yummy

Not sure how much more trashy you can get than eating at the McDonalds inside Wal-Mart. Emery and I met the Pfunder-Jiles' girls there, solely in the name of convenience.

Grandma Kris was kind enough to get Emery started early on Dr. Pepper.


Susannah enjoyed the fries.


Erin enjoyed Jack sleeping.


Those sitting around us didn't enjoy Emery's cries when Grandma Kris took away the drink.

it turned out...

... to be a good day. Emery had a doctor's appointment this afternoon because of some concerns that we've had about his acid reflux. Nate was able to come with us, which was a nice surprise, as he's lately been getting home from work with just enough time to kiss the little one good night. We love our pediatrician and after thorough inspection, it seems Emery is right where he should be. Hopefully, the next couple of months will bring him relief as he grows out of the acid issues. Starting tomorrow, he'll be getting a little rice cereal in the breast milk, which should help his tummy. Because of his size and the acid reflux problems (26" in length, 17 lbs, 5 oz. and head size OFF THE CHART), the doctor said that we should start him on some solids at four months-- that's crazy to me! I honestly can't believe how much he changes from day to day.

When we got home, father and son were able to spend a little time together with the newest of mom's purchases, the bumbo. Emery can hold his head up quite well, but doesn't particularly care to sit upright, so we were surprised that he seemed to enjoy the contraption so much.







Although we can tell that the medicine he's taking for the reflux has helped a TON, some things still feel like they're not quite right. In looking through all the pictures we have since he was born, I can count on one hand the times we've snapped (or seen him sans camera) smiling. We're hopeful that within the next couple of months, his true happy nature will surface as his tummy trouble subsides. But you can imagine my delight tonight when I got a couple of minutes of pure bliss with my little boy, and captured on camera none the less!

HERE

IT

COMES!

mother and son

Nothing fancy today... just a lot of cuddle time this afternoon that once again reminded me of why I love being Emery's mom.

Happy Birthday Nonna Sue!

Even though I look a little perturbed in these photos (from July), I'm always happy to see you. Thanks for taking such good care of me whenever we're together-- my mommy is grateful you live so close. Happy Birthday!

Hugs and kisses,

Emery "Chip/Sven" Jones

Happy Birthday Grandma Karen!

We're so happy that you're doing well and hope you had a fabulous day! We heart you.

turning over a new leaf

Out with the old.


In with the new.


I'm officially a mom. We bought my parents' Highlander over the weekend, allowing me to now cart around inordinate amounts of unnecessary purchases from Costco without having to stuff it all in the VW trunk alongside the stroller. There's also a loud speaker system that I can use while Emery exercises his vocal cords (as seen below). It's a dream come true!



After 200,000+ miles, I guess we'll always have the memories of the Honda, right? It was Nate's first fancy car which he bought while I was on my mission. I only received a handful of letters from him when I was in Italy, and one of them was all about this black beauty, which even included a picture or two. There was a time when he loved the car a bit more than me! It served us well-- it drove us to the romantic spot where my cute husband proposed to me and it took us down I-15 all the way to the Long Beach Harbor for our honeymoon cruise. I think Nate was a little sad to see it go, except when I reminded him of how he got stuck in the snow many a time last winter, after our move into the mountains. That was enough to lighten the mood as the new owner drove it away. hip, hip, hooray!

sunday dinner

we went to grandma and grandpa's for an excellent meal. emery was super excited.



uncle kyle came, along with cute donna. the fresh green beans and corn on the cob were the best.



the view and wild sunflowers were even better.

daytime drama

He's an expert when it comes to sleeping for long periods of time when no one is stirring, not even a mouse... 9 hours and counting now at night! It's just that during the day, he will only rest in his mama's loving arms. I can get him to sleep in a heartbeat, but the second I lay his dozing body down, he starts wiggling. I thought we had a breakthrough today when I put him to bed and he didn't squirm. However, I came back in to check on him five minutes later and found him like this:



A mother's work is never done.

little royalty

I watched a show on TLC about crazy pageant parents who live vicariously through their small children, coercing them into wearing ball gowns and swimsuits, prancing around on stage and acting like they're 25... all so that the mothers can live out their own dreams of wearing a tiara. Luckily for Emery, I was homecoming princess in high school, so I've already had my fantasy fulfilled. However, when I downloaded these pictures today, I realized that I am becoming what I fear the most-- while I haven't signed him up for the Freedom Festival Baby Contest yet, I did pose him to look like he was sitting on the couch wearing running shoes.





But he's so cute-- I couldn't resist. I never knew that being a mother would lead me down this dreaded path.

Here we come, Universal Royalty!

PS... thanks to Grandma Karen for the adorable outfit. That's really what started this whole thing, anyway! Nate and I were sad to discover that we could barely buckle Emery into the overalls, so we knew we HAD to take a million pictures before the moment was gone. He's gotten so tall-- as Grandma Jeanne would always say, I should put a brick on his head to keep him little forever...

friday night fun

THRUSH?!?



Our nightly routine produces great results. It was a typical evening, starting with a bath.


As I was washing him off, I noticed his tongue had a rather large white patch right in the center.


We finished things up...






... and then I made a call to the after-hours nurse. After a quick trip to the pediatrician's urgent care, we had the diagnosis I suspected. I was told it was a good thing we caught it in the early stages-- it hadn't spread to his cheeks or gums. He's on some medication and it's already making a difference. And much to my delight, he did great, though our appointment delayed his bedtime by a couple of hours. He was all smiles, even through the exam.

On a side note, the doctor was checking his ears and tried to get him to turn his head to the left so that she could take a peek. He fought her pretty hard and she thought his neck was stiff. She started to tell me that I needed to do exercises to help him stretch his neck muscles. As she was showing me how to do them, he began to cooperate and turned his head both ways with ease. She was a bit baffled, but I tried to tell her-- he's just so strong! He's always really favored his right side, so I think we'll do the exercises nonetheless, but it was pretty funny to see her reaction. She said that it wasn't typical for a little one his age to be that tough.

Updated stats: 26" (75th percentile) and 16 lbs. 12.5 oz. (97th percentile)

a little sad.

this one used to be my favorite


until this one came along.

Gloria.

At 1:28 p.m. exactly three months ago today, on a sunshine filled Tuesday, my life changed forever with the birth of my first born... and I often feel that she's here with me most days, cheering me on to smile through the rough times and to love every minute her namesake and I share.

shoes.

Because my feet looked like this:

for my birthday in January, my mom gave me a big jar filled with baby shoes. Although my life long addiction had been finding anything in a women's size 10, it's since changed:

thanks for the present mom... they finally fit!

labor day surprise

We got to meet up with the Broughie-Klarman crew for lunch, as they headed back to St. George. It was a fun visit and we loved the chance to meet their newest addition, Jaycee. Ti voglio un sacco di bene, sorella!!

the dads...

















the moms...
















Broughie's sister Sarah and oldest daughter Kiara


















il piccolo principe, who slept the entire time
(apparently, we need to go to the mall more often)