Christmas Greetings

I take Christmas cards as very serious business. I stress about what outfits we will wear, where we will take pictures and how we will pose. Then I scour the internet looking for the PERFECT christmas card template. Here are my personal requirements- it must have the ability to import multiple (ie more than 3 pictures) and per my dear husband it must say Merry Christmas. Above all, it must have that wow factor that when people open the card and see our's it makes them say "this is a nice card."

During my searching, I landed on Tiny Prints website. They have over 170 cards that hold as many or more than 3 pictures!! This is huge for this MWAC (mom with a camera) that takes ridiculous amounts of pictures of my kiddos. What I also love about Tiny Prints is that they have a variety you can have full picture cards or cards with designs.

What I finally landed on will allow me to incorporate pictures of each child alone, a family shot and a picture of hubby and I together. Here is what I picked and I am thinking of going with the brown as I think it gives the card a little something I am looking for.

http://www.tinyprints.com/product/28038/christmas_cards_simply_heartwarming.html#color/02/pid/28038


You can look at all that Tiny Prints have to offer here:
http://www.tinyprints.com/shop/picture-christmas-cards.htm

Time flies when you're having fun

So now we are about one week away from Miranda being 9 months and just a couple weeks from Jackson being 3!!?!

My baby boy is almost 3. It is so hard on me that he is growing up entirely too fast. We took some pictures this weekend and looking at them he looks so grown up. But I am even more in love with him today than I was 3 years ago. I am lucky to get to work from home and on those days we start the day pretty much the same way lately. I hear him come out of his room and walk over to my side of the bed. I lean down and pick him up in bed. He proceeds to tell me "it is light now" meaning the sun has risen and therefore he can wake up. I have no idea how he made this connection but he did and it makes me smile. I should also say that when he comes in he brings his entourage of bed things, which would include his blanket, his elephant, his airplane pillow. Sometimes he has to go back for buzz lightyear and cat in the hat but usually those get to sleep in. And other times he comes in with his books that he sleeps with and wants me to read. He has learned how to play tennis and loves to go outside with his racket. He loves being outside in general playing, running, helping daddy and papa do yard projects. His appetite has waned recently but I think that is from his constant readiness to play. He loves to do puzzles and read. We also have some educational dvds that teach the alphabet and sounds, which he loves to watch. It cracks us up cause he tries to recreate some of the scenes- like the T does a tap dance with a top hat and cane. So he gets his explorer hat and a drum stick and dances around in circles. He still amazes me with his vocabulary and memory. He is such a sweet big brother. A couple weeks ago, Papa had given him some change for his piggy bank and on his own he came into Miranda's room and asked me to get her piggy bank down and he shared some of his change with her. He is (usually) really gentle and loving with her. Now that the weather is nice we have been going on walks and it is so heartwarming to see the two of them interact sitting next to each other in the stroller. If she has a shirt with writing on it, he tells her the letters. He will make funny faces and laugh for her and she gives him her best laughs.

Miranda is 8 1/2 months and it growing and doing things way too fast for me! She has been crawling for a couple weeks now. And she also started pulling herself up to stand- mostly on mimi's fireplace. She is our small petite little girl. She is such a happy baby like her brother was/is. She sleeps like a dream at night and sometimes surprises us with super long naps. She loves to eat- she pretty much eats all regular food just cut up small or mashed whatever we are having. She hates to be alone and always wants to be able to see us. I love that when I come home from work her face lights up and she will squeal with excitement. She is Daddy's little girl. And her brother is the most awesome person in the world to her. She loves to talk and scream (happily) the day away. She is already figuring out how to drive Jackson crazy by playing with all of his toys. Yesterday he was finishing up his lunch in the stroller as we walked and she reached right over and grabbed a piece of it and ate it!! He wasn't too pleased.

I am so thankful and blessed to have them both and they teach me so much about life and myself.

Long time gone

So I have been away again for awhile. But I have the most adorable little excuse her name is Miranda and she is such a joy!! Miranda is almost 4 months old now and I can't believe. I think each time you have a child time must speed up even faster. Jackson has adapted so well to her, but I guess deep down I knew he would. He is our easy going kiddo. Miranda is pretty easy going as well, but she has her moments of letting you know that she is not happy.

She does not like to be in her car seat. This is quite opposite of Jackson who would spend days in there if he left him. So that means I tend to carry her in our baby bjorn a lot, which is has considerly cut down on my shopping- it is super hard to try on clothes and shoes with a baby attached to you. Other than that, she is a super happy, smiley baby. She loves for you to talk to her and I feel she may be a tad dare devilish like her brother. She loves to "fly" She chats with us all the time. I tell my husband that I think she will be right handed like her brother as both of them when they nurse and their right arms are up they move them in swimming motion across me but only on that one side. She sleeps like a champ going about 10 hours at night. I say she is going to be like my husband as he is long and lean and her percentiles show that pattern. She is almost 2 pounds less than jackson was at this same age.

Jackson is now 2 1/2 yrs old. His vocabulary has grown so much in the past several months. He loves trucks, cars, and trains. He is getting in disney movies- his favorites are Cars, Toy Story (for Buzz Lightyear) and Finding Nemo. He cracks us up all the time with the things he says. Yes is 'ness'. Today when I told him I was going to work he told me "no work". He has recently developed fears of thunder and strangers. He lvoed trick or treating once he realized there is candy involved. We started potty training him and he is doing awesome with it!! He has learned all of his colors and now we are working on letters and shapes!!

So that is all totally random things that I wanted to jot down so I don't forget this time with them as it is so amazing.

Snail mail smiles

When digital cameras have become mainstream, it renewed my interest in photography. This interest was passed to me from my father who has loved capturing images for years. He tends to shy away from any sort of posed pictures and loves to capture the truly candid shots. In fact, several cousins have asked him to be the photographer at their wedding when he didn't want to do it afraid they wouldn't be happy.

I on the other hand love the somewhat posed shots. I hate the goofy hold your hands this way and tilt your head and chin that way- I am more of a stand in front of this and lets see what happens. Since I have had my children my photography interest has grown by leaps and bounds. I take pictures of them all the time, but I need a way to share them with friends and family without loading down their email boxes with photo attachments. So what do I do? I send greeting cards for practically every holiday. This way they can see the kids progress as they grown and learn new things.

I have used Shutterfly in the past and love how easy it is to upload, personalize and order my pictures. You can see all of their Christmas card options here

I think I am going to use the Top 10 for our cards. How awesome to be able to give everyone our year in review highlights with pictures of proof!! We have had so many great moments it will be hard to narrow it down and figure out the order though I am sure M's birth is firmly cemented in the number 1 spot!


Other things I just recently found is Shutterfly also sells calendars which will make great gifts for grandparents and great-grandparents. I can put our pictures in them and each month they will see their smiling faces!!


And I am already combing through to find THE perfect birthday invitations for the kids parties next year!!

I love FREE STUFF!!

Ok, so as a Mommy of two kids I have to sadly admit I do not have a video camera to capture all their cuteness. I am photo crazy and will use the video feature on my camera, but it isn't the same and the quality isn't so great. But my good friend Brittany over at MommyWords may be able to fix this problem for me! She is giving a Flip Ultra HD!! SWEET!!

You can check out her blog and the giveaway here!!

In addition to being so generous with her readers, she is an awesome mom blogger who writes about the fun and tough stuff of being a parent and wife.

You are my sunshine

Recently I received the best compliment ever, that my love for my children just exudes out of me. Now there are some days that I am sure this is not case, but I like to think that most days people can tell I am head over heels in love with my family. I have a little over 30 days till we get to meet our baby girl. For the most part, I am still feeling really good. The heat is starting to get to me, so I try to limit my time outside but I love to drive around in my car cause then I don't feel guilty for cranking the air down to frostbite level. I would hate to see our power bill if I did that at home! She is still pretty active in here and was causing some pain as she was trying to pop out a rib yesterday. I feel her hiccup several times a day. I need to do a couple final things in preparation for her arrival. We need to wash and fold her clothes, put the car seats in the cars and I need to pack for the hospital.

Jackson is doing so many amazing things. Since he had reaching talking age, I had always wondered if he was 'up to speed.' Mostly this fear was related to the well baby checklists the ped gives at each visit to monitor his progress. He was at the lower end of the word counts each time, then at his two year visit he was 'supposed' to have several sentences, but he only had one 2 word sentence of 'whats that'. Anyway, the ped suggested we have him evaluated she didn't feel anything was wrong since he comprehended everything we tell him, but she thought early intervention would be best. After the evaluation, we were told he was borderline for speech but would most likely score off the charts for understanding. We were given some tools to try and they said he should be mimicking our sounds within 30 days. See he had 20 words but they weren't conversation words. He didn't ask for anything he would just grunt and point. So the day after the evaluation was rough trying to 'make' him talk to us, but by lunch time he was saying more for more food. After that his words just grew. He now says up, down, milk, more, please, eat and other item words. We are now working on getting him to combine words, but it is so exciting to see his vocabulary almost double in a couple weeks.

He is getting interested in coloring. Thank goodness for Crayola paper where the markers only show up on special paper. Sure it costs more but think of what it saves in un-ruined furniture and time of cleaning up walls. We had placed him in swim class earlier this year and I worried that he hadn't really picked anything up. He still want to play in the water. But I found him a float that has the two arm supports, but also has a float piece that goes across his chest. We tried it out this past weekend for the first time and he did awesome. He will venture out and actually swim around and turn around and come back while kicking. He is also starting to incorporate the arm movements. And he loves it!!

The title of this post comes from a one of our baby toys. I found it while I was cleaning up the baby items- car seat, bouncer, etc. It is a toy that when you squeeze it plays musical "you are my sunshine." Course Jackson didn't miss a single new item that found its way into the house, so he will play with that toy and get such a kick out of the fact that mommy knows the song and sings along.

The countdown

Less than 100 days to go until our due date. Course she can come after that I know, but it is still amazing to consider than in such a short time span we will become a family of 4. In one week I will be in my third trimester. I am still feeling pretty good. I can feel it in my hips and pelvic region if I sit at work too long without moving around or if I do a 30 min walk in our hilly neighborhood. I spent time this weekend getting her room together. I finally got all of Jackson’s things moved out and hung up the clothes that we already have for her. Jackson was helping- he would grab her clothes and hang them on the dresser in a row. I also washed her bedding, but need to raise the crib back up to newborn height and make the bed. Then all that is left to do is put her wall decorations up. I can feel her kick, punch and now roll. I think the rolling is the neatest feeling. I guess cause that is what I remember so much with Jackson- he was very much a roller.

Jackson is about one week away from being 2. I can’t believe it. My heart is so excited for the little boy he is, but hates how fast time is flying by. He is so amazing to us and is such a joy to our lives. His vocabulary is growing and his favorite thing to ask now is “What’s that or Who’s that.” It is so funny that from the moment he wakes up and we go and get him, the whats that game starts. Some times he asks it about so many things we can’t even answer before he moves on to the next item. My mom says he is like a sponge and is just soaking up all of the world around him. I think that is true, because while he has yet to repeat all of the words we tell him if you ask to point out something that you have told him what it is he can immediately find it. A recent trip to Home Depot for yard supplies taught him one of my new favorite words for him- flower – which he says ow-er. It is right up there with shoe which sounds a lot like chew. Something else I think it super funny, if you ask him to chew his food he squishes up his nose like he is smelling something. I have no idea why he does this but it cracks me up.

We have officially gotten rid of the pacifier. As always he amazes me with his ability to adapt without a fuss. It only seems to be Sunday afternoon naps that he struggles without paci. Other than that he is fine. He hasn’t even asked for it. My great trick- I just didn’t give it to him. It was out of his room, so when I layed him down I just gave him his lovey, blanket and a kiss and walked out. He looked around like um…aren’t you forgetting something but he didn’t say anything.
We still have potty training on his to-do list, but he still isn’t showing any interest, so I will hold off and not force the issue.

The mean dentist

Jackson has been in his big boy bed for a full two weeks. And as always he completely amazes me. He has done great! For the first week, it may have taken a little bit longer to actually fall asleep for naps and bedtime, but now he knows the drill and goes right to sleep.

Last week, he went to the dentist for the first time and to say he didn’t like it would be an understatement. He has never had any problems with letting me brush his teeth. It is almost the opposite, he is fighting me cause he wants to do it. He has always been super at the doctor’s office and even when he had to have stitches awake. But the dentist? He was not having any of that. First I think it was the way they tried to have me lay him basically against my lap. He doesn’t like that any time. In the end the dentist and hygienist were able to get in there and get the job done. Course one of the things the dentist said was that it was time to get rid of his pacifier. Thanks lady…I already have that on my list of to-dos, but honestly it scares me. Since he turned one, he has only had the paci for bedtime and naps (and the occassional car trip). So to me his daily total paci time can not be more than an hour a day. Also, if kids suck their thumbs then they are certainly doing it longer than 22 months. But I digress, cause I feel the need to defend my boy and his paci. I am afraid that he will have a hard time adjusting. I feel that at a year I should have taken the paci away along with nursing and bottles, because at that time the attachment wasn’t near as strong as it is now. I am afraid that he will go to sucking his thumb or fingers, which is one of the reasons I gave him the paci anyway (I mean you can’t go around throwing away fingers). My plan is to give him a month of being in his new room and big boy bed before I implement operation no more paci. Not sure of my exact tactics. Some people say cold turkey is best, some have used the magical paci fairy and presents, someone even suggested I put that stuff you put on your nails to stop biting them. Part of me thinks a slow way out might work. Where I try to lay him down without it and see if he minds – if he does let him try to self soothe for a period of time that increases over several days. While It upsets me that the dentist said anything about it at all, I guess part of me is glad that I now have a reason why I should do it. I mean with his dad and I both having braces it isn’t like he was going to make it through school without some horrible braces pictures.

In general Jackson news, he is growing up which I guess is obvious but he is looking grown up. A lot of the baby chunk is gone, his face has slimmed down course he still has mommas chipmunk cheeks. He looks like a little man, he walks like a little man and he acts like a little man. He is smart almost too smart for his own good, he is sweet and knows how to give the best hugs and kisses, he is kind he was sharing his snacks with his friends this weekend without being made to, aw he is the light of our life.

In belly land, I am 22 weeks. Just barely over the half way hump. My belly has grown and I now look pregnant. I feel her moving all the time. She seems to be a lot more active that I remember Jackson. July is seeming so close and yet so far away. It seems that we will have spurts of busy time followed by slow times as we wait for her arrival.

March

Oh it is March 1st and I hope that means Spring is quickly coming. The time change is coming which I love, cause I actually get a chance to spend some time outside after work. I am excited to get outside and go for some walks and take Jackson to the park.

This Thursday we get to go for another ultrasound and hopefully confirm that this babe is still a girl. I sure hope so cause my mom and I have been taking advantage of all the winter clearance sales.

This coming weekend is also the weekend that we will move Jackson into his new room. Yesterday we ordered his new furniture and as we were walking out of the store I seriously almost started crying. Even now the thought of it can bring me to tears. When did he get old enough for a big boy bed?? Ah! Time flies by so fast. I mean it was just two years ago that we were getting ready for our baby shower for him. He is getting a queen size bed, because we already had a mattress that size in the room, so one thing exciting is I can go and snuggle with him. This pregnancy seems to come with a lot of night wakings, so I will often go and rock in his room while he sleeps. This thought reminded me of a song that I have loved from the first time I heard it. I would play it all the time when he was in my belly.

I have been reminded lately that none of us are promised tomorrow. So I as fight back tears this weekend when I lay him down in that big bed for the first time, I will smile and be thankful for where we are and cherish this time before his next big accomplishment.
"Lullaby"

They didn't have you where I come from
Never knew the best was yet to come
Life began when I saw your face
And I hear your laugh like a serenade

How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up

I slip in bed when you're asleep
To hold you close and feel your breath on me
Tomorrow there'll be so much to do
So tonight I'll drift in a dream with you

How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up

As you wander through this troubled world
In search of all things beautiful
You can close your eyes when you're miles away
And hear my voice like a serenade

How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up

How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up

Jackson is now 21 months old. It amazes me that time has passed so quickly. He now looks like a child instead of a baby. He understands so much of what we tell him that it is scary. His words are still not many, but his comprehension makes up for it to me. For Valentine's Day, I told Jason I wanted to take Jackson to the circus. He had such a great time just watching and studying everything that was going on. I wonder how his mind made sense of it all. But he would just sit in our laps and stare. Then he would spontaneously clap if he liked something. I can't wait to take him next year! We also had our first real snow at the house. He has played at a local snow park but usually it is pretty much ice and way too many people to have free reign. At home though he had a blast running and kicking the snow. He would then hit at it with his mittens. His favorite things are to have us read to him (and no matter how many books I buy him it is always the same stories), dance around the living room and he has taken to just running and falling while making what we call boy noises like grunts. He still eats great and enjoys pretty much everything we give him. He has discovered dipping his food into whatever sauce is appropriate. He likes to dip his fries in ketchup, then he wanted sour cream for his quesadilla. He still goes to bed at 7 and sleeps till 7 in the morning if we let him. He usually takes a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. He is so sweet that he will give out hugs and kisses when asked and as a special treat on Valentine's Day for no reason (he must have known) when he woke up he gave me 2 kisses without me even asking.

The pregnancy is going well. We are just trucking along at this point. Our big doctor's ultrasound is scheduled for March 4th, but as an extra Valentine's Day gift Jason scheduled a sneak peek/gender ultrasound at an elective place. They have guessed girl for us!! We are so excited to be able to experience being parents to a boy and a girl! I can now feel her kicking and punching. The movements are still light and if I don't pay attention I will miss them.

I have been going through the house trying to prepare for a yard sale and the pending room swap. We can't take the crib out of the current room without dismantling it, so we have decided to move Jackson into that room which is also slightly bigger. I am terrified of this transition. I honestly have no idea that he will get in, stay in and fall asleep in a big boy bed. I am sure like with all things he will amaze me and do wonderfully. I just want to go ahead and get him moved so that he doesn't feel kicked out of his room when the baby comes. Then the ever looming potty training, which I honestly don't think he is ready for at all. He seems to show none of the ready signs- being wet or dirty doesn't bother him in the least. I don't want to push the issue just because a new baby is coming, because he will be ready when he is ready and not a moment sooner. He is after all my child.

January

13 weeks today. Officially in my second trimester, which is great because that hopefully means morning sickness (read night sickness) should be gone very soon. I have greatly improved in my exhaustion department and only need a nap every couple days. I have broken down and started wearing maternity pants to work this week. They are still not quite necessary but I like to eat lunch and my regular pants were not so conducive to such things.

On January 11, we got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. I swear that sound is so beautiful and heartwarming. The amazingness of it never wears off on me. I am so ready to find out who is baking in here, so that I can start to plan for this little one. With your first pregnancy, you can spend hours researching car seats, strollers, pack n plays, cribs, and a host of other must have items. However we already have all of these things just waiting on this babe, so I feel as though I am not doing anything for this one. I have picked out bedding if this babe is a girl however and I really hope it is, because I just adore this bedding. Technically, Jackson’s bedding is gender neutral and I went that route with the intention of not having to purchase any new bedding for the second child. Silly me- I forgot how I am. I love bedding and if my husband would let me I would probably change ours all of the time. So the chances of me using the same bedding are quite slim. If this babe is a boy, then I almost feel that I would want new bedding because Jackson’s bedding is just that- his. I will always remember and associate his jungle bedding with him. If this babe is a boy, then he already has all of Jackson’s hand me down clothes, why not give him his own nursery? So in the mean time we wait to see who is hiding in here. I would say patiently but that would be a lie.

Jackson is 20 months and his usual awesome self. He now has all 4 canine teeth. So his mouth is quite full and I think he may be ready for a steak (or is that me?). Poor kid is still missing the bottom left side to the front teeth. And of course his 2 year molars. He amazes me all the time with how much he understands. Words are harder to come by but he understands all of our every day actions such as time for a bath, time to eat, time for milk. He can now point out most of his body parts- hair, head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, arm, hands, fingers, legs, foot and toes. My favorite is when he shows his belly- it is like he just had one of the best meals and his belly is all full and poking out and he justs rubs it with pride. He has learned to jump- ok really we jump, and then he bends his knees and falls to his bottom. He loves to dance and if he had his own iPod remix it would include Randy Houser- Boots On, Beyonce- Single Ladies, Lady Gaga- Poker Face. There is this show on called the Singing Bee- basically people have to finish the lyrics to all these songs- he loves this show. I mean way more than any cartoon/kid show. He goes crazy for this show- runs around screaming and clapping. I am sure this love of music has nothing to do with me blaring music every time we drove anywhere when he hung out growing in my belly. I love every day with him and I love the smile beams at us when he is so happy and content. It makes me feel as though we at least do something right!

A New Beginning

Jackson had a truly wonderful Christmas. He was so excited to open up his presents and get toys. He had us cracking up, cause he would tear the paper then say “oooohhhh” like it was the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. Once he opened one, we had to take it immediately out of the box, so he could try it out before he would open the next one. His big present was a tricycle, which his feet still don’t quite reach the pedals, but he uses his feet to move himself all around like a Flintstones car. We spent the morning at our house, then went to my parents for breakfast and round #2. Later that day, we drove to spend the weekend with his other grandparents, which makes round #3. He is a very lucky kid.

Earlier that week, he had gotten a stomach bug and it is so hard to watch your little one get sick like that. Luckily this one didn’t last near as long as the one he had last winter. Only a couple days of the yuckies and he was back to his normal self.

For New Year’s,we had a low key evening at home with his cousins, C and T, our friends and his buddy, S, J and J and Mimi and Papa. Unfortunately for me, I got sick thanks to the wonderful thing known as morning sickness. Yep, that is right- we are expecting our second child. We are due at the end of July and I almost 11 weeks along. So far this pregnancy has been a lot nicer to me in the morning sickness department. Like Jackson, I suffer at night and am completely fine in the morning. But on like Jackson, I have not spent weeks on end hanging out in the bathroom. My nights are usually spent being a bump on a log on the couch. Doing basically absolutely nothing and spending only a couple evenings in the bathroom. Other than morning sickness, I have been completely exhausted to the point of needing (not that I get them but I sure need them) daily naps.

While we both wanted and were trying to get pregnant, it has taken some mental adjusting for me to come to grips with the idea of being a mother of two. The hardest part for me is the idea of how it will affect Jackson. And how in the world can I possibly love another child as much as him? All mothers of two have told me these thoughts are normal and there is no question that I will love and adore this child as much as Jackson. As I begin to feel better physically, I also feel better emotionally and I am truly looking forward to meeting this little person and learning all about them.

19 Months

Ok, so little did I know that the one molar had brought his friends-- all of them. 3 molars have broken through and the 4th is just hanging out and waiting. If I didn’t know it was a molar I would think his gum had a weird growth – it is so swollen and red. Oh and I didn’t have to do the peanut butter trick- it was the tickle monster attack that allowed me to take a peek.

In other I am a big kid news, he tried to climb a grown-up ladder the other day. He walked right up to it and climbed a step before we could get to him. Had we let him continue I am sure my dare devil would have gone all the way to the top.

I am so excited as today I think we are going to let Jackson help us decorate the tree. This was mostly Jason’s idea as I had thought that Jackson would be much more into playing (aka breaking) the ornaments, but I can’t miss the chance to see if he will actually try to place them on the tree. He doesn’t say the word, but I have a Santa pillow and I ask him where is Santa and he points right to the pillow. My smart boy! My house is completely decorated in Santas. Old, wooden and country looking. Now I don’t love the “Santa who brings me whatever I want for Christmas” image, but as my mom explained to me once: There are people out in the world who are Santas to someone. They help and care when they need it most. That idea along with the true meaning of Christmas helps me to focus on what is important during this holiday season. It also has me thinking of ways I can show this to Jackson. Whether it be through volunteering or another means. I don't want him to ever feel a sense of entitlement. I want him to take his gifts and to share them with the world.

That is my 19 month birthday wish for my boy.

Holy Molar!

Holy Molar!

We have a molar! This is big news in Jackson’s mouth. He seems to be slow in getting teeth. Most of his younger friends have a mouthful but he has been making it with 4 teeth for a long while. He can eat like a champ so we weren’t concerned. But in the past month it seems like he has gotten 2 sides on the top and one on the bottom. Now he has a molar! He may even have or be getting another one but the little stinker isnt so keen on mommy trying to examine or feel around in there. I may have to stick my finger in peanut butter.

His vocabulary is growing- he now can say (and act out) ‘hot’ for food temperature. He can recognize bananas which he lovingly refers to as nanas. I used to worry because he never liked to be read to- at all. I mean you could get through about a line before he wanted to get down and run along his adventure. Now he brings us books to read and will sit in your lap and just listen to you.

He is learning so much from us that we don’t even know. Yesterday, he got a cup and proceeded to try and get water from the refrigerator. He would stand way up on his tippy toes and try and make the cup push the lever. Then he would check his progress by pouring the cup back into his mouth. When he finally got some water in the cup, he started to choke on the water and then decided to spill it all on the floor. It was pretty funny cause I was able to watch him (and capture video) and he had no idea I was there. Then the other day, he opened up my bath cabinet and pulled out my make-up brush and powder and proceeded to try and apply it like mommy. He is like this awesome sponge that soaks up the whole world around him. He is a great helper and tried to help me mop the floor. He took a tissue used it to cover his mouth while he fake coughed then used the same tissue to try and clean the table. We said he was trying to be green. I am so in love with this awesome little dude.

18 months

Today my son you are 18 months old. You have accomplished so many things, but yet I hope and pray you have many more to come. You can walk and you can talk. You can express your likes and dislikes. You can show love which just melts my heart everyday. Our new thing is that I will lean my head to yours and tap just slightly and you will repeat it back to me while laughing. You know by my million kisses a day when I say I want a kiss to show me your cheek. You are brave and tough. Even more than most children you show no fear, which is something that causes mommy a lot of heartache. Just the other day you decide to fall off the couch and got right up without a complaint and went about your way. I pray that when life hits you hard times you maintain your ability to keep moving on with grace. You have mommy and daddy days, which is very generous of you. There are days where only mommy will do then the very next day may be daddy’s day and you guys hang out all day. You love to be outside and we can hardly go out the door without taking you with us. You love to things on your own and in your own way. You are a great eater. You will try anything and there are very few things you do not like. One of those is green beans. You love broccoli and peas and all of your fruits. You have started eating apple slices by yourself and taking the big boy bites. As of today you have 6 teeth- 4 front teeth and your right bottom side and top left side tooth. Though I am thinking you are working on several more. You weight about 25 pounds. You can wear 12-18 month shirts and usually 12 month pants for the length. You have pretty much worked down to one good nap a day and still sleep through the night. Your favorite things to do include running, dancing, playing at the playground and helping us. You aren’t much for cuddling or sitting still, but you will let us hold you and if you are drinking your milk before bed you might sit in our laps.

18 months- you no longer look like the little baby we brought home, but like a toddler. You are still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. You and your daddy are my world.

Love,
Mommy

Random

So I have all of these random thoughts about what to write in our blog, but they never seem to culminate into a great post. This I feel is the story of my life- a whole bunch and random that really doesn't make any sense, but it is our life!

Jackson has a cheese smile- you know there is his regular smile and now when he is really happy or thinks something is really funny he 'cheeses' meaning his smile gets bigger and he squishes his face until his eyes are almost closed. It is super! You should see it.

He has a new dance. For awhile, I can tell that Jackson has my appreciation for music. He has either done a head bang along with the beat or a little bottom shake or if he is in his car seat he will clap his hands and get happy feet. All of these are so funny, but his latest his Indian dance. You know how Indians will stand in one place and raise their feet up and down really fast. That is what he does now. It is not even a week old but it cracks us up every time.

Yesterday, I actually placed Jackson on his potty seat and he went pee-pee in the potty! Oh I was so excited. Now we aren't running out for training pants or anything but hey anytime I don't have to change a diaper is great for me!!

He still eats and sleeps like a champ- people are always amazed at how much and what he eats. He loves most all veggies- he doesn't care for green beans though but loves peas and broccoli. He loves his fruits except for melons. He LOVES berries-blue, black, red and straw! Poor kid since they are going out of season. Luckily he likes oranges. He sleeps about 11-12 hours at night, then takes either one or two naps for about a total of 3-4 hours. My guess is that he weight right at 25 pounds, but we should find out in about a month at his 18 month appointment.

He had his first plane ride to visit our family in Washington state. He did so awesome! On the way out there we lucked out and was able to get a 3 seat row, so Mimi and I sat with him. On the way home though, he had to sit in my lap as I sat between 2 guys, but he did great. One guy even shared his chips with Jackson.

In the lives of Mommy and Daddy, we are just enjoying our little man and starting to think about remodeling the house. We really want to paint the walls and now I am starting to think of lots of other things I would like to do.

I am also toying with the idea of starting a photography business. Several of our friends have asked and/or commented about us taking their pictures, but usually they mean for free. So it will be a struggle to find someone who actually wants to pay for our time and new camera we bought :)

I am excited for the holidays coming! My dream would be to go and actually have a white Christmas this year, but I don't think we are in driving distance of snow and plane tickets cost too much!

Vacation Time

It is about to be a very exciting time for us. Vacation time! Ah I can’t wait!! We pretty much haven’t had a take a week off vacation in 2 ½ years, which isn’t that long but we like to travel. This will be our first big trip with Jackson. We have done little weekend trips here and there, but nothing like this. Oh the amount I have to pack! Luckily there is laundry service, so I am going to try and not make myself crazy with guessing how many outfits he will need. Normally I would never pay for such things, but I am thinking sanity outweighs the cost. I am getting overwhelmed with the snacks and food and in case items like bandaids, medicines, nail clippers and files and this and that. What is awesome is that Jackson gets to meet his only Uncle, Aunt P and his other cousins! We are celebrating my brother’s birthday with a mini family reunion!

One of my friends had mentioned all the fun things we could do at night and I reminded her of Jackson and how he goes to bed so early. Normally at 7, but Jason and I decided we would try to bump it back an hour or so for the trip. To which she replied how much that would stink, because basically that means we have to go to bed early. And you know I felt like that for awhile and then it hit me that I was being a complete goober. If I had the choice to pick between staying out late at night or going to bed early with my baby. I tell you what I would pick every day of the week. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t give up for him. I realize how he is, he isn’t one to go to sleep at night in his stroller, he isn’t one who just falls asleep anywhere he is whenever he is tired. He is too afraid he will miss something. Luckily the times we have had to postpone bedtime he has always been a trooper not fussing or crying he just takes in the world. But he likes being put to bed with his elephant and little blanket. He likes it quiet and dark. He is a great sleeper, but usually no matter what time we put him to bed he is up at the same time in the morning. So I don’t want to make him a sleepy miserable little boy just so I can get in an extra hour of me time. I am excited to see his reactions to all the little things that this vacation will offer us. I can’t wait to bring back all the pictures!

Contact Sports

Jackson is 16 months today! Wowee!! I swear every age is a new and fun time at our house. He is such an awesome little boy and everyone thinks it too! His laugh is TOP NOTCH! Straight from the bottom of his belly comes this laugh that makes you laugh too. His smile lifts my heart and makes me feel better. Now he is all boy and I do mean 110%! He runs everywhere he goes. He is mischievous. He loves to get into things he knows he shouldn’t, so much so that he now knows to shake his head no when you say the word. Which would be fine except now he tells us no by shaking his head when we ask for something or want him to eat his veggies! He is talking a lot more (well for him). He says Dada, mama (which is my personal favorite), Dixie (our pooch), doggie and kitty and once he actually said Jackson. I know it sounds way advance but my mom was there and when he said it we both looked at each other and said did he just say? He has learned the sign for ‘more’ which he uses only if it is something really good like banana pudding. He can also say and sign baby. All of these are dependent on his mood, but at least we know he can do it. He is a total helper. He loves to help with the dishes which means he closes the dishwasher, sometimes he is a little too fast with his help. He is learning to follow some simple directions and goes and gets his ball or picks something up and hands it to you.

When I was pregnant and not knowing anything about what being a mommy would be like. All I felt was the urge to protect, I had said that I didn’t want Jackson to play football or hockey- high impact sports for fear of him getting hurt. This was told to my Aunt M, who being a veteran mom of 3 (one of which is a Michael if you have one you know) thought this to be quite funny. Well, fast forward to a couple weeks ago.

We have had another ER visit with Jackson-man. Like I said, he runs everywhere. He was running after my mom when I called him back to the kitchen for breakfast. I was walking out of the kitchen when I heard a loud bump and knew he had run into the wall. In our house, the baseboards are decorative and where the wall pokes out in a corner, they meet at a point. This of course is where he hit -- a couple inches either way and he would have been fine. I quickly picked him up and his forehead was already covered with blood. I recently had surgery and have no vocal range, so my scream sounds like I am very mad at a talking level. My mom came back and we worked to get Jackson to calm down and stop the bleeding. After a couple minutes, a light bulb went off and I remembered the cherished pacifier. This allowed us to get the bleeding to stop so I could call the doctor. This time I was told to pass Go and head straight to the ER. Luckily no waiting there and the doctor came in and said she could either use glue or stitch it up. Glue was less likely to scar but a much higher risk of him busting it open. Yes, when my child does something he really does it- he is always right on the edge of not being something big but they are pretty sure it is. Jason and I looked at each other and knew---stitches. He was a trooper, they wrapped him up in a burrito and for the first half he didn't cry or move. Then realizing that he couldn't move, he started to get very upset. I have much the same reaction, so I can't blame him. We were able to get through and he had 4 stitches. We called him Harry Potter since he had a scar on his forehead. And if we had any doubt that we should have gone with stitches, he fell the next day and it started to bleed and the day before he was due to get stitches out he busted open 2 of them. I have no idea how except he is a tornado. My Aunt reminded me of what I said when she heard of the latest saying that I was worried about contact sports. Well, this is what I get- His life is a contact sport.

It only takes a second

You know how people always say it only takes a second. It is true your whole day can change in one second. Thankfully these life-changing seconds don't happen every day and some times they are great like when you meet your true love and the moment when you see your baby. Sometimes they are bad. People always give you the advice when you have kids that you can't let them leave your sight for a second cause something bad could happen. Well something bad, but minor in the grand scheme of things happened and Jackson couldn't have been any closer to us.

Jason has now joked that afterward our scary doctor visits with our son have begun. For me it started as I got a call from Jason while I just sat down to get my nails done. Jackson was screaming in the background and all I said was what is wrong? no answer so I asked it again. Jason says Jackson was playing with one of our pillows on the floor while he put on his shoes. Jackson stood up to walk and then tripped over the pillow and hit his head on our wooden bed rail. Jackson falls all the time he isn't afraid and most of the time he gets up shakes it off and keeps going. Jason said he waited to see if Jackson reacted. When Jackson started to cry, he swooped him up and saw some blood. First instinct was he busted his lip, but luckily Jason tried to investigate and then he saw it... a flap of tongue not connected. He wasn't sure that is what he saw, but on top of that Jackson's mouth kept filling up with blood and then he would swallow it. At this time, he called me. I tell him to go to our pediatrician's office. I get off the phone and get up and tell the ladies I have to go. Even though I was further away I actually beat them to the doctor's office. The whole way there I am on the phone with the call center telling them we are on the way. I love our doctor's office! They call us right back and the doctor comes right in. She even remembers when she saw us last and knew she hadn't met Jason before. She looks at his mouth and I can see the flap and that his gum is all black around where his top tooth has been hanging out in his gum for 3 months. She says it will need to be sutured, but we have to take him the Children's ER. So away we go. We arrive and luckily they check us right in and take us to another waiting area with Disney movies playing. We had seen a sign saying the wait time was an hour so we were prepared. Jackson had luckily stopped crying before getting to his ped's office and she had given him Tylenol before we left. Course he wasn't digging being held the whole time- he is a mover and a shaker. Right at 45 minutes, a nurse comes and takes us to a room. Right away the doctor comes in and asks us how it happened. I had already felt we had told the story 20 times little did I know I would tell it 50 more. He goes on to say how the tongue heals so well that they rarely do anything unless it is in danger of it falling off. Well we had already seen it and I knew it wasn't going to fall off, I would say it was about 1/3 of the width that was separated. Then he takes a look and says "Well I think I am going to get a second opinion"..uh huh right...the second doc comes in and says "Yes I would stitch it and I have a high tolerance for tongue injuries"...Great. Then we have the anesthesiologist come in and says they were going to make him very sleepy but not under. He was saying basically they will just lay there with their eyes open. Once again great… this is what scared me the most just not knowing how he would react. You always hear these horror stories of people not waking back up or who don't do well with the medicine. And he is so little but what other choice did we have. Then the nurses come in and are trying to put in the iv, they poke around in his right hand for 5 minutes while he proceeds to scream and cry, then give up and try the left hand for 5 more minutes then switch off and they finally get it. The Plastics Doctor comes in who will be doing the stitching comes in and talks with us how the procedure will be really quick and he will have 2 stitches. Jason did joke that Jackson was too young to be having plastic surgery. They all come back and say ok are you ready and out loud I said no. I mean at this point it was all happening so fast and I wanted to cry, scream and really I wanted to pray. Luckily they got distracted cause someone I don't remember who hadn't come in and I guess timing was key, so they said "oh we will be right back". We huddled together and said a prayer for him. Then we were as ready as we were going to be. We got to be by his side while they gave him the sleepy medicine. It was horrible- seeing him just be Jackson one second and the next second motionless with his eyes open and staring straight up. The procedure was fairly quick and they kept saying we could leave the room... um no you are going to have to carry me out if you want me to leave. One time they were doing something and the machine beeped and he sounded like he was gagging- I was freaking on the inside. I am like what are you doing to my baby?? But everything was fine he got his 2 stitches and apparently he has a type a personality as he got very mad when he was coming to. The nurse said that babies who like to be in control have a hard time, because they can’t control anything- I have no idea where he gets that from :). He was flopping all over, couldn't control his head and kept failing it about, grunting and screaming. They let us leave once he was fully awake and once we got home we were able to get him down to sleep pretty easily. We had to wake up every hour to check on him something about the sedation medicine and the fact that his tongue could swell up. But Thursday morning he woke up and was playing and laughing. We kept the Motrin and Tylenol in him to make sure he had minimal pain. The antibiotic they gave us is horrible tasting and half the time he spits it out. Then they gave us a mouth rinse that he is supposed to swish and spit. So you can imagine how well that is going! Both require 2 people. I never thought that is how I would spend my night, but I feel fortunate that all in all it was very minor. I hated the feeling how helpless I felt. I seriously hope Jason is wrong and this isn't the beginning of more trips, but that Jackson just wanted to go ahead and get his one trauma drama out of the way. You think??

I think I am in for it next time. Jackson is such a good baby! He always has. Slept through the night at 8 weeks, hardly ever cries. Always smiling and I think the best laugh in the world. Lately, we and my parents have thought him how to itsy-bitsy spider. Once you say those words his face lights up and he puts his hands together to do it. Now if you say “Yay” he gets all excited and claps his hands! And he can even wave bye bye. He isn’t quite talking- we are fairly certain he will say “wa- wa” for water and maybe just maybe he said bye bye one time. I took him to my friends house so I could help with wedding invitations. He was so good. Just found different stuff to play with and enterain himself. So like I said I am in for it next time.