At today's checkup, Emma measured 13 lbs 6 oz and is 24.4 inches long! She also made us very proud by showing off for the doctor when he flipped her on her tummy to look at her back. Emma promptly picked up her head and looked around then rolled over. The doctor said that he didn't expect her to do either of those things until at least next month and that she should be working on finding her hands, bringing them to her midline and putting them in her mouth. She's been gnawing on her hands for a while now...I think it's kinda gross when she grabs for my finger with slobbery hands. Her cute, adorable smile makes up for it though!
Emma also had her second round of vaccinations today. So far she's faring a lot better than the first round. She cried a bit more when she got them, but she was also really hungry when we were at the appointment so we think that had something to do with it. When we got home, she was awake and I played with her for a while, making sure that she was kicking a lot so that her legs wouldn't get sore like they did last time. I think that helped a lot. She had a few long naps this afternoon and is a little clingy when she's awake, but luckily, no inconsolable crying this time!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Touching
Emma is getting more control over her hands and loves touching us. In fact, sometimes, when she's upset, she'll reach out and stroke our hand or arm for comfort. The other night, I laid down in bed with her and she reached out to touch my face. When she grabbed at my lips, I took her hand and kissed her palm. Then I put my finger to her lips and asked if she could give me kisses. She stuck out her tongue to "kiss" my finger! I told her that that was more like puppy dog kisses, but that I would take them!
I know that she has no idea how to kiss and that it was purely reflexive that she wanted to taste what was put to her lips...but it was still adorable and melted my heart!
Emma also enjoys, or at least is trying to figure out, Kurt's beard. She reaches out to stroke it frequently. So far she hasn't grabbed it yet, much to Kurt's relief!
I know that she has no idea how to kiss and that it was purely reflexive that she wanted to taste what was put to her lips...but it was still adorable and melted my heart!
Emma also enjoys, or at least is trying to figure out, Kurt's beard. She reaches out to stroke it frequently. So far she hasn't grabbed it yet, much to Kurt's relief!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Fun with Family
We've had a busy week! Kurt's Grandma and 2 Aunts came to visit. We had a great time introducing them to Emma and showing them around. They are so thoughtful and did tons for us around the house and with Emma which gave us a little bit of time to relax.
They arrived on Thursday and we had a pretty low key day. We just relaxed, snuggled with Emma, and had dinner at our little Italian restaurant for dinner.
On Friday, Kurt took everyone to Heidelberg for the day. They had fun touring the castle and having lunch.
On Saturday morning, we packed up 2 cars and headed to Luzern, Switzerland for the weekend. We were so proud of ourselves that we had 5 adults and a baby packed, dressed, and were on the road before 9am! Emma was great in the car. We had a couple stops along the way for feeding and diaper changes, but were doing great...until we were about 2km from the Swiss border and traffic basically came to a standstill. It took us 2 hours to go 2km! Needless to say, Kurt and I were VERY cranky. The traffic continued past the border and we ended up driving through Basel where we saw that the highway was down to 1 lane because of construction. By the time we reached our hotel, we had been on the road for 9.5 hours! That evening, Grandma and Aunt Kim and Aunt Lisa went off for dinner and exploring on their own and Kurt, Emma and I headed off by ourselves.
Emma was not looking forward to more time in her car seat which was completely understandable. We tried to see if she could ride in the stroller without her baby carrier, but she's still to tiny. We did end up making her more comfortable by taking the newborn headrest out of her carseat. She was MUCH happier! After taking some pictures in the old town, we had dinner at Taube. We were able to sit outside, relax with a glass of beer and wine, and dine on alpine macaroni and rosti. It was a great way to decompress after our long drive! On Sunday, the 6 of us went on a self-guided walking tour of Luzern. Afterward, Kurt and I relaxed by the water with coffee while our family went on a train tour of the city. We all met up again for lunch, did some souvenir shopping, and saw Luzern's lion monument before heading home. Luckily, the trip home only took 4.5 hours. (We were MUCH happier!)
On Monday, we had a slower paced day. We walked around Wiesbaden, saw some sights and did some shopping...hey that's what happens when 5 ladies go out together! =)
Tuesday, Kurt took everyone to Rudesheim for the day. They all enjoyed schnitzels and took a gondola ride up over the vineyards to the Niederwalddenkmal monument. In the evening, we went to Real to pick up some yummy treats for them to take home.
Wednesday, we went on a Rhine river cruise from Bacharach to St. Goar. Emma and I intended to tour the Rheinfells castle ruins with them, but didn't plan well enough. The grounds were too rough for me to push the stroller...even without her in it. I had her in the carrier, but it was still too rough for the stoller. In the States, there probably would have been someplace to put her stroller, not here though. Next time, I think I'll bring a bike lock so that I can lock the stroller to a bike rack or somewhere. *lessons learned* It was a beautiful day though, and we enjoyed just sitting and looking out over the river. After wandering through the castle, we went back down to St. Goar and had lunch at a bakery. We shopped for a bit then had dessert and coffee at another bakery before catching a boat back to Bacharach. That evening, we cooked dinner, packed, and played with Emma.
Grandma, Aunt Lisa, and Aunt Kim headed home on Thursday morning. It was great having you all here! Wish you could have stayed longer! We hope you enjoyed your trip! We know Emma enjoyed all the attention you gave her!
They arrived on Thursday and we had a pretty low key day. We just relaxed, snuggled with Emma, and had dinner at our little Italian restaurant for dinner.
On Friday, Kurt took everyone to Heidelberg for the day. They had fun touring the castle and having lunch.
On Saturday morning, we packed up 2 cars and headed to Luzern, Switzerland for the weekend. We were so proud of ourselves that we had 5 adults and a baby packed, dressed, and were on the road before 9am! Emma was great in the car. We had a couple stops along the way for feeding and diaper changes, but were doing great...until we were about 2km from the Swiss border and traffic basically came to a standstill. It took us 2 hours to go 2km! Needless to say, Kurt and I were VERY cranky. The traffic continued past the border and we ended up driving through Basel where we saw that the highway was down to 1 lane because of construction. By the time we reached our hotel, we had been on the road for 9.5 hours! That evening, Grandma and Aunt Kim and Aunt Lisa went off for dinner and exploring on their own and Kurt, Emma and I headed off by ourselves.
Emma was not looking forward to more time in her car seat which was completely understandable. We tried to see if she could ride in the stroller without her baby carrier, but she's still to tiny. We did end up making her more comfortable by taking the newborn headrest out of her carseat. She was MUCH happier! After taking some pictures in the old town, we had dinner at Taube. We were able to sit outside, relax with a glass of beer and wine, and dine on alpine macaroni and rosti. It was a great way to decompress after our long drive! On Sunday, the 6 of us went on a self-guided walking tour of Luzern. Afterward, Kurt and I relaxed by the water with coffee while our family went on a train tour of the city. We all met up again for lunch, did some souvenir shopping, and saw Luzern's lion monument before heading home. Luckily, the trip home only took 4.5 hours. (We were MUCH happier!)
On Monday, we had a slower paced day. We walked around Wiesbaden, saw some sights and did some shopping...hey that's what happens when 5 ladies go out together! =)
Tuesday, Kurt took everyone to Rudesheim for the day. They all enjoyed schnitzels and took a gondola ride up over the vineyards to the Niederwalddenkmal monument. In the evening, we went to Real to pick up some yummy treats for them to take home.
Wednesday, we went on a Rhine river cruise from Bacharach to St. Goar. Emma and I intended to tour the Rheinfells castle ruins with them, but didn't plan well enough. The grounds were too rough for me to push the stroller...even without her in it. I had her in the carrier, but it was still too rough for the stoller. In the States, there probably would have been someplace to put her stroller, not here though. Next time, I think I'll bring a bike lock so that I can lock the stroller to a bike rack or somewhere. *lessons learned* It was a beautiful day though, and we enjoyed just sitting and looking out over the river. After wandering through the castle, we went back down to St. Goar and had lunch at a bakery. We shopped for a bit then had dessert and coffee at another bakery before catching a boat back to Bacharach. That evening, we cooked dinner, packed, and played with Emma.
Grandma, Aunt Lisa, and Aunt Kim headed home on Thursday morning. It was great having you all here! Wish you could have stayed longer! We hope you enjoyed your trip! We know Emma enjoyed all the attention you gave her!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Emma's First Wine Fest
Earlier this summer, Emma went to her first German Fest. On Sunday, we took Emma to her first wine fest which was in Wiesbaden. Sunday was a gorgeous day, bright blue sky and sun. The only downfall was that it was pretty warm...the car said 91. Luckily, the fest wasn't too packed in mid-afternoon and we were able to find a table in the shade. We even were able to find another shaded table when the sun moved and started to bake us at the first! Unfortunately, it was a little too warm, and Emma was a little fussy. Poor girl! She did enjoy looking around at all the new surroundings though. She especially enjoyed the bright yellow table cloth and the red Coke cup! She also enjoyed attention from our friends' 8-year old daughter, Zoe.
We even managed two diaper changes on the narrow fest benches! The first wasn't a big deal...60 seconds tops! The second however was a bit longer since Emma had had an explosion in her diaper. We were definitely the entertainment for the locals for a few minutes while we got her poopy outfit and diaper off of her and a new clean diaper onto her. Although we had another outfit with us...we let her be naked baby for the rest of the afternoon since it was so warm. She was much happier that way! (Thanks for the extra hands Morgan and Liz!)
After we got home, we gave her a bath. She has so much fun in the tub! She really enjoys splashing and kicking! At one point she was kicking so much that her leg came up over the bath tub! Another time, she was kicking so much she fell over a little bit and really startled herself! It was so cute! The faces she was making were adorable! We'll post some pictures of recent baths soon.
We even managed two diaper changes on the narrow fest benches! The first wasn't a big deal...60 seconds tops! The second however was a bit longer since Emma had had an explosion in her diaper. We were definitely the entertainment for the locals for a few minutes while we got her poopy outfit and diaper off of her and a new clean diaper onto her. Although we had another outfit with us...we let her be naked baby for the rest of the afternoon since it was so warm. She was much happier that way! (Thanks for the extra hands Morgan and Liz!)
After we got home, we gave her a bath. She has so much fun in the tub! She really enjoys splashing and kicking! At one point she was kicking so much that her leg came up over the bath tub! Another time, she was kicking so much she fell over a little bit and really startled herself! It was so cute! The faces she was making were adorable! We'll post some pictures of recent baths soon.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Emma's big day!
Yesterday, Emma had a big day! She rolled from her tummy to her back...3 times! It was Kurt's turn to stay at home with her and he said that she was looking over her shoulder at a toy and all of a sudden she turned over. He put her back on her tummy and she was able to do it again! When I got home, Emma got to tell me her big accomplishment with smiles and coos. =) Today, I had her on her tummy all morning hoping she would be excited to show me, but she was happy just to look in front of her and then do face plants on the blanket when she got tired.
Last night, we gave her a bath and she had THE most fun yet in the water! As soon as she was in the tub, she started splashing with her hands and feet. It was SO cute! She played for a long time, even splashing us outside the tub.
She is talking more and more and making different sounds almost daily. It's fun to see her figuring out how to make sounds when she tries to imitate us.
Earlier this week, Emma and I went to her first playgroup which was held at the Mainz Volkspark this week. There were 4 toddlers who had fun playing in sand and then running through a fountain area and 2 other infants. The 3 infants were born within 2 weeks of each other! Emma enjoyed watching the kids play and looking at the trees.
Today was a work picnic. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed being outside and catching up with friends. Emma was a trooper! She was awake from about 1100 until 4 which is a really long stretch for her. She had a little cat nap at one point, but we were passing her around so much that she kept waking up...we're such mean parents! Even without a nap though, she was in good spirits and studied everything around her intently. We're so lucky to have such a happy spirited baby.
Last night, we gave her a bath and she had THE most fun yet in the water! As soon as she was in the tub, she started splashing with her hands and feet. It was SO cute! She played for a long time, even splashing us outside the tub.
She is talking more and more and making different sounds almost daily. It's fun to see her figuring out how to make sounds when she tries to imitate us.
Earlier this week, Emma and I went to her first playgroup which was held at the Mainz Volkspark this week. There were 4 toddlers who had fun playing in sand and then running through a fountain area and 2 other infants. The 3 infants were born within 2 weeks of each other! Emma enjoyed watching the kids play and looking at the trees.
Today was a work picnic. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed being outside and catching up with friends. Emma was a trooper! She was awake from about 1100 until 4 which is a really long stretch for her. She had a little cat nap at one point, but we were passing her around so much that she kept waking up...we're such mean parents! Even without a nap though, she was in good spirits and studied everything around her intently. We're so lucky to have such a happy spirited baby.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Sleeping
Emma had three nights of sleeping through the night. Friday, the day she got her vaccinations, she slept almost 7 hours through the night. Saturday she slept from about 1030 to about 6. And Sunday she slept about 7 hours. Even before this she was a pretty good sleeper. Most nights, I would only have to get up with her once for a feeding and she always went right back to sleep afterward. Friday night, when she slept all night, I chalked it up to her vaccinations making her more tired. Saturday, I figured she was still a little out of sorts. But then when she didn't wake up Sunday night, I thought maybe she was ready to give up her night feedings (although 440am can be considered middle of the night! but her last meal was at about 830). She changed my mind though on Monday night when she woke up at 130, 430, and then again at 615. Maybe she just missed her Mommy all day and needed some extra snuggle time :)
It might sound crazy, but I'm not sure I'm ready to give up her night feedings anyway. I really don't mind getting up once for 20 minutes since it gives me more time with my little girl...especially now that I'm not going to be seeing her all day every day.
It might sound crazy, but I'm not sure I'm ready to give up her night feedings anyway. I really don't mind getting up once for 20 minutes since it gives me more time with my little girl...especially now that I'm not going to be seeing her all day every day.
First day back to work
Yesterday was my first day back to work. The morning went probably the smoothest it will ever go, and I'm not holding my breath that it will be that easy ever again. Emma slept from about 930 to 440, so I got a full night's uninterrupted sleep. I fed her, changed her diaper, and she fell asleep as I fed her some more. Afterward, I had breakfast, showered, and gathered all my gear and was out the door at 620 and into work by 700!
I checked in with Daddy and Emma around lunch time, and Kurt gave me the full run down of the morning: eating, getting dressed for the day, changing, playing and sleeping. They were having a blast!
After weeding through my work email (1600+ emails down to 250 by the time I left) all day, I headed out the door at 330 and was home before 430 to give my little girl bunches of snuggles and cuddles! Emma was so excited to see me that she spit up on me almost as soon as I picked her up :)
Kurt is working today, so I get to spend the whole day with Emma before I go to work tomorrow.
I checked in with Daddy and Emma around lunch time, and Kurt gave me the full run down of the morning: eating, getting dressed for the day, changing, playing and sleeping. They were having a blast!
After weeding through my work email (1600+ emails down to 250 by the time I left) all day, I headed out the door at 330 and was home before 430 to give my little girl bunches of snuggles and cuddles! Emma was so excited to see me that she spit up on me almost as soon as I picked her up :)
Kurt is working today, so I get to spend the whole day with Emma before I go to work tomorrow.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Vaccination Day (continued)
Emma was definitely a trooper at the doctor's...but by mid-afternoon the poor little thing was NOT happy. She had a few bouts of inconsolable crying until she wore herself out and feel asleep. It was the hardest and longest she's ever cried. I think that her legs where she received the shots were sore and didn't even like me holding her since it probably put pressure on them. As a result, we spent most of the afternoon snuggling in bed. Luckily, by late evening, she was starting to feel better and even gave me a few, albeit weak, smiles. She finally went to sleep for the night around 11 and slept until about 530. When I went into feed her she gave me the biggest smiles and she seems to be pretty much back to her normal happy little girl self ready to start the day with playtime. =)
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