Our "Miss Sarah"

As many friends and family know, we were blessed with a wonderful friend who volunteered to keep Philip, Jr. while we are at work each day. While we are not opposed to a child development center, it did give us a tremendous sense of peace knowing that Philip was getting one on one care from a believer and friend who has such a gift in caring for children. Sarah loves Philip as if he is her own, and her husband, Eric, also sacrifices much in allowing her to be with our little boy each day. Philip loves his "Miss Sarah" and squeals with delight when she comes each day. Many mothers would be jealous of this response but we are so happy that Philip has someone with whom he can be comforable and that we can trust whole heartedly. We want him to remember Sarah as one of his biggest blessings in his early stages of life.

We call him "Teeth"

Little Philip is such a happy boy these days! We try not to think about how hard his fifth month of life was with all of the colds, his first (and hopefully last!) ear infection, teething, lack of sleep, etc. It was all worth it just to see him blossom as he passes through the sixth month. He is such a little flirt with anyone who will give him the time of day. Put a camera in front of him and he starts posing immediately. He is also quite proud of his two razor sharp bottom teeth. He asked me to post a picture of them for you.

Happy Birthday to Philip and Brad

We celebrated Philip Sr's 31st birthday as well as our friend Brad Hilsmier's 32nd birthday today. We all went to the Fish Market for some fresh seafood and fun. We joked that birthday parties these days end around 8:30 p.m. and no one wakes up with a hangover anymore. Sadly, we're getting old and having to accept that. But, we can still gorge ourselves on way too much cake. It's always good to celebrate two birthdays at once because then you don't have to choose between vanilla and chocolate cake.

Hurricane Relief

On Friday Big Philip went with a group from our church to Biloxi to work on homes for the National Foster Parent Association. A group of 10 went and worked on two homes on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. It was amazing seeing the damage that still exists months later. For anyone that wants to help, opportunities will still exist for years. The pictures are from Philips group that went to Ocean Springs to work on a house. The first picture is of the foster family with the three children that live with them. All five of them are currently living in a FEMA trailer right outside the house.
note: this is also Big Philip's first attempt at adding to the blog. Hope that it works!

6 month checkup

We've just returned from Philip, Jr.'s six month check up. The results are:
17 pounds, 4 ounces - 36% percentile for weight. 26 3/4 inches long - 51% for length. And here's the kicker - 18.5 inches head circumference -above the 99% for head. We're thinking of entering him in some sort of big head contest to win his college tuition. The doctor assures us that because of heredity (that would be his daddy's side of the family), he's perfectly healthy. Philip, Jr. is also starting to sit up on his own. But because of his head he kind of looks like a bobble head doll trying to keep his balance.

The Many Faces of Philip

Big Philip was sick today after catching the 24 hour bug that Renie had on Thursday and Friday. That meant that he was quarantined to the bedroom while Mommy and Little Philip had the day to play together. We are amazed at how expressive Little Philip is. Looking at pictures one after another can tell a story about what his little personality might be like. It's the middle picture that frightens us. At least we know he is destined to be a leader, even if he intends to take over the world.