Emma- Three Months

Today Emma is three months old and we had another great mommy-daughter photo shoot. Ok, so really it's a daughter photo shoot because I'm never in them but I truly enjoy taking the pictures! Emma is becoming a great little model, and I can usually catch a smile if I peak my face out from behind the camera and then look back into the lens really fast to ensure she's still in the frame. What I've learned from this is either A.) I need to paste a picture of my smiling face to the front of the camera or B.) buy a remote & a tripod. Seeing that we have very little money right now it seems A will have to suffice. It may be fun to see if she responds to a picture of me, after all she smiles at her octopus friend on her activity gym and he has a big old smile on his face.

Exploring Minneapolis

Emma and I did a little driving around today, and when we got back to the hotel and she ate (after she screamed her head off in the car) we did a little photo shoot. I'm trying to make sure she gets lots of tummy time and time in her bumbo chair. I want to make sure she's nice and strong! So here are a few adorable shots from today. She did really well!

It was Emma's first time at an art museum today! We went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art where she slept the entire time. Hopefully we'll be back one day so she can enjoy all the art and the beautiful view of downtown Minneapolis from the museum. Here are a few shots to help her remember.

I really enjoy exploring new cities. I have to admit it's very different exploring with a baby. I have to consider nap times, feeding schedules (other than my own) and where the elevators are. But I'm so glad I have my little buddy with me, and I can't wait until she understands these places and gives me input on what she'd like to check out. In the meantime, it's just me, going where I want to go, pushing a stroller. And there is no better feeling in the world.

Thankful

Today is my most favorite day of the year, Thanksgiving! It's not just my favorite holiday because of the food or my crazy family traditions, it's also my favorite because it encourages you to slow down and reflect on what you are thankful for. Too often I get caught up in the day to day, forgetting that I am beyond blessed. I recently heard a quote that really got me thinking about giving thanks:

What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

That really got me thinking, how often am I thankful? And not just flippantly thankful, but truly from the bottom of my heart grateful for all the blessings in my life. So with that, here are just a handful of the things that I am thankful for this year.

1. The amazing gift of life and the birth of our beautiful baby girl Emma Grace. There is nothing more miraculous than human life, and I know that now more than ever. So many people struggle with infertility, or complications in pregnancy or birth and I am so grateful that we have a happy, healthy, beautiful little baby. I could go on and on but I'll stop there :)
2. Brandon getting a job as a character animator! I am so proud of how hard he has worked to get to this point and the sacrifices he has made along the way. Seriously, how many people can say that they get to do a job that they LOVE and have wanted to do for a long time? I am reminded of the quote, "If you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life".
3. Along those lines, I am so grateful that the timing of this new job worked out in such a way that we don't have to be working retail this holiday season. I wanted to be able to enjoy Emma for her first holidays without having to go into work the next day and it's actually going to work out that way! Talk about God's perfect timing.
4. I'm so thankful that we have a place to live during our transitional period. Brandon's parents have graciously opened their home to allow us to stay with them as Brandon transitions to a new job and it was a huge blessing to not have to pay a lot of money for rent while I was staying home with Emma during the first couple months of her life.
5. Now, more than ever, I am thankful for family. I am so thankful that we get to go up to Bethany Beach today and enjoy the most fun Thanksgiving ever. I have a new outlook on my relationship with my mom after becoming a mom myself. I am so thankful for Brandon's family, for the fact that Emma has a cousin who is just a little older and a second cousin who is the same age. I am thankful that Brandon's family has remained close so that our children can grow up enjoying time with their cousins the same way we have both grown up with our cousins. I am thankful that I have a new brother, Ben, and that he an Trisha are beginning to build a life together. Family has taken center stage in my life this year, it's been amazing watching my parents become grandparents, and my grandma enjoying being a great-grandma (or GG as she as so aptly named herself).

I could go on and on, but I need to get Emma ready to go, hop in the shower, make another cup of coffee and head up to Bethany!