Recent Photo Faves

In the last several weeks we have taken lots of pictures...most of them during our trip up to Dallas! Here are a few of my favorites:

Hanging out at Auntie Gail's and Uncle Gaffin's!
Sweet boy, cousin Miles...don't you just love those big blue eyes?!!!
Grammy pushing around Monkey and Miles!
Mommy and Monkey!
Ava and Johnathan staring at the doggies outside...so glad that we got to visit Johnny's
Tia, Tio & cousin!
Auntie Greta with me and Johnathan...told you I was going to steal this pic, Greta! Love you!
"Hunting" Easter eggs on Easter Sunday.
Our family, Easter Sunday.
I don't know what he was thinking here, but I just love this face!
Outside Senor Jaime's here in Corpus...that is one big chicken!
I love this picture! They were so sweet playing together!
Horsing around with crazy Uncle Gaffin!

Oh, and just to let you know, Johnathan is the proud owner of two new teeth! The top teeth to the right and left of his top middle teeth...Kayla, you'll have to help me out on their names!

Dorothy was right!

There's no place like home! After our unexpected extended stay up in big D, Johnathan and I are finally home. We arrived late afternoon Thursday, and boy, is it good to be back. Johnathan did great on our journey home, especially since we had to hop around a bit to make our way back. Tuesday evening we stayed with my sister, Gail, who was kind enough to drive us to GP to pick up our car on Wednesday. Then Wednesday we drove from GP to Bryan, TX and stayed with Johnny's Tia and Tio and his cousin Ava...this was definitely a highlight of our return journey! All in all our trip home was great, and was wonderfully predictable. We're getting back into the swing of things here, and we will be looking forward to our return visit back up to Dallas in a couple of weeks for my sister's graduation from high school.

Thanks to all of our family to helped us to get home safely!!! We love you!!!

Stuck!

Yesterday we began our journey back home after being up in the Dallas area for about a week.  We were able to come up for Easter and the week following, and we were blessed to be able to spend time with our families.  As with many "vacations", I often feel like I need a vacation from my vacation.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE hanging out with our families, but I also miss being able to have that quality time with my dear hubby.  So, as we prepared to leave, I was really looking forward to making it home and being able to spend some one-on-one time with him---especially since right before our trip he had just spent two weeks working the night shift which means almost zero quality time...or time period!  

So, back to the return journey...we were on our way from my folks' to Aaron's to pick up our dog (who they cared for, thank you!), and we wanted to hang out with them before heading home.  After only making it about 45 minutes down the road the car started smoking from under the hood, and Aaron pulled over.  Uh, oh!  Aaron called his dad, and after 20 minutes or so his dad, mom and aunt came to our rescue.  A cracked radiator seemed to be our problem, and our trip home just got a lot more complicated.  

Long story short, Aaron flew home and I am stuck here in DFW until the car gets repaired!  I guess it's not too big of a deal, but just knowing that I had to wait a few more days to be able to hang out with my hubby really got to me, and as soon as Aaron said he'd have to fly back without me I started to cry.  I guess I was just really emotionally fragile yesterday or something!  I cried quite a bit, but after getting out a lot of tears I felt better, more or less.  

I am thankful that our car problems happened when they did, and not further down the road.  I am thankful that we have such loving families that are willing to help us out and go way above and beyond to do that.  I am thankful that Aaron has a job that he has to return to.  I'm thankful that I get to spend a little extra time with my folks and sisters.  I'm thankful that I have a sister who made a special trip up to my parents last night to cheer me up.  I am thankful that I have a sweet baby to love on that is a little miniature Aaron!  

***BUT***

I am sad that I have to wait a few days longer to get to spend some much-needed time with my sweet husband.  And, I am sad that Aaron is at home by himself without someone to care for him...I love taking care of him!

Anyways, being stuck isn't so bad, especially since I'm stuck at my home away from home.  I guess I'll just have to enjoy it while I'm here, and look forward to the reunion with my sweet Aaron later on in the week!  Absence does make the heart grow fonder!!! 

got milk?...

...well, if you do, don't give any to Johnathan! We just received a call from his doctor today with the allergy test results. Apparently he has a severe milk allergy. When I spoke with the nurse before Dr. Cortes called me, she said that a normal range is 0-11 (0-11 what I don't know, but anyways), and she said that Johnathan's results came back 213!!! Quite above anything "normal" and enough to have the good doctor himself call me to give us a heads up as to what we need to be aware of. I just love Johnathan's doctor! He is extremely helpful and goes above and beyond the call of duty. He's just great!

Anyways, we are now armed with 2 EpiPen Jr's, and we also have several doses of Benadryl that we'll be keeping with us at all times. It looks like Johnathan will get to enjoy the yumminess of soy milk instead of cow's milk. And I'll get to read all the food labels from now on to make sure that I don't give him anything on the no-no list. Life sure does stay interesting, that's for sure!

Okay, now I seriously have to go pack for our trip tomorrow! Can't wait to see those of you who will be at the end of our journey!!! Love y'all!!!

6 Pricks and 6 Band-Aids Later...

Johnathan had his 1 year check-up today, and our big boy is up to 20 pounds, 1 oz & is 29 1/2 inches tall! He's right on track, and his doctor (who we love!) was very happy with how he is developing.

I asked Dr. Cortes about 1) the lead paint issue that we have, and 2) about the possible allergy that Johnathan has to milk/dairy. He wasn't too concerned about the lead paint since we're in the process of enclosing it, but he did say that Johnathan would be getting his blood levels tested, just as a precaution, and said that we'd go from there. He was concerned with the possible allergies however, and ordered labs to be taken to test what Johnathan might be allergic to. After getting 3 shots---and only crying when they were administered---we headed over to the lab to have Johnathan's blood drawn.

The only blood I have seen drawn on a baby is where they prick their finger/foot, and then bleed it into a small vial to be tested...so I thought that's what was going to happen. And, well, it did, sort of. For the lead levels the phlebotomist did the finger prick. Johnathan didn't cry or even wince! I was so proud of him! Then, to get enough blood for the allergy test she had to take a "regular" blood sample from the crook of his arm...she put a tiny rubber band on his arm to make his vein bulge, and then stuck in the rather large looking needle. Johnathan did NOT like this, and screamed and jerked and looked so scared. He was moving so much that the lady could not get a good sample out of his arm, and so she had to take the needle out so she could start over again on the other arm. For the second try she strapped Johnathan onto what Aaron calls the "mummy board"...a contraption to keep babies from wiggling. Only his poor little head and arm were sticking out, and he looked like a frightened little thing just laying there. I wanted to cry! The second time was fairly quick, but I had to help hold Johnathan's arm flat so that she could get the sample...oh, why did "Mr. Fun" have to be home sleeping while I had to restrain my sweet little hurting boy?!!!

Monkey conked out on the way home, and when he woke up he didn't seem any the worse for wear despite being stuck 6 times at his doctor's visit. I guess he is a tough little guy after all! I will call Johnathan's doctor Friday afternoon, and his test results should be in by then. We'll see what the next steps need to be regarding the paint and the allergies. Hopefully the remedy will be easy for both!

I'll leave you with this video of my little brown bear that I took a few days ago. Don't you love his precious little growling?!!! So cute! (Thanks, Alison, for helping me with the video!!!)

Spring Celebration!

Yesterday we went to a Spring Celebration B-B-Q hosted at Dr. Nelson's...a physician who works at Aaron's hospital. Dr. Nelson has a lovely home, situated on a large plot of land, and it is just perfect for hosting large outdoor family events.

While at the party Johnathan participated in his first egg hunt, and also was able to play with some of his new friends that he has made over the last several months. He loves being outside, so yesterday was the perfect day for him. It was nice to be able to hang out with a lot of the residents and their families. It's always nice when Aaron and the other residents get a chance to relax!

Here are a few of the photos that capture the fun evening that we all had:

Johnathan enjoying his snack on the way to the party...don't you love his chubbiness?!!
Hanging out with his friend, Valeria. She is a little doll!
Saying hello to his friend Brandon!
Getting ready for the big egg hunt!
Look what he got all on his own! Yay for Johnathan!
Johnathan and Valeria had fun at the egg hunt, and even more fun discovering what was in the eggs!

My Little Brown Bear!

Johnathan received this super cute towel from Aunt Jennifer and family for his birthday. Tonight was his first night to use it, and since it was another "first", I had to document it with some pictures! I will sometimes call Johnathan "my little brown bear", so this towel is perfect for him! He does look like a cute little bear cub with it on, doesn't he?! Thank you, Aunt Jennifer and all the Whitehursts for this super cute gift! I'm sure we'll be using it for many years---and many kids!---to come! :)

He started out sort of serious...
...okay, really serious...
...but then he started to warm up to the camera...
...okay, starting to show his fun-loving side...
...and now bursting into all-out giggles!!!

Big Boy Pajamas!

In the last couple of weeks it had become apparent that Johnathan was outgrowing his "baby" footie pajamas. Plus the weather here was getting a tad too warm to wear them anyways. So, A week or so ago we made a trip to Kohl's---they were having a sale...it seems as if Kohl's is always having a "sale"...probably to trick people like me into coming in to shop...well, it worked! We came home with some really cute "big boy" pajamas!

Here is Johnathan after his bath this evening, watching his movie before bed so that I could go clean the kitchen. Doesn't he look adorable in his new jammies?!! They even glow in the dark! Pretty cool, huh?!! He is growing up way too fast, and although at times I wish I could pause time, I am enjoying watching him grow. Each day brings new discoveries, and it's so much fun when I'm able to watch him do something for the first time. Being a mommy is just awesome!!!

Hanging onto the side of his pack'n'play watching Shark Tale!
I'm a Star!!!
Sweetest little face in the world!

Happy Birthday, Johnathan!!!

What a day to celebrate! Johnathan's 1 year anniversary of life on this earth...not including the womb time! At 11:59 pm yesterday I went into his bedroom, and I watched him as he slept, so calm and peaceful looking. I wanted to be there when March gave way to April, and as the clock struck midnight, I was there with my sweet boy. Praying for him, thanking God for giving us such a wonderful gift, and praying for Johnathan's future. Praying that he comes to love the Creator who made him, and that he lives a life serving the Lord who gave him life...the Lord who is LIFE itself! It was such a precious moment to be able to pray over him exactly as his birthday arrived. Awesome! (I sense a tradition being formed!)

This morning, before any of the festivities started, Johnathan actually gave me a gift...he slept in, so I got to sleep in too!!! Oh, it felt so good to not have to climb out of bed until 8:45! As soon as we were up we did present time with Daddy. Aaron's working the night shift, so we had to fit in our birthday celebrating around his sleep schedule. Johnathan got after his presents "like a wolvorine" as Aaron says, and although he was surrounded with presents he still preferred to play with the boxes that they came in...isn't that just like a baby?!! After a while he realized that the gifts were cool too, but it's hard to beat those boxes, they're pretty neat!

While Aaron was home catching a few zzz's, Johnathan and I headed over to my Aunt Jennifer's home for a little preview of what was to come later on in the day. Since my aunt's family is such a huge part of our lives here, I figured that they would enjoy getting to see Johnathan eat his first bites of cake, so I made him some cupcakes especially for that reason. He sure did enjoy eating the cupcake, and my aunt, uncle and cousins had fun watching Johnathan make a mess of himself.

After having lots of fun at Aunt Jen's we came home. And after nap time, and once Aaron was up and at 'em, we started round two of the cake destroying...and this time Johnathan really did the 1st year birthday cake eating justice. He was covered, head to toe in icing, cake and coconut! He was quite a sight (as you will see in his pictures) and I had a blast watching him enjoy his first sugar overload! Yay for Sugar!!! Haha! I think I have a little sweet-tooth in the making!

Once Johnathan had sufficiently covered himself (and the floors) in yummy green goo, it was off to the bathtub...where even the water turned green! Yeah, I used a lot of green food coloring in his cake...so, um, I wouldn't be surprised if I see more green a little later on from Johnathan, if you know what I mean---and if you don't, well I'm not going to explain that here! Hehe!

After bath time we had to say good-bye to Daddy, who was off to work for another night. We are so grateful to him for all his hard work and dedication, but we do miss him when he's gone. He is a wonderful father and husband, and we're so thankful that he cares so well for our family.

Johnathan ended his birthday extravaganza by attending Kenny's baseball game. Johnathan loves being outside, and likes to clap when he sees everyone else clapping at the ball game. It's pretty cute. Kenny had a great game, and his team creamed the other team, 12-3!!! Kenny made several really good plays, had some great hits, and was all around fun to watch. Thanks Kenny for helping to make Johnathan's birthday fun!

As I write this, it is 9:15 pm. Exactly 1 year, 12 hours and 6 minutes after Johnathan's birth. Each and every second that has gone by since 9:09 am, April 1, 2008 has been filled with such joy and marvel at the wonderful gift God has blessed us with. Johnathan is the light of our world, and is a perfect depiction of God's love for us. Thank you Jesus for our sweet boy, and always keep him in Your care. We love you Johnathan! Happy 1st Birthday!!!

About to start ripping open his gifts...thank you everyone for my cool presents!
This card is funny! I'm a happy birthday boy!
Opening a gift from Grammy and Grandpa...thank you!!!
Hanging out with Dada, and opening some cool stuff!
Enjoying his birthday breakfast...no "special" plate yet, but that will come!
Taking a bite of my birthday cupcake. I like sugar!
Johnathan is turning into the Incredible Hulk!
Oooh! Yummy!!!
My attempt at a birthday cake...it's a caterpillar, just in case you couldn't tell! :)
Family birthday picture---one of those traditions I grew up with!
Now the real cake destroying is about to begin!
It's squishy! And goo-ey! And oh, so yummy!!!
It's better when you shove it in with your whole fist!
I didn't know you could eat grass!!! Sure is tasty!
Look at that mess!!!
What color is my tongue?!!
I love his green icing mustache and beard!
Happy Baby!
Yay!
He's all worn out from so much cake destroying...or maybe he's just coming down from the sugar high! Haha!