Baby Proof vs. Bubble Wrap

Now that Emily is (very) mobile and starting to get into/explore everything, the issue of "baby proofing" has come up.  I have done a little bit here and there to prepare:

• Pushed a couple of coffee tables up against walls rather than leaving them in the middle of the our living spaces;
• Put plugs in the outlets that she finds of interest;
• Hid/secured wires that she could grab/pull on/chew;
• Put up a baby gate between her "free-roam" space and the rest of the house;
• Moved all small/heavy/hard objects up high/out of her way;
• Watch her like a hawk every time she's near the cat.... etc.,

I honestly feel like these things are satisfactory.  I'm sure that I'll continue finding things that need to be moved/hidden/etc. (will be putting latches on the cleaning supply cupboard soon), but I do not plan to bubble wrap my child or my house.  She is GOING to get hurt.  It's part of being a kid.  Fingers WILL get smooshed in doors, heads WILL get banged on floors, the cat WILL scratch her at some point... these things happen, and, I believe will actually be good lessons for her... she'll learn not to grab the cat's tail, not to stick her fingers there, and to catch herself before her head hits the ground.  She'll learn that getting hurt is NOT the end of the world, and she'll gain the confidence to learn from her mistakes and try again... to problem solve... to find another way to get what she wants/needs.

Many baby-proofing items have been brought to my attention recently, and I have to wonder, "Really"?  For example:

Thudguard baby helmet

 I wince every time Emily hits her head on our floors as she learns to crawl/stand/walk/maneuver... but I am not about to wrestler her into wearing one of these (or spend $50 to do so!).  And I'll tell you, she is falling less, her reflexes are getting better and her crying/panicking when she falls are getting less end-of-the-world-ish.  She's learning!

The Year of the Baby... and New Business

At the end of 2011/beginning of 2012 I was 25 weeks pregnant and had just decided to try to created a little side business for myself doing some portrait photography in order to earn some extra spending money/income for my family.  I had NO IDEA how either of these endeavors was going to go... but I can now report that both turned out fantastically. =)

Today Jacob and I have a beautiful, HAPPY, healthy baby girl.  Emily is 36 weeks old today and surprises us with her intelligence and personality on a daily basis.  I fear that she will be walking by the end of January, which I'm sure will lead to all kinds of fun adventures for us in 2013.  =)

As far a "business" (I hate calling it that... makes it sound so official. lol), I have done better than I ever expected that I would.  I actually made a PROFIT this year!  (Only $20, but I'm just excited that I managed to pay off my camera with the income.  That was my biggest investment this year).  I had about 18 jobs this year... family, seniors, maternity, baby/kid, boudoir... the whole gambit.  It was awesome! 

I am so looking forward to what this coming year will bring!  So far on the horizon is a family vacation to Disneyland in March (will be a first for both Emily and me!) and Emily's first birthday in April.  I can't wait to start the party planning.  ;)

Christmas....es

It's taken me a week to post about Christmas... but I have a good excuse.... "Christmas" in our household didn't end until yesterday!  That's right... instead of celebrating Emily's first Christmas, we celebrated Emily's first FOUR Christmases!  Here's the recap:

Christmas #1, Dec. 23rd - Our first Christmas celebration happened unexpectedly (for me).  We spent the day with Jacob's parents, brother, niece and nephew playing in the snow at Mt. Hood and then headed back to his parents' place.  I wasn't aware that dinner and presents were occurring as well!  Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of the "Christmas" festivities that evening, but here are some adorable shots of Emily's first snow experience. =)

Christmas #2, Dec. 24th - Christmas Eve morning Jacob woke up with the flu.  =(  We had plans to go to his brother's house for a our formal celebration with his extended family, but I wasn't sure what the day was going to bring as he laid on the couch watching Dr. Who and trying to recoup.  In the end, he decided that he wanted to be with family, so we made the drive to his brother's place for dinner and presents... I'm hoping that he didn't breathe on anyone (so far I haven't heard that anyone else got sick).

Christmas #3, Dec. 25th - Emily had already been put to bed before it was time for the present portion of the previous evening so, on Christmas morning I made Jacob get out of bed (still sick) so that we could have a family Christmas morning and Emily could open a couple of presents. 

We were supposed to go to my parents place a couple of hours away for Christmas, but Jacob was feeling horrible and I wasn't about to leave him on Christmas.  So, we decided to have a day at home and reschedule Christmas with my family for the following weekend.

After opening presents, getting Em down for a nap, and deciding that we weren't going anywhere, I booked it to Safeway to find something worthwhile for a Christmas dinner.  I'm pretty proud of myself: roasted turkey, steamed green beans, homemade garlic mashed potatoes, dinner rolls and pumpkin pie... not bad for dinner on the fly! =)

Christmas #4, Dec. 29th - About a week after he got sick, Jacob was still feeling pretty gross, but was at least good enough to make the trek down to my parents place for the night.  My mom had, amazingly, pretty much recreated Christmas for us!  (There were so many presents under the tree it looked like they hadn't already opened most of them! lol.  Guess who most of those gifts were for? ;))

All three of my brothers, their significant others, my nephew and my grandmother all made it over for dinner.  (My dad joked that we should have just postponed Christmas in the first place).  We opened presents, had dinner (and lots of dessert), and then hung out for awhile as a family before people started heading home.  I was glad that I got to have "Christmas" with my family this year after all!

Merry Christmas!

8 Months!

Weight/Length-You had an impromptu doctor's visit this month and weighed in at 17.5 lbs (less than what I weight you on our home scale last month... hmm... makes me wonder if I actually weigh less, too! ;) )

Eating- You are drinking mostly 6 oz bottles these days, with about 8 ounces right before bed.  We are starting to offer you more solid foods, but I think we need to start bumping up our frequency of this... especially since you are getting SO close to our first birthday!

Sleep- Bed time is roughly 7 pm and you sleep until 6:30 (or so) in the morning.  You've been doing much better with the "sleeping through the night" thing, but have been waking up pretty regularly from a cough in the middle of the night for the past several weeks.  If it doesn't sound like you're able to get yourself back to sleep, mom or dad will go in with a bottle of water to help sooth your throat and that usually does the trick.

 Clothes-Still wearing 6-9 month stuff, but your 6 month stuff is starting to get a little tight... though the 9 month pants are still a big baggy around the middle.  I have a feeling that you're going to be a tall, slender young lady!

Personality- You are SUCH a happy baby!  You only really fuss if a) you're hungry, b) you're sleepy, or c) you want to be down on the ground exploring and, for whatever reason, are not able to do so.  You love to touch and play with new things... and EVERYTHING is still going in your mouth.

Likes/Dislikes-

• You like eating paper.  If I'm not paying close attention you will tear my (unread) magazines to shreds and start dissolving them with your drool.
• You like crawling around (and over) things.  You like pulling yourself up at the couch (or a chair) and walking yourself around it.  
• You like grabbing Dad's thumbs and getting swung in the air.  You smile so big!
• You LOVE to talk!  You make a LOT of noise... a LOT of the time!  Sometimes we'll listen to you in your crib after bedtime chattering away!  
• You like to "sing" along to the radio in the car... specific to Bruno Mars.

•  You don't like getting new teeth.  I don't blame you. =(
• You don't like falling over and hitting your head on things... and you do it a LOT with your new sense of mobility!

Milestones-

You can pull yourself up to standing AND walk along things like the couch or a coffee table!

You have THREE teeth... all of which are on the top.  I'm hoping that you get some bottom teeth soon!

You got your first bruise... right in the middle of your forehead... got into a "fight" with Grandma's dining room chair..

You played in snow for the first time!  You weren't quite sure what to think about it... or the bulky snow suit that mom and dad put you in!

You got your first Christmas tree!

You had your first allergy scare.  You've been coughing a lot at home and mom was worried that you might be allergic to the cat, or dust mites.  The pediatrician recommended an allergist, who did a prick test and chest x-ray, only to determine that you are not allergic to anything at all (Mommy and Scout (the cat) are VERY happy about this!).  You are still coughing though.  The allergist thinks that it may just been your body's reaction to different viruses that you're coming into contact with at daycare, but also prescribed an inhaler to see if that helps.  So far we haven't tried it, so don't know, but mom things that having a humidifier going on in your room at night helps... so, we're trying that first!