Emma's First Thanksgiving

Emma was thrilled to participate in her first Turkey Day! She did not eat any turkey or pumpkin pie, but she did drink plenty of milk. Her activities also included watching the dogs at her grandparents' house, receiving many hugs and kisses from her family members in Texas, and talking on the phone to Gram in Ohio (see picture). We are so very thankful to have her in our lives!

I Can Laugh!

Emma is laughing now!! Aunt Heather and Uncle Mark were lucky enough to catch Emma's first real laugh on video. She is amused by tickles and Maddie (their dog) running around their yard. We are completely in love with her new giggles- it makes her dimples even more yummy.

Emma Claire the Pumpkin

Since we didn't make a Jack-o-Lantern for Halloween, we decided to make an Emma-o-Lantern. So we put her in a pumpkin and had a photo shoot. It lasted about 5 minutes. We don't think she liked this slimy orange seat very much. But our baby pumpkin girl looked so adorable, and even smiled at the end!

Happy Halloween!

Today was Emma's first Halloween. Due to her early bedtime, she missed most of the trick-or-treaters that came to our house. However, we did manage to take some pictures to document her Halloween attire. Emma was an adorable ballerina, "dancing" and kicking her ballet slippers right off!

Smiles

Emma has been so smiley lately! She is a very social baby, smiling at all who meet her. Her dimples win them over every time. She is working very hard at rolling over from her back to her tummy-any day now! Emma is also excited about her first Halloween. Her costume (yet to be completed) will be beautiful on her. Check back soon for post-Halloween fanfare!

Emma's baby talk and a play session with Cousin Ben

Emma is learning how to talk. If only we could translate what she is saying. I'm sure she is saying "more milk please".



Emma having a play session with her Cousin Ben. As you can see, Emma is observing more than playing at this point.

I Can Roll Over!

A message from Emma:

I've been a very busy little baby these days. My brain cells are increasing by the second, and my mom and dad can hardly keep up. I have discovered my hands, and enjoy putting them in my mouth and staring at them- am I making them move? Trippy! I smile more than ever, especially at ceiling fans and the birdies in my room. I've begun to "talk" and make little noises that make my mom and dad so happy! I also surprised myself recently by rolling over. Aunt Heather was the first to see it, but I showed mom and dad my new skills as soon as I got home!

I've accomplished a lot in my first three months of life!

Dimples

We've survived two weeks of Mommy back to work. We think it's been harder on us than on Emma. She is used to hanging out with her auntie and Ben, so we know she is happy, even though her mommy isn't cuddling her all day anymore! Her smiles are more frequent and keep getting better and better- we are in love with her dimples!

Emma In Action

Here is our little Emma after a diaper change. She enjoys hanging out on the table afterwards and stretching.

The Attack of Baby Benjamin

Emma's cousin Ben will soon be 6 months old! With this milestone, he will begin sharing his mommy with Emma during the day while I go back to work. We thought Ben was ok with this- however, it seems as though he may be harboring some frustrations and taking them out on Emma. What do you think? He does look pretty innocent, though.

8 weeks old!

Emma will already be 8 weeks old tomorrow. It is hard to believe how fast this summer has gone- especially since Emma arrived. She weighs 10 pounds now and has already grown out of a few items in her ever-expanding wardrobe! She continues to amaze us with her talent and mad skills-- Emma will be rolling over very soon. She can already turn onto her side by herself!
Emma spends her days staring at ceiling fans and her colorful toys when she isn't sleeping or eating. She really likes her new giraffe from Grandma Mary. She also smiles at random objects, such as the shelf on the wall, and has smiled once or twice at Mommy and Daddy. However, we have yet to capture those meaningful moments on camera! That's all for now-- more pictures are on the way, as well as some video of Emma in action!

Emma's Day

Emma has many activities to keep her and her new parents busy! We love to watch Emma while she's on her tummy because she can now turn her head to look at different objects. Her neck is getting stronger too!


Emma likes her baths. As long as we keep a warm washcloth over her tummy, she stays happy until it's time to take her out of the water and put her diaper on. She continues to be very vocal about her diaper changes- she doesn't like them, and conveys her concern very well!

Our other two "babies"- Sydney and Lily- are pretty much oblivious to Emma. This is a picture of Lily actually noticing that there is a baby beside her. The dogs are doing ok with having a new creature in their house. I don't think they mind too much!

Visitors from Ohio

Last weekend Nicole's Grandma and Aunt Bev came to meet the babies they'd been hearing so much about. Emma and Benjamin had lots of fun playing with Great Grammy and Auntie Bev. We went to the mall- because isn't that what moms with strollers do? But mostly we just played with the babies and took pictures. Oh, and we enjoyed watching Ben get cereal all over his face- he and Emma are both messy eaters!

Happy Birthday Emma!

Today Emma is one month old! She seems to be enjoying life outside the womb. She has been on a few outings, but her favorite place is probably Aunt Heather and Uncle Mark's. There is another baby there for her to look at- and Ben likes to "talk" to her! Emma seems to be quite the eater, and currently weighs in at 8 lbs, 4 oz.

We are continuously amazed at everything she does- and are so thankful to be Emma's parents. Our first month of parenthood has been great, even if it has been rather sleepless. However, we are adjusting.........more to come later!

Emma meets her Aunties

Emma was so excited to have her Aunt Monica and Aunt Brittany come for a visit from Chicago. Emma got lots of cuddles and had fun sleeping in their arms, and the new aunties had fun changing Emma's diapers! :) They could only stay for a couple of days, but we were just so glad they could be here. We loved watching Monica and Brittany get to know Emma- and we enjoyed the extra help!

She's here!

Okay, so it's been a while since we've posted any pictures or news, but we've been busy! Emma Claire Cone arrived on Monday, June 16th at 4:52 p.m. She weighed 7 lbs, 6 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. Emma's arrival was perfect- we couldn't have asked for a better birth experience. Nicole was only in labor for about 9 hours- and the epidural made things much nicer after only one severely painful hour!

Emma has been to the pediatrician, and was pronounced perfectly healthy. She has even gained back her weight that she lost after delivery, and was 7 lbs, 8 ounces last Monday. Emma is even more perfect than we could have imagined, and we are so thankful to have such a beautiful, healthy baby.

Jumping Jacks

We made it! Our baby is now considered "full term" at 37 weeks. Now that we've reached this milestone, David can't contain his excitement and has been trying to get me to do jumping jacks. I don't think this is a strategy that typically produces a baby, but we'll see if it starts any contractions. I could only do one (and I'm sure it looked as awkward as it felt) and nothing has happened yet.

As you can see from the picture, I'm definitely past the point of people just wondering if I'm fat or pregnant. Lately I've caught people STARING at my tummy, without even looking at my face. I must be the cutest pregnant girl they've seen in a while-- or my belly is just hanging out of my shirt.

Ben is waiting....

As you can see, baby Benjamin is so excited to meet his cousin Emma- he can hardly contain himself! We think they will soon become best friends- we keep telling him to be patient!

Mom & Dad's Visit!

Nicole's parents came down for a visit from Indiana, and Dad was finally able to meet his grandson! We had a lot of fun spending time with them. We went to the Arboretum one day, and they both came to our baby shower. On Mother's Day, Benjamin was baptized, and they also got to be there for that special event! We had a very fun weekend, we just wish they were still here! Actually, Mom will be back very soon, pending further information from the doctor on baby Emma's impending arrival. Nicole is now beginning to dilate, so potentially labor could begin very soon! We'll keep everyone posted, as we try not to become nervous wrecks.

Nesting

We've been busy lately-- let's chalk it up to nesting. David had concrete poured to finish out our patio (which turned into a rainy nightmare, but we won't go there). We also had our baby shower, so we've been having lots of fun washing tiny clothes and putting the finishing touches on baby Emma's nursery. Our baby shower was a success, with almost 40 people in attendance. It was a marathon gift-opening extravaganza, which ended with lots of very nice baby items. So, we continue to "nest" (like two birds- one with a very large, protruding tummy) and prepare our home for our new addition. 5 1/2 weeks (or less) to go!

Nicole's Tummy

Baby Emma is on the move- her head is down and she likes to stick her butt out near my ribs for us to poke. We are enjoying seeing body parts move across my tummy. She is especially active after a meal or a chocolate milkshake (her favorite?). As you can see, she's getting bigger!

Baby Emma's Room

Here are a few pictures of Emma's room. We still have a few items to add, but it's ready now if she comes early.

10 weeks to go!

We are so excited to meet our baby girl, and can't believe there are only 10 more weeks left (well, hopefully at least 6)! Apparently, she weighs approximately 3 lbs. 7 oz. now, which is a little on the large side. It's probably all of the milkshakes I've been having- and she's taking after David already!
We've been very busy with weekly doctor appointments and attending childbirth classes, so the time will continue to fly by. Even though I'm now on my fourth week of partial bed rest, we've managed to become more prepared for our baby's arrival. Today we received our first baby gift in the mail- thanks Monica & Brittany! It's all very exciting, and we can't wait until she's here.

Baby Cone update

We are now entering the 3rd trimester-- with this step came some unexpected news. Apparently I am showing some signs of preterm labor, and am "taking it easy" for the next few days, maybe weeks. We just hope that baby Cone is comfy enough to stay where she is for another 6-8 weeks! Here is a recent picture of our baby, already over 2 pounds and growing just fine.

Meet our nephew!

This is our new nephew, Benjamin Andrew Sawicki. He was born on February 14, 2008, and is already 6 weeks old! He is so very smart and full of many talents already, such as smiling and making an array of funny baby noises.

Our dogs

These are our lovely golden retrievers. They are so happy right now, but they don't know how drastically their lives are about to change. In June, they may want a new home because of the impending arrival of baby Cone. We hope they will still love us!