the new addition!

Big congrats to Robby and his wife, Emily, for their newest family member. Olivia Ann Gloria Sherwin was born earlier today in Idaho Falls. She weighed 6 lbs. 1 oz. and is 20" long-- she's itty bitty compared to her cousin Emery! And she's got a little frown in this picture because she hasn't met her auntie and cousin yet-- we'll head up there soon for a visit, Liv!! More pics here.

like mother, like son.

It seems unfortunate that Emery has inherited his mother's temperamental skin. We visited the pediatrician today in hopes of helping clear a rash that's been coming and going for almost a month.

Diagnosis from the doctor: eczema.



Diagnosis from his mother: ridiculous cuteness.



Waiting for Dr. Whiting, we had a photo shoot.
He was very interested in the camera.





And then he was very interested in the paper upon which he was laying.







And then he spotted the diaper bag



and his favorite contents in it:



string cheese.



And then back to the camera.



And then a quick look at the door as the good doctor arrived.



He did great during the visit and even tolerated a diaper change (he isn't so fond of those anymore).



His stats from the visit: 30 1/2 inches and 26 lbs 15 oz.

Our favorite nurse Melissa, who recently had a baby and was on maternity leave, hadn't seen him since his 6 month check up. She couldn't believe how big he was and kept telling me he was a little man now. It made me sad and happy at the same time.

My little boy.

it's oh so sad.

After all the blood, sweat, and tears in December, I thought we were on a roll. A little teething, a cold, a slight fever and it was back to square 1. Three nights ago, we recommitted. Nate got the CD player working, I gave the little one a bath, and we put him to bed. 51 minutes of screaming. An hour and a half of sleep. 23 minutes of crying. 2 hours of sleep. And so on and so forth.

It's now the third night and he's a quick study. The only sad thing was watching him fall back asleep with his head smashed against the mesh of his pack n' play (yes, this child has never slept in his crib. and yes, he still sleeps in the bathroom next to our bedroom. long story.)...

After assuring ourselves he was out like a light, we went back in and moved him to a more comfortable position, turned the music off, and took his teddy out. And it's been quiet ever since.

hot date

Erin needed a break and Emery and I needed some entertainment. So Susannah came with us to the Sunflower Market ("because I never been there before") and then Target for some shopping and lunch.

She was worried her mom wouldn't know she was eating breadsticks, so we called her.



Emery kept busy with the camera case in between bites of pizza.



Then Emery kept busy with bites of the camera case.



It was a long conversation, punctuated with over-the-top exclamations about how good the sauce tasted and how fun the Sunflower Market was, probably because she bought pink pretzels and got her own "RO-SEET" at the check out.



We love our Susannah girl!

news

Emery's not only crawling, he's pulling himself up on anything and everything in site as of today. Aside from hitting his glasses on the cushion of the couch every now and then, he's learning very quickly that he can reach and grab anything in site. It's a whole new world!

say cheese!

We ran into the Easter bunny at Costco this afternoon.
Emery was mesmerized by the bunny's fur, but we were able to snap one pic of him showing his excitement-- clenched fists and kicking feet!

our shrimp

The Forbes met us for dinner at the new Rubio's for shrimp tacos and black beans. Emery has been doing a great job of feeding himself lately... it's much more fun to go out to eat with his participation now!

knock knock. who is it? 1987.

So I'm thinking of going back to my old hairstyle-- straight bangs and a perm.
I heard neon colors and Ray Bans are coming back in style, so I'm pretty sure this look would work now.

p.s. Michael, my baby cousin in the picture, is graduating from college next month. I'm old.

clean hands

Last night, Emery broke the streak.

He woke up 4 different times throughout the night.
We were both tired this morning.

He then refused to take his morning nap, throwing me for another loop.
A stinker, but still adorable.

I finally decided to stop fighting it and embrace that he was awake.
We headed down to Provo for some errands.
He fell asleep upon backing out of the driveway.



After a few hours, we were on our way home.
Fussy, I handed him a bottle of hand sanitizer, as he loves anything new and different
(especially something that's normally off limits).
That was all it took- 30 seconds later, he was back asleep.



At a stop light, I turned around to check on him and found this:



He woke up 30 minutes later with the bottle still in hand.

my son

I've been rather tearful the last couple of days as I think about my little boy. He is changing so rapidly and it seems every day brings a new discovery for him. I was looking over some blog entries from a couple of months ago and can't believe how different life was. I am grateful for the day to day memories I have captured, because they are often easy to forget. Here are some of his current activities, likes and dislikes, and personality quirks that make him so special to me.

1. His favorite place to be has changed from his walker to the floor, sitting with his mommy and playing with toys.
2. His favorite toys are blocks and a plastic bucket. He loves to dump them all out of the bucket and then bang two blocks together or put one in his mouth (he especially likes the blue circle block).
3. For the last week, he has all but refused to eat baby food. He much prefers slices of turkey, string cheese, cottage cheese, and fresh bananas and strawberries.
4. The baby cheese puffs that he used to devour, he now tolerates. However, he adores baby yogurt melts. They have saved me a couple of times at the store to buy a little more time to finish our errands.
   
5. Like clockwork, exactly one hour after he wakes up, he wants a big bottle of formula and then a nap. This past week, his naps in the morning lasted for an hour and a half each-- a big improvement!
6. His fuse is short-- when he's done eating, for instance, I have about 17 seconds before he lets me know that he needs to get out of his high chair immediately.
   
7. His loves music, especially Raffi. He smiles and starts banging out a beat whenever I turn it on.
8. He REALLY loves household chores. He follows me in his walker as I do laundry, wash dishes, and vacuum, with the latter being his ultimate favorite.
9. When he gets excited, he squeals/screeches at the top of his lungs, kicks his legs, puts his hands into tight fists, and bites his teeth down.
10. He loves to play with the lids of baby food jars while he's eating in his high chair.
11. He adores Max and any other animal/child under the age of 10. He shows us his excitement by doing what's listed under #9.
12. While he hasn't crawled yet, when he gets mad he rocks on his arms and legs. Usually, though, he'd rather sit up to play with toys.
13. If he's really tired or angry, he'll violently throw his head back. He's almost given me a black eye before... he's quite strong!!
14. He lifts his arms up when he wants to be picked up. If someone is holding him and he wants to go to another person, he'll lean forward with his arms stretched out, completely bending at the waist, reaching for them.
15. Although he used to love being on his changing table, he dreads it now.
    
16. He loves being outside, especially if it's windy.
17. He's most happy right after a nap.
18. Lately, when you pick him up, he pulls his legs up and attaches himself to you like a monkey. It only lasts for a second, though-- he reaches for anything and everything within site once you're holding him.
19. Most often, the first time he tries a new food, he'll make a face like he hates it. But then he'll open his mouth for more and smile.
20. When my face is close to his, he'll reach up with his chubby fingers and put his hand on my cheek. He loves having our heads touch one another. If I kiss his cheek, he'll push his head into me and talk.
21. He babbles often, usually saying some version of da-da. When he falls asleep (whether I'm rocking him, he's in the car, etc.) he talks/moans to himself as a way of self-soothing. It usually lasts a couple of minutes.
22. When he gets excited, he huffs and breathes really rapidly through his mouth. Hard to explain, but pretty funny to watch!
23. Within 10 seconds, he can rip his glasses completely off, head strap included. The last couple of days, I haven't been able to keep them on for more than a half hour at a time.
    
24. When I rock him to sleep at night, right before he closes his eyes he looks at me and smiles with so much love and sincerity. It takes my breath away.
    

It's oh so quiet.

I have not had a full night's sleep, uninterrupted, since June 2, 2008. I went to bed Thursday night fully expecting to be awoken around 4am for a little cuddling and a bottle.

Imagine my shock when I heard Emery on the baby monitor and rolled over to see the alarm clock read 8:42AM. As in, I had just slept 8 glorious and continuous hours.

Friday night was the same story. Could a new pattern possibly be developing?!?

school house rock

Emery adores Brooklyn.



Today, we went with my mom to her standing Friday appointment
as a room grandma in B's class.
Emery and I sat outside on a blanket as school was getting out.
He was entertained by all the kids leaving and loved seeing the cars driving up.
But it wasn't until he saw Brooklyn that his face lit up- pure joy.





You know he's a fan when he leans in to give a headbutt of love.



And what cute hair Brookylyn had for school pictures!
Cheryl did an amazing job crimping it...

SO big.

Today was Emery's 9 month check up. Current stats:

Length: 30.5" (97%)
Weight: 23 lbs. 14 oz. (90%)
Head Circumference: 47.5 cm. (off the charts)

Everything looks great for our little boy-- he's growing like a weed! When we had a check up right before our Seattle trip to make sure it was ok for him to fly with his cold, he weighed 24 lbs. 15 oz., so he's lost a pound in the last two weeks. Dr. Whiting said that's normal, given his teething, activity rate, and move towards solid food.

He had a hepatitis booster shot and didn't cry, which made it a lot easier for his mom. He also had his iron tested and is right where he should be for that, as well. It was a painless and fast visit-- we're getting good at this! Next visit is in three months, when he turns 1! Hard to believe we're getting close to his birthday. I'm cherishing each day with my baby, because he won't be one for much longer...

Costco

We met up with Allison and Emery's cousins, Emily and Bradley, at Costco today. I snapped a couple of pics while we were waiting for them-- he was too cute and too happy to resist.