Not me Monday!

It's been awhile so I decided I should share some of the things I haven't been doing along with everyone else reading MckMama's blog.

• I most definitely did not give in to early Christmas marketing and buy Emerson not one but two toys at Babies R Us. I would never spoil my child with unnecesssary toys.

• I absolutely did not give up on a bedtime routine after just one day of trying and let my baby stay up until 10pm every night this week. Sleep is an absolute priority!

• Of course I didn't eat nearly 18 cupcakes by myself in a week. Not me! I always eat healthy and can easily resist sweets.

• I obviously would not nurse my baby in the diaper aisle at target to prevent a meltdown just so I could spend some more time at my favorite store. I know when it's time to go!

• I would never dress my child in the same hot pink pants 5 out of 7 days without washing them. Cleanliness is number one on my list!

• I did not live vicariously through my baby by dressing her in head to toe hot pink including a headband, tights, and puff vest. I put her comfort above my desire to make her stylish.

• I'm absolutely not wasting valuable time by blogging while I have a sink full of dishes and a sleeping baby. I use my time efficiently.

Stunning

That's the word that comes to mind when I see Emerson's pretty face. She's definitely a beauty if I do say so myself and of course looks fantastic in hot pink just like her Mama.

Simply Precious

Since Emerson decided to go to bed at 10, wake up at 7am, she is now taking a nap at 9am. Which leaves me to search on Etsy for countless adorable handcrafted items that I don't need and can't afford. I thought I would share this dress with you because I about died when I saw it.

Isn't it adorable?!? Yes, this is a baby dress. If they had it in my size I would definitely rock it. Ironically the pattern of the dress is the same as my nursing cover, except mine is red/brown/turquoise. I was searching for baby dolls for Emerson and this came up. So I kind of think it's a sign that she needs it. I mean who doesn't need a retro yellow floral dress in their closet? So I could shell out a ridiculous amount of money for a baby dress, in my opinion, or try to make one myself. Which would probably lead me to get frustrated and throwing it across the room. What to do? Things to ponder on this Friday morning. I'm also wondering if it's too early to start listening to Christmas music because I'm certainly in the mood for it. TGIF.

Emerson Kaye

So I've been tagged by Nichole. I didn't even know you could be tagged in the blogworld but here we go. I'm suppose to explain to you all how we came up with the name Emerson.

~~~

I wish Emerson had some deep meaning but, it really doesn't. I just plain loved it. A year before I got pregnant I was dreaming of naming my little girl Emerson. It just popped in my head from out of nowhere and I loved it so much. So when we found out we were expecting it was my immediate first choice. Mark on the other hand didn't like the name Emerson. He was against it and thought it was a bit boyish so I pushed my feelings aside and shelved the idea of Emerson. I was a little bit of a control freak while pregnant so I was going through name lists well before we told anyone. Lucky for you guys I found my Barbie notebook this weekend which has our name polls. Yes, I said Barbie notebook. :) I had a huge list of names I would go through, and write yes, no, or maybe for Mark and I. Then on the other side I would write what number it fell on social security's list of baby names. Neurotic, right? I really didn't want a top 100 name, even a top 200 name. I had 15 girl names, and 10 boys names. So any name either of us said yes to I put into a pile of names. Which we both ranked in order of favorite to least favorite. Emerson was clearly my number 1. Mark's was Keira. He still thinks it has potential to be another one of our child's names. Sorry, Mark. No. Keira was my number 7. Emerson started to wear on Mark. The other portion of the equation is I wanted to in some way have the name reflect my Mother's name. Which was Kaye, but went by Katie so could really be Kate, Katerine, etc. Emerson Kaye seemed to flow to me but I really didn't think Mark would agree to it. My second choice name was Harper. Finally we had our ultrasound. Which at the time I really was convinced Emerson was a boy and already had two boy names picked out. One starts with an E, the other an R. I can't tell you those of course. You know the rest of the story. We were delightful surprised to find out we were having a girl! As soon as we left Mark told me he liked Emerson now. Ha. Finally he sees it my way! Hehe. So Emerson Kaye it was. That weekend we went up to Asheville for our anniversary and Mark suggested maybe we name her Ophelia. I quickly nipped that in the butt. Your welcome Emerson. We still get...

"Isn't that a boys name?"

" That's an interesting choice for a girl."

But, my favorite is...

"That's such a beautiful name"

Thanks. I like to think so. Now it's your turn! I'm tagging you guys. Carrie, even though it's pretty obvious where your name came from. Haha. Brittany and Brittany R. I also tag you Nicole. So please go give me something entertaining to read.

The Reason...

The reason I haven't been blogging as much is this cutie pie. You may have noticed my slacking off in the posts and when I due there isn't much content. Just a bunch of pictures. But, you don't mind looking at this girl? I love how she still has a shocked look when I take a picture. As if I haven't done it a 1000 times before.

My day is full of moments like this where Emerson is not where she is supposed to be, and frankly giving me a heart attack. I guess it's all part of growing up but, man do I miss the non-mobile stage. Haha.

I'm sure most parents encounter their baby playing in the dogs crate or...

scratching the cat post, or...

scaling the bumbo. Right? Well, maybe not the first two. Little Emerson certainly does have an affinity for pets and their toys. So you can see how this chica keeps me on my toes. This morning she has already climbed the wine cabinet, her newest discovery. Awesome. :)

But, I could still just eat her up. Who can resist this precious face and...

cute little toes. I nimble them everyday. :)

Trip to the park

We took our first trip to the park after a vigalent search for baby swings. Did you know hardly any new playgrounds have baby swings??? After finally stumbling on one it was Emerson's turn to swing for the first time.

At first she wasn't so sure about it.

Note the thrilled expression.

Then she kind of warmed up.

Hmmm could this actually be fun?

Not too bad.

Ok this is actually kind of fun. Give me another push.

Woo hoo! I love swinging!!!

A trip down the slide with Dad was just icing on the cake. I can't wait to take Emerson back again. I just wish the park across the street actually had swings. Wouldn't that be convenient?

Emerson also found a leaf that she treasured. See it below her foot? It's the simple things that entertain babies. Also note how well she is sitting up. I think she finally realized that it isn't so bad after all.

A little pumpkin in the patch

Saturday Emerson took her boyfriend to the pumpkin patch. She had an awesome time beating pumpkins and enjoying the color orange. I was excited to go to the pumpkin patch for the first time in the crisp fall air. Then I realized I live in North Carolina, so it was 80 and humid. Then we discovered they didn't even grow pumpkins. What?!? No pumpkins grown at the pumpkin patch! That's right. They were shipped from the mountains. We didn't tell Emerson, so she still had fun.

Are these all for us?

I'll take this one!

Enjoying a hayride with Dad.

What didn't you tell me about pumpkins before???

I think I'll take this one too.

I have a strange feeling I'm wearing something ridiculous.

Man, pumpkins sure do taste good!

Show us your life- Baby Gear

This week on Kelly's Korner we are talking about baby gear. Something that is very fresh on my mind of course so I think I can give it a go.

Things we love

1. Baby carriers!!!- What can I say this is my number one must have. There are plenty of options and I think you need a few to get you through the baby stages. First I made myself a ring sling which is great for newborns to sleep in. Anytime we went out and about the first 4 months I had it with me and I would pop Emerson in when she was tired. She loved it! But eventually she got to heavy and we moved on to the snugli. That worked for a month but then we fell in love with our ErgoBaby. It is a lifesaver. It's comfortable, supports Emerson's hips, and she seems to really enjoy it. I have also been able to nurse in this which is a big advantage in my book.
2. Swing- The first month Emerson loathed her swing. But, then magically she loved it. We have the nature one with crickets, water noises, a butterfly mobile, and a mirror above. It soothed her almost immediately and always put her to sleep.
3. Bumbo- I know Kelly said she didn't use hers but I can say we have used ours a ton. It took a while for petite E. to fit in it but once she did it was awesome to put the tray on it and let her play with her toys. Since she is a late sitter and still not so great at it this helps her see around her. I'm sure when she starts eating we will use it for snacks as well. So I guess it depends on your baby. I would say get it used if you don't receive one as a gift.
   
4. Rain Forest Soother- I use to have this on the changing table to distract Emerson. It plays nature noises and lullabyes. Plus a cute monkey that swings around. It turns on by pushing the bird and babies can figure it out pretty quickly. Now it's attached the crib side so I can put Emerson in there when I'm putting up clothes, etc. She loves it!

5. Exersaucer- We just got into this the last month or so. But, now it's great to preoccupy
Emerson when I'm cleaning, cooking dinner, whatever. I switch out the toys attached to it
so it stays interesting.
6. Bouncer- What can I say? Without it I probably would still not have a shower. Haha. I
really on use it during that time but it helps me stay clean. I would recommend getting a
bouncer with should harness straps not just lap straps. Otherwise when they turn about 4
months they'll try to get out.

Things we didn't use so much

1. Bottles- Not sure why I registered for any but I'm lucky enough to stay home with Emerson so there is really no point. I've given her one 1oz bottle four months ago and it came straight out her nose. Awesome. If you're nursing, SAH, then I would say buy as needed.
   
2. Travel System- We have used our stroller a few times but honestly whenever I take Emerson anywhere I put her in the Ergo. Even on walks her Daddy likes to carry her. Now when we go for a walk and we don't want to carry her we use the jogging stroller. So I would say you could hold off on the travel system and just have one stroller. Save the storage space. You'll need it.

I'm sure there are plenty of other things that we don't use or need but for some reason I can't think of anymore. I guess I'm being positive today! Oh! One last thing. Buy consignment clothes, scavenge for hand me downs. Get the name brand clothes on ebay. Seriously the best idea ever.

Little Ballerina

I think it is absolutely necessary for Emerson to become a ballerina just so she can wear tutus for years to come. I made this one last week and although it didn't turn out perfect I love it. I think we have only tipped the iceberg of little girl tutus. When I was at the fabric store there was at least 30 colors. Imagine the possibilities. So if you see a tutu permanently attached to my baby for the next few months do not be alarmed. I think next will be a bright blue then of course a Christmas tutu for the season. I have learned that the shiny tulle is pretty but doesn't photograph quite as well. So for next time I'll know to resist the sparkly nylon. Can you believe this thing cost less than $5?

This chica loves the outdoors almost as much as she loves her thumb.

I tried letting her play on the ground but she started licking mud. Which is not very desirable.

But, she had fun none the less. As you can see she was absolutely thrilled. That was until the UPS guy arrived and she gave him the "What are you doing here?!?" stare. A stare not to be messed with. Isn't our girl sweet. :)

But, overall she gave the afternoon a big thumbs up.