Oh, the places Moanie Goes!

As I was gathering together pictures for a post on the past month with Lucy, her favorite doll Simone kept coming up.  I decided then, to have a separate post to showcase all the places this beloved doll goes and how much a part of the family she really is.  For example, this evening we left our house for a walk with both girls and Simone in the double stroller.  By the time we were half way through the walk, I ended up carrying Emma, Lucy got out and walked, and Will pushed the double stroller with Simone firmly strapped into the five point harness.  To say that Will was slightly embarrassed is an understatement.

When I was Lucy's age, I also had a favorite doll that went everywhere with me.  Her name was Babsie (pronounced Babe-See), and my grandma gave her to me, just as Lucy's grandma gave her Simone.  I brought Babsie out the other day to show Lucy, and to bring both generations of dolls to the nursing home to visit my grandma and show her how the tradition has carried on.  This ended up being our last visit with my grandma, as she passed away last week.  I felt like we had come full circle somehow though, and we had a beautiful, touching visit - one that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Below are the two generations of beloved dolls - Babsie and Simone.

Here Simone is below, getting her picture taken at the professional photography studio we went to for Emma's four month pictures.  Lucy utilized their props and our digital camera and had a ball photographing Simone while Emma simultaneously had her photographs taken.

 Here is Lucy and Simone on the playground...

 Lucy and Simone at the library...

 Lucy and Simone at Target...

Lucy was a bit cranky in the above picture because Will had apparently strapped Simone in the wrong way.  These dolls are more than just plastic and cloth (and a healthy dose of dirt and grime).  They are an extension of family somehow, and Lucy loves her Moanie dearly. 

Emma's 4 Months!

 My Aunt Lucy told me that she remembers hearing that a four month old baby is about as close as you can get to a perfect human.  I have to agree with her.  Emma is the perfect blend of social, happy, cute and sleepy!  We've had a great month with her and here are some of the highlights below.

Lucy and Emma continue to share a special bond.  I am hoping neither of them forget it when Emma starts getting into Lucy's things, and Lucy finds out that she has a little 'subject' to boss around.  For now I will enjoy the cute dynamics that they share.  Here is Emma looking adoringly at her big sister... and in the next picture Lucy looking lovingly at Emma.

At times I have to stretch my creativity to new limits as I try to keep Emma safe from Lucy's advances without making Lucy feel like her ways of showing affection are less than desirable!  There isn't anyone else that can make Emma erupt in deep belly laughs than her sister Lucy though.  Here Emma is below getting a piggy back ride into the kitchen from Lucy.

The bonding continues below as Lucy provides moral support while Emma works on curing some diaper rash in front of the fan.

 Emma is becoming more aware of her surroundings this month.  She has a fascination with patterns and will concentrate really hard on the shapes on her boppy pillow instead of eating, or the butterflies on her crib sheets instead of sleeping.  She tries picking them up with her fingers and is content to scratch away at any pattern of interest for quite some time.

Emma gets stronger by the day and will squirm and throw her body at me if I walk into a room and someone else is holding her.  I even got her up one morning and found that she had kicked a hole through her blanket that she was swaddled in.  I almost had to resort to cutting the blanket to get her leg out of it, as it was so tight around her little knee.  Fortunately, I saved the leg, but the blanket could not be salvaged as two mornings prior to that she had punched a hole through it with her arm.

Emma is finally old enough to go into the jumper we had for Lucy, and she is just tall enough to reach the floor.  Lucy at this age had to have a phone book under her feet for the first couple of months in order to reach the floor, so based on this, maybe Emma will be the taller sister.

 Emma loves her play mat and her favorite toy is the little birdie that chirps when you pull the ring on it's feet.  She also discovered her feet this past month, and loves to taste her toes as well as roll from side to side while holding onto both of her feet.  She has yet to roll completely over, but I have a feeling it will happen soon.

 Emma is a happy baby, and really only has one dislike - riding in the car or stroller.  She continues to have limited tolerance of both of these things.  Traveling even short distances is stressful and taking a walk is a workout, as we have to carry her most of the way.

I promise to upload some pictures from Emma's four month photo shoot soon.