It's been a long time....

I've been MIA from my blog, I know.

Here's what's kept me busy, my hubby, babies, and business! Thanks to everyone for supporting me in this business... have some previews of my beautiful girls, photos taken by me! <3 nbsp="" p="">Support me - share my website with all your pregnant mama friends, and mommies with kiddos! <3 a="" href="http://sweetrose.zenfolio.com" much="" so="" thank="" you=""> Sweet Rose - Newborn photography by Vanessa Sanoja

Just a random photography thought.

Someone asked me the other day what I wanted to focus on with my photography. At first I thought "why do I have to choose?"
After pondering for a few days I started to realize the blogs and websites I follow most are weddings and newborn photographers. All the rest of the stuff is peachy and fun, but I think those are the things that get to me the most..

Having had a horrible experience doing a wedding last year I swore I'd never do another wedding. But I'm starting to reconsider... because I want to make those amazing images. I want to help someone remember their amazing day.

A little vent-aliciousness

I feel pretty alone. I know majority of military wives don't have any family around when their other half leaves, but at least they have friends, or at least a friend, that they can rely on, that they can lean on when their special someone goes. No matter how I've tried since we got here, I haven't found that certain someone, that friend whom I click with. And I'm really feeling it right now.

When we were in Maryland, I had Melissa - she lived across the street. We both had tons of free time and no kids. We bonded over cooking and cleaning and Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights. Even though we only lived there a few short months, Melissa and I still talk via facebook, I've visited her in Mississippi since then, and I just love her to bits.
When we lived in Japan, I had a few of these friends. Aly, Stephanie, and Rhonda were my neighbor girls, just a flight of stairs away. I always had someone to turn to! Then there was Lindsey, my bff on Okinawa, we grew to be like sisters. I've since visited with Stephanie AND Lindsey since we moved back to the states, and have it in my itinerary to see Stephanie again this summer. WOO!
I just don't have any friends like that out here. In fact, the other night I was in tears sitting in a parking lot in my car because I'd had a really rough, overwhelming day, and I kept trying to think of someone who I could call to talk to and I really had no one. I ended up calling my little sister, who luckily picked up her phone, and spilled my blubbering half-words guts out to her. Poor me, boo hoo.

I can't believe how fast it's kicking in this time - the loneliness. Usually it takes a while. But it's only been 3 days and I'm already feeling like my heart is half empty. Luckily Emma has the other half that she fills up with sunshine and giggles every day.

If I didn't have so many obligations here - a job, a business, a house - I think I would get into my car and just drive away from here. Go somewhere where people know me and love me.. Denver, then Las Vegas, then Thousand Oaks. Who knows - maybe for the whole time. But I can't do that - I have some amazing kids to watch each weekday and sessions booked on weekends, plus my sister has booked a flight out to see me and another Okinawa friend is going to pop in to see me mid-july.

So it begins...

First of all, I have several "saved" blog posts I never published about Emma because I didn't have time to finish writing them... that's kind of what happens when your baby starts walking, you seem to lose ALL your "free" time.

So here we are at the beginning of Danny's long training. He'll be gone for 8 days, come back for about 6 days, then leave for 4 more months. It's only been one day but I already miss him so much. That and he left his phone here so there is really absolutely no contact between us at the moment. Bla.

I shouldn't be allowed to have a credit card when he leaves, for at least a week.. I do it every single time he leaves, I go to the store to kill time and I buy stuff. Useless stuff that I don't need and junk food. I have a pile of "to return" already and I just went to the store today... oops. At least I know I don't need it. And Emma doesn't need it. (I started throwing stuff in she was interested in.. LOL)

So I came home and put Emma down for a nap, which she is now awake... so I have to cut this short... Her amazing 2 hour naps have gone back to 30 minute naps this week. GRRRRR

9 Months Old

Emma Rose Madison is 9 months old.

Emma has two teeth, rosy cheeks, and is growing lots of hair. She loves any kind of meat and red sauce, she likes ham, and hates chicken/turkey. Still a veggie girl, chowing down daily on squash and carrots, and she loves her grilled cheese and mac'n'cheese. 

Still not walking but getting more practice every day. She has now discovered that she can pull me around wherever she wants to go by standing next to me and reaching for my hand. She will walk for several steps just holding one hand with one hand, but to really "fly" she holds on with both hands. She's a master climber - climbing up on top of anything she can by pushing other things up to whatever she needs to get up onto.. the other day she pushed a toy truck up to the dresser so she could stand on it and reach the top of the dresser, and all the treasures that lay on top of the dresser. Sneaky girl!

She has a HUGE sense of humor - she laughs at the puppets on baby einstein when they make "jokes" and she laughs at daddy and mommy when they are being silly.. and when she is silly or is a stinker to one of us.. she laughs! 

Emma says "MOM' now! She says "mom" and means it - mom is a word only to be used when she needs my attention, never a babble word and never a word to be used when playing with dad or anyone else! It's quite amazing and melts my heart. she also gives kisses, she will snuggle up and then tilt her head back and open her mouth and lean in, planting a wet and slobbery kiss right on your lips, cheek, or nose. She will wave if you wave at her any say "hi!" and she's started pinching, too. Not so funny but she thinks it is! 

Emma will sign "all done" and then rock back and forth and cry when she is finished eating. 

She still goes on the potty, though lately we've had a few "accidents" at random times of the day, usually when she starts to teethe again. 

Emma now goes to sleep on her own, without mom or dad's help. She is learning to slowly sleep through the night and it makes us so happy! :) She is a big girl who sleeps all night in her own room. 

Some of the things I love about this month:

Cuddle bug

Kisses

Independent woman

Always willing to try new food

Feeds herself

Loves bath time and eating bubbles

Says MOM and Mama

Loves to play with dogs

Bonding more and more with Daddy, and will even say "daddy" some times.

7.5 Months

Crawl-running away from Mom at bed time

You've been keeping your mommy VERY busy, Emma! I haven't been able to update... even now you are crawling around getting into EVERYTHING of course!!!

In the past 6 weeks (or since I last updated your blog) you've:

• Mastered the art of crawling, you can now crun (crawl/run) away and do so every night at bed time.
• Learned how to pull up
• Learned how to sit back down after standing up
• Started waving
• Walking along furniture and walls
• Climb up stairs
• Climb up everything else
• Learned how to tell me you have to Potty or that you want to eat
• Learned how to sleep longer than 30 minutes at nap time (HALLELUJAH!)

You pick up and taste everything. You LOVE to eat whatever we are eating. You also love squash, it is totally your favorite food. You will find the smallest piece of lint on the floor and put it in your mouth. You love finger foods! You give hugs and snuggles, and you've started to let me know when it's nap time by laying your head on my lap. You also love yourself, and give yourself kisses in the mirror several times a day. You throw things... if you are upset and don't like what we are doing, you pick things up and throw them..... You're also learning that when we say "NO" that you have to stop what you are doing or we will take you away/move you away from whatever you are currently trying to do. You throw tantrums when you don't get your way but luckily they only last a second or two! You love to wander around the house. 

You still sleep with us most of the night and you still don't sleep through the night because you are ONE HUNGRY BABY! You eat all day and all night it seems, but you're growing like a weed so I don't mind. Of course I'd love to get more sleep....

Speaking of sleep, you're learning to put yourself to sleep. You'll fall asleep on your own at nap time for morning nap when we are at "work" You know it's nap time when I buckle you into the car seat and lower the visor. night time.. not so much.. all you want to do is snuggle. Like I said, you try to crun away from us after bath time before sleep time.. usually when you are still naked.. you do a hyperventilating smile and crun as fast as you can in the opposite direction! It's so funny! 

First visit to Pumpkin Patch

Learning about WT Sherman

Walking with Daddy

Climbing stairs

6 Months Old

AHHHHHHHHHHH STOP IT! Time flies too quickly. And you are just growing up too fast, emma!

So, we've started solid food. You love everything you've tried so far! You're also sitting up much better and you've started to crawl. You love to smack your hands on everything. Especially water! Although sometimes you startle yourself when you smack the water and it splashes you in the face!!
You've also started to sleep on your own - for the first part of the night anyway. You still love to nurse all night long so I feel tired, but worth it! Because you are growing so fast! 14 pounds 2 ounces now, and 25 inches long. The doctor says you have beautiful  skin for a baby your age and that you are one lucky kiddo! You're healthy as can be - and still vaccine free. Since you are a super star, the doctor said it'd be no problem for you to go without vaccines until 18 months - 2 years. :) We still put you in cloth diapers, though not as much. You still potty on the toilet every day, and we're working on sign language for the word "potty" so that you can let me know if you need to go! You've given up your 30 minute nap - stubbornness. For the past week you have taken at least one "long" nap each day! This makes mommy VERY happy!
You are mischevious - you like to get into everything. The other day I found you playing with the kids lip gloss , and you didn't see me yet. You noticed that your hands were sticky and made a weird face, and then tried to wipe your hands on the carpet! Naughty girl! You gave me this look like "SHOOT! I've been caught" and then you put your head down on the carpet and whined. So we washed your hands and you were back to being a happy girl.
You LOVE to give kisses, and you absolutely love to snuggle. When you wake up in the morning you roll over, crawl half way on top of me, then collapse when I put my arms around you. Sometimes you crawl up to my face and wake me up with sloppy kisses. You've just started to crawl over me to get to Daddy to give him snuggles as well.
You can't get enough of our cell phones. If you see one, whether it's next to you or across the room, you've got to have it. You will crawl over, under, around and even try to get through, everything just to get your hands on a cell phone. You goober!
Some pictures? OK!

Snuggles on the couch. Yes, you would just sit next to me and snuggle FOREVER.

Daddy was eating a peach while playing with you.

You decided to stare at it and reach for it until he gave you some.

You munched and sucked tons of juice out of that peach, and made a cute little bite mark!

You still love bath time, every night.

You now crawl right up to theTV when baby Einstein is on

Silly sunglasses! They confuse you. It's pretty funny :D