Happy Birthday Matt!

I threw Matt a birthday party on Saturday. He said if we were going to do a party he wanted to do something we don't usually do. So instead of just meeting at our house for food, we went bowling. We were going to go to Fat Cats at the Junction, but when we got there they let us know the computers were down and they were not letting anyone bowl. I started to panic, but we called Sparetime in Roy and asked if they had any open lanes. They did, so we started calling everyone to try and get them turned around. Matt ran out and jumped in Bev's car and I drove over with Emie. We got there at about the same time and started to bowl.

I learned that I am still not very good at bowling (funny, not bowling didn't make me any better at it). There was one point around the 5th frame that the people I was playing with began chanting "hit a pin!" I am happy to announce that I did, I hit A pin. :-)

We finished up bowling - some of us because we did all 10 frames, some because all our balls were stuck at the end of the lane. I hoped we could all go out to dinner at the local Chili's, but the wait was too long, so Chrystie and her family went home. We sat down and ordered, but Emie had had enough! I ate most of my hamburger then loaded her in the car seat and sped home. We had all had a good time, but it was too much for a 3 month old who missed her naps.

Thanks everyone for coming! I had so much fun.

President's Day Week

Monday was President's Day. Matt had the day off of work, but I had to work. That made it his first day alone with little Emie. I got her up the way I typically do, but instead of heading off to the babysitter, I just kissed her and Matt goodbye and set off to work.   Matt brought her over for lunch and it was great to see her (and him).  Bev came over that afternoon and she and Matt go to play with Emie the rest of the day.

Tuesday things were back to normal. Matt was off to work, and Em was off to the babysitter. She loves it there!

 I took Emie to visit my Grandma Wilson again that night. She was again happy to hold the baby, and the baby was happy to be held. They get along pretty well. We had a nice talk and then it was time to go home and get ready for bed.

On Wednesday I had Achievement Days after work. Matt wasn't going to be home from work in time, so my mom and dad came by to babysit. It was great to have them come play with Emie for an hour while I helped out with the girls at the church. I am so grateful to have my parent's close by and so willing to help.

Thursday was Matt's birthday. It was also Emie's Grandma Ali's birthday. Emie hasn't had the opportunity to meet her Grandma Ali or Grandpa Mitch, but they still love her so much - and I am excited for them to meet her sometime soon.

Matt had to work late on his birthday,so we didn't plan much for that day. I stopped at the 7-11 on my way home and got Matt a Slurpee for his birthday. I couldn't figure out how I would have time to make a cake, so it seemed like a good solution. He says he loved it.

Doctors, Dad''s and Valentine's Day

It was a little less traumatic to go to work the 2nd week. Monday was Emie's 3 month birthday. We celebrated by taking pictures with her bear.

 She had a good time with the babysitter. Here is a picture of her enjoying her bottle. She has become quite an eater. And she sure let's you know when she isn't satisfied, or when she is ready for another bott.e

On Monday night Emie and I went to visit my Grandma Wilson at the rehab center where she is staying. Grandma was really excited to hold and love on the baby. She fed her her bottle and had some good snuggles before we packed up and came home. Matt was studying for a State test he has to take as part of his teaching program.

 On Monday I noticed a bump growing behind my ear. When I got home from visiting my Grandma I had Matt take a look. there was a huge bump there, and also lower on my neck. We determined they were my lymph nodes, but that they were crazy swollen. I decided to make a doctor's appointment the next day. When I went in, the doctor said that when he sees nodes that big, he tends to get a little suspicious. So instead of telling me to just wait it out, then did some blood tests. The first thing they tested for was to see if I had mono. I guess it can cause the node in the back of your neck to swell. That came back negative. They also did a complete blood count to check for any obvious infection, or to also look for signs of something more serious. They didn't see anything to concern them (and I didn't have mono), but they decided to send me out to get an ultrasound on my neck, just in case.

Wednesday I drove over to the clinic to get an ultrasound on my neck bumps. It was not as much fun as getting the ultrasound of Emie, that is for sure. I scraped all the jelly off my neck and went back to work.

 Meanwhile, Emie was having a great time with the babysitter. This is her with some of the kids. They love to help take care of her. The 2 year old refers to Emie as "her baby". It is great when I drop her off to see how they come and talk to her. She gives them such big smiles! I know she is taken care of and loved all day!

 On Wednesday night we went to visit my Dad. His birthday was on Thursday, but they were going to be busy, so we snuck over a day early. They bought us some KFC to enjoy and we had some cake and ice cream.

 Emie loves to play with her Grandpa!

Thursday I kept pestering the doctor for a call back. I wanted to know what the ultrasound had shown. I finally got a call back and he said the ultrasound was inconclusive (and that was good news), so I was just supposed to wait and watch and let them know is about 6 weeks if nothing changed, or if it got worse.

 Saturday was Valentine's day. We didn't make any exciting plans because we didn't have a babysitter. We also decided to avoid the crowded downtown. Matt made dinner for me and even brought it to me where I was watching Emie play. He even set up candles, so, technically we had a nice candle lit dinner - in the basement - with the baby.

3 Month Old

Emie turned 3 Months Old on the 9th of February. She is so big and smart and beautiful!

Back to Work

I had to go back to work starting February 2nd. I was happy to have been able to negotiate a full 12 weeks off of work. It was still hard to think about leaving Emmy all day.

We woke up Monday morning, at about the same time we had been for a couple of weeks, and got ready. Matt is usually out the door before 6:30. I told the babysitter we would be there by 7:30 - which would get me to work by 8:00. I brought Em into the bedroom with me so we could hang out before I left. Then it was time to go.

I am super lucky and have a friend in the neighborhood that was willing to watch Emmy everyday. When she opened the door for us, her kids were so excited to see Emmy. They were singing "Emmy is here!" It made me smile. It was hard to leave her, and I may have cried a little, but I made it out the door and got to work on time.

Being back at work wasn't so bad. I has tons of email to sort through, but otherwise got back into the swing of things. I was lucky to get some pictures from the babysitter of Emmy enjoying her day. The weather was great and I was taking advantage of it by taking walks around the trail at the hospital near work. On Friday I met my friend Emily and took Emmy for a walk at lunch time. It was great to see my little girl, and to spend some time talking to a friend. Too bad lunch isn't longer.

After work I would snuggle with the baby girl and then put her to bed. She is still doing great by sleeping through the night.

 Saturday was another beautiful day. We decided to take a walk down to the trail. it was a first time to turn Emmy around in her carrier. Her neck is super strong for a little girl, but we kept the walk short so we didn't overwhelm her. The sun was bright and I actually was too hot in my long sleeves. I know we will regret it in the summer, but I love this weather now!

Super Bowl

After Emmy's blessing, we took the kids outside to burn off some energy. The weather was unseasonably warm, so we all went down to the trail to throw rocks into the river. It was fun how the kids all paired up and had fun together.

 The kids worked hard to find rocks for the men to skip on the river. I think Matt won and was the first to skip a rock all the way across the river,

 Emmy was all bundled up and took a nap in the stroller.

All the kids found walking sticks or had them provided by Grandpa. On our way back to the house the sticks were thrown back into the river by the boys and lovingly hidden by the girls (in case they need them again.)

Then, before we knew it, it was time for the Super Bowl. The game was the Seattle Seahawks vs. the New England Patriots. I personally was cheering against the Seahawks, which made me a Patriots fan for a day. There were some Seattle fans in the house too - to keep it interesting.

The kids had fun coloring and playing outside. Somehow while they were outside having fun they managed to tear down the rest of our front gate, and then Arden stepped on one of the nails. It didn't get her too bad, but it slowed her down and kept her inside the rest of the night. Her dad was unable to make her smile with some Samoa cake, but it sure made me happy. Chrystie had seen it on the internet and made it for the party. YUMMY!

Toward the end of the night and the end of the game Emmy had been passed around and ended back with me. I held her close because I knew I had to go to work the next day and leave her with the babysitter for the first time. The game ended on a very exciting interception (with the Pats winning!) and then the party broke up and it was time for bed. 

Matt and his Aunt Amy cleaned up the kitchen and basement while I snuggled Emmy and got her and me ready for bed.