Thanksgiving

This was our last trip out of town for a very, very long time! I really don't see us traveling with a newborn, toddler, three dogs and all of the required stuff to keep us all happy any time in the near future. We went down to Phoenix for the weekend, and we all had a good time. We spent Thanksgiving with Mom, Sam and Larry. We went ahead and gave them their gifts, since we didn't know what Christmas would hold for us. We decided to get Mom and Dad, Sam and Larry and Paul and Me matching logo shirts and a new board game. Something fun and silly, and everyone seemed happy. We stayed up a little too late playing the game, but isn't that what new games are for?

Emma was a little bit of a monster over Thanksgiving, but she really wasn't napping or sleeping well the entire weekend. So it was expected. We all made way too much food, but it was delicious. Unfortunately for Emma, she didn't taste a bite. All she wanted was Goldfish and pink lemonade. Given that none of the adults were eating very healthy, Paul and I just let her have what she wanted.

Mom, Sam and I decided to forgo the tradition of waking up hours before the sun to hit all the Black Friday Sales, but Mom, Paul and I still got up when Emma did to get a somewhat early start to our shopping. I was able to get all of Paul's gifts, and we only have one more thing left to get for Emma. My little Pumpkin Pie did very well shopping all day, and she even stayed up extra late to go out to dinner with all of us. Emma had her first Oreo and surprised up by promptly opening it and eating all the cream. I guess somethings are just instinct!

Over Thanksgiving weekend, we discovered Emma knows Pat-A-Cake. Since then, we have also learned Emma knows some of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Row Row Row your boat and The Itsy Bitsy Spider. She may not know too many of the words, but she knows enough of the words and melody to make it obvious what she's singing! Emma is also starting to speak in sentences and can say the names of many of her friends at school, family members and animals. The only name she can't quite grasp yet is Biko... whom she calls Guppo... which we all think is even cuter. Dancing has become a favorite past time for Emma. She particularly loves swing music, but if she has her tutu on, she will dance to anything! Emma's favorite animals right now are dogs and elephants. If she sees either one, she will shout out "dog" or "elphan".

Potty training was going very well, but Emma decided to take a week off. Paul and I were to blame as well, since during that time we kept forgetting to ask if she needed to go. In the past few days, Emma has gotten better again. She is waking up with dry diapers and is letting me know she needs to go potty instead of just drinking her milk and going in her diaper. This coming weekend will be a "panty weekend", so hopefully that will help encourage her to go on the potty.

Paul and I are doing well. I was being a horrible person for several weeks, but I finally opened up to Paul about how overwhelmed, tired and sore I have been. I was afraid to break down, because he would think I was weak and unfit as a mother. I have no idea why I would think such a thing of my sweet husband, but I did. The day I finally let it all out, Paul bought us a new mattress topper and me a new body pillow. I can finally sleep for longer than an hour at a time, and it's amazing what a little sleep can do to heal the soul! My bones are still horribly sore, but at least they don't hurt while I am in bed. I am not so terrified of not being able to handle Emma and a new baby, and I am back to eagerly anticipating the joys and challenges being a mother of two will bring. I apologized profusely to poor Paul for how awful I had been, and he has once again forgiven me for being nasty.

We are now as close to being ready for Baby as a family can possibly be. The nursery is ready, and the bassinet is set up in our room. We have enough essentials to get us started, but I am planning a mini shopping spree when Baby is born so I can buy some gender specific clothes, spit cloths, etc. Emma has a very limited notion of what is going on, but I think she will be very excited to have a baby in the house. She loves to visit the babies at school, and she is always very gentle with them. If anything, I think she may be angry with me for dividing my time, but I really don't think she will be mean to Baby. Emma is in love with my belly, which she calls "baby", and she loves to rub lotion on it and give it kisses. Though my little lady can be a monster, she can also be one of the sweetest little girls I have ever known. Even Emma's teachers comment on how lovable she can be. I truly think giving her a baby brother or sister will be one of the best things we have ever done for her and our family. After all, how can a child ever be anything other than a blessing?