Well, at long last I am posting here! I finally have the combination of ALL of the following at the same time--1) a few extra minutes to myself (it is Sunday and Trey didn't go to EMBL today, we are all at home this afternoon, alone for a change, even houseguests having all left earlier in the day, so Trey can feed and watch Emma while I try to catch up on some things!); 2) a free hand (not having to type with one hand--using no caps, etc.-- and hold Emma in the other, something I've done all too often in recent months); 3) enough sleep that I can actually semi-function (thanks to a long nap we all took this afternoon (thanks to Emma for finally napping more than 5-10 minutes at a time!); 4) all the login and password information I need now to post here (I learned it long ago, but keep forgetting or can't find it when I've needed it--just learned it again, since Trey is right here); and 5) something to tell you that Trey hasn't just barely beat me to, since he can, at the lab, with long, relatively uninterrupted days (happened when I signed in to tell about trips to Berlin, Italy, earlier doctor visit, etc.)--he was kind enough to wait this time to give me some time to catch up, bless him--though today is my deadline!. Now, if I could just find any of my notes, which I can't, of course, so will just have to wing it and ramble! Whoops, guess I already have rambled--are you still even with me? :) I'll post another longer post about many of the things I've learned from life with Emma Marie, but for now, just some updates, okay? This week was eventful. We started early Sunday with a great houseguest, Radek from Poland (more on him at some later date) and a long daytrip to Cologne with our good friends Ramon and Andreas, who often save our sanity by helping get us out of the house (they have a car, much kidness, and a sense of somehow knowing when we really need them most, it seems!). They also get our electricity turned back on when we arrived home from the US with Emma the first time, feed our bird while we are away, etc. Great friends. Anyway, they had offered to take us to Cologne for the day and had packed lots of food and all for the journey. We met Radek at the station in Koln (Cologne auf Deutsch), as we very much filled R and A's kombi (station wagon, auf Deutsch) with just we three (and them) and all of Princess Emma's many, many things--stroller, car seat, food, diapers, pacifiers, blankets, change of clothes, baby wipes, etc., etc. AND back up replacements for most all of the above, as she may--and often does--need them. Also, as her forgetful parents may--and often do--lose any of the original items--who, US?--in restaurants (her bottle night before last), on the street, in the car, or anywhere we may go. Or atleast that is the commom perception among many family members. Yeah, yeah, we'll never live it down, we know. :(
Anyway, we had a very pleasant day and Emma Marie was very good all day. Well, that is until that night and the three plus hour ride home "from hell", when she screamed and cried all the way! Ramon and Andreas claim they didn't mind it at all, but they are angels and not human, like us. We can't believe Andreas even invited us to go for another long car ride again today, bless him. We didn't have time, unfortunately, but may be just as well as we don't want to risk losing great friends, you know! The funny thing is, we thought Emma LOVED riding in cars--guess she, like her papa Trey, just doesn't like station wagons. We just hope she'll like our VW New Beetle or whatever we end up with when we get back to the US! Or we may well be walking everywhere!
Oh, one funny thing about Koln. We watched a parade and, more fun than watching the parade was watching the people on the side watching Emma. Especially those who, when the parade ended, streamed by and, unfortunately for the men, particularly, would sometimes run smack into crotch-high metal posts as they gawked at little Emma Marie. OUCH! The sudden change of facial expressions was amazing! We probably should have moved away from them sooner, but it was kind of funny, in an evil, sadistic sort of way! ;) It would have been hilarious, yet painful, to watch on video tape. Another missed opportunity for America's Funniest... Already she is having such an effect on men. Though we have noticed that it is definitely more often women who go gaga over her than men (atleast straight men, not yet sure about gay men). Like the big group of Korean women in Heidelberg last night... That was fun.
Anyway, we tried to go to Frankfurt to the consolate Monday, so rented a car and found out enroute that it closed early in the day. So tried again on Tuesday and it went pretty well. Emma was pretty good. The clerk that helped us with all our notary and criminal background (adoption) stuff at the Consulate is a current BYU student (on summer break) and was a bit surprised to find two male BYU grads with a baby, I think. :) Monday night we had our second post-placement interview for the adoption, too. All is well, of courese. We really like the woman who is doing it and look forward to her final visit in a few weeks.
Wednesday we had our appointment with the KinderHaus at EMBL (Trey's workplace) for Emma Marie's intake interview (well, actually, they asked US the questions as Emma doesn't have a whole lot to say at this point, other than "WAAAA"!). It was great to meet all the staff there, see the cute kids (including the baby closest to her age--another Emma, daughter of one of Trey's coworkers), tour the facility and learn all about it. We were quite surprised, though, as we were leaving, to get the schedule for next week, which we thought was to be her first week, up to as many as 5 hours a day, as needed (great care, one well-trained worker to every two or so infants). As it turns out, we must stay with her the whole time (and she can only come an hour or so each day), so my planned emergency business trip the following morning to the US was suddenly cancelled. There would not be a single hour that Trey would have free without Emma if I were gone and, as we already well know, it is nearly impossible to get any work done with her. We had briefly had a babysitter that came for a few hours once or more a week a few weeks ago, but she left for the rest of the summer and we no longer have anyone we'd trust to come for even a short time. Anyway, sudden change of plans (non-changable, non-refundable airline ticket, too!). Oh, well, that's the price of parenthoo--and marriage, huh? Actually, despite the need to have been in the US right now, I was SO RELIEVED to not be going! I had found myself tearing up at the thought of being gone from little Emma for even a short time. So, I was very glad to be able to put that off!
Oh, yeah, we went to the doctor Tuesday, Emma Marie's three month birthday, and she got immunizations for five diseases, poor thing, and slept most of Tuesday and Wednesday to recover. She weighed 5.13 kilos and is 56 centimeters long, so about 11 pounds 3 ounces! He said, again, that she is in excellent shape and doing wonderfully! So glad!
One quick, last thing. Our Congo African Grey parrot, Katie, has somehow learned to say Emma Marie, completely on her own! And says it lots! So funny, we have no idea how she did it as we usually call Emma something silly like Pumpkin, Baby, Honey, Precious, or Emma (which Katie also says sometimes, but usually Emma Marie). We think she likes her new little sister... :) Gotta go, more later...
