The Emma Report

A new Trinity

2008-08-24T21:09:00.005-04:00

Emma, Big Sister, and I were on our way to Home Depot this morning when Big Sister brought up the topic of the Tooth Fairy. She spent some time explaining in detail how she intended to confirm the existence of the Tooth Fairy, and it boiled down to this:

1) When her first tooth falls out, she plans to put it under her pillow and go to sleep.

2) When she wakes up in the morning, she will look under her pillow.

3) If the tooth is gone, there is a Tooth Fairy.

She went on to explain how the Tooth Fairy can see you all the time, and concluded: "God, Santa Claus, and the Tooth Fairy."

Thomas redux

2008-08-11T15:02:00.003-04:00

It's amazing what kids remember. After we looked all over the place yesteday, Laurie issued a missing Thomas alert and this morning we received an email reply:

D..... says the last time he saw it, Emma was playing with the Thomas part in the TV room on the couch - the one closest to the chair by the TV.

To make a long story short, 15 minutes, a bump on the head, and a face full of dust later, I located Thomas upside down shoved between two parts of the La-Z-Boy. I also found a few other toys, and a whole new appreciation for the amount of space inside a La-Z-Boy sectional. Thanks D!

Thomas the Tank Engine

2008-08-10T23:52:00.002-04:00

There's been a lot of excitment over the last few days: Friends and family visiting, a weekend party, helium balloons, new stuffed animals, educational toys, and a scooter. But overshadowing it all for our now-three-year-old has been Thomas the Tank Engine. She has literally played with it (and the accompanying wooden track) several times each day since we gave it to her on Tuesday night. She's sat with it, eaten with it, and would probably have taken Thomas to bed with her if we let her. It's really cool to see her take such interest in a new toy (as opposed to, for example, just playing with the box.)

Unfortunately, over the weekend, Thomas went AWOL, and extensive searches of the family room and other areas have yet to reveal his whereabouts. So, if you see a blue engine puffing by...

Third Birthday!

2008-08-05T22:08:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that Emma is three years old! While we can't help but recall the trauma of her extremely premature birth and her precarious state three years ago, we also celebrate her many achievements. The simple pleasure of watching Emma enjoy new toys on her birthday brings a smile to our faces.

The new love of Emma's life is Thomas. The Tank Engine, that is.

I remember that hand when it was about the size of my thumbnail...

We had a small family celebration tonight, and Emma practiced blowing out candles and eating cake. The big party is Saturday (more photos to follow).

Happy birthday Emma!

First bicycle

2008-07-05T22:07:00.003-04:00

Emma's been riding a plastic tricycle for a while, and on our last camping trip it became obvious that she needed a better fit. So, following the time honoured tradition, father and daughter headed off to Canadian Tire. I don't know where that tradition came from -- perhaps good marketing, or perhaps because when I was a kid stores like Walmart, Home Depot, and Rona didn't exist. There was Canadian Tire, the local lumber store, and K-Mart, and they all sold different stuff. And bicycles were at Canadian Tire.

Unfortunately Canadian Tire's selection of Emma-sized bikes was non-existent. I expected that leaving the store without a bike would result in a major meltdown, but Emma cheerfully accepted the explanation "Everything too big" and we headed off to Walmart at one of the employee's suggestion.

While Walmart's inventory certainly isn't anything to brag about either, they did have a few tricycles and a small bicycle. After test pedaling several of them, and some tense negotiation, we settled on this one...

First Camping of 2008

2008-06-24T22:47:00.000-04:00

A few weekends ago we went camping at Association Island near Henderson Harbor, New York. We had a fantastic time on a waterfront site, although the water (Lake Ontario) was pretty cold. We woke up the first morning to see more than a dozen geese just outside our trailer.

Emma and Big Sister sit down...at the same time!

Rocks anyone?

No beach on your campsite? No problem! A bin from Loblaws half-full of water will keep them entertained for hours!

... and hours!

What? A popsicle moustache?

Yum!

Really, there's a balance beam here somewhere...I know it!

Hey, dad, can you put one of *those* in my bucket?

Emma and Michaela discuss the finer points of a blade of grass. (If you can't get them to both look at the camera at the same time, looking at each other works!)

We are so ready for summer...

2008-06-23T22:45:00.000-04:00

Emma takes up Golf

2008-06-22T22:41:00.002-04:00

Emma's one-handed swing is unconventional, but don't get your toes too close!

Daddy's Shoes

2008-06-22T22:40:00.000-04:00

Lately there has been a fascination with daddy's shoes...

Phrase of the Day

2008-06-09T07:34:00.004-04:00

Sorry folks, we've been busy and neglected to post for a while -- photos soon, promise!

Emma's vocabulary has been expanding rapidly, and she recently determined that she is no longer a baby. Apparently she is a "Big Girl" now. Just ask, she'll tell you. Repeatedly.

This morning she walked up and proudly announced, "Big Girl Tooted!"

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T20:34:00.006-04:00

Emma's message for all you Mom's out there...

(Emma says click on the link for the mp3 file)

She knows the routine....

2008-04-30T21:59:00.000-04:00

Emma had a follow-up appointment with her ENT doc at CHEO last week.

You know your former micropreemie has seen a lot of doctors when she patiently opens her mouth and turns her head for the docs to have a peek at her throat and ears, then hops down and announces: "All Done. Sticker Please."

Spring has Sprung!

2008-04-21T23:00:00.002-04:00

In the span of one month, we've gone from this:

to this:

It has been unusually warm here over the past week. Our average daily temperature at this time of year is typically in the mid-teens (Celsius). This weekend, our outdoor thermometer was reading more than 29 degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit):

The girls have gone from snowpants, boots, and mittens to shorts, sneakers, and tee-shirts in the matter of 7 days:

They managed to find a small patch of snow in the farthest corner of our backyard:

and had a great time playing in the snow wearing their summer clothes!:

We're enjoying this wonderful weather while we get it and hoping that Mother Nature doesn't have some more winter-like nastiness in store for us!

Emma's Easter Slide Show

2008-03-23T10:20:00.000-04:00

Waving the White Flag of Surrender

2008-03-17T23:06:00.001-04:00

Over the course of the last month our home has been hit by plague, pestilence, and cranky, cranky children.

Seriously, over the course of the past 4 weeks, we've had:

4 nasty colds (2 of which Emma has had the misfortune to have)

3 icky flu bugs (of the gastrointestinal variety)

2 rounds of antibiotics, and

1 case of Strep Throat.

Oh, and let's not forget the 125 cm. of snow. That's 50 inches. More than 4 feet.

I give up.

Spring cannot get here fast enough.

P.S. Eric came back from a doctor's appointment this afternoon with a new sickness to add to our ever-growing list. Sinus Infection. Lovely.

Out of the mouths of babes

2008-02-24T22:45:00.002-05:00

Big Sister announced this afternoon that her teacher is going to have a baby.

Apparently Mrs. F. showed the class an ultrasound image last week.

Clearly unimpressed by the blurry display, Big Sister complained:
"I couldn't see anything in the picture, Mommy. It was too dark."

I explained that the baby was still tiny and inside his Mommy's tummy, so it was hard to get a clear picture.

Big Sister thought about this for a while, then offered a suggestion: "I think they need to get a flashlight in there."

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T20:45:00.000-05:00

Miss Emma wishes everyone a very smiley Valentine's Day!

We baked some cupcakes for Big Sister to bring in to her School/Day Care bakesale today.

Of course, Emma had to sample them:

Emma's verdict: Finger-licking good!

Word of the Day

2008-02-12T20:03:00.002-05:00

It's amazing the difference two years can make. Gone are the drama of respiratory emergencies, replaced by colds, runny noses and the occasional outburst -- in other words normal two-year-old stuff.

Mom's out tonight, and big sister knows that's a good opportunity to negotiate for a DVD. "You picked the last one, right dad?" she attempted. It went something like this...

Dad: No, you did. Remember, we watched Barbie Fairytopia?

Big Sister: Oooooh, can't I choose?

Dad: No, because you only want to watch Barbie Fairytopia or Barbie Island Princess, and we've seen them enough the last few weeks. Let's watch something that Emma would like, maybe something with animals in it.

Big Sister: How about Barbie Swan Lake? We haven't watched that in a long time.

Dad: No, that wouldn't be fair to Emma.
Big Sister: Emma likes Barbie.

Dad (stupidly): Emma, would you like to watch Barbie or something with animals?

Emma: Barbie no animals.

Dad: Barbie OR animals?

Emma: Bar-bie.

Dad: Wouldn't you...

Emma: Bar-bie! Bar-bie! Bar-bie!

Yes, folks, the new word of the day is Barbie. I'm in hell.

M.I.A.

2008-01-27T23:11:00.000-05:00

Sorry about our missing in action status over the past month.... No excuses, just not much blog-worthy has been happening 'round here.

I mentioned last month that our nanny abruptly quit just before Christmas (she had moved the month earlier and was finding her hour-long twice-daily commute too much to deal with). I'm happy to report that we were able to find a fabulous new caregiver (Liz) quite quickly. I'm even happier to report that Emma has adjusted to her new caregiver amazingly well!

Every morning as we bring her to Liz's home, Emma happily toddles off to play, often without even a goodbye wave or backwards glance. Not a single tear has been shed! She clearly enjoys her time there, has learned several new songs, and has brought home a portfolio full of new artwork.

Liz has also been amazed at how well Emma has adjusted. She wrote in our daily journal last week that Emma is a delightful, sociable little girl and one of the most easy-going children she's ever had the privilege of caring for. As a working mom, I can't tell you the relief I feel knowing that Emma is receiving loving care (in a safe, stimulating environment) when we're not there to give it to her...

In other news, Emma will be starting group speech therapy in a couple of weeks. While she's become quite a "chatterbox" she's still somewhat speech-delayed for her age (not uncommon for a micro-preemie) and I think she'll really enjoy the group sessions and social interaction...

Finally, there was cause for big excitement at our house this week....Both girls have been taking swimming lessons and today Big Sister successfully completed Preschool level D, while Emma 'graduated' from Parent & Tot 2.

Summer 2020 Olympic Swim Team, here we come!

Pictures of 2007: The Year in Review

2007-12-31T23:45:00.000-05:00

January

saw the arrival of Emma's first tooth (finally!):

and her first experience of snow as a mobile baby:

February

We celebrated Valentine's Day:

and had lots of fun at Winterlude:

March

brought Emma's evolution from crawling baby (at Uncle Dean's wedding):

to toddling toddler:

to Dancing Queen:

April

started with a freak late winter storm:

and ended with balmy summer-like weather:

May

we spent most of our days outside, enjoying the beautiful weather:

June

saw us working on Emma's table manners :)

July

marked Emma's first 'official' haircut:

and our annual summer vacation (this year, to southern Ontario):

August

we celebrated Emma's 2nd birthday:

September

Emma was finally able to meet her great-grandmother who travelled from Germany to celebrate Opa's birthday this month:

October

While Mommy returned to work (after being off for 2 years), the girls enjoyed playing in the leaves:

and Emma went trick-or-treating for the first time:

November

after we mopped up from the Great Flood (caused by a broken pipe in the kitchen), the girls had a bit of fun with the industrial fans the renovation crew left to dry out the floors:

we enjoyed the Santa Claus Parade while attending the annual Children's Christmas party at Eric's office:

but Emma was not feeling well and slept right through Santa's arrival:

December

brought us a ton of snow!:

we celebrated Big Sister's 5th birthday:

posed for some Christmas photos:

and the girls were very excited to see that Santa Claus had left some presents under the tree on Christmas morning:

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!... May 2008 bring you nothing but joy, peace, good health, and happiness!

Memo to Santa

2007-12-30T12:48:00.000-05:00

Dear Santa,

It's not that Emma did not enjoy the gifts you so thoughtfully left for her under the Christmas tree this year. She did. Really.

Apparently, though, what Emma really wanted for Christmas was 24 cans of cat food.

No kidding. Over the past 3 days, Emma has been happily occupied, stacking the cans in various combinations while her Christmas gifts sit largely ignored in the playroom.

Perhaps next year, Santa, you might want to consider bringing Emma an empty cardboard box or two. She'd probably get a real kick out of them, too....

signed,
Emma's Mommy

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

Seasons greetings to you and yours and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2008!

Snow much fun!

2007-12-24T23:40:00.000-05:00

December pictures

2007-12-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

December is a notoriously busy month, what with Christmas and Big Sister's birthday. Add in a couple of holiday parties, a school Christmas concert or two, a couple of quick trips to the doctor, swimming lessons, gymnastic classes, a busy few weeks at work, a frantic search for a new caregiver ('cause our nanny abruptly quit last week!!) and we've had a pretty crazy month so far!

In spite of the hectic days, we've also tried to have some family fun.

Emma and Big Sister helped to bake some Christmas cookies:

Adding sparkly sugar is serious business:

but the results are pretty yummy!:

Emma was especially helpful when it came to decorating the Christmas tree :)

We also continued our annual tradition of decorating a gingerbread house:

Our visit to see Santa Claus did not go so well....

(hopefully Emma hasn't been traumatised for life, but I have to admit that the picture still makes me giggle)

at least we got a good picture of Big Sister with the Big Guy:

and Emma was much happier to pose for pictures once we got back home:

well, at least for a little while:

(Emma has got the "Pouting-Two-year-old-Look" perfected)

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a warm and wonderful Holiday Season, with our best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Happy Birthday Big Sister!

2007-12-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

As hard as it is to believe, our first baby is 5 years old today!

Happy, happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Sorry, no time for a proper update. A party with sixteen five-year old girls = very tired Mommy & Daddy. More to come soon...

Miss Emma, finally sitting still long enough to enjoy some birthday cake :)