A Life Examined

I'm Moving My Blog

2011-09-20T12:52:00.001-05:00

So, I announced the move on the new blog but not here. It helps to tell people you have moved!
I now call wordpress home. New blog can be found here. I am not porting the old blog over so this one will still stay 'active'. :)

Such a happy girl

2011-09-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

Our Emma is one happy child, it took an army doing a ton of crazy crap to make Jacob smile. In fact, the first thing that boy smiled at was me humming the death march...
She smiles so big that her whole body wiggles because of it. Jonathan and I have dubbed her tongue smile a lizard smile for obvious reasons. If the pointy tongue wasn't so cute it might be considered a little creepy.

Dip Dip Face

2011-08-17T12:17:00.000-05:00

I know only mothers find messy faces only the slightest bit cute (even then it's iffy, haha) and I am good as not to share many of them but Jake's love for ketchup, or dip-dip as he calls it, is too cute not to share.

It appears that licking the plate has messy consequences.

Favorite Photo From 2nd Birthday

2011-08-15T07:10:00.000-05:00

I haven't had time to really sit down and go through the photos from Jake's birthday (though, there weren't many taken due to the photographer [me] running around playing hostess) but I did scan them real fast and this one just jumped out at me. I knew I would love it the moment I took it. All the guests had left and it was just the four of us. Jonathan and I were cleaning up the house and, in his exhausted/partied out state, Jacob gathered up all his balloons and his favorite blanket and laid down to watch his favorite movie.

Simple.

She is getting so big

2011-08-14T17:02:00.000-05:00

I haven't blogged in forever it seems but I hope to do so more often in the weeks to come.

For now here is a picture of Lady. She is getting so big!

Goodnight

2011-06-23T20:35:00.001-05:00

Today I heard Emma wake up from her nap. I knew she needed a bottle so I went to prepare her one before I got her up from her crib.

On the monitor I hear the door knob rattling. I knew it was Jake trying out his new skills by entering Emma's room. Since she was up anyway I thought it was no big deal and continued to make her bottle.

I had just finished preparing her bottle when I heard a delightful squeal escape from both Emma and Jacob. I run in there to see what it was all about and Jacob had climbed up into Emma's crib with her blankies and was laying with her keeping her company.

When I came in he popped up and said o'night (which is toddler for goodnight) and waved bye to me. It was quite adorable while at the same time being a little disconcerting, haha.

Feeding Time

2011-06-21T14:17:00.000-05:00

"Bay-ah, waor, hungee, eat" is apparently toddler for "The bear is hungry, we must feed it", because this is what Jake shouted at me as he run past me this morning with his bear in tow.

He got his bear all strapped into the booster chair and went to the drawer for a spoon and to the cabinet for a bowl. He had such an earnest face as he started feeding his little bear buddy.

Unfortunately, he got bored feeding the bear very quickly but it was cute while it lasted.

Crazy Haired Artist

2011-06-19T13:32:00.001-05:00

He loves when I draw letters and he gets to 'read' them. Sometimes he tries his hand at writing, he draws a mean wild and crooked "I" :P

My Men!

2011-06-02T15:08:00.000-05:00

I really do love them!

Sleeping babies are the best kind of babies...

2011-05-07T21:13:00.000-05:00

Legos - a love affair

2011-04-25T13:44:00.001-05:00

You might think the title of this post refers to Jacob but you would be wrong. Yes, that's right, the love affair that I am talking about is between legos and my husband. Before Jake was even born Jonathan was talking about how much fun they would have playing legos together. He would walk up and down the aisles and drool over which sets they would own and reminisce about the legos he had and the ones he always wanted but could never afford. We bought Jakes first set of legos for Christmas this year and when he first opened them he couldn't care less about them. I could see Jonathan deflate a little as he mumbled hopefully that maybe he was just too young for them. I assured him that was the case and I put them up in his closet for a few months. When we moved to the new house I dug them back out and he took right to them. Now they are one of his favorite toys. Needless to say I am relieved and both husband and son are happy as larks.

Up To No Good!

2011-04-21T21:35:00.000-05:00

This is an up-to-no-good face if I ever saw one.

Dressed Up For Her Momma's Birthday

2011-04-19T14:59:00.000-05:00

She looks like a cupcake with sprinkles!

An 'old' one...

2011-04-16T21:51:00.001-05:00

Well, the girl is 8 weeks old so old is used relatively loosely here. This is one of the pictures I took when trying to get her 1 month old snapshot. She looks like she wants to strangle me, haha.

By the way, I made the hat she is wearing. Remember in my birth story I said I woke up panicked that we didn't have enough hats...yeah well this is the product of that panicking.

Emma

2011-04-15T21:01:00.000-05:00

I have been informed by the powers that be (ie my mother) that I don't post enough pictures of Emma. Well in my defense she is pretty boring at this age. You have your choice of pictures of her pooping, eating, screaming, sleeping, or scowling. However, to appease the masses (again ie my mother, haha) here she is in all her scowly glory.

Side note: Please excuse her eyes, it's hard to take a picture of them and they not look like they do here because they are like stinkin' mirrors.

A Small Look Into My Day Today

2011-04-12T15:09:00.001-05:00

A sampling of random phrases I have said today:

"Jacob don't drive the ambulance on your sisters head."
"Why are you eating your snack in the dryer?"
"Did you drop your monkey in the toilet?"
"Jacob! Did you put the phone in the dishwasher?"
"Please don't sit in the broiler."

And here is a snippet of what my day looked like:

I hear the phone ring but can't find it. Eventually I locate it in the dishwasher...
I hear Jacob yelling from the laundry room. I walk in to find him in the dryer with his stuffed monkey eating his mid morning snack. I get him out and go tend to Emma who is fussing in her boppy.
I hear the answering machine playing back all old messages. I go into the bedroom and find that he has climbed up on a chair and then on to the desk and is standing on top of the desk pushing the buttons on the answering machine. I get him down and go feed Emma her mid morning bottle.
I hear Jacob yelling from the kitchen. I walk in to find him sitting in the broiler. I get him out and go tend to Emma who is fussing in her swing.
Emma, Jacob and I are in the laundry room trying to fold clothes. Suddenly Jacob runs out giggling. I finish folding the clothes and find him in his room with my bra on...crazy kid. I take the bra off (after pictures, haha) and go tend to Emma who...you guessed it...is fussing in her boppy seat.
I hear the pantry door open and paper crinkling. I go into the kitchen and peak into the pantry and there Jacob stands with a chocolate chip cookie in each hand and chocolate all over his face. He looks at me and say's 'gookie' and grins. I am a bad momma and lets him finish one of the cookies (I eat the other one).
I go feed Emma her afternoon bottle.
I hear water splashing around in the bathroom and Jacob saying uh-oh (NEVER a good sound) I walk in the bathroom and there is his monkey sitting in the toilet.

I am done, it's nap time for all the kids! Here's hoping to a better afternoon. I did get 7 loads of laundry finished at least.

And blackmail for when he is older :)

Just Enjoying The Spring!

2011-04-11T21:32:00.000-05:00

We are all excited for spring to finally be here but I don't think anyone is as excited as Jacob! I swear that boy would live outside permanently if we let him.

Emma - 1 month old

2011-03-25T15:50:00.000-05:00

She is getting so big so fast! She weighs 8lbs 8oz and is 20 3/4 inches long. She is starting to stay awake more often during the day and enjoys looking at faces and flailing her arms. She has also started trying to follow things with her eyes.

Warm Weather Brings Much Happiness

2011-03-23T20:21:00.000-05:00

As the weather warms and spring looms near Jacob has discovered that snacks taste much better outside and so he has spent many afternoons out on the back porch with a bowl full of goldfish crackers and a sippy cup full of water. He likes to sit on the low brick surround and babble nonsense words as he nibbles on his snack.

He has also discovered a feeling of imminence happiness at his freedom to go in and out as he pleases and often favors me with huge grins that make his eyes crinkle up.

Most of the time the door being open leads him to take me by the hand and pull me out the door. He loves to walk around the yard hand in hand and pointing to different things asking 'that?'.

He Knows Things!

2011-03-21T21:33:00.001-05:00

My little booger is getting so smart!

Being a boy...

2011-03-21T14:59:00.001-05:00

Nothing quite says boy like dirt and food on the face, a scratch on the nose and yelling at the top of your lungs.

My Serious Child

2011-03-18T09:06:00.000-05:00

Forget sugar and spice and everything nice. Shifty eyes and stern looks, this is what MY little girl is made of.

Anytime she is awake we get these looks; forehead furrowed, eyes narrowed and shifting back and forth trying to locate the cause of all her troubles. It's adorable and yet at the same time disconcerting, haha.

A Birth Story In Pictures...and Words.

2011-03-14T21:55:00.000-05:00

Pictures taken by my mother-in-law.

Now for the written story.

February 18th:

It began around 9:00 on a Friday night. I started having slightly painful cramps in my back that came and went in waves. It occurred to me that it could be labor pains but since it was in my back I wasn't sure.

I ended up loosing a lot of what I thought was my mucus plug about 30 minutes after the pains started.

I sat in the dark at my computer and timed them trying to find a pattern to confirm that it was indeed labor but they were all over the place ranging from 8 to 15 minutes apart and lasting 30-45 seconds. Around midnight I was finally able to get some sleep as fitful as it was.

February 19th:

At 5am the next morning I woke up with the same pains running through my back and a sudden fear that I didn't have enough hats for the baby and the need to rectify that as soon as possible. So I set to work crocheting hats.

Jacob woke up late that morning so I was the only one awake for about 3 hours. During this time I timed my back pain (still not sure if they were really contractions or not) and they were still 5-12 minutes apart lasting 30-55 seconds. No real pattern to them at all.

When Jonathan woke up at around 8 I told him I think I am having back labor but was unsure. He became antsy and excited at the knowledge and called both our moms. When I talked to my mom I told her it was probably nothing but Jonathan and her both just knew I was having a baby today!

Because Jacobs birth was such a surprise I didn't get a chance to eat before induction with him so I was very hungry during labor. I wasn't going to let that happen again, so if this was the real thing I was going to eat. I told Jonathan I wanted enchiritos from Taco Bell for lunch. So we both got ready and then got Jacob ready and headed out for lunch. We ended up going to Taco Bueno instead and got our food to go and went to the park to eat it because it was such a nice day. After we ate we let Jacob play on the park toys for a few minutes. It was a lovely outing.

After that I told Jonathan to go and get a haircut while I put Jacob down for his nap. The whole time he was gone I continued to have the back pains.

At 1:30 I left for my shower that my best friend so graciously hosted for me. It was a small gathering but lots of fun. During the shower it felt like the pains were getting farther apart (though I wasn't sure because I had nothing to time them with) but more painful.

Towards the end of the shower I was urged to call the doctor on call and ask if I should go in to labor and delivery to get checked out. When he called me back I explained to him what had been happening and he told me that it was unlikely that I would be in labor this early. He told me to drink water and see if the pains got closer together and more painful. I felt a little disappointed and slightly embarrassed for even calling. When I told everyone what the doctor had said they were angry and claimed him to be stupid.

We left the shower around 4:30 and headed home. When I got back to our house I realized I had left my purse at Laurens and so we had to go all the way back and get it. It was on our way back to Laurens house that I thought I might actually need to go to labor and delivery anyway. I told Jonathan that after we put down Jacob for the night we should go and get me checked out.

By the time Jacob was down and we were getting ready to leave I started having doubts about going. I didn't want to be that crazy lady that thought she was in labor but really wasn't. Jonathan insisted that I go so I called the hospital and let them know I was on my way.

We got there a little after 8. I got checked into triage and hooked up to all the little monitors. Sure enough the back pain was real contractions. So my nurse prepared to do an internal on me. She asked what my last internal had shown and I told her 2cm and 60% effaced. As she did the internal the look on her face was priceless. She actually looked shocked. I asked her if I was still 2 and 60 and she slowly said no and felt around a bit more. She said I was 5 and 80. I asked what that meant and she said 'it means you are staying and having a baby tonight'.

As we get me settled into an actual labor room I come to find out that because I sounded so chipper on the phone with them that I wouldn't be in labor at all. Everyone said I was in such good spirits to be so far along and having back labor.

As I got settled into the room they hooked me up to my antibiotics and such. I was very pleased that it only took one stick to get my IV in (although she did have to chase down the vein) as it usually takes no less than 3.

I really wanted to try to go with out an epi this time since the last one I got was placed too high and I couldn't breath well. It also left me with back pain. As it turns out back labor is a hard thing to go through and I ended up breaking down at 7 cm (almost 11pm) and getting one. It was much better this time except for the fact that the anesthesiologist had to poke me 3 times to get it placed right. It hurt bad all three times.

My water broke on it own around midnight.

A little before 2 I was ready to push, however my doctor wasn't there. He was still driving to the hospital. So I got to do baby pushes (just enough to relieve the pressure) for about 30 minutes. When the doctor arrived things went fast. They broke the bed down and had me in pushing position in a matter of minutes. 4 contractions later my baby girl was born into this world. It was just as amazing as when Jacob was born. I held my breath as she took her first. They placed her in my arms and she was beautiful. Born at 3:03 am on February 20th, weighing 7lbs 11oz and 19 inches long, my Emma Olivia.

That whole night I got to be with her. We did all the normal things that we didn't get to do with Jacob because he was premature. Jonathan got to help with the first bath. I got to hold her when I was taken to my room. It was bliss.

It didn't last.

She showed distress and signs of infection on the second day and she was taken to NICU for a 7 day stay. It's our luck I guess and a big reason we are not having any more children.

However her birth was as perfect as I could ask for.

Big Shoes To Fill

2011-03-14T14:02:00.000-05:00

Lately Jacob has taken to walking around in his daddy's shoes. Well, it's less like walking and more like shuffle, shuffle, fall...get back in them...shuffle, shuffle, fall...and repeat. Haha.
He wants to be just like his daddy, shoes and all!

My Stab At Newborn Pictures

2011-03-02T12:55:00.000-06:00

Crying, mewling, pooping, fussing, squirmy, stubborn these are the words that describe our photo session yesterday.

I really wanted to get some good newborn pictures of Emma. Due to the NICU I wasn't able to with Jacob and I thought I wouldn't be able to this time wither Emma, however, she was discharged right in time and so yesterday I set out to accomplish this feat.

And what a feat it was! She wouldn't eat, she wouldn't sleep, she was gassy, and poopy, she didn't want her limbs messed with nor did she want anything to do with any soothing.

She's a spirited one she is.

Here is my attempt. I will try to get more in the next couple of days but I am sure that it will be as big of a fail as this one was.

She is precious though. :) I'm quite smitten.

Guess Who's Teething Again!

2011-02-26T22:16:00.000-06:00

I swear this kid went from never-gonna-get-any-teeth-EVER to gonna-get-all-my-teeth-at-once!

Seriously, he had 4 teeth up until he was 18 months old, 1 month later he was the proud owner of 12 teeth and now he is working on 4 more.

He is one cranky, drooly, sad sack of a kid. :(

Good thing he's cute.

The Last Bump Picture...Ever

2011-02-26T22:11:00.000-06:00

I wish I would have known that this would be the last bump picture I ever take, I would have made it more special.

Here I am in all my 36w 5d glory. I am actually very happy with the way I carried this pregnancy, much better than I did with Jacob. However, the postpartum belly that this basket ball belly left behind leaves much to be desired, haha.

I am a little (okay maybe more than a little) sad that I will never be pregnant again and that I didn't make it at least closer to my due date, but I guess it is what it is.

Emma Olivia

2011-02-22T20:42:00.000-06:00

She was born at 37w 2d on February 20th at 3:01 weighing 7lbs 11oz and is 19" long. She is in NICU right now due to an infection but she is absolutely beautiful. I will post the birth story later, until then here is my precious little girl.

Mommy Fail...

2011-02-16T14:21:00.000-06:00

We need to get rid of this binky. It is time. I can't bring myself to do it though, especially with the new baby coming. I also need to cut his hair but I love his curls too much. Am I a bad mom for wanting to hold on to the things that make him my little baby? Gah! don't answer that.

Big Boy Bath

2011-02-15T13:05:00.001-06:00

Now that we are in the new house Jake is finally able to take big boy baths! We had to bathe him in a toddler tub for the longest time because our old tub was cast iron, cold and gross. As soon as we moved into the new house we transitioned him to the big boy bath and he loves it!

There is so much more room for him to play with his toys and splash around. I am so happy to finally be able to provide a clean and comfortable place for my baby to bathe!

Gah! I love those curls!

He wants out now!

Emma's Room Is Almost Complete!

2011-02-01T11:04:00.000-06:00

Here is Emma's room! I think the only thing we need is a small bookshelf and to set up the swing.

Here is the crib with her new bedding.

A close up of the bedding. I am in love with it! It looks so much better in real life than it did on the Target website.

Crib/Art/Rug

Close up of art over the crib.

View of window and dresser from crib.

Close up of decor on dresser.

DIY lamp! I made it using crepe paper streamers and hot glue.

We also changed the knobs on the dresser. I think it makes a HUGE difference.

Breakdown of costs:
Crib - free
Bedding - free
Dresser - 160
Knobs - 30
Lamp - 22
Art - 30
Flowers - 7
Misc decor - free
Curtains/rod - free
Rug - 30
Pink blanket - 18
Mattress - 55

Total = $352

Reclaiming Toys

2011-01-31T13:12:00.002-06:00

Before we moved I went through Jacobs old toys and pulled everything that he was too old for and packed it away in a storage tub for the new little one to use.

Well, since we have been getting Emma's room ready Jacob has discovered this treasure chest of old memories and has reclaimed some of the toys as his again.

This includes his old glow worm (which he hated as an infant). He totes it around cuddling with it, going awe to it and making it sing. It's quite adorable.

Gah! Look at that curly hair, I really should cut it but I don't have the heart.

Oh a great discovery! An old teething rattle.

Here he is with his glow worm. He looked rather confused when I told him that we were going to give it to Emma.

Christmas Photos A Little Late...

2011-01-28T12:51:00.000-06:00

With selling the house, packing, buying a house, moving, and my hard drive dying I haven't got a chance to show off Christmas pictures.

I don't have many but here are a few. Two from our house and one from his Grammy's house. He is wearing his cute little Christmas Spongebob jammies that his Grammy bought him.

Here he is opening his gift. It took him awhile to figure out the concept of tearing off the wrapping paper.

Here he is playing with his new toys! BLOCKS!

He's not too sure about his Elmo plane.

One Crafty Momma!

2011-01-25T07:39:00.000-06:00

Due to some money issues (meaning that we are broke, haha) I am having to do Emma's room on a budget. That means homemade art work!

I spent approximately $30 for all 9 pieces of 'art work'. The total break down in cost is as follows:

3 frames on clearance from Target -$20
white spray paint -$3
4 frames from the dollar store - $4
2 more small frames - Free (recycled from somewhere else in the house)
contents of frames - Free (made from Photoshop and old craft supplies)
Letter E - $0.99 from Hobby Lobby

The contents of the frames include:

-A painted letter E glued on top of some burlap fabric
-3 frames contain printed scrapbook paper that I cut to size
-Alphabet that my MIL printed off for me (I downloaded it from here)
-3d white plastic letters glued to a thin sheet of card board
-A chipboard heart painted and some scrapbook paper glued in middle, flanked by wings that I painted and glittered
-every. single. day. printed on white cardstock with little birds on top made from circle punched scrapbook paper and a black felt tipped pen
-hearts punched out of different scraps of scrapbook paper and mounted on white cardstock with foam tape

I am pretty proud of the way it turned out! I can't wait to get the rest of her room completed!

We Moved!

2011-01-24T20:29:00.000-06:00

It looks like the stars are aligning...sort of.

We closed on our old house, closed on our new house, moved in and are fairly unpacked!

It's been a long time since I have been actively updating on my blog but now that we are starting to get some since of routine going here I hope to be more proactive in my updates and pictures!

2010-12-18T09:38:00.004-06:00

Jacob had his 18 month appointment on Monday and it's been a rough week since.

He reacted poorly to the shots and he was really stiff and sore for the first couple of days and he ran a fever for a little over 48 hours.

He is teething at least 2 molars and an incisor and so he is in pain and not sleeping.

And to top it all off I have pregnancy induced insomnia so as soon as he wakes up at 12, 1, 2 or whatever in the morning I am up for at least 2-3 hours.

Needless to say, I am exhausted and a little bit cranky and my house is a disaster.

However, all that disappears and you forget the trials of parenthood when your usually very independent child finds comfort and relief in your arms. It's the best feeling in the world.

So here is a poem to help me remember.

The Cleaning and Scrubbing Will Wait...

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

This Boy Melts My Heart!

2010-12-13T20:40:00.000-06:00

Cheerios Just Taste Better That Way...

2010-12-12T19:35:00.000-06:00

...straight out of the box that is.

For the past couple of days Jacob has been wanting to crawl up on on the table and eat the Cheerios right out of the box. It's probably a bad habit (well, no probably to it) but he just looks so cute in his pajamas, elbow deep in the cereal box.

(Don't worry Jonathan was about a foot and a half away from him)

Tonka Time!

2010-12-10T13:39:00.001-06:00

Grammy doesn't have very many toys at her house for Jake but she does have a couple of Tonka trucks that use to be my little brothers when he was a tiny boy. He loves all of them but his favorite is the dump truck.

All cars and trucks are baa-rooms to him so as he pushes his little truck around you can hear him go baa-room baa-room. Too cute!

Child One And Child Two

2010-12-02T18:42:00.002-06:00

I am carrying so much differently this time than I did with Jake. I was pregnant all over with him and with this little girl it is all out in front. Here is a picture to show what I mean.

The one on the left is 5 days before I delivered Jacob at 35w5d and the one on the right is me at 25w5d...crazy!

Jake Reading

2010-12-02T18:35:00.000-06:00

I haven't updated in forever. I am such a bad blogger. It has been super hectic here the last month or so to say the least.

I have some fun bubble pictures that I hope to post soon but for now I will leave you with a promise that I will update more frequently and a picture of my little angel reading one of his favorite books.

GAH! His little fat face kills me! I love him so!

New Big Boy PJ's

2010-10-24T12:30:00.000-05:00

We just bought Jake some new PJ's and he looks like such a little man!
I love them!
Notice the cheerios and the 'Linus' blanket has made a reappearance (it's seriously hard to not get a picture without at least one of these in his hands).

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-22T12:33:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went to the pumpkin patch! Jake had so much fun riding around in the wagon. Whenever we stopped he would rock back and forth trying to get it to go again. You might notice his blanket in some of these pictures. He as taken to carrying it around with him and chewing on it for comfort. Just like a real life Linus!
We ended up with three very cute pumpkins (one for each of us) though now looking back at it we might should have grabbed 4...

Baby Number 2 Is A Girl!

2010-10-21T12:31:00.002-05:00

We are so excited!

Little Emma Olivia is looking so good and measuring right on track. Needless to say, we are in love.

(gender shot in 'bump photos page').

For The Love Of Cheerios

2010-10-16T16:14:00.001-05:00

Within the last month a new ritual has started in our household. After breakfast Cheerios (or second breakfast as I sometimes like to call it) has become a mandatory occurrence that must be carried out lest you displease the monster that lurks with in my son, haha.

He will carry his little bowl of Cheerios from room to room as I clean the house (and not far behind him is a little dog hoping for one of those nuggets to fall from Jakes chubby little hands). When he runs out he will race to the kitchen with his bowl held out in front of him yelling gar-larg-larg-larg-garla, which I have come to interpret as 'if you value your peace and quiet I would suggest that you fill my bowl with more Cheerios. If this does not commence in a quick fashion there will be hell to pay' - loosely translated of course.

I am sure at least half the chub on his little body is thanks to the Cheerios in which he devours.

The State Fair

2010-10-06T13:32:00.000-05:00

Jake went to his first state fair on Tuesday!

I didn't get to take many pictures because of how crowded it was but I did snap a few.
He had a great time and was happy as a lark riding around in his stroller looking at all the sights and sounds. He got to try fried cheese curds, apple fries with whipped cream dip, and some philly cheese steak. We also went to the petting zoo where he had a great time petting the animals. His favorite was the Emu (which he happily called doggy). He was such a good boy as he rode around the fair in his stroller!

It's Begining To Feel A Lot Like Fall!

2010-09-28T12:47:00.000-05:00

Less than a week ago it was in the low to mid 90's and out of nowhere yesterday morning brought with it 37 degree temps!

I was excited to dress the boy in one of his new fall outfits. He was just too adorable in it so we decided to take a morning outing and go shoot a couple of pictures.

I drove around our small town looking for a good place to shoot while Jake sat in the back waving and saying hi to himself in the mirror. I finally came upon a spot that I had spied earlier in the year except now it was overgrown with tall bushes blocking my view of the road and (more importantly) the roads view of me. Needless to say I was a little tentative as we got out.

The old gas station had glass everywhere and there was an alley cat meowing its displeasure of my arrival at me. Again, I felt a little weary, but the beautiful red stairs called my name and so I sat Jake down on the wonderful stair and tried to get him to look at the camera. He wasn't having it. All he wanted to do was get up and walk towards me and push the buttons on my. I finally gave him his car as a bribe to sit there and hopefully play with it. Still he squirmed and tried to get up.

I ended up with 2 pictures and in both he pant leg has rode up.

Still, he is adorable and we are both thrilled with this new cool weather!

Cars!

2010-09-27T13:04:00.000-05:00

This is the story of how we ended up with Jacobs new cars. :)

A couple of weeks ago we went to my best friends sons (let's call him 'J') 1st birthday party. During this party 'J' received a set of colorful cars as one of his gifts. Jacob was enthralled with said cars but Jonathan wouldn't let him play with them because it would have been unfortunate if Jacob broke 'J's' toys before he even got a chance to play with him. This made Jacob very distraught.

Fast-forward to a couple of days after the party where we went out and purchase Jacob his very own set of cars (just like 'J's')!

Needless to say these cars have brought out the boy in him! He looks so cute running the cars over every surface. They are his favorite toys and he plays with them daily. I love them because they are soft and bright and colorful. They also have a little bell in them that makes a ringing sound when you shake them and a mechanism that when you pull them back and let them go they race off on their own. All four cost about 15 dollars and I think it's some of the best money ever spent! Jacob is elated with his new cars.

Cutest Boy In The World? I Think So!

2010-09-17T21:12:00.002-05:00

And I Helped!

2010-09-02T10:49:00.000-05:00

Anyone remember those Shake n' Bake commercials? That's what I think of when I see these pictures. "Grammy was making dessert and I helped!".

He helps just like I use to help but he is so much cuter than I ever was. I swear his chocolate pudding covered curls melt my heart! And I know I have mentioned this before but I just adore how he sits with his legs crossed. He has been doing that since he was born.

These were taken with my mom's point and shoot because of course I forgot my camera at home. (I am still kicking myself).

First Library Trip

2010-08-24T10:08:00.000-05:00

What can I say, my boy loves to read. We have a small collection of board books and picture books that we spend at least an hour reading him every day. It wasn't too long after we began this ritual that I began to memorize the word and now I don't even have to look at the book to be able to read it to him. It was definitely time for a trip to the library.

We didn't get him his own card because Jonathan and I both remember getting our first card and how special it was so we wanted to wait until he could remember also.

We did check out tons of books though. He was overwhelmed at the all the books and spent a lot of the time cackling maniacally. It was cute but creepy, haha.

It was a little dark in there even with the big windows so the pictures aren't very good.

Reading is serious business ^

Splash Park and Snocone in Pictures...

2010-08-16T20:38:00.000-05:00

...and words. :)

They have been doing a lot of work on Riverside for the last year. One of the projects included a brand new splash park and it is fabulous!
There is a hot dog/drink/snack vendor, a snow cone seller with every flavor you could think of, nice restrooms, play equipment with soft material underneath to prevent major hurts, and of course water features! All nestled next to the lovely river.
I have been wanting to take the boy there for quite sometime but I just didn't feel like he was ready for it (there are a lot of kids there) but now that he is starting to get more comfortable on his feet we decided to make the trek up there.

At first he was not impressed - like at all.

^not impressed face

Then he started to come around.

After he a while he started getting hot and kind of turning red (that sun was too hot to stay out in it for very long). So we decided to go sit in the shade and we bought him his first snocone. He was in heaven!

Every time he would have a bite he would get this look on his face and do a little shivery dance. It was too cute.

Dad is not feeding it too him fast enough.

And here he is with a big ole mouth full of it.

All in all we had a great time and will definitely be returning.

1st Visit To The Park

2010-08-12T20:32:00.001-05:00

Okay, well it's technically his second but the first time he was only 7 months or so and he just sat in my lap on the swing.We have been seriously bad about getting him out to the park since then. We went once but there was huge family reunion and we could barely get to the swings it was so piled high with children.

So yesterday morning, before the sun of death shone it's 105 degree rays of heat and hate upon us poor helpless beings (i.e. it got to hot), we went to the park. Here is our outing in pictures:

Jake swings for the first time in a park swing! He had so much fun (except when mom was trying to take pictures and dad had to slow down on the pushing).

Then we went and played on the slide. He didn't really get going down, in fact he didn't like it at all, but he loved climbing back up the slide (of course what kid doesn't like going against the grain).

After that he went to play on the big toy!

That didn't last too long though, I think he is still just a little bit too small to play on most of the park toys.
So we went to spend sometime in the grass.

Look mom a rock!

Oh! And a leaf too!

Oh, I am getting so sleepy! Why did you bring me here?

Okay, I am done with this. I will meet you in the car.

I grabbed one more picture of him by the fence before we left. I love how confused he always looks.

The Tale of the Uncooperative Subject Matter...

2010-08-08T18:23:00.000-05:00

...Or No! I Am Not In the Mood for Pictures: A Mother's Struggle.

Jake has been sick for over a week now and I thought yesterday, being the first day when he was feeling exceptionally better and one of the few days it hasn't been over 100 degrees, would be a good day for a walk and some play time in yard. That turned out to not be such a good idea, because even though it was cooler than usual it was pretty stinkin' hot and Jacob still wasn't feeling up to par, so he was not interesting in taking pictures.

Here is how our play time in the yard went...

This is nice - just sitting in the shade, playing with my car. Ha ha, momma is trying to get my attention. What's this...she wants me to look at the camera and smile. I think I will give confused face instead and look anywhere but the camera.

Okay, I will look at the camera and give her my best 'life's hard' face.

Oh look mom! Toes! Where did these come from?! I think I will just play with these instead of look at you.

What's that noise?

I'm done with this! I am just going to push my stroller the rest of the way home, okay mom? (notice his dirty bum, so cute!)

Up the stairs!

Now, crawl to the door.

Must...try...and...reach...handle...

Um, a little help here?

Waging War!

2010-08-03T20:38:00.000-05:00

We have been battling a cold over here. The poor little guy has been sick since last Wednesday night - which of course means no sleeping, having trouble eating, being cranky and clingy.

I tried to put him down for a nap this morning and he was not having any of it. He sat in his crib and cried his fool head off (and annoyed the crap out of me - momma needed some down time, ha ha). Finally I decided to snap a picture and pull him out of the crib. Of course he was a super cuddle bug after that so all my annoyance ebbed away.

Here he is binky askew, eyes full of concern (looks like he is trying to ask if I am there to rescue him or will I just tuck him back in a leave him again), hair all a mess...and if you look closely you will see the that wonderful sign of sickness running out of his nose (yuck, sorry about that).

Walking Caught on Film!

2010-07-27T20:35:00.002-05:00

He was trying to toddle towards my camera! Also, please excuse his state of undress. He was wearing super cute plaid shorts but it was almost bath time. I swear it seems like I am always taking pictures/video of my kid without pants you would think I never put pants on him, ha ha.

Great things are happening!

2010-07-23T14:51:00.001-05:00

We have finally started to get two more teeth. It is so sad, whenever his teeth try to break through his makes fish face like he is trying to suck the teeth out. He did this last time as well.

Also, he is walking up a storm. He started off last week just walking a few steps here and there and now he is walking all the time like a drunk pro. It is so cute! I am going to try to get it on film but every time the camera comes out he stops what he is doing and tries to pry the camera out of my hands.

Bath Time!

2010-07-16T09:28:00.000-05:00

Jacob is getting back into a place where he loves bath time. For a while he just wanted to stand up and climb out of the tub, now he sits and plays with all his little water toys. He especially loves his octopus.

When it's time to get out one of us lifts him from the tub and into a soft, fluffy white towel.

He then likes to look in the mirror at himself and click his tongue, talk about cute.

Mmm and the smell of a baby fresh from the water is just heavenly.

A Busy, Fun Fourth of July!

2010-07-05T10:20:00.001-05:00

Like always, we went over to the grandparents (my parents) house for the 4th!

It was such a nice day. We sat out on the front porch and played with cars for a while.

Pa Pa smoked some bologna, hot links, bratwurst, and polish sausage and grilled some chicken, while grammy made baked beans, potato salad and corn on the cob. Jake loved the baked beans and bologna, but his favorite was the corn on the cob!

Then we went out back to play and what would the 4th be without a sparkler and a rock?!

We went to the fireworks stand and bought a bunch of fireworks! (Momma was bad and didn't get a picture of them).

When we got back to Grammy's we went for a swim! Swimming is one of Jacob's favorite things to do!

Once we got out of the pool Grammy had watermelon all cut up and ready to eat. So we sat outside and snacked on it. It was so sweet and juicy!

Yay! Watermelon!

Once it got dark enough to start fireworks it started to rain. So we stood out in the rain lighting fireworks! Needless to say our little booger was tired when he got home.

Here are some more pictures of the day!

Clapping Babies Are the Cutest

2010-07-03T10:12:00.000-05:00

When ever you say YAY! or CLAP! Jake get's these big eyes and softly claps his hands together. It barely makes a sound but it is too cute. Talk about melting a poor momma's heart!

Father's Day Pics - Better Late Than Never

2010-06-25T09:30:00.001-05:00

Here is the boy and Jonathan as we were headed out the door to go and eat lunch with his parents. Notice he has shoes on! They are too big though because we still can't find any in the right size that fit his fat feet.

Porch Sittin' With My Fish

2010-06-20T11:01:00.005-05:00

Little Man has 3 small fish that squeak when you squeeze them. He has always been enamored by them but for a while they had sat by the wayside in preference of other toys. Two days ago he rediscovered his love for his little fish. We took him out on the porch during sunset to get a few pictures of him with his buddies and enjoy a little fresh air. It's been really hot during the day lately and so we can't really get out unless it's morning or evening.

Notice the outfit he is wearing - I love it!

A Life Lesson: Sharing

2010-06-18T21:27:00.002-05:00

I guess I lied. I found these pictures on my camera today, I promptly downloaded them. The lighting is horrible and they are a little blurry but I don't care. I have mommy goggles on and he is precious.

Little Man is really into sharing right now. It is his hearts greatest desire that you partake of and enjoy that which he is enjoying - the dog, I suppose is no exception.

Here he is sitting on the floor with his cheerio's. Notice the hungry puppy sitting beside him?

Well Little Man notices too and promptly tries to stuff his cherio's in poor Mushu's mouth.

Mushu, as you can tell, doesn't seem to mind. :)

Haven't dropped off the face of the Earth.

2010-06-18T09:59:00.002-05:00

At least not yet. We are getting our house ready to put on the market and I am stressing something fierce. I will be back in action real soon though!

Chores

2010-06-10T11:08:00.001-05:00

He loves going to the store, looking up and down the aisles, and I love how he sits with his little feet crossed. He has done this since he was itty bitty and it always makes me heart melt. Notice how he doesn't have shoes on...we haven't found any that will fit his tall fat feet.

Gonna Party Like It's 1999...Or 2010...

2010-06-06T12:04:00.001-05:00

Little man had his first birthday party yesterday afternoon.

It was a small party full of close family and my best friend and her son. As the years go on the parties will get bigger but for now this suits us just fine.

We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and opened presents and ate cake! It was everything a good birthday should be, except as soon as everyone left I realized I forgot to set out the chips! How do you forget the chips?! But in my defense I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off for the last week trying to get the house ready to put on the market.

He got some fabulous presents and has been having a grand time playing with them.

Here are a few pictures from the festivities!

On an off note at the doctor last Wednesday we found out his was 23 lbs and 28 inches. Within the last week he has started clapping and standing unassisted for seconds at a time! We are still not saying any words but I am sure that will happen soon, we are working hard with him. I can't believe my little man is getting so big.

An Open Letter To My Son For His Birthday

2010-06-02T20:38:00.003-05:00

My dear sweet baby boy,

As I laid you down in your crib tonight I cried a little. When you wake up in the morning you will be one.

I can't believe it's been a year since you surprised us with your unexpected arrival. I can still recall them placing you on my stomach immediately following your birth. As your daddy cut the cord I just stared at you, my mouth hanging open in shock at how beautiful you were. You were so tiny and helpless and little did I know that even then you were winding me around your little fingers.

I want you to know how much joy you bring into our lives. How everything before seems gray and lifeless. Words cannot express what I am feeling right now, the love I have you, how much you mean to me.

I wish I could stop time and you could stay my tiny baby forever but at the same time I can't wait to see what life has in store for you.

Happy first birthday sweet heart. Momma loves you.

...in human coupling, millions upon millions of cells compete to create life, for generation after generation until, finally, your mother loves a man,... [and] against unfathomable odds, it's you - only you - that emerged. To distill so specific a form, from all that chaos. It's like turning air into gold. A miracle. - The Watchmen

The Hidden Dangers of Frozen Yogurt

2010-05-29T21:14:00.001-05:00

One day, while pouring over the latest entries of a blogger who specializes in writing about the local to-do's, I came across Peachwave. The minute I read self serve frozen yogurt I knew I had to make a trip out.

There were so many flavors to choose from and I wanted to try them all. I ended up with Tiramisu for me with brownie pieces, snickers, chocolate chips and 2 cherries, a little bit of plain cheese cake flavored for the boy and Jonathan decided on coffee topped with brownies and snickers.

As we got Little Man settled in his high chair (the only one in the place) he started to squeal with anticipation at the bowl full of frozen treats. The first bite was plain bliss. He loved it!

He wanted more and more until...

...that's right, a brain freeze. He made this face for at least a minute. It was so sad but also incredibly funny.

After that he wasn't too interested in the frozen yogurt so I gave him some puffs while we finished ours.

I can't wait to go back!

Smash Cake!!

2010-05-27T21:37:00.001-05:00

The day we went to do the cake smash photo shoot was the absolute worst day for photographs. The supposedly cloudy day was sunny, the allegedly cool day was hot, the reportedly calm day was windy and still we went.

By the time we got to the park the cake I had made that morning had melted. The frosting started to goop down the side and the already sloping cake was listing even more. It looked like something you would see in a Dr. Seuss book.

Booger didn't seem to mind too much though - he would like everyone to know that he and the frosting are running away together, and yes they plan to live happily ever after.

Here is the cake before. Peacefully sitting in the park minding it's own business.

And along comes a boy...

I didn't want to bog down the blog post too much so here are a few more.

Birthday Balloon Pictures

2010-05-21T21:18:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I posted a couple of outtakes from the birthday balloons photo shoot we did on Tuesday. If you recall it was a total disaster! I was able to salvage 4 from the wreckage.

Notice the stick that was more interesting than the balloons...

Here he is slightly annoyed with the green balloon encroaching on his space.

This one is way blown but I think the slightly bemused look on his face is too cute.

Smash cake pictures to come soon.

2 Birthday Photo Shoot Outtakes

2010-05-20T16:04:00.002-05:00

If you recall Tuesday I made a smash cake.

After an all too short morning nap, the family piled in the car and rode off in search of balloons. Not just any balloons though. We needed 5 helium filled balloons in different colors with vibrant ribbons coming off the ends. Momma had plans.

I could picture it now. A cute round beach ball of a boy sitting in a green park setting with a kaleidoscope of balloons all around him, laughing gleefully up at them as they floated serenely above. As he did this I would snap picture after picture getting shots better then I could even imagine.

Yeah right...if only.

This is how it really happened. As we got there the overcast sky that was promised the night before was in reality a cloudless sea of blue with the sun radiating down in mockery of me. The wind was atrocious and blowing the balloons this way and that (and eventually popping the red one). My son, who if you recall was suppose to be infatuated with the balloons, preferred to eat the dirt, leaves, sticks, and grass that surrounded him rather than even glance at the colorful orbs that hovered above. As for my snapping fabulous images...well....I am sure you can guess how that turned out.

To make matters even worse as soon as we got home from this ordeal the sky turned extremely overcast and the wind died down completely. Typical. Really, just typical.

Here are two outtakes from the day.

Oh no! They are in my hair! Get them out! Get them out! Get them out!

HELP! They are attacking me! WHY!!!!!!

A New Look and Other Random Stuff

2010-05-20T08:05:00.000-05:00

While perusing other mommy blogs I noticed the trend of cute little cartoon women, holding their cute little cartoon babies and/or engaging in some cute little cartoon activity and I wanted nothing more then to jump on that bandwagon. So I asked around where everyone got their toon people and went to hunt down a toon of my own.

I spent 2 days trying to find the one that I thought would be perfect (and that wasn't used by fifty other mommy bloggers) and when I finally found one I went to go see how much it was. I was shocked. 19 dollars! (Note to self: find out how much things are BEFORE you waste 2 days searching).

Now 19 dollars is all fine and good when you are not trying to scrap together money for a bigger home, but we are, so a tiny bit saddened I looked for ways to make my own.

This is where the stick figures come in. You see I am not a very good drawer. You might even go so far as to say that I am a crappy drawer. And so by necessity I was forced into the stick figure camp.

I spent all day drawing my sick-figure-mom and my stick-figure-boy. I must admit I am proud of them. They are much better then I thought I was capable of doing. I realize they are a little big and I hope you forgive me for that but I like big banners.

.........

Skipping to a totally different stream of thought let's discus songs that get stuck in your head. WHY for the love of Pete does this happen?!? I have two songs that get stuck in my head lately. This one by Slipknot and this one which I heard on a preview for a game my brother plays. I love both of these songs but I mean come on!! There is only so many loops of it you can take.

..........

Another note I won a drawing on D-List Mom's and my prize arrived in the mail yesterday! It's his birthday shirt and it's perfect!

Little Man's Smash Cake or How NOT To Make A Cake

2010-05-19T15:46:00.003-05:00

Anonymous Narrator: World meet the worlds worst cake baker.

World: (all together) Hi worlds worst cake baker.

Anonymous Narrator: Worlds worst cake baker, meet world.

Me: ::waves sadly at world:: Hi world.

There now that we have got our introductions out of the way let's move on to my embarrassment of a cake.

I wanted to do smash cake pictures with Little Man. I am sure you have seen them, they are all the rage for one year old photo shoots. Cute little cherub faces covered with cake bits and frosting - I can't think of a better way to remember your one year old!

In order to accomplish this cake smash photo shoot I wanted to make his cake for it. You know the deal, the whole labor of love thing.

So yesterday morning I set to work. I got out the eggs, the oil, the box of cake mix (this makes it even more embarrassing because not only did I fail at making a cake, I failed at making a BOX cake), etc.

I mixed and I baked and I food colored until eventually I had my cake stacked and ready to frost.

Look at the pretty colors of icing!

Cake before stacking and cake after stacking.

Here is the result!

Oh what a mess. I couldn't get the frosting smooth to save my life and if you look closely the cake fell on one side because Little Man kept stomping around the oven on his hands and knees shaking the whole kitchen.

Oh well he was just going to smash it and it was made with love.

DVD Destruction Derby Baby

2010-05-18T21:13:00.001-05:00

This is one of Little Man's favorite activities. We have four different places where we keep DVD's/video games and he get's into them all.

It's a little game we play. He digs them all out and steps all over them I put them back and redirect him to his TOYS. Oh but no momma, he says, toys aren't as fun as tearing up your DVD collection. And so he plods back to the DVD's and with an impish grin digs them all out again.

Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig.

Look at that grin. What a trouble maker.

And I am not sure what this face is about...

Anniversary

2010-05-18T15:24:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was our 7 year anniversary and gone are the days of dinner out on the town, presents, and all day activities. At least for a little while until we save enough for a new house and pay off Little Man's RIDICULOUS medical costs. Besides, my new camera that I got back in February is still working for my present for the next years worth of holidays.

Instead we got to sneak out for a few hours to eat at Chick-Fil-A and see a movie. What movie you ask? Well none other then the world renowned Kick Ass. It was corny, bloody, and stupid but it was a good enough movie.

Anyway, happy 7 year anniversary honey! I love you!

Mommy Bloggers

2010-05-18T07:57:00.006-05:00

I am among the masses of mommies who have taken to the internet to start a blog detailing their life as a mom. I have found a site where we group together for a chance claw (nicely of course - but come on, no one wants to feel like they are talking to themselves) our way out of anonymity and in the process get to know other great mommy bloggers.

The D list is having a blog party (and they were crazy enough to invite me)!

So for those who are stopping by here is a little about me.

I am 26 years old.
I have been married to my best friend for 7 years.
We are trying to defeat my PCOS for a second time in hopes for being blessed with another child.
Our house is the size of a postage stamp.
I like to garden.
I am an obsessive neat freak.
I am an obsessive organizer.
I have been known to throw away things we need (like bills) and not even realize it.
I love photography.
I try to pass myself off as crafty but I think I fail more often then not.
I battle with post traumatic stress syndrome and depression.
I love the beach.
I love reading - Harry Potter is still my favorite series.
I hate the words juicy and moist.
Repetitive sounds make me angry.
The sound of fingers popping makes me even angrier.
My favorite meal is my mom's homemade chicken and dumplings.
I enjoy the rain more then the sun (ironic since I love the beach).

Some of my favorite posts is the ridiculously long conception (not the actual act) and birth of my son. Like I said though it is ridiculousness long and I expect no one but my husband and I to read it. Ha ha.
I also like the recent post on my sneaky (read: not so sneaky) son. and my shuttle to Jupiter post
I am sure there are more but it is early and I need coffee. Mmmmm coffee.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy my modest corner of the internet.

Who Needs Expensive Toys Part III - A Craft

2010-05-17T11:03:00.002-05:00

Little Man is getting to where he loves sounds - rattles, pianos, drums, you name it he likes it. I decided that this would be a good opportunity to use some found objects to make an inexpensive, yet fun, toy.

First I started with a small pop bottle. I washed it out and let it dry completely. I then measured how much rice I would need for the bottle.

Next I colored the rice using food coloring.

After it dried I put in the bottle, took of the label so he could see the colors better and screwed the lid on tight.

After breakfast this morning Little Man tried it out and of course he had to eat it.

Week 19

2010-05-14T10:58:00.002-05:00

These were chosen as my favorites this week because with number 1 I love his slight 'look-what-I-have-done' smile and number 2, well, just look at those cheeks!

Inside/Outside

2010-05-11T20:28:00.001-05:00

The time has come to open up Little Man's mind and try to pour in buckets of smart (yes, for those who aren't in the know, smart now comes in buckets).

Good-bye to the lazy afternoons of sitting in the middle of a pile of recently toppled over DVDs, flapping your arms and squealing with delight as momma looks at you with her 'tisk-tisk face' (okay, not really good-bye because we just finished doing that about 5 minutes ago), hello skill building and learning activities!

The skill we have been working on for the past week is in/out.

I have found Little Man is fascinated by emptying and filling things, so I have latched on to that interest and tried to make it a learning experience.

What it boils down to is me sitting with him and some sort of receptacle as he puts in and pulls out toys, coins, blocks, bugs, etc. while I say 'in' to each object that he puts in and 'out' to each object he pulls out. Tedious? Yes. Over the past week have I noticed learning going on? Yes.

Skills that he is learning include fine motor, hand eye coordination and an understanding of the concept in and out.

And since a post isn't fun without pictures here is Booger demonstrating our activity. The first picture is him putting a shape block in his bucket. The rest of the pictures are him using his Fill and Spill Bug Jar.

Spider waves hello!

And here is a video of him putting coins in a very narrow glass vase. This is very good for eye hand coordination and fine motor skills, but please beware that the coins are a choking hazard - watch carefully and be sure that all coins are accounted for after play. Also, please excuse my annoying 'put it in' over and over again, ha ha, in fact you might want to just turn the volume down. You know it's bad when you annoy yourself.

New Toy: A Walker!

2010-05-09T11:00:00.006-05:00

It's a Playskool step start walk 'n ride. It is a walker for when they are learning how to walk and then it turns into a ride-on-toy-car-thing. I love double duty - more fun, less space!

I got it in the teal color because I felt it is more gender neutral then the green or pink so it will do well for any other children that we might have in the future.

When Booger first tried standing up on it he thought it was fabulous.

Then it started to roll and he started to yell. It was almost as if he was saying 'WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH THIS THING!!!'

I swear this kid makes me laugh so much.

Week 18

2010-05-08T16:56:00.001-05:00

Just two this week. (More of the walking ones in a new post)

First Bubble Bath

2010-05-05T11:10:00.004-05:00

The other night Booger had his first bubble bath.

I filled up the duck tub with some of his baby shampoo and then used the shower head to foam it up. He really enjoyed it! He spent the whole time splashing around and trying to catch the bubbles. Of course as I was trying to take pictures he was trying to share the bubbles with me so I didn't get many shots.

Here he is saying "Um, momma...what the heck is wrong with my bath water?"

Here he is trying to catch them.

Look his splash made the shape of a heart. Shape of a heart! Wonder Twins ACTIVATE!...sorry got carried away.

11 Months Old

2010-05-03T20:09:00.001-05:00

Today little man turned 11 months old!

Time is passing too fast. He is getting so big.

Things he is doing right now include:
-Sharing. He will play with a toy and then hold it out for me to play with or he will try to give me a bite of his food.
-Cruising everywhere. Walls, couches, tables, it doesn't matter none are safe from being used to walk around the house with.
-Eating table food. He loves rice and crackers.
-He is getting into everything. His favorite things to get into is the books on the bookshelf and the dvd's.
-He wears size 4 diapers and size 12-18 shirts and pants.
-He also loves putting EVERY thing in his mouth.

And my favorite thing of all is he still has his massive cheeks. It will be a sad day when he loses his baby fat.

Caught In The Act

2010-05-02T15:26:00.002-05:00

The other day I was cleaning the living room while the boy was sitting contently destroying a basket full of DVD's.

I walk into the kitchen to go get the Pledge to dust the furniture with. I was only out of the room for maybe 10 seconds but when I walk back into the living room I see a pile of disorganized DVD's and an upturned basket but no little man. I hear the shower curtain rustling and the sound of toys falling into the cast iron tub (he is fast but not very sneaky).

When I enter the bathroom I see this.

I then hear the water start to trickle into the tub. That's when I asked him what he thinks he was doing and he pulls back the curtain and gives me this wide-eyed you caught me look.

He then closed the curtain again and went back to playing with the water, the little snot.

Week 17

2010-05-01T21:01:00.003-05:00

Week 16

2010-04-27T20:47:00.002-05:00

I have been sick and didn't take many pictures last week, there for last weeks pictures are late and limited. :)

An Art Project

2010-04-21T10:26:00.002-05:00

I love Pottery Barn pieces but not Pottery Barn prices. Last season I saw this cute art piece featuring vintage typewriter keys and I loved it. Of course it was way out of my price range. Then I came across a blog featuring how to make it yourself and so I thought I would give it a go. It didn't turn out as nice as hers or the original and I still need to get some plain molding and make a frame but I don't think it did too bad of a job.

Week 15

2010-04-16T20:20:00.001-05:00

Weekly favorites:

The Battle Is Won

2010-04-15T22:40:00.001-05:00

The battle to find a sippy cup that little man could wrangle lasted months. Finally, thanks to a post I spied on an e-acquaintances blog , we have claimed victory.

The "Tilty Cup" is the most fabulous sippy cup I have ever laid eyes on. I am suprised no one has thought of this before. Now that we own this cup I think that transitioning from a bottle to a sippy might be more then just a pipe dream.

Who Needs Expensive Toys Part II

2010-04-14T10:25:00.002-05:00

I am convinced that if you surrounded this kid (or probably any kid for that matter) with nice, new, colorful toys and told him "NO! Don't touch!", all he would want to do is touch, touch, touch.

You surround him with the same toys and say "Go to town", he would chose the toilet paper roll...

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Golden Warm Weather Evenings...

2010-04-12T11:06:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things that comes with warm weather is the golden light that filters through the trees and sun set. Last Friday little man and I were looking out the window, waiting for Jonathan to come home, when I noticed how beautiful it looked outside.

Quicker then two shakes of a cats tail I was calling the husband to let him know we were going down the street, strapping the boy into his stroller, and loading up the camera.

Yep, warm weather suits me just fine. :)

A New Collection Obsession Ensues!

2010-04-11T11:22:00.000-05:00

This weekend Jonathan (with much protesting) and I went to check out an antique shop that I discovered existed through this yummy blog.

It was a dream of a shop!

There were so many things I could see myself taking home. We ended up with a Dr. Pepper box that was made in our home town in the 60's and a bottle. We are now on the hunt for the rest of the bottles to fill up our little box. I say we because even though he protested about going there Jonathan actually enjoyed the store and the idea of completing the bottle collection!

Week 14

2010-04-09T10:14:00.002-05:00

Who Needs Expensive Toys...

2010-04-07T20:14:00.002-05:00

...when you have a wipies lid and a size sticker?

I swear this kid is surrounded by the coolest, most colorful, most stimulating toys and he goes nuts over a wipes lid and the size sticker off of his new shirt.

What It Takes To Make A Baby

2010-04-06T20:40:00.001-05:00

We are on our way again, traveling down the same road we did two and a half years ago. Hopefully we know the road a little better this time and have an easier time navigating it.

Armed with my arsenal, together, Jonathan and I plan to concur my infertility.

Prenatal Vitamin
Ovulation Predictor Kits
HPTs
Metformin
POM Juice
Green Tea
Basal Body Thermometer
And Prayer

Little Man's First Easter

2010-04-04T21:51:00.005-05:00

Today was packed full of family and fun!

This morning we opened our basket, he really enjoyed shaking the plastic puff-filled eggs. Honestly though, we enjoyed the basket more then he did. He picked through it, ate some grass and then crawled away from it as fast as his little legs could go. He would rather have played with the dog food bowl ::sigh::

After catching the get-away boy we settled him on daddy's lap to read his new book. He really liked the texture patches of it.

After a bit more crawling, wallowing and playing it was nap time. Once nap was over it was off to meet up with ita and grandad for lunch! While there little man received two new Richard Scary books.(YAY for books)

Then it was back home for a walk around the block and some more crawling, wallowing, and playing (this seems to take up a lot of our day).

By mid afternoon it was time to go to Grammy and Papas! Where Grammy made a delicious ham dinner (seriously it was the best ham I have ever had). If you look closely at this picture you will see he is COVERED in maple puff crumbs.

Soon it was back home and off to bed.

Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail!

2010-04-03T20:56:00.004-05:00

I took a couple of photos this evening of little mans first Easter basket.

The contents include:

1. A touch and feel book about a duck.
2. Two containers of bubbles (because mama likes bubbles, haha).
3. A stuffed lamb.
4. A toy boat for the bathtub.
5. Eggs stuffed with puffs.
6. A large bead maze.
7. New binkies in spring colors.

I am already mulling over ideas for his Easter basket next year. It will be even more fun when he realizes what is going on.

Are You Feelin' Lucky...Punk?!

2010-04-02T21:15:00.001-05:00

The answer is yes I am!

My whole neighborhood could hear my squeals of delight this morning when I read the email from the fabulous Ariana of the Becoming Mom blog site.

I won her give away for the adorable Hoppop toddler tub! I chose lime for it's gender neutral quality and I am waiting on bated breath to get it!

Thanks so much Ariana for doing this wonderful giveaway!

Week 13

2010-04-02T10:43:00.001-05:00

Week 12

2010-03-27T21:21:00.002-05:00