Turrible Twos?

On May 16th our sweet doggie child turned the big 0-2 (that doesn't work as well with single digits, does it?).  Did you think we had forgotten about her?   Well join the party because I think she sure does.  Twos will only be terrible for Lola in the sense that she was recently robbed of her only child status without being consulted on the matter.

Poor Lola has been such a trooper in welcoming Emery home.   I think she's finally come to realize that this tiny noisemaker isn't going anywhere any time soon.  Not that she understands why this is the case because as far as she's concerned the whole thing is just a hassle.  It means less cuddle time for her, a noisier limo ride to visit her grandparents and more obstacles to contend with in her living room.   

I have to give her credit though because she has accepted and dealt with it all without once acting up.  She is careful and sweet with Emery.  She takes a different route to the couch if Emery is doing tummy time on the floor. She leaves her toys alone (with the exception of Sophie... she's learned that if she puts a paw on top of Sophie she squeaks- which is the bees knees in mastiff world apparently).  We really couldn't have landed ourselves a better first baby if we had picked traits off of a menu.  We got far too lucky with you, dear Miss Lola.

In order to appropriately celebrate Princess Whiskerface, we made a family trip to the dog park.  I think that is Lola's second favorite place in the world... after Ryan's lap, obviously.  She ran around chasing dogs like the greyhound she is in her mind.  She drank that nasty water from the pool there.  She hunted squirrels.  She hijacked another dog's bath.  Basically she had her dream day.  On top of that, later on that evening she scored a pig ear and some table scraps with her dinner.  What more could a dog ask for?!

Thank you, thank you to our precious Lola-face for being so good-natured and bringing so much joy to our family.  Your antics put a smile on our face daily.  We love you way, way too much missy!  I can't wait to watch you and Emery become best friends later this year when she starts finger foods.  Then I promise you'll be the number one proponent of keeping her.  ;c)  Happiest of Birthdays to our baby!

The birthday girl in her birthday chariot.

It's my birthday so my parents can't yell at me when I drink this gross water.  (Please note even her new friend looks disgusted.)

Emery always gets butt shots.  I don't want Lola thinking I favor her.  You're welcome, readers.

My eyes are closed.  You can't see me to tell me it's time to go home.

This is not what bath time looks like at your house?

I know this is blurry but I couldn't resist taking this picture.  Lola loves her Daddy more than anything in the world.  It's adorable.

Lola visiting her grandparents.  :c)

Guarding the noisemaker.

This is really all there is to tummy time?

Birthdays and babies are really exhausting.

A Song (Okay, a Day) for Mama

You like my usage of a Boyz II Men song title for the blog?  Bringing it back to the old school.  Because I'm so cool.  Okay... we'll go ahead and get to the point because this is quickly going downhill.

May 12th yours truly got to experience her very first Mother's Day as a Mama.  I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to family holidays but this one really was pretty perfect.  The gift giving started Friday evening when a flower delivery person dropped off a gorgeous bouquet of tulips at the lake.  Much to my surpise, they were for ME from my thoughtful sister.  As if that wasn't enough, the gifting continued on Saturday evening around 12 am when my own amazing Mom (Nonnie) came and took Emery from Ryan & I in our respective couch and recliner positions and ordered us to go sleep in a bed. Nonnie kept her for the rest of the night downstairs where we couldn't hear her crying.  It was the first time I got to sleep next to Ryan in over 2 months.  I know it sounds so very silly, and it risks exposing me as the undercover sap that I am, but I've always told Ryan my favorite part of the day was falling asleep next to him.  It really was so refreshing to be able to get to do that.  So thank you times a million Nonnie.  You are way, way too good to us!

Stunning flowers my sister gave me.  My family is too nice to me!

Wonderful Nonnie & Emery

Sunday morning we headed to brunch with the Boarman faction of the family at the Walden Yacht Club.  I broke into a cold sweat walking into the restaurant with our tiny vocal princess, but to her credit she actually behaved fairly well.  Mama & Daddy took turns letting one another partake in the buffet line while the other was on diva duty.  Everyone assisted us either by waiting to go through the line so that neither parent was at the table by themselves or holding her after they were finished so that we could.  I really do have the greatest family and support system anyone could ever dream of.

How many Dads does it take to dress a 2 month old?

I hope next Mother's Day I look a smidge less sleep-deprived.

Miss Emery & her beaaaautiful Aunt Julie.

My Mama with the little bug who made me a Mama.

Ryan on Diva Duty.

Matt, Julie, Mom, Emery, Me & Ryan.

Grandpa, Nonnie, Emery, Mama & Daddy.

After we finished up an INCREDIBLE brunch, Ryan & I packed up our stuff and hit the road to go see his family.  At the Martin's we met up with his parents, Tiff, Jerome & Kylie.  We all got to relax and nosh on some Rudy's BBQ.  Yummy in the tummy.  Luckily our little munchkin was worn out from screaming in the car the whole way there and slept most of the time which meant a niiiice little break for her parents.  It was great to be able to kick our feet up, catch up and let Miss Kylie entertain us all.

Delicious cupcakes courtesy of Kylie & Tiffany.

Aunt Tiffany taming our little angel.

Em and Granny Martin.

And one last one because I'm addicted to her.

Post dinner, our little family packed up and headed home.  Ryan gave me my first Mother's Day present- a beautiful locket.  He was also sweet enough to buy a matching one that we can give to Emery one day when she's older.  It was probably one of the most thoughtful gifts he's ever given me and I hope that it means as much to her one day as it does to me.  Who knew the man in the Ninja Turtle's shirt was such a softie?  We are both so lucky to have him.  AND the grand finale for Mother's Day was that Sunday evening Em slept from 10:45 PM - 5:15 AM for the first time (which she hasn't repeated since)!  So... if you add that all up we have amazing family time, heartwarming gifts and a milestone first.  I told you it was perfect!

Thank you to all the incredible mothers in my family and circle of friends.  You each inspire me daily to be better and heaven KNOWS I wouldn't be here without you.  I am beyond blessed to know, love and be loved by all of you.  I hope that your day was as wonderful as mine- you certainly deserve it!

Emery Tracker: Month Two

First, thank you very much to everyone for all their kind words and encouragement.  The outpouring of support, suggestions and love I have received after the one month post has genuinely touched my heart.    Heaven knows Ryan & I are up for trying things out- just refer to our Amazon purchases over the last 2 months!  I can't express just how appreciative I am to each and every one of you!  Hopefully if I just tell you it's close to the number of pictures I've posted of Emery on this blog it will put it in perspective.  :c)  More than anything it just helps to know that we aren't alone.  So thank you from the very bottom of our sleepy hearts.

The Story:
Month two was every bit as action-, sleep deprivation- and laughter/border line hysteria-filled as the first month was.  Not long after her first month birthday we took Miss Emery to the doctor to have her checked out to ensure there was nothing actually wrong that was causing her to be as fussy as she was.  She had her tummy, chest, ears, nose and throat poked and prodded.  The official diagnosis?  She is absolutely fine and just a high maintenance little bug.  That was, of course, a relief as no parent wants anything to be wrong with their little angel.  Sure her official diagnosis as the world's tiniest diva doesn't help with our loss of sleep but it means we are pre-paying awful teenage years right?  Right?!  *crickets*

Look at that precious, round belly!

For starters lets review progress on the remaining challenges from month one, shall we?   Challenge 3 - endless colic: we have seen some marked improvement on this front.  Baby girl actually has distinct spells of real happiness.   The most consistent one is around 10 am.  She kicks and smiles and is a true joy to be around.   It's the most precious thing in the whole world.  I wouldn't say we are completely out of the woods on this one though.  Those little smiles and coos are so addictive that I'm ecstatic with the progress we have made.  Maybe by next month we'll actually have this whole colic thing kicked to the curb.

She looks a little skeptical about kissing colic good bye, doesn't she?

Challenge 4 - you can't put her down. ever.: I would say incredibly marginal progress has been made on this front.  Like if progress were to be likened to vehicles we are squarely in Smart Car range.  The  tiniest of possible vehicles and at any moment it could be completely smashed to bits.   Emery still insists on sleeping on us.  If you were to look at our couch you would do a double take to determine if cops had drawn a chalk outline of my person in the cushions or what.  They're that worn in.  So what constitues this "progress" then?   One morning we put sweet pea down to do tummy time and came back to find her... Asleep.  Color me shocked as all get out.  She stayed that way for nearly 2 hours as Ryan and I hovered like shocked vultures.  On top of that we have been able to get her to sleep in her swing for 1.5-2 hour blocks about 3 times in the last month.  Wheeeee!   So suffice it to say we are still working at it.  Something tells me that we won't have this challenge completely curbed next month but wouldn't that be a cool joint Mother's/Father's Day gift?  (If only infants could read, right?)

Why on earth would you ever want to put me down, crazy lady?!

Did you think that would be the end of challenges?   Haaaa.   You're cute.  Never one to let her parents rest on their laurels, little miss has pulled some new tricks out of her hat this month.  Challenge 5 has been a direct effect of the improvement in challenge 3.   The reason she fusses less is very clearly because she can see further and it entertains her.   Awesome, right?  Welllll the problem with this newfound sight range is that now she will NOT turn her brain off.  She has sworn off sleep. Her new middle name is over-tired.  To get her to sleep or nap now you have to take her into the completely dark bathroom, run the faucet, bounce her for 20 mins and pray.  You pray that nothing makes any noise or emits any light for the next 2 hours.  If so much as a butterfly flutters by you are done and in for another screaming fit.  Her ability to fight sleep really is astounding to me.  How shocked will she be when college hits and she craves naps?!

Why would I nap when I can kick and punch all day long?  Seriously, adults just don't get it.

Challenge six is that she ABHORS the carseat and car rides.  She will scream bloody murder as long as you are in there.  Again her stamina is impressive.  I have seen her scream without stopping multiple trips to and from Conroe in the last month.  I think the main problems with the carseat are that 1) her highness is not being held (HELLO?!) and 2) news flash- the back of the seat is reaaaally boring.  What?!  I should just ride back there with her and sing/talk to her?  On it.  Ineffective.  Ryan might claim its my awful singing voice but as I demonstrated during my 5th grade Christmas play solo- I'm a natural born star in the vocal department.  I chalk it up to her being our sweet diva.  This disdain for the carseat also means that any walks have to be taken in the Moby wrap securely chauffeured by her most loyal subject- mama.  I plan to feed her plenty of veggies so that when the time comes she is big and strong so she can tote me around on her chest in the grocery store.

Hold the phone- what was that about me carrying you?

Needless to say- we are still working on figuring this whole parenting thing out over at Casa Martin.   The biggest break through for us this month was one night when I randomly googled "high needs baby."  My curiosity was piqued after seeing the term used on multiple reviews of another product on Amazon with excellent reviews that promised my baby would sleep in it (fail btw).   After reading the first paragraph of Dr Sears' 12 Features of a High Needs Baby, I broke into tears of relief.

"Your baby acts the way she does because that's the way she is. Your baby acts the way she does, not because of your parenting, but because of her personality."

As I read on it was like someone had written a biography on Emery.  Ryan and I laughed as we read it outloud to each other because it was so accurate.  For the first time I felt like I wasn't crazy.  It's so difficult as a first-time parent NOT to feel like its your fault.  Reading that it wasn't and that other people had raised a baby like this to be a happy, healthy adult felt like Christmas in April.  I am not sure if I've ever felt that much relief in my life.  It was certainly a turning point for Ryan and I.

Hahaha.  I tried to think of something funny to say but I can't stop smiling.  I just think she's way too cute.  Sorry.

Since that day I have done a lot of thinking.  Sure raising my little angel has been a challenge (or 6 to date), but I know God never gives you a greater obstacle than you can handle.  I have to say- big guy, I am very flattered by your confidence in me!  :c) Having faith in that fact, and starting to truly believe it isn't our fault, allowed me to more accurately examine all the positives of life with our sweet Emery.

She was reallllly not digging wanting to show off her ruffled behind.  So this is the best we got.

On top of the typical things a baby does for you- teaches you the true meaning of unconditional and selfless love, makes your family whole and gives you a renewed excitement about everything in the world- this love bug, with all her unique challenges, has taught Ryan and I to communicate and be there for each other in ways we never could have understood before.  Neither of us could do this without the other.  We are each far more aware of the other's emotional state and we keep each other fed, sane and smiling.  She also has taught us just how strong we are as people.  When we think we are out of resilience- we are shocked to find that there actually is more in the tank.  Love truly is an incredible motivating force.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that when all is said and done our relationship will be stronger than it was before and that every single minute of listening to that faucet run, every single sleepless hour, every single lap around the first floor will all have been worth it.

Why, hellllllo there.

I look forward to what I have to report in month 3!  Just within the last couple of days our little peanut has become so much more interactive and smiley- so I know this one will be a fun one.  We love you, sweet, crazy little child of ours!

Hey Mom- how come I have to dress up but you're still wearing your clothes from last night?!

The Stats:

• Height at 2 months:  24 inches (95th percentile)
• Weight at 2 months: 11 lbs 7 oz (47th percentile)
• Head at 2 months: 15.5 inches (77th percentile)
• Diaper size: 1
• Clothes: 0-3 months, although much to Mama's chagrin she had to retire some 0-3 month jammies a couple nights ago.  I have a feeling more will be met with the same fate in the next week.  :c(
• Feeding:  You still eat pretty much every 3 hours, give or take 30 minutes.
• Firsts: 
• First official dinner out at a restaurant (April 23rd)
• First time you CLEARLY smiled at both Mama and Daddy individually (April 24th)
• First time you rolled over tummy to back (April 29th).  It should be noted you did it when you were REALLY angry and haven't repeated the feat since 
• First time you fell asleep not in someone's arms (May 2nd)
• Games:  From a sitting position in our lap, we pull you up just a little bit, you stand up, we count to 3 and you "jump" (read: we lift you really high over our head), set you back on your bootie and we repeat it.  You really love this game.
• Songs:  Mama has realized she doesn't remember any of her children's song.  Daddy pointed this out to her when she tried to tell you there was a lion on Old MacDonald's Farm.  Mainly Daddy & I just make up songs.
• Foods Dripped on Your Head/Fished out of the Moby Wrap:  BBQ Sauce, Ketchup, Creamy Jalapeno sauce & an M&M Cookie (hey this is what happens if you won't let us put you down, peanut)
• Other Notables:  You continue to be amazingly strong.  You sure don't get that from me.  You are VERY focused on people's faces right now.  You really seem to want to get to the bottom of this whole "talking" thing.  If we stick our tongue out at you, you concentrate really hard and open your mouth like you're trying to do it.  It's the cutest thing in the world.  Hopefully I'll get it on camera for next month.  Oh!  And your hair is starting to fall out in a really unfortunate mohawk/mullet pattern.  Luckily you're cute as a button anyway.  :c)

i(Phone) Spy: Month Two - Emery

So... I thought last month when I did that massive photo dump that it would be a last as I would somehow manage to find time as the months wore on.  Haaaa.  Boy was I silly.  In reality time only seems to become in shorter and shorter supply.  I know everyone who reads this with a child is laughing at my first time mom naïveté.

So, this is life for the foreseeable future.  You will apparently get one big iPhone pic dump per month.  I guess for those less consumed with my child than me (read: everyone but her grandparents), this will at least keep me from cluttering up your blog roll with different camera angles of the same precious face weekly.  I'm truly selfless, aren't I?

Month two has been every bit as action-packed as the first.  I'll save the stories for Miss Emery's official two month post.  Hopefully that will be coming soon to a computer near you.  In the meantime enjoy the pics that sum up our lives from April 7th through May 6th.  :c)

Using her hand as a microphone.  The kid is ahead of her time.

Oh hey there smushy face!

It may not be completely evident here but she's yelling at me for putting this hat on her.

How would you like it if I put this on your head?!

Daddy's girl.  Daddy's toms.

Ohhhh, are those cookies over there?!

When Ryan or I catch Lola in an incredibly awkward sleeping position we call it getting sniped.  Here we have baby snipe exhibit A.  It's far more rare than Lola sniping.

Just your average bumble bee on a lily pad.  NBD.

Stop with the kisses already Dad.  I'm trying to watch Love it or List it.

Nonnie has the magic touch.

AGAIN with the headbands?!  I thought we talked about this!

Grandpa, can you explain modems to me again?  That was so fascinating.

If ever your Dad says "lets weigh her without the diaper..."  Don't listen.

I believe I see a fan in the distance I haven't sufficiently stared at yet.

Does anyone understand how exhausting it is being me?

Papa Bear and his girls.

Baby snipe exhibit B.

This sums my lady bug up for me.  Constantly plotting something.

Posing with my adorable blanket from sweet Aunt Courtney.

Pretending to be shy at Mama's office.

We were not in a photographing mood this day.  I had to capture this precious outfit from Aunt Chelsea though.

Sitting up and bossing my parents around.  The usual.

Ahhhh nuts.  I didn't think she could see me smiling from back there.  Caught.

I adore this outfit.  And the little face in it.

Sleepy princess.

Baby snipe exhibit C.

Just getting my morning workout on.  And kick, and punch, and kick, and punch.

Out to dinner with Nonnie & Grandpa for Dad's birthday.  Hey Dad, can you pass me a roll?  That one.  Right there.

I'm so over it all.  Maybe I can back flip out of this joint.

Olan Mills-ing it up.

Happy, smiley baby with Granny Martin.

Little DeeG in training.

These are my fav mama moments.

What red blooded female isn't this happy in a sea of her new clothes?

First feeding of the morning.  Tell me this isn't the look of love we get into the parenting game for.

Kicking back talking stocks with Grandpa & Dad.  I'm pretty sure Dad is off his rocker with some of his investment strategies.

Went to watch Nonnie play tennis.  She's pretty awesome.

First time I EVER fell asleep on my own not in someone's arms.  My parents are hoping I repeat this feat some day.  Jokes on them!

What?  You want to see me sleeping again?  Okay, cool.  

Super baby with her swaddle cape.

Just getting her learn on during tummy time.

Seriously?  We're doing upside down ones now?

Check out the faux hawk my hair is disappearing into.  

This is how my mama looks 99% of her life now.

See you guys next month!  Lord willing these jorts won't fit me any more by then.  :c)