Happy 1st Birthday!

My baby is one!  I can hardly believe it!  She is growing and changing every day!  Her personality is starting to show and I love learning more and more about her every day!  We had a great time celebrating her first birthday with family and a few close family friends!  Elise did very well at her party considering there was an overwhelming amount of "new" faces to her and the fact that it ran into her afternoon nap:)  We are very blessed for the love and support we have had over this past year!  

Elise is full on walking!  She started walking in between 9-10 months!  She loves going outside to play.  Her favorite things to do outside are going for a walk in the stroller and kicking and throwing the ball around.  Every day when Ryan comes home from work, she grabs her shoes and heads towards the door!  

Elise can say mama, dada, and ba (which means ball, block, buddy and just about everything else).  She can sign please, milk, and all done.  She blows kisses on command and also for 'I love you' and 'thank you'.  

Elise loves playing with her toys!  She loves stuffed animals, especially her new teddy bear from her Aunt Katie.  She also loves dancing to her two snow globes, one from her Aunt Ang.  She loves shoes and clothes so it is a good thing her Aunt Carole has supplied her with plenty of hand-me-downs:)  Elise loves looking at books!!  She likes to flip the pages her self and carry them around.  She loves to go bye-bye.  We run lots of errands and travel a lot so it is a good thing she doesn't mind riding in the car and her carseat (most of the time).  

Elise has started at a new sitters.  We LOVE her and so does Elise.  There are no tears anymore when we drop her off and she has plenty of kids close to her age to play with.  She sleeps well and eats well there so it makes me feel soo much better when I am at school.  Not to mention two of my friends send their little ones their so she gets lots of time with them:)  

Elise has started giggling so much lately.  If you tickle her, she will crack up!  One sure way to get her to laugh is to play peek-a-boo or let her rub daddys hair.  

Elise also had her first hair cut just before her first birthday!  She sat so still and loved playing in the barbie jeep!  We treated her to dinner out (which we never do) and you demolished an entire grilled cheese and mandarin oranges!  Your favorite foods would include cheerios, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, chicken, black beans, carrots, and noodles.  You simply tolerate everything else we give you.  and MILK.  We could not survive without milk!  You have transitioned to whole milk smoothly.  We made it almost an entire year with breastfeeding/pumping!  I'm pretty proud of the fact that we never had to supplement with formula.  I feel blessed that my supply kept up and you were a great nurser.  But when you were done, you were done.  I'm happy that my supply held up while exclusively pumping.  I do not care for pumping so it was a long 2.5 months:)  

Happy 1st Birthday, Sweet girl!  You are such a blessing to us and we look forward to many more years ahead of us! :)

We love you to the moon and back!!!

<3 mommy and daddy

9 months

Well I must say that I can't believe it has been (a little more than) 9 months since Elise was born!  Some days I feel like time has flown by and other days it seems like it has been forever!  Either way, each day I just stare at Elise, trying to take it all in because I know tomorrow is never promised!  She is just so beautiful and I love watching her sweet little face as she looks at books or plays with her toys.  She is growing and changing every day!

She is talking/babbling all the time!  She says 'mama' and 'dada' and 'bye-bye'.  She will also point to a baby picture of her if you ask her where the baby is.  She will say 'bah' when you show her a ball too!  She has been pulling herself up for a while now and moving along furniture and standing by herself too.  Yesterday she also took 3 steps all by herself!!!  Thankfully Ryan caught it on camera because I was out running errands!!

Elise LOVES looking at books.  She pulls books off the shelves all day and will bring them to you to read!  She likes the touch and feel books with the soft fur and stuff.  She also will give hugs to a stuffed animal if you ask her too!  She is too cute!  :)  She has changed so much in these past 9 months and I can't imagine how much more will change before her 1st birthday....which is less than 3 months away!  I can't even believe it!!

Here she is the day she was born!

One month old

Two months old

Three months old

Four months old

Five months old

Six months old

Seven months old

Eight months old

Nine months old

SummerLove,

Liz

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there, but especially the three most important dads in my life.


My husband.  He is by far the best dad out there.  He is so loving and caring and sweet with Elise.  I love the way he talks to her, plays with her, and isn't afraid to be silly with her.  She watches him so intently and does what he does.  If he puts the bucket on his head, she puts the bucket on her head.  She is always full of smiles when he is around.  My favorite part of every day is watching her face light up when we look out the window to see daddy home from work.  And to watch her crawl so fast to him when he walks in the door.  

 See the bucket on the head?? haha

Happy Father's Day to my dad!  He is a great dad and a great grandpa to Elise!  I love seeing her smile when grandpa is around! I'm pretty sure he loves her more than me!:)

Happy Father's Day to my father-in-law!  I couldn't have asked for better in-laws!  As Elena always says, "He loves his girls":)

Happy Father's Day!  

My Baby Sister

Tonight, my little sister graduates from high school.  HIGH SCHOOL.  I simply cannot believe it!  18 years ago she came in to our lives whether we liked it or not!  (I was NOT happy about this because she was replacing me as the baby of our family, a spot I very much loved!) 

 Although she was one of the cutest little kids I know, I wanted nothing to do with her.  She took my spot and we were not friends.  We were sisters but nothing more.  I simply didn't like her.

 But as we got older, she grew on me.  We began playing together.  And sometimes having fun.  She learned very quickly and was by far one of the smartest little kids I knew.  She always had something witty to say.  I distinctly remember her about the age of the picture below and we were out to dinner.  The waitress came to take our order and my mom was getting ready to order Katie's food.  But Katie jumped in and ordered her own food.  It was pretty cute:)

 Katie began to be interested in things much different than Ang and I.  She was in dance class as a little girl.  She played soccer.  Then gymnastics.  Then volleyball.  Then cheerleading.  Ang and I were into volleyball, softball, and basketball.  And we did do cheerleading for a little while.  But we weren't nearly as talented as Katie.

 One of my favorite memories of Katie would have to be the day I sucked her hair up in a sweeper.  Yes.  I did.  She was laying on the floor, and I was trying to vacuum.  So I was teasing her by acting like I was going to sweep her up.  She hated it.  It made me giggle.  Until I actually did sweep her up.  Yep.  A huge chunk of hair got sucked up in to the sweeper.  She cried.  I got in BIG trouble.  I think it was a turning point for us:)

 I never imagined Katie and I sharing the same interests but as we grew older, we started to like the same things.  Now, she knows me better than I know myself sometimes.

 She has grown in to a phenomenal person and a talented cheerleader.  She has worked very hard at her tumbling, overcoming broken bones and her biggest fears.  I'm proud to say that she cheered in grade school, all 4 years of high school, and will be cheering next year at Ball State.  The first of us 3 to do any sport at the collegiate level.  Again, *SO* proud of her.

 Us 3 have come a long way over the years.  We still fight like sisters, but we know deep down that no matter what happens in life, who comes and goes, we will always have each other.  We are sisters by chance, friends by choice:)  Katie's famous in our family for always saying "I love you" before leaving the house or going to bed.  And making sure we all say it back to her!  And making sure we give 'real hugs':)  And her OCD-ness:)

 This girl also loves to dance.  I love Katie's sense of humor and her willingness to always act silly.  She knows how to keep things light and not serious.  Actually, she can't be serious.  It is funny to see her try to be serious.

 Katie is one of the smartest people I know.  She has learned how to be an excellent student while in high school.  Her grades have not always reflected how smart she actually is.  She has proven herself over the last few years and shown that she can do well in school.  Even making the honor roll the last few semesters:)  I am so proud of her!

 So basically, what I'm saying is that Katie is an awesome person.  And I'm proud to call her my sister.  But even more proud to call her my friend.  Love you, Katie Bug, and can't wait to see you graduate tonight!!!  You should be proud of yourself and your accomplishments.  MUAH!

These Boots are Made for Walking!

Elise is on the move!! She has been pulling her self up on everything and walking along furniture, baby gates and everything you can think of.  She is now pulling herself up on her walker and moving!! Love how happy she gets when she is walking:)

7 months

Time is just flying!! We are over the half way mark and 5 months away from my sweet baby girl turning 1!! I start to tear up thinking about it so let's just focus on the now!  Elise is growing and learning as any healthy little girl should.  She is definitely becoming a handful because she is getting into everything.  I guess I should first tell you her milestones!

Elise has been sitting up all on her own for a little over a month now!  It is so nice that she can do this!! It seemed like as soon as she figured out how to sit up, she was on to the next milestone!  

Elise began army crawling right around 6 months and then started crawling on all fours about 2 and a half weeks later.  She is now quick and knows how to get her self from one place to the next!  She is already figuring out those spots we don't want her to go (considering we live in a 770 sq ft apartment there isn't much room to go)!  She definitely hears the word 'no no' a lot!:) haha

Elise also learned how to pull herself up in her crib.  We looked on the monitor one day and there she was standing up!  We lowered the crib down and now she stands up all the time.  She stands up until the minute she is ready to close those eyes!  I must say I love walking into her room after naps and in the morning seeing her sweet little smile peeking over the crib!!  She is now pulling herself up on anything and everything.  Her toys, the couch, our hands, you name it, she is standing up and balancing herself really well.

Elise is LOVING her solid foods.  We only have her on baby food for now, and then she loves to eat puffs, too.  Her favorite foods are sweet potatoes, pears, peaches, prunes, peas, green beans, and bananas. The only food she really doesn't care for is carrots.  I love introducing her to new foods!! She surprises me with how much she likes them right away!!  She also loves her puffs.  She is getting the hang of picking them up and getting them up and into her mouth.  They are a great distraction when we are out and about and she is getting antsy!! She is also getting the hang of a sippy cup.

We are so excited for summer time and all there is to do!!  We plan to make a trip to the zoo, splash parks, the lake, the pool, take lots of walk, play at the park, maybe a baseball game... anything to get us out and about!  She will also be starting swim classes in a week or so.  Ryan and I both love the water and hopefully she will too!

  Below is a video of the first day she was officially crawling on all fours.  She is less shaky now and much better at it!

I'll be updating this summer more when I'm not in school all the time!

Can't wait! xoxoxoxo

Spring Fever

With Spring approaching, and the amazing weather we had yesterday, we couldn't resist getting out of the house and going on a walk. We spent many days when Elise was first born walking and it was so nice to get out of the house. It also pulls Ryan and I away from work, school, and all other distractions and we get a chance to talk to each other. I love it:).

I love the neighborhood we live in. There are lots of areas to walk and we love walking down Main St. We also love walking to Circle K and getting a polar pop:)

Elise was excited to sit in the stroller like a big girl and see everything. I must say it wore her out:) and she dozed off while we were walking. I can't wait to have many more days like this when spring and summer arrive for good!!!

5 months and some change

Okay, So I am way behind on blogging here ..better late than never?  I have been super-overwhelmed-busy with school, and life.  But I'm finally trying to play a little catch up!  Elise is no longer in her bouncer ... she LOVES her high chair!!  She likes to be sitting up and able to see everything!!!

Elise is hitting milestones left and right.  She is officially sitting up all on her own!  We still put some pillows behind her JUST in case she falls backwards ... which backfires because then she realizes they are there and just lays back on them like she is just relaxing.  

Elise is 5 months old (and a few days)!!!  I can hardly believe that she is so old now!!  Some days I think it seems like she has been with us for what seems like forever, and other days, it seems like she was just born!  Every day is just a wonderful blessing with her and I love watching her grow and learn.  She looks older every day and is truly adorable!! Yes, I might be biased because I am her mother, but if you hang out with her for a day, you would feel the same way:)  

How does this not make you just smile uncontrollably!?!? :)  She is so happy and just such a joy to have around!!!

She is rolling over both ways, although she is still picky about the times she likes to roll from tummy to back.  She would rather sit there and whine:)  She is most likely teething because she has been chewing more than normal, but I can never tell!  She loves jumping in her jumper-thing!!  She is so fascinated with the lion and is trying so hard to figure out how to make it spin around.  She sees Ryan and I spin it (by pushing down the blue hippo) but she just can't make it spin!  It is so cute:)  She is full of smiles and laughter all the time!  She loves when you count to 5 or say the ABC's!! And she loves when you try to get her feet!!  And she actually knows her name!  When you say "Elise" , she looks right up at you.  She is starting to grab for EVERYTHING so we have to be extra careful what is in her range.  When we were at lunch a few weeks ago, she grabbed my drink and knocked it all over her, me and the floor.  This was after we brought her stroller into a teeny tiny restaurant and EVERYONE looked at me when I walked through the door.  

Elise is also growing out of her 6 month clothes and is already in some 9 month clothes!! She has such a long torso that her onesies are getting snug quickly!!!  In the Gerber brand, she is already in 12 months!  She is getting too big too fast!!

Well that is our update!!! Hopefully I'll update more often:)  I always say that and then life takes over!!!  Hope you have a great day!!!

Baby E love,

The Eme's

Back to School

Back to school...back to school... to prove to dad that I'm not a fool!  I love Adam Sandler:)  So it is here.  It is finally here.  I started back to school two weeks ago after having Elise to finish my degree in math education.  I started my education blocks and am taking one of my remaining math classes.  I have 4 semesters left until I finish up and I couldn't be more excited to be moving on to this part of my degree.  For the past 2 years, I have been taking mostly all math classes so I'm so excited to dive into the education part!  I only have classes on two times a week.  However, I will have a full course load..13 credit hours!  I haven't had 13 credit hours since my first degree!  And now I have a baby to take care of and a wife to be!  Ah!


I am excited I only have to leave Elise two days a week and so thankful for the opportunity to stay home with her the other 3 days.  It is challenging to find time to do my homework, and keep up with laundry, dishes, and cleaning, and work out, and enjoy my time with my husband and daughter.  But it all gets done at some point:)  Ryan is such a huge help, especially after working a 40hour work week.  He has really stepped up to help take care of everything too!  I am also so so so thankful Elise will be going to a sitter whom I have known for quite a few years and trust.  She has so much have fun with Miss Lindsey and her two boys!  And Miss Lindsey has the special touch to get her to take good naps:)


I can remember back in mid-August when summer classes were done that I thought this day would never come.  I could barely wrap my mind around the fact that the pregnancy would end, let alone get to the point where my baby ((girl)) would be almost 4 months old and I would be heading back to school!  Time has certainly flown by!  But doesn't it always!?!?!  I've enjoyed my time off with Elise and I'm so thankful I've had all this time to spend with her.  I didn't always get the dishes done right away, the place was not always clean, and the laundry might have piled up, but I can say with no regrets that I took the time to snuggle my baby girl, read her books, play with her, laugh with her, and just enjoy every.second. 

Elise's 1st Christmas

Ok, I know I have totally dropped the ball on keeping up on my posts but better late than never?  We got very busy with Christmas and then my return to school that I have hardly had time to do my homework.  Anyways, so our Christmas was spent in Fort Wayne with family.  We were sooo busy and moving from place to place just about every day.  We were able to see a whole bunch of family, some who we hadn't seen in a while, but to say the least, we and Elise were exhausted by the end of it.

We had a lot of fun opening presents with Elise.  Santa was awfully good to Elise:)  She got a ton of clothes in 12 and 18 months for next year, some learning toys, books, and so much more.  She was even sweet enough to leave Santa cookies and milk and a little note ;)

Our little family after a very busy Christmas Eve.

I can't figure out how to rotate this picture but this is what Elise left for Santa on Christmas Eve. 

And her certainly enjoyed them:)

 Christmas morning before everyone else was awake:)

Elise and her cousins in their matching pj's:)

We had a great first Christmas with Elise.  She was a trooper through it all and only had one melt down. But honestly, we wanted to cry with her because we were tired, too!  Now if we could only get her to go back to sleep through the night, then all would be well:)