Nicknames

Emalee Laurena may be her given name...but my baby girl has a ton of nicknames! The first one...which she earned right off the bat...came before she was even born and even before we knew she was a girl. Our "jelly bean" would have been slightly awkward, had it turned out to be Alexander instead of Emalee! But in all fairness it was a name bestowed upon her early on and it stuck and as luck would have it I think she makes a perfect jelly bean!Shortly after finding out I was pregnant...a friend of mine, curious about details and progress with the baby, one day asked me how big my baby was. I laughed and jokingly said "oh about the size of a jelly bean" and from then on...although she grew to be bigger than one...she became our jelly bean! Another frequently used moniker for her is punky...which I will admit is a little rough around the edges...until you know how she got this one. I had taken to callin her punkin, which I think is fairly common among the diapered and toothless. I would say "punkin...punkin...punkin" and she would giggle and smile and kick her feet...just found it hilarious! One day as my husband say quietly watching this interaction between me and her he suddenly asked "punky...punky...punky?!" And I couldn't resist a chuckle as I said punkin and explained it was short for pumpkin. It is so cute to hear him cooing to her...even if he does call her punky! He also calls her monita...which in Spanish means "little monkey" and lately with her double foot and hand hold grip on her bottle...it seems highly appropriate! I call her my little monkey too! In the spirit of sweet treats, began of course with jelly bean, she has earned a bevy of other nicknames that, although adorable, are only brought out of the nickname nook these days once in a while. Some of my favorites include pop tart, sweet pea, sugar plum, and sweet tart. My husband said at one point we should name her jalapeno...which I quickly vetoed of course...but which he still calls her from time to time...our poquita jalapena...or little jalapeno!Sometimes I lovingly refer to her as my "tinky pants" or my little "tinker butt" and I am sure you can guess exactly where those come from! Of course can't forget your standard sweetheart, beautiful, honey, sugar or baby girl. And last but certainly not least is Em, which of course is the simplest and most natural out of all of them and which is a favorite among her "aunties" but especially with her favorite auntie Kaitlyn! My mom is worried that she won't ever learn her real name cause she has so many nicknames...but I assured her that I do indeed call her by her actual name quite often...so there is no cause to worry! Even though I am certain she will acquire a few more in her lifetime...no matter what...she will always be my baby girl!

Fevers and teething and Advil OH MY!

Oh my poor little monkey is not feeling well...teething is rough business! The pissy missy was runnin a fever so I gave her some baby Advil and a bottle and she appears to be feeling better...thank goodness cause I hate when she isn't happy! In other news my hubby was successful in convincing me to buy baby food for Em. We get home and he decides its time to try her first pears...so he hands me the jar and a spoon. Now let me explain that the miss has been intently watching us eat for weeks and gives us the look like "excuse me...where is mine?!" Last night she watched us eat Mexican and begged the whole time for us to give her some and she looked so disappointed when we were done and she hadn't even gotten a single bite! However this little miss is one smart cookie...I have said that before but she proved it once again. As soon as she saw the jar and the spoon she sat up and lucked her lips and I swear her eyes lit up! I have her a little bite and she did not spit it out...she did not cry...she ate it like a pro and LIKED it! Guess we should have done this awhile ago! Lol Needless to say she is ready for food! For now Em is watching a movie and papa is going to make some bracelets and I am going to make some more hair pretties! Stay tuned for more adventures!

Chubby Little Chipmunk Cheeks (Say that ten times fast...)!

This morning again I was not awakened by my husbands alarm but by Emalee's. However her timing is closer as she woke up hungry a mere 4 minutes before the alarm was set...for 4:45. She ate very politely...my little monkey...with both hands on the top and both feet on the bottom! Yes she truly does look like the cutest monkey ever when she wraps arms and legs around the bottle...guess she is making darn sure it doesn't get away! Lol Last night she played peek-a-boo with me and I have to say it was one of the cutest things ever! She had the blanket over one eye and as she peeked over at me she pulled the blanket away and blessed me with that incredible smile...before going into some long discussion with Pooh...about what I can only imagine as I don't speak Emalee...YET! And she had quite the conversation with Grandma Kelly too...one of her most talkative days as of late! Just a few moments ago as I sat looking into her pretty little eyes and contemplating her chubby little chipmunk cheeks...she reached up with her tiny little hand and laid it on my face in the ultimate gesture of love...before devilishly pinching my cheek in the classic "awww look at those tute wittle chubby cheeks" way and I swear there was just enough of a twinkle there to tip me off that she knows exactly what she is doing! What a smart cookie! Right now right hand is firmly grasping that right foot and she is rubbing her eyes with the other as she struggles to stay awake so she doesn't miss a thing! So this mama is signing off to get some snuggles in...tune in later for more adventures!

Good Morning...Good Morning the little birds say!

This morning I was awakened not by my husbands alarm but by Emalee's! Lol she has a firm hold of her right foot...which has become customary, almost like a gesture of comfort. However at this particular moment she is not very comforted as daddy is off to work and she has decided she doesn't want to let him go...so her other hand has firmly grasped his shirt and she is not about to let go! Daddy's solution?! Let's give her a second bottle to keep her distracted! And that's where mom says GREAT...how can I compete with that?! And just like that her hands (and feet...my little monkey!)are otherwise occupied...allowing daddy to slip unceremoniously out the door to head to work. Some days I think daddy is her favorite and I suppose that is okay...cause most of the time mommy is her favorite and I don't mind sharing! I especially love when she decides mommy is her favorite and she wants to cuddle...which right now is commonplace, but as she grows I know those times will become more and more rare, so I am enjoying them as they come! Something about seeing that shy smile...which is quite deceiving, cause she is NOT shy, and then the subsequent snuggling into moms shoulder...makes my heart go pitter patter and I fall in love all over again! And just now...as excess milk dribbles from her mouth onto the bed (thanks daddy) she let's out that heart-stopping smile and greets me with her version of gotcha...good morning...and I love you mommy! Right foot firmly back in her grasp, the left one has now joined and she is babbling like crazy! Truth be told...she is pretty darn pleased with herself...but mommy is ready for morning nap by now. Problem with that being little miss Emalee clearly is not! So I am going to go chat with my jelly bean...for those who don't know the significance of this nickname I will gladly enlighten you a little later on...when I am fully awake and going for the day of course! And there is the customary rubbing of the eyes which signals "the Divine Miss Em" (Bette Midler eat your heart out!)is finally ready to settle in for the morning snooze and snuggle with mommy! Very soon the blankey will follow up over the eyes in yet another comforting gesture...and then the princess will drift off to dream of things like bottles and binkies and blankeys! More adventures to come...but for now snuggles! :)

Setting up shop officially and what all that entails?!

So first of all when proofreading my blog, I noticed it said take the load less traveled...quite appropriate for a new mom I suppose when laundry is a big deal! However, upon correcting it, it now says take the road less traveled...and create your own path! Which is what I have decided to do in starting this business! I do not know if I will be successful, I do not know if I will sell a single thing, but I do know that with the exception of the last week (where I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off...literally...trying to get last minute things done!) I have had a blast! It has allowed me to take a little of the worry away from how to help support my family and make sure my daughter doesnt have to deal with both parents working out of the home at such a tender age. I don't want to miss a thing, and this way I wont! I look forward to sharing and laughing (there will be plenty of laughs and stories to come!) and even growing with all of you! Thank you for your support and I look forward to these adventures as much as I hope you look forward to hearing about them!