Road to Recovery

Well, my back injury turned out to be much worse than we all imagined. The Friday before Easter, the pain in my leg became increasingly worse to the point I could not walk or stand without sobbing. We got in to a MRI on the Monday following Easter and the doctor immediately diagnosed me with a extreme disc extrusion (see this website for more information: http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article1431.html) . We met with the orthopedist on Tuesday and I had surgery on Thursday to remove the herniation. I cannot explain to you the relief I feel now!! I am sore from the surgery, but on the mend. The hardest part of my recovery is that I cannot lift anything, including Emma, for six weeks. My heart just breaks when she cries or needs help and I cannot do it. I know that the time will pass quickly and we will soon be able to go on some great walks. I am so glad to be up and moving! I am no longer sleeping in the living room as you see in the picture and I can walk up and down the stairs without help. The best part is I can take a shower! You sure do take the small things for granted! Thank you to everyone who has called and stopped by to visit. We feel very fortunate to have such caring friends and family close by to help us out while we need it. WE LOVE YOU!!

On the D.L.

Unfortunately, I have been on the D.L. for a week because of my back. I won't give you all the details, but my week has included a trip to the emergency room and now a trip to a specialist. We hope tomorrow's appointment will get me back on track. Keep your fingers crossed!
Here is a photo of Emma at our weekly play group last week. As you can see, her boyfriend, Brody was trying to give her a hug. Brody was really interested in Emma, but Emma was busy looking at other things. Typical lady! Brody's mom and I taught together in Chicago and now teach together at H.S.E. Oh! I forgot to mention that we both are from the Evansville area and went to I.U. Small world, eh?

We Had to Do It

Honestly, I would have completely forgotten about seeing the Easter Bunny in the mall if my mom hadn't mentioned it to me. Of course, I had to do it. As you can see in the picture, Emma loved him. I think she thought he was a big stuffed animal. Remember the days when all you got was one Poloroid picture? Now nothing is cheaper than $22.99 and you get several digital copies. Oh, how times have changed!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

I couldn't believe the picture I found in my baby book today of me at three months. We picked up Emma's three month pictures from J.C. Penny's this evening. Must be the three month old pose. Do you see any similarities??? I love Emma's serious face!

Changes

As you can see, I've made some changes to the blog. I have added Emma's monthly pictures. We take them each month with different things to see how much she has grown. I have also added a counter at the bottom for Emma's age. I thought it was a cute addition. Finally, I am working on adding family pictures. I was able to download a photo of Emma and Carter, but can't seem to get one of Emma and my niece Hannah. I will figure it out soon. Let me know if you like the changes!

Favorite Spot

Emma's favorite spot to be these days is sitting up in her daddy's lap. Usually they are watching basketball. She seems to like it. We kind of knew she would be a sport fan (Come on! I went to the IU/Purdue football game when I was 38 weeks pregnant!). My only concern is that her first words may be, "Come on Hoosiers!" or some nice curse words.

For Auntie Debbie

Auntie Debbie bought Emma this outfit (along with many others) for Christmas. It is too cute!

Love the Bumbo!

Emma isn't big enough for the Bumbo seat just yet, but it was worth a try. If anything, it made for a great photo!

Wild Ride

A car trip with a child at any age can be a challenge. I was very excited that Emma did so well on the three and half hour trip to Poseyville. She slept the entire way and never made a sound. I assumed the trip on the way back would be the same. I jinxed myself by thinking that way. On the return trip, Emma cried for 2 and a half of the three and a half hours. When I pulled in the driveway and opened the car door, she just looked at me and laughed. Did she know something I didn't know???

Meeting Mrs. Nash

While we were home visiting in Poseyville, Emma got to meet a very special person to our family. Mrs. Nash lived across the street from my parents for over 30 years. She has known me since the day I was born. Mrs. Nash is like a grandma to us. Growing up, my grandparents lived 3 hours away and couldn't always be at our house for special events like Grandparents Day at school. I will never forget the first Grandparents Day at my elementary school. I was sad, but understood that my grandparents would be able to drop in and visit for the short activities. The next thing I knew, Mrs. Nash walked in and said, "I am here for Meghan as her substitute grandma!" She thinks of us as her part of her family. Mrs. Nash makes the best chocolate chip cookies and always has gum drops for you when you visit. I am so glad we got to take Emma to meet her. It was a special visit for all of us.

Small Town Traditions

Emma made her first trip to Poseyville this past weekend. Among meeting all our neighbors and friends, we had to take part in a well known tradition in Poseyville. For decades, people have been taking their babies to Hirsch's store to have them weighed on the meat scale. Everyone gets a sticker to put in your baby book. As soon as we hit the door, the owner of the store scooped up Emma and said, "Let's weigh this baby!" Her son, Curt, decided Emma was worth the price of Filet Mingon which was going for about $22.95 a pound. Emma was so calm when they weighed her. They said she was the best baby they have ever weighed. Emma weighed in at 13.o8lbs which made her worth $300.19. Be able to take part in this Poseyville tradition... priceless!