Emma on the move and nursery pictures

Sorry it has been so long since we've updated the blog! We had some major technical difficulties that required the assistance of my "blog pro" mother in law! Thanks Ms. Pendy! We've taken tons of pictures since our last blog post, so I'll slowly load them so it won't be a slide show of 200 pictures:)

We have been very busy. Ellie is growing so fast and Emma is beginning to move around. She is scooting around and is trying to begin pulling up! She is sitting independently and LOVES her rice cereal. She just loves to eat period! Ellie, on the other hand, could go an entire day without eating anything and it wouldn't phase her! Ellie is currently on a high protein diet per her pediatrician and is classified as "severely underweight" (she is in the 2nd percentile for her age for weight). She is in the 50% for height, so I'm not too worried about her. Meanwhile, she has to drink pediasure and use those Carnation instant breakfasts in her milk, and we are shoving meat and cheese down her throat so she will pass at her next weight check in December. I don't think this is ever going to be an issue with Emma.

Below, I've posted some pictures of Emma scooting herself into getting stuck under the couch a couple of weeks ago. Also, I've included some pictures of her new favorite way to sleep in her swing, and I put in some pictures of her nursery. We posted pictures of Ellie's nursery before Ellie was born. Since Emma didn't have a nursery until we moved here to Valdosta, I had to show off her sweet little room!

Ellie's Birthday Week

Ellie has been a little confused because we had her party on Saturday and then we celebrated her actual birthday yesterday (Monday). She thinks the entire last week has been her birthday. Man, this is a high that is going to be hard to get her down from! She was such a sweet birthday girl though and had a blast at her birthday party. She even humored Worth and I by blowing out her candles again on Monday for her birthday. It just seems like yesterday when Ellie made her appearance at 1:16a.m. and stole our hearts forever. We love you peanut!

Playground and family update

I've gotten behind once again on updating the blog. We've had a busy couple of weeks. After traveling to Athens to watch the Dawgs lose to South Carolina last weekend we returned to Valdosta on Sunday with news that my paternal grandmother, "Bobbie" as I called her, was not doing well. I went to Tifton on Monday to say one last goodbye to her with the rest of my family, and she passed away Monday night. She suffered for about 8 years from Alzheimer's disease and finally her body couldn't take it any longer and her kidneys failed. I know she is better off in heaven where she doesn't suffer anymore, but we will still miss her so much. Alzheimer's is a terrible disease, to find out more information or to donate, visit www.alz.org.

On a lighter note, I will spend this week gradually updating the blog. Today is Ellie's 3rd birthday and we suprised her last weekend with a swingset/playground that Worth put together. She was so excited and the pictures are below. This past Saturday we had a birthday party for her at our house. I will post those pictures later with pictures from our family celebration that we will have tonight.

Please excuse Ellie's bedhead in the pictures- she had just gotten up from her nap when we took her outside to see her new playground! As you will see in the pictures she was VERY excited!

4 months and other crazy pictures

We've been very busy in the Bowers' household! Ellie is in full swing with her preschool, Emma and Ellie are enjoying 2 mornings a week at Parent's morning out, Mommy is feeling like her old self working a few part time hours, and Daddy passed his boards! YAY! Not only are we so proud of Worth, we are proud of our little one who just turned 4 months old. She is beginning to become more active, rolling from back to side, she loves a new toy - the exersaucer, and she is cooing and blabbering all of the time. Her big sister is becoming more of a fashionista- coming up with new and even crazier outfits to put on every day! I've included pictures in the slide show of her newest creation. Yes, in one of the pictures she is using a suction that is similar to the one we use on Emma (not the one we use on Emma of course)! Ellie is obsessed with the "booger sucker" as she calls them, yes, eccentric is a good word to describe Ellie at this point in her life. Also the bunny outfit on Emma in the pictures is an outfit that Worth put on her one morning. It was an outfit of Ellie's and their clothes are opposite seasons, obviously. Anyway, at least her daddy helped by getting her dressed for me:)

Rice Cereal

After feeding Emma every 2 hours this past Monday, and having her still not sleeping all night, I decided we would start rice cereal on Tuesday. Emma is definitely my eater. She loved every bite of the rice cereal and completely devoured over 2 tablespoons (you're only supposed to feed them 1 tablespoon for the first feeding!) It didn't, however, help her sleep all night:(

PMO

I decided to pick up some part time work since we moved here and ended up getting a job more quickly than I expected. So, this week was Emma's first time at Parent's Morning Out. Ellie thinks Emma is going to "school" like she is, so I've posted pictures of Emma on her first day of "school". I love these girls!

New Pre-School

One of the things I have missed most about Birmingham was Ellie's daycare. Ellie had excellent care and teachers there, and it was very hard for me to take her away from that. She learned so much and became very attached to her teachers and friends in her class. I can't imagine how military families feel when they have to move their children around so much. I see how drastically changing a child's routine can affect them and I hate that we had to do that with Ellie. We all are adjusting, however, and we really like living here in Valdosta so far!

One of the biggest changes was putting Ellie into a new preschool. We pondered between two different schools and finally decided to send her to Park Avenue Methodist Pre-school. Her first day was this morning and Ellie had a blast. She walked right into the room, grabbed a chair and even gave her teacher a shout out as she entered the room. The parents were supposed to stay the first 30 minutes of the class this morning, but as I was taking pictures of Ellie she looked at me and said "See you later, mom!" I took that as my cue and left quickly! The teacher said she did great today, so hopefully that will continue. I've posted some pics of the morning below.

3 months old

Just a few pictures of Emma today - a few days after her 3 month birthday, which was August 4th. Once again, I'm slacking on the second child posts! Surprisingly, she hasn't lost her hair yet. Emma also has a new trick this week - laughing. I got her going last night and it was hysterical! There is nothing like hearing a little baby laugh!

ENGAGED!

Well, Amos finally did it. Last night my little brother proposed to the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. I couldn't be more proud of him and the person he has chosen. Anna Holloway is a sweet, beautiful girl and a perfect addition to our family. The happy couple is telling us the wedding will most likely be next summer. I can't wait for "Aunt Anna" to be official!

From KateSSIpics

Second Child

From Collages

I know we haven't blogged as much about our 2nd little one as we did our 1st little one, so I thought I'd post a few words about Emma. Emma is a really good, easy baby. The only times she really cries hard are when she is hungry or tired. I don't know if it is because she is our 2nd and the not sleeping, crying baby thing didn't come as much of a shock this time around, or if Ellie was just that bad! Emma sleeps on average, right now, about 7 hours a night. She has had 8 and 9 hour nights a couple of times in the last week, so maybe a new trend is starting? Emma is certainly bigger than Ellie was at this stage. Emma is in the 50th percentile for weight and 35th for height. If you remember previous blogs of Ellie at this stage she was in 5th and 10th percentiles, barely! Emma loves the swing. In fact, the swing is the only place Emma will nap during the day - whatever works, right? Emma is ahead of her game with her physical abilities also. She rolled from stomach to back at 4 weeks old and continues to do so. She smiled also at 4 weeks - which was a little earlier than when Ellie smiled for the first time. In the last few weeks we have had to actually strap her into her bouncy seats, because she tries to sit up in them! Her head control is impressive for a 12 week old!

I love the center picture of the collage because that is the face I think of when I have her in my mind. She still gives us that perplexed look all of the time. I can already see that she will be a thinker before she acts - just like her daddy! That is an excellent quality to have.

I can already see that Emma loves her big sister Ellie. Sometimes the only way Emma will calm down, if she is upset, is if Ellie is goofing around in front of her or giving her kisses, which Ellie loves to do. Ellie informed me a few nights ago that Emma was her best friend. I will remind her of that comment when they are teenagers.

When I was pregnant, I wondered how I could love another child as intensely as I loved Ellie, and then Emma arrived. The feelings are just there and I can't necessarily put it into words, but if you have children, you know. I love being the mommy of two beautiful little girls. They both make me so proud and put a smile on my face everyday.