Mommy with a big belly with a baby inside

I drew this picture at school yesterday. Mommy says it is my best picture ever! I told her it's a picture of her with a big belly with a baby inside. And I thought she was going to cry. Her smile had the funny crinkle that means she was holding back some tears.

Love it when a little person can bring a grown woman to tears. I really know how to pull at her heartstrings. :)

Sweet like honey

by Momma

Emily has been brilliant lately. Blossoming into a unique character, complicated, trying, curious and oozing with sweetness. I love her so much and am so happy to see how her wheels turn, even when our communication styles clash or we fail to listen/hear.

We've had good days and bad days lately. Jeremy was gone to Qatar for six weeks and we had a wonderful two weeks with him before he got sent off to Vegas for three weeks. We're in the middle of that trip and Emily has had some issues with "listening" and there have been some tears. But, it has caused me to rethink some of my approaches to parenting and we're trying to work together on some new routines.

Last weekend I took Emily to the Big Sibling class at the hospital. She was very excited to diaper her baby doll and see a few tiny babies in the nursery. She learned the importance of handwashing, being gentle with the baby, and always asking for permission before picking him up. We celebrated her class completion by going out for tacos and quacamole, her favorites. On Sunday, we were in her bed reading books and she asked me to tell her a lot about what it would be like when the baby was born. Not delivery details, but how daddy would bring her to the hospital to see baby Matthew, and how she would have to ask permission before holding him, and some of the things she might get to help with. It was very sweet.

The last few days she has been talking to my belly and telling Matthew that she loves him. She'll run up to me and hug my belly and say, "I love you Matthew Oliver. I am excited to meet you."

This morning I told her that pretty soon mommy's belly will start to get smaller after baby Matthew is born. She looked at me, relieved, and said, "And then I can start sitting on your lap again?" This made me smile. I've missed being able to snuggle up with her on my lap, and I know she has, too.

Emily is an affectionate girl, often whispering "I love you" and giving generous hugs and kisses. Even though she does have her trying times when her patience, or mine, is worn thin, I feel blessed to have such a sweet little girl to call my baby. And.......she will always be my baby girl. I guess that's the plus of having a boy this time, Emily will always be my baby girl, and Matthew will always be my baby boy.

We have her last swimming lesson tonight (twice a week for the last month) and I'm kind of relieved. We've been trying to focus on quality time together and lots of books and cuddles before baby comes. I also find that since she's in the 4-yr-old room at school (even though she's not 4 till late May), she comes home fairly tired. Cramming evening activities onto the end of a busy day wears both of us out. Looking forward to a pretty quiet few weeks before baby arrives.

A rough night

Last night I woke up missing daddy, so I wandered into mommy's room. She let me crawl in bed with her...which was all good until I rolled out of bed and bumped my head on the nightstand. I have a small cut under my eye and I guess I'll just add it to my list of recent bumps and bruises. I also slid off my Learning Tower in the kitchen on Sunday and got a bruise on my back! That on top of my ear infections....I'm so ready for the weekend!!!!

The nice part is that daddy called me from the airplane this morning. Just hearing his voice makes everything better. I'm really excited he's coming home a week from tomorrow!!!

Dinner & thoughts -- a mommy post

If Emily had control of the world, she would happily eat string cheese 3-5 times per day. Her daughter-of-a-dietitian mother doesn't allow that, but it doesn't stop Emily from asking for string cheese on a regular basis.

-Before dinner
-On the way to school (Did you pack it in my lunch mommy?)
-At snack time
-Etc.

She has definitely NOT inherited any food snob genes from me. If you ask her where she wants to go for dinner, she'll answer "The taco place" or "J&R's" (the local dive bar -- actually, the only restaurant in Lithopolis where you can order pizza, subs and traditional "fried fare" - and yes, I am slightly mortified that a 3-year-old would know the name of a bar). However, she loves to help in the kitchen, so I know her culinary skills will lead to a refined palate one day... For now, we don't eat out a ton, but those are always her top two suggestions. It's kind of funny.

Sunday we watched the "Green Packers" on TV and she was cheering loudly, knowing that's "Grandpa's team!" She asked for 'cado dip (guacamole) during the game, so she helped me make it. We had our green dip in green ramekins while cheering on the green guys. It was fun.

Emily is a master manipulator - especially when it comes to mommy. Daddy and Grandma Poppins have both recently reminded me that Emily needs to be the kid, not the mom. Who knew this mommy thing was so much mental work?!

Sunday night we went to the ER and Em has a second ear infection -- the last one was just a month ago. She's already on the mend, but this one had her in inconsolable tears. I'm sure the people on the other side of the ER curtains were wondering what was wrong, as she was moaning and sobbing. Poor little bean. I foresee a possible trip to the ENT in our future.

Daddy has been in Qatar since the day after Christmas. This morning I told her he would be home in just 12 days. You should've seen her dance. You see, Emily loves her daddy more than anything else on earth. It is so special to see her face light up when he calls or sends postcards. They have a wonderful relationship and I am so incredibly blessed to witness it. Can't wait till he comes home.......

I don't like boys

On the way to school yesterday and today, I let mom know that I don't like boys. She laughed and said that's okay, that I have all the time in the world to change my mind. She reminded me that my little brother might be really nice -- and that not all boys are crazy.

Today I also told her that I don't want my baby brother to eat my toys. She reminded me that he won't be able to play with my toys when he's really little, so I have some time to prepare and put my special things away.

I'm in the 4-year-old room at school now and it's going great. It has sparked more curiosity in me about reading and spelling. I won't be 4 until May, but it's fun to be with the bigger kids.

Yesterday daddy called me at school. He called me from Qatar. It's pretty cool to get phone calls from dad during my day. He's a really cool dad and I miss him a lot. I'm pretty lucky to have such a great daddy - he would do anything for me, even from half way around the world.

Hope you are doing well.

Baby Brudder

I found out on Tuesday that I'm going to have a little baby brudder. Mom and dad let me come to the ultrasound, but babies look creepy on the computer screen. Nothing like in the American Girl catalogs.

Now we get to think of names. Mom and dad are going to make me crazy asking me about names.....

Summer into Fall

A busy summer has brought us into fall, and we are all excited for the beautiful weather, the magical changing of the leaves, and the simple delights of caramel apples, hayrides and corn mazes.

Since I have not written in a while, here are a few things we've been up to over the past several months:

-Trip to Wisconsin for Aunt DeeDee's graduation from nursing school. My hormonal mother was all teary-eyed during the ceremony: we are all incredibly proud of DeeDee. She will be an outstanding nurse.

-Enrollment in Tap & Tumble classes on Thursdays at school. It is basically gymnastics class -- and I enjoy jumping, bouncing, and doing all kinds of exercises, it's quite fun.

-Learning lots of letters. I'm getting good at identifying letters in the alphabet and often say "E starts with Me." (As in, Emily starts with E)...

-Getting a grip on the calendar. I know the days of the week and I like to talk about what to expect each day, and know if it's a school day or not. I look forward to THursdays, for Tap & Tumble, and Fridays, for "Share day" (show and tell). But, Saturday and Sunday are the best, when we can make pancakes and play in our jammies all morning and stay home and chill.

-A little travel. We went to Grandpa Gene's lakehouse a few weekends ago and it was so fun to get away. It was a long drive, but we had plenty of ice cream and giggles, and mom stopped at the Carter's outlet and I hit the clothes jackpot! I got a new winter coat, snow pants, hat, gloves, scarf, as well as new jammies and some pants and shirts! I'm all set for the cooler weather. We also got to go to the Roscommon petting zoo and I really loved the little monkey who played peekaboo with me and mom. He was sweet.

-Fall Festivals at Dill's Greenhouse. I went once with the Air National Guard and once with my daycare. We got to roast wienies over a fire, go through a corn maze, and take a hayride out to the pumpkin patch. I really enjoy fall festivities like this, it was fun both times.

-Art. I do art almost every single day -- coloring books, cutting construction paper, playing with glitter glue, colored chalk, finger paints, watercolors, stickers, pipecleaners, etc. I think art is one of my favorite things right now. Art, and my dog Greta. I give her hugs a lot.

-Time. I often tell mommy what time I did things, or what time she can do things. You know, things like, "Mommy, I'll be hungry again at 9:00." Or, "I want to do this for a lot of more minutes." And, "No - give me ooooooooone more minute." Last night I asked for nine more minutes in the bathtub and mommy laughed (I guess she has this freaky obsession with strange numbers -- so when she uses the microwave she does things like 1:43 or 2:17 rather than ending with 5 or 0 -- so nine was right up her alley.)

-Shoes. Even though it's getting much cooler, I'm still a flip flop queen. I wore them to school today, in fact, to show off my fancy pedicure. Mommy painted my toes orange yesterday, and today she put on little bat and spider stickers in preparation for Halloween. I just had to show them to my friends.

-Getting ready to be a big sister. It's so strange to think about being a big sister -- and so confusing. People ask me constantly "Emmy, do you want a baby brother or a baby sister?" And I keep them on their toes. I answer "baby brudder" half of the time, and "baby sister" the other half of the time. Today I asked mommy why she brought her gym shoes in the car when she dropped me off at school. She said that she was going to exercise and then going to work. I asked her if she was going to take the baby with her...and she said YES. And then I asked if she was going to work out fast or slow.....I hope she took it easy with that baby in her belly.

-Sleeping in my big girl bed. This really isn't anything new, I have been sleeping in my big girl bed since about May. I enjoy our routine of bath, stories and bed. And then I usually sing and talk myself to sleep......which is my secret plan to drive mommy and daddy crazy as they listen through the monitor. :)

Funny things I've said lately to get a kick out of the grownups:

-Momma Drama
-Give me just a lot of more moments
-"Are you taking the baby with you to exercise?!"
-E starts with Me
-Mommy, you're makin' me craaaazy
-Dad-de (short e --- sounds hilarious)

Most frequently asked questions:

-Why
-Can we go to Gramma's blue house
-Can I have some string cheese?
-Is it a school day?
-Where are my markers?