well!

Sorry for the absence! Things have been crazy! So I decided to give the blogging a break. I will start off with WE MOVED!!! This is only our 4th night here, but it's so exciting! and I love it! We ended up not getting the apartment we originally thought we would (the garage one) but instead we got something better! We were having to find a place quickly (my mom has her house up for sale) and so we were looking around ringgold, and drove by a complex and I just called, and he said he would have a 2 bedroom duplex opening the next week! So hunter called him back and we went to look at it and got all the paper work together and we got it! It's actually cheaper than the garage one, but we also have electricity. But it's huge! Well for us. I'm really not sure the square footage, but emerson has her own bedroom, It's small but perfect for her! She refuses to sleep in it though! haha. I will be posting pics once we get all the boxes out of the living room and the christmas tree fully decorated!

And school, has been horrible! My teacher has not been there a full week in 8 weeks. Yeah. And then after missing 2 weeks of class, she came in to tell us, she's leaving, and they may drop our major. Yepp. I have <25 hours to complete, I should've been done next summer, but now we don't have a teacher. I still don't really know what is going to happen, but luckily next semester I only had two of her classes and the school is by law required to A. Find a new teacher/sub to finish those in the program out. or B. pay for us to change majors and give us reimbursment for our wasted time. From what I know, they will have a sub for us next semester, but its unclear what will happen from there. I was super upset for a few weeks and really just wanted to drop out. I'm still not really sure what's going to happen and am just going day by day.

Also with school! I got a call today, saying that I didn't get into that program WIA (which will pay for childcare, books, and gas!) But that they wanted me to be in another program for 19-21 year olds which will pay for everything just the same! I go in tuesday on my break at school to talk with the director! I'm so excited! I'm glad emerson will get to go to daycare which will take SOOO much stress of us! The lady also told me the ONLY reason we didn't get the program was because I wasn't 19 on the first day of school. LIVID! The first day was on the 21st, I turned 19 on the 23rd! Does 2 days really make a difference?!?! ughh. Oh well.

Emerson is now walking! It's insane! And she's into everything! She now eats table food! as in lots of fruits and veggies and eggs! I love making cute lunches for her! It's crazy how grown up she is now, she really isn't a baby anymore!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

this is emerson's friend harper from church, we had no clue until last week what she was being!

emerson's first sucker!

harper, emerson, and olivia!

this is emerson's boyfriend and his momma! Jennifer and Cooper!

my dad, Pops!

We started of our night going to see my Dad, when while we were there emerson ripped the pupil off her costume, so we had to go back home to get a needle and thread so I sewed it on our way to trunk or treat! We went to our churches trunk or treat it was fun, except it was super cold, emerson was scared of most everyone in costumes, so we stayed inside the church just hanging with people most of the time. We then stopped by hunter's boss's house, then went to hunter's work, then went to bilo! haha, we wore emerson out! She came home and slept from about 9:15-5am! I know that's super early, but that's the longest she's slept in 6 months!

weekends.

Well friday morning, I tried to get on blogger and it kept on saying that there was a service error. same thing saturday. and sunday. and this morning. So finally I got fed up and started trying different things, and so I figured out I can get on blogger on internet explorer but not on firefox. I ALWAYS use firefox. So yeah, that's why i've been so absent! But I started work yesterday! I LOVE it! It's super easy, I just REALLYYYYY miss emerson. I feel like I'm missing everything! But I also worked today. But don't have to work again until friday!I'm a cashier though! Yesterday, when I got home from work, I was in the floor playing with emerson and she took her first step! Well, it was her standing in front of me and she took a step and then fell on top of me! haha. She did that 3 times yesterday! And then once today when my mom was watching her while I was at work! Then today, I was getting Emerson out of the car and she was making funny faces and opening her mouth really wide, and she has a tooth! I had no clue! It's the top right tooth! it's barely poked out but it's out! Then I was buckling her in her car seat and noticed that the bottom right is barely poked thru! Less than the top! So within the past week she's took her first steps and cut her first 2 teeth! It's crazy how much she's grown up! We're hoping to be moving to the apartment by Dec. 1st! That's a month away! It's small, but perfect for us! The only bad part is that the bedroom is a very akward shaped room, so we're really not sure how we're gonna fit the crib and our bed, but we'll make it work! The appliances are all new, and the living room is pretty big! the closet is huge! But the bathroom doesn't have a door, just like a curtain, which i'm dreading. Because I really don't want to be in bed, and then hunter start stinking up the room ( TMI) haha. But i'm so excited! My schedule for next semester, we've been registering this past week, has been hectic! It's looking like i'm going to have to go Mon-Thur, which sucks, because I hate wasting gas, and finding a baby sitter will deffinately be harder if we don't get into the program (which we still don't know about). So we're just hoping everything is going to work out!

pumpkin patch!

So monday we drove down to Ellijay and went to burts farm a little farm/pumpkin patch! It was so much fun and emerson loved it, we are definitely going to make it a tradition to go every year!

We let her pick out a pumpkin, but these were the only ones small enough for her tiny hands to hold!

She tried to eat the mulch!

She was much more interested in the mulch than the pumpkins!

On the hay ride! These were fake talking pumpkins and she loved them!

On the hay ride, she chewed on the hay the entire time!

And, I realize there are no pictures of me, I promise I was there! But I did most of the picture taking and when I got hunter to take some of me, they were all horrible! It makes me sad. But I'm trying to teach hunter to take better pictures! lol It was a lot of fun though! I'm so excited for her first halloween!

homecoming and a csection!

Well tonight was homecoming, i'll put pictures of another day! My sister didn't win but she still looked beautiful! We opted out of riding in her car because emerson had a runny nose and the wind was pretty bad!
But my aunt is 37 weeks pregnant! and she walked out of the stadium tonight and her water broke! Yepp! It was a shock! So since she had a csection with her 3 year old she will be having one anytime now. I really hate she didn't listen to me or even do any research herself about VBAC's . I know what she's about to go thru and the pain. and ugh, c sections really make me sick to my stomach. :/ But i am excited to meet my new cousin (its a boy) and i'm glad emerson is getting a little play mate!

9 month check up!

weight: 19 lbs 6 oz

height: 28 1/4 inches

diaper size: 3

clothes size: mostly 12 months, still a few 9 months, and even a few 18 months!

eating habits: we're getting there, we've been dealing with some food sensitivities, constipation, and switching formula. But for the most part she'll eat  like this:
7 am - 2 jars of fruit, a bowl of oat meal.
10 am - 4 oz bottle
12:30 pm - 2 jars of veggies, and some puffs or gerber cookies, and 3 oz of prune juice
3pm- 4 oz bottle
6pm - 1 jar of veggies, 1 jar of fruit, and bits and pieces of what ever vegetable we're having for dinner, she loves eating REAL green beans and peas! She also enjoys asparagus!

sleeping habits: well, i'll explain more later, but the past month she slept an average of 3 hours a night, it's been a rough month, but we finally figured out why!

movement: she's standing up on her own! and she'll walk if she's pushing something! she likes to push the foot stool around the living room!

favorite toys: her leap frog music table, the vtech crawl ball, and my aunt bought her this new little doll this month it's eyes close when you lay it down and emerson thinks it's hilarious! it's also got a paci attached to it and emerson just chews on it!

teeth count:0! but you can feel 2 on the very button but they're still under the gums.



Doctors appointment: Actually it went pretty well! She completely understood why we chose not to give emerson a flu shot, and just told us that if we ever wanted to get her one just bring her in. Emerson's belly button has been sticking out really far since she had a bad reaction to sweet potatoes and her stomach swelled, so I asked the doc about it and she said that emerson had an umbilical hernia. She said that it usually will go away between 2-3 years but if it hasn't gone away by 3 years they will have to surgically remove it. So we're just hoping that it will go away on its own, and from what i've read online most of them do! Also, emerson has had bad constipation issues where she will cry and scream only a tiny turd (tmi) will come out, so she gave us a prescription and it's helping so far, and she will be on this medicine for 3 months and we will try to take her off of it to see if her bowels have matured any. She also said she thinks emerson is dehydrated and that could be a part of it, so we're having to give emerson prune juice. I've never been a fan of juice for babies so I really didn't want to give her any, but i want emerson to get better, and if she needs help then we will get it for her. And to the sleeping! While the doctor checked emerson's ears and nose, she realized she has a double ear infection. Emerson had an ear infection last month had 10 days of antibiotics, and they didn't work. So for the past month it's just gotten worse and worse and we had no clue. But that is definitely why she hasn't slept at ALL! But they gave her a different kind of antibiotics and she goes back in 2 weeks just to check to make sure it went away. Oh and one question for you girls, what sippy cups do you suggest? We've tried NUK, NUBY, and GERBER. She will only drink a little bit. I refuse to put juice in her bottle so what sippy would yall suggest trying?

I wanted to wait, but!

I've got a job interview thursday! :) At toys r us!  It's just seasonal, but it'll give us some cash until I find a real job! It would be 5:30pm - close on weekdays (right now close is 9, but eventually will get later because of the holidays). Which is awesome because my mom usually gets off at 4:30 and my dad at 4, so they would be able to keep her on the days hunter also works nights. So needless to say I'm excited! But I was going to wait to share this all tonight, because we're going to look at the apartment at 6:30! If we like it, we will probably sign the lease! So I'll keep you updated! I'm just so excited! Also, we've been scheduling our schedules for spring this week at school, it's been super stressful, but i've almost got mine all worked out and it looks like i'll be going tues, weds, and thurs again in the spring! It also looks like we may be getting the program that will pay for emerson's daycare, but i'm not going to get my hopes up.

Our busy Monday!

We actually have a busy day tommarow! And i'm actually excited! I hardly ever have plans because of school!

But at 8 am the schedule drops so we can sign up for classes for next semester! I've already got most of what I want picked out, I just have to get on the internet at 8 am to add them!

Then right after that, pretty much as soon as possible, we have to go to the health department to get new WIC. And since the line is always outrageous, I like to get their as early as I can.

Then if we get out of their early enough, It's drop off day at the duck duck goose consignment sale in east ridge. So I'm putting about 50 items in the sale, mostly all of emerson's 0-9 month clothes (the nicer ones), because they've just been sitting in boxes. I've tried putting them on the online yard sales and craigslist and such, but everyone says they want to meet and end up bailing, it really just isn't worth the hassle. So I decided to try out the consignment sales!

Then at 12:50, Emerson has her 9 month check up! I'm kinda nervous for it, because I know the doctor(well, nurse practitioner) is going to push me to let Emerson have a flu shot. Which me and hunter both agree, we really do not see a point in them. So i'm just nervous the doc will jump down my throat and such. But i'm so excited to see what she weighs and how tall she is!

If we don't get out of WIC soon enough, we'll go drop of the clothes at the consignment sale afterward! So it's a pretty busy day! but i'm so excited!

Christmas Time!

And my shopping is (almost) done! Emerson's Mimi took her to the apple orchards in Ellijay today, so me and hunter went and finished most of emerson's christmas! Here's what she's getting!

this push and go panda! I got it on clearance for $4!

This is her BIG item! It was a splurge but we had some gift cards we put to it!

laugh and learn puppy I got on sale a few months back

Disney Princess Ride On, we got at a yard sale and it's the previous version, but from the look of this picture hers actually has more buttons and such!

Those were all the pictures I could find online, since a lot of her stuff was from consignment sales and stuff. But she's also getting

Peek A Blocks, there's 26 of them, and it's the alphabet and inside each on is an object that starts with the letter (A = apple, H= Horse).

Some books.

A little flip over puzzle.

A few outfits from carters I got on clearance for like $4 a piece!

She's also got a little baby doll

And this little elephant, which is basically a ball but it sings and vibrates.

Some baby crayons for her stocking!

That's all we've gotten so far, but all we're planning to get is some stocking stuffers.
I plan to get her  some more pacis, and some forks, and plates, and more sippy cups. All of this stuff sometimes goes buy 1 get 1 free and babies r us, so i'm basically just waiting for a good sale!

It feels good to have it all finished and ready! Now I'm just waiting for thanksgiving so we can put up our tree and I can wrap presents!!!

Where we are.

It's been a long time since I 'really' updated. Well here's how life is going...BUSY. The semester is about 1/2 way over and I'm making all A's(barely)! Well, me and hunter are back together. It's a longgggg story and I really want to leave it off the blog. But the jest of it, is that he really just doesn't know how to put his priorities on top of that, add to that 16 credit hours of school, and 35 hrs of work a week. So we are going to counseling, and things are slowly getting better. We've found an apartment, and will be looking at it some time next week. So hopefully we will be moved in by November! Which, I know it sounds a little drastic, because of everything that has happened lately, but we had to. My mom can't afford the house, so she's going to have to move into an apartment, and 5 people in a 2-3 bedroom apartment will just not work. So we got a really good deal with a garage apartment from a lady my mom works with it's $400 a month, which already includes utilities! So we are definitely taking the offer up, because right now we just can't afford a 'normal' apartment. We're definitely excited, but this means I will have to work at least 3 days a week, so I'm in the search of a job. Luckily, I had enough pell grant to last us about 6 months, in the case I don't find a job. But i've been putting in applications! So we're hoping! Emerson is doing great and almost walking! She has her 9 month check up Monday, so I will post on it then! :D

HOMECOMING.

Well my sister is on the homecoming court at ringgold this year! So they always do a parade, and normally the girls have some one to ride in the passenger seat of their convertiible. Well, my sister wants Emerson to ride with her. I'm not sure how I feel about it. We would have 3 options.

1. I would have to ride and hold her the whole time.

2. She would have to be rear facing in a car seat.

3. She would have to forward face in a car seat.

But, There is NO way a rear facing cars seat will fit in the seat of a convertible. Emerson isn't big enough to sit forward facing, and no one would be there if she needed help.

So our only choice would be her riding in my lap. Or not ride at all. I'm leaning to not riding at all, but my sister really wants us to. But here's the thing we'll be going 5 mph. But i'm still very uneasy about it. What would you do? Have you allowed your kids to be in a parade?

First Impressions: Saftey 1st Guide 65 Convertible

It came! We ended up getting the Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat for our 'spare'! Well mainly for hunter's car! So I figured I'd do a little review from my first thoughts on in! And in a few weeks after it's been used in the car I'll do another review!

We ended up buying it online at Walmart.com! From what I've found they sale it on Amazon for $107, Babies R Us for $98 and Walmart for $78. Though, the one at walmart is only the 'Sport' Version.

From what I can tell the only difference int he original and sport version is that the original comes with an infant body support, the sport one doesn't.

It's not sold in stores at babies r us, so you can't go there to see it 'in person' but it is sold at some walmarts. We have about 5 walmarts around here and within the past few weeks I've only seen one that carries it, the Laffeyette one by the way. Which is right by my school, so one day on my lunch break I went to check them out. They had them in two colors, black and grey, and black and hot pink.In my opinion the pink was extremely overwhelming and bright. And since this was for hunter's car we went with the black and grey. I ordered it online, free shipping.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Safety-1st-Guide-65-Sport-Convertible-Car-Seat-Athens/19514414

^ there's the link to it!

Well my first impressions: (remember it hasn't been installed yet, so this is just my opinions on looking at it inside the house)

I loved how compact it was! It will definitely fit in small cars!

The head support moves up and down, even past the shell height!

To give you a reference Emerson, is 8 1/2 months, 27 inches and about 19 lbs!

The crotch buckle has 3 slots, for rear facing you have to use it on either 1 or 2, (closest to the baby). But it doesn't matter for forward facing. Emerson's fits best on slot 2. But none of our other car seats have this feature so I was definitely surprised!

One con I did see was that this car seat is that is supposed to be usable from 5-65 lbs. But there is no way a newborn would be tall enough for the straps to be at or below the shoulders for rear facing. The straps would definitely be above the shoulders for a newborn, so i would not recommend this seat for baby's first seat. There are 5 strap heights and emerson is on the very lowest.

Because we have older cars, neither one of our cars have latch capabilities. So in order to use the seat with a seat-belt you have to store the latches in different places. This would be very confusing and probably get very misused with careless parents who don't read the manuals. But in storing this I learned that it will be very hard to install this seat rear facing with a seat belt, the spot where you would insert the seat belt is very small and if you had a big arm it would be very difficult to install. Because of this, I would not recommend this seat if you will need to move it around from car to car a lot.

Another thing I noticed, was the latch system. We use the latch system when Emerson's car seats are in my moms 2009 Accord. But i did notice that this car seats latch system is a lot easier to use than the Graco My Ride 65's. That being said, they are definitely harder to use than the Chicco Keyfit's Base's latch system, which I have to give it to Chicco they have the worlds easiest latch system!

Also, on this car seat, the cover is definitely well padded! And I think the bottom/leg part of the seat is actually more padded than our Graco MyRide 65.

And there isn't a level ball on this seat, this is the first seat we've owned without one, so i feel like it will be a lot harder to tell if it is truly level. 

Another con is that this seat has a height limit to rear facing, while our Graco MyRide 65. This seat will only rear face until 40". While the MyRide will until the head is 1 inch below the shell.

The chest clip seems flimsy to me, and is definitely thinner(cheaper) than the Graco and Chicco chest clips. This seat also didn't come with Shoulder Pads/covers which honestly I think it makes it easier to ensure the harness is tight enough!

Sorry it's sideways! But she loves it!

All in all I think i'm going to love this seat! Though I would not recommend it for a newborn, it will definitely be the seat I suggest to people after their babies out grow the infant bucket style seat!

Worst mom of the year goes to!!!

ME. Today. It was bad. So today me and my mom and sister and of course emerson too, drove out to a craft store to get some things for my sister because she's on the homecoming court. So we get there, and emerson had just fallen asleep. I didn't really wanna go in, so I decided I would just stay in the car with emerson. So I was in the back seat with her and the car was on(with the air on). Soon as my mom and sister walked into the store the car alarm started going off. It took me awhile to realize that it was our car. So i figured maybe my sister was just trying to be silly and set it off from inside, then i realized she couldn't because the keys were still in the ignition. So then i thought, well maybe it's because the doors aren't locked, so I locked all the doors. It was still going off. So then I thought, maybe a button got pressed in the front seat, so I decided I would get up in the front seat. Well, I got out of the back seat, closed the door. And tried to open the front door. It was locked. All 4 doors were locked. Emerson was still sound asleep in her car seat and thank the lord that the car and air conditioner was on! So i called my mom and they came out of the store. We were debating what to do. Call the cops- mom told me I could be arrested for child endangerment. So I called hunter at work - he got off in like 10 mins, so he was gonna get the spare key and bring it to us. REMEMBER the air conditioner was on! If it wasn't i would've probably just thrown a rock in the window. But as I was on the phone with hunter, a man came up and asked us if we locked the keys in our car. He was a lock smith, and had a mini kit in his personal car. Luckily he got it open in like 2 minutes! and he didn't charge us! I'm just so thankful there are still good people in this world! And i'm so so so thankful we didn't turn off the car! But it made me feel like a horrible mom. But at least she is safe now!

Carseat Shopping.

Well we're in the market again! Emerson's got like an inch until she grows out of her infant car seat that we keep in hunter's car, so we need to get one for his car. We know we don't want get another huge one like the one in my car (Graco MyRide 65) But at the bare minumum it has to rear face until 40 lbs. I've been doing some research, and I found 2, not so expensive ones.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12535626

This one ^ Evenflo Tribute 5. It lasts until 40 lbs, forward or rearfacing. and it's $59.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Safety-1st-Guide-65-Sport-Convertible-Car-Seat-Lydia/19514415

This one ^ came out this summer (after we got our Graco) The Safety 1st Guide 65. It's $78 at walmart and $99 at babies r us. (Obviously we'll be getting it at walmart. But it last 40 lbs rear facing and 65 forward (just like our graco)

We're really torn on whether we want to get one that will last until 65 or just 40, because by the time she gets 40 lbs, we will hopefully both be graduated and may not need two car seats. My biggest issue is how easy it is to tighten the straps. The chicco key fit we have that she is about to grow out of is sooooo easy to tighten and loosen the straps, therefor i trust that hunter does it correctly. Our Graco is a little harder to get it as tight as it should be. Do any of yall have any suggestions? Or any experience with either of these brands? I need advice!

What A Shock.

Well, Hunter told me when he came home from work that he was planning on moving out. And that he thought that we'd both be happier apart. I really have no clue what to think or do right now. But I'm still collecting my thoughts. It's gonna be a long night.

Halloween 2012!

So since it's September it deffinately means its fall! Well knida! So, we had no clue what we wanted Emerson to be for halloween. So we looked at Kmart the other night while we were there and noticed the costumers were like $25! Uhm, maybe i've just been oblivious but I didn't expect a costume that she will wear once to be $25. I wont even spend that much on an outfit that she would wear multiple times. So I looked around on pinterest figuring I could make something much cheaper.. and I can!!! :)

We've decided on this! I went to walmart to get the tule to make the tutu but they didn't have the royal blue, so I went to hancock fabrics. I got the tule, the elastic, and the felt for $12! So deffinately way cheaper than any costume at a store. I've still got to get a little bit of ribbon though. She's already got a white onsie I can use, and if it's cold, she has some tights!

 She's gonna be cookie moster!
Plus, I figure she can always play dress up with the tutu later on!

And here are some of the other costumes we debated on! I loved the owl, it would've been more time consuming than the cookie monster and with school and everything, we just don't have much time, plus with her not really walking yet, her cape would probably get destroyed. haha.

And a little throw back of Me and Emerson last Halloween! :)
I made this costume!

It's a horrible picture, and I can't figure out how to turn it, but we were skeletons! It's crazy how much things change in just a years time!

Why not? What kind of mom am I?

Well, we're all perfect moms, until we actually have kids. Because the way I'm raising Emerson is completely different than I ever imagined, so I'm sure some things may change along the way.

I believe in reinforcement. If it works for your child. Positive more than negative. When Emerson does something good, I praise her. If she eats her dinner, I tell her what a good eater she is being. Therefore she gets positive reinforcement. And as much debate I have done with myself, I do believe in negative reinforcement. Not harshly, because I have seen first hand the extent some 'moms' will take punishment too. But if Emerson is getting into something (Computer cords, drawers, shoes, wallets) that she isn't supposed to and that could hurt her, she will get some kind of negative reinforcement, now it's mostly a head shake no and saying no, but sometimes she will get a tap on the hand. I don't know if we'll end up spanking or not, but we will cross that bridge when we get there.

I believe in breastfeeding. When it works. I've come to the realization that sometimes, it just doesn't work out. I hope and pray that it works next time. But this time, I realize that it just wasn't meant to be.

I believe in co-sleeping. We have mostly been co-sleeping/rooming in/bed sharing. I believe the benefits out way the harms. But I believe in doing it safely. Keeping her with me, on my side, or only if I am in the bed, (Hunter is a deep sleeper). I believe it gives her comfort, because she is going thru a lot of seperation anxiety right now. And honestly, It's easier, we all get more sleep, because we don't have to get up, rock her back to sleep, and then get back and bed. It just works.

I believe in letting children explore. Not letting fear get in the way of their learning. I don't believe in keeping babies in a play pin/bounce/swing all day. 90% of the day Emerson is crawling, learning, exploring, and figuring out how things work. I don't believe they should be caged to their little area they need room to play and learn.

I believe in extended rear facing. Actually, I don't even want to call it extended because it should be the law to go to 40lbs, but obviously our government has other issues. I am a car seat natzi. I HATE seeing parents not buckle their children in correctly. Especially older parents, Because I am a young mom I get judged a lot, and I hate seeing older parents making mistakes that I know not too.

I believe in educating yourself as a parent. Especially birth. Having a really traumatic birth experience with Emerson. Even after, doing an extensive amount of research. I believe in evidence based maternal care, and not just doing something because everyone does. I do not believe in prenatal testing for genetic disorders, It wouldn't matter if my child had an extra chromosome, I would love them any way.

If you would have asked me 3 months ago if I believed in vaccinating, I would have said flat out yes. Now, not so much. I do believe in vaccinating, I do not believe in shocking and compromising a child's immune system. I do not believe in flu shots, especially live virus flu shots.

I believe, we should take advantage of modern medicine that have been found, but not to abuse it. We do not give advil if our baby is merely fussy. I give prunes rather than milk of magnesia. I'd rather natural remedies cure our bodies before chemicals do. That being said, if we are sick, we do go to the doctor if we need. I believe we often over use medicines and therefore our bodies eventually become immune to them.

I believe that as a parent we have are supposed to protect our children's bodies. It's not my body therefore it's not my choose. After having my body cut open with no evidence, no consent, and little reason, I will NEVER do that to Emerson or any future children. I will not pierce Emerson's ears, unless she asks. And even then, we will sit down, and talk and see if she truly wants it, or if she just feels pressured to do it. If we ever have a boy, he will not be circumcised. Hunter does not agree with me on this, so if we ever have a boy, we'll need some help, because my child will not be getting it done. I believe parents are brainwashed with little evidence to do this to their boys, and I will not stand for someone taking a piece of my son away from him.

That was long, but these are just some of my parenting beliefs.

Labor Day Shoping Trip.

Well, we were gonna go swim today at Hunter's sisters apartment, but it rained. Haha. So we were sitting around the house doing nothing, and I remembered there's a consignment sale going on in chattanooga, so we decided to go. We didn't know until we got there that they didn't take credit/debit cards and we only had $20 cash. But it was fun picking out stuff and then making what we really wanted fit our budget! This is the stuff we got at the consignment sale for Emerson:

-A Play outfit, that has red pants and a white and red shirt with hearts on it. (for this winter)
-A cotton long sleeve little dress for this fall!
-A pair of my first christmas pjs (they were $1!)
-A pair of brown casual shoes for the fall.
-A pair of black dress shoes for the winter.
-A cool little puzzle from "Santa" for this christmas, It's wooden, and on one side it's a farm, and you can move the animals around to where they are supposed to be. Then on the other side (you flip it over) and it's an ocean with boats and fishies to move around! It's super cool and was only $3

So total at the consignment sale we spent $16! But it was so fun to look at everything!

Then, I noticed on one of the Coupon blogs I follow, that this week at target they have the Gerber Puffs on sale. Emerson loves these! But I usually buy the walmart brand in that kind of stuff, but with the sale and with coupons these were cheaper per bottle than the walmart brand! So we went to target and got 4 bottles of puffs, some baby food, and they had the target brand yogurt bites on clearance for like $.40 a bag. So I got a few of those, just to let Emerson try. Also at target they had a lot of their summer clothes on clearance, so I looked for Emerson some for next summer. I got a pair of shorts for $1, a skirt for $1.50, and a dress for $2. I got 18 or 24 month so she'll definitely be able wear them next summer!

Today was a fun day and we got a bunch of good deals!
 
Oh and we've started Emerson's christmas list, here is what we want to get her from us/santa:

-Toddler Plates, Bowls, and Silverware.
-Wooden Puzzles
-Doll
-Big Bibs (the plastic kind, we have a few, but want to get her some more since she's a messy eater)
-Wooden Blocks
-Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Musical Puppy (I got this is March on clearance for $13 and I had a $5 off coupon, so it was only $8 and it's originally like $23ish!)
-Disney Princess Ride On (We got this at a yard sale for $5 and it was barely used)
-We also want to get her another 'BIG' item, but we're really not sure what, we'll probably just know when we see it!

What did y'all get your children for the first Christmas? We also have to keep in mine that her birthday is 3 weeks later, so she'll have an abundance of new toys around this time of year!

Vaccinations.

After Emerson's 6 month shots and a bad reaction to them. I've been doing a little bit of research. I really never gave it much thought before. But I really had no clue that they were shocking her immune system by giving her so many vaccinations at one time. So starting at 12 months (her next set of shots) I will be denying the cocktail and allowing her to get one vaccination every 2 months until she is caught up to the 'suggested' schedule. I feel like with all those live viruses going into her body at once, it's hard for her immune system to keep up with them all, therefor giving her some bad reactions. I do not want to deal with that again. Do y'all follow the routine vaccination schedule with your babies? Also, the doctor mentioned at her 6 month appointment that it's recommended that all babies 6 mo+ get the flu shot. So they would give Emerson hers at 9 months, in October. Well, I'm not sure what to think about it. Every time (3 times) I have gotten the flu shot, a few days later I would get a cold, or a flu, one time I actually got pneumonia. So I really don't know if I want Emerson getting it. I declined it last year, when I was pregnant, and didn't get sick once that winter. I'm really just not sure how I feel about the flu vaccine. Do/Did yall's babies/children get the flu shot? What are yall's opinions on it?

They just don't understand.

Today, we went to hunter's moms house just to visit. So before we left she kept insisting on looking at a car seat. I told her we were fine. But she knew we were planning to buy another one for hunter's car. Well she had one. So I tried to make up every excuse not to take it to not sound rude. We went to the garage and looked at it. I looked for the expiration date, 2014. Then I mentioned how the fabric of it was so sun faded that the plastic probably was faulty  too, I don't know if this is true, but i really didn't want to take it. Hunter completely understands why. His mom does care for her belongings very well, and a car seat should definitely be taken care of. I know for a fact that car seat has been left outside in the rain. So then she was like since it's kinda faded I'll make a cover for it, then I told her that car seat covers will void the warranty. And then she was like well yall can just take it as is. Not wanting to cause a fight, we took it. So now I'm left with this car seat I REFUSE to use just sitting in my garage. And we are still planning to another car seat for hunters car. Which I know his mom will say something, when she sees us not using her car seat and if she sees that we bought a new one.

First Week Of School!

Was not fun. haha Y'all know that Emerson had to go to the doctor tuesday and it turned out she has pink eye. :( And she's got a cold, and cough, and is still congested pretty bad. Wednesday went okay, I was only gone for an hour and a half, because my class got out early and she was asleep i most of that. Thursday, was my birthday, and it was a disaster. I went to class, then between classes I decided to come home to get lunch because I have like a 3 hour break. So I came home, and my sister, who was keeping her, was like I can't do this anymore, I'm stressed out. Emerson didn't take her morning nap. Wouldn't eat. And apparently whined and scream the majority of the time. When I was there, she was perfectly fine. Soon as I got to the school, I had a text from my sister saying she was screaming again. That was about 11:30. When I got home, Emerson was finally taking a nap! She apparently cried from 11:30-12:45 and finally fell asleep. She woke up about 2:15. We went and got groceries. Then went out with my dad for my birthday. We went to buffalo wild wings! It was so yummy! But after I was done, my stomach started hurting. I started like getting real cold, but also sweating, I was dizzy and felt like I had to pass out. Then my lower back starting hurting really bad. It has hurt since then so bad that I took a hydrocodone last night. My mom said she thinks its a kidney stone, but I have a drs appointment monday to see. (of course we couldn't get one for today). So basically, if it gets any worse we will probably be making a trip to the ER. :/ On top of that I have 3 tests to take by sunday! And a ton of homework. I'm just hoping my health and school will all get better.

rough day

It was my first day back to school today! It was, not to good. I missed Emerson so bad. My classes are definitely hard this semester. On top of this, Emerson woke up with a 102 fever, yellow-greenish runny nose, and yellow goop in her eye. So hunter took her to the doctor, it killed me not being with her. :( And she has pink eye. So we got some meds for it. But she's been super fussy, and has cried so much she has started to loose her 'voice'. This was just not a good way to start the school year.

7 months

Diet: She's eating about 4 jars of baby food a day, a bowl of cereal, 2 4 oz bottles, 1 7 oz bottle, and some teething biscuits and some of those little Gerber puff things. She eats pretty much anything, except sweet potatoes, we've tried them once a month but still get a bad reaction.

Weight: No clue! I would say a little over 17 lbs. 17lbs 10oz (when she went to the doctor on 8/21/12)

Height:No clue on that either, 26 inches?maybe

Favorite Toys:Anything that isn't a toy? haha. Cords, shoes, blankets, dogs, and hangers. But she does play with her leap frog music table a lot.

Active:Crawling! Pulling up, and getting into everything!

Words: Dada

Sleep Habits: Not good at all. We haven't been getting sleep around here. She'll go down about 9:30, after she has a 7 oz bottle at 9. Then she'll sleep till about 1am and just want her paci. Then she'll wake up anywhere between 3-5 and just want to be held. She screams to the point one of us just get up and lay with her on the couch, which she'll eventually fall asleep and we'll put her back in her bed (which sometimes wakes her up again) Then she'll sleep until 7:30. We don't know how to keep her from waking up. But we're exhausted. Any tips?

It was a lot harder to take these pictures now that she's crawling!

I'm not going to lie.

Some nights, after Emerson goes to bed and before Hunter gets home, all I do is get on pinterest a read random blogs. Most of them have to do with newborn, baby, and pregnancy stuff. I'm not going to lie, I get baby fever BAD. Disclaimer: I AM NOT pregnant. Nor will be for at the very least 3 years. VERY LEAST. But sometimes, I want another bad! I miss just holding Emerson, and her being so small, I hate how I've blinked and 7 months have gone by. But most of the cause of my baby fever, is plans! I want to have a home birth. I've already looked into midwives in my area, and call me crazy but i've actually talked to one. hah. I want to breast feed and cloth diaper. Honestly, I just want a lot of kids. I asked hunter a few weeks ago how many kids he wanted, he told me 1. WHAT?!? I definitely do not feel 'finished'. Honestly, I LOVE being pregnant. I love being able to have a belly, and show it off. I love the waddling. I love pregnancy and birth, and just reading about it. I love researching options and alternative ways to do things. I just love babies. One of my main reasons for actually working out and eating healthier, is so I can be fit enough to have a healthy pregnancy and give birth at home. If I had my way I'd have 4+. I want more than 2, but don't want to have a middle child, so 4 makes since to me. Hunter of course will always be worried that we wont be able to provide. The ladies at the gym yesterday told me that I wasn't allowed to have anymore children because Emerson is such a good baby that the next one will be a terror. I just can't but wander how many children I will end up having. But in the mean time, we're going to school, hopefully will get married, and buy a house, then we'll start popping them out. I just love the thought of Emerson having a sibling.


*I know this post probably makes zero since, but it's just my feverish ramblings that have been on my mind.

When life gets hard.

Being pregnant in High School, that was hard.
Working 40+ while pregnant, that was hard.
Working 40+ and going to school full time from, 5-8 months pregnant, that was hard.
17 hours of natural labor, that was hard.
 Pushing for 3 hours, that was hard.
Going under the knife and having a child taken out of me, that was hard.
Recovery, even harder.
Breastfeeding, the hardest thing i've ever done.
Quitting breastfeeding? That was even harder.
Now, life is about to be getting a whole lot harder.
Why? Me and Hunter are both going to school full time this fall! It's official everything is basically worked out schedule wise!
Going to school, and leaving Emerson, will with out a doubt be the hardest thing i've done in my life. Being with her pretty much every moment of the first 7 months of her life, and now having to be away from her is going to be tough. But I know it's needed and will deffinately get us ahead and have a much better future for emerson. So here is our hectic schedule for this semester-

Mondays- I don't have class, so I'll stay home with Emerson. Hunter has an 8:15 class, and his last class ends at 3. Then he'll go to work at 4.

Tuesdays- My first class starts at 8:15 and my last one ends at 2:30, Hunter only has one class that day that starts at 3 and ends at 5. So he's gonna keep her and then we're gonna meet half way, i'll take Emerson, and he'll go to class. Then he'll come home and we'll go to bible study at choices!

Wednesday- My only class is from 8:15 - 10:30, Hunter's first class starts at 9, so he's gonna drop Emerson off at my Nana's (She lives in East Ridge, half way between our house and Hunter's school) and soon as I get off I'll go pick Emerson up. Hunter's last class gets out at 3, so then he'll go to work at 4.

Thursdays - My first class starts at 8:15 and my last class ends at 3. Hunter's first one starts at 9, so he's gonna drop Emerson off at his sister's apartment (in East Brainered, it's totally out of the way but she's free) and then I will pick her up when I get out. Hunter's last class ends at 5 that day, so we will get that night together.

Fridays -  I don't have class, so I'll stay home with Emerson. Hunter has an 11am class, and his last class ends at 3. Then he'll go to work at 4.


So that's our schedule, it starts this next week! I am unbelievably nervous and excited. But most of all I'm glad. I'm thankful, that we are both in school, and everything worked out for us to be. It's gonna be hard, but we're gonna make it work. 

What do you do?

Before I became a mom, I gave no thought to seeing a baby in their car seat on the top of the shopping cart. Now, it makes me cringe. Or the people who use an obviously expired car seat with no concern. What do you say to these people? I said nothing. Tonight I went to Ingles (grocery store) to get groceries. When I was walking in, their was an older woman, a grandma, walking out, she had a baby in an infant car seat, sitting on top of where a child would sit. It's dangerous, and definitely warned by car seat manufactures. Then when I was in the check out line, there was a couple checking out ahead of me. They had the infant car seat sitting inside the cart, but the car seat was super old, and i'm not talking 5 years, I'm talking at least made in the late 90's early 2000's. They also had a head rest not made with the car seat in it, an after market product. What bugged me the most was that they were buying a lot of alcohol, yet their child was using an expired car seat. I'm not saying I'm against alcohol, but when you're not providing for your child, I just can't justify that. But did I say anything to either of these people? No. I didn't. Why? I really don't know. When you see a parent/grandparent obviously misusing a car seat do you call them out? If so, what would you have said?

wordless wednesday, posted on a tuesday.

Advice

As a mom, you get a TON of advice. Some wanted, some not so much. Those random ladies in the grocery store that ask you if your 5 week old sleeps thru the night, no, no she doesn't. They'll tell you to put rice in her bottle. Or those crazy ladies in the restaurant bathroom, when your changing your kids diaper when she's 2 months old and they start telling you to give her water, no, no she really doesn't need it. Or those 'older' moms who think your crazy for trying cloth diapers, and tell you disposable are better. Those family members who tell you their children were already drinking cows milk at 6 months, and it's cheaper than formula, NO THANK YOU. When you have a baby, you get a ton of bad advice, a whole lot of out dated advice, but you also get some good tips. The best advice I ever got was a lady who told me, "It doesn't get any easier, the challenges just change". At the time, I was mad, real mad. I hadn't slept for days, everyone was telling me it would get better, and your telling me it wont? WHAT?!? But she was right, it's not easier, the hardships are just different. Instead of feeding a baby every hour, I now clean up baby food off of ever nook and cranny (whatever a nook, and whatever a cranny is, I don't know.) we own. Instead waking up every 2 hours to a hungry, but still sleepy baby, I now spend an hour trying to get Emerson to sleep and not just play. Instead of lugging a sleeping baby in huge car seat around, I now plan everything around Emerson's naps. Instead of having to hold her all the time, I now chase after her every where, I still get NOTHING done. Motherhood, doesn't get easier, the challenges will be there, they will just be different.

Babble Babble Babble

Yep, Emerson said her first word the other day! Can you guess what it is?

Baba? No.
Mama? No.


It is DADA.

She said Daddy before mommy. I'm not gonna lie, it did/does upset me. Not because I'm mad at hunter or anything, he's a tottally present dad. It's just the fact that when your a Stay At Home Mom, your with the baby 24/7, you're the one up with them everynight, your the one who wakes up at 6 am, the one who does laundry instead of napping with the baby. And it does kinda hurt that I'm the sole caregiver of Emerson, and she said DADA first. I know I know, Dada is easier to say than Mama but it still makes me a little sad.


So now everytime were in the car, everytime she's playing, or just chilling, all she does is say DADADADADA DADA DADADADA. Over and Over again! It's fun though, and we're working on Mama ;]

For thos sentimental nights.

Emerson goes to bed at 9 and Hunter doesn't get home untill 10 at the earliest, but most nights it's more like 11pm. So that is my me time. Most of the time I wander around the internet, and tonight I found a poem that I love! I loved the line where it says we 'house their bodies but not their souls' It's just beautiful to think that my daughter will someday grow up to be a beautiful young lady, a wife, and a mother. But it's also wierd, kind of like when your pregnant you know the baby, but you don't know what they look like, or who they really are. But you love them. I just believe that no matter where my child ends up, what her thoughts are, what her sould is like, I will love her and always be there. It's thrilling to see what Emerson will turn into, a curious toddler? Or will she be shy? Will she be outspoken or play to herself? Will she want to play sports or be musicians like us? Will she enjoy being an only child for a while? Or will she ever have a sibling? Will she be like us when we were young? It's hard to say, but we will see. It's odd to imagine how she will change thru out the future, near and far. But I don't want to know anytime soon, I enjoy her now. Her big eyes, the deep belly laughs, and the way she's so happy to meet new people. I enjoy every moment, because they will not last.


Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. 
-Gibran

 

At my wits end.

With Acid Reflux.

After I quit breastfeeding, she was already on Similac Sensitive because she was sooo fussy and gassy and really just in pain. That deffinately helped with the pain. But right after I quit, without a fail, every single bottle would be perjectiled. No matter where it was. On me, In the flood, Carseat, on the table, on the dog. It happened everywhere. We use the Dr. Brown's bottles which are supposed to help with the gas and reflux, yeah, they don't, they're just a pain in the butt to clean.  When she was 11 weeks old, I took her in, they told me to add cereal to her bottle to help her stomach hold it down. That didn't help. So at 13 weeks I took her back, she then got Zantac, twice a day at morning and at night. Well it helped a little, no more perjectile, just spit up in little intervals ALL THE TIME. At her 4 month check up, I asked about it again, and they said with her starting solids it should help it. Did it? NO. Not at all. Infact, the past month, it has gotten worse. Not only is it just curled milk, it's now bits and pieces of peas and apples and who knows what else. I know it's gross. I've been wanting to just 'WAIT IT OUT' until yesterday, when emerson discovered that when ever she spits up, she now wants to play in it. I've caught her at least 10 times today, trying to crawl, and then she'll spit up on the floor and then percede to play in it, like she's finger painting. It's disgusting. I just figured she would've been grown out of the Acid Reflux by now, so it's looking like it's a lot more severe than I thought. She's got to go back to the doctor soon, to get a Zantac refill. But we're restless, she's stopped sleeping thru the night, and i'm being covered in puke daily. I just want her tummy to get better.

making a move.

well hopefully!
Since my parent's are getting divorced my mom doesn't wont to live in the same house, which I understand. Sooo! We've been talking and we're thinking about getting a bigger house with either

A. A mother in law apartment for me hunter and emerson

or

B. A big basement, with at least a bathroom and two rooms for us to have.

So we've been looking! And i'm super excited. We've agreed that we(me and hunter) would pay for electric and water. And mom the rent. But we can't do anything until the divorce is final so it could be awhile. But still I'm excited for the fact that we could have our own space. We decided to do this, because we couldn't afford an apartment if I didn't work. And I'm not able to work because emerson can't go to daycare this semester and i'm having trouble finding a sitter for the 2-3 days i'm at school. But I'm excited! If this does happen, we plan on staying there until hunter graduates 4-5 years, which mean Emerson would probably be in kindergarten, so we while we look for a new house we have to pay attention to school zoning. It makes me excited to just see how everything will turn out!

Locally.

Whether it's eating, shopping, or giving business. I'm all for supporting locally owned and stay at home parents businesses. That's why I love etsy and such. As you all have heard about the chick fil a stuff lately, and how many people went there today it got me thinking. Where does all the money they make really go? The people make $7.25 and hour so it's not like it's going to the employees. They do have good quality food but I'm sure they double what they spend, or at least today they did. It got me thinking about the locally owned restaurants around here, the family owned coffee shops, like caffeine addicts, and pizza places. Hunter works at Roselli's a family owned small pizza restaurant. Their employees make more than $7.25 starting off. Hunter, after a year makes $8.50. How can a family owned business afford to pay their employs more than a multi million dollar company? I don't know. But it does strike me odd. When I worked at Subway we weren't allowed to eat anything without paying for it. Yet, hunter is allowed to eat as much as he wants while he's on the clock. (he's gained 15 lbs this past year!) It makes me wonder do these company's, not just chick fil a, really care about their employees or do they just care about the money? Thinking about this today made me think, where do I want my money and my business to go? Do I want it to go to the hands of some rich CEO, who knows nothing about the work the people in his company does? Or do I want it to go into the hands of a parent or a family who are paying their bills, their children's music lessons, or their kids college? But most importantly, I want my money to go into the hands that worked for it. I don't want my $10 bill to be split 1/10 to the workers and 9/10 to the high end sit in a desk and do nothing guys. I want it to go to employees who served me, who worked to earn it. Another reason I want to spend locally, is the fact that most of the time, the owners of a restaurant are also there working, and working just as hard as the other employees. This is just something I thought on today, that maybe we should support our local business more than we do the million dollar companies we often go to.

I work out.

okay. okay. that was cheesy.
But as of now I do!
Mom signed me, her, and my sister up for this new place in Ringgold called 'The Journey'
It's just for women, so I'm not embarrassed. And they have all different classes at different times during the day. We did Buns and Abs tonight! I really think i'm going to like it. I'm not gonna post my weekly weight loss, because I don't know my weight, nor do I want to. I don't care about numbers, I care about being able to play with Emerson, being able to be healthy, and teaching my daughter healthy eating habits. Let's hope this works! Gotta get healthy! Here's the link to the place --> http://journeyfitnesscenter.com./

To Find Peace.

Because I'm still not at peace with Emerson's birth, I'm still mourning, and I still have flairs of PPD and even PTSD. Because I'm still not healed, I'm still going to write about it. I see moms, new, old, and expecting say things like it's not that bad, it will be okay, well I just don't see why you had a c section. And it hurts. It cuts deep, real deep. I see moms who birth these 5lb, 36 week babies and say it's no big deal. Their babies are fine, and they had the birth they planned. No they're not fine. I cannot stress enough, the maturity and development a baby born at 40 weeks has compared to a baby born at 38. People tell me all the time that Emerson is advanced, I say thank you, But in reality I want to say, NO. She's NORMAL. Born post-40 weeks is NORMAL. Have they never thought that maybe, the 40 week baby is not advanced, it's the 38 week baby that is slow. This may offend some people. But quite frankly I don't care. I'm tired of people telling me my child is advanced, but don't attribute or think enough that maybe, it's because she was born post-40 weeks. Not because I didn't feel like shit the last 2 months of pregnancy, not because I was perfectly in shape, and not because my doctor refused to induce me, It was because I knew it was vital to keep a child in as long as they want to be. I'm just so tired of see of people at 36 weeks complaining and wanting to be induced. Did you know the brain is 1/3 of the size at 35 weeks as it is at 40 weeks? Yepp, but those babies are fine. They breath and eat, so they are fine. But what about the long term effects, what about when that child start school? What about when that child tries to get into college? Are we too uncomfortable those last few weeks to disregard our children's future? I'm sorry, but there are too many benefits to keep a baby in for you to tell me your just to uncomfortable. That is my rant. I've come to realize my depression flairs up when someone close to me has a child. If they have a c section I pity them, I understand how bad the pain is, and helpless you really are. If they have a vaginal birth, I'm jealous, that's what I wanted, wish for, and mourn for. But if I had to do it all again, I would not change a thing. I kept her in for as long as I could, and I firmly believe that gave her the best start to life, to a great future. And I would not change her well being for anything. It just makes me mad when people do not realize the importance of keeping the babies in the oven. But we are products of our experiences, we only do what we know. When we know better, we do better.

when good comes so does bad.

Well we got home from our trip last night, and we had a blast! We didn't get there until about 10 our time so we pretty much went straight to bed once we go to my Aunt and Uncles. Then Friday, we went to my cousins condo and swam, Emerson loved it! She floated the whole time! 

Friday night, we had a cookout at my uncles and pretty much my whole family was there and it was fun just to catch up! Saturday we went to the zoo! Up there, there taxes pay to run the zoo, so it's completely free to the public! We only stayed like 3 hours because it was soo hot! Emerson really didn't know what was going on, but she was so good thruout the entire time! They had a snake exhibit which my 5 year old cousin loved! They were in glasses, and emerson loved looking in the glass, we think it's cause she can see her reflection but it was still fun! Sunday we went to my cousin's birthday party and then just hung out with family! We tried to get a picture of all the little ones, but Caden (13 mo) was pitching a huge fit, Emerson (6 mo) kept trying to pull Annie's (5 weeks) hair and Annie was screaming. So we didn't get a picture haha. Then we came home!
And today we got a letter in the mail, saying we did NOT get into the program, for Emerson to go to daycare while i'm at school. So right now we're very unsure of how this fall is going to go and how we're gonna make it work. Hunter has classes every single day, but he's trying to change it. But we're just not sure. So we're just trying to weigh our options of what is best for Emerson, ourselves, and our education.

not so wordless wednesday

Well, Emerson's feeling so much better! We went to the doctor because her fever was 102.2  and then they said it was just a reaction to her shots. But i do think most of y'all were right, i think I'm starting to feel her left bottom tooth so maybe it will pop soon!
Tommorow we leave for 'vacation'. We're going to St. Louis were my mom's family lives too visit them! Only a few of them came down when Emerson was born so it will be the first time she gets to meet them! Plus, two of my cousins have had babies in the past year that I haven't gotten to meet yet so i'm excited to see all the babies we've added to our family! It's an 8 hour drive so hopefully Emerson will enjoy it! :)

My View

at the moment, and pretty much all day, we've been in this chair. Why? my guesses.

Allergies.
Bad Reaction to Shots.
or She's Getting Sick.


But really I have no clue.

No fever, but she's had tylenol. Runny nose. Watery Eyes. Lots of drool. and being so fussy it's pitiful. So we're checking her temp every hour and doing lots of cuddling. Poor sick baby :(

6 month check up

Today Emerson had her 6 month well check/shots :( But it went real well!

Diet: Usually a 5 oz bottle, and about 2 jars of baby food a day! Mostly just fruits or vegies! But we have been giving her like pieces of little fruit, such as watermelon or cantaloupe!

Weight: 16 lbs 10 oz! hasn't quite doubled her birth weight yet. but she's in the 50th percentile!

Height: 26.5 inches,  75 percentile!

Favorite Toys: She loves balls! and keys! She also loves her johnny jumper! she likes swinging from it.

Active: She's sitting up and rolling everywhere! not quite crawling yet, but she tries pulling up on things!

Sleep Habits: Not good? hah. She still goes to bed around 9:30, but wakes up about 3-4 times because her paci fell out, and then sometimes we have to cuddle her back to sleep.

Over all her doctor's visit was great! Her doctor told me that I needed to start feeding her baby food while we eat, so she'll get into the routine of 3 meals a day! And she also asked me if she was rear facing (well, duh!) and then she proceeded to tell me that it's now recommended to keep them rearfacing for well over a year! Which surprised me because most doctors are just like well as long as they're 22 lbs. But it went great! It was the first time hunter got to go with us, because he didn't have to be at work until 4. After the appointment we went to Pie Slingers, a pizza place where hunter's friends work, so we got free lunch! and it was yummy! Then we came home, and Emerson has been asleep for about an hour! :)

Sorry for the Silence.

This has been a rough week. I've always struggled with pretty bad anxiety. But when I got pregnant, a lot of it went away. After I had Emerson, I showed no signs of postpartum depression. Until, I quit breastfeeding. I quit at 8 weeks, so 2 months. I then, mainly got depressed, because I felt like I had failed my daughter. I never told my doctor, because honestly I'm afraid to admit it. I'm not one to take a lot of medicines. So I didn't bring it up. After I began looking into why I had a c-section, I began stressing. Add the fact that I went back to school full time and my parents are in the middle of a divorce and I've been pretty stressed out. Well within the past week, my anxiety is back. I'm nervous to leave the house, then I get stressed that I'm staying here too long, then I randomly get nervous that hunter will leave. I'm just anxious all the time. I'm always on edge. I know what triggered it. I haven't had a period since may. So as of yesterday, I've missed two. I've switched birth control (which has made me gain a lot of weight). But I've taken two tests so I don't think I'm pregnant. But just the thought that I could've been has made my anxiety come back and i'm just trying to snap back. It's been a rough week and I'm trying to get out of the rut. I've got to go back to the doctor in a few weeks so I think I'm gonna try to get an IUD because we cannot get pregnant right now and I'm just so scarred I will. I've just been on edge. So sorry for the silence. I've got some posts planned so stay tuned!

family traditions

yesterday we got Emerson's pictures made in the "yellow dress". This dress was made for my mom, by her aunt when she was a baby, even though we can't find the picture of my mom in it. But ever since my mom was born every girl in my family got their picture made in it. My mom's daughters and nieces. But Emerson was the first granddaughter! It was a special moment and emerson enjoyed every moment of it. Here's some pics!

and some outakes....

Emerson, my mom, Me, and my sister :)

3 generations of girls