Updates and Other News

Emma Update -
Emma can now sit up by herself and stand up when supported - she loves pulling up to the standing position with help from Mommy and Daddy to get her balance.  She loves the new soft books that Memaw and Mommy bought her at Buy Buy Baby.  She is drooling a TON!  I really hope those teeth pop through soon - still NO TEETH!  She is starting to eat 2 meals each day along with her 5 other feedings from mommy (boy am I tired of breastfeeding).  She has had mostly homemade foods - bananas, squash, avocado, rice cereal.  She loves it.  You have to hold her little hands down while you feed her b/c for some reason she thinks she can feed herself already and is constantly reaching for her spoon.  Yet another display of this child's determination to do things on her own.  Mom and Dad, I'm going to need some tips on this one :)  She has also learned to shake her head "no" and I'm thinking that is from daycare (or from me repremanding Gracie at home for barking).  It's super cute nonetheless.

 

 

I had to go to the Jefferson County courthouse in downtown Birmingham on Friday to get my car title updated - new immigration/insurance rules in the state now require that your title exactly match your license.  So what do you do when you have limited childcare, work part-time, and no family in town?? - You take your 6 month old with you.  She did FANTASTIC - and we waited in line for 2.5 HOURS!  She played with her books, chewed on her toys and enjoyed watching the wide variety of individuals standing/sitting in line.  There was a really nice lady in front of me that helped me move my arsenal of stuff with Emma each time the line moved and the folks at the courthouse were so nice.  For those of you who don't keep up with current events in our area - Jefferson County is bankrupt.  One of the largest municipal bankruptcies in the nation.  So they have closed all satellites to save money which means more inconveniences to the citizens.  My understanding is that the county is working with CitiGroup Global to refinance our debt.  Tony Patelos (former mayor of Hoover) has been working hard to straighten out the mess that our previous corrupt commissioners got us into.  (Most of the previous Jefferson County Commissioners are serving time in jail by the way... don't you love it?)  We will come out better after all of this, but being a citizen in Jefferson County right now is no fun when you have to deal with any govt. service.  It really makes me miss how well run Auburn city and Lee county were when I lived there (over 7 years ago).

Yard Update -
As many of you know, Josh and I have been working on our backyard.  After having the yard regraded and two trees taken out (and one torrential downpour) - we have sodded (13 pallets of sod with the help of family and friends), leveled off a play set area near the house, and installed a fire pit and new flower beds.  Josh used his craftsman skills to build some beautiful wood chairs out of FREE pallets - yes, one man's trash has become our backyard treasure.



Here are the chairs that Josh made.
He's pretty talented when it comes to projects around the house.

 

This is for Emma's play set!

 

 

 

This is what I love about our home - peaceful!

Other News -
I love current events and keeping up with local news.  This is something I have not been able to do much these past 6 months, but I'm starting to get back up to speed.  Here are a few things that I'm keeping my eye on....

Josh and I found out that there will be a new recreational area near our house and it will have a launch for our kayaks into the Cahaba River!  Check it out (we are super excited) - Moon River Canoe Launch....
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/07/moon_river_canoe_launch_planne.html

Hopefully Trussville will work to get our new greenway project by the Cahaba completed - latest update - http://www.trussvilletribune.com/?p=7010.  The mayor said that we were doing well financially recently so hopefully they'll start putting our tax dollars to work for us - if not, then yours truly may make an appearance at a city hall meeting :)

There is a lot going on in the tax world as Congress attempts to find more money to fund our programs and balance our budget.  One of the latest things I have heard is that the administration may end tax breaks for municipal bonds.  I follow a tax attorney who does a great job about blogging on these current events.  Check this out if you're interested - http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2013/07/16/ending-tax-breaks-on-municipal-bonds-shifts-burden-to-the-rest-of-us/

Have a great weekend!

Missing My Girl

Monday was hard.  I had 4.5 days straight at home with my girl and Josh was home for 3 of those days.  I really miss my family when I'm at work, but we had a wonderful long weekend!  We also had a few firsts this 4th of July week.

Emma saw her first fireworks show and she ate avocado for the first time (which looks like green slime when pureed).  She is not a huge fan of the texture of avocado, but I'm going to keep trying.  I'm determined to fight her becoming a picky eater.  We will see how strong willed we both are by the end of this....

Josh and I helped with the church nursery for the first time this Sunday.  We kept 5 other babies (6 mo to 1 year) along with our 6 month old.  Emma was awesome and took her morning nap with all the chaos but Daddy is not so sure he wants any more kids -- at least not anytime soon (sorry, Grams and Memaw - I'll keep working on him though).  Josh did a fantastic job of holding and rocking the crying babies.  He's a natural (especially with little girls) - even though he won't admit it.  We had a good time and all babies got snacks and diaper changes.  Josh and I were exhausted afterwards - props go to the families out there with more than 2 kids and mommas of multiples.... that is HARD work (much harder than a multistate tax return or working 60+ hours a week)!  But I will say that I noticed a huge difference in my Baby Wise babies :)  They were much less clingy and easier to handle without mommy around.  I highly recommend the eat, play, sleep routine and actually having a nap routine with kids especially if you are going to put your child in nursery or daycare. 

Side Note - If you have not volunteered for your church nursery - DO IT!  You don't know how big a blessing this ministry is both to you and to the parents you serve. 

A few pics from our fun filled weekend....

On our way to "The Mall" in the Cahaba Project to watch the Trussville Fireworks Show and visit with friends.

Sweet babies - (missing 1 newborn and this is only 5 young families and I think the oldest child pictured here is 3). 
We have our hands full for sure!  God definitely blessed us!!

"Mom really, green slime?"
This was my first attempt at feeding her avocado.

Pig tails (or antenna as Josh calls them)

Gracie and Emma playing "who can get out more toys for Mom to clean up?" - Gracie won this round...

Showing off my ruffles during nap time after church.
(Yes, this is how we find her most mornings and I promise I lay her on her back to sleep.)

"I love bananas!"
Look close b/c it's all over her (see the "finger painting" on her tray?)...
I'm going to have my hands full with this little red head!

6 Month Doctor Visit

Emma had her 6 month appointment today.  She is 13 pounds, 8.5 ounces and 26.5 inches long.  She is in the 8th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height - so long and lean little girl.  She has remained in a very low weight percentile and her height percentile keeps going up.... her growth chart is going to be interesting to watch (and the doctor was not concerned by her petite figure).  Maybe she'll be tall like Aunt Steph - I will add that I am one of the shorter females at the family Christmas gathering each year and I'm 5'8"!  She received 4 shots and a Complete Blood Count test.  All appears normal and she is developing well.  We are very thankful for her good health considering she came 3.5 weeks early.  She can now start eating solid foods daily - she has had bananas and some brown rice cereal so far.  I hope to introduce avocado this coming week.  

 

Emma and her crazy red hair - having fun while waiting to go back.

Showing Daddy her strong legs while waiting for Dr. Youngblood.

 

Daddy's girl? Definitely!!

 

Poor baby.  She cried a lot with this round of shots.

 

Emma showing off her boo boos :(  She had two on each leg.

 

Missed her nap and had 4 shots.  Thank goodness I remembered her bear. 
She fell asleep as soon as we got in the car.



Happy 1/2 Birthday and Fun with Grandparents

 

Today Emma is 6 months old!  SIX MONTHS!!  I cannot believe we have been parents for 6 months.  I know that doesn't sound long to OUR parents who have 30-something year old kids but I feel like these past 6 months have flown by.  A lot has changed.  Josh and I have less free time, more chores, less money and whole lot more SMILES.  I'll trade all the time and money for those sweet smiles though and I think Josh would agree.

At 6 months Emma can roll around all over the place, sit tripod style, and stand propped up against furniture.  She has great head/neck control and pretty good coordination with her hands.  She is still working on back and arm strength, but I have a feeling that when those muscles strengthen that Josh and I will have to get our running shoes on to keep up with her!  She has tried bananas and homemade rice cereal, but we haven't really started solids in her daily feeding schedule.  We probably won't for a while per guidance of our pediatrician.  She is holding her bottle by herself and is trying to figure out what in the world a sippy cup is.

We have been on the road the past two weekends.  One weekend in Huntsville for Elise's 3rd birthday party and the following weekend in Auburn.  Emma had a blast hanging out with family.  She loves her grandparents (and great grandparent).  She found a new buddy in Clayton and absolutely adores Aunt Steph.  We have two incredible families who are just amazing and so supportive.  I hate being two hours away from both families, but our jobs are good in Birmingham and our living expenses are manageable so I think we are stuck in between for now in our little 1700 square foot home on a hill.

Emma has her 6 month checkup tomorrow and I'll post an update from her visit.  Emma has had a runny nose (probably from germ infested daycare) the past few days.  I'm hoping it won't turn into a cold or ear infection. 

Below are a few pics from our trips... (The cute puppy is the newest addition to the Price/Donnelly Family - Cain!)

 

 

A few pics of her eating adventures and holding her own bottle....