Emma: 20 Months

Sleeping: We started to wean Emma from two naps to one a couple of weeks ago. For the most part, it is going well. There are still some days where she needs a morning nap, but pretty rare. She's been going down for her afternoon nap between 12:30-1:30 and sleeping two to three hours. Sleeping at night hasn't changed, still 7pm to about 7am during the week and 7:30-8:00am on the weekends. Will be interesting to see how any of this changes when we transition her to a twin bed later this week.

Eating: Emma usually LOVES to eat and snack, but this last canine tooth that is coming in along with her first ear infection has her hardly eating. Like we are lucky to get three bites of anything….except breakfast, that she will always eat. So for now, we aren't pushing it and know she will come around when she starts feeling better. She got introduced to ketchup, BBQ and ranch recently and loves dipping everything on her plate in it.

Development: She's doing great in the verbal department and continuing to amaze us with things she picks up on…..like "shoot". We had no idea we actually said that word very often, but now that we are aware of it, we realize we do say it! I guess it's better than the alternative :) She's been starting to put two words together. As far as hand/eye coordination, Emma loves puzzles, especially a Melissa & Doug one that is colored shapes and does it with such ease. Next up is working on the colors and shapes. Throwing a ball on the other hand….needs some work! I took her to a lake on campus to feed the geese and she had no idea how to throw and instead just dropped the bread in front of her. We did get her a little plastic t-ball set, so we will see how that helps. My dad bought Emma her first putter and has been practicing with her, so her coordination has got to be somewhat on track if she can do that!

Our girl has turned into quite the drama queen (wonder where she got that from!) and it is so funny to watch. It isn't meltdowns drama, it is trying to get her way with a fake cry while peaking through her hands to see if you are watching, then laughing. It is hilarious to watch. I've mentioned it before, but she loves to put on a show for people and to make them laugh. She likes being the center of attention. In fact, there are many times where if there is a group of people not paying attention to her, she will do something and then lift her hands up and go "ta da".

Likes/Dislikes: Emma likes her privacy and alone time - kind of like her mommy and daddy. But her desire for it is always when she is going to poop, ha. Hey, don't we all desire our privacy then? If you can't find her, she is often in a closet, behind her doll house or in a corner doing her business. If you try and talk to her, interrupt her or anything, she immediately yells at you or shuts the door in your face. Aside from needing her privacy for going number two, she still likes to go sit and read books or play with toys.

Nana started taking Emma to "Story Time" at our brand new, state of the art library every Wednesday for 30 minutes of activities and then they stay after for more fun. She loves it and after five weeks of going consistently, she knows the routine, songs and other activities they do. With the nice weather and dropping of the morning nap, it makes it easier for them to be out and about at the library or outside to burn off some energy.

Like past months, dislikes remain pretty much the same: being dirty, brushing her teeth (don't worry, we still do it) and pulling her away from something she's doing.

Emma continues to be our healthy, growing and funny little girl that is growing up to too fast. I am getting more and more sentimental as I look at her knowing her baby sister will be here soon and Emma becomes a "big girl". Matt does a good job of reminding me that while I miss those "baby moments", how awesome it is to see her develop and become her own person. She will always be our baby. Always.

32 Weeks

I don't even know where to start with this post. It has been a crazy, emotionally and physically exhausting these last four weeks. While my last update I said that physical therapy was working and I think it does to an extent, now I feel like it also isn't or my body isn't reacting to it like it did at the beginning. I find myself brought to my knees again, leaning over and resting on the bed or counter to try and breathe through the pain or walking with assistance of holding on to furniture and walls. Quite frankly, my body feels broken. I am trying my hardest to be optimistic. I hate to admit or complain how much pain I am in, because I remind myself daily how lucky I am to be carrying my own child. I am not and will not take that for granted. I know the moment I see and hold this sweet girl, the pain will seem like a distant memory.

On March 2, the day of the last home men's game (perfect timing), I started having contractions during the day. I tried to dismiss them at work, but once I realized I was needing to breathe through them and everything I was trying wasn't stopping them, I decided to call my OB. My doctor wasn't in, but the OB on call wanted to see me. They hooked me up to monitors and noticed I was having contractions consistently 10-15 minutes apart. She did a fetal fibronectin test and sent me over to the hospital for more observation. Two and a half more hours of contractions and two shots to stop them, I was finally able to go home. The test came back negative for pre-term labor in the next two weeks and the shots seemed to help. I haven't had as intense of contractions, but seem to get them when I've been doing too much, mostly at night.

At my OB appointment last week, two days before I was to leave for the Big XII Tournament in Kansas City, my doctor denied travel for the remainder of my pregnancy. Meaning no flying with the team for NCAA or driving to Kansas City. She said with how my pregnancy has been thus far, she wasn't about to send me out of the state and see me go into labor elsewhere. If you were watching the games last week, you know I probably would have went into labor! I was selfishly devastated to not go, but I wasn't going to put this baby's health at risk either. Other than that, her heart rate was in the 150s and sounded good. She is breech and so we talked about what we would do if she doesn't flip by 37 weeks. We are scheduled for an ultrasound on the 25th to check on her and how everything is looking.

As always, I am so grateful for how helpful my mom has been as Matt has been away. She's kept her a little longer after I get off work so I can put my feet up, had us over for dinner, kept Emma over night and has just been an all around God send. This week Matt's parents are coming to help as he is out of town for the week again. We are lucky with the support system we have.

Weight gain with Emma: 14 lbs     Baby #2: 17 lbs