now. Maybe that's why God has us up. Yes, these awake times could be make for such rich times of prayer and communion ... half-hearted prayers ensue, only to get cut off by a screaming, writhing infant in my arms.
• I don't care what the newborn online forums say. I am NOT. GIVING. UP. DAIRY.
• After putting Anna Kimball in her bed, I repeat the same desperate prayer in my head "Please don't wake up, please don't wake up, please don't wake up." 45 seconds pass. "Waahhh!"
• And the cycle begins again.

The good news is that eventually she does fall asleep, as all babies do, and so do I.

I'm also pleasantly surprised with how sweet Emery has been with Anna Kimball. She's the first to announce whenever her sister is "crying!" and is very supportive of her sleeping, too ... because that means more of our attention of course!