Jack 8 Months/4th of July Pics by Karen Heiring

Jun 7, 2009

Not a Facebook Status

"Kimberly just started her period again after 19 months without one. Sadface."

Count My Blessings Sunday

1) My country. I have some issues with a lot of things. There's just too much government to make my little libertarian heart happy. But it's a beautiful country, a great country, and still, in many ways, a free country. I'm proud to have been born here.

2) My cute blue house and my husband who works hard at getting it together. He painted before church today. And after church. And it's going to be beautiful!

3) My sweet baby boy. He's still a baby, darnit! I don't care if he is almost walking.

4) Great friends and great family.

5) Fireworks! Love them.

walkin'

Or, at least, stepping.

Jack took his first steps tonight. I've been working with him since his 9 month birthday on Sunday (I didn't want to encourage walking before 9 months, and I'm stubborn). Basically, just having him stand and then asking him to come to me 1.5 feet away:) He tends to lean forward until he can grab my arm and then walk to me holding on.

Well, tonight Daniel and I decided to grill out and Jack and I were on the deck while Daniel got something from the kitchen. So I asked Jack to come to me - and he did. He took 2 steps, grabbed me and laughed. I couldn't believe it! And neither could Daniel when he realized he missed it!

He did up to 5 steps at a time 4 separate times tonight, then decided he was sleepy (and went to bed super-easily without screaming tonight!).

My baby boy is growing up so fast, I just can't believe it. Part of me is proud of him. Part of me is sad that my cute crawly baby will be gone soon.

Barack Obama on Father's Day

I support our President and I try not to denigrate him (criticize him, sure, but not with some of the ridiculous commentary so many people make). I don't, however, support 90% of his policies. At all.

I do think he's a good man, and he seems to be a good dad.

I'm at my in-laws house (Jack broke my computer, long story) and my Father-in-law printed President Obama's Father's Day speech. It's impressive, insightful and interesting (as are so many of his speeches).

But one part really hit me:
And it’s not enough to just be physically present. Too often, especially during tough economic times like these, we are emotionally absent: distracted, consumed by what’s happening in our own lives, worried about keeping our jobs and paying our bills, unsure if we’ll be able to give our kids the same opportunities we had.

Our children can tell. They know when we’re not fully there. And that disengagement sends a clear message—whether we mean it or not—about where among our priorities they fall.

So we need to step out of our own heads and tune in. We need to turn off the television and start talking with our kids, and listening to them, and understanding what’s going on in their lives.

I need to remember this. Daily.

9 months Old

Jack's 9 months old today. That means he's been out as long as he was in. Wow!

Some days are so slow, but sheesh! the months are fast.

He's the sweetest of babies - since the day he was born, he has only had maybe 1.2 a dozen crying episodes that couldn'tbe fixed immediately with cuddling, feeding or diapering. For the most part that's all he cries about.

He's developed a smidge of separation anxiety, but no stranger anxiety.

He LOVES his puppies and laughs when they lick him.

He pulls up on absolutely anything he can reach, and cruises like crazy.

He can climb the stairs with no problem and goes to them anytime he can. He's way too dangerous going down...he wants to go down standing.

He still loves paper and cords, but has settled down enough that we can read again. For a while I couldn't read to him 'cause he'd just eat every book.

He LOVES the guitar, and will stop and listen if he hears anyone playing it. When my mom plays (she's taking lessons), he goes from wherever he is to her immediately and starts strumming/drumming on it.

He lights up when his daddy gets home. No matter what kind of afternoon it's been, he is a happy boy when he sees daddy.

He's a bit of a bruiser and a toy thief with other babies. I'm hoping he outgrows this. I'm terrified he'll be like I was.

He has 7 teeth, with 1 more about to come through.

His hair is getting lighter every time we go outside. Right now it's somewhere around strawberry blond. No idea where the reddishness came from.

His eyes are...hazel? They look brown to me up close, but green to a lot of people. From a distance there is still a tinge of blue. I don't get it. They're huge and they're pretty, regardless.

He loves to swim. Loves it. Will stay in the water as long as I will. He loves the ocean, the pool, anything. He kicks his little legs and tries so hard to go on his own.

Lately, he's been biting us with BIG smiles on his face. I think I've figured out that we all (Daniel, my mom, and me) often "nibble" on his toes or whatever and just blow on him to make him laugh. He doesn't understand that he's hurting us when he does it. So no more of that!

He never would eat purees - it was a screaming fight every time, so we went to finger foods. He -- plays with it. He'll kind of gnaw, massage, drop, suck on whatever we give him. Not a whole lot of actual swallowing yet. But he's still nursing every 3-4 hours, so, it's fine. Eventually he'll get it. I've talked to a few moms whose babies weren't interested in food until 9-10 months, and my mom didn't even try to give me solids until a year.

He's sleeping well at night. 1, maybe 2, wakeups to nurse for a while in a 10-11 hour night. That's good for me. Going down has been difficult, but it's easing up I hope. We're working on a routine, maybe that'll help.

He's not particularly vocal/pointy/etc. I've utterly failed with working on signs with him, and I am not really a pointer. He puts his arms up for "up" and hegrunts and kicks for down. He babbles a lot of mamamamamamamamama and bdubdubdubdubdubdubdu and gegegegegegegege and occasional combined syllable babbling. He occasionally goes Maaa but I don't know if it's random, if it's mom, or if it' Mac or Moe. :)


Jack is smiley, happy, busy, adventurous, stubborn, smart, sweet. Basically, he's me + Daniel wrapped up in one cute little ball of trouble! I love him.

Not a Facebook Status

"Kimberly wonders why the only time her breasts ever leak anymore is when she's wearing her purple ruffley tank top as a jammy top. Put on that shirt, I'm guaranteed to have a giant wet spot."

Ten on Tuesday after forever!

Since I haven't blogged in ages...

1) Jack has started doing this super cute thing where while he sucks his thumb with his right hand, he twirls the hair behind his left ear with his left hand. It's so cute and funny.

2) He can totally stand unsupported - he just doesn't believe it. When he's holding two toys he forgets to hang on to whatever (me, furniture,dog) and stands until he realizes that he doesn't know how. Then he sits. He's kind of like the roadrunner runnin' off a cliff and not falling 'til he realizes that he's in the air.

3) Our bookshelves are finished and BEEEE_YOU-TEE-FULL! And will provide me with tons and tons of storage. Pics to come, I promise.

4) Speaking of pics - my child has had more professional photographs taken than any child ever (except, perhaps, children of professional photographers). But he's just so cute. And Karen is so wonderful!

5) I've recently started to be able to imagine having another baby. Not that I want one now. But, it does take nine months. And not that I want to make one now. But, well, I can imagine it being SOMEDAY. Soonish.

6) My sister had to make a "visual argument" for a class. I video'd her argument - it's adorable. You should check it out. Here ya go.


7) We went to the Alligator Farm on my birthday/father's day. It was a lot of fun. But my husband let Jack pet a snake:( Freaked me out. Jack loved it.


Jack, Daniel, the creepy snake, and the Alligator Farm lady.

8) Jack and I were invited to the beach today for Mr. B's first birthday. Four mommies, 4 baby boys and a whole heck of a lot of sand. And fun. My kid is just like me, he can't go to the beach w/o being covered in sand. And, since we'd just returned from the beach and I don't have everything reorganized or washed yet, I didn't have a lot of our stuff with us. Oops. So Jack had to steal Baby C's toys and blanket and try to steal B's fruit loops. It was fun. I do fear that my sweet boy's going to get a reputation!

9) Have I mentioned that Jack loves loves LOVES the water? LOves it. A ridiculous amount. When he knows we're getting to it, he starts kickin' those little legs. It's adorable. And he'll stay in until he's made it well past prune and into...raisin? He also will take off towards the ocean as soon as he noticed it. Adorable, I tell you!





Last is my little sister and my boy pulling off her suit. But look at that lip he has going on. Cracks me up!

10) So, I had a birthday. It made me old. But I've decided that I am going to start going backwards now. So...instead of turning 28, I turned 26. Yep. That's just how it is. 'Cause I said so.

Baptism Cards

Jack was baptized last weekend (more on that and pics to come later). After I showed his invitation on thenest, someone asked me to design a card for their child's upcoming baptism. They wanted something very similar to Jack's, with a few small changes.

Here's Jack's:


And Cole's:



And the Thank you card I ordered for Jack (I'm not wild about the printing on the bifold card, I'm going to have to check out some new printers if I'm going to start selling them):


Contact me if you'd like to order any sort of a card or announcement!

Baptism

Jack was baptized last weekend (more on that and pics to come later). After I showed his invitation on thenest, someone asked me to design a card for their child's upcoming baptism. They wanted something very similar to Jack's, with a few small changes.

Here's Jack's:


And Cole's:



And the Thank you card I ordered for Jack (I'm not wild about the printing on the card, I'm going to have to check out some new printers if I'm going to start selling them):

Jack 7 MOnths/Baptism Pics

By Karen Heiring (A lot of these haven't been touched up or color corrected. Karen give them to me as is at my request).

Oh, Good Lord.

And I mean that. As a prayer.

I haven't touched on a lot of dieting on this blog - it's mainly been about Jack to date. But, well, I need to deal with this too, so here we go.


I have been yoyo dieting for years. Except the Yoyo is never the scale - that just gets higher and higher. It's just my head. I have dieted my way from 148 pounds (yes, at 5'9 I thought I was fat) to now.

When I got pregnant I weighed 263 pounds. When Jack was born I weighed 268. At my two week post-partum I weighed 245. And today I weigh 262.5. I ate healthfully during my pregnancy. I didn't binge, I didn't feel guilty. I just ate like a normal person. Since then...I've been a basket case. Especially since I decided to join Weight Watchers (again) in January. That really sent me down the piggy path. I've gained 11 pounds since then.

Blah.

I also saw a picture of myself - a candid - from a birthday party. Oh my freaking gosh I am huge. Ginornous. It's awful.



And I don't quite know what to do. The only thing that seems to make me eat right is pregnancy...and that's not really a viable dietary option.

So that's it. I need to fix me, but I just don't quite know how to get my head back where it needs to be.

(Oh - AND I'm still basically exclusively breastfeeding - Jack eats VERY LITTLE in the way of solids - and that whole breastfeeding burns calories thing? Not so much workin' over here)

Wow!

I'm a failure at this regular posting thing. Sheesh. So much has happened in the last few weeks, so I'll do a quick synopsis and come back with pics when we get back in town.

1) How situation went to crazy and back again, and now we're just on hold. We may close next week. We may never close. We'll see.

2) We're almost ALMOST out of (non-mortgage) debt. It would be nice if those things would happen in reverse order, but, such is life.

3) Jack's the cutest kid in the world. Yes, the world. I'm not biased at all.

4) We went to little As 1st birthday party. It was fun to hang out and Jack likes to play with (and eat) other babies. I'm not so sure he plays well w/ others.

5) Working on Baptism invitations. I don't know if I'll do them or if my mother-in-law (she's having the party) will just print some. We'll see.

6) Jack's going everywhere, moving like crazy. He scares me.

7) He had his 1st swim lesson last night. It was a lot of fun and I LOVE the instructor. My boy loves the water.

8) We're heading to the beach for a couple of days. It'll be nice to have a few days with just Daniel and Jack. And the beach.

9) I miss mac and moe. A lOT! I can't wait until we have a house and they can come home.

10 on Tuesday

1) I want to blog more, but I tend to forget and then go in GIANT chunks where I miss little things. So I'm going to try to do a lot of these little daily deals and see if that helps.

2) For the 1st 3.5 months of Jack's life, he went to bed at about 9:30, slept until 3:30, woke at 6:30, woke at 8. For each of the wakings, he was up for about 10 minutes to nurse, then back to sleep. At about 3.5 months, I started listening to all of the people telling me he needed a plan, or a routine, or a schedule. I quit listening to HIM, and started listening to everyone else. So, I started putting him to bed at about 7. Which often leads to all out bedtime war, and ALWAYS leads to wakings every hour or 2. I'm exhausted, Daniel's exhausted, Jack starts trying to take a nap every afternoon at around 5:00, and I fight to keep him up until 7.

Well, screw it. In the last few weeks, he's gone to bed at 9:00 or so a couple of times. Each time, he was up after 6 or 7 hours, slept 3 hours, up again for a few minutes, then back down. I like that much better. So...I'm going to try it. He can have his 5:00 nap, and we'll put him to bed at 9. It may end some of Daniel's and my grown up time, but may also end our exhaustion and crankiness. Plus, Daniel will probably be home before the nap is over. I might be crazy, but I think this is worth a try.

3. I think I need to start vacuuming every night. Jack keeps finding teensy little pieces of paper and swallowing/choking on them. They aren't big enough to CHOKE him, but he starts coughing unpleasantly.

4. Jack's not so much into this food thing. He's just not. He didn't like sweet potatoes at all, and he lets 1/2 of his nightly rice cereal (because we want him to SLEEP), slide right on out of his mouth. We'll keep trying, but I'm finding it less fun, and more a pain in the neck.

5. He started cruising yesterday, he'd done a few little steps, but yesterday he went the whole length of the coffee table. So NOT ready for this.

6. 4 more days until we hear about the house. Or less. Pray for us - this would be SUCH a great home for our family!!!!!!!

7. I can't make videos post. Any advice?

8. Finished this album recently - it was for a destination/cruise wedding and honeymoon. These pages are all out of order b/c cry-boy isn't letting me organize them, but you'll get an idea.


9. There have been way too many words and too few images in this post, so...

Itty bitty baby picture.
and...

10.

Not a Facebook Status III

"Kimberly would be convinced she was pregnant if she hadn't taken lots of negative pregnancy tests over a few weeks. I'm not, but man, my body is acting odd. (I do NOT want to be pregnant now, btw!)"

Count my blessing Sunday

I need to start remembering the good, so here goes:
1) My husband. My sweet husband who isn't perfect, but tries hard. And loves us and takes great care of us. And so WANTS me to be happy.
2) My beautiful, healthy son. My sweet baby boy. I adore him.
3) In laws who are letting us live with them until we figure out what the heck we're doing next.
4) Family - knowing we always have someone to help us, talk to us, hang out with us. I love being part of a large, extended family.
5) Karen Heiring - a wonderful friend and awesome photographer. Through her portraits I will have so many great memories of my boy!
6) God. Who I know watches out for me and blesses me, even though I don't deserve it or him.
7) Sherwin-Williams. My husband has a secure job in a tough time, and I'm grateful.
8) The water. I love it. I live for it, in it. And I am SOOO glad my son loves it as much.
9) Dogs. and their unending, undying love for us. I miss my boys while they live with Kelley until we have a house. And I miss my Molly-mutt niece who had to be put down due to cancer a few weeks ago.
10) Health. I don't take care of myself the way I should, yet I'm healthy and happy and very very blessed:)

Just wonderin'

how it is that every night, no matter what time Jack goes to bed, no matter how long afterwards I decide to go up for a bath, EVERY NIGHT he wakes up when I go upstairs. Or, at least, 80% of the time.

And not really upstairs. When I head to the kitchen to get a cup of water for the night. I could have gotten water 4 other times since he went to sleep. It's the time that I think, OK, water then bath, I hear him start to cry as I get into the kitchen. Seriously. I think my kid is psychic. Or I just have ridiculously bad timing.

:)


Just a quit cell pic of Jack sleeping with his daddy by the River.

5 Month Pro Photos

 

 

 

 

The awesome outdoor ones are by Karen Heiring Photography and the studios are from Target. What can I say...I had a coupon:)

For more, click:

Jack 5 Months Target

Daddy/Baby time

 

 

 

 

Drivin'

 

Springing the Blues

 

 

 

 

How Jack Crawls

 

 

 

 

OK, those were supposed to be video. Try again later.

Early Standing...

 

 

Jack @ Restaurants

 

 

 

Chruch Playground Opening

 

 

 

 

His 1st Month

I found these pictures on my mom's camera, and they totally took me back. To that month. To that couch. To my crazy was of swaddling him to me so that we both felt secure while we slept.

We lived on that couch.

 

It seems like such a blur. I fed him, made faces at him, then watched TV while he nursed (45+ minutes) or slept. At night I'd sleep b/w nursing sessions, but besides that, we basically didn't move. We left the house a few times, or we'd venture to the hammock. But we basically spent every moment on that couch.

It sounds crazy, boring, awful. But, looking back, it was amazing. I spent so much time just getting to know my boy. Holding him. Being his everything. Learning him.

It's one of the most important times of my life, one I know I'll never get again with him or with future babies, and yet, it's just a blur. Like labor:)

Every night before Daniel went to bed he'd make sure I had the ottoman pushed up close (just in case Jack rolled or I rolled) and water for me, LOTS of diapers and wipes, my cell phone (so I could call him if I needed him) and the remote control. As much as I love to read, I couldn't do that yet. My brain wasn't reading-functional.

Why weren't we with Daniel? Why wasn't Jack in a crib? Well, I needed my boy with me. I needed to touch him. And Daniel needed sleep so he could go to work (my decision) and wasn't comfortable sleeping with the baby anyway.

 

I miss my newborn and my month on the couch. And I can't wait to see the little boy he's going to be!

Not a Facebook Status II

"Kimberly wants to know why every diaper I put Jack in - cloth AIO, cloth pocket, disposable size 2, disposable size 3 leaks this week. This is getting out of control."

My little inch worm

Jack can go from his tummy into a sit with little to no effort now. So, instead of army crawling...he inch worms.

He sits, reaches as far as he can, gets on his hands and knees, then lays on his tummy, again reaching as far as he can, then sits again, and repeat. He can move fairly quickly this way. I'll try to get a video of it...it's pretty funny!

Not a Facebook Status

There are just some things I can't broadcast for the world to see. OK, fine, this blog is broadcasting to the world - but in a seemingly more private setting than facebook. And yet, regularly, when I see the facebook "What's on your mind" status box, I want to say something that the Southern Lady in me just can't say in public.

Something like...

"Kimberly can't believe how relieved she is too see a poopy diaper. The things motherhood does to you..."

A few pics of 2 of my boys

Gymboree

On Tuesdays, Jack and I go to Gymboree & then to lunch with some other moms and babies. He seems to enjoy it, and, well, I love to get out of the house! Plus, it gives me ideas of things to do with him at home. He'll be moving up to Level 2 in 2 weeks and is starting Gymboree Music on Monday. Yay!!!

For now though, here's a glimpse of Gymboree:

Baby Yoga

Jack finally finished Itsy Bitsy Yoga. We started back in November when he was 5 weeks old, but only attended 2 sessions due to...life:) So we did this session and enjoyed it so much! It's so worth the drive to St. Augustine. I am hoping to get to be a drop in for a few more classes, but the description is Newborn to nearly crawling...and, well, he's very close to nearly crawling.

Here are some pictures of his last day of class (please ignore my chest):

Need to lower the crib rails

I never remember what I blog & what I don't blog, so...

Jack can pull himself up at least to a squat. So he's going straight to bed w/ us 'til his Daddy lowers the crib.

My baby boy is growing up so fast!!!

Army Crawl

He gets frustrated fast and will stick his head in the carpet and scream, but Jack can ooch his little self whereever he wants to go. And he knows to get up on his knees, he just falls down when he tries to lift a leg.

Boys gonna be goin' places soon.

Yikes!

Sittin' Up

So...as I am sure I've posted, Jack's been sitting up completely well with great balance for about 6 weeks now. '

As I THINK I've posted, the other day I left him on his back, came back in and he was sitting up. Then nothing.

Well, yesterday, Daniel had Jack playing on the floor while I was on the computer. I asked him to please do some tummy time. He said OK. A few minutes later, I turned around and Jack was sitting up. So, I said, Daniel, really, he needs tummy time. He said OK. I turned around, he was sitting up. I said Daniel, PLEASE do timmy time. He looked at Jack and said "Jack, please tell your mommy that I am putting you on your tummy, you just refuse to stay that way".

So I came over to watch and sure enough, he was rolling onto his side and pushing up and sitting.

There goes tummy time.

White paper

How??? I left Jack on the floor for a few minutes while I checked my email. He was in a safe, clean location, with a toy, still in his sleepsack.

Well, I saw him on his side ooching, but didn't think he'd get anywhere. He went OVER the pile of photographs and about 5 feet away to the one white paper on the floor.

My child is stubborn and fairly mobile. Oops.

And he has a deep and abiding love for white paper. He had no interest in those photoos. No interest in his toy. No interest in the video box. But that white paper. Oh, yeah!




Now I need to go rescue it from his mouth, as it is actually a Mattress Firm Warranty form that I need.

Tooth

Well, we got a tooth. Or at least a little teensy tinsy bump of a tooth. It's white and shiny and very sharp and very small.

And he's only 5 months old. I know 10 month olds with no teeth. FORMULA FED 10 month olds with no teeth. But my EBF baby...he has a tooth.

At least it explains the crazy sleep patterns of late.

Little Vera

Jack's legal name is John, for Daniel's paternal grandfather and for my maternal grandfather. Daniel's grandmother's name was Vera.

Well, right this very minute, Daniel's cousin, Kelly, is at the hospital in labor with little Vera.

I'm excited for the new baby in the family and the new namesake to fit right in with my boy:-)

Orgasmic Birth

I don't get it. I CAN NOT imagine an orgasm during birth. I don't think I'd even want to. The idea just icks me out altogether. I mean, more power to those who do it, but...not me. So Not Me.

But, apparently, parts of my family think that I had one. Or, well, kind of.

My sister recently watched a documentary on orgasmic birth and afterwards she came to me and said "you did that didn't you?". Um...no. Trust me, at no point of labor was I close. I asked what she was talking about - having no idea, and my labor being such a blur that I thought maybe something happened I didn't remember. Yes, that blurred..

Apparently, somewhere in the wee hours of Sunday morning (27+ hours into labor, 6 or so hours @ 8 cm), my doula kicked everyone out of the room so that Daniel and I could have some time alone. I vaguely remember this. I think she mentioned nipple stimulation, but all I wanted was to get back in the shower, so that's what we did.

Well, apparently, while my doula, sister, sister-in-law, mom, mother-in-law and I PRAY NOT my father and father-in-law were in the hallway, my doula told them what I needed was an orgasm to start progressing. And then wouldn't let the nurse into the room. So, they all believe that Daniel and I were in there, um, trying to make that happen.

I told Kelley no. But, well, I'm not quite sure how to broach this with the rest of them. Hey, MIL, just wanted to let you know Daniel and I weren't fooling around during labor? Or just leave it alone?

I loved my doula, she was truly awesome, but...no!

Sleep Experiment

We've been co-sleeping essentially since Jack was born, and since Thanksgiving we've put him down in his crib when he 1st goes to sleep, and then bringing him to bed with us the 1st time he wakes up to nurse (and he nurses for a LONG time, so he's actually hungry at night - I, unfortunately, do NOT have a child who will comfort nurse. He won't nurse unless he's hungry and pulls off as soon as he's full.). Normally he gets 4-5 hours in his crib.

Well, last night I fed him at 5:30, and then he kind of spontaneously fell asleep at 7:30, so I didn't have time to feed him again.

When I went to bed at 9:45, I could hear him stirring - I figured he would maybe stay down another hour before he was too hungry to sleep.

So...I decided to experiment. I went in and got him out of his crib before he woke up, and stayed in his room to nurse him (he never opened his eyes the whole time). After he nursed for 10 minutes and then stopped, I rocked him for just a few minutes. He never got back to deep, floppy sleep (which is what's normally required to put him back down), but I decided if I stayed up with him too long there was no point in the experiment, as I'd be losing sleep. So, I put him in his crib, he rolled onto his side and stayed asleep. He didn't wake up until 4:30! THat's the longest he's EVER slept in his crib!

I'm not ready to quit co-sleeping. I like the convenience and the snuggles. But on the nights where I know that he's going to wake up within an hour or so of me going to bed, this would be nice if it worked. Otherwise, I either a)stay up waiting for him to go to sleep, in which case, without fail, he sleeps HOURS longer than I expected or b)I go to bed but can't sleep b/c I'm expecting him to awaken at any moment.

Here's the Video for the Paws post!

 

Doggies

There are lots of dogs in Jack's life. He's generally comfortable with HIS puppies, but takes a little bit of time to warm up to others...even if they are his size.

Moe is so protective of Jack. He often comes and lays down next to him.


Playing with one of Grandmommy's puppies.




doing what Jack does best: throwing himself bodily into whatever he decides he HAS TO get his mouth on...in this case, Bella.

Paws

One of my childhood stories, the ones that I think I remember, but I've really just heard 1000 times, is of Paws. Paws is this yellow head with googly eyes and LONG blue arms. I don't know if I named him Paws or if he came that way. He was a toy at my grandparents house. I hated him. Every time they put him in my crib or playtime, I'd apprently throw him out screaming "No me like Paws!". So, in the twisted fashion that my family does everything, Paws is the toy they saved. Not my favorite toy, the one I hated. At Daniel's and my rehearsal dinner, my grandfather gave Paws to him.

Well...now Paws belongs to Jack. And he seems to like him much better than I did.

My baby boy

He's getting so big. He's wearing some 12 month clothes now (cutesy bubbles tend to run small, apparently). He sits, he spends a little time on his hands and knees. Every now and then I look at him and see the boy he will be soon.

So I need to enjoy this. I need to appreciate every day, every moment I have with this baby.

He is, in so many ways, the best thing that ever happened to me. I love spending time with him, playing with him, watching him learn.

But, as my mother loves to point out, I'm inherently lazy, and sometimes I blow him off. I don't ignore him, or let him cry, but I...bounce him on my hip while I'm doing something else. Not something important. Just something else. Check facebook for the 97th time. Read a blog. Feel guilty for not "getting enough done". Whatever.

What I need to be doing is enjoying this baby who way to soon be a toddler, and a kid and a teen and an adult. I need to play with him, teach him - to crawl, to walk, to read, to love.

Mobile (barely)

Jack has figured out how to roll and scooch and cause trouble! This is one determined kid, and I am one mommy who needs to start baby proofing.

There's a cord for a lamp about 7 feet from where i put him for tummy time - twice he's managed to get to it and start chewing (well, at least aim his mouth...I caught him pre-chew).

Ack! I'm scared:)

Valentine's Day Froggy

My aunt Kelley (Yaya) gave Jack a REALLY cute stuffed frog for Valentine's day. He wasn't too sure of him at first, but now he finds it fascinating. I need to get video b/c it's just the funniest thing, but meanwhile, here are some pictures...

Upside down

Jack just LOVES to be upside down! I can always make him laugh by dangling him by his hips above my head. He cracks up! Silly child.

I'm trying to attach a video. We'll see.

Such a nice day!

Jack and I have had such a nice day today. We woke up at 7 and then played for a little while, and then he had a nap while I worked on our tax return. Then he played guitar with my mom and we got ready for Baby Yoga. I was SO not in the mood for it, but we went, it was SO MUCH FUN, then we went to the Farmer's Market where I bought another cute outfit from the Batik lady (it won't fit him until the summer) and then he took a nap in the car while I read. It was just nice. And peaceful. I do love that boy. It's amazing!

Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. As soon as Daniel gets home from work we're heading to church. I try to give up something and add something every year. This year, I am giving up drive-thru restaurants. Basically, I eat out too much with Jack, but I don't tend to actually go IN anywhere. So...if I care enough to go in, fine. but if not (94% of the time) NO driving through. AND I'm going to try to do some sort of daily Lenten Bible study. I'm hoping someone at church has a recommendation.

And, for fun, some pictures from LAST week!

A few pics for the last few weeks

This is SO Jack. He smiles and then covers his mouth with this little shy grin. I love it!

1st Boy & Me:)

1. When is your "engagement" anniversary: June 21, 2005 (my 24th Birthday)

2. When is your "marriage" anniversary: May 6th, 2006

3. How long have you known your spouse: 23 years, technically

4. How long did you date/court before you were engaged: 7 years, 3 months. I was NOT patient.

5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time? Sunday School at church. We started dating after I started attending youth group when I was 16.

6. What is your spouses full name? Daniel Willis

7. Do you have any children: YES :)

8. How many - boys - girls: sweet baby boy

9. Do you have any house pets: YES...my other 2 boys...Mac and Moe

10. Do you own a house or rent: We own a house, but we have it rent-to-owned while we live in my mom's house and care for it for her. We're hoping to buy another house soon.

11. Do you live in the country or town/city: Town

12. What is one of your favorite activities together: boating

13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot: Jamaica

14. How many siblings (including in-laws) do you have: Lots. My sister, Kelley. Step-brother, RJ. Step-stepsister (RJs 1/2 sister), Quinn and her husband Erik. Daniel's sisters Elizabeth and Caroline. His stepbrothers, James (and wife Christine) and Dusty. Stepsister, Amelia.

15. What church do you attend: Grace

16. Is this the church you were married in: Yes

17. What town is your current address at: Orange Park, FL

18. Do you work or stay at home: SAHM

19. Where did you go on your honeymoon: Negril & Ocho Rios, Jamaica

20. Leave a piece of advice for the other couples: All relationships are hard: romantic, familial, friendship. Just like you may have an off phase with your sisters, you may have one with your spouse. Work through it. It'll get better.

Thirteen on Thursday

1) He had his shot appointment ysterday. This time was the Prevnar vaccine. The nurse said it would hurt more than Hib. Well, I don't know about the initial injection, but man, he handled it better. He cried for about 5 minutes, then was fine. After the Hib vaccine, he cried for the rest of the day.

2) Jack now weighs 16 lbs, 5.5 oz. He has gained 14 oz in 2 weeks. Big boy!

3) Jack sits REALLY really well. He'll totally hang out and play. But every now and then he topples. I try not to leave him alone, but when he's been sitting for 5 minutes, the dog is trying to eat my breakfast, I may walk 5 feet away. Inevitably, I turn around and he's screaming on his belly. Oops.

4) Speaking of bellies - for the most part, tummy time has become impossible. As soon as I put him on his tummy, he rolls to his back.

5) We're finally over the nasty colds. Yay!

6) I've started going to counseling again, because, well...read my blog. I'm nuts. Counseling with a baby is...interesting. Fortunately, the counselor is awesome and doesn't mind.

7) I just realized he's in the same outfit as last weeks counseling session. Should I change him? Seriously, I think this way! (BTW - I have NO idea what I wore last week).

8) I am simultaneously proud of how big jack's getting and all the cool things he can do now and sad that my baby is growing up. Is that normal? Or should I bring it up in counseling? ;)

9) Jess (www.jesscumbie.com) is coming over tomorrow. Jess is my birthday twin and an awesome photographer. She's bringing her camera...yay!

10) I'm trying to decide b/w Gymboree Music and Kindermusik. We already do normal Gymboree, so Music would be cheaper. Any thoughts?

11) Jack's sleep has gone to hell. Don't know what the deal is. He spoiled me for the 1st 3 months. Now...his new thing is to get up b/w 1 and 4 and want to be awake for 3 hours. I am so NOT a middle of the night person.

12) I realized yesterday how incredibly blessed I am to have such a healthy, happy, beautiful baby. My SIL is a NICU nurse, and as she was talking about one of the very ill babies she cares for, I realized I am just so blessed. I love this boy!

13) Ok, so, my kid is ridiculously long. He is too long for most of his 6-9 month one pieces (rompers, jonjons,etc). Granted, the cloth diapers take up more room than regular diapers, but still! He is currently in a almost-too-short 6-9 month romper and a fits perfectly 0-3 month sweater. And yet, he doesn't LOOK skinny. So odd.