June 30th, 2008

We decided to let the girls try out their pool again today. We were hoping that Stella would like it better this time around if the water was warmer. Stella whined for a little bit at first, but we finally realized that Stella didn't like sharing the pool with Emerson. (Emerson tends to be a little bit of a bully when she is excited.) When we gave Stella a little bit of space to play by herself, she did great. Emerson also did great and really seems to love the water. They are both doing really good with crawling and scooting. They are getting into everything and can get to the other side of the room way too fast. We are going to get serious about baby proofing this week. Stella's first tooth is finally starting to break through the skin, and we are beginning to wonder if Emerson has teeth! Here are some pictures and videos from this week:

Emerson
Emerson swimming
Stella
Stella (on her belly) Emerson (in timeout)
Stella cuddling with mommy (Stella loves to cuddle)

Emerson trying to crawl and Stella playing in the pool

June 27th, 2008

Emerson and Stella got their ears pierced today! They look so cute, but weren't very happy about it at the time. (They are both fine now.) Here are some picture that my mom took right after they were done:

June 25th, 2008

We had the girls' 9 month pictures taken last night. These aren't completely edited yet, but they are still really cute. Our dear friend, Sharlla and her daughter Brittni, took the pictures for us again. They do a great job, and it is so nice to be able to take the pictures in an environment that the girls are familiar with. THANKS AGAIN, Sharlla and Brittni!

Emerson and Stella
Angel Emerson
Angel Stella
Stella and Emerson

Stella
Emerson
Stella
Emerson

June 22nd, 2008

Emerson sat up by herself tonight! (We didn't get a picture yet, but we will.) We are pretty sure that she has been able to sit up by herself for awhile, but she waited until now to show off her new skill. I think I felt Stella's first tooth today, too. It feels like it is finally breaking through her gums. They are both working on some form of crawling, but right now their crawling looks more like a combination between army crawling and scooting. They are both getting really good at getting into things! They are both very interested in the dogs, and it seems like they are always trying to get close to the dogs. Rambo (our gentle giant) adores the girls, but Kylee (our cocker spaniel) seems to be indifferent and keeps her distance. Here are some pictures from this week:

Emerson with Mamaw Ruth at Brianne's wedding
Uncle Eric and Papaw Marty entertaining Stella at the wedding
Sharlla with Emerson at Bri's wedding
Brittni with Emerson (also at the wedding)
Miss Emma Lee with Stella
Stella and Emerson enjoying their new strollers from Grandma Natalie and Grandpa Kim

Trying to crawl
Emerson attempting to crawl
Stella trying to crawl
Emerson worked so hard to get across the room to be next to Rambo

June 17th, 2008

This weekend we celebrated Father's Day and cousin Ruthi's second birthday. The girls seemed to enjoy all of the extra attention. They both seem to be feeling much better and got to try a couple of new foods over the last few weeks. They loved blueberries, turkey, and they even got to try a little bit of pasta. They will go to the doctor tomorrow for their 9 month check up. It is hard to believe that they are already 9 months old! Here are some pictures from the weekend:


Mamaw Ruth with Stella
Papaw Marty letting Emerson eat Ruthi's spongebob
Uncle Eric holding Emerson
Happy Birthday Ruthi!

June 12th, 2008

Great Grandma MaryAnn got the girls new swimsuits and Aunt Brandi let us have Ruthi's baby pool, so we decided to try them out. Emerson loved everything about her first swim, but we aren't sure if Stella didn't like the lukewarm water or if she is an indoor girl. Here are some of the pictures from their first swim:

Emerson splashing around
Daddy trying to put Stella back in the pool
Emerson after she tried to drink the water
Stella when she first got in the water (before she realized that she hated it)
Emerson when she first got in the water-This might be the cutest picture ever!

June 10th, 2008

Emerson and Stella didn't get much time to rest and recover this week, but they seem to be feeling better. They are both still fighting off colds, but they are definitely winning the battle. We took them back to the doctor yesterday, and she was happy with the progress that they were making. Emerson is still getting breathing treatments, but she is no longer taking the oral steroids. We are just going to have to continue to be careful and minimize their exposure to large crowds of people. We were very busy again last week. June is a crazy month for us with family birthdays. We celebrated my nanny's birthday over the weekend and celebrated my brother's birthday last night. This coming weekend we have Father's Day and my niece's birthday, and the following week we have my sister in law's birthday and James' brother's birthday! Here are some pictures from my nanny's surprise party and from the girls' first bath together:

Nanny holding Stella and Emerson at her 70th birthday party
Stella playing in the tub
Emerson playing in the tub
Stella and Emerson playing in the tub together (holding hands)
Stella and Emerson fighting over a book
Mommy and Stella cuddling while Emerson tries to crawl

Daddy and Emerson at Nanny's surprise party
Mamaw Ruth and Stella
Stella with her Great Nanny (Emily's grandma) at her 70th birthday party Papaw Marty with Emerson at Nanny's party

June 6th, 2008

Just a quick update...Emerson is doing much better. She is still congested, but it sounds more like it is in her nose than in her chest. At this point, we are fairly confident that she won't need to be hospitalized. We will take her back to the doctor for a check up on Monday. She seems to be very happy, and we are beginning to think that she likes being on steroids. They make her pretty hyper. It is hilarious!
Here is a picture of Emerson getting a breathing treatment.

June 4th, 2008

We survived yet another trip to Indiana! The girls did pretty well with travelling and enjoyed meeting more friends and family at the wedding. While we were in Indiana, both girls started running low grade fevers. We thought they were teething.... On Monday, Stella started to get a runny nose. By Tuesday Emerson also had a runny nose, but they both seemed to be doing pretty well. We thought that they may have allergies or colds. When we went in to wake them up this morning, Emerson was wheezing and her breathing was very raspy. We took them both to the doctor to have them checked out this afternoon. Stella was dealing with a minor cold or allergies like we thought, but Emerson's runny nose had gotten much more serious. Our nurse practitioner originally thought that Emerson might have croup or an upper respiratory problem, and she tried to treat her with a nebulizer treatment. When the first treatment didn't work, she brought our pediatrician in for a second opinion, and they said that Emerson has a reactive airway (probably from all of the ventilator/infection issues from the NICU) and minor colds can quickly travel to her lungs. They gave her a second nebulizer treatment with two medications and it seemed to help. They said that it was a good thing we brought her in when we did and didn't let it get much worse. They sent us home with oral steroids and two medications to be given in the nebulizer. The steroids and the nebulizer is as good as we will be able to do at home. Our pediatrician said that if we don't see improvement by Friday, Emerson will probably be hospitalized. We are very hopeful that the medications will work and Emerson will get better quickly. Please keep both of our girls in your prayers.

Great Grandma Mary Ann holding Stella
Great Grandpa Fred holding Emerson
Cousin Adrianna hanging out with the girls
Emerson and Stella loved playing with Luke (our friend's son)
Luke sharing his toys with the girls
Daddy dancing with Emerson and Uncle John dancing with Stella Grandpa Kim holding Stella
Great Grandpa Fred with Stella and Great Grandma Annie with Emerson
Auntie Tina with the girls
Aunt Sarah and Uncle John dancing with the girls