Parental Lesson #1497

Always taste the dessert before offering your child a bite. You never know when it might be loaded down with liqueur.

Not Again!

Poor little guy is sick again. He has been struggling with respiratory problems for a couple weeks, and started running a fever earlier this week, so off to the Doctor again. My Mom and I joke that I should ask for a reserved parking spot at Medical City. Asher has another ear infection and his pulseox was borderline so we had to start breathing treatments. At first he fought hard, but he has settled down now and takes them like a champ. He is now fever-free and seems to be feeling a little better.
Toward the end of my pregnancy, I came down with flu-like symptoms and had a terrible time since I wasn't supposed to blow my nose very hard and had to minimize coughing (cerclage...google it). So, I am very sympathetic to how miserable he feels. God must have been preparing me for our little guy's tendency to get sick.

I made Michael be the "bad guy" last night.

Aunt Michelle

Michael's twin sister was in town last week for a visit and to celebrate Nana's birthday. We had a great time hanging out, playing and eating good food. We miss you already Michelle!

"Heh, heh...I got yo' numba!"

"Maybe if I put her boots on, she won't be able to leave!"

McDonalds

I was scheduled for a 10:30 workout this morning and realized I had nothing to eat for breakfast beforehand so we ventured out for our first (of many, I'm sure) breakfasts at McDonalds. I knew he loved their hotcakes from a recent coffee drive-through, but this was his first 'eat-in' experience since Daddy won't step foot in McDonalds. It was also his first juice box and, therefore, undiluted juice. Yum! Yep, I filled him full of carbs and sugar and dropped him off at the Jungle Gym.

Wagon Walker

I was saving this wagon for Asher's birthday, but decided he might be ready for it now, so Daddy put it together for us a few days ago. Sure enough, its a hit!

Cheap Entertainment

10 Months Old

Asher turned 10 months old last week! He hit a number of milestones recently, including crawling, and it is becoming increasingly obvious that he is ALL boy. Although we didn't have an official 10 month well visit, he weighed 19 lbs 11 oz at an ear check yesterday. Due to his illness last month, this is only a few ounces more than his 9 month well visit, but with his new found love of carbs, I'm sure he will make up for it in no time. Overnight, he seems to have graduated from baby food and is more interested in eating off our plates. His favorites include pasta, rice & beans, cereal bars, pancakes, and cottage cheese.

Some other recent firsts: waving 'bye-bye', shaking his head 'no', clapping, pulling up on anything and everything, and dancing to music (particularly Jack's Big Music Show).

Happy New Year!

This was our New Years' Eve...exciting, huh? "Welcome to Parenthood, Michael and Jamie!" Actually, we wouldn't have it any other way. Michael surprised me with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, my favorite, so I was happy. It even paired well with the leftovers we ate :o)

As many of you know, we had a difficult start to 2008, but God blessed us with a happy, healthy, not-too-early baby and 2008 turned out to be a wonderful, memorable year! We are looking forward to what 2009 has in store.

Sorry for the poor picture quality. This is one of the last pictures with my camera...apple/apricot baby food is not a camera's friend.

Asher's First Christmas

We had a great first Christmas with Asher! After being paged out of the Christmas Eve service by the nursery during the first song (yep, he made it all of twenty minutes...separation anxiety has set in) we headed over to Nana and Papa's house for a wonderful dinner with Aunt Angi and Michael's sweet Grandmother, Natia. Christmas morning, we woke up to find Santa had brought a Leap Frog musical table and a ride-on dump truck with blocks, so fun! We went back to Nana and Papa's for breakfast and to open presents. Aunt Michelle (Michael's twin sister) had to work in CA, so we missed having her there. Then we were off to Mimi and Pappy's at the lake to spend Christmas afternoon and the following few days with my family. It was a long couple days, but we wouldn't have it any other way! We are so grateful to have both of our families relatively close to celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior, together. We hope all of you had a blessed Christmas too!

Here are a few pictures. My camera was on its last leg, so I hope to update with more pics from other cameras later.

"Here, Mimi, this one's from me!"

Santa Visit

Once we thought Asher was feeling better we ventured out to see Santa! As you can see, he was a little unsure, but was quite interested in what Santa had to say. I was just thankful he didn't throw up on Santa. Afterward, we went to purchase a "Baby's First Christmas" ornament which Michael helped him hang on the tree when we got home. Although we know Asher will not remember his first visit to Santa, it is a memory we will treasure.

ER: First, Second & Third Visits

December was an eventful month in our family, as I know it is for most. Unfortunately, the weeks leading up to Christmas were spent fighting illness in our house. We visited the ER three times with Asher, twice at the direction of the pediatrician, due to a prolonged stomach virus. After two iv's, bloodwork, x-rays, and an air enema test, the GI specialist suggested that the virus destroyed the enzyme which digests lactose in Asher's system. So, we switched to soy formula and he is well on his way to gaining back the lost weight. Poor baby, he was such a trooper! Sitting in the pediatric ER is such a humbling experience. We are so blessed to have a healthy child and are very grateful for insurance.