true peace

This is what they mean by peace on earth! So sweet!

Em and her teddy

This is Em's new teddy bear/friend. It was a gift from a receptionist at my salon. I brought it home the other night and now she smiles at it while she's getting her diaper changed. Nate brought her out holding it and it was just so cute. She was also hungry at the time and tried to nurse of his nose! hahaha!!!

Our first family Christmas

The weekend after Thanksgiving was our time to put up our tree and decorations. It was a little different than last year...This time around we did things much faster and less detailed! It's funny how things change when a baby arrives! We waited until Em went down for her nap and like usual we listened to Christmas tunes and drank hot chocolate. Nate hooked the bulbs while I put them on the tree. We were both a little tired that day but it was still special all the same. It is so exciting this year knowing we are now our own little family in our own little house! We can't wait until Em can help with all our holiday traditions!

Christmas fun!

Sophie playing in the snow

Look at all those stockings!

Emmalyn got tuckered out!

Soph points out her favorites

What a festive spread!

Ready for the oven!

Decorating cookies with Sophie at Pa and T's house has been one of my favorite things I've done this Christmas season! She was so good at cutting out the shapes and putting lots and lots of sprinkles on all the cookies. She even put up some snow on Pa and T's trees for them. How pretty! ;) She was so proud!

It's Christmas time again...

There were a few warm days back in November that Nate decided he would get the Christmas lights up. We are glad now that they went up a little early! These 20-something degree days have been bitter! Brrrrr!! Nate did such a great job decorating our first home. I made a faux potterybarn style wreath by the front door. I tried to get Nate to buy "Griswold bulbs" but he just laughed, I think he thought I was kidding! Maybe next year when Em knows a little more about what's going on around her he will go all out!

getting stronger!

Emmalyn has been using her neck muscles an awful lot lately. Everyday she gets better with holding her head up on her own. My friend gave us her sons bumbo chair that he had out grown so I thought I would see how well she did in it. It was so cute! She tried so hard to keep that heavy head up but unfortunatley it only would work for her for about 15 seconds before she would slowly fall over! I managed to capture a shot in those few seconds...I think she looks just like her Auntie Heather in the bottom picture!

Just like cousin Annie!

There are mornings when I just don't want to get up for the day just yet! I know all you moms know what I am talking about... the 6am feeding that means it's 7 by the time you get them changed and fed. Still too early to get up and get going for me, so on those days I let Emmalyn come in our bed and take her morning "nap." I of course can't go to sleep because 1, I can't stop staring at her and 2, I am so afraid of smothering her! I at least get to lay down! The other day I got up at 9 but Emmalyn was still snoozing so I just left her in the "big girl bed" just like her cousin Annie is in now! She looks so tiny in that big bed! It was too cute not to document. This one's for you Annie Bananie!

Heidi and her chocolate

Well lets start with a little story... if you all do not know, Heidi LOVES chocolate! The obsession with chocolate got even worse while she was pregnant with Emmalyn. Lets just say going to the grocery store was a treat. Now lets get to the video... we, or should I say I like to harass Emmalyn when she is sleeping. In this video Heidi gets the trophy. I think Emmalyn will also have an obsession with chocolate. When the lighting gets better take a look at Emmalyns outfit (the left side to be exact). I think those spots on her outfit are what you would call CHOCOLATE stains from her mother holding her and eating what she loves at the same time.

Emmalyn's first cooking lesson!

Well our little one is already learning the Knisley way. At only 3 weeks old she is already learning her way around the kitchen. Emmalyn and mom are preparing an Italian feast, or maybe it is just that mom and daughter can not be separated. I always thought those baby Bjorn things were a waste of money, but i guess it gets the job done.

Sleeping beauty

a little early for her christmas jammies but they were just too cute!

one of the few pictures of me and Em... self portrait of course
sleeping so peacefully

such a sweet baby

my favorite picture of Nathan and Em so far

Here are a few new pictures of Emmalyn on her 2 week birthday! We are a little partial but we think she gets sweeter by the day.

Our determined 2 week old

This was probably a fluke but the other day Emmalyn was playing on her play mat when Nate called me in the room to tell me she was trying to roll over! Of course I'm thinking, yeah right, a two week old? not possible. When I got into the living room she was indeed tring to roll over! By the time I got the camera ready she was attempting the roll again and got stuck half way! She seems to be a very strong little girl. Already trying to roll and always lifting her head up on her own to see what's going on around her. We are so proud :)

Miss photogenic

Here are a few new pictures of our little peach. She is changing every single day! Her little hands and fingers are getting chubby as well as her feet. I discovered yesterday when she was giving me the worlds prettiest smile that she may in fact have her mother's dimples :) She is so beautiful, we can't believe she is all ours to watch grow and change each day!

Comfortable?

Emmalyn has been sleeping in the funniest positions these past few days so we decided to capture them before she stopped doing it. She is just so sweet when she sleeps but Nathan and I can't help but stare and laugh when she sleeps like this.... :)

1 week old!

Well mom, dad, and Em made it through the first week! It flew by so fast! Emmalyn had her first check up at the doctors yesterday. She impressed the doctor with her weight gain.. our little milk monster weighed in at 7.1! When we left the hospital last Thursday she was at 6.11! At least I know all those late night feedings are paying off! :) She was still looking a little yellow so she had her blood drawn (which she did not appreciate one bit) and her "billi" level was at 15, the high normal range. She has to go back on Thursday to get another blood test just to be sure it's getting better. The doctor said he's not conserned so mom and dad are resting easy right now. She has been such a great baby girl all week. The first few nights were tough but each day it gets easier and her sleep pattern is getting more consistant. I find myself just sitting and watching her all day long. We are truly blessed with the best gift in the world!

Our Special Gift!

Here is our little angel, Emmalyn Georgia Sharp! Born November 3! She is perfect in every way possible! 6lbs. 13 oz. 19 inches long. She is such a great sleeper right now, so quiet and content 100% of the time! We are truly blessed with this little bundle of sweetness. We just stare at her all the time thinking how beautiful she is! Parenthood is an amazing thing and we are loving every single moment of it!

MONSTEROUS dusty millers!

Yes, this is one individual plant... crazy huh?!!!

The scary thing at our house this Halloween is our GIGANTIC dusty millers that we planted this spring! I don't know what was in the soil but these dusty millers loved living in our back flower bed. The roots on these plants were crazy, almost tree-like. We unfortunately had to pull them up for the winter, and the fact that they were killing my clematis!

This one's for you DAD!

The beautiful tree that caused all the leaves to blow into our yard! The colors in our neighborhood are so magnificent!

cleaning the gutters out for winter

I personally love the leaves in the yard but Nate does not so he blew off the driveway and yard!

Nate had some fun today doing what dad does best... using a leaf blower! I see what they mean when they say girls marry men most like their fathers. I never thought that was true until we bought this house, now I know it's true!!!

12 days and counting!!!

Yesterday was our 38 week doctors appointment. 60% thinned out and starting to dilate. Gaining 1lbs. and blood pressure still doing great! Dr. Parker says "any day now." I was thrilled to hear the news of my strep B test results came back negative, so natural delivery plans are still able to happen! Everything is going perfect except for the fact that we are growing impatient to meet our little one! Everyday for about a week I think.... today is the day, this is it! Everyday so far baby Sharp has had other ideas! Everyone is predicting Halloween, I guess we will have to see if baby is up for it.

Landscaping duty

After we returned home from the Indians game on Monday, we of course had to get right back to working on the house (two days off was just too much) hahaha!!! We had taken out two bushes from a flower bed in our backyard before we moved in. Monday the other two came out!!! First time around Nate sawed and pulled for hours trying to get these fifty year old bushes out! This time he got a little smarter... pulling them out with the car! Much faster I must say! This is going to make a great spot for my herb garden next spring.