4 Months

Dear Emma,

You turned 4 months old 8 days ago. I'm pretty sure your brother got a blog post the very second he turned one month older. I hope you know that Mama being late with your letter doesn't mean I love you any less. It just means that our lives are so filled up to the top with fun stuff going on, I don't always have a moment to sit down and write. But I'm always thinking of you no matter what I do and I love you more each and every day.

Now that you are 4 months old you get to do even more fun stuff. We got out the Jumpy thing for the doorway and the Exercaucer. How you love both of those! Being able to stand up and play with all sorts of toys- all while screeching and watching what's going on... you couldn't be happier! You are absolutely enthralled with your big brother. You like to watch his every move and he is so happy to provide your entertainment. His favorite thing to do for you is jump on the bed while you lie back on the pillows and watch. He's only landed on you once or twice and you didn't seem to mind! Oh the joys of being the second child. Mama and Daddy aren't so over the top protective of you like we probably were with Jack.

Your hair has really changed in the past 4 months. It has gone from very black to very light brown. It still gets curly after your bath- we'll see if that continues! Your eyes are the prettiest shade of blue- but sometimes I wonder if they won't start turning just a little hazel like your Mama's. You have really started grabbing for toys and brining everything into your mouth. Jack gets such a kick out of showing you new baby toys he has found in the toy basket. Your favorite by far is the giraffe that Jack also loved. You are up to about 8 ounces every feeding now. You are probably more than ready to start some baby cereal, but we'll have to wait for the ok from Dr. Ubell. We had been giving you prune juice every couple of days to keep things consistent if you know what I mean... that's gotten much better lately!

You are a joy in our lives, Emma. We are thankful to have you happy and healthy in our family. We love you.

Love,

Mama and Daddy-O and Jack

A review in pictures

Fun with Moe Moe and BampaMy 2 trouble makers
Passed out

I will NOT smile nicely for this picture!
My Mom Rocks. Obviously!
Attempt #1 at family picture
Attempt #2 at family picture
Dr. Ali

Go Brewers!

Burning Up

Emma had her first illness over the weekend. On Saturday night she woke up with a temperature of 101.4

A dose of Tylenol did the trick and brought the fever down. The fever came back off and on Sunday, but was gone by Monday morning. The poor girl still has a stuffed up nose, a cute little cough, and a bunch of sneezing fits.

I guess that's what you get when you have a big germy brother smothering you with kisses all day!

Because it's Important

Get the facts at www.barackobama.com

100%

Wahoo! He went #2 on the potty tonight!!! And to top it all off, when I went to put a fresh pull up on him this morning, he insisted on wearing his Kung Fu Panda underwear instead! Hooray!

Of course I wouldn't be surprised if we go through a few set backs in the next few weeks... but it's sure looking great right now!

Potty Training: The Update

Am I going to jinx myself by saying it's 99% done?

The only issue is that he doesn't quite like going #2 in the toilet. Here are the facts:

*He prefers pull ups over regular underwear. Hmmm... how to convince him that cotton little boy underpants with Cars, or Superman, or Kung Fu Panda are the way to go...

*He stays dry during naps AND at night!

*He gets really annoyed when I ask him fifty thousand times if his "tank is full" and then occasionally drag him into the bathroom to "try to empty his tank". Why can't I just let go and allow him to tell me when he has to go? He has proven that he can do that, so I just need to shut the heck up and leave the kid alone.

*He gets a kick out of standing on his stool and peeing into the toilet from that height. We could really use a urinal around here.

*He got about 7 monster trucks and a large bag of m&ms for his efforts over the past week and a half.

*If only we could convince him to go #2 in the toilet. Any ideas?

*Aside from going #2 in his pull up, he hasn't had any accidents in about a week.

*He even went potty at church on Sunday!

We're so proud of him!

Worth the Wait...

I got some adorable pictures of Emma today...

Sitting in her new Bumbo seat! If she'd take her eyes off of her big brother for just a second, maybe I could get some good pictures!

A little boy's dream come true! They chopped down one of our Maple trees because it was rotting from the inside out. What they left us with was a huge hole and a ton of dirt and woodchips. Bring out the monster trucks!

Potty training... quite possibly one of the most challenging parts of being a parent. He's doing really well. We don't push it when he doesn't want to sit on the potty, but we do quite a talented potty dance when he does! He's wearing pull ups all the time instead of big boy underpants. I've heard that doing that can cause some confusion for the kid because it feels just like a diaper. So far, that hasn't been the case. He tells us when he needs to "empty his tank" and has really only had a handful of accidents since Sunday. We're well on our way! I think the proud look on his face while we're dancing after he has peed in the potty is worth all of the worries about if this is the right time for him. It clearly is!

3 Months

Happy 3 Month Birthday, Precious Girl!

Mama got home late and you went to bed early, so we didn't get to take your awake 3 month pictures. We'll do it tomorrow afternoon. It'll still count, I promise. You are loved more than you'll ever know. We are so lucky to have you in our family.

Love,

Mama, Daddy-O, and Jack-a-roo

Too much going on...

School has started for me and suddenly we're all in a daze around here. Lots going on...

*Jack and Emma are having a grand time hanging out at home with Moe Moe and Bampa (Brandon's parents) while we're at work. Emma is napping better and Jack is doing a pretty good job of letting Moe Moe tend to Emma without getting too jealous. We are forever grateful for their help!

*My class is great this year. I have 12 kids, 8 girls and 4 boys. They were a little chatty on Friday, but fantastic overall. It's amazing how you forget just how exhausting teaching is after a long summer. Boy am I glad it's the weekend! I'm teaching a unit on nutrition in science right now. I added it to the 2nd grade curriculum and took out plants/bees/flowers cause they get some of that in 1st grade. The kids are really excited about the 5 food groups- and this unit goes perfectly in 2nd grade because we require them to bring a healthy snack every day. You should see the junk food they bring to eat in 1st grade!!! Going back was a little hard at first, it was sad to leave my little Emma Lem (and of course Jack too!). Knowing she's in good hands in her own house makes it a lot easier though.

*I am only working half days on Tuesday and Thursday as my maternity leave. It's FANTASTIC! Getting to come home early and be with the kids 2 days a week is going to make this school year just that much better.

*Potty training, potty training. I think Brandon and I just need to bite the bullet and do this thing. He's so incredibly ready (I believe). I think I'll go out and buy a few more pairs of big boy underpants for the little man tomorrow.

*Emma Lem is getting so big! She is just so much fun right now. Laughing, smiling, sucking on her hands... I just love her to bits! She's going to bed earlier now, between 8:30 and 9:00. She gets up between 5:30 and 6:00. She could be outside looking all around all day and be happy as can be. She also loves watching her big brother. I can't wait to see them grow into best buddies.

*We've finally decided on a window and roof company to handle our home improvement projects. We'll be getting a brand new roof and replacement windows on the 2nd floor. We'll need to save up for awhile before we can replace the windows on the 1st floor. These projects should get under way in the next 2 months. We can't wait! It feels good to have the decision made. Just think... no more climbing on a ladder 2x a year to put up storm windows and screens!

*We now have a cleaning service coming to clean the house every 2 weeks. You have no idea what a gift this is. It is probably one of my best dreams come true! We still swiffer the dog hair and wipe down the bathrooms... but to not have to do major cleaning anymore??!! It's so incredibly wonderful!!! The best money we've ever spent. For real.

And now, the pictures!

Baby girl

Finley and Emma

Love those hands!

Can we just go to the park now!!! I've been waiting for so long!

I'm ready too!
Chillin' at the park
Boys in the sand
Waiting for the Harley Davidson 105th anniversary motorcycle parade to start. Yes, it was loud. No, we don't need to ever go again!

More pictures are up on Flickr too.

Wahoo!

I'm headed to North Carolina with my mom in October for a wedding!!!

Vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love them

My beautiful doll faceMy talented dog
New dress from Target
Rolling over
Brother and Sister (please ignore the trashy tank top my son is wearing. Thanks for that one, Obeo!)

2 Month Appointment

Here are her stats from her 2 month appt.

13 pounds 7 ounces
23 inches long

She got her yummy tasting Rotovirus vaccine and 3 shots! She was not happy about the shots, but sure gulped down that other one!

We grow them big around here- Jack was 15 pounds and 25 inches at 2 months!

Brandon took the day off so we've been getting stuff done around the house... both kids are now sleeping. Maybe I'll take a nap too!

?

I'm pretty sure 2 months is a little bit young for rolling over from tummy to back. Well, she's done it 3 times today!

2 Months

Happy 2 Month Birthday, Baby Doll!

At 2 months:

* You eat 6 ounces when you get up in the morning and 4 ounces at a time during the day.
*You can hold your head up by yourself with only a little bit of wobbling
*You hate getting dressed
*You sleep through the night
*You love, love, love taking a bath
*You only take good naps during the day if you are in your swing
*You sleep in your crib at night with no problems!
*You love being "swaddled up"
*You give cute smiles when you want to
*You are always too busy looking around (or screaming if she's hungry/mad) to fall asleep in the car!
*You are getting used to people saying "What beautiful blue eyes! She's so alert for a baby her age!" when they meet you for the first time
*When you get really mad, you actually scream! What must the neighbors think??
*You don't mind being poked and kissed and leaned on and hugged and sometimes smooshed by your big brother
*You have gone from being a rather difficult little diva to a more predictable little princess
*You love your deedee (pacifier) when you are really tired, but don't always want or need it
*You are healthy and happy and content

We love you Emma Lemma Ding Dong, Emma Lem, Lemma, Emmaroo, Lemmers, Doll Face, Baby Doll!

State Fair Fun...

We took Jack down the slide 3 times! He kept begging for more!I think Brandon was a little petrified on the slide. Notice how he's holding onto Jack!

What we've been up to

This little sweet thing fell asleep at 10 last night and woke up at 6 this morning.

This mischevious one snuck downstairs to play with Daddy's sports stuff.
Jack and his little buddy, Taylor Grace, decorated Emma last Saturday night.
We completed our Mom and Tot tumbling class! He's showing you his sticker.
New pictures are up on Flickr

Random Updates

* I survived my one week trial at being a single mom. Brandon was in Las Vegas for the dealer show and I was home with the kids. Thank god for in-laws and DVR! We made it through just fine, but boy were we glad when Daddy walked in the door!

* The new dishwasher and stove are awesome! Not that I've been cooking much...

* Emma is a chunky monkey just like her brother was! She's already over 12 pounds! She's smiling lots and really starting to coo and make noises other than screaming.

* We have been enjoying our mom and tot tumbling class immensely! Jack still refuses to do the group warm ups- lots of songs and stretching. When it's time to do the actual activities though, he's all over it! His favorite things are the trampoline and the obstacle course. It's so fun to spend that special mom and boy time together. He went to Kung Fu Panda this week with Daddy. He showed him where to get the popcorn, lemonade and the straws. He came home and showed me how to bow and say "master and skidoosh" whatever that's about! We've been taking him to the pricier kids place for haircuts this summer. His hair is so thin, fine, and blond that you can see every scissor cut. So when he gets a bad haircut- you can REALLY tell! Catherine has been doing such a great job with his hair that it's worth the money. This week she said Jack was one of her best behaved customers! He sits so still in the chair and really takes it seriously. He gave her a big hug goodbye when we left!

* Emma has been pretty much sleeping through the night for about a week now. She stopped eating over night right at 6 weeks (just like Jack did) and if she wakes up now, she just needs her pacifier. Last night she was asleep by 10:30 and got up at 5:45. Since she's sleeping so well, how come I'm still so tired in the morning??

* Jack made a trip up to Green Bay with Brandon, Bampa, and Bampa's brother, Bernie on Friday. Jack had a great time doing the Lambeau Leap and scoring some touch downs at the hall of fame. What a big boy adventure he had!

* I have to be at school on August 26th for meetings. I can't believe how this summer has flown by! Actually, I can. Throw a newborn into the mix and the time just speeds on by. I'm excited to get back to school. A few nights ago I couldn't go to sleep until I made a list of all my new ideas for this school year. I'm going to do some work in my classroom this week so it's not crazy during our week of meetings. It's been a great summer hanging out with Jack and Emma, but I can really say that I'm definitely made to be a working mom. We're lucky enough to have 2 very loving grandparents to watch the kids while we're at work. It makes the choice to go back to work that much easier.

Here are some pics of my chunky monkey!

Stretching after a nap

Jack used to make this face!!
I'm watching you, Mom!
Big Stretch! Check out those toned thighs!!!
Here comes Finley!

* Have you seen that show on TLC called Rock the Reception? Love it!

* I can't believe I've failed to mention this-- Emma's hair is totally CURLY after I wash and dry it!!!! I wonder if it'll stay that way....