three months

baby emmie is three months old.  yay itty bitty, you're getting so big!  here's what's going on with your little self.

you are a very happy baby almost all the time.  your smiles are absolutely awesome.  sometimes you have little mischievous grins and sometimes giant, open-mouth, toothless cheeser smiles!  you smile at me and your poppa nearly anytime we come near you or talk to you.  it is so fun to see you respond to things.  you also still smile at your headbands [aka your friends] and when you're pulling on your blankets.  you like people most of the time and smile at your family and honorary aunties and uncles.

i think you're still the most smile-y when i come get you out of your crib.  you've got smiles for days!

you no longer have a witching hour, hallelujah!  you now only have a few crying fits a day right before your naps.  you fight sleep at your naps and that makes momma sad.  you throw a little baby tantrum [arched back, kicking legs].  its a little comical because you'll be dramatically screaming one second and then sound asleep, limp doll the next.

[this is my warning face]

[full blown baby-fit]

you talk a lot now.  lots of ooh's and aah's and squeaks.  you talk the most lying on your changing table and whenever you're around your dad.  you like to mimic what your poppa says - it's awesome.  when you're really on a roll i try and whip out my phone in time to record it and send some love to poppa at work.  we've heard you laugh out loud twice now, instead of just the big gasp.  it was precious and we loved it.  i can't wait until you have a real little giggle and we can spend our days making you laugh.

you try and sit up now.  you use your tiny little ab muscles and work so hard to be upright.  if you hold one finger in each hand you can sit right up.  you're like a tiny person.  well i mean, i know you are a tiny person but it's like you're a mini-adult shrunk into an itty bitty body.  you're doing a great job and holding your head up with much less wobble and sometimes do things to practice your one-day crawl.

you're still working on your rolls and chins [working on = keeping 'em i mean].  sometimes poppa says you have rolls on your rolls.  if i lay you on your back after you're done eating your belly is kind of unreal.

favorite activities include being a blanket monster where i cover you up in blankets and you pull and scrunch it up for large chunks of time.  you try and eat your covers.  you play some version of peek-a-boo by yourself.  

you also love kicking your legs and flailing your arms still.  you get a baby workout.

you like to arch your back now, when you're happy and unhappy.  you still roll from your belly to your back but haven't yet mastered rolling from your back to your belly.  i think you're getting close though.  today i saw you get halfway but then you wussed out and just kicked your legs some more.  you're very curious and love to look around when you hear new noises or hear people talking.  you watch us as we walk around the house.

you're still sleeping like a champ through the night, usually from around 10:30pm until 8am.  i'd like to cut out that last feeding and get you to bed at 8pm or so but just don't do so hot falling asleep right then.  you also sleep in between each feeding for at least 45 minutes.  sometimes more if you'll fall back asleep when you stir.  

i hear at three or four months your naps start getting more consistent and should develop into longer naps.  i'm trying to figure out how to help you do that.  i've been good about getting you in your crib for your first morning nap because you're still so sleepy but i'm not that awesome at it for the rest of the day.  i feel like when i can get you to sleep for those big chunks i'll learn to be much more productive around this place!  ay ay ay stay at home mommy-hood!

the only other things i can think of is that you're trying so hard to suck your thumb but you just cannot figure it out.  you'll get your whole fist up there but your thumb is tucked inside your fist.  i hope you figure it out soon.

last but not least, i've been reading your Jesus storybook bible to you before bed and sometimes before naps.  the fact that you're getting to hear God's word even as a tiny bean gives me such joy.  it's written for littles and it is awesome.  every story points to jesus coming to rescue His people, even from page 1.  it even shows scripture that points to a coming messiah that i had never thought about.  the other night we were reading about noah and the flood.  it's a sad story but at the end it talks about God putting a bow, like a warrior's bow in the sky [a rainbow] as a promise that he'd never do that again - you smiled in your sleep in my arms.  it was so sweet.

baby emmie-

it's cold outside now.  it's your first cold weather!  your first fall!  how fun that this year will be full of many, many first's for you.  i know you can't really understand what lots of those first's are about but it's still fun for us as your parents to see you squirm when you feel wind outside or know that you have a baby pumpkin on the front porch, a mini, just like you.  when it stops raining i'm going to sit you in the gorgeous red and yellow leaves in our front yard and see what happens.  you're beautiful and already have such personality.  we love your little squirmy worm self.  every night i pray that God would form your little heart to know Him deeply and that you'd grow to be a young lady that loves people wholeheartedly with compassion and generosity.

other pictures we love <3 br="br">

baby rolls

sometimes my little babe's scrumptious rolls are just too much for me to take. when she sits up (which she attempts often) her itty buddha belly comes out to play and her mid-thigh legs creases just steal my heart. i won't keep them all to myself; here ya go...

first ever fall break

this is our first season with ben teaching and me staying home with the babe.  one of my favorite 'perks' of our new set up is that we both get to enjoy a few more 'holidays' together.  ben got a virus mid-week which was a major bummer.  i was so looking forward to us being together and so disappointed that we may not be able to spend as much time as a family.  he was home sick and quarantined on wednesday and thursday.  it was killing ben that he wasn't supposed to snuggle his little babe.

he was off work on friday and monday for our first ever fall break. what a treat.  even with a sick ben, a 6 day weekend for us was pretty amazing. ps - it really is fall here!

a few highlights:

hanging out at bible study with emmie [ben wasn't allowed to keep her].  we had a small group show up this past week so we weren't able to really discuss our 'lesson' but we were able to catch up with each other a little and just be together.  i really loved that.  e.c.b did too!

saturday was jam-packed with fun.  we were able to celebrate a marriage to be with one of our dearest friends and his bride.  we tailgated at keeneland and got to visit with all kinds of people that we went to high school & college with and haven't seen in years.  it was a beautiful day - perfect for playing outside.

from there we finally got to have a meeting with our young life team.  i love the people that we do ministry with so much. they let us meet at our house too and that makes it easier with emmie - it is an encouragement and blessing to see the hearts of our friends yearn for our high school friends to know the gospel.

and next, second annual oktoberfest at the poston's.  picture backyard, twinkle lights, long tables, tons of food, burlap & candles, all your friends and tons of babies.  it was awesome.  it was emmie's first oktoberfest and it was thoroughly enjoyed by the whole fam.  some of my favorite pics from the night.

auntie cory and little babe.

 diggle snuggling evie grace.  the babes were all in their pj's by the end of the night.

 i know its grainy but i couldn't resist.  the boys laughing while benny takes care of emmie collins.  so precious.

stolen picture from katie h. before it got too dark.

 one big little, happy family!

on sunday we had a family day.  my parents had all kinds of family over to celebrate my 27th birthday!  let's be honest...everyone just wanted to squeeze my baby, but i'll take it!  i was just excited to see everyone.  emmie did ok, she fussed every now and then but overall was pretty sweet.  from there we got to go to campaigners [biblestudy for our highschoolers].  it was awesome to hear about them processing how to apply scripture and God's truth to their lives. uh, and this was the windiest day ever.  it was awesome.  i love wind.  there i said it.

monday, oh monday.  bittersweet.  sad that it was our last day all together as a family on break but sweet that we got to relax.  benny watched emmie while i got a massage.  holy moly, it was much appreciated.  then i was able to take em with me for lunch with sweet jenna - TREAT!  all around - great day.

i've been learning a lot about being thankful and content lately.  i am so blessed with sweet gifts of family and friends.  i hope to not take one moment of it for granted.  here's to many more 'breaks' to come!!

littlest wildcat

somebody's ready for basketball season!  her and her poppa are gonna have quite a time cheering on many uk victories this season. gotta start 'em young.

ben is kind of a super fan-if you know us, you know this. when we found out we were having a baby thanksgiving weekend it was kind of a given that ben MUST get uk apparel fit for a little bean for christmas. this onesie was the first thing i bought for little emmie along with some tiny shoes for our 'we're prego' cards. she's still too small for the shoes but the onesie is completely appropriate for the season and for big blue madness tonight. now that we know she's a girl (ha!) she might need a itty cheer leading outfit or something too!

Surprise!

this little blog (and our life, i suppose) have been completely swept up in a baby-love-fest over the last year or so. as thankful as i am for this little bean there have also been some adjustments that are difficult for me - things that surprised me, that i didn't expect to miss so much.  most of these challenges are selfish and superficial but i guess they were just little joys that maybe i took for granted pre-parenthood.  if you're a momma maybe you can relate [fingers crossed] and if you're not a momma maybe this will be a good reminder to savor some of the little pleasures.  don't get me wrong, emmie is one of the most dear blessings we've ever received - we're just adjusting.

[apartment therapy]

1. sleeping in & morning visits with benny: now this one i NEVER took for granted! i loved and appreciated every weekend that ben and i could take a few extra moments to rest in our fluffy, puffy cloud of a bed. i loved waking up with no plans (in the immediate future) & no alarms, where we could talk and laugh together. no distractions, no media, just us, pillows & sunlight peeking through the blinds. those are some of my favorite memories together. i know there will be times like that again someday and i'm excited for those. until then i'll miss no-plan-snuggles where our only responsibility is nailing down brunch ideas. i must say, a pretty fantastic consolation would have to be bringing the sweetest little squish into get her morning cuddles too.  that's not so bad ;)

[tiny toes and peonies]

2.  showering and getting ready uninterrupted: i definitely took this for granted! 100% - i actually haven't spent much time getting ready over the past four years (sorry boss - oh and sorry husband yikes!). i took quick showers, let my hair air dry, maybe did my makeup at a stoplight if i remembered that i wasn't wearing any before the light turned green. now i long to 'get ready'. i want a long shower, i want to blow dry my hair, straighten it or curl it, wear mascara at least. when you stay home alone all day, are always running late and your babe always seems to cry as you step out of the tub-primping falls by the wayside. i'm not even sure why i care. probably just because it's something i can't have right now. or maybe post-pregnancy just wanting to feel pretty back in my old skin again. you don't feel so pretty when you're dirty and covered in spit up.  all that to say, savor your showers ladies!

[emerson fry]

3.  running errands: i always kind of liked running errands. it's one of those things that feels 'adult' to me, and purposeful, and who are we kidding, i like to shop. today running errands is not such an easy task. now it produces a twinge on anxiety in me, i'm strategically planning my stops, the timing, emmie's feedings, when she sleeps best, stroller or no-stroller, etc.  once, i even thought about calling kroger from the parking lot to see if they'd run something out to me so i wouldn't have to lug emmie and her carseat one more inch.  i think it is more of a mental battle than actually being really difficult, but going out now [at least in my head] seems so different.  far less spontaneous, and a lot more heavy lifting.

[pinterest-sorry]

4.  getting out of the house:  this goes along with number 3 sort of.  there's no easy way for us to run out anymore.  i'm sure this has something to do with being an over-packer and crazy planner but gathering up everything we'll need while we're out of the house is never as quick as you'd think.  it's no longer just searching for my keys in the couch cushions, it's also - burp cloths from the bedroom, blankets from the laundry, onesies from the closests, the kitchen sink [just in case].  pre-babe i always was a few minutes behind, at life, and now i feel like we will never make it on time. anywhere. ever. i'm sorry in advance to all the people we'll keep waiting in the future.  who knows how people do it with multiple kids.  blows my mind!

[tumblr-double sorry]

5.  everyday dates with ben:  at a moments notice ben and i were able to run off to dinner or to see a movie.  and we did that, a lot.  lots of our evenings were full of friends, family and ministry things but it still wasn't difficult to carve out time together.  we could kind of be a little selfish with our time together.  we could do things on the fly.  now there will always be 'a plan' - until weekends at the grandparents start up [wink wink].  running out to dinner will require a sitter or we'll be accompanied by our beautiful babe.  it's not bad, just different and it's meant much fewer dates.  we ask for sitters for lots of things now [young life, games, weddings, etc.] so we hate to ask for more.  we don't want to abuse our generous family and friends.

[pinterest]

6.  friends at night:  for all the number 5 reasons + being home to either feed emmie or put her to bed, i miss hanging out with our friends at night.  i feel like we can get better at this, i'm just not sure how...yet.  evenings spent laughing with & enjoying life with friends mean a lot to us.  we may need to make adjustments to make this happen but just like dates with ben - we need this.

7.  getting up to lhs:  this season of ministry for us has been so different.  we've been pretty out of the loop.  i've really missed getting to be with girls as often as i'd like.  i miss hearing about their lives, meeting new people, having a house full of kiddos.  it's hard not to get discouraged when you feel like you're slacking but we still haven't settled into a new rhythm when it comes to life with a babe and loving high school students.  i'm praying that it will come - quickly!

[tumblr]

8.  necklaces:  no more long necklaces around the babe.  similar to number 2, who even knew how much i'd like to accessorize until i can't really do it?  who wants your infant headbutting your impostor rhinestones?  not this momma.  now, if i'm able, i'll snag one and throw it on before i run out by myself just to feel a little sparkle - those days are pretty few and far between.

[tumblr]

9. adult conversations:  i miss adult conversations and i believe i drive ben crazy on a daily basis because of this.  spending all day with our princess is such a gift but she doesn't really have very deep talks with me [believe it or not].  i do get time with girl friends and with ben every now and then but i feel like even my conversations revolve around babies because that's what consumes my days.  i want to get better about this.  i want to be learning and growing as well as spending time with emmie c.  i want to invest in other people & hear about them instead of babble only about babes.

10. no stains on clothes:  i took for granted unstained clothes.  it never crossed my mind that 70% of my wardrobe would now be stained post-baby.  spit up stains things.  who knew that?  it seems like it should wash right out but what do you know?  now i'm much more careful about what i wear about little bean.  i feel like i've never seen stains on my friends.  i've never heard them mention it.  it is just me?  enjoy your clean clothes friends!

i hope that didn't sound like a complaint factory!  i just want to be able to look back at what was awesome and also what was challenging in this season.  no doubt i'll look back on this in a few months and realize how silly most of these little bumps are - i'm excited for that.  what about you?  any life surprises sneak up on you?

::27::

today i am 27 years young.  the last year of my life is basically a blur.  it's like 26 never happened.  today will be filled with all things glamorous - a rolly polly little munchin, spit up and the like, but i couldn't be more thankful for this sweet life i've been given.  God is so good!  what a reason to celebrate.  here's to another fantastic year.  i can't believe i'm getting so old!

[forest fire]

[birthday girl]