Recent Pictures

Computer Virus :(

Yes, my computer decided to tell us on Saturday that it was sick. After spending hours trying to figure out why our McAfee didn't stop the virus and what we needed to use to remove it, we ended up giving up and Mike took it to work on Monday. So far it is still sick and not at home where I can use it each day. I think I've been going through withdrawl all week. Thankfully Mike has been able to bring home his laptop each night so that I can quickly check email for any crisis and ship whatever items have sold via Ebay and Amazon.

I can't wait to have a working computer again. Oh yes, and I'm VERY thankful that they were able to pull my files and pictures of Jonathan off the computer before it was able to permanently delete them.

If you need to get ahold of me about something imminent, the best plan is a phone call right now until we resolve this problem. I'm just praying that it doesn't completely die as I don't think replacement is an option right now.

Meeting Family

In the past several weeks, Jonathan has had the opportunity to meet several relatives. I thought I would post some of those pictures for you to see.

Jonathan and Uncle Ken

Jonathan and his cousin, Ryan
Aunt Kristin feeding Jonathan

Jonathan and his cousin, Braden

Jonathan and his cousin, Jason

This is Jonathan with Mike's brother Royce and Mike's Dad.

Jonathan with Grandpa Staples

Grandma Staples meeting Jonathan for the 1st time.

Jonathan and Grandma Herriage

Rested Mommy is Happy Mommy

Score for Jonathan! Monday night he slept for almost 7 hours between night feeding and morning feeding. Tuesday night he slept for 7 1/2 hours between night feeding and morning feeding. And last night he really made Mommy happy...

He went to sleep at 10:30 p.m. and didn't wake up until 7:00 a.m. WHOHOO.

Wait, did I mention...WHOHOO!!!!!

Seriously, I need my sleep. Which reminds me - it is midnight and I need to sleep. I'm still hoping for a repeat and maybe I'll get at least 7 hours before he is ready to eat again.

The Dogs & The Little Guy

Mike, Jonathan, Sheba and Cody

Mike, Jonathan, Casey and Sasha

One of the most frequent questions we receive seems to always revolve around how the dogs are handling the baby. I think they are all doing very well. When we first brought him home, they would jump up every time he made a noise and would wake up in the night when we woke up with the little guy. Now they tend to sleep through just about everything. When we bring them out, they've learned not to come running over, but to lie down on the floor and wait until we give them permission to come closer.

We did have one person (who has never met us or our dogs) criticize us and say that we shouldn't keep such "known aggressive dogs". Anyone who has ever met our dogs (and Julie could probably attest to this since her daughter had only good experiences with our dogs) knows that they are well behaved and not at all aggressive - unless you count licking. I do think some people believe that we put Jonathan in the middle of the floor and let the dogs just run wild around him. Obviously that is not the case.

Pardon me for just a moment while I step up onto my soapbox...

Wow - I love being taller.

Anyway... so many people seem to have this belief that the bigger a dog is, the meaner it is. Some believe that certain breeds will always become dangerous or violent. This drives me a little bit crazy because when I was in 5th grade, someone asked us to dogsit their dog. I came home from school and was petting the dog which was sitting on my mom's lap. Out of no where, the dog decided to lash out and bite my face. Six stitches later and scars that are still on my face to this day, I will always have a healthy fear for - yes, you might have guessed it - LAP DOGS. You know, the cute little ones that look like they couldn't hurt a fly. Any breed can bite. Any breed can become nasty. I truly believe it is in the breeder and the training. Don't tell me that just because my dog was born a Rottweiler, he will eat Jonathan first chance he gets.

Okay, back down off my soapbox.

Bummer...I'm short again.

Now you know how I feel. We have good dogs. In the right circumstances they are allowed to be around Jonathan and we have even allowed them to lick his foot a little (to start building some loyalty - and an opportunity for them to express their love). However, we do recognize they are animals and we do not allow them to sleep with him, play with him, or be anywhere near Jonathan without us controlling the situation.

There you have it. I know you were all wondering.

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Six years ago, God blessed my sister Danelle and her husband with this little guy (Matthew). I was in Guam when he was born, but I came home for Christmas that year and I was able to hold him when he was just 8 days old. The first picture was from this summer when I was helping him do some fishing on the dock.

Since I was thinking of his birthday and saw these pictures, I thought I would post a happy birthday message for him. Maybe my sister will see it and show him. Hint hint. I'll have to start making this a tradition for the nephews and nieces.