Going into Labor Day Weekend

1. Well folks, we did it. We sold my car! Peace out, car payment. I won't be missing you.

2. We took the leftover cash and purchased a used vehicle for a small-ish sum of money. It feels really good to own a car, even if it isn't in exactly pristine condition.

3. Emma is HILARIOUS. I wish I could somehow show off all of the funny faces, sounds, and actions she makes on a daily basis. She keeps me rolling.

4. She has the most ungraceful crawly-scoot in the world. She definitely uses her face to help maintain momentum.

5. Darren bought me a cast iron skillet last week. Pancakes have never tasted so delicious.

6. I cannot believe that Emma will be 7 months old next week. So much time has passed, yet it feels like we brought her home last week. And it feels like she has been with us for eternity. How can it feel so many different ways at one time?!

7. This baby bedding design website is a little bit addicting. It also gives me baby fever something fierce.

8. Darren and I have instituted a weekly date night ritual that we try really hard to be faithful to: ice cream at a local parlor that is reminiscent of those in the olden days.  Sometimes we find a babysitter, and sometimes we just bring Emma along. I officially have a testimony of spousal dating.

9. Have a good Labor Day weekend!

Responsible decision-making

We have some great big changes coming up for out little family and decisions that have to be made.

Neither of us are fans of decision-making.  It usually seems to boil down to a verbal slap fight of "YOU be the responsible one!", "No YOU be the responsible one!", "I don't want to make that decision, I just want you to!", "Well I don't want to!".  And so on and so forth.  We are very mature.

Luckily some decisions are more feared by one of us than the other, so full rights and privileges are granted to the less afraid, and the majority of further dealings are kept secret from the other.  This is probably a recipe for disaster in the long run, but it seems to work for now.  For instance, Darren never knows how much we pay in tithing (besides the educated guess because he obviously knows how much he makes at work...).  If I should be so silly as to speak the total in his presence he plugs his ears and yodels.

By the same token, I have no idea how the boy pays his truck note.  And I don't want to.

Amanda rid her nail polish supply of a host of "rejects" and sent the unwanteds to my home for love and attention.  I've always been great at picking up strays.  I am currently typing with the unappreciated (by my husband) glory of completely opaque white nail polish.  My collection of colors has skyrocketed from 5ish to 25ish. This pleases me greatly!

I painted Emma's little toenails for the first time Sunday morning.  I had thought I would wait for a time when she sucked on her toes less, but I was bored and extremely tired.  I figured she'd survive, and so far, she has. Wonder Baby was less than wonderful about her sleeping habits as we spent the weekend at Amanda's, and we spent the wee hours of Sunday morning in misery and joy.  Guess which of us was miserable.  You are correct. Anyway, to help pass the time between 5 and church, I decided to paint her toes.  Yes, it helped pass 5 minutes.

They are really cool though. They alternate red and yellow, to match the dress I packed for her to wear to church.  She looked super rad.

Mom has been telling us all along that Emma looks like she did as a baby.  She wasn't playin'!

I have been wondering all along where the shape of Emma's eyes comes from since it doesn't resemble Darren's or my eyes. Turns out they come from her Grandma.

Gorgeous.

Happily Married Women

My favorite quote from the other day when I was hanging out with Julie:

"Any happily married woman has a dang good sense of humor. And any woman knocking down doors to get married is an idiot."

She kind of has a point there, on both accounts. ;)

Moral of the story: Even the right man will make you crazy sometimes.  And don't botch the finding process.  

So much insight from someone who has never been married....I love it. And her. 

Snuggling on the couch

1.  I finally lowered the mattress in Emma's crib to it's lowest level.  Picture that in your mind along with my short legs and squatty torso.

Laying a sleeping baby down gracefully is an art that I am in the process of ATTEMPTING to master.  Epic fail tonight.  I let her cry for a bit, but she became just short of hysterical, so I rescued her and we laid down on the couch and nursed for......forever.  Daddy's been sleeping in a comfy bed for what feels like hours.

2.  She is comfortably sleeping in her cozy crib now.  Hooray!

3.  Our home-hunting has become discouraging, so I've decided to take a break for a few weeks.  The Lord will provide.  Hopefully He provides before our lease is over.  We'll be okay!

4.  Emma is becoming funnier every day.  I love to watch her watch the world.  She is such a little observer.  I hang her upside down between my knees sometimes, and she isn't even afraid.  She just turns her little head every which way, checking out how things look from an upside down perspective.

5.  I realized today that my very favorite reason for being a mom is slightly selfish: I love it because her love for me is so unconditional.  She wants me, needs me, knows me, and loves me.  I left her with Aunt Julie for a few minutes today so I could run a quick errand, and when I got back I snuck around the apartment before she noticed me so I could put things away.  As soon as she got a look at me she began spazzing with pure joy, kicking her legs and arms and smiling.  And making her hyperventilat-y happy gasps.  At that point I was caught, and fell in love all over again with her.

6.  Yesterday I was not in love with her.  Teething is horrible, and it makes for one verrrrrry unhappy, clingy, mopy and sad baby.  I feel for her, but I wish I could just push a button and the pain disappear for her.  She is such a joy when her mouth doesn't hurt.

7.  I made chicken broth tonight.  I feel so very domestic.  I also have veggies stored in the freezer rather than rotting in my fridge.  I feel so Molly Mormon.  Granted, nothing about it is organized, and I hardly every actually use veggies....which is why they rot in my fridge.  Not Molly Mormon material.

I love that pudgy hand.
This is from snuggling on the couch tonight. 

New Blog

I'm a little bit scared to present this baby to the world, but here I go.

I have created a new blog.  It is not a replacement for this one, but rather a place to vomit all of the thoughts and ideas and opinions that swirl around in my head all day with no place to go.  It is devoted to all things motherly and baby...ly.  I am/will be disgustingly honest in some places (so if you don't want to hear some of the yuckies of post partum recovery, feel free to steer clear).  I want it to be a helpful site for any who need it to be, but mostly it is, as I said, a place I can plaster my momly thoughts in an honest way and feel like "someone" is listening, even if it is just that creepy dude with no friends on the other side of the country.

Plus it will free up space in my mind and on this blog to not allllllllllllllllllllllways be talking about the ins and outs of raising Emma.

Please, come and visit :)

championmomma.blogspot.com

Where has my mind gone?

1.  I went to bed last night without showering.  That was a mistake.  The temperatures here during the day have been somewhere around 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and the lingering armpit stench is horrendous.  During our sleep-in snuggles/feeding/sleeping this morning Emma became pretty grumpy no matter where I laid her in the bed.  I finally supported her on a pillow in a position that she could eat and fall asleep and she shut right up.  I realized that of all the positions I tried, the quietest ones were furthest from my armpits.  So I did a smell test--BOY HOWDY! I stunk.  As soon as the runt was asleep I jumped up and ran for the shower.  Poor little thing had her head in my armpit all morning.  She should win a prize.

2. She should also win a prize for getting me into the shower before 8:30 on a day I have nowhere to be.

3. I tried to strap my bra on backwards...like a rocket pack.  I'm not sure what stole those brain cells, but I'm not super impressed with myself for that one.

4. A rent house that we wanted was rented to someone else last night.  We had planned to call them this morning and commit to it. I'm super sad about it.

5. I eat oatmeal for breakfast because I'm too poor to afford the super sugary cereal I would rather have.  I'm not 100% sure how I feel about that....the responsible side of me is okay with it and applauds me, but the irresponsible side throws a fit in my head every morning.

6. If you haven't watched this video, I recommend that you do.  My sis-in-law sent it to me and I was cracking up.

7. Emma has been fighting bedtime this week, and an experienced mother gave me some advice yesterday that I was going to try--until I remembered that there was a family gathering at my grandparents'.  I thought to myself, "No big deal, she hasn't gone to bed before 10 this whole week, so she won't care.  I'll try that new thing tomorrow night".  That. little. girl. became fussy around 7:45 and fell asleep (after 45 minutes of passing her around trying to distract her) in my arms at 8:30.  At her normal bedtime.  Naturally, she was disturbed by a carseat and a car ride when we left to return home.  She has it out for me!

Mr. Hottie has my heart

I just wanted to quickly  remind the universe that I made the correct choice when I chose to marry Darren.

Goodness knows the man has his flaws, but he is righteous and loves his wife (most of the time ;) ) and daughter.

Mr. Hottie has my heart.

That is all.

My Sidekick

Our little Emma Rosalie is 6 months old! I know, I can't believe it either.

A compilation of things that make her who she is and why we love her:

• her uber fluffy thighs
• the fat rolls over her kneecaps and knuckles
• her Jeter-y ears
• her giant, gummy, open-mouthed smile
• her gut
• her eyes whose colors change so drastically with every outfit she wears
• her short giggles (she has only belly-laughed a couple of times)...I melt
• her clingy-neediness (hey, I like to be needed.......most of the time)
• the look in her eyes when she is staring into mine
• her absolute adoration for eating--she loves milk and solids
• the way she "calls out" without crying from her bed
• her pooping face
• the delirious way she acts when she is tired
• her ability to roll over
• the way she smiles at Darren every time he accuses her of shafting him
• she way she flounders so desperately on the floor when she is trying to crawl
• the way she "jackrabbits" in our arms when she wants something we are holding out of reach
• her cuddliness
• the way she sprawls in bed when we fall asleep together--usually with one arm across my arm and her legs propped up on my thigh
• her curiosity.  she will throw herself from our arms to reach something she wants to touch or chew on.  she wants to investigate every little thing that catches her attention.  crawling will be the death of me.
• her sad cries.  the whininess makes me crazy, but at the same time it is such a unique and adorable sound that I know we are able to help resolve (or at least attempt to...she can be stubborn) 
• the way she talks to baby videos, including videos of herself
• the squeaky sounds, dinosaur growling, and choppy (not sure how else to describe it) sounds she makes when she is playing by herself or talking to us
• her overall incredibly pleasant disposition.  she is a REALLY happy baby
• her snobby expressions  when people talk to her
• her flirty behavior when people talk to her
• the way she is so easily startled--it's a little bit hilarious and sad all at once (I've made her cry a few times...)
• the way she sucks her thumb
• the way she sucks her thumb when she is tired and snuggling with me (it induces a whole different emotion for me, so I promise this isn't a duplicate bullet point ;) )
• the way she plays with and loves her stuffed dog that we got for her before she was even born.  she even had it clutched close while she was nursing in bed last night. love.
• the way she endures our never-ending kisses ;)
• her jealousy when she notices that Darren and I are cuddling and she is being left out (she might be a little possessive of her mother...)
• the way she sits on the floor at the entrance of the kitchen or bathroom when I am trying to cook or get my make-up done.  she just sits and smiles and talks and plays with whatever burp cloth I toss down to her.
• the way she ferociously attacks everything when her gums are hurting her.  if it fits even a little bit, she will gnaw on it.
• the way she refuses to hold on to binkies.  she loves to chew on them when her mouth is hurting, but only if I'm willing to hold it there.  otherwise the first distraction that makes her smile will send the little thing tumbling right out.  it is very cute and aggravating all at once.
• the way she watches people and things.  the discovery in her eyes is so beautiful.

I could, literally, go on forever.  That girl is just a wonder to me.

As far as sidekicks go, I'm glad mine is so adorable and willing to be my little best friend.

Written by my own mom:

Great description of the real Emma. You left out the way she teases Darren with her arrogant, "I'll call you if I need you" look....And, last night, she was cleaerly tattling on you to him when you were holding Rachel. She repeatedly looked to him for back-up, expecting him to make you listen and behave. Good luck, baby. I know it comes as a shock to you, but mom and dad are on the same team, believe it or not!

I drew eyebrows on her. Teeheehee.