Happy New Year!

mommy and i stayed home while daddy worked. we had a really nice time just making each other laugh. the way i see it, that's the best way to bring in my first new year. i've lived in two years now, but i'm not even one year old. huh. whoa, that was too much brain activity for someone my age.

enjoy the video and have a wonderful new year full of learning, developing, growing, eating sugar... (only 6 more months till my first birthday cake--just sayin'!)

mama says...

mommy says i suffer from the same affliction as she--lots of tops (shirts), but not lots of bottoms (pants). so mommy felt that she just had to order me (all on sale) some leggings (black) and jeans (with ruffle bell bottoms) just to make sure that i get to wear all of my tops.

i mean, the thing is, i do have a lot of bottoms, but they're either part of a set & used as such (see photo in which i'm doing my signature pose), or they're part of a set to which i never had the top (and i just can't match with any one of my random tops/bodysuits). the troubles of a child, right? and i'm a child on public assistance healthcare (did i say that right?). anyway, "i was [basically] born poor black child..." and i'm not ashamed to admit it. these are tough times, and both my parents work really hard, but neither one gets health insurance, so they do what they have to do in order to take excellent care of me.

i mean, the funny thing is, mommy & daddy haven't spent any money on clothes for me. true story. ok, well, mommy bought me a sesame street t'shirt for ChanuMas that will fit me in the summer, but otherwise, everything has been a gift or a generous hand-me-down from a super cool family at mommy's school. i actually have far too many clothes, also an affliction of my mom.

i'm a really lucky girl. that fact is not lost on me...

gotta get some grub...enjoy these various photos of me in cute outfits.

UPDATE: mommy wanted me to make sure everyone knows that i was wearing that flapper-headband for the photo only. i don't wear bows on my head--it looks ridiculous on me. it may be cute on some babies, but there's really no need to accentuate what mommy and daddy call my "big ass bald head."

my first chanukah!!!!

i wouldn't have had such a wonderful chanukah had it not been for my bubbie & zayde and nonna & grandpa. it was because of their many many gifts that i was able to celebrate as though the maccabees' oil had lasted SIXTEEN days! seriously, the UPS guy became my best friend, and i went through withdrawal when he stopped visiting every day. (i miss you, dan, dan, my UPS man!)

the fun began a few days before chanukah with a delivery of a big box from ohio filled with gifts of all shapes, sizes, and sounds, each wrapped up to keep me excited. mom and dad displayed the gifts all around the menorahs for several days leading up to and during chanukah. this was a great exercise in patience...if not for me, then definitely for my mom, but we were both good. i found that i really like surprises--they're always worth the wait. at least that's my experience so far.

then, around day 5 or six, dan started coming every day...for, like, 6 days in a row! i don't think nonna and grandpa meant for this to happen--it's just turns out that each thing they selected from my target wish-list was sent separately from the original manufacturer. we never knew when it would stop--how fun!! (it did stop, by the way, hence the above referencing to missing UPS dan.)

here are just a few select photos of my first chanukah, but not in any sort of good order or placement--sorry. as for chanukah, i LOVED the candles, and the singing. it was very, very nice. i ate potatoes for the first time during chanukah! mommy says that next chanukah, i'll be able to eat latkes. and something called "soof-gah-nee-oat." mmmm, donuts.

mama says...

...that i need lots of extra snuggling today because i got my 6 month shots. she said she doesn't mind giving me the extra snuggling, but she wishes i wasn't in pain. even with the pain, and the fever that's sure to come, i'm still in pretty good spirits. mommy says that most babies are, on a regular basis, ten times more kvetchy as i am today.

to make me feel better mommy has tried getting me to take naps at times that i usually don't. it worked for a bit, but i can't really sleep... still, i'm being a trooper. that's what i keep hearing, anyway. here's some proof.

a jewish girl's first christmas...

....i'm going to get back to this post some day to tell the real story about how my brother's mother pretty much *&^%$# up my first Christmas (an occasion which means a WHOLE lot to several people who mean a WHOLE lot to me), but my mom encourages me to look at life as though my bottle has more milk in it than it actually does...or something like that. now i'm confused...

well, in the meantime, i've decided to share some very personal family photos that prove that, although she may have the power to steal precious time, no *&^%-faced-@#$%^ can stop me from making the best of the moments i finally get to spend with my brother and our family.

here's some proof for posterity:

holla!

mommy posted the top photo to her facebook page, and it got lots of attention, i'm not so sure why. i really like rolling around and ending up under things in this case the couch. luckily, i haven't knocked my head into anything yet...but i'm sure it's just a matter of time. i think i may have learned my love for being under things from watching my guinea pigs--they like to be huddled tight under stuff, too.

lots to tell!

there were a lot of "firsts" in the past 24 hours. first night in my own room, first night in my crib, first time having food from a spoon, first time Mommy tried (and failed) to get me to go to bed at 6:30... well, let's give her a little credit: she bathed me, fed me, snuggled me, and put me to bed just like usual, except she did it four hours early. well, i gave it a good shot--i was asleep for an unprecedented hour--but i had to get up in time for Jeopardy! i mean, it's the 2011 Championship Tournament, after all! jeesh!

anyway, here are some pictures documenting my big steps. enjoy!

look what daddy found in his pumpkin!

(he found his bug.)

i got caught...

yeah, i got caught hoarding all the candy. mommy said that made me her "sweet child o' mine."

mama said....

...if you're gonna be a gangster, it's best not to put your real name on your shirt, or take a nap.

i finally have a name

yesterday was my simchat bat, my baby naming, where i was given my hebrew name. it was at my nonna & grandpa's house in DC. it was a gorgeous day--almost 80 degrees. there were lots of really nice people there, many of whom i hadn't yet met, some of whom even brought me presents! (mommy had said it wasn't a gift-giving thing, but i guess some people couldn't resist.) i even got a pair of Marc Jacobs shoes from my aunt Cara's mother-in-law! mommy said most people never own a pair of Marc Jacobs shoes, but i am getting my taste for high-fashion very early, thanks to Mama G. apparently, Mama G will provide me with over-the-top fashion through-out my life, just wait and see.

there were also some people who couldn't make it, like my Bubbie & Zayde, and my great-grandpa Sam. they were there with me in spirit--that's what mommy said--and i'll see them again very soon. mommy and daddy also missed their loved ones who really couldn't be there today because they're gone. Like my mom's grandmothers (Martha and Molly), and my daddy's Pop, Patsy, and Min.

here's photos:












so, my hebrew name is schulamit raHel, which means full of peace & beauty. Schulamit also sounds a lot like mommy's last name, Schulman, so that's for my Zayde. RaHel is in honor of "Raphael" for my great-grandparents Sis & Joel, and my grandparents, Nonna & Grandpa; mommy also has a lifelong friend named Rachel, so it all works out really well.

so, now it is my duty to grow up and be a good jewish girl. i'll do my best!

mommy is sad

usually it's me crying at this time of the night, but tonight it's mommy. a guy named steve jobs died. mommy says i'll understand when i'm older that this man changed the world in ways that she could never have imagined when she was a tyke, let alone could her parents and grandparents. mommy says i'll certainly learn all about him in school when i'm older. sounds like a cool dude. Rest in Peace, Mr. Jobs. and thank you for all the things we now have because of your visions.

jogging stroller

one of the families at mommy's preschool gave her their old jogging stroller. i had no idea it would be so much fun! mommy says it is really light, and i think it smooths over all the bumps in the road. this is when daddy took me on a walk:










and this is when mommy took me on a walk:



just sayin'....

"for the love of pete"

so, you'll see in the post below that i made use of the term "for the love of pete." i have no idea what it means. mommy doesn't either, but she says that "pete" can be interchanged with "christ," "god," "the game," and even "ray jay." (i just spit-up on my face!) i personally like saying "for the love of pete" because i am loved by a pete. pete wright. my pal pete. or, as he's known at mommy's preschool, "mr. wright." so, for the love of pete, enjoy the photos.

i'm such a great baby

yeah, mommy and daddy keep telling people how i'm SUCH a great baby, how i've slept through the night since i was 8 weeks old, and how i've never been uncontrollably upset. they say that i'm "such a happy baby" just because i chat & laugh all the time. truth is: if i'm fussin', then you need to feed me, change my diaper, or give me some love (just hold me, for the love of pete). i'm THAT easy!! so, i guess i'm what people call "an easy baby." but....the secret is that i'm just saving it all until i'm a teenager. then, watch out, mommy!

these's photos of me are from sept 21. i look like i have no neck, but i really do. enjoy!

earthquake!!!

so...we had an earthquake a couple of hours ago. mommy at first thought it was the neighbor guy starting his motorcycle. oh, it's a cool bike! it's a bright yellow ducati! i like to look at it. but sometimes, the cool kid forgets that his garage is directly under our "dining room" here at the carriage house, so when he fires up his hot rod, it shakes our house.well, when the house began shaking, mommy thought that's what it was--the throttle (??). but it didn't stop, and things downstairs were crashing about (like frames off the wall), so then mommy thought that maybe someone had rammed their car into the carriage house...and rammed and rammed it again. and THEN it occurred to mommy exactly what it was!! it was the Wicked Witch of North West and she was BULLDOZING the house! it made so much sense. mommy looked out the window toward the street and saw a car backing out of the driveway. people use that driveway to turn around all.the.time., but mommy used this particular sighting as an excuse to confirm her theory that someone hit the house with a car. but then she realized that the car was almost done backing out, and the shaking was still going on. well, then mommy saw daddy standing by the back of their car, which was parked at the end of the driveway. mommy was SO confused, and was just starting to feel scared. so she grabbed me, ran down the stairs, tore the door open, ran out to the street, and said to daddy "what were you doing? what were you doing to the house??" and he said to mommy, "were you pushing on the car? what were you doing?" and then mommy heard car alarms going off in the neighborhood from all different directions. and people were just out of their houses and all looking about. so she and daddy put it together that we'd just had an earthquake! for reals! apparently it was CRAZY! a good 30 seconds or so. and this was me the whole time....



we went to see the cathedral because parts fell off. read about it in your history books.

there's no pot of gold

sometimes not even a rainbow shining through the window onto your head can make you happy.

for me, it takes food.

a little more color

my aunt iwonka* gave mommy some onesies and a tie-dye kit. super cool, actually--the dye is in spray bottles, so it's super easy. well, it looked easy--it's not like i actually did it. mommy did it. i am, after all, just a baby.

well, this is the result. the other colors in the background are quite brilliant, don't you think? i'm on my awesome, silky mat that mom's childhood pal sent from ohio. anyway, i felt like adding some COLOR to your day, so here it is.

*aunt iwonka is one of mommy and daddy's dearest pals.

girl gonna knock you out!

i actually knocked gary in the nose this morning. i didn't mean to, but i was flailing and his face was in the wrong place at the wrong time. apparently, i've got a mean left hook. i'm pretty sure gary and i just took a BIG step backward in what was becoming an amicable relationship, with hopes for more. we'll see...

about me

ok, so i already went over the date of my birth.

some things about my name & birth that you might find kinda cool are: my name is eMMa for my mom's grandmothers, Martha & Molly, both ems. get it? my middle name, rose, was my mom's Poppy's mom. she spoke Yiddish, even though she lived most of her life in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. sounds like a character.

so, i was born 12 days before my so-called "due date." the night i was born, there was a full-moon and a lunar eclipse. the full moon was called the Rose Moon. cool, huh? we'll never know for sure, but there is a strong possibility that i was conceived on a full moon in late September 2010--that's if we figure by the date i was BORN, not the date i was DUE.

ok, now this freaked my mom out BIG TIME, but i'm not totally sure why. something about this guy she's in love with named van morrison. apparently, she has, like, over 20 of his CDs, and has loved him since she can even remember. there was a long period of time when mom listened to one certain CD on repeat, Moondance. well, sandwiched between her two favorite songs on this album is another song that became "an accidental favorite." (it is all about location location location!) well, the other night, a very handsome irish friend of my parents pointed out the following, and mommy, like, lost it. ready? in one of her favorite song are the lyrics:

And the caravan is on it's way
I can hear the merry gypsies play
Mama mama look at Emma Rose
She's a-playin with the radio
La, la, la, la...
And the caravan has all my friends
It will stay with me until the end
Gypsy Robin, Sweet Emma Rose
Tell me everything I need to know
La, la, la..."

but see the thing is, my mom hasn't thought about that particular song in YEARS. so when conor reminded daddy, and daddy told mommy, well--i didn't think mom could get more verklempt, but she did.

so, that's the story of my name.

here i am!

hey. i'm emma rose. this is where you can come to find regular updates on me. enough of this Facebook stuff--i'm not nearly old enough for FB and that's mommy's thing, anyway. so, enjoy the regular posts and photo updates on my life, which started, by the way, just 22 days ago, june 15, 2011. the photo below is from today. mom stares at me like this all.the.time--i usually just close my eyes and pretend to be asleep.