Forest Park St. Patrick's Day Parade

We bundled up and went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade. It was raining but we made the best of it.

More Lincoln photos

He was the best dog and we'll always miss him!

Our sweet Lincoln

Lincoln's kidneys began to fail at the end of February. Dave and I made the hardest decision we've ever made and put him down this afternoon. These are a few photos of his last days. He will always have a place in our hearts and will be so missed!

Playing with the mirror

What a handsome boy! I'll give him a kiss!

Hey, Mom, I found a really cute boy! Can we play?

Enjoying his new PlayZone

Our friends had this playzone, so we just had to get it. It's a great place to corral all of Isaac's toys and gives him a good place to play. He loves the door!

First bath in the big tub!

Too cute!

Enjoying a cookie after dinner

These photos were just too cute not to post. Isaac really gets into his food and gets it all over himself. He loves his after-dinner cookie.

You may have noticed that Isaac is now wearing a helmet. His head is a little flat in the back, so he wears this helmet to help round it out. Isaac doesn't even notice it. We're hoping to be done with it by his birthday, but it is awfully cute!

Isaac eating a banana

We always mash up a banana for Isaac's breakfast, but this morning, we just let him bite off some. We always forget that he has 8 teeth, so we should let him use them. He loves it. No more mashing it up for him!

9 months and 1 day old!

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Dempsey's

We celebrated Christmas with Dave's parents on the 28th. Isaac got so many presents and loved the toys. I can't believe everything made it in the car to come home--even Lincoln!

Christmas at Aunt Dardi's

"Yummy, I love presents!"

Isaac got lots of presents from Dave's family and enjoyed playing with his second cousin, Meredith. He also tried mashed potatoes for the first time and loved them, but I'm sure they weren't as yummy as the wrapping paper and ribbon!

Isaac and Grandma Ternet

Before heading to Michigan, we had breakfast with Melissa's mom. Isaac enjoyed the book that she got him and his banana at Cracker Barrel.

Isaac and Grandpa Ternet

Christmas is exhausting!

Christmas at Grandpa Ternet's

Isaac with his aunt Trisha.

Trisha's kids, Fancy and Xander, enjoying some fun in the laundry basket.

Christmas Day at Great-Grandma Ternet's

Isaac enjoyed playing at Great-Grandma Ternet's house on Christmas, though he got a little worried when Ziggy took his toy! We had a great time visiting with Melissa's aunts, uncles, and cousins and fiesting on Grandma's beef-n-noodles.

Christmas Eve at Grandma Ternet's

We spent Christmas Eve at my mom's place with my sister and her family. Isaac enjoyed opening his first Christmas presents and got lots of toys! He also loved watching his cousins Xander and Fancy playing opening presents.

Isaac is getting so big!

Isaac is getting so big! He's over 25 inches and finally on his growth chart!

Two more teeth--total of 8!

Isaac has really been busy teething! He started getting two more on the bottom this weekend. He'll have a mouthful before we know it.

Thanksgiving 2008

We stayed in Chicago for Thanksgiving weekend while Isaac recovered from his surgery. He slept a lot. Dave didn't want to miss out on turkey, so we had our own mini-turkey dinner on Sunday. It turned out great!

Isaac's surgery

Isaac had surgery on his belly button. The connection between his belly button and bladder never dissolved like it should, so it had to be repaired. He also had his blocked tear duct probed. The surgery was about 2 hours long, and he seemed fine afterwards. The doctor had him stay overnight just because they wanted to leave in his catheter to allow the bladder to heal. Everything went smoothly, and Dave and I stayed pretty cool about all of it, even though we had to spend Thanksgiving at Children's Memorial Hospital. We were very grateful that the ophthomologist agreed to take care of his tear duct, so he didn't have to have another procedure later on.

We had to be at the hospital around 7am, so Isaac was really ready for a nap before surgery. Dave is rocking him to sleep while we wait for the doctors. Isaac is ready to go home. As you can see, he was back to normal and ready to play!

In the laundry basket . . .

These photos were just too cute!

Adam and Amber visited

Melissa's cousin, Adam, and his wife, Amber, visited this weekend. We had a great time just hanging around the house, talking and playing games. Isaac loved playing with them. Frank, their schauzer, and Lincoln, got along great once again.

Isaac and Lincoln

"Wait, Lincoln, she's trying to take our picture!"

Isaac showing off his Indiana Shoes from my friend Sheri. Thanks, Sher! They keep his feet warm in this cold weather!

Bathtime

Bathtime is so much more fun when you can sit up in the bathtub like a big boy!

Philadelphia

Melissa had to attend the American Society of Human Genetics Conference November 11-15 for work, so Isaac and Melissa's mom came along. Between learning more about genetics, standing at her lab's exhibit, and hanging out with Isaac, we didn't really have time to take photos. Here are a couple photos of Philly just to prove that we were there. The weather was rainy, so we didn't get to leave the hotel or conference center much. Thanks, Karen, for all of your help!! The week went well and Isaac had a great time.