Happy Birthday, Sweet Emma

My "12 picture" blog has turned into waayyyy more! I originally thought I would choose 1 photo from each month of her life and re-cap the year that way, but that was kinda hard to do! Especially June of last year!! I couldn't pick just one, so you get many. Here we go...





June 1st, 2008 Emma Rose Lovejoy graced us with her presence. She weighed in at 5 pounds and 4 ounces. Daddy did not get to cut the umbilical cord, as the Dr. felt she had to get her out ASAP, as the cord was kinda wrapped around her. It was all surreal. Knowing that you had just given birth, watching all of the after birthing things that happen within those first 10-15 minutes, but you are not a part of, as the Doctor is finishing her job, but yet it feels like it is happening to someone else and you are a spectator or something. It took awhile for it to sink in that this is real. She is mine. This is the most special gift God could have given to Martin & I.

Here we are at the end of a long day. A very happy Delamarter-Lovejoy family!

In this one, I am pointing at her blue mouth. She had been breastfeeding and was sucking so hard that her mouth was blue.

She scared us that first night. During the night she was in her bassinet in my room and she started coughing and gagging and the sides were up and padded (the nurse was concerned that I might have a seizure) and I couldn't get to her and I couldn't get to a call button and Martin was asleep! I yelled for him and somehow he got up, we got her and we got the nurse and the nurse flipped her over and pounded her back. She still had fluid in there and scared me TO DEATH!!! Our original plan was I was going to go home and immediately sleep her in her nursery/crib... Well, after that episode that idea flew right out of the window! I would have been sleeping in the rocking chair in her room if we had done that! We borrowed a bassinet from my cousin and that allowed her to sleep by my bed for the first 3-4 weeks. (After that scare and the bassinet change, she never had another gagging/not breathing episode).

Here we are all dressed to go home. Three days old. She lost 4 ounces before leaving the hospital and was a tiny bit jaundiced. That corrected itself immediately and she regained her birthweight before her first Dr. appt.

Daddy's little angel!! Ready to meet the world and see her new home.

June 8, introducing her to Great Grandpa Delamarter. We have 4 generations here: Robert, Philip, Davida & Emma.

Great Grandma Delamarter was in love! She adored her long fingers and kept saying "Look at those long fingers. She's going to play the piano".

Awwwwww! Asleep on Papaw's chest! What a sweet picture!

It got this one and the previous one out of order. This is the day we got home. It took all my energy to get ready to leave, stop at Martin's office and show her off for 5 minutes, drive home, eat my McD's and change into jammies. Emma & I slept in the recliner while Daddy put the swing together. He was just about as tired, but didn't have the luxury of a nap. He had to immediately go into "Daddy" mode.

Meeting Aunt Trina for the 1st time. Emma was 9 days old when my best friend forever, Katrina came to visit. She stayed with us for 2 weeks. Such a wonderful thing to have your best pal here to help out, chat, hang with, and even venture out a few times. It was different for her, and I guess me too, as we are used to going and doing constantly when we are together and just having had a baby didn't allow me to "go & do" too much.

July we celebrated Emma's first Independance Day. Mommy bought her a "sweetheart" outfit and Cousin Halie gave us another one that was blue.

In August, Emma met her paternal grandparents for the first time. Grammy & Gramps came from England for a 3 week stay. They adore having a granddaughter. Several mornings I found Gramps standing by the crib talking with her, just after she woke up. Such cute moments to watch.

Emma was dedicated to the Lord in August also, while Grammy & Gramps were here. Pastor Wolf & my Dad did the ceremony. She wore Martin's Christening gown from when he was a baby. It has a long satin bow on the back that was taken off of Mum's wedding dress and attached for Martin's Christening. So, we left it on here for Emma's. Mum loved that!! Martin & his sister and her 2 sons have been christened in this same gown. We plan to keep it safe and save it for Emma's children someday.

During September several things happened: I had to wean Emma over to formula; we got Emma to give up that final middle of the night feeding and sleep all night; weaned her from her swaddle blanket at bedtimes; gave up the binky, and in doing so she learned to soothe herself by sucking her fingers. Her left hand, first 2 fingers and they are turned upside down. To this days he still sucks those same fingers in the same way when it is naptime only.

After her 4 month check-up in October, the Dr. said to start rice cereal. So, we did one time a day. I kept that up for EVER, but she was actually not physically ready to eat solids yet, as she still had that infant 'tongue-thrust' and couldn't actually swallow too well. But, we introduced her to it at each morning feeding time.

Here we are in November, with Daddy showing Emma his workshop & his power tools. He had been finishing up the toy box that Gramps had built in August, and I took Emma in to see.

Here we are in December, 6 months old and discovering our feet! She loved her toes and had to play with them, suck on them all the time.

January 1st 2009 arrives and so does Emma's first teeth. Yes, teeth. Not one, but two came in at the same time! We spent New Year's with Stephanie & Robert and cousin Halie.

February found Emma making some major milestones within several minutes & weeks of each other. She sat up by herself first. I was so excited, I ran for the camera and got 1 picture and then she was pulling up to standing!! That day Daddy lowered her mattress so she couldn't get hurt. This made the top rail unreachable and she couldn't pull herself up. But, about 2 weeks later that changed and she figured out how to do it anyway. She was also scooting/bouncing around. She wasn't crawling, but doing this funny bouncing scoot.

Then March rolled in and Emma figured out how to crawl! WOW! We were so thrilled for her! She just got better & faster at it and soon was everywhere!!

April came with Easter and egg hunts and egg coloring, but Emma was working on "cruising''. She would walk around the furniture, hanging on to stuff and moving along and when she needed to she'd drop down and crawl to the next piece. We kept saying "she'll be walking soon".

Well, surprise, surprise... May 1 arrives and Emma took her first real steps. 3 & 4 of them at a time and did several of those during the morning. Then, 5 days later she just took off and walked for real. Halfway across the room! Now, there is no stopping her! She is quite fast and very good at it! Although she does have a funny Charlie Chaplin kind of gait. OH, yeah... and we cut 4 new teeth this month!! We now have 6 teeth! Emma can say "Dada, Mama, Cat & nigh nigh". She can now sign "milk" and "please", as well.

Here we are today, June 1, 2009. One year old. She got some presents (clothes, Leapfrog Music activity table, money for a wagon, new sippy cups/suction plate and a new big girl tooth brush and tooth paste) and ate a cupcake. She's never had something like that before! But, she dove right in! Ate some of it and ended up with frosting EVERYWHERE!!! Her face, hands, hair, behind her ear, her shoulder.... and probably even more places I'll find tomorrow when I get her up & washed.

What an amazing journey this past year has been! I used to think I was ok with my life the way it was, until God gave me Martin. Then, we tried and tried for an Emma and it wasn't happening, so I was getting my mind ready for no babies, and then we are given this wonderful gift of life we call Emma Rose. She has been such a blessing, not only to us but to my parents and grandparents. We are looking towards the future and waiting for all that Emma's little life will bring.