On the Move!

Emma is officially on the move and crawling all over the place.  She took her first few crawls on her birthday last month and hasn't stopped since.  She pulls up on anything she can get her hands on, and gets into everything!  She is so much fun to watch, and has only broken a couple things so far. 

She has been enjoying her birthday gifts..

And practicing her geography...

She even got a new winter hat!

Busted!

But lookin' cute while doing it!

She even dressed up for her second Halloween! 

Thumbs up!

She is very proud of her new accomplishments.

She'll follow you wherever you go...

...and then steal your lollipop!

Happy Birthday, Emma!!!

This weekend we celebrated a very special day - Emma's first birthday!!  It was a joyous occasion filled with food, fun, and family.  We celebrated our little miracle and marveled at what a journey this past year has been.  We are so grateful for everyone that has supported us during such a challenging time, and shared in our happiness as Emma has continued to grow and thrive.  From the bottom of our hearts, we are so very thankful for everyone that has been there for us, near and far. 

Now for some pictures!

Emma almost floated away before her party!

She got changed out of her jammies and into her pretty party dress and bow and waited for her special guests. 

Aunt Jen!

Cousin G!

Memere!

Grandpa!

Grandma and Grandpa!

And lots of other special guests too. 

Emma was very spoiled by everyone's generosity.  She is a very lucky girl!

Her sweet new wagon can be taken down laminate hallways, through the woods, or even put on skis to go ice fishing! 

We had one cake for big kids...

... and one for a little kid!

Time to blow out the candle!  Make a wish, Emma! 

She dug in and had a ball. 

Do I have frosting on my face?

Emma changed into some clean clothes and took another spin around the kitchen with Grandpa before we had to say farewell to our guests. 

Well, it is hard to believe it has been a whole year.  Time has flown by and it feels like just yesterday she joined us, but we can't remember what life was like without her.  She is the light of our lives and the joy of our days and we are so blessed to call her ours.  We love you, Emma! 

Love,

Mom & Dad

Celebrations!

Emma has had a very exciting week.  We went to the NICU reunion at the hospital where Emma was born and spent her first four months.  It was very surreal to be back on campus.  The reunion was held under a tent on the lawn near the Children's Hospital, so we didn't actually go back into the hospital, but it still brought back a lot of memories.  The reunion was a very nice event.  We heard that the oldest NICU graduate that was in attendance is now 27 years old.  We saw some of Emma's doctors, some other families we had gotten to know, and some of our favorite nurses. 

Danielle was Emma's very first nurse.  She was in the delivery room with us and is an amazing nurse and person.  She has a very special place in our hearts.  

Jenna was our favorite night nurse.  We spent a lot of late nights together as she answered our seemingly endless barrage of questions. 

Everyone was so thrilled to see Emma and so happy to see how well she is doing.  We continue to be incredibly grateful for the miracles that were performed at the hospital that allowed Emma to come home with us healthy and happy.  We're looking forward to next year, too! 

This weekend Emma, her Memere, and I travelled up to New Hampshire for a harvest party.  We had a wonderful time and Emma got to meet lots of family!  She had so much fun meeting her second-cousin-once removed, Ashlyn.  We didn't get the very first encounter between them on camera, but they gave each other the sweetest hug!  Too cute! 

This is how they kiss.

Best buds!  Can't wait to see them as they grow up together.  They even share a love of Curious George!  <3

Thanks for a great celebration!! 

When we got home, Emma took a splash in the tub at Memere and Grampa's house.  Baby's first mohawk - this one's going in the baby book!  

She practiced her singing too.  Great acoustics in the bathroom. 

More singing on her pile of pillows.  She's going to be a star! 

Thanks for a great weekend!  xoxox

Feels Like Fall!

This weekend, we went apple picking!  We loved getting some fresh air, and fresh fruit! 

The apples weigh more than Emma!

Then we headed over to the sunflower patch.

Emma really wanted to take one home. 

So much fun! 

Fun Times Around the House

Not a whole lot of exciting news to report, but we do have some cute pictues to share.  Emma did have another eye exam last week for her 6-month adjusted age check-up, and everything still looks great!  Hard to believe there are no long-term effects from her prematurity. 

Emma has been using her mesh feeder lately, which is really just what it sounds like: a piece of mesh netting attached to a plastic ring, and you can put fresh fruit or anything you want in there for her to chew on without having a choking risk.  She loves to chew on fresh fruit like grapes, plums, and bananas - yum!  

Emma is just the happiest baby on the block.  She is all smiles and squeals and we are so in love! 

She's working on moving around.  She can get up on all fours and rock back and forth, but we're not quite crawling yet.  Won't be long, I'm sure!  She has mastered the art of barrel-rolling across the floor though:

Check her out! 

She loves hugging her books too. 

"Hugging my books?  Mom, please."

Emma is doing great feeding herself her puffs.  She hasn't mastered the pincer grasp yet, but at least most of the puffs wind up in her tummy and not on the floor! 

Uh, oh - watch out!  Play nice or she'll bop you in the nose!   

Just kidding!