The Village

Alexander just passed his 5 month birthday last week and we are still enjoying every moment. I'm sitting here writing this as he hangs out in his swing next to me. Often times we find ourselves still questioning if this is real. Is he really home safe and healthy? The truth that he is, is not lost on us for a second. We have settled into a routine that works for us, but somehow there seems to be a lack of time in each day:). We are both working at full speed again and have recruited help with him and the house where needed. What they say is true, it takes a village...and what a mighty and fabulous village we have!

Grandma, my mom, is watching Alexander while I work. Thankfully, I work from home and can still be there when mommy is needed or when I need him:). It has been such a joy to watch them together and such a relief and comfort to know that he is surrounded by love all of the time.

Our village of family and friends has started a steady trickle of visits to meet, snuggle, spoil and help with baby Alexander. It has been wonderful to watch our family meet him and share in our joy. There are many more to the village left to meet (and visit!), but we have nothing but time!

Nana, Jon's mom, came for a whole week and was a huge help! It was so cool to see her welcome and love on her 5th grand baby. She even did the 1st night time feeding all week! The week flew by and we can't wait for her next visit...hint, hint, hint:)

Aunt Carolyn, Uncle Matt and cousins Emmitt, Camille and baby Elijah came next. We had a blast together and it was pure joy watching the kids together. Emmitt is such a great big brother and big cousin. He is such a thoughtful little boy and his heart is full of kindness, not to mention pretty cute too! Camille is beyond adorable and brings so many laughs it's hard to keep up. Jon and I considered ways to keep her here and she considered ways to take our cats home with her. Elijah might just be the happiest baby on earth. He is one big giggle. We are so thankful they made the trip so we could finally meet him!

Next to visit was Aunt Abby. She came for a long weekend over the 4th of July. She got to come with us to Alexander's monthly check up. The doctor was very impressed with him and gave him two thumbs up! He now weighs 12 pounds 4 ounces and is 23 1/4 inches long! He also got a clean report at his last eye exam, thankfully. Any parent of a preemie that has had to witness the eye exams they have to perform, knows the meaning of self-restraint. I won't get into the details here, but they are not fun. You find yourself wanting to deck the doctor, even though he is just doing his job.

While Aunt Abby was here, we took Alexander on a couple of outings and even to some fireworks. Don't worry, he had baby noise cancelling headphones on and he ate through the whole show! The weekend went by way too fast, but we're hoping for another visit when Uncle Thomas can come too!

We've also had many other visits with local friends and family and we're loving every one of them!

Jon has made several work trips and Alexander was kind enough to start sleeping through the night at about the exact same time! He started out sleeping for 6 hours straight at night and is up to 7 1/2 hours at night! Believe me, the grandness of this is not at all lost on us. I'm one who needs a lot of sleep, some people do not, I do. The gift of 7 straight hours, is just that, a true gift!

I also had to make my first work trip since he has been home. We loaded up the highlander with all the necessary and some unnecessary things needed for a two night trip with a baby. Since Daddy was busy working, one of those very necessary things was Grandma. We were able to have some fun with this trip because we stayed with Great Grandma Janet while we were away. It was so fun to see her and have her hold him. We also got to see some great friends while we were away!

Alexander loves bath time, snuggles, story time, his daddy, getting his diaper changed and shockingly my signing voice, to name a few. He doesn't like tummy time, his car seat or waiting to eat. We're working on tummy time and the car seat thing because sometimes in life, we have to do things we don't like to do. Ah, such are the lessons of a 5 month old!


Watching my husband thrive in fatherhood is one of the greatest blessings I've ever experienced. Jon is completely smitten with his son and the feeling is mutual. This made celebrating Father's Day even more special. Last week, when Jon was in Canada for work, we were Skyping and Alexander was sound asleep. As soon as he heard his daddy's voice he woke up with bright eyes and starting smiling. It was so awesome and incredibly cute too! The fact that Jon got to see this through the camera made it even better!

The outpouring of love, prayers and support that we have received throughout our lives, but more acutely this past year and a half has been a humbling experience. We cannot thank you all enough and hope to express our gratitude throughout our journey. Check back next month to see what we can pack into the next 30-ish days!

Love,

Emily, Jon and Alexander

I can't help, but post a few more- just because!