Mother's Day & 8th Anniversary



Last weekend we celebrated Mother's Day and our 8th wedding anniversary. We had a fun night out thanks to our babysitter. We watched Thor, then went Barnes and Noble to browse, and then to Cheesecake Factory for dessert and coffee.

 

 

Easter 2011

This Easter was very busy and I feel like we are just now catching up! Abby came out for 10 days, so she was here for Emma's dedication on Palm Sunday, and for Easter. Abby's friend Megan also came out and spent Easter weekend with us, and we hosted the Family Ministry's Easter Egg Hunt and potluck. There ended up being 37 people at our house, so it was fun and a little chaotic in a good way. Unfortunately our videos of Emma's dedication and our Easter singing, including my solo, didn't have audio, whoopsie! I'm going to try to find copies, especially of the dedication for Emma. While Abby was here, we went to Sea World, Seaport Village, Hotel del Coronado, a "Seal" bus/bay tour, Chuck E. Cheese, and some other everyday places. We tried the zoo, but forgot that of course it was packed for Easter break!

This week Emma started crawling a little bit, although it's very uncoordinated. She kind of drag/shoves/flings her body forward now in addition to rolling. According to Will, "She rolls very fast, Mommy" so that's her primary mode of mobility still. I have started weaning her a little bit, and she has a couple ounces of cow's milk mixed in her bottles now. She just has bottles at lunch and supper, and all other times she is using a cup. We might have to keep those bottles for a while until I figure out how to thicken her liquids in a cup. At her last GI appointment, Emma was 19lbs 14oz and almost 29" long! She is growing very well, although she's still having lots of reflux and we've moved her dose all the way back up to 30mg a day of prevacid. The GI also said that will need to continue to thicken her liquids even after she weans. This coming Wednesday is her next ENT appointment, at which time he will probably scope her since it's been a few months. She's been having some weird breathing/gasping/choking episodes, but I'm hoping that is mostly due to the reflux and not complications from the vocal cord paralysis.

We turned in Will's final papers for pre-K registration, so he's all set to start school in July (year round schools here). He's very excited aboout school - especially playing with other kids and the school's playground, hah! This week he told me that Jesus lives in his heart, and that he asked Jesus to live in his heart last Thursday, which was wonderful. He also told me that he wants to learn how to read and has started trying to pick out words in his favorite books. He is growing up so quickly! He's so tall that he really surprises folks who ask how old he is. When he says 3, they usually look up at me questioningly and tell me that they thought he was 5. He's definitely into the bossy part of 3, and likes to tell me and Emma how things are supposed to be done. Usually he's not obnoxious about it though, and he has reminded me a couple times of things I've forgotten to do, need to do, etc. One really sweet thing he did the last time we took a family trip to the grocery store really showed us how empathetic he is and also what a good heart he has. I was upset and had been talking in a raised voice to Jered. Not something an adult would call a fight, but after we calmed down and were walking around the store, Will told me: "You need to say you're sorry for Daddy. You yelled at him and made him sad." Wow, that called me out, and I promptly apologized. I'm proud of him seeing the right thing to do.

Monday is our 8th Anniversary! We plan to do dinner and a movie to celebrate. We can't believe it's been 8 years. It seems both like that's a long time, and also like it should be longer since it's hard to remember our lives apart. We feel so close and so blessed to have such a wonderful marriage and family. God is good!

Laryngomalacia Awareness Video

A video about Laryngomalacia made by my support group, Coping with Laryngomalacia. There's some pictures of Emma in it, and a good explanantion of laryngomalacia. Keep your tissues handy though!

Will Making Emma Laugh with Raspberries!

10 Months Old

 
On Wednesday, Emma will be 10 months old. We haven't done an update in a while because there seems like either too much or nothing much to write about at any given time. Over the last month: we've been busy practicing for Easter with the choir at church, Jered's busy both with his regular duties, and with planning the annual Chief's dining in. In addition, my purse was stolen, Emma's reflux flared up, and Will (thankfully) has been a sweetheart. Emma has cut 2 top teeth, and weighs 19lbs now. I didn't realize her reflux was acting up that badly until she started eating so much more with the increase in meds. Poor thing, we thought she was doing fine with decreased dose. She gained over 1/2lb in 2 wks after increasing her meds, and is now eating solids with almost every meal. New foods she likes are yogurt and veggie/meat purees. I will probably start giving her more table food now that she's not refluxing as badly. She is sleeping without her swaddle all the time, and although she takes longer to fall asleep, she sleeps very soundly and doesn't cry, so eventually we hope she be able to fall asleep as quickly as she used to with the swaddler.

Will has been getting so good at memorizing his verses for Awanas class. His teachers told me he runs in the room every week and wants to say his verse right away. He has also been playing so well with Emma. Since she can sit by herself now, she has blanket play time on the floor and he sits down with her and plays with her. They talk to each other, he hands her toys and shows her how to play with them. They do this for a long time! Like an hour, they will sit there together and play. It's really cute! Will still goes to gymnastics at My Gym every week, and he attends MOPPETS while I'm at MOPS, and at my weekly small group Bible study we are together. The rest of his registration papers for Pre-K were stolen along with my purse, so we'll have to do those over. He starts school in July.

We made vaction plans for June, and we will get to see both Jered's family and my family in Dillon, CO. We are really looking forward to it! Abby is coming out for 10 days, over Palm Sunday and Easter. We are having Emma's dedication on Palm Sunday, and it worked out that I'm singing a special with a small group then. On Easter, Jered and I are both singing with the choir, and I have a small solo (pray for my nerves, lol!). We are also having the Family Ministry potluck and Easter Egg Hunt at our house that afternoon. During the time Abby and her friend Megan will be staying with us, Jered also has his dining in, and we have GI and Cardiologist appointments for Emma. It will be a very busy week. This coming week, I'm going to try and finish the process of getting all new ID's, credit cards, and cell phone. It has been very trying to get my identity back! We wish everyone a happy Easter season and hope it is filled with joy over the resurrection of our Savior, a blessing that outweighs all frustration!