100 Days Old! & "Blue" For Sarah . . .

On Friday, while we were writing our last post (be sure to read WalkAmerica 2007), doing some other updates, and reorganizing the blog's layout, Steve decided to tweak the countdown timer (baby countdown) and make it be a countup timer (how old is Emily countup). That's when it hit us!!!! When he was finished and we saw the countup, and we realized that at that point Emily was 99 days old! My oh my, how quickly time has flown by. . .

On Saturday, at precisely 2:38pm, Emily became 100 days old! We thought that this was a very exciting occasion, as did she. We decided that a celebration was in order . . . at least this was a really good reason to eat a really yummy dessert after dinner that night. There is a restaurant near us called Claim Jumper, for those of you who haven't been, go, it's really good. We've eaten there before, but we did not eat there on Saturday. We did, however, get a piece of their AWESOME chocolate cake, to go. One slice of this cake is $10.00 and it is worth every penny. This picture shows just how big the "slice" of cake is. (Use Emily for size comparison . . . remember she is smaller than one of her Auntie Mandy's shoes, but bigger than the Eiffel Tower, I hope this helped.) This is just ONE serving of the dessert; there were FOUR of us eating and there was still cake left over for the next day. This is one of the Eewiest, Gooiest, Yummiest, pieces of chocolate cake that you will ever try. It has fudge icing and nuts on the outer bits of icing. AND, if that wasn't enough, there are chocolate chips mixed into the cake!!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it again. . .

During the course of the day on Saturday, we received a phone call from Steve's dad, inquiring about what Emily's wardrobe choice was going to be for Sunday. This was a very odd question and definitely inspired some curiosity on my part, so I asked "Why, what's tomorrow?" He then told me that everyone was supposed to wear blue; Sarah's (our 11 year old niece, and Emily's cousin) basketball team was playing in the New England Championship game and their school color is blue. As we've gotten into the habit of occasionally wearing "Blue for Joseph", we have blue, so does Emily. We told him that we'd gladly participate in the "Blue for Sarah" Good Luck campaign.

On Sunday, we were doing some work around our house. Our bathroom is in the process of being partially renovated, and I needed to repaint the new walls. Steve was working in the yard, trying to get the gardens ready for Spring. I was outside with Steve in between coats of paint. The reason for this mad scramble is that this is the week that the City of Elgin lets all of its citizens put out as much trash, yard waste, etc. as possible for the city's Spring Cleaning Week. We wanted to take full advantage, so we were really trying to get a lot done so we can get rid of as much as possible. We were lucky to get a break from the weather, so that we could get the yard work done, too. Woo-Hoo!!

Emily's Grandma Bellock came over to spend the beautiful day with Emily. This way, we could focus our attention to our housework and Emily could still have her needs attended to. The two of them had a wonderful time. Emily was swinging away, Grandma was doing a crossword. A little while later, the two of them indulged in a nap. There was some snuggling and hugging. Later in the afternoon, they decided to go for a walk, seeing as how it was 80 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze. The perfect day for a stroll.

During this busy day, we received a call from Sarah, telling us that her team won their game!!! Our niece is now part of the New England Regional 6th Grade Parochial Basketball Championship Team (now that's a mouthful)!! Go, St. Timothy Tigers!! Congratulations, Sarah! We are so proud of you!!

I almost forgot to mention the cutest development in Emily's skill repertoire happened yesterday, Tuesday, March 27. She can now give "kisses". She's really just chewing on your face, but she has only been doing it after someone gives her some kisses on her cheeks. It's her first attempt at giving kisses; it is really funny and it tickles.



This afternoon, we got a call from the photo studio where we brought Emily for her 3 month photos, our pictures are in!!! Yay!! And they are beautiful!!

Emily actually "smiled for the camera" when I got ready to take this picture. She had been just sitting their playing with her little bunny rattle, and was looking really cute while she was doing that, so I got out the camera. As soon as it was focused on her, she gave me this cute smile. What perfect timing!

Here we are all dressed in our "Blue for Sarah". Go Tigers!

WalkAmerica 2007

Premature birth is the #1 cause of newborn death. It has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S., endangering the lives of more than half a million babies every year; and it's growing at an alarming rate. More than 120,000 babies are born with serious birth defects that can mean a lifetime of disability or even death.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. The March of Dimes was founded in 1938 and their original mission was to find a cure for Polio. In 1955, because of the March of Dimes funded research, the Salk Vaccine was proven "safe, effective and potent" in preventing polio. Since this great feat, the March of Dimes has shifted its focus to saving the lives of babies by working to make sure that every baby is born strong and healthy.

Every year, the March of Dimes holds an event called WalkAmerica. It is the oldest and one of the most popular walking events in the nation. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness and money to help support the March of Dimes. By taking part in WalkAmerica, you can help save babies and give hope to families.

It's a walk to save babies.

With your support, the March of Dimes can continue to: fund research into how to prevent premature birth, educate women about the signs of preterm labor and what to do if they have them, provide information and emotional support to the families of babies in intensive care, assist health care professionals to better detect women at risk for premature birth, and advocate for expanded access to health insurance for mothers and babies.

$100

could help 10 families with babies in NICU's learn how to care for their baby when he/she comes home.

$760

could provide prenatal care classes for 15 pregnant women.

$3,800

could fund a program to help 180 pregnant women quit smoking.

$150,000

could provide a research grant to study malfunctioning genes responsible for many birth defects.

$482,700

could provide a multi-year grant to study variations in genes of mothers and babies that might trigger premature birth.

You've been helped by the March of Dimes if: you received a polio vaccine; your baby or someone you know received a lung surfactant therapy to treat respiratory distress syndrome; you're aware that drinking, drugs, and tobacco use during pregnancy may cause serious birth defects; your baby or someone you know was cared for in a NICU; you're aware that folic acid, taken before and in early pregnancy, in a multivitamin, as part of a healthy diet, can prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord; or your baby or someone you know received a PKU test at birth. . .

Millions of compassionate people show they care about saving babies each year by raising money and participating in WalkAmerica. Teams that participate in WalkAmerica are made up of very special people. Some are formed by families and friends who've experienced premature birth, birth defects, or infant mortality. Others walk together to celebrate a healthy baby, or all babies. Many other teams are organized by companies and their employees who want to give back to their local community in a meaningful way.

Steve and I have started a team to walk in honor of Joseph during WalkAmerica this year. Joseph received some support this year from the March of Dimes, along with Project Linus, and we want to give back and hopefully help another family win their fight. We also want to celebrate Emily and help to make sure that there are more babies born like her, healthy and with all of the chances in the world. (The picture above, besides being one of my favorites, is a picture of Emily snuggling the blanket that was made for Joseph by participants in Project Linus, and given to him in his Christmas bag from the March of Dimes' Santa Claus that came around and visited all of the babies in the NICU on Christmas Day.)

Our team needs help reaching our goal to raise $500. Please click on the link to the right and it will bring you to our team page. Please find it in your heart to give a pledge to help save a baby, it can be as little as $5.00 if you want, just give something. We just want to do our best to try and save one family from the heartbreak that we have had to endure. Please help us with our quest.

Our walk is on April 29, 2007 at 9:00 am in Busse Woods, in Schaumburg, Illinois. We need to raise our goal amount, or MORE!! by then.

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail . . .

We know that it's a little early for Easter pictures, but we've recently been having work done in our bathroom, so Emily and I have not been able to stay at home during the day because there's no water. We went to have lunch with Steve today and then, while we waited for him to be done at work, we decided to go to Woodfield Mall to wander around and keep ourselves busy. I enjoy getting a little exercise walking around the mall and Emily enjoys being pushed around in her stroller.

Emily saw the Easter Bunny and got really excited. She told me that she wanted to meet him and get her picture taken with him, so of course, I had to oblige. She was really happy to see him and even gave him one of her beautiful smiles. You can see from the photo that she was perfectly calm for the Easter Bunny and enjoyed snuggling with him during her brief visit. He gave her a book about sharing and a coloring book with lots of bunny pictures in it.

After schmoozing with Mr. Bunny, Emily decided that she wanted to go window shopping and peruse the department stores for the latest fashions. Emily saw lots of outfits that she really liked, but I explained that when you go window shopping, you don't buy anything, you only look. She understood what I was telling her, even though she wasn't too keen on it, she really enjoys modeling the latest fashions. . .

Here she is seen wearing her Carter's designer white pants with a red poppy print . . . these pants are accented by a red ribbon and white lace trim . . . she is also wearing a Carter's designer white onesie with a four square design, also with poppy theme . . . the onesie has capped sleeves that are white with a red poppy print . . . and to keep her warm from the crisp spring air . . . Emily is wearing a Carter's designer white knit lace shrug . . . to finish the outfit are her Circo designer white crew socks and her pink Mam pacifier.

Leprechauns & Pots of Gold

For those of you who don't know, Emily has a "Bit 'O the Green" in her. Understandably, she has really been looking forward to her very first St. Patrick's Day. I am not sure what she was looking forward to more, wearing the Irish dress that her Grandma Bellock bought her, or drinking her very first green beer. Emily did celebrate her favorite holiday doing one of her favorite things, having her picture taken (again). The evidence of that particular activity is shown here all over this page.

It occurs to me that I never really said anything about last weekend, so I will do that now...

On Saturday, Emily, her mother (Christa), her Grandma Kathy, and somewhat reluctantly, me, went to the Dupage County Fairgrounds to go to the resale held by several "Mother's of Multiples" groups and some early childhood PTA's. Emily really enjoys these because she gets lots of really nice clothes, really cheap, which is good for her because she is still unemployed. After the resale, we stopped at American Science and Surplus, mostly 'cuz that place is really cool, and then we stopped at the Geneva Commons for some more "light" shopping. Emily really does enjoy shopping and we were able to use her Snugli (TM) again and everyone once again thought she was really cute.

On Sunday, Emily went to visit her Great Grandpa's Bob, and Ray. (I should mention now, because I don't remember if I already did, Emily has NINE Grandparents!!! Four "regular" and five "Greats." Personally I think that is really impressive.) First we visited Great Grandpa Bob, and we had a "Great" time there. Grandpa Bob is really amazed at how much Emily has grown since she first visited, at nine days old. Emily really likes her Grandpa Bob and gives him lots of smiles when she is there. After Grandpa Bob, we went to see Great Grandpa Ray. At Grandpa Ray's we were treated to a really nice bonus, my cousin Sharon, her husband Brett, her adorable little boy Charlie, and her parents, my Uncle Bob and Aunt Bit, who were also visiting Grandpa. (That was a very crowded room.) Everyone really enjoyed seeing Emily, but Charlie wasn't very impressed because he sees babies everyday at school. That little guy is quite the charmer and really had me looking forward to when Emily is running around and talking. Though, I am willing to wait until she is ready.

The big development this last week is that Emily had several nights when she slept through the night. Which, to be honest, is really AWESOME! I have really been looking forward to that, let me tell ya. She has been knocking out at around 10:30 and sleeping till the 5 to 6 range. She still has the occasional night where she gets up at 2 or 3, but this is a great development. Another really cool thing is that she is spending more time awake during the day, which is great for Christa, I miss it mostly because I am at work. Christa is really enjoying having someone to hang with, who is mostly conscious. The two of them have been having a really good time smiling and making faces at each other all day.

Look at those BLUE eyes!! They just keep getting bluer and bluer.

The pensive Emily . . . We really wonder what goes on in that mind of hers.

She really looks like she has something to say in this picture. . . We have been joking recently that her first words are going to be "Daaaaaaad-Deeeeeee!"

Always the fashion plate, she is practicing another "modeling" pose.

Happy Pi Day!!

Emily hopes that everyone had a terrific Pi Day. She spent the day getting her portrait taken and celebrating her 3 month birthday.

Larger post to follow soon. . .

Oh The Places We Will Go. . .

Last weekend we took a weekend trip with Grandma Kathy and Auntie Mandy to Galena, IL. We left on Friday night in the middle of a horrible blizzard with 100 to 200 mph wind gusts. It must have been snowing 2 to 3 feet per minute. Let's just say that driving conditions were less than ideal. Thankfully, Emily was there to help take over the driving duties when her strong and brave father could drive no further.

After arriving at the hotel in Stockton, we spent some time relaxing in the hot tub, then went up to our room to watch the better part of a movie before turning in for the night.

On Saturday, after a so-so nights sleep (Emily has decided that daddy is not allowed to sleep on the weekends), we all got up somewhat refreshed and enjoyed (?) the complimentary breakfast before heading out for a full day of shopping in historic Galena. In Galena, we decided to try out the Snugli for the very first time because the stroller was going to be a tight fit in most of the stores. I had Emily strapped to my chest and suddenly realized just what it is like to be pregnant. Emily, who was up partying all night, promptly fell asleep, I wondered why more stores don't have places for a pregnant man to sit down.

When our little group made it to the Bead Bar, I found what I was looking for, a big cushy armchair!! Finally a store that knows how to cater to its clientele. After settling down in the chair, with a little hotbox strapped to my chest, I promptly fell asleep. After what seemed like an eternity while Christa shopped for beads and I finished my very refreshing nap, we all decided to grab some lunch.

From there, the rest of the afternoon was spent looking in many of the fine shopping establishments Galena has to offer. By late afternoon the girls were all shopped out (I know, whodda thunk it!), so we made a quick trip to Duhhhhhh-buque, IA, to see the Bald Eagles at the Lock and Dam (No. 11), we were shocked to see just how many there were. We counted 54 just sitting on the ice, that doesn't include the ones flying around, or the ones perched in all of the nearby trees. Emily was very excited to learn she isn't the only one who's bald, Grandpa's not included. When we realized that we were all too cold from standing outside looking at the Eagles, we headed back to Galena for dinner. After a delicious Italian dinner at Vinny Vanucchi's, it was back to the hotel.

Emily decided that tonight was the night to try out swimming for the very first time. After donning her new bathing suit and posing for pictures, she asked to be thrown into the deep end. I decided that that may not be the best idea, so I eased her into the water at the shallow end of the pool. She didn't know what to make of it at first, but quickly came to enjoy being in the water (I think she was waiting to see if we broke out the soap to giver her a bath). After a few minutes she started to get a little chilly so she got out and wrapped herself in a cozy terry cloth sleeper/towel before heading back to the room. We finished the movie from the night before and settled in for another fun night of not letting Daddy sleep.

On Sunday, before heading home, we went to Bellevue, IA, to see the Eagles at that Lock and Dam (No. 12). What we saw there blew our minds. . . There were over 100 Eagles just chillin' on the ice. We spent a little while checking out the Eagles, and then grabbed a little bite to eat in a nearby cafe. After filling our bellies, and our gas tank (at different places), we started the trip home.

Emily did very well in the car both ways which is very encouraging for our trip to Ohio in June. She is looking forward to another vacation and another swimming experience. . . She is hoping to splash Daddy next time after realizing what HUGE opportunity she missed out on this time.

After sitting in the car for a long drive, Emily was very happy to be at the hotel in Stockton, IL. She was also very restless and didn't let her Daddy get much sleep. The next morning, Emily was very tired; she was also very hungry and proceeded to drink her milk until she passed out, on Mommy & Daddy's bed we might add.

We spent the day Saturday shopping in Galena. Here Emily poses with her Auntie Mandy and Grandma Kathy in the Galena Cafe, where we stopped for lunch.

Emily was "hamming" it up for the camera while her Mommy was trying to eat her ham sandwich. (She had to stop eating to take a picture of this little cutie).

After a long day shopping, it was Emily's first time to go swimming. Here she is modeling her brand new swimsuit. Move over Beyonce, Emily is going to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated next year.

Emily's first reaction to the pool water was not a favorable one, but her tune quickly changed once her body got used to the sensation of the water.

Emily was really enjoying soaking in the pool. Since this was her first experience with a swimming pool, she did not do a lot of moving. She mostly just "floated" in our arms and pondered whether or not she was enjoying herself.

Hmmmm. . . Mommy is always singing me a song about fishes in the water. I hope there are no fishes in this water. . . I wonder what fishes are.

When her little body started shivering, we took her out of the pool and put her in her towel suit. She really liked being all cozy.

After her swim, she got all cozy in her PJ's with her pacifier and her new puppy "Schubert" that Mommy & Daddy bought for her in Galena, at a very fun store called Poopsies.

Hands Free Device!

To be honest, not much has happened in the last week or two since I posted. . . Emily has quadrupled in size, gotten a job, learned to drive, and moved out. Seriously though, she mostly sat around all week. The only new development was the purchase of Emily's new favorite thing, a baby swing. After discovering the soothing effects of swinging Emily through a 180 degree rotation, in her car seat, I determined that a swing is something that she may enjoy. It turns out, that as usual, I was right.

After Christa did some Internet research, we selected a swing that would match the mobile in her bedroom, "Ocean Wonders" by Fisher Price. Upon arriving at the baby store, we were faced with a conundrum . . . they no longer had the Ocean Wonders swing in stores. We were faced with 2 options. Option 1, buy it on the Internet and swing her back and forth manually until it arrived, or Option 2, buy a completely different swing and not care about the fact that it wouldn't match. Christa, with complete disregard for the condition of my back and shoulders or even the length of my arms, fought heavily for Option 1. After she considered that all swinging duties would fall squarely upon HER back and shoulders during the hours that I'm at work, she quickly swung her support towards Option 2. With our direction decided, we were now faced with the difficult task of deciding which of the thousands of swings would make our little girl the happiest. After a series of coin flips, a couple of thumb wrestling matches, a few rounds of rock-paper-scissors, throwing a few darts, and tails pinned on donkeys, we settled on a swing. By now, you are probably wondering what we chose.

Drum roll please. . . . . . . .

We chose the Fisher Price, Rainforest Cradle Swing!

This swing is the Cadillac of swings, the Mercedes of swings, the BMW of swings, the Ferrari of swings. This swing makes all other baby swings look like an old tire hung from a tree limb. This is the swing I wish I had when I was a baby. Here are its features. . .

It comes with a Swing-Away mobile with dual motion. This mobile has a trio of colorful rainforest creatures that go around and around and a canopy of leaves that go up and down in a hide-and-seek motion. (It's fascinating!)

It plays 12, count 'em, 12 songs and nature sounds.

It has 6 speeds from Merry-Go-Round to Loop-de-Loop Coaster. (Like her Daddy, Emily likes the Loop-de-Loop Coaster speed.)

It can swing our little girl front-to-back or side-to-side.

The coup de grace, its crowning feature, it goes from Zero to 60 in 2.4 seconds, no wait, I mean it has AC or DC power. (Not the band, the electrical current.)

Sort of makes you wish you had one of these too, doesn't it? Well that's too bad, we bought the only one ever made, I think.

You're probably wondering what a swing has to do with hands free devices. So, I'll explain . . . You see, Emily can sit happily swinging left and right, staring at her dual action mobile, listening to her 12 songs and nature sounds at roller coaster speed for hours. To be honest, this is quite possibly the best feature of the swing. It has allowed Christa to walk around the house and do things that she has not been able to do while holding Emily. It has also allowed Christa and I to both eat a hot meal at the same time, hence the hands free device.

We will post again soon, as Emily is taking her first weekend trip. Details to follow. . .