Thank you!

We wanted to thank Aunt Kacey and Uncle Tony for the awesome canvas they painted for above Em's crib. It is so pretty and she looks at it all the time. I think she likes all the blocks of color. It matches her room beautifully!!


I also was surprised when I got home today and got a box from Aunt Kristen. Thank you so much for the piggy bank for Emily. It's georgous!! I can't wait for her to put the first coins in it!!! You are the best.


Thank you everyone for loving Emily so much. It means more than you know. Kory and I are so happy that she has so many people who care about her.

Wow!

So I have been doing more tummy time with Emily. Today I put her on her boppy pillow and put her mirror in front of her. She can now push her legs so her head hits her mirror! ha ha She is a genius!! She must really like herself, because she keeps wanting to get closer and closer! Just thought you would all like that story.

We are heading to Grandma Bonnie's work tomorrow morning (Curves), so Emily can meet all Grandma's lady friends! It should be fun to be oohed and awed at!!! Then we are heading down to Grammy and Grampa Walker's in IL for our last trip before I head back to work. I go back on Thurs. the 20th! I can't believe my leave is over already. I am anxious to get back into a routine and I know Emily will love going to Chris's house for daycare.

Oh! One last big milestone. Em has officially grown out of her newborn diapers and now wears size 1 YAY!! It's too funny all those people who told me not to bother buying any newborn diapers cuz they'd only wear them for a day or two....ha ha! She wore them for 2 1/2 months!!!

Talk to you all soon! Thanks for checking in to see how the little peanut is doing.

My Busy Week

I am so excited that I got to meet my Aunt Kristen, Aunt Kalli, and my Cousin Reese a few weeks ago.




Here I am with my Aunt Kalli:






Here I am with my Aunt Kristen:








Here I am with my Cousin Reese:


Look at my goofy Aunts all dressed alike! They are so cute!!



I am the star of the show!!! We are at Grandpa Randy's having fun hanging out.



Here I am also with my Aunt Liz. She loves to hold me!!










Here is my cousin Reese playing with me. He is such a good "big brother cousin"!!





Just thought this was a fun picture of Uncle Tony and Reese. Tony found this icicle hanging off the house at Grandma Bonnie's.




Hope you enjoyed all the pics. I am getting bigger and bigger all the time. Mommy goes back to work in a week and a half. I am excited to go daycare!!! I have also been a bit sick lately with the stomach flu or something of the sorts. Lots of icky diarrhea. I am now taking lactose free formula hoping to feel better soon.

The Many Faces of Emily

Thought these pics of Em were adorable. She was taking a break while drinking her milk.
Enjoy!!






Can she get any cuter????

Emily and Uncle Mark

Uncle Mark came to visit last week all the way from Portland. Here are some cute pics!

Spending Spree

Having a new baby has thrown us into the world of bigger vehicles. I know...I always said I wouldn't drive an SUV, but I have decided it is so much easier when trying to travel with Emily. Gosh kids have a lot of stuff!!!

Kory also needed a new truck since Em's carseat barely fit in his truck.

So I am now driving a 2006 Chevy Trailblazer:

Kory got a 2006 Chevy Silverado:

Do you like? We do!!!!

Godparents

Kory and I have chosen Emily's godparents and wanted to share our choice with everyone.

Her godmother will be her Auntie CeCe (otherwise known as my sister, Casey):










Her godfather will be her cousin Nathan (Kory's sister-Kalli & Mark's oldest son):





We are so excited for Emily to have such special godparents. We know all her aunts, uncles and cousins will be so very special to her, so thank you all for being so wonderful. She is so lucky to have such a wonderful group of people around her.

Her baptism is Sat. April 19th at St. Albert the Great Church in Sun Prairie. Invitations will be sent out in March.

Month 2 Photo Link

Here is the link for the month 2 photos of Emily: http://community.webshots.com/album/562609866LSmFju?vhost=community

I was counting her age by weeks instead of by the date, which is confusing. She was born on Dec. 26th, but was 8 weeks old on Feb. 20th. From here on out, I will just use the date. So on March 26th I will send out the next pictures.

Hope that makes sense!

Enjoy!!

Happy 8 Weeks!!

Emily is 8 weeks old today...can you believe it? I can't!! She's getting so big. We took her to the Dr today and it went well. She has colic, so that has been really hard for mom and dad. She got 4 vaccines at the Dr's office today, 3 shots and one was liquid in her mouth. She did good..she screamed..that's what is supposed to happen! ha ha

She weighed 8lbs 8oz and is 21" long. Her weight is in the 8th percentile and her length is in the 11th percentile. So she's still a little peanut!!

She's a little difficult tonight, so I don't have much time to write. I just wanted to give an update.

Here I am after I got my shots today. I am beat!!

Yum! I love Bud Light :)



Here I am in my Snuggle Bunny jammies that my daddy bought me for Valentine's Day..yep...we even went to Target all by himself!!



For some reason when I smile, I close one eye! It's still cute though!!



Here I am in my play gym. I'm still not so sure what I think about it. It's a little much for me yet.

Some Family Photos

Kory and I went out for our Valentines Day dinner to Johnny Delmonico's, so since we were dressing up, we decided to take some nice pictures.

Kory also surprised me with tickets to see Daughtry and Bon Jovi in Chicago on Feb. 24th. I can't wait!!!

Emily Smiling

This is me smiling on video:

Happy Valentines Day

Here I am in my two Valentines Day outfits. I wore the first one on Monday and the second one today. Even though I don't wear bibs yet, mommy put it on me just for pictures! Enjoy!

Emily's New Cousin

Cori and Jeff had their ultrasound yesterday to find out if Emily's new cousin will be a boy or a girl. The new baby is expected to arrive in July. Cori and Jeff already have a beautiful almost 2 year old, Mikaiya. I was very happy to hear that they are welcoming another baby girl to their family!! yay!!! I know how much I love my sisters, so I am very excited for Mikaiya to experience that same bond. Emily is also VERY excited!! I told her yesterday and ever since then she has found her smile!! YAY!!! I am so excited. I will try to get it on video since a still picture just doesn't do her adorable smile any justice.

So...sorry to say Dad, you will be surrounded by another beautiful little girl!!! I know you love all us women!

Another Bodily Function?

So there are only so many videos we can take of a 6 week old. Here she is doing another cute bodily function:

(Sorry it's so dark!)

New Pictures

Here are some new pictures of Emily from the last 2 weeks.

Here I am at 1 month old with my stuffed animal:


1 month old


Newborn

I FINALLY fit in my swing!! 6 1/2 weeks old:







I love my play gym!!!







We think this might be a first non-gas smile :) YAY!!! She's so cute:





Mommy and Daddy are sitting home tonight teaching Em all about Nascar! The Budweiser shootout is tonight. She has a lot to learn...too bad she is sound asleep in her swing :)

Just tricking you!!

Okay...that last picture isn't really Mikaiya and Emily! They haven't met yet!! Amy did photoshop on it for me!! hee hee! Just thought it was adorable!!

Mikaiya and Emily

Here is a picture of Mikaiya and Emily:

Aren't they so cute?

Mommy and Emily

I was sitting here wondering how you can love someone you've just met?

How can you love someone with every ounce of your being, after only 5 weeks of life?

I don't know how that works, but I can't imagine life without Emily. She has been an absolute blessing. Even in the wee hours of the morning when she won't go to sleep and Mom is so tired. I look forward to her waking up just so we can snuggle and give kisses. Emily being a part of our life has been the most wonderful thing that has happened in my life.

I love you Em!

End of Month 1

Well if you can believe it, Emily is already 1 month old! She has done a lot just in the last week! She is really starting to follow your voice and your face. It's neat to watch. She also likes to lay in her play gym and try to touch the hanging toys. She has had lots of fun with all the friends and family that have come to visit.

Here she is in her stroller for the first time. Auntie Cori and I took her to the mall...and to the movies!!!


Here she is with her Auntie Cori who came all the way from Texas to visit her:

HI!!!!!


Mommy cut my nails for the first time. Don't they look pretty?


Here I am with Grandma Bonnie. She's doing tummy time with me:


Check out this link to see all the pics from the last month:http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562057411aLYSqy?vhost=good-times

Sleeping Beauty

If you all can believe it, Emily slept through the night last night!!! I was shocked. I fed her at 9:30pm and put her down at 10pm. I woke up around 2am and was like...OMG...is she okay? So I checked in on her and she was sound asleep. So I closed her door and went back to bed. She didn't wake up until 5:30am!!! So she slept for almost 8 hours! Then I put her back down at 6am and she slept until 8am. So I feel fully refreshed!! Yay!!

Aunt Cori is coming to visit today, so we are VERY excited!!

Have a good one!

Go Pack Go!

Okay...so I know most of you are thinking...what has happened to Teresa? Is that Emily in a PACKERS outfit? yes...yes it is! I have lived in WI for 8 years now...today is the big football game to see who goes to the Superbowl. My good friend Sarah's boyfriend plays for the Packers (#65 Mark Tauscher...Go Mark Go!!). She stopped by this weekend with an outfit for Emily and said she HAS to wear it on Sunday...so here she is! She will be wearing it again when they play in the Superbowl.

So...eventhough I am a true Bears fan at heart, it's hard not to root for the Packers today. So here goes!!! GO PACKERS!

New Video of Emily

Check out this video of Emily with the hiccups! It's so cute.
http://good-times.webshots.com/video/3048760260102774306gOwmsW?vhost=good-times

I also posted some more pictures in the Jan 2008 album from our visit to IL. We got to see lots of friends from back home. http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562057411aLYSqy?vhost=good-times

We went to the lactation specialist yesterday and did some nursing work with Em. She did great!! The specialist said things are going well. She got weighed before she ate and she is now at 5lbs 13oz!! yay!! After I fed her, she had drinken 3 ounces!!! What a big girl!

Hope everyone is doing well.

Emily is 2 weeks old

We took Emily to the Dr yesterday for her 2 week check-up. I can't believe it's already been 2 weeks...now if she would just sleep through the night HA HA!
At her 2 week check up, everything looked great. She is back up to her birth weight of 5lbs 7oz. She grew an inch and a half and now measures 19.5 inches.
Her face is really filling out, I can't believe. She has been in preemie clothes and today, for the first time, I put a newborn outfit on her!! It's a little big, but she'll grow into it in no time.
Now...if she would just sleep through the night...oh wait...I already said that :) She is sleeping about 2 - 3 hours at a time. Some nights are better than others. The last two have been barely 2 hours at a time.

Nursing is going better, she is still being darn fiesty when trying to latch. I don't know why she feels a need to make it so difficult. Once she does latch, she will nurse until she's blue in the face! So I give her 20 minutes and then say...that's enough! Mommy is not a human pacifer!!

Em has attended her first TWO parties already! She was out an about on New Years Eve at Aunt Kacey and Uncle Tony's house. She was just 5 days old, but was the star of the party. Mommy was a little cranky, but Em had a great time being passed around. Em was also at Matt and Brenda's wedding reception hosted by the golf course. It was a nice party where she got to meet lots of friends. She did so good!!! And mommy was in a better mood too :)

Let's see...what else..she had her first big road trip yesterday. Mommy and Em came down to IL to visit Grammy and Grampa. She did great. Slept in the car the entire time. We even went to Grammy's hair salon to show her off to all the girls. They all thought she was so cute. Then we stopped by Aunt Kathy's office to visit with her and cousin Jenny!! Em can't wait to meet the whole family. We are still in IL and plan to come home tomorrow.

Well here is a link to some new photos...enjoy!
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2481631220102774306DFyGsW

The Birth Story

Sorry I haven't written too much...been busy with the new little peanut at home. Trying to get on some sort of routine here...

Anyways, thought I would update everyone on how Emily arrived in this world. My water broke at10:30pm on Christmas night. Of all nights, Kory was actually home, which as most people know had to be a sign because he's never home at night. So we headed to the hospital and got there around 11:45pm. They took me to triage and we had to do some tests to see if my water actually broke. While we were waiting, I was hooked up to the monitor and started having mini-contractions, so we were pretty sure this was the 'real thing'. At about 12:30am they said the test showed amniotic fluid, so sure enough..we were admitted to St. Mary's. We got set in our room shortly after that. They decided to give me 2 hours to see if I could make any changes on my own. I was 3 cm dialated when I arrived in triage and 2 hours later I was still at 3 cm, so they decided to kick start my labor with Pitosin. WOW! That stuff is AWFUL!! Okay...so it does what it's supposed to do but geesh! Those contractions got fast and hard really quick.

To take a step back...my mom really wanted to be there for labor and delivery. My parents came up from IL to Madison on Christmas Eve to celebrate the holidays at my sister's so I didn't have to travel home so close to my due date. So they slept over to Christmas Morning and then headed to their house on the lake up in Hayward, WI. That's about a 5 hour drive. When they got there, mom called me from her cell phone in town to say that their phones weren't working. So if something happened, I was supposed to call the lady down the street and she'd come get my mom...too funny, right? Well OF COURSE my water breaks. I knew I needed to call them, but wanted to be 100% sure that I was going to be admitted before they started the 5 hour drive home. SO....at about 1am I called the neighbor and she had to get out of bed and drive down to my parents and wake them up. They ended up having really bad weather up there and it took them 7 hours to get to the hospital! I felt soooo bad!!!

Okay, so back to my contractions getting worse. This was probably around 5am when they started to get super intense. Kory and I did some walking and I sat on the birthing ball for a long time. That was wonderful! Kory's mom arrived around 5am or so. She and Kory helped me through the next 2 hours of labor which were super intense. At about 7am I was 4cm dialated and decided I wanted an epidural. So my epidural arrived around 7:30am. I was then pretty close to 5cm. The epidural HURT! Nobody told me that!!! But after it worked, I was feeling darn good. Kacey and Casey both arrived at the same time around 7ish. Just after the epidural, so it was nice they didn't have to see me in so much pain. I'd like to have more nieces and nephews! HA HA

After I got my epidural, we were all just hanging out. I think mom and dad got there around 8am or something like that. Then we all just hung out waiting for the baby to come. We had lots of good times, just chatting and laughing. It was one of the most special times of my life. I had a room full of people I love!!!! We were all so anxious to find out if the baby was a boy or a girl!!!

So at about 9am I was a good 7cm, then by 11:30am I was 10cm. So they called my Dr who was in Sun Prairie at the Dean Clinic. I was SOOO ready to push, but they said just hang in there. So I was busy breathing through my pressure to push. Dr. Zenner arrived around 12pm and did an exam...he barely put his fingers in and said...OKAY! Time to push!! Everyone get ready! HA HA I guess the baby was about ready to come out on her own. So everyone got ready. I pushed for 20 minutes and baby Emily arrived in this world!! It was so amazing!!!!

She is already a little angel. She sleeps pretty good and is starting to nurse better and better. It's taking both of us some time to get the hang of it. I had heard nursing was hard, but I didn't realize it was by FAR the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Giving birth was easy compared to this nursing thing. We are hanging in there though and gettting better each day.

Speaking of nursing...she's just waking up, so I'm off to nurse again.

Thanks for all the prayers and special thoughts. We are so blessed.

Baby M has Arrived!!

Emily Kaslyn Marion arrived on Dec. 26th at 12:30pm.
She weighed 5lbs 7oz and 18 inches.



She is a tiny peanut, but absolutely georgous!!



Here is a pic:


Thanks for all the well wishes. I will write more when I have time...18 years from now :) ha ha

Please Help....

We have some friends who have had infertility problems in the past, and because Kory and I have been so blessed with this pregnancy, I thought what a wonderful time to try to help other couples have the same blessing we've had.

Our friends, Scott (Kory's drum teacher from when he was a kid) and his wife Melyssa (my wonderful hairdresser!!) have been trying for several years to get pregnant. Here is a message I received from her today.


As most of you know Scott and I have been trying to have a baby for over 4 years now. We have been going to a fertility clinic for the past year and have already had 3 failed IUI's (inseminations) and 1 failed IVF (in vitro). NONE of this is covered by our health insurance and we have had to take out a loan to be able to (hopefully) have a baby of our own!
It will only take a minute of your time and if you would please do this with Scott and I in mind just send this quick letter to our state representatives to get them to pass a law that fertility should be covered by all insurances. We beg for your support, to help us and others like us in the future.
Here is the link:
https://secure2.convio.net/res/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=119
If for any reason you can't get it to work, here are the steps to take that will get you to that page:
*Go to <www.resolve.org>
*Under the subject "Quick links"
*You'll see "Insurance Information" click here *Click on Federal legislation *Click on where it says "To write to your senators now..."
*You should be at the page where you have to fill in your name and address and then the letter should already be written next to it!"
*Please read the letter and send it!
We thank you all for this small gift that could be HUGE! I am thinking that there is "power in numbers" so the more of you that do it the better. If you feel so inclined to keep doing it (as I plan to every day) maybe our point will get across eventually!
Happy holidays!
Love,
Melyssa and Scott

Please take the time out of your day to go to the website and submit the letter. It is already typed up for you. I just did it and it only took about 2 minutes. It will be worth your time.

36 Week Check-up

I went to the Dr today for my 36 week check-up. This is a big one because they do your first cervical exam. I am happy to report that I am not dilated at all yet...but my cervix is softening. He said normally your cervix feels like cartilage (kind of like the end of your nose) and now it's feeling like your lips--so a lot softer. So that's neat!!

He also did a quick ultrasound to verify position and the head is down!! yay!!! He's hoping that won't change between now and delivery, but there is a slight chance it could change. The heartbeat was around 155 which is what is has been since the beginning. We all know that means it's a boy, right????? You just never know :)

I had an appt today to get the car seat checked and had to cancel because the roads were so bad! I didn't think it was a good idea to head to the other side of town with the roads as nasty as they were. So hopefully I can get in sometime before the baby arrives.

Well I think that's it! Just wanted to give an update. Hope everyone is enjoying this snowy December!

35 weeks and 3 days---not that I'm counting!!!

Well we're getting down to the end here...getting anxious, and getting nervous! I think nursery is finally all set. We've got all the baby clothes washed up and put away. Got all the bedding washed...for the 2nd time. Aunt Bea (the cat) decided she really liked sleeping in the crib and when I banned her from the crib, she decided the changing table would suffice!! So I've washed everything again. I'm getting practice making the crib...who designed those things? It's nearly impossible to make up the crib with the bumper on!! Oh well! I'm sure I'll get good at it :)

I packed the baby's bag this weekend and got mine about half done. A lot of the things I can't really pack until the last minute, but I wrote them down so I won't forget those items. I wrote up my 'call list' so we know who to call when. I can't believe we're down to the wire!!

Kory dutifully put together the swing this weekend! yay!! He also put the car seat in the car...boy is it weird looking in my rearview mirror and seeing a carseat!!! The car seat was a bit adventurous of a process because mind you..it's about 10 degrees here!! So I heated the car up and we both went out there and it took us a while to figure out the whole 'latch' system so you didn't have to use the seatbelt. We put it in nicely behind the drivers seat...well when we went to but the actual carrier on the base we realized my seat had to be moved so far up that I couldn't get behind the wheel!! So we had to unattach it and reattach it behind the passenger seat!! It was a cold process, but we got it done!! I am going in for a carseat check on Tuesday to make sure we have it in correctly.

Let's see...what else is going on....Kory is busy working lots of hours. This is the busy holiday season for Fed Ex. Other than that, we've just been hanging out and trying to relax when we can. We've had many days of nasty weather the last 3 weeks, so Kory has really been exhausted when the weekends roll around. It takes a toll on him when he has to drive for 14 - 15 hours in a row.

Anyways, I should get going. I go to the Dr on Tuesday, so I will post another blog later this week. It's my big 36 week check up!!! So that should be exciting.