What great weather!

Enjoying the nice weather this fall and getting out on the weekends has been lots of fun for everyone! I have uploaded some new pics from Halloween and out weekend excursions for folks to check out. Getting ready for the holidays, trying to keep things at work in check, and helping mom at home is what I have been up to. We are looking forward to seeing everyone sometime soon.

Vacation in Sandestin and other GREAT news!

We had a great vacation in Sandestin a few weeks back and things have been so non-stop, I am just getting a chance to write about it. We have incredible weather, great food, and just enjoyed our first family beach outing together. Emma loved playing in the pool, on the beach under the umbrella, and in the pool. Lots of photos of course so check those out in the gallery. We just had a good trip and are looking forward to the next one already.

We also had some great news from Jessica's doctors. She had a PET scan last week and the results have shown complete remission!!! This was really emotional and has brought to an end a long string of chemo treatments along with the non-stop roller coaster. We will still be making regular visitis to the doctor along with more PET scans but this is a great milestone in the battle against this disease.

With that, I hope everyone is doing well and we will now resume regular programming...the Emma Show!

Winding down for the summer

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

I think that quote sums up about everything that has been going on for the last year. Pregnancy, birth, life, cancer, and treatment. It is time to start today and make our new ending to this long year.

It has been a while since i have posted anything but wanted to give a few updates on the family and whats is going on here at the homestead.

Jessica is doing as well as can be expected. Actually, she is doing great considering everything she has been through over the last 9 months. Her 6th and final chemo treatment was 9/3 and we will have a PET scan in a few weeks to see how all of the treatments went. The doctors and us are confident the results will be good considering her first scan after only 2 treatments showed very good results. "Couldn't ask for better results" as the doctor said.

Six rounds of chemo and neulasta have drained her, but she is rebounding some at this point. She has really had a huge outpouring of support from family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, rotary/habitat friends, and all sorts of other signs of supports. Our neighborhood organized meals for us 4 nights a week all the way through mid-august that was a huge help. Jessica's office has brought food over, friends have brought things as well. It is just amazing. Jessica probably gets a card in the mail everyday from someone which really continues to remind her that she is on everyone's mind through this. I think everyone wants to see her just through with this whole ordeal...especially Jessica!

Jessica's parents...what can I say. From the end of May to just this past Saturday, they have been here to help with the house, Emma, taking care of Jessica after treatments, keeping spirits up, and just being here for support. Through all of it, they helped us a ton and we are very grateful to them both. It was sad to see them go but we all have to get on with our lives we had before this unfair disease came into all of our worlds.

Me, I am doing the work thing during the week, trying to help out where I can with things around the house, helping with miss uh-uh girl, and then spending the weekend trying to relax and get caught up on some football...it somehow became fall already. All in all, things are going good and I am just ready for Jessica to be given continuing good news so she can get back to fully enjoying life.

And then there was Emma...that little girl. She is really something else. 7 Months old at this point and a wonderful handful of energy, happiness, and life in its purest form. I am not much for the "my kid is better than your kid" stuff, but she has been growing nicely over the last few months...18 pounds and about 28.5 inches long. So she is a long baby! Happy, talkative in her own little way, loves toys/rattles, anything that makes crunching sounds (magazines, bags, etc.), being slightly frightened (she finds it hilarious for some reason), strange smiley faces, noises, and all the stuff infants her age just love.

So, overall, we are all doing well and looking forward to the future and turning this page of our lives. And now for pictures...lots taken and posted quite a few in the gallery. Hope everyone enjoys and has a good last week of summer!

~Brent, Jessica, and Emma

Sometimes life throws you a curve

"Be the person your dog thinks you are" was a bumper sticker I saw on the way home from work the other day. The last few months have showed that now more than ever that we all need to be strong, loving, and caring of the things that mean the most to us.

A little over 4 months ago, we were blessed with our daughter who brings smiles to the everyone she meets. A colleague in Asia said shortly after her birth "Baby brings a lots of joy and also a lots of noise and also make you feel young and full of energy." We now understand what that means and are enjoying watching Emma grow each day.

This year has also put into perspective who precious life is from another angle. As many of you already know, Jessica was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma late last month. Initially, we thought it was gallbladder related but through persistence by our amazing family doctor and others at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, they performed many tests to come to the final diagnosis.

Jessica has now undergone 2 of 6 chemotherapy treatments she will receive every three weeks. The doctors are very confident that this can not only be treated but cured with chemo alone. The type of cancer is very common and the treatment regimens are proven to be very effective with those that are young and in good health. We have complete confidence in Jessica's Oncologist and his ability to get her better. We are fighting this and looking forward to living out the rest of our lives. Jessica's parents will be staying with us for the duration of the treatment to support her, take care of Emma, and keep us fighting. They have been incredible.

Now more than ever do we realize what a miracle Emma was to all of us. We have also come to realize just how much good there is in the world with the outpouring of support, cards, calls, and all other signs of caring from friends, co-workers, and family. We appreciate all of it.

With that, I have posted some more pictures from over the last month or so. It has been a bit chaotic for good reason and these postings have taken a back seat to everything else. Take care and enjoy the adventures of Emma here.

3 Months and counting

These updates and getting more spread out as time goes in due to work and other household duties taking precedence. We have added some more pictures (can there ever be enough?) to our album within the Six Weeks and Beyond folder.

Emma had her first long trip as we went down to Sandestin for Jessica's Rotary conference weekend before last. She did great on the way down and back but we have learned our days of stopping once on a 5 hour drive are gone for a while. The key is to leave very early (5-6am) in order to maximize the sleep time. Emma has been doing great with sleeping (knock on wood). She has been going 7-8 hours on average and sometimes waking up at 5am for a feeding. Looking back at the first couple of weeks, we don't want to go back to that.

She is smiling lots more, curious of these hands attached to her arms, her feet amaze her, and she is grabbing at things. She is able to follow our voices very well and giving us her version of talking at this point. (coos and cahs)

I will be hitting the golf course for the first time this year on Monday so wish me luck. I am playing in a benefit for our church. I need the fairway and birdie god to shine upon me!

2 months and 4 days later...

...and she is still doing wonderful. Smiling more, sleeping longer at night, and being a happy little baby. We did have our 2 month doctor's appt today. Here are the stats:
10 pounds and 3 ounces
23 inches long
She received 5 vaccinations (4 individual shots=OUCH!!!)

The doctor noted she is very alert and seems to be doing great. We are heading down to the beach for a long weekend and so Jessica can attend the annual Rotary Conference at Sandestin. It will be Emma's first beach trip although she probably won't remember.

We got to see lots of family over the last 2 weekends and look forward to seeing everyone else very soon. Work is back in full swing for me and Jessica is doing good while she prepares to return mid-May. Lots going on right now and I will try and list it all out when I get time.

The Emma update - 6 weeks!

This week's posting is light on pictures and heavier on the content.
As with any newborn, the nicknames come out spontaneously and seem to evolve over time. Here are a few:
Sweet Pea
Pickle or Peanut (Depending on Emma's mood)
Squeak
Little Emma
Sweetie Pie
Em Girl
Schnookie
Babydoll
Sour Grapes
Doodlebug

Also, with any newborn comes the things you try as a parent to calm the new baby. Here are a few:

Holding Emma in my lap while messing with a potato chip bag (noise she likes) and her staring at the ceiling fan
She loves high contrast things to look at (dark frames against white wall, windows, etc.)
Driving her around the block in her carseat at 3am
Sitting in my car with music on at 3am as to not wake Mommy
Lots and lots of bouncing

Emma's Play list (favorite songs) so far:
Strange Apparition - Beck
Cell Phone's Dead - Beck
Eple - Royksopp
Sparks - Royksopp
Sweet Talkin' Woman - ELO
White Shadows - Coldplay
Get Dancey - New Young Pony Club
Disco music
Assorted White Noise Sounds - Hairdryer, Ocean, Thunderstorm, dishwasher
Her bouncy chair music box

And of course, a few more pictures posted in the gallery.

St. Simons Causeway to get divider

After many pleas and the loss of many loved ones along this stretch of the St. Simon's causeway, the GA DOT has finally come to their senses. Unfortunately, Josh and others have lost their lives on this stretch of road, even after repeated calls to State and Federal Highway officials to get the funds to build a barrier. Hopefully the barrier will be built soon and will save others from tragedies like this. A link to the article can be found HERE

Happy Easter!

Today is Emma's 5 week birthday and she is growing each day! I have posted more pics and continue to be amazed by our little girl. If we could just get her to sleep from 10pm to 7am, we will be set! Enjoy the latest pics.

A month gone by...how time flies!

It has been almost one month since Emma entered this world although it seems like it yesterday in some ways. It is ALL I was told it is cracked up to be and she is wonderful.

I returned to work this past week which was tough since I wanted to spend more time at home and it was going to be hard to get back into the groove. Jessica has been very nice in letting me get extra hours of sleep during the week so I can perform coherently during the day. Emma is doing great and we think she has gained weight on schedule. Her days and nights are still a bit mixed up although she did sleep a full 5 hours in a ROW last night...that was very good. We have her one month doctors appt this week along with her birthday (one month) to celebrate. I have added some pics to the latest gallery on the left Emma - 3 weeks and beyond

The picture taking has slowed down some this week but I am still at it. We are really looking forward to the giggling, laughing, and more animated phase coming shortly, along with full nights of sleeping :)

The boys are retuning this week as we have our fence finally getting installed after some contractor delays. We are looking forward to having the whole family together and seeing how the boys welcome Emma and vice versa. It will probably be pretty anticlimactic since they are both in their own worlds right now.

And yes, even more pics of Emma

If you don't know by now, I am camera happy and take LOTS of pictures. I had over 1100 for our 2 week trip in Italy and have amassed around 800 so far, post-Emma. I am trying to pic the best ones and share the ones that really capture her and the moments we are sharing with her. Don't worry though, no pictures of poopy diapers or other new parent realities that are better left private!

For those interested, I am shooting these photos with my new Canon Rebel XT and a Canon EF 50mm 1.8 MII lens.

A sad goodbye...

Josh, Me, Matt, and Stuart in 2003

Last Monday night, 2/25, I received a call from UM (Stuart's Uncle Michael) who was pretty broken up. "Josh was killed in a car accident this afternoon" he said. I was in shock, thinking I did not hear him right and would not believe it. It was the first time I had lost a friend so close and I was unable to process it.

Josh Franklin was like a little brother to me and many people. His older brother, Stuart, and I were and still are great friends. The whole Franklin extended family is an entire second family to me and we have shared lots of good times and hard times together over the years. We all grew up in Decatur, went to Medlock Elem., then onto Druid Hills High with Stuart and Josh taking a short trip to Stone Mountain, then on to our various college careers until we all settled in separate places. Stuart settled in Albany, GA, Josh and Jack in St. Simon's, and me here in Atlanta. There are so many memories and stories that it is hard to know what I should mention here and what is the most significant.

Josh's funeral was a hard time for many people because it was so sudden. I was not prepared for it at all and fell apart completely. But I think if he were to tell us what we should do to honor his life, it would be to cherish the times you have with family and friends as he did. He was an honest man, happy, positive, very outgoing, and just genuine. There was no denying his honesty or genuine character in any situation. I admire Josh for this and for being just a great person I knew for many many years (i think we all met in 1984).

So for magnolia bud wars, crabapple wars, cops and robbers on bikes, Nintendo marathons after school, games of horse, the party shack, the cabin, athens, three-man at the cabin, Medlock park baseball, and all of the other times we all shared together, we are going to miss you Josh.

Josh's Obituary Here

Emma - The first 2 weeks

The first 2 weeks have been amazing, life changing, exhausting, and just wonderful. We had lots of help from Jessica's mom Paula during the first 2 weeks and have tons of food stored up in the freezer now thanks to all of her efforts in the kitchen. We have been learning lots about parenting with a newborn including the sleep deprivation challenges, eating and feeding times, poopy diapers, and all of the joys that come with a newborn.

So far, she is our sweet pea that can be either a peanut or a pickle depending on her mood. Mostly, she loves being close to mom and dad, swaddling, eating, and sleeping. We are happy she is healthy and growing as she should be.

I have included more picutres in a new album HERE and will be adding more very soon. I am also going to be posting some onto shutterfly and will post links to the albums as they are uploaded. Shutterfly offers lots of options that we will be using as time goes on including prints, calendars, mugs, photobooks, and lots more. It makes sharing much easier unless you can just download the pictures from the Picasa albums and take them to get developed somewhere. I may also post some instructions on the different ways to get prints of these and any other pictures online since there are so many choices now (this is a good problem).

And then...Emma was born.

Emma was born on Monday February 18th, 2008 at 12:04pm. She weighs 6lbs, 15oz, and is 19.5in long. Pictures are located on our album HERE or to the left. Will post more later. Been a long week.

Still holding on...

At this point, we are being asked "Had the baby yet?" more and more. Our official due date is 2.22.2008 but we are looking like Jessica is going to deliver before that. We got to the doctor twice next week and may be inducing by the end of the week.

I have finally organized my room, the work room between the garage and the inside of the house. It feels great to have all of that stuff in somewhat order. I have about another hour of work to do on it, but I should be able to get everything done this weekend.

More good news...I finally got our video camera working (Canon Optura 60) . I had misplaced some of the cords and parts for reviewing. It actually looks really good on the HDTV and gives us a way to really capture everything including Emma's first sounds! Really amazing. I also finally ordered a camera body I have been wanting for a while, the Canon Rebel XT. It is an entry level Digital SLR but, if you are thinking about it, I was able to:

• Use my Canon 35mm EOS lenses
• Use my batteries from the Canon P0wershot S50
• Use the Compact Flash memory cards we already have.

Those are some big reasons to choose the Canon DSLR versus Nikon plus, I did a ton of research and it seemed like the logical choice over the more expensive Canon Rebel XTi, Nikon D40x and Olympus models. We would have ended up spending 2-300 on lenses and all the other stuff we can reuse with this. If you are looking for a camera, here are some great places to look online for new and used equipment. B&H Photo, Adorama, KEH Photo in Atlanta. Used is the way to go if you are short on cash. Use the Best Buy and Ritz Camera locations to get a feel for what you want, but you will save alot going through one of these sites.

We are using this weekend to try and finish some last things but all in all, we are ready for this baby!

Baby Countdown!

We are getting close to the due date and are pretty much ready for our baby girl to enter this world. Jessica is still doing great but getitng more and more tired, having trouble staying asleep for very long, and still working some long hours. I think after next week she is going to be slowing down the work thing down alot more and do more time from home.

We have the room all ready and had some great gifts from showers and family last week. At this point, we have pretty much everything. My Brother-in-law Daniel and me managed to install the carseat last weekend...that was a beast but easy once we figured out what we were doing. Cars are gassed up, bags packed, almost done with birthing classes and have stoller/crib/bassinet/pack-n-play....as you can see, lots of stuff. I am amazed at the whole other market for items that opens up once you have kids. There are things that are really over the top like wipe warmers, prenatal learning cd's, and other technological advances that are pretty amazing, well that and some great marketing campaigns.

I am planning on taking 3 weeks off, Jessica will be off for at least 2 months. We will have plenty of time to lose some sleep and take care of our new bundle once it happens. We will be having her at Northside Hospital which is 2 turns form our house and 10 minutes away.

I am sure we will have family here at the house and there at the hospital. The boys (labs) are going to stay at their home away from home for a few days while we get the whole baby thing straight at the house. It is going to be a period of adjustment for everyone! Our awesome neighbors have offered to help with the dogs and anything else. We are really lucky to have such a great neighborhood with such great neighbors.

In other news, IBM is still blue and making money! Things are good are work is starting to pick up again after the holidays. Looks like a big year ahead! There are tons of things going on in the world of network security and it will be another year of firsts as well as lots of breaches!