Saturday morning at our house

OK - you'll have to look closely, but if you do, you'll see that this is a picture of Emma - in our bed - SIDEWAYS!

The story - Emma decided that it was a grand idea to get up BEFORE the crack of dawn. Brian and I were opposed to this idea. So, she crawled in to bed with us and miraculously, fell back asleep (she usually "jabbers" - LOUDLY - until we give up and take her in the bonus room to watch JoJo's Circus or Signing Time!) and was sleeping soundly when I got up to feed James.

When I returned from feeding James, looking forward to crawling back into bed, this is what I found. She left about 1 foot on Brian's side of the bed for me to squeeze in to - I had to try to go back to sleep with her feet in my face. I know Dad is going to get a kick out of this because I apparently did this as a child, except I actually slept ON the pillows with my feet in his face. I guess what goes around comes around!!

James

Isn't he adorable!!!

Emma's Field Trip

I didn't get a lot of great pictures of our field trip. We went to Steven's farm with Emma's class. First we went through a corn maze, which I think would be a lot of fun in the dark - we were totally turned around in broad daylight with a bunch of 5 & 6 year olds! Then we had lunch and some free play time and then it was off to the pumpkin patch. The lady who met us there did an awesome job of explaining how the pumpkins grow. Then, it was time to pick our pumpkin. Truthfully, I don't think Emma really cared. She liked the wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch and I think she had fun playing duck-duck-goose with her classmates, but she was pretty much in her own little world the whole time.

Each field trip brings its own set of challenges. This was our best one yet. Overall, she did fine and that, in and of itself, is an improvement. Past field trips have been completely exhausting because I spend the entire time chasing her and trying to keep her from having a total meltdown. Our next field trip is to the Peace Center in January - now, that will be interesting.

Special thanks to Aunt Brenda who watched James so I could spend the day with Emma!!

Sky Top

James did NOT really want to have his picture taken!

We attempted our first "outing" with 2 kids. We drove up to Hendersonville and went to Sky Top. Now, it should be noted that in our original plan, we were going to go to Sky Top and then maybe run by Granny's house. This did not happen. First, it took us WAY longer to actually get away because, well, it takes WAY longer to do anything now! Then, when we got there, James was not particularly cooperative and we had to make a couple of trips back to the van to change clothes and diapers. So, by the time we were actually done at Sky Top it was time to go back home and pat ourselves on the back for surviving the day!!

Emma got to see the goats and the sheep, she played on the playground and she went on a "hay" ride (there is no hay - it's really a big wagon pulled by a tractor, but she loves it). I got an apple cider slushy, which I HIGHLY recommend if you like apple cider - it was delicious and refreshing. And, we actually remembered our money (one time we got up there with no cash) and got a bag of pink lady apples, which are our favorites!

My favorite thing of all was the mountains - I miss the mountains - and they were spectacular. Talk about a show - orange, red, yellow, gold, amber - every imaginable hue. Absolutely stunning. I love fall!

A pretty little flower

Emma was a flower for Halloween. She definitely has figured out that Halloween means candy. We didn't really do the trick or treat thing. Brian just took her to a few neighbor's houses so they could see her in her costume. James had decided it was time for him to eat, so he & I stayed home.

Shannon & Christopher come to visit

My cousins Shannon & Christopher are fantastic! They wanted to meet James and came by on Saturday afternoon. James was so good - he smiled and was quite charming for his cousins!! And didn't spit up all over them! He must REALLY like them! :-)

7 weeks old!!

Can you believe it!! We've made it 7 weeks - astonishing! James gets cuter EVERY DAY! He is smiling and cooing and generally being adorable. We won't discuss the amount of spit that can come out of him at any moment. He's growing and getting longer and chubbier and outgrowing clothes - it's fabulous!

He also slept from 11 - 6:30 last night, which is why I'm able to take a moment to post to the blog!!

I had to add these pictures too - he was mad, but he's so cute when he curls out his bottom lip.

A boo-boo?

Emma has NEVER tolerated band-aids - NEVER. Out of the blue, she started requesting a band-aid. Well, we didn't have any, so Brian improvised. She wanted one on each of her big toes. She came walking out of the bathroom with toes all bandaged - she was quite proud of them!! Side note - they only stayed on about 10 minutes before she took them off. But, she requested them again the next night...go figure!

Hi James...What's Up?

Background...

On Sunday morning, Brian & Emma returned from church. Emma walked straight to the bouncy seat, squatted down and said "Hi James...What's Up?" After we got done laughing, we had her do it again for video purposes!!

Three Weeks Old!

Note: I started this post on Wednesday...it has taken 2 days to finish...it's crazy around here!





We can hardly believe it! James is 3 weeks old! And what a 3 weeks it has been. We are still exhausted, still trying to figure out how to do life with this little bundle of joy, still waiting for a few more hours of consecutive sleep!!



A few updates...Emma has begun to get adjusted to James. After some behavior issues at school & at home in the week after he was born, she seems to be getting back to "her" normal - which is, of course, unlike anyone else's normal! She is getting protective of James and she seems to actually be happy to see him when I pick her up from school. So far, she's played well in the afternoons and has been pretty patient with the fact that I can't always respond to her immediately and sometimes she has to wait for help. She now has a sinus infection and stayed home from school, so today was really the first day that I've had both kids home with me all day. Surprisingly enough, I have survived! :-)


We've got some great pictures of Brian's family - Brad, Melanie, Anna, Ashlyn & Ethan were here on Saturday and we've got some photos of Sandra with all 5 of her grandchildren. She was in her element to have all 5 with her at once! And, check out how big Ethan is!! We can't believe it. He is 7 months old and too cute for words!!








This photoshoot was bittersweet to me. For some reason, when we are all together, it seems to highlight the ones who are missing. I missed Gary a lot on Saturday, and couldn't help but think that Grandpa & Grandpa would totally have been here if they could. We were remembering how Grandma had the touch with Emma - she could pick her up and Emma would just fall sound asleep on her chest. It makes me sad to think that the kids won't get to know them personally, but I've already started planning some scrapbook pages where I am going to try to capture some of the things that made them so unique to be sure that Emma & James know how much they were loved and wanted by their Grandpa and their GGPa & GGMa.

Thanks again for all your thoughts, prayers, phone calls, meals, emails, etc.
More updates as I have time...right now, I have a hungry little boy to feed!!

Emma & James

Check out this video...Emma is singing a lullaby to James.

8 Pounds, 2 Ounces!

Well...it has been a very challenging couple of weeks! We got home from the hospital on Friday afternoon and had a very long night with James. By Saturday, we were pretty sure he wasn't getting enough to eat and was getting dehydrated. A quick phone call to our wonderful pediatrician (thanks, Roy!) and we started supplementing - I would nurse, and then we'd give him an ounce of formula. What a difference! James was soooo much happier - which makes sense - the poor kid wasn't hungry anymore!!!

The downside to this plan is that it makes each feeding take an hour or more - I nurse, give him a bottle, and then go pump - this has been seriously cutting in to my sleep!!!

We did this all last week and it was a huge help to us that Mom was here - we couldn't have done it without her. Between the severe sleep deprivation and Emma still needing all the usual things she needs - you know, like food, baths, etc! - we really would have been up the creek without Mom!

I am feeling much better and am pretty much recovered from labor & delivery. But, I have managed to get some tendonitis in my left shoulder. The pain in my shoulder, which radiates up into my neck at times and at other times just throbs, has actually been worse than labor. I'm not kidding. But, I've had some therapy on it, I'm icing it frequently and taking lots of anti-inflammatory medication and pain medication and I think, I hope, it is slowly getting better.

We went to the pediatrician this morning. Our little peanut weighed 7 lbs., 6 ounces a week ago. This morning, he weighs 8lb. 2 oz. He's huge! Actually, the best part of this is that we can start to taper off the supplemental feedings which hopefully will get us to the point where most of the time I just nurse him and the feeding will be over!

That's the latest...we do feel like we are slowly getting our act together...key word here - slowly!!

James Houston Blackburn is here!!!

James arrived on Wednesday morning. We are so excited that he is here. We are also totally and completely exhausted. We got NO sleep in the hospital and we are so happy to be home. Here are a few pictures. I'll do more posting later...right now, I'm going to try to catch a quick nap before he wakes up again!

If you've called and left messages or sent emails, we've heard them & read them and we really appreciate all your thoughts and prayers and good wishes!

Laundry?

This is where I found Emma this morning, before school. She was actually completely in the hamper, but by the time I got the camera, she was extracting herself from her little hiding place. Note to self...if Emma disappears, check the laundry!

School is going well and Emma seems to be settling in to her new routine. I was able to observe the class on Monday and was quite impressed.

As for me, my doctor's appointments continue to go well. I see the doctor again next Wednesday, and if we don't have the baby before, we are scheduled to be induced on Wednesday, September 10th...less than 2 weeks away!!

This blog will be the place for updates...check back often!!

Almost time!

Well...it won't be long now! We are officially under 3 weeks to go. If we make it that long! We are planning to induce the week of Sept. 8th, but as of my visit yesterday, my amniotic fluid has begun to decrease, so they'll be checking it twice a week (with an ultrasound) starting Monday and if the fluid reaches a certain level (don't ask me what it is), then they'll want to induce right away.

So, here are a few shots of the pretty much ready to go nursery. You'll notice a strange object in the crib...clearly, we have our work cut out for us!! We've caught her in there 3 times now.

First Day of School - K5

As hard as it is to believe, Emma is in kindergarten. Shocking! Where have the last 5 years gone? She is in a "developmental kindergarten" at Buena Vista Elementary. Her class is made up of 11 boys and 1 girl (that would be Emma) - half are in kindergarten and half are in first grade. All have some sort of developmental delays and are not really ready for "regular" kindergarten. Emma's teacher is young and excited, which makes us very happy. The aids are not quite as young and have lots of experience, which also makes us very happy!! It's a perfect mix!

As far as I can tell, Emma enjoyed her first day. School is an extremely stimulating place - lots of noise, lots of people and lots of things that she prefers not to deal with. Her coping mechanism for those situations is to escape them if possible and ignore them if not. She barely said a word to me for an hour after we got home and she is just now starting to act "normal" as opposed to withdrawn. I think it will take a while for her to get acclimated and not feel so overwhelmed by the whole experience. Since this is actually our 3rd full year of school, and our 4th "first day of school" in her young life, I'm not particularly surprised by her reactions and was pretty much prepared for this.

Side note - I just had to chase her out of our bathroom where she had pulled out a drawer and dumped it all over the floor - I think she's back to normal!

We are hoping that she'll be settled into her school routine before James arrives - we'd like to keep the "new" things in her life to one at a time instead of all at once. Of course, we have no control over this, so we'll just see how it turns out!

Baby Shower

Sandra, Cindy, Holly & Jennifer threw me a fantastic baby shower on Saturday. Thanks to all who came or who wanted to come!! And, thanks to all who thought to get a little something for Emma - she loved getting some of the goodies for herself!

Here we go!

OK - I realize that this blog is oh, about a year behind. OK, a bit over a year behind. My deepest apologies to those of you have given up hope that it will ever be updated again. In light of current events, I decided that a pink background was no longer acceptable. So, staying true to our Clemson heritage, orange it is!!

To summarize the past year in any sort of detail would take more time & emotional energy than I currently possess. The sad news first - since our last post, we've lost Brian's dad and Grandma & Grandpa Phipps, all to cancer. The entire family is reeling from the losses, but we are hanging in there. We still cannot believe they are gone and we miss them terribly.

The much happier news....

James Houston Blackburn is on his way! We've had a very uneventful pregnancy so far - very different from our experience with Emma. We are currently expecting him to arrive the week of Sept. 8th, if not before. Emma is not particularly impressed! She is intrigued by all the "baby stuff" that is coming into the house and has accepted that her old room is now baby brother's room. We can't wait to see how she reacts to him when he actually gets here.

In anticipation of the impending arrival, I will be attempting to update the blog a bit more regularly, so please make a note of the address and check back often!

If you ever wonder...

Just in case any one reading this blog wonders what life is like in the Blackburn household...here is a snapshot of today.

For those of you who wonder...she managed to do this in about 3 minutes while I was on the phone with dad. I could hear her at all times, and most of the time, I could see her. This girl is FAST!

That's one tube of lipstick down the drain....actually, um, Mom...I think it was a tube of yours that was left in the diaper bag....Sorry!

Now...I've got to get this published because I just caught her putting a small chair in the recliner and trying to climb into the small chair...that would have been fun...

There will now be a series of blogs that are out of order. :-) I am quite behind!!



These videos were simply too cute not to post. Watch them in order!