June 2011

June 1! Happy 3 Months!

To celebrate the first day of June and Emersyn being three months old I put her in an all polk-a-dot outfit. I sent Chris a text message with a picture asking him if it's okay to dress in all polk-a-dots. He replied 'Only after Memorial Day'. Along with the amazing amount of style this outfit emits, it also shows the wonderful baby chub developing around the midsection.

Most of the focus of June was getting ready to move back to California. We were tying up loose ends and prepping our belongings for the movers. We were extremely glad to have Chris' new job include in the contract a moving stipend that would prevent us from having to move anything down the three flights of stairs that still seemed so vivid from a year earlier. A moving company could pack everything in just one day so that allowed us to continue to use most of our stuff up until they day before our move. That was great since having to pack up all of Emersyn's things while still needing them would have been difficult, and packing with a baby didn't seem to appealing either.

In preparation for our return home, I decided it was best to get Emersyn sleeping in the crib sooner rather than later. I figured she would have an easier transition to a new sleeping situation if she was already used to her own crib. I waited until we had a video baby monitor so I could more easily keep on eye on her and how she was doing. Emersyn doesn't cry very loud until she is extremely upset, in which case it takes a really long time to get her calmed down. I wanted to be able to avoid that by catching her awake before she escalated to being nearly inconsolable. Another motive for the baby monitor was to be able to exercise on the bike trainer and watch a movie or listen to music and be away from Emersyn so as to not wake her up, but at the same time be able to watch to see when she was done sleeping. The monitor was wonderful for exercising as well as watching Emersyn. I am also one of those parents that jumps up and runs into the bedroom whenever I think I hear something, most often to find her fast asleep. I don't think the transition to the crib could have gone easier. We made sure to prop up the head of the bed since it seemed that Emersyn had a little bit of reflux. She slept through the night the first couple of nights and then would go through a stretch where she would wake up once. If that happened I would feed her and she would directly fall back to sleep.

Emersyn was becoming a sturdier baby, which I was enjoying. Thinking back to the first days when we brought her home I was so afraid of injuring her as she seemed so fragile and she had lost so much weight. I liked the rolls that were forming on her legs and the chunk on the back of her neck. We worked to give her more tummy time, which she was not a fan of. I found that if I set her on her tummy on top of a mirror and had her face the mirrored sliding closet door she was distracted by all the reflections that we could get a pretty long stretch before she started distressing.

Before Tummy Time

During Tummy Time

Chris and I spent more time doing things with the friends we had made. I went swimming a couple of nights with Michelle Petersen and Andrea Skidmore. We went to the beach and enjoyed a lot of picnics and days at the park. Now that Emersyn was older she was much better in social situations. Breastfeeding wasn't as much of an issue. I could more easily do it when in groups and her feedings were spaced out enough that I could actually get away for a while. Chris and I were still working getting Emersyn to take a bottle and hoped to have it figured out by the time we moved to Utah so that I could have a little more freedom. Chris did try once while I was out running errands. Emersyn only took an ounce of previously frozen breastmilk before she freaked out. With us being as busy as we were and me always being available we simply pushed our desire for Emersyn to be on the bottle to the backburner.

We thought about spending Father's Day in Mammoth using a condo that belonged to the Young Women's president. But, with Father's day being our last Sunday in the ward (the next being Stake Conference) I didn't feel like I could leave it up to someone else. However, plans changed when the YW presidency was released and I didn't have to teach my lesson anyway. We thought about going to Mammoth following church, but the 4 plus hour drive and having only one and a half days to spend there with a small baby that has to take naps didn't seem like it was worth the hassle. We stuck around for a barbecue with friends which turned out to be a great way to spend Father's Day.

Emersyn discovered her hands and fingers and quickly latched on. We would laugh as she tried to fit her her whole hand in her mouth, or both hands. Many times she would get deep enough to stimulate the gag reflex.

When Emersyn was born her hair looked a standard brown color sporting a baby mullet - business on top, party in the back. The party is long enough that Emersyn got a rats nest one night. As she falls asleep she rubs her head back and forth trying to get comfortable, earning herself her first snarl and an ever increasing bald patch. We started to realize that Emersyn also had quite a bit of auburn in her hair and at times, especially in the sun, would almost appear to be a redhead.

Aunt Sara returned home from her time serving as a missionary in the Tennessee Nashville mission two weeks before we were moving home. With the time between her return and our move back being so short we stayed in California but made sure Sara knew we were glad she is back.

One of our favorite songs to sing to Emersyn is our own version of Bennie and the Jets. We changed the words to "Emi and the Jets". She smiles every time and especially when we get to the 'doo doo' parts.

Amidst all the preparations to move we wanted to make sure to enjoy the California sun as much as possible. Chris and I felt that fore living in SoCal we were pretty pale and didn't have much to show for a year of great weather. Emersyn, of course, spent her time relaxin' and maxin' in the shade with her favorite toy Freddie the Firefly.

We snuck in a couple more beach days as well. There may be something in the salty ocean air that is sleep inducing to Emersyn since she always seems to crash not long after we get settled at the beach.

Chris' official graduation took place just before we left for Utah, even though Chris still had some more shifts to put in before he could officially call it quits. We enjoyed dinner with the other fellows and their family and Chris enjoyed showing off his baby girl to the rest of the residency and faculty one more time.

In trying to learn more about my camera and it's settings Emersyn becomes my practice model and every now and then she has to endure a mini photo shoot. Of course there is no better subject than my baby girl.

We had a good bye barbecue with some of our friends who we came to love and appreciate so much. The Hadlocks, Skidmores, Petersons, Sanchez's, Oka's, Moreno's, etc. We hope to keep an eye out for jobs so we would be able to have them close once again. I was amazed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support that came so quickly after we moved in. They were a huge help during the pregnancy and provided meals and support once Emersyn was born. I love how God sends other people when you need it.

Chris wanting to get started in the new job and an upcoming vacation to Cape Cod with the Bell family prompted us to move our belongings and Emersyn and I back to Utah to get a head start even though Chris would have to fly back and finish the last week and drive home himself. Thankfully Chris was able to get a moving stipend put into the contract and we didn't have to do much ourselves. My stress level was minuscule compared to moving out. One day a couple of guys came and packed everything up and then next day a group of people came to put everything in the truck. On the 28th of June, after all of our belongings were on the truck and Chris and I had packed and loaded our car for the drive to Utah, we set out and I officially ended my chapter of Life in California.

We were hoping to make it to St. George to stay for the night, but a car accident and major traffic backup allowed us only to get as far as Las Vegas. Emersyn was great in the car, although she seemed to have some issues with breastfeeding and I'm pretty sure at least one person saw more than they planned on while we were stopped at a small town in Nevada. During the traffic jam Emersyn decided to fill her diaper which required immediate attention. Since we were moving only 5 miles per hour or less she got a quick diaper change while driving. Thought it may or may not be true, the extra time it took to feed Emersyn due to her freak-out kept us just behind the actual accident and far from any chance that we could have been involved.

Favorite pictures for the month of June