Emily Weaver Brown

We're back!

Vacation Highlights

• reconnecting with good friends
• relaxing on the beach
• 80*+temperatures all week
• amazing Cuban food
• Eating out at Emeril Lagasse's restaurant and spotting Mario Bartelli
• drinking cafecitos every afternoon
• being able to sit down and read for pleasure for more than 15 min at a time

1) Simon on Miami beach
2) Isabella and Nick
3) feeding the giraffes at the metro zoo
4) Flowers at the Pinecrest gardens
5) Olivia
6) Sign post in the keys indicating that we were 4527 miles from Nome Ak
7) Pelican on a warf in the keys
8) Isabella on her tricked out tricycle
9) The Monteros
10) Simon walking in the waves
11) Isabella (a rare look at the camera)
12) Myles trying to get Simon to build a sand castle (he hated sand)
13) Strawberries picked at a U-pick farm
14) Olivia on Miami beach
15) "dolphin" tacos (that's what the menu said)
16) A turtle at the Pinecrest gardens
17) us at the strawberry farm
18) Isabella at Pinecrest gardens
19) Pinecrest gardens (I was really impressed with these gardens - way better than our botanical gardens)
20) A flower at Pinecrest gardens

all the rest of the photos are up on facebook.

And yes, it was very hard to wake up to snow (yes snow) yesterday morning.

A tradition of sorts

Since I have done this shot 2 times before I thought I would do it again now that Simon is a year old. It was a lot harder this time as Simon is so much more mobile and doesn't like to stay put when I get to hit the timer on the camera.  I really need a remote for doing this type of thing.

Anyway here we are again one year later, still doing massages (though not nearly as frequently) and Myles playing the guitar. Simon likes to "help" him play which is really just grabbing the sings. So I have to massage him or all we hear is dampened strings.

I apologize again for not blogging more but it's been a busy few weeks for us. Simon came down with a cold a little over a week ago and it settled into his chest. Not a big deal he was just coughing a little bit. I had the same cold and it was just like he couldn't clear the mucus out of his chest because he is to little to know how to really cough it up. On Tuesday he had his well child check and the pediatrician listened to his lungs and said it was just a cold but to call her if the cough got worse. She also noted that he has dropped from the 10th percentile for weight to the 3rd. So I am supposed to be fattening him up.  For the record he is 31 inches tall and 18 lbs 6 oz. (that's 85th percentile for height). He needs to gain a little over a pound to get back up to the 10th percentile for weight. That doesn't seem like much (3600 calories) but considering that he maybe eats 100 calories max in one sitting it could take awhile to feed him the additional 3600. Dr. Kelly suggested that I give him 1/4 cup of full full fat yogurt every day and plenty of avocados, cheese, and nut butters and tahani. I know the current school of thought is to not give babies peanuts or nuts until 2 or 3 years of age but this recommendation is changing and if you don't believe me check out this study. Elle also helped us on this front a few months ago by sharing her peanut butter and jelly sandwich with Simon so we already knew he wasn't allergic to peanuts.  At any rate I am now dutiful spreading peanut butter between slices of banana and trying to convince him to eat avocado (he used to love it but for the time being has decided he doesn't like it). He doesn't like yogurt at all even the commercial very sweet stuff. But I finally got him to eat some pain yogurt sweetened with molasses.

His cough didn't get worse but he did develop a 102 fever. He started doing this really weird breathing where he was sort of panting.  So being a typical first time mom I freaked out and took him back to the Dr. (two Dr. visits in one week!). I was afraid that he had pneumonia or some sort of infection in his lungs but nope he was fine - just a virus causing the fever. She listened to his lungs and looked into his ears - all fine. He had the fever on and off for about 3 days and now he is almost 100% better. This is the first time that he has really been sick and he was really clingy and totally lost his appetite. We are leaving for Florida on Thursday for some sun and relaxation and I am really glad to get this all over with before our trip.

So that's the heath report!

the artist at work

Wee-me and other random stuff

I know I have been a bad blogger lately but I have been super busy.

Last week I was very surprised to receive a package in them mail from my friend Heather. I think Heather and I might be long lost sisters, we just click like that. We have never met in person only online but we email and send stuff to each other in the mail (which Myles finds very strange). Well look what she made me!

it's out Wee Me family. They are very small and the detail is incredible! Notice that I have a camera in my hand! You can even tell the camera is a Nikon because of the red stripe.

Heather custom makes these dolls to order, painting them to reflect your family. Everyone who has seen these on display at my house has asked about where to get them. So if you want a set you can contact Heather though her blog.

Here is a little video of Simon being super cute at dinner last night. He doesn't normally preform when I pull out the video camera but for some reason he was being super cooperative this time. Myles parents have been in town and the day before we took him to the zoo. Simon fell in love with the elephants and even learned the ASL sign for it. I make an elephant sound by blowing through my lips and making a sort of trumpet sound and that is what Simon is trying to imitate when we ask him what an elephant says. Oh, and we had eaten chili and let him feed himself that is why he is such a mess and the original reason why I got out the video camera.

dinner theater from Emily Weaver Brown on Vimeo.

And one more Random thing
Myles co-worker found this comic and modified it to fit our family. I thought it was pretty funny even though for the record I have never dressed up Simon in costumes for photos with the exception of Halloween.

the "big man in the baby's crib" is referring to this photo of Myles. Which also for the record was not posed. Myles climbed in their on his own free will.

Happy Birthday Simon!

Um sugar!

Simon's actual birthday is today but we celebrated all week! These are from his party last night.

We did a puppet show for the kids. Two acts - the Tortoise and the Hare and the Lion and the Mouse. The kids loved it.

That's Ashley (Simon's Godmother) narrating - I'm the rabbit.

A Year ago today....

I went because through the photos from Simon's birth, most of them are too indecent to share here but here are a few that I don't think I have shared before.

Man do I ever look tired in that last one! Simon was getting his newborn exam while I watched.

This morning in church I kept watching the clock and and 10:42 I held up my cell phone for Myles to see and pointed to the time and then to Simon. Myles just looked at me and mouthed "what?" then he leaned forward and whispered "turn that off - it could ring in church" - Men!