Emma wanted to post today...

Dear Daddy,

There's a few things that I wanted to tell you this Father's Day, but since I can't write yet, I'm dictating to mom.  She understands everything I say.  Thank you for being such a great dad this year.  Really, I've seen much improvement since last year at this time.  You're not nearly as squirmy when mom asks you to change my poopy diaper.  You used to gag and yell about how awful it smelled, which was starting to give me a complex.  Thanks for chillin' out.  

I really love hanging out with you.  You're a lot of fun; I mean, for a twenty-six year old.  Some of my favorite things to do with you are taking hikes in the red backpack, being carted around the lake in my jogging stroller, and getting ice cream.  You're much better at sharing your ice cream with me than momma.  I also like how you've been taking me to the park lately.  I get kinda bored just going with ma; she never lets me ride the spinny basket that makes me walk funny when I get off of it.  Oh, and thanks for traveling with me so much this year.  Seeing the world through your eyes has meant a lot to me.  There's so much for you to teach me! Remember when we went out to California and mom was freaking out about having to drive through the desert with me?  What a nut.  Sorry I wasn't so lucky for you in Vegas.  Mom told me about the year before!  I loved watching you chase after crabs with my cousins in Maine.  I can't wait till I can do that with you!  I'm really glad you let me play with all the fishies you caught at the beach this summer.  They were so cute; I loved giving them kisses.  That frog you showed me the other day was kinda creepy though.  I'm not sure we're going to share the same love for all animals.  A girl has her limits you know.

Of all the awesome things we've done together, my favorite times are when we're just at home.  I love it when you come pick me up in the morning if you're awake, and I love when I surprise you in bed if mom's up first.  I love that you dance with me, and chase me, and carry me around on your back.  I love making you laugh with all my silly faces and tickling your toes.  Most of all, Daddy, I love how you love me and mom.  Thanks for always taking care of us and for showing us that you think we're really special.  I'm so glad God made me your little girl.  You're the best.  

Love you DaDa,

Emma  

Operation #55 Zebra

Everyone faces trials in life. Granted, not everyone is given an equal dose of hardship to deal with.  I wonder if I had the opportunity to see the full picture of what my life would look like, how would I respond? Would it freak me out and keep me from becoming all that God created me to be? Would I try to avoid difficulty at all costs in hopes of avoiding pain?

Would it make me live and love more richly, more passionately?

Would I trust God, or would I run from him?

One of my friends from college, David Wenzel, has an interesting view on the direction his life has taken him. It's worth checking out. Last week he was just living life. Then in a strange series of events he hit his head while goofing around with a friend, found himself in the hospital the following day after suffering a seizure, and was told that he had a brain tumor that would not have been discovered for several more years if not for the Kung Fu incident. It is his belief that none of these events were simply by accident. I concur.

Riding in Cars with Boys

ED!!

Hello Summer

Fact: Matt and I are obsessed with ice cream. On a six day vacation last summer we spent over $100 on ice cream. We may even subconsciously plan our vacations around it. I love California. One of the main reasons why? Pinkberry, of course. We love Italy; it's home to incredible art and history, but more importantly GELATO. We taper off on our frequent visits to the nearest creamery/gelateria/yogurt/ice cream shop when it's snowing, so moving to a state that's warm all year made me a little nervous. I mean, a girl can't eat ice cream all the time without paying for it (mostly in the booty). Our northern friends would be proud of our self control these past seven months.  However, Memorial Day marks the start of summer and (holla holla) ICE CREAM season! 

                                                             Yup, we certainly indulged.

We didn't eat ice cream the whole weekend though. We did plenty of other summery activities. On Friday Emma and I got season passes to Busch Gardens and spent the day with a couple friends hanging out at the park. There's so much to do, and it's pretty much our new favorite place. The only downside to the day was when Emma pooped her wet little pants playing in some fountains. It wasn't the first time in the last couple weeks that I've ended up with her poo smeared on me though. Hmmm, life is hard. I don't have any pictures from it, (Busch Gardens day- not the poopy incident) but I do have a super cute video of the car ride there. It's on the other computer though. I'll put it up later.

Emma had her first carousel ride this weekend. She sat at the top of the double-decker, which left her wussy parents feeling dizzy. She was so serious during the ride we weren't sure if she liked it but babbled all about it when it was over. She also had fun playing with all the other little mini mall rats. Excuse her dress/leggings combo btw. It was getting chilly and I just grabbed the first thing I saw. Good thing she's just so naturally cute.

Sunday evening we headed back to Busch Gardens with friends, and Matt was able to experience the magic. We're debating whether it's better than Disney. So far, I say yes. We'll see. It has some great rollercoasters. I'm pretty sure the last time I went on a rollercoaster was almost four years ago when we went to Cedar Point for our first anniversary. Anywho...we introduced the kids to some jungle animals, ate dinner, and then decided to have some adult fun (um, riding rollercoasters duh). Matt and Jarrod went on first while Hayley and I watched the kids (directly under the rollercoaster might I add) giving us plenty of time to get nervous. I was anticipating the huge drop and Hayley was anticipating throwing up her spaghetti dinner. It was so fun though, and there was no throwing up or passing out. I'd say a successful day.

Monday morning Matt took care of Emma for awhile, so I could sleep a little before he went golfing. Almost a fair trade. Then we hung out with Matt's parents and brother for the afternoon, and headed out to the scrub for an evening hike. FL needs to grow some mountains. That's one thing about this state that I really don't like. It was a beautiful night though. Perfect weather. The sandy path kept me hoping that we would reach the ocean, but alas there are still no oceans in central FL. Darn.

Happy Memorial Day, folks.

Grocery Store Celebrity

If I was a pop star, (which I am when running with an ipod) I would write a song called "Grocery Store Celebrity," about my little Emma. The girl is a classic diva who will do pretty much anything for attention while in a shopping cart. She throws her arms up in the air and shakes her head around (we call it Crazy Girl- she does it on command as well) until she catches someone's attention, and then she flashes them her brightest, crinkled nose smile. If they start talking to her, she either puts one arm up and says something that sounds like "What?" or suddenly plays the shy girl and turns away as if to say, "I'm not in the mood for fans right now." I, of course, as her publicist, always have to speak (or apologize) for her.

One of the main questions we're asked?

"What aisle can I find one of those?" Very witty, indeed. Seriously, at least once a shopping trip.

It can be embarrassing sometimes, (poor Matt hates going to the store with us!) but it doesn't bother me. I know it will only be cute for a time, and it's not like she's being naughty. I think she just really likes it when people smile at her, and that's really not such a bad thing, is it? I think she genuinely brightens people's days (spoken like a true mom). She'll have the rest of her life to be scowled at, why not let her enjoy it now? Plus, she's a girl and I've read Reviving Ophelia. I'm sure it won't be like this forever, so for now, look for us in the "Stars, They're Just Like Us!" section of Us Weekly. We'll be the ones caught buying bananas.

Edit: My husband read this and laughed at me, so I just need to point out the fact that I understand that posts like this are VERY dorky. I'm clarifying, for his sake, that I know that I am a nerd b/c there's nothing worse than someone that doesn't even realize their nerdiness. So thank you very much, my dear husband, for just stating the obvious. Boo-yaa.

The Difference a Year Makes

Last year at this time I was still very much in survival mode. I remember the one time I tried to blog, (shirtless, dripping, and crying might I add...not to gross you out) I wrote one sentence. Yup. As wise and articulate I'm sure that post was, I never published it (hmm). As much as everyone said that having a baby changes your life and as hard as I'd heard it was, nothing could prepare me for actually doing it. I've heard of experiments where people listen to a tape of a baby crying for one or two minutes and when it's over say that it was ten minutes long. Oh my, how true that is. Except in the beginning, Emma really cried ALL THE TIME (poor baby had acid reflux). And I didn't have a car. Or many friends around that didn't work. And Matt was working full-time, finishing his Master's, and studying for his CPA. Wow. What a difference a year makes. Then Emma was a demanding set of lungs that pooped (a LOT) and slept (here and there). Now she's a sweet, silly toddler (who still poops a LOT and sleeps a little more) who has her mom and dad wrapped around her fuzzy-finding fingers.

I love how she's changed our lives. People fear missing out on things by having children, but I really can't think of a single thing I've missed out on. We do all the things we did before, but now we also have her, which is faaarrr greater than I ever thought. I've also heard people say that it's hard to explain how much you'll love your child. A year ago I didn't understand that. Of course I loved her then, but man did she cry a lot.

Now I just love watching her learn new things. She loves birds; who notices every time a bird chirps but a one year old? She made progress today on using a spoon. It was so funny to watch her serious little face as she worked hard to get the oatmeal on the spoon and into her mouth. I mean, it was as if she was working through a Calculus problem (not that I would know what that's like). The world is just so new to her and she's finally getting to the point where she loves to explore it. And we're finally to the point where we seem to get this whole parenting thing (ha!). So, is it crazy to start talking about having another, or is that just how things work? Once you get into the swing of things, everything changes? That seems like one of those consistent inconsistencies of life. Ahhh, what to do, what to do...

Here We Go Again

Evidently blogging is like exercising, eating right, and all the other things that I have trouble staying disciplined with. I feel guilty when I don't do it, better when I do, and find it so hard to start it up again. But, Emma is suddenly one and I don't know where the time went.

Some of my one year favorites:

Emma has discovered an adequate form of communication for a one year old- pointing. Some may go so far as to say she's obsessed; the girl points at everything. She's very quick to let us know what she wants. I've noticed that often before we give her what she wants we ask her to give us a kiss. She's picked up on this too, so in between frantic pointing she lays courtesy kisses on our faces. It reminds me of holding out a treat for a dog that starts doing all the tricks before the command. I'm pretty sure Emma's brighter than a dog though. Sweeter too. After taking her nightly bottle she snuggles up to me and lays her head on my shoulder, and every few seconds looks up and plants more kisses on me. She's just too cute.

Oh, and she walks. But she doesn't wear shoes. She's that girl whose mother defies the shoes and shirts required sign in Target. Everyone knows too, because Emma is sure to wave and yell hi to each person that passes her. Not to excuse this poor behavior BUT, I really can't get shoes to stay on her skinny little feet. Oh well, she's more of the Huck Finn type anyway.

Sorry...

No time to blog because I have to go move into this:

But, I will leave you with this:

Starbuck's and Sympathy Smiles

Does anyone else think in Facebook statuses? For instance, today Jenna and I came home to someone playing clarinet in the living room. Since nine times out of ten there are no clarinet players in the living room I immediately thought, "Kelly is finding it curious that there's a girl playing clarinet in the living room." This is generally what my day looks like. "Kelly is wishing her lender realized that she isn't an idiot." "Kelly is wishing she didn't answer 'yes' when the lady in Starbuck's asked if she could touch her child."

About that.

Yesterday I talked about how babies soften people. After having Emma I took notice of the kindness of strangers. Even as I neared the last months of pregnancy, I found that people were generally nicer. Another added benefit was not getting cat-called at anymore either. You don't often here a man yell, "Ooooo like at the fine big belly. I wanna get me summa that." Not that I was always getting hit on before, but come on ladies, you know what I mean.

Anywho, now that people want to talk to me (ok Emma) every where I go, I have to step up my friendliness quota a few notches. Looking down while walking is no longer acceptable. I have a baby. People want a smile. Other moms expect the sympathy smile and old people expect the beaming-with-pride smile. Also, I have to be ready to drop what I'm doing to engage in conversation. The bases that must be covered include but are not limited to: Emma's name, age, amount of teeth, and if she's a good sleeper. I also have to be prepared for people to touch my child, which they often do. Today I was clearly caught off guard because they usually don't ask. I said "no" in my head but "sure" came out of my mouth. Shoot.

Now, about those cat-calls that used to bother me so much. Yeah, not so much anymore. I remember the first time a group of guys did it to me after having Emma. It was in the grocery store parking lot and I rushed home excitedly to tell Matt. It was like a 10 lb. baby weight lift.

I think this first year with my first child is like a honeymoon period though. I see these women out and about with three or four kids, and they just don't seem to have the same flocks of people migrating to talk to them. Instead, I feel like people go the other way and avoid eye contact at all cost. Something to remember next time I pass by a frazzled mom with screaming kids. That'll be me one day. I better offer my momma-sympathy smile now...

The Simple Things

I remember when I was a little girl I would always accompany my mom on shopping trips. It really didn't matter whether she was going to the mall or just going to Wegman's. Then when Livvie entered the picture, she would often come shopping with me. I love that about girls. Noah usually wasn't interested unless we were going some place fun, but Liv always wants to come along for the ride.

Even though Emma is only nine months old (today!) I feel like I'm already experiencing that with her. She loves sitting in a shopping cart and looking at all the people as they pass. She never fails to capture their attention with her big cheesy grin, or if that doesn't work- she yells in her indistinguishable language. I'm pretty sure that she's convinced that the world revolves around her; I know that's not healthy for older children, but I'm not looking forward to the day when she learns that the world can be a cruel place. Right now I'm more than happy for her to believe that everyone is patient, kind, and good-willed. It's funny, there's just something about a baby that softens people. Today I was in line at Walmart and this lady kept yelling at her daughter, but in the next breath would turn around and talk sweetly to Emma. Or maybe it's not babies but just that my daughter is so darn cute??

I took a bunch of pictures of her tonight. She's so funny; when she does something silly that I laugh at she starts laughing too and does it again. She's a smart one! However her mommy is not. I went to load the pictures...and there was no memory card in the camera. I would have known that if I had not dropped and broken this camera (as with our nice camera) so it doesn't show pictures on the screen. Here's one from a few weeks ago of her though, looking absolutely disgusted. This is what she usually looks like after dinner- not so much the expression- but the mess.