pool party

These pictures were taken last week, but I just uploaded them to the computer tonight. Doesn't this look like fun? It is now REALLY hot here, so we need to get the pool out again soon.

Fun places to visit around Oxford

One of our favorite places in Oxford is Square Books, Jr. It is an awesome kids' book store. Several of the employees know Isaiah by name because we visit so often. I always find about 10 books that I think might be crucial to Isaiah's education and development when we visit, but I usually do a pretty good job of holding myself back from buying them. I have to remind myself (in the words of my Dad, the wise Rick Catlett) that I shouldn't buy a book when I could check it out from the library for free. Now, they don't always have these very important board books at our local public library, but they have enough to choose from, so I try to contain myself.

Anyway, at the entrance of Square Books, Jr. there is a collection of stuffed dogs surrounding a table. The table is quite large, so there are about 10 or 12 of these dogs. Most of them are bigger than Isaiah. They are made by Melissa and Doug, some of our favorite toy creators, and many different breeds are represented. Isaiah LOVES to go around the circle and pet each dog. He makes very sweet and/or excited noises when he sees these dogs. Yesterday, he picked up the Bichon Frise and carried around the store. He even tried to carry it out of the store. I have posted a picture of the black lab here; it's another one of Isaiah's favorites. He calls it "Big-by."

So I guess if you're looking for a somewhat frivolous gift that you know will be a big hit with Isaiah, this is it. Of course, in the words of my dad, the wise Rick Catlett, why should we buy that dog for Isaiah when that would take away the fun of visiting Square Books, Jr.?

Summer time... and the livin' is easy

We have made it to summer! It is glorious. So very glorious.

So far this summer, we have participated in some new and exciting activities:

This past weekend, D. and I left Isaiah with his Aunt RiRi, went to a Braves' game in Atlanta, and spent the night at the Hyatt in downtown Atlanta! (Thanks, priceline!)

I made a stuffed dog for Isaiah out of a pair of socks. I will have to post a picture after I give the dog eyes and a nose. I am crafty--it's true.

We bought a kiddie pool, inflated it, filled it with water, and Isaiah wouldn't get in. He did enjoy splashing, though.

I took a nap. More than once. :)

Isaiah and I went to my professor's house yesterday so she and I could talk about my directed reading. (19th century American Women's Fiction, because I know you were dying to know.) She has a nine-year-old and a six-year-old daughter. They LOVED Isaiah and he loved them right back. They had him pushing all kinds of animals around in a little shopping cart, dancing, and carrying around a toy guitar. The (almost) six-year-old insisted on inviting him to her birthday party next week. I am not so sure that we will go, but we will definitely draw her a picture.

We have been playing with sidewalk chalk on our driveway. I have been drawing with it; Isaiah has been eating it (or at least putting it in his mouth.)

We have been going for long walks as often as possible. We stop to gaze at all construction sites and admire all construction equipment, especially when it is in action.

Last night, I went out to dinner with two girl friends! It was so fun. We talked for 2 hours. What a gift.

We are doing our best to participate in saving the planet--we are trying to go all cloth napkins and all cloth diapers for the summer. So far, we've been fairly successful (traveling doesn't count).

Everybody needs to work at a university right--how amazing is it to still have summer at 29? I am so thankful to Jesus for the gifts he has given me!

Bi[g]-by

Isaiah is saying more and more words....or at least trying to. This morning, Corrie put Rigby up because a storm is brewing (again), and when she came back inside Isaiah started saying "Bi[g]-by...Bi[g]-by...Bi[g]-by." The 'g' doesn't always make it out, but as you can see, this is clearly Isaiah's word for Rigby.

mother's day

Does this boy look like his mama or what?

This is my second mother's day as a mom, and I am so thankful for the gift of motherhood. Every day I see myself in Isaiah, and it never ceases to surprise me.

I have learned a few things as a mom, and I am sure that I have a lot more to learn:

I should thank my own mom more often. Being a mom myself makes me realize how much she has sacrificed for me.

It is really impossible to control another person, regardless of how small that person is.

Going for a walk as a family can be a really special event--especially if the destination is Holli's Sweet Tooth.

It really does not impact my life significantly if I see a movie at home on my couch via Netflix instead of in the theatre.

Being a mom makes it easier to talk to strangers, especially if you have an outgoing toddler around to make introductions easier.

Babies change so fast. I cannot believe how different Isaiah is from just a few months ago, and it really makes me a little sad to think about how fast he's grown.

Sleep is such an amazing gift from God.

The Jacket and the Bus

The other day Isaiah and I were hanging out waiting for Corrie to get out of class. It's amazing to see how he can turn anything in to a toy. In this case, it was his jacket that happened to be hanging on a near by doorknob.



The Jacket and the Bus from D. Merricks on Vimeo.

Pastimes

Our church hosted a night at the Ole Miss baseball game last night. The grilled hot dogs and hamburgers in the outfield (not literally, on the other side of the fence beyond the outfield). It was great time to just hang out and enjoy the Oxford spring weather (70+ degrees and beautiful). As many of you know, baseball is one of my favorite pastimes (let's not talk about Braves right now), but what you may not know is that one of Isaiah's favorite pastimes is playing with pebbles. He loves picking them up, dropping them, picking them up, giving them to others, picking them up, dropping them, etc. etc. Here are some pictures...

Sharing pebbles with our friend Rajesh.

Is Alvin looking for another chipmunk?

Corrie forgot to smile. (She's thinking, "I love him soooo much!")

15 Months

Here are some pics of Isaiah we took a couple of weeks ago at Rowan Oak (not Roanoke). He doesn't do much posing anymore because he is constantly in motion. Thankfully, spring is in full swing so we can take him outside and let him run around a good bit. And in case you were wondering how big he was, he's roughly the same height as a fire hydrant! (90th percentile for kids his age, 75th percentile for weight.)

Grandma

Today is my grandma's birthday and I am missing her and thinking of her.

Every time I saw her, she whispered "Grandma loves you" in my ear, no matter how old I got.

She was the go-to person when one had a loose tooth.

She always had these chocolate fudgesicle things in her freezer.

She pierced my ears herself with an ice cube and a hot needle. (I know! crazy!)

She loved to tell stories about her life, and now I am thankful that she told me some of them over and over because I remember them well.

where we are

It is April 14th. If you didn't know, that means 3 weeks left to go in the semester counting this week!

That also means that we have A LOT to do in the next few weeks. We have so many pictures to post and fun stories to tell, but you might have to wait for them. Unless I feel like procrastinating, which is what I am doing right now.

A very short fun story: Isaiah knows a new word. I don't know if you could actually call it a word--it is listed in the dictionary as "an exclamation" (I love the dictionary on my computer!). It is "uh-oh" and he uses it often. How fun is that?

if you could see us now...

So here is something you need to try to imagine:

D. and I do our best to "tag team" a lot of diaper changes. Isaiah is stronger than you might imagine a 26-pound person to be. He is pretty buff. He doesn't like having his diaper changed, probably because he's been traumatized by having saline squirted up his nose in order to help with congestion. So we have a diaper-changing strategy.

We sing one of several songs, the choices include "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," "The Wheels on the Bus," and "The Alphabet Song." If you'd like to suggest another choice, be sure to add a comment. In an attempt to add variety, D. has been known to sing the words to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to the tune of "I Need a Lover Who Won't Drive Me Crazy" by John Cougar Mellencamp. It's actually pretty catchy.

Before we take him in his room, one of us begins singing one of the songs listed above. The singing must involve a lot of enthusiasm and fervent motions. The designated singer must sing whole-heartedly and keep Isaiah's attention while the other one opens the wipes container, gets down to the diaper and cleans up Isaiah's bottom as quickly and efficiently as possible all while joining in on the song. Of course, the designated diaper-changer isn't expected to participate in motions.

The hardest part may be putting the clean diaper on him, because by this time he has gotten tired of listening to the song and laughing at the motions. Forget about snapping a onesie! Whoever thought it was a good idea to make a pair of jeans with about 40 snaps up the legs?

Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall? I bet we could make a lot of money off a reality show. I'm thinking TLC because we're way too classy for a network reality show. Especially Fox.

10 things that make me happy

1. I love that when we ask Isaiah if he wants to take a bath he says "ba" and runs to the bathroom.
2. I love that there are only 5 weeks left in the semester. yay!
3. I love my friends Matt and Amy, and I love that today is April 1st, so I am believing that they will be hearing good news about their adoption soon!
4. I love dogwood trees and the fact that they are blooming right now.
5. I love my church, the Orchard Oxford.
6. I love my husband and the way he makes me laugh.
7. I love Chocolate Silk Soymilk in my coffee.
8. I love that I got the chance to lecture for 50 minutes about Eudora Welty on Monday.
9. I love Newk's pimiento cheese sandwiches.
10. I love seeing Isaiah's smiling face when I wake up in the morning.

Easter Egg Hunt

We've had a wonderful Holy Week and Easter Weekend.

D. and I had the chance to read scripture at our church's Good Friday Service. The service was so moving, especially due to the music played by our good friend Matthew.

On Saturday, we invited members of our church over to our house for an Easter Egg Hunt. It was so much fun! Isaiah was the only boy, but he really didn't care. He enjoyed having all the girls over and watching them play with his toys. His red wagon from Nana and Poppa and his new outside car that MeMa and Pop brought him this weekend were very popular. (Incidentally, MeMa, bargain shopper, got the car for $5 at a yard sale!)

Isaiah "found" 3 eggs. He had so much fun putting them into his pail, taking them out and looking at them, and putting them back in his pail again... I hope he is always this easy to entertain. He has not discovered Easter candy yet. Maybe next year we won't be able to avoid it!

Our sad discovery of the weekend is that Isaiah suffers from seasonal allergies. After the wonderful egg hunt and being outside all morning, his nose and eyes have been running for a few days. We are working on getting those allergies under control.

This morning we enjoyed celebrating Easter. We woke up and were able to remember that the mourning of Good Friday has ended forever. We are so grateful for our church community here in Oxford.

Christ is risen indeed!

trip to the park

MeMa and Pop made the long drive to come and see us for Easter Weekend. We've had so much fun!

Here are a few pictures of our trip to the park on Friday. It was a beautiful day.

Preaching Class

I'm taking a preaching class this semester and I have to preach 2 sermons and have them evaluated. For those who have about 17 mins to spare, my first is posted here. (This is easier than putting it on a disc, if you'd still like a disc, just let me know.)

Sermon 1 from D. Merricks on Vimeo.

iPhone = Isaiah Phone

If you don't know this already, Isaiah loves phones. Yesterday morning he somehow got the regular phone and somehow called these really nice people in Batesville...on speaker phone. I walked in the room and heard a lady saying, "Hello? Hello?"

Of course, being the responsible parent that I am, I grabbed the phone and hit the off button.

This morning, I left my cell phone within Isaiah's striking distance and so he grabbed that too. Let me just assure everyone that Isaiah's dexterity, meaning the strength of his fingers and thumbs, is just fine. He began carrying around my phone and somehow took this video. If you listen closely you can hear Corrie discovering him red-handed.

A Spring Break

Last weekend we took a break from life in Oxford and went to visit Sis in Birmingham. Aside from the dusting of snow on Saturday morning, the weather was perfect for getting out and about. On Saturday morning, we went to the McWane Center, which is like a children's science museum. We all had much fun playing with water, magnets, pulleys, and 'lasers'. Isaiah especially enjoyed looking at the fish in the aquarium.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to the Botanical Gardens. Corrie's affinity for flowers and plant life showed as we walked through all the different parts. As you can see below, Isaiah also had fun walking around picking up pine cones, 'prickly pears' (you know the little round spiky things that stick to your shoes), and leaves of all shapes and sizes.

"Daw"

Isaiah has a new word: it's "Dog" without the -g!

We went for a walk on Monday and heard a dog barking. Isaiah pointed and said "daw"....twice!

This morning I picked up his "doggies" book (that is overdue at the library) and asked him what was on the cover. He said "daw"!

Maybe he inherited the dog-loving gene from his mom. Soon he'll be saying "Springer Spaniel", "Viszla" or maybe even "Weimaraner."

Adventures in Birmingham

We spent the weekend before Spring Break in Birmingham. Here are a few clips of what we did this weekend.

Bear

Isaiah loves stuffed animals. He has been particularly attached to one we like to call "Bear" for a while now. He likes it so much that we couldn't wash it, so we got a backup bear. He really isn't particularly concerned about which one is which--he just loves them both. He really likes to carry them both around, one in each hand. Here he is rocking his bears.

Problem Solving Skills

Just in case you were concerned, Isaiah's problem solving skills are developing nicely. Here are the steps required to get to where he is in the picture:

1. Open the appropriate cabinet.
2. Select the appropriate box of cereal.
3. Open the lid to the box.
4. Take the bag out of the cereal box.
5. Open the bag.
6. Enjoy cheerios and one's autonomy.

Update

Isaiah said "mama" on Saturday... and definitely knew what it meant! Now I feel prideful too.

We had a great weekend of hanging out, raking the yard, playing with bubbles and going for long walks with Rigby since it was warm and beautiful weather. We are looking forward to Spring Break next week too!

official first word

"Daddy."

as of 6 pm on February 20th, 2008.

And I think D. is feeling a little prideful about it.

vocab update

Last night we mastered "where's daddy?"

If I ask Isaiah where daddy is, he points at D. and looks quite proud of himself. D. is proud too.

vocabulary quiz

Isaiah is not talking yet, but we are realizing every day how many words he knows. It is so fun to see him process what we say and translate it in his own way. We have successfully taught him three signs: "more," "eat," and "Touchdown!". (D. got touchdown on video the other day, so hopefully he will post that soon.) We have not mastered please or thank you yet, though.

We are realizing that Isaiah knows a lot of words that are related to food. The other day D. asked him if he wanted supper and he signed "eat." Last night one of our friends said he was hungry and Isaiah signed "eat" again! If you're realizing that food is very important to Isaiah, you're right! He weighs 24 pounds and he still has quite a belly.

We'll let you know if he develops any new vocabulary, especially if it's not food-related!

an amazing documentary

The Business of Being Born

Regarding the post below, D. is obsessed with the new Indiana Jones movie. I really don't understand why. In my opinion, it only demonstrates that Harrison Ford is way too old to play the part of Indiana Jones now. A prequel would have been better--I don't know who should play Indy in the prequel, but it should obviously be someone who is much younger than Harrison Ford.

Anyway, this link will connect you to a trailer for a documentary we went to see last week. It is a remarkable movie about something that D. and I are both pretty interested in--childbirth! If you don't believe me when I tell you that D. is interested in childbirth, just ask him. He'll talk about it for at least 10 minutes.

Check out the movie if you get the chance.

Oh yeah....

Huck Finn

Appropriately, we read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in my American Lit 2 class last week. Doesn't Isaiah look cute in his new overalls? Yes, they are a little long. He has a long torso and short legs like his mom!

family hugs

D. and I have noticed that when we hug (or kiss), Isaiah always watches us and smiles his biggest smile. Sometimes he walks over to us with the sweetest grin on his face. Of course, we always pick him up and make it a family hug. Loving him is part of our love for each other. I was telling my friend about this via email and she said that family hugs are the way we learn about God's love for us. God is a "we"--a trinity--and he is already love. He is inviting us to join in on the God-hug and he wants us to share in his love. What a beautiful gift!

Isaiah's Escapades

This should make you smile.

(make sure the volume's on)


Isaiah's Escapades from D. Merricks on Vimeo.

Isaiah is on the move

Tonight is the night! Isaiah really started walking tonight. We were playing together and D. and I started encouraging him to walk between us. As he realized that he could do it, we started scooting farther and farther apart, and eventually Isaiah was walking across the room. When he realized he could do it, he didn't want to stop. He was walking all around the living room! We have entered toddlerhood and we are excited and a little nervous about the adventures ahead!

who's out there?

Listen up readers:
Every now and then I'll talk to someone who says "Hey, I saw your blog!" but I didn't know that you were keeping up with us through the blog. So leave us some comments and let us know you're keeping up with us! We'd love to hear from you.

she's "that mom"

There is a lot of info in the news about how Mississippi is the most obese state in the nation. Oprah was in Meridian last week kicking off a national weight loss challenge! (Heard it on NPR). I am wondering why everyone is so surprised about that when every kids meal at every restaurant is made up of some fried food and french fries! It doesn't take much to realize that 2+2=4, right?

So last night, we went out to eat as a family as a special treat. We went to Oby's (they have good salads), and I ordered the kids' meal for Isaiah. BUT instead of fried chicken, I asked for grilled, and instead of french fries, I asked for cherry tomatoes. They looked at me a little strangely, but they did it! And Isaiah thought it was a special treat since he LOVES tomatoes! The girl at the register said--"He's going to be the only healthy baby in Mississippi! All of our babies are so fat!" I told D. that if they think I'm weird, at least there is worse stuff they could say about me than that I want my kid to eat healthy!

So, yes I am "that mom." And I am okay with it.

one year portraits

Isaiah is one year and one week old! He is growing so much and changing every day. He isn't really walking--he takes a few steps here and there. He does best when he doesn't think about what he's doing. I maintain that he's hard enough to keep up with anyway (think of the speed-crawling I mentioned before), so it's really fine if he takes a while to learn to walk.

He continues to have a voracious appetite. It is really amazing how much food he puts away. His current favorites are broccoli and cherry tomatoes. He likes grapes a lot too.

His new favorite activity is pushing the toy cars we got him for Christmas all around the family room. He is really starting to play by himself more, which is something we are thankful for!

Story time

It's time to start telling stories about Isaiah. Now that he is (almost) walking, he is all over the house. Whenever I open the door to go down the hallway, I can hear the "pitter patter" of little hands and knees speed crawling behind me. (If you haven't seen him crawl, you cannot understand that it truly is speed crawling!) I have to close the door to the bathroom quickly or he gets into his two favorite places: the toilet and the toilet paper. For some reason, our toilet is really fascinating to him, and he loves to put both hands on the sides and stick his head down and gaze into the pool of water inside. Thank goodness for antibacterial gel that kills 99.9% of germs, right? When I close the lid to the toilet, he gets a very determined look on his face that involves the pursing of his lips. It looks something like the picture I've added here. He proceeds to unroll the toilet paper as fast as he can. Speaking of that, I need to go to the store this afternoon before we run out of toilet paper!

My Red Wagon

Isaiah got a red wagon for Christmas from his Nana and Papa. Looks like fun, doesn't it? His cousin Anna liked it too, or maybe it was Uncle Miles who liked it so much.

Noteworthy firsts

First birthday!
Isaiah turned one year old yesterday. We had a fun, low-key day together as a family. We went out to breakfast, went to Square Books, Jr. to play, took naps, and hung out with some friends. It was a good day!

First fall!
Isaiah fell and bumped his head today. He has his very first bruise smack in the middle of his forehead. We were all a little traumatized by the incident, but we have recovered and moved on.

First steps!
Isaiah took his first steps today. He was pretty excited about it. He took four or five steps in between D. and I several times! He would not take any steps to show off at church tonight, but he was tired, so we're okay with it! We did get some on video and will try to post that soon.

We have SO MANY pictures from Christmas and his birthday party... we haven't posted any because it is a bit overwhelming, but we will get some more pictures up soon.

C'mon everybody... to Santa Claus' Party

O Christmas Tree...

Here we are choosing a Christmas Tree. I have to say that ours is one of the most beautiful trees... ever.
Decorating pictures will come later.

By the way, this was several weeks ago, but we are just now updating the blog.

Mohawk Baby

a trip to Mema and Pop's park

Mema and Pop live within walking distance of a great park, so two weeks ago while we were visiting for Thanksgiving, we took a walk down there, of course! Isaiah is a big fan of playing at the park, as you can see.

Isaiah's Funny Faces

Turn up the volume for this one. Isaiah has figured out how to make sounds with his mouth. It's pretty cute.


Isaiah's Sounds and Faces from D. Merricks on Vimeo.

10 months old

It's hard to believe that we're parents of a 10-month-old!

Currently, Isaiah is learning how to walk. His favorite foods are butternut squash, peas, and cheese. He loves his stuffed animals, and he is quite a comedian.

first halloween

We did not do too much for Isaiah's first Halloween...
He can't have candy, and we didn't want to eat all the candy! He does have a T-shirt on that says "mummy loves me" though.

We went to a community Halloween party just so he could see all the kids in costume, but as you can see, this crunchy leaf was his favorite part!

After the party, we went to the ENT doctor for his one month checkup, and he said his tubes look fine and everything is working.

Learning to walk

We bought this new toy for Isaiah a few weeks ago. Normally, he would sit on his bottom as soon as it started to roll, but last night and this morning we taught him how to walk behind it. As you can see, he is very proud of himself!


learning to walk from D. Merricks on Vimeo.