Highs and Lows

We've had some highs and lows over the last few days. On Friday, December 6th, my grandfather passed away. We celebrated his 90th birthday back in July, and we are so thankful for the long life that he had. During the last two years, he was in a special memory care facility for residents with dementia and Alzheimer's, and over the last month, his dementia rapidly worsened. He was mostly in a sleeping state for the last few days of his life. Our family visited several times in these last days, and I was even able to introduce Eli; I'd like to think that Grandpa enjoyed meeting his great-grandson. It was Grandpa's wishes to be cremated with no formal funeral or service, so we were able to have a private family viewing on Saturday with Dad, Mom, Grandma, Megan, and Eli. We read a few scriptures and shared some of our favorite memories of Grandpa: going camping in the motor-home, his pride in his cars, the way he liked to tinker with things that were broken, how he didn't throw anything away, and how he loved his granddaughters. It will take some time to process and grieve this loss. We love you, Gpa - see you soon!

Eli's birth has been a good distraction for everyone. We are thankful for this new life amidst a time of mourning. Although Eli still mostly eats and sleeps, he is starting to learn new things. He has recently discovered his tongue and likes to stick it out and roll it around in his mouth. We also attempted tummy time for the first time. Like his big sister, he has a strong neck and will often push up off of your chest if you are holding him against you. He met several more friends this week: Emily, Carrie, Katie, and Coley. He continues to like to be held, and he has certainly been spoiled with lots of extra snuggles. He is probably most spoiled by Aunt Megan!

With Eli being three weeks old today, I dusted off my breast pump to start the process of introducing a bottle. Several of my friends have had babies that refused the bottle, and I want to be sure that Eli is flexible with either option. Returning to work is lingering in the back of mind, so it is important that we have an established routine of Eli taking bottles by then. So here we are again, washing bottles and pump parts for the foreseeable future - you can see my excitement!  

During Grandpa's service on Saturday, Emmy and Boomer had a fun outing to the Yadkinville Christmas parade. It was a pretty chilly morning, but Emmy stayed warm with her toboggan (from Grammy and Grandpa all the way from Ireland!) and some hot chocolate. She wasn't a fan of the Grinch or the costumed reindeer, but she loved seeing the fire trucks and picking up all of the candy. She got quite a haul from all the Forbush students in the parade and nearby in the crowd. 

 We were suppose to have professional photos on Sunday - a Kennedy first! Aside from our wedding and the hospital shots of Emmy, Boomer and I have never taken any professional photos. I was actually quite surprised that he agreed! I even went shopping for coordinating outfits. Unfortunately the plans fell through, but since all four Kennedys were bathed and dressed, we opted to still take a few photos with our iPhones. My Dad took several on his phone, and then Boomer snapped this candid one of Emmy and Eli. Perhaps we're not a professional-photo-type-of family, but I guess you don't need a fancy camera to capture sweet moments like this one! 

Updated 12/26/2019: My dad had a few more photos on his phone. Emmy and Eli were quite cooperative considering it was during nap time when we attempted these pictures!