The Final Countdown (by JennyO, not Europe!)

Another first!

2012-02-08T22:50:00.003-05:00

Emer had her first hair cut this week! A friend has been cutting her daughter's hair for months and we finally decided to have a Spa Day for Ems, her friend Sophie, and the moms. We had about 12 nail polishes for the girls to choose from. We trimmed up and painted their nails so pretty :) Then it was hair time. Emer sat in a chair in my kitchen, nearly still, and got a nice little trim! I

Creativity Unlimited!

2011-12-05T01:39:00.003-05:00

I tried to get a nice long video of Emer playing with the Christmas decorations (she was supposed to be helping decorate but everything turned into toys for her, haha!). Of course she would have none of it. She was doing this (see below) for at least 10 minutes and when I finally had a chance to pull out the iPad2 she only continued for another 16 seconds. Here's what I'm talking about when I

Too Much Going On, Not Enough Time to Stop and Think...

2011-11-20T15:34:00.009-05:00

Oh dear, October slipped by me! So here I am, sitting down writing a November post. That's OK. I'll add some pics and you'll all forgive me, right?Lately I've been thinking of blogs to write that have nothing to do with Emer or being a mom. I've decided to start a random blog just for those thoughts. It's be all about my random thoughts and contemplations throughout an average week. You can

How Many Things Change in One Year...

2011-09-14T22:28:00.005-04:00

I know, I know...I promised pictures in my next blog. And they are coming. Emer and I are growing parsley and we have been taking pictures with her and the plant every week or so to show the growth. It's really fun and I will post the pics in a couple of weeks when the plant gets a little bit bigger. But tonight I want to just write. I was deleting things from my phone b/c my memory is full

2:00 am, can't sleep...

2011-08-12T02:00:00.004-04:00

Well I have to say I haven't posted many 2:00 am blogs in a couple of years but here I go! I just thought since I was awake I'd write a few things down that I love about my Tiny. A list, in no particular order:* She's a Mini Me!!! Yes this is frightening in so many ways, but makes my life so fun in a million more ways. I fully understand her bad moods (sleepy? hungry? both?) and fully

Three Years!!!!

2011-07-14T22:37:00.004-04:00

Wow!!! Three years have gone by since Tiny entered this world, on her due date, against my orders (you remember - I told her to a wait a week past her due date so we could be married 10 years before having a kid). She has proven to be an independent, strong-willed, and very fun Tiny! So it's about time I write in this blog and update everyone!I will try to add pictures at some point but (it's

The PeePee TeePee

2011-03-14T23:20:00.007-04:00

I think it is safe to write this blog now. (And I'm using this is as my excuse for not having written it before now, haha!) So here goes.The week before Hayden's 2nd birthday was a big one for Tiny Wonder. The snow and ice had been horrendous. School was getting canceled day after day, you've seen the ice slide off our back porch, cars were stuck in garages. It was miserable. But, Gigee

Winter Fun!!!

2011-02-03T11:46:00.008-05:00

This morning, while potty training, we decided to take a break and play on the ice slide that had developed off our back porch. Emer didn't want anything to do with it, but Steve and I had a blast!WEEEEEE!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!Potty training was OK. She waited until after lunch to do anything. Then she went the tiniest amount, in about 3 different drips. She was excited when it

Happy New Year, 2011!

2011-01-11T13:31:00.010-05:00

Let's start this blog entry off with a summary of the last several holidays from 2010:Yep, a slide show is the lazy mom's way to summarize 4 months, but sometimes I need to take the lazy mom's way! :)It's amazing to me when I think about all the holidays that fall into place at the end of a year:The funniest thing about them is that Emer seems to really like Halloween the best! (Yea, that's

Truly a Parent

2010-12-19T15:28:00.011-05:00

As I write this the Colts are playing, and winning. This is my favorite weekend event - watching the game on our big screen in the Colts lower level of our house. Emer just woke up from a nap, I can hear her and Daddy talking about how Mommy is watching the game and asking if she wants to join me. This is such a nice change from last night.Let's start with what a fun day Emer and I had

Bring on the Holidays!

2010-11-21T13:04:00.003-05:00

I feel like it's been so long since I blogged on here that I have a million and one things to tell you about. So, where to start...where to start...Hahaha! I never got started on this blog! Instead I wrote the next blog. So go read it then check back again soon for some pics of the recent holidays that we've missed...They will be posted soon, I promise!

A Response to Potty Training

2010-09-23T00:24:00.004-04:00

Potty Training Day has come and gone! If you read the previous blog (well, it's actually the next blog if you read them in order from the top of the screen down...) you will see a comment from Leftygirl saying she thinks I'm overthinking. This blog today is a tribute to her genius!You will also notice that I said I was going to potty train the week after August 15th. Well, that week went like

Potty Training Update

2010-08-14T18:27:00.002-04:00

Since I like to be a woman of my word I decided I should update this blog, as I said I would. But, the update is not a celebration of using the potty but rather an explanation for why there is no potty celebration. :)It's my fault! I have been purposely putting off the potty training. I have been reading the book, "Toilet Trained in Less than a Day" and it's great! But first it talked about

Big Things are Coming!

2010-08-06T22:58:00.008-04:00

August 1st - Emer used a regular cup, without spilling anything, by herself, for the first time today. I know my mom has helped her use a small regular cup, but I have never been able to get her to drink from a cup without dumping it on herself. So this was a very exciting development! She was so proud of herself!August 2nd - I went back to work for another year of counseling the primary

Birthday Thank You's

2010-07-14T23:40:00.009-04:00

My, my how the time flies! I hope that when Emer is old enough to do her own Thank You cards she is more timely than I am! But right now, I'm all there is to take care of the Thank You's for her. So here we go!On the 4th of July my Tiny Wonder turned TWO! We had a lot of fun throughout the whole day starting with our presents and ending at an Indians game. Well wait, I guess the festivities

New York 2010 and Many Other Things!

2010-06-14T16:37:00.015-04:00

I am so embarrassed - we've been back from NYC for over a month and I haven't posted anything about our trip. A big part of this is because I was posting pics from the city on facebook. Now I know not everyone is on facebook, or is a friend of mine on facebook, so this really shouldn't be an excuse. The big excuse is that I've been lazy! And I figured people would see the pics on facebook, ha

Mother's Day Take Three (my 3rd Mother's Day as a Mom)

2010-05-09T13:54:00.006-04:00

Does anyone watch the TV show "The Middle"? I love this show! From the first episode I thought the mom on the show WAS my mom. I mean, she's busy all the time, takes care of everyone but herself, wears herself thin without anyone noticing until it's too late, etc., etc. And then they had the Mother's Day episode. Did you see it? Were you nodding in agreement? Did you sit back and think, "

Paparazzi!

2010-05-05T18:10:00.004-04:00

You know those articles online that show the stars' kids doing regular things like shopping, eating, etc? Well over the last couple of months we haven't had any big milestones or exciting findings to report, but it seems that the paparazzi has been watching little Emer! Here's a slideshow of the things she's been caught on camera doing:(As an aside, we went to New York City last weekend and

Nothing new...

2010-03-12T01:00:00.003-05:00

I was talking to the hubby today and we were lamenting the sunshine we had yesterday. It occurred to me that I hadn't written an updated blog lately and I probably should do that. But then I realized that not much had changed to write about!* It's still freezing, rainy, yucky outside (Emer has learned to say "yucky")* The weather has us in more bad moods than happy lately (sunshine, please?!)*

Translator, please?!

2010-02-01T12:34:00.004-05:00

Everyone keeps asking me, "How is Emer? Is she talking up a storm yet?"And I say, "She's doing great! She is quite a talker, but not so much in English..." Can someone translate this for me please?!?!

Demitri 1997-2009

2010-01-09T16:59:00.003-05:00

I said I was going to write a blog with pics from Christmas sometime during the second week of my holidays. However, the holidays came to a crashing halt during that time and I haven't really felt like writing much. I can't begin to describe how lonely I feel now, which to non-pet people sounds ridiculous. But I don't care what those people think, I only care about how much I miss Demitri.

Here I Am! and Other News...

2009-12-18T22:27:00.012-05:00

Wow, it's been nearly 2 months since I last wrote a blog entry. It hasn't really occurred to me to sit down and write something and I'm not sure why. I haven't been super busy...maybe that's it. We have just been living life without anything too exciting going on so there hasn't been anything spectacular to share. ... Except that I just checked back to see if I posted Emer's Halloween costume and

New York City 2009!!!

2009-10-23T07:22:00.005-04:00

There was some BIG excitement with part of the O-C household this past weekend. I took Emer to my favorite city in the whole world - New York City! I'd been trying to get there since last spring and Auntie Kelli and I decided it would be nice to go in warm weather for a change. (The last time I was there and didn't have to wear a winter coat was 2001!) So we checked our calendars, kept an eye

Mobility, Part 2!

2009-09-23T11:29:00.008-04:00

Do you ever sit back in life and realize that things are moving so fast you haven't had time to fully realize the effect? Well that's how I feel lately. I love being busy and on the go constantly - anyone who knows me knows I can't sit still! But this past week I've tried 3 or 4 times to sit down and blog about the happenings in The O-C Household and haven't! (Hmmm, maybe the problem is the

2009-09-15T00:02:00.001-04:00

Pike Y Summer Family Adventure! (shown above!)

2009-09-14T23:45:00.003-04:00

Pix, Finally!

2009-08-03T10:06:00.006-04:00

Here it is!The pictures you've all been waiting for!(And yes, I SHOULD be organizing my PartyLite closet and cleaning up the boxes in the dining room, but writing my blog is SOOOO much more fun!)Enjoy! Happy 4th of July! And, more importantly, Happy Birthday Emer! Here she is enjoying the flag from her new golf set :) 1.) Not so sure about this birthday cookie thing...2.) Hmmm, it wasn't too bad!

Year One Stats Update

2009-07-27T02:06:00.003-04:00

I know, I know, I have been slacking on posting here. I've been waiting to get pics from my mom of Emer on her birthday but haven't yet for a variety of reasons. Since she is in Alaska right now, and Em's one year doc appointment was last week, I figured I better just post the stats for everyone. Pics will be coming along someday. So here you go,The Stats at One Year:Height = 30 inchesWeight

Happy Birthday!!!!!

2009-07-04T08:12:00.003-04:00

WOW!!!!!OMG!!!!!Holy Crap!!!!!Has a YEAR actually gone by aleady?! The chatting little wonder at my feet says it has. This morning she has made a HUGE mess of pencils in the office. She loves to dump a box of pencils out and then hand them to me, handfuls at a time. Occasionally she tries to eat one or two. And she just babbles throughout the whole thing. Yes, this is a typical day in the life of

Things I Don't Want to Forget

2009-06-22T21:57:00.013-04:00

It's the greatest cliche that 'time flies when you're having fun'. And I can't count on one hand how many people have told me that the first year just goes so fast. Well it does fly and it has gone so fast and I realize that I've already forgotten some things about Emerson's first year of life. I have managed to write most of what I wanted to remember in this blog (birth, size at various doc

Upcoming Stuff!

2009-06-13T16:00:00.003-04:00

Oh wow I've gotten so bad about posting here and this is where I intend on keeping all of my memories of Emer's babyhood. But how can I remember things if I don't post them! Ack! So here's a few things that we've been up to (sans pix) and I'm working on another post filled with things that I don't EVER want to forget (there will be pix on this post!). I guess what this one is about is

Mobility!

2009-05-03T18:49:00.004-04:00

Woo hoo, we have mobility! One week shy of 10 months old Emer crawled for the first time. We were sitting in the office and she was wanting her music thing. She got up on her knees and took 2 crawl steps towards it! I tried desperately to get her to do it again so I could video tape it but no luck. Instead, Grammy sent us video on Tuesday :)Throughout the week she went from timid to

9 months down!

2009-04-03T22:19:00.009-04:00

Whew, the last 9 months have flown by! On Monday Em had her 9 month doc. appointment (no shots this time, thanks goodness). Here's the outcome:Height: 27 3/4 inches (now somewhere around the 50-75%)Weight: 17 lbs 1 oz (somewhere around the 50%)Head: 17 1/2 inches (still hovering around the 25%)Developmental markers: she's rolling around! She reaches for things, helps us feed her by putting the

The Family Keeps on Growing!

2009-02-05T00:02:00.014-05:00

Quick, what's your first thought?...Nope, I'm not pregnant again, I just got a nephew today! And here are the details:Mommy - Eron, my cool sister-in-lawDaddy - Scotty, my awesome brotherBaby - Hayden Alexander (my sweet tiny nephew!)Length - 21 inches.Weight - 7 lbs, 8 oz (sorry, at first typing I had 8lbs, 7 oz!, my bad.)Date/Time - Feb. 4th, 2009/7:56amHere is Hayden and Proud Papa :Mommy,

The Tooth, the Whole Tooth, and Nothing But the Tooth!

2009-01-22T20:58:00.002-05:00

The title says it all! Emer has been a bit fussy lately and we couldn't figure out why. My mom said she was like me, always needing attention and needing to be carried around. I said, "Thanks! (sarcasm) But she doesn't act like that with me all the time." Then Mom decided to do some sleuthing. As a last resort she stuck her finger in Em's mouth to find...Her First Tooth!!! [This picture

Finally - an Update!

2009-01-07T09:47:00.004-05:00

It has been over a week since Emer's doctor appointment and a week and 3 days since her 6 month birthday. So I guess I better give you all an update! Well here you are, facts and pix just for you: First the Facts: Height - 27 1/4 inches (90th percentile still!!!)Weight - 15 lbs 4 oz (50th percentile still)Head - 16 1/2 inches (just under 50th percentile still)Foods - She has been eating rice

First Food

2008-12-23T14:55:00.003-05:00

First the facts:> Emerson is nearly 6 months now.> She woke up at 11:30 last night (and heartily ate) for the first time since probably Sept.> She has been watching me eat a lot lately.> Steve bought rice cereal 2 months ago.There comes a time in every baby's life when the facts are stacked against Mom. And that time has come :(Based on this we gave Em her first taste of semi-solid food today and

Santa, Jesus, and the Colts (of course!)

2008-12-19T21:05:00.006-05:00

It's been a busy couple of weekends for little Emer and family. Winter is definitely upon us with the 2 and a half hour long drive I took home from work on Tuesday thanks to the ice and freezing winds threatening to blow our house down. We've seen a little snow, and Em seems to like looking at it. It's easy for her though, we just bundle her into her carrier and away we go! And here's where we've

Baptism and Other Exciting Things

2008-12-04T23:27:00.005-05:00

So I'm back! And with fun pics of Em to share. First off, sorry for the delay in posting things. I got a new phone (yep, got the Dare!) for my birthday and playing with it has kind of taken over a lot of my time. This phone is amazing. It takes great pics and has a super fun editing option. The pic of my brother that I use for his ID has been doctored up to where he is wearing a crown. LOL! I

Photo Update!

2008-11-09T21:09:00.005-05:00

The O-C household has been having a good time watching summer fade into fall, even though it's a bit colder than the girls would prefer. (How fun is that, there are girls, plural, living in my house! I hope I always think of it as fun...) Here are some of the things we've been doing:Emmy was a bunny for Halloween. Here is her hat, the body was a little too big! She likes to sit up and check out

Four Month Update

2008-11-01T22:49:00.006-04:00

Yes, Emerson is 4 months old. Can you believe it?! I'm still amazed at how easy it's been to settle into being a parent. I guess we really did wait until we were ready b/c it's just so fun (usually) to take care of Emmy. The best part is, working at a primary school I get great ideas for when she's older. For example, on Friday (Halloween!) all the classrooms had Fall Harvest Parties. [Yea, they

Catching You Up

2008-10-05T15:19:00.006-04:00

And here's your update! I have pictures galore and decided to just post the pics with a short blip explaining each one. These pics have been taken over the past few weeks and I think you'll enjoy them. So here you go! Great Aunt AB gave Emmy the pretty bracelet that she's wearing. You can kind of see it in this pic. You can at least see something shiny on her arm! She seems like to it and we

UPDATE COMING

2008-09-25T17:01:00.004-04:00

This is to everyone who keeps asking if I have any new pics of Emmy. The answer is - A few. And I will get those posted with some fun little stories sometime in the next couple of days.I PROMISE!!!Things just get busy and I don't take tons of pics b/c I forget that she's growing. When I see her everyday I don't see the changes that people who only see her once a week or do see. But I was just

8 Week Appointment

2008-08-30T00:54:00.011-04:00

And we're back! I know it's been a while but there hasn't been much to report. Sure there are small things - she's trying hard to roll over, she's awake a LOT more during the day, she's consistently sleeping 6+ hours a night, usually more, etc. But these are normal mile stones and while they are fun, they are not spectacular and exciting for everyone.As for pictures, how many times can I show the

It's 1:38 am...she's sleeping...

2008-08-15T01:37:00.004-04:00

Well, as the title informs you, it's 1:38 am and I'm awake but Emmy and Steve are sleeping. I should be asleep but I woke up on the couch about midnight having fallen asleep around 10:45. (For those of you who know me well, I just pulled a Steve! LOL!) I figured Emmy would be up soon for a midnight snack so I would just stay awake until she got up. See, at that point it had been 3.5 hours since

Go Colts!!

2008-08-06T03:40:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday was a very important day in terms of the football world. It was the first game of the 2008-09 NFL season (pre-season Hall of Fame game) and it featured the Indianapolis Colts!!! But that's not all... We also introduced the newest Colts fan to her favorite team, visually!Emmy heard many games from the 2007-08 season but had never seen a game until this Sunday. As you can see, it

Little Wildflower

2008-08-02T09:33:00.005-04:00

Yesterday Emmy had her 1 month doctor appointment. Can you believe she's already a month old?! Even more unbelievable - her size! Here she is getting ready for her appointment: She just finished a huge stretch while I was getting a fresh, new outfit ready for her.She looks tiny still, don't you think? I thought so! The truth of the matter is, Emmy now weighs a whopping 9 lbs 6 oz!!! She's

* Bath Time!!! *

2008-07-27T23:03:00.000-04:00

Woo hoo! I have big news for everyone! But first, an apology: I'm terribly sorry for not posting anything over the past week. It turns out babies are not that exciting. Emmy basically eats, sleeps, gets changed, and occasionally stares into space. She can't go out in crowds yet so she's confined to the house, neighborhood, and park. So there hasn't been a whole lot to write about or show you!

Emerson's Fashion Show

2008-07-21T19:50:00.001-04:00

Coming soon - Emerson's Fashion Show

2008-07-16T10:00:00.004-04:00

Check back in a few days to see a fashion shoot I've been working on spotlighting clothing from a variety of friends and family :) ~~~~~~~~~~BREAKING NEWS~~~~~~~~~~ The Fashion Show will be posted no later than Monday, July 21st. We've had some hold ups on a couple of outfits but everything will be good to go by Mon.Thanks!

7 lbs 4 ounces!!!

2008-07-11T18:09:00.007-04:00

You read that right, Little Em has gained weight in the first week of her life. We left the hospital with her weighing 6 lbs 10 oz. Today we had her first doctor appointment and she weighed a stunning 7 lbs 4 oz!!! Woo hoo, you go, little girlie!She's opening her eyes more and spending a few more minutes awake after eating than she had been before. I can't believe she's already a week old. It is

The Promised Pics!

2008-07-09T18:59:00.002-04:00

Emerson Rachel Cripe, at just about an hour old:<- And here's the Happy Family, about a half an hour after she was born.Uncle Scotty got to be there for her first pics as well!G-pops and Grammy are proud grandparents :) Don't they just look so happy?!Grandma adores Emmy as well! ->I think I'll put the rest of the pics in a slide show, that way if you aren't interested in looking at baby pic after

Emerson's First Days

2008-07-09T18:53:00.001-04:00

Announcing Emerson Rachel Cripe!!!

2008-07-04T22:05:00.002-04:00

She was born at 4:33 this afternoon and weighed 7lbs.Check back in a few days for pics :)

Oh, OOWwwwwwww!!!

2008-07-04T12:46:00.003-04:00

So this could be pre-labor, stomach issues, or actual labor. Who's to say. All I know is I do NOT feel well today. I keep having to burp or run to the bathroom (well, since I'm having weird cramps I sort of hobble to the bathroom), and then I'm good for an hour. Some things don't add up with this:* Everything I've heard and read says that walking making contractions feel a little better. In

The Bet

2008-06-28T00:57:00.003-04:00

And the bet is on! Every year I bet on the results of the Super Bowl (well, except the year the Colts were in it, of course, b/c who would bet against them!?!). This year was the first year in a long time that I won the bet. Way to go Eli! Then my QUASH team just won an award for Best Costume at the Alzheimer's Association's scavenger hunt fund raiser. It was awesome!!! So now I'm feeling pretty

My Kitties, as Promised

2008-06-24T02:05:00.001-04:00

Still Hanging In There...

2008-06-20T09:35:00.004-04:00

Quick update, in case anyone was wondering how the appointment went this week:* I'm still 3 cm and the kid is hanging in there! I've told it that it has to hang in until after Saturday b/c I really, REALLY want to QUASH!!! Go Team Scattered!* My doctor thinks I'm crazy, actually most doctors do, b/c I am enjoying myself so much. I guess most people at this point can't wait to get it out of them.

It's a Coming...

2008-06-14T00:59:00.003-04:00

I've been given my first restriction, my first taste of limited activity - I can no longer go to the pool. I now know what it feels like to be told not to do things and it kind of stinks!For those of you not in the know (which is probably the majority of the readers here) I'm 3 cm dilated with my first kid! I've had the easiest 8.5 months ever - my husband is sure most pregnant women hate me.