Emmeline Louise and Santa Clause

Last Wednesday Emmeline and I met friends at the Christiana Mall. I suggested that we go see Santa, and considering her response last year, I figured that she would be less than excited to sit on Santa's lap. I was, however, greatly mistaken. She decided that she wanted to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what she would like for Christmas. What a complete and total surprise. Paul was not with us and I must say that I wouldn't have endeavored this without him; I thought she would have retreated from Santa's workshop immediately. Instead, she was content to stand in a very long line so that she could see Santa and tell him what she wanted for Christmas. She told him, "A toy, present and books." Ok, Emmleine Louise. Not a problem:

Happy Belated Thanksgiving

We had a pretty quiet Thanksgiving this year. It was just the three of us for most of the day and we celebrated in the morning with our usual traditions. We watched the Macy's parade, made monkey bread (caramel and cinnamon biscuits) and made cranberry bread to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. We had dinner with our neighbor Rachel and her family. It was so nice to sit around a large table with family gathered around. And this Thanksgiving we are more thankful than ever that even though our families are 1,500 miles away, we still have a lot of places to go and people who love us right here in the Mid-Atlantic.

Sweet Emmy Lou, our little turkey
(her teachers took this pic at school)

Wishbone

Last Thursday we had a turkey dinner and since then Paul has been drying out the wishbone.  Tonight he and Emmeline made wishes and broke it.  Emmeline won the break and when I asked what she wished for she said, "I wished for more turkey!"  Only two and a half more weeks, Emmy Lou, and your wish is granted!

Make a wish and pull!

"I win!"

Fast Fading Fall

This morning Emmeline and I took a walk to Cool Springs Reservoir which is, as you know, one of our favorite places to walk.  It was a gorgeous day, 60s and sunny.  We are trying to enjoy as much of the last vestiges of fall as possible as the colorful leaves are almost gone and trees are halfway bare:

It was so bright out that we had to bust

out Emmeline's shades.

Squinty!

Yay!  Leaves!

She loved the sound that the leaves made as she

walked back and forth through them.

Happy Halloween!

We had a really quiet, uneventful Halloween this year.  We had all sorts of fun plans with friends but, alas, Emmeline came down with pink eye and an ear infection.  We thought it was best to keep her away from other kids.  We did, however, take her out trick-or-treating in our neighborhood for a bit.  She had a great time seeing the other kids in their costumes and going up to all of the houses to get treats.  In no time at all she had the hang of the trick-or-treat tradition.  When we got home, we Skyped with both sets of grandparents and let Emmeline have a lollipop.  It was a nice, quiet evening; just a bit lonesome.

Emme and daddy on the front steps.

Emmy Lou the cutest dino this side of the Mississippi

and mommy on the trick-or-treat trail

Hold still!  The flash is slow!

Emmeline dumps out her loot, looking for

her new favorite sweet treat: lollipops

Yum!

Pumpkin Carving in Trinity Vicinity

Today we went to a neighborhood pumpkin carving and crock-pot chili fete.  It has been nice to meet more people in our neighborhood and be a part of the community here a bit more.  I even went to my first neighborhood association meeting last week!  (Boy was that WAY more heated than I ever thought it could be!).  We had a great time carving pumpkins and eating good food.  You can see that Emmeline enjoyed the food a bit more than the carving: 

Carving pumpkins in beautiful Trinity Vicinity

Emme tried to help and pay attention...

...but the treats were much more intriguing!

What?!  I've only had three pieces of corn bread...

Her first lollipop.  These little sugary

delights are all that she can talk about now.

Hmmmm; I wonder...

...I guess I'll just try it.

Oh!  That's delicious!

Happy 30th B'day hubby!

On Saturday October 10, we surprised Paul with a party at The Arsenal in Old New Castle  to celebrate his 30th birthday.  Paul's folks surprised him the day before the party and then stayed with us for about ten days.  About 25 of our friends were able to make the Oktoberfest-themed party and we had a blast.  Paul was completely surprised, though he said he had an inkling that something was up when I was leading him to the room where we held the party.  And now, of course, he says he is beginning to find all sorts of holes in my story leading up to the party.  I do not have a lot of pictures to share as of yet.  I hired a professional photographer for the event so that I did not have to worry about taking photos.  I did take some pictures of the poker game (I set up a table so that the gents could place a nice, long game after dinner) and Kate also sent along some photos that she had taken.  You can see what fun Paul had:

What's going on?

I love the look on everyones' faces in this picture.  Paul's

parents are to the left: they are so happy to be sharing

in this fun day!  Paul looks slightly smug and Emmeline

looks as if she thinks the party is for her.

The game: very intense.

Mike is teaching baby Milly the finer points of

the game.

Is that your poker face, Paul?  Are you bluffing or just

happy to be drinking Guinness?

The game continues...late into the crisp, fall, Delaware night.

The cake from Serpe's bakery; finest Italian bakery

around!

On Paul's actual 30th b'day (the 15th), his parents,

Emmeline and I visited him at his school and brought

cupcakes and presents.  He had to stay at school late

for a workshop that day, but we had fun visiting especially

since his parents had not yet been to his school.

Busy Bs

Another busy week has gone by here in our household.  We just realized that we only have pictures to post from the weekend as we find little time during the week for anything other than work and school (*sigh*). But when the weekend comes, boy do we play hard!  Last weekend Emmeline was a wonderful little helper in the kitchen.  She helped mommy make scones on Saturday morning and helped daddy make homemade pizza dough in the evening.  On Saturday after scones we took a walk to Cool Springs Park, then nap, a visit to Delaware Day for Kids on the Wilmington Waterfront and finally, homemade pizza for dinner.  On Sunday we did nothing but lounge and play in our pajamas, eat eggs and Paul's delicious crock-pot potato soup.  Feeling much less adventurous than the day before, we took a leisurely walk around the neighborhood later that evening and we were out of our pajamas for only about an hour.  We had a great weekend; just wish it could have lasted a bit (OK, a lot) longer.

Cool Springs Park on a nice, cool almost-fall morning.

Emme and daddy taking a rest to watch ducks

on the pond.

The duckies.  Emmeline was convinced this was a

mommy and a baby.

The pond has only had water in it for a

few months but the lilly pads are already

growing flowers.  There are both white

and pink flowers growing there.

When I say "Smile!" this is the cheesy

face Emmeline makes.

Making pizza dough with daddy!

"I'm squishing the pizza dough!"

Eating grape shaved ice with mommy at the waterfront.

Eating sweet things for Emmeline is like an art, a refined

skill.  In this picture, she is being very precise as she

gives me just a very small sample of her treat.

Oops!  She started to giggle and had a hard time keeping

the shaved ice in her mouth.

"C'est magnifique!"

Here, daddy!  Your turn!  (Shaved ice is one of Paul's favorite

sweet treats, too!)

That was good!

Emmeline has several firstborn, OCD qualities. I am frequently reminded of my older brother when she plays or cleans.  Emmeline does not like it when things are out of place or things are completed out of order.  One of her most overt OCD tendencies is to line up her toys (usually her tea cups shown above) in a row.  This picture was taken during our Sunday hermitage.

Transitions

We have had a busy few weeks in our house, to say the least.  Emmeline has started day-school and Paul and I have both been working full-time.  I have been avoiding this post because I am not able to articulate how difficult this transition has been for us all.  I am one of four children who was raised by a full-time stay-at-home mother and a full-time working father.  I always thought that I would be able to figure out a way to stay at home with my children but as it turns out, the reality of modernity and my career aspirations have caught up with me.

My mom and dad sacrificed tremendously to give me and my siblings the advantage of having a stay-at-home mom.  Indeed, they are still sacrificing for this decision as my mother is still struggling to find her place in the career world.  Currently my baby sister, Jacy, is a junior in high school and my mom is taking courses towards becoming a medical transcriptionist.  (She wanted to be a court reporter when she graduated from high school but the closest program was in the Twin Cities.  And finding a co-signer for her student loans was out of the question).  I see how much she is struggling for her niche in the work force and know that she and my dad still to this day have to feel the financial consequences of providing us with a stay-at-home mother.  At the same time I am proud of and grateful for my parents' conviction in keeping us kids at home until the age of 5.

My parents raised me with the model of one parent staying at home full-time and the other working full-time, but they also told me that I could be anything, go anywhere and do anything I could possibly imagine.  And I did.  I went to college, went to grad school, all because I felt compelled to do so.  And I love my work.  But the first and only thing I wanted to be was a mother.  When Emmeline was born, everything else dissolved.  In that first year of her life I had convinced myself that I was never going to finish my dissertation and that financially we would just make it work.  Well, now that she is two years and three months old, I find myself in a position that I had never really imagined.  It may seem funny to you, I know, considering my years and years of school.  But it is the truth.  Paul wasn't ready to have a baby until he decided to have Emmeline.  What else was I supposed to do while I waited?  To be sure, I love my work but thought that as an academic my schedule would always be flexible enough to stay at home with my babies at least part time. 

You cannot live comfortably for very long in the Mid-Atlantic on the combination of a school-teacher's and grad student's salary. And so it is.  I applied for a few jobs last spring, got incredibly lucky, and was hired at a local community college.  My new co-workers, male and female alike, are bountifully supportive of me being a new full-time working mommy.  Emmeline's school teachers are amazingly warm, understanding and uplifting.  I really couldn't ask for a better working academic environment for me or a better day-school for Emmeline.  But it is still hard.  I miss my Emmeline more than I can say.  I know she is happy and well cared for but I am still devastated.  The mornings are the worst.  We are used to cuddling in bed for as long as we want, watching Sesame Street and lingering over breakfast.  Nowadays our mornings are all business as we get up, get ready, eat and leave.   Emmeline is generally excited about school but is upset in the morning.  She seems tired, she does not have an appetite and fusses on the way to school.  She cries once we arrive and starts to scream "I want my mommy!" when I pass her off to her teachers.  I tell her I love her, tell her she will have a wonderfully fun day and blow kisses with a smile.  But as I leave the building I cry on my little teaching outfit and stumble towards my car.  I feel awful.  I usually call a few hours later and her teachers assure me that Emmeline was fine by the time I pulled out of the parking lot and is having a great day.  Even so I still feel like an awful mommy.  I hope we both get over it soon. *sigh*

Work and school have not been the only things on our agendas lately.  We have still found time to spend with our friends and enjoy these last wonderful weeks of clear weather.  Soon fall will be upon us and in the Mid-Atlantic that means rain, rain and more rain!   

Emmeline insisting that Elisa and Haley

participate in singing and playing "Ring

around the Rosy" whether they wanted to

or not!

Emmeline, Elisa and Haley: group hug!

Emmeline's 2nd day at school; this and the next picture

 cost me dearly when she realized that after our

painful goodbye I was lurching around the corner

taking pictures.  Big oops on my part, but I couldn't

resist taking a picture or two.

Emme hanging out with her new friends on the playground

having a snack; you can see she is still upset :(

Emme and Milly at Stapler Park. Emme thinks Milly is her

sister...awwww!

We ordered take-out sushi last week; Emmeline

LOVED it! (I made sure that there was no

raw fish or shell fish, of course)

"More shoe-shi please, mommy!"

Cool Springs Tilton Park; the new water reservoir a few

blocks from our house that just opened a few weeks ago.

Emmeline playing on the balustrade with Ursuline Academy

and fountain in the background.

These little fish heads have motion sensors on them;

last Saturday was about 85 degrees so I let her get

as wet as she wanted.  I figured it might be the last

chance she will get in a while.

The first time I have witnessed her building 

significant structures with her blocks; WOW!

Labor Day fun!  Daddies and babies: Mike and Milly - Paul

and Emmy Lou

Us girls.  Kate's mom, Sharon, Milly, Kate, Emmeline

and Me.  What a beautiful backyard garden, Kate!

At Glasgow Park in Bear, DE - Labor Day. Paul, Estella and

Emmeline

This evening at the Trinity Vicinity Neighborhood

picnic.  We have lived here for over three years

but have not gotten involved in the neighborhood

association.  Having a baby sure does eat up your

time and energy!

In front of the Wilmington garden contest first

place winner for a potted-plant garden.

Trying to figure out how to blow bubbles.

She looks like such a big girl in her jeans,

hoodie and piggy tails.  Interesting note: she

insisted on bathing and sleeping in her piggy

tails tonight.  We really don't know what has

come over her...