3 months and counting!

Today, I took out the next onesie to document another monthly milestone. The photo shoots are getting more lively, to say the least! Our little girl is becoming very active, and she is quite a ham for the camera.

At three months, Em continues to like playing under her rainforest play mat. Now she can grab and hold on to the animals that hang down above her. Her favorite animal is the toucan. She will grab on to it tightly with such a precious look of concentration on her face. Like on her play mat, she is also starting to be more active during baths. For the first few weeks, she didn't move much and also didn't make much of a fuss at bathtime. Although she still looks somewhat confused by the whole bathing process, she has started to splash with her feet and bob around in the mesh seat. She seems to like my "Bubbles in the Bath" song (to the tune of "Wheels on the Bus"), as well as our lotion song -- both bathtime staples! Riding in her car seat isn't a problem. Em usually will quickly fall asleep when the car starts moving. If I know that we are going somewhere, I will try to plan for that time to be her nap, since inevitably she will fall asleep anyway. We still don't have a set routine with naps, but Em takes about three naps a day: mid-morning, afternoon, and a "dinner nap". I call it a "dinner nap" because it usually coincides with Boomer's and my dinnertime. We have still been able to enjoy going out to eat, since she is content in her car seat and will usually sleep through the whole meal. Our ideal dinnertime is a little earlier now than it use to be. (Last Friday, we made a dinner reservation at Bonefish for 5:00PM! That would have been so early before, but now it is great to be home before 7:00PM.) Our nighttime routine usually starts around 8PM, with Em in her crib by 9PM. I will wake to feed her anywhere between 3:30AM and 5:30AM, and then she will sleep for another couple of hours. Our girl likes to sleep, just like her momma!

Em has definitely discovered her hands. Boomer and I laugh at the way she balls them up into fists and waves them around like a little boxer. For weeks now, I have been worried that she may suck her thumb. She hasn't quite done that yet, although I often catch her with multiple fingers in her mouth. Several times I've even seen her trying to stick both fists in her mouth, silly girl! I've noticed, too, that she isn't really sucking on her fingers as somewhat chewing on them. I think she may be in the early stages of teething. On the top gum, I can see the slightest bit of white close to the surface. My friend Shawna pointed it out to me when we were at lunch this week. Just a few days ago, I tried to introduce a teething toy as a substitute for her fingers, but Em is not quite able to hold the toy in place. In addition to her hands, she has also discovered her voice. She is becoming more vocal, especially when she is hungry. Otherwise, she is a very happy baby and is very generous with her smiles. She smiles most for her family, but she will smile at strangers, too. Here are a few of those precious smiles!

 And a few of the outtakes! :)

3 months. 13 weeks. 93 days. She was a part of our hearts even before that, but it is hard to believe how fast the time has gone by. We are looking forward to the fun ahead in month 4!

More 'Firsts'

As we approach the 3-month mark, it is amazing how much Emerson is growing, both physically and socially. She can follow sounds around the room, and she loves to look at lights, whether on a ceiling fan, under her rainforest, or [her favorite] the tv. Her newest trick is 'talking'. She is becoming more and more expressive every day, and she makes the cutest cooing noises and sighs. She also smiles often, which just melts your heart!

This past week, Boomer was away at a conference in Pinehurst (tough life, huh?) so Em and I had some girl time for a few nights. We managed okay, but we were glad for Daddy to come home on Friday. Several of these pictures are ones that I sent to Boomer while he was away. The picture in the top right is from the Super Bowl -- the New England Patriots pulled off an amazing comeback and won in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons 34-28. Em is wearing her cousins' football toboggan. If football is not her sport, Grandpa Buzz is hoping that golf is! With the help of his friend Adonis, Grandpa gave Emerson her very first putter, custom-made in pink. She is already proving to be pretty strong with holding up her head and turning over when she is on her tummy, and I think we may have an athlete on our hands. As soon as she is able to hold that putter, we will have to see if she likes golf!

I had a few 'new mommy firsts' this week. After a workout at the YMCA, I picked up Em from the childcare room, and I was greeted with the dreaded grocery bag of dirty clothes. Em had had a blowout! Luckily, my diaper bag was stocked with a fresh outfit, but it's amazing the damage a little baby can do! Then, after a big shopping trip to Walmart and as I was loading up the car, I noticed a 4-pack of tissues under my cart that I had forgot to pay for! Now with Em's car seat taking up the majority of the space in the cart, I have to put things under the cart, something I rarely did before being a mom. I will admit, there was a split second where I debated going back inside. The devil on my shoulder said there could be a way to pay for it next time. But we made a second trip back inside to pay for it. One last thing, after shopping at Babies R Us, I got out to the car to find that I had left my car keys at the register! Just as I realized my mistake, the cashier was running outside to give them to me. I guess blowouts and forgetfulness are just rites of passage of motherhood! 

Another new thing this week was crib training. Emerson has been sleeping in her crib at night since we came home from the hospital. However, her naps tend to be anywhere EXCEPT for the crib. She may nap in her monkey chair or in the car seat, sometimes even propped up on the boppy. To make things easier for Grammy next week when I go back to work, I've been trying to be more consistent about naps in the crib when we are at home. We've had mixed results so far; she is not on a set schedule yet with napping, but hopefully we will keep improving. I'll continue to be thankful that she sleeps well at night!

This week, we had special visitors from West Virginia. My parents' friends, Leigh and Ethel Shorr, came for a few days, and we had the opportunity to see them. It is no coincidence the name of "Leigh." It is after this Leigh that I received my middle name, and it has since been passed on to Emerson and to my nephew, Alexander "Zander" Leigh. It was great to see them and introduce them to our Emerson Leigh.

Along with the Shorrs, we've gotten together with other friends this week. Last Saturday night, we had a pizza night over at the Williamses. Laurel and Emerson have grown a lot since their first meeting back in November! Em and I also made a short trip to Statesville to meet up with Shawna and her little girl, Kena. Shawna and I have been friends since elementary school, and it was great to get together with our girls! The days of my maternity leave are winding down, but I am trying to soak up every minute with family and friends, and especially with Em!

 

One of the Girls

Em and I made our first trip to Morganton this past weekend. Morganton will always be a special place because of the many years I spent there, the many friends I made, and the memories I have from growing up in this small town. My friend Emily, my very first friend when I moved to Morganton in the 1st Grade, is getting married in April, and on Sunday, there was a bridal tea in her honor. I was glad for the excuse to make the trip back to my hometown and also to see so many of my best friends. Originally the plan was for Emerson to stay in Kernersville with Boomer, but Boomer was feeling under the weather (in fact, all three Kennedys have been fighting colds this week!), so Em tagged along with my mom, sis, and me. As you can see in the pictures, she was one of the girls for the day!
  

In just a few hours, we were able to see Coley's new (old) house, celebrate a special bride, and catch up with my mom and sister during the time that we were in the car. Even though we all live in Kernersville, it seems we always have something to talk about. We still managed to talk the entire two hours there and back! It is neat to think that perhaps Sunday was the first of many girls' road trips with Em!

As I mentioned, the dreaded winter sickness hit the Kennedy household. Luckily, it has been nothing worse than the common cold -- congestion, cough, and sneezing. Em was the first to come down with it, and it broke this momma's heart to see her baby sick! She just wasn't her usual pleasant self, and one day, we even resorted to using the swing for the first time. (The swing is another gift from my sister, and I kept telling myself that I would pull it out when we needed it. Luckily, Em hasn't really been too fussy, and between the rainforest play mat, her monkey chair, or milk, usually we can keep her happy.) The swing did the trick when I [needed to take a shower] wasn't able to hold her. She still has a lingering cough, but I think she is almost over it. I feel lucky that we have not dealt with anything more serious during this winter. Another 'first' this week was switching from the swaddle to the sleep sack. It seemed that it was time to make the switch when I came in one morning to find her head at the opposite end of the crib! I talked with my mother-in-law, and the decision was made to retire the swaddle. I will miss seeing that little baby burrito on the video monitor, but I suppose it's just one of the many milestones of our newborn growing into a little girl! Even with colds and everyone's busy schedules, we were able to fit in seeing family this past week. We also spent our evenings in bed, in hopes of kicking these colds! (As I write this, Boomer and I are still a little sick, but we are thankful it is us, rather than Em!)

 

Daddy always keeps us laughing...although Em is not too entertained in this one! :)

I am not ashamed to admit that I am already taking way too many photos of my little cutie! When it's just the two of us throughout the week, I try to document our day for Daddy and send him pictures that will make him smile. Here are some of the photos from my Camera Roll this week:

Trial Run

Once again, I feel so grateful to have this time during my maternity leave. It has been nice to solely focus on being a mother, and I've enjoyed the openness of our schedule and the slower pace. Some days, Em and I may not even get out of our pjs! If we do have an outing planned, it usually only means being away from the house for a couple of hours. However, this past weekend was anything but slow. I feel like it was a trial run for when I start back to work, because in fact, I went in to work! On Friday, I went to campus for a few hours to prep for our beginning-of-the-semester Spartan Guide training. I brought Em with me to campus, because I knew a lot of my coworkers would want to see her. I also knew that it would keep me from staying tooo long. I've found that once I start working, it's hard to step away. I surprised myself though and stuck to our schedule. I also planned a break when I could pump. This is what it looks like bringing your baby to work!

 

 After putting in a few hours at the office, I met up with one of my old Spartan Guides, Caitlin. She graduated last year from UNCG's School of Nursing, and she now works in Greensboro at one of the hospitals. It was so good to see her and catch up on her post-grad life. She brought a gift for Em and for me. So thoughtful!

After leaving Greensboro, we went up to Forbush to again have a Friday night dinner date with Daddy before his sporting events. This week, we went to a different restaurant, Taste of Italy. We highly recommend the mac-n-cheese bites and their pizzas!

On Saturday, I cohosted a shower for my friend, Katie, who is due in early March. She is having a boy, and I am excited that our two little ones will be so close in age.

Morganton Girls - Me, Katie, Emily, Coley, & Carrie

On Sunday, it was back to UNCG for the training. The training brings all of the tour guides together, and we kick off the semester by playing some games and reviewing the tour route. After 2+ months, I enjoyed being back with the students, and it was a productive day. Working with them is one of my favorite responsibilities of my job.

 

While I was at the training and also while I was at Katie's baby shower on Saturday, Em stayed home with Daddy. They got in a lot of bonding time this weekend! On Sunday night, we went out to dinner with Coley who was in town for the shower. It was a nice way to wrap up the weekend.

I realize that the days of my maternity leave are winding down, and while I'm not quite ready to go back yet, the weekend was a good way of easing back in. For my remaining days, I intend to enjoy every smile, every cuddle, every bath until then. 

The Days are Short

Whoever said "The days are long, but the years are short" was not a mom nearing the end of her maternity leave! I think it would be more accurate to say: "The years are short, and the days are, too!" Now as we are on the downward slide of January, it seems as if the days are flying by. Sure, there have been some challenging moments, especially in the early weeks, when I was so ready for Boomer to come home, but most days now, it seems like before I know it, it's getting dark outside, and we are once again getting ready for bedtime. The passing of time became even more apparent this week when on Tuesday, my mom and I were organizing the nursery and packing up the newborn clothes. All the tinie-tiny onesies, the snuggly little sleepers, the outfit we brought Em home from the hospital in, 'First Thanksgiving' and 'First Christmas' clothes. As we replaced the newborn clothes with 0-3 month and 3-6 month clothes, it is hard to believe how big she is getting. I am trying to soak up every moment with my little girl.

Last weekend, there were basketball games at Forbush on Friday night, so Em and I picked Boomer up for an early dinner before the games got underway. We went to a local pizza place called Papa's in downtown Yadkinville. It was fun to see Daddy for a little bit in between the workday and his late evening. On Saturday, we went to Asheboro to watch our nephew Trivett and our niece Adelynn play in their rec league basketball game (their team won!). Then we made the rest of the drive to Star to stay the night with Boomer's parents. Em enjoyed the snuggles with Granny and Paw Paw. It was often a fight on who would hold her! :) With the MLK holiday, we had an extra day with Boomer at home on Monday. I feel like I blinked, and it's already Thursday! Here are some pictures from our week:

Going out for a date with Daddy (....Mommy tagged along!)

Visiting Great-Gma and Great-Gpa

Learning new tricks!

Falling asleep in Mommy's arms

Mommy & Baby Yoga!

Not pictured: a workout at the YMCA with Sarah, lunch with Katie (she's 32 weeks pregnant and due in March!), and a neighborhood walk with Meg and all our kiddos.

8 inches and 2 months

8 inches of snow and 2 months old! 

It has been a fun few days as we've enjoyed the NC winter weather and celebrated another monthly milestone. Last Friday, there was a lot of excitement and anticipation about a winter storm. The news stations projected anywhere from 1 inch to 1 foot of snow, and they got it right! We did in fact get a pretty good amount! It came in late Friday night and continued coming down until midday Saturday. While we rarely have a white Christmas in North Carolina, we do usually get some winter weather in January and February, and you can count on everything shutting down for a few days. I loved seeing all of the photos online of families building snowmen and going sledding. My nieces and nephews sure enjoyed playing in the white stuff. As for the Kennedys, we were nestled inside with our little girl. Boomer and I have the same feelings about snow -- while beautiful, it is best enjoyed from the warmth and comfort of the indoors. I am sure this will all change next winter when we have a more mobile, energetic toddler. At least this year, this is what our snow days looked like:

The snow kept us inside all of Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, school was closed for students and staff, so we enjoyed an extra day with Boomer at home. We finally ventured out that afternoon for a grocery store run and dinner.

On Tuesday, things started to thaw, and Boomer went back to work for a teacher workday. Tuesday also marked 2 months old for baby Em! I have heard so many parents say how fast the time goes by, and it truly has. I feel like I have learned so much about our little girl in the last two months. Our little 2-month-old loves looking at lights, playing under her rainforest, and spending time with Daddy watching West Wing. She is quite the daddy's girl and loves smiling at Daddy while he makes silly noises and funny faces. She prefers a bottle to nursing, but she is generally flexible with either method. She has definitely discovered her hand, although not quite her thumb yet. We are trying to discourage her from sucking her hand, but it seems we may be losing that battle! We have introduced a pacifier, but she has trouble keeping it in her mouth, so we haven't pushed it too much. Most importantly for Mommy, Em loves sleeping at night in her crib. She usually sleeps between 6 and 7 hours each night. After a feeding and a diaper change, she is content to sleep for another 1 to 2 hours. My favorite times with her are mid-morning and before bedtime. During these times, she is so alert and expressive, and I can coax a lot of great smiles from her. I am just waiting for that first laugh; I don't think it will be too long! Emerson is still wearing some newborn clothes, but she has mostly moved into 0-3 month clothing. In the last few days, I've noticed that the newborn clothes are stretched at the neck, so I think our girl is getting even longer. It looks like we will be retiring the newborn clothes pretty soon.

And here is one more photo as we were putting her to bed on her 2-month birthday. Boomer and I laugh how Em seems to look right at the camera if we put her to sleep while she is still awake! Luckily she'll usually fall asleep a few minutes later. 

Tomorrow, we go to the doctor for Em's 2-month check-up. I've been warned that she will get some shots at this appointment, and she will also be weighed. Given our early struggles with gaining weight, I am anxious to see what the scale says. By my own assessment, we have a healthy, precious little girl!


UPDATE 1/12/2017: We had an excellent visit at the doctor's today! Em measured 22.84" in length (a little above average) and 38.5 cm for her head circumference (right at the average). And [drum roll] she weighed exactly 10.0 pounds! We are so excited that she is in the double digits. Our pediatrician was very happy with her growth and her overall development. The visit ended with three vaccinations, but Em was a champ. There were some tears (both baby and mommy), but we recovered quickly. Em left with these cute pink band-aids as souvenirs, and hopefully we won't be back at the doctor's anytime soon!