How did you get in there?...

This is where I found Isaac on Sunday afternoon:

Since he can only go backwards, I imagine he backed himself right in the exersaucer! He was happy until he sat up and got stuck inside the seat! I wasn't sure how to get him out but it was fun to laugh at!

Still not crawling forward but has recently learned to sit up from the lying down position! This meant we had to lower his bed so he can't fall out. We will have to lower it again when he learns to stand but we hope that will be a few more weeks! Here are some pictures of the places I find him and the last one is of him standing in his crib. (I stood him up and he doesn't stand very long by himself so he leans more than stands!)

Oh the places I go...

Isaac is mobile and getting into everything. Although he doesn't crawl forward, he is very good at going backwards! Here are a few pictures of the places he likes to play.

He also likes to play with Zach's guitar, the DVR box, and the cabinets on the entertainment center. I wish he understood the meaning of "no"!

Yesterday we went to Isaac's 9 month appointment. He was really upset when the nurse came in and we laid him on the table for his measurements. I think he remembers his shots! He officially weighs 22 pounds and is 29 1/2 inches long! He is in the 75th percentile for weight and the 95th for height! He is certainly a big boy!

Jake is doing a little better. We put him on some steroids to decrease the swelling in his lymphnods. He's eating and drinking better but we know it's a matter of time before the swelling will return and he will take a turn for the worst. Last Thursday night he went blind. Luckily a couple doses of the steriods helped and he can see again. That also will come back eventually.

I end with this very cute picture of Isaac playing under our end table. He looks a little mischievious to me!

My boys...

Aren't they adorable?? Isaac decided the other day to just roll over to Jake and play. Jake loved it! He gave Isaac a spit bath and Isaac tried his best to pet him.

This last week hasn't been easy for Zach or me. Over Christmas Zach found some lumps under Jake's jaw bone and we went to the vet last week to see what it was. The diagnosis was cancer and there is no cure. We've had to make a very hard decision to treat or not to treat. Treatment will only prolong his life by 6 months to a year and it's incredibly expensive so the decision has been made to let him die. Zach read online that the average dog lives 4 to 8 weeks after diagnosis so this may be very quick. We are feeling a wide range of emotions: shock, helplessness, disappointment, etc. It's been difficult because Jake isn't even 4 years old. Please pray for our family as we prepare to say good bye. We still have to make the decision of when to put him down. We don't want him to suffer.

That's really been our life the last week. Isaac is still close to crawling but hasn't quite figured it out. He's starting to pull up on his knees and has been in EVERYTHING!!! I took him grocery shopping the other day and when we were in the checkout line I heard him messing with something but didn't think anything of it until the box of candy crashed to the floor! He's never reached outside the cart like that but I can see shopping being much more difficult in the coming weeks and months!

As I write this I am reminded of Isaac's new favorite playtime. He is currently banging his head on the Christmas tree box. He loves to take his toys and hit himself in the head. Zach finally got this on video the other day so I will have him post it when he gets a chance. It is hilarious but it always makes my head hurt!

One more story of Isaac's adventures...We went to Country Kitchen the other night for supper. The waitress brought our drinks but Zach and I were concentrating on the menu so we didn't realize that she set them right in front of Isaac. I heard the lady behind me say "he's going to get that..." as soon as I looked I saw my glass in Isaac's hands, just about to be spilled in his lap. Luckily the lady behind us caught the glass before it spilled. We determined that the waitress had no children because she continued to set things in front of Isaac all night.

Happy New Year!

We are back from our travels and ready to stay home for a while! Isaac did really well at my parents, he even slept through the night a couple of times. Now that we are at home, he is back in his routine and doing an excellent job of sleeping from 8ish until 6ish.

Our Christmas was fabulous and we really enjoyed spending time with our families. Some entertaiment at the Beerends household included playing RockBand on the Wii and playing the Farming Game with my parents. I am happy to say that we made it through this holiday without getting sick!

Isaac seems to be getting ready to crawl, although I think it will be a few weeks yet. His new task to conquer is getting up on all fours, which as long as he's by the couch he is successful! One thing he had to learn the hard way was not to try to roll over while on all fours. It's a long way down to the floor from up there!

Isaac is a pro at going backwards on his tummy. We are amazed at how fast he can get from one place to another. Sometimes I blink and he's already across the room! He loves to roll to the entertainment center and open the storage doors on the bottom.

I did a major cleaning yesterday and Isaac got to investigate the vaccuum. I think he just might be a little helper when he's older! At least I can hope!

Merry Christmas!

We spent this past weekend with Zach's family and Isaac opened his first presents. He was so excited but didn't really understand ripping the paper himself. Zach pretty much opened his presents while he anxiously waited to see what was inside. Here are some pictures of the weekend:

Isaac anxiously awaits what's inside

Isaac loves his Aunt Lacy and her dog Hogan

The whole Erickson family

Isaac also got a new car seat this past weekend because he didn't fit in the infant carrier anymore. We've got it installed and he seems to really like it. We like it because it's easier to get him in it. With the new car seat came a new winter coat.

We are heading to my parents this afternoon. We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope you will remember the Reason for the Season.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

At least in the Erickson house. For the first time we have put up a Christmas tree and we have presents wrapped underneath it. Isaac is mesmerized by the tree and loves to feel it's branches. We took our annual family Christmas photo the other night. We thought having Jake in the picture would be too much of a challenge so this year he's been left out. Having Isaac in the picture was enough of a challenge for me!

We have finished our Christmas shopping, well except me getting a present for Zach. This is the first year of our marriage that we decided to exchange gifts. Typically we just buy something together for the two of us. Zach has tons of ideas for me but I am struggling to find that perfect gift for him.

We will be traveling starting this weekend. We are excited to go up to Zach's parent's this weekend (hoping no one is sick this time!). Zach's sister will get meet Isaac for the 1st time. We will be gone until Monday and then home Tuesday before leaving Wednesday evening for my family's house. We hope to see many of you along the way but if we don't have a Merry Christmas!

Where's Jake?

Winter has arrived and as the weather gets colder we have brought Jake inside during the evenings. Isaac is so fascinated by Jake. He LOVES to look at him! The first night we brought Jake in we set Isaac on the floor while we arranged some furniture to make room for our Christmas tree. Zach and I carried a desk downstairs to the basement and when we left Isaac was carrying on a very loud conversation with Jake. Not too long after I heard Jake bark and that was the end of the conversation...Isaac freaked! It took me a little while to get him calmed back down. I brought Isaac over to pet Jake and he seemed to be okay with him again.

Isaac loves to stick his fingers in Jake's nose. Yes, that is disgusting but we have learned that Isaac does some really gross things. The other day I picked Isaac up from the baby sitter and watched him stick his tongue out for their dog to lick. I had to put my hand over his mouth to get him to stop! Bailey was more than happy to accommodate Isaac's wishes!

We traveled to Austin for Thanksgiving but it was a Thanksgiving we would like to forget! I was sick with the flu on Thursday night and Friday and then Zach and his mom got sick Friday night and Saturday. Isaac and Zach's dad were the only two to stay healthy. We thank God for that! I learned that as a mother, I will never fully recover from sickness before needing to get back to taking care of Isaac. Zach's dad was a great help and I don't know what we would have done if he'd gotten sick too!

Isaac now has 2 teeth! The first came in right before Thanksgiving and the second one came in this past weekend. He is growing so fast, I know if I blink I will miss something! Isaac has also learned to roll...all over the place. I can't leave the room for a second or he will be on the other side. Yesterday I found him under Zach's guitar! Everyone says it won't be long and he will be crawling! YIKES!!! I don't know if I'm ready for that!

Here are some pictures we took at Thanksgiving. We hope to get some more posted before Christmas.

Great Grandpa & Grandma Erickson with Isaac

Grandma Erickson & Isaac

Grandma Beerends & Isaac