Random Mommy Thought

This morning on the way out the door, Emmy spit up all over me. I was lucky enough to twist her just right so that she didn't get it on herself but only on the carpet and on my skirt. I wiped it off with a burpcloth and headed out. All day, I can smell it and think of her and wish I was home with her right now.

At The Drive In

We went to our first movie with Emmy, The Simpsons. Momma hated the Simpsons and would just about vomit every time Neall and Daddy watched it so it was quite funny to me to take Emmy there for her first movie. A few years ago, John and I dressed up as Marge and Homer for Halloween so I took the wig with us to get some good shots but Lucas was the only one that was an active participant and he (well, you know...) put it on backwards...

Favor

As you all know, Neall and Becca are expecting little Solomon Clark in only five short weeks! I can hardly believe that the time is almost here for him to arrive. We are all so very excited.

I have a very personal favor to ask of you and I completely understand if you can’t or would prefer not to do it, but I thought I would ask anyway. It is so important to me to have Emmy and Sol know about Momma and what kind of person she was and is, and the fun that they would have had with her and the love that she would have given them both. I worry sometimes that when the time comes, I am not going to be able to adequately explain these things to Emmy. So, I am asking for your help. I would like to make a book for them of letters from those that knew mom the best. If you could write one letter to both Sol and Emmy and send it to me, I would greatly appreciate it. It can be anything you want: describing mom, telling a funny story about mom, what mom was like with us, what mom might have been like with them, whatever. It can be handwritten (which will be really neat if I can scan the handwritten note and have that extra personal touch) or typed. Photos would be great—either you with mom or you now or you with your family… just whatever.

When Momma was sick, I heard so many things about her that I might have never known. I want to make sure Sol and Emmy know all those wonderful things and give them a chance to know her, even if they can’t see her. If you can think of anyone that might want to do this, please forward it to them. I look forward to hearing back from you!! My email is taradburton@comcast.net

Keep them in your prayers...

Please keep the Berry family in your prayers. Michelle (Countz) graduated with Neall and the family is at St. Jude's with their son, Garrett. They discovered on Monday that he has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. We are all thinking of them...

Emmy loves LuLu

Has a child ever loved a toy so much?? Emmy loves this stuffed LuLu like there is no tomorrow. Her Aunt Pat got it for her a few months ago and we do not leave home without it. Last night we walked up to Do’s, a great sushi restaurant in our neighborhood, and we brought LuLu along for the ride. John and I were cracking up because Emmy would just start chuckling every now and then. I stuck LuLu in the cup holder of her stroller in hopes that we didn’t lose her along the ride and Emmy kept reaching up and holding her hand. Seeing as LuLu has eight arms, Emmy would occasionally pick a different hand to hold.

I told you we had teeth!

That's it! I am done!

Teresa Haynes Lee is probably one of my oldest friends and she was in town to visit her parents. It was wonderful to see her and her kids again, and of course, meet her youngest daughter, Kennedy. Her oldest, Lawson, is the spitting image of Teresa when we were young and Garrett, well, all he cared about were trains. Teresa is a photographer now and is absolutely amazing. If you ever hear that she is available in your area, I urge you to take advantage of it and book her. Immediately. She did the photos today and already sent me these two photos. I can't believe my sweet Emmy's little precious face. By the way, Teresa told me I could put it on my MySpace page, but I figure that applies to my little blog too....

Five Months Old

Oh the month we have had! Emmy is trying so very hard to crawl. She wants to so very badly and you can see in her eyes that she really knows how to do it , she just can’t quite get the hang of it yet. She will get up on her hands and knees and then her little arms just collapse under the immense weight and pressure of her little tiny body! I immediately sigh a huge sigh of relief and John says, “oh, Baby, you will get it next time” or gets on the floor with her and tries to encourage her to crawl to him. I can’t stand the thought of her growing up so quickly and he can’t wait to see every little miraculous thing she has in store for us.

When I dropped her off at the babysitter this morning, I kissed her fat little belly and told her not to do anything precious or adorable until I got back to pick her up. I am sure she paid me no mind and went on about her day with her absolute adorableness and precious-hood. She is trying to blow little bubbles with her mouth, it cracks me up to see! I bought a thing of bubbles the other day for us to play with together. We went to eat lunch with John’s dad and John pulls out her bubbles and starts blowing them to her at the table! In the restaurant! Of course, she was thrilled. Last night it was really stormy and instead of being frightened by the thunder, she would just laugh every time she heard it. This child is not right, I tell you, just not right! Of course, we have relented on making her sleep in her crib and she has been in our bed almost every night this week. It is just so cozy to wake up with her. Even if she does turn completely sideways and poke us in the ribs. Every day is just amazing. I cannot believe how lucky we are that we have our sweet Emmy.

I Love CY

We live in a little artsy neighborhood called Cooper Young. We love it so much but one of my favorite times to live here is in the summertime. Every now and then, the horse mounted police ride through our neighborhood. This evening we saw them coming down the street and Emmy and I ran out to the curb to meet them. They were so nice and stopped and said hi to us. Emmy got to meet her first horses, white, tan and brown ones, and her first policemen--I told her that police were always there to help her when she needed it. Hopefully we can get a photo with the horses next time!!!

Even Hershey’s Kisses need an update! A coworker always has a dish of kisses in her office so as I was grabbing some the other day, I noticed that the little piece of paper that usually says “Hershey” on it was replaced with little sayings. Mine say “You Rock” and I do and “I hate Mondays” and I do! Not too fond of Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays either.

All the better to eat you with, My Dearie

I am sure this is what Emmy is thinking as we discovered her first tooth last night! It's just the cutest little thing I have ever seen. Little, tiny and white. We called Dr. Jackson to make sure he can pencil us in the next time we are in Wynne. I didn't cry when she rolled over or when she smiled or laughed for the first time but for some reason, this tooth has gotten me all in a flitter. She is growing up so quickly. I wonder if her tooth coming in early is because of all the calcium she got from Mexican food when I was pregnant?

Between the A and the T

This banner is hanging downtown so I had to get a picture of it. When they asked where something was "at", didn't anyone tell them "between the a and the t"?

In unrealted Emmy news, the child is about to crawl--she is already semi crawling backwards. I put her on her pallet and she rolls over to her belly and gets mad then scoots and semi-crawls backwards while fussing. John sat in front of her in her swing today for an hour so that I could get a nap but I ended up just getting up anyway--she wouldn't hush!!! She cackled and giggled and jabbered the entire time. Her laugh is the sweetest, most innocent sound I have ever heard.

E.L.M.O.

Yesterday, I bought an Elmo at a church rummage sale in my neighborhood. I got it home and Emmy's face literally shot sparkles and stars from her eyes and mouth. She has only recently started reaching for toys and until now, Lulu and her dog, RuffRuff, have been the only things she cared for and reached to hold. And then there was Elmo. John was beside himself with delight as he wanted a Tickle me Elmo for years and well, I have to draw the line at something. But Elmo didn't work. We replaced the batteries and tried to get him going, but he didn't do anything. But sit and look cute. Emmy knew no different and would have been just fine. John and I knew. We knew the joy and excitement that Elmo could bestoy on her so we headed out today to get Elmo. I thought there would be fifty or so different Elmo's from which to choose but there was only a giggle ball with Elmo on one side and Cookie Monster on the other side. This wasn't what we had in mind and then John found the last Elmo TMX in the back of the shelf behind all the other toys...marked down to $35.99 from $39.99 for a limited time only. But, it is the best overpriced stuffed red monster that screams and giggles that I have ever seen...

Miss America

Emmy still hates to take a bath. Hates. It. I have started singing to her when we get her in the tub to try and distract her, if nothing else, she might think, "man, I really hope I got Daddy's musical talents instead of That Woman's". (Sometimes, I am certain she refers to me as That Woman--That Woman that cuts her nails, That Woman that makes her sleep in her crib, That Woman that gives her baths, That Woman that puts her in the car all the time... ) Today when she was getting her bath, I sang the Miss America song to her and told her the story of her Papa singing it me when I was a kid. Every morning, he was sitting at the kitchen table facing towards the hallway, reading his paper, and would sing, "there she is, Miss America" when I walked down the hall to get my morning coke. I am sure that I was such a little shit that I actually snarled at that but when I think of it now, it is one of my most special and treasured memories. I hope that one day, Emmy remembers goofy and silly things that John and I do to her, and I hope she does them for her little princess and I hope that she tells her that she knows that even though Daddy and Mama were goofy sometimes, never once did she doubt that we loved her, just like me now.

Stop that! Stop It Right Now!

The girl is growing too fast. My friend Theresa gave me their ExerSaucer at Griffin's birthday party at the end of May. It was set to the lowest height and Emmy was completely dwarfed in it. I had to put receiving blankets in it with her because she was so tiny in the seat. I keep it in the basement in my closet so I can have Emmy downstairs while I am getting dressed or down there working on my craft stuff. I noticed this morning that she was already too tall and we have to move the seat up a level. She has to stop growing so fast!

No, for real, this time!

Emmy is asleep in HER bed and has been for about 30 minutes. I am heading to bed right now just in case it doesn't last long!!!!! Weeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess who slept in her bed, for a few hours at least...

That's right... ME! Emmy, John and I all piled into our bed last night and I got about 2.5 hours of sleep with little princess booties sticking in John's side and the occasional whimper in my ear.

Traveling the Music Highway

The stretch of I40 between Memphis and Nashville is known as the Music Highway and we headed there for the weekend. Two of my friends were in town for the Sigma national convention so we all headed to visit with them. Andrea and Tracy and I, along with three other recent grads, traveled for the sorority the year after college to collegiate chapters across the country. It was a strange, strange time, living out of a suitcase for a year, but it was one that I would never trade. I got to visit lots of places and met lots of people. Andrea and Tracy are still very active with the National Organization and were in town for the national convention. I figured this might be one of the last times I get to see them, especially together, so I convinced John that we needed a mini-vacation to Nashville. We left out yesterday morning and got there around 1:30. Emmy and I went to the hotel to meet them and Emmy was of course, an angel. She was quite charming to everyone. She got to meet not only Andrea and Tracy but Jane Kinderman, who was an fixture at the national office from my chapter, Margaret Fields, who kept us all in the loop when we traveled, and Jeannie Johnson, who was the Collegiate Vice President when I traveled. John, Emmy and I went out for a bit in the afternoon and then he stayed home with The Girl while I went to dinner with my girls. It was so wonderful to see my friends. I am so very lucky to have incredible women that want keep in touch with me after all these years and keep being MY friends!

We got up Sunday morning and went for a swim, then went to Music Row and then headed home. First, we got ready...

And then Mama wrapped me up in a hooded beach jacket for the walk from the room to the elevator to the pool...

And Daddy held me in the pool...

And Mama and I dried up after our swim...

Then we went to Music Row to get my picture made by giant guitars for Johnny Cash and the Carter Family...

Then I was soooooooooooooooo excited to head home!

Princess Picklebritches is Four Months Old Today

I don’t want to say that Emmy or I are getting better as I don’t feel like either of was especially bad, but we are starting to get the hang of this thing going on now! The other day, Tara said how she couldn’t believe that Lucas and Emmy were this old; I told her I could, but only because I can’t remember what it was like before they were here. Emmy is starting to develop her own little personality. She’s quite a character. She smiles a lot but she has only laughed a real, hearty laugh a few times now. Sunday night, we were eating dinner with friends and watching the Sopranos finale and she woke up from a brief nap. She just laughed and laughed for no apparent reason. It was quite comical.

I am always one to multitask and having Emmy has made me tone that down. I used to be in the habit of being on the internet or watching TV or reading a magazine while I was feeding her but I have stopped doing that so much. The other day, she grabbed my finger with her entire little fist while she was eating. I started to move it and then it dawned on me that she won’t be doing that much longer. It was almost like she grabbed me and shook me, saying “Mama, please look in my eyes—watch me do this! One day you will wish you could hold me like this again”. So now, I just look into her giant blue eyes and hope that you are getting all this; hoping that you can see all this happening.

While I would love to say that I am putting Emmy in her crib every night, it would not be true. She usually starts out there but comes to bed with us to have her 3 AM feeding and stays with us the rest of the night. Some nights, if she is really having a tough time going to sleep, I just put her in bed with us from the beginning. Really, I just don’t think we can spoil her too much. Bless her little heart, she has had to teach John and I so many things already in her four little months, we can pamper her every now and then and it will all be okay. She will curl up in John's arm at night when we sleep together. On one hand, I want to be jealous that she wants to curl up with her daddy and not me, but then, I just turn over and get some sleep for a bit. Horrible, I know, but I have to take advantage of these times as they come at me. Last night, I heard her fussing through the baby monitor around 3 but before I could get up to get her for her feeding, she went back to sleep. She did that twice more; we got up each time to go check on her to make sure she was breathing and she was just back to sleep. I was so proud and think that we count this as sleeping through the night for the first time. My little grown up princess.

There are so many little things Emmy does now. She rolls over and then is furious that she is on her belly and screams. Sometimes, I can quickly shove a crib mirror in front of her face and she will let it go for a bit, but usually she is just ready to get on her back again. She loves her swing and I sit on the floor and talk to her when she is in it. I will take a deep breath and then 'eat' her toes and kiss the bottom of her feet. She will just scream with delight!!!!!!!!! It's hysterical.

My sweet, sweet Emmy. I can never thank John enough this Father's Day for my sweet, sweet Emmy.

Back in the Day.

There was a time when John and I would gripe about Bill (the dog) and how she slept with us. She would get on one side of the bed and stretch out sideways and John and I would be perilously laying on one end of the bed. Now, Bill sleeps at the foot of the bed in a perfect little circle, just thankful that she still is allowed in the bed at all. This morning, I woke up to Emmy turned completely sideways. She had her little bitty feet stuck in Daddy's side. I wanted to take a picture, but then realized that John would not be thrilled for me to put a picture of his hairy back on the Internet. But I am sure he has no problem with me talking about it...