Emma: 7 months & 8 months

Um....somehow I missed Emma's 7th month! Boo! :( Sorry, Emma dear! So, here we are - Emma is 8 months old!!!

She is such a light in our lives. Before she was born, we faced a very dark hour in our lives, and were looking forward to the "joy that comes in the morning" season we were sure was to follow.

 Unfortunately this year is continuing to be a difficult one. Such dark hours. I thought that the joy would replace the trouble and pain - but I'm seeing that the "morning season" I wrote about is not something to "arrive" at - but rather a daily experience, through the pain, by God's grace...and our little Emma reminds me of that. So often I go to get her up from a nap, and she greets me with this gigantic grin. It goes straight to my heart & soul, and gives me JOY, and HOPE, and a reason to keep on! (Jesus of course is the only thing worth living for - but she is a gift from Him, and something He has given me to take care of!) Thank You Father, for Emma Bliss!

Emma's personality is just blooming! She has become so very aware of everything and everyone around her. She laughs, grins, is shy etc. - and makes the most adorable scrunched up face! It's like a smiling sneezing face...eyes tightly shut and nosed crinkled. It's almost like she's trying to smile more, and instead get's that face!

She has become VERY attached to Mama, and cries for me/when I go out of the room or she sees me! :) I like it. :)

She sat up right around her 7 month birthday, which is JUST like Patrick!!

She does a little "hand thing" like Nicolas did! Mostly when she's excited or upset!

She has been SQUEALING a lot lately! So loud and adorable!

She pants with her mouth wide open when she is excited about something!

We still can't pin-point the color of her eyes! They change....blue-ish, dark, hazel....who knows where they'll end up!

At 7+ months, Emma had an allergic reaction to banana. She'd tried it maybe 5 times already, but was VERY hungry for them this one particular time. When she finished I turned her around (she had been in my lap) and saw spots around her mouth. I was at once concerned, but wasn't sure if it was something serious yet. I gave her a bath, and noticed a few spots on her belly. Overall though, she was not worse, and the spots on her face seemed to have diminished, so I put her to bed. A few hours later I was checking on her, and accidently woke her up. I decided to ask James to turn the light on so I could check on her, just in case, and when he did I saw that she had gotten a rash on her neck. Upon taking her PJ's off I discovered that the rash was on other areas of her body as well. James and I talked and called the pedi. By the time I was done feeding her, the hives looked worse, so we decided, based on Patrick's reaction as an infant, to take her in to Children's. We gave her some benadryl, and headed off around 11ish pm. Thankfully my dear friend Amanda was here for an extended stay, so we didn't have to wake up the boys/or just one of us go to the hospital.

Emma continued to get worse, but never had breathing trouble. Her neck swelled up pretty nasty, and her poor tummy, ear, underarms etc. were very nasty looking. Thankfully she didn't require epinephrine, but just got some more benadryl, another antihistamine and steroids. Not my fave for her, but she needed something to combat all that.

Needless to say her eating has been put rather on hold!

Emma can OOCH! She does this great swimming motion too - like the side stroke. Combining all that with rolling, she can go where she wants!

She loves to eat books and paper, if she can get her hands on them!

She loves to play, and interact with the boys.

The boys love her!

She is the sweetest baby!

She went on her first vacation to TN in July, and got to go on an anniversary trip with mama and Daddy!! What fun to have one-on-one time with her. She did amazingly, and was just as calm and cool as a cucumber-ready to sleep wherever we put her, hardly ever making a peep about anything. Just happy to play with whatever we gave her, even when up late or missing a nap etc.!

She gets very upset when you take things away from her.

She give kisses!! Big giant open mouth baby kisses! Love those!

She has a great grip. She is strong!

She went through a cuddle phase on our vacation, where she loved to sleep with us in our bed after nursing. It had been awhile since she had done that. It was so sweet and cozy!

She loves to play/tease - especially daddy! He taught her how to play the binky game, and she will all of her own accord put it in your mouth and pull it out! She also likes to kick daddy, and watch his reaction!

She loves to hit/bat things! She does it over and over, and thinks it's the greatest thing ever!

We love you so very, very much, Emma Bliss!! Your bright eyes and giant grin - your sweet, confident and sensing nature are so endearing to us. We are so glad you are in our lives!

My Best Friend

Seems like I never make posts about this guy anymore. :) Doesn't mean I stopped appreciating how wonderful he is, though! He is my partner on this wild ride of life, and I am so, so, so grateful for him. I love him so much more than I did when we were first married, and in so many more ways than I ever would have even realized were possible.

Every step of the journey, he has been there. We have faced each new trial or blessing together, and it has drawn us closer, and made our friendship and love stronger.

Thank You God for my wonderful, amazing, handsome, sweet husband! He is a gift from You that I do not deserve, and I am forever grateful.

James is a faithful man. Strong rooted in the Lord. When I think I can't, he says I can. He turns me to God, and listens to my questions without judging me. He always loves me. He forgives me.

Together is a wonderful place to be! James truly is my best friend. I love to spend time with him. I love to talk with him, laugh with him, cry with him. I love to watch movies with him and eat ice cream with him!!!

I LOVE YOU, JAMES EUGENE GALLAGHER!!

My Gifts from God!

I sure love my little babies!! They continually say the funniest and sweetest things. I want to remember them all!

I'm trying lately to remember how quickly my little ones will be grown and gone. I'm trying to stop and look them in the eye, put my arm around them and say something to make them feel special and loved....for indeed they are both!

I'm trying to hug them more, and focus on the HERE and NOW. It's hard when my mind is so fuzzy and crowded....but HERE is where I am, and where they are - and I don't want to look back years down the road and think, "Where was I? What were they like? Now look at these adults before my eyes! I miss the little years!"

These are the best years of our lives! Days we don't get back. So soon they will be grown. Thank You God, for THIS season, and these three precious kiddos!

Sayings & Moments To Remember....

Nicolas wanted chips. I told him when he was done with his food he could have some. He then cleared all his food off his plate onto the floor & exclaimed "Yay!!!" I told him no, to put them back on his plate to which he replied "Oh No!"

"Mama, did you know, when I take a shower, there isn't any music, so I just sing." - Patrick

"I haven't seen that book - that green one. What is it?" It's a book about raising kids. "From the dead?" - Patrick

Nicolas was whining & fussing about his hair being combed. I was talking to him about how maybe he needed to go to bed, because when people are tired they whine & cry about everything, and out of the blue he said "No! Hap-py!"

Patrick quoted Psalm 139 as "Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your president?" - Patrick

Nicolas called Mimi and Poppi on our toy phone. He said "Pop-pop! Mimi! Oh wow! Eat. Wow! Eat! Bye bye!"

"For he was wounded for our transmissions" - Patrick

Patrick crawled into bed with me & Emma one morning. After awhile he said "She's so cute! I'm glad she was born."

Emma was fussing one day, and Nicolas told her not to worry & cry about the storm (that's what he seemed to think she was crying about! :) ) because he was there! He says that often. "No worry. Me here!" He also tells me "No worry" about things that I'm telling him not to do, like standing in dangerous places......:)

"Daddy, please look at your facebook and see this bug. Bye." - posted with my help on FB along with a picture of a bug that Patrick wanted Daddy to see.

Messy Memories.....Patrick loves to put tape on ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. He taped paper on the fireplace and used it as an easel. He also likes to experiment with glue :)

One morning while trying to prepare for an event at my house, my children dropped a brand new toy penguin in the toilet, spilled their C drink 2x, N poured foot powder out all over the bathroom floor and smeared it on his toy piano, Emma spit up on me and the floor and P talked non-stop (or at least A LOT! :) )

Other messy adventures.....coloring on the couch, stabbing people with pretend violin bows, etc.....all compliments of my little 2 yr. old! :)

I called Nicolas a "shopaholic" (he LOVES to shop!) and after asking what one was, Patrick said he was a "Churchaholic" :) They have this joke between them about Sunday nights, when P & J go to Church and N, E and I shop....they say "ME - CHURCH! YOU - SHOP!" mixing it up where it's not correct. Then the other one says "NO! ME - CHURCH! YOU - SHOP!"

James & P went on their fist camping trip a while back. P was so excited he started watching for J an hour before J even gets off work!

"My bones are growing and are owie, so I think it's better to watch a movie." - Patrick ;)

Emma LOVES her brothers. She thinks they hung the moon! ;) Today she was grinning her head off at a VIDEO of Nicolas! (he was in bed. I think she missed them!)

Nicolas just recently started saying Patrick's name! I waited so long to hear it! It is absolutely precious and melts my heart. He says "Pa-chick." But, with that, "Bubba" went bye bye. He never calls him that anymore! :(

Patrick is reading everything!!! He has even started trying (sometimes successfully) to put together words we spell out! Having to watch what I leave around more now!

Half A Year

Emma Bliss has been alive on the outside for 6 months. Half a year!

She can turn over both ways really well now, and well as mover around in a circular motion!

She loves to hold onto things, and passes them from hand to hand, but mostly puts them in her mouth. If it tastes odd to her, she wrinkles up her nose and makes a disgusted face! (very cute!)

One of Emma's favorite things to do in this month was blow raspberries! so cute!

She loves to watch her brothers, and laughs so much at them. She thinks they are hilarious!

Her admiration of her Daddy is growing more and more! She smiles at him and stares at him when he isn't even looking at her sometimes.

She loves to grab faces and give great big open mouth kisses!

She is still an excellent sleeper, and the sweetest little baby girl ever! She has such a laid back personality!

In her 6th month: She starts rolling/ooching across the entire living room floor! She throws her head to side to side and scrunches her legs/bottom up/under her.

She started turning over in her bed/ooching around in it. She started sleeping on her tummy/side.

She peeks over her bumpers and grins SO cutely when she sees us peeking in her room, or coming in to get her. She also kicks and smiles and talks when we come to get her up from her nap!

She jabbers so loudly! and squeals!

She loves to play with the wipes container and water bottles. She loves loud, crinkly sounds.

She loves to play the piano!

She cries if you take something away from her, and sometimes if you put her down/go out of the room!

She had some avocado! She likes to make a big mess with it, but isn't so sure about eating a lot of it. Not sure if we'll continue feeding her this....trying to determine if she is ready for solids just yet.

She "bats" things or people!

She makes this funny little "gaspy" sound over & over when excited!

Not sure about her eye color yet!

Her hair pokes straight up and is hilariously cute!

People often comment about her hair & her cheeks!

She is off the charts long! 28 inches about two weeks ago, and 16 lbs.

She has two more teeth poking through her gums a little bit! Her eye teeth.

She is the most content & good natured little thing. She still favors being close to someone though. She could ride around in the moby for quite awhile, just sucking on it and not making a peep.

She loves baths!

Totally in love with my little girl! so glad to have her!

She knows her name!

She loves to jump in her johnny jump up, and loves being outside.

Emma is FIVE months old!

Time keeps marching on. Another month of Emma's 1st year has passed! Only one more month and she will have been alive and on the outside half a year!

Emma has been busy this month! Busy watching her brothers, busy trying out new toys & perfecting some new skills - like rolling over!

This past month:
* We stopped swaddling her every night. We still occasionally will use the trick, even during the day, if she crying a lot. But it's not the norm. She is now a "free" little sleeper. I love looking at sleeping babies with their arms up around their little heads! Beautiful moments.

* Emma moved out of our room! :( Wahhh! I miss her. I noticed around the middle of the month that she was not sleeping as well, waking up more often etc.
Before, we had been able to talk, watch a movie etc., and she would sleep through it pretty well.....but she started waking up more while we talked and also during the night, so I tried putting her in her room and she went back to sleeping longer stretches. I was so torn about it, that on the 13th (when she turned 5 months old) I brought her BACK into our room, taking the bassinet part out of the pack 'n play, and put her to bed in it like a "big" girl. It did not go that well. She took a long time to go to sleep, cried, and then woke up later when we came to brush our teeth, go to bed etc. I ended up putting her back in her room that night. We both miss her, and wish she could have stayed longer! It was so sweet to have her there beside me each night. I loved looking at her precious little sleeping face, and being able to check on her anytime, hear her breathing etc. How quickly each phase passes by.

* Emma is turning over BOTH WAYS! Go Emma! When she does it, Nicolas & Patrick are so proud of her, and Nicolas (and P, too!) often gasps and says "Bee Job!" Which being interpreted means "Good Job!" ;)

* Emma got to try out the Bumbo and Jumper-roo! She likes them both, but seems a bit too strong for the bumbo! She really looks like she is going to jump out of it - both backwards and to the side!
I like to see her sitting in it on the table, surveying her brothers while they eat. She loves to play with plastic cups while doing so. She thinks she is so big!

* Emma remains such a bright spot in our lives! She smiles and laughs at us all, and awakens from naps usually with happy coos & gurgles, just playing happily 'till someone comes to get her. And when you do come, she greets you with huge smiles & bright shining eyes (which we STILL can't determine the color on!)

* She went through a phase where she talked very loudly when she woke up. So funny!

* She LOVES toys. Loves to eat things

* The boys love to come up to her crib when she wakes up. When they hear her, they exclaim happily that she is awake, and run to say "hi!" Nicolas often does so, then joyfully tells me "Happy!" Which means, "Emma is happy to see me!" The boys love to report various things to me about Emma. If she is asleep. If she is awake, If she turned over, if she is sad. So cute!

* Emma started bringing her feet to her mouth, playing with her feet etc.! At times she sucks her thumb, too! She sometimes would smack her lips and blow raspberries, too! Very funny and cute

* Still a sweet, cuddly little girl, who we all love greatly! She loves it when people smile at her, and gives great smiles back - often accompanied with a shy little turn of the head!