Look closely... Emmylou's first highlight! I don't know about you, but I think this is cuter than when that chihuahua got highlights in Legally Blonde. Yesterday Patti and I went to Virginia and had Lauren do our hair. Aside from being there for almost 6 hours with a broken A/C and 102 degree weather, we had a really good time and our hair looks amazing, if I may say so myself. Thanks, Lauren!!!

Lauren came back up from Virginia and spent the afternoon and evening with us. She was a little apprehensive to hold the baby but Emmylou seemed to like her quite a bit!

Emmylou's wild and crazy adventure for today was traveling a strenuous 6 or 7 blocks (by car) to eat lunch at a restaurant in Fell's Point where she graciously slept while we all ate. She is loving having her Mimi here and got to meet her Aunt Lauren for the first time yesterday! Sadly, Kirk went back to Minneapolis this afternoon. He was a little upset that I wouldn't let him play his signature game with Lulu that all his nieces and nephews love-- he calls it "Tick Tock" and it entails hanging small children upside down from their ankles and swinging them from side to side. Uh, maybe next time.

After a couple of days to recover sitting around doing nothing (aside from catching up on all of our favorite Food Network shows), Uncle Kirk came to visit! For those of you who know Kirk, you can see that this picture captures his personality perfectly. I can't tell if Lulu looks confused, scared or both! We're going to take Kirk to Little Italy for dinner tonight which should be yummy and then we have a barbecue planned for tomorrow when Mimi gets in town!

We were exhausted but finally stumbled out of the airplane and back into Baltimore around midnight last night. Emmylou was great on the plane and really pretty good for the duration of our whirlwind trip to Texas. We had so much fun seeing all of you! Everyone really went out of their way to accomodate our busy schedule and I am so happy Lulu finally got to meet so many of you. Congratulations to Erin on her graduation! Here are some pics from the trip. I was disappointed to see how few photos I ended up with, so if you have any good ones, please send them to me in an email and I'll post them here!

Four generations! Lulu with "Mimi," Granny and me-- their very first meeting


With Granny, Sara and Megan


With Lynn and Megan


Lulu with Grammie, Aunt Lizzie and Aunt Emmy having brunch in Austin


With Aunt Carol from New Orleans and Grammie


Luke and Josh getting their own photos of Lulu


Swimming for the very first time!

She's back!!! After last week's scary run of bad sleeping, Emmylou is back to her normal schedule, thankfully. It must have been her Mother's Day present to me because it started back on Sunday night. All I can say is that it was exactly what I needed. I know most other babies don't sleep nearly as well as she does, but I am still grateful. Every time she has a bad night I always think that my luck has run out for good. But I guess it's likely that she has inherited my gene for a fine appreciation of sleep, so maybe I should just stop worrying. Today we are busy getting ready for our big trip to Austin and San Antonio where we'll finally get to see many of you who read this! I might try to post some blog entries during our trip if I'm near a computer, but if not, I'll be back to recount the adventures next Tuesday when we're home. Can't wait to see y'all!!!

Dear Emmylou/Lulu/Emmy,

Today you turned 2 months old and it is also, coincidentally, Mother's Day. You must have been so excited about this special day because you hardly slept at all last night! As you can see from above, we still haven't completely settled on what to call you. Emmylou or Lulu seem to be the most common, although we had intended to call you Emmy from the beginning. Some other names I call you are "my love" and "my little bird" or "bug" because you sometimes chirp and squeak. Daddy sometimes calls you his "little alien," but you should know it's meant only in the best way because of the funny faces you make when you stretch. You are definitely keeping us on our toes, especially this past week as you decided to switch from sleeping 6-8 hours straight per night to not going more than 2-3 without waking up and wanting to eat. We're guessing (hoping) you're going through a growth spurt and will soon be back to your long sleeping hours. I thought you knew who you were dealing with-- you know I'm not one of those super-mommies who can get by without any sleep! But no matter what, I'm sure we'll work it out.

You are growing so much bigger and stronger! It's fun watching you change in little ways. You like to stand on my lap and wobble around or push up on my chest and look around over my shoulder to see what Daddy's doing. You have new hair starting to grow so your head is fuzzy, soft and warm and I love feeling it on my cheek. Your eyes are getting a little lighter, but are still blue-ish grey like your dad's. We always wonder what color they'll eventually become. I think the best thing now is that we rarely smile at you without getting one back. I also heard you giggle for the first time ever a few days ago! You love looking at yourself in the mirror, especially the one above your swing. You'll look at yourself, smiling, for what seems like forever before falling to sleep with a sweet look on your face. I hope you always feel as happy about yourself as you do now!

Emmylou, we waited a long time to have you and I have to say that I firmly believe that good things come to those who wait. I'm so glad that it was you who made me a mommy! This Mother's Day has been perfect and I can't wait to see what's in store for us this next month and in the years to come. I look forward to it all.

Love you so much.

Mama

Today's adventure for Emmylou was going to Petsmart to see the animals while we got some food for Lola. We put her little face up to the cages and aquariums but I'm pretty sure she didn't notice anything was in front of her. As we well know, it takes quite a bit of effort to engage her, so unless those fish and birds learn how to stick their tongues out at her or play "I'm Gonna Get Your Nose," I guess they just won't get much attention from her. Too bad for them.

Isn't it amazing how fast kids are learning to use computers these days?! Emmylou ordered these beautiful roses for me online for Mother's Day! She'll be taking over writing this blog soon, I'm sure.

After yesterday's immunizations, Emmylou is definitely back to normal today. Here she is with a new pacifier we got her. While it kind of looks like she's about to ingest Clifford the Big Red Dog in one big gulp, I don't think we'll ever lose it. Lola is sooooo jealous of it (if you don't know, Lola is obsessed with ALL stuffed animals).

OUCH!!!! Today Lulu turned 8 weeks old and that meant it was time for another check-up with the doctor and a round of vaccinations. Although I've been dreading this day for a week, Emmylou handled it pretty well. Of course she screamed like bloody murder during the 4 (!) shots to her thighs but calmed down pretty quickly once I got to hold her. Then she was a little fussy over the course of the afternoon, but now, about 8 hours later, she's in her usual good mood (as you can see in the photo-- you can also see her Tweety Bird band-aid). Here are her new stats for those of you keeping count--- length: 22 inches (50th percentile), weight: 11 lbs, 6 oz (75th percentile) and head circumference: 15 inches (50th percentile).

I think it's safe to call Emmylou a "daddy's girl," don't you?

I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but Emmylou is really growing! See how unhappy she is now that she's too long for one of her favorite outfits? Everywhere we go people comment on how big she is-- the other day at a mall she was looking way bigger than a 10 week old we met. We go to the pediatrician on Tuesday and I'm eagerly awaiting the measurements... she hasn't been weighed or measured in length since she was 2 weeks old and still seemed teeny-tiny!

Emmylou had her wildest adventure yet yesterday! Here's the short version: Not only did our day trip to Philadelphia include eating some delicious cheesesteaks and seeing Independence Hall where the forefathers of our country signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, we also spent some real quality time at the Philadelphia Parking Authority office once we realized our car had been towed from its metered spot to somewhere "way down in South Philly." While my dad went in search of the impound lot with only a $20 bill for a taxi ride (none of us had cash or a working ATM card) Joyce and I stayed in the parking authority office until the woman working there suggested we go to the "really nice" mall across the street to pass the time instead. Needless to say, people watching is VERY interesting in a downtown Philly mall (I actually saw a woman wearing a burkha), and "really nice" apparently means they have a Big K-Mart and Walgreens. But we eventually got the car and made it home and Lulu was a real trooper throughout the whole ordeal so I really can't complain. Today, however, we'll be staying very close to home! These pics are from Geno's, the cheesesteak place, and Emmylou with her ticket to Independence Hall, unable to contain her excitement at what she was about to see.

Introducing the Oriole's Most Valuable Fan: Emmylou Stephens (she even has the certificate to prove it). Also: Emmylou's impression of a garden gnome.

After spending the entire morning and midafternoon sleeping soundly, Emmylou finally woke up and greeted her Nana and Pawpaw who are here for the week visiting. We all went out for a yummy Italian dinner where Lulu was passed around the table during the entire meal because she woke up and demanded to be the center of attention. Of course all of this happened after I bragged that she is "so easy" to take anywhere! I'm quickly learning to keep my big mouth shut.

We spent the weekend celebrating Maryanne's christening with Steve and Yvonne and their families. It was lots of fun and the first time we have all dressed up for something! Emmylou wore shoes for the first time, a huge first for her considering the likelihood that she has inherited her dad's gene for shoe collection/addiction.