Marcikic Family Times

Christmas card outakes

2010-12-18T20:29:00.002-05:00

Tree Trimming & Such

2010-11-27T09:19:00.002-05:00

Hug or headlock? Emerson reminding Grant who the big sister is.

And, the Marcikic holiday elves:

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/6S9B2MhoiepUbQX1boN0

The cutest trick or treaters ever

2010-11-01T16:28:00.005-04:00

Fall Fun

2010-10-31T08:03:00.009-04:00

2010-10-09T20:24:00.004-04:00

I had intended to give Grant's six month update about three weeks ago when he was indeed newly six months. Fast forward to 6 months and three weeks and here it is. In one short week my little baby will be seven months old. I don't even believe it. He is perhaps the happiest baby ever in the history of babies (well, maybe not, but he is one heck of a happy guy), he has mastered sitting by himself and can get onto his belly/back and roll around, he is trying really hard to figure out how to crawl. He can get onto his hands and knees and rock, and rock, and rock, and even move himself backwards, but no forward movement yet. He is ready to be on the move. He weighed 18 pounds and was 28" at his six month check up. He has the cutest sound that he makes all the time that serves as a really happy sound, a really mad sound, or just adds it in when he babbles - it is the rolling r sound like in "arriba". He has two teeth. He is going to be one rascally little boy. Ahhhhh - milk drunk and ready for a good night's sleep.

Such a cute little rascal.

Sporting hats with papa marcikic.

And, the eldest little rascal - such a good big sister. She loves her little brother.

He's made it into the real bath where he is a wild man. Emerson hates having water in her face and Grant loves to splash, so typically Emerson ends up in the corner of the bathtub behind the faucet cramped in, while Grant splashes all around the rest of the tub. It is so very amusing to watch.

Grace. I don't have anything nice to say about this animal or her ever present flatulance.

Family picture following Grant's baptism last week. He slept through the entire service.

Always wanting to know what Grant is eating, see the container that it is in, help feed him, and then see the empty baby food jar. Always. There is no sneaking baby food around Ms. Emerson.

We're off to enjoy some unseasonably warm weather at the pumpkin patch tomorrow - pictures to come.

Labor Day

2010-09-11T14:25:00.007-04:00

We spent the final leisurely day of summer at my uncle's cottage with my parents, brother and aunt & uncle from California. Then, Tuesday was back to reality - waking up to an alarm clock, getting myself and two kids ready by 6:30 am, getting them to daycare, getting to work on time, and spending my day with 100 kids that aren't mine (thankfully!). Overall, things went smoothly - my classes/students seem to be good - at least most of them; hopefully the others will be tolerable. The sixth graders are an interesting change in my day & I found out yesterday, that there is at least one hugger in the mix, and a surprise hugger at that. I've never had that before...it's quite strange. Only a few surprises this week - Tuesday I came home to a knocked over patio umbrella and a completely shattered (into thousands of tiny little pieces) table, so that was a warm welcome from the first day back. Yesterday, I picked Emerson up from daycare only to find we needed to go to the pediatrician because she had a goopy eye, which has exiled us for the weekend. And, since her recheck appointment for her ear tubes, she now needs a tiny surgery (on Tuesday) to patch the holes in her eardrums that aren't healing on their own.

Photos from last week:

My uncle crafted a boat with rows (although, I am sure there is a more eloquent name for it that I don't know) and he gave Ryan a demonstration as to how to use it.
Helped him get in

I spy with my little eye - how cute, a little rear view mirror.

And sent him off.

And hoped he didn't capsize or crash. You can't tell from this picture, but he's actually going backwards towards that raft. A near miss!

Emerson occupied herself with the sand - as always putting handfuls of it back into the water.

Grant snoozed And worked on some geography

And now, just some random ones:

Emerson and her sunglasses (that we end up looking for every day)

And peanut butter - starts off as a peanut butter sandwich and ends up as a peanut butter facial. Every single time.

He has a handful of baths left in this little baby tub - he is almost too big for it. Hopefully, he masters sitting soon and he can join Emerson in the tub.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Bye bye summer

2010-09-04T13:59:00.009-04:00

Well, summer is officially over and I am back at work. We've been busy the last few weeks with some mini-vacations with family and friends. Although I am a bit bummed that I do have to go back to work, I'm glad that I did have 5 1/2 months off to be home with Grant and Emerson. Grant is doing super and has changed so much (for the better considering he wasn't the best baby). He's beginning to sit up and is working on teething and makes plenty of noise. No more "mommy, mommy, mom" all day long, soon it's going to be "Mrs. Marcikic, Mrs. Marcikic". Grant is acclimating well to daycare and Emerson is officially the eldest of the group. The weather has changed to be more fall like, which is a welcome relief from the high temperatures and humidity of the summer. The downside is that everyone but me has been having the puffy eyes and runny nose attributed to allergies.

Considering it has been some time since I've updated, there are plenty of pictures.

A fine mess of some chocolate ice cream.

Leggs Inn near Petoskey - we went up a few weeks ago and stayed with Momo & Papa Marcikic, Aunt Kelly, and Aunt Carol.

Checking out a fire station

And last weekend - we went back up north to join our college friends for one last weekend of fun.

Taye

Mikias

Rylie & Collin with Emerson

JuSt GrAnT

2010-08-08T12:13:00.005-04:00

Apparently I have skipped a few weeks in my goal of one post per week over the summer. However, I did do three in one week, so I am still on course.
I spent the weekend with one saucy baby at home -runny nose and buckets of drool; one very juicy mess. We had a very productive weekend, nonetheless - it is quite amazing all of the things you can accomplish without a two year old around. Minus the saliva and snot, Grant is doing super well - he is 15 lbs. 2 oz (60th %) and 26.5 inches long (95th%). He is a rolling fool & has even started rolling from his stomach to his back. This is the most exciting news for me because I spend a good part of my day and some of my night rolling him back when he gets frustrated. He's moved out of the baby swing and into the exersaucer. He is enjoying some baby food, but strangely is not a fan of bananas. He is beginning to sound like a yeti with plenty of high pitched screams & grunts. Overall, he is a much happier baby than he used to be, so I think we'll be keeping him.

He has a new tough guy/Mr. T expression that usually makes an appearance when there is food around.

Sunday shoot

2010-07-20T10:47:00.004-04:00

Happy Sweet Sixteen (Weeks)

2010-07-09T11:53:00.008-04:00

The antics of a two year old

2010-07-07T14:43:00.010-04:00

Emerson & her 'babies' - they are everywhere! Usually, I'm not overly excited to see them because they are in something that I need to put Grant into (swing, chair, crib, bumbo seat, high chair), and of course, they are buckled in. Balancing Grant and trying to undo a buckle and remove one of Emerson's babies isn't an easy feat. However, sometimes they are just cute. I checked on Emerson on Friday night before going to bed and right beside her she had a baby covered up with her blanket, while she slept without - awwww.

Elmo catching some zzz's in Grant's crib.

Not sure what is happening with the princesses & people, but they were all (and there is alot of them) assembled on the floor. Emerson apparently knew what was going on because she was playing with them & reconfiguring them for hours.

Out for a ride on the back of daddy's bike. We had to pull her away from her beloved swingset to go on this ride.

Bubbles!! Enough said.

Giraffes

2010-07-06T20:10:00.008-04:00

We extended our holiday weekend on Monday by taking Emerson to Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek. It was ridiculously hot, but we all had fun nonetheless - Grant was even a trooper and slept through the whole afternoon. The main attraction this year at the zoo are the baby giraffes - you can even feed them. Emerson had a great time!! Notice the exposed giraffe teeth.....a bit exciting and scary at the same time.
A wee baby.

Feeding the smaller giraffe.

On to the big giraffe with a long slobbery tongue.

Most certainly the best $2 I've ever spent on lettuce.

The children's petting zoo - making friends with a goat (and plenty of hand sanitizer to follow).

Emerson made several decent attempts to make friends with this peacock by chasing it trying to "see it". No such luck, the peacock wasn't interested.

Bird

At the monkey exhibit "Ooh ooh ahh ahh"

Swingin'!

2010-06-28T11:07:00.013-04:00

Sunday was a great day in Emerson's life: she got a swing set (actually a birthday gift from Momo & Papa McNeil). Ryan, his dad, and my dad worked a good part of the day to assemble this for her (minus the 20 minutes in the basement for a tornado warning) and to say that she loves it would be an understatement. Emerson is a swinging fool. I'm sure you can envision our summer days out there, Emerson swinging, with Grant strapped to me while I push her.

*We don't typically have our kids outside naked, but it was hot, and Grant was hot and crabby. The solution was to simply sport the diaper (too bad we don't have those Huggies diapers that look like jeans - actually not too bad, they're ridiculous).

Hanging out with Papa Marcikic.

And Papa McNeil.
Outside of the swing set excitement, we've had an average week:

Swimming and enjoying popsicles (and of course offering to share with Grace)

And Grant: he's been lifting weights

Crashing in our bed - complete with cuddly, two bears, one monkey, a pacifier, water, and pillow. I believe this was our 5am wake up call on our anniversary.

And finally, the father's day photo.

Pretty girl (and handsome boy)

2010-06-18T13:01:00.013-04:00

Emerson is getting to the point where she attempts to put sentences together - usually just the nouns and/or verbs. Every morning when I get out of the shower, it is this over and over: "Mommy!....bag!.....mirror!" She takes the makeup bag from the drawer in the bathroom and places it in front of the bedroom mirror - and then she waits. She has enough restraint to not unzip it and wait for me. And when I'm out of the shower, there is lots of dancing and then "Emmy too? .....Mommy sit." Her favorite new activity is helping with makeup and of couse, putting some on herself. She's taken some brushes and makeup as her own and does a fabulous job applying it. "Pretty" she says to herself as she checks out her work - and she actually requests that I take a picture. So I do......here are her masterpieces:

And Ms. Jackie gave Emerson a pedicure at daycare this week:

Otherwise, we've been up to the usual: (although napping topless isn't exactly usual)

'Swimming':

"Hold him" - She loves insects and wants to hold each and every one.

Awaiting an insect:

Sharing pool water with Grace:

Watering flowers (which apparently are all "Emmy's flowers")

These are Emerson's brownie cupcakes from daycare for Father's Day. They are little grills. How cute.

Watching her DVD of the Lori Berkner Band - loves this thing. Ryan & I not so much; those catchy tunes stay in your head.

And on to Grant:

He's been hanging out with his lady friend Iris (born 5 days afer him)

Enjoying his mobile

And learning some life skills: sitting

Smiling:

And this is me: the usual dinnertime scene.

Have a good weekend!

We're Back!

2010-06-12T10:54:00.004-04:00

After months of being blog slackers, I've decided that it is time for a comeback. There has actually been quite a bit going on since our last posting spree, which is also likely the reason there hasn't been any posting since. We welcomed Grant on March 19th and juggling a two year old and newborn (and a crazy weimaraner) can be difficult work, but it has gotten much easier lately (knock on wood!) and a bit more predictable. Now that the official summer vacation (and the end of my maternity leave) has begun there will be lots to do and share. I've made a goal of updating the blog at least once a week with the ongoings of the Marcikic household. If it doesn't happen, the kids or the dog are to blame.

Here's what we've been up to:

Awaiting Grant's appearance. Yes, I know that I am huge. He was a giant at 9 lbs. 8 oz.

Fast Forward 4 weeks:

8 weeks:

And today at 12 weeks: He's so close to rolling over!

Pixels

2010-02-20T15:04:00.015-05:00

Watching Grace out of her bedroom window.

This one cracks me up. (Sullen cowgirl)

Always lugging these babies around.

(Cabbage Patch kids from Julie's childhood)

So cute! Emerson is pretty cute as well.

Seems like not that long ago that we had

to prop her up in this chair to take a pic, or she'd fall over.

I've never seen this look on her face before.

When asked to smile, she does this.

Play-Doh

Eager to help with the painting.

Baby bump.

Dennis recovering rapidly from hip replacement surgery.

I have a need.....

2010-02-18T20:47:00.008-05:00

A NEED for SPEED. High five!

Thanksgiving etc.

2009-12-12T13:27:00.011-05:00

So it has been a good fall for us Marcikics, all things considered. We all have managed to stay clear of the swine flu long enough to be vaccinated, and have been otherwise healthy. Julie's pregnancy with our soon to be son is continuing to go well, with the exception of some minor aches and discomforts for mommy. Julie may take issue with my choice of the word minor, but ultimately she is tough and will prove just that. The weather for November was perfect. Not so much recently.

Dec. 10th
We went up to Traverse City for the 20th annual Iceman, in which myself and good friend Joe raced. Joe defeated me, but I did end up reaching my time goal despite the additional mileage added to the coarse this year. Good race Joe!

We rented what turned out to be a very beautiful cabin near town for the weekend with my parents and our friends the Corders. Sorry, but we have no photos of the cutie who is Kennedy Corder.

We did some site seeing around Old Mission Peninsula on the way out of town. Beautiful day!

I went up to my Grandfather's cabin the next weekend to do some hunting, but didn't bag a deer this time. My cousin did get an enormous 9 point though. Nice! I also learned how real men start fires.

This year we headed over to the Detroit area for Thanksgiving. Thank you Allison and Eric for hosting. We had a great time.

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out at my parent's and catching up with family.

We saw Santa in his village on the "walking mall" last week. He was able to coax Emerson with a candy cane. We still need to have the stranger talk.

Not sure this is what is meant by bare back.

Elved

2009-11-21T18:46:00.000-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

October Festivities

2009-11-01T11:40:00.007-05:00

It has been a busy month of dodging the flu bugs at work and daycare and preparing for Halloween festivities. We went to the Zoo Boo at Binder Park Zoo with our friends Sureyya, Justin, and their daughter Sema earlier in the month. We saw maybe 3 animals, but there was trick or treating, games, hayrides for the kids and the place was full of carved pumpkins, scarecrows, and other Halloween decor. And the kids could dress up in their Halloween costumes. It was a bit cold towards the end, but it was a fun night (and we learned more about giraffe gestation/birthing than we ever wanted or needed to know from the greeter at the hayride).

Emerson & Sema

Trick or Treating at the Zoo Boo.

My dad handmade this rocking horse for Emerson and she absolutely loves it! Thanks Dad!

She makes sure her furry friends get turns riding the rocking horse as well.

Last weekend, we took advantage of the warm temperatures and went out on the KalHaven trail for some last minute enjoyment of the fall foliage.

And finally, Halloween festivities. We do Halloween with our friends Brian and Shannon and their son Will and daughter Ashley. This year we went to their new house in Plainwell. Emerson did do some trick or treating around the neighborhood with Will & Ashley, and it lasted about 10 minutes. It was quite cold and windy and Emerson had tears running down her cheeks from the wind and was shivering, so she did more trick or treating from our candy stash inside than she did outside, but she was cool with that.

An attempt at a group photo did, went well, with the exception of Miss Emerson.

And finally, enjoying one of her hard earned treats!

This morning she is on to the next holiday with the arrival of the Toys R Us catalog.

And of course, cleaning out and rearranging our lazy susan.

Hopefully everyone enjoyed their Halloween!

In other, exciting news, we did find out that we have a little boy on the way.

Perhpas if I am ambitious later, I'll post the ultrasound pictures from last week. Perhaps.

Autumn Harvest

2009-10-12T19:57:00.001-04:00

Grandpa Dennis with Emerson, Paige and Emily.

Emerson and cousin Paige got a kick out of walking around, holding hands.

Cute right?

The caterpillar in Julie's hand was not harmed in any way by the toddler.

Really!

Julie acting brave in front of her little girl. She (Julie) is usually not a big fan of horses.

Attempted group photo of Mikias, Emerson, Taye, Collin and Rylie.

We went to the Metro-Detroit area to catch up with family and friends for the weekend. We had a great time as evidence by these photos. Love this time of year.

Bye bye Summer

2009-09-02T10:58:00.006-04:00

I have to wake up to an alarm clock tomorrow. To go to work. Yuck. That means that the summer is officially over! We've been busy for the most part over the last month. The weather has been more fall like than sweltering August like, so we've spent more time inside than I would've liked. Here's what we've been up to:

A fierce kickball match with our friends - it was the 'Breeders' (i.e. those of us who have bred) and the Youthgroup (i.e. those who have not). Little did we know that two members (or I guess four) of the breeders were still breeding/ had secretly bred again. We should've gotten some additional points for having two pregnant women out on the field. No such luck.

The arrival of the Breeders - kids, toys, and snacks in tow.

The official team photo of the Breeders (and the stuff that accompanies us).

The Youthgroup had official jerseys. So sassy.

Our dugout/ fenced play area (complete with two babysitters).

Taking a nap during our beach vacation to Grand Haven.

We went to a local park with my friend Missy and her two kids Charlie and Sophia - it may have been the last nice day for beach going.

There is a playground right next to the beach, which coincidentally is the most perfect set up for little kids - arrive in the morning, do some swimming, have some lunch, and play until completely exhausted and head home in the afternoon for naps. We'll definitely be getting a pass for next year.

We completed our summer session of tumblekids. At the end of each session, they get an award (it is the bright yellow ribbon Emerson is so excitedly clutching in a later photo.). We'll be continuing tumbling through the fall and winter during drop in sessions on Saturdays.

And finally, some photos of our days trapped inside due to too many days of cold and rain.

Adios Summer!

WAM 300

2009-07-30T19:01:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I rode in the annual Wish-A-Mile 300 bike ride from Traverse City to Chelsea. I just want to say thank you to everyone for their donations, thoughts and prayers. This weekend could not have been a success without you.

I had never ridden this many miles (about 310) in such a short amount of time(3 days). Turns out, neither have most of the people doing it. This made for some great excitement leading up to the ride. Although I was confident that I had the ability, I wasn't sure how much suffering ,exactly, would be involved.

Despite starting off on the wrong foot, with some adult beverage and 3 hours of sleep in a wet tent the first night, I felt quite good for the first day. It was 103 miles and very hilly from start to finish with an average of 19.8 mph. I thought for sure this would take its toll on me for day 2 so I ate unhuman amounts of calories only limiting the alcoholic kind. Oh, and I guess Ferris State is a "dry campus". Or so the cops tell us. Ridiculous right?

Day 2 started after another night of sleeping too few of hours on the ground and being woke up prior to 4 am by a thunder storm. Still managed to feel better than the first day for 116 miles of flatter terrain with an average of 20.5 mph, about 40 of which were without drafting a group. Things were going well. Only one person from our group had to bail on the ride after being admitted to the hospital for dehydration/exhaustion. Only about 4 flat tires in our group as well. Not bad for a group of 87 riders over over 200 miles!

That evening our ride leader told me that the faster riders would take off a little later in order to allow all of the group to meet up at the last rest area, and ride in together. So my friend Dale and I woke in the morning to see that most everyone had taken their tents down and were looking ready to go. They ended up leaving earlier than planned leaving us in the dust. We had to hustle for about 25 miles before catching them as they rolled out of a rest stop. After that I started to have a pain in my left quadricep that I had never had before. It progressively worsened with each pedal stroke and by lunch time was impossible to ignore. I decided to take advantage of the massage therapists at the lunch stop thinking this would help. It did not. So I went on to again try to catch up to my group, but soft pedaling. I ended up catching them again as they were rolling out of another rest area. At this point my leg was on fire. Fortunately the group was just cruising easy, so I could get by just pedaling with one leg.

At mile 87 for the day, we reached what is called the silent mile. I was told by more than one rider from last year that this was their most painful and favorite mile of the trip. The same holds true for myself this year. The silent mile is a seemingly endless stretch of road with a star on the shoulder for each person on the ride who has lost someone. I cannot describe the experience of seeing all of those stars with pictures of children on them.
Two of the guys in the group have lost their daughters, one very recently to cancer. So we stopped and had a moment at the side of the road, All 87+ of us. Again, in cannot describe the power of this experience, but lets just say that my leg became the last thing on my mind and I was glad to be wearing sunglasses.
Any ache or pain any of us felt was of no consequence in comparison with what some of these families have been dealing with. I can only imagine and feel very fortunate.

Our ride is over now, but the memories and emotions and friends I made will be with me for much longer. More importantly, 250 more wishes will be granted because of the donations made through this event. A wish gives a sick child something to look forward to and plan for, creates long lasting memories, and gives their families a break from the difficult day-to day reality. It must feel awesome to have complete strangers do something so caring for your child. So again, thank you to all for your donations, thoughts and prayers.

Interesting to know that the WAM 300 is the largest Make-A-Wish fundraiser, not just in all of the 58 nationwide chapters, but in the world. All the riders and recipients are from Michigan, home of the country's worst economy. We raised 1.52 million dollars from this event alone. Pretty cool!

Monday at the beach

2009-07-29T09:46:00.006-04:00

A Month Later

2009-07-20T09:30:00.008-04:00

I thought that I would be better about updating our blog over the summer considering the vast amount of uncommitted time that I'd have. Apparently I was wrong. We have 118 photos on our camera that we have yet to do anything with, so there are plenty of pictures here. They'll give you a pretty good idea of what we've been up to so far... Still doing lots of reading.
Hanging out in pajamas.
Running around all morning on the deck.

Enjoying some milk from sippy cups - no more bottles!

Ryan & I took a solo trip to Chicago for our 6th anniversary festivities. Emerson stayed back with Grandma & Grandpa Marcikic.

Why I bother giving her food in containers, I don't know. I might as well just dump it on the floor where she will pick it up with her mouth (see below). We may be raising some type of animal. We're not sure yet.

Hanging out in the Bell's Brewery Garden. This is apparently the only place we can go out to eat with Emerson because she can run all over the place and get filthy dirty. We have just determined that we are no longer going out to eat with her anymore because she screams and/or cries most of the time. So, the Bell's Beer Garden is where we'll have to be.

Sporting a new hairdo - full ponytail.

The bunnies and dolls have been either highly abused or greatly loved (depending on how you look at it). The are thrown, carried, pushed, pulled, hugged, drooled on, and danced with inside and out.

That is the peel from a plum on her nose.

Fresh & Clean.... usually doesn't last long.

Good night kisses for Ryan. Emerson still goes in for the open mouth kiss every time.

A bus ride last weekend in Ann Arbor.

And finally, to our majestic weimaraner. If any of you are skilled in the field of weimaraner psychology or neurosis and can tell us just what is going on here, that would be great. Keep in mind Grace is crazy when it comes to flies and there are no flies anywhere near her.

2009-06-16T13:18:00.003-04:00

We are off to a fun (and clean) summer vacation. Emerson has discovered this Crest Spin Brush, that she is totally in love with. However, it is only good if it is on/spinning/oscillating and she actually brushes all four of her teeth with it.

Notice the ultra juicy shirt - from at least 20 minutes of having that in her mouth.

Sharing snacks with Grace.

Why do we buy toys? Apparently all we need are diaper boxes and Spin Brushes. And mulch - lots of mulch.

The trouble drawer - she insists on getting everything out of this drawer (such as the Spin Brush) - deodorant, nail files, hair ties, and other assorted bathroom items. Perhaps it is time for childproofing the drawers.

And finally, round one of swimming lessons. She was not a fan of the pool last night. Hopefully because it was something new and she was unsure about it. There was alot of whining and clinging.

The most wonderful time of the year

2009-06-11T19:00:00.006-04:00

It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year - SUMMER VACATION!! Today was the first full day where I did not have to report to work, and I will not be reporting back there until after Labor Day. Too bad the weather today was cold and rainy; I was able to celebrate by going back to the doctor for my leg recheck who gave me the green light to begin (slowly) running again. Emerson will still be going to daycare twice a week to play with her friends and she will be taking two classes - "swimming" and tumblekids. So, we will be busy with our little bundle of energy.
Since the last post, with no pictures, I've included lots of them this time so you know what we've (or mostly Emerson) been up to.

She's been ecstatically running around the deck. This time while enjoying a Fig Newton from daddy.

She's been getting out the necessities for summer. For some reason, a requirement while wearing these sunglasses is to keep your mouth open as if in awe of something.

She has gotten her toenails ready for sandal season. Karie asked if it would be okay if Jackie painted Emerson's toenails as a rainy day activity this past week and I gave the green light. I'm surprised she was able to actually able to get her to be still enough - apparently the secret is to do it while she is eating lunch in the high chair.

Simply looking cute & mischievous.

The tongue is always out. Always.

Gearing up for some trouble......

Such as unearthing some potted flowers.

Really enjoying a strawberry, which is her favorite.

Showing her beebo.

And reading daddy a story.

Relaxing on the kitchen rug.

The elusive naked Mohawk girl awaiting bath time.

Working on the proper use of a spoon and proper destination for pudding. She has been refusing to keep a bib on, which just makes her one giant mess at the end of the day, so we end up with the previous picture again.

Out.

Enjoying some summer sun.

Our task this spring was to tear out our old deck and build a new one, which Ryan did with help from my dad & Bill.

*You can't miss the regal specimen of a dog in the pictures above. She was perfectly fine lying down elsewhere until I started taking pictures and then she planted herself right in the middle of the frame, pretending to be a fine specimen of a weimaraner. I'm going to tell a story called "bunny roundup" that is not for animal lovers or those faint of heart. Ryan & I were talking last night at the table when we heard a pitiful little squeak that sounded as though it came from one of Grace's squeaker toys. Not so, we saw Grace prancing around the front window with something in her mouth. The something was certainly not a squeaker toy, but some thing small and furry instead - a wee bunny. We got Grace to drop it and the poor little bunny died right in our driveway. This behavior is so atypical of Grace - she is lazy and has about as much hunting skill as I do. So, Grace is completely crazy in our yard, squeezing under bushes and running all over. We're assuming there is a nest somewhere and I was hopeful of saving any remaining bunnies. No such luck; we found the nest, no bunnies (they were elsewhere in our yard). We ventured into the back yard and found two more deceased bunnies and yet another one tonight. Four dead bunnies by the jaws of Grace. What on Earth?!

The finished product - we still have to stain it, but it is a huge improvement from the previous deck.

Again, our regal dog probably looking to murder some more innocent bunnies. Grace is a jerk.

On the Mend

2009-05-07T10:01:00.003-04:00

We are one the road back to the house of health (mostly). All three of us were sick last week. Poor Emerson definitely had it the worst. She had a bad cold that turned into pneumonia - wait, it gets worse - and she would cough with so much force that she would vomit. This started on Sunday morning with her not being able to hold anything down and Ryan & I forcing her to drink some Pedialyte from a syringe, and continued through Wednesday night. She didn't have any desire to eat anything until Thursday and actually kept it down. Poor girl. We were at the pediatricians a total of three times, and finally on the last trip we were given a breathing treatment nebulizer that would break up some of the funk in her lungs, which worked because she was acting somewhat normal by the next day. Needless to say, she didn't go to daycare once last week and Ryan & I took turns staying home with her, which we didn't mind because we both had horrible colds & sinus infections. Now, after a few doses of antibiotics for all of us, we are back to our normal selves (mostly).

Which brings me to mostly portion. You may recall that in January I said I was training for a half marathon through the Borgess Run Camp. I did the camp and actually had quite a good time during the training. I have made no mention of this training since because it would likely to be to complain of being so sick of running so much or of my aching knee/foot/hip/ankle, etc. And I did complete the actual 1/2 marathon, which was two weeks ago (Saturday 4/25). The official time was 2:20, which is 5-10 minutes more than I was shooting for. The weather was much different than I had become accustomed to - it was sunny and it the upper 70's with humidity - not the standard blizzard or rain that I had been running in, but nonetheless, a perfect day for running. I hadn't run much the two weeks prior to the race because I had picked up that debilitating cold bug when I went back to work from spring beak and had some crazy hip/knee pain that I assumed to be a shin splint and and IT band irritation. So, the race was ran with gunk in my lungs and a bit of a pain in the ass (literally). After the race, the 'shin splint' has persisted and the pain in the ass is nearly gone. So, assuming I may have a torn muscle or something minor, I made an appointment with the orthopedist to see what to do about my muscle. She did some very painful poking around and decided it would be a good idea to order up some x-rays. I'm thinking that this certainly can't be good. And it wasn't - I have a fracture in my right tibia that has been there for 3-4 weeks, but the good news is that it is beginning to heal. So, in the mean time, I am on crutches for the remainder of this week and have to wear an air cast for the next 3-4 weeks. And no running for 5 weeks. You can imagine just how happy I am about this.....

Slideshow

2009-04-21T11:08:00.002-04:00

Doctor Update (or the worst, part 3)

2009-04-03T15:35:00.005-04:00

Emerson had her 12 month check up today, which got off to a very rocky start because she has a severe case of stranger danger and the nurse put her on high alert. Once we managed to get her weighed and measured, she actually did well for the doctor. The verdict: she is in very good health and hitting all of her milestones. She continues to be a skinny giant, weighing in at 19 pounds 14 oz (30th percentile) and 31.25" (over the 100th percentile). She had three immunizations that went as expected, but she seemed to forget about them because she has been shaking these maracas all over the house all afternoon.

One!

2009-04-01T13:05:00.007-04:00

The big day happened on Sunday - Emerson turned one (as she is showing below). We had a party at our house with friends and family - unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate, but all went well. It is crazy how fast this year has gone and how much she has changed (and probably us too). It seems like it was not that long ago that we were waiting and waiting and waiting for her to make her appearance. I'm pretty sure she still maintains a bit of that same stubbornness (which I am certain that Ryan will say that is courtesy of me).

Oh the birthday gifts - we may need a new house. She has been enjoying all of her new toys - all over the house.

Yum!!

Apparently, she is not a big fan of party hats (really of anything that attaches to her head).

But, fortunately, Ryan is a big fan of party hats - who knew?

The first bite of a soon to be destroyed cake.

And finally....We had balloon boquets for Emerson's party which she was absolutely terrified of. If you walked her over near them, she would become very tense, cry, and attempt to crawl out of your arms & over your back. She would only look at them from a distance. On Monday, she became brave and investigated the ballons that were now just hovering above the floor. She actually ended up playing with them for some time and carting them around the house. I'm not sure why the change of heart -perhaps she is afraid of the helium.

I spy something green

2009-03-23T19:50:00.005-04:00

Adios Winter!

2009-03-19T16:39:00.006-04:00

Good riddance to winter. It has actually been more springlike the last week, so an early welcome to spring. We've been keeping busy with Emerson and enjoying the outdoors for the first time in months. Notice in some of these photos that Emerson has her very first pair of tennis shoes - a sassy pair of Saucony's that we bought yesterday; she has adapted to walking in them quite well. Speaking of walking, she woke up on Sunday morning and decided to become a full time walker - she does very little crawling & she is cruising all over the house.

And finally - for those of you who haven't witnessed the walking first hand - here you go. The first one was taken Saturday and the second one was taken this afternoon.

A showcase

2009-03-01T19:08:00.003-05:00

Of Emerson's new grill. ...

Blog Slackers

2009-02-15T14:15:00.004-05:00

I have realized for a few weeks now that it has been some time since we posted anything to the blog. Apparently, the realization didn't translate into action. I'm not sure if it is due to business or laziness. Either way, here it is. Emerson continues to do very well. She has her top two teeth poking through the gums, so when they are finally through, that will give her a grand total of 4 teeth. She has been feeding herself very well (and sharing with Grace of course, who is never far at meal time). And, the big news lately is that she is starting to take some steps - usually a maximum of four and then leans/falls onto something or someone nearby. She is being a bit of a chicken about walking, but she is getting her courage up little by little. She is very vocal, although, we're not sure yet just what she might be saying. Here are some pictures from the last month or so..

She's doing super.

2009-01-19T21:32:00.005-05:00

Emerson had tubes put in her ears on Thursday due to the chronic ear infections and she did great. She went with all of the nurses & didn't even cry when they carried her back for her 5 minute operation (which was by far the most stressful for me). We were back home by late morning and she was back to her usual routine of tearing up the house. Fortunately, I was able to stay home as well on Friday thanks to the wind chill advisory & ridiculous temperatures around -20. Way too cold for school! So, we had a day of playing, cleaning the refrigerator, reading, and general infant mayhem.

On Saturday, we got out one of her new toys from Christmas. It's a walker/ride on toy. We're officially encouraging the walking & she is actually doing quite well. Always with a squinty face, she plows that walker all over our house, resembling an intoxicated little squirt who walks without bending her knees. I'll have to put a video of this on later. It is quite funny.

We wrapped our weekend up with a play date with Charlie and Sophia.

Just Pictures

2009-01-13T20:05:00.001-05:00

One 1

2009-01-01T18:26:00.006-05:00

My quest for 2009 is to become a runner. Currently, I could perhaps outrun an attacker, but not for any great distance. For Christmas this year, I asked for outdoor running gear - this is a big deal for me because typically if I have to wear anything with sleeves to exercise outdoors, I won't do it.I got everything I asked for (sleeves and all). Later this month I will be embarking on a 13 week 1/2 marathon training camp. I am quite excited about this because I think that if thousands of other people can run a 1/2 marathon or more, then certainly I should be capable of doing so and I am up for the challenge. It may not be elegant or pretty at first, but I will learn and run, run, run so that I can finish the 13.1 mile course.

Today, I went on my first run with sleeves. Our local running shop sponsors the One 1 John Daley Memorial Fun Run and my friend Beckie and I braved the the 20 degree temperatures and wind and did the 4.4 mile course (we ran the first 2.2, and did a 4 minute run/2 minute walk for the second 2.2). I found it to be quite enjoyable and not so bad running in sleeves - in fact my gear kept me more than warm. So, 2009 is off and running....

Emerson loves this Leap Frog refrigerator magnet with animals from her Aunt Kelly. And we love picking up all of the pieces over and over throughout the day as she takes them down and throws them all over the kitchen. Actually, I don't mind - it keeps her occupied while we're making dinner. And it plays an assortment of songs (She'll be 'coming round the mountain, Oh Suzanna, etc.) that I have found Ryan whistling on multiple occasions. Oh, how our lives have changed!

No hands!

9 Months

2008-12-30T12:43:00.005-05:00

Emerson had her 9 month checkup yesterday - fortunately no shots! She is 18.4 lbs and 30.25" - still in the 50th percentile for weight and above 95th for height. She is in good health, with the exception of the newest ear infection. We just finished her last 10 day round of antibiotics for her last ear infection on Christmas Day and just four days later she has another one, this time in both ears. She also has a cold and her top two teeth are coming in, so she has been a bit of a juicy crab the last few days.

We were instructed to give her more table food - and she is definately interested.

A Merry Christmas for all

2008-12-27T16:25:00.005-05:00

We celebrated our first Christmas with Emerson with both of our families. Ryan's family holds their big festivities on Christmas Eve and my family on Christmas day, so we spent a few days triangulating the state, but were able to see everyone.

Enjoying some books with cousin Paige.

Losing the battle for her 'cell'.

Enjoying a song from cousin Emily.

This is my favorite - an attempt to get a decent picture of these 3 (the girl on the left is Dennis & Terry's neighbor's granddaughter).

Hanging out with Uncle Ed.

Reading one of Emerson's many new books she received.

Christmas morning (yes, I know, we should've taken hundreds more)....

Taking a much needed nap on the way to Greenville. On Christmas Eve, she didn't go to bed until 10:30, which is way beyond her usual time (and she only took a 30 minute nap in the morning). Way too much stimulation for such a little girl, but she did very well with minimal crabbiness.

Holiday Card Outtakes

2008-12-22T12:15:00.006-05:00

Asleep at dinner

2008-12-21T13:56:00.001-05:00

Snow Day!

2008-12-19T11:16:00.003-05:00

I received the much anticipated 5:15 am wake up call from my coworker telling me to go back to bed and enjoy the Christmas break. Oh, shucks. We are in the midst of a winter storm that has dropped about 5" of snow (with some freezing rain mixed in) as of the moment and it is continuing to snow throughout the day. So, now our Christmas break has been extended to two weeks and one day. I am so happy about that.

I received this wintry arrangement from my parents - actually I received it twice. The florist delivered it to our neighbors last Saturday and again Monday night. So, we have one to enjoy in the dining room and one in the living room.

Yesterday when I dropped Emerson off at daycare, Karie told me that she wouldn't be there when we picked Emerson up because she was taking the older kids to the mall to the Build a Bear store for their Christmas presents. I am sure that Josh, Landon, Kayla, and Matthew had such a good time and I thought that was such a nice thing for her to do for them. Emerson, Brynley, and Kendall stayed back with Jackie, but they received their gifts earlier in the day (which we are told that Emerson had a great time opening hers). Karie got Emerson a Leap Frog Learning table that she loves - it has all sorts of musical instruments on it for her to play with, it sings the ABC's, counts to ten and all sorts of other fun stuff. We thought this was such a thoughtful thing for Karie to do. We will add that the the other hundreds of reasons that we love Ms. Karie.

When she took a break from the new toy, she decided to work on rearranging her bookshelf (again) ...Notice how she is trying to step onto the books on the floor to reach the higher shelves. Trouble.

More Degreed

2008-12-17T10:24:00.007-05:00

It is official. You can now refer to me as Mrs. Julie Marcikic, B.S., M.A. (and I do expect each and every one of you to do so). Western's fall commencement was on Saturday (which I opted to fore go - sitting through a two hour speech and ceremony didn't seem like an enjoyable activity considering I was certain Ryan would be suffering through it with a very busy Emerson), and I have successfully completed my Master's. Of course, I don't have the actual piece of paper yet, but the work is over, & it will be in the mail within six weeks. I feel relieved now that I have it - I'll have so much more time to spend with my dear family and do things I actually enjoy doing. No more coursework (at least for a while; the state of Michigan is kind enough to require me to take 3 credits every five years to keep my teaching certificate). My summers will be free!

We've been attempting to keep up with the daily grind, holiday festivities, and a nutty weimaraner, so I am so very happy that I have two days of work left until my two week Christmas vacation, which may come one day earlier if the meteorologists actually are correct and we get a wintry mix of snow & freezing rain Thursday night. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Emerson is still very, very busy and is turbo crawling and furniture surfing all over the house. She has figured out her m sounds, so now random da-da's can be followed by ma-ma's. She has her fifth ear infection right now, which developed over the weekend. I find this absolutely crazy considering I took her to the doctor the previous Monday for the recheck for the last ear infection. So, the weekly doctor's appointments are still keeping us busy.
She must have taken some cues from Grace because she is regularly crawling around with this finger puppet cow in her mouth.

She has become such a big help lately. She helps hold the spoon when she eats and then uses the food she grabbed from the spoon to style her hair. Also has been a great help in taking all of the socks out of my drawer and pulling all of her books from their shelf.

Let there be (Holiday) Light!

2008-12-06T21:22:00.003-05:00

This photo is from last Wednesday. A few months back, Ryan made the comment that this year he would put lights on our new tree. And he did.

The finished product.

Yes, this is our sad holiday tree. It's one of those skinny alpine trees that we've had forever. Next year, we've vowed to get a real tree.

And now, photos of Emerson taken over the last few weeks.

We too have been elved.

2008-11-26T20:52:00.001-05:00

I'm copying Allison on this one. We were going to do this for our own enjoyment, but it is way too funny not to share. Sorry (and thanks), Allison.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/WYhwHhxex7oXTNaH

The most beautiful turkey ever

2008-11-23T19:07:00.004-05:00

This is Emerson's attempt at a turkey (according to Karie (daycare)), which I thought was pretty good considering she doesn't know what a turkey is. She made this Friday night - Karie had a pizza party/craft/video night for the kids from 5-9 & Ryan and I took full advantage of a night to ourselves - we went to see 007 and met some friends for dinner.
In other news, we've gotten Emerson some new toys and she is way more intersted in the box that what came out of the box. So suggestions for Christmas: boxes.

We've taught her how to wave, so now she waves at everyone/everything. We also taught her how to clap, but she must've forgotten how to do that because we haven't seen it since she picked up the wave. She is still very, very busy...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Trouble, Take 2

2008-11-11T19:23:00.004-05:00

Apparently crawling is not enough for Emerson - she's moved on to pulling herself up on things.

When she isn't busy developing her mobility skills, she spends a good amount of time...

Singing

Finding small spaces to fit into

Brief Naps

Playing & Looking Cute

And finally, a video that showcases her knack for finding trouble, crawling, and 'singing'.

Trouble

2008-11-06T19:38:00.005-05:00

Now that Emerson has mastered the big girl crawl, she is into everything and everywhere.
It has been in the 70's for most of the week, so we've been taking our supercute bundle of joy to enjoy some sunny fall days.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T19:49:00.003-04:00

juicy

2008-10-29T19:29:00.003-04:00

I'm sure that you can probably guess by the runny nose, chin dripping of drool, and soaked shirt, but Emerson is officially getting her first tooth. It hasn't come through yet but there is a visible split in her gums and you can see the white of the tooth. It's kind of sad - I love her toothless grin, but I'm sure that I'll love the toothed grin just as much, if not more.

The army crawl is on the way out. Emerson has been getting up on her hands and knees for a few weeks now, but hasn't really figured out how to crawl until today. She actually has a hybrid of the army crawl and regular crawl. The video is from last week, so no actual footage of crawling just yet.

We are now the proud parents of a child with a drug allergy

2008-10-25T18:32:00.011-04:00

We did not even make it one week without going to see the pediatrician. Wednesday, I picked Emerson up from daycare and found that she had two red dots and her face & Karie proceeded to show me the red dots that she had everywhere else. Apparently she woke up from her afternoon nap covered in these things. Some were giant and others were small. So, off to the doctor's we go...again. The diagnosis: she is allergic to the Amoxycillin that they gave her for her ear infection (which has cleared up, by the way). Fortunately, the hives didn't bother her and she ate, slept, and acted normally, just didn't look her usual cute self - a much more pitiful version instead. Just today she has begun to look normal again - yesterday was the worst by far with huge red splotches all over her face, arms, and legs. I would say that she is 98% better today.

You can see that she looks much better today (even considering the runny nose and drool soaked sweatshirt).

The first daycare art project from Emerson. Soooo cute! I am excited to fill the front of our refrigerator with these!

And finally, some pictures from last weekend.

Another Week, Another visit to the Doctor's Office

2008-10-16T20:34:00.005-04:00

Saturday:
We spent the morning doing some shopping and spent the afternoon at home. I had to chaperon the homecoming dance at school from 8:00 - 11:00, which may have been one of the worst decisions of my life. I did not volunteer to take part in this activity to be nice or to help out. It is one of the activities I can do for my 60 hour internship for my class. If not for that, I certainly would've stayed home. Nothing like spending a Saturday night in a cafeteria with a bunch of dancing, sweating, and hormonal high schoolers. It was just gross.

Note the red knees - she had been army crawling all over the house for most of the afternoon.

Sunday:
We went out for our first hike with Emerson - it was most likely the last day in the 80's for the year.

Monday & Tuesday:

Very normal work days.

Tuesday night:

Emerson was awake (therefore Ryan & I were awake) screaming starting at 1:00 and continuing through the night. Karie (daycare) called me around noon to let me know that Emerson's eye had started looking goopy, but otherwise was fine and eating okay. Super; so I call the pediatrician's office to see if they had any appointments available for the afternoon and luckily they did at 4:10. And then I let Ryan know because it is his day to pick her up, and thus, take her to the doctor. He was about as excited as me. The diagnosis: her pink eye was attempting a come back and she has an ear infection. Also, according to Dr. Paige, it is perfectly normal to be in his office frequently during the first year. Considering we had been there once a week for the last three weeks, this is a bit of a relief, but I certainly don't want to be there again any time soon.
So, I took today off and this is how we spent our day:

Laundry

On the edge of her seat for Baby Einstein.

Just Pictures

2008-10-09T19:28:00.003-04:00

Sick Day

2008-10-06T11:52:00.006-04:00

Apparently it has been some time since I've updated the blog. There are two good reasons: first, most recent pictures of Emerson look like this:

A giant blur because she is serious about being on the move, and secondly, we seem to constantly be busy (although I'm not sure doing what). So, this morning I woke Emerson up to find that both of her eyes were crusted shut and one was swollen so much she could barely open it. This certainly can't be good. So I volunteered to take the day off of work to take Emerson to the doctor to find out what was going on, and luckily we were able to get in at 10am. The diagnosis: Pink Eye. Yuk! Apparently, someone at her daycare was out one day last week with the same thing. Great. We were instructed to keep her out of daycare for two days, so she'll be going back on Wednesday, and Ryan will stay home with her tomorrow. Thus, I am able to update our blog at noon on a Monday.

We spent the weekend with Allison, Eric, Emily, and Paige, who came from the East side for a visit (and hopefully didn't pick up any pink eye bugs). We had a very traditional fall Saturday - we went to the apple orchard, Gene the Pumpkin Man, and a chili cook off. The weather was perfect. Very fun!

And this is how Eric & Allison spent most of their time at Gene's: Chasing Paige.

A Jumping Fool

2008-09-19T19:24:00.005-04:00

Emerson is getting really hard to handle lately - she has become a squirmy, jumping fool. The girl does not stay still for anything. Trying to change her diaper or get her dressed is an exercise in patience - it takes at least four minutes to wrangle her, get the diaper off, keep her on the changing pad (which usually is repeated several times), and get the new one on, hopefully the right way. She has mastered the army crawl and is way too interested in Grace's toy basket. It is crazy to think just five months ago, she would just lay there and sleep.

Taking a rare break from being so wormy and showcasing her juicy cheeks.

Green Beans & Applesauce: You will not see any other green food on her. She absolutely hates peas - evident by the gagging and crying upon her first bite.

Taking herself anywhere she pleases to go:

Motor boating in the bath:

And finally, a jumping fool:

Catching up

2008-09-14T15:48:00.005-04:00

I'm sure you can guess, but we've been quite busy lately, hence no new blog entries. We've spent the last two weekends painting our living room, hall, dining room, and kitchen: one weekend for the trim, the other for the walls. Last weekend we did the walls and thankfully had help from one of the little girls in our neighborhood - not for the purpose of painting, but for the purpose of entertaining Emerson so that we could paint. I was talking with one of our neighbors about painting over the weekend and her very insightful 8 year old daughter, Lauren, figured out that we'd likely need someone to watch Emerson. To say that Lauren loves babies would be an understatement. She is soooo looking forward to taking a babysitting class when she turns 10 (which is over a year from now). Anyway, she was here for part of the day on Saturday and Sunday and played with Emerson. If not for Lauren, we would still be painting. While we were painting, Grace was outside for the majority of both days, which leads to the chaos of this last week. Apparently the experience was too much for Grace and either she ate something she shouldn't have or it just stressed her out (which is the suggestion offered by the vet). Typically this is the time of the year that Grace chooses to eat mushrooms (which may or may not be psychedelic) from the yard and swell up from head to toe and require a few days of Benadryl. I would've gladly accepted that of her this year, considering what she actually did do. I came home from work on Monday with Emerson and immediately smelled some type of bodily excrement from Grace, who was in her kennel in the basement. So, to my delight, Grace had diarrhea all over her kennel, the walls, and carpet. Oh joy! So, we get Grace all cleaned up, the house and kennel cleaned, Emerson fed and in bed and finally ate dinner around 8:30. After which, Grace opted to vomit in the corner of the living room, so the carpet cleaning continues. So, we are tired and just want to sleep, so we kept Grace in our room so that if she were to get sick in the night, we'd hear her instead of waking up to a pile of something somewhere in our house. So instead of a potential surprise in the morning, Ryan and I marinated in Grace's disgusting gas all night. We might have well been sleeping inside her colon. She was sick and not eating for most of the week, but seems to be back to normal now.

Anyway, there is the explanation as to why it appears we've been slacking off lately.

Five Months Old

2008-08-29T21:40:00.002-04:00

First Day of Daycare

2008-08-28T21:18:00.005-04:00

I snapped the "first day of daycare" photo as we were headed out the door this morning at 6:30. Emerson looks surprisingly chipper for having been up from 8:30 pm until 2:00 am crying and screaming on the two previous nights. Monday night she developed a stuffy nose out of nowhere that still continues. She has since screamed herself nearly hoarse and sounds terrible. She is okay for most of the day until evening hits and then she is completely inconsolable. Considering we are new at parenting, we guessed that Emerson may be teething because the drooling has dramatically increased and she always needs to be chewing on something and gave her infant Tylenol when she needed it (as well as a drive around town last night at 1:30 am). So, given the situation, we inquired with Karie (our daycare lady) as to whether we should bring her or not, and she thought it would be fine. So, this is my first real day away from Emerson for an extended period of time and I have to leave her not feeling well, so it was actually harder than I thought to leave her today...I spoke with Karie three times about Emerson and she assured me that she was doing well and napping, however, she didn't take her 10:00 bottle because she couldn't breathe through her nose. Great. So, we made an appointment with our pediatrician for this afternoon only to find out that she has a bit of redness in each one of her ears - her first ear infection. She seems to be doing better this evening with the help of the anitbiotic and numbing drops, she just sounds so pitiful. So, hopefully she is on the track to a speedy recovery and will soon be the high pitched cheerful baby we love so much. And hopefully, Ryan & I will be able to get more than three hours of sleep.

So tired, she cannot even play.

She's enjoyed the four days of squash; tomorrow we're on to sweet peas. Yum!

2008-08-25T18:35:00.005-04:00

We had a fabulous time in Petoskey last weekend. We went up on Thursday and left Sunday afternoon. We spent some time with Ryan's family, who also met us up there, spent an evening at the beach, and Ryan & I had an excellent adventure at Avalance Bay Waterpark with our friends Brian & Shannon. I bit the bullet and went into work today to take care of some things (fish, paperwork, etc.), so for the first time in six months, I went to work and Ryan stayed home with the baby.

Dennis displaying his mustard.

Emerson dined on actual foods tonight - squash. She seemed to like it; I'm assuming because she actually ate it.

Who knew great aunt Carol and a rattle would be so funny??

The Last Week

2008-08-18T10:45:00.005-04:00

The title covers events of this last week and is fitting for this week - my last full week of vacation. I have to report back to work next Thursday, so this is my final full week of my six month vacation. I feel as though I've only been off of work for a few months, but I think I'm feeling ready to begin the juggling act of work and family. We've got a strenuous week planned - we've got some lunch dates at the beginning of the week, Emerson is doing a trial run at day care for a few hours on Wednesday, and Thursday we are leaving for our one and only family vacation this year - we're going to Petoskey for some fun and R & R (and to celebrate Ryan's 31st birthday).

We spent this past weekend with Ryan's family for 'Baptism Sunday', but were able to squeeze in a few other activites (like a date to the Tigers game).

Emerson's Godmother- aka Aunt Kelly.

The two batismal babes - Emerson & Paige.

The cousins plus spouses squinting into the sun (L to R: Kelly, cousin Allison, her husband Eric, & cousin Amanda)

And finally..more pictures of wee Emerson (and these are the only pictures from the last few weeks where she doesn't have something in her mouth).

One more thing: Happy Birthday Dad!!

A day (or two) at the lake(s)

2008-08-07T09:13:00.005-04:00

We spent two days this last week at the beach. On Saturday, we were at Brian & Shannon's in Allegan and on Wednesday, we went to South Haven to enjoy Lake Michigan. Other than that, there is nothing out of the ordinary or exciting to report.

Photos from Saturday:

Photos from Wednesday:

And finally, some miscellaneous pictures from the past few days.

Little Giant

2008-07-29T20:44:00.004-04:00

We had Emerson's four month check up today (complete with four immunizations- refer to the Worst from May). She weighs 13 lbs. 11 oz., which puts her in the 60th percentile for weight and is 27" long, which puts her off the charts for height. We have been given the green light to start her on rice cereal, which we did for the first time tonight - we got some good pictures, but I'm not sure how much actually ended up in her mouth.

Sorry, you're going to have to turn your head - I can't figure out how to get the video to be right side up. Let me know if anyone does.

A day at the lake

2008-07-27T21:45:00.003-04:00

Our friends Brian & Shannon live on a lake in Allegan & we were fortunate enough to spend a beautiful Sunday with them. The photo of the little boy is their son, Will.

So Done

2008-07-25T21:21:00.004-04:00

I have just emailed my very last final exam (ever!) to my professor at WMU and I am sooo excited to be done! It was actually the best course I've taken at Western and was very interesting, which is a first for these educational leadership courses. I now officially have one course remaining, which is just assembling all the work I've done for all of the other courses into an electronic portfolio and completing a 60 hour principal internship at my school. Western has just announced today that they are increasing their tuition by 9.2% for the upcoming academic year. Go WMU!

Anyway, here is what most of you come here for - Thursday's pictures of Emerson.

Dog Days

2008-07-22T09:17:00.005-04:00

It is getting to be that point in the summer where nothing out of the ordinary is happening. It has been ultra hot & humid, which tends to kill any desire to do anything outside. Last weekend we went to Paige's first birthday party, saw the new Batman movie, and met some friends for brunch. The highlight this week will be on Friday when we go and sign our daycare contract. We were able to get into the daycare we really, really, really, really, really wanted. It is an in-home daycare in Portage and we are soooo excited to have Emerson go there. I wasn't necessarily thinking I would ever be excited to send Emerson to daycare, but Karie (who runs the daycare) is really quite phenomenal and I know Emerson will be in the best (other than ours of course) hands. There is also another baby who was born 4 days after Emerson, so we're glad she'll have a playmate her own age. The official daycare start date is August 28, which is when I am forced to report back to work. Actually, I am really ready to go back. In other upcoming news...the worst, part II will take place next Tuesday - Emerson goes in for round two of immunizations. I'm still looking to secure some Xanax for myself. Pray for us.

1 year old Paige. Her mom Allison is so crafty it is nearly nauseating. I am commissioning her to live at my house for the month of March for interior design, scrap booking, and cake making purposes. Even if it requires kidnapping. Also, Paige is the original owner of 97% of Emerson's ultra cute wardrobe, so again, many thanks to Allison & Paige.

Everything goes in the mouth - in this case the ABC puppy.

Now that she can roll, she has become a stomach sleeper.

The official 16 week photo.

Emily (Paige's big sister) & Emerson.

One of the 15 runner up 16 week photos.

This exceptionally large moth greeted me this morning when I opened the living room curtains. He is still perched on our screen. A fine specimen of a moth.

A cutie in a swimsuit

2008-07-13T12:18:00.005-04:00

Most ladies with large bellies and dimpled thighs would not dare to be seen in a baithing suit. Not Emerson. Ryan took her into the water for the first time - my friend Sureyya's parents live on a lake in Battle Creek and they had us over to celebrate Sureyya's birthday on Friday.

She's been rolling over so much more lately - she just can't get herself back yet, which frustrates her.

Which leads to alot of this.

The Usual

2008-07-07T11:22:00.005-04:00

A pictorial representation of our last week (or two).

Emerson has a little jump suit from Baby Cottons that is ultra slimming and makes us laugh every time she wears it (with the coordinating bunny slippers of course).
A complete contrast to the last picture - settling into her swing for a nap following a big meal.
This is how I spent last week - working on a school budget problem that is most likely, the most time consuming assignment ever. This is probably also why there is no noteworthy news.
She has discovered her feet and is working on getting them into her mouth.
Rolling over - just not back yet.
This is how Grace has been spending her summer.
The belated father's day photo.
Ryan & I went to a very fun wedding reception on the 28th for our friends Jim & Becky. I was sooooooo good to get out and have fun - we almost forgot we had a baby.
A rainbow appeared during the reception. I'll have you know that there was a rainbow on our wedding day too, it must be a good sign.
The ever present drool. Still no tooth.

I am a chicken no more!

2008-06-24T21:35:00.003-04:00

I've been sick of my hairstyle (or lack there of) probably for about three years now. I always thought of cutting it, but would always chicken out when I went to get it cut (or rather trimmed). So, today, I did not chicken out; I was strong and allowed my hair dresser to cut 10" from my hair -and she was excited to do so- and give me a stylish new short look. And I love it! And as a bonus, I have all of my hair in a ponytail to donate to Locks of Love. So a double win today!

Five Years & Twelve Weeks

2008-06-23T20:14:00.006-04:00

On June 21st, Ryan & I celebrated our five year anniversary of wedded bliss AND Emerson officially became a three month old. Time certainly does fly! We spent the weekend with Ryan's family (i.e. built in babysitters) so we were able to see a movie, do some shopping, and enjoy some sushi.

In other news, I am one class closer to finishing my masters. I finished my 'Management and Evaluation' course this last week with an A-. Typically, this would be unacceptable (even more so considering that I missed an A by 0.5 points!), but I am transferring the credits, not the grade back to Western, so I have accepted the A-. I've started my School Business Management course and will hopefully finish that soon as well so that I can enjoy my summer with no coursework!

Anyway, here are some pictures since our last post.

Emerson at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks.

Enjoying an afternoon nap.

She is obsessed with eating her hands and fingers. And drooling. She must be teething.

Sweetly sleeping on Ryan's shoulder.

With friends Sophia (who is three days older) and Charlie (age 2).

Ryan's favorite onesie.

Practicing sitting in her Bumbo seat.

Showcasing her crazy hair.

Being enjoyed by cousin Paige.

And just looking cute in her crib.

She's got skills

2008-06-10T09:18:00.009-04:00

Now, when you lay Emerson down, leave to put away some laundry, and come back, she is not in the same position as you left her. This means we now have to buckle her into her swing and seat. Typically, she is perpendicular to the original position. She has been sleeping in her crib for some time now and she must be busy in there because I have found her at the opposite end of the crib, facing the opposite way, and this morning, I found her pacifier under her crib. She has even rolled over from her back to her stomach twice. She is definitely gaining strength.

We have spent the last week with family - my aunt, uncle, and cousin were in from California, and Ryan's aunt & uncle were in from Tennessee.

Cousin Phil

Aunt Cheri

Uncle Ed

Cousins Emily (center, age 5) and Paige (right, age 10 months)

Grandpa Dennis & Emily

Someday she'll leave us....

2008-06-09T10:32:00.011-04:00

This past Friday we went to a graduation dinner for my cousins Lisa & Kathy. At the dinner, both parents (Dan & Lis) gave very nice, touching speeches about what their children mean to them, and their hopes for their futures. The whole time, I was thinking someday, we will have this same experience with Emerson. There was a slide show that showed 18 years of experiences and memories and as it played I looked at Lis and she was crying. Having my own child, I can now fully understand why. Becoming a parent completely changes your entire universe; you cannot describe how much you love your child. We would sacrifice everything and spend endless amounts of money to make sure Emerson was safe, healthy, and happy.

There is a quote that I had read somewhere, that sums up parenting quite nicely: "We raise our children to leave us". We will spend endless hours reading, playing, watching, and talking to her. We will teach her to share. We will teach her to read and write. We will make sure she is ready for kindergarten. We will make sure she finishes her homework and studies for tests. We will attend numerous recitals and athletic events. We will go on vacations. We will teach her to ride a bike and drive a car. We will keep her safe, healthy, and happy for every day of her life. We will give her roots and wings. We will have our own slide show to share. And then one day, we will drop her off at college. And, we too, will cry.

A Nice Little Saturday

2008-06-02T08:46:00.002-04:00

Although we did not make it to the Home Depot or Bed Bath and Beyond per Will Ferrell's definition of a nice little Saturday, we did have a nice little Saturday of our own; we spent the day doing some exterior beautification. That's right, we got another tree! This tree is actually to replace our Coral Bark Maple that had died last summer. The new tree is a stunning Crab apple.

As you can see, the soil here is quite rocky, which makes any landscaping a bit of a challenge. While Ryan was digging, he found another "rock" which he threw at me and told me to catch. Knowing Ryan, I know that this isn't a rock that is coming at me. I feared the worst - a snake. Fortunately, it was just this little fellow:

Grace was very intrigued by this toad - there was a fine balance between wanting to make friends and killing the toad. Nonetheless, Grace had to be restrained around the toad. Eventually, I placed him into a new home under the lilac bush - Grace made several attempts to get herself under the bush as well, so we're hoping the toad is still well.

Anyway, here is the final product of our (or mostly Ryan's) day of planting, mowing, and mulching:

And of course Emerson was a trooper - she was really enjoying her gym on Saturday.

The Worst

2008-05-28T18:49:00.006-04:00

About three weeks ago I decided that we would have breakfast for dinner (I believe it is called 'brinner'); I was planning on cooking the usual - sausage, eggs, and pancakes. So, I proceeded to begin cooking the sausage patties just as instructed on the package and went to get the pancake mix out from the pantry, only to discover that we had enough mix to make about 1/2 of a pancake. Okay, so we will have eggs and sausage, and maybe English muffins. As I was cracking the eggs in the pan, I noticed that the yolks were fluorescent green and smelled like an outhouse, which I'm sure can never be a good thing. Now we're down to sausage and English muffins. So assuming, having followed the directions, the sausage is done, I take it out and attempt to serve it, only to find that it isn't even cooked yet...so back in the pan it goes. Eventually, Ryan & I were able to enjoy a dinner of sausage patties and English muffins. According to Ryan, this was the worst.

So, this brings me to today - I am confident that I have had by far the worst experience of my entire life; Emerson had to go in for her first round of immunizations. I was worried about this all day long and I tried to explain to Emerson what would happen at the doctors and she just kept smiling at me. She had one oral immunization, which was not a problem, however, the problem lied in the three injections that went into her tiny little thighs. My poor little baby turned the brightest shade of red, cried like I have never heard her cry before, and shed a lot of big tears. I was able to hold her while they conducted this torture, so I was able to soothe her a bit.... I think I needed, and still need, more soothing than Emerson did. She seems to have forgotten about the events of this afternoon and is back to cooing and smiling. I still feel like I need a Xanax.

In other, and happier, news from the doctor: Emerson weighs 10 lbs. 14.5 oz, which puts her at the 50th percentile for weight, and is 24.5 inches long, which puts her at the 95th percentile for height. She is one tall, skinny baby....

Some pictures from happier days....

Eight Weeks Ago...

2008-05-23T21:53:00.011-04:00

This is still my favorite picture of Emerson - it was my first glimpse of her as she was being cleaned up. I spent 41+ weeks wondering what she would look like......and now she's already changed so much!

4 Weeks Old 8 Weeks Old

And finally, some other pictures from the week...