9 months and so many changes

Once again, I haven't blogged in a while. I just feel like I have less and less time for it, there are so many other things I need to do whenever I have any free time. And Emmory requires much more attention now then before, because he is now crawling and can get anywhere that he wants to. That is one of the big changes that's happened somewhat recently. He has always been a "mover" even when he couldn't actually move himself, so now that he can move himself he is everywhere! It is so much fun to watch him though, he loves to explore. Another recent change is he is now pulling himself up in his crib, and he can sit up all on his own from a lying down position. He is a strong little boy and I'm sure it won't be long before he is walking. Another change we've experienced is he is pretty much no longer nursing. I'm really not sure what happened, I don't know if it was a supply issue and I just couldn't keep up with his growing body (He's 21 lbs 10 ozs!) or if he was just no longer interested in nursing, but he just kept dropping one feeding after another refusing to nurse so I had to give him a bottle, and now I'm only nursing him once first thing in the morning. I am thankful that I can still do that at this point though. It was very sad to basically wean him, it's our first huge milestone of him growing up and becoming a little boy, but I know that it is okay. I'm making his baby food and he is getting great nutrition out of that, and he loves it! He has recently started eating oatmeal, brown rice, and yogurt. He loves the yogurt and oatmeal, and is still getting used to the brown rice, but he eats it. We went to his 9 month well checkup today, and found out he has an ear infection. He hadn't been acting like himself the last couple days, and was really fussing for his naps and just restless and discontent which is not like him. I had a feeling there was something wrong with him, but I figured it was his teeth or something, not an ear infection. So he is taking antibiotics and hopefully that will clear it up soon so he doesn't have to be in too much pain. Even with his ear infection, Dr. Song said at his appt that he is the happiest boy, so he is still doing pretty good, it really just affects him when it's time to sleep. He cried five different times last night between 8 and 10 pm, but it was only for a few minutes each time and he went back to sleep on his own, and then he was quiet all night until he woke up at 8. Hopefully he'll do okay tonight.
I haven't gotten around to putting up pics of our time in Seattle during Christmas, but here are a few recent pics since we've been back. The pics are actually out of order, but oh well...

Look what I found mama!

I love to take my socks off and eat them

This is right after he fell backwards while he was standing up in his crib, he bumped his head on the side of the crib

Look at what I can do!

Look what I did Mom, is this okay?

This is what I saw when I opened his door after he woke up from his nap

This was taken the very first day he stood up...unfortunately I didn't think to get the camera until he had already fallen down

It's been a while

I know it's been a long time since I have updated with pics of Emmory, and a lot has happened in the last month or so. It was definitely rough for a while when Emmory was cutting his two teeth and was sick, but thankfully after the second tooth broke through he has been as happy as can be. He turned 7 months on Thanksgiving, which completely blows my mind, I don't know how he got so big so fast. While we were in Seattle he started saying the "d" syllable and would just carry-on constantly saying, "dadadadada". It was so sweet, even though he doesn't know what it means I love hearing him say "dada". He has since added "m's" and "b's" to his vocabulary, and I think I have also heard him say "n". He is just so much fun right now, so interactive and responsive. He's sitting up really well on his own, he only loses his balance when he leans way to the side to reach for something. He's doing really well with his solid food, for a while there while he was teething he didn't want to eat anything, but since then he's doing great and eats 12 or more ounces of veggies/fruits and at least 2 ounces of cereal. Just like his nursing he is a fast eater with his solids as well, which I am thankful for because it doesn't usually take long to feed him. I've been making his baby food which I love doing, it's really simple and it saves us money, plus I know exactly what is in the food he eats. Here are some pics from October and November, including our trip to Seattle.

First time eating green beans...was not a big fan

My lil husky fan

This was taken in Seattle, right before we went to the pumpkin patch for E's very first trip there

E and Papa at the pumpkin patch

At the pumpkin patch

All of us, minus Dad who was taking the picture

Probably one of the strangest places a baby has been nursed....on a pumpkin :) (Although for some reason you can't see the pumpkin in this pic, but yes, I was really sitting on a pumpkin)

Uncle Kyle had diaper bag duty, and he was thrilled about it :)

With Aunt Christy, we wanted to get a pic of him in the wheelbarrow with the pumpkins, but that didn't work out so well

A group shot with my Dad in it this time instead of my Mom

Nama had the magic touch gettin E to sleep at our fav breakfast place, Wild Wheat

He really started sucking his thumb a lot on this trip...it's so sweet he will suck his thumb and with the other hand put his fingers in his hair

The fam at Wild Wheat

Aunt Kimmie and the lil pumpkin

Our lil penguino

He was such a cute lil penguin for Halloween

Me and my lil boo on Halloween

Carving pumpkins

I gave E a bath right before naptime, and this is what his hair looked like when he woke up

Husky fans (Unfortunately they did terrible that weekend, but we still love em)

Having a bottle on the plane ride back home

Back home, a day at the park with Nama

Had to get a shot of poor Tillman in here

Our family at the park, Emmory trying to grab Tillman as usual

He found a leaf, and of course it went straight to the mouth

Nursing on a park bench...my Mom decided to take a pic of allthe different places I nursed him

Our fav ice cream place, Spill the Beans

Of course he fell asleep on the way home, because he wouldn't fall asleep in his stroller

He is getting so long!

His favorite sleeping position now, with his thumb in his mouth

We went to visit Mark's Gpa Burton who was in town for the Clemson game, this is his first time meeting Emmory

3 generations....getting all three of them to cooperate for the camera was difficult!

All of us who went

Double trouble

Well we are back home now. At the tail end of our visit in Seattle, Emmory started to get sick, and also his two front teeth started to work their way up and out of his gums. This has not made for a pleasant experience. The trip back to Greenville definitely did not go as well as the trip to Seattle, although it wasn't horrible. He just got pretty fussy in the middle of the flight to Atlanta. Since we've been back home, it's been more of the same. He seems fine during the day, but at night he is a different baby, very unhappy, we are both not getting very much sleep. I think I have the same thing as Emmory, as I have been feeling sick as well. To add to the teething and cold, E also got his shots yesterday at his 6 month checkup, and has had a low-grade fever as a result. It is definitely miserable when a baby is sick, there just isn't a lot you can do. I guess we'll just have to tough it out these next few days/weeks and hope things get better soon.
On a positive note, Emmory's 6 month check-up went well. The dr said he looks great and is doing everything she wants him to be doing developmentally. Since he's gotten more active with his jumperoo and rolling around on the floor, his weight gain has slowed down a tad bit. He is 18lbs, 13ozs, down to the 70th percentile. However he continues to grow longer at an incredible rate, and is up to the 95th percentile in length. I have no idea where he gets this from, but I'm sure it doesn't mean he's going to be tall later in life.
I'd like to get some recent pics up of Emmory eating solids for the first time (which at the moment he is completely disinterested in, hopefully just b/c of either teething or his cold and it will get back to normal soon), our trip to Seattle, Haloween, etc, but I don't have time for that right now.
All in all, I have so much to be thankful for even though things have been a little rough lately, and I need to choose to dwell on these things. My mom is here with us until November 13th, and it has been so great to have her here for her company and an extra set of hands.
We had a great visit in Seattle with family, one of the huge blessings of being able to stay home with Emmory is that I have the flexibility to be able to do that. I hope it is something we will get to do many more times, since my family lives so far away.

In Seattle

Well the dreaded flights to Seattle with Emmory by myself are over, we made it! I know I had many people praying for me, and I am so thankful for those prayers. It was very comforting knowing people were praying, and there were many answers to prayer along the way. God's grace was evident in so many ways, the day we left I had a calm and peace that was not of myself. The night before I was able to have a wonderful last night with my husband, whose words of wisdom helped me to be calm the night before as well. We got to the gate in Greenville with no problems, boarded the plane, started to taxi to the runway, and then were told we were going to have to sit on the plane for 40 minutes before we took off for Atlanta because of weather. This may not seem like a long time, but when you are travelling with a baby even ten extra minutes on a plane can seem like forever. However once again, God's grace was there, and instead of panicking I was able to pray and not be anxious. On both flights, my baby who has a really hard time falling asleep anywhere but his bed, fell asleep with ease in my arms. When we landed in Atlanta, a kind man offered to take Emmory for me while I got my bags from the overhead bins, and then carried him off the plane for me. After we waited for his stroller, we booked it to our connecting gate, as we only had a 1 hour layover to begin with, and with the 40 minutes delay is was going to be really close, especially being in a huge airport like ATL having to go to another terminal very far away. We made it the the connecting flight 5 minutes before they closed the door, with everybody already on board. The flight to Seattle was a long one, 5 hours of flying time, but Emmory did so well, he didn't cry the entire time on the flight. He slept a little, and while he was awake I was able to keep him entertained with toys and walking around the plane. He also was a huge flirt, trying to get everyone's attention and smile at them. It was exhausting having to hold him the entire time, not really able to eat or drink much or even go to the bathroom by myself, but I am so thankful that he did well and we made it to Seattle with no problems. My little boy is definitely a trooper!
It has been so great to be here with my family, I am enjoying every moment of it, and pretty much all I have to do as far as taking care of Emmory is feed him, as his nama, papa, aunts and uncles are very eager to hold him and spend time with him. It has also been very sad though. My uncle's graveside service was on Saturday, and his memorial service on Sunday. The services went really well, they were honoring to God and I pray that God uses Dave's and his family's testimony to save souls, but it is also just so sad. His family is of course grieving and it is hard to see. But I also came away from the services encourged, because while they are grieving, they are handling it in a way that is honoring to God. They truly have hope. Even in this time they are able to say, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD."
There will be pictures to come when I get back to Greenville. We'll be in Seattle until Monday November 2nd. My mom is flying back with us this time, which will be so nice. I'll actually be able to go to the bathroom without a baby in my lap! (Sorry if this is tmi, but that's life with a baby)

A time to mourn

It is a time to mourn in the Moor family right now, as we have suffered a great loss. My Uncle Dave passed away yesterday, after battling lung cancer for over a year. He will be greatly missed by many, his life touched so many people. He was a loving husband, father, son, uncle, and friend. His smile was contagious, he had a wonderful sense of humor, always one to joke and tease, and he was an incredibly generous man. I am so thankful to have had him for an uncle, he took me to many sporting events with my cousin Ben, and growing up I was at their house a lot, as Ben and I were (are) good friends. There were a lot of good times that were made possible by him. My heart breaks for the family, for my cousin Ben, and his brother and sister and each of their spouses and their children, for my Aunt Virginia, who has been so strong and lovingly served her husband and sacrificed herself for him while he had this illness. Yet I also rejoice, because each one of them has a relationship with Christ; and thus has hope. Titus 2:13-14 says, "our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." I rejoice that my Uncle Dave had this blessed hope, and is now with his Savior, enjoying his glory, in a state of perfection, where there are no tears, no pain, no suffering, no sin!
People often talk about God and heaven when somebody passes away, often as a way to cope and get through the tough times; however I do not speak of this as a way to cope, or as a "quick fix" way to feel better, I speak of this because this was my uncle's life. Christianity is not something that you can just use at certain times in your life when it makes you feel better, Christianity is a way of life. 2 Timothy 1:12 says, "I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." When my uncle was on this earth, he knew whom he had believed, and he knew his soul was safe in God's hands, and that changed his life. Dave's family knows whom they have believed, and it changed their life. It's what enabled my Aunt Virginia to persevere, to stay strong, to serve her husband even when it was so hard, and it's what enables her to have hope now, even in a time of grief. It does not make things easy, it is still sad, there is still "a time to mourn", but God's all-sufficient grace enables you to get through the hard times, to come out on the other side a stronger person who is more like Christ, and all the while to have a "blessed hope".
They know whom they have believed. I know whom I have believed. Do you?

5 months

I honestly feel like I just posted about Emmory being 4 months old, I can't believe how fast this month went by! There have been a few exciting things happen recently, the first being the birth of Emmory's cousin, Rilynn Falefou Sene, and second we gave Emmory cereal for the first time today. He really didn't have a big reaction to it, and he seemed to like it. When we first gave it to him he held the spoon while it was in his mouth, and he would not let go of it, we had to pry it from his fingers. We'll probably just continue to give him a small amount once a day, until he really seems to take a big interest in wanting more. Emmory and Rilynn haven't been able to meet yet, because children aren't allowed in the hospital because of swine flu, but hopefully they'll be able to meet soon after they get home from the hospital, and I can post some pics.

I uploaded a video of Emmory "talking" this morning. Its from our cell phone b/c we can't upload videos from our camera on here for some reason. He starts talking more towards the end of the video.

Ready for food?

We think Emmory may have figured out what food is. It is true that he is very "grabby" in general, but whenever Mark and I are eating or drinking something, he is incredibly desperate to take what we have and try to eat it. Mark was drinking from an open bottle a week or so ago, and Emmory grabbed the bottle and started making sucking movements with his tongue, as if he knew what it was and was trying to drink it. And when Mark was giving him a bottle one night he went to get it out of the fridge and Mark said he immediately knew what it was and grabbed it out of his hands to try to eat it. Now it doesn't matter what it is we are eating or drinking, he decides that he must have it. The first pic is from when we met Mark for lunch one day, and he was trying to get his drink and hamburger the whole time. The second is when he was sitting on my lap trying to drink my drink. This Saturday he'll be five months old, and that is when the dr said we could give him solid food. I think this boy is going to be very happy once this happens. I can't wait to see what his reaction is.