Eight & Nine Months Old!

My dearest little Emma,

Please forgive Mommy for being so late with recapping your past two months.  Every time that I want to sit down to write it all down, I either cannot spare the time of leaving you to play alone, or am far too tired in the day to do it.  Like every other month before, time keeps going by faster and faster and I feel like I blink and you are another month older.  Yes, I say that all the time, but it couldn't be more true.  Sometimes I sit back in amazement looking at how big you are now and try to piece together how in the world we got here so fast.  I suppose for the rest of your life I will be in that constant state of wishing time to go slower so that I can soak up each moment of your life before it flies by.

You have grown and changed so much over the past two months, I am constantly amazed at you!  Your funny little personality is showing more each day.  You are still such a happy and fun loving baby who isn't phased by a whole lot.   You are usually pretty go with the flow, but now when you want something you are quick to let us know what you want and what doesn't make you happy.  You have learned who you feel comfortable with and Mommy wins for being #1 in your heart.  I suppose that you do love your Daddy as much as me, but you get so excited when I walk in the room after being gone away that if you could, you would jump right into my arms.  Mommy is the one you want when you're sad or wake up in the middle of the night crying.  Daddy can calm you for only a minute or two, but your sweet little puffy eyes stare down the door of your bedroom waiting for me to walk through and "save the day."  Honestly, I adore that you adore me.  Even in my sleepy 2 am state of mind, I absolutely treasure getting to cuddle you so closely to me as you drift back off to sleep.  I wouldn't trade that feeling for 10 hours of sleep every night.   One of the favorite things that you do that Daddy & I love is that when you are so tired and sleepy you insist on holding so tightly to one of our fingers with your whole hand and you don't like to let go until you are completely out.  You are so cute sucking your thumb with one hand, and gripping our hand in the other right near your face.  As long as you know that we are still there, it's as if you know that everything is right in the world and you can safely fall asleep.  If I could capture any moment in time, I think that would be it.

You are learning and discovering new things every day, and it's fascinating to watch your curious little face as you examine the world around you.  Whenever we go, you are quiet and soaking everything in as your little eyes dart back and forth throughout the place we are at, as you are trying to figure out what and why everything is there.  You squeal with delight when you find a new thing that you love and find fascinating and it's adorable to watch you giggle and laugh over it. 

You aren't crawling yet and you definitely have strong feelings about us trying to make you do it.  You have let us know that you are happy where you are, and aren't ready for us to force you to do anything of the sort.  One thing that we are learning about you is that when you have your mind set about something, there isn't any changing it and you are gonna let us know that for sure!  You scoot your little self around and roll in delight to where you want to go, but army crawling and inch worming is about all that you want to do.  You are clearly more interested in standing up and trying to move around that way rather than crawling on the floor.  I am anxious for you to start scooting around, and you appease me from time to time, but then plop yourself back on your backside to play with your toys in delight.   You're definitely a funny little girl!!

One thing that you are not shy about is your love of FOOD!! You love getting to eat "big girl" food and trying things off Daddy & mine's plates at meal time.  Your buggy little hands are always grabbing at anything that's near you and if we aren't quick enough it's in your mouth before we know it.  There isn't one thing that you won't try and you finish everything we give you.  You are such a good little eater and it's so cute to see you grin from ear to ear as you feed yourself.  You LOVE green beans and spaghetti noodles the most, and they usually end up all over your face.  You are such a pro at feeding yourself now, and even try to grab at the spoon when Mommy feeds you so you can attempt to do that too.  I don't usually let you get too much into it or else I would be scrubbing walls every meal time, but we let you get in there from time to time and you love the independence of it.

Emma Charlotte, you are such a joy and you have taught me so much in your sweet little 9 months of life.  I love watching you learn and grow every day, and you make me fall more in love with you each moment that I spend with you.  You are such a blessing from the Lord and we thank Him every day for you!  Promise Mommy that you won't turn ONE too fast, pretty please?!

Seven Months Old

My sweet little Emma,

I cannot believe that we are over the half year mark, and you are now SEVEN months old.  Don't you remember the deal we made where I said you couldn't grow up too fast?! What is happening here?! Each month brings so many new adventures, as you become your own little person more and more each day.  I beam with pride over all the new things you accomplish each month, but my heart can't help but feel a little sad that you are growing so fast.  I suppose this is something that Mommy will deal with your entire life though.

You are learning so much about life and your sweet little giggle and smiles show it.  You find playing by yourself and learning about all your toys to be so enjoyable.  We often hear you playing by yourself and laughing in delight as you pickup and toss each toy after chewing on it & observing it contently for a few minutes.  You officially LOVE sitting up like a big kid to play, and so far hate it when we try to make you play on your tummy and learn to crawl.  I assume you are wanting to enjoy the mastery of sitting up, since it was hard work to learn, and don't like us trying to make you do something new... at least not yet.

You are very vocal now about what you like and don't like...as well as who you like and don't like.  Mommy is still your favorite person of all, and I not so secretly (still) LOVE that!! You are very cautious about new places and people, and grab on tightly to me until you feel good enough about everyone else.  I love that you still need me the most, and I try to treasure that for as long as I can, because I am well aware that it a fleeting moment in time.

You love to eat, and meal time is your favorite time! You squeal with delight and get very unhappy waiting in your high chair as we prep your food.  You want the food shoveled in bite after bite, and you let us know if we are doing it too slow for your liking.  It is so cute to see your sweet messy face at each meal! You love banging your spoon and trying to feed yourself.   It's so cute watching you try to figure out how we do it, and try to replicate that yourself.

You still have the sweetest and calmest demeanor, and you make life on Mommy & Daddy quite easy. Sure you have your fussy moments, what baby doesn't, but even in your fussy moments we can get you to smile seconds after crying.  The fussy moments usually don't last too long!

You love trying to play like a big girl, and always want to be standing up and holding on to toys or things. Daddy & I think you may just walk before you crawl sometimes! :)  You love to talk and scream when you are having fun, or really just any time you're awake.  Daddy is a little afraid that he now has two chatterboxes on his hands!  I love listening to your sweet little voice try to figure out new sounds and put them together.

Emma, we love you so much and we truly thank God all the time for blessing us with you.  It's a joy to raise you as you grow each and every day, and we will always treasure that responsibility.  We love you baby girl!

Six Months Old

Dear Emma,

I feel like I start off each monthly post this way, but I honestly cannot believe you are SIX months old! You are officially at the half year mark and if the next 6 months go by as quickly as the first did, I just don't know what I am going to do with myself! I feel like I blink and you have grown in leaps and bound, and even though that is the greatest pleasure I have in being your Mommy, I wish I could freeze time for a few moments to soak in all your littleness before it passed by.

You are constantly growing and changing into your own little person day by day and I adore seeing your little personality blossom.  You are such a sweet baby and you truly bring so much joy to those around you.  There is not much in life that phases you and you take each new day with a smile on your face and a sweet, calm demeanor that truly astounds every one.  No one can grasp just how peaceful you are!  They always think it's strange to see such a well behaved baby who rarely cries and truly embraces each moment with joy, but to your Daddy and I it is no surprise.  We covered you in prayer each day that you formed in my belly and spoke peace, joy, calmness, and happiness over your life and you are living proof of those words.

You are learning so many new things each day and it is so fun to watch you discover!  You love to play with all your toys, especially the exersaucer, and you love to make lots of noise when you are in it.  You have really found your voice lately and have chosen to express yourself with the loudest squeals possible.  It is so funny to watch your sweet little face light up with excitement as you screech and squeal over every little thing.  You are learning to sit up on your own like a big girl and play, and you beam with pride when we dote on this accomplishment!  You are still learning the ins and outs of balance, but it's precious to see you teeter as you figure it all out.

You love to eat and it is probably your favorite time of the day! Each time I place you in your Bumbo chair and put your bib on the squeaks and squeals are endless.  I can never get it all ready fast enough and you sit with your mouth open waiting for me to shovel in the meal of the day.  I love watching your fun expressions as you try new foods for the first time.  You may not always like it at first, but you are willing to give it a go and haven't had one thing that you haven't finished yet.  You are constantly trying to snag our food like a big kid, but we keep telling you that will have to wait a few more months.

When it comes to your love for Mommy and Daddy, we each have different roles in your heart.  Daddy is your playtime buddy and you love goofing around with him,.  He can get you to giggle a lot easier than I can, which isn't always fair, but it sure is cute to see how you love playing with him so much.  Mommy is the one you turn to when things aren't going the way you want.  You always choose me over Daddy when you are tired and fussy, or just want some cuddling and I couldn't love that any more.  It makes me so happy that you find me the most comforting.  My favorite time of the day with you is rocking you to sleep as you snuggle into my arms and slowly drift off into dream world.  I try to soak each night in and lock it into my memory bank since I know that this is just a brief moment in time where you will let me do this.

Emma, we love you so very much and you bring so much happiness to our lives.  I cannot believe how quickly you are growing! I love that each new month brings new adventures, and I cannot wait to see what the next has in store!

Four & Five Months Old!

Dear Emma,

I cannot believe that you are already FIVE months old.  Mommy has been horrible at keeping up on things this summer, since we have been so busy and only home to sleep.  I figured before you turn SIX months old (yikes, how is that just around the corner already?!) I should probably update on how you've been the past two months.

The past two months have literally just flown by so fast, we have barely had time to catch our breath, but somehow you find the time to just keep growing and growing.  The past two months you have learned so many new things I don't even know where to start.  You are so playful and love grabbing at and throwing your toys all around.  You finally discovered that they make all these fun noises when you pull and squeeze them and there is no stopping you once you have them in your hands.  Another new discovery is that the toys taste even better when they are in your mouth! You always are trying to figure out how to get anything and everything in your mouth to drool and chomp on whatever the object of your affection is that moment. 

You finally figured out how to roll from back to tummy and now each time we lay you down you are a rolling machine.  You are moving all around the floor, scooting and manuvering yourself into these funny positions.   Once you get yourself into a mess then you like to cry for us to come get you back to where you started.  It is so fun to watch you play and interact with all your toys, but one things you truly LOVE is the ceiling fan.  You constantly follow it around and could stare at it for a long time, and who can blame you it really IS that fascinating! :)

Daddy finally pushed me into letting you be more independent and sleeping in your crib overnight.  While Mommy had tears in her eyes as I laid you down that first night, like everything else it life you were such a pro and acted like it had been your bed since day one.  I love how easily you adapt to change, even if it means you don't need me as much.  It made me sad to see you sleeping in your crib like a big girl, because I know it's just the first of many milestones where you will become more and  more independent.

You are still in love with your thumb and it is pretty much always in your mouth, unless you are talking and screaming at the top of your lungs.  I have no clue where you get your constant need to babble from?! You love to laugh and giggle, but you make us really work for it.  Daddy has a way of making you break out into a giggle fest much easier than I do.  Although, it feels a bit unfair at times, I know you adore him and that is the best feeling in the world.  You are such a sweet, easy going baby and we are constantly reminded of that from family and friends, and even strangers who meet you for the first time.  I guess you inherited that easy go with the flow thing more from your Daddy than me.  So far you have a great balance of each of us.

Emma, we love you so much and are constantly amazed at you each and every day! I cannot believe you have been in our lives for 5 months already!!

Three Months Old!

**I wrote this post way back when she was 3 month old but totally forgot to publish it! OOPS! :)***

Dear Emma,

Another month has vanished into thin air and I cannot believe how fast you are growing up.  You are constantly changing daily before my eyes and I feel like my itty bitty baby that I brought home just months ago is no where to be found these days.  You have learned so much this past month and your adorable little personality is becoming more and more evident these days.  It is so fun to watch you grow and discover the world around you.  Everything you do is just so cute and fun, it brings so much joy to your Daddy and I.

This month you learned how to roll over and it was such an exciting accomplishment, more for Mommy than for you, but exciting none the less.  The first time you did it I screamed with delight and all your reaction was simply a blank stare at me trying to figure out why I thought that was so exciting.  At first you needed our help to do it, but now you have mastered the skill of rolling over and automatically do it nearly every time we put you on your tummy.  You learned to play and interact with your toys and you  have mastered the holding of your rattle, minus the fact that you still tend to unintentionally hit yourself with it.

You continue to talk all the time and let us know what your thinking about in all your little baby babbles.  You like it when we talk back to you and you try to continue the conversation with us.  You love looking at books and studying the colors and pictures in them when we are reading to you.  You are constantly taking in the things around you especially when we adventure out into the world around us.  You quietly study it all and try to figure things out, it's so cute to watch your little eyes go back and forth observing everything aroung you.

You are growing stronger all the time and you are happiest when we are holding you up and letting you "stand".  You love to work out your legs and act like a big girl, and even sitting like a big girl makes you the happiest.  You just wanna grow up too fast and Mommy's not ready for it!! Just promise me you won't start crawling super early?! :)

This month you found your thumb and have become an avid thumb sucker.  It's so cute to watch you spit out your nuk and delightfully suck your thumb as you fall asleep.  It's precious and every one melts when they see you do it because you are just so cute!! At first, you would cover your whole face with your hand in order to get to your thumb, but you are figured out how to move your hands around your nose to get just the thumb but still look around. 

You are still the happiest and most easy going baby I've ever been around.  You barely cry but when you do Mommy seems to have the magic touch to calm you down, even better than Daddy.  I (not so) secretly love that!!!

You are constantly changing all the time and as wonderful as it is to watch you grow, I am sad that time keeps flying by!!

Two Months Old

Dear Emma,

I cannot believe that you are now TWO months old.  I feel like I blink and you are another month old again! Time has been flying by so fast since the day that you arrived and I just want it to pause so I can take in all your cuteness and littleness before it's gone forever.  It has been so fun to watch you grow and change over the past month, but it's all so bittersweet at the same time.  I love seeing you change and become your own little person more and more each day, but at the same time I am not ready for you to grow up.  I know you aren't really all that grown up yet, but each day is a step towards you becoming bigger and bigger.

This past month you have grown SO much! You learned to smile, talk in coos and grunts, and you have started to play and interact with us more and more every day.  We love listening to you "talk" and you are especially chatty when we are doing tummy time.  You have so many stories to tell us about life and we love listening to them.  You make us laugh with all your expressions and the funny ways that you do things and communicate with us.  You LOVE watching us do things and always are trying to learn about what is going on around you.  You stare at us with this quizzical look and try to take it all in. You love looking at all our picture frames and book shelves, it leaves you in complete wonder. You love when we read books to you and if you aren't busy taking in the pictures, you are busy telling us about you think about the book. It is just so fun to watch you discover new things every day!!

Pretty much every morning you wake up with a big smile and love to say Good Morning to us that way! It is the best thing in the world to see your cute little smile.  You have learned to recognize Mommy and Daddy's faces and will smile at us when we come in from other rooms to where you are, or when we get home from being away from you.  It absolutely melts our hearts!! I think I still have a place in your heart as favorite and I can usually calm you down over any one else when you are really upset, but don't get me wrong you ADORE your Daddy (and he adores you)!  You love to snuggle us both and we have a hard time saying no to snuggling you when you cry at night or at nap time when we are trying to lay you in your bed.  To say you have us wrapped around your tiny fingers would be an understatement. :)

You learned to eat from a bottle this month and Daddy is learning how to feed you.  It made me really sad since that means it's almost time for me to go back to work soon and I am not ready to leave you quite yet!!! You love your paci and like to play the "paci game" with us all the time.  You spit it out and then smirk at the fact that we have to keep picking it up and putting it in your mouth since you haven't mastered the concept of that quite yet.  Good thing you're cute...

I don't think you could ever fully understand how much we love you and how much joy you bring to our life.  Every day gets better and better and we fall more and more in love with you.  You are truly the best thing in that has ever happened to us, and we thank God for you all the time. The past two months have been such a fun adventure learning to be your parents and I know that each month will get better and better.  Just don't let it go by too fast, deal? :)

The Crib Broke My Heart

Before I had Emma, I always thought that I would never have a hard time watching my child grow up. I figured that each month would be an exciting milestone and that I would never have a hard time with learning to let go of the small things as my little one grows.

Okay, okay....I know what you're thinking, Emma is only (almost) 7 weeks old and she is still completely dependent on me for pretty much everything and anything she could need, so what do I really have to "let go" of at this point in her life.  I would be thinking the same thing if I were you, but there are little things that just sneak up on you that don't seem big in the terms of the long run in life, but they are "big" things to me at this moment in time. 

One of them kind of "snuck up" on me the other day unexpectedly and I never would have thought it would bring tears to my eyes but it did.  I decided that it was time for Emma to take her first nap in her crib.  Obviously she has been sleeping with us in her bassinette since the day we brought her home.  As far as nap times go, well newborn babies sleep any where all day long and her Dad and I have taken advantage of her newborn snuggliness by cuddling her when she sleeps during the day.  I mean, who wouldn't want to cuddle her, she is just way too cute! However, I decided that we would start working a little bit more on getting her ready for what life is going to be like when Mommy's maternity leave is over and she will be on a much different schedule every day.  I figured one of these steps is to get her to start napping in her crib, which will also help transition her to sleeping there at night when she is big enough. (Oh gosh, the tears start already thinking about that milestone!)

Emma usually falls asleep while nursing and I decided to lay her down in her crib for a nap.  I thought it would cause her to stir or that she would feel that something was "different"...I guess I just thought the transition to something new and "independent" would phase her, but it didn't.  My little cutie pie laid right down as if nothing had changed at all. I covered her in her crib blanket and looked down at her sweet little face and unexpectedly the tears welled in my eyes.  Looking down at her itty bitty self in that seemingly giant crib, I just couldn't help but feel like in some way she was really growing up.  She was a big girl taking a nap in her room away from me, it felt so strange and I never ever expected it to! I never thought that something as simple as her napping in her crib would affect me in that way but it did.  

As I think about it now, it's funny how I have had a lot of emotions since she's arrived that I never expected to.  I never expected to love her so deeply that there really aren't words to describe it.  I never expected to fall deeper in love with her every day even though I never knew one could love another so much.  I never expected to love how much she needs me to help her everyday in a way that only a Mommy can as much as I do.  I have seen this quote a million times, but it never really hit me before Emma and now it's words ring so true with my heart.

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." -Elizabeth Stone.

I guess I just felt like her first nap in her crib was the beginning of many hurtles as her Mom that I will have to face in "letting go" as I learn to let her grow up and become her own beautiful person.  I know that she isn't growing up and leaving me anytime soon, but the little milestones feel like big one's to me since I am facing every thing for the first time.  This Mommy stuff is really a tough but beautifully rewarding job! I am just so glad that she won't grow up too fast on me...at least I'm hoping! :)

One Month Old!

Dear Emma,

I cannot believe that you are already ONE month old! Where has the time gone? It seems like it was yesterday that we were bringing you home from the hospital with butterflies in our stomachs nervous about being wholly responsible for you.  Now here we are a whole month later, and it's hard for me to remember what our life was like before you were here.

To say that you have completed our lives would be a total understatement.  Your presence in our life has completely transformed who we are.  I have never know how much one could love a little person until you were placed in my arms and you stole my whole heart in a single second.  I have loved every single moment of being your Mommy, and I find myself at least one a day staring at your perfect little face completely in awe of the blessing you are.  You have truly added so much joy and love to our life in one single month, it's amazing and I thank God every day for you.

As I have watched you grow over this month, it's been quite the adventure as you have adjusted to life outside in the world, and it's been interesting for me to learn all about you and become your Mommy.  You are such a sweet, easy going baby and you have made the adjustment to parenthood really easy on your Daddy and I.  We absolutely love just watching you sleep, and laughing at all the sweet faces you make while you do it.  So far everyone says you look like your Daddy, which I totally agree with, but he says you have my expressions and my lips.  Either way, you're adorable!! :)

Your Daddy is absolutely smitten with you and you love snuggling him in the morning in bed after you're done eating and trying to wake up.  You guys also spend a lot of quality time hanging out while he plays games and you like cooing as he talks to you about what he is doing.  I think you will be spending a lot of quality time like that as you continue to grow up.

As for Mommy and Emma time, well we get a lot of that in.  You are pretty much attached to me since I am the only one who can feed you right now, but beyond that you seem to calm down at my touch over Daddy's (which I totally love) and you always try to find my voice in the room when I am not holding you.  I love every moment with you, but I especially love our snuggle times in the middle of the night after feedings when it's just us and you like snuggling right up close to me, face to face, and falling asleep right in that spot.  It's the best time of my day and it makes those late night/early morning feedings worth loosing sleep over.

You are truly an answer to many prayers and I sometimes still cannot believe that you are here!  Many tears were shed as I prayed for a sweet baby over a years time, and while I hold you in my arms today you are more perfect than every thing I dreamed up, and sweeter than any thing I could have imagined.  I love you so much sweet baby girl and I cannot wait to watch you grow up.  Just promise me you won't do it too fast, ok?

I love you!
Mommy

Today was Emma's Due Date!

Dear Emma,

Today was your official due date! If you had asked me at the beginning of this month if I would have made it to this date and still be pregnant with you, I would have definitely said "YES!"  I never anticipated that you would arrive early, and in my mind I thought that if you did it would only be a few days before your due date. 

I was anything but ready for you to come the day that I went into labor but as I look back now I am so happy that you came when you did.  God knew and planned the exact perfect time for you to be born, and even though I wasn't quite ready He knew it was best that we meet you the day that we did. I am so happy now that I didn't have to go through the last few weeks of pregnancy! I was starting to feel very "over" the whole thing right about the day you came! Your birth day was the perfect day for us to meet you! 

As I woke up very early this very snowy morning to feed you and snuggle you, I was so thankful that instead of anxiously awaiting your arrival I was holding you in my arms.  You are the greatest gift that I have ever received in my life and I am beyond blessed to be your Mommy.  You are an absolute answer to all my prayers and as you continue to grow up I cannot wait to tell you about what a miracle you are to me and how much your Daddy and I prayed for you.  God perfectly crafted you in His hands and made you to be the perfect little person that I get to call my daughter and each day I am in awe of His amazing handiwork.  You are my precious little princess and I cannot wait to watch you grow! But for now, I am more than content to snuggle your sweet little baby face in my arms and treasure each moment of your newness in life. 

I love you more than words could ever say!

Emma's Newborn Pictures

My amazing sister-in-law came to our house the first week we were home with Emma and took our newborn photos for us.  I have always LOVED the "lifestyle" type newborn photos and she kindly offered to come take some pictures for us, and they turned out absolutely fantastic! I honestly cannot stop looking at them.  I know that they are going to be photos that I treasure forever.

Baby girl is already growing leaps and bounds, and to have these precious pictures of her in our home from her first week of life is something that I absolutely will adore for years to come.  I put together a video of all the shots and just had to share them with you guys.  I hope you like them as much as I do!

Introducing Emma Charlotte

While I plan on posting more actual blogs about my new life as a Mommy, and this sweet baby girl tonight I am just a little too sleepy to compose my thoughts into words.  So, for now I wanted to share with you a little video that I had put together from all of our pictures from the hospital from Emma's birth.  

It's still overwhelming to think that I am someone's Mom! It's definitely going to take some getting used to, but so far I am loving every moment of it.  It's crazy how my whole world changed the minute that Emma arrived.  Life as I knew it ceased to exist and a whole new life of us being a family started the minute she took her first breath. It's such a beautiful thing and I am loving each moment of her being here, and us being a family.

I hope you enjoy this video! It brings tears to this Momma's eyes each time I watch it! :) 

My Memories Suite Giveaway WINNER!!!

It's time to announce the winner for the My Memories Suite Giveaway! I know I was supposed to announce the winner earlier this week, but my new duties as Emma's Mommy have kept me busy!

I used Random.org to pick a winner, there were 19 entries and the lucky winner is number #19... Marie!!!

Marie, I have emailed you the details about the win! :) 

Thanks to everyone for entering! Again, you still have a chance to get your hands on this awesome product at a discounted price!  They have been generous enough to offer a $10 discount to all my readers! YAY!  All you have to do is use the code STMMMS59425 at checkout!

Emma Charlotte is here!!!

So, I was supposed to announce the giveaway winner today, but as you can see I have had my hands full for a few days! I will try my best to get to it this week, but for now...enjoy a little sneak peak at our precious little girl!!

My FIRST Giveaway {[My Memories Suite}}

I am so excited to share with you guys an amazing giveaway!  I was recently contacted by the amazing website My Memories to host this giveaway and let me tell you guys are in for a treat!  One of you lucky people will win their amazing digital scrapbooking software!  Amazing right?!

If you haven’t heard of them let me tell you a little bit about their great product.  Their product is so great and user friendly it takes the complications out of digital scrapbooking and makes it a joy to scrapbook all your precious memories!  They have super easy to use templates to work from, that really takes all the time consuming work out of scrapbooking and just makes it plain old fun.  I absolutely love taking photos and love scrapbooking, but I (like many of you I’m sure) just can’t always find the time, or the creative juices to turn my photos into a beautiful scrapbooked album.   This is where My Memories is a great asset! It takes all your photos and with their easy to use scrapbooksoftware, turns them into gorgeously customized scrapbook pages.  Could it get any better than that? I don’t think so!

What I love about this product is that they have great templates that you can work from if you are feeling uninspired, but you can also work from scratch to create your own custom album.  Their website is full of great tools and tips, and even more FREE templates, as well as templates for purchase, so that you can always have fresh new things to work from when turning your pictures into album memories.  

I am so excited to have this product and be able to use their scrapbook software to turn a lot of my pregnancy memories into beautiful albums that otherwise wouldn’t get done.  It’s exciting that I will have this great tool to use to create beautiful albums as with baby girl’s pictures, since you know for sure I will be taking lots and lots of pictures of our little beauty when she gets here!! I am only just beginning to use all the great features that the My Memories Suite comes with and I am so excited about all the options I have! I am convinced that I am going to be a scrapbooking machine now!

So, I bet you are all wondering how you can win this great product for yourself right? It’s super easy and you have a few ways to win! You will get one entry for each of the items you do below, but please leave me a separate comment for each thing.

***FYI, you don't have to have Blogger or Google account to enter.  You can comment "anonymously" but please leave your name & email address so I have a way to contact you if you win! :) ***

1.      Visit http://www.mymemories.com/  and search through their awesome template designs and leave me a comment below telling me which is your favorite.

2.      Follow their blog, http://www.mymemoriesblog.com/, and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

3.      Like them on Facebook, and leave me a comment that you did so.

4.      Follow them on Twitter, and leave me a comment that you did so.

5.      Follow my blog and leave me a comment that you did so.

It’s really as EASY as that and you have 5 different opportunities to win!! I will leave this contest open until Sunday, February 12th, and I will announce the winner on Monday the 13th.  

Even if you don’t win you still have the option to get your hands on this amazing product at a discounted price!  They have been generous enough to offer a $10 discount to all my readers! YAY!  All you have to do is use the code STMMMS59425 at checkout!

So leave me your comments below and good luck! I can’t wait to see who wins!

35 Week Bumpdate

5 WEEKS to go!! How crazy is that?! I honestly cannot believe that we are so very close to holding this sweet little girl in our arms!  While I still don't feel totally ready for her arrival, and I doubt that I ever really will, I am starting to ease into feeling less panicked about her coming, and truly excited about smooching our precious baby girl!

So, let's recap week 34!

Symptoms: I am seriously a broken record with symptoms, everything that has been around is here to stay and will be for the next 5 weeks I have no doubt.  Acid reflux, tiredness (more like exhaustion), sore back, peeing constantly...that's pretty much my day to day life. 

Bumpdate: As you can see above the bump is getting SUPER round and big! I honestly feel like I am smuggling a basketball in there. The bump is making every day tasks feel so much more draining and difficult.  I can barely bend over, get up by myself without it quite the task! I tried to put on my boots the other day and wow was that more work than I ever thought it would be.  It's crazy to think that I am still not done growing this little girl yet...YIKES! 

Cravings:  Sweets are still hanging on strong! I am still loving the little Valentine's heart candies...I am craving them for sure! 

What I'm looking forward to: Baby Shower #2 is this weekend and I cannot wait to celebrate with my close friends and family! It is so fun to get more sweet little things for this baby girl.  I also cannot wait to put the last little finishing touches on her nursery! It's pretty much done, but I cannot wait for it all to be done.

Best moment this week: Baby Shower #1 hosted by my lovely Momma! It was such a lovely day and it was so wonderful to meet up with old family friends and see their excitement about our sweet little Emma arriving soon! I will definitely blog about it soon! 

34 Week Bumpdate

(I am starting to realize that each week I care less and less about how perfect these pictures turn out! LOL! I feel like at this point I am so big and I hate every picture anyways, that whatever works, works for me! LOL! And yes I am rocking my Patriots gear today, GO PATS GO!!!)

Another week has flown by and here I am again trying to figure out a way to wrap my head around how quickly this is all going.  Weeks are starting to blend together and seemingly go quicker and quicker each week that we get further along.  34 weeks down, only 6 weeks to go...WOW!  This sweet little girl will be here in our arms before we know it, and while I cannot wait to hold her in and smooch her adorable face, I don't want her to be here any sooner than God's perfect timing.  I feel things coming together more and more all the time, but I still feel SO unready for her to come! I know that I probably won't ever feel totally ready, I mean how can you really be 100% prepared, but I feel like I am feeling more settled every day. 

So, let's recap week 33!

Symptoms: Of course a lot of what's been going on this whole pregnancy is still hanging on strong. Thankfully my acid reflux has eased up a bit over the past week, it's still around but with less of a vengeance that it had before. I have read that as the baby gets closer to coming that can ease up as they get lower.  While I still feel  that I am carrying her pretty high, I am thankful that for whatever reason it's eased up! I will take it for sure!!! The only other thing that is going on is that I feel super gassy/burpy these days! SO GROSS I know but what can you do?! Thankfully it comes up more in the way of BURPING than anything else...I literally am burping all the time...YUCK! I am sorry if that's an overshare! LOL!

Bumpdate: I am SO round it's crazy! I feel like she is done growing up, and now she is growing out because I honestly feel like a whole basketball is in there now! It's getting harder to tie my own shoes, bend over, get up from bed (or from anywhere for that matter)!  The bump is getting more restricting all the time! 

Cravings: I am totally digging on my sweets still and the little Valentine's hearts have been calling my name like crazy this week! I have gone through two bags in less than a week...yah I have a problem! LOL! 

What I'm looking forward to:  Baby Showers! YAY! It's going to be so fun celebrating with family and friends this sweet little girl's impending arrival! It really makes it all feel even more real! 

Best moment this week:  FINALLY painting her room! I was so so nervous about it not being done yet, and now that it is done I feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulder.  It's amazing how a simple coat of paint makes the room feel more "complete"! We also got her gliding rocker and that is one of few last big pieces that we have left to get, only a couple more things left now, and that really makes me happy! I am feeling like her room is coming together now and it's helping my anxiety a lot! I know OCD needs to take a chill pill but I am who I am and I can't help it! LOL! :) 

33 Week Bumpdate

33 weeks sound so overwhelming far along in pregnancy, it’s kind of blowing my mind.  I am trying to not let the overwhelming feeling over take me too much, but it’s kind of hard to not be overwhelmed by everything that we still have yet to do/buy for this sweet little girl.  I know somehow it will all get done, and even if it doesn’t it will be okay, but my OCD personality is really having a hard time settling on that fact.  I just feel like 7 weeks is far too short a time! LOL!! Maybe that sounds ridiculous to you, but since I am always Ms. 10 steps ahead of everything it’s honestly freaking me out a bit.  On the other hand, the reality of seeing our sweet little girl in a very short time is really starting to get me super excited!! I cannot wait to see her sweet face and smooch all over her! I know that the minute she is here in my arms everything else that feels so important to me right now, will just fade away and figure itself out.

So, let's recap week 32!

Symptoms: My perpetual symptoms have continued to hang around, and I am confident at this point that until I pop out this little darling nothing much is going to change.  Acid reflux is truly my nemesis and honestly some times feels like it is out to get me! I am so looking forward to not having to deal with that anymore, it’s my #1 thing I am looking forward to most.  Other than the usual, I am starting to have more leg cramps while sleeping which makes it difficult to find a comfortable position from time to time.   Mostly, I cannot really complain though, things have been going smooth!

Bumpdate: The belly is getting rounder and rounder by the minute (or so I feel).  This little girl makes me feel like I am smuggling some bowling balls or something in there! LOL!! Having this bump is definitely making it harder to breathe especially going up and down stairs or walking for a long time.  Thankfully I can still tie my own shoes, but I am thinking that responsibility is going to fall to Scott here in the next couple weeks as I am finding it harder each time.

Cravings: I am finding that my cravings kind of go in patterns.  I still love sweets of course, but I am back to wanting big yummy salads! Nothing sounds more delicious around lunch time to me! I am finding that I am getting to be more and more hungry especially at night time.  I am waking up again early in the morning or in the middle of the night with a rumbling stomach. I could honestly eat a meal at that time, but I am usually so exhausted that I force myself back to sleep…not sure how long Emma will let me do that though as she continues to pack on that cute baby chub that I will get to squeeze soon!

What I'm looking forward to:  FINALLY getting our rocking glider! It should be here this week and I am so excited about having it.  It’s one of the last BIG pieces that we need for her nursery and I think having it there will make me feel a bit more at ease that things are coming together, where or not it’s at the pace that I like, it’s happening and that’s all that matters right?!

Best moment this week:  Getting to tour the hospital where we will be delivering baby girl at!! It was so exciting/weird to see everything first hand, it really made her arrival feel like it will be here soon! We couldn't be happier about where we will have her.  Not only is it close to home, but they are just finishing a complete re-model of the birth center and nearly all the rooms are completely upgraded and brand new.  It was so surreal to tour everything, and when we were leaving I told Scott that the next time we leave there, we will be leaving WITH our little girl.  WOW! That is for sure a crazy thought!

31 & 32 Week Bumpdate

Okay, so I promise this will be my LAST two week combined blog post.  I think now that the holidays are officially over I can get back on my regular schedule of blogging.  It is absolutely insane how fast the past month flew by, and here we are at 32 WEEKS already! It's safe to say that panic mode is definitely creeping in.  I am realizing more and more each day that this baby girl will be here in a VERY SHORT time frame regardless of if we are ready for her or not.  So, I am trying my best to breathe and get things done as much as I can each day for her arrival.  

So, let's recap weeks 30 & 31!

Symptoms: Honestly, I feel like a broken record when it comes to symptoms.  I don't have many but the ones that I have are definitely consistent!  Acid reflux of course is hanging on strong and quite honestly one of my TOP things that I am looking forward to about not being pregnant any more is kicking that nasty thing.  Other than that I am constantly out of breath! I feel extra out of shape, but I know it's just the fact that baby girl is growing bigger and bigger each day that keeps me from being able to breathe normally.  I am also really starting to feel super duper tired again.  It's getting hard to get out of bed in the morning and each night I feel like by 8 I could easily call it a night.

Bumpdate: I am starting to feel SO ROUND!! It's crazy! I honestly feel like I am smuggling a basketball in there! Bending over to pick things up and just every day tasks are definitely more complicated now, but she is growing nice and strong and that's all that matters to this Momma!

Cravings: Still digging on my sweets for sure! I started craving cantaloupe again which was one of my BIG cravings early on.  Besides that, I have really had a crazy craving for cookies and cream ice cream...YUMMY!!  What can I say, baby girl likes her sweets! :)

What I'm looking forward to:  Getting to have my baby showers!! FINALLY!! I cannot wait to celebrate this precious girl with friends and family! I am so excited about it! We also are going to tour the hospital birthing center on Monday! It's all becoming so real!! 

Best moment this week:  Bonding more and more with this little girl! I love all her little jabs and kicks, and it's so fun to talk to her and realize that soon and very soon I get to smooch all over her.  As crazy and overwhelmed as I am about not being 100% ready for her to get here, I am just as excited about meeting her!!