7 Months Old (Two Weeks Late)

I have no idea why, but blogging has become a chore over the past few weeks.  I would apologize, but I'm having fun playing with a very personable little guy.

Emory went to the doctor on November 16th (the 7 month mark) to check his weight gain (or lack thereof).  He is a super tall baby!  He is 28.5 inches long!  However, little man only weighed 15 pounds 6 ounces at his weigh in.  Meaning that he has only gained half a pound since he was 4 months old. :-(  Before I get into all of that, I'm going to give you all some pictures to prove that a skinny baby can be a super cute baby.  Check it out:

Someone has discovered his voice...and he thinks everyone else should discover it as well.

 

Sweet boy loves his knit ornaments.

I hope he likes to read as much as he likes to look at pictures.  Mason, as usual, is standing guard.

He likes to talk.  Can't you tell?

Ummm yes, he's too precious for words!

 He is such a good baby.  I don't know what happened, but sometime between the 6th and 7th months he went from an often fussy baby to a very happy baby.  Granted, I think his fussiness has a lot to do with the MASSIVE amount of food that the child does not keep down.  Poor Emory definitely has reflux, so we're trying to work through some of the kinks.  I think he's actually started gaining a fair amount of weight over the past week or so.  We just add rice to EVERYTHING!  For once, you can see a little belly pudge.  I love it!

Emory hopes everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  He is already preparing for Christmas (by deconstructing the tree decorations).

That would be the glittery ting ting that he is trying to pull out of the tree.  Obviously, he thinks it's hilarious. 

Bedtime Prayers

In case I've failed to mention, Emory LOVES his bedtime prayers.  I think it's the cadence in the prayer that we say, but I delight in the fact that he's overly thrilled during this time of our day.

Look Ma, no hands!!!

I have no idea why Emory eats this way, but he does.  He will pick up his paci and put it in his mouth.  He picks up his toys and puts them in his mouth.  When it comes to food though, this boy gets right down to business...literally.  We're working on it, but I thought the picture was funny.

Wine & Design

I posted not long ago about Project 52 and our attempt to really carve out time for one another.  I have no idea how many dates we have been one, but we started dance lessons, had movie night, watched a game (or 10) together, etc.  LivingSocial is a great place to find deals!  Last week they offered classes at Wine & Design for half off!  Right up our alley!  For $34 bucks we had a night out sans baby (which we both needed after Saturday), hung out with friends, and came home with two "beautiful" paintings.  :-)  (Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?!)

Michelle and I were in grad school together.  So glad we reconnected through the Bible study!

Gotta love a man in an apron!

We are beyond talented.  (Don't ask what I'm doing with my foot.  Phillip did.  I have no answer.)

This date was seriously JUST the thing we needed.  It'd been a rough week with Emory, so it was nice to get out.  (Big thanks to Nana and Poppy for babysitting!)

Halloween 2011

Wow, this is sad. My Halloween post is coming almost a week after I posted about Emory's first Christmas tree. Let me assure you they happened in the right order.

Warning: Picture heavy post!!!

This year we went to the McLeod Farm Fall Fest with Phillip's family. It was so good to see our nieces and his sister. Holy cow! Can we say BRRRR! The weather would have been really enjoyable, but the wind cut right through you!

Emory had his first taste of a pickle...well outside of me.  He had lots of pickle while he hibernated for 9 months. 

Taylor insisted everyone needed to watch her on the tractors.

Wind!  It ruined our only chance at a decent photo op.  Oh well!  80s rock bands have nothing on this girl!

 

The girls got balloon animals.  Not long after this Uncle Phillip and Taylor had to take her horse to the ICU unit.  :-)

Emory loves him some Grammy!

In case she wasn't clear about her South Carolina loyalty.

 

Surprisingly, after no nap for 4 hours he was a happy baby on the ride home.  Please note that I did not say "sleepy" but we'll take what we can get.

On Sunday, we went to church, attended Emory's Baby Dedication class, and then came home to carve our pumpkins.  We realize it was a little late (hopefully that means it's ok that they are STILL on the front porch.  We are so behind this year!)

Emory, obviously, likes talking to the camera.

Our little Sweet E! 

He loved this part.  I think the boy in him just likes anything messy.

...and by this point he was DONE for the night.  Still cute though.

Kasey was bored, so she came over to help carve.  She didn't believe in a grumpy Emory until this night.  Her tribute was this lovely carving in his honor. 

See, stunning!  :-)  Good job Squishy!

I got tired of working on our Clemson pumpkin, so I handed it over to the master.

Ta da!

The next day, Mason was quite troubled by Aunt Kasey's creation.  I actually had to bring Emory outside for Mason to see and sniff before he would leave the pumpkin.

We hope you had a wonderful fall/Halloween.  How is it almost Thanksgiving!?

Baby Tiger

I can't remember if I posted pictures of this day or not.  Either way, everyone could use an extra dose of Emory.  Right?  ;-)

He's excited about the 9-1 season!

He actually willingly sits like this with his dad for most of the game.  Mommy sees lots of free hours in her future!  :-)

Project 31: Day 26

Realizing now that I didn't exactly finish strong, I do want to go back and complete the last few days that I missed.  Let's just say that starting a whole lot of jobs and stuff around our house has been crazy.  So, I can't promise this will get done in the next five days, but it will get done...eventually.  :-)

Day 26: What do you hope your grandchildren will say about you one day when you are gone?

This is a bit too deep for my liking.  :-)  Don't get my wrong, I definitely want to leave a legacy worth remembering.  However, I'm trying to not think so much about tomorrow.  Instead, I'm giving it the ole college try at living in the moment (responsibly speaking, though).  Here's about as far ahead as I've thought:

I want Emory to realize that he is a priceless gift from God.  I hope our grandchildren will know the same.  I want to commit to raising him in the shadow of the cross.  I don't want to teach oppressive religion though.  I want our children and grandchildren to have a healthy fear of God, but more than anything I desire for them to live a life of abandon in Christ. 

I considered (for much longer than I care to admit) getting a tattoo across the inside of my wrist with the word "undignified" written in.  I love this story in  II Samuel of King David.  He didn't care who saw him worshiping the Lord.  He didn't worry about what his neighbors would think of him.  His worship was for God.  His song, his dance, his HEART was for Christ!  I want my legacy to be like that.  Our children and grandchildren (and maybe we'll be lucky enough to be around and see some great-grands) will know that we are committed to God. 

In lighter terms though - I want them to read!  I love books.  Reading is a gift.  I don't think kids in America truly appreciate how precious this gift is.  I also want them to laugh.  I want them to find the small things in life and relish them.  I want them to feel loved.  I want to hug them as tight as I can.  I have a rather independent baby when it comes to snuggling and it breaks my heart.  However on those rare night when he's wanting to just be held and hugged tight, I jump in with both feet and LIVE for those moments.  I want them to see a marriage that works.  Phillip and I aren't always perfect, but we have fun, we laugh, we love, and goodness knows we have shed a tear or two.  I think it's important for our kids to know these things about us.  It's even more important for them to see us pray together to overcome hardships.

I realize this might be scattered, but that's my life/brain right now.  Here's to hoping I leave something worth remembering.  What impression do you hope to leave behind?

Emory's Christmas Tree

I realize that I have a lot of blogging to catch up on (finishing Project 31, posting about Halloween, fall happenings, etc.).  I wish I could blame it on laziness, but I just got tired folks!  Starting a teaching job mid-semester is tough stuff.  Teaching and helping with the EC department is exhausting...and I'm only part time! 

Anywho, last year I spent Christmas (and every other holiday for that matter) sick due to our pregnancy.  Totally worth it, don't get me wrong.  However, we didn't even paint our annual Christmas ornament.  It's the first one we've missed since we started dating in 2005!  We'll make an extra one this year.  So I'm making up for lost time and decorating early. 

This is the first year Christmas caught me by surprise.  I had a baby and now all of the sudden it's almost Thanksgiving.  Where did the time go?!  I haven't even listened to a lot of Christmas music (except of course Justin Bieber's new CD...cough, Mere Mere, cough).  First things first, Emory's room.  I've always wanted each of our children to have their own little tree.  I couldn't wait to decorate Emory's.  I searched high and low for ornaments I liked.  Nothing!  Then we went to my home away from home, Target.  Lo and behold, it hit me.  They had the cutest knit ornaments.  These will work for boys or girls.  If he gets these in the future and places it in his mouth, no harm done.  Plus, these ornaments will last him a few years (and be passed down to the other children I am trusting the Lord to provide us)!

Yay!  I love it!  Emory does too.  He bounces when he sees his tree. 

Knit ornaments!  How cute are they!?

This one is my favorite. 

Emory always grabs for this guy, so he gets the "favorite" stamp from Little Man!

 Call me crazy, but I'm starting early this year...and quite possibly every year hereafter.  :-)