Emma's 1st Halloween

The last post updated you on everything over the last two months so this post is simply to show you how cute Emma was on her first Halloween. My sister babysat while I was at work that day, so when I got home Michelle helped me get Emma ready for the big night. Luckily, Emma took a good nap from five to six o'clock and ate right after, so she was in a good mood for the festivities. We went to Mega Blast at DFCC to show her off and then stopped by my aunt's house for the family to see. Emma did great. She didn't seem to mind being in her costume and despite my expectations, she was not the "little purple monster" I thought she would be that night!

Boy, does time fly!

Well it's been two months since I posted last. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday we brought our little munchkin home from the hospital, but here we are five and a half months later and things have really changed! Weighing in at about 16 lbs. and over 26 inches in length, our little Emma has grown so much. She is such a big girl, sitting up on her own, talking (and screaming) up a storm, and grabbing everything (including mommy's hair) in sight. And where does everything end up? In the mouth of course! Emma got her first tooth at three and a half months. It was her bottom right tooth. The bottom left came in a few days later. At five months her top right tooth broke through and she's now working on getting the top left one to ease it's way out. We've been so lucky that teething hasn't been too difficult on Emma. Of course, it could get worse, but we are grateful for now that she doesn't seem to be in too much pain. Emma is quite the happy baby (most of the time). She loves to smile and laugh, especially at her daddy and the dogs. With her coming of age (5 months), she started eating solid foods, starting with rice cereal and working her way through all the veggies and now fruits. So far she's had squash, peas, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, and prunes. She really likes sweet potatoes and prunes. Along with her change in diet, we've had a change in diaper changing. Without getting too graphic, I'll just say that we are going through more wipes now and may need to get some nose plugs. Anyway, enough with the talk, here are a couple of newer pictures for you all to see.

Lately, and on more than one occasion, I have been asked the following question when Emma and I are out and about: "Is it a little boy or girl?" In my head I'm thinking, "Are you serious?" I mean, how much "girlier" can you get? It's like Pepto Bismo (spelling?) exploded all over the carseat! Take a look at the above picture and tell me what you think. Is there any question in your mind what sex the baby is?

Newer Pics of Emma

I know I've been slacking on my posting. Sorry Nathan! Here are some newer shots of our precious little one for all the world to see.

Emma's 1st Camping Trip

Well we attempted our first camping/fishing trip from August 16th to the 20th in Bridgeport,CA with the Luckey family and successfully made it to and from with everyone in one piece. I must say that it definitely was a lot more work this year with a baby than in years past, but well worth it. It's amazing how much "stuff" you need for such a little person. I have to pat myself on the back for packing just right. We needed and used everything that I packed. All in all it was a great trip. Of course we didn't get in as much fishing as we'd like to have (in fact I didn't get to do any), but that's okay. Next year's just around the corner.

Loving the Boppy

It appears that Emma is not the only one in the Higginbotham household that likes to "kick back on the Boppy".

Reflecting on Parenthood

Well, I'm sitting her with Miss Emma in her "Baby Bjorn", a wonderful invention that allows me to carry her around hands-free so that I can have her close to me and get things done at the same time. I was reflecting on my journey thus far through motherhood and am amazed by how quickly it seems to go by. Here we are 8 weeks in and I just can't believe how much our little princess has changed and grown, both physically and socially. I must say that it really does get better with time. Emma now has many more "quiet alert" times throughout the day where she just takes in her surroundings and interacts with us. She knows her mommy and daddy and has begun conversing with us daily through many coos and other interesting sounds. She loves the little swinging monkey on her rainforest bouncer, relaxing in her swing, kicking back on the Boppy pillow, and stretching out on the changing table. She also likes going shopping and out for walks in her stroller. If you are lucky, you may even catch her smiling and laughing from time to time. She has become such a joy to interact with and we feel blessed to have her in our lives. We are so fortunate to have a good sleeper at this point too (I'm sure it could change). Mommy and daddy are getting anywhere from 6-8 hours of sleep a night, with an occasional 9 hours! We haven't really got our napping schedule down yet, but with the amount of sleep we get each night, we really can't complain. Anyhow...I better take advantage of the nap Emma's taking right now. I'm off to fold laundry.

P.S. Got to go see the new addition to the Alberico family in the hospital yesterday and I must admit that Dominic is quite the stud. Charlotte, watch out! Emma will be fighting over him. Congrats Angelo and Lori on your beautiful baby boy! We look forward to many playdates.

Finally more pics of Emma

I know we've been slacking on our "blogging", but we're still pretty new at this so hopefully you'll give us a break. You'd think that with me (Gina) being home all day I would have tons of time to post new and exciting blogs. However, that simply is not the case. You see, parenthood has been quite the learning experience and eventhough we are a good 5 weeks into it, we still haven't quite figured it all out yet. You may wonder what my day consists of...well here it is: Wake up around 4:30 am to my mini alarm clock (Emma, that is). Change her. Feed her. Burp her. Rock her back to sleep (hopefully). Maybe get a little more shut eye myself. Then up again by 6:30 to feed (and burp, of course). If Emma decides to take another nap, I score (with a shower). Get ready quickly and wait for the dinner (or breakfast) bell to ring. Basically we repeat this every two hours which really only gives me about a half hour for "me" time. There's not a lot you can accomplish in that amount of time, so usually I don't get much done. I have seen almost every episode of Law and Order though. Actually, since we hit the one month mark, Emma's had more awake time, which just means I have to find more things to entertain her with. It may sound like I'm complaining (which I might be just a bit) but really it's not that bad. I am enjoying being home with my little munchkin and love watching her change and grow each day. Motherhood is amazing and think I've become a stronger and better person since taking on this role. I'm starting to feel more comfortable with taking her out of the house and hopefully we'll get a routine going where I can get more accomplished. Until then, I'm at the princess' mercy. Speaking of which...here are some more pictures (which is really what you want to see anyhow, right!).

Annoyed Emma, cause dad keeps waking her up.

Emma Rose, born 5-20-08 at 1:36pm , 7lb 10oz, 20 inches long

Well I never I thought I would start one of these mostly due to the fact that I have nothing interesting to say. I figure I would create it to keep others updated on our new daughter.