Women Be Shoppin'

Between me and "the entourage" (my mom, Mama Jan, and Aunt Eva), Emma will be such a great shopper.  And I don't just mean that she will enjoy shopping.  I mean that she's going to be that child who we can take with us anywhere.  Day after Thanksgiving?  No problem.  On Tuesday night, I went to a consignor preview sale for a consignment sale that occurs twice a year.  Due to some extenuating circumstances, I had to bring Emma with me.  And strollers weren't allowed.  (Not that you'd want to bring one anyway; they need to rent out a bigger place.)  As a matter of fact, they strongly discourage that you bring small children.  But they don't know my Emma.

At 6:15, I walked in with 2 empty shopping bags on my arm, a baby on my hip in her carrier, a blank check and my license in my back pocket, and plenty of burp cloths.  For the next hour and a half, sweet Emma shopped with me and loved every minute.  No tears, no whining.  In fact, her neck was probably sore from craning it all over the place to stare at all the women scanning the racks next to us.  She was pretty confined in the carrier, so she wasn't able to move around a lot...but no fussing!  At one point, I felt her pulling away from me, and I looked down to find her scratching the back of the woman going through the rack behind us.  My daughter is that child who stares at strangers and pulls on their clothes.  Luckily everyone thought she was adorable, so no harm no foul.

Many people approached me to tell me how well-behaved and tolerant she was.  I couldn't agree with them more, if I say so myself.  She smiled at people, waved at them, and even scratched their backs.  I was very afraid Emma would choke, freak people out, and (worst of all ) yak all over me (since we were strapped together).  If that were to happen, I'd have to put the clothes down and just leave :(  But no throw-ups!  A few choking episodes, and I only had to explain it to someone one time.  I'm not embarrassed of Emma and her episodes, but I hate making people feel awkward because they usually don't know how to respond, and no one wants to see a child gasping for air.  The whole experience totally wore her out, though, and she fell sleep in her high chair right when we got home.

On Sunday, we went to Ellie Sumerel's second birthday party.  It was a Minnie Mouse-themed party, which was the perfect opportunity for Emma to wear her Minnie Mouse ears that her cousin Mason bought her at Disneyworld.

That cute expression didn't last long when Emma realized I had a piece of technology in my hand and wanted it for herself:

Notice that these pictures of a happy Emma are when Daddy is holding her.  Here's what she looked like when I held her - on the brink of tears, wanting to get back to Daddy.  Can you sense my frustration?

Thanks to the Sumerels for a fun party :)

On Thursday morning, we find out the results of Emma's sleep study, and we also go to the ophthalmologist for a check-up.  In my opinion, the more important purpose of the eye doctor's visit is to get Emma's glasses fixed since she pulled one of the sides loose.  She has been rolling over all the time, and diaper changes are becoming increasingly difficult.  But what a joy that is.  She is still partial to her loved ones (see pictures with Daddy above), but she has been great about going to new people and staying with them for a bit.  So far, Kristen Taylor and Amy Barras have been real winners in Emma's book.  She still likes men and flirts with them - she saw our friend Brad for the first time last week and immediately grinned at him and wanted to move closer to him.  Lovely. 

Off to bed now - will try to post results of the doctors' visits soon.