Tuesday blessings

Yesterday we took little Emily to the doctor again---for a well visit! Yeah! She was 18 mon. old this month and it was time to get a check-up. She only got one MMR shot. Emily weighed 24.8 lbs which was 55th percentile and she was 32 1/4 in. tall which was 75th percentile. She probably would have weighed more had she not been sick this month. We had about 4-5 days when Emily was eating very little. She is more than making up for it now and I'm amazed at where she is putting all of this food! When Dr. Johnson checked out her ears, she noticed that they were still red and inflamed. She said that the antibiotic she was on recently didn't get all of the infection. This was news to us since Emily has not acted sick in over a week. She has been sleeping well and eating like a champ. So, lucky us, we got to get another 10 day antibiotic. Hope this one knocks it out completely and hopefully, we caught this early enough that it won't cause the pain, whimpering, and restless sleep that so often happens with an ear infection. Emily has only had two ear infections in her lifetime, so I hope this won't be a chronic problem leading to getting tubes. I guess time will tell.

Today I am thankful:

71) for my new niece, Elizabeth Corley Hannah, who was born yesterday and arrived healthy!

72) that Jennifer's c-section went as expected and she is recuperating.

73) that Don and Nancy arrived safely to Texas after an all day drive.

74) that Don and Nancy were able to hold baby Elizabeth on her birth day!

75) that Jennifer and Ed are proud parents to a baby girl!

76) that Emily now has a girl cousin!

77) that Emily is growing and developing normally

78) for our new babysitter (and neighbor) who takes such good care of Emmy on Mondays and Fridays.

79) that Emily loves her babysitter and enjoys the attention from her children.

80) for cute monogrammed shirts with Emily's initials!

Emily 18 mon. photos

On Thursday February 17th, Jeremy, Emily and I headed to Dede Holman's photography studio on Bardstown Rd. to shoot Emily's 18 mon. photos. I was really looking forward to working with her because I had admired her children and baby photography for awhile. You can see some of her work at dedeholmanphotography.com. Emily can be very challenging to photograph now. She doesn't sit still or smile on cue to the camera. She can be shy and hesitant in a new situation and want us to hold her. I was so pleased to see how Dede and her assistant Grayden worked with Emily. Many times she was on the verge of a complete melt down, but they would somehow get her to laugh with their funny props, bubbles, or silly noises. I was so happy to see my sweet girl smiling at the camera! The time flew by! We were able to capture Emily in one of her dressy, girly dresses as well as a fun barefooted photo in a blue tutu and white tank. The blue color was so pretty with her blue eyes and best of all, I didn't even have to buy another outfit. Dede had oodles of tutus and hair accessories to pick from. Jeremy and I weren't really planning on having our photos taken with Emily, but Dede offered and we were like, "Why not? Maybe we'll get a good one."

Here is a link to some of the photos Dede posted to her facebook page. Can't wait to see the rest of them!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=1882816834860&id=1374532839&aid=2108410

Also, for a limited time, Dede has posted all of the proofs on her website for her clients. (psst. password is "reissa.")

Tuesday Blessings

I love days off from work! Today has been a good morning. Emily and I got fixed up for her hair appointment with Valerie. I like to try to dress her up a little on these days because it is so fun to show her off to people at the shop. We usually go shopping for a little bit before or after her appointment. Val did a great job on her hair and now we are all ready for her 18 mon. photos on Thursday! Before Emily's haircut, we had a yummy lunch at Harvest Bread Company and looked around in one of my favorite children's shops. After her haircut, we dropped off a couple of tee shirts for monogramming. Emily hasn't had anything monogrammed since she was a baby, so I thought it was time to get some new shirts. I look forward to seeing her in her "Emily" shirts soon. Today I am thankful:

61) that Emily is healthy--no more stomach bug or ear infection!

62) for Emily's beautiful toddler hair!

63) for my Valentines, Emily and Jeremy. We enjoyed a nice dinner at home and exchanged gifts.

64) that every holiday seems a little more special and reason to celebrate when you have a child.

65) for warmer weather in KY that has allowed for walking and playing outdoors

66) for my massage gift certificate and pink tulips from my hubby and Emily

67) that Emily has learned to place her hands together and sit quietly (usually) while we pray for dinner.

68) for my Mom who helped take care of sick Emily last Friday so I wouldn't have to call in to work twice in one week.

69) that my husband is a respected alumni who was asked to speak to a class at Georgetown College today.

70) for Nancy and Don who watched Emily for us Saturday evening so Jeremy and I could have a night out with friends.

Winter Days

It is now February and I am always thankful that this is a short month because at least in March, you have the hope for some occasional nice days. It has been SO cold here today! Emily has had a fever today and it amazes me how well Children's Ibuprofen works at controlling it. She actually has been pretty pleasant today considering she woke up at 3 am with a temp of 104.6. I took off work today so I could be with her and monitor her symptoms. ANOTHER trip to the doctor may be in store for us tomorrow if she doesn't shake this soon. It amazes me how many little illnesses she's had since November. Last year as a baby, she was almost never sick. Now she's into everything, touches everything, feeds herself, is around other children a lot more, and doesn't have mom's immunity by drinking breast milk daily! Spring is just around the corner, but I have to admit that I do like a good snow day every now and then. These photos were taken in January when my parents came for a visit and we took Emily for her first sled ride. She was pretty scared to sled, but she liked being outside with us. We bundled her up really well so she didn't whine or act like she was cold. Another good thing about the winter is basketball! We enjoyed having the Dennison's over to watch a UK/Georgia game and our little girls dressed up for the CATs. Ironically, Emily can say "Georgia" like a champ, but I have yet hear her utter Kentucky or Tucky or Cats or Cards. We will keep working on that!