If you can't say something nice...

...don't say anything at all. When I was teaching, my classroom revolved around a wonderful little book "Have you Filled a Bucket Today," by, Carol McCloud (https://www.bucketfillers101.com/home.html). It is a wonderful story about how we all carry around an invisible bucket. When someone is kind to you, your bucket is filled. But when something hurtful happens, your bucket is empty. So you can make a choice to be a "Bucket Filler" or a "Bucket Dipper." My daily goal is to be a bucket filler, but it is hard to not dip back when someone is hurtful. This is something I'm going to work on, despite the fact that people may never change or even say "you can't expect me to change." I can choose to move forward and look for the positive. I have to choose this in order to be a good role model for my daughter. If you get a chance, visit the website listed above. They have some great resources and even a book for younger children.

"Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you." ~ Ephesians 29-32

Wubbanub

The Wubbanub (http://www.wubbanub.com/) is a wonderful invention. Basically its a pacifier sewn onto a little stuffed animal. It is great for a few reasons. 1. its super cute 2. the little animal helps weigh the pacifier down, so it doesn't pop out of the baby's mouth and 3. as they get older they have a snuggle puppy and pacifier all in one. Of course there are other animals to pick from, but I love the little puppy dog. If you know someone having a baby, this is a must. Most nights, I swaddle the puppy dog with Emma, so that paci stays in all night.

Christmas Day

Usually on Christmas, I'm like a little kid. I can't sleep and wake Jason up at 4:00 am so we can run downstairs to see what Santa left. However, this Christmas was a little different. First off, Emma did a great job sleeping through the night (Merry Christmas to mom & dad), once up, we got her fed, clean, and in a pretty Christmas outfit. We made our typical cinnamon buns and Mimosas (hey I'm not breastfeeding) and took things a little bit slower. Our dear friends Stephanie and Tonya came over to spend the day and we just had a nice relaxing time. We watched 'A Christmas Story" and laughed at Ralphie in his bunny suit. We had a warm chicken pot pie for lunch and pretty much had an all around good lazy day.

Christmas Eve

Emma had her very first Christmas.  We started off by going to the Children Christmas Eve Service.  It was led by the children with a reading of the Christmas Story, singing of carols, and a children message.  We got all dressed up and ready for Church with diapers and bottles in tow.  It was great to see friends and have them meet Emma.  We didn't have to worry if Emma got fussy as this service was mostly for families with young children.  But to our surprise, Emma did great.  She ate during the whole service and seemed to be listening to the music.  There was a cute little 8 month old boy in front of us and he was flirting with Emma the whole time.  Reaching out and touching her hand and smiling.  She really has those boys wrapped around her little finger.

My baby the Guinea pig

It seems that there are many people who have never held a baby before. This just surprises me since I've been around so many babies and held many infants over the years. But it is funny to see how scared people can be of a little baby especially during "the pass off." My husband used to be one of these people, but he had to learn pretty quickly how to handle an infant. Our dear friends, Nate and Cara are expecting their first child. They recently came over for a visit and were both scared to hold Emma. I pretty much just tossed my baby into their laps and went with the whole "sink or swim" approach. I was very proud of them and hope that they have a new confidence when it comes to holding babies. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of Cara holding Emma, but here are a few with her husband Nate.

Date with Berkley

While we were in Winston, we had the chance to go visit my good friend Courtney Willis. I had already met her son Berkley, but this was Courtney's first time meeting Emma. We consider this be Emma and Berkley's first date. It was so fun to watch them interact and they seem to have fallen in love. Oh she must take after her mama, already boy crazy.

Grabbing Emma's boobies

Touching her leg

Holding Hands

Hey Big Boy!

Christmas in Winston-Salem

Over the Christmas holiday, Jason and I managed to go on our first overnight trip with Emma. We headed to Winston-Salem to spend time with Jason's family. We stayed for 4 days and 3 nights and pretty much packed up the whole house. Traveling with a baby involves a lot more than we were used to. We used to just travel with two dogs. But for Emma we brought diapers, bouncy seat, pack-n-play, baby bathtub, three suitcases, boppy pillow, monitors, bottles, etc. the list could go on. After we packed up the car, we could have all taken a nap. About halfway through the trip (1 hour) we started to smell something horrific. Emma had made a big ole poopie in her pants. So we stopped at a rest area and changed her in the back seat of the car. I know I could have taken her inside the rest area, but it had already started to snow and was well below freezing outside. So in the back seat with Sandy (our dog) observing, I changed a poopie diaper and then fed Emma. After we were all situated and Emma was back asleep, we headed out for the rest of our trip. All in all the trip was not that bad, but I can't imagine making a longer voyage with an infant.

Grandpa Ricky Pooh

Emma was so excited about her first snow

There's that pretty smile

Grown so much

So it is crazy to look at my first ultrsound picture when I was 8 weeks pregnant with Emma and now to see her just 2 days shy of two months old. She is truly "fearfully and wonderfully made." At 8 weeks pregnant Emma was the size of a pinto bean and now she is 22 inches long and 10.5 pounds. My how things change.

Meeting Uncle Kevin and Aunt Lauren

The day after we came home from the hospital we were lucky to have Kevin and Lauren (Jason brother and his wife) come visit and meet Emma for the first time. Apparently, Kevin had never held a newborn and was a little nervous. We sat him on the couch and surrounded him with pillows and handed over Emma. Funny thing is Emma seems to be shielding herself from the big scary man. Hopefully as she grows she will embrace her giant uncle Kevin.

Emma is so little next to Kevin

Aww Aunt Lauren looks like a natural

Notice all the pillows

First two weeks

The first two weeks home with Emma are pretty much a blur. Jason and I were exhausted and just trying to keep our heads above water. I was also trying to breastfeed, which turned out to be much harder than I thought. After 3 weeks, we completely switched to formula. This in itself seemed to make life with an infant a little easier. This way we could take turns with the feedings and each have some time to sleep. Looking back now, I don't know how we managed through this time, it was sheer survival mode. I miss Emma being super small, but I'm thankful for a better grasp of caring for an infant.

Howl at the Moon

So my due date was November 1, 2009; however that day came and went...still no baby. The next day there was a full moon and I was certain that this would kick labor into gear. That night before I went to bed, I stood on my front porch and howled at the moon. Sure enough I woke up at 3:00 am with contractions and we were headed to the hospital by 7:00 am and Miss Emma arrived that afternoon at 5:56 pm. So if all else fails, howl at the moon.

Never Again

So people have already begun to ask when Jason and I are going to have another child. Really, your already asking this question. My answer has already been "never again!" But let me clarify, so far I have loved my time with Emma. She is a sweet and wonderful little baby, but I have no desire to push a baby out again. That was the most painful thing of my life and women who say "you forget the pain" are liars. I'm surprised there are not more reports of women being struck by lightening or smited by God, because they are all lying. Yes, I got an epidural and I got it in plenty of time before the pushing, but I felt every ounce of pain and have no desire to feel that again. And yes, if you look at the pictures of me and Emma right after she was born, I have that look of sheer joy and tears of happiness to meet my little girl. But I didn't have pictures taken of the doctor sewing me up, the nurse giving me cold packs to put in my underwear or a spray bottle for every time I had to pee for the next 4 weeks. Yet to mention the crazy amount of crying that happens as your hormones come crashing down. So if you know me and are curious if I plan to have any more children in the near future, the answer is not naturally. I may adopt or I may just spoil Emma rotten. But there will not be another human taking the birthing express out of my nether-regions.

The Goal is...

So I have a goal, to be a blogger. I've always tried to keep a journal, but have never kept up with it...which is obvious since my last post was when I was 13 weeks pregnant and now Emma is about to be 2 months old. But yes, this is my goal, to keep a blog in order to remember all those precious memories and crazy things that happen with a little one.