Yesterday we had our first snowfall for the year...funny when we moved to NC, one of the things we liked about, is that it seldom snows (we heard once every 10 years). Since we've moved here, now 18 months, this is our second fall of snow, more like once every 10 months. We're just glad we're not covered in snow for most of the winter, and it's just a few days.
The snow started falling on Friday night and continued till Saturday, it was freezing. Today, brings sun and the snow is now melting, so before it all disappears we had to get shots of Emma in the snow. Can't say she had fun, all she did was stare at it...probably wondering why mom and dad are making such a big thing about all this white stuff, its just cold and wet and so bright!
The neighborhood seemed to love the snow, kids on sleds, snowmen being built, we even saw a guy on skis!!?? Rod and I were just watching the poor dads running up and down the road with their kids....we said he'll have to stay in shape to do the same with Emma....should be tons of FUN...our luck, it'll snow again 10 years from now..or would that be Rod's luck?
This is what eating breakfast and blowing bubbles gets you, one messy baby.
This morning while eating breakfast, Emma decided that blowing bubbles after putting food in her mouth would be tons of fun!!! More fun for mom to clean up after.
As messy as it was, definitely one of those precious moments.
Our baby is another month older...I was just thinking that each month I cannot wait for Emma to reach her next milestone and now when I blog about it all, I just wish time could slow down a bit and that she didn't grow so fast. But of course we want our little one to keep on growing.....
I managed to write quite a bit about Emma's progressions in my previous post when Rod's parents left. Since then, she's carried on her own ways, exploring her "voice" and speaking differently on the days she feels like expressing herself. At every diaper change her feet are in the air and she's grabbing at them. Quite funny when I put her down for her naps, I'll check up on her every once in a while and all I see are these two little feet in the air, if we're downstairs we can hear her thuds as she brings them down, else her hands knocking on her mattress or crib. Times like that you just want to sweep her in your arms and smother her with hugs and kisses, then you remind yourself of the consequences if you did that This past week Emma has started turning in her crib, the one morning Rod found Emma width ways in her crib, the other day I found her head where her feet were. It's a little scary because we have a blanket in the crib and at times find it over her face as she's moving around so much or she pulls it overherself (she loves her soft blankets and puts it over her face to fall asleep). Even though she sleeps in her sleepsack I still feel she needs a blanket for extra warmth. What is that next invention after the sleepsack to prevent this?
We're back on schedule regarding her day time naps, yesterday we got a 3 hour nap out of her - who would have thought I'd get so excited about sleep. The one nap we're battling with is the 5:30/6:00pm nap when we're slightly off schedule - because it's dark I think Emma thinks it's night time and refuses to nap, I've tried leaving the lamp on, but doesn't help. We shall persevere and hope it'll come right, just like everything else. So after our attempts and her refusal to sleep we're left with a baby that hasn't slept for 3-4 hours, that when it comes to bedtime after she's had her bath and passed to momma for her feed, one sip and she's out for the count. I have a fun time pinching, tickling and finding other ways to keep her up to finish her feed. Silly girl.
What else...oh, talk about being excited about sleep, I never ever thought I'd get so excited about poop. Emma still battles a bit with her tummy, not going for 2 - 3 days, but when she clears her system she really lets us know and it's pretty much music to MY ears...crazy I know.
Last night we invited Amy, Adam and Ella over for tea, they live down the road from us - I actually met Amy at Smartmomma through her baby registry, quite a nice coincidence that she lives on the same street as us. Ella was due two weeks prior to Emma, but made her entry into the world a little earlier than that. Most times when we get together either one of the girls are sleeping so they don't get too much play time. Yesterday wasn't any different, of all days Emma chose to sleep her 3 hour nap, had me checking up on her making sure she was still breathing or that the blanket wasn't over her face.
The girls got a bit of play time between naps and gave us adults the chance to socialize. It was a great afternoon.
We got some great shots of the girls, it's really so sweet to see them sussing each other out, pulling each others bibs, almost poking each ones eye, one time Emma was grabbing Ella's top as if to say,"come here".
Here are some of my favourite pics:
This photo was funny, as I took this Emma looked at me an gave me this smile.
Ella sussing out Emma
Our munchkins
Already gossiping,
What's up there?
Lets dance!
Amy and the girls
It's all about the mouth these days.
Another great month with Emma....can't believe we've made it this far and she's still thriving.
Things we'll be working on this upcoming month, rolling over and sitting without support.
Motherhood has been quite the adventure, after the first 2 months I was wondering how I'd make it to 5 months, and here we are. Not as romantic and easy as it seems. Despite the hard times, the good times definitely outweigh them. There are still times I look at Emma and think, gosh she's ours. Our friend Paolo even mentioned that it's weird seeing us with a baby, like it's not real, we've just got a doll. When she doesn't want to sleep, I know it's real!
Well thats our update for today......Happy 5 Months Emma!
I came across this sign compatibility on babycenter.com - they show how compatible we are, parent and parent and parent and child. Quite interesting, I must say I can already tell our little one is a bit of a drama queen (the fake coughs, squealing to get our attention at times), oh boy!
The results for our parenting compatibility pretty much nailed it on the head so far, Rod and I have had plenty of discussions about discipline, so will be interesting to see how it all pans out.
RESULTS: Libra Parent (Me) & Leo Child
Your Leo child loves performing for you because you make such an affectionate, encouraging, and generally rapt audience. Your little one's flair for drama is apparent from an early age, and she adores being the center of attention. You're a wonderful parent to her in part because you so enjoy her bright, happy energy. Plus, she's naturally popular (which she must have inherited from you!), so playdates, birthday parties, and other get-togethers are fun for both of you.
You can foster your child's natural creativity by taking her to plays, films, art galleries, and museums, and instilling in her your own love of art and performance. Most of all, give her all your affection and encouragement, because although your little Leo seems as courageous as a lion, her pride is easily dented if she doesn't feel she's getting the adoration she craves.
Sagittarius (Rod) & Leo Child
Your Leo child's high energy and innate love of adventure delight you from the start, since these qualities mirror your own. You adore watching her blow the down off her first dandelion, romp with her first puppy, or make her first goal on the soccer team. Your little one is thoroughly engaged with the world, and you're right there on the sidelines of her childhood, cheering as she tackles one new life experience after another.
Be sure to give your little one plenty of warmth, praise, and affection, because although Leo children seem strong and courageous, they also crave closeness and approval. This shouldn't be a tall order, since you share such a natural affinity. Your little Leo is happy to explore this bright, colorful world with you, from the beauty of the outdoors to the pleasure of a ripe watermelon in summer, from the drama of a live performance to the splendor of a spectacular sunset, and more.
Libra Parent & Saggitarius Parent
You two make a fun and generous parenting team. You'll inspire and support your children in all their efforts and areas of interest. They'll always find you on the sidelines, cheering them on and applauding their accomplishments. The Libra parent is diplomatic, kind, and a natural negotiator. Your children will seek you out when they have a social problem or conflict they need to sort through. You make sure everyone is treated fairly.
The Sagittarius mom or dad is adventurous and amusing, with a keen sense of humor and playful attitude. Honoring your need for freedom may require occasional breaks from the family, but just as often, you'll take them along for the ride. One concern for the two of you is the crucial area of discipline. You'll both need to work on consistent, firm discipline so your children will have the structure they need.
Oh boy, at this rate my blog is going to be covered with videos of Emma.
Tonight while making Emma's bed I overheard her talking to Rod at bathtime, (as you may have noticed by now she loves talking to her daddy) however her talking was a bit different tonight.
She's discovered a new "word" or voice....a ba ba ba ba ba.
It's mixed with her usual moaning when it comes to putting clothes on and knowing it's nearly feeding time.
Its just so amazing to see her grow from her coo's, to her eh's and now her ba ba's.
Aunty Louisa (Koo Por) created this for Emma to officially announce her Chinese Name: FOK SZE HANG
Fok is the family name, ie our last name
Sze Hang, pronounced Ci Hung
You can see the interpretation below:
Hello to all family & friends, my name is 霍思珩
Meaning of 思：(SZE)
love to think 、love to use brain、the thoughts are meaningful、remember fondly、always think of home、intelligent thinking
Meaning of 珩：(HANG)
Top horizontal jade piece
Have the meaning beautiful & invaluable
The family call her Hang Hang, we couldn't think of a more appropriate name.
(For those a little confused, Ma Ma and Yeh Yeh is what Emma calls Rod's parents.)
Mom and Dad have left for New York, and Rod joined them.
This is their last stop of their 4 week vacation before heading back to sunny South Africa.
I know they've been having a great time seeing the sites, braving the cold and eating what NY has to offer.
It was really great seeing mom and dad, showing them where we live, what we do, and having them meet their first grandchild. Even though we say NC doesn't have much in terms of attractions and things to do, all the days were busy. Rod and I (mostly Rod) got cooking with dad. Dad taught us how to cook their/our favorite dishes, we ate so well! We've taken our notes and will attempt to make these dishes again so that we can one day teach Emma to cook them and she can then teach her kids.....the start of family traditions and family recipes.
This last week was great, as Ma Ma and Yeh Yeh had Emma all to themselves, they just enjoyed entertaining her, and being entertained by her, loving her and holding her. After Emma's 6am feed and 1 hour nap, Ma Ma would come and take Emma away to play with her downstairs, giving Rod and I a chance to sleep in. Thanks Mom and Dad.
We all can't believe how Emma has developed in this short space of time. Since the family's arrival Emma has been blowing bubbles, babbling, smacking her thighs, grabbing her tummy (or as I like to call them baby love handles) and grabbing her toes (I remember changing her diaper at 6am and she did this, funny how something so small like this can get a mom so excited and make her feel so proud!). Aunty Betty and Uncle Doug got Emma an Exersaucer and she has taken to that pretty well too, jumping up and down and turning to play with her toys.
Usually in the mornings when Emma would wake I could sneak into her room and peek into her crib and call her name, she would just smile at the sound of her name and only later look up at me. She caught me the one day when I tried to peek in and there she was ready and waiting, staring right at me, like she knew mom would sneak up and was just waiting for me to appear. It was too funny.
Ma Ma and Yeh Yeh loved seeing her in the crib all smiles whenever she woke up.
Her most recent thing when it comes to bathtime and she's undressed, she raises her hands above her head and wriggles her body like she's scratching her back on the towel. So every time she does this we say "scratch your back", she loves it and carries on. I will try post a video of this.
The house is now so quiet. Just Emma and myself until Monday (tomorrow), I started typing this on Saturday. Since Mom, Dad and Rod left Emma has taken two steps back in her routine...had me feeling a bit more emotional, dealing with the goodbye and a fussy Emma.
It's crazy when you try figure out what it is causing her to be so fussy, was it the goodbye? possibly the cereal which I made thicker that morning? maybe she's bored, I'm not as entertaining as everyone else was? Could it be a growth spurt? However as I type this and a whole day has passed, we had a much better day, I think her tummy was giving her problems, since she's cleared her system she seems back to her happy old self. An hour later now since I typed the above sentence it's now nul and void, so much can happen in a short space of time. Just when you think you're hitting home runs, you're thrown a curve ball...shucks! The good thing is that she's down for the night, and hopefully until tomorrow morning.
Anyways, we wish mom and dad a safe trip back home. Thanks for making the trip out. I know they're missing Emma so much already, thank goodness for Skype and this blog they'll be "seeing" her again soon.
To end this entry off, here is a video of Emma babbling and blowing her baby bubbles, or you may just say spitting.... (I tried uploading photos, but blogger is giving me hassles, will have to upload later)
Shoo...it's been a crazy few days. Finally have time to catch a breath and update Emma's Blog.
Christmas has come and gone, it's now 2010 - where did this year go, where did Christmas go?
We look forward to that time of the year and it's over in a matter of minutes it seems.
So just to catch you up on Emma' First Christmas.
Rod's family arrived on Christmas Eve. This was 2 nights after Emma's 4 month checkup, she ran a bit of a fever after her injection which made her a little unsettled. Thankfully she was back to her normal self that night and went down without a fuss.
We were fortunate she took to the busy household pretty well, with the odd cry here and there in the beginning, she grew used to everyone and just loved the attention. Her sleeps were not interrupted and gave us her normal 10 - 11 hours. The night after her first taste of rice cereal she gave us 13 hours.
Christmas Day we just stayed indoors, Rod and I were busy in the kitchen most of the day making our Christmas lunch, which ended up as dinner. The family's entertainment was Emma, Poker and the Wii. Cooking for guests sure isn't as easy as before, with feeding, nappy changes, naptime etc.
We had secret santa, between food preparations and Emma we finally got to open presents at 3pm. We had one little hitch though, Emma forgot to buy her gift, so it left poor Aunty Louisa without a gift. Sorry Aunty Louisa. Emma made up for it with her smiles and cuteness.
Emma loved ripping the gift wrap, can't believe how spoilt she got. With all the toys she got, seems like we have to designate a room just for them! Emma also got to dress up about 3 times in one day, just so she could wear all the Christmas outfits she received.
Overall it was a great family day, so nice to have everyone in our home and seeing how much love and happiness one little person can bring to a family. Everyone just adored Emma.
You could just see how Emma was taking everything in, watching everyone what they do, being passed from one person to the next. We were so happy she adapted so quickly to everyone. As my mom says, she knows who's family, so she shouldn't have a problem settling.
I was so surprised at how Gavin and Gary just loved little Emma, Mathew and Stephanie too, would have thought they'd be less interested, but when Emma came into the room, they would drop everything and play with her. One of the best moments I thought, while we were shopping at Grand Asia (Chinese Supermarket) I overheard Gary saying to Emma, "Emma, this is Mincee, Mincee is Black Bean."
We wish the family could have stayed longer.
Rods parents are here until the 9th and Aunty Louisa until the 5th, we've carried on with the shopping and eating. So good to eat mom and dads food again. Nothing like home cooking. Thanks mom and dad. The house is going to be so quiet once everyone leaves, then I will be left to do all the entertaining!
