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5x7 Folded Card

Picture In Landscape Christmas Card

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My smart 3 year old

So update on Emery.... She's now 3 years and 3 months old. Her favorite things to do are: Play games--her favorites are Busy Town board game, Candy Land, Go Fish card game. She also like to play memory games on my cell phone. When she gets coloring books, she always wants to find the mazes. She loves to do those. She's also learned how to use scissors at school so we practice cutting stuff. Outside stuff she likes to do right now include playing in her sandbox, doing chalk art on the driveway and playing in the sprinkler. Our pool just opened too so she's is enjoying going to the pool. Her swimming is pretty good...she can go back and forth between Kevin and I but isn't putting her head under like she did last year. She can tread water really well. She also likes riding the bike with Daddy. She has a seat that sits up front. Her last day of preschool was May 17th. The school had a luncheon/party. Very cute! She was in a bit of a mood though since she was kind of getting over a cold. Poor girl! She was tired by the time it was over and not even in a good enough mood to give her teachers hugs goodbye. Ms. Martha and Ms. Mandy have been such great teachers! She has learned so much this year...we are so proud of her! In fact, based on our "teacher meeting" earlier this Spring and her progress report, they have stated that she is very mature (based on her self-portrait) and said she is probably at a 4-5 year old level. She also knows most of her alphabet and numbers (can identify). She didn't have any "needs work on" at this assessment. She did have to work on picking up/cleaning up and Ms. Martha said that that was no longer a problem! She also plays well with the other kids and loves to pick up bugs from the playground! She's my little tomboy! I think she might have been a little bit of a teachers favorite :) but then again I could be biased. She's a very empathetic towards other kids and loves to play with older kids. She has really thrived with school and am so glad we choose this year to start her. As of now, she really likes dress-up. She wakes up in the morning sometimes and wants to put on her princess dress. Then she'll get into her drawer of jewelry and put on her bracelets, gloves, necklaces and crowns. She'll say she's going to the Ball and she's going to marry her prince. When I ask to dance with her, she'll say "mommy two girls can't dance together" so then she'll have to find Daddy to dance with. Though she did tell daddy this morning that he wasn't handsome like a prince lol! Poor daddy! She really likes to watch princess movies with her favorites being Princess and the Frog, Sleeping Beauty (she goes around singing the song "I know you, I walked with you once upon a time.."), Snow White, and Aladdin.

Almost time to welcome Elise!

Well we're getting closer to Baby Elise making her appearance! Dr. says just 1cm dilated though and 50% effaced. Not sure she will be early like Emery was though. She's very active though and I am thinking she will be a big baby like her sister was. Emery is excited to meet her "baby sister" too. She gives her kisses on my belly and will say "I'm siting next to baby sister" when we cuddle on the chair together. She keeps wanting to call her Abby though! lol! I think she's decided that she likes that name better...too bad we have Elise on everything! I keep telling her we can call the baby Ellie. Baby Ellie's room is almost done I'm proud to say (at 39 weeks lol!). We went with a beach/mermaid theme...my favorite place to be! I ordered an adorable mermaid mobile and her name in letters painted with a beach theme. Can't wait to see those are hung up and in her room. Otherwise everything else is good to go! I have gained almost 40 lbs though (and am now at 150lbs) so hoping its not too much longer!

My Baby "Sprinkle"

My mom and mother-in-law hosted a baby "sprinkle" for me at Anna's house. A "sprinkle" as opposed to a shower :) It was really nice and had some of my good friends come as well as family. Got to see some friends that I don't get to see as often too. It was really nice and more of a luncheon. Loved the gifts I received for baby Elise. Also, got some matching outfits for the two of them :)

Welcome Baby Elise! The cake was super tasty! :)

My lovely neighbors :)

Such a cute matching outfit my next door neighbor Amy got for Emery and Elise :) Love it and can't wait to see them both in them!

Some of my gorgeous friends (3 out of the 4 are preggo!) It was so fun and I even got to take some friends and family next door to peek at the nursery as well :)

Spring Update

In April, we had a special treat of going to Disney on Ice. Emery loved seeing all the princesses skating. It was a really fun event!

The Grand Finale!

Me and my sweet girl! Then we made a visit to Tanglewood Farms in Canton. So much fun...I think I was more excited to visit than anyone. This farm has all miniature animals and a few had had babies :) So cute! Grandma Connie and Uncle Brandon joined us.

Emery holding a baby goat!

I was super excited!

Just like a little baby!

Easter

Spring is flying by! Emery and I helped celebrate all her friends' birthdays in February and then also got a week visit with Cousin Ruthie from California. She came on her spring break (what a sweet girl!) to spend some *relaxing* time here with us (Grandma Anna's). hahaha or so she thought! Emery kept her busy. They had a great time and Emery was sad to see her leave. Here's a pic of us at the Amicalola Deer Park:

Easter was a lot of fun this year too! The neighborhood here had a fun Easter Egg Hunt complete with petting farm. And then we went to an Easter Egg Hunt at the Cabbage Patch Hospital. So fun even if she wasn't as into the dolls as I thought she would be. She liked to look at them but was more interested in the stuffed animals they had displayed. She's tomboy I tell ya! Grandma Anna was more than willing to buy her a doll if she picked one out but nope! Guess we saved $40! The egg hunt was fun and all in all it was a nice day!

Here's a pic of me with my baby bump at the Cabbage Patch Hospital:

We celebrated Easter Sunday over at Grandma Connie's house. Lots of fun since the whole family turned out...Pauline and Barry along Brianna, Stacy and Christian and Bryan and Jessica with Leanna. Jessica is due around the same time as me with a boy this time around (**update: she had baby Liam 3 weeks early so she beat me to it! He's doing wonderfully as is momma!). I had planned for the kiddos to decorate a Bunny cake with lots of fun toppings and we also made an Easter craft. I love watching them work on stuff together!

She enjoyed her Easter basket that morning as well....the Easter Bunny was kind enough to include both a harmonica and a recorder lol!

Baby Elise!

Baby Elise is due to arrive May 31st, 2012. So far, even through our scary testing incident, she is healthy and thriving with no complications. As of 36 weeks, they are measuring her at 6lbs. 7oz. She's expected to gain a half a pound a week at this point so who knows?! Doesn't seem as if she will be as large a newborn as Emery was (at 9.2lbs). So I guess we'll see! Feeling pretty good up to this point...have gained about 35 lbs. so far and am at about the weight I was when I had Emery (145lbs). I seem to be stabilizing out though so though I was worried before I am feeling a little bit better with the amount gained. Just noticed my first stretch mark though at the bottom of my belly (at 37 weeks) so that's got me bummed out. Hoping it's only the one I end up getting! Also, been speaking with a "doula" to have her assist me at our birth. Might be a little crazy this time around since I won't be as likely to have my mom and mother-in-law there (They'll be taking care of Emery). I am hoping the doula is a good benefit since she can help out when Kevin needs a break. Really hoping this time goes a lot quicker than my birth with Emery (48hrs yikes!). Nothing has been set yet though and I am meeting with one this week to talk with her further. She is doing a birthing ball class with me too as she is a yoga instructor and masseuse (score for her as a doula!lol!). Here's a pic of Elise Caroline at 36 weeks:

She's got some chubby cheeks already and I think she's pretty squished in there! I really think she favors Emery. Here's a pic of Emery at 26weeks.

I think this ultrasound pic is of Elise at around that same time.

Birthday Girl!

Well looks like my "baby" is growing up! She celebrated her 3rd birthday this year with both a party at school and a party at the local jumpy place. Her party at school was super cute with all her classmates there singing happy birthday. She loved it!

She decided to add some cheetos to her cupcake...lol! We had a small birthday party for her at home on her actual birthday--Valentine's day--then had a birthday party with her friends at Catch Air. The theme was Toy Story and we had some amazingly cute cupcakes made and Buzz made an appearance as well. Though she wasn't as into him this time around (what is it with kids acting kooky on their birthdays!). She was a little shy when it came to singing Happy Birthday to her but she finally smiled and took it all in. She also got a surprise visit for her Grandpa Ed who she hasn't seen in awhile. She wanted him to climb up in the tubes with her lol! I don't think he was prepared for her activity level...she is a three year old after all and a busy one at that! Both her Grandma Anna and Grandma Connie were there as well as Daddy. She had a great time this I know!

Enjoying a book she got for her birthday. Her birthday at home included a visit from Aunt Lisa and Cousin Alyssa!

A scooter from Grandma Anna and Grandpa Peter!

Celebrating our birthdays together and blowing out our candles!

Poor girl...it was a long day and she loved to sit and listen to Aunt Lisa play piano...she fell asleep right after this!

She was a little shy when her friends started singing to her....but we got a smile out of her finally!

Her adorable cupcakes and also a "race" with her buddy Nick

Update since August!

Time to do an update! It's been a little while....(I always say that don't I?!). As we prepare to celebrate Emery's 3rd birthday this month, I have had a time to reflect on the last few months. They've definitely been interesting! We had our *hopefully* annual beach trip to the South Walton area with the whole family--Grandma, Pop, Grandma Connie and even Great Pop. We rented a house that was basically right on the beach and had a pool to cool off in. We all had a blast! It was super relaxing and Emery had a ton of fun chasing the birds on the beach, playing in the estuaries, building sand castles and swimming in the ocean. She is doing fantastic at swimming and doesn't even need water wings. We are proud of her! Its our dream someday to have a beach house of our own to retreat to...we spend so much time down here that it would make sense! Since our return, Emery has been asking to go back to Grandma Connie's house lol! I guess my mom told her that that was her house! She wishes! Hahaha! The trip made a lasting impression on Em! After our return from the beach, we discovered that we are expecting another baby. Such an exciting and scary time those first few weeks, considering our past losses! I continued to follow up with a specialist and had weekly ultrasounds to make sure the little bean was growing properly. At 8 weeks, I "graduated" from the specialist and was then to see my regular OB doctor. I found out while around 15 weeks or so that my current OB was no longer delivering at Emory Johns Creek (the hospital I delivered Emery at and the closest to our home) so I switched back to the OB that delivered Emery. I felt instantly like I was in the right place! Two students that graduated from Lanier Tech work there I remember me from school (good thing I helped them! lol!). I had had two tests done to check for any problems with the baby--an NT scan during the 1st trimester and then the Quad Screen done during the 2nd trimester (new OB). The NT scan came back perfectly normal, however, the Quad Screen showed an abnormal risk for Downs Syndrome (1 in 152 as opposed to normal at 1 in 250 for my age). Also, the ultrasound shows a calcium, bright spot in the heart which is also a soft marker for downs. Needless to say, we have done a lot of soul searching. We met with a genetic counselor and she said that the NT scan is usually the most accurate test and was created to replace the quad screen. That did make me feel somewhat better but there was still the issue with the ultrasound. Of course, I broke down in her office--pregnancy hormones got the best of me! We then got another ultrasound and baby girl (yes it's another GIRL!!)still had the bright spot in her heart, however, everything else was measuring on target. She's pretty much 50%percentile for all body parts growth and they didn't see any other problems. The doctor explained that the bright spot on her heart is not a heart defect and doesn't even harm the baby at all. In fact, he says he sees it everyday with patients. So that made me feel a little bit better--that it seems fairly common. So all in all, the only way to make sure there is no chromosomal abnormalities is to get an amnio and I have some pretty bad memories from getting that done(after my loss at 15weeks). I decided to opt for a new blood test that just came on the market to test for downs syndrome specifically. It's called MaterniT21. Got the test done Monday and should get the results late next week. UGH it's going to be a looooong week or so! No matter what though, we love this little girl and know that God planned her just for us. I find myself getting more and more excited to meet her and introduce her to our family. I just know Emery will love having a little sister. Emery will give me food and say "it's for the baby" and she will tickle my belly and say she's tickling the baby. So darn cute! She will be the best big sister ever! Emery has been doing great! She is thriving in preschool and loves her teachers--Ms. Martha and Ms. Mandy. She's in class with Nick, one of her best buds! Even if he does "wrestle with me." He is a boy remember! lol! She is growing up to be a little lady every day. She uses the potty now and only wears diapers to bed and nap. She's had few accidents and because she did so well she got to pick out a potty dog from Build a Bear. Potty Dog comes complete with her own big girl undies. Hahaha! Halloween made quite an impression this year--four months later and we are still talking about skeletons and ghosts! She wanted to be little red riding home (most days anyways! It did change every now and then!). Her outfit was the cutest and she got sooo many compliments on it! She did great this year and really figured out the key to knocking on the doors and saying trick or treat! All in all it was a super fun night! Thanksgiving was spent at Grandma Connie's house. All the cousins came over so Emery got to play with Leanna and Brianna. She has such fun with them since they are older than her. The girls built little foam gingerbread houses and then put stickers on them to decorate them. We found this much easier than last year's project of actually doing a real gingerbread house! Christmas came fast...first up her Christmas party at school with her class, then visits to see Santa--first at the Deer Park and then our annual Atlantic Station Santa visit. Every time someone including Santa, asked her what she wanted, she would say a teddy bear. What color? "a pink one." So funny! Not sure why she wanted that but that's the only thing she would mention. The Deer Park Santa visit was a fun one. She had some friends join us there and we went on a hay ride and got to pet and feed the animals. Definitely a fun place to go! Had fun at out annual visit to Atlantic Station too. We did the same thing last year with our friend Lenea and Sam and got to go again this year with them. Love that we can keep to the tradition :) The kiddos had fun running around after lunch and then getting some sweet treats from Kilwins. The Santa pics came out great too! Right before Christmas, we also got to go see a puppet show downtown--Rudolph! That was interesting! Daddy came with us as did several friends families--Nick and family and Sam and family. We made a tasty lunch pit stop at the Varsity on our way home too! Yummy! Christmas Eve was spent at Aunt Lisa's house. The whole family goes there for dinner and singing and festivities. It was a late night and we were all beat! Christmas morning she woke up to lots of presents under the tree--including her pink teddy bear. She was so excited when she saw it...she said "a pink teddy bear--just what I asked Santa for!" Seeing her eyes light up like that is the best part of Christmas for me! She also got a Buzz, a little princess castle, a toy story music cd and the Winnie the Pooh movie (the first movie she saw at the theaters), among a few other things. Grandma Connie brought her a Woody doll and a real working camera. Her uncle "Bran Bran" came with Grandma Connie and she had fun playing with him. Love to see that they are becoming fast friends :) She talks about him all the time! lol! New Year's Eve was spent celebrating the countdown to 2012 on London time! Hahaha! We found a dinner and dancing place that was designed for kiddos at a reasonable hour--complete with countdown and balloon drop. Emery's friends Carson, Nick (and baby Adam), Sam and Reagan all came. We then completed the evening with a tasty treat from a yogurt place. It was a fun evening...with mommy and daddy watching the countdown from bed with glasses of sparkling juice! Times sure have changed! Well that's the news for now...I will update as I think of stuff!

Emery's 3 rd Birthday Bash!

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Emery's Birthday party is coming up soon!!