Bad Blogger

Hi friends and family! Well, I have decided to cease writing our family blog for a while. I have not been good about keeping it updated and I doubt many still look at it (if anyone). I stay so busy with Emily, searching for a job, keeping chores done, etc. that I don't have the time right now to devote to it. Most of you are on Facebook and keep up with us that way. Those of you that don't, I will make an effort to email you updates. God bless, Erin

Adrian's first Father's Day

This past Sunday we celebrated Adrian's first Father's Day. We went over to Jimmy's house and enjoyed smoked brisket and ribs. Jimmy and Susan stayed up all night and smoked the meat for 12 hours. It was delicious. We also had mom's famous potato salad, corn on the cob, Ceasar salad, and topped it off with my Death by Chocolate. Emily gave Adrian some cool signs to hang in his "man cave" (in the garage) which he LOVED. It was nice to spend the day with the family and Emily rather enjoyed herself. But she was beat, and ended the day taking on nap on Grandaddy's tummy.

Emily's 4 month check up

We went yesterday for Emily's 4 month check up. She was 4 months old June 16th! She had to get her shots, which is always equally painful for Mommy. But she did just fine and so far hasn't had any fever or bad after effects. She now weighs a whopping 13 pounds, 3 ounces (50th percentile) and is 25 inches "tall" (75th percentile). She has grown 6 inches since she was born! I can't believe it! I am also very proud to report that most nights, she goes to bed between 8 and 9pm and doesn't wake up until 5 or 6am! We love having a baby that sleeps through the night and know we are very lucky! We will start her on cereal in about 2 weeks. The pediatrician thinks she is almost ready... but right now her tongue thrust is still very strong and he said I would just have a huge mess on my hands. So we will wait a little bit longer. I am sure that will make for some lovely pictures! Well, that's all for now!

It's been a while!

It has been quite a while since I last blogged... where do I begin? Emily had her baby dedication on May 17th. My Grandma came in from Florida and so did Adrian's sister and daughters (from Baton Rouge). Emily was the fifth generation in my family to be a part of Memorial Drive Christian Church. So that was special for us all. Here is a link to the pictures from the event (they are on Shutterfly): share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AatmrFq4cs2L0g

Other old, but big news - I was laid off one week after I returned from maternity leave (on May 15th). Business had been slow and I wasn't surprised, but had hoped it wouldn't happen. I think it was a blessing in disguise from God because I've decided to change careers and become a teacher. After much prayer and thought, I think it is the best thing for our family. I am enrolled in the Texas Alternative Teacher program and after passing the state test at the end of June and taking some classroom management classes, I will be almost there! I hope to teach high school English in the fall - if all goes accordingly.

Emily continues to grow like a little weed. I swear she grows inches over night. She laughs and smiles, coos and hollers, holds her head up and sits up assisted. Lots of times she slides to the side, so we have to put a pillow next to her. Two more weeks and she will start cereal! Adrian and I took her to the pool for the first time today. She had a blast, just kicking her legs like crazy! I think she will be an Olympic swimmer! Here are some pics. Hope everyone is having a great summer!

My first Mother's Day

Hey friends and family! I know I have been slacking with the blogging. But I have had a terrible cold for about 2 weeks, then Emily got it, now my parents have it... we just keep passing it around. But I wanted to update our blog, so here goes!!! Yesterday I celebrated my first Mother's Day. I have so much to be thankful for, but mainly my little beauty. Nothing makes me feel better than when she looks into my eyes and smiles! We had our families over for lunch after church. We had a tex mex lunch (my favorite)!!! Everyone chipped in - Heidi and my mom made chicken enchiladas, Adrian's mom brought chips, guacamole and salsa, my mom made a tres leches cake, I made a salad and rice... mmmm, it was all so good. We had a wonderful time spending time with our families and Emily got tons of grandparent time in! My wonderful husband got me a brand new robe, it is so soft, it feels like silk! The one I had dated back to my college years! Also he got me the Counting Crows "Best of" CD (they are one of my most favorite bands). And for the tear-jerker gift - my mom gave me one of my Grammie's rings. I used to sit in church and play with her beautiful rings, I was always in awe of her jewelry. And now, I get to wear the very ring that I adored and played with as a child... tears... :)

My Grandma Van Bergen arrives in Houston tomorrow afternoon. Emily and my dad are picking her up from the airport. It will be the first time she gets to meet her first great grandbaby! She is staying for the week - Emily's baby dedication is at our church this coming Sunday. We are so happy that Great Grandma will be here for the special event.

And lastly, I hate to end on a sour note, but I am getting laid off from work on Friday. Today was my first day back after maternity leave and it will be my last week. I have very mixed emotions about it all. I am scared, sad, upset, and worried. But I have prayed a lot about it. And I truly feel that this is an opportunity to move out of the advertising field. I am excited to say I have decided to get my teacher certification and hope to teach high school English and/or Journalism soon. This is all very exciting and makes me nervous at the same time. But it is time for a change, I have a baby and a mortgage, and I need a stable job. This will be the 2nd time in 6 or 7 years that I have been laid off. I am sad to leave the profession, as I enjoyed my work and my clients. But I am also excited about this new chapter I am about to open and a new journey that I am about to embark on. Please keep us in your prayers as our new, uncertain future unfolds!

Our weekend get-a-way

This past weekend Adrian and I left Emily with my parents to stay the weekend in Kemah. Adrian was a groomsman in our friends' wedding (Ed & Kelly). So we had to be there Friday night for the rehearsal and Saturday for the wedding. We decided to just stay for the weekend. I was sad Friday night and missed Emily like crazy. I was really glad that we had decided to leave her in Houston because Friday night we got stuck in the middle of a flash flood! It was crazy! It poured for hours and the streets flooded in minutes! At one point we were 0.3 miles from our hotel and stuck in a CVS parking lot. Cars were stalled everywhere and the water was so high it came in the door of my SUV! But we survived and so did the car. We had a great time with our friends and the wedding was wonderful. They chartered a yacht and had the ceremony and reception on the water. It was so cool. Emily did great with my parents and I know they were sad when we came to get her, but probably got to catch up on some sleep!

On a separate note, Emily went Monday for her 2 month check up and got her first round of shots. She is now 10 lbs 11 oz (50% percentile) and 23.25 inches (75% percentile). The peditirician said she has hit all her milestones and is incredibly strong for her age! That's our girl!! I was so stressed for weeks about getting her shots, I thought it would be so heartbreaking. And I was afraid she'd get sick. But it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. She cried when she got the 3 shots (ouch!) but after I picked her up she was better. And aside from a little bit of fussing that night, she was perfect!

McNemar Family Easter

I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter this past Sunday! It was so fun to celebrate Emily's first Easter with our families. We went to church with my parents and Adrian's parents. Emily did great and slept until the last 5 minutes, she was hungry and needed a bottle - Grammie Mathews to the rescue! After church we had a wonderful lunch at my Aunt's house and watched Jacob and Landon hunt for Easter eggs. We got some great Easter pictures of the cousins and the "little cousins" that I can't wait to share! Emily enjoyed a full day of lots of family with tons of cuddles and kisses. Jacob and Landon did great with her. Most of the time they were too busy playing to worry about her, but they did settle down for a second for us to get a picture of the three of them together. Later in the day Emily was a little fussy and Landon heard her crying. From another room Landon yelled "Don't worry Emily, I'm coming!" SO CUTE! We had a lot of fun! Enjoy the pictures! Here is a link with all of them: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AatmrFq4cs2Ly4

Such a big girl!!!

I am such a proud momma! I couldn't wait to tell everyone that today Emily rolled over from her tummy to her back for the first time! I am so proud! Today she is 6 weeks and 4 days old. We were at my Mom's house when it happened and my mom got to witness it as well. She has been smiling socially for about a week, but only for my mom and once for Adrian. But yesterday I got my first HUGE smile. She is hitting milestones and it is so much fun!!!! We have her Easter dress all picked out and she went to see the Easter bunny last Friday. And my mom bought her the CUTEST Easter basket. We aren't sleeping more than 4 hours at a time, but I hear sleeping through the night will come soon (knock on wood). The pictures in her overalls is from today.