Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch!

We went to GardenTown yesterday to pick out a pumpkin for each of us! Mike and I found this cute pumpkin and we had to take it with us!!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

Whew!! We have been really busy lately! I have lots to post so this one is gonna be a long one!!

First, Eric went to the ER about a week ago. He had a 104 temp, and we found out that his white blood cell count was at 26 and rising. Normal is about 15. After about 9 hours at the Duncan ER, we found out that baby Eric has a bladder infection. This is not very normal in baby boys, however slightly normal and alarming for babies with kidney disease/failure. We got an IV of high powered antibiotic and fluids in the ER and they sent us home that night with more antibiotics that we are still taking. As a result of this infection, on Wednesday, we have to do testing to make sure that Eric does not have reflux in his urinary tract. This means that urine goes to his bladder but backs up and goes back into his kidneys. IF he has this, we will be giving him an antibiotic every night for as long as they tell us to. :0)

Eric stats:

Weight: 8 pounds 8 ounces (as of ER)- 3rd percentile(not on chart)
Length: 20 inches-3rd percentile
Kidney function: 15% out of 100% but still no Dialysis!!

Eric has started playing with his hands much more!! He is getting more alert everyday! He is still resisting tummy time and not lifting up his head, but he is doing well in other areas!

He is also in the very beginning stages of teething we think!! He is chewing on everything and is way slobbery!

Eric has also started trying to laugh out loud! He doen't do it very often, but when he does, it is pretty cute! He plays with us and we are finding out that he is VERY onery!!


We are moving to San Antonio on Thursday. This is both happy and sad for us. We are excited about our new house and all the fun things to go do, and happy about the great doctors we keep hearing about for Eric. However, we will be moving out of mom and dad's house and farther away from family and friends.....again!
Our new address is 1410 Arrow Hill San Antonio, TX 78258

We have lots of room for visitors and a pool in the back yard!!! We hope to see all of you soon!!


Ok, now for some pictures!!

Eric was playing peek-a-boo with his Papa Joe!

Eric's cousin Layton came to see us from College Station, TX!! Layton was so excited to hold baby Eric and ran to wash his hands and sit on the couch! We miss you Layton and Aaron!!

Here is Eric wishing his daddy a Happy Birthday! This was the day after the ER visit, so Eric was not a very happy baby.

Eric talked his Uncle Jesse into feeding him when Jesse and Lyndsey came home to visit from Stillwater. We miss ya'll too!!!

Well, that is all for now, I will post some pictures of the new house soon.

Eric's first bite!!!

Today, Eric got to eat his very first bite of rice cereal!!
The doctor called us to let us know that if we wanted to start trying to incorporate solid baby foods, we can start with the Rice cereal mixed with formula. Then, we will move up to applesauce. The food selection will be closely monitored to make sure we don't give him foods with potasium, phosphorus, or sodium. This means absolutely no bananas!! Here he is eating out of his cool new car bowl. Everytime you scrape the "magic spoon" against the bowl, it makes a vroom vroom, honk honk and lights flash!!

He seemed to like the food, he was just sleepy and fussy. That is why he is not smiling in the picture!

Introducing...Jentry Lynn Whaley!!

My long time friend, Jennifer (GG) Whaley and her husband Jason, had their very first baby last night!!!! They had a girl, Jentry Lynn, on October 4, 2006. Jentry was 7 pounds 6 ounces and 18.5 inches long. She is so pretty!!

We were shocked to see a headful of black hair!! GG and Jason both have light hair. She looks alot like her daddy, but there is some of GG in there too! Here I am holding sweet little Jentry!

I took a family photo of the happy family! Here are Jason, Jennifer (GG) and Jentry Whaley.

It was nice to see my old friends again! Jennifer (JJ) Dunn was there visiting so the three of us siezed the photo opportunity! :0) It was like old times again, except with a few more pounds on us all, and of course little babies in our lives now. It always seems like just when I get back in touch with my old friends, I end up having to move. I will be so sad to leave here again, but at least I know that I will always have my friends here in Oklahoma to come back to visit. We were so happy to welcome Jentry to the world, just like we were for our other friends, John Mark, Jonas, Kaitlynn and Eric. Next, we will get to welcome the Reid twins!!

More pictures!!

We had a great photographer come out to the house on Monday to take some lifestyle pictures. They are candid and from a different perspective than the usual studio pictures.

Go to her blog to see a preview of the pictures! www.abigailsmithphotography.com
This is to her website, but if you go to the bottom of the home page and click go to my blog, it will take you to the preview pictures. There are 3 pictures, but you may have to click them or wait a while for them to show up. I love the one with Eric in the red chair!!

Special Day for Daddy!

Yesterday Eric, Mike and I went to OKC to the Federal Building for Mike's Reinlistment in the Army. Mike and I made the decision that it would be best for our family if he reinlisted and stayed in the Army until he retires. This means we have another 9 years in the Army, and then Mike can retire!!!

Here is Eric with his Daddy at the office Mike has been working in.

During the ceremony, I got a certificate of thanks from the Army for being an Army wife and helping with the decision for Mike to reinlist "indefinately" (until he reitres). I thought that was neat!

During the part of the ceremony where Mike was getting sworn in by the colonel, our sweet baby Eric tooted very loud and filled up a diaper! Everyone could hear it and it even made the colonel chuckle as well as everyone else in the room. Eric really knows how to steal the show! Here is Mike getting sworn in.

Eric and I are very proud of Mike for having such a hard job and deciding to stay in for our family. The Army has taken very good care of Eric since he was born and we hope they will continue to do so for his transplant. Thank you to all of our family and friends who have also helped out so much! We love you all!!

New Discoveries

It is official!! Eric has discovered his tongue!! He sticks it out, blows spit bubbles, clicks it; you name it, he does it! Here he is sticking his tongue out at me when I asked him to smile for mommy!!



I love it when Eric sleeps!! He is so sweet! Today, he wanted to sleep with his teddy bear blanket-rattle toy. He snuggled it while he sucked on his binki! Yep, we are still using the big plain green one from the NICU. He will take the cute ones, but he prefers the green one!

Central High Fall Carnival

Last night, Mike and I took baby Eric to the Central High Fall Carnival. When I was a kid, it was the Halloween Carnival. It hasn't changed much except for the absence of halloween decorations and costumes. There was the cake walk....that after all these years I still haven't won anything at. Then there is Bingo. The Seniors raise money at Bingo, for what, I can't remember. The Juniors raise money at the cake walk for the Junior/Senior Prom. At our school, the juniors throw the prom for the seniors. Juniors get to come to it with the seniors. I won at bingo! Wooohooo!! Then there are all the fun kid games and you win lots of candy, stuffed animals and poor little gold fish.

Eric had a fun night! He got to meet lots of people. It wore him out though! I was so excited to see lots of people that I went to school with this year. It really makes you realize how much you missed people when you get to see them again.

I don't have any pictures, we left the camara in the car, oops! I will post some new ones soon. I am sending out an email for you to go see our newest pictures from the Picture People. When they showed us the pictures, the people at Penn Square Mall in OKC asked us to sign a model waiver. They wanted to use Eric's pictures in the store as advertisement!!! How exciting!!

Tell us what you think!! :0)

We love all of you!!