Emily and her horse

Celebrating the birth of Jesus

We have had a great Christmas. We have seen a lot of family and friends and opened up too many presents. We enjoyed Christmas eve and Christmas day in Ames. It was the first time in our lives that neither one of us woke up in our parents homes, but rather in our own house. What a rite of passage. We went to the 6:00 pm Christmas eve service at our church it was a lovely way to celebrate the reason for the season. Emily has been running from toy to toy around the house making sure to play with everything in sight!

Movie Review

Amazing Grace, I can't say enough great things about this movie. I think everyone should be required to see it. The movie is based on the life of William Wilberforce an antislavery pioneer, he speaks truth to power, and stands up for what is right. Go rent it tonight!
http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/index.php

In all the business of this week I forgot to mention Emily's recent milestone. Emily had a play-date of sorts on Monday evening. While the two kiddos were digging through the toy box to see what to play with, Emily found her box of markers. She brought them over to me and said "ohhhpen marmar". I have heard her say open a thousand times as well as markers, markers sounds a lot like mama but her voice gets a little higher at the end of each syllable. This marks the first time I have ever heard her string two words together!

Diagnosis Emily

Emily has spent the last two days battling a fever. On our snow-day, Tuesday, she work up really cuddly which is unusual. She ate a good breakfast, but from then on out all she wanted was to rock with her "ba ba" (paci) and her blanket. I think we spent 6 hours in the recliner. Today she woke up and seemed back to her normal self. We had an ear re-check at the pediatrician at 9:00 am, we went to story time at the library and ran some errands. After lunch Emily went down for her nap, she only slept 40 minutes, which it atypical for her. The next five hours of the day were spent like Tuesday. Her temperature wavers from 101.3 to 103.2 F. Tylenol does not seem to be reducing the fever or making things more bearable for her. Besides the fever she seems to be symptom free. Any diagnosis for me?

Date Day!

Thanks to wonderful Aunt Jen, Robert and I had a long anticipated date -a 14 hour date!
We went to Des Moines to do some Christmas shopping, ate lunch, and squeezed in a movie too! I would highly recommend "Enchanted". It was everything a girl expected growing up on Disney fairy tales, a Prince Charming, rodents that talk, and spontaneous singing! We really want to see National Treasure II, but it doesn't come out until the 21st of December. Any volunteers to watch Emily?

The weather had turned bad while we were in the movie so it was a slow drive home. Robert is the best driver I know, so I was glad I was with him. We came home checked in with Jen and Emily, changed our clothes and headed out to my company's Holiday party, where we had lots of fun watching people sing karaoke.

cheese!

Mid-week update

We have had an eventful week so far. Emily and I were excited to host Sarah and Zane on Tuesday for dinner. It was a nice visit and a good way to spend the evening. Today we headed to Ankeny to get some errands out of the way. Emily napped on the way home (20 minutes) and considered that good enough for the day. Aunt Lynne joined us tonight for dinner, she gave her thumbs up for my new recipe for squash.
Emily is walking circles around the house, literally, I chased her around the stairs most of the afternoon. She giggles a lot, especially when Bo joins the chase. Emily knows all of her body parts in her Ears, Nose and Toes book. She can point out most things in her favorite books if you ask her to, we are still working on saying the words. She seems to be recovering nicely from her second round of ear infections. We still have to go for a re-check next week.

Snuggle time

Every member of our small family has been sick on and off for weeks now. Emily is suffering another ear infection, Robert and I had a little virus that set us back a couple of days this week. Even Bo the Dog has been moping around the house lately. Em's infection or new medication has made her more tired, she has been participating in a lot more cuddle time than usual. I snapped this picture earlier this week. I think they are both having a little rest!

Cookie Time

Emily is getting more interested in daily tasks, and less interested in her infant 0-12 mo. toys. I would say on a daily basis we now play the most with her blocks and read books. Perhaps that is because they bore me less than her other toys, I try not to influence her decision to much! On Saturday during our second snow/ice storm of the season, Dada had to zip off to meet a client so we decided to make some cookies to bid time. I wanted Chocolate Chip, but we didn't have any brown sugar, so we switched to cutout cookies. It was pretty fun baking with Emily. Perhaps we need to get her an apron. She had the most fun with the dry ingredients. She was pretty mad at me when I finally had to mix them into the cookies, I ended up giving her another scoop of flour to play with. My biggest concern was keeping Emily on the counter, but soon she will be able to help on a stool.

City Tree lighting

We kept Emily up past her bedtime (6:45) to see Santa parade down main street to help light the Ames Christmas Tree. After the tree was lite, we went into Everett's Flower shop to see their festive decor. Everything was so pretty (I am trying to teach Emily to say pretty). Of course much of tree trimming and Christmas decor is ball shaped, so Emily said "ball" about a billion times when we were in the store. All in all a very quaint evening.

Leaves, leaves, leaves

Can you guess what I have been up too. I have raked leaves during every nap (the days we were home) that Emily has taken in the last week and a half. You can also see, as noted in the pictures that most of our leaves have yet to drop. I raked and Robert loaded them up to take them to the free leaf drop off day (every Sat. in Nov). I also wanted to mention to all of you eco-minded persons, that these are biodegradable bags. The city of Ames requires that you use these, unless you are not bagging at all. They do actually biodegrade, I opened the box of bags I had left over from last year and a fine powder was all that was inside. They are kind of spendy, they come to about $0.64/bag. But Emily did not enjoy any bit of the process. She likes to play right beside you, so me being across the yard bagging made for one sad little girl!

To the Dr.

Today Emily stayed home sick. She played with me in the morning and we went in to see if she had an ear infection like we suspected. Sure enough she had what the Dr. pronounced as a "raging" ear infection, they also deduced that Emily must have a high pain tolerance. Daddy came home to spend the afternoon with Emily, as he can use sick time for kiddo care as well!

Emily is adding many words to her vocabulary.
She currently says
- open
- more (she also signs)
- book
- bubble (perfectly)
- hot
- Bo
- dog (and she barks at anything resembling a dog)
- meow
- dada
- momma
- bye
- ball
- nah (which means milk, also signs)
- umpin (pumpkin)
- bebea (baby)
- no
- uh-oh
- uh, uh, uh... while pointing is everything else

-she signs light on/off, all done, more, fan, milk

true Happiness

This is Bo the Dog's kind of weather. Crisp, cool 50 degree days. Doesn't he look good!

Father and Son

KSU vs. ISU
Purple vs. Cardnial
Willie vs. Cy

Iowa State 31, Kansas State 20

Great-Grandma Tressa Johnson

My great-grandma died this week. She was a wonderful person who lived a long life. 104 years and 10 days. She was sharp as a whip until the end, belived in eating at least one fruit and vegtable a day, plus a glass of milk. Emily probably got her red hair from Tressa, even though it has been white all of my life! I think we can all be inspired by her life. I am glad I had the chance to know her.

Greatest Picture thus Far

This has to be the best picture our camera has taken yet. Robert is so handsome and Emily is too cute!

Fall Festival

We spent Sunday evening helping and enjoying our church's Fall Festival. I think it was a big hit with Emily. We went down the slide with her a couple of times. I got my hair "done". Emily watched the Praise Puppets, she loves them, they sing and dance. She requested more after each act. I helped with an "Apple Bobbing" booth. Did you know that actually bobbing for apples is against health codes, so we use paper water.

Pumpkins!

We ate a pumpkin and carved some pumpkins. HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

Playing Catch

A new game we started playing, I think it would be fun in the pool as well!

HUG

Emily likes to hug her baby

Cookie's for Fall

I have spent Emily's afternoon nap today icing cookies. I envy many cooking blogs, how they precisely take pictures of each step, adding fun baking quips along the way. I can't seem to find my camera until the end... I made some sugar and gingerbread cookies for the Fall Festival Cake Walk, treats for Robert's class on Monday and a couple for us to eat. Maybe they will let Emily crawl in the cake walk so she can bring home more treats! Above we have gingerbread mummys, ghosts and pumpkins.

Library

Today we went to Toddler Time at the library. It was so fun we attended the 9:30 session and 10:00 am session. Ask Emily about all the songs she learned and the book we read. I think we will try to go regularly since she seemed to like it.

Emily also has a new bump on her forehead. My tooth and her face intersected at warp speed this morning. I will post a picture of that later...

A little Delaware

Our friend Shag stayed with us this past weekend. He was perhaps the only cheerful and upbeat part of the crushing Texas/ISU game! Here are some pictures of Emily getting to know Shag, they last saw each other a year ago...

Pumpkin Patch

We visited Black's Heritage Farm Pumpkin Patch with some friends. It was not how, I as an adult, pictured a pumpkin patch. All in all the kiddo's seemed to have fun. I would have preferred that the pumpkins were not growing in the middle of a soy bean field!

Let's walk...

This is an frequent scene in our house lately. Emily walked, three little "toddles" on Oct. 11 (I think for Lynne's birthday present). She has yet to duplicate, but we practice a lot!

Too cool for school!

We were out cruising on the last hot day in October, it will probably be the last time Emily wears this outfit!

A love for Budgeting

I think that most people think negatively of having a budget, or they think you are poor if you live by a budget. Our family has lived on a budget for several years. This month we put a camera in our budget. It really is that easy! It is not the $$$ SLR camera on my wish list, but this new digital camera will help us capture a more mobile Emily. We bought our old digital camera five years ago, which makes it ancient as far as technology goes. I am glad to have this replacement, and glad to have a budget to make it so easy!

Letter to the editor

Check this out!

Robert's letter to the editor

Robert has been published. He mentioned that they edited out some of his original content. This made the Sunday paper.

Robert has also been published in the Iowa State Daily.

Iowa State Daily Editorial

poor Bo

We often find Bo in this position. The baby proofing has limited Bo's freedom a little. We always give him the opportunity to go upstairs with us to tuck Emily in for bed. Sometimes he hangs out downstairs for a while, (I think he thinks we'll will be right back) then finally he wants to come up. Of course by then we are mid diaper, or something, that causes us NOT to rush to open the gate for him. He tucks himself on the topmost step, props his head on the ledge, and *sighs.

...it Glows!

As some you you might know I have a recent passion for garage sale-ing. It is a great way to buy baby clothes, I love running across a really good sale with lots of little girl baby Gap items! Two weeks ago, Em and I went down the block to see our neighbors sale. We didn't find any clothing but there was a hefty Christmas section. I purchased a new in the package, Rudolph Red blinky nose. To my surprise Emily loves wearing it. She finds it, says uh,uh,uh,uh,uh,uh, until you put it on her, and then she crawls around the house with it blinking away. She even tries to put it on herself. Too cute! I think we need a reindeer costume now.

The wedding of the year!

We had a wonderful time sharing the past weekend with family. Chelsey is officially my new sister and has a new last name, Johnson! I loved seeing my little brother so happy. I will post some pictures of the rehersal, I don't have any of the big day as we were busy! Many thanks to everyone who helped watch Emily. She loved playing with all of her Auntie's, Grandma's and Grandpa's.

Rehersal

New Logo

It was a big day in Cyclone Athletic news. A new logo was introduced that they are describing as "a new primary mark". It is really cool, they let the fans vote, and it happens to be the design I voted for. They have a new football uniform concept for the 2008 season as well, it is very comparable to USC's uniforms.

I married an engineer

The thing about being married to an engineer is that there is always a solution to every problem. For instance, say you would want to remove some bush roots, how would an engineer go about this task? I know! Why not use an engine hoist.

Picture Emily's Day

It's hard to sum up our daily activities, so I thought some pictures would help.

A first for everything...part II

Well, the hives and swelling are back, everywhere! This more than likely means that it was not a spider or insect bite as we believed. I am grateful that Emily's sitter is a nurse and can provide lots of information on topics such as these. We are going to monitor her for the next three days and give Benedryl as needed. Her hives are probably being caused by a virus so we will wait for it to run its course.

A first for everything

A picture of Emily's arm about 10 minutes post Benedryl.


Today was our first time experiencing "hives" or an intense allergic reaction. Emily was playing in the living room and watching daddy put together our new TV stand when I noticed some swelling on her upper arm. As I was watching it kept growing bigger, more red and becoming more swollen. After further investigation, and as I was getting my phone to call about them, I striped her down to her diaper and noticed even worse looking reactions on her thighs. Her right leg was swollen and red from her knee to the top of her buttock. Her left leg was swollen on the upper thigh and buttock. I was on the phone with First Nurse*, me determine that it was probably an insect bite reaction. They recommended Benedryl. We gave her some Benedryl and watched her intently for the next two hours for possible restricted airways (worst possible situation). Within 5 minutes the three sites looked 100% better. She still has a ring at each spot, but that should continue to fade away. We still don't know what could have bitten her, we are guessing a spider.

*First Nurse is awesome. I call all the time...

Go Cyclones

ISU 15- Iowa 13, we win!!! We enjoyed a beautiful Saturday of tailgating with the best of friends and watching an intense football game. Emily enjoyed the day at home playing with babysitters grandpa and grandma.

Kleenex

We decided a while ago that we had baby proofed the upstairs well enough to let Emily "roam" while we showered. We have a gate for the stairs, and can shut the office and guest room doors, limiting Emily to her own room and to ours. Today, before getting into the shower I spilled my water everywhere, flustered, I unloaded my bedside table leaving the best toy ever on the floor. I got into the shower, got out of the shower, a little concerned because I usually get a little visitor half way through. It seemed a little quiet, ahhhh, I found Emily enjoying one of her favorite pass-times!

Warm pj's

We have transitioned to warmer pj's. It has been getting down to the 50's the last couple of nights. As you can see even though Emily sleeps with a blanket, it does not necessarily mean it is used as a blanket.

Fall project #1

I have a big to-do list for the house. Today I worked on a little part of my outside list. We want to give the landscaping in the front and backyard a face lift. We decided to focus this fall on the front, since the public can see the front. A couple of weeks ago (Labor Day Weekend), we pulled the two corner fences. Since then I have been using nap time to dig up all of the tulips I planted two years ago. I pulled two rose bushes, and cut down four burning bushes. We still have to pull the root system on the four bushes, I need help with that!



After corner #2


Before


After Corner#1

Balls!

Ball,was one of Emily's first words. When we are out walking she will yell BALL out of no-where, she can spot her fav. round objects at least a half block away. One neighbor has a trampoline filled with balls, it is especially excited to walk by that house. Today we discovered some new balls to play with. I love finding household items that entertain Emily.

ISU cookies

We are big Iowa State Fans! I didn't have the heart to blog after our loss to Kent State, but I still have high hopes for this new football season. We have taken a special interest in the new coach as his family has been attending our church. It has been pretty neat seeing him there, as you can imagine for a little town like Ames he attracts a bit of attention.

I was trying to prepare for the game tomorrow. We are having family over to tailgate at the house then we will head to the stadium. I decided to make cookies, what a better use of my part-time stay at home status. Emily is the perfect little sous-chef. I can't wait to get her a little apron! Here are my little creations for the big game ISU vs. UNI. I have more dough in the freezer for next weekend!

Laborious Labor Day

As typical of our long Holiday weekends we tackled yet another UN-predictable house project. Our plan was to simply power wash, strip our deck and then stain. After 3-4 hours into the washing the worst was confirmed, we were dealing with about 4 layers of paint instead of one. I guess that is why all those DIYer's say budget for the worst scenario. The man of the house did 99.9% of all the weekend's work. I was enlisted for an emergency trip to Lowes and to tape off the house. Baring a couple of touch-ups it looks fantastic. I will post a picture soon.
-PS we need patio furniture, anyone want to give us some?

Birthday toys

Emily loves her new toys she received for her birthday. She plays with her airplane daily. Today she also gave her baby a kiss! It is finally getting a little cooler her, so hopefully we won't be couped up in the air-conditioning much longer.

Bridal Shower

We attended Chelsey's Bridal shower this weekend. It was fun to watch her open all of her gifts!

Yum-O

Notice she likes to drink it out of the cup!

Yogurt rules! One of Emily's favorite snack happens to be yogurt. We buy the Baby-Yo, it is made from whole milk so it packs more calories which our little one still needs. It is also Organic, which is another postentirely.

little Drummer

We had some musical playtime today. I was discussing with a friend this week about the baby classes Kindermusik, where they teach kids rhythm and music appreciation, at the low, low price of $180 per 15/wk. I suggested we just do this at our house, I am sure I could round up enough things to bang around with. Emily and I didn't have to hunt far, daddy's drumsticks, bells, and pitch tuner are right in the office. We have a marching snare and drum set in the basement. Hmmm, maybe I should start a class.... anyway Emily had fun, she liked swinging around those sticks!

New pj's

Did you know that pajammas made for 1 year old have special requirements?

Children’s Sleepwear: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission sets national safety
standards for children's sleepwear flammability. These standards are designed to protect
children from burn injuries if they come in contact with an open flame, such as a match or stove
burner. Under amended federal safety rules, garments sold as children's sleepwear for sizes
Consumer Federation of America · 1424 16th St., NW, Suite 604 · Washington, DC 20036 · 202-387-6121 larger than nine months must be either flame-resistant or snug-fitting. Flame-resistant garments do not continue burning when removed from an ignition source. Examples include inherently flame-resistant polyesters that do not require chemical treatment. Snug-fitting garments need not be flame resistant because they are made to fit closely against a child’s body. Snug-fitting sleepwear does not ignite easily and, even if ignited, does not burn readily because there is little oxygen to feed a fire.

Since the summer has been so hot, Emily has mostly been sleeping in her diaper or a t-shirt. We have started to pick up a couple of sets of 12-18 month pj's. Most of them fit Emily funny. Her tummy is nice and round so shirts always fit her snug around the middle, but are loose everywhere else.

Spagettiooooos

Yum, nothing is better for lunch than noodles and sauce! We are working hard on using spoons. I can say to Emily "use your spoon" she will pick it up use it once, then hold it in her hand as she continues to use the other hand to eat!

State Fair!

Question: What's the most important thing about visiting the Iowa State Fair?

Answer: Getting a Cyclone tattoo!

Outside help

I hauled the pack-n-play outside today for the first time. I placed it under the Linden tree, which gets shade nearly all day. I filled it with a couple of choice toys and books and plopped Emily inside. To my surprise she was quite content for almost an hour. She didn't touch any toys though she spent the whole time peaking over the edge watching me pull leaves.

"typical" week

Will Emily's generation ever know a phone with a dial?

6:00 am, Let's go!

I made it to the top stair

This week is our first "typical" week trying to figure out our part-time stay-at-home schedule. We seem to take Bo for a long walk on the days we are at home. Emily is a morning girl just like me, only she looks so much more beautiful at 6:00 am than I do! I think I should have a plan for each day, full of activities, lately we have been catching up on errands. We have found enough to keep busy.



Emily loves reading her books and lately we have worked alot on animal sounds. Now when we talk about doggies, she gives us a ruff, ruff. Oh and she loves crawling up the stairs. So far we have only mounted a gate at the top of the steps so she can't fall down, but she loves crawling up them. She is getting quite good!

More

We are working with Emily to learn and use American Sign Language. Many experts believe using ASL will reduce frustration and tantrums, facilitate speaking and promote learning. We have been signing a handful of words with Emily when she was about ten months. This week she has mastered signing "more". It is especially useful when eating!