And The Parnell Three Become The Parnell Four

We have a joke with Jeff's brother Rob and his wife. They have three kids and so are "The Parnell Five". Jeff and I, once we had little Emma, were renamed "The Parnell Three". With our exciting news that we do, in fact, have Baby Parnell #2 on the way, we get ready to leave behind The Parnell Three and embrace The Parnell Four.
Four. Wow. I will have a family of four. Two babies. One husband. (OK and a Kylie-Mo if we can count her. Which, if you ask Emma, she will squeal with delight as she ADORES Kylie) Four Parnells.
I need to upload the ultrasound (don't lie, you know you want to see our little Baby P in all of it's infinite glory.) but I haven't had time to scan it. It hasn't hit the top of my To Do list yet. It's sadly behind
1. Buy more diapers
2. baby proof the house (Need to move this one up to #1 - see below)
3. laundry
4. find some time to spend with Jeff
5. spend some time being creative!!
...so you see my list grows and as I cross one thing off, four more appear. I almost wrote "apperate". I am rereading the Harry Potter series right now, so you'll have to forgive me as Harry-isms pop into the forefront of my mind.
OK, so in case you are wondering as to how Mamma is doing this time around, I'm fine. Thankfully, no morning sickness, although I do feel slightly queasy from time to time. I have discovered (thanks to my SIL Sally during my pregnancy with Emma) that food is they key to ending that queasy feeling. I'm overly hungry. And, while food doesn't even remotely SOUND appealing, it's the key. I start to eat and all is well! So other than that hint of queasy that lurks beneath the surface of my days, I'm just utterly exhausted. Like may I please take a daily afternoon nap exhausted. Saturday I fell asleep for about an hour on the couch (while Emma composed her newest concerto on her piano - how I managed to sleep during that must be a true testament to my exhaustion!) and yesterday I woke up at 6:38 am (I KNOW that's too stinking early for a Sunday!) because I was hungry. Pregnant Girl needed some food and she needed it now. So I made pancakes. They were delish and after eating, I laid on the couch, presumably for just a moment's rest. I had at least an hour before I needed to really start getting ready for church, so I closed my eyes. I even kept my glasses on because I guess I intended on resting and watching TV. Emma was playing and Jeff was watching something. I guess I should have known I would have been down for the count if I can't remember what we were watching, huh? So apparently I fell asleep (and Jeff was a dear and took my glasses off and covered me with a blanket) and woke up what seemed to be mere minutes later. Nope. It was 11:30!! I slept almost completely through church!! Really? I called out to Jeff who was no longer in the living room and he was upstairs on the computer and Emma was napping as well. So the Parnell girls needed their beauty sleep and Mr. let us have our way. I couldn't believe I had slept for so long and I couldn't believe Jeff didn't wake me! As one of my dear friends put it this morning, "Um, hello Heather? You are growing a CHILD inside your body. You need some rest!!" OK. Point taken. It's all coming back to me now...how when you are Pregnant Girl you need to ask others for help and rest your body and make sure to take extra time for yourself because you are growing a new baby. That folks, takes work. I just think I am superwoman and can do it all. By myself. Guess I was wrong. Again. [grin]
So this blog will morph again into a Pregnant Girl's journey to becoming a mom of two.
And because I could not end this without extrapolating on the "baby proof the house - see below", Emma is crawling. Sort of. She takes two or three "steps" and then sits up and claps at herself. She's super proud of herself. She's even gotten onto her knees and, while holding on to her piano, knee walks herself closer to it. Amazing. So I had her upstairs yesterday in my scrap room while I tried to make a quick card for a party we were going to and my lovely daughter tried to discover the electrical socket. So see, baby proofing needs to zoom up to #1. Today. OK, Jeff is having dinner tonight with the We Care board (of which he is the board of directors) for his last round of interviews for the new board members, and so this shall become my project this evening. There's no telling when he'll be home, so I should have time to at least plug some of those ugly plastic caps in, right?

Hats off to Ya!

OK, here are the hat pictures as promised...the adorable pink hat really doesn't match the dress, but it's stinking cute all the same.

We're Back People!

I'm serious. I have a new found zeal for blogging. Maybe it's because Emma is changing so much and I can't keep up. Maybe it's because I realized THIS is a history of our lives, her life, what goes on, and I don't want to forget it. I have already forgotten so much. It's nice that pictures can remind us of forgotten memories. I was reading through old posts earlier this week and stared in amazement at how much Emma has grown. I mean, look at those old bathing suit pictures! She is positively tiny! And that hair! Soooo dark. I love how it is lightning up and curling at the ends now.

So Emma's newest thing is that she loves to stand. She loves to be propped up at the foot of the stairs or in front of the couch or chair and she stands and plays. And by plays I mean she bangs her hands against the cushion (or floor depending on where she is "standing") and squeals in delight. She is dying to be mobile, people. I just don't think she knows how to crawl. Or has any desire to for that matter. She gets up on her knees and plays the piano on her knees. Take that step baby girl!! She's pulled the piano over onto herself many times and surprisingly doesn't always cry. She does, however, lay there until you come and rescue her. Silly monkey. She loves to sit up and play and reach for things, but if you put her on her stomach, oh help her she gets mad. Sure, she'll play there for a little while, but then pu-leeeeze get me back up Mamma!! She is getting that nasty cry (you know the one - the attitude changes and you can tell she's mad) and we've had to have a few conversations regarding that.
Mamma: Emma, we don't talk like that in this house.
Emma: nananana
Mamma: OK, Emma, I know you want the remote control, but it's not for little girls.
Emma: NAnanana
Mamma: [hides the remote to curtail further dissatisfaction]
Emma: NANANANANA

She's not happy. So we're trying to just keep the TV off and then the remote becomes less of an issue. However, the other day, Jeff was watching something [read: NFL Network - see we need to always be aware of what has taken place at the Combine (please don't ask me to explain the Combine - I feel like it should be capitalized but I'm not sure. I think it's some sort of pre draft qualifying events like lifting weights - sort of like an opportunity to show what ya got to the prospective teams so they know how, if, and when to draft you.) Side note: I just looked it up and the draft starts April 25th. But seriously, the Parnell household should know what is going on at any particular moment in the NFL. Because you know, it's all about the Fantasy Football draft. Which will be in like AUGUST or SEPTEMBER!! And you know, things DO NOT change over the course of time. Whatever, it's my husband's passion [obsession] so we'll let it go at that.] Really, that just got too long. The point was, Jeff was watching TV and Emma was on the floor in front of him IGNORING the TV and playing with her books. Mamma was so proud. :-)

So here's Emma this morning...




...doing what she loves.
My cute little monkey who isn't so little anymore...

Teeth, Teeth, and more Teeth!

I had my semi-annual dentist appointment yesterday (and, yes, for those of you wondering, I am still a proud member of the no cavity club!) As Emma's care giver's son has pink eye, I was lucky enough to stay home with her yesterday so she got to accompany me to the dentist. All the way there I kept telling her little eight month old self that only big girls are lucky enough to get to go to the dentist. I personally love the dentist - the no cavity thing may perpetuate that and perhaps if I had encountered the drill at a young age my tune might be different; however, I love the dentist. And the fluoride. OK I'll admit the fluoride part is a little weird. The hygienist admits something to me right after I once again profess my love for the obligatory minute-long swishing and toss back the tiny cup. She tells me that the brand is different and it is more of a baking soda, salty taste. And that I might not like it. Not what I wanted to hear after I start swishing - especially when I had been looking forward to this part! However, the taste wasn't that bad and she hurriedly assured me that they were switching back. Phew.
Anyway, back to my story. While I am being cleaned, flossed, examined, etc. Emma is happily sucking on her Colors book while sitting in her stroller. Until she becomes bored and starts squealing. Luckily, I have been going to this dentist since I was about five years old and they like me. They adore Emma as this is her second trip with me and she seems to gather friends everywhere we go. So thankfully, instead of garnering steely glances from both employees and patrons alike, she got smiles and laughs which made her laugh. And show off her tiny little teeth. I truly turned into Ultra Proud Mamma as I coaxed her to show her 4 adorable teeth to the doctor. It was silly on my part. But I managed to keep her somewhat happy (thankfully the squeals were more of "Hey look! I have vocal chords and I know how to use them! Would you like to hear me?" instead of unruly, nasty screaming. Thankfully. And figured out how to get a dental exam while pushing a stroller back and forth with my foot. The epitome of multi-tasking.
The little love bug fell asleep on the way home but was instantly awake when we entered the house. See, Kylie heard us come in and was sitting next to the washer and dryer by the back door. In front of her food bowl. Like there is anyway on this great green earth, we would ever forget to feed her. But her tail, loudly thumping on the dryer woke the little princess up. So much for an afternoon nap. But when I took her to the changing table to change what I figured surely was a wet diaper, my daily task took on a much more exciting role. For as I laid the little miss down, I noticed that not only were the top two teeth almost the same length now, but a new, fifth tooth had made an appearance with absolutely no fanfare! I had no idea she was even working on a new one! She beamed at me and flashed her now five teeth, and I squealed with delight. After I excitedly told Jeff, we called our moms (please don't be offended if we didn't call you. We thought we were a bit over the top to even call our moms but someone had to share in our news and who better to appreciate the news than a couple of seasoned moms??) and did a little happy dance. New parents are silly, aren't they? I'm a grown woman excited about four tiny white ridges of a newly formed upper left tooth. And PROUD of it!!

Our Pianist

My little Emma Bug loves her some piano. Mamma and Daddy love to listen to her play! My mother in law bought this fun piano for Emma and it has brought her so much joy. I'd say money well spent!! She plays delicately with one finger at times, and then other times, she is rockin' like Sir Elton John. She loves to turn the plastic pages (which make a swoosh sound like papers turning) and has started “singing” as she plays. She also has started swaying back and forth as she plays. She’s a very rockin’ chick! We tried to get her on camera singing and composing, but I think it was too close to dinner time because she wasn’t that happy. So this video doesn’t show her to be the amazing prodigy that I’m sure she is (ha ha), but you will at least see her enjoying playing some of the time.


She has a trip to the zoo planned today with some friends, so we wanted to make sure she would be protected from the sun. Of course, this doesn’t mean slathering her with baby sunscreen (which, note to self: we need to get!) but instead picking an outfit that had an adorable matching hat. And because I thought she was so adorable, I had to take some pictures. She’s cute, admit it.

She’s got a fourth tooth coming in which has resulted in her constantly grinding her teeth together. That sound is like nails on a chalkboard to me. My brother used to grind his teeth and I hated it. Fun that this is Emma’s new favorite thing to do. ARG!

We graduated to a new big girl car seat this weekend. It was sad to see the carrier at the end of its use for Emma, but exciting that she now can sit up farther! We also got a mirror (I know, how have I been a functioning mother for the last 8 months without being able to see my baby while I drive??) so I can now see her. It was hard to find a mirror that will fit in the back of the Hummer. See, the back seat has headrests, BUT they do not move. So that makes finding something that will fit/work/do what I need it to do, nearly impossible. Hence she is 8 months old and we just now are installing this. BUT, that being said, I LOVE to be able to see her. It’s sort of disconcerting because it looks like she is facing forward which she cannot do until she is both 20 pounds AND one year old. So I keep freaking out a little bit until I remind myself of the properties of mirrors and that we’ve got a double mirror action going. But it’s fun to watch her look around and seem to enjoy the scenery. My little baby is growing up.

With the new car seat, she’s also graduated to her new stroller. Jeff’s sister gave him a stroller for Emma for his birthday (some said that was an interesting birthday present for him, but he and I were – and are – tickled pink!). It folds up like her baby stroller and even has cup holders for Mamma. That is key. I need a place to stash my keys and phone and drink if I have one – digging in a Mary Poppins-esque diaper bag for keys or a ringing phone is not my idea of a good time. She loves being able to look around and see everything but Mamma’s only regret is that I can no longer see HER! I miss those little brown eyes gazing up at me as we wander through the grocery store or Home Depot or wherever we happen to be. But it’s good for her to enjoy the stimulus around her. I’ll get over it.

Emma continues to be a joy – she’s not crawling yet, but she does get up on all fours and rock back and forth. She also has figured out how to push herself backwards. And somehow, she sits but spins around 360 degrees, so she manages to “get around” just fine without actually crawling. I’m fine that she isn’t crawling yet – I figure it’s only a matter of time before we have to install the 4 gates I figure we need.

1. Top of the stairs
2. Bottom of the stairs
3. Entry into the kitchen from the living room
4. Entry into the dining room from the entry way

Kylie is going to be some confused when her paths around the house are blocked and she can’t get from A to B. Hmmm….that means we may have to rethink the placement of her water bowl. She’ll need access to that all the time. Secondary water bowls around the house? OK, I have to rethink that one. Didn’t count on Kylie’s hydration needs. Darn it!

We had to get some more 6-9 month clothes for Emma this weekend. She’s got a closet full, but we are very skinny in the 6-9 month size. I had to put more of the smaller sizes away again, which left it blaring clear that she was in need. Because we were so blessed with clothes before Emma was even born and I literally have a closet full of little girl clothes – I think I have stuff up to 3 or 4T – I haven’t had to purchase much. Jammies are hard to keep her in – she seems to outgrow those and socks most frequently (which, can someone explain that to me! How do day clothes fit but jammies don’t! Does the washing machine shrink jammies more?). So it is fun when I get to actually pick out and buy sweet little pink clothes for her. Unfortunately for Emma, her mamma loves the color pink and so we buy a lot of it! We managed to pick up about 6 new onesies and 6 pairs of pants. Most of which are interchangeable. That should make Daddy’s life easier. Pick a onesie, and it should go with any of the pants we bought. Now if we could just get him to coordinate socks…and brush her hair before a bow goes into it. Baby steps.

He’s such a wondrous help getting her ready in the morning so if socks don’t exactly match or a bow was hastily clipped into a head of unbrushed hair, I really have no room to complain. Jeff is so good with Emma. With my work schedule, he is the one who drops her off in the morning and is it Jeff who picks her up in the evening. He feeds her breakfast and usually has fed her dinner by the time I walk through the door. I hate not having as flexible a work schedule as he has, but I have to remember that I am blessed that one of does. He’s very hands on and she adores him. Nothing is sexier than a man with a baby. I have told Jeff many times that on July 7th, when little Emma was just hours old, I remember waking up in my hospital bed and he was sitting in the chair next to my bed holding Emma. He had a stubbly face (July 6th was a loooooong day if you remember) and was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. Crazy second day hair and his feet were bare, but he had this tiny pink bundle cradled in his arms and was looking at her with wonder and amazement. He was so handsome. Almost beautiful. I know you shouldn’t say that about a man, but he was. I fell more in love with him that morning when I didn’t think that was possible. Just tumbled right over the edge. I knew he would be a good daddy early on in our dating relationship and he has done everything to prove my suspicions correct. To see that little girl adore her daddy is priceless to me. We are a very blessed family of three.