Emma Emma!

1. Friday night Darren and I went to a football game at my old high school.  The fans are still crazy, but it was fun. We actually beat the team we were playing (which, if my brother is correct, we haven't done that since 1996. WHAT?)

2. We left as half-time was ending. Emma needed to go to bed, and we were very tired.

3. I have baby fever, and it needs to shut up.

4. I have a million crafting ideas that I want to attempt. Most of them cannot currently be attempted because I do not have one or more of the following: funds, space, know-how. Boo on all three accounts.

5. I spend a lot of time daydreaming about where we will live next, even though we don't know where we are going yet. I'm a daydreamer, and not being able to picture the location of my Christmas Tree properly is awful. Knowing we will be in a new place by Christmas is very exciting!

6. I have finally pinpointed the object of my passion for breastfeeding: knowledge and education. I don't particularly care whether or not a mother chooses to breastfeed, but by golly, moms on both sides ought to at least know the correct information! It drives me crazy when I hear people share incorrect information, whether it is about the actual process of lactation/breastfeeding or the law that protects breastfeeding mothers. For example, I've had more than one person tell me that babies only benefit from breastmilk within the first 4 weeks/3 months/6 months/1 year (I've heard several time frames), and that simply is not true. Breastmilk is never not beneficial (it always contains nutrients and antibodies) (Reference). I think that is my draw to lactation consulting. I want to educate about the facts. I find it all so fascinating, and I can't seem to stop talking about it.

7. I painted my nails yesterday. For the first time PROBABLY EVER I didn't mess it up while it was drying.

8. Emma's napping/nighttime sleep habits have become horrendous lately. I instituted a new bedtime routine today that will hopefully alleviate the problem. I'm sure I also need to develop a morning routine so that we don't laze it away in bed. It probably doesn't help that neither of us are morning people. I'm sure she just wants to stay up late because it's in her blood, just as it is in her mommy's blood, and her grandma's blood, and lots of her aunties' blood...

That's a lot of blood. And a lot of people not going to sleep on time.

9. Darren bought me some dynamite running shoes. I am in love. They are the same shoes as the ones I used to train and run all my races (too many miles were put on those shoes...). Once upon a time I bought new running shoes to replace the originals, but there was a big problem: I bought a different brand that my feet apparently hated. I have never run comfortably in those shoes. When Darren surprised me with the NEW shoes, I nearly fainted. I love how they feel! It doesn't hurt that they are a very excited explosion of color. Like a crayon box vomited on them or something.

10. My 17 month old niece Rachel calls Wonder Baby "Emma Emma!". It is so cute! She sounds like the seagulls from Finding Nemo, quite repetitive with her "Emma Emma!", and always aggressively pointing with her finger lest we mistake who she is referring to. My sister-in-law has told me that she calls other babies "Emma Emma" sometimes.  Yesterday we went to the play place at our mall, and a little girl there was quite enthralled with Emma...AKA "Baby Xavier".  We have now been on the receiving end of the all-babies-look-the-same syndrome.

11. I went to a surprise birthday dinner for the sweetest girl on earth last night. Aaaaaand I was the only mom who brought her baby. Yay for drawing attention to myself! I shouldn't complain, because she really was very good. She's just so dang curious, so I kept shuffling my stuff, and my neighbors' stuff, all around the table to keep it out of her reach (social boundaries destroyed...I never touch other people's plates or cups!). She wants to play with everything. I also got sloppy and accidentally left her snack bowl within reach...she dumped most of it on the floor. I felt like I was wrestling her the whole time (even though it was really my friend Amy who was wrestling her....she entertained her for a long time, for which I am very grateful!). Memo to me: next girls' night, Emma Emma stays home so that I can enjoy myself properly.