Getting better

Gerard's still coughing and dealing with a nasty nose...but getting better. He's still not eating much. We'll keep working on it. I've still neglected to update the 8 month pics. The first week back to school was a very busy one and it seems like a blur. I'll get to it this weekend, I hope. In the meantime, here are a couple of cute ones.

Long nights...

Gerard's been sick since Saturday night. Really bad cough, upper respiratory infection, ear infection, stuffy nose, etc. He's not sleeping well, which means I'm not sleeping well...so the August 24 - 8 month posting will have to wait. The good news is that he weighed a little over 16 lbs. at the hospital yesterday.

Today...and exactly 8 months ago today...

Today Gerard's eating again. Whew. He's still not eating as much (as he should) at the sitter's, but it's better than the past week. Here he is eating his late bottle at 9 PM. With any luck, he'll sleep 9 hours like he did the past two nights. Yes, he's finally sleeping through the night. All I can say is ahhh...

When I think about this, I recall when he didn't have a choice about eating. Here's a reminder of what "used to be" not so long ago -


Here's a little reminder of how far we've come. This photo below was taken on January 20...
Yes, I'm grateful for the little things today. Like the fact that he can eat on his own.

Gerard's first 5K!

We ran our first 5K in 40 minutes 6 seconds! Gerard even napped for a good 20 minutes. It was cool and windy, but hey, we were living "Large" (celebrating Lisa Largent's family) - OK, I should get a few seconds for pushing the stroller and the extra 30lbs. uphill. Hooray for the Hernandez team, who "ate Kelly's dust"...at the beginning of the race, anyway...

Hi Carla - this one's for you!

My friend Carla (the Utah Carla that I work with) made this beautiful quilt (stitched by hand), for Gerard. Here are the long-awaited photos. He's actually large enough now to not look like a little bug laying on it. He's weighing in at @ 15.5 lbs. He's on a "hunger strike" and we haven't figured out what's going on. Still waiting on labs to see what might be happening. He's eating...just not for long periods of time nor the quantity he usually eats with gusto.

The best noonie ever

Here he is in all his glory on the way to daycare. This is the best pacifier on the planet! It's a teether and a noonie (binkie) all in one...which helps since he likes to chew on every surface except for the 'nipple' part. He much prefers to use that as a 'handle' to hold it in his mouth (...no comments from the peanut gallery necessary). Michael finds this quite entertaining.






And here we are ready for our evening stroll in the carrier.

We'll miss you, Jennie - Thank you!

Jennie, our summer nanny, spent her last full day with Gerard Tuesday. We had a wonderful experience with her and wish her all the best in her studies. She'll be fantastic at whatever she pursues. We'll miss you, Jennie! Here are some pics her last full day with the G-man. We're hoping she comes back to babysit on occasion.
Comparing the first photo back in May to this one...we can really see how much Gerard grew over the summer.


Last Wednesday Gerard started daycare at Miss Laura's. Things are going well with that and mommy didn't cry too much the first day.

August 4 - Checking Up

Gerard Weight - 15 lbs. 1 oz., Height - 27", Head: 17.25"
The county nurse came by today and gave us these stats. Developmentally, he's behaving like a 6-month old, which is encouraging. We'd like to see his weight go up - seems he's using calories to grow longer and not wider (unlike his mommy).

Here are some adorable photos for a weekly update. Top photos are the beautiful Stephanie and Chloe. We all loved letting Chloe know how we remember her at Gerard's age. (I can't belive she's 9 and reading the Twilight series already) - She's so grown up! We enjoyed introducing Gerard to the Cunninghams. He really liked Kelly and kept laughing at him. Too funny.

Gerard is also a big fan of the "Bumbo" - his new tourquoise chair. The nurse thinks he'll be sitting up soon. He rolls from side to side on his own now and grabs objects easily. Before you know it, he'll be applying to Harvard...or a Southeastern Conference University! :)