Hungry Little Boy

I think that chow time just might be Merrick's favorite time of the day. From the day that we started rice cereal, Merrick has loved eating from a spoon. He gets so excited and opens his mouth as wide as can be. If you don't get the food in fast enough he will reach for the spoon and try to do it himself.

Here are some pictures from our first cereal feeding



Merrick feeding himself


This week we started veggies. We started with sweet potatoes and so far Merrick cannot get enough. I decided to make my own baby food and Merrick enjoyed taking a test taste off the spoon I was using before I was even finished. Making your own food is so easy and economical. I have a feeling I will be spending an arm and leg to keep this boy full so I better save money while I can.

Mover and Shaker

At four months Merrick started rolling from his stomach to his back. This was super cute but made tummy time hard because as soon as a put him on to his tummy, he would flip right over. I started to worry that if he was never on his stomach, he would never learn to crawl...well he is not yet crawling, but mobility is definitely not his problem. About two weeks ago Merrick learned to roll from his back to his stomach (he was close for a long time, but finally mastered it two weeks ago). Since then he has become my little rollie pollie bug. If I walk away from him for just a minute, I will return to find him across the room. The other day he turned himself 180 degrees in his crib while swaddled and supposedly asleep. I took the picture below after leaving him on his mat for a minute and a half (I know it was a minute and a half because I left him to microwaving something). I know this is just the beginning of life with a very busy boy and I can't wait!

Mary Vs. Martha

Yesterday was Presidents' Day and since it was a holiday we had a chance to spend a little more time as a family. We had a great day with Jeremy and I getting to go to the temple in the morning, but for me my favorite part of the day was Jeremy, Merrick, and me playing soccer in the backyard.



What makes me so sad is that I almost missed out on this great family moment. When Jeremy decided to take Merrick out I was right in the middle of something that I could not step away from. While I finished I could see them playing together and I wished I was out there with them. I told myself that I would quickly finish and get out there, but as I finished I ended up in the kitchen looking at a sink full of dishes and thinking about how I had people coming over in a little while.

I have to admit that it was much harder for me to walk away from that sink than it should have been. In the end it took both encouragement from Jeremy and the realization that while it would be nice the have a clean house there would be time for that later, but the moments I have to just be with my family are fleeting and need to be treasured. It reminds me of a wise quote, "Quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep, I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep!" I know this will continue to be something that I struggle with, but I will continue to work on it because it is important for me that my family know that they always come first.

Daddy

I never really know what is going to happen when Jeremy is left alone with Merrick. They love to spend time together and it is not uncommon for me to find the two of them watching a basketball or football game together, but there are also times when daddy gets a little "creative" with their time together.

Like the time daddy decided to teach Merrick to use the remote



Or the time that he wondered if Merrick would still look cute dressed up WT style (and the answer is yes...yes he does!)



No matter what happens during their time together I know that Merrick will be safe, loved, and well taken care of. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband. He helps with Merrick during the night. He goes to work to support our family and even offers to rub my shoulders when he gets home. Most importantly, he uses his priesthood to give a sick Merrick a blessing in the middle of the night.

We are so lucky

Blessing

One last post to get us up to date...Merrick's baby blessing. On November 28, 2009 Merrick was given a name and a blessing by his father. This was a very special day in our family. Merrick was dressed in all white and wore a white tie that was made from the white tie that Jeremy wore the first time that he went to the temple. He also had a special white blanket that his Lollie had made for his daddy when he was blessed. The blessing took place at Grandma-great and Grandpa-great's house and lots of family came to be part this special day. We are so grateful to have had this time to celebrate Merrick and our eternal family.

Christmas 2009

Well it is February and I am just writing about Christmas, but better late than never right? We had a great Christmas. In the morning we were home and Jeremy's family came over to open presents. Merrick was definitely the star of the show with more presents than he could stay awake to open and he looked so cute in his "Peanuts" pj's.



In the afternoon we got to spend some time with my family. My parents were supposed to be in Oregon, but because my sister, Emily, was having back problems, they got to be here for Merrick's first Christmas.

It was a great day and I would not have changed a thing. Many presents were exchanged and opened, but my favorite present came almost three months earlier.