November already?? and Halloween

First of all, Happy BIRTHDAY to my (blake) mom. Today is "Grammy's" birthday! We are all so grateful for her and hope she has the best birthday ever.

Halloween was 2 days ago and there was a saga. Initally, Jaclyn found Lilly a Lion outfit, complete with mane! It was very cute, but this is what happened whenever we put the mane on her.

As you can see...not a happy camper. Nonetheless a very effective lion roar, I think. Whenever we would ask her if she wanted to be a lion, she would demonstratively say, "NO!" Then Jaclyn spent at least 3 hours of her off day making her a bumble bee costume because we would ask Lilly if she wanted to be a bumble-bee and she would nod, "YES!" So, Jac made a wonderful costume of yellow and black lacy material but whenever she approached Lilly with it, she would cry and run away! Didn't even let us hold it up to her so that Jac could fit it. So needless to say we were running out of ideas. My mom had given us Kera's old puppy pj's, so we asked lilly if she wanted to be a puppy, and she said, "Uh huh." So we put her in the suit. She must hate things on her head...because this is the only picture I got with her keeping the ears on.

Then we went to trick or treat...made it to only 2 houses. Whenever anyone gave her candy, she would just wail whenever we made her put it in her bag. As long as she had one piece in each hand she was good to go.Then we had a neighborhood get together with all of the other families on our block, had pizza, homemade cupcakes, and Lilly got to bounce in the moon bounce with the other children and learned a new feat! More on this later. Have a great week everyone!

Lilly is 18 months!!

My how time flies! 18 months...doesn't even really seem possible really. Lilly is growing up so fast. Growing more and more every day, talking up a storm, counting to 3 all by herself, and is generally fearless about all of life! So fun! Here are some pictures that I (Blake) took on her 18th month birthday...I had a great time making these

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"Lilly, show me your teeth!"

"Surprise Face"

Daddy & Daughter Surprise Faces!!!

Much to say

So, since the last post, a whole lot has happened in the Bergeron household. I (Blake) graduated residency and have started my new job in the real world, which is incredible. Jaclyn has started her 2nd year, and while in some ways it is better than intern year, in some ways it is worse. Lilly continues to grow and absolutely amaze us. Her new favorite thing is giving kisses...to mommy, to daddy, to stuffed animals, and yes, even to her friends (much to the chagrin of her father). She is so sweet and growing up so fast. I took this video at story time the other day...sorry it's sideways (still trying to master the iphone video taking), but this was spontaneous hand holding between Lilly and her good friend Will Bowman.

Proud Son!!

It's about 2 am on Friday, May 14th, 2010, I just finished a shift in the non-acute ED at LeBonheur, and in a few short hours my dad will walk out of the fire station for the last time as a member of the Nashville Fire Department, a department he has served for 34 years! Mom and I talked about what a bittersweet time this is for us a family because the fire department is more than just a job, it is a brotherhood. I basically grew up in a fire hall, climbing on the trucks, getting to blow the horn, going to work with dad and getting McDonalds on the ride into work. The job required other lifestyle changes for all of us: getting up on Christmas day at 4am to open presents before Dad had to go to work; missing him every 3rd night growing up as he would work 24 hour shifts; worrying at night knowing that he would be in the middle of any fire that may break out. Growing up, I always thought of what he did as simply a job, something he did to provide for us at home.

This past week, I realized just how much more firefighting was. Last Saturday, the guys on Dad's shift threw him a retirement party, and for the first time, really, I got to see and hear what Dad was like to those around him at work. I heard story after story of my dad's work ethic, of his ability to take control of a dangerous situation and save those who worked for him, of the respect he earned from his colleagues. I knew all of these things conceptually, but I had never heard them first hand. Man after man came up to me telling me of the caliber of man that my dad was, how much they enjoyed working for/with him, and told me how much they respected him. It was incredible to be there, to see this part of his life, and see how much he was respected and loved by his brothers.

So now, in a few hours, dad leaves one family to join another. When he walks out of the doors of that fire hall for the last time, no doubt he deserves an ovation, lines of people on either side wishing him the best. That is not how firefighters roll, however. In all likelihood, there will be no fanfare, there will be no streamers, no ticker tape. Probably the shift will change, new men will come to work ready to be called to every car wreck, to every 911 call for help, to help a city recover from the flood. He will walk to his car, drive home tired after another night on call. In a few short weeks, Dad will take over as the head chief of the Columbia, TN fire department.

He will carry all of his experiences from Nashville and lead Columbia with the same intensity and fire that has led him thus far. I am so proud of all that Dad has accomplished thus far, and all that he will attain in the future! Thank a firefighter today for all they do!

Lilly rides!

Lilly Walks for Real

Hello! Here's Lilly's latest video...She has turned into quite the little walker, taking several steps in a row now. She still won't stand up by herself just yet, but we think she is getting ready to take off! Enjoy!

LILLY WALKS (or at least takes an independent step)

So this was shot with my iphone, so sorry for the poor quality, but this was literally taken minutes after her 1st ever independent steps on April 14th! We have much more to update but I wanted to post this video for everyone to see!

Lilly celebrates 11mos with a Memphis Staple

Lilly recently turned 11 months old, man how time flies. Grandma RuthAnn was here for the week, and partially to celebrate another month-a-versary for Lilly, and partially because RuthAnn (and the rest of us) love GUS'S FRIED CHICKEN, we decided to take a little trip. I think it truly is the best Fried Chicken in the world, no kidding. So, for her birthday, we let Lilly have a chicken bone with just a little bit of the chicken and spices on it, and just took a ton of pictures. Needless to say, she LOVED it, just like the rest of us!! Enjoy, because we sure did!

Here and Now

I'm not sure why this has been on my heart lately. It may be the fact that the end of residency is quickly approaching for me (Blake), that one of my (and Jaclyn's) best friends in the entire world (and his quickly growing family) is considering leaving in a year to pursue fellowship, or that Lilly is growing up so fast, but God has really been challenging me to cherish today. So many times I get worried, anxious and sometimes overwhelmed about what is coming up in the future, be it months, or even years from today. I feel that somehow if I could just get through today, then I would be one step closer to my goals. Then at the end of the day, I lay down knowing deeply in my heart that I have wasted that day simply going through the motions. I long to cherish the time that I have been given. I know that no day is guaranteed, and I have seen this personally multiple times in my line of work. How many parents would love to have just one more day with their child who died from cancer or who was taken from them in a horrible car wreck?

When Jaclyn and I are honest, we long for the "future" when residency is over, when work settles down, and we can just spend time as a family. There is a peace in knowing that this day will hopefully come one day, but at the same time, we don't think about what that wishes away. There are no gifts from God greater than our next breath, our next morning, our next day at work. With that morn, come opportunities to serve others at the hospital, to love Lilly and watch her grow day by day, and to grow as a child of God. What I hope and pray is that I will live each day with this realization. God has my future already planned; HE has done the work; HE is in control. So, despite what circumstances God manipulates in my path (whether they be great triumphs or what I see as major failures), I just HAVE to trust that HE knows what is best. This is the only thing that offers me the freedom to enjoy the present.

Ok, here's another picture of Lilly taken this weekend. Grammy came down and help her discover computers! We love all of you!

2 teeth!!

Hey! Just wanted to post a few pictures of Lilly from the last few weeks. Lilly thinks she is a big girl now that she has 2 whole teeth. She tries to use them to eat her goldfish, but not to much avail.