St. Patty's Day

Last weekend, while Mrs. Parks was in town, we headed out to the St. Patrick's Day parade. Here are some pictures of all the fun we had!

Grandmommy & Emma waiting for the parade

This is where Eli spent most of the day, shielded in the stroller because it was windy!

Beads and candy...make Emma quite happy!

Peeking in at Eli

Emma and her crown of flowers

Eli made a short appearance towards the end of the parade

More pictures

Just wanted to share some more pictures. :)

See, I do open my eyes!

And I like my hands.

One of my favorite pictures...just melts my heart.

Our little monkey.

Sweet dreams.

Reading and Cuddles

This is what our afternoon looked like.

Reading

and cuddles

Family of Four

Eli James Parks was born yesterday (at 36 weeks) at 12:45 pm, weighing 6 lbs even and measuring 18 inches long.

Welcome to the family Eli! We love you!

35 1/2 weeks

I know I have been really bad about blogging lately. All I can say is that my life is quite busy these days. Here's the run down...

*I am now 35 1/2 weeks pregnant. If all goes as planned, Eli will be born by cesarean section on March 26th. That is in 23 days. I feel like there is so much to do and so little time!

*Physically, I have been feeling pretty well. Having a little bit of trouble sleeping and some discomfort every now and then, but that's it really. I have been blessed with another fairly easy pregnancy.

*This week, I returned to work as a nanny at Earth Search (where I was employed until last October). The nursery/daycare opened back up and it has been nice to be back. I will work as long as I can until Eli comes and then take some time off after he comes.

*We are still living at/serving with the Baptist Friendship House. It has been lots of fun and we can't wait to see how God continues to lead us to serve here.

*Emma has been struggling with ear infections since December and no amount or kind of antibiotics have helped. We have an appointment with the ENT specialist on the 12th. I am so ready for this appointment and hoping that if she needs tubes (most likely she will) that we can get that taken care of before Eli comes. We'll see.

*Our dear friends, Kelly and Paul, came to visit us during Mardi Gras. We had lots of fun with them and wore ourselves out going to parades!

That's all I can think of at the moment, but, of course, I have a few pictures to share.

Emma & I waiting for the Saint's victory parade!

Our friend, Kim, & Emma at the zoo.

This is what our trees look like during Mardi Gras.

Emma & Matt trying to get some good throws at a parade.

Emma liked this parade because they threw out candy!

We loved spending Mardi Gras with Kelly & Paul!

Today, at 35 1/2 weeks.

Our family of three (for a few more weeks).

Supa-Beauxl XLIV!

I'm sure you all know by now, but the SAINTS WON THE SUPERBOWL! There aren't words to describe the excitement in the city right now. We are proud to be a part of history. After the game, we, along with some friends, ran across the street to the French Quarter. We joined a Second Line and paraded to Bourbon Street. It was incredible. We got little sleep last night because of all the car horns and screaming. Can't wait until the VICTORY parade tomorrow afternoon!

Sickness

Our little family has been hit with all kinds of illnesses this week and we are struggling to recover. Emma has been battling an ear infection for almost a month now, but then suddenly came down with pneumonia on Tuesday. For now, she is being treated at home with antibiotics and breathing treatments, and we are hoping to not make a trip to the hospital. Right now, it seems as we took one step forward and two steps back. She got a shot of antibiotics on Tuesday afternoon and yesterday she had more energy and was more talkative, but then today she has been more lethargic again. She continues to have fever, though not as high as it was on Tuesday. Please pray that she will be able to kick this sickness soon.

Matt has also been pretty sick this week. He took the day off from work yesterday and went to urgent care because his doctor couldn't fit him in. I know that when I don't have to fight with him to take the day off and go to the doctor, he must feel really bad. The doctor said he just had a bad cold but gave him antibiotics anyway. To us, it seems like it is more than a cold, but hopefully these antibiotics will do the trick.

Baby Eli and I have been feeling fine this week and are praying that we don't get sick.

So, please be praying for our family as we battle these illnesses.

And just for a little fun, here's a picture. We took Emma on the carousel at the zoo for the first time on Monday. She loved it and hasn't stopped talking about it since then. "Emma 'round on alligator". :)

Randomness

I was wishing I had some recent pictures to share with you all, but it just didn't happen. I am ashamed to say that we didn't even take a single picture on Christmas day. We were in the midst of moving and we were at our new home and the camera was at our old home. Sad. Anyway, here's what's been going on with us lately...

• We moved during the holidays to the Friendship House (see a few posts back about details). We LOVE living here and are excited about all the opportunities it brings to serve those in need. Emma is having a blast at her new home because there are lots of friends to play with and lots of room to run! Our cats are also adjusting well. :)
• We had a quiet, very relaxing Christmas with just our little family. We did go to Christmas dinner at a friend's house and enjoyed our fellowship with them.
  
• I am now in my 3rd trimester (28 weeks) and am feeling quite well. I am starting to get a little uncomfortable, especially at night, but it's not too bad.
• Emma is has been sick since Christmas and is now on her 3rd round of antibiotics for an ear infection. We are hoping this will do the trick, or we might have to seek out different options. She hasn't been sleeping well at all (waking up 3-4 times at night) and is very cranky during the day. It's been very wearing on all of us!
• Matt's parents came for a visit during New Years and we greatly enjoyed the time we got to spend with them. Emma loved having her "mamommy" and "dadaddy" here to play with her!
• Emma has recently started talking in sentences. Her first sentence was "I want my baby" (speaking of her baby dolls of course) and we continue to hear new sentences and words daily.
  

Well, I've got to run to the potty now (a frequent occurrence around here), but hope to be updating more often and sharing pictures with you soon!

Thanksgiving recap

I know that it's almost January, but I am just now getting around to uploading our Thanksgiving pictures (we have been a little busy packing & moving!) We enjoyed a wonderful trip to the Carolinas (and Georgia) and got to spend lost of time with some dear friends and family.

We had Thanksgiving breakfast with our dear friends, the Edingers.

Emma was thankful for a full tummy!

Emma and her (second?) cousin Taylor playing Mimi's piano.

Time for some turkey!

We cheered on those Gamecocks to a victory over Clemson (note: my husband was very kind to wear a maroon shirt even though his heart was cheering for the Tigers)!

We went to Mays Park (where Mommy played as a kid).

Had some snuggle time.

Loved on Granddaddy.

Enjoyed spending time with the cousins.

Daddy & Mommy got an inside tour of the Augusta National Golfcourse, thanks to Uncle Michael!

We had a wonderful trip and were thankful for the time we got to spend with family and friends.

What's your favorite Christmas song?

Just wondering...what is everyone's favorite Christmas song? Mine, by far, is "O Holy Night". There is something about that song that moves my soul every time I hear it. So, what's yours?

Santa

This is how we traumatized our daughter the other night.

Everything's changing (once again!)

In a couple weeks, this will be our new home.

Yes, our family will be moving into the Baptist Friendship House, as volunteer staff (missionaries). After I lost my job in October, things were uncertain for our family. Then, this wonderful opportunity arose for our entire family to serve the city with a ministry that is dear to our hearts. Matt will continue working at Earth Search during the day and I will continue to chase around Emma and help out with whatever is needed during the day. Then we will basically be "on call" at night in case there are any emergencies or things that need taking care of. If you are not familiar with the Friendship House, they are a transitional housing program for homeless women and children. They also serve the community in many other ways including giving out hygeine kits and food to the homeless, offering job readiness and GED classes, counseling, etc. We are SO excited to be able to be a part of this ministry and serve the city we love so much! Please be praying for us as we make this transition.

All I want for Christmas...

Just thought I'd post the links to our wish lists since everyone is asking anyway.

Matt's amazon list
Emma's amazon list
Sarah's amazon list
Eli's diaper registry (password: babyparks)