Update, finally!

Hello friends and family. We are still alive and kicking. Life is good. Somewhat crazy, but good! We have had a busy time the past few months. Jaclyn has been on a steady stream of ICU months the past few months, and chasing Lilly around has become more than a full time job! We have been blessed with some incredible support which makes this crazy journey so fun. After some gentle ribbing from some good friends (you know who you are), I will try to post a little more often. I realize nobody really cares about what I say, most of you just want to see pictures of Lilly, so here they are. As you can see, she is growing up so fast! She amazes us every single day. The latest trick, she bust out into a full rendition of "Old B. Donnel" yesterday, somehow the only real animal he has is a cow...every now and then a pig finds its way into the mix. I've been trying to capture this on video, but whenever I bust out the camera, she stops singing and says, "I see Lilly!" Here are some pictures from last week taken with some good friends, the Sommervilles!

Lilly and Caroline reading books together

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!