Happy Thanksgiving.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Okay, so we're a little late. In fact, I should go ahead and wish you a Merry Christmas - but, better late than never, right? Justin, Abigail and I took our traditional trip to Gatlinburg, TN for Thanksgiving. This tradition started three years ago after my parents made the trek from Memphis to celebrate our first Thanksgiving with us in Wake Forest. After more than 24 hours in the car for a short 3-4 day visit they vowed to never do that again. So, we decided to meet half-way in Gatlinburg, TN. The first year we brought all of the ingredients needed to make a traditional, home-made Thanksgiving dinner. Needless to say, we haven't done it since. It took three or four trips to Wal-Mart, including one on Thanksgiving Day, to get everything we needed. And then... the cabin didn't have a microwave, so we had to heat the leftovers in the stove. Yuck! Since then, Thanksgiving dinner has been at the Apple Barn. It is a farmhouse restaurant that serves their meals family style. Although it pales in comparison to my mom's homemade turkey and dressing, they do serve a delicious Thanksgiving meal. Not to mention there is no clean up. Last year, while we were in Gatlinburg, Justin and I were able to surprise my parents with the news that they were going to be grandparents. This year, of course, we had the joy of celebrating Abigail's first Thanksgiving. As we went around the table and shared what we were thankful for, Abigail made everyone's list. It's amazing how such a little person can bring so much joy to the lives of those around her. We also shared that we were thankful for the gift of family and friends and the privilege of being children of God. What a blessing it is to have the promise of eternal life through the blood of Jesus Christ, but also to have abundant life filled with family and friends that love us and support us. Praise the Lord for His countless blessings. This year, Justin's family was able to join us on Friday. It was so much fun to watch Abigail enjoy time with our families. She just laughed and laughed at my mom. I am posting a video of her laughing, squealing and snorting at Justin and her Mimi. It is too cute! While we were there, Abigail learned to laugh "like a big girl", reach and grab and last but not least, she learned how to catch a cold. A few days before we left for Tennessee she had the sniffles, but by the time we got home it had turned into a full fledged cold. It was pitiful. After a few days of congestion and coughing, we went to the doctor and found out it turned into an ear infection. As a result, Abigail and I were on quarantine for about a week. The bad news is, even after 10 days of antibiotics, we are back in the same boat two weeks later. The Monday after Thanksgiving, I was at home taking care of Abigail when I get a phone call from Justin. Rarely do I hear from him at work, so I thought it was a little out of the ordinary to be getting a phone call from him. When I asked him how his night had been he replied, "I got hurt." He fell while loading crates onto his dolly and bit through his bottom lip. Thankfully the cut wasn't large enough to need stitches. He just had to wear a butterfly stitch for a couple of days and he was fine. Justin just finished the fall semester, and I am proud to say that despite being a full-time worker, dad and husband he did very well in school. Only one semester left and he will be a seminary graduate. WOW! So, that is the latest with the Perry's. I apologize for the long post. I will try to keep the blog updated more regularly so you don't get a book next time.

The latest.

This is a picture that was taken at our friends Hugh & Hollie Carson's house. It appeared on their blog recently, but it was so good I wanted to share it with all of you. Hugh works at Wal-Mart with Justin, so Hollie and I get together on Monday nights. She and Hugh have a little girl Laney. I can't wait for Abigail to be mobile so that she and Laney can be playmates. Right now that are just really interested in each other.





Abigail and daddy love to watch Sunday afternoon football before Justin leaves for work. This girl is already a fan. Now we just have to teach her to say "Go Vols."









Jen Grady, a friend of mine and my replacement at in the Admissions office, made Abigail several hair bows as a baby gift. Since Abigail doesn't have any hair, we had to come up with another idea - a headband. Abigail decided to model it for us. HOW CUTE!




There are two toys that Abigail has taken to, a pink snuggle blanket and this pink baby doll. She was cuddling with her on the changing table and we just had to get a picture.






So sweet!









We didn't dress Abigail up for Halloween, but wanted her to wear this cute outfit. However, when I put it on her the pants were way too short for her. I had to take at least one picture of her in it. She matches her room decor.





I feel like it has been a while since I have posted an update, so I am not sure where to begin.

Abigail continues to amaze us each day as she grows and develops. She is such a big girl in more ways than one. We went to the doctor last week, and she is approaching 17 pounds - what a big girl! (By the way, she isn't even 4 months old. WOW!) She is getting so strong. She loves to sit up. She can sit on her own, but just for a moment. However, give her your fingers to hold on to and she will sit for ten minutes. She is so curious. She loves to look around. She will lean forward in the car seat and in the stroller to see what is passing by. She also loves to find Justin when he calls her name from across the room. Her eyes get really big and she will turn her head to find him. We love to make her laugh. I will give her lots of kisses on her neck and she will laugh until she has the hiccups. Justin will do anything, and I do mean anything, to get her to laugh. It is so fun to watch the two of them together. He loves her so much! We just graduated her into size 3 diapers, size 6-9 month clothes, and size 2 shoes. She is certainly a daddy's girl. I can't believe she is almost 4 months old! What a joy the last 4 months have been.

Justin has enjoyed the last couple of weeks with minimal responsibility at school. It has been great to get to spend the evenings with him. It has also provided the oppertunity to catch up with some friends. We are still pursuing church planting oppertunties. Please pray for us in this regard. The options seem endless. But, we know that direction will come in the Lord's timing. Right now we are looking forward to the end of the semester and time to visit family and friends in Tennessee. I know Justin is looking forward to a break from work and school. Speaking of work, he has done so well. He earned his first bonus for efficiency at work. I am so thankful for a husband that is willing to do whatever it takes to provide for his family.

This weekend was Mistletoe Market, the craft show that Tara (my former co-worker) and I were making wreaths for. We had a great time, but were a little disappointed in the turnout. We are planning to participate in the seminary craft show the first weekend in December to hopefully sell all of the wreaths that we made. I am including a couple of pictures of the wreaths that we made to give you an idea of what I have been up to.

Say Cheese...

We took Abigail to have a professional portrait taken on Friday. We think that she is an extremely photogenic baby just from the pictures we have taken ourselves. Well, it was only confirmed on Friday that she is a sucker for the camera. The photographer bragged about her big, beautiful smiles. She also loved the pictures so much she ordered a copy for the studio. I think Abigail could be following in her mom and dad's footsteps - the next Little Miss Tennessee. (Can you say proud parent?)

Abigail will be fifteen weeks old this Wednesday. I can't believe it. In addition, she now weighs over 16 pounds and is at least 25 inches long (if not longer). She continues to amaze us as she learns and develops more each day. She is now "gooing" all day - especially in the car. She will "talk" to us the entire time. What can you say, "she is all girl!"

You have all heard about the precious smiles that Abigail gives us that just melt our hearts. Well, now you get to see what all of the fuss is about.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

An update on Justin.

He just finished his last big project for the semester. I know he is thankful this semester is coming to an end. While it has continued to be such a blessing to be in seminary, I can tell he is exhausted from wearing so many hats. I have to brag on him - dispite all of the respondsibility that he has taken on, he is still doing well at being a student, a worker, a dad and a husband. I am so thankful to have such an amazing husband.

An update on Jackey.

Tara and I are still working hard to finish all of our wreaths for the big craft fair the second weekend in November. I can't tell you how different it looks compared to last year. Tara was pregnant with Eden and we didn't even know Abigail was on the way. In fact, the joke was if Justin and I found out that we were pregnant during the month of November (which was not our plan) then we knew the Lord had plans for us to start a wreath making business. Well, one year later and were at it again. Our business name is "First Impressions." We pray that all of our effort won't be in vain, and that our wreaths are just as big of hit this year as they were last year. We are making 50 wreaths. Please pray that we sell out!

The sweetest sound...

Milestones.

No, your not crazy. This is the second post in two days. This week has been a week of milestones, and I was so excited that I couldn't wait until next week to post pictures of them all...

Abigail is now holding her head up! She and Justin had a lot of fun during tummy time the other day, and she pulled her little head right up!






This was Abigail's first attempt to sit in her Bumbo seat, and she did it! In fact, she really likes to sit up like a big girl and look around.










Fall has arrived. As many of you know, fall is my favorite time of year, and how could it not be when your little girl looks this cute in a hat!






Abigail loves to sit in our laps. She is no longer content to look at the back of the couch. As a result, she has discovered the television. I caught she and Justin watching a little football.









Abigail and I get the joy of waking Justin up in the morning. As you can see, Abigail is dressed and ready for church and Justin still has bed head.

Our first family vacation.

Justin, Abigail and I just took our first family vacation to Williamsburg, VA. I must admit that I was a little nervous. You just never know what to expect with a little one. But, we had such a great time. Justin and I had to stop and laugh on several occasions at how different it is to travel with a baby. Our 3 hour road trip was more like four, and Justin has let go of his expectation of going as far as we can without a bathroom break. I think we could have made it around Colonial Williamsburg three times in the time it took us to see it once with Abigail. However, we wouldn’t have traded the experience of all three of us being together for anything. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Abigail surprised us on Tuesday by saying “ahh-goo.” Although not a “real” word, we were so excited. Justin was playing with her on her activity mat saying “ahh-goo, ahh-goo” and suddenly she replied “ahh-goo.” I wish you could have seen the look on our faces. Oh, the simple joy’s of being parents.

You would never know by her sweet smile, but Abigail has been behind bars.








A family shot outside of the Colonial Williamsburg Post Office and Printing Press.








A picture of Abigail taking a break from the stroller. This was one of many stops that we made along the way.








A picture of Justin behind the pulpit at the Presbyterian Meetinghouse.









A few additional shots of us: the three of us in the Govener's Palace Garden, Abigail and I with a street vendor, and Abigail and Dad having some hangout time.

Another trip to the pediatrician.

These are pictures of Abigail on her activity mat. She loves the bug that is hanging down from the top of the picture. She really wants to talk to it. Lately, she will open her eyes really big, take a deep breath, open her mouth and stick out her tongue all in effort to talk to her bug, but nothing comes out.

We have started a nightly routine with Abigail. After she eats, we give her a bath, clean and ointment her neck, give her her medicine, read her a book and put her to bed. This is a picture of her right out of the bath in one of her hooded towels. She loves her baths.

Well...it's official - Abigail wins Wake Forest Pediatrics award for "best attendance." After almost a week of poor feedings and two days of fussiness, we went back to the pediatrician today. This time the diagnosis is that Abigail has "thrush." Here is a little of information about thrush for those of you, like me, that have never heard of it before.

What is thrush?
Thrush is a yeast infection that causes white patches in the mouth and on the tongue. Thrush is most common in babies and older adults, but it can occur at any age.

What causes thrush?
You get thrush when a yeast called candida, normally found on the body, grows out of control. In babies, candida causes thrush because babies' immune systems are not yet strong enough to control the growth of the yeast. Some people get thrush when they take certain medicines, such as

antibiotics.

I suspected thrush when we went to her two month check-up because it is common in babies who have been on antibiotics. But, the doctor said that it assumed it had to be reflux because Abigail didn't have the white patches in her mouth as mentioned above. However, when the symptoms returned last week while Abigail was still taking Zantac I knew that it had to be something else. I am still amazed at the discernment the Lord has given me as a mom. We haven't completely ruled out reflux. But...they are treating Abigail and I for thrush and hopefully the symptoms will subside for good. Please pray that the Lord will heal our precious little girl and restore her health completely. I praise the Lord for the doctor that we saw today, Dr. White. I have been told by several other mom's, namely Stephanie Lyon, what a great doctor she was. Well...I officially second that. She was very thorough, and down to earth. She probably asked 20 questions before starting her exam. And, she was patient to answer all of my questions (as a new mom you can imagine the list). Before I left, she gave me her pager number in case I needed her for anything or if anything changed. What a blessing!

As for Justin and I, we are looking forward to fall break. Justin has spent much of his free time preparing for the sermon tomorrow. I can't wait to just hang out with my husband all week. By the way, if you would like to get on and listen to the sermon, go to http://www.northwake.com/ and you can download tomorrow's service. Tara Jones, my former co-worker, and I will be spending the next several weeks making wreaths in preparation for a craft show in Wake Forest. She and I always seem to come up with "little projects" that become "big projects" when it is all said and done. This all started last year after we both made our wreath's for fall and were discussing how much fun we had at work one day. A year later we are making close to 50 wreath's and planning to do one of the largest craft shows in the area. We may be in over our heads.

Lastly, I want to wish my father-in-law, Charles, a happy birthday!