2008 MS Walk

On Sunday, our family participated in the 2008 MS Walk in Annapolis. This is our 3rd year walking. The weather was less than ideal with cold wind and rain, but I am proud to say that we had almost 900 people participate in this years walk. Had the weather been better, we would have brought Emma out too, but it was just too nasty. Grammy Nicholas was nice enough to stay home with her where she could stay warm and dry.

I would like to thank everyone who participated and who raised money, and to all who donated to us. We are so blessed to have such great friends and family who care so deeply about our cause. With your help, our team raised $4175.00 as of yesterday.

Every year at the walks, one person is chosen to be the Walk Ambassador. This year, Joe was chosen. He gave a lovely speech at the start of the walk and got to cut the ribbon at the start line. Here are just a couple pictures that my sister- in- law took.

Joe giving his speech:And they're off: Joe and his brother Tom:
Our Neice Elle...braving the cold and rain to support her Uncle Joe:

Thank you again to everyone who was part of our team. We are so thankful for each and every one of you. Thanks for putting us one step closer to a world free of MS!!

Picture Perfect

Earlier this month, we were lucky enough to have some family photos taken. The session was a gift to me at my baby shower. A friend of mine hired a photographer to shoot my baby shower and take some maternity portraits and then come do a family shoot once baby made 3. The pictures turned out nicely...you couldn't tell that between shots our dear daughter had a major meltdown complete with screaming, arching backs and all. There were 95 pictures taken in all, but here are just a few of our favorites. Enjoy!!

Emma's Baptism

Today we had our sweet girl baptized. We were so blessed to have both sets of grandparents, aunts,uncles, cousins from both sides, and dear friends share in Emma's special day.

Emma looked beautiful in her Christening gown and did not cry at all when the pastor sprinkled the holy water on her head. After a great service, we had a reception at our home. It was so nice to have family all together.

A special thank you to my cousin Shannon for being my photographer, and to my sister in law Lisa for forwarding her pictures along to me. Please enjoy some pictures:

The ceremony:

Holy Water:

Big eyes:Going home to party- The cross was made from the palm branch for Palm Sunday service:

The Cake:

Emma with Mommy, Aunt Lisa, and her cousin Elle:

Sweet Dreams

Lullabye, and Goodnight. Emma now sleeps through the night...in her own room!!!! It has been about 2-3 weeks now and I feel like a new woman. Our little lamb goes down around 9:30pm and sleeps until between 7:30 and 8:30am!!! I have to admit that the first few nights she did this was scarey. I kept going in to check on her to make sure she was still breathing. So while Emma was sleeping away all night long, I was still waking up every 2-4 hours! I am now finally sleeping through the night again too and it's a beautiful thing. I never really realized how exhausted I was until I got a full 8 hours again. This mommy stuff is not for the weak!!

I realize its been a little while since my last post and I am sure you are all dying for more pictures. So without further ado...here is our sweet girl!

The tongue is always out these days:

A little smile:

More tummy time?

Well hello cute baby looking back at me in the mirror on my swing:

That's all for now. We had a family photo shoot this past monday so I will definitely be posting when I get the pics!!

2 and 2

Well its been a week of 2's here in chez Crosley. On February 13th, Emma turned 2 months old and on February 18th, Joe and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary.

Poor Emma had her 2 month doctors appointment where she got 4 shots. She was so happy when we got there, smiling and cooing at the nurse and doctor, then all the sudden they stuck her with that first shot and her face went blank, stuck her bottom lip out and began to wail! As they continued to administer the shots, 1 after the other, my eyes began to well up. It was so hard to see my sweet baby cry like she did. Aside from all the shots, Emma is doing great. She is now 11lbs 2 oz and 23.5 inches long. She is in the 80th percentile for height and 70th percentile for weight. Looks like our girl is going to be long and lean like her daddy!

Once Emma was feeling better, Joe proceeded to give her her first piano lesson:

She seemed genuinely interested in the keys and the music Joe played for her...Do I see another Mozart???

So last night, Joe and I got all dolled up, dropped Emma off at Grammy's, and went to a lovely dinner at the Wild Orchid in Annapolis. The food was wonderful and the company even better. We had a great dinner and were able to reflect on the past 2 years as husband and wife. We really have accomplished alot and built a beautiful life together that only gets better everyday. What a blessing to share life with my best friend!!! Here's to us and our wonderful marriage. I look forward to sharing many more years together!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day! Lots of love to all of you!

First trip away from home!

This past weekend, we visited New York City in celebration of our nephew Devlin's Dedication. This was the first time we have traveled overnight as a family of 3. It was an interesting trip to say the least. Emma did great...it was Mommy who had a tough time! I had a hard time getting used to having to change Emma's diaper on the floor of unisex restrooms, having to squeeze through restaurants the size of tuna cans with an infant carrier and pray I didn't hit anyone or clear off their tables with my diaper bag. Needless to say, I am not cut out for the city. I am spoiled here in suburbia! Aside from all of that, it was WONDERFUL to have the family all together. This was the first time Emma met her Uncle Jim, Aunt Noreen, and cousin Devlin. The dedication ceremony was lovely and filled with close friends and family. Here are some pictures from our weekend.

All dressed up and ready to go:

Devlin was a little surprised when they sprinkled the water: Aunt Lisa and Cousin Elle:Mommy and Emma:Family: Cousins: Sleeping Cousins at Dinner:Self taken family shot in the hotel room:
So all in all we had a nice trip. I am still glad to be home!