Water Baby

     Emily LOVES the water!  After having fun with a baby pool over Memorial Day weekend in the backyard, we headed to Isle of Palms this past weekend with Stephen's family.  Emily experienced the beach for the first time and after staring out at the ocean, she headed straight for it.  Back at the pool, she wasn't crazy about her pool float but would have stepped right off the edge into the water if she was allowed.  She even started sitting on the side of the pool and jumping into your arms!  Don't worry, I didn't let her head go under the water!  It was a GREAT weekend, not to mention...  Allison and David are ENGAGED!!!  We are so excited for them and love both of them very much.  We cannot wait for all of the fun parties and times together that lay ahead!  Pictures below!

Memorial Day Weekend

First look at the Ocean

And loves the Water!

Getting Ready to Jump In

Daddy and Em

Remind you of anyone you know?  Loves to drag a "blanket" around behind her...

Mommy and Em

The Future Caldwells!

Our Surgery Patient

 

     Emily did SO good yesterday morning!  They had to stick her 3 times for her IV since her little baby hands are so chubby, but other than those bruises and a slight odor to her breath, you cannot really tell today that she even had surgery done yesterday!  She slept A LOT yesterday (as did I) and I think that this helped with her recovery for today.  She will still cry a little when she sneezes or coughs, but otherwise she doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain.  The doctor said her adenoid tissue was the size of a 6-7 year old it was so swollen with infection, and it also broke apart when touched.  We are so glad that we made the decision to have this procedure and hope that her ear infections and overall cold symptoms in general will decrease.  I didn't even realize until last night, when she was sleeping QUIETLY, how labored her breathing used to be before her surgery.  Thank you for the prayers, phone calls, and thank you to her Grandma and Grandpa for her ginormous balloon!

Walking the Dog

     Emily got a "poodle" which she appropriately named "Dog" for her birthday from her friends Stephanie and Emily.  She decided that she wanted to walk her dog tonight...  Couldn't resist posting some pictures of my silly child!

Decided the Dog wanted to go for a ride in her wagon...

All in a day's work!

Adenoidectomy, here we come!

     As of now, Emily has had 4 ear infections since the placement of her ear tubes in March plus a CONTINUOUS runny nose.  I truly don't think daycare is to blame, I don't lay her down to sleep EVER with a bottle, and I don't think me breastfeeding longer would have made a difference either-- but thank you everyone for your input.  I think it is just Emily!  However, the onset of the fourth ear infection (or shall we say one huge infection that just won't go away?), has brought us to the next level- an adenoidectomy.  Emily will be having her adenoids (lymph tissue located where the nose meets the throat) removed on May 26th-  please say TONS of prayers for her as she undergoes this more invasive procedure where she will have to not only get an IV but also be intubated!  I truly hope, pray, and cross my fingers that this surgery will be successful in clearing her ears and sinuses.
     Thankfully, I do not think the constant ear infections has affected her hearing too much since she is babbling up a storm and learning new words every day!  She knows too many words to list all of them, but the newest to date are baby, flowers, blue, choo choo, bubble, apple, and Aiken.  She loves "B" words the most and even calls my Mom "baba" for Grandma.  She is such a sassy, fun girl and there is never a dull moment with her.
     On a side note, my family seems to be healing slowly, each in their own way, from the loss of my Grandpa.  You never know when memories of him are going to arise, and I know I will continue to grieve in moments when they do.  At my friend Margaret's wedding, they played a song called a reverse anniversary dance.  I shed a few tears watching the older couples dancing, remembering how my grandparents danced at my sister's wedding just this past January.  The DJ played a song just for them, and it was wonderful to see the love between them. Please continue to pray for my family and my Grandma for strength and healing.      
     Enjoy the pictures below (small mix of Emily's birthday with my family, Easter, and Mother's Day) and I'll be sure to post an update once the surgery is over!

Easter 2011

Cousins

GG reading the great-grands a book!

Easter Basket Fun

The Easter Bunny brought some puffs!

Too much birthday fun...

Em and Mommy

LOVES her new chair!

Sisters

Mother's Day Pink Toes!

Having fun with GG's tupperware

One Year Photo Shoot

We had pictures as a family on Sunday, April 17th by Brooke Turner Photography. I have not had "professional" pictures of Emily since she was a week old. She was a disaster child that day- grumpy, stubborn, and very uncooperative... but Brooke managed to get wonderful pictures of her still! Here are my favorites... :)  Thank you so much Brooke!!!

Grandpa

     My Grandpa passed away unexpectedly this past Saturday morning, April 23rd.  It is so hard to believe still and I think most of my family remains between the stages of shock/disbelief and grief.  We received the call on Saturday morning from my sister saying he had passed away peacefully in his sleep while taking a morning nap in his lazy chair.  He was a wonderful man whom I will miss tremendously.  The past week has been a blur of emotion.  We had just gotten together as family the previous weekend for birthday celebrations and dinner.  That day, as we were saying goodbye, I kissed him on the cheek and told him I loved him.  He replied I love you too.  Unknowingly, these are the last words I would ever share with him... 
     Below is what my sisters and I wrote for his burial and also a link to his obituary by clicking HERE.  Thank you to all for the prayers, phone calls, and emails... 

"The three of us grew up spoiled- we were our Grandpa’s only grandchildren and he loved us immensely. Some people do not grow up to be close to their grandparents, but that is not the case in our  family. Grandpa helped shape us into the women we are today. Every graduation, birthday, holiday, wedding, and birth of a great grandchild, Grandpa was there. We grew up sitting on his lap, working in his woodshop, going to the zoo, swimming in the lake, and listening to his stories. Yes, he did walk to school uphill both ways in the snow, barefoot, in his only pair of overalls… He was a strong man, a Godly man, a great man. Without him, we would not be who we are today. Our family will never be the same with his loss, but we know he is with Jesus. While it will remain hard on us the months ahead, we know he is celebrating his eternal life in Heaven. We will carry him in our hearts and cherish our memories of him."

 

Emily's Favorite Things

Now that Emily is one... Thought I would share a list of her FAVORITE things with everyone!  In no particular order, except for the top item...

1. Nuk Pacifier- Cannot be without it...

2. Tupperware- has her very own cabinet full

3. Talking Tom i-Phone app 

 4. Favorite Book--Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins

 5.  Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair (hers has her name on it which she likes to point to)

 6. BALLOONS!

 7. Yo Baby Yogurt (plus any other type of yogurt...)

 7. SWING!

 8. Straw sippy cups

 9. Riding in her Wagon

 10.  Mr. Pillow Pup  (or as Emily calls him, DAW!)

 11.  Still likes to push her stroller around the house even though she can walk just fine without it

 12.  Fridge Magnets (has also learned these stick to the front of our dishwasher)

 13. Baby Goldfish snack!

 14. Maracas (plus any household object she can make into a maraca)

15.  Chick-Fil-A Ice Cream