Daddy & Son

What do you think...does he look like his Daddy?

Mommy & Son

...or his Mommy?

The Looches Meet Caden!

Our dear friends Erik and Sonya Luchauer (The Looches) made a trip to Montgomery from Knoxville to meet and spend time with Caden. Here is a pic of Erik playing with him while April and Sonya sit and talk. We had a amazing whirlwind weekend with them here, and their visit was another reminder of how blessed we are to have so many faithful and true friends in our lives. We love you Looches!

Warning: Graphic Nudity

Betsy took Caden's 3 month pictures this past weekend. He was very happy and cooperative, and we got lots of good pics. We'll post some of them soon, but for now here is a candid shot of Caden modeling. As you can see he's not shy about letting it all hang out. That's my boy!

Cute Little Caden

Caden loves to sit and stand up with help. If you let him grab your hands, he will pull himself up to a standing position every time. His smile and "noises" (which are now turning into squeals) continue to keep us laughing!

Look At Me Grow

**Click on the picture to enlarge it.**

Happy 3 Months Caden!

It has become our tradition to take Caden's growing pictures with his teddy bear, Mattie. Caden was in a great mood for these shots as you can see by his smiles :) We couldn't decide on just one, so here are two good ones for your viewing pleasure! We can't believe its been 3 months already. Caden has blessed our lives beyond words, and we continue to grow as parents every day.

Playin' With Owen

Caden is so blessed to have Owen around. He needs a bigger kid in his life to show him the ropes and teach him how to play. Owen is an expert in playing, and these days he is teaching baby Caden all of his best games!

Bath Time!

Caden just loves having the warm water poured all over his little body. He especially enjoyed tonight's bath because it was given to him by his daddy. He's starting to put on some weight now, and it's hard to clean in between his little rolls! Bath time is so very precious...

Baby Dedication

Sunday, January 22nd was Baby Dedication Sunday at GracePointe. They called each couple and their child to the front to be prayed over by an elder. John Land led a beautiful prayer of dedication for Caden. Caden was very good during his dedication and then fell asleep during the rest of the service. We praise God for the family at GracePointe and the dedication they have in helping us to raise Caden to be a man of God. Thank you GracePointe!

Ooooo, Pick Me!

Look at me!

Caden is learning to hold his head up while tolerating tummy time.

Wiped Out

April was working on the computer

while pacifying Caden with her bouncing leg.

Before long, Caden was sound asleep.

Sunday Best

Caden wore the most adorable outfit to church today. He had on big boy pants with a collared shirt and a sweater vest. This is a closeup because its the best smile we were able to get. He is the best looking baby on the block!

Caden is Brilliant in the Morning

Caden's favorite time of day is usually in the morning, right after he wakes up and then eats. After his belly is full, he is happy, smiley, and ready to play. His daddy loves Saturdays and Sundays just for this reason. During the week he would already be at work, but on the weekend, we get some great family time in bed. Praise God for Mondays this week, as Brett will be off for MLK Jr. day. The extra time with Caden will be a huge blessing...

Healthy Baby...Happy Mommy

DSC01268
Originally uploaded by The Emersons.

We got a clean bill of health from the Doctor yesterday. Praise God! Thanks to everyone who was praying for Caden's recovery. It was a blessing that his RSV was mild and didn't ever get worse. Many infants end up in the hospital and we never did. The only instructions the Doctor gave us was to finish up his antibiotics. Mommy now has a cold (thanks to Caden) and it looks like Daddy may be getting it now too. We hope it doesn't travel back to baby Caden. We definitely don't want to do this again.

Nanna & the monkey

DSC01190
Originally uploaded by The Emersons.

Nanna let Caden pick a new stuffed animal (not that he needed another one) when we were at Khol's last weekend. She would hold up two animals and see which one Caden preferred..he consistently looked at this monkey. As you can see from this picture, he is quite fascinated with its face. He would get very excited when Nanna would make the monkey "talk" to him. His eyes would get big, his arms flail, and his legs would kick like crazy.

First Trip to a Park

DSC01186
Originally uploaded by The Emersons.

Caden enjoyed his first walk a few weeks ago through the park next to our apartment complex. As you can see, he is sleeping quite soundly.

Sickness Update

Caden had to go back to the doctor on Thursday evening. He was having some trouble breathing, and his congestion was not improving. The after hours doctor we saw was not our regular guy, but he was cool. He listened to Caden's breathing and he heard some weezing in his lungs. Some mucus was becoming lodged in his bronchial thingys, and this is not a good thing. It's called bronchialitis(not to be confused with bronchitis), and the doc hooked him up to a nebulizer to help break up the mucus build-up. Well, it didn't really help, but he sent us home and told us to monitor his breathing and call if the weezing got any worse. It didn't, and Caden has been sleeping much more than normal for the last 48 hours as his little body continues to recover (which also gives Mommy and Daddy more time to recover!).

He should be fine by Monday or Tuesday, but the cough could still linger for a couple more weeks. We are looking forward to having our little boy back to normal. This process has been tough, but we have learned alot and we thank God for the learning experience and the many ways in which He helped us through it. Hey, if nothing else, we at least earned our first parenting merit badge. Thanks for your prayers! The pics will return soon!

On a sad note...

Our sweet little boy is experiencing for the first time what it feels like to be sick. It started Saturday with a congested cough and we went to the Doctor on Monday morning. We were told it was just a cold but bring him back in if he got worse because RSV was going around. That night we made a phone call to the doctor at 3 a.m. Caden was inconsolable and refusing to eat. He had thrown up and screamed through diaper changes. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic since it sounded like an ear infection. Brett made a trip to the pharmacy for the medicine and to also get some infant ibuprofen. (This was more difficult than you think since Brett sprained his ankle on Saturday helping some friends move.) We decided to take him in on Wednesday since he wasn't improving. Good thing we did! Caden tested positive for RSV and also had double ear infections. Yuck! So, hopefully, we're now on the road to recovery. He has his moments of fussiness and yet still manages to smile and coo at different points during the day. He is such a sweet baby! Please be praying for a quick and complete recovery for baby Caden.