Peas!!

Tonight, Emersyn got another new food --- peas! :)
This morning, getting dressed and playing with her inchworm

All dressed in an outfit from Mommy's Aunt JeanYum, peas!

(( http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=ed3-rYGOp8E&sharing_token=UI2vkd24Te9im5mPsSpSMg ))

And, since we're kind of slackers, here's videos from her other "real foods"... Happy Viewing!
String Beans - the first real food

(( http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=0C68ywm-yYw&sharing_token=RFse9QrdhjmDFAKcEe3zTg ))

(( http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=Z26jIJrAfUI&sharing_token=1aF-OD9LOp6fo7tRouvJ0w ))

(( http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=cdx_kSAfg38&sharing_token=cVvHkv2KzFYE6s7mZuF_Jw ))

(( http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=cJSx9k9wpwA&sharing_token=QQFEOl-PS96emsWwxu9qJA ))
Carrots - food #2

(( http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=iy82ce86WiQ&sharing_token=QG-spLtkdaJDtOjrIvm4JA ))

Haig Style

Just a couple pictures of our big girl... decked out in some Haig outfits. Thanks Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Chelsea and Audrey for the cute outfits! (I know Audrey is the mastermind behind the cuteness. LOL!) And, yes, Emersyn has discovered her feet and she absolutely lllooooovvveeesss them. Of course, daycare isn't all that pleased with this discovery since Emersyn now spends the majority of her day pulling her socks off and laughing! :)

B Side

Today, Emersyn got to visit "B Side" at daycare... They wanted to see how she handled being over on the other side with the bigger babies, who are moving a little more. Technically, it's still the same room; they have a half wall divider with a little gate to separate the two sides. I know it's a good thing that she's growing up and developing and that daycare is testing her out on the big side... I just can't believe it's happening so fast! Still, Emersyn did wonderful and even napped for a full hour while she was in B Side. We also found out at bath time, that she learned what a cup is for - and it's not washing her off like Chris always does! LOL! Normally, Emersyn takes the cup from Daddy and dumps it on herself, causing big smiles and a clean baby. Tonight, the cup went straight to her mouth! She's been doing really great holding the bottle all by herself, but this was a little suprise since it's a cup and not a bottle or a sippy cup... Uuuhhh, she's so big.

Christmas Part 2

Jeff, Shannon and Kherington sent Emersyn's Christmas presents a couple weeks ago, but we just got a chance to open them last night... Between Emersyn totally crashing out after daycare, being sick, and having slacker parents, she got a second Christmas at the end of January. Anyways, we're pretty sure that Emersyn has gotten the hang of this whole present thing ::

Uncle Jeff and (moreso, I'm sure) Aunt Shannon went a little overboardShe liked the toyEmersyn actually squealed when she saw the baby, then tried to eat the box... I had to pry the box out of her hands, and then she cried until I gave her the next box! Needless to say, she kind of likes baby dolls.Looking at her new, adorable outfitsWrapping paper is a second favorite... and it entertained her while we opened the doll.*as always, there's a ton more on snapfish*

Finally!! =D

Finally, we have the Sears pictures AND an update on the house!!! I know, it's shocking that our luck could actually yield two good things in one day...

First, here's the pictures from Emersyn's trip to Sears for her 5 month pictures. These, and all the other pictures from the month are on snapfish :: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3208158009/a=77264276_77264276/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/Second, now that new FHA guy is back from vacation, he actually responds to the POA's emails/calls so we have good news... The contract/offer has been sent to wherever it goes for HUD or something. On average, it takes about 5-7 business days to hear back from them. Once the bank hears back, we'll know if we have house. Johnny, our realtor, and the POA both think that we should have really, really good news and not too long of a wait since all the terms have already been agreed upon by both parties - us and the bank - so HUD shouldn't have much to do or whatever. Although Chris has been constantly reminding me that there is still a chance we don't get the house, I've been celebrating the fact that we basically have the house!!!!! We could know officially as soon as Monday, since it was submitted on the 25th... Naturally, I am beyond excited and happy; all the houses are really stupid and I knew, if we even went to see them, that I won't like them, so it's even better that we got this news today!!

Just in Case...

Here's the links to all our videos... Sometimes the videos have been working fine and sometimes they're saying that it's privite (which they are) and won't let them play. So here's the links that youtube says will work ::
13 Jan - Cuya & Emersyn Talking :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=sztS6J1RAmI&sharing_token=MHKGl1jw9Ry4zxrpOKh7xg
11 Jan - Emersyn Helping Cook :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=AoyYqkdsdzg&sharing_token=HXCAs0UytR--ewrfqL-i5g
3 Jan - Emersyn Saying Mmm and Aahh :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=stiFewJ16rg&sharing_token=CueYBrDu36_TME2hVTBlMw
(part 2) :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=OlPtARgKNH8&sharing_token=xUxP7R7kDLC_AJLRuKZpaQ
(part 3) :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=GknN3jMbo0o&sharing_token=AAogK2cISPSkQ6vbMwPg_w
3 Jan - Emersyn and Tickle Me Elmo :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=RMwDPxDXTgM&sharing_token=Y3nNOhSLazkpLarTZ9Un8w
(part 2) :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=12POChpgjhg&sharing_token=LD1pzbapKFNL1f9oUoXw7w
(part 3) :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=Px3FdjeOdYY&sharing_token=A30U8yI5SOzGUgwqdRrqJw
(part 4) :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=Kt6sMgdklPw&sharing_token=GOGmbrz0xGmyebxUfrgNSA
2 Jan - Emersyn with Her Stacker :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=avbSMfBQas8&sharing_token=LpBz8-6xXGmgJih1tZKLiA
31 Dec - Emersyn and Her Baby :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=JtCZqKDKUlQ&sharing_token=OO-D6frlnlGfv7XZB_1Ddg
30 Dec - Emersyn in the Bumbo :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=oZiPbBjQw5I&sharing_token=32lzmgSRRahFSK_C7xX54A
28 Dec - Future Rock Star :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=UHO2ZxcfKT0&sharing_token=3Yj86Cc0A0Snwl_JtyZXZg
22 Dec - First Time Eating Cereal :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=ZHsI_bELweA&sharing_token=kLE_eYm8Cs6usx14H-P5Fw
(part 2) :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=9R8t8tAMmjI&sharing_token=trrZInBZLCIg_YZLa1SU4w
(part 3) :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=4ZprU7E8NGM&sharing_token=tSUGKaeVE6T-9xodmJI_PQ
21 Dec - In the Exersauser :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=jHMZ2lwkpkM&sharing_token=S5jLswqImfHEIATaEsnDCg
10 Dec - Giggling Caught on Video :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=B1lRSSt2SNk&sharing_token=GxEOzTu6ePVU6bj5BmOC_w
5 Dec - No Baby Hammock :: http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=GjhGU5ZZbFI&sharing_token=M1CUllLATSa9faMhvTcAOg

Random

Here's some (delayed) random videos and pictures...
11 January --- Emersyn helping Mommy cook. She really knows what spoons are for! :)

13 January --- Every time she sees Cuya, Emersyn is all smiles. Lots of times, she'll even talk to Cuya. Well, this is Cuya talking back to Emersyn... with a little help from Mommy giving the command.

21 January --- Emersyn after a hard day at daycare. Mind you, she did this all by herself. Seriously, that's the sleep cloth we've talked about... that she won't go to sleep without!22 January --- Um, this is our wild Saturday night now. If you look closely, you can see Emersyn holding the book! I wouldn't trade one of these wild nights for all of our old ones!!Of course, everything's on snapfish :: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3208158009/a=77264276_77264276/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

New House Update

Apparently, when the new FHA said he'd let us know something on Wednesday, he meant that he'd be on vacation and would probably let us know something the Wendsday he got back. The POA sent a couple emails without any luck, so then sent it to this new guys' boss... She's been cc-ing our realtor, so we know that the boss got back to her saying that he couldn't pull any information up because they need a new ATP since the offer/contract expired. Then the FHA dude replied saying that he just got back from vacation, they legally can't get our info or contact our mortage broker because it all technically expired on the 14th, so we need a new ATP. We don't know what the hell an ATP is, so now we're waiting to hear back from Johnny or Jason on what that is and what this means. We think it's just an addendum to extend the expiration date (again) and that this is a good sign for us... But we aren't the experts so we could be completely wrong and it's the second worst news we could hear about the house. So we're waiting, again... We have started, begrudgingly, to look at other houses online and talked about going out with Jason or Johnny to see some. Naturally, I hate them all and am convinced that none of them will ever be home... Chris really likes my positive attitude.

On a side note, we also heard from Sears and they say that the pictures will be in after 3 pm on Wednesday. Chris has made sure that a manager will be there when he arrives. The crappy part is that we won't stop going to Sears for her pictures - they're by far the cheapest around and they do good work. Anyways, hopefully come Thursday, you'll all finally get to see the pictures for Emersyn's 5 month mark... where she used props for the first time because she's such a big girl... which kind of saddens me that my baby's so big already...

Until you get those pictures, here's a couple from this morning ::
This outfit is from Denise! :)January's snapfish album :: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3208158009/a=77264276_77264276/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Carrots... much better now...

Emersyn made it all day at daycare without spitting up any carrots... or anything else for that matter. It's one of the rare occassions where she's still wearing the outfit Chris put in this morning when I picked her up!

So, we're going to try a little experiement tonight --- mixing the carrots with cereal so it takes "the edge" off the carrot taste. Hopefully this works. Then tomorrow we'll mix a less cereal with the carrots, and the idea is that Emersyn will be ok with the taste. Cross you're fingers!

On the other hand... This is how Emersyn spends her afternoons when we get home from daycare! Notice that her little jacket (bodysuit) is rolled up under and around her ::Of course, there's more on snapfish :: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3208158009/a=77264276_77264276/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Carrots... ugh...

We've officially learned that, while she might like them and take them well, new foods have an after effect... Let's just say that formula and carrots, coming back up, might be one the most disgusting things I've even seen. We were pretty much up all night because the carrots didn't want to stay down. We've done a little research this morning, and it appears that once she has her first "real food", Emersyn will compare all other foods to that and it might a little tough keeping the new foods down the first time. Woo hoo.

Carrots!!

We're through the trial period with string/green beans... they were, obviously, a success. Now, we're onto the next "real food" - carrots!! On a side note, tonight at dinner at my parents' house, Emersyn sat at the table with everyone for dinner! I know it's a small thing, but it really does show what a big girl she's turning into! :)

The videos are coming (yeah, we're always really behind since they take a million years to load) but you can get the idea from the pictures!! Needless to say, Emersyn's a good eater and kind of liked the carrots ::As always, there's more on snapfish :: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3208158009/a=77264276_77264276/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Stupid Sears

On 9 January, we took Emersyn to Sears for her 5 month pictures. After last month's disaster, we were sooo happy that we had a girl we've seen working there before, and the pictures turned out amazing. I mean, let's just say that Chris was having a hard time picking out which couple to order! Well, because of the background being all marked up, they had to go to the lab to get fixed... since I was already paying for touch-ups, we also had them take the snotty glow from Emersyn's face in one of the pictures too. Well, they were supposed to be in on 22 Feb... which I have been waiting for since the pictures are awesome and the crazy mommy in me desparately needs to show them off to everyone I've ever met... Apparently, they've been sent to a different part of the lab and won't be ready until "early next week". It's my assumption that they magically transferred the pictures they took digitally to film, had to walk the film to the lab which (in my assumption) is in California, and the lab itself is about 37 million acres big so it really is a huge production and takes a major delay to get the pictures back to Maryland where we could pick them up. Needless to say, I'm quite bitter and am pretty close to throwing a hissy fit.

So, to appease you - because in my mind, you're all chomping at the bit to see more pictures because I obviously don't take enough of Emersyn - I have some. Now that Emersyn has finally jumped into the 3-6 month size (which is still a little big in most sizes, and ginormous in others), she can finally wear the outfits that were lovingly given to her at her shower!! :)

From Kristy::From Patrick's friend Dan::From Jenn::Lots of more pictures (are you really surprised there's more?!?!) on snapfish :: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3208158009/a=77264276_77264276/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Butt Ton of Videos!

Ok, quick update - Emersyn is doing a million times better! She still coughs every once in a while, but it's not nearly as much and hasn't been the gasping-for-breath-crying-mean-cough. We haven't heard anything about the house, even though the new FHA guy promised to tell the POA something Wednesday and we've been calling/emailing/texting our realtors for 3 days now. Chris has decided to blow up their phones today, so hopefully we at least know the new time frame today.

Now, the good stuff :: VIDEOS!! It kind of takes forever for even 30 second videos to upload, so you can imagine how long it takes a crazed Mommy like me to get all the ones I take up. That being said, these are all from 3 January, at my parents house.

Emersyn meeting Tickle Me Elmo... As you can see, she really likes Elmo.

Emersyn eating her cereal, and saying "aahh" and "mmm"!! No idea where she got that from, but she did it; she still does it every once in a while, but not like this!

As always, there's tons of pictures on our snapfish... :)

The Deal w/the FHA

Here's the deal with the new FHA at the bank... According to the Power of Atterny (sp?) at the bank, the original guy had 132 accounts or something like that, and only had a 3 man team; this new guy has a team of 5 and only about 50 accounts. Apparently, the bank wants to get this taken care of, but the first guy had too much on his plate and couldn't handle it. This new guy said that he'll have an update today - even if it's just that he looked at the offer and needs a couple more days to really go over it. So that's a good thing. We said that while there's progress, we'll ignore the "due date" (which was the 14th anyways) just like they are. We'll see what the updates from the bank are, but this could be really really REALLY good news!!! :)

Very First Food... Green Beans

Since Emersyn's been doing soooo good with cereal, we started her on "food" last night. The first food on the table (hehehe) is string/green beans. The video(s) are coming, but I think the pictures say enough... We'll be doing the green beans for about 7 more days before we move on to either carrots, prunes or peas.

*Snapfish album for January :: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3208158009/a=77264276_77264276/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Follow Up #2

We had Emersyn's 2nd follow up appointment today with Gwen Reece... The good news is that the wheezing is still all gone and Bird doesn't need to use the nebulizer any more. The bad news is that she can cough for up to two more weeks and there's not really anything we can do about it. I mean, we need to continue running the humidifier and doing her saline nose drops to help break up the "upper congestion" (which is apparently all she has left), but there isn't a single thing we can do to help lessen the uncomfortable-ness of the coughing... the all night coughing...

Still, Emersyn is her happy self, so we can't complain too much. It really is amazing how you don't realize that something's missing until you have that thing back again though. As happy and smiley and everything as Emersyn's been this whole time, it wasn't until the 2nd day on the nebulizer that I saw my little girl again... And oh how we missed her!! :)
*big girl sitting up almost all by herself**getting the new toys in the exersauser (the orange light kept making her do these faces)**trying to get Cuya's attention - she just loves her Cuya**talking to her puppies*