THE ADOPTION IS FINAL!!!

It is final! Our precious little angle is legally ours. We had our day in court and the adoption decree was signed just before noon today. Judge Cobb loved our little Emma, and was very gracious. We had fun going up to her bench so that she could sign the paperwork and let Emma play with her gavel. She then posed with us for photos.

We have been so blessed in our lives, with wonderful parents who were there to support us, and a little angle who will soon be forever ours!

It is so wonderful to have the adoption done. We are so grateful for the blessings Emma has brought to our lives. We are amazed by her on a daily basis, and look forward to watching her grow up. Next up --- the baby blessing and temple sealing!

WE HAVE A COURT DATE!!!

Finally, a day we have been waiting for has arrived. We found out yesterday that our Adoption Finalization court date has been set! Emma will officially be our daughter next Wednesday, September 30th. We just found out yesterday, and were so excited that is it is finally here!

The first thing I did when we found out was to call the Temple and set up our sealing date. Emma will be sealed to us on October 17th at 4:00 pm in the Portland Oregon Temple. This is the date we have been aiming for since I have family in town that weekend. I have to admit that we were worried we would miss this date.

We need to meet with our Bishop and set up Emma's Blessing date still. I am a little worried about the logistics of her being blessed. As a active, noisy six month old, it will be interesting to see how she behaves. When she sees all those men holding her, and she is not able to sit up, what kind of noises we will get. I will have to write this experience down. It could be amusing!

Emma's Six Month Doctor Appointment

Emma visited the Doctor today for her 6 month visit. She is growing like a weed, and is not 28 inches long and 17 pounds. We have one more inch on her car seat before we have to upgrade, and fear that we may have to start driving separately (our car is too small for both of us with the bigger car seat facing backwards).

Emma was a real trooper getting her shots, and only cried for a few minutes. After going out for lunch, Emma and I hurried home for a good long nap. After her nap, she turned understandably cranky, and all she wanted was her snuggly, blanket and swing. At least I finally found what she wanted. She was so cute in the swing that I had to take her picture. Sorry for the blurry!

Emma's progress

It is amazing just how fast a baby grows and changes. It seems like everyday there is something new that Emma has figured out or had happen to her. In the last 1-2 weeks, Emma has been learning to sit. She is doing really good now, and is up to about 15 minutes on her own without toppling over (unless she reaches for something out of her reach, and then she falls right over). We watched her start with just having a back rest, to now she corrects herself as she is falling, well, most of the time.

We have also discovered a new noise. Okay, I must admit that I am to blame for her learning this one, but it is so cute, who cares! I have always sent Emma air kisses by smacking my lips. This past week, Emma started smacking her lips. It is so cute, and she does it constantly. Glenn believes that she is communicating. It is one of the ways she uses to get our attention, and she answers back. We have to laugh as well, as she does the funniest things with her lips. I don't know how, but she manages to suck in her lower lip, and the sides of her upper lips, so that the top center becomes pointed, kind of like a beak! I have tried to imitate this, but have had no success. I really think that Emma has got Kristen's lips (her birth mother) and the expressiveness of them. She is constantly doing new things with them, and making us smile.

Emma has also been experiencing solid food over the past several weeks. She seems to have finally gotten the hang of how to use her tongue, and is doing great. Today while feeding her lunch, I discovered that Emma's first tooth had broken through. We have been watching for it over the past few weeks as we have been able to see the two front bottom teeth pushing up. We still are waiting for number two to pop through, but we have passed the first huddle. I have to admit that we have been blessed in the teething ordeal. I have been waiting for Emma to be in pain and be difficult with this, but other then a little grumpiness (that can be directed at her cold) she has been a real trooper. I think I have given her teething tablets only 4 times over the past three weeks.

We are also watching Emma learn to crawl. She has gotten very fast rolling around the house, and we have learned that we need to be careful what we leave out and in how we move around her, as she may be underfoot. We have seen her lift herself a few times and go forward a few pushes, but she seems to be able to scoot and roll so well that she is not working too hard on this. She also tends to do it when we are not watching. As soon as we turn around and discover her moving, she stops and holds her arms out to be picked up. I have to admit that I am hopeful that she takes several more weeks before she takes off on this new skill. I have baby proofing to do first!

So, as you can tell, Glenn and I love being parents, and Emma has become our favorite topic (as you can tell I have just gone on and on...). It is hard to believe we have had this wonderful spirit in our care for almost 6 months. We just keep falling more in love with her every day. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for meeting Kristen and David, and for the precious gift they have given us. Not only did we get Emma in our lives, but we have them to love too. Thank you both for your love and trust!

Family Visits

We had a great day visiting family. Emma and I are trying to get together with my Mom, Aunts Judy and Penny, and cousins Katy and Hanna, as well as their young children one afternoon a month. Many of us got together today at Katy's house, and enjoyed a nice lunch together. It is fun to watch the children (4 in all today) as they played. Katy's daughter Shaylee is only two weeks younger the Emma, so it is fun to watch them together and see what they are doing yet. 5-6 months is such a fun age for this.

I am going to give this a try, and see if I can keep up on this blogging thing. I feel as if I owe it to my Emma to do some kind of journal, and this way I can share it with family and friends.

Emma is now 5 1/2 months old. She is growing so quickly. This week we are working on teething (her two bottom front teeth are trying to make an appearance), eating solids, sitting and crawling. Emma is not too sure of food, but is willing to give it a try. So far, she seems to not like us adding any flavors, like apples or banana's. Seems boring to me, but we are sure that soon she will get the hang of different flavors.

The crawling is coming slowly, but she is really getting the hang of sitting up. She has even been correcting her balance every once in a while. I prefer to practice her sitting on the bed as it is a nice soft fall if she loses her balance, which she always does.