The Coffee Shop is Merely an Extension of Our Home

hello world!! It seems my posts are getting further and further apart. Hopefully this is not always the case. I have two children so you understand I'm sure. One is 34 (very attractive, mostly self sufficient;)) and the other, ohhhhh the other... She's a beautiful 18 month old (almost anyway, I'm not trying to rush things) and a handful bigger than one hand:). I feel like I have to reintroduce ourselves after such a long absence but I'm sure that's a slight overreaction. Though to be fair we are slightly different people than we were 6, 7 or 8 months ago... However long ago that was. Mostly the difference is that we're married!! Really he's not my child but rather my husband. Some may say its one and the same but I only tease. He's an amazing husband who pitches in and equally participates in our lives and the raising of our handful of beauty:) and I also tease about her being suuuuuch a handful... She can be but it's mostly fun:) with a smidge of anxiety but a large dash of ambition we take on the world with gusto on a daily basis. Minor set backs include mishaps such as hand, foot and mouth disease (yes, that's a real thing and no, that doesn't mean she belongs at the zoo) that put us out of the public eye for about a week. Apparently she was a textbook case. Of course. Annnnnd a stubbed toe, which happened yesterday. After the delayed reaction to SUCH a traumatic event Emerson was off the list of functioning children who can walk and decided to make herself immobile. We brought her anything she wanted as she reigned supreme from the center of the family room. Have I failed to mention how smart she is? Never underestimate an 18month old (almost). Ice cream? Check. Books of all kinds? Check. Her favorite stuffed animals? Check. She built an empire without having to budge an inch. Tell me that isn't smart. She slept hard through the night and woke up with a fresh, outgoing, toddler-like perspective on the world. Yay! The reset button was pushed in the quiet hours of the night and together we were ready to conquer the playground. Until I mistakenly tried to put a band aid on the skinned tip of her toe so the wood chips on the playground wouldn't irritate it. Stupid mom, stupid. The light bulb went off and she climbed back onto her throne. Not even the playground would break her of the funk of an 'oh-ee' on her toe (really, the way she says itwill melt your heart). So alas an hour later, a quick trip to the craft store and a melt down or two along the way a wagon ride to the Hartford Coffee shop and the clouds have cleared, the storm has 
lifted and the 'oh-ee' may be close to only a dim memory yet again.

 It may be a good idea to break now for an explanation of the Gold this coffee shop has become to us. There is a play center in the rear of it that hardly ever is too crowded but almost always has another child or two playing and achildren's menu containing the dietary staples of toddler aged children. It is amazing just how much peanut butter and jelly a household can go through, or rather an 18 month old (almost) can consume! To the average coffee shop attendee the little gem at the back of the shop doesn't appear to be the magic that it is.  But a few minutes hanging out while waiting on a caffeinated beverage to be 
brewed, it changed our lives. The kids just LOVE it. There are no extraordinary toys, no flashing 
lights or singing nursery rhymes. There is simply a table with a train track and few donated toys in a 
toy box. Albeit there is also a shelf of books that i hardly ever see touched. But whatever unseen magic it contains I am so grateful for it. And as such it has become an extension of our home. Some parents use a television as a sort of break, I use the coffee shop. Here she gets to interact with other children and adults and we get to play in a comfortable setting outside of home. And sometimes I get to write a blog and have a coffee and just watch her as she goes about her business playing trains and baking cupcakes. If anything it's an opportunity to reflect on just how blessed and grateful we are to be loving and growing together. 

Oh, I regress... I can't leave the 'oh-ee' without resolve. Leaving where I left off, we were walking up the steps to the coffee shop and in her excitement a misstep caused a re-skin!! You can imagine my disbelief. The skies opened and the tears rained down. After a few moments we settled enough to enter the coffee shop, order food and have a seat. To wrap it up, she maintained seated through lunch (unheard of unless she's in a high chair) and finally the draw of other children's interactions pulled her through the funk of her 'oh-ee' :)

So, I am sure some of you may be waiting on the torrent of thought and events that occurred up to, on and around our wedding day. I've decided to save that for a part two or continuation of this blog. For 
now suffice to say it was beautiful, we said yes and I couldn't be a happier wife, mother and woman 
in general. This is our life and I'm in love with it all:)

Also I will post some updated pictures very soon!

A Year is Upon Us and among her many talents we now know she can fake eat out of an empty Reese's bag! :)

  In other words imitation is rearing its beautiful, comical and somewhat scary head. Scary because that means everything we do is up for scrutiny and possible replication by an 11 month old who appears to be going on 12yrs old.  But more importantly its beautiful, simply beautiful. She's growing and developing and processing actions and thoughts... she's becoming a person. She has teeth, many of them and expressions and laughter and loves, just LOVES to say "Yeah". Over and over. Her favorite word. Which holds a much more positive light than "No" so we'll take it :).  So the smallest of actions can be SO loud when she's issuing them. Like when I look over and she's holding an empty Reese's bag and she's reaching in and pulling out Reese's pieces (that aren't really there) and is putting a handful in her mouth and visibly chewing her imaginary candy. And while this is cute, its even cuter that she's completely unaware of the fact that Luke and I are witnessing it. Wow. Is she really only 11 months old??? No, actually she's almost 12 years old. At least in the sense that she knows what she wants, when she wants it and when she doesn't want to give it up. Ok, maybe that is an 11 month old :) That being said I suppose we had better get used to it... the future holds several more years of strong willed desires that will have to be tended to, regardless of fulfillment.
   So my friends (and family), a lot has changed since we last updated you. Given four months of an 11 month old life that shouldn't be surprising and I'll say it again, if you have children (or maybe even just a career) you know how hard it can be to separate an hour from a busy day to send out an update. Our spare time is spent on wedding planning.... YAY! :) (yes, that enthusiasm is somewhat sarcastic, somewhat serious ;)) Its fun, it really is. Especially the closer it gets but the personal touches are time consuming. Thats all ;) We really hope to see everyone there! Its going to be a lot of fun, that much has already been secured.
  Lets see.... starting from where we left off in the last blog, the most recent immediate family union, Zach and Ally Sehy!! Wow, talk about a wedding!! It was beautiful! If you were there, you already know this :) They held back nothing and had a beautiful and elegant wedding and the weather was more than accommodating for all parties. Especially for October! And most importantly, she said yes! :) And of course he did too and so now the wonderful Mr. and Mrs. Sehy begin what I imagine is a very exciting chapter in their lives. I'm personally rooting for the children part of that chapter! Little E needs a cousin on that side and soon so that they're close in age and become the best friends that I know they will be. So... ahem Zach and Ally please don't let it get to the point that I have to explain the birds and bees to you two...;)  
  After the wedding and before the holidays we managed to fill our schedules with nationwide and worldwide travel... no goal is too big for us! ;) Emerson accompanied us on our nationwide travels to La Jolla, California and two weeks later to Hickory, North Carolina. But wait, it gets more impressive. The trip to La Jolla was via airplane... her first flight! But since she was only 9 months old I feel its more important to point out that it was our first flight with her :) I was anxious as you can imagine. A four hour flight (or somewhere around that) later we were all still happy and smiling and loving each other. Of course a cancelled flight from LA to San Diego put a little damper on things as we had to rent a car (which took FOREVER) and drive to La Jolla (3 hr drive?). It was the last leg of the drive that Emerson finally decided to voice her exhaustion, but her and I were in unison so I had no room to complain about the noise she was making. MAN she was amazing, such a trooper! Slept when she could and otherwise just required a touch of entertainment, boda bing boda boom we were in La Jolla.... :) I fell even more in love with our daughter (just when I think I couldn't possibly love her more than I already do, a little more room makes its way into my heart and fills instantly... a crazy feeling this love thing:)). We survived our first family trip and then proceeded to enjoy ourselves tremendously. Ben and Lisa Ben and Lisa Ben and Lisa you're wedding was a blast! :) The rain didn't put even the slightest damper on things... the ceremony was cute and entertaining and the reception, well no one held back. That British bartender makes a lovely Long Island Tea by the way :)The day after the wedding Emerson enjoyed her first sand play on the beach while we watched Dad (Luke) take a surf lesson. Sounds like a movie right? We are just that happy I guess :)
   Two weeks later finds us driving about 11 hours across the country to the lovely state of North Carolina to visit my side of the family (my mom and some relatives) for Thanksgiving. Again, we were a bit anxious about the difficulty level as a flight is one thing, an 11 hour car ride completely another.  The trip there we took in two legs, splitting things up a bit. The trip back we made in one push. Again, we have a saint for a baby! She was just so, SO good! Its still hard to believe actually. We made good time, not once did we have to take an extended time out for her. Her patience sometimes super exceeds mine. And Thanksgiving was just a blast. My oldest brother and oldest sister  met with us at Moms and we all enjoyed time together for the first time in a few years. It was long overdue and much needed! My brother David and his wife have a set of very precious twins and I regretfully had not yet been able to spend time with until this trip. The interaction between the cousins was priceless... we continue to make memories:) Mom did a wonderful job hosting a delicious dinner!! Thanks Mom!
  As wonderful as Thanksgiving was Luke and I were more than ready for our trip to Central America... Beaches and Rainforests and SLEEP!! yes, the three things I was most looking forward to anyway :) We departed for Costa Rica the weekend after Thanksgiving weekend. Grammy Judy was kind enough to watch the little lady for us so we could play pretend young people for a couple of weeks. Of course some of you are wondering 'How could you leave your daughter for two weeks?' Others are mentally patting us on the back for still living life outside of parenthood. I think I was doing a little bit of both. The biggest comfort was knowing she was in good hands. We didn't leave her with just some 'sitter'. So mostly we just knew we were going to miss her.... a lot.  BUT we'd already booked the tickets so ya know, we HAD to go ;) I experienced two realizations while we were in paradise... One is that beauty takes on a different hue after having a child. Costa Rica was breathtaking, it really was. That being said, I never once lost my breath. I found this a bit confusing.... Gorgeous oceans, rainforests, wildlife even... it was all very humbling but I felt a little like I was missing something, like I was a touch immune to just how amazing it all was... I kind of 'sat' on that for a while when I realized why... it wasn't that I was immune to it but that I am surrounded by what I know to be the most beautiful, breathtaking sight every single day. I'm seriously not trying to cheese here but Emerson has most certainly changed the way I see things and experience things. She has topped the cake and makes even Costa Rica look a little less brighter than it might otherwise. The other realization was.... that it rains a lot on the Corn Islands!!  (It doesn't usually, we just caught a wet spell )  After a few days zip lining through the rainforests, surfing in the Pacific and soaking in the hot springs of the Arenal Volcano (rough, I know) I was looking forward to simply laying on the Caribbean beaches of the Nicaraguan Corn Islands.... snorkeling the reefs of the crystal clear waters.... eating delicious fresh seafood.... we both were, which is why we budgeted a good part of the trip for this destination. It was to be the epitome of relaxing. I even took stuff to knit. yup. on the beach. I was going to knit on the beach. A first I'm sure but I'm good at that:) The blue skys of Managua seemed to guarantee that our experience was going to be everything we'd planned. It was an hour flight from Managua to Corn. And it was not a clear sky we flew into. It was like the beginning of a bad horror flick, we were just missing a few key characters. Like the flighty teenagers. I take that back, they were on the flight. So yeah, we had all the ingredients. Including locals who swore it was just 'passing through'... the weather that is. But it wasn't just passing through. Though we didn't want to look up the weather, we just wanted to hope for the best. The second morning in, when it had cleared only long enough for us to travel the 3 mile island via golf cart for the afternoon (still overcast, still chilly) and we'd heard that it was a 16 day stretch of obnoxious rain, we decided to pull up the weather. And immediately after we decided to go home early. It was calling for monsoon weather for a far into the future as the forecast would allow. Fortunately we were able to actually fly off of the island that day (into the beautiful blue skys of Managua of course) and the following morning head home to St. Louis.  We ended the trip on a good note, a shorter one than planned but otherwise good. And we got to come home to our beautiful little girl that had us beside ourselves in her absence. The best part? She remembered us! :)
  The world travelers settle down at home in St. Louis only to put ourselves in high gear wedding planning mode. Its all been pretty laid back but with three months to go it is consuming the spare moments (and even those that aren't so spare). I don't mind it thought. Its all taking shape and I'm becoming more excited, less nervous. I wouldn't be surprised if those emotions reverse on me time and time again as we get closer. I just hope it lands in the current order on the day of!
  While we wedding plan, Emerson continues to grow :) She crawls faster than I can walk (awesome!;)) but continues to hold off walking herself. I don't think that will last too much longer. She is pulling up on furniture, feeding herself, drinking out of cups on her own (ones with lids though they're not traditional 'sippy' cups)... she gives kisses and hugs (I tend to get unlimited hugs where Luke gets unlimited kisses... I don't know why its this way but for me to get a kiss I have to beg. Its really quiet embarrassing  ;)) She has at least 8 teeth, I think some more are or have come in but I've put my finger in her mouth once and I won't be doing it again (therefore my count could be off). She plays patty-cake, tries to blow kisses (and is successful if they're coming from her ear :)), and is a pro at peek a boo....While I'd love to list her favorite foods I'm afraid I sound like I'm auctioning her off on a dating website so I'll leave you with whats already been said:)
   I do have to say for those of you reading this I don't want you to misinterpret my praises of our child... I realize she is not perfect... to you. But I do realize she is perfect to me... to us. That being said, there's nothing about her I don't find cute, adorable... and well, perfect:) I'm sure you understand :)
  We hope everyone had an amazing holiday!! I know ours are now a whole new experience:)

Oh, and if you were wondering the forecast for Corn Island today is, well you guessed it... rain  ;)

Well hello Month 8, did you by chance bring me something to chew on? oh, and some coffee for my Mom and Dad? Or maybe a good nights sleep? They love those even more:)

Month 8!! Oh my goodness, its so hard to believe and then again not hard at all. Oh the growth that has occurred since the last blog! She keeps me so ridiculously busy that my oath to blog monthly was less of a realistic goal than I could have possibly imagined. I suppose I could abandon all other personal interests for the sake of the blog but call me selfish, sometimes my sewing machine or my paint brushes need a friend. That being said, I can't ignore the keyboard forever as it also is still my close friend AND I do love writing about our little one and our life :)

SO where are we now? I'll just jump right in...Contrary to popular belief, a little girls hair does not fall out and regrow before she turns 1yrs old. I don't know, I heard that somewhere :) Emerson's hair continues to grow and is almost shoulder length! (and by almost I mean it reaches her ears ;)) It is coming in thick though, yet another trait of her dads that she aquired. She smiles all the time which is such a beautiful thing! Her first two teeth are in, both came in within a couple weeks of each other and let me tell you, those were preeeeetty rough nights. For all of us I think, but of course mostly for her. A little Tylenol didn't seem to go very far and it was heart wrenching with each tooth :( But they're here now and it definitely enhances her cuteness!! Though just because the first two teeth are here doesn't mean the teething is over, oh no. The 'bad' nights come and go as she continues to work on what I can only assume are her top front teeth. We as a family will be more than happy when the little lady has all her pearly whites, my heart can't take her being in so much pain so often :(

Beyond that cute grin of hers, her sitting position has improved to the point that she can more or less sit and hang out without a supporting hand on her back. She is now able to even transition from sitting up to a laying position pretty smoothly.  I didn't realize how easy it was for an 8 month old to do the splits! Pretty incredible how limber the little one is. Once in a while she takes a head dive back but we surround her with blankets if its not a padded situation and that seems to do the trick. She has been working on the crawling for a couple months now but beyond getting herself into the hand and knee position and rocking back and forth she kind of just slides back to her belly and scoots around. So she's still a mover but just doesn't want to bruise up her knees, and who can blame her :)

Its been a few years since I've spent a whole lot of time around an infant and in the meantime I forgot how entertaining non 'toy' items are for them. For instance, cords. Electrical cords. If there's one in the room, she will find it. And get to it. By scooting of course. Its to the point that I have to make sure everything is unplugged lest I walk away for a second and she finds the cord thats hidden under the chair, has a blanket over it and is tucked into itself (??? i mean, a really well hidden cord:)), if its there she WILL find it. I don't know why we even bother with store bought stuff. Other than wires of the electrical kind her favorite toy is a toy made of all wood where there's 5 different stacks, each with a their respective amount of holes in them that fit over a matching number of pegs, all different colors of course. Its designed for 1 yr olds and above I believe and she definitely hasn't grasped the concept of fitting each circle over its matching number of pegs but she just loves playing with the pieces... picking them up and turning them over, chewing on them, rolling them across the floor... really she can entertain herself for quiet some time with this toy alone. The brand is Kid O... I highly recommend it! (Thanks Martha!!:))

Oh boy, what else? She says Da da, or rather dadadadadadadaaaaaa (indiscriminately is what I'm getting at ;)). I hear this is common, but either way I wouldn't be surprised. She definitely has a lot of love for her Dad. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside:) We work on waving hi everyday and some days she embraces it, other days she acts like she has no idea what I'm talking about in which case I look like the crazy babbling mother when I'm just trying to get whatever dotting stranger to see how cute our baby is. I guess its all a part of the learning process. 

I'm writing this now while cooking her baby food at the same time (she's napping, not wrapped up in cords... don't lie, you know the thought crossed your mind). Yes, I make her baby food from scratch at home and puree it. I figured why not? I don't have an excuse not to (well, i used to think I didn't have an excuse not to and now I know that I do and its valid, I'm BUSY all the time with her! but i still do it anyway). Whats funny about this making food at home for her is that I find recipes that even Luke and I would love. And then I find recipes that even Luke and I wouldn't make for ourselves! Like: Fillet of Fish in an Orange Sauce;  Fillet of Flounder with Carrot, Cheese and Tomato; Chicken Liver with Vegetables and Apple; and Sweet Potato and Lamb Casserole. I mean, really??? And yes, these recipes can all be found in the book "Top 100 Baby Purees".  But again, I've found lots of valuable ones and its been great for Luke and I too. We just leave the puree step out at the end when it comes to the recipes I follow for us. At least for now. Give us about 40 years and I'll readmit the step :)

Moving on.... this weekend bodes to be a big weekend for the Sehy family and the Broeren family too! Both add a beautiful addition to their families on Saturday, October 8th as Zach and Ally make it official!! We'll be headed up to Champaign this evening to begin the festivities surrounding their wedding. I have to thank Ally a million times over for many reasons but one of them is having an excuse to finally get a massage!! (and a sitter! ha, i kid i kid :)) We're so excited for them and really looking forwarded to celebrating such an amazing occasion. All that being said, you'll understand why I have to sign off now. It takes A LOT longer to pack for a trip now that we have a little one. Tune back in soon because I'm sure I'll have an experience to write about after our first family flight to San Diego for a November wedding. Lots of love in the air!! Hope life is treating you all as well as it is us :) Much love!

Look at me Mom and Dad, I'm SOOOOOO strong!!

And she most certainly is! Little Emerson is rocking our world on a daily basis (though this was always the case :)). Her growth and learning has become almost rapid-like, now being able to lift her head 90 degrees to her body and keep it that way for long periods of time, roll over as well as put most of her weight on her  legs. She is just so cute I wish there were words for it:) When we pull her into sitting position and she maintains a 'level' head, she looks around with wide eyes and a big smile. I have a feeling that its not only because we are SO proud of her but she seems pretty proud of herself too... It makes my heart *thump thump*. And she LOVES her bumbo! We're not able to use it for more than a couple minutes at a time quiet yet as her head seems to get a little heavy for her but its her big girl seat and its clear that she knows this... when she sits in it its like a whole new world for her. It is just so delightful to witness and be a part of her 'awareness', especially as it grows in leaps and bounds everyday... have I said just how cute she is? SO SO SO cute :) Now that she can roll over, which she had been doing by 2 months but very rarely, she does it all the time. She's realized her ability to do it and so its an automatic response when you lay her down. Her head hits the mattress, she curls her back, throws her head back and swings her left leg over her right and her body follows. And there she is, sleeping on her belly. It made me really nervous the first few times; I would check on her every five minutes. One of many moments she will turn me in to a nervous wreck.  But that being said, nothing beats the feeling I get when I walk into her room in the morning and she's on her belly, lifting her head  and curling her legs up (think seal-style) with an expression on her face and delight in her eyes that says "Look at me mom! I'm sooooooo strong!" :)

Yesterday was our first family swim outing. We took Emerson to the pool at the YMCA and she was the fish we knew she would be, already swimming on her own and everything! (kidding, kidding;)) But she did seem to really like the water. She loves her baths so that was to be expected a little and she seemed to be a bit on the tired side so her reaction wasn't as extreme as I expected but we could tell she was in awe. A bath that mom and dad fit in and we're all wearing clothes??!! WHOA! It was adorable (I say this a million times as if you'll only get how adorable she is if I put the phrase on repeat:))

So as the little lady works on turning 4 months old (and an adorable 4 month old at that ((notice i fit 'adorable' in there again)) Luke and I work on planning for our future, particularly the wedding with its pending arrival. It is alot more work than I could have begun to imagine but I feel like the stressful parts of it are melting away and the detailed part of the planning is kind of fun:) It helps that we have 11 months now to work on the little things which in the end will hopefully keep the stress levels to a minimum as we near the big day. I'd love to share some of those details that are taking shape but I don't want to give anything away sooo..... yeah :) April 14, 2012 is the special day if I haven't already mentioned that in the previous blog. We are so excited! I absolutely can't wait to marry someone that I fall more in love with everyday:)

We're looking forward to the family reunion at the end of June and can't wait for everyone to meet Emerson! Much love to everyone!

You Move Me Honey, Yes You Do...

Hello all! So here we sit at 3 months... WOW!! time flies, though I knew it would. Things are pretty uneventful in the Sehy household of St. Louis, we're all just living and loving each other. Everyday we find ourselves gawking at each other, love just oozing out our pores, still waiting for the fact that we have such a beautiful little one (thats actually ours!) to sink in. Sounds cheesy but funny enough its true!

Before I share a little bit of Emersons fun personality with you, I'll share some other exciting news (that I'm sure most of you are clued into by now) but Luke and I are getting married!! :) :) Now, you may be thinking to yourself 'Isn't that a little backwards?' or 'duh, you have a kid. Of course you're getting married!' or many other sarcastic or even supportive thoughts but I'd like to clear the air a little. We are not getting married just BECAUSE we have a child and yes, backwards according to the societal 'norm' (not that I've ever been a big fan of following the rules just because they're rules) but when it comes down to it, child or non we are absolutely crazy about each other and simply put, that is why we're getting married. We are fortunate to have a child as some people in our position may not be so lucky to even get pregnant down the road. I love the fact that Emerson is around to be involved in our wedding and everyday we show her how much we love her and each other and she will be a testimony to that as we make it official :) It will be one of the greatest days of my life (following meeting Luke and then meeting Emerson for the first time :)). I cannot stress how lucky I feel that Luke loves me back in such a way that he wants to spend the rest of his life with me... I know without any doubt or hesitation that there is no one else I would want to share my life with and for all of the above reasons we are all incredibly happy!!

Now for the joys of parenthood :) That sounds sarcastic and maybe it should be a little bit but surprisingly I can tell you that there is not a minute that I have been even remotely close to throwing my hands up, nor has Luke for that matter (at least I'm pretty sure on his part ;)). You know, we'd heard before Emerson arrived that if our relationship could survive pregnancy and the first year of raising her together that we'd be 'good'. Maybe because we're not married yet our relationship could be viewed as not being as strong. That is SO wrong. This being said, everyone is different. Perceptions, temperment, patience, background, ideals, virtues, etc, etc... I feel like all of those things plus more determines the outcome of such a situation. For us the pregnancy and the first 3 months have been such a positive experience and I feel has only enhanced and strengthened our relationship. The end of the pregnancy was difficult physically and there were a few nights in the first 3 months that were long nights but overall with a little bit of team work we've made it efficient (if you can call it that ;)) and positive. We are nothing short of a happy family :)

Now all of this may sound 'fairytale' and you might be thinking "right, she's sugar coating it. No way can it be so 'perfect' and positive and blah blah blah" and again this is where I'd say its perception of experience which is fueled by so many things past and present. For me I loved the long nights holding Emerson, consoling her, feeding her, simply realizing that she is real, and amazing and ours :) Knowing that this part of her life will pass and she'll be an adult before we know it, I try to take every experience with her a positive one and really absorb it. We are all learning together; her, Luke and I :)

Moving on I do have to say I never thought I'd find myself just staring at a baby. Staring at her for as long as she'll let us, she probably finds her parents a little creepy :) (I kid, I kid:) Of course she ours and that makes the difference. We never thought we'd find 'poop' so funny, hilarious at times. Her 'poop face' as we call it never gets old... we laugh every time! We see it less and less the older she gets and so I even find myself missing it at times. We know there's a package coming when we see this expression, never fails... typically referred to as "a package for dad!" because it happened frequently in the beginning when he was holding her:) The running commentary on the color of her dirty diapers also so funny. They're all reruns at this point but still hysterical :) I find myself having conversations I never thought I'd have, mostly because they're one sided conversations with a 3 month old. But hey, I might as well treasure the moments she finds me interesting and engaging because it might not always be that way. I've never had a smile melt my heart the way her smile does :) I've never had a cry cripple me the way hers does :( As every parent does, I wish to keep any pain away from her all the days of her life and knowing thats not going to be possible breaks my heart.

Emerson has many nicknames, all applicable depending on the time of day or kind of day but amongst them is One Eyed McGee (though this is fading), triple chins, stinkybutt (slowly becoming 'stink' for short), chunk, beautiful (thats a given:)), bean (this will never get old), beanerson, little bean and many more bean oriented nicknames and most recently, quarter-slots (tends to happen as she's fading to sleep).... all said with fondness and love of course :)

One of the first questions that usually comes from strangers when we're out and about... "Is she a good baby?" Ummmm, no, no she's not. She's awful, just awful. Really?! I know people mean well but like any new parent is going to say their child is not a good baby. In my eyes she is an amazing baby. Also, "Is she a good sleeper?" which usually directly relates to the good baby question. Because there is quiet the broad scale when it comes to a newborn's sleep habits I would say yes, I think she is a good sleeper. I think it could be much worse... I know it could be much worse. She was never hard to get back to sleep after a night feeding, only wakes up when she's hungry and has transitioned nicely to longer bouts of sleep and fewer feedings at night. There is an occasional night when she has some difficulty being perfect ;) but there is also the occasional night when she sleeps through the entire night without waking up (though this has only happened a couple of times but hey, its a good sign). A typical night is as follows... around 5:30 or so its bath time. We spend about 10 minutes in the water because she loooooves it:) Then she has a bottle (if she's hungry), then story time (if she makes it through though a lot of times she's just ready for bed) and then bed (by about 6:00 or 6:30pm). She sleeps until we wake her up about 9pm to try and feed her as much as she'll eat. She goes right back to sleep (most of the time doesn't even wake up, just 'eat-sleeps' :)). Then she'll wake up between 2 and 3am on her own, take a full bottle and then go right back to sleep until between 6:30 and 7:30am. We get up in the morning, hang out between an hour and an hour and a half and then she's ready for a nap... between 1 and 2 1/2 hours. No, I'm not making this up :) I think its amazing. I think we're going on about 3 weeks or so of this being a steady occurance. And trust me, this is her setting her own schedule. We have not forced anything that hasn't been natural for her. And when she gets all the rest that she needs she is the happiest 3 month old I can imagine. So, is she good baby? yes. Is she a good sleeper? yes.

And lastly.... ( I need to do this more often so i'm not writing books).... She lifts her head on her own and is almost to the point that she can control it. Everyday she gets better at it:) Also she has rolled over a few times on her own. She smiles ALL THE TIME and is starting to talk a lot :) We are absolutely in love with her!!

I'll try to post more frequently to keep everyone updated.... next blog will highlight our parenting skillz :)

Love and hugs to everyone!

She's a soul shaker, heartbreaker, dream maker....

The most beautiful little girl graced us with her arrival February 4, 2011 at 9:23am!!! There is entirely too much emotion to possibly convey even a fraction of what we feel for her and for the experience of bringing her into the world via words alone but we'll try :)

Emerson Zo Sehy weighed in at 6lbs 12oz and 19.25 inches after 15.5 hours of "labor". I put that in quotations because to me labor insinuates movie-like groans, grunting, sweat and pain. It wasn't really like that. At all. My water broke at home two hours after the doctor had told me that it looked like I was going to carry well passed my due date (keep in mind my due date was Feb 9). We had scheduled an appointment for an ultrasound on Feb 14 and were hoping the doctor on call might be so kind as to induce at a week passed her due date. I was extremely discouraged as the discomfort of being 9 months pregnant was starting to really weigh on me, literally and figuratively. I came home teary eyed while Luke did his best to console me. Within a couple of hours I felt what can only be described as a "pop". The short of that feeling was that my water broke. We were in disbelief to say the least and as we grabbed the hospital bag and a few other essentials I was expecting a tremendous amount of pain to immediately follow the breaking of the water. Instead I found myself hoping that with as much water as it felt like I was losing that it didn't look like I couldn't stop peeing my pants as we maneuvered our way through the hospital to the labor and delivery ward. We checked in and as they confirmed that my water broke, they hooked me up to the appropriate machines. Slowly the contractions started coming but were tolerable. I had set myself up to expect the worst. When I remained 1cm dialated for a few hours they decided to hook me up to a bag of pitocin. I said yes, please to the epidural at that point, knowing the pitocin was suppose to increase the rate of my contractions and invite the pain in with open arms. After the epidural, it was literally a cake walk. I wasn't in any kind of pain, just tired and starving. We tried to nap throughout the night without much luck as the doctors and nurses were in and out every few minutes. In the morning (exact times escape me), Bean still hadn't dropped so they decided they needed to break what they called a 'forbag' of water. Once that was accomplished it was only a matter of 3 or 4 hours before I was fully dialated and it was time to push. We pushed for 15 minutes and she came out screaming and healthy :) (I say 'we' because i feel like Luke's support was just as effective as my physical efforts in pushing... I really, really could not have done it without him by my side.) They handed her directly to me as Luke cut the umbilical chord and I found myself drowning in emotion that I have never come close to experiencing. She was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, and her Dad standing there with us both.... well, I just don't have words.  I couldn't contain my tears and I didn't even try. She stole my heart and shook my soul in a matter of a split second and I know without a doubt it will last a life time :)

Enter: pain like I've never experienced. After the epidural wore off I found myself scared to even go to the bathroom because of how much it hurt. I had a second degree tear that they had sewn up (pre epidural wear-off) and I couldn't sit, lay down or walk without asking myself if I would survive this. But everytime I thought about her I knew I'd go through whatever was necessary to have her again and again. My extreme frustrations grew from the fact that I couldn't even situate myself to hold her for a lengthy period of time or feed her or change her diaper because of how bad it hurt. It was almost painful to watch her float around the room to the arms of everyone but me. Well, other than her dad. Seeing how Luke was with her made me (and makes me) feel complete in a way I didn't realize was even possible. When I say he is amazing, I mean he is AMAZING. Emerson and I could not be luckier or happier.

We brought her home last Sunday. Surreal as it was, it was also so natural to the point that it felt right, not scary, not weird, just right. We have been so fortunate as to have had an easy first week. She sleeps alot, only gets a little fussy when she's in need. And i mean it when I say a 'little' fussy because she makes enough noise for us to know when she needs a diaper change, or needs to eat, or just wants some love and thats it. I have yet to hear an outright cry from her (knock on wood) and know that my heart will break the first time I do.

She had her first doctors appointment Thursday and he said she is perfect (of course I already knew that but its comforting to see that others recognize it as well ;)). *phew* I cried. A sign of times to come.  Relief when I didn't even realize I was as nervous as I was. I just want her to be healthy, that is my first priority and number one objective.  So yeah, I cried out of happiness and relief. Ok, I shed a few tears. I didn't CRY cry. Just to clarify :)

So, my pain has subsided and so far any raging hormones or lack there of are just emphasizing my happiness rather than dragging me through any baby blues. I find myself shedding a few tears from time to time when I look at her and see that the man I love and myself created what can only be described as a soul shaker, heartbreaker and dream maker, Ms. Emerson Zo Sehy :)

All Growed Up :)

So its been a while, yeah? We have been a little on the busy side and while things haven't necessarily slowed down they're taking a different direction, hence a few minutes to update our many followers :)

The last time we talked I do believe we had just been robbed. That was fun. And no, they didn't catch the perps, not that we were holding our breath. We have since moved to a new home, smartly enough just down the road! We figured 'why give up on the neighborhood now?' Our allegiance to the city and the neighborhood of Tower Grove won out. BUT that being said, we LOVE our new home. We're going on 3 weeks in it and have found it to be everything we hoped for and could possibly want. I think a lot of that has to do with all the love goin' around these walls, that and our house could be featured on 'Cribs' its that cool  :) (kidding, sort of ;)). So about 3 weeks now, which means we're all unpacked except for a few minor details. That was an experience! I thought it was never going to end, though in the end it went a lot faster than it felt like at the time. Within the next week the baby's room should be just about ready. Which is a good thing because....

 WE'RE ALMOST THERE!!!!!!!!!!

I may seem a little excited, but its beyond words spelled out in caps lock, I assure you. Scary and exciting and sudden. Sudden? Did I say sudden? I did, because feeling like i've been pregnant forever  provides the pretense that I'd go on being pregnant forever and now that she's big, never stops moving, contractions have happened and my body is threatening to just quit altogether when I want to do the simplest of things such as turn over in the middle of the night, I know that this is coming to an end. Well, an end and also a beginning.
So, we are beyond excited to meet our little one whom we still call Bean but will be legally known as Emerson Zo Sehy when she makes her grand entrance :) Not only are we excited to meet her but me personally, I am excited for a few things that will come with her arrival. Or within a few weeks/months of it. Allow me to share my list of selfish things I am looking forward to:
1) Getting my boobs back. Thats right, I said it. Where most of the feedback I've received about that growth experience has been positive, I for one am not a fan. I was very happy with what I was sporting before not to mention i was soooo much more comfortable! So when those bad boys shrink back down to size, I won't be crying, I'll be celebrating :)
2) Being able to bend over. Granted this might take a minute, but barely being able to put my socks on, or any clothing for that matter is starting to make me feel like an invalid. Starting to have a hard time reaching the sink when brushing my teeth or washing my face. Bean has taken over these quarters. I'm happy to share the space and all but the patience for that is beginning to run out. Did I mention pregnancy is 40 WEEKS LONG!
3) Feeling sexy again. Luke does everything he can to assure me that he still finds me attractive and to him, I know that I am. But I don't feel attractive. I can't even put my own shoes on and can barely shave my legs. How would you feel? Enough said.
4) Wearing normal clothes again. I'm not a big shopper by any means but once in a while I like to pick up something cute when I see it. This has been an option taken forgranted for the last 28 years. When shopping for an event (such as holiday parties) I was beside myself. I tried my best to be a good sport and also come up with alternative solutions but its enough to demand a pity party when you find yourself eyeballing a cute top, and then you remember you're carrying around Mount Everest in your stomach and your maternity clothes will barely even fit, much less the extra small tank top you absentmindedly stuck in the cart.
5) Ordering a coffee without Evil looks. Pregnant people aren't suppose to drink caffein right? Wrong, pregnant people are only suppose to limit their intake, not eliminate it. And that goes with so many other "pregnant policies" its ridiculous. Unless you see me chugging a beer or taking long drags off of a cigarette keep your judgement to yourself or I'll tell you where to stick it. This has been my motto for the last 35 weeks. Rest assured I am doing everything to make sure we have a healthy baby but I will NOT lay comatose in a bed while the world tauntingly circles around me. Which is what it amounts to if you follow every 'no, no' uttered by anyone. Besides, do you have any idea what your parents where up to while you were chillin' in your snug, compfy little quarters? I think its the stress and fret over what NOT to do when your pregnant that causes more problems than what you're actually doing while housing the little one. Chill out and be healthy, thats what I'm diggin' on :)

Well, we'll start with 5. I'm sure the list is about 5 pages longer but I don't want to exhaust our readers:)

I want to wrap up this short update with a HUGE thanks the lovely group of ladies who threw Luke and I a baby shower suited for the books: Mimi Newman, Janet Pope, Sue Helfrich, Sue Marshall, Katie Good, Teresa Dorsey and Jani Piercy... you ladies rock! :)  The turn out was amazing and the support overwhelming (that being said, everyone that braved the weather and made it... seriously, thank you thank you thank you). It meant so much to us!!  And as always a big thank you to Luke, who is more amazing than I could possibly vocalize. I am by far the luckiest lady I've ever known :) I'll get pictures of the babies room up as soon as I can and some updated photos of the house (the one we live in and the one that used to be my stomach:))