Week 23

23 Weeks Old on 4/24/09

I've got quite a long story to share about going to visit Tony's dad with Embry last Sunday. The part I was most worried about, the loooong car ride, was pretty ok. Embry was completely fine there and back until about the last 1/2 hour of each leg of the journey. Then one of us would go sit in the backseat with her and give her a bottle and play with her. She was probably a combo of hungry and bored each time. I know I'd get a little antsy if I had to sit backwards in a car staring at the backseat for 4.5 hours straight.

Ok, so to set the scene: at the prison there's a looong open field with a long driveway into the prison. At the end of the driveway is a small parking lot for visitors. Then there are stairs (probably 40-50) leading from the parking lot up a hill to the prison. So we get there and change Embry's diaper in the backseat and get our gallon ziplock bag packed with 4 diapers, some wipes, a small toy (her plastic keys), and a bottle filled with pumped breastmilk. Then we're walking up the stairs and halfway up there's a bathroom where tony was going to wash his hands, then I notice that there's a big poo stain on the back of Embry's dress. We go back to the car to change her into the other cute outfit I had brought along. Then we go up to the prison to sign in. We get to the door and I realize that I still have my sunglasses on, which isn't allowed, so Tony goes back down to the car to get my regular glasses. While he's gone I fill out the sign in forms and while diong that I realize that I left my ID in my wallet. Then the security guard looks at the gallon ziplock bag and says that the bottle has to be empty. So I go, 'well how do I get the milk in then, because either way it has to be in a bottle?' and he tells me that I can bring in the bottle empty and give them a sealed container of powder formula which they can then open and inspect and give back to me. I tell the guy that since I'm breastfeeding, I have no formula and I pumped the milk specifically for the trip. Then he tells me that maybe I could breastfeed in the visitation room to which I reply, 'if there was one thing I thought you DEFINITELY wouldn't allow, it would be that!' Honestly, that's what I said. I mean, really, there are guys in there that haven't been around women for years much less one who they know has a boobie hidden under a blanket in the same room! Anyhow, he called back to the visitation room and found out that I could bring in my nursing cover and go into a separate room with the door shut and nurse in there. By this time Tony had come back and I told him about my ID but told him to wait till we knew for sure I could nurse inside, then he went back to the car to take the bottle back (after I had Embry eat from the bottle for about 10 minutes outside) and bring my ID and the nursing cover back up. Then we get that squared away and we go to the visitation door again and there's a paper outside listing that you can only have 2 keys on a keyring. So Tony goes back to the car yet again to drop off the rest of his keys. Then right before we go through security, the security guy looks at the ziplock bag and says that normally they don't allow any toys, but if the guys inside the visitation room don't say anything then they'll let me keep them. It specifically says online that you're allowed one small toy, so I don't know why they normally wouldn't let you bring one in and bonus, what kind of a threat do 3 plastic teething keys pose?! So 45 minutes after our arrival, we finally get into the visitation room and then the whole time I'm worried about them telling me my undershirt is too low because it's the same one I wore last time that the made me go back to the car and change. Luckily they didn't say anything about the shirt or the toy! We got 2 pictures taken while we were there, one of Tony's dad and Embry and then one of all 4 of us. I was sweating a bunch while we were outside because it was hot and I was trying to keep Embry entertained, so then I decided she was hungry and took her into the side room to feed her. Well turns out it wasn't sweat, but a whole lot of breastmilk! Good times. Oh then in the middle of feeding her, I unlatched her and set her up to switch sides and she did one of those things where they're crying but no noise is coming out because they're crying so hard and need to take a breath, then she let out a horendously loud wail and I thought for sure one of the guards was going to come in. Luckily, they didn't cuz they would have gotten more than an eye-full. That's pretty much all the excitement that occured on our trip. Told you it was a long story!

Embry has started making a bunch more consonant sounds as of yesterday. She now does B's, L's, H's, G's, P's, and D's. I'm going to scream if she ends up saying 'dada' before 'mama' because I seriously sit here everyday and go 'mamamamamamama' over and over and over again to her. She probably will though because the D sound is easier than the M sound.

We found out that she REALLY likes beach balls at young marrieds on Wed. Our friend's son had a beach ball that he was bouncing in front of Embry and she was just cracking up! I thought it was funny that Tony and I will drive ourselves crazy trying to make her just laugh a little, but then bring out something as simple as a beach ball and she thinks it's hilarious. I quick got my digital camera out and took a video. Her laugh makes me so happy! I thought it was the cutest thing when she started to smile, but laughing is even better!

I have discovered that Bookmans is the best place ever. For those that don't live here, Bookmans is a used book store where you can trade in your books and games and get credit for stuff there. So a couple weeks ago I went and bought a ton of dr seuss books and then yesterday we stopped and got a bunch of Clifford books, some Beatrix Potter books (btw, I watched the movie about her the other day with Renee Zellwegger and I liked it a LOT), some Dr Seuss, and some board books. Also, has anyone ever read 'The Snowman?' I got it in a board book and hello?! Why does the snowman melt in the end?! That's so sad! I've also decided that I could easily write and illustrate children's books, seems easy enough, getting them published would be the hard part.

Embry will be spending her first overnight trip to my parents house tomorrow night while Tony and I go camping. I'm hoping she'll be a good girl and I think she will seeing as she sleeps from 10pm-6am and then goes back to sleep for at least a couple of hours. I just hope I have enough milk pumped, but I'm sending along formula too, just in case.