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Monday, November 17, 2014

.....

I have so many thoughts running through my head, I can't even come up with a good title. First let me  say, I feel terribly guilty about not posting about Jack's birthday. We had such a great time celebrating with all of our closet friends and family. Here is just a little taste of what went down in the B house.

He received TONS of toys!! They are still taking up space in our living room but he loved all of them. 

 We then moved on to the cake. I had a special smash cake made for him and was pumpkin flavored. Very cute.

 He needed a little help getting started. Next time I'll know to set the cake out for a little while so that the icing isn't too stiff.

 He always loves to share his food with everyone else.... including the dog.

 I decided he wasn't dirty enough. This is a first birthday for Heaven's sake! I NEED A DIRTY KID!!

 And then someone decided he needed ice-cream too!

 Oh man, did I get my wish! 

Finally at the end of it all, he got pictures made with everyone! He was scrubbed 3 times and still felt slimy.

Overall we had a great time and we are so thankful to have such a happy and healthy baby boy in our lives. 

Dear Jackson,
I don't even know where to begin with celebrating your first year. No words can describe how happy I am to have you in my life. Things were rough for us in the beginning. I didn't understand what being a mom really meant and what being selfless was like. I had never been in a situation where someone much more important than myself needed to come first. But you loved me through it all and I couldn't be more thankful for that.
Now we've made it an entire year and I'm so excited to see what happens next. I get the greatest joy just watching you explore the world around you and learn new and exciting things... even if that means you have sleepless nights for a week. Your precious giggle and bright smile make my heart sing. You've taught me so much about being a mom and unconditional love and for that, I owe you my life. 
You are a sweet and gentle little boy. I'm still amazed that you are my own but also so excited to see who you become. I love you so much. 
Happy Birthday my little man!

-Mom




Sunday, October 12, 2014

While I Was Away

Ok ok. I get it. I've been gone way too long but come on, Blogger! You wait until things get crazy in my life and then throw me curveballs when I try to log in and update my peeps?! Shame shame. Either way, I promise I'm working on something good for J's big 1st birthday! We've already had the party and I'll be sure to post all the frightful and delightful details later!

We've also taken our first family vacation and to where? The Stanley Hotel, of course. Lots of stories there. But for now, I need to rest. It has been a long day and J is still on mountain time and refusing to go to sleep. Until Tuesday!

-W

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

10 whole months


10 whole months or here's another way to look at it, 2 short months til J's first birthday party! I better get on my game. So here's the scoop on J. 

                 

A lot of things have changed for baby J over the last few weeks. First of all, he has transitioned into the next room at daycare. He's now out of the infant room and in another room with all the walkers and crawlers. He's doing really well right now but I did have to resist the urge to beat a kid that walked over to J and took his toy. I'm not going to be that mom, I'm not going to be that mom. 

In the same week, J also changed car seats. He's gotten so big that he needed a bigger car seat that he fit in a little easier. Big kid, big car seat, big tears from this momma. 

                  

J has 8 teeth (and bites), sleeps 12 hours still and eats anything and everything he can get his hands on. Including dog food. He has also recently learned how to walk behind furniture that he is pushing. I know I say this a lot but I'm so surprised at how quickly this first year is flying by. 

                   

               
     
                     

We've also discovered the fact that our "little" man is a total water baby!!!

              
  
             

Big things are also on the horizon. With a lot of doctors appointments recently, we have finally determined that J has fluid built up behind both of his ear drums which has caused mild hearing loss. Tomorrow morning, we will be going in for a short procedure to place tubes. I'm excited because this means we won't have to deal with as many ear infections and he'll be able to hear basic stuff like the train that is so close to our house. I'm not looking forward to the 5 am wake up call and 8 hour NPO status. We plan on moving J straight from his crib to his car seat. Maybe B can do the same for me. 

We also have our very first family vacation coming up this weekend! I'm a little nervous due to his surgery tomorrow but I think J will have a great time with everyone. 

And of course, college football kicks off tomorrow night and our beloved Dawgs kick off their season on Saturday. So many spectacular things!

That's all for now! Have a great holiday weekend!

Jack, The Teacher


When you're pregnant, you constantly think of things that you want to make sure you teach your new little one. Things like, how to ride a bike, how to bait a fishing hook, how to make the right decisions and all of the others. Little do I you know, the best lessons won't be taught from you to them but from them to you. 
Here are just a few of the things little J has taught me,

1.) A clean house means nothing. It has taken me 9 long months to learn is one. I used to worry so much about how clean my house was. Not that it mattered, my house was always a wreck. No baby will ever care if the laundry is always folded or the dishes are put away. The sooner I realized this, the better off I was. I find myself starting a task in the living room because that's where J is content at the moment just to leave it half way through and start another because he wants to play in his room now. He's crawling and exploring his surroundings a lot more these days and who am I to stop him because B is running out of underwear?

2.) Name brand is useless. Who cares if you use Pampers, Huggies, Boudreaux's or Avent? Just take care of your little one. Target diapers and wipes are fantastic and are usually on sale.

3.) Breast may be best but is also difficult. If anyone tells you breastfeeding is easy, punch 'em. As a mom and postpartum nurse, this is by far one of the hardest things you will ever do. And God forbid you ever encounter a problem like tongue tie, low supply or over supply. You're bound to be attached to a pump for a while.

4.) Time is going by much faster than you think. I feel like J grows while he's sleeping. He goes down for a nap and wakes up an inch taller, no kidding. This just points out the fact that you spend too much time on your iPad, iPhone, DVR and computer when you could be on the floor watching your little one learn how to clap or play peekaboo. 

 5.) Patience. Whew. This was a hard one for me. Patience wasn't something I was exactly blessed with. As my husband and mother say, they wish my fuse had grown longer instead of shorter while I was pregnant. Sometimes the little people in your life don't really know how to express what is wrong. Actually, as an adult I don't always know how to express what is wrong with me. Either way, I want people to be patient with me while I have my moment and J is the same way. The worst feeling in the world is knowing you've been short with your baby and then there's actually something wrong like an ear infection. 


Mmmm. I love that sweet face. Here's to wiser-than-adults babies!

-J's Mom


Wednesday, July 16, 2014

9 months

*knock, knock*

Are you there? 

Have you lost all hope that I would post again and abandon ship?

Well, I'm back and I have tons of updates for you! First of all, J is a whopping 9 months old! A lot has happened in the last 3 months. 

First of all, we went to the beach for the first time.

And then we went again!


We've cut our first tooth. And 4 more since.

(You have to look really close to see them.)

We celebrated out first Father's and Mother's Day.

We also attended our first minor league baseball game. Actually, it was the first baseball game of any league.


Now that we have teeth, we've started letting J self feed. Supper is always an adventure.

 

Luckily, bath time is more of a play time now. The kid loves the water!



And even more exciting, HE'S CRAWLING!!!



But most important, his personality is shining through more everyday.







So, in a nutshell, that's what has been going down in the B house. How've you been?

-W, B & J























Friday, April 25, 2014

My 6 Monther

About a week ago I took J to the pediatrician and this is what happened.


Yep. "Little guy" sat on the couch next to me as if we were long lost friends having a conversation. Lugging around a car seat with an 18 pound baby inside is getting a little tiring so I've been trying to just carry him when I know I won't be holding him very long. 

Yes, I said 18 pounds. But look at those fat rolls. Don't you want to squeeze 'em? 

That leads me to my other part of the pediatrician appointment. I've been a little concerned because J isn't rolling over. He has performed this magical feat only three times and it think they where all by accident. The ped told me that large babies tend to not roll around a lot because they think that mom will eventually come and roll them over. So my baby is fat AND lazy. Great. I prefer to think of J's laziness as him trying to save his energy for figuring things like the sippy cup. 

Oh, Lordy. That brings me to the next big development. The sippy cup. Poor kid has NO CLUE how to work a sippy cup. B got the bright idea to take the stopper out and let him give it a go that way. He kind of started to drown but hey, we got a drinking and swimming lesson all at one time. 

At the beginning of the week of his appointment, daycare reminded me that pictures were being done. So, of course, I am a boy mom and I will never miss an opportunity to a: put a bow tie on my baby and b: have my kid sport a Mohawk. 

  
 
Oh yeah. That happened.



I can't wait to see the pictures!

Here are a few close ups of the growing boy.


 

I seriously want to eat that kid up!

We're planning our first beach trip for next month. B has fair skin and so does J. That being said, does anyone know where I can by 60 SPF sunblock by the box?


Until next time.

- Typical Boy Mom






Wednesday, March 5, 2014

4 Months.... and Change


I have seriously started this post 3 times now..... 3 TIMES!!!! Yes, the Lame Mommy award goes to me. Even though this is a 4 month check up post, baby J will actually be 5 months next week. BUT, some of the pictures are from the day he turned 4 months old. I promise. Cross my heart, hope do die ( seriously, we used to say this crap), stick a needle in my eye.

That's enough of that. Baby J is growing faster now than when he was in the womb. No kidding. He woke up from a nap one day and he didn't fit in his socks anymore. At his 4 month appointment he weighed in at 16 pounds, 26 inches long and he wore a 9 month onesie. My little porker. The pediatrician says everything is looking great right now and to keep doing what we're doing.

The doctor cleared us to go ahead and start solids. YAY!!! I don't know why but I'm so excited about this. This means that we might be able to start dropping a bottle during the day or that magical day is coming soon. We haven't moved to fruits just yet because we're still mastering vegetables. His current favorite is sweet potatoes and his absolute least favorite is peas. The faces alone are the reason to feed him. We also throw a little cereal in with his meals and he's a pretty happy camper.

The ped also told me that I can go ahead and stop pumping and giving breast milk at 6 months. I understand I can stop whenever I want (ha! Like it's an addiction) but I feel bad depriving him of all the good nutrients breast milk provides for my own selfish reasons. My breastfeeding experience didn't go as planned and as a result, I have ended up pumping for all of his bottles. For this reason, my goal was to get him to the point where he took cereal and then see where to go after that. Well, we've made it there and now I'm aiming for 6 months. When we hit that milestone, I'll see what my supply is doing and decide after that.

As for sleep, he's still sleeping 12 hours.... most nights. Sometimes he has a cold and has a pretty stuffy nose so he has a hard time breathing. Either way, we usually get 12 hours out of the boy.

But let's face it, you aren't here for the obnoxiously long post. Here are the sweet pictures of the amazing little man.




Yep, he's a thumb sucker!




Bryan likes to read to Jack at night.

Well, that sums up 4 months. I guess I'll try to check back in a week for month 5. Can we freeze time please? And not so much for Jack but to maybe slow down the laundry piling up?

Kthanks!

-W