There is still no cure for the common birthday.

Today we went to see Sam for his 40th Birthday party! We had a lot of fun!

After the party we went to visit Michelle & Tony's and Emily played with Laura! She had so much fun! Jim's parents were there and they had a good time too!

Pumpkin Picking...Take 1!

Jim took off of work and we went Pumpkin Picking.


We went to the same place as we went last year! You remember the one...end of the Earth and make a left! (Check out THAT journal entry!)

Anyway, Emily got her own pumpkin that we are going to decorate for her! We all had so much fun! I just *love* this sign!

Tickle Me...

Emily just *loves* Elmo.

So, we surprised her with a brand new Tickle Me Elmo! She loves him! She's not too good at tickling him yet, but we can do it for her.

Of course, she tries to pick him up and hug him while he's laughing.

15 Month Doctor's Appointment

Today I went to pick up Jim at work and we went to Emily's doctor appointment. She had to get 2 shots...and did not like them!

The Doctor said that growth is right on target and everything looks good!

The Proof Is In The Pudding!

Emily tried chocolate pudding for the first time and....she didn't like it! Obviously, she doesn't get that from me.. Oh well...

The Emperor's New Shoes...

Since Emily is now officially walking, today we took her to Stride Rite to get her first pair of shoes.


Since she is still using crawling as her "quick" mode of transportation, we went with a pair of Stage 2 shoes. They are for walking and crawling. She looks so cute in them!

At first she wasn't sure what to do with them, but quickly caught on!

The Spaghetti Incident!

Today will go down in history and be forever known as The Spaghetti Incident! It was the MESSIEST that Emily has ever gotten while eating! (I know I'm lucky!) There are no other words to describe what took place. All we know is that Emily wore way more than she ate!

This is what happens when Jim feeds Emily!

She Walked! A visit with Michelle & Tony!

Today Emily, Jim's Mom & I went up to visit Michelle, Tony & Laura!



It was great because Aunt JoAnn was there too! We haven't seen her since Emily's Baptism.

Emily officially walked to Tony! She took a good number of steps and remained on her feet!


Anyway, we all had so much fun! It was nice for Emily to play with Laura! She was so excited, she didn't nap; but she sure did on the way home!

Emily is 14 Months!

Today Emily turned 14 months! We cannot believe how fast time went!

Today we went to Jason & Ellen's house for a housewarming picnic. We had a lot of fun and everyone commented on how beautiful Emily was!

She is also getting better with walking. She is taking more & more steps on her own. Sometimes she gets a little shaky and either falls, grabs onto something or sits down. Before we know it, she'll be running around the house driving Bonita nuts!

Adventure Aquarium

Today Jim took off and we all went to the Adventure Aquarium!

We had so much fun! There were seals, penguins, hippos, birds, fish, a sloth, crocodile, sharks, stingrays, sea turtles and so much more.

Emily's favorite was the PENGUINS!!! I swear I had nothing to do with this!

Hog & Hick Show....err....NJ State Fair!

Jim took off of work and we all went to the NJ State Fair! Emily had so much fun!

She saw a lot of animals including a water buffalo, ponies, goats, sheep, elephant, camel, llamas (or as Jim would say Bahamas!) and even a kangaroo! We bought Emily a Strawberry Shortcake mirror which has her name on it.

We didn't stay too long because it was as hot as Hades! Who would get the bright idea to have a fair in AUGUST?! Its about 100 degrees out. I've complained about this for years, but yet I still go and have a good time.

Two small baby steps...

Today while we were playing in Emily's play area, she let go of her Winnie the Pooh Tree and *walked* the two steps towards me!

She was a little shaky, but getting better and I caught her! Soon I will have to chase her around the house!

One small baby step...

Yep! That's all Emily took! She realized what she was doing and promptly fell on her behind! Then, she laughed! She's going to be dangerous pretty soon!

I'm Still Standing....

I think Emily's finally figuring out what standing is. She has been able to stand for short periods of time unassisted, but today she was standing alone for a while.

If she doesn't think about it, she can stand a lot longer. When she does think about it, she has to grab onto her gate or something or she'll fall.

Pretty soon she'll be walking and driving Bonita crazy!

We're home....

Wow! Time flew. We all had a really good time at the shore!

Although, we are also a little glad to be home. Bonita was really happy to see us. When Jim picked her up at the Puppy Spa (kennel!) she had a pretty bandana on.

LBI...Day 6

Today, we all went to the beach for a couple of hours...but it was HOT!!!

Jim actually went into the water today. We all just relaxed on the beach and then went back to order dinner. After dinner, we all went to The Show Place for ice cream. I was super excited...I had been looking forward to this part of the vacation!

We all had a good time (Jim had never been there!) and my Mom got picked on! I was just glad it wasn't me!

When we got home, my parents watched Emily for a little bit while we walked down to the ocean. When we got home, we started packing.

I can't believe vacation is over already.

LBI...Day 5

Today it was rainy, so Jim, Emily & I just went to Bay Village. My parents went to Atlantic City for the day.

Even though it was raining we had a good time and then we picked up dinner at The Rack Shack and went home to relax.

Finally...the beach!

Today, we all went to the beach for Emily's 1st time! Jim put her in the sand and she didn't like it at first, then started smiling & clapping!

It was kinda chilly and windy so we only stayed a couple of hours. Before we left, Jim brought Emily to the water...she's still not too sure of it!

We went out for a nice dinner and then it started to rain. We went to Bay Village for a little shopping and then just went home to relax!

LBI...Day 4

Well...I was sick again, so Jim stayed home with Emily & I while my parents went to the beach. When they got home, Jim & Emily joined them to go out for dinner while I stayed home and rested.

Hopefully, I start to feel better soon! I'm missing my vacation!

Vacation...Day 3

Today, I just wanted to take it easy so Jim and my parents went to the beach. I was in a little bit of pain and my tetanus shot location was hurting. Emily stayed home with me to keep me company. But really, I wanted to be there at Emily's first day on the beach! After everyone got back, we all got ready to go out for dinner. Then, we just came home and relaxed.

My visit to the ER...

Today, I woke up not feeling well and decided to go to the Emergency Room. Ironically, I have been in this ER before, so I knew where it was. So, we left Emily with my parents and headed out.

When we got to the ER, it was pretty crowded and it took a while to be seen. When they took me back my fears were confirmed. I had an abscess. Now, its an easy fix, but its going to hurt! I'll leave the gory details out, but it was worse than childbirth!

Finally, it was done and they gave me percocet. Bad move. I went to stand up and everything got fuzzy. I got really nauseous and it seemed like I was under water. It was horrible! Jim went to get the nurse, but Jim came back and informed me it was normal.

When we were finally able to leave, I was feeling great but I was tired. So, I went to lay down and we just took it easy for the rest of the night.

Vacation is here...finally!

Today, we all got ready for our first vacation! We were meeting my parents in Long Beach Island. We all are very excited!

We had a long drive in traffic. After we got there and unpacked, we went up to look at the ocean. We were so excited to see Emily's first impression of it and...she was not impressed! We then went for dinner and came home to relax.

Blood Work....Round 2

Okay, since I'm stupid...Emily had to go get blood drawn AGAIN. I felt so bad for her. And we wanted to get it done since we were leaving for the shore soon.

Anyway, the pediatrician handed me 2 forms for blood work and I forgot to hand the person BOTH forms. So she had to get another vial of blood drawn. The good news is that she only got stuck in one arm. Again...all over...all smiles!

Emily Gets Bloodwork Done

Since I can't handle bloodwork really well, Jim took off work and went with Emily & I to get her bloodwork done.

She was not happy and cried A LOT...it didn't help when they had to stick her in both arms.

We took her out to breakfast to make up for it.

Of course, right after the blood draw she was all smiles!

Emily's First Birthday Party!

Today we had Emily's birthday party! It poured!!

Jim & I had a bad feeling about that and rented a huge tent! It was nice to see friends & family! We had about 40 people sharing this special day with us! She got such wonderful gifts and we all had a great time!

No More Bottles!

Although I had been giving Emily a sippy cup for all feedings, she would still get a bottle at bedtime.

Today is the first bottle-free day! She is doing soooo good with the sippy cup!

She's One!

I can't believe how fast the past year went! It seems like just yesterday she was born.

We met Jim at work then went to the Doctor. She had to get a few shots and found out she'll have to get blood work...this really does NOT make me happy! Then, we dropped Jim back at work and to make up for the shots, we went shopping at Babies R Us!

Happy Father's Day! And we have 2 teeth!

Emily grabbed my finger and of course put it in her mouth. I noticed that Emily now has 2 teeth!!

My parents came over for dinner to celebrate Father's Day and Jim's parents joined us for dessert! They all loved their gifts!

Our "Real" First Outing...

Jim & I had a wedding to go to today, so we dropped Emily off at my parents house. Jim's cousin Jen was getting married. We could bring kids, but we decided not to bring Emily.

It was out in Long Island and it was a beautiful wedding. We all had a lot of fun!

When we got to my parents, they looked...tired! Emily is a handful to be with, but she's a lot of fun! I know she had a wonderful time with Grandma & Grandpa!

We Have A Crawler!

Today, 8 days before her 1st Birthday, Emily finally figured out how to crawl!

Poor Bonita! She has no where to hide now!

She Can Stand!

Today Emily actually pulled herself up into a standing position!!!

She was holding on to the gate, but finally figured out how to do it! She's going to be walking soon!

Kailey's Baptism Party!

Jim, Emily & I went to Liz & Dennis' for Kailey's Baptism. We were so happy to see everyone and we had such a good time!

It was a beautiful day with great food and great people! It was a little strange that my parents weren't there (my Mom was sick). I know they would have liked to have been there. They would have had a wonderful time!

A First Tooth and I can sit!

I noticed that Emily's first tooth finally broke through! Its really amazing, if you didn't actually see the tooth you would never know that she's teething! She really is such a good baby!

Also, she showed me her new trick...she can now sit up from a laying down position! She's going to be moving all through the house pretty soon!

A Busy Day!

Today we went to Pennsylvania for Laura's 1st Birthday Party. It was nice to spend a little time with everyone.

We left to go to Colleen's Communion Party in New York, but we had car problems & unfortunately had to turn around at the GW Bridge. I know we would've had sooo much fun. We were all disappointed.

Emily's First Easter!

Today was Emily's first Easter!

My parents came over for dinner and then Jim's parents joined us all for dessert!

Emily got such beautiful baskets and had such a good time!

9 Month Appointment

Today Emily had her 9 month Doctors appointment.

She now weighs 20.7 lbs. Wow!! She's also 27.5 inches long.

The Doctor told me that we could start introducing table food. Emily tried Cheerios and loved them!

She did have to get one shot, but was a good girl and only cried a little!

First trip to the Jersey Shore!

Today we went down to Long Beach Island with my parents to get a house for summer vacation.
It was cold and raining so Emily didn't get to see the ocean. But...Jim being the shore lover he is, actually got out of the car and looked at the ocean.

Anyway, we got a nice house about two blocks from the ocean. July will be here before we know it! We can't wait!

Family Day!

Jim took off work today and we all went to have our first family pictures taken! We had so much fun!

After we had family pictures taken, Jim & I took Emily to see the Easter Bunny! She wasn't exactly sure what to make of him...but she gave a smile for Mommy & Daddy!

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling...

Today after Emily's bath, she showed me that she could roll onto her tummy! She has now officially rolled both ways! Now she'll be rolling all over the place!

Emily's First St. Patrick's Day!

A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss....

Finally, at almost 9 months old, Emily finally decided to show me that she *could* roll! She rolled from her tummy to her back! Of course I had to immediately call Jim to share the good news.

Emily's First Valentine's Day!

Emily had her First Valentine's Day. Jim took us out to dinner to the Black Forest. Jim & I had a wonderful meal and everyone commented on how good a baby Emily was!