Emrey is almost 5 months!

Okay, so I needed to give a longer update on Emrey, as I was selfish with the last post and barely mentioned her. Emrey is almost 5 months and growing like a weed. Last time I weighed her on our scale, she weighed almost 14 pounds. She has rolled several times on her own and is almost sitting up on her own. She's also really developing her fine motor skills, and is grabbing at anything she can get her hands on, using her little pinchers to explore the world. Most things go into her mouth, but she is also beginning to explore our faces, hair and other objects by just feeling them and taking it all in. She loves to feel different textures. In terms of eating, I think we may start her on some rice cereal in the near future, as she has become very distracted while eating. It is hard to get a full feeding in without her wanting to have a conversation in between. We are going to the doctors on friday for her 4 month checkup ( a little late) and shots :(, so we will ask her about it when we go. Emrey has finally noticed Bailey, and laughs spontaneously when she runs around with her ball. As for sleeping...traveling definitely messed with her sleeping through the night. She has been getting up once a night and is inconsolable unless I feed her. Hopefully the cereal will help to tide her appetite once we start that.

Helping mom with a sandwich

Hanging out with dad while he eats breakfast.

Goobye 19 Cypress Rd.....

We just returned from a very full trip to Boston. The trip was originally planned to visit family and friends, but ended up being more about closing the door to a chapter of my life. My parents are moving....after twenty some odd years of living in Natick, it is time to move, time to say goodbye to the home where most of my childhood memories lay. There is no longer the need for a pool in the summer, no one to make late night trips jumping over the fence to Burger King, no one to leave the lights on and forget to lock the doors, it is time to move on. While we were there, I was able to help my mom with a yard sale, which was an adventure! Yard sales always remind me that we don't really "need" all that stuff we like to buy...because one day soon, it will be neglected and other things will become more important. Still, it was fun to reminisce about prom dresses, beat up chairs, camp stoves and grandma's old china...each with a story of their own. And as I
wrestled with the sadness of saying goodbye to this house, I was reminded by my very wise mother, that these physical structures we call homes are really just temporary structures. They are places that protect us from the elements and in some way make us feel safe. I was reminded that we cannot cling too tightly to these structures, and this scripture came to mind.

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands" 2 Corinthians 4:18 - 5:1

Along with packing and putting the yard sale together, we had some great time with friends and family. We were able to visit Grandma Macleod, which was very special. It was so fun to see Emrey with Nanna, Pappo and Aunt Sarah, and very nice to have a little break from being the sole source of entertainment! We also made it up to New Hampshire, where we got a few days of rest and relaxation at the cabin.

Aunt Sarah

Visiting Great Grandma

Four Generations

With Pappo in New Hampshire

Good friends

On the plane home, way past her bed time...

Before heading up to Boston, we went to Ellis' cousins wedding in Philly. We had a blast and Emrey was able to meet many of her great aunts and uncles, along with the bride and groom! She is a real trooper when it comes to traveling and did great on all the plane rides. For now, we're back in Houston, trying to get used to 90 degree weather with 95% humidity in May! It's still good to be "home", even if it is just temporary.

Aunt Gerallyn

Philadelphia

Uncle Jessy

Rain, rain go away....

This Saturday, we got dumped on. I was planning to head out with a friend, when she called to say we were under a tornado warning and a flood watch! At first, I thought it just looked like a little rain...whats the big deal, but several minutes after we decided not to venture out, we looked outside our front door to see that our street had become a river!

This recycling container collected about a foot and a half of water in an hour!

You can see the water creeping up, about to get that car in the driveway!

Ellis, up to his knees in the middle of our street!

Ellis got some great father-daughter bonding time, while we were housebound, waiting to venture out. When we finally did make it out, Ellis surprised me by taking me to buy a jogging stroller, something I said I had wanted.

Following the directions, not one of my talents...

Sunday, was the complete opposite of Saturday's weather. It was sunny and gorgeous, still not too hot. So, we took the stroller out for a run. Emrey seemed to enjoy it. I have accepted that my body is never going to go back to "normal" :), but regardless, it is time to start exercising again. The run was a bit painful for me...but it always is when you haven't been doing anything!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!!!

We celebrated a soggy, humid Easter here in Houston, but celebrated none the less! Emrey was willing to pose for a few more pictures this morning. We have so many dresses...but this one was given to us just last night by some friends. We really love our church and the community that we have been blessed to know here. We attended church this morning and it's official, Emrey is a girl and LOVES to talk! This week Emrey has started gabbing so much that it's hard to keep her in church with us! Today, she was all smiles, flirting with everyone around, but especially with her buddy Rowan, sitting a few rows back.

Here are a few shots of Emrey in her Easter dress, and working hard with dad at the office and on the lap top.

This was the only smile we could get

Mesmerized by the fan

How do you work this thing?

Emrey and dad, hard a work...

Here Comes Summer!

Below are some recent pictures of Emrey hanging out in her stroller outside, while I gave Bailey a bath. We have had gorgeous weather for the past week and are trying to take advantage of being outside as much as possible before the heat comes.

It was windy!

Momma and Baby are doing awesome!

I have been truly amazed watching Beck's mothering instincts come alive in such perfect timing over the past few months! She is a such a natural mom and doing wonderful with little Emrey! I love watching the two of them together, they already have such a strong bond. Here are the two of them hanging out after breakfast one morning... There are a couple of beautiful ladies living here, let me tell you! I can't wait to see what other traits continue to show up in that little face and big personality over the coming months and years. In the mean time Emrey continues to be inquisitive and alert when she's happy... and she definitely speaks her mind when she's not :-)

Emrey and mom at 14 weeks

I've been continuing to learn every day about what it means being a dad. I'm continually impressed at how easily she can bring such joy to both of us by simply smiling or using that sweet little voice of hers. I love those moments. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of things she likes and dislikes... Learning about her interests... We've got a lot of time to get to know one another now though...

Dad and Emrey discussing plans for the afternoon

Emrey is fascinated by many things, but we've noticed that she has a particular interest in ceiling fans at the moment. It doesn't matter whether they are stationary or in motion. She likes to lie in our bed and watch from below. The large mirror in the bedroom only adds to her fascination and pondering. We've enjoyed watching many double takes back and forth between the fan and its reflected image across the room.

Pondering Ceiling Fans...

There's only one member of the family that hasn't been overjoyed at the addition... You guessed it... Bailey has finally started to get it (we tried to tell her). If pictures are any indication, this is the last picture we've got of Bailey... Coincidentally enough, taken a few days before you-know-who showed up!! I'm convinced though that Bailey and Emrey are going to be best buds before too long though...

She's always playin' reindeer games!

More soon from dad. Thanks for reading :-)