Weekend Update

This weekend, I attempted to get Emmy’s two year portraits done. I would love, love, love to have them professionally done and the timing for it is perfect since our favorite professional is about to be in town, but I just can’t justify spending the money right now. I am going to wait until next year and just take some myself for right now and see if we can get them to work. We worked on pottying a lot, but it didn’t go as well as I had hoped. In this picture of Emmy watching Yo Gabba Gabba! you can see the chair insert in front of her. She had an accident on it and then asked me “What happened???” So, the Elmo chair cover is the laundry and we are still wearing diapers. She did really want to wear her Dora the Explorer panties Saturday but we continued to have accidents so I headed back to the Dollar General near our house where I originally bought them so we would have more than three that were already wet in the laundry.  After a scare, I found a package on the very bottom, in the very back. Whew! Emmy Ruth also discovered a pink and a lavender Dora cowboy hat. I think it looks like what she would wear if auditioning for Rock of Love, the Brett Michaels show on VH1, but none the less she had to have one. She wanted me to have one too, how sweet, but thankfully, I realized I had it on as we were checking out and I had worn the darn thing all over the store. I am a little concerned since everything we got her for her birthday revolves around Yo Gabba Gabba! and now we are in a Dora the Explorer phase. But, hopefully she will come back to her roots soon.

 

And she is in a naked little mood lately. Tara and I were laughing that Lucas will wear nothing but a white t-shirt, no matter how he is dressed, he takes it off and sports his white tee. Emmy has been wearing layers of lately but yesterday decided to be a streaker. While watching YGG, she ended up taking her PullUp off and just running around naked all afternoon. I told her this was a better idea in the summer but she would have nothing of it. This kid!

 

In other news, John worked on the closet in my office/guestroom/shrine to mom and grandmas/photography studio/sewing room so that I can put things in there. I was so delighted! The closet had this little built in shoe rack on the bottom so nothing would actually stack in there. When we got the house, it thought it was neat, then I realized that possibly ten pairs of shoes would fit there and who has only ten pairs of shoes? Oh yea, John. Like he’s getting another closet! Ha! So, now my storage bins of sewing things are easy to reach, I actually have a chair to sit in while I work on my machine and I don’t have to sit on the end of the hope chest and sew, and I don’t have to pull everything out to get in there. It’s delightful! But, just to prove you can’t get anything for free, John got a giant inflatable hockey set for the back yard and he insists on having the fully inflated net in the living room.

 

 

 

Randomness

I tried to get a good picture of Emmy in this jacket since I just love it on her, but this was all I got. Of course, we are wearing the Yo Gabba Gabba! hat, glove and t-shirt. She slept in the glove last night. Yes, the one glove.

 

Tara reported that last night when they were at Amerigos, when the apparently very attractive waitress brought his drink, Lucas said, “Thank you, my lady”. Oye. That boy.

Morning Commentary

Me:        We are crossing the bridge and now we are in Arkansas!

Emmy:  Over the water!

Me:        Can you say “woo”?

Emmy:  PIG!

 

She might wear John’s Ohio State hat but she’s my Hog.

 

Not everyone can pull off this look

Last night, Emmy Ruth was taking her bath and she told me she had to booboo. I got her out and she sat on the potty for a while with no action. She was playing in the tub again and told me again that she had to go. I finished washing my face and turned around and well, she was right this time. I grabbed her quickly and she managed to finish in the toilet. We are so proud of her! Afterwards, she was in the living room hanging out wearing her pull up, Brobee hat, her pretend high heels and reading a book. Not everyone can look so fabulous in this outfit.

oh and did I mention...

… how sore I am after all that yard work? Seriously, there were at least a dozen trash bags full of weeds on the curb this morning, not to mention the large pieces of dead tall plants that just went directly to the curb with no bag.

 

Here is Emmy playing dress up with Daddy while I am working hard in the yard. It’s a rough life she has, but it is certainly a pink one… Pink phone, pink dress up shoes, pink tutu…

 

Children's Museum

Since it was so chilly yesterday, we headed to the Children’s Museum and had so much fun. I think the last time we want was on MLK Day so it appears to be a tradition! Emmy Ruth and Lucas were so adorable playing together, they really do a great job of sharing and hugging. We played on the stage for a while and ERB was just amazed at all the “big” kids there. Of course, Lucas loved the slides and the cars and trucks and I am not sure why Emmy Ruth felt she should get in the back of the police car but I really hope this is the only police car backseat for her. And of course, we talked a lot about Uncle Neallio when we visited the dentist’s office!!

 

Busy, busy, busy but so much fun!!

Friday night, Emmy stayed with Nana (Lucas’s paternal grandma). I called a couple of times to check on her and Nana would say that she had to go, they were having fun without her, so I think a fun time was had by all. I can say that when I met them, Emmy would not come to me and Papaw Ricky had to put her in our car. Little twerp! Friday night, however, I managed to get lots of sewing done that I had not been able to work on for a while so I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I did a really cute project in the mudroom (pictures to follow when I get the finishing touches complete). John and I went out to dinner. And sat for the entire meal! I made him promise before we went that he wouldn’t get up and run around in circles or crawl under the table and he assured me he wouldn’t and he kept his word.

 

John worked Saturday and once Emmy came home, I considered calling Nana back since Emmy was properly spoiled.  Sunday morning after our trip to Sonic and Target, John and Emmy hung out while I worked in the flower bed. My flower bed was ridiculous and I swear, I think I saw some neighbors standing on the porches clapping and thanking me for finally cleaning it. Last year, I had lots of plants and tall flowers and of course, after all was dead, I never pulled out floral corpses and the leaves. So, I worked for a couple of hours in the yard and got most of the larger bed finished. In John’s defense, he would do it if I asked him to but he would also salt the earth so that he didn’t have to do it again. John and Emmy played in the house and then in the backyard. Neall and Becca were coming to Memphis for the night so I asked them to swing by and see if Neall could fix my wireless router. I am exhausted at messing with it.  Of course, when I went to get pictures of Sol and Emmy, my battery was dead!

 

Monday, we dropped John off for work and by the time we got home, Emmy Ruth was fast asleep. I knew that this would likely be the only time I could work on the other flower bed for the day and it really wasn’t nowhere near as lovely as it was on Sunday. We have NEVER been able to get a sleeping Emmy from the car into the house without waking her. I always thought it was so charming when people would remark about how when their kids would sleep they just put them in the car and drove around until they feel asleep. But then what? When ERB was a baby, I drove that Prius and the thought of spending the night in there wasn’t too appealing. So, with a sleeping girl in the car, I worked on the other flower bed. As cold as it was at 7am, I got a lot done… quickly!

 

Emmy started complaining about her ear hurting and then she grabbed her head and said it hurt. I know that I am a freak, but really, don’t care, I called the doctor and they were able to get us in 30 minutes later. She was fine, no ear infection, just a cold, but I would much rather be safe than sorry and have to take off work and go this week. Once she had the all-clear, we made plans to hang out with Lucas and AunTee and we all headed to the Children’s Museum.

 

Whew! And here we go back to the everyday stuff!

uh, what??????

Tara, being the friend she is, wanted to come over last night and spend some time with Emmy and I, as she knows that this week is “the anniversary”. She asked if there was anything she could do. I told her she could give Emmy a bath. So, Lucas brought his jammies and we filled up a bath for the kiddos. Emmy Ruth literally jumped in to the tub and I had to hurry to get her shirt off before she got it soaked. We had to run two baths of water because the first one got cold and there were tears… when I finally had to make Emmy Ruth get out. There was play time, there was laughter, there was a little cleaning, but mainly there was a happy mama. As much as I will scream it from the mountaintops that Tara is a wonderful mom (I tell her that I knew she would be good at this mothering thing, but I didn’t know she would be THIS good), she really did nothing but stand back and try to stay dry as the kiddos played. Apparently, it is no fun to bathe alone or with Mama or Dadoo, but with a buddy, it is fabulous.

 

I wonder what time they are coming over tonight for our bath?

Three Years Ago

Today I lost my mom. My best friend and my rock. And now three years later, I can say that I am thankful.

 

Thankful that she slipped away quietly in her sleep after everyone had left and it was just “us” asleep there at the house.

 

Thankful that she died 41 days after she was diagnosed—and did not suffer a single day longer.

 

Thankful that I found out how strong and resilient the men in my family are—I might have never known.

 

Thankful that I had 30 years with the best mom in the world.

Morning Chit-Chat

Emmy:                  Hold you!

Me:                        Emmy, if you would like me to hold you should say, “Mama, would you do me the honor of holding me?’

Emmy:                  Noooooooooooooooooooo….. hold you!

 

 

In an unrelated conversation, this morning was a nightmare. John has to be at work by 7 which means we need to be walking out the door by 6:40. I get up and get ready and before I go downstairs to get dressed (my super duper closet is in the basement), I turn on PBS Sprout to begin the waking process. Usually, after I am dressed, they are awake and watching TV. This morning, at 6:20, John was still sound asleep. My morning at this point usually involves me bringing Emmy’s clothes into our room, taking Bill out while John gets up and dressed, getting Emmy dressed and then getting her milk and John’s lunch together. Then, John will take Emmy to the car while I carry my purse, workbag, his lunch and whatever else to the car. Because of our late start, I asked John to take Bill out and I tried to get the rest done. First, Emmy said “No jeans!” and “No shoes!” then she didn’t want to sit on my lap with her legs over my right side, but rather over to the left side. She didn’t want milk but she didn’t want me to put her down. John finally emerges from the bathroom and as I give her to him and I carry out my coat, her coat (she refused to wear), my purse, my empty purse I needed to switch to since I was wearing brown and not black, John’s lunch, the stuff to take back to Home Depot and my work bag, and I am locking up the house, he says, “what’s wrong with you? You seem a little stressed out.”

 

Nothing dear.

Twenty three months

Where did this little girl go? It is hard to believe what  a difference a few months makes. In the last month, Emmy has really started talking more. My favorite thing is that she has started singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. I play it over and over in the car just to hear her little voice. Sadly for her, she sings a little like me, off key and not quite in rhythm, but her version is just amazingly beautiful. I worry that she is watching WAY too much television so we are in the process of cutting back. It is so hard to break her heart when all she wants is to watch more Yo Gabba Gabba! but we know it’s not the best way to let her learn. I will admit, though, that she has learned a lot watching that and Dora the Explorer. Her vocabulary has really blossomed, even if it is words like “backpack”, “boots”, “Toodee!” and “awe, man!”.  

 

She does love to read several books a night still. Her absolute favorite author is Sandra Boynston. We read lots of her work in the evenings…

 

Next month this little angel will be two years old. John and I are busy working on her party and we are of course way more excited than she is. I am hoping that by then she will be able to say she is two… we are working on it. If I say “one...” and pause, she knows that “two” is next. She skips a couple and then pipes in again at “five”. Hopefully we can get that down pat by next month.

 

Hold You

Emmy has started this funny thing of saying "Hold You!!" when she wants us to pick her up and hold her. We need to work on getting our pronouns straight!!
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Well, we took a bath last night.

I found a set of ‘dishes’ that I had bought months ago and hadn’t opened yet so I told Emmy those were her bathtub dishes and we could only play with them in the tub. Also, I found a bottle of bubbles that had rubber duckies all over it and told her those were her bath bubbles. So, last night, I sat at the bathroom door and played with the dishes and blew bubbles until she reluctantly came in there. I put her in the tub, with no water, and she got out of the tub. But, I finally got her back in the tub, thinking maybe going from a dry tub to one with water would be better than just getting into the water. I must say that this entire trickery scenario reminds me of trying to bathe Bill the Very Stubborn Dog.

 

There were tears, lots of “get me out”s but there were a few moments of playtime in there as well. When she got out, she was crying so hard that I couldn’t tell her no when she wanted to bring the new dishes with her to the living room, so she slept with them last night. In our bed. This girl has certainly figured out a way to get this mama’s button!!

The Dreaded Bath....

I feel like Emmy thinks I am maniacally laughing at her as we toss her recklessly into the tub. She is absolutely terrified of the bath. For a while, she was doing better and then all of a sudden, she hates it again. We have done everything I can think of and everything I have read online. We get in there with her, we got her a baby doll that she can wash, we put toys in, take toys out, we put her in with no water and let it fill while she is in there, we put her in with it full of water, we have bubbles, we have no bubbles, we have plain water, pink water or purple water… For a while, she would draw on the walls with the bathtub crayons and only cry when I started to actually bathe her but now, she screams the entire time and when I give her a crayon, she puts it back in the basket and wants OUT. Last night, John put on his swimsuit and got in the tub with her, and she was miserable. She literally screamed for an hour after she got out!

 

I am at a loss as to what we should do at this point.  On one hand, well, she has to bathe. On the other hand, she is terrified. I am going to try to give her a bath in the sink tonight and see how that goes. We have been doing baths as little as possible but I wonder if we should trudge on and force it nightly. We did this once before and it got no better but maybe now that she is a little older it might help.  Argh!!! I am at a loss…

 

 

EMMY!!

This sweet child's screaming for an hour after her bath is making it hard for me to convince John she needs a sibling. I tried to tell him the "next one" won't do this too but John rolls his eyes.

And then I whimper for him to hold me and hope she calms down soon!!

New Year's Celebration

We weren’t able to go out of town for New Year’s Eve since I had to work so we finally got to celebrate this weekend with a trip to Opryland. We had such a great time and were able to see the ICE! Grinch exhibit before it was taken down. Emmy had been sick during the week but after a trip to the doctor on Friday and some continual Tylenol and Mucinex, she was up for the adventure. I am not sure how brilliant it was for me to take her to an exhibit that was 15 degrees after being sick, but we were all bundled up for sure! As you entered the exhibit, they were passing out parkas and blankets so she had on her sweater, coat, hat and gloves and their parka on top of it. It was really neat: the Grinch book was recreated in ice and there was a giant ice slide, and a smaller one for the kids.

Afterwards, we went to the mall and ate at the Rainforest Café. I really thought Emmy would enjoy it since she does a great monkey impersonation herself, but I could not have been more wrong. Every fifteen minutes, the monkeys would come to life and then every thirty minutes, there was a rainstorm. The poor thing was so terrified that she literally was quivering! On Sunday before we left, we had brunch there at the hotel as well and Emmy was really out of sorts. I think it had to do with us sitting under a tree and she was afraid that the monkey were going to come back out again. Just when we get over the fear of elevators, now we are afraid of trees. It is times like these that I think of Momma and how she would say that I was afraid of everything as kid. Emmy might look like her Daddy, but she certainly is a lot like me! Bless her heart…

Lucas has always loved John but lately, and especially on this trip he was all about John. Before he did anything, he called out to John to watch him. It was stinking adorable. There were many times that John had to carry both of the kiddos so that everyone was happy. These kids are so funny when they get into a hotel room together. I guess it has to do with them not having all of the distractions of home so that they have to entertain each other and they do a great job of it!!! They played all night and slept late into the morning. We are so, so lucky and looking forward to another wonderful year!

DJ Em Dawg

 

Home Sweet Home

Tonight, a mom is taking her kids to their new home. I want to tell them that they are pretty darn lucky. If they get half the love, the joy, the excitements, even half the groundings, I did in that house, they will know it is a wonderful home.

I can't imagine what someone else will do in MY house. I should warn them that I never snuck out of there successfully. And the walls are pretty thin and my brother carved in the ceiling when he was on his top bunk bed. And that the back yard is a great place for a fort. And there is so much love already there and all they have to do is tap into it.

We Had a Holly Jolly Christmas!

We had so much fun this year! Emmy Ruth wasn’t sure what exactly was going on but she was very aware that she was getting lots of presents. I thought we did a good job of not getting too much for her, but apparently that was not the case. But, seeing her little face when she discovered the giant Minnie Mouse sitting on her tricycle or the kitchen that she can crawl into or the Aquadoodle where she can color, really brighten up any grinch’s day. Here are some of my favorite pictures of the girl. Of course, even after getting so many gifts, she still found time to play with my plastic bowls!!!

 

What a wonderful Christmas!!!!!

Oh we had such a great time!!! Emmy loved her kitchen that Santa brought her and so many people that love her gave her food and accessories for her new kitchen. She got lots of great toys and gifts but more than anything got lots of love. We are so happy and lucky!

A Week of Christmas Celebrations

Emmy is not going to know what is going on when the holidays are over and she isn’t getting presents all the time anymore! She had so much fun this weekend. On Saturday, we meet Julia and Joy for lunch and saw Mrs. Pat. Of course, Emmy got and gave presents. Then, we went to AunTee’s family Christmas party in Beedeville. Emmy and Lucas had so much fun. She was NOT impressed with the big guy in red however. She screamed when he came in the door and literally quivered until he left. Even after she got her present (twin babies! a boy and a girl!) she was beside herself. Lucas’s MiMi gave Emmy a baby doll set too, so she spent the entire night carrying all three babies around with her! This baby cries and on the way home Saturday night, Emmy was asleep but as she slept, she would squeeze the baby and that darn thing would cry out. The first time it happened, I almost jumped out of the car.

 

Then on Sunday, John’s family came to visit and brought her a Yo Gabba Gabba explosion. Not only did she get the Dancing Brobee, she got two new t-shirts, a hoodie, a hat and gloves. And she insisted on wearing all of them at the same time, hence why she looks so disheveled in the pictures. There is a picture of me somewhere when Grandma Jackson made me six new pairs of shorts and I insisted on wearing them all at the same time. I know that Momma is chuckling at our little Emmy Ruth right now. Her granddad got her a tricycle too. Of course, she is wearing all of her layers and carrying Baby while learning to ride it.

 

These pictures are some of my favorites from the weekend. In one of them, she is talking to Baby and saying “Hello there, Baby!” and in another, she is addressing her Christmas cards.

 

Ah, what a silly chicken she is. I can hardly wait until Christmas morning. John and I are just giddy to see what she thinks of what Santa Claus is bringing her. I am going to get off early on Christmas Eve so we are going to bundle up and stay at home all night and then all day Christmas Day. What a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful Christmas this will be!

 

Baby

Oh how Emmy Ruth loves this very ugly baby that was mine when I was little!!

Twenty Two Months

Oh, my Sweet Petite….  What a month this has been! Emmy Ruth has changed from a baby to a little girl right before our very eyes. And, amazingly enough in spite of the example she got from me, she is a wonderful little mommy. All of her babies get love, they get diaper changes, they get feedings and they all get put down for night-night. It is the absolute sweetest thing to watch. The funniest thing is Emmy with her phone. She cracks me up talking on it! The other night, we were in the car and I heard “Becca? {pause} Awe, man!” I am not sure what her Aunt Becca is telling her on these calls, but it must be wonderful because they “talk” all the time!

 

This weekend, she was sitting in Daddy’s lap with a swaddled Baby and Rudy climbed up in the chair and sat on Baby’s head. Emmy LET.HIM.HAVE.IT! She pointed at that cat and all we could make out was when she pointed at his tail and exclaimed “That’s where Rudy boo-boos!”. Such the overprotective mommy. How dare the putt his booboo on her baby’s head??? I don’t blame her one bit. I would be upset if someone came and sat on Emmy’s head as well.

 

We were in her room playing, me sitting on the fairy toddler bed and John in the Barbie desk as instructed, and she was playing with her Justice League bop bag. She pointed at Wonder Woman and said “Mama!” and then pointed at Superman and said “Daddy!”. Of course, we told her that she was absolutely right, she did live with Wonder Woman and Superman in the very same house and she was a very lucky little girl. I am trying to teach her our names, just in case, God forbid, something ever happens. I ask what is Daddy’s name and she looks at me as if I were just stupid and says “Daddy”. I am waiting on her to add the “duh” at the end, any moment now. Last night as she was trying to go to sleep, she told me that she needed milk and that Baby needed a diaper so I asked what Mama needed. And she replied “Daddy”. How right she is… I need Daddy more than she will never know.

 

Daddy is the one that keeps us all sane around here. I scratched Emmy under her eye Friday night and I feel so very badly. Lately, she really has had an aversion to me, wanting anyone but me.  If her AunTee is around, I might as well go ahead and sit out in the front yard by myself, she will have nothing to do with me, going so far as to call her “Mommy”. At first it was cute. Now, weeks later, it is starting to really hurt my feelings. In the rare instances that Emmy comes to me and grabs my hand and says “come on!”, I just melt and jump at the chance to be the chosen companion. In my zest to make our playtime fun, I was flipping her around and she hurt something, I am still not sure what. She ran to her daddy and there were lots of tears—by both his girls.

 

Who knew that being so very happy and so very sad could come from one little girl?  She absolutely is our everything and we are so thankful and so lucky to have spent the most wonderful 22 months with her.

 

 

 

Christmas Parade

I would love to say how much Emmy Ruth loved the Christmas parade but I can’t since she wouldn’t speak to me—it was all about her AunTee. They had a great time watching the parade together.

 

Christmas humor

Last night, we could not find Emmy for a bit. Turns out, she was guarding the presents under the tree. By sitting on them. And opening all the gifts that were in gift bags.

 

Tara walked in a found Lucas unwrapping a present, singing “Happy Birthday to Me”. It was time to tell him whose birthday it really was!

 

We have had a big girl bed setback. Last night, Emmy went to sleep in her bed but fell out of it. John heard her fall and went in there and the poor little thing was just shaking, she was so scared. I am not sure if she rolled out or if she was trying to get out to come into our bed and got tangled up in the sheets. I am not sure what this will mean for tonight’s bedtime routine. Fingers crossed.

Precious Moments

Is there anything more precious than taking your princess to her first ballet? My friend Shannon works at AutoZone and they were invited to see The Nutcracker final dress rehearsal last night at the Orpheum before the show starts today. She invited Emmy and I to go along with her mother Peggy (my friend and boss and “Giggy” to Emmy). I was really worried that we might not make it through the first scene with our rambunctious girl but she was wonderful. She loved it! The entire first act, she sat relatively still and watched, pointing, “oohing” and “aahing”, and clapping at all the right moments. It was so very special. Momma used to tell me about all the times she and Daddy took me to see The Nutcracker and I slept through it. I know that Yia Yia was so proud of our girl for being so grown up last night. Of course, I sat there with Emmy in my lap, wearing her shirt with ballet shoes on it, kissing her hair and thinking of how lucky we are, and had tears in my eyes. Emmy kept whispering “No, Mama” when I squeezed her too tightly or nuzzled her neck a little too much.

 

And then we got home and she promptly ditched me to play drums with her Daddy.

 

Christmas photos

We took our Christmas photos this week and here are a few of my favorites. You can’t really see Bill in the one that she is petting her, but I just love the smile on Emmy’s face.

Burton Family Tree

The older I get, the more I feel like I am trapped in a Griswold movie.  After decorating the tree, I tried to put a rather large gift in the back and pushed it over. John came running to help and as I we lifted it up, the piece that fits in the top snapped and broke. And yes, we tried to duct tape it back together. I am sad since the tree was Momma’s and it’s a lovely tree, but it’s a huge tree and really was way too big for my living room. I have wanted a taller, thinner tree or a real tree for a while so I guess it’s not a horrible thing.

 

We are going to celebrate Christmas this year with our half tree. Emmy will always remember this anyway…

Welcome to the Wonderful World of One, Julia!

On Saturday, we went to Wynne to celebrate Julia’s first birthday! I can’t believe it’s already been a year since she arrived. Emmy had only been here a few months when Joy called with her fabulous news.  It was amazing to think that the two of us—after so long—were going to be mommies together. It’s a beautiful thing that Joy is one of my dearest friends after her mother was one of Momma’s dearest friends. Julia, Emmy is available to chat any time you are ready… We love you!

More Tales of the Bed.

So, last night, Emmy fell asleep in our room and I took her into her room. She of course woke up so I crawled into her fancy dancy fairy bed with her (it’s a Thanksgiving miracle that the darn thing didn’t collapse) until she went back to sleep. She slept all night long in her room without waking up once! I, on the other hand, was up almost all night missing her. About 4am, I asked John, who was also awake without his snuggle bunny, if this was how it was going to feel when she left to go to college. Hopefully I can get used to this soon!