Emma's New Wheels

With our REI dividends arriving last week (along with a coupon for 20% off), it was time to purchase Emma's stroller--the BOB Revolution. This stroller is amazing! We took it for a test drive today...

One Protective "Puppy"

Cooper didn't know quite what to think of Emma when he first saw her. Now, things have really turned a 180 and he is very protective of her. Sometimes, when we're holding her, he follows us around the house. When she cries (when we're changing her diaper) he will come into her room and just sit and watch. He lays by her when she is in her bouncy chair. It's pretty adorable.

Bath Time

Well, I can't say it's the most fun Emma has ever had. In fact, I don't think she liked anything about getting a bath, except maybe cuddling up in the towel when it was all over.

Life at Home

We have enjoyed every minute with little Emma since arriving home from the hospital last Saturday. She is 1 week old today! Andy went back to work on Wednesday so it's just been Emma and me. A majority of our time is spent feeding, changing diapers and sleeping.


Emma has had some tummy time, although she wasn't a huge fan of it.



On Tuesday, we went on our first outing to the pediatrician's office. Emma had lost 1 pound at the hospital (putting her at 6 lbs. 2 oz.) but now weighs 6 lbs. 11 oz. The sweater she is wearing is pretty special. It was Andy's sweater when he was a baby and it was made by Emma's great-great grandma, Fontella, who is no longer with us.



Thanks for the cute bear suit, Natalie!



We got the okay to take Emma out in the Baby Bjorn so we didn't wait long to grab that opportunity. Cooper was very protective on our walk. He would stay right next to Andy's side (with Emma in the Baby Bjorn).

Meet Emma Millicent Tullis!!

Emma Tullis entered the world on March 11, 2010 at 5:02 p.m. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces and was 20 inches long. She's beautiful!!! Andy and I can't stop admiring her. She has a head full of strawberry blonde hair, big, beautiful eyes and really long fingers and toes. Enjoy the photos! There will be many, many more...


after her eye treatment...



mommy/daughter bonding

Update

With our weekly doctor visits, we're getting a better idea of when we could expect our little one to enter the world. At our appointment yesterday, we found out that I am 1 cm dilated. We know that doesn't mean too much but, at least, it's a start. I go back to the doctor on Monday and we'll see what happens from there... Everything will all be happening so soon!! With the recent move into our new home, the nursery was our first priority. Everything is set up and ready to go. Now we just need to wait for Grandma Sherry to come to do some painting. The orange/peach walls are just not our style. :)


39 weeks

Another Day on the Slopes

Andy has been getting out skiing quite a bit lately. I think he knows his time on the slopes will be limited once the baby comes. On this particular day he went skiing with Larry at Alta. It was a snowy day...

Flag Football Anyone?

Andy joined a team and has been playing flag football on Sunday afternoons. It's a great group of 30-something year olds who just want to go out and have a little fun on the field. I go to all of the games but usually spend most of my time talking to my friend, Katie. Sorry, Andy...I have seen some good plays, though.

My New Accessory

After waking up in the middle of the night, three times, with an unbearable throbbing right hand, it has been determined that I have carpal tunnel syndrome. I was a little surprised to hear this but it does make sense. The carpal tunnel is a bony canal formed by the wrist bones on three sides and a ligament that runs across the wrist on the other. The swelling and fluid retention that's so common during pregnancy can increase the pressure in this relatively narrow and inflexible space, compressing the median nerve that runs through it. To help alleviate the pain, I have to wear this beautiful brace at night and as much as I can during the day. (We did a science experiment with making butter--that included a lot of shaking of the jar--and my students thought I had to wear the brace from shaking the jar too much. Too cute!) The good news: The symptoms will slowly go away after the baby is born.

Let's Not Forget About Cooper

Just wanted to include some cute pics of Cooper playing in the backyard. He has been spending a majority of his time in the backyard playing with a tennis ball. I guess he likes to do his jaw exercises. :)


He plays hide-and-seek with the ball,


chews the ball,



licks the ball,



sleeps by the ball,



and is just plain cute next to the ball.

35 weeks...

Time is just a ticking away! It won't be much longer and we'll finally get to meet little Emma!! On this particular day, at 35 weeks, I was looking a bit like a torpedo...

You R.O.C.K.!

Our school threw us a baby shower this past Friday. It was a complete surprise to me but, I guess, Andy knew about it the whole time. We received a lot of items off of our registry, including the pack 'n play--the last big item we needed. We just had to show off one of our favorite gifts. First, though, a little background. Our school has a school-wide behavior system utilizing "You Rock" tickets. If students are caught showing (R)respect, (O)organization, (C)cooperation, (K)kindness they receive a white "You Rock" ticket. If an entire class shows off their "rockin" behavior, they receive a golden "You Rock" ticket. A name is drawn from each class on Friday and those students receive a prize. Classes can also use the "You Rock" tickets for their own classroom behavior system. So, that's a little background. Here is a gift we received from a staff member at our school:

U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix

Last night we went to the Park City Mountain Resort to watch some Olympian snow boarders do their thing on the halfpipe. It made me dizzy just watching all of the twists, turns, and flips. This was the last stop before the 2010 Winter Games. It will be televised today (Sunday, January 24th) at 3:00 EST on NBC. They will also be naming the 2010 Winter Games Team. The highlight of the evening--seeing Shaun White.


Pictures just don't do it justice as to how massive the halfpipe really is.


Okay, he's really hard to see, but that's Shaun White (in the air) to the northwest of the Delta signage.

Finally...More Snow!

After what seems like a 3-week break from any white stuff coming from the sky, the snow finally remembered where Park City is located. It's about time! With the fresh coating of snow, we've been out making up for lost time:


I'm still trying to get out and exercise each day. I can't do quite as much as I used to, but it sure feels great to get those endorphins going. (I have been having to wear Andy's snow pants. Mine are all packed away in a box, awaiting next year.)


About 33 weeks...



Cooper loves his sticks.



Andy and Cooper skinned up a run at the Park City Mountain Resort and skied down. The dog loves the snow!

Big Bummer

With all of the excitement of the upcoming arrival of our little girl, we decided to throw in looking at houses, too. For some reason, we like to do everything at once! We finally decided to make an offer on a house we had looked at 3 times but, unfortunately, we were a day late. Somebody beat us to it, darn it! So now it's back to the beginning again. Bummer.

Happy New Year!

Wow, I've been slacking on the blog. I guess we've had baby on the brain a lot lately. Everything continues to move along smoothly. Our midwife is quite impressed with how well things are going so that's great! At our appointment yesterday we learned that Emma has gone through a growth spurt. Maybe that explains why I have felt like a marshmallow lately. It sure is getting more difficult to get off the couch and out of bed. I've resorted to rolling out of bed.

We started back at school this past week. It hasn't been too bad. The kids were a little groggy on Monday but that sure didn't last long. I have already started putting some things together for my long-term substitute. I'm really excited about the sub I got. She is a retired teacher from the Park City School District and is really familiar with our school and a lot of the staff. It makes it a little easier to go on leave when you're well-assured of the substitute.

Winter has finally (kind of) arrived here in Park City. We've only gotten one major snowstorm and could really use a few more. Andy has been doing a lot of skiing, both at the resorts and in the backcountry. Sometimes he comes home and says how awesome the snow was and all I can do is listen and feel a little twinge of jealousy that I can't be out there with him. Cooper and I have been doing a lot of snowshoeing and walking, though. You can tell it's ski season around here because it feels like Park City's population has doubled in the past few weeks. It's going to get even busier with the Sundance Film Festival starting on January 21st. Last year I saw Robert Redford and Chris Rock. I wonder who we'll see this year....

I have included a few photos. Enjoy!


We had a really nice dinner with friends a couple of weeks before Christmas. This was one delicious dinner, starting with appetizers and a beet salad. We had the works--turkey, casseroles, cranberry sauce and, of course, dessert.



Andy on one of his many backcountry ski trips.



I went back to WI for a week over winter break for a baby shower with friends and family.




31 weeks!!!