Emery Jack is 2 1/2!! Month 30.

Dear Emery Jack,



Today you are 2 1/2 years old. Time flies my love. You are spending a few days at your Nana and Papaw Jennings' house. I can't actually hug you and give you love today, but I am absolutely sending sweet vibes your way. I told your Nana this morning to give you a 2 1/2 birthday kiss from me.

You are the absolute light of my life and I cannot imagine not having your sweet face around. I am always so happy to come into your room in the morning to snuggle you when you wake up and listen to your "dreams" you had that night. Your most recent dream that you told me about was walking to the park with Nana and reading books, "LOTS of books". It amazes me that at 2.5 you are sharing with me the dreams you had the night before. Now, whether they're truly dreams or just imagination working overtime we'll never know, but either way it's pretty great.

You don't look thrilled, but I promise you love it!

My not so cowardly lion :)

This past month we went to a party thrown for your Great Gma Dot. Everyone got to dress up in costume and you dressed up as Mickey Mouse. You absolutely fell in love with the outfit when I took you to party city to decided on a costume. You decided early on that you wanted to be a pumpkin, but when you saw that it was possible for you to be Mickey Mouse you were sold. It is a very cute costume, it has ears, gloves, and a body suit. You are obsessed with the gloves, I even caught you eating your Cheez-its with your gloves on. A friend of ours also gave you a costume that her little boy grew out of it's a lion. It is adorable! You tried it on a few days ago and it's been really warm for this late in October you were sweating and I told you we needed to take it off. You had HUGE tears and said, "Please don't take it off!" So you wore it for a few more minutes. :)

Lots of family on Nana Cookie's side.

I love you to the moon and back!


Love,

Mommy

Month 29

Dear Emery Jack,


This past month has been a crazy one. I cannot believe we're adding to the family and I must admit when I first found out that I was pregnant I was so happy, but a little piece of me was worried that you might feel like you were being left out. I never EVER want you to feel like you are less than amazing. You are the best thing that ever happened to your dad and I. Now we're just adding another amazing person to our brood :)

A few days ago we were driving in the car with the windows down and you heard a little kid outside, you immediately yelled, "I hear the baby everybodies!" You also think that you have a baby in your belly which makes me laugh.

The sweetest kid I know. 

Another thing we tried this past month was gymnastics. You absolutely loved it, but since I've not been feeling well and we had been doing so much swimming we opted out of gymnastics until we slow down a little. I promise that we'll soon get you into another program where you can jump to your hearts desire, "like Superman" as you would say. There are going to be so many doctor bills coming up and we just made the executive decision to wait until next Fall to begin something like that. By then you'll be able to grasp the concept a little better and know that there are more things to it than bouncing, even though bouncing is why I like it too.

Sitting on your "spot" waiting patiently for your turn. 

"Look Mama I bouncing!"

I'll leave you with a few things you've said to me this past month:

• I went to get you in the morning after hearing you talking in your room this is what you told me, "Mama I was crying. (You were? Why were you crying?) Cause a 'pider was talking to me. A 'cary one. (A scary spider was talking to you? Was he nice?) Yaaaassss."
• "Thank you for sharing your apple juice with me. It makes me happy."
• "Welcome to Sodor!"
• "No spider, NO don't kickle (tickle) me!" -- This one had me worried.
• "I'm gonna save the day!"

There are, I'm sure, many more, but these stood out to me. 

I love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mama

Month 28- A little late...

Dear Emery Jack,

I'm going to quit explaining why I'm always late writing these posts... I've come to the conclusion that I'll always be late :)

The past month has been a great one! You are such a talker. You would talk our ears off if we let you--- most of the time you do. You are becoming so curious to how things work and how your actions effect things. The fact that I'm able to stay home with you still blows my mind because your daddy and I never thought one of us would be able to stay home with you. When I'm around you so often I don't think I notice the changes as much as your grandparents might.

The past month you have grown up so much so that when I give you kisses after a nap or first thing in the morning you tell me, "No, Mama don't kiss me." or "No, Mama don't hug me." When did you become a teenager? Still, you always ask me to kiss your booboos if you get hurt and they normally make things all better.

Another crazy thing that happened this month was when daddy came home one night right before it was time for dinner and was hugging you and playing with you. When dinner was ready daddy picked you up off of his lap and somehow your little elbow popped out of place. We had no idea why you were crying- daddy wasn't rough with you and he didn't hear anything pop. We were so worried about you. I had to go get a scarf I had and wrapped it around your little body to hold your arm close to your it. We left the house immediately both of us feeling sick about it, our poor little baby was in so much pain and you kept asking me to kiss it. When we got to the hospital we kept having to explain what happened and eventually they decided it was your elbow (apparently it is extremely common in kids from 2 to 4 it's called Nursemaid's Elbow) You had to have x-rays and I couldn't go in with you so daddy took you in and I could hear you screaming all the way out in the hallway where I was sitting. I so much hate to hear my baby cry, especially when you're in pain. It was a really rough day, but really rough on your daddy, so I had to be the strong one and try to console both of my boys. After, we got the x-rays back they confirmed it was your elbow and the nurse began to try to pop your arm back in place. It broke our hearts. You were screaming and then you said something that broke my heart and made me laugh inside as well. You told the nurse as she was trying to pop your arm back into place to, "Don't bite your friends." This is something that we've been telling you to make sure you're being a nice boy and I think you decided that since she was hurting you and you weren't sure why to 'not bite her friends'.  As soon as she had it in place you immediately started using it again and acted like you had never been in pain. You were a whole new boy! After we were done your Uncle Jake and Gina met us at the hospital and we went to dinner because our dinner was sitting on the kitchen table untouched.

Another new thing this month is lack of sleep. You have decided that you do not want to go to bed and you cry and cry and scream for us to hold you. It absolutely kills me to hear you. I normally put you to bed after we read a few books then I go take a shower so I don't have to hear you so upset. You were pretty sick a few weeks ago and you slept in our bed for three or four days. Now, you think you need to be with us all the time. If you were a sound sleeper and didn't roll and kick all through the night I may have considered it, but NO ONE sleeps when you're in our bed. I am going to switch your bed into a toddler bed and pray that this makes you want to sleep in your own bed. 

You've also started trying to use the potty more. I've been a little lax on making you go on the potty, but when you ask to go then we're in there right away! You have pooped on the potty the past few days. I have been giving you iced animal crackers with sprinkles if you go on the potty. You call them "Happy Birthday Crackers." *but it sounds like- (Happy dirday tackers)

One more thing before I close this letter to you... Your daddy and I love you very much, we think you are an amazing little boy and we know you're going to make an amazing big brother. You are going to have a sibling in May and the thought scares the hell out of me, but I know our love will grow. There are going to be so many things you'll be able to teach your new little brother or sister and I know you'll be wonderful in that role. You told me about a month ago that you wanted to have a little brother then said, "That would be fun, huh?!" 

It's definitely going to be a crazy ride, but we'll all get through it together and we'll have another precious baby for it. 

Love, 

Mama

Month 25, 26, 27.

Dear Emery Jack,

I've been lacking on my timing and I hate that because I don't want to miss writing down anything that has happened in the past few months, but at the same time I'm too busy living what's going on to take time out to write about it. :) I'll try to sum up our past few months.

I've already blogged about May and June (we went to California in June) so I'll begin with July.

July was a great month! You've been getting so big and continue to amaze your daddy and I daily. For the fourth of July we went to Aurora to spend it with Nana, Papa, Giddy, Maggie, Macee, Uncle Kyle, and Sissy(Aunt Stori). We went to our friends house in the country and had a wonderful BBQ at Charley and Britney's. You had fun playing with all of Brayden's cars and chasing around all the other kids at the house. When it started getting dark outside we decided we'd try out fireworks. I knew you weren't going to be thrilled because Uncle Jake, Gina, you, and I went to see some fireworks in Republic earlier in the week and you squeezed me so hard and made me put my hands over your ears. For a brief moment I had you convinced that they were not scary and that in fact they were Angry Birds flying through the sky. It only fooled you long enough for you to point at them and laugh nervously before you buried your head in my arm pit.

So, needless to say, you spent the evening clinging to me and saying, "Go bye-bye." over and over. At one point in the night I stood up and let go of you and you were stuck to me like a little spider monkey. It was time to go :).

That next weekend we spent with the Jennings' side of your family. It was a pool party and you had such a great time. We played all afternoon in the pool and you were so wore out, but insisted it was time to go back in the pool.

Swimming lessons at the OCC

July also marked your first swimming lessons at the Ozark Community Center here in Ozark where we moved to. You went for two weeks M-TH from 11:00-11:30. You have really worked hard for Chelsea our swim instructor, but were very polite when you didn't want to put your face in the water telling her, "No thank you." She was impressed by how polite you were. We finished swim lessons two days ago and you've been asking about swimming every day since then. We did buy a family pass for the year at the OCC so we'll be swimming all year round since it's a heated indoor pool! Your daddy got to see you swim this past week since he's done with work and you were so excited. We took you in the lazy river to work on your arm strokes and you said, as you were flailing your arms, "Look daddy I FWIMMIN!" You were so proud of yourself!

Yes Love, you're number 1. 

Today is Maggie's birthday party she turned six years old yesterday. I cannot believe that your Aunt Stori has a six year old. What's harder to believe is that when you are six years old Maggie will be 10! Time goes by far too quickly.

Emery Jack, I love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mommy

Happy 2nd Birthday to my Love.

Dear Emery Jack,

The past month has been a crazy one. We've managed to have your birthday party, I finished my last official day as a teacher, although I feel like I'll always be a teacher at heart and I'll always be teaching you.

We started off your birthday by singing as I got you up to go to daycare. I was devastated to
drop you off because I didn't want to be away from you on your birthday. I took you to the grocery store early so we could have  doughnut holes and buy some treats to take to daycare so it could be a "special" day. You got to bring apples and watermelon. Miss Sharon said you all loved it. When I picked you up from daycare I asked you if you had a great birthday and you said, "YEAH!" We walked out of the daycare singing Happy Birthday. We went home and I made Rigatoni for dinner and your Nana, Papa, and Giddy came to dinner that night. Uncle Kyle, Aunt Stori, Maggie, and Macee came too. That night we all played in the backyard throwing the football and playing with the bouncy balls and bubbles. It was a wonderful day for your daddy and I because you were so happy. We love to see you laugh, you make us So incredibly happy and proud.

The following Saturday we had a train birthday party for you. You were so excited to get to open all of your gifts. All day long you were singing "Happy to you, Happy to YOU!" It is so wonderful to see you smile and be so happy. Your big gifts this year were things to ride on. We got your a cozy truck to drive around. You like to put your angry birds in the back with your trains and drive around the house. You also got a tricycle from Aunt Stori that you love to drive around. Your feet don't reach the pedals, but you still love to scoot yourself around the house.

You are getting so big. This past month you've been singing "Twinkle, Twinkle", The ABC's when you get to QRS you skip to Y and Z. When I first heard you sing it by yourself I almost cried, when did you became such a big kid? You love to play with your angry birds and sometimes I worry that when you get older you'll think anything that isn't electronic is boring. I've cut you back on your technology for that reason, but also because I like to play with you and sometimes when you're playing those games you tune everything else out including your mommy.

Our lives are about to change immensley due to the fact that you'll be getting to stay home with me and I'm opening my own business. I hope this shows you that you can do anything. I went to school to be a teacher and since I've had you my eyes opened up to the parent side of teaching. It's a little disheartening and I want to spend as much time with you as possible. I also will be working from home and it's a huge leap of faith to go into business for yourself, but with the support of your daddy I know we'll be just fine.



I love you to the moon and back, Emery.

LOVE,

Mommy

My 2 year old!

Dear Emery Jack,

A lot has happened since my sweet little boy has turned two. We had a wonderful birthday party, which I know I blogged about, but it's not here....weird. We had a great birthday party complete with lots of trains and cars and tractors. You LOVE riding your "bikes". So many people were at your birthday party to share the excitement with you. You sat at the table in a big boy chair and were SO excited when you saw your "Happy Cake" You love when people sing happy birthday, in fact, you will just break out into "Happy Birthday" while we're at restaurants or driving in the car. You like to sing it to ever person you can remember ever meeting- Including the cat.

You are such a wonderful little boy and bring so much happiness into our lives. Thinking of our lives without you seem so dull and boring in comparison to what we were missing. We are so in love with you. You are so sensitive to others and get very worried if you think someone is upset or hurt. You ask "Better Mama?" over and over again until I tell you I'm ok, even if I wasn't upset to begin with. You are very in tune to people's tones in their voice. For instance in the car while driving now, I cannot be frustrated with other drivers like I used to. If I say anything with any tone other than my normal tone you get upset and ask me if I'm better. I now have to tell people their crazy drivers with a smile on my face.  You're doing a great job of making me be a better person. I consciously have to think about how I conduct myself every second of my life when I'm with you, it shouldn't be any other way, but I realize that's why some moms go nuts. Sometimes you need to be allowed to be frustrated. :)

When you turned 25 months old we moved to Ozark, MO and live about 5 duplexes down from your Uncle Jake and Gina. You did very good with the move and I'm so glad because at first you couldn't understand why we weren't going home. I kept having to take you to your bedroom and explain to you that we are home, these are your things. You also had your very last day of daycare with all of your friends: Ayden, Jorja, and Ethan. You ask about them still and get our your play cell phone and call them up every once and a while just to chat. I have a picture of all four of you hanging on our refrigerator so we can talk about them when we have dinner. I struggled with the thought of taking you out of daycare because these were the first friends you had ever made and I was taking you away from everything you knew. You seem to be doing ok though. Maybe this will come back to haunt me when you're a teenager and you look back on your blossoming social life :). I hope not.

We recently went on our first vacation as a family to Los Angeles, California. The Jennings' side of the family packed up to see your GG and Uncle Daron because he has cancer and doesn't want to be far from his doctors. So we brought the party to his doorstep :)

You did AMAZING. Such a trooper you were. You turned 26 months old the first full day were were there. We went to the beach and you got buried up to your armpits by Uncle Jake and Uncle Matt. You even helped them by packing sand around yourself. You loved it! The memories we continue to make with you every day I delicately fold away and put in my pocket to keep with me always.

I picked you up from your Sissy's house the other night after dad and I had a date night out and you looked at me and said, "Mama, I so happy to see you!" You melt my heart.

I love you so very much!

Love,

Mama

23 Months

Dear Emery Jack,

Once again this is a little late, but I've been saving some sweet stories for you from month 23. I cannot believe that in a few short weeks you will be 2 years old. When I was pregnant I thought that 9 months dragged on, when you were born I thought I'd never make it through the first year, and here we are at year two and I now feel like they're flying by.

You amaze me in so many ways each day you're doing something new. This past month you put together short little sentences that melt my heart. Leaving daycare you tell me, "I love you, Mama." I remember waiting so patiently to hear the word Mama and now getting to hear it all the time...words cannot describe.

I am so proud of the little boy you've become. There are a lot of things that I feel I'm doing just OK at, but I feel like we're doing something right with our sweet little almost two year old. When someone sneezes you say, "Bless you." When you are given something you always say, "Thank you." When you're in trouble for something and we ask you to go to your room and sit until you've got it under control you walk into your room, sometimes stomp, and sit down until you're feeling better and then come out and grace us with your presence.

I've always said that when I have children that I want people to want them to come around and not dread seeing them because they cannot control themselves. You have made that a reality. I don't think anyone would cringe at the thought of you coming to see them. You really are a great kid.

Yesterday we had a bbq for daddy's birthday and to celebrate Easter. There were so many people here and you had such a great time hunting eggs with your cousins Maggie and Macee. Here are a few pictures of this weekend and of last month as well. Happy Easter, Love.

Love,

Mommy

22 Months.

Dear Emery,

Yesterday you turned 22 months old! In a blink of an eye you became a toddler, complete with the meltdowns, and silly personality. I would have a hard time denying that you're my son because you and I are a lot alike :) (Daddy is so lucky!)

This past month has been full of all kinds of new changes and opportunities. Your daddy has had five interviews in the past month and next week we should be hearing back from 4 of the schools. One school, Missouri State University, has already given us an offer, but we're waiting to see what the best deal will be before we decide on anything. I hope someday that we'll be able to put down roots somewhere so you'll be able to keep your friends and have some stability. Your daddy and I have been gypsies since we were in college. It's a fun lifestyle to have always moving around, seeing new things, traveling has always been something your dad and I have in common.

This past month has come with little changes in you as well. It's hard to pinpoint now when these things start happening, but now we're able to talk to you and receive an answer. The other day when I was driving you home from daycare you asked about daddy and I told you he was at work. You replied, "Ok." which came out as "O-Day". When you see family photos now you're not only able to pick out mommy and daddy, but a couple of nights ago you were able to point to yourself and say, "Emy!" Your dad and I looked at each other with huge grins, we are SO very proud of you.

Last weekend we were making breakfast and you were in your high chair and daddy dropped something and said, "Shit" and then we heard this sweet little voice mocking him saying, "shit, shit." Our mouths fell open. We knew this day would come. We just didn't know how soon. Our tiny little guy is growing up. When did this happen?!

You recently got your first pet, if you don't count the goldfish and the day when we had two dogs for a night. We have a cat who we lovingly refer to as "June Carter". We rescued her from the humane society and you love her!! You call her "Meow" and this morning were tormenting her with a stuffed mouse. She tries to hide and you follow her into her cat house. It took your daddy 10 years, but he was able to get me to say yes to a cat. Hell has frozen over. :)

One minute I'm carrying you in a baby bjorn while you're snoozing through Target and the next I'm pushing you in the cart each of us Starbucks in hand. Time flies when you're having fun, Emery.

Emery Jack I love you to pieces.

Love,

Mama

19/20/21 Months.

Dear Emery Jack,

These past few months have been very crazy so lets start from where we left off. The last post I had

written was in November and Here it is almost February, where has the time gone? I suppose this is what happens when you're older and I used to think it was because

when you get older you began to forget things, but I think what they really mean when they say things like, where has the time gone or time flies is that your life becomes so much more rich and fulfilled that there is almost no time to sit and write about life when you're out living it.

Thanksgiving has obviously came and went and it was a great time. You spend Thanksgiving day at your Nana and Papa Cochrane's house fussing with your cousins Maggie and Macee. There seems to be a little decent among the ranks now that you're a little older and Macee still thinks she's the baby. You two fight like brother and sister. The following Saturday was

spent at your Nana and Papaw Jennings' house just like always you demanded your nana's attention and refused to get out of the kitchen. You are becoming so very head strong.

December was a fun time and a very very sad time. We spent the 23rd in Butler at your Great Grandma and Grandpa Welsh's house where you got to see all of your 2nd cousins. You and Aerowyn had a screaming match to see who could be the loudest, Aerowyn won hands down. You got a puppy that makes noise that you can walk on a leash that your grandpa went out to wal-mart and bought for you. This is a big deal considering the dog's leash was pink and purple, just seeing the picture in my mind of your great grandpa walking through Wal-mart carrying that thing makes me laugh. The entire drive home the dog was barking and whining in the back seat of his pick-up.

Christmas Eve was spent at Nana and Papa Cochrane's we had a wonderful time and you were SO excited to get to open presents. The entire time we were there you were walking around to all of the presents and people yelling, "RIP IT RIP IT" which actually came out sounding like "RIBBIT RIBBIT". You had a blast!!

Christmas Day was spent at our house just the three of us. We woke up early (I woke up early) and did everything in my power to keep quiet up until the moment I started banging pots and pans around in the kitchen because the suspense was killing me. I thought for sure you'd get up early since we had been traveling so much and your schedule was off, but you slept in until 8:00. As soon as I heard you start to stir I ran in yelling "SANTA WAS HERE!!! Merry Christmas!!" Before anything else we were on the floor cell phones in hand to capture the moment. We got you started on the first present because you were still in a sleep induced haze, but you caught on pretty quickly. As soon as you'd finish open one you'd point for us to hand you another while yelling, "RIBBIT RIBBIT!!". Your favorite gift was the Thomas the Train toys we got you. You are absolutely obsessed and we are definitely enabling this addiction. During the day you have to have a train in each hand at all times. I have even gotten you out of your crib in the morning to find you holding on to one of your trains wondering how in the world you got that. In the car we have to watch Thomas while holding Thomas and sometimes wearing Thomas. Hopefully this is a phase :).

Christmas night was spent in Butler at your Nana and Papaw Jennings' house where we got to see your great grandma and grandpa Jennings' from San Antonio. The last time they had seen you was the Christmas before and you have changed so very much. You were still very fascinated with your Great Grandpa Ron he had a voice that could quiet a room. During this time we were able to get a four generation picture at your Great Grandpa Ron's request. It was wonderful.

On December 29th, 2011 early in the morning your Great Grandpa Jennings went out to walk his dog Riley after flying back to San Antonio and never made it home. Your Great Grandma Jean found him lying on the sidewalk Riley at his side. We are so saddened by this Emery Jack, but so very grateful that he was able to meet you. He was a wonderful man and it isn't the same without him. He was laid to rest in Kansas City, Mo on Friday, January 13th, 2012.

Tomorrow is a very important day for our family as well. This week your daddy has been receiving injections to increase his stem cell production so that he can donate this to a woman that he doesn't even know. A woman who is very sick and needed someone who matched her bone marrow type. I am so proud of your dad. Some days I look at our life and think, "What did I do to deserve this kind of happiness?" People can look their entire lives for what we have. I hope that we can pass this love of life, and what it holds, on to you.

Life is a very funny thing Emery and every day we are reminded that the reason life is so precious is the fact that it doesn't last forever, that we can be taken away in a heart beat. My hopes and prayers for you are that you live your life to the fullest and that you make the most of every moment you have. Know that we love you so very much, son.

Love,

Mama