watch dog catcher

It sounds like a Wheel of Forturne "before and after" phrase, but it's also what I label my conversation with big E yesterday on the way home from school.

Last night E and daddy were heading back to school for the Watch D.O.G.S. program orientation. It's a program where dads sign up to hang out a school for the day to help out and to have the dad presence known.

E and I were discussing the evening plans, and our convo went a little like this:

Uncle George is a watch dog.

I had to think for a second.

Oh, no honey, Uncle George is a dog catcher.

Why is daddy going to be a dog catcher?

No hon, dad is going to be a Watch D.O.G. It's just a name for dads who hang out at school for the day. There aren't any dogs actually envolved.

I'm trying my best not to laugh because he gets upset now when you laugh at him.

Well maybe he'll look for cats.

No. No, I don't think there will be animals of any kind. It's kind of like a mascot, like how you're a Shark.

Or he can catch snakes. Mrs. B had a snake in her house once...

And on he went. Sometimes there is no changing his mind once he gets rolling.

Love that kid.

back to work [3 months]

it's amazing how fast 12 weeks can fly. 12 weeks ago yesterday my baby girl was born. I was able to spend an amazing 11 1/2 weeks at home with her, but now i'm back at work just living for the weekend.

she's doing great at day care. there's a trio of may-baby girls there: emma, emily, and elsa who starts in a couple weeks. how cute is that?

the first couple of days emma didn't sleep much and only took a few catnaps. by the time we got home she just wanted to eat and go to sleep. and she slept from 7pm to 7am that first night - waking up once at 4am just long enough to eat! yesterday she got some longer naps in, but she was still in bed by 7:30. i'm looking forward to longer evenings as she gets a little bigger.

her teacher ms. gail says she loves book time and gets along great during the day. i miss her so much though. i mean, look at this face!!

two months

weighing in at 12 lbs and measuring 22 1/2 inches, miss emma is cuter than ever! her smiles make mommy & daddy melt. :)

smoke and fireworks

the fourth of july. around here, it's all about the attitude...

emma didn't mind the fireworks much, until the neighborhood gang all came up with the big artillery. then it was time for her and mama to head indoors. here's her first time in the bumbo:

we had a fun night with some good friends, but i'm always relieved the next morning when the house is still standing.

little sack of sugar

We've made it to six weeks! Nighttime is going well. The past two nights she has slept until 1:30 and then up once or twice more before morning. She's in ther bassinet full time, but I think we'll move her to her crib soon.


Her favorite toy is her mobile. She doesn't really watch it much, but loves to listen to the music. She'll chill in her crib for 30 minutes listening to it.


When the weather's nice, we have a great little routine of taking a morning walk after we take Ethan to the bus stop. She loves our walks.

I wish my dad was here to see her. I know he's looking down on her, but I would like to hear him brag about her to everyone he sees. Mom says he would call her "Little JJ". She's right on.

Here's baby girl at 5 weeks:


And 6 weeks:





my little sack of sugar weights 9 lbs 12 oz and is 21 inches long. dr. lively says her head is shaped beautifully.

one month down...

it's hard to believe baby Emma is four weeks old today! she is looking bigger and a little chubbier, although she's still wearing newborn size clothes. she is starting to turn her head when she hears a familiar voice, and she can raise one eyebrow just like her mama. her legs and arms are really strong and she can push and almost launch herself over your shoulder.

sleep is progressing. she's spending about 5 hours in her bassinet (3 hrs then 2 hrs) before getting restless. usually by then it's around 4am so i've been bringing her to bed with me just so we can get in a couple more hours of sleep.

since her umbilical cord came off, she's had a couple baths in her tub. she loves bathtime!

she also had a quick dip in grammy's pool on sunday!

we also enjoyed a visit from aunt jane and great-grandma mary.

the first month went by so quickly! i feel so lucky to be able to spend the summer with my little girl.

catching the bus

my big kindergartener!

since i'm on leave, ethan's been catching the bus for summer school. he was so excited on the first day and says now it's his favorite part of school.

he's way braver than his momma. i totally had that first-day-of-school nervous tummy. his little blond head looked so small riding away in that big old bus. tear.