Picasso in the Making

I have been working on a mural in Emme's room since before she was born. Since her birth and going back to work it has been almost impossible to work on it for long periods of time. This Christmas break I broke out the paints and I let her paint her own picture while I was working on the wall. We had to cut our painting session short after she finished her beautiful masterpiece and then began painting her arms and hands! Maybe I will have the mural done before Baby Quinn moves into the room!

Educational Toys

My mom bought Emme this educational animal toy for Christmas and we tried it out today with great results. It comes with cards that you have to match the animals to based on pattens, where they live, letter or sounds etc. It is really for age 3 and up but I figured we could try some of the easier cards. Before we started I let Emme play with the animals to familiarize herself with them because from being a teacher you learn that kids need to play with the tools they are using for a few minutes before you can ask them to do anything with them. If you don't the child will be too interested in figuring out the "tool or toy" then what you are asking them to do. So I gave Emme the animals and we talked about each one and then on her own she started to put them into groups. I laughed to myself because I am so "OCD" with stuff that I think it has worn off a little on her. She did a great job though!

Lunch Date at Friendly's with Papa Mike!

My first real ice cream cone that I am eating by myself. Thanks Papa Mike for lunch and ice cream. Now we are off to help Papa buy a new car!

I Love My Christmas Toys!

Here is Emme making cookies with her new toys she got for Christmas. Don't you just love the medusa hair do??

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Well I got about an hour and a half of sleep last night preparing for today. This morning we had Paul's side of the family over for breakfast. This was the first trip up to visit since he received his new lung in June. We just had construction done on the inside of our house and I have been manic trying to get rid of all the dust! Just little things need to be finished like moldings and staining but the bulk of the construction is done. We now have a new basement which Emme is modeling off in the picture above, a new entryway, new tile floors in basement, hallway and laundry room downstairs, new front door and a new master bath.

We had a delicious breakfast with them and since we already exchanged gifts with them we waited to have Emme open up our gifts until the afternoon when my family came up. She wasn't looking to run downstairs just yet and tear up the place! Maybe next year! After everyone left we prepared the food for dinner. Then my parents, Jeanine and Kevin came and we ate again! Emme had an awesome day. Thank you to everyone for celebrating with us and for all the wonderful gifts!

Christmas Eve at the Farm Stand

Our good friends the DiNardos invited us again to their wonderful Christmas Eve feast at the Farm Stand. This year it was really a lot of fun for Emme since she can run around with her friends. The food was fantastic as always and the company was great too. This year Marianne's mother in law decorated a tree with little favors that the kids took as they left. All the children are definitely sleeping well tonight!

Christmas at the Quinns and Grandma Q & Paul Jr's Birthdays

We celebrated Christmas a little early at my in laws since the holidays are a crazy time in our family. It was really nice to spread it out too so Emme wasn't opening a million things on Christmas Day. We also did my mother in law's and Paul Jr's birthday too so they got to have an extra celebration day!

Emme's favorite part of any party- the dessert! Hmm wonder who she gets that from! 

Annual Holiday Card Crapshoot er... I mean photoshoot!

So it took 6 adults, a whole bag of doggie treats and loads of patience to get the fnal shots for my parents' annual holiday card. My dad managed to fall on the floor and not break anything and no one ended up killing any other human or animal although it was close. There was minimal swearing however but much less than last year. Here are a few of my favorite oopsie shots!

 Jerry "STAY, no kisses thank you!"

 No Emme you stay too!

Emme giving Smartie a shot!

Um Brody- you are supposed to be sitting not trying to get Tom to play with you.

We can't wait until next year when we add two more babies and ?? more dogs to this photo! Yes that's right I am due in February and Jeanine is having a baby and due in August!!! Kevin is already having anxiety over next year's shot! 

What a Goofball

 Happy Thanksgiving! We are so excited that my father in law is home from the hospital. We celebrated Thanksgiving this year at my in laws and everything was so wonderful. As you can see Emme has decided that shoes are one of her favorite things. I hate to tell her we won't be able to afford the Jimmy Choos though!

Happy Birthday Uncle Dom

We celebrated Dom's birthday tonight with delicious dinner and a lot of fun. The girls always have so much fun together.

Halloween Fun

We had tons of fun this Halloween now that Emme can enjoy it a little more! SHe had a blast at her two Halloween parties at school, a Halloween visit to the Cortlandt Farm Market, and trick or treating at Aunt Jeanine's and Uncle Kevin's and with Mommy and Daddy. This made for a ton of candy for Mommy um I mean Emme! Baby Quinn will be born on a sugar high for sure!

Missing Daddy

Someone decided that she was very upset Daddy had to work late so she went into his drawer and pulled out a shirt and said "Daddy shirt, Emme put a on." So what could I say?

Roo comes to visit

My agility friends are all on their way to Kentucky with their dogs for the Nationals. I would have liked to go but it would have been difficult taking time off from work and I really only have one dog that I could compete with. Jerry is still too wacko to run competitively. So instead I offered to dog sit my friend Lauren's special needs dog Roo. Roo fit right in at my house and Emme was so excited. She loves all animals and loved having crazy Roo all to herself.

Apple Picking at Barton's Orchards

Paul, Emme and I went to Barton's today to get some delicious apples and pumpkins. It was our first time to Barton's and I am glad we went early. When we were leaving there was a line about 200 people or more long! The traffic was out of control too! We picked some yummy apples even though there were not too many left and Emme picked out a bunch of pumpkins. It was a beautiful day too and the doughnuts were soooo yummy!

Emme's Hospital Stay

The IV was the worst part- still not sure if it was as bad for her as it was me watching and helping the 7 other people in our room putting the IV in Emme.

Emme likes this- her own big girl bed with a tv and snacks!

Emme woke up Saturday morning screaming which is quite unusual. She was breathing kind of heavy and had a runny nose but nothing that said run to the hospital. So we called the doctor and headed over, skipping Emme's favorite time of the week- music class. While on the phone with the doctor Emme was screaming still and the doctor was sure she must have an ear infection the way she was hollering. When we got there Emme was so upset still but was able to calm down for a few minutes when she saw the horses and her friend Arnold the pig. Emme's pediatrician is located on a horse farm. She listened to her, checked her ears, throat, and finally the dreaded strep test. Everything was perfect- no ear infection, throat was clear, no strep only a little bit of wheezing. So after a treatment we left with instructions to call in an hour with an update. We took a walk for some fresh air and all was good for awhile until it was time to eat when Emme started screaming again and refused to eat anything. I called the doctor again and I was instructed to check her from head to toe for anything out of the ordinary. Since I found nothing I took her back to the doctor where she heard a little crackle in her lungs and saw her drawing her skin in between her ribs a little as she was taking a breath. So we headed to the hospital for a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia.

We were taken immediately and spent three hours in the emergency room receiving breathing treatments and oral steroids when finally they agreed she had to be admitted since she was "desatting" terrible after every treatment. Normal oxygen sat levels are supposed to be around 100, Emme's ranged mid 80's. Emme was treated for asthma last winter with a nebulizer but was weaned off in April because she was doing so well and was not having any episodes while taking her maintenance med- pulmicort. Her asthma trigger is any kind of infection or cold. Doctors at the hospital could not find anything wrong with Emme other than a runny nose! This huge asthma episode was the result of something so minor which was so upsetting to me. Not that I wanted her to have something major like RSV or pneumonia but learning that a simple little viral infection could have such an awful effect on such a little kid. So after a three day stay at Northern Westchester Hospital where Emme was treated like a princess, and not just because she was the only kid on the peds floor, we were able to come home. We do have to follow a new course of action with the nebulizer similar to that of last year with pulmicort and then adding albuterol only when an episode occurs but now we are including the chewable singulair pill also which has shown to really help some kids tackle their asthma better. We will see how it goes. Emme is such a trooper. I have been told by many doctors that she is such a happy asthma kid that even when she is feeling awful she finds a way to smile through it.

Emme keeps herself busy at the Contact Agility Trial. Since she can't run a dog yet she spends her days on the playground at the trial site and also watches her favorite dogs run!

Auntie Lauren & I match! We coordinate our trial gear all the time.

Picture Day

Emme had her school pictures today but I couldn't resist taking a few before school. Yes it is dark out- we leave for school around 6:20 am so the sun wasn't quite up yet.

Emme's Going to Be a Big Sister!!!!!

We are expecting a baby in early February and are very excited. Emme knows all about the baby in my belly and when we went for our first ultrasound Emme told the doctor that there was a baby on the ultrasound monitor which completely threw her. She was stunned that Emme could know that since it only looked like a little bean. Now Emme looks forward to seeing "baby" when we go to the doctor. I hope she will like it as much when it is born and cries and has to share Emme's mommy and daddy!

As for my pregnancy so far I feel great. I managed traveling to Disney and dealt with the heat. My feet have not swelled up like with Emme although it is still early. I feel very similar to my pregnancy with Emme- no sickness and feeling good. I am still running the dogs in agility and that actually makes me feel more energetic that on other days when I just want to shut my eyes and sleep all day. We shall see how it goes. We haven't decided yet if we are going to find out if it is going to be a boy or a girl.

Big Girl Booster Seat

An awesome consignment shop opened up near my house a few months ago. I have made some great purchases there. They have tons of stuff all in really good condition. I just purchased Emme this booster seat, which you cannot see in the picture, that allows Emme to sit at our high top table with us instead of in her high chair. She loves it- and so do we. We can all eat at the table together.