The Brasher Family

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

2010-08-07T13:25:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow is Ethan's 2nd Birthday! It's hard to believe that our little guy is already two! It's so wonderful to watch him grow and learn more every day. To think that when he was born we didn't know what the future would hold for him or if he would make it at all! Chad and I are so grateful.

We had a Staton family party last weekend, with plans to travel to Jackson for a Brasher family get-together this weekend. But, between L.K. being sick and in the hospital last week and Ethan being sick ALL week this week, we opted to postpone the party to next weekend and celebrate at home instead.

Here are some pictures from his Yo Gabba Gabba Birthday party last weekend.

Catching up!

2010-07-12T09:46:00.001-05:00

Some pictures from the past few months...

We're back!

2010-07-07T13:59:00.004-05:00

Wow! It's been just a little while since my last post (ha!), but I hope to do better now that I'm off for the summer. Well, let's see...what's new? Ethan has been in day care for the past couple of months and is doing just great! He loves school, or "cool" as he calls it. Aside from the every-other-week virus that the little ones pass around the class, he seems to be adjusting to big boy life. Last week, he got a short break from day care to go to spend the week with mommy and to attend Kindermusik, which he absolutely LOVED! For those of you in the Meridian area, I would highly recommend it. Go to www.musicwithjulie.com for more info. I'll post pics later. I hear a little bear waking up!

Snow Day!

2010-02-12T09:39:00.006-06:00

What's this on my eyelashes?With Daddy

I'm not so sure about this, Mommy.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T09:16:00.005-06:00

Scooby, Velma and Shaggy

Who needs a costume with that cute puppy dog face?

Our Little Pumpkin

2009-10-06T17:22:00.000-05:00

Ethan's First Birthday Parties

2009-08-09T08:39:00.004-05:00

Ethan's first birthday was so special the he had not one but TWO parties! His first first birthday party was last weekend in Brandon at Aunt Ashley and Uncle Billy's house. All of Chad's family was there, and it was a blast! Ethan was a little overwhelmed by the time we got to the cake. He only ended up taking one bite from his adorable little dig-in cake, and out of all the cameras on him, nobody got a picture of it! But he ate plenty of Gigi's homemade ice cream! On Ethan's (and his PawPaw's) birthday, we had a party at home with my family. I made him a frog cake - he loves frogs! - and he went for one of the eyeballs right away.
We have had a great time the last few weeks, and it has reminded us of just how blessed we are to have such a healthy baby boy.

Good News

2009-07-12T08:56:00.004-05:00

Ethan went to see the opthamologist in Jackson on Friday to check for nearsightedness, and the doctor says that he has great vision. Whew! We spent the weekend with Gigi and Papa, and Chad took some adorable pictures of Ethan and his cousin Laura Keegan. Here are a few...

Already "All Boy"!

2009-06-13T13:13:00.005-05:00

Ethan already considers this funny. Should I be worried? :)

Ten months!

2009-06-09T08:50:00.010-05:00

It's so hard to believe our baby boy is ten months old! It has been quite a stressful month for all of us, but we made it through (with only a few more sleepless nights and gray hairs to show for it). For the past four weeks Ethan has been sick, sick, sick. We've been to the pediatrician at least once a week since his nine month checkup. Initially, he was diagnosed with the croup; the next week it was an ear infection. Then we had a chest x-ray. After that, he was tested for pertussis (whooping cough). His test was sent to the health department, and the next day, we had our diagnosis. Ethan, Daddy, Grammy, and I were put on antibiotics and couldn't to go back to work until we had gone through 24 hours of our medication. It has been a scary month of terrible coughing and trying to keep him hydrated so we wouldn't have to go into the hospital. The good thing about the whooping cough is that he feels fine when he's not coughing. We are SO blessed that he has not had any complications from this so far. He's not well yet. The cough is much better since his round of antibiotics, but he could be sick for another month or so. So please keep Ethan in your prayers.
On a more positive note, Ethan has a tooth! Finally! And his hair is getting so thick! He's a very happy, giggly little guy. And what a flirt! Here are some new pictures...

Little drooler

Can you see my tooth?

He's finally started to notice his sister.

With my Gigi, wearing my Daddy's old shoes

March for Babies

2009-05-03T15:23:00.002-05:00

We had a blast this weekend at the March of Dimes walk in Ridgeland. We walked with Gigi, Papa, Aunt Ashley, Uncle Billy, Cousins Laura Keegan, Tara, Peyton, McKenna, and Isabella, and some of the nurses from the NICU. And we made it the whole three miles!!! Here are some pictures...

Giggles!

2009-04-18T16:33:00.005-05:00

Ethan has the funniest little laugh!

Time flies when you're having fun!

2009-04-16T17:45:00.004-05:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been a month since I've posted! Oops! Well anyway, Ethan is doing great. He's still loving his baby food..and it shows! He's just getting so big. We never imagined that he would be such a healthy, happy baby. We are SO blessed!

Chad and I enjoyed talking about Ethan at the Mississippi Miracles Radiothon. We spoke with three local radio stations, helping to raise money for the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital at UMC.

We had a great Easter! The week before Easter, Ethan visited with Gigi and Papa, and on Easter, he took his first trip to Memaw and Papaw's house in Union, where he got to see lots and lots of family he hasn't seen since his NICU days. Initially, it was a bit overwhelming, but he ended up having a good time.

Sweet Potato King

2009-03-14T18:23:00.004-05:00

Ethan is loving his baby food...especially sweet potatoes! He gets so excited at dinner time!
Ethan's newest favorite things to do are trying to sit up ALL the time and laughing at his daddy. And he's getting so big! His last weight was 17 pounds, 5 ounces, and he's 24 1/2 inches long. We got him an exersaucer yesterday and he really likes it. He almost fell asleep playing in it this morning!

Yummy!

Watching cartoons with Daddy

In my exersaucer

Big Boy Britches

2009-03-03T17:47:00.003-06:00

Ethan went for his six month shots, and boy this time was a doozie! I think it was the flu shot...he had fever all night Friday night, and was fussy all weekend long. And to think we have this to look forward to again next month!

Well, the good news is that Ethan is off preemie formula. Finally! He weighed in at 16 pounds, 4 ounces and is 24 and a half inches long. We're on cereal now and about to start baby food. And I think we're teething!

Here are some new pictures of Ethan in his blue jeans...

Six Months?

2009-02-19T19:40:00.004-06:00

Ethan is getting so big, and he's the sweetest baby! He loves to smile, laugh, play with his toys, and look in the mirror (wonder who he got that from? ha!). We're taking him for his six month shots tomorrow. Six months! I can't believe it!

Here are some new pictures...

We finally got one!

2009-01-19T13:32:00.003-06:00

Well, Chad was finally quick enough to get a photo of the elusive smile. Ethan just LOVES to smile at his Daddy! He pretty much just looks at me like I'm crazy most of the time. (I don't blame him; adults will do some pretty silly things to get a smile out of a baby.)

"Little E" is just doing great. He doesn't have to go back to the eye doctor until July. The blood vessels in the back of his eye are all grown out and mature, so the doctor doesn't forsee any trouble there. He went for his RSV shot last Friday and weighed in at 14 pounds. Dr. Ross said he looks great as well. He has been cooing lots -- so sweet -- and is holding his head up.

Grammy is having a blast keeping him every day while I'm at work. My new job is very flexible. I get to set my own schedule. I love it!

Here are some new pictures...

Looking back on a blessed year...

2009-01-01T11:17:00.007-06:00

And looking forward to a happy, healthy 2009! Happy New Year! And some good news - Ethan's starting to smile! It's so cute, but I can't seem to get a picture of him yet. I'll post it when I do.

Whew! Glad that's over!

2008-12-18T11:49:00.004-06:00

Well, I'm finally feeling better. Ethan is doing great these days. He had another well baby visit on Monday. He got FIVE shots and he was not happy! His weight is up to 11 pounds, 4 ounces. Here's a new picture...

As if my life weren't exciting enough...

2008-12-10T09:39:00.002-06:00

Friday morning I woke up with a back ache, and I thought it was just from carrying my chunky monkey Ethan around all day every day. I had a "mommy day" at K Salon (Thanks Sandy!), and THAT didn't even make me feel better. The pain got so bad that I ended up going to the doctor. The doc sent me to the emergency room where I received fluids and a CT Scan which revealed a pretty big kidney stone. By the time I got home at 10 that night, my pain was much better, but I was told to follow up with a urologist on Monday. I managed to make it through the weekend with very little pain. I got in touch with the doctor yesterday, and he had me in for surgery by 5 yesterday evening. He went in and broke up the stone, and put in a stent. So, I'm recovering at home now, just in pain. Thank goodness Mom was able to get here to take care of Ethan, since Chad had his hands full with me. Let's see what else I can squeeze in by the end of the year...

Update on Our Big Boy!

2008-12-04T16:31:00.009-06:00

Ethan had his NICU follow up appointment yesterday. The doctor said that he looks great! He weighs 10 pounds, 3 ounces and is 21 inches long. They wanted him to gain an average of 30 grams per day (about an ounce), and he's gaining 45. Our little piggy!

Besides getting a good report, the highlight of our day was getting to visit all of our old friends at the NICU. We miss those guys! The NICU was our home for three months, so it was great to see everyone.

Welcome baby Laura Keegan!

2008-11-22T10:45:00.005-06:00

Yesterday, Ethan went to visit his new cousin Laura Keegan Stegall. Laura Keegan was born on Monday, November 17, and weighed 8 pounds 11 ounces. They had fun at their Gigi's Christmas photo shoot together...

Gigi with her new grandbaby!

What a cutie!

How 'bout a kiss?

Welcome to the new blog!

2008-11-20T17:00:00.005-06:00

I started this site to continue to keep everyone up-to-date on Ethan's progress since leaving the hospital. We've had a crazy few weeks since coming home. Ethan has already had several doctor's visits in Jackson and Meridian. We followed up on his surgery, and the doctor says everything looks great. We've had well baby visits and shots and eye exams. He's handled everything very well, with the exception of a few episodes of apnea. I think he just likes to scare his mommy and daddy to death! Overall, he's a very good baby. Those nurses in the NICU got him on a schedule! I could set my watch by his feeding times. Every three hours on the dot he's ready for his bottle. And he's getting so big! On our last doctor's visit he weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz.!
Our other little baby Milou has not had it so well since moving back home. Right after we got home with Ethan, Milou had three very bad seizures in one day and had to be put on medication. She had trouble walking for several days, but is now back on her paws and doing fine.
Chad and I are so happy to be together and at home with our little family!

2008-11-14T16:04:00.007-06:00