The Anniversary of flowers... or an appliance?

I read somewhere that an appropriate 4th Anniversary gift is supposed to be flowers... or a really cool appliance. Lucky for Zach and I, we shared neither this year as our beautiful day was spent curled up in bed with the worst stomach flu. Ever. As karma would have it, we had actually planned our first 24 hour getaway (just the two of us post-Emma) before a wedding we were attending in Newport, Rhode Island with flights that were scheduled to leave bright and early on July 16th. Ahh karma. 

With that said, it's only appropriate that I be posting about our Anniversary almost a month later. That's our life these days. Being on time, following through with fabulous plans, getting dressed up and having a romantic date (or getaway for that matter) are all hard to come by... and it's only going to get harder as our family grows. We play catch up around 7 PM in the midst of two screaming kiddos demanding our time, affection and attention. Conversations are short, and by the time the girls are in bed, non-existent as both of us are too tired to dive into anything that requires thought.

But I wouldn't change a thing. I love the rollercoaster we're on together and the daily craziness that parenting entails. Our scatterbrained interactions, crumb-filled cars, constantly messy and played-in home, emotionally challenging (sometimes draining but usually uplifting) days of dealing with an almost three year old, the stress and fulfillment in keeping a nine month old safe from literally everything... I genuinely love it all and can't wait to do it again, and again, and again. God has blessed with me with the greatest teammate to conquer life with (and the stomach flu with.. ha!) and I am just so crazy thankful.

Last night we watched our wedding video for the first time in yearrrrrssssssss. It was awesome and so satisfying realizing how much we've grown as a couple, and how much our lives have changed for the better since that hot July day four years ago. I also had a small panic attack that we could lose this video one day if we don't document it somehow.. eek. So with that said, enjoy :)

Happy 7, 8 & 9 Months little girl!

Oh summer. Feeling ridiculous guilty as I (force) myself to sit down and fill in the gaps of Emma's life these past few months. I have an estimated 30 minutes before Emma wakes up from her morning nap, and Grace is insisting I build a tower and dance with her to "Let it Go" as I type... so forgive me if this is short! I've been reading the book Hands Free Mama (and blog) lately and trying my darndest to be present for my kids and live "in the moment" this summer. E-mails, blogging and other adult home responsibilities have been sacrificed on occasion as a result, which obviously has its pros and cons. So forgive me Emma for cramming three crazy special and awesome months of your growth together into one post! I promise we've been having more fun this first year than accounted for on here, and there are pictures (on a camera not yet uploaded) to prove it!

At 7 months Emma was crawling (on all fours) up a storm, started pulling up to stand, and began clapping patty cake on occasion! "Dada" was her only word, and she made a point to rub it in my face every. stinking. day. On a side note: we're still waiting to hear "Mama" for the first time! 

At 8 months Emma began cruising along furniture, waved "bye bye" for the first time (at Beyond Juice downtown B-ham where Mom made a scene out of excitement!), and began walking forward while using her push toy. Our favorite accomplishment this month was most definitely Emma giving open mouth kisses on demand. Pure joy. 

We're currently in her 9th month, and loving every minute of it. Recent words and phrases include "uh oh", "duck", "baba", "ball" and we're pretty sure we've heard her say "hi" a few times! She is getting crazy strong and walks great while holding our hands. Puffs, teething biscuits, avocado, banana, hummus and shredded cheese are recent additions to her diet. This girl loves to eat! Emma has also stood alone for a few seconds at a time while cruising in between furniture. Walking seems right around the corner (tear). 

Sadly this poor babe has had some rough luck staying healthy since birth. This summer alone we've dealt with two ear infections, RSV and Hand, Foot, Mouth virus. UGH. Miraculously, however, Emma was the long survivor when the entire Livingston family (Grace included) caught quite possibly the worst stomach flu ever last week. Hoping her sickness span has seen the end of its days!  

Can hardly believe this kiddo's 1st birthday is only three short months away! Where has the year gone?! Going to do my best to play catch up from our busy, travel-filled, wonderful summer as a fam of four, and stay on top of memories to come for both girls before fall hits. Time please slow down....

Happy 6 months (and 4 days) "Emmy"!

Grace has started calling sweet Emma "Emmy" these past few days, and it's pretty darn cute. This babe has really racked up the nicknames since her entrance into the world - Em, Em&Em, Emmeline The Great (Dad's fave), Emma-baby and now Emmy. Nicknames she may want to forget one day include Booger, Chub-a-bub, Squish and my little Roly Poly :) Her baby rolls and cute, strong baby thighs are a few of my most favorite things on earth right now. They are just so stinkin' squeezable!

At her 6 month check-up today, baby girl weighed in at 19 lbs. 2.5 oz. (94%) and 27.5 in (96%). Still a growing machine! She's loving solids and moving through new foods like a breeze. Emma is also quite the nurser still, so weaning is proving a bit more difficult than I hoped. I love the connection we have and quiet one-on-one time nursing provides, but also longing for a few stress-free date nights and getaways in the upcoming future :) Happy baby, happy mama at the end of the day though so we shall see! 

In other news, our big 6 month old is officially sitting on her own, rolling like a crazy woman and just started army crawling a few weeks ago! She's also "planking" and rocking back and forth up on all fours in a I really want to crawl for real way. Such a strong girl. Emma recently sprouted her bottom two middle teeth and is drooling up a storm. As strong-willed and determined as I can already tell she's going to be, she's also much more sensitive than Grace ever was at this age. The smallest things really send her into a tizzy, and her infrequent breakdowns are heart-wrenching when they happen. She's just so sweet. 

Our mini-Zach.

Emma's 6 month birthday just happened to fall on Easter. Hence the necessary onesie sticker! 

Grace, much like her Mother at this age, felt the need to be the center of attention mid-photoshoot. She insisted that a few pictures be taken of her with "HER baby sister". On a side note, we're slightly worried (and also adoring) Grace's claim over Emma these days. She's quite the protector! If Emma keeps up her growing though, I have a feeling the roles may end up reversed...

"See Mom! I'm hugging her. Take a pic!"

Playing sweetly. Amazing how interested Grace has become in all these 6+ month toys lately...

Oh Emma! Mom is sorry. She just loves you so much though.

Girl's Day Out

Grace and I had our first Mommy and Grace "girl's day out" post Emma today! I've done my best these past five months to keep the girls together as much as possible in an attempt to not leave anyone behind, but this outing was long overdue. I had our favorite babysitter, Miss Katelyn, spending the afternoon with Emma after I picked up Grace from preschool. We got lunch at Grape Leaves with Grace's best girlfriend, Harper, and then headed next door for a pre-vacay mani / pedi and TCBY treat! Spoiled? Maybe a little. Loved? Too much. Such a great day.

Like Mothers, like daughters. Picking a color is a tough, tough life decision.

They nailed it. Taking back a variety of choices just like their Moms would do!

Such a doll. Harper was ecstatic!

Best girlfriends.

Cuteness out of control.

Pink mani and rainbow pedi. My girl. 

Some cute toes.

Love you Gracie girl.

Happy 5 Months (and 8 days) sweet girl!

Sweet potatoes and apples, monkey screams, uncontrollable drooling, constant rolling / kicking / reaching and non-stop smiles are occupying this 5 month old's life these days! Emma tried solids the day after turning 5 months (as a desperate attempt by Mom to get more than two hours of sleep at a time), and she was in Heaven. The way she attacked the spoon you'd think I hadn't fed her in daaaaaays. So happy we made this transition a little earlier for her (we waited until 6 months with Grace) as our lil chub-a-bub obviously needed the extra calories. A few days post solids we got our first six hour night time sleep stretch in months! Hallelujah. Trying not to get too excited, but hoping our sleep battle is on the uphill stretch from here. I'm still nursing, but starting the weaning process due to the amount of travel coming up this summer and fall. Emma is still (usually) taking three naps a day, and flexible as can be with sleeping in the carseat if needed. She loves when Mom sings her Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as a calming mechanism, can't live without her super cozy Little Giraffe blanket and is beyond entertained by her crazy-funny big sis Grace. She seems to be days away from sitting and crawling - not sure where the past 5 months disappeared to, but loving the direction our lives are heading with our sweet girls! Feeling blessed as we leave for our second vacation of the year to Marco Island, FL with my family tomorrow morning and crossing my fingers our traveling goes as smooth as it did for Cayman with two babes! Lots of blog catch-up to do after our trip....

Definitely nearing the 18 lb. mark at 5 months old. Amazing!

Getting squirmier these days for photo ops!

My love LOVING food. 

Pure bliss. 

Our little pot of gold

Happy St. Patrick's Day from our lucky squish! Not a holiday we usually partake in too tremendously, but loved this photo so much. Almost 5 months... where is the time going?!

I Heart You February

Our Valentines activities this year probably put our Christmas ones to shame. My mom was actually making fun of me during her most recent visit for treating February 14th like December 25th. I'm sorry I was born on the most lovely day of the year and just can't help myself. Especially being a Mom now - it's just too fun. We kicked off the month with a Valentines playdate at our house. Like I mentioned once before, I live for these activities. Micheal's, Target and JoAnn Fabrics start to have a bit of a Nordstrom feel when preparing for a holiday play sesh. 

The Martha in me. Not much, but enough to put together an occasional spread like this.

A dairy-free favorite these days.

The kid's activity (which quickly became the Mom's activity once distraction set in).
Mailboxes to decorate for our Valentine exchange.

These tables were such an awesome purchase.

The crew. Cam, Grace, Harper and Brady all nearly 2.5 years now!

Thank you Etsy.

Zach mentioned that I was a tad inappropriate in our Elephant Valentine creation.
Personally I think it ONLY looks like a cute pink elephant... boys are gross.

Next I was treated to a nothing-short-of-amazing birthday lunch and play date at Lindsay McKenney's home. Thank you, thank you, thank you again dear friend for such a wonderful day! You never cease to amaze me with your thoughtfulness and creativity. Not to mention the cookie baking with Grace was so sweet of you and made her ridiculously happy (which in turn makes Mom ridiculously happy). Like mother, like daughter when it comes to sugar overload!

So. Cute.

The best Valentines lunch ever!

Some happy diners.

Hmmm crawling like Henry?

My love bug.

Miss Linds with Emma, finally!

Homemade ball pit.

The babes. Keep in mind Henry is 6 months older than Emma  :)

Helping Miss Linds with the sugar cookies!

Sugar overload = Heaven.

Mama and Henry.

Ready, set...

GO!

Getting so big! Can't believe you're almost 1 little man.  No more growing up please!

My other fabulous Birmingham girlfriends treated Shannon (February 22nd birthday) and I to a well-deserved Mama's night out at Rojo to celebrate our birthdays as well! Seriously the most fun I've had in awhile. We got all dolled up on a (super early) random Wednesday night, were one of three tables filled in the whole restaurant, indulged in a lot wine and guacamole and finished each other's sentences swapping horror stories about 2.5 year olds. Haha. (Semi) kidding of course, but its been so wonderful having such great friends in Michigan. Meeting these girls was such a blessing to our big move from Chicago, and I feel super grateful to have them in my life. 

Val, Linds, Shannon and I.

Best part of February was having my parents visit for my actual birthday. And of course having the best babysitters in the world for Zach and I to have a desperately needed and long overdue romantic night out. It was a weekend filled with lots of gifts, hugs, playing and relaxing. Nothing better.

Hop scotch hearts waiting for Gaga and Papi.

She's here! She's here!

More love bug.

Valentine apparel.

Preschool sweethearts.

Birthday lunch after pre-school at Commonwealth.

Well done Zach. Made our day!

Zach making me feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.  I was impressed to say the least! xo

Love you.

Thank you for a wonderful birthday weekend! We miss you already!
Come back and visit soon please.