Doggy Love

Savannah must be a part of our bedtime routine or she expresses her unhappiness. She lies outside the tub during bathtime and lies in the floor of Emma Claire's room while we get her ready for bed and storytime. One night this week Emma Claire decided to give Savannah some love AND ride her like a pony. Savannah wasn't fazed in the least and kept right on chewing her bone. These two have such a sweet relationship and I know they will be the best of buds as Emma Claire grows up.

Family Picnic at the Park

Sunday afternoon we headed out to Harris Lake for a family picnic. We spent a few hours playing (baseball, playground, and geo-caching) and finished the evening with a delicious grill out. It was truly the dirtiest Emma Claire has ever been and she loved it! Our picnic site was in a gravel area and she loved playing with the rocks. She also went wading in the lake. It was a great way to finish out a busy but fun weekend!

Got to Be NC Festival

To conclude our busy weekend, we spent Sunday morning at the Got to Be NC Festival. A free event featuring NC foods, wines, and vendors as well as rides and animals for the kids. It was a hot day but we enjoyed walking around. We were talking about how much Emma Claire will enjoy next year when she can ride the rides until we discovered she needs to grow another 7" which could be a long shot for our little girl! She may have to wait 2 more years!

Charlotte Visit: Momaw & Papaw's

On our way back to Raleigh, we stopped for a visit with Momaw and Papaw. After more hugs & kisses and we were on our way home. Here are a few pictures from our visit:

Charlotte Visit: The Van Wingerdens

We continued our stay with a night at Aunt Courtney, Uncle Michael, Brayden, & Jackson's house. Emma Claire loves playing with her cousins. She had lots of fun reading stories, playing ring around the rosey, playing outside, and swimming! Here are a few pictures of our stay.

Charlotte Visit: Nana & Poppy's

Last weekend we headed to Charlotte to visit with family. The first part of our stay included a sleep over at Nana & Poppy's. We practiced their names on the way there and she had mastered Nana by the time we arrived but we are still working on Papa. She had lots of fun playing, lots of hugs & kisses, and some shopping time with Mommy & Nana.

Duke ICN Reunion

Earlier this month we headed back to Duke for the Intensive Care Nursery Reunion. I make the journey regularly for volunteer work but this was Kyle & Emma Claire's first time back since she was discharged. We were so thankful to be in attendance with our healthy, thriving girl! Unfortunately we didn't see any of the other families/staff we were familiar with from Emma Claire's stay. Emma Claire did get to meet Blue! She wasn't a bit afraid of him to my relief - now we just need to convince Daddy that she's ready to meet Mickey :)

Walking in Daddy's Shoes

Kyle and I were in our bedroom with Emma Claire one evening when she went over and started trying to put Kyle's shoes on. It was the sweetest thing! She tried on several pairs. Here she is modeling! She also will try and put her on shoes & socks on.

Future Soccer Player

Emma Claire, Lane, and Grandma had fun playing soccer on a recent Sunday. Kyle will be thrilled if Emma Claire turns out to be a soccer player. Looks like she is off to a good start - even in a dress!

Donuts in Bed

Emma Claire & Kyle let me sleep in on Mother's Day and surprised me with hot Krispy Kreme donuts in bed. No pics of me :) but here is Miss Emma Claire enjoying her donut!

Daddy's Little Gardener

Emma Claire loves to tromp around & get her hands dirty in the garden with Kyle. Here are few photos I snapped of the two of them.

Our Little Fish

I took Emma Claire swimming for the first time this year on Saturday and she is quite the fish. She didn't want me to hold her and kept insisting "down" not understanding that she couldn't get down. She watched Brayden & Jackson run and jump in the pool and wanted to do it too! Here is a video clip of her going underwater. She loved it and did it over and over again! I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time in the water this summer.

Babies Don't Keep

Babies grow up, we have learnt to our sorrow,

So try and leave jobs that can wait till tomorrow.

Children grow older while you are not looking,

And years stretch ahead full of cleaning and cooking.

So quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep,

I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep.

This is one of those proverbs that makes its rounds every few years in a forward. As Emma Claire grows older I grow more and more aware that my days of rocking my baby will soon be coming to an end and how true this proverb is. For this reason I cherish rocking her every night and sometimes rock her just a few minutes longer knowing the time will be coming to an end. Last night my sweet girl woke up at 2:30AM and was awake to just a little past 4AM for no other apparent reason then she wanted her mommy. So as tired as I was we rocked and rocked and although I don't want to make a habit of middle of the night rocking sessions I must admit it was kind of wonderful sitting there rocking my baby in the peaceful quiet of the night. Babies don't keep and I'm getting all the rocking in I can!

And she's off...

Miss Emma Claire is walking! She's been taking a few steps at a time for a few weeks now but after this past weekend she's walking longer distances on her own.

March of Dimes

This past weekend was the March of Dimes. Kyle and I were disappointed we would miss it due to travel plans but Grandma & Aunt Katie took Emma Claire to walk as part of the Duke ICN Team. Together they raised $330 and helped the Duke ICN team raise over $5,000. Thanks Grandma & Aunt Katie!

The March of Dimes is a cause very near to our hearts not only because of Emma Claire's premature birth but because of my niece Chloe and nephew Jackson, friends we've made from Duke, and many other preemie stories that have touched our heart this past year. We hope to make it a family tradition each year to walk in memory and in honor of the many premature babies.