The day after the walk-around we went to the annual homecoming parade. A very nice man handed Emma her very own flag and she loved it. Seriously, she enjoyed the parade so much it was pretty much impossible to get her to look away for a pic!

At the OSU Homecoming Walk-around. Oklahoma State University has the largest homecoming celebration in the country. Every year sorority and frat houses team up to create enormous 'house decs'. The house decorations get very elaborate - it's amazing what can be done with metal frames, chicken wire and tissue paper! It was chilly, so Emma stayed curled up in the fleece carrier. It's too bad that you can't see her OSU outfit!

Emma having a ball at the playgroup Halloween party.

"Best in Show"

Ward Trunk or Treat

For our ward's trunk or treat party (indoors since our Stake center was demolished!) each family brought a decorated 'box' (trunk) for kids to trick or treat at. Since Emma was dressed as a ladybug, I decided to decorate our box with a garden theme. I feel bad that we didn't get a better picture of the box, it actually turned out pretty cute. We actually won a prize for the "Most Creative"! Emma was the real star though!

I fount it! The perfect pumpkin! Now, how do I get it out of here?!

The pumpkin patch

Tuan, Emma and I took our first trip ever to a pumpkin patch a week or so ago. It was loads of fun. The patch was huge and it was really pretty to look out and see little orange spots all over the ground. It was hard to find the right pumpkin because the next one you looked at was always better than the one in your hand! I took the opportunity to get some cute fall pics of Emma. There are way too many cute ones, but I decided to spare you guys from having to look at all of them! We are going to carve our pumpkin tonite with a couple of friends.

Well, at least I can carry this one out of the patch!

My week from hell:

Friday: Emma had been teething for the previous two days. This means that she was incredibly clingy and in lots of pain. I woke up with a headache and felt very weak. I was also chilled and couldn’t seem to get warm - even though our thermometer read 76 degrees. I decided to nap when Emma did so that I would have enough energy to host my book club that evening. However, Emma couldn’t stay asleep for longer than 30 – 40 minutes because she was in so much pain. So I finally called my sister who suggested some different medicines (orajel just wasn’t cutting it) and let me vent to her for over an hour! All week, everything I cooked seemed to turn out off – just not very good or flavorful. For some silly reason, I continued with my plans to make a light dessert for the book group. Even sillier was the fact that it was something I had never made before – cream puffs. The pastry shells went together nicely and I got them into the oven. However, when the timer went off, I pulled out very burnt shells. I was pretty beat because the guests were arriving in about 15 - 20 minutes. So I just scraped of the burnt bottom, filled them with filling and lit a blueberry muffin scented candle to disguise the smell of burnt food. Somehow I made it through the evening without dozing off! We gave Emma some Ibuprofin and hoped it would help her sleep. Tuan tucked me in with two blankets as I had gotten chilled again. Unfortunately, the night took an unexpected cold turn and Emma, who was only in a onesie got cold. Unfortunately, Emma also hates to have blankets over her. So the night was spent with Tuan and I taking turns getting her to sleep cuddled with us for extra warmth (not easy when your baby doesn’t like to sleep cuddled!) It was exhausting especially because Tuan had to work overtime the next morning.
Saturday: I was still very weak, and the long night had not helped anything. Tuan picked up another kind of medicine on his way home from work and we were able to help Emma feel better. It was a long day, but I thought if I could just get some sleep, I would be better.
Sunday: Diarrhea! Yep, I’ve never had it quite so bad before, but on Sunday I had diarrhea with some pretty unpleasant gas pains. As the day progressed, I started to spot and realized that I was beginning to cycle again. I called another sister and she told me I could get some over-the-counter diarrhea medicine. I figured I would wait until morning.
Monday: Day 4 of feeling like crap! Tuan had been pulling double duty around the house for four days now. I went into town and got some medicine. I took it, and felt better for about two hours. Then things started to get worse. About halfway through the day I was seriously contemplating calling Tuan and asking him to come home from work! I finally realized that I was experiencing extreme cramping and decided to see my gynecologist first thing in the morning. I started taking 3 ibuprofen every 4 hours. I really didn’t know how I was going to make it through the night – it was that bad.
Tuesday: I dropped Tuan off at work and went straight to the doctor’s office. A nurse saw me right away and her diagnosis was: really bad cramps from my first cycle in over a year. And let me tell you that made me feel like a wimp. But she got an appointment with a doctor and I went back in the afternoon. I was still taking medicine every four hours even though it felt like it had worn off after three hours. Let me tell you, I felt like I should have had another baby by now – it felt almost exactly like being in labor. The doctor told me the same thing but let me know that I could take medicine about every 2 hrs by alternating tylenol with ibuprofen. So I upped my medicine intake – sorry liver!
Wednesday: I was much better than Monday and Tuesday, but still not up to 100%. I think what made the day hardest was seeing how far I had let the house go in a week. I really wanted to clean it up, but didn’t have any energy to even do much with Emma. It was a very long day.
Thursday: I lost a whole week due to exhaustion, diarrhea and simply being a woman. How bizarre was it that all three things hit me at once? After re-reading this, it sounds like one big complaint. But being in the thick of it was really awful. I’ve never experienced anything as bad. I mostly wanted to put this together so that people who knew I wasn’t feeling well would know that I’m better now! Thanks for reading and sticking around for the end of the story! I guess it is a happy ending after all - Emma got a new tooth out of it! :o}

Mommy's new haircut - I think she really likes it!

yummy, yummy

Paper snack

Emma loves to chew on paper! This poses a problem because it falls apart pretty quickly and can get stuck in her mouth. Also any ink on the paper can get in her mouth. But today in the mail, we got some laminated car insurance cards for a previous tenant. So I gave one to Emma to chew on. But it only held up a little bit longer. Baby saliva is some tough stuff!

Cat Nap!

Cat Nap

The other day Emma didn't spend much time napping. I was pretty worn out by late afternoon and worried that dinner was never going to get done because she wouldn't nap and wanted attention. Finally, I got her so worn out that she just dropped off mid-play! Whew!

It's a bird! It's a plane! No - it's Super Baby!! Please do not attempt to discover the secret identity of this superhero. Thank you for cooperation -- Emma (oops!)

Takin' a 'bite' out o' life!

Emma's first tooth made an appearance on Saturday and she tried it out on mommy Sunday afternoon! I was really hoping that she would hold off for a few more months on the teething scene. She was fussy, but luckily she didn't run a fever. But it did affect her sleep, so everything is still a bit hazy for mom and dad!

Got gas?

I only really notice this on Saturday and Sunday mornings because they are more leisurely. Tuan and I lay in bed pretending to sleep in. But we never get to because Emma wakes up and starts babbling to us. But the funniest part is that while she babbles, she passes very loud gas! So we will be laying there, trying to pretend sleep and all of a sudden we will here a really loud toot! It is pretty hard to keep a straight face let alone sleep. So instead of sleeping in, we all end up cuddling together and listening the the free concert! :o}