Our Summer and Emrick is ONE!

Can I go on record to say....I.adore.this.summer! I've had so much fun, enjoying being with Emrick, and we've had a great deal of time with Jonathan at home some too! It's been great! So, what have we done?

Well, we spent a week in Gatlinburg, TN with my entire family...17 people in one 4 room house, and we survived. See...we're all smiling (don't worry everyone, I won't tell any of our family secrets here on the blog)!

One big HAPPY family!

We also celebrated Jonathan's first Father's day at Bear Bottom with the Rowells. It is always so relaxing up there. And, although we didn't get a single picture of all the boys, we got both of the dads with their son!

Daddy and Me

Jonathan and his dad

*Look at that view!

A little fawn that we saw while up there...had to share!

Fourth of July we caught up with the Jacobs', the McKee's, and the Brooks'! *We did however, miss the Spann's! We didn't take many pictures, but here is one I stole from the McKee's blog of Emrick swinging.

Wheeeeee....

Then, Emrick and I went to Nashville, to help Nikki become, Mrs. Jones. Mimi met us there, and babysat so I could fulfill MOH duties. It was a lot of fun, and I had so much fun catching up with both of my Strode buddies.

*Coming soon...a picture from the wedding! I took none~

And, last but not least, this past weekend we celebrated Emrick's first birthday with lots of good friends and some family. We had one friend in particular that is extremely talented with a lens in her hand, and she captured several special moments throughout the day. Most of those are on facebook, so head over there to check them out!

This face makes Mommy melt

I've also tried to spend the days with friends, and having playdates as much as possible with those we don't normally get to play with often. We even were visited by some great friends, the Byrd's. So, we've been busy, but it has all been so much fun! I am a little exhausted, but I am not really going to be happy about not spending everyday with Emrick. I am however, in need of a regualr schedule! I don't have much discipline to exercise, or do much else without one! (Maybe not with one either, but, it sounds good right!)

And, here are some things Emrick is up to these days:

-crawling (right after the last post, he decided he'd prove me wrong)

-walking around furniture, and with push toys (I think he's close to being able to do it himself, but he isn't a believer yet)

-talking: dada, all done, outside, and possibly "Poppy" (he's not interested in saying mama, and most of his words are pretty inconsistent - other than dada, of course)

-drinking from a sippy cup: he's had no more bottles since the day of his birthday (this is a big feat, because I wasn't convinced he would make the switch easily)

-clapping constantly (If you're happy and you know it, and Patty cake are favorite songs right now)

-waving (only after people are out of sight)

-blows kisses (this has become way more consistent than waving)

-eating pretty much everything in sight

-loving Bristol (he follows him everywhere and can often be found leaning his head into him to "give him sugar", Bristol doesn't always return the love)

-swimming: he's a big fan of the water

-washing clothes...okay, so maybe he isn't washing them, but he is fascinated with the washing machine

*I'm sure I'll be updating for a week as I remember other things as well!

PS - Jonathan said that our blog was dead...its not, right????

Facebook: 1 - Blog: 0

***UPDATED***

-Scroll to the bottom to watch the video that my talented hubby put together!

So I have almost given up on the blog for a couple of reasons, but most of them surround facebook. It just seems that more people read/see facebook, than that actually come to the blog. And, if I'm honest, I spend way more time on facebook. But, I have also realized that I don't get to put all the details of life's happenings on facebook...its just a quick line or two. But, here, I can go picture happy, and I place the cute little stories behind each picture. I can also be a little bit more open and vulnerable here as well....

With all that said, this post promises to be one full of updates, picture blissfulness, and maybe even a couple of videos.

The biggest update for Jonathan and I is that Jonathan's last day at Furman will be April 27. We've been thinking about this change for a while now, and have been preparing for this change as well. However, in our preparation, we haven't yet decided what's next. Our plans are that Jonathan will take some time to search out some options. We share a faith we are following God's direction, and that He indeed will provide, and show us what's next! It is an exciting time, not really a fearful one (check back in a while to see if we are in the same spot, and on whether I still think its exciting...I hope so, but I am sure at that point, it will be harder to remain positive). You can be praying for God to give us clarity and direction as we are really unsure what way we might go! **There's some of that vulnerability I was speaking of earlier!!!

Since January, and really before that, Emrick has learned so much, so on to his updates (they are way more interesting anyway).

One thing that somewhat kept me from posting was the fact that we have pretty much constantly had ear infections, and I didn't want to post about them constantly, or show the frustration I felt through the past four months as we have struggled through them. Since December 12, the closest that we have gotten to having completely healed ears was, "There is some slight residual fluid in his ears, but they are getting better." Other than that, his poor ears have had some type of infection or fluid in them. We recently visited the ENT, and are praying through removing his adenoid, and placing tubes in his ears. I know there are varying views, and while we understand that, we are trusting in our doctors and their care, and will likely follow through with the surgery. Right now, it is scheduled for May 3. Please be praying that it will go smoothly without a hitch, and that if this isn't what God has in store for little E that He will certainly make that clear to us as well.

Other than his ears, Emrick is awesome. Even with his ears, he is such a good baby...not that I have had any others to compare to, and yes I am biased, but he is happy, and a definite free spirit most of the time.

*These days he is sitting up well, and playing independently for pretty long spurts of time, which makes house chores more realistic these days.

*He recently learned to clap (complete with sound), and impresses himself with the talent. If he is crying or upset about something, I can sing "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands," and usually he will stop crying and start clapping. Its pretty cute.

*He's also scooting around. I've had bittersweet feelings that Emrick isn't yet crawling (I'd like him to be there because I feel like he should, but I don't mind that he can't yet get into everything). But, the fact that he scoots, cracks me up. He will spin in circles while sitting up, or on his belly. And, if he can't reach something, he goes to his belly, and spins in a circle until he is close enough to reach whatever he's trying to get to. It is hysterical to watch, and pretty impressive that he's figured out that this works.

*He and Bristol have finally started to notice each other, and Bristol is very patient and sweet with him, but is so ready to play with him. We are trying to teach them both to be gentle with the other! With that said, when Emrick reaches for Bristol's toys he either licks him or sniffs him, which is very comforting!

*During Christmas break, Emrick pretty much cut his two bottom teeth, and this week (Easter Break), I noticed I grinding noise, and sure enough, his top tooth has broken through the gum as well. I absolutely can not stand the sound he makes when grinding his teeth together! Hopefully he will have teeth by the time it is all the way in. And I am sure the second one is going to be right behind it!

*Jonathan and I have vowed not to talk about his sleep patterns. This is because, he will sleep ALL night, one whole week and someone will inevitably ask, "How's he sleeping?" To which we will reply, "Its been a good week!" You know, as not to jinks ourselves, and sure enough the next week, we will be up with him every night. So, that pretty much sums up where we are with sleeping patterns!

*We definite have a bouncy monkey on our hands. This boy loves to jump. Whether in his exersaucer or standing in your lap. He is getting better at the Johnny Jump Up, but hasn't figured out that it is made for a bouncing monkey!!!

*Emrick can stand for short periods of time while holding on to things, but hasn't yet figured out how to pull up on his own-or sit up from the laying down position for that matter.

*He is jabbering some too! Mostly, dadadada.... or ahhhahhh, but its jabber!

*SMILES (and laughs)! Seriously, if I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that all babies were as happy and easy as him, we'd probably be the next Duggar family. He makes being a mommy so fun!

I think that's about it. So to continue the world's longest post (at least for us) by far, for your entertainment, PICTURES (because its Jonathan's chore to do videos, and he's busy doing my chore of vacuuming, check back for those later):

My first tooth

Sitting up and playing (one of the first few days of doing it consistently)

Just being cute in my new hat

Love this face

Me (8 months) and my buddy Eli (6 months) - HA!

Playing with mommy and cheesing for daddy

Trying to steal Bristol's toy-no worries, he's just licking me

Getting loved on by Bristol

Oh, and one more thing...we recently went with the Kim DeLoach of Kim DeLoach Photography, and asked her to do a couple of family shots, and shots of Emrick! Click here to see our slideshow of the day! Considering it was nap time, and a bit chilly, Kim made us look good!!! ***This is no surprise as I have coveted Kim's work for quite sometime! Check her out, she's awesome!

**The Video:

I.look.like.my.daddy

Seriously, could they look more alike??? I LOVE it! My husband's pretty darn good looking, so Emrick is in good shape if I say so myself!

Is it too late for a Christmas post?

I sure hope not! But, beware, there are many pictures, and lots of talk about good times!!! I really feel like this was one of my favorite Christmases that I've had in a long, long time! I missed my family in Louisiana, and I cherish our Christmases together, but there is an undeniable restoration when no travel is necessary. My last day at work was the 18th, and we dismissed two hours early due to weather (snow, ice, and sleet). The next morning we went to Jonathan's family's in Florence and had Christmas with the Becker clan. It was a lot of fun, and nice to have everyone celebrating together. We then followed Poppy and Grammie Sue to Lancaster so that we could head to Bear Bottom the next morning! On Sunday, we got here.....

Isn't it beautiful???? It was an amazingly spectacular sight! There was only one problem - 12-14 inches of snow up hill isn't that easy to navigate. We parked the car here, and were going to attempt to use Poppy's Bulldog (4x4 utility vehicle) to get up the hill. However, the snow was too deep even for it, and about 1/2 way up, maybe 3/4 of the way up we got completely bottomed out and stuck! Therefore, we were hiking, up that hill, in twelve inches of snow, barefoot; okay, not barefoot, but carrying a baby. Jonathan actually made this trek down and back up 2 more times to get necessities out of the car. Usually in tense situations like this, one of us will try to be funny and the other will not really be in the mood, but we managed to be nice to one another, and got settled in quickly. On Monday, Jonathan got the Bulldog out of the snow, and we used it to get to the car, and ride around a bit the next couple of days. There was no leaving to go anywhere else, however; which, was actually really nice, and we spent a couple of days just focusing on the three of us (okay, 4 if you count Bristol, who by the way absolutely LOVED the fluffy, white stuff). Here's Emrick making his first snow angel:

Jonathan's parents joined us on Wednesday, and spent the rest of the week with us. It was nice once they got there, because Poppy would wake up with E in the middle of the night. Such a precious gift for this mommy since E didn't sleep as well in his pack n play. I made Shrimp and Grits Christmas Eve for dinner, and Poppy made some delicious rib roast Christmas day. So, just because we couldn't get out and about much didn't mean we didn't eat well. Christmas day was "sleety," but still very pretty looking! We did venture out to Galax, VA one day and gaze at many very pretty, snowy sights. When we got back, I felt so refreshed, and just valued the time that I got to spend with my boys, having NO agenda. Day to day, I am usually to caught up and tired to cherish precious time with them like I did the week of Christmas. There wasn't much to take my attention away from them, and it was such a valuable time for me. When we got home the following Sunday, my mom came to visit us for a couple of days, and that time was precious as well. I missed my dad, brother, sister, and all of their families. I wish that we could spend more time together. But, this Christmas was truly great and a time that I will not quickly forget. Some other sweet moments (sorry about the small pictures I stole them from facebook):

Christmas Eve Bathtime

Opening presents, and eating the tissue paper

Emrick laying on his new bear mat...I think he likes it!

Daddy playing with our new toy - CAMERA (that works) - thanks Grammie and Poppy!

E playing in his exersaucer and wearing Daddy's hat - I still think he looks just like him!

P.S. Coming soon: Very convincing evidence that Emrick looks JUST like his daddy!

Exersaucers, Eleven Ounces and Ear Infections

Well our little one is growing up fast.....5 months old on December 12th...the week leading up to the 12th was full of firsts.....as well as that weekend!

First off we brought out a new toy for him to play around with: the Exersaucer....dont know if that is how you spell it....but we are going with it! He loves it....well almost all of it (check the video). When he is in a good mood he will sit in it for up to an hour and just reach and try to get all of the goodies.....he even tries to get the little yellow handle thingy (check the pic) into his mouth. Bailey even helped him learn to turn the spiny thing around himself (check video as well). He is also almost big enough to stand flat footed in it, and after only a day, he was able to rotate himself in it.....here are some pics:

STYLEIN!!!..Yeah Stylein...

How do you like my new ride?

And here is the video:

The weekend brought about some new experiences as well. Emrick woke up alot Friday night and Saturday morning.....I mean pretty much at some point within every hour!! While this alone was unusual, the other thing that was unusual was that he was EXTREMELY fussy. I mean nothing would console him....so at about 7 am we checked and he had a little fever. No Problem. A little later we checked and t had gone up (with Tylenol)...still ok. E fell asleep with Bailey on the couch and then at about 10 we checked again and it was like 104.....ok, guess we are going to the doctor. This in of itself was not a new experience, as we are pros at this whole goin to the doctor thing! Everything was the same ol same ol when we were there....then the following took place:

Doc - We are gonna check his ears to see if there is an infection

Me (in my head)- you always check his ears and there is nev..

Doc (before I finish my thought) - Oh here is why we have a fever....we have an ear infection...rolls him over.....oh we have two ear infections...poor guy..

Me (still in my head)- Oh....that sucks....

We had gone through five months without the dreaded ear infection which everyone says is common in kids......well in one day we got two.....so I guess they catch up with you! So now we are on more drugs.....but according to E's faces, these taste better than the reflux medicine...

Oh but there was good news out of the visit.....Emrick was 12 pounds and 11 oz! He had gained an ounce a day since his scheduled visit on Dec 1st. That is the first time that he had gained what our doctors says is around the norm (1 oz a day). We have had him on different cereals, rice...which he likes..oatmeal...which he is not a fan of...and barley (just tried it tonight) which he seems to like. We also have bought him some baby food (on a side note, I can not believe all the different combinations...seriously turkey dinner?). We tried yams first and today was the first day he ate most of it without gaggin....dont think he likes it....but I think we will try bananas next.....we will let you know how it goes....

Have a very merry Christmas and remember what Christmas is all about....hint: Its not shopping or getting gifts.......love you guys............Jonathan

Four Months and Baby Dedication

We recently went back to the doctor for our four month well check-and boy are we getting LONG!! Emrick is 25 3/4 inches long (63%). Now, notice, I didn't say he was getting big, because he only weighs 12 pounds (we won't discuss the percentile there). Although there are days when I worry we aren't doing something right, my instinct is that we are, and his body has super high metabolism. The hardest part is when others tell us there must be something wrong since he isn't gaining weight. We don't think so, because he is growing a ton...just not getting very heavy. We also trust our doctor, and he always is good to listen to us and check Emrick out thoroughly. Emrick is getting so big - He is...
-loving to check out his feet
-beginning to learn to occupy himself more and more
-grabbing for toys and placing them promptly in his mouth
-a definite drooler
-rolling over (back to tummy is going very well, but tummy to back is a bigger challenge)
-eating rice cereal, and liking it!!!
-on full formula - while the price is high, and I miss our sweet times nursing, pumping was not functional for me
-taking soy formula, and is on reflux medicine (the reflux was worse with regular formula)
-beginning to laugh
-cooing and talking up a storm
-loving his mommy and daddy (I might be wrong, but I think he knows us, at least he always smiles at us)

We also had Emrick's baby dedication at Grace Church this past weekend. We shared this time with our dear friends, the Spanns, and Emrick's best friend, Eli. Not everything went exactly as we had planned, but it was so special. Jonathan and I were challenged as parents, and our friends and family were challenged to pray for us as well. Jonathan's parents, and my mom were here for the ceremony, and then we headed to the Spann house to watch the SEC & ACC Championships. It was such a great time that we didn't get a single picture. I know that our family got some though, and I will post them later. I'll leave you with one of the boys...please continue to pray for these two boys, and our two families as they grow. Our greatest desire is to see the boys grow to love the Lord, and His people. May the Lord be glorified in all they do!

So where do I start

Hi all....Jonathan here. It has been such a long time since Ive put anything on here....not that there hasnt been anything going on....Ive just had excuses to not blog! Bailey, Emrick, Bristol and I are all doing well. Some of you know that Emrick had been sick, well we treated him for a sinus infection and things still didnt go away, so now we are treating for reflux. Its one of those things that you treat and see if treatment helps....the tests to actually find out if you have it seem painful at best. His symptoms seem to all have a common denominator in the reflux arena (very House[TV show] like). Those symptoms are the girgling when he eats, sometimes fussiness when he eats (mostly at daycare) and the the slow or no weight gain! This has been the biggest thing for Bailey and I....last doctors app on Wed he was 11 lbs and 2 oz.....yeah and he was 8-1 when he was born! While that may not sound astonishing, the fact is that when he went to the doc 2-3 weeks ago, he was 11 lbs even! So hopefully the reflux thing helps. We arent majorly concerned as he seems great other wise....but it is hard sometimes when you think to yourself "am I doing something wrong". I think its just another thing that God is teaching us to let go of....

We are enjoying being parents...we are getting to a stage that I am enjoying now, more so than the others. Emrick is starting to react and laugh and giggle alot more, which is fun for me. I just cant help but smile and laugh when he does....its great. It is also neat to hear bailey talking to him in his room in the mornings and hearing him laugh. She has done a great job with him and just being a mother in general. She has also done a great job at keeping me involved (even though I bet she wants me more involved, especially at 4 in the morning...Ill work on that) by having me hold him as soon as I get home, and just talking to him about me. That may not sound like much, but when I feel that I am away from him so much....it is nice to know that she reminds him about me! She has been a trooper though, it is pretty amazing and I am really lucky to have a wife like her......cause man I dont think I could do it. Hopefully we will get some pics up here soon.....and be more active on the blog!! Talk to yall later!!