Meeting Peyton & Helena

    If you can believe it, it took us FOUR YEARS to get the cousins together, and we only lived two hours apart! (At the time, when we were living in Orlando before. Since we moved further South, now it's three hours.) It would have been a little under three years if it wasn't for Covid because we planned for them to meet in March 2020, but obviously that didn't work out. I still think we should re-plan that day; going to the retired horse farm and the butterfly garden- where I don't think I have ever been!? 

   For a long time, whenever I would come up and visit, Peyton, my brother's older daughter, would always ask, "Where is Baby Emma?" I would reply, "Oh, she's at home with Michael." She would make a sad face. "Is she still sick?" We always told her and her younger sister, Helena, that Emma was sick (kind of true) and that we had to wait until the doctor said she was healthy before they could meet her. Finally on Tuesday, July 6th, 2021, she was "healthy enough". A lot of the times Peyton and Helena would be sick from a cold they caught at school so they weren't able to come visit Emma at our house.

  That July, Peyton was 6 &1/2, Helena was 4 &1/2, and Emma had just turned four a few weeks prior. We all met up with my parents at a resort in Orlando and spent the day at the pool. Helena was shy at first and didn't want to go up to Emma right away, but Peyton passed a toy back and forth. We had been working with Emma -and still are- on not throwing things/toys and to "please hand it gently" (although that is confusing when we tell her to throw a ball). 

  Once we were in the room, Helena warmed up and had a lot of fun playing ball with Emma for a while. Emma never gets shy because throughout her life in the NICU and hospitals, and with so many doctor visits and therapy, she is used to meeting and us introducing her to new people all the time! (That makes me a little nervous for the future with her not having any "Stranger Danger" boundaries.)

   You can see Peyton in the background working hard at coloring. She continued to hand Emma her drawings (mostly of different colored hearts) every few minutes. I thought that was really sweet.

  After a little while we headed to the pool and had a lot of fun there. We didn't have a floaty for Emma at the time, so I kept her on the ledge, but she still liked splashing with her hands and kicking her legs in the water. She was sprinting during that time, and after a while, I kept asking her if she was all done, but she didn't sign "all done" for a long time. Obviously she was having a good time!! I finally took her back to the stroller where Michael was though, because she really sounded like she was starting to having a harder time breathing and needed to be suctioned.

  When we got back upstairs, the three girls got changed into their matching Minnie Mouse shirts that my mom got for them! She had gotten them matching outfits and dresses on a few prior occasions that we had planned to meet up for, but those times didn't end up working out. I think the cousins were supposed to meet on Easter 2021, but then Zach's work schedule got changed so he and I didn't have the same days off anymore? I'm not sure. She sure loved the bounce level of that couch though. I got a good video of her on it before we took these pictures.

  Peyton told me that Emma kept "spitting" and I laughed a bunch. She was referring to her drooling so much due to the way her jaw is, so her mouth is always open and she can't swallow very well. She does better when she is laying down. I told her that Emma couldn't help it and we wiped her mouth as much as we could between photos. But that's why Peyton wasn't sitting as close to her as Helena was.

Emma's Love Language is physical touch; Peyton's is not. Haha!

   Again, this was their very first time meeting. Their second time seeing each other was on December 4th, 2021, when we celebrated early Christmas at our place (where we lived for seven months at ShoreView Apartments) while Emma had her hip spica cast. That was a really fun day!! You can click the link that says "early Christmas" to see/read all about that. :)

   The third time was at the beginning of April, when they came to visit for a few hours when we were moving from an extended stay hotel, where we "lived" for 10 days into the apartment we live in now. Buuuuut I actually haven't posted about our current apartment yet. Ha, sorry. It's on my long list of "blogs to post about". I have seven drafts that I am currently working on!

  Most recently, we went to the Fountains resort in Orlando on Saturday, June 4th, before Michael drove us back up there again the following weekend for my birthday, and Emma's birthday- combo party!    

   The day before we arrived, on June 3rd, they went to the craft class that the resort was hosting and made princess crowns. They even made one for Emma that said EMMY! My mom said they didn't have any A's. Haha.

Even though Helena is blinking in this picture, I still like it. :)

  Of course, we had to go swimming again! This year we had a flamingo floaty for Emma. It did rain shortly after, but we still got some good laps in. And I walked into the sauna and steam room with Zach and our dad for the first time. The sauna was interesting and kind of smelled like a campfire because of all the hot coals. The steam room.. whoa! Once our dad opened the door, my glasses immediately fogged up- we barely even made it inside. After we dried off and went back upstairs, we headed to the arcade for some games! I had a super fun time playing air hockey that day!

  Before Michael and I drove home with Emma at 9PM that evening, my mom and I got some more pictures of the cousins together. We were right next to each other with our phones, so I decided to take a video instead. (So I think the last three of these "pictures" are my video screenshots.) In order to help Emma smile, Helena told us, "I'm tickling her neck." Peyton was still concerned with all the drooling this year and told us, "Emma needs her bib washed." Haha!

 This mini Polaroid was taken by Helena. Great job!! :)

   Although Zach is my only sibling, I consider Emma to have "extended cousins" that I definitely want her to meet and play with! I guess they would be her second cousins? Our cousin's kids. My cousin Jessica has five kids and is pregnant with her sixth, but they have never met Emma. I am very happy that Jessica has met Emma, thought it was several years ago when she was a little chunk. :) And Michael's cousin, Ashley, is pregnant with her second son, but we haven't even met her first kid, Oak, who's birthday is about two weeks after Emma's. But we haven't even seen Ashley in over 12 years, since the first time I met her at Michael's older brother's wedding.

  Now, to get a bit more technical about these cousin meet ups.. you can read the following posts about when Emma "hung out" with Peyton and Helena.. before she was born, while I was pregnant with her. Those posts are on my pre-medical blog. I started this Emma blog once my pregnancy was no longer "normal" and our whole life changed. For the better, am I right? ;)

  

>> Halloween 2016, with Peyton, five days after I found out I was pregnant. I was at least four weeks pregnant at this time. At this point Emma's heart and other organs would have started to form.

>> Announcing in November 2016, and proudly doing that thing where I put my hand under my stomach in every photo even though there is no bump for a while. But we prayed for this baby for a long time, and already suffered through a miscarriage, so dagnabbit, I want the world to know there is a baby growing inside of me!! Family photos when I was about 6 weeks pregnant, while Emma's brain and spinal cord were developing.

  >> Early Christmas Visits. Helena had just been born towards the end of November 2016 and Peyton turned two years old a few days later. I was 11 weeks pregnant around the middle of December, and Emma was about the size of a fig. Her body began to straighten and length, as well as stretch, roll, and somersault. (I always wonder if her growth was steady and on track up until the 26 week mark when she began measuring small? I'll add it to my questions for God when I get to Heaven. Also, why do cockroaches exist?)

  >> Second Christmas on December 26th, 2016. I was 13 weeks pregnant. Celebrating Christmas in Gainesville with my parents, Zach, Peyton, Helena, and my Grandpa Narles!!! Oh, I miss him. At this point, Emma's bones would have begun to harden, especially in her skull and long bones.

  >> Lots of Cousins!! Back for more fun with Emma's great-grandpa "Papa Narles" in March 2017 for his 92nd birthday! I was 24 weeks pregnant at his grand celebration and Emma was about the size of an ear of corn! Her face was almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. Sadly, my Grandpa Narles went to Heaven just two months later, which was about a month before Emma was born. My mom told me that *Grandpa gave Emma the last of his strength* when he heard my mom crying about the doctor who told me that she might not survive, due to a heart condition he saw in a sonogram. (Spoiler: she survived!) 

   I wish my Grandma Belva (my dad's mom) could have met Emma, but I was glad that the last conversation that I was able to have with her, on the phone, was telling her in November 2016 that I was pregnant. She was so happy and excited for me. She passed on Christmas Eve 2017 while we were in Michigan before Emma's big airway surgery. She did get to at least meet Peyton! That was actually a very important trip. It possibly "changed my life", because on my drive home, I seriously, finally decided that I was ready to have a baby. It took Michael a few months to get "in baby mode" too.

  >> Zoo Fun, end of March, 26 weeks. At this point in my pregnancy, Emma's eyes would have been closed for a while so that her retinas and all parts of the eyes had become fully developed. She may have started to open her eyes around the end of the month! Also she would have grown fingernails. 

  >> Our Baby Shower, at the end of April 2017, which was basically the last normal weekend of our lives. Up until then, Emma was a regular, healthy baby without any issues. I was always picturing another version of Peyton. Nope! She looks very different. And we are perfectly happy with what God gave us!! (I don't see Helena in these pictures, but maybe my dad was taking care of her inside, in the back room?) I was 30 weeks then, and at that point Emma's brain began to wrinkle so that it could hold more brain cells. So interesting! Also, her hands were fully formed and it was common for her (all babies) to grab her feet. 

  >> Finding Dory, one last visit while on "bed rest". Once we found out all the medical stuff, the doctor didn't want me working, so I stayed at home most of the time. Zach and Peyton visited at our house one night and we watched a newer Disney movie. If you click on the link to see the pictures, you can't even really tell that I'm pregnant because of my dark shirt, but I was 35 weeks pregnant. :)

Fountains of Youths

   This year Emma and I had a combo birthday party at The Fountains resort in Orlando, on my birthday- Saturday, June 11th. We drove up for the day because my parents were staying there over the weekend and it was a much nicer, more spacious place to celebrate compared to our tiny 1-bedroom apartment that doesn't even fit a couch (we have 2 comfy chairs). Michael's mom mailed down gifts for me and Emma, which arrived perfectly on time- the day before, so we were able to bring them all with us, beautifully filling up the front passenger seat! 

A present that Emma wrapped for me the day before our party.
I wonder what it could be. Gold and rose quartz hexagon studs, perhaps? :)

 

   I was so happy that one of my best friends, Alana, was able to come, and that her husband, Cody, and their two young sons were able to join as well! Her older boy kept touching all of the presents and asking if he could open one -haha- and the younger one ran around the rooms, being silly. I had four other friends who were planning to come, but two of them tested positive for Covid the day before, and the other two had recently been sick. I was also hoping my other best friend, Lindsey, could come with her family. She has three boys and I wanted more kids there for Emma, since it was her party too. But they were on a six-week cross country RV road trip during that time!! Excused. :)

   Michael, Emma and I arrived at the resort at 10:30am and Alana arrived shortly after. I was excited to see how nicely my mom had decorated the kitchen and living room. Once we were situated, we all put on our bathing suits and headed to the pool! Alana's kids had a great time in the kid area and she told me that she saw another little girl with a trach. Ooooh! Michael and I enjoy lounging in as much shade as we can find and I loved when Emma laid back on my legs, so comfy. Basking in the sun.

  On our way back in to the room, Michael and I ran into the family with the daughter with the trach. I'm bummed now that I don't remember her name. And I don't know what the condition is called, but the dad said her stomach was growing on the outside of her body, so she always had to have something covering it up to keep the area clean.

Playing with Grandpa

   My parents had ordered us a really delicious meat lovers pizza from the cafe in the main building, then Emma opened all of her presents. She got lots of good stuff, but her favorites were a Rubber Ducky music book from her cousins, Peyton and Helena. And she loves the Paw Patrol book that Michael got her, even though she's never seen the show, because it plays music and talks to her. My favorite line is, "The Superkitties make me suuuper sneezy!" 

   One day, a few weeks after her birthday, I was telling Michael about that line and he hadn't heard it. I couldn't figure out how to get the book to say it even though I was on the page with the Superkitties picture. Then Emma pressed a button three times that I didn't even know was a button, and the book said the line! She knew what I wanted and how to get it for me. So smart!! "Our SuperEmma is a suuuper genius!"

She's been favoring this elephant a lot this week and it has cute songs.
I got her this from either TJ Maxx or Marshalls.

   She has another favorite present, but she opened it the next day since it was too big to bring in the car. Stay tuned! After Emma's presents we had my birthday cake, which my mom ordered from Publix. It was the cookies and cream mousse cake. I don't think I have ever had it before, but it was really good, especially with the vanilla ice cream my mom also had. I got sung to twice because the first time my mom wasn't recording it on her phone. Haha!

   I told my mom that it didn't really feel like my birthday because she didn't play my Captain Zoom song that she has played EVERY other year! She even played it one morning when I had a sleepover with my friends at my parents' house sometime during college. Well, thank goodness YouTube was invented because I found my song on there- specifically with my name and listened to it that night before bed. Hopefully the link never changes.

   They don't have an Emma version of Captain Zoom, but I found >> this song for her.

   After cake, I went with Alana and her family to the arcade. Michael and Emma stayed with my parents. We played Skeeball and lots of "shooting for points" games, and I got to hold Alana's younger son in my lap while we watched her play the Jurassic World game a bunch of times. It's her favorite! They left on the walk back because the boys were getting really tired, but I am so glad they were able to come out and celebrate with us! Thank you, thank you!!

   Emma was zonked out on the couch when I got back. We did one of her nebulizer treatments and then got ready to go to our family dinner at The Melting Pot. I had never been there before and wanted to go somewhere fancy. I originally wanted to eat somewhere at Disney Springs, but there were no tables available a month in advance for how many people were supposed to be coming. However, by the end of dinner, Michael and I decided that The Melting Pot was a perfect place for only four people (and a big girl in her stroller). The employees -and my parents!- did a great job making our night special. I opened my lovely gifts when we got back, including pretty jewelry, spa face masks, DIY soaps and bath bombs, as well as much needed mini Polaroid film. Then Michael drove us home into the night.

  The next day, Sunday, June 12th, was officially Emma's birthday and we did a couple more things for her. We opened the big present that was still at our apartment from Michael's Aunt Debbie- she always sends big, wonderful gifts for Emma! And we sang Happy Birthday to her with the big Publix cupcake that my mom got for her. We weren't able to light it, even with the oxygen turned off, because our lighters were in storage and we didn't realize it. Oh well, I don't know if she could blow out a candle anyway. I asked my mom for a big cupcake so Emma could smash her hand into it, but she doesn't like sticky or wet things being on her fingers. So I may -or may not?- have grabbed her hand and smashed it in the frosting and sprinkles myself.

Sasha happy to help clean up the frosting!

   Emma loves her big present from Aunt Debbie: a Touch and Learn Activity Desk. I call it her Music Jammer table. Seeing her sit on that little stool *like a big girl* is so adorable- and great for her core work too! Every morning, the first thing she wants is to be sprinted, held, and sat at her desk. One thing I really like about it is that it came with two double-sided activity sheets.. but I accidentally kicked one under the dresser so now we'll have to wait until October when we move to get it! And you can buy more/ different themed activity pages to go with it. (Pre-Kindergarden Bundle Expansion pack.) A terrific idea for Christmas- don't let me forget it.

The other side of the music activity sheet is learning body parts and clothes.

   This year, I posted on Facebook again about Emma's birthday and asked if anyone wanted to send her a card to our apartment. Then I would message them with our current address. She got 11 cards! Allie, one of our primordial dwarf friends, also sent her a sheet of stickers in a clear bag. And man, oh man, Emma LOVES those stickers. I have literally seen her holding those stickers in her sleep at night. The bag makes this delightful crinkle sound when she holds it and she loves to hold and play with anything that makes a crinkle sound, including water bottles when you drink the last bit and suck some of the air out of it. The second she hears anything like that, her hand shoots up and her fingers move around, signaling that she wants to hold it. Lately I have started saying, "Kiss first", before giving her anything she wants and that has been working out great! I get so many drooly tooth kisses now (she basically presses her teeth against our cheek with her mouth open- but it counts)! :)

Sleeping with the stickers Allie gave her.

Handing me the label that she peeled off. Her favorite task!
She actually gets upset if she isn't able to peel it off.

Whoa!! Activity table + stickers = Double the fun!!
Also, please notice her pretty hair braids that I did.

  Michael says I jinx us when I say things like this, but I sure hope that the world is much safer and healthier next summer so we can throw Emma a big shindig for her 6th birthday- in our BRAND. NEW. HOUSE! Perhaps we could do the great "EmmyLuau" theme that Michael mentions every year (get it? Emmylou-ow) and I go, "Bah!" then come up with a better idea, haha! And let it be known that Meredith, Emma's occupational therapist, is number one on the guest list! Numbers two through twelve are the 11 people who weren't able to come to the Fountains. Also, our parents. :)

  Jinx shminx. "I'm not superstitious.. but I am a little stitious."