My 100th Post!

Unfortunately this post is not bringing your humorous stories of my hardships as a mother, or news of the latest milestones Emerson has met.  Our poor little man is the sickest I've seen him, which is just terrible for parents to have to watch. He has endured 5 ear infections, alternating ears, has overcome innumerable head colds, survived a bout with a croup-like cough, and has even thrown up on 2 separate occasions. But this time, a full-blown stomach bug has hit, and he has been the saddest little boy over the past 24 hours.

It all started yesterday morning when I took him to Stroller Strides and he kept refusing his banana and oatmeal. This was an immediate red flag, as he NEVER turns down food. After accepting his water, he started to whimper, and then we noticed he was wet and covered in half-digested fruit from his dinner the night before. Poor man vomited a big one. Good things you can hose off a BOB.

Then he seemed ok for the morning until he chugged his water once again, after which he threw up on me and the bathroom floor. We were successful with some applesauce after that and when I limited his water intake. He took a nap after his snack and seemed to be a little lethargic, but not too bad. Then we played with his new ball in the back yard, he had some more applesauce, and we ran some errands successfully. Then he fell asleep for a second nap and it was all over.

After he woke up for dinner, he refused food, refused to drink the Pedialyte I had purchased, (serves me right, having never allowed him to drink juice, he just wanted water but needed the nutrients), and laid in Child's Pose on the couch moaning and whimpering, watching Disney Jr. He doesn't sit still for 2 minutes, much less 2 hours. He doesn't cuddle, much less refuse to be apart from me for even a second. It was so sad, yet so sweet to get some much needed down time to relax with my growing boy.

Then we pushed him over the edge by trying to meet up with his dad for a quick trip to a shoe store. Upon getting him in his PJs and in the car, he made it about 4 miles and threw up all the oatmeal I had managed to get him to snack on plus the electrolytes from his forced sips of Pedialyte. So we washed out the car seat and placed it next to the washed-out BOB and called it an evening after his 3rd bath of the day.

Luckily he slept well and I slept horribly with the hopes of waking to a vibrant (albeit hungry) little boy. Instead we woke to a 100 degree fever and more refusals of food and drink. But I managed to parcel out little liquid and eventually a little food over the course of the morning. After more naps, moans, and many hours of PBS Kids, I still sat under the whimpering 17-month old as he drooled all over the couch and me.

There is a light at the end of this tunnel, after getting a much needed mom break of a massage and hair cut, and getting a lot of help from grammy, his high 102 degree fever finally broke and we got a little piece of our rambunctious son back.  He enjoyed the remainder of a banana, more applesauce, a handful of crackers, water and Pedialyte MIXED, and even begged for a bite of his dad's chicken sausage. He is definitely not 100%, but I put him down with much higher hopes for a better tomorrow. At least we didn't have to deal with pulling him from daycare and taking a day off to be with him since we are on break!

So now I realize how lucky we are for such a healthy baby boy, and how I have finally been inducted into to true circle of parenting that includes being vomited on, cleaning vomit out of 4 outfits, a car seat, a stroller, and a bathroom, and washing my hands with antibacterial soap about 100 times praying this doesn't transfer to the rest of us on my last weekend of Spring Break.

Winding down on the couch (this pose lasted nearly all day)

St. Maarten Monday!

I confess that this is not THIS month's milestone, but 2 months ago Emerson was the lucky traveler once more and got to visit the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Maarten. Half Dutch and half French, we happened to be there during the "down season", which gave us a lot of freedom on the island, and also during the World Cup, which gave us a reason to care about soccer.

There were SO many things we did while on the island, and again many of which others looked at us as if crazy while doing with a baby. Emerson also got to experience a number of firsts while on this voyage.

We started off with a long airplane trip once more, this time through Miami and then into international waters.
Emerson was a little more energetic at this age, so we were glad to have 4 hours in Miami to let him crawl around. However, the meanie American Airlines employee in Phoenix made us check our stroller through to the island, so we had no stroller and had to carry him around (until we just gave in a bought a smart cart). Luckily on the way home the St. Maarten travel agent was nicer and we got to keep it for the return trip.

So happy to play- thank you Aunt Shannon for the blanket!

Daddy is happy at the Irish Pub!

Our makeshift stroller

Sunset over the wing as we fly over the Atlantic

Upon arriving on the island, where we were to stay at Grandmom Davis' timeshare The Flamingo Beach Resort, we found out that the rest of the family got caught in Phoenix due to hurricane shut downs of other airports, so we were lucky to have family friends there for us on the 4th of July!

Emerson spent his first 4th in a foreign country, where there were no fireworks, which greatly saddened his patriotic and pyromaniac mother, but we still grilled and you really couldn't complain as we were staying right on a private beach in a bay.

Emerson's 1st 4th of July outfit!

The "horrible" view that wasn't fireworks

Emerson's first time in the Atlantic!

Yep, that is a shark hat. Too cute.

A patriotic family.

Swimming with daddy!

Other adventures included traveling to yet another country, Anguilla, and seeing the most perfect and secluded white sand beaches ever. (And perhaps drinking the strongest Rum Punches ever). We got a private pirate ship tour in St. Maarten. Mom and dad got to Scuba dive while grandmom and friends watched Emerson. The cousins and aunt and uncle Keiren, Aidan, Brett, and Anji got a lot of baby time! We ate great food, especially on the French side, and mostly sea food, and we relaxed a lot in the water. Emerson seemed to really enjoy the ocean and slept really well the entire trip.

A true "beach bum" playing in sand

Do you want to snorkel?

No, just nap on the beach in my cabana

Getting on the pirate ship in my pirate onesie!

Cups keep me happy while we sail.

As does chewing on rib bones- so yummy!

Up on the prow with the family! So windy and so fun!

May have had a few too many rum punches.

Mom found her an anchor! No surprise...

Oriental Beach Bar lounging

Waiting for my cousins to swim with the dolphins on Anguilla. Auntie tied me in the chair

A private beach on Anguilla where dad found his own "lounge chair"

And so did mom!

Swimming with the cousins and daddy!

And I had to try eating sand at least once while we waited for the planes to land at sunset beach.

Oh, and one time I took a little nap myself, and when I woke up I couldn't find Emerson or Kyle in the water where they had been. I frantically looked around until all of a sudden, there they were, on the floating raft WAY off shore. Awesome.

Emerson "swam" out there on daddy's chest. Good thing Kyle is such a good swimmer and trained lifeguard.

I will say it is certainly easier to have family on vacation to help out, as Kyle and I even got a date night, and to have a condo with a kitchen and American electric outlets.

Goodbye island life!

Overall, thank you to everyone who made it such a wonderful and relaxing vacation. I even got to finish Fault in Our Stars, only the 2nd book I got to read for pleasure since Emerson was born. And we returned to school tanner, more relaxed, and feeling like our summer was fulfilling.

Emerson at 9 Months!

My two front teeth!

Emerson has certainly been busy growing and changing over the past month. We've been off the blog for a number of weeks because we have been out of the country, back to work/school, and busy trying to get Emerson to learn how to go to bed before 11.

Right now, Emerson has 5 teeth with a sixth popping through. Both middle bottom teeth can be seen in his pictures now, and his top middle are just making their appearance. The two adjacent top teeth are out, and look like fangs from the right angle. I'll have to try to get a picture somehow.

I got this, mom and dad.

Emerson has started to move a lot more. He isn't fully crawling, but he recently started to pull himself up and over toys, people, and anything that he can get a grip on. He gets on his hands and knees often, but then doesn't know what to do next. He can scoot backwards on his tummy, and this leads to much frustration as the toys continue to move further away instead of closer. Last night, he successfully got himself from his tummy to a sitting position, and then up onto his knees while grabbing the couch. He would have made it all the way to his feet if he had a good grip. He likes to stand, and can turn around when in a standing position if holding onto someone or something.

Waving to you!

Apart from movement, Emerson is also still very vocal. His favorite past time is using his maracas and "singing" into them like microphones while shaking his head and them at the same time. It is pretty loud. He also talks regularly, seeming to have conversations with us when we are doing things and he is happy. He mimics sounds like tongue clicking and lip smacking. He also likes when we use our hands while he is talking to pat his mouth and make that, excuse me if this is totally politically incorrect but I have no other way to describe it, the "Indian" call.

Emerson is also getting much better at recognizing signs that we've been practicing with him. He knows "milk" and occasionally does the sign on his own. He also seems to know the signs for "food" and "more" and "all done". I want to teach him "diaper" and "tired" next.

Emerson likes to eat a lot. He seems to enjoy all the food we've given him so far. I am making most of his baby food, but he does get oatmeal and rice cereals. We have just transitioned into "chunking" his food and not just pureeing it. He seems to be doing fairly well with cooked and soft foods and only gags once in awhile. I hope this is a step in the positive direction so we can stop having 6-7 daily feedings and focus more on 4 or 5.

I like to pull all my toys out of my toy bucket.

Lastly, Emerson waves at people, usually just randomly, but he is getting pretty good at it. He also gives a low five, especially when his dad holds out his hand.

On the bad side of things, Emerson has learned how to play a game called "bite my mom while I am eating" to see what he can get away with. This has left his momma with some major soreness and has left his little belly a bit hungry a few times! He also likes to stay up WAY too late, with an average bedtime of after 10:00 p.m. We hope this starts to taper off as he has to get up earlier once again for daycare. He also won't go down without a huge fight. He likes to scream, even after falling asleep while rocking, if he is put down in his crib. We read books, rock, sometimes we even eat, and still, he fights it. I think it is F.O.M.O. (Fear of Missing Out). But it could also be our fault for taking him completely off of a schedule while we jet-setted around the world.

9 months in the womb, 9 months out. Crazy how the time has flown. Another new school year has begun and many, many more changes are to come soon, I am sure.

All smiles for the camera, always.

My best Elvis impression

See ya later!

8 Months Old!

Well, another major milestone Monday has come and gone, and this one was in celebration of Emerson's 8 Months!

Along with all the other exciting things going on that I shared last week, we have additional major changes in Emerson's life!

1. 2 Teeth! His bottom left front tooth and his top right front tooth have BOTH poked through. It is about time after all the drooling and chewing the past 5 months! :)

2. Emerson started solids beyond rice cereal and oatmeal. We have had bites of avocado, watermelon, pear, and full servings of sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, green beans, and peas. All of the Gerber variety except for the "bites". However, last night we tried homemade peas and he was a little hesitant. I think that we didn't puree it enough so the little lumps threw him off.

3. Emerson really likes to shake his head like he is saying "no". Although he does it at random times, he usually does it when I click my tongue. We call it "dancing".

4. Emerson has started to mimic people and do what they do.

5. Emerson likes to stick out his tongue and spit, a lot. I think this must feel good on his teeth.

Above all else, he is just getting cuter and more playful everyday. He loves to squeal and talk and is getting very strong. He took a chunk out of my nose with his nail the other day, and he can head butt pretty hard! He also likes to move, so he is leaning forward and sitting up on his own regularly, as well as spinning himself around on the ground, in the bed, wherever! We certainly will not be leaving him unattended on a raised surface anymore.

I love being 8-months old!

So happy! I am ready to jump out of this chair!

Check out my pose, mom!

I just had to add in this other one for his smile!

Emerson's First Concert!

I better say this or I'll get in trouble. Emerson's first concert was NOT this past weekend at the McDowell Mountain Music Festival. Nope, Emerson's first concert was at his grandpa Jensen's band's show at Augie's in Goodyear. However, Emerson's first FESTIVAL concert was this past weekend! We really only went to see Dispatch, and I guess secretly to see all the hippies at play, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised at how kid-friendly the show wound up being. It wasn't an over-bearing number of people, the heat was tolerable, and we scored free tickets, so I really didn't mind only staying for a short while.

Kyle and I went to see Dispatch at Red Rocks in 2011, seems like only yesterday, but we didn't want to miss the opportunity to see them again. Thanks to the Strubles, we got into the show and got a great spot on the lawn. They also brought their 3-year-old, Cord, and 4-month-old, Keegan, so the little boys became concert buddies.

We had a great time being-parents-while-still-getting-to-have-fun-like-we-used-to!

Emerson taking in the sights while Dispatch performed.

Emerson with his daddy

Emerson was more interested in our beer

I love music mom!

U of A may not have won their big game, but we are still loving this day!

Milestone Monday

Today I will focus not just on the major events of the past week, but all the mini milestones that make me full of wonder!

• Emerson now tracks us as we walk around the room.
• He will turn towards us when he hears our voices.
• He is starting to relax his hands when he is sleeping or resting so that they are not always clenched in fists.
• He also is beginning to grab toys and other objects, besides my hair, shirt, or necklaces.
• He coos and responds when we are talking to him as if he believes to be communicating like us.
• He sleeps between 4-6 hours for his "long stretch" at night!
• He eats in under 30 minutes total sometimes! :)

And for the bigger events- Emerson experienced his first New Year (as many of you probably saw) and then the real treat--his first hike!

A little about that hike... Many of you have probably heard the story of my first date with Kyle. We hiked Telegraph Trail on South Mountain, for which I gussied up and got ready as if we were going to a fancy restaurant (at least I didn't wear a dress and flip flops). It was 94*. I was not in any shape to be hiking up the steeper incline, and we had to stop at least 10 times for me to catch my breath and bearings. Well, Kyle didn't judge me, I guess, but he sure does taunt me about it now and again.

This hike was like a bad flashback to that moment. I was out of breath. I got dizzy near the top. And I sweat more than anyone should in 70*. However, I had a 12-pound baby strapped to my belly. And I only stopped twice. I am darn proud I didn't fall! Granddad was nice enough to help with my confidence by carrying Emerson DOWN the mountain, though.

Here are some pictures and a video for you:

Ready to go!

Resting Up Top! And cooling down

Hiking up with grandad

A view of the valley

Merry Christmas part 2!

The holidays just keep happening in this extended family. We head off for the next round in the morning, but I had to post another set of pictures to keep you all entertained. After all, this blog is officially Emerson's "baby book" so I have to document the firsts thoroughly.

We had our Davis family Christmas celebrations over the last 24 hours. So much fun! I have to share a few fun stories, but will wait until I have the photos to accompany them for publication!

For now, our cute little man:

And to all a good night...

Grandmom's tree is magical!

My Christmas pjs- I am still waking up in this picture

Thank you Bickley family for this outfit (there is a reindeer on my butt, too)