Our First Road Trip (A Sweet Home Alabama Wedding)
This past weekend we loaded up the car and headed towards Madisonville, Texas (a suburb of Houston), for the wedding of our good friends Jake and Courtney. I met both Jake and Courtney at the District Attorney's Office, as they are both Assistant D.A.s. Since that time, Jake, Courtney, Heather and I have become dear friends, and have had many fun times together. It has been especially exciting to have both the wedding and Baby Ellison to celebrate these past few weeks.

Since both Heather and I were in the wedding, we recruited the presence of "KK" (Heather's mom, Karen) to come along with us; as well as enlisted the assistance of Brad, Ashley and Hank to house sit and take care of Petie. We rented out a bed and breakfast, "Bunkhouse and Biscuits," and participated in the southern hospitality and festivities.

Our weekend was packed, with the cocktail hours, the rehearsal dinner (which Ellison and KK joined us at), the bridal luncheon, groomsmen skeet shoot, photos, wedding, reception, and Sunday morning brunch (which Ellison and KK joined again), it was a hectic weekend. The reception took place back at Courtney's parent's ranch. It began with a cocktail hour outside served with sweet potato fries and fried okra, and then moved to inside the banquet hall (or satin draped barn). Following the wedding, we rode back to the hotel with Jake and Courtney. It was 1:30 am, and the bride and groom were starving; being that Madisonville practically shuts down at 9:00 pm, the only place open was the new grocery store, Buc-ees (even Taco Bell was closed.) It was quite a sight to see the four of us make our grand entrance into this small town supermarket.



The weekend was fun and full of good company! On the way down we stayed with Heather's Aunt Sharon and Uncle Mike right outside of Dallas. And then on our return, we were able to make a stop and visit cousin Patrick and Gretchen, with their little one, Preston Ryan. Preston is exactly six weeks older than Ellison. The introduction of the two cousins was a sight to see.



We are so blessed to have friends and family to share, celebrate and enjoy our lives with.

2 WEEKS OLD!
It's hard to believe that it has been two weeks. In some regards the time has flown by, as it seems just yesterday we were in the Hospital; however, it also seems nearly impossible to recall what life was like before Ellison was apart of our lives.

This last week I went back to work, and Heather enlisted the help of both her mom and my mom. It was nice to have them here to help ease the transition. But before my return, we spent the Friday having photos taken of Ellison as a one-weeker.

On the 3rd we went to a great fireworks show in Kiefer, OK, (about 5 miles South of Jenks) and Ellison was not bothered by the booms whatsoever. So we may push our luck, and try it again on the 4th. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe 4th of July. Remember our men and women serving our country, and the sacrifices they and their families have made for us. I pray for God's protection and blessings on them!

HOME SWEET HOME


We made it home on Monday evening after nearly five days in the Hospital, and although Ellison spent her last day and half there under the UV lights, we were grateful we did not have to bring those lights home. Our first new challenge (one of many more to come) was the car seat; but all went well, credit given to the car seat safety class we took a few weeks back.

Once we pulled into the drive it was time for Petie (our 3 year old shi tzu) to be introduced to his new sister. He immediately took affection to her, and has been quite the protective sibling since.

Ellie has been an angel since she arrived home. Sleeping well, eating well, and pooping well, it seems that she has all the basics covered. In fact, I was tempted to call this blog entry "Sleeping Beauty," as this kiddo knows how to catch some zzz's. Similarly, as a new daddy, you hear stories from seasoned fathers about the amount of diapers and wipes you will go through, but nothing can really prepare you for the vast amount of "waste" that comes with a newborn! In fact, Wednesday afternoon, I was left alone, for the first time, with Ellie; within 10 minutes of being "in charge" I had changed 3 diapers and Ellison had been moved to 3 different seats.

You will even notice that we made our first Doctor appointment, scheduled for 10:30, on time. Quite a task for the Sher's without a new baby, but even more impressive with Ellie now here.

Heather and I are so thankful to have had "KK" (Heather's mom, Karen) staying with us these past few days. She has been busy busy, preparing meals, cleaning, doing laundry, and allowing us to rest when Ellison rests. However, KK departs on Thursday, and it soon will be just the three of us (only for a little while) as JoePa (Rob's dad) is coming up for a short visit, and Grandmommy (Rob's mom) is scheduled to come and help when I go back to work next week. We are truly blessed and thankful to have grandparents that are so willing to help at a moment's notice.

What a miracle having a newborn in the home is! Witnessing feeding, eyes focusing, weight gain, little yawns, and all the other "firsts" that are around the corner, is so awesome to be a part of. Thanks for sharing in this time with us!

To God be the Glory for giving us Life,
Rob and Heather

Blessed with Friends
Friends are good to have. And like it or not, Ellison has a ton of friends already. I love the fact that we live within a community where we as parents (sounds so weird to say) can have so many friends. But more so, I love the fact that our baby girl is already surrounded by girls and boys that will be able to teach her, play with her, look out for her, love her, and yes, even get her into some trouble.

Looking back over the pictures from the last 36 hours or so, it is amazing how many friends have already stopped by. I apologize if we didn't get a picture of you in the midst of all the chaos of those coming and going. Yet, I give thanks to God, that we can be surrounded by such chaos as there are many that are not blessed with friends like we are.

For those of you that have already visited, THANK YOU SO MUCH! For those that are planning to visit, we cannot wait to see you and brag about our new addition. For those that are separated by too much distance to come, we have loved hearing from you in your voice mails, emails, and text messages.

Below are some of the pictures of our friends and family that have been to the hospital to see us. You will notice that Ellison, as of Sunday morning, had to be placed under the LED Lamp to lower her bilirubin level, which causes jaundice. It was such a disheartening sight to see her helpless body left alone and naked. However, I was so impressed by the genuine interest and concern shown by some of her "new friends." Such compassion, at such young ages, affirms my thankfulness that lil Ellie is surrounded with wonderful new friends.

Sweet Baby Ellie
Even before her first breath, we knew that Ellie Kate would be a sweetie. Therefore, we wanted to make certain that she was in good company in the hospital room. Surrounding her in the room are sweets of all sorts. Whether it is the cake donuts or the lollipop bouquet for her guests, Ellison remains the sweetest of them all.

During our initial hold, I explained to Miss Ellie how blessed she was to have so many folks that would love her. Showered in attention by friends and family, I told Ellie that there was a good chance that after our time together today that I would likely not have the opportunity to be able to hold her for the next few days. I think she understood; however I also think she likes her daddy time.

I also am aware that many of her admirers won't be able to see her for awhile. So please enjoy the slide show of Ellison's first few minutes.