Sick Boy

Wow - the last few days have been tough on our little guy. After suffering from an RSV virus for about 7 weeks, Emmett developed a 102.5 fever on Wednesday the 27th. We administered some tylenol and monitored his fever while it slowly downgraded to normal by the morning of the 29th.

On the afternoon of the 29th, we met with Dr. Munson (for the 4th time in 2 months) on our regularly scheduled check-up at 6 months. She noted that his cough sounded markedly better and he appeared to be in good spirits. Emmett weighed in a 21.4 lbs, 29 inches long with a 19 inch head circumference - all of which are "off the charts" and above 95% of babies his age. The meeting ended with his third exposure to vacinations, including his first Flu Shot.

Emmett's fever returned on Saturday, with lethargy and constant needs for attention. Sunday morning, Dec. 31st began with a low grade fever around 99.7 and some more tylenol. Only a few smiles letting us know that he is still having a tough time.

Mommy just went to check in on little sunshine after his morning nap and she is reporting a resurgence in smiles and a much happier boy.

Ho-Ho-Ho from The Arnolds!

We have so many photos from Emmett's 1st Christmas, but I have to resist overloading this blog with Emmett in his santa outfit. Mommy was jumping out of her skin all holiday season! This holiday takes on a whole new meaning once you have a little one to celebrate with. I think Emmett is the only one who enjoys my singing of christmas carols. Hard to believe, but I got many smiles out of him with "Chestnuts roasting on a open fire" and "Jingle Bells".

The whole Arnold family came out to visit and celebrate with us. We truly had a winter wonderland as we stayed in The Rivendell House in Leavenworth, WA. This little bavarian village was covered in snow and holiday lights. While we were there, we probably got over a foot of snow, which made snowmobiling and snow shoeing a blast or should I say, snow much fun!

We're so thankful for the many blessings life has given us. It truly is a wonderful life and I am so grateful for so much. We like the idea of continuing the tradition of celebrating with family and friends out in the mountains. More photos to come once we get them uploaded....

Busy, Busy Bees

I forgot to "blog" in November! My intention is to write about Emmett's life at least once a month, but this thing called "parenthood" keeps getting in the way. Whew--we are busy working parents and it is tough to find time for things we used to take for granted. I can see the temptation of opting out of activities and just laying on the couch when time permits. When it comes down to it we love the craziness of many balls in the air. Having our son makes it that much more of an enjoyable challenge to get the most out of life.

We're keeping up our workouts at least 2-4/week, which isn't bad, but not good enough to get rid of these last 8lbs. sitting around my abdomen area. In the last few months, what we love most in our lives is the Seattle Athletic Club daycare. Randy, Jenny and CC are a few new friends to the Arnold family. I've only been called off the elliptical machine once for the time when Emmett was constipated. Parenthood sinks in more and more every day especially when you hear, "Jodi Arnold, please come to daycare immediately. Jodi Arnold." Fortunately, my I-pod was not on too loud for me to rush to their rescue and abrubtly end my workout. Never knew how flexible I needed to be until now.

Humor is another component that has carried me through my days. When Emmett is screaming and crying for his milk or out of boredom or whatever, I've learned genuine laughing is the best response. Many times, it gets him to stop and smile. Emmett loves to smile and it's the greatest thing on earth. When Justin or I get really silly and excited, he goes bonkers and starts kicking and waving his hands in the air. Finally, we have a captive audience who thinks we're really funny and cool! It's the best.

Halloween Party

Emmett had his first Halloween party at our house. All of his new friends came over dressed up as: A Sweet Pea, Kitty Cat, Alligator, Punk Rock Girl, and Napolean Dynamite. All the kids were having a great time, but Emmett decided it was time for bed and slept in his crib dressed up as a little baby Cow.

7 Year Anniversary and Visit with Grandparents

Today is our 7 year anniversary and it's hard to believe! When I think back to all our memories only one word comes to mind-FUN! Okay, sure there were lots of highs and some downs, too, but overall, Justin and I had a blast through it all. It was just about this time a year ago (10/12/05 to be exact) that I discovered we were no longer living life just the 2 of us. The first sign from my body that something was different--my morning coffee tasted horrible and that is NEVER the case.

To celebrate our anniversary, Justin and I spent our first night away from Emmett. Grandma Alex and Papa John visited us this weekend and allowed us to break away. We checked into a swanky hotel, Hotel Max, and then hopped around different spots eating, drinking and talking about Emmett. We finally get our "big break" and sure enough, we can't stop talking about the new love of our life and "how cute he is".

Needless to say, Justin and I had such a blast: martinis and oysters at Oceanaire, apps at Dragonfish, Hot Mango Love at Suite 410 (it's a drink-grrrr) and then finally, sushi and sake at the hotel restaurant, Red Fin. Yay! The next morning we slept in, walked to Top Pot Doughnuts, read the paper and laughed about life, Emmett and this crazy thing called parenthood. My 'o my how things have changed in just 3.5 months! It's worth every single minute even when we're so sleep deprived we can't complete sentences and find ourselves putting the cereal in the fridge.

WE LOVE OUR BOY!

The "Fourth Trimester"

Wow...to say we have seen ups and downs in the last 3 months is an understatement. Truthfully, I recall a few times when I thought I couldn't do it. The transition to parenthood is so extreme--one night you walk into the hospital as husband and wife and the next day you walk out as a family. Overnight you become parents for the rest of your life and there is no turning back. It is so comforting and terribly frightening all at the same time.

Where to begin? The sleep or lack thereof is the toughest part. Of the many books I have read on babies and sleep, I think one doctor put it best, "babies don't have sleep problems, parents do." This has been the biggest hurtle for the 3 of us and finally it's getting better. What's better? If Emmett sleeps from 11-5a that is a good night. We're working on extending it to 6a, ideally 7a. We think the introduction of rice cereal is allowing him to snooze for 6 hours at a time. Yay for rice cereal!

The other trick is to break up the night in 2 phases. The first phase is for mommy and the second phase is for daddy. This is the only way both parents can get a decent night sleep. The downer is that mommy and daddy never get a full night together in bed. That, I miss.

One thing we learned when we introduced milk-based formula it did not sit well with Emmett. When we went camping (yes, with a newborn!), one woman came over to our campsite and asked if we ever thought of using soy-based formula. We started that day and within a day he was a different baby. It was as if he woke up, started smiling and was ready to conquer the world! I guess Justin had the same issue when he was a itty bitty baby.

All of the wonderful experiences of being a parent: cooing, smiling, watching him observe his mommy or daddy with intent, laughing at the fish swimming around his aquarium swing, dancing with him in my arms, tickling and hearing him laugh, watching him and daddy hang out together...it is the best! And it only gets better with time.