The Things We Love...

Emily turned 4 months old yesterday! I can't believe she's already 1/3 of the way through her first year! Time flies when you're having fun! She had her 4 month check up with Dr. Eisner yesterday. She received the same vaccinations at this visit that she did at her 2 month check up. She did great with the shots. There was some screaming and crying, but it didn't last long, and she had no reaction (other than a lot of sleeping). Her measurements were:

Head circumference: 16 1/2 inches (80th percentile)

Length: 25 6/8 inches (90th percentile)

Weight: 16 lbs. 8 oz. (95th percentile)

She's still a healthy, growing girl! I mentioned to the doctor that for the last few weeks, Emily had only been sleeping about 6 hours at night and would wake up to eat whereas at 3 months, she was sleeping 8-10 hours. The doctor said the formula is just not enough anymore to hold her over at night. She said Emily is a tad heavy for her length, so she wanted to stay away from the cereals...we don't want to chub her up any more while she's still not able to move around and burn those calories. So, she suggested we start her on some veggies and fruits along with a bottle before she goes to bed to get her through the night! So, last night, we debuted solid foods with squash! It was a mess for sure, but so much fun to see her enjoying something new! She looked like such a big girl in her highchair and bib. As far as new things she's doing, we haven't really hit any milestones yet. She's not quite sitting up on her own, but is getting close. She's also getting really, really close to rolling over. I expect that to happen within the next month for sure. Anyway, that's really all the 4 month news, so here's a bunch of pictures from the last month:

Hi! My name's Emily! What's yours?

I still love to swing! I talk alot when I'm swinging!

I'm a future Aggie for sure! I already know how to give the Gig 'Em sign!

I'm ready to go to Wednesday night services at church! The nursery ladies love it when I show up lookin' cute!

Here I am before my friend, Anna's, birthday party...just thinking about all the fun makes me tired!

Anna's little brother, Grady, is only 2 1/2 weeks younger than me...he doesn't like it when I try to hold his hand!

This is my friend Anna and me! She turned two this year!

The birthday girl after the party! Out of gas!

Daddy loves it when I dress up for church!

My dress is so pretty, don't you think?!?

Here I am playing video games with Daddy!

What??? I couldn't find my pacifier...lay off!!!

I like to watch TV in my bumbo!

Here I am belly laughing while Daddy takes my picture. This is my Mommy's new favorite picture...pure joy!

I like to watch So You Think You Can Dance with my Daddy! We're talking about whether the last dancers will get voted for.

Whoa...I didn't know you were there!

Hi!

This is my usual state now...mouth open, hands inserted!

I love playtime with my Daddy...he's so much fun!

Me and my favorite boy! :)

I fall asleep in my car seat almost everytime we head out...I can't help it!

I still love bathtime...like my mohawk?!?

Aaaaaaaaa....Gig 'Em Aggies! A-Whoop!

Here I am just relaxin' in my bumbo next to Mommy! I also love to watch and laugh at Duncan!

I took my pacifier out, my arms went flailing, and this is where it ended up!

Nap time...look how long I am!

Mommy tried to fix my hair in a Pebbles hair-do, but Daddy said it just made me look like a sumo wrestler!

Mommy propped me up to go take care of something, and Daddy was playing video games. When he turned around, he saw me knodding off...I can sleep pretty much anywhere!

Slumped over like a little old man!

I'm getting so good at hold my head up during tummy time!

Hi there!

Here I am getting ready for my big food debut!

I really like my nifty high chair...now I can sit with Mommy and Daddy and be a part of the action!

This new food is the best...kinda messy, but good!

Oh, little Emily! Your Daddy and I love you so much! And we love the little things you do:

• how you smile at yourself in the mirror
• how you crack up laughing when the dog walks by
• how social you are...you always have smiles for anyone and everyone
• the way your face lights up when Daddy comes home from work
• how you do the same thing for either of us when we pick you up from the nursery at church
• how some of your best naps are ones where you're curled up next to Mommy
• how when you wake up in the morning and Mommy comes in to get you, the first thing you do when you see her is smile
• how your arms and legs go flailing when you get excited
• how you love to make big splashes in the bathtub and get Mommy or Daddy all wet
• how when you're fussy and whiney and Mommy starts to sing, you stop everything, watch, and listen intently...you already love music
• how you could probably watch the ceiling fan all day if you didn't have to stop to eat
• your little hands, your little feet, your little ears, your little nose, your little giggles, and pretty much everything else about you!

You're only 4 months old, and there's already so much about you we cherish!

Tomorrow is our 4th wedding anniversary! We've been through and accomplished a lot in the last 4 years, and I love Ben and I think he loves me just as much if not more than our wedding day 4 years ago. I love you, Benji!!! The Lord has been so good to me...He gave me you and then He gave me Emily. Thank you for being my knight in shining armor and loving me even when I'm unlovable! You're more than I could have ever asked for!

Pre-Pregnancy Pants Back On!

I know this is a rather stupid thing to blog about, but it's a huge accomplishment for me! I was able to zip up and button my pre-pregnancy jeans this evening!!! I have by no means lost all the baby weight, but I can at least put something pre-pregnancy on. I still can't wear many of my old tops (because when I gain weight, I tend to do so in the top half of my body rather than the bottom), but I'm working on it. I'm walking 2 miles on M,W,F with another stay-at-home mom friend, doing kickboxing videos on T,TR, Sa, and following Weight Watchers online. I still have a long way to go, but hit a milestone today! :)~

Anyway, enough about me...here's what people really want...new pictures of our cutie pie, Miss Emily Bly!

What up, Daddio? Mommy and Daddy really wonder what I'm thinking when I make some of my faces!

All dressed up to go to the Northam/Collins wedding!

Daddy still makes me smile!

Daddy's cousin, Samantha, and her girls came for a quick visit last Sunday. Hailey, me, and Jacqueline chillin' on the couch!

Straight from the bath sittin' in my Bumbo! I love this thing! Mommy thinks I look a lot like her dad in this picture.

Doin' the bobblehead in my Bumbo!

That's all the new pics for now. She's still growin' like a weed! At 2 months, she was no longer fitting into the 0-3 month clothes she has. We had to start putting her in 3 month clothes. They were a little baggy on her at first, but they fit perfectly now. She can even fit into some of her 3-6 month clothes, but a lot of those are still too big. Next Saturday she'll turn 3 months old! Where has it gone? If the whole first year goes this fast, I feel like she's going to start walking tomorrow!

Road Trip!

On Memorial Day weekend, we headed to San Antonio! This would be Emily's first extended road trip, her first time to meet her Uncle Elliot and the rest of the Wade/Posson clan, and her first attempt at the pool.

The trip there was exhausting. We didn't get to leave town until around 6:30PM on Friday because we had to wait for Ben to get off work. Emily was already getting tired and fussy, and being in the carseat was pretty close to the last thing she wanted to do. So, we had about 30 minutes of blood curdling scream half way into the trip. It doesn't sound that bad when I write it out, but it was hard listening to that and not being able to do anything about it! We got to Grams and Gramps' house at about 10PM. We immediately changed her into her pjs and then let her meet her Uncle Elliot and soon-to-be Aunt Bree for a while before putting her to bed.

Checking this guy named Uncle Elliot out!

Watchin' TV with Dad on Saturday morning! I'm getting good at holding my head up!

I had changed into my bathing suit and Great Grandma Posson wanted to hold me. She laughed and laughed at all my funny expressions!

(The pool was no fun! Mom slathered me up with sunscreen and stuck a hat on my head all for about 20 seconds in the pool! The water was too cold...she should have known I would hate that!)

Great Uncle Mark had a special touch! I slept on him for close to 2 hours!

Daddy makes me smile!

Grams and Gramps let Mommy and Daddy go on a date Saturday night, so they got to feed me, change me, and give me a bath! Here I am splashin' in the water!

The trip home was much better! We left around lunch time on Monday, and she was in a much better mood. We had to stop on the side of the road to change a couple of poopy diapers, but other than that she did great on the way back! All in all, a good trip and a fun time at Grams and Gramps'!

2 Month Check-Up

No new pictures or anything, but I wanted to post an update on Emily's 2 month doctor visit and her stats. She DID NOT appreciate the shots! However, she didn't seem to have any reaction to the immunizations (other than screaming her head off when she got stuck!). She never ran a fever and was not any fussier than normal...thank goodness! Her stats were as follows:

Head circumference: 15 5/8 inches (90th percentile)

Weight: 12 lbs. 3 oz. (80th percentile)

Length: 23 5/8 inches (90th percentile)

She's gained 5 1/2 pounds and has grown nearly 5 inches since she was born! She's a healthy, growing girl, and the doctor gave her an A+!!! We are so thankful!

Long Time No Blog...I Know, I Know!

Emily is now 2 months old, and I haven't blogged since she was born...I know, I know! Let's just say that adjusting to being a mom has been hard. I had some pretty rough baby blues for the first 4 weeks or so, and I'm still trying to figure this whole mom thing out! So...I'm sorry I haven't posted pictures in a while, but this post should catch you all up.

Here's a rundown of what's been going on with Emily since she was born. She had a little jaundice when she was new. She had to have her bilirubin count tested (heel pricked) 3 times which I think was harder on mama than it was on Emily! We sat her in her swing in the window, and she got over that in the first few weeks. At her one month appointment, she weighed 9 lbs. 8 oz. (60th percentile), was 21 3/4 inches long (75th percentile), and her head was 15 inches in circumference (90th percentile). The doctor gave her an A+! Since then, she has continued to grow...a lot! We put her on our bathroom scale a few days ago, and she was close to 12 lbs. Her 2 month check up is scheduled for tomorrow morning, so we'll know for sure what her current weight and length are then. She also receives a bunch of immunizations tomorrow, so pray for us!!! She has gotten very good at holding her head up. She laughs, smiles, kicks, and coos all day long! She started sleeping through the night on the 13th of this month, and last night actually slept 9.5 hours...Mommy has been very thankful for that! She's a handful, but an absolute blast! Here are some pics picking up from about a week old to just a few days ago....

You can see the jaundice in the whites of my eyes. :(

My first bath...I hated sponge baths, but now that my umbilical cord has fallen off and I can sit in the warm water, I LOVE bathtime!!!

Sunbathing in my swing when I still had jaundice. Those headrests have been taken out because I'm now too long for them! I was sooo tiny!

Auntie Katie & Uncle Chris came to visit for Easter! She's my favorite Aunt! :)~

My Uncle Chris is a hero! He's a Marine and currently in Afghanistan serving our country. When he comes home in 6 months, I'll be a big girl!!!
Big yawn!!!

Daddy loves to hold me when he gets home from work!

No pictures while I'm sleeping please!

I said no pictures!

Whoa baby!
Naptime...

Ugh...waking up from that nap!

All fresh and clean after bathtime!

Chillin' in my robe!

Passed out on the couch...

Mommy was burping me, and Daddy was talking to me. I started laughing and smiling at Daddy, so he grabbed the camera to get a few smiley pics!

Daddy's funny!

Whoa! What's he doing now?

That was hilarious!!!

They're not kidding when they say having a baby changes everything! But I can't imagine my life without her! I love you, my Emmy B!!!

The Birth Story!

Emily Bly Posson was born on Friday, March 19 at 8:51PM. She weighed 6lbs., 11 ounces and measured 19 inches long. Those are her stats...now here's how she got here!

On Thursday morning at 8:00AM, I pulled into the hospital's parking garage intending on just going to my 38 week appointment. This was the appointment my regular doctor would not be seeing me because she was on Spring Break with her kids. I had a normal visit...I was still not dilated and had no effacement. The only thing was that my blood pressure was really, really high. As most of you know, I struggled with my blood pressure throughout the pregnancy, but that day was different. Usually my high blood pressure is due to anxiety, and I can tell you before you put the cuff on me whether I will give a high reading or not. Well, I felt totally calm and was still giving a 156/97 reading! The doctor had me lay down in the exam room for about 5 minutes, and the nurse came back to retake it. It came down, but not enough...136/94. The bottom number was just too high. So, Dr. Durrani sent me over to labor & delivery to be monitored. At this point I was scared to death! Ben had not come with me to this appointment, so there I was in a hospital gown, in a tiny room, laid on a bed, with straps around my belly and a blood pressure cuff taking my pressure every 15 minutes all by myself! They took my blood and a urine sample to test for preeclampsia symptoms and told me it would take a few hours, so I called Ben to come on over to be with me. After Ben arrived, my blood pressure started to come down, and my urine sample showed no protein, so I expected them to come in any moment and tell me I could go home. Well, the blood test came back and Dr. Durrani came in with the report. She told me my blood platelet count was low. Normal is 140,000-400,000. Mine was 94,000. She told me if the count continued to drop, there would be bleeding risks and a possibility of no epidural! She suggested that since I was 38, almost 39 weeks along, we should go ahead and deliver! I was excited, but still scared out of my mind! We called our parents to tell them Emily would be here some time on Friday!

They then moved me to a labor & delivery room around 4:00PM and started me on the pill that would start the dilation process. The main job of the cytotek is to open everything, but it also can start contractions as well...which it did. So my labor actually started around 4:00PM on Thursday and would last a total of 29 hours. They started me on the pytocin drip around 9:00AM on Friday morning, and as they plugged it in to my IV, I was told my blood platelet count had gone down further to 85,000 and the anesthesiologist would not perform an epidural on me because of the risk of bleeding in the spine. So, I was going to have to go all natural! Again, I was terrified!

After that, the contractions started to get stronger and stronger and closer and closer together. I tried to practice my breathing that we'd gone over in the prepared childbirth class, but towards the end it was so painful, it was all I could do to take in a deep breath and then let out a loud, gutteral groan. A lot of the sequence of events between the hard contractions and when she was actually born are quite a blur to me. I can't remember what I said, I don't remember who was there (other than Ben), and I didn't care about anything other than getting her out! Ben did a great job...he held my hand and let me squeeze the ever loving crud out of his, and helped me remember to breathe. I do remember seeing the look in his eyes...it was a pained expression that said he wished he could go through it for me. I love him dearly!

Around 8:30PM, it was time to start pushing...I pushed maybe 9-10 times (again, a lot of this was a blur) for about 20 minutes and little Emily Bly was born and screaming her head off! They laid her on my stomach while Ben cut the umbilical cord, and all I remember saying was "Oh, I love you" over and over as I petted my new baby girl! Emily, Ben, and I stayed at the hospital until Sunday afternoon and were then discharged to go home. We're all doing wonderfully!

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us during the pregnany and during the labor & delivery. I'd like to ask that you continue to pray that Ben and I will be the godly parents Emily needs. My heart's desire at this moment is that she's happy, healthy, and that we're able to one day lead her to the Lord that so graciously gave her to us!

The day after Emily was born...

Dressed in Aggie gear, ready to go home...

About to head out to her first doctor's appointment and looking pretty ticked about it :)~...

Tummy Tracker at 38 Weeks

New pics of the belly as promised...37 weeks, 6 days...

I don't think I can get any bigger!!! It's gettin' to be a pretty tough job luggin' this thing around! :) Hopefully, it won't be too much longer!