May gone already?

Well, this is a rarity. It's Brendan, writing our family blog. I don't get to do this very much, so I'll try and be brief. We've had a pretty full schedule these past few weeks, with Katie's dad coming to visit, and also Katie's friend Heather Chapell. Heather gets the distinction of being Katie's first friend to come and visit us here in Montana! Congratulations Heather. And thank you for coming, because it was great. The following pictures catalog the events of the past weeks. Hope you enjoy them... they almost all have Emma in them somewhere.

Finally, a good family photo



Heather and Katie at the lake (looking beautiful)



Heather with Emma at our house



Emma (with her "what's going on here?" face) and Larry



Our little cute girl looking cute



Emma chilling in a beach chair



Emma playing with water for the first (though not last) time



Emma having a crazy time with dad!


So, this picture gets a story. After school got out, we decided, with our friends Forrest and Francie, to celebrate by having a Mexican food night... ie Fiesta night. We made some great food and spent the evening with our friends. This picture was taken as we walked to get some excellent ice cream at "The Big Dipper" where we all ordered Mexican chocolate dipped in chocolate... Forrest was in a hurry to get there!

Lastly, I failed to mention that we went to the doctor today. Emma now weighs in at 12 pounds 15 ounces, and is 24.5 inches tall. She's growing well, and is a happy baby most of the time...except at night, where she has decided to start waking up 3 or 4 times again. Her poor parents. If you see us, please show some measure of sympathy... or at least empathy... and disregard the dark circles under our eyes. We love being parents, though, and wouldn't trade it for anything. God has been teaching us a lot these past weeks about ourselves, about himself, and about what it means to be filled with grace (and patience) towards one another and our child.

Oh. PS. I (Brendan) am excited because I've begun recording for the release of a new album. It should be done by the end of the summer. More on that as it progresses... or in the words of our friend (and student) Laura - "Be excited!"

A Week in Pictures

We've been busy with lots of visitors this past week and a few more to come! It's been a joy being with the Jamieson side of the family in the gorgeous Montana weather. Summer is on the way! Here is a quick recap:

Emma's first time at Big Sky cabin (and lake!)

Lakehouse dinner with the family friends Pam and John

Learning some new tricks with Gran

Emma meets Aunt Danielle

Emma meets Great-Grandpa Dave

Testing the water

A Goofy Girl

A Weekend with Auntie Rachel

Last weekend was such a great time with Katie's sister Rachel. It was so good to have Emma finally meet her Auntie. We took a lot of walks, went for a picnic by the Blackfoot River, heard about Rachel's trip to India, ate lots of good food and generally just enjoyed each other. It was beautiful 80 degree weather, which was a nice gift before it decided to snow flurry during the week. In Montana, you never know! We miss you already Auntie Rachel!

It’s been awhile since we posted a blog with our visitors, travels to Bozeman and Fort Benton, and the university finishing up the semester, so we thought we’d give you a little Emma update. At just over three months old, Emma is eating and growing well, probably weighing in at around 12.5 lbs. She is sleeping a bit better, we’ve had a few nights where she has slept from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. but most nights are more like 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. and then she will eat again at 6 a.m. We are slowing emerging from the world of sleep deprivation. Emma rolled over for the first time on April 25th and her favorite activity is standing (while being supported of course). We think she gets cuter by the day. I went to a baby shower this morning and couldn’t believe how much our baby girl has grown in three months after holding a 7 lb newborn! Here are a few pictures of last weekend. We’ll be posting more regularly, we promise!

Our picnic by the river

Emma's other favorite activity, blowing bubbles

Testing out the water with Dad

Mmmm, lunch!

A sleepy baby

The Girls

Emma meet Mr. Catepillar

Have a great weekend everyone!

Keeping Busy

This has been my project over the past few weekend, to rearrange and redecorate the living room. Before Emma was born, Brendan and I were always rushing off somewhere and spent little time at home. Now that we are more confined to home, i felt it was necessary to make it more workable for us with more storage and different space. I've never spent so much time in my own place! It's been wonderful to be "stuck" at home more.

Emma and I survived the week with Brendan gone. My mom came about halfway through and was a lifesaver. It was so fun to have three generations of Adams women together. We took tons of walks, ate lots of yummy food, and just generally enjoyed each others company. Brendan had a great time in Tacoma with the Intervarsity students. We are happy to be a family again though. We'll post more pics soon!

Two Months Today!

I finally caught Emma's adorable little dimple on camera!

I thought I'd sneak in a post while Emma is taking an evening nap. Sorry it's been such a long time since we put anything up on the blog. I've started work back up at the church and Brendan has been going the usual intense InterVaristy pace. Work has been fine, I love the people I work with and what I do, but every moment away from Emma takes it's toll on me. Brendan has been bringing Emma up one of the two feedings of the morning while I am gone and having that extra little special time with my girl has been a gift. Emma and I are gearing up for a week with the girls as Brendan will be away in Tacoma, WA for the IV Spring Break trip. My mom flies out on Tuesday which will be a huge blessing this week. The single mom thing is hard!

Anyways, God has been sustaining us and we have somehow managed to see Him pour out more of Himself in our weakness with coffee shop concerts, large group talks, and the usual bustle of life here in Missoula. The good news is our lack of sleep is slowly decreasing, Emma is sleeping so much better through the night and is down to two feedings at night. She's putting on weight- she weighed in at 9 lbs. 11 oz a week and a half ago so I'd wager she's over 10 lbs at this point! Hard to believe some people start out with babies this big! Happy 2 month birthday to our little girl. Here are a few recent pics of the little bean. Enjoy!

The Yawn

A Few Recent Pics

For all you Emma fans (ahem, Grandparents), here are some pictures of Emma taken in the last week!

Emma doing some work with Dad in front of the computer

With Grandpa and Gran Jamieson

After a good meal...

Checking out the ceiling

And with a tired, but happy Mom

My Husband...My Hero

This picture is of Brendan and me in Hawaii last year. It’s good to look back on the things we have done and know that someday soon a sense of normal will return. It’s going to be a new normal, but it will be a routine. I look forward to that day! It’s been an interesting couple of days in the Jamieson household. Last Thursday Emma had a colicky- like episode that consisted of screaming for a 24-hour period with short catnaps in between when she has completely worn herself out. It broke my heart to try and do everything I could and she still would not be comforted. Turns out she had a dislike of something I had eaten the night before- a Mexican pulled beef with green chilis, onions, garlic, and the like. Apparently Emma does not like ethnic foods. That’s okay, I have resigned myself to eating backed potatoes and other bland food as long as I am nursing her. It is worth it not to go through another day like that. Unfortunately that whole day Brendan was preparing his talks for the retreat this weekend and then went to InterVarsity’s large group meeting that night. He came home to an exhausted and teary-eyed wife. That night he told me that he would do whatever it took for me to get a long stretch of sleep that night- I had been getting between one to one and a half hours at a time. So Brendan and Emma spent a lot of that night on the couch sleeping and hanging out while I got one gloriously long four hour stretch. It’s amazing what a difference it makes. What a gift, thank you my sweet husband. I can’t imagine how single parents do this.

Brendan has been gone on a retreat this weekend, leaving Emma and I to have some girl time. We have gone for a walk, visited with a friend, gone to Starbucks for a coffee break (actually we just drove through the drive-thru), watched about half a movie, and Emma has eaten a whole lot. God had been gracious as Emma has been relatively mellow. We’re figuring things out. Even with all the bumps and valleys over the past few days I wouldn’t trade being a mom to this little girl for anything in the world.

Strength for Today...

It's been an exhausting couple of days in the Jamieson household. We are trying to figure out life as a family of three, with one working dad, an average of five hours of broken up sleep nightly, and a tiny three-and-a-half week old who runs our lives. It's an interesting place to be when you are constantly wiped out, needing rest, needing time to connect with each other yet so captivated by our daughter. Every long night that we have is followed by waking up, gazing at Emma and all her cuteness, and forgiving her for every minute we lacked sleep. I have a new profound respect for my parents and all they did for me. Parenthood is a place of constant giving, dying to self, and infinite joy. I don't know how all that works except that is, in a small way, what Christ has gone through for us. Somehow we join in His suffering and joy as we raise this beautiful baby girl. I have been constantly meditating on and reminding myself of the words of Isaiah 40:28-30- "He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. The will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and now grow weary, they will walk and now grow faint." This is the promise we are holding on to, that God will give us strength for this day, He is faithful to do all He promised.

The picture up above is Emma with Grandpa Jamieson and Dad. We have been so blessed by the help of Brendan's parents, what would we have done without them? I am convinced more and more that children are supposed to be raised by a whole extended family- any family want to move out to Montana?

Slowly Resuming Life

Yay for Grandma and Grandpa! Grandparents to the rescue for us in the past week and a half. Katie's parents came out to help a week after Emma was born. They came to help exhausted parents who desperately needed naps, food, and the floor vacuumed. What a blessing to have Mom and Dad come over every morning while we would stumble out of the bedroom, hand off Emma, and go back to bed for a couple hours. That saved our life! Emma loved the being held all the time and bonding with her grandparents. Here's a few pics from the last week:

Emma's first meeting with Grandma:

Grandpa (a.k.a. "the Mattress- Emma would fall asleep on him anytime, anyplace)

Emma's been sleeping a little better through the night after a rough couple of nights of three hours for us, total. We bought a co-sleeper which attaches to the side of our bed and makes nighttime feedings 100% easier as well as giving us the bed back. Brendan's parents arrived yesterday and we are enjoying their company as well as more helping hands. Life is slowing starting to feel more managable, we went to church this morning for the first time since Emma was born. Emma did cry a bit and needed to eat right in the middle of the sermon, but we lived through it and no one gave us dirty looks. I think we will learn to actually do things in public again and maybe even enjoy them! It feels good to be getting back into the swing of life after three weeks away. Brendan starts work again full force tomorrow so that will be another adjustment. Thanks for all your prayers.

A typical portrait of Emma during the day (but not at night!)

Exhaustion

This is Emma's "I'm almost ready to eat but not quite yet" face. Pretty cute, huh? We are loving this adventure of parenthood and can't believe Emma is already a week old. We had her first doctor's appointment today. It was strange to drive to the hospital and remember the early morning she was born. It was the most difficult, beautiful thing I've ever done. And I'd do it all over again for her. It's amazing the newfound respect I have for women in their ability to sustain life and bring it into the world. God is pretty amazing in His design.
Anyways, Emma's first appointment went well. She has already gained back an ounce more than her birth weight. That explains all the feedings! Overall she is very healthy and in fine form. Wish we could say the same for us! We are bit sleep deprived and calorie deprived- not from lack of food but because we keep forgetting to eat. You other parents out there understand. But we are loving life and are so thankful. My parents come tomorrow to help out and get some good time in with their new grandbaby. We are looking forward to taking more naps, and maybe actually cleaning our house!... with their help, of course.
We're off to bed for the night. Pray for us, that we all (including Emma) sleep well.