My Happy Place

For the past week Emmeline and I have been in North Dakota with my family. Even though Paul and I have been living in Delaware for four and a half years and own a home there, this will always be home. North Dakota is the ever-fixed point on the compass of my life. It hums with familiarity and comfort. I so much anticipate the moment when I can see the lights of Grand Forks appear on the horizon as we drive along I-29. Like a beacon the lights call me safely home. Even if we never return for good, I hope that Emmeline is able to appreciate and love our home state just as we do. I want her to know the white, frozen landscape and understand how beautiful it is. I hope she sees that the people here are different from anywhere else in the world; their kindness runs deep. I want her to know that her immediate family tree is from here. They are farmers, craftsmen, teachers and homemakers: people that tilled the earth, made machines and trucks work, raised families and braved the weather. My people.
For the time being, Emmeline is in all her glory as she entertains everyone and shows off all of her tricks. She is not quite at the age where strangers upset her. In fact, she is at the age where she needs contstant stimulation to be happy and she very much enjoys new faces and places. Her grandparents and auntie Jacy have been soaking up every minute with her. They keep saying to each other and to interested strangers, "Isn't she perfect?!" Emmeline knowingly smiles, laughs and babbles with her "ba-ba" babyspeak. How wonderful it is to see them all together again.
We miss Paul very much but he will be arriving today. He had one very long week of school before Christmas break. He flew into Minneapolis yesterday and enjoyed the afternoon and evening with his family. He is now braving the five-hour drive from there to here. My sister and her husband arrived from Idaho yesterday and my brother should be arriving today or tomorrow. Their compasses all set to "home" bringing us all together again.
Happy Holidays to all from the frozen tundra! May the cookies be bountiful and turkey be juicy where ever you are!

Frozen Tundra...Here We Come!

Emmeline and I are getting ready to head out to the Midwest for Christmas. We leave tomorrow and there certainly is a lot of things to pack when traveling with a baby!! There are diapers, wipes, clothes, extra clothes, blankets, bath stuff, breast pump, bottles, emergency medicine, toys, teethers, books, car seat, car seat base, stroller, baby carrier, waterproof pads, baby bowls, spoons, bibs and rice cereal, baby monitor, and of course, the baby. That is on top of all of my things and the Christmas presents. And we we will landing in below-zero temperatures and that will not make anything easy. (I had better pack a few extra blankets and jackets). Paul is leaving a week after us so I will be traveling alone with Emmeline. I did this in September as well. She was only 3 months old then and I was very nervous about traveling with her. The worst part was going through security: I had to get the car seat, car seat base, stroller, and diaper bag on the belt for the x-ray machine with the baby strapped to my chest in a sling. When I finally got through security, they made me go back down to ticketing with all of my things because I was not given an infant pass!!!!!!! I was so livid. By the time we finally got on the plane, we were delayed on the ground about an hour. Before we actually took off, Emmeline had sucked down both bottles I had brought for her and pooped twice. So I had to make two trips to the small, stinky airplane bathroom and breastfeed her in the cramped airplane seat. I don't mind breastfeeding her in public, but I think other people do. And when she was 3 months old, I was still getting the hang of discretely feeding her in public. This time I am not going to let other people bother me with their stares and uncomfortable shifting. She is significantly bigger now, though, so she might be spilling out of our seat as she nurses. Oh well. I must be off to pack. Paul is nagging me that I am not making the best use of my time.

My Baby Daddy

Today the three of us got together with two other families and their babies from The Birth Center (TBC). We took labor/Hypnobirthing classes last spring at TBC with the two couples when they were pregnant. It was so much fun to see the babies interacting with each other; they have all grown and learned so much. The babies are also at an age where they like to look at and respond to one another. Emmeline and I see the moms and babies a couple times a week but we had not gotten together with all of the dads yet. It was really fun to see the dads with their babies. They are so hands-on and involved. It made me realize how much parenting has changed for dads in the past few decades. It is no longer considered effeminate or odd for men to be involved with their babies. In 2007, actually, daddy-baby interaction is wonderfully supported and encouraged. Stay-at-home dads are becoming increasingly common as women have decided to return to work outside of the home. The three of us moms are currently staying at home as our hubbies go off to work but as I was watching these dads with their babies, it was obvious that they were as loving, involved and intuitive as they could be. I am always glad to see non gender-normative behavior. It reminds us all that gender and the actions associated with those activities are a construction. My husband owned a beloved baby doll when he was a toddler and I am convinced that that toy helped him on his way to becoming the sensitive, intuitive daddy that he is. In many respects he is still all boy, but when it comes to his baby girl, he turns into a cooing, high-pitched, lovey-dovey, sing-songey muffin. And I respect him as a man all the more for it.

Happy Birthday Mabel

Happy 90th Birthday Grandma Mabel!! We love and miss you!!

Let's Start at the Very Beginning...

Greetings to all and welcome to Emmy Lou's Adventures. I have created this blog mostly to keep our family and friends up to date in Emmeline's busy little life. She is growing and learning so much every day so this will be a great way for everyone to keep in touch and updated at their own pace. Plus, as a work-at-home mamma, it is nice for me to have as much contact with the outside world as possible!
For those of you who are not quite up to date or need an introduction:
Paul and I have been married for six and a half years. We were married in Grand Forks, North Dakota on August 17, 2001. We completed our BA degrees (his in History, mine in English) in May of 2002 from University of Minnesota Duluth. We moved to the Mid-Atlantic in August of 2003 so I could pursue graduate studies in English at the University of Delaware. We bought our first house in June of 2006 in Delaware. I am currently ABD (all-but-dissertation) trying to finish my PhD; this is no easy task with a baby at home! Paul received his teaching certification in Elementary Education in May of 2007 and is currently a sixth-grade teacher in Pennsylvania. Our baby girl was born this past June and she has been the beautiful, radiating center of our universe since the day we learned we were pregnant. We feel incredibly fortunate to have such a healthy, happy, intelligent and gorgeous child. Of course things don't always come up roses around here. Most days are full of baby poo, spit-up and frustration. But our support system both far and near is amazing so we are able to get through even the toughest of days.
We hope that you enjoy our blog!