First trip to the ER :(

Today sucked as it was Johnny's first trip to the ER. I was out to lunch with my mom today and noticed he was making this funny grunting/gasping sound. Kinda like he was tryin to push one out or just experimenting with new sounds (as he does often these days). Over the course of a few hours he seemed to get fussier and fussier and so I finally made a call to the advice nurse through our pediatrician. I made an appointment to go to urgent care hours later, but when I realized he really seemed to be in pain I decided not to wait and headed straight to emergency. It also sounded like he could have had some trouble breathing so I really wasn't willing to take any chances. Long story short: two rectal temperature readings, two nasal swabs, one chest x-ray, one abdominal x-ray and a suppository later we are home with no solid news as to what was going on with him...maybe something with his GI tract or some kind of bug. And with nothing more than a fever (and shear exhaustion) we have no other symptoms to write home about. Not sure what exactly his deal is, but I'm sure glad to be home and wearily pleading not to go back there any time soon. Crossing my fingers for a restful night and a healthier baby in the morning. Wish me luck!

bloopers of my photography

It's amazing the shots you get when you take 100 pictures of your kid. These make John and I laugh so hard I thought I'd share them to make you smile!

This one MIGHT be our favorite. I call it: Drunk baby

Johnny's 6mo elephant picture plus more

Johnny 6 months old!

I had a great time taking some pictures of Johnny right before he turned 6 months. Here are some of my favorites.

Johnny and Ellie. . . the pictures say it all!

Ellie and Johnny bonding

Talking to each other I think!

Kisses!

Tahoe Trip

Last weekend we went away with John's family to Lake Tahoe for 4 days. We had such a blast seeing family and friends and to top it off the weather was incredible. Couldn't have asked for a better time. Below are some of the pictures from the weekend.

Johnny sitting on the golf course

Johnny with his cousins, Tyler (4yrs) and Brandon (15months)

Johnny loved the wagon!

Having a great time with Nana and Pappy

Enjoying our time in Tahoe as a family!

* A special thanks to Doreen for letting us stay at her home and Janis and Bill for having us over!

Making the Shift from Resistance to Gratitude

I just recently read a post on Jenny Blake's blog (lifeaftercollege.org) about appreciation for the things we have in our lives, good and bad. After reading her post, I was really inspired to make a list of the things that I am grateful for in MY life, so here it goes.

I am thankful for the disagreements that John and I have
because it shows me how well we communicate and how much stronger we are every day.

I am thankful for my son in even his fussiest of moods
because no matter what we know that he is healthy.

I am thankful for John's commute
because that means that he has a job to go to everyday.

I am thankful that our house got broken into
because that means that we have things worth stealing.

I am thankful for our overgrown lawn
because it means that we have been spending more time doing fun stuff than yard work.

I am thankful that I have to be concerned with the price of gas
because that means I have a car to put gas in.

I am thankful for the never ending housework I face
because it means I have a house to clean.

I am thankful for even the lowest moments in my life
because they enable me to be more empathetic to those facing difficult situations in their lives.

Beyond the "bad" stuff I am thankful for so many wonderful things in my life:
My marriage, son, family and friends.
My health and the health of those I love and care about.
Our opportunity to go on so many wonderful trips this summer
My creativity
And the list goes on. . .

Thanks for sharing the awesome post Jenny and for helping inspire me. I hope I can do the same