Shindell Stories

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T21:13:00.000-07:00

This year we had a hard time deciding on a costume. Sponge-bob was the first pick, that we bought and put on. It was cute, but not really cute. So, one day when Jack and I were at Target we decided to look around the costume area and ended up finding a Bumble-bee! Jack was so excited that he wanted to try it on right their in the store! It was precious, and looked great one him! Sold!

We started the evening by just hanging out with the neighbors and taking pictures of all the cute little kiddos in their costumes.

Soon, Jack was off to the races ready to knock on some doors!

He did great, but we are still working on the idea of taking the candy and then leaving - Not running through every persons home! Thank goodness we know most of our neighbors and they didn't really care!

Jack 2010 -

Jack and mommy 2011-

Happy Halloween!

18 months!

2011-10-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

So much has happen over the last two months, where to start?

Picture time!
We recently had family pictures taken, finally! We met two young college students at our neighbors sons birthday party who have started a photography business. After viewing the pictures they took of Jack at the party I knew we could get some really great photos of our family with them! We never had professional newborn pictures taken of Jack, due to me having a C-Section, and taking so long to recover. It was finally time to get some good professional family pictures taken! And I love the way they turned out!

Charlotte-
We also took our first vacation since Jack arrived to Charlotte, NC. Katy is the COO of the DNC, and will be living their for the next year and half so we thought we would make a trip of it! Considering it was our first flight with Jack, and Jacks first flight period I feel we all did as well as could be expected. We were armed with DVD's, books, and snacks! Jack ended up sleeping the first part of the flight there, and then watching Sesame Street, and reading the rest. About the last 20 min of the flight he head had enough and was ready to be done, as we all were!
Charlotte was awesome! The weather was cool with the highs in the low 70's and, the city has many attractions for kids . Discovery is like the Austin Children's Muesue but 10 times better!They had lots of hands on activities and a whole room just for his age group!

Then we headed to the Fish splash pad and had lunch outside one afternoon. Actually we had lunch outside many afternoons because the weather was just hat nice!

The next day we ventured to a placed called ImaginON. It is a huge Children's Library, with tons of hands on activities as well.

That evening we went down town for dinner and Jack got to go on his first carriage ride. It was a little cold and windy but after warming up with a blanket we all had a nice ride through the city!

And lastly here is a pic of the adorable condo we stayed in!

We had a great trip, and Rob has been trying to talk me into moving there ever since we returned! I have to stay, it would not be a bad place to live!

18 Month Well-Check!

Stats-
Weight - 26.5 ( 50-75 %)
Height - 36 ( off the charts)

Jack passed his well-check with flying colors!

Mother's Day Out aka MDO

Rob and I have been discussing for awhile when would be the right time for Jack to start an MDO program. The main problem is myself, and my lack of trusting non-family members with Jack. It is in fact one of the main reasons I decided to stay home with him. We have recently both seen a desire in Jack to have more peer interaction, as it seems that anytime he is around other kids (mainly older kids) he will interject himself into whatever they might be playing. I love that we have an outgoing social son, but mommy is not, and probably will never be ready to hand him over to someone else. However, to me, being a good parent means doing whats is best for Jack even if it forces me out of my comfort zone. So with a heavy heart we are going to start the process of touring some programs, and find a place that we hope will fit our needs.

16 Months & More milestones!

2011-08-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Jack man is now 16 months! He is no longer eating any pureed food, and he let us know very clearly that he was "donezo" with it! One day during lunch he decided to throw his food from the dish it was in onto the table and didn't want to eat any of his pureed food. So I decided to heat up some other solid food, and he went to town on it! Just like everything else he has done, until he can do it 100% (crawling, walking, ect) he won't really do it at all. I am so excited that we have moved past pureed food, as it makes eating out and traveling SO much easier!

The second milestone- Jack is getting so much better at wanting to drink out of his cup, instead of his bottle. He will drink out of his cup in the house, at meal times, and in the car! Just not outside while playing, on a consistent basis yet. He still gets a bottle when he wants one, as I believe that when he is ready to be done, he will do it one his own (you never see grown men walking around with a bottle!).

Some recent pics!

One of our neighbors recently had a birthday party for her 3 year old son. They had an amazing photographer their who got some pretty awesome shots of Jack! We have already booked a family session with him, and I am so excited to see what we get!

HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

2011-07-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

OMG!!! Do you think it could get any hotter outside? Lately I have defiantly had to pull some creative ideas out for new morning and afternoon actives. Jack used to play outside in the morning, but lately it has been so darn hot, that it has been impossible. So, what have we been up to? The pool, the Splash pad, indoor play-dates, of course Gymboree, and anything else we can think of indoors! This has been a summer for the record books, hitting triple digits for weeks in a row!
Some recent pics!

Gymboree!

Aunt Katy came to play with us at Gymboree!

Crashed out with daddy!

Lets get this party started!!!! Please!

2011-06-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

We are reaching another major milestone! (June 22, 2011) Jack took about 10 steps on his own tonight!! I am beyond excited! We were outside playing and Jack decided he wanted to move from one push toy to the next. Instead of crawling, he decided to walk. Once we noticed he was walking we began to push the toy he was going after farther and farther, and Jack just keep on walking!! YAY! There is no turning back now, we officially have a walker on our hands!!

recent pictures - 14 Months!

2011-06-17T20:19:00.001-07:00

Sponge-Bob is the best!

Jack and his puppy!

Having lunch at Central Market!

Anniversary

2011-06-17T20:17:00.002-07:00

On July 3rd, Rob and I celebrated 6 years of marriage! Where has the time gone?! In the past 6 years we have moved from Lubbock to Austin (thank god!) and had a beautiful baby boy!

To celebrate we decided to take a trip out to the place where we said our "I do's"! The Lakeway Resort here in Austin. We have been going out there every few years since getting married, and could not wait to share it with Jack! You will noticed in this post there are no pictures. This is because after our first night we decided to turn the car around and come home :( . We were so disappointed to say the least, that the resort was not how we had remembered it. It had turned into more of a college spring break party scene, and that was not at all what we had in mind. So after our first night we decided that as long as we were all three together we would just have a "stay-cation" and head home!
Happy 6th Anniversary, and many, many more to come!!

Fathers day

2011-06-17T20:17:00.001-07:00

Fathers Day 2011---

I think this picture pretty much sums up how I feel about my two boys, and by the look on Jack's face you can tell he thinks his Dad is THE best!

Today we celebrated what it means to be a Dad, and more importantly how much we love Jack's Dad! I am so thankful that I found a partner that sees the world much like I do. In my opinion, the best way to teach a child, is by example and I could not ask for a better father and husband to do this, and for that I am thankful! Happy Fathers day to our Daddy!

13 months & many milestones!

2011-05-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

Jack turned 13 months, on May 5th! Yes, I realize that the month of May is basically over but things have been busy!

To start, at Jacks one year well-check we were advised that he no longer needed to be on formula, and that he should also no longer be drinking out of a bottle. After this visit within about 3 weeks I had Jack completely off formula, and he now gets about 16 oz of whole milk each day. His other main beverage is water, and he loves both now! The bottle on the other hand has been a much slower process. Jack has been on a bottle since his second day of life, and so I figure (unlike breastfed baby's where once the breast milk is gone, there is no more need to suck) the bottle is a little different. Jack will get there, I am not worried. The last milestone we have been working on is walking! Jack can walk, and run while holding my hands, but let go of them, and I get yelled at!! He has taken a few steps on his own, a few times, but we have a ways to go still. Again, he will walk when he is ready, and feels confident!

Now onto some other crazy happens of lately. Just about every morning after my run, Jack and I play outside for about 45 minutes. This allows him to get some exercise in and, play outside before the temps heat up to a very uncomfortable level. On one morning while we were outside, Jack was playing just outside the garage, pushing his truck around. After a little while he started moving in to the garage and crawling around. Not knowing what all might be on the garage floor, gas from the car, bug killer ect. I decided to move him out to the grass and close the garage door. Two seconds after doing so I relazed, CRAP! Everything ( garage door opener, cell phone ect) is now in the garage, and jack and I are now locked out of the house!!! OMG!! At this point I realize that Jacks bottle of cold water is outside ( good!!!) and so is my cold drink ( also good!!). Now I just have to figure out how to get us back in the house. I pick up Jack and start walk around the house trying to find a window that is unlocked. I find one and start trying to pry the screen off. At this point Jack is getting up-set because he has no idea what is going on. After trying to get the screen off for a few minutes with no luck, I decide to go to a few neighbors houses to see of I can use their phone to call Rob to come save us! We have three other stay-at-home moms on our street, I thought surely one of them will be home. Well, no such luck. Now the temps are starting to heat-up, Jack has a full diaper and I am starting to panic a little. I decide that one way or another the dam screen is coming off the window. I give Jack some water and calm him down (and myself) and start working on the screen again. FINALLY the freaking thing pops off, and am able to push open the window and crawl in....UGH! At the end I was very proud of myself, and relieved!

Jack FIRST Birthday Party!

2011-04-15T20:24:00.001-07:00

On April 9th John Preston " Jack" had his first Birthday party! We had the event at the Austin Childrens Museum on a Saturday afternoon! Jack was surrounded by his family and many friends, and had blast!

The beautiful Elmo decorations done by Jacks Aunt and Nana!

Jacks homemade cake with his very own edible Elmo on the top!

Having a blast with his buddy's at the party! ( love the tongue)!

Showing off his first birthday Jack T-Shirt!

Hi!

Mommy and Jack!

Every singing " Happy Birthday" to Jack! :)

Blowing out the candle

he wasn't quite sure what to do with this big cake, so mommy and daddy helped!

.......Then he went to town!

Happy Birthday to our precious boy!

We have a ONE year old!

2011-04-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Jack came into the world on April 5, 2o10 at 7:54p.m. He weighed 9 lbs, 13oz. and was 21 and a half inches long.

On April 5, 2010 I was officially 3 days past my due date (April 2) and felt as big as a house. I had worked up until the week of my due date at which point I felt I could do no more than lay on my side in the bed with the AC on high along with the fan. It was no longer comfortable to be in the car, or run any type of errand. I could only stand up for about 15 min at a time, and walking any kind of distance was pretty much non existent at this point.

At 3:30 in the morning my water broke. It was not the big gush most people describe happening. It was more of a, I either just peed my pants, or my water broke. I woke-up Rob and told him I was pretty sure my water had broken, to which he sat straight up and said, really?!!!! he was excited, it was finally TIME! We then called the 24 hour nurse line, and shortly received a call back from the on-call doctor. After speaking with him, he said to go ahead and head to the hospital and he would let them know we were on our way!

I had not felt any contractions at this point, and knew labor would probably last a very long time so I decided I would take a shower, dry my hair and try to look somewhat presentable. Rob on the other hand had not even packed his hospital bag, and so he got busy doing that. He also called my parents to tell them as he put it. " It's GO time"!

We arrived at the hospital and got hooked up to tall the monitors. They immediately started me on petosin to get things jump started, still no hard contractions. A few hours latter we were told that my regular doc was out of town ( NOOOOO!) and that the on-call doc would be in shortly. I was not happy to hear this. I loved my Dr. Seeker, he was amazing and helped us every step of the way through our pregnancy...I Needed him!

We met the on-call doctor, I still was not experiencing any real major contractions, and I had only dilated to 3cm...not good. This party was going no where fast! I decided to go ahead and get the epidural as the nurse put the petosin up as high as it would go. 16 hours has now gone by, and still no progress. After no food, no sleep, and being extremely uncomfortable after moving from side to side, and having a catheter put in..... this mom was ready to get this show on the road NOW!

The doctor came in and I said, c-section please! He wanted to see if I had improved in dilation, and after checking said that I was only at 4cm and that a c-section was defiantly reasonable now.

Rob got his scrubs on, and my sister grabbed the camera to take one last pick of our family of two, soon to be three! Off to the O.R. we went!

When we arrived at the O.R. the doctor said they would have to move me from the bed I was currently on, to the operating bed, to which I replied " No problem I can do that myself"....WHAT he said? Yes, you see after receiving the epidural I was not supposed to be able to feel anything from the waist down....and I was! This was a problem, a big one! The C-section could not be performed now unless I was put all the way under.....NOT COOL! My epidural either never really took, or it wore off. I began hearing the anesthesiologist telling my doctor that he would go as far up on my pain meds as he could, while at the sometime my doctor began asking me " can you feel this"? while touching my belly. Unfortunately, I could, every time. I knew what was going to happen, they were going to have to put me under and I began to panic!

Then my mind went back to my days in graduate school counseling class when we learned about Imagery used in therapy. I knew that if I kept thinking about how scared I was to be put under, and how I would now not be able to hear Jacks first cry, or take in this once in a lifetime moment with Rob, that I would go into full blown panic attack.....not being able to breath, and my heart rate rising which I knew would not be good at all for Jack or myself. So, I started to think about the beach, and all the calming peaceful sounds you hear there....the next thing I knew I was being woken up by the nurse asking if I wanted to hold my little boy!

Jack entered the world weighing 9lbs, 13oz, and he was 21 1/2 inches long! No wonder I was SO incredibly uncomfortable the last few months of my pregnancy!

Since we ended up having a C-section we decided it would be best to stay at least 5 days instead of the normal 2 in the hospital. I could barley walk, sit-up or even shower and Jack ( and mommy) were having a hard time getting the hang of breast-feeding. After Jack dropped a few pounds ( thanks goodness he had some to spare!) we decided to start him on formula, and I would start pumping to get my milk supply to come in!

After the 5th day we headed home with our healthy little guy, and started this new crazy/ AMAZING life as a family of 3!

I'm walking..... Well, sort of!

2011-04-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

On March 24th, Jack decided it was time to start the process of learning to walk!
I had a doctors apt that afternoon, and Rob was of course at work so I asked my mom and sister to come over and watch Jack. I had been gone for a little over an hour when I got home to find my little boy using his walker to walk around the house.....Oh My God! At first I was sad because I had missed it, but then I just got excited that Jack decided to start walking! YAY! Luckily, my mom and sis got it all on video for me to see! Ever since this day, we have been practicing our walking skills daily, and hourly! So proud of my little man!

First hair cut!

2011-03-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

On March 18th Jack got his first hair cut. I use the word first loosely because Jack has had a few very small trims here at home. This was his first true, all out, professional hair cut! I had been searching for a place for awhile as I found out that the guy I go to does not feel comfortable cutting kids hair. As he put it, "they tend to move around a lot", and he was very worried that with his very sharp scissors he might cut Jack.
I had heard great reviews on a place called the Hairs Lair. It is located in the 26 Doors shopping center across from Seton Hospital, for those of you Austin people. It's this tiny, cute, little "hole-in-the-wall" place, that has one lady that just cuts kids hair. They have tiny chairs just for the kids, and toys everywhere! I was very nervous on our drive over, but once we got there and saw how laid back the place was, and I quickly become relaxed, which I'm sure allowed Jack to relax and play with all the toys they had. The lady was AMAZING to say the least. The whole time she was cutting jacks hair she handed him different toys to keep his attention. If she needed him to look down , she would give him a toy that caused him to do so, ect. He did fantastic, and the whole experience was great!

Getting relaxed in the chair

Checking out his stylist!

Sitting so still! Such a big boy!!

My whole family came to see me get my first hair cut!

New pics!

2011-03-16T19:04:00.001-07:00

Sitting forward in my car seat!

My buddy Gracie!

Chillin in my play room!

I can crawl up the stairs now!

Keep Austin Weird! The city I was born in!!

The park!

It looks tasty, maybe I'll take a bite and see!

2011-03-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday evening were outside as usual chatting with some of our neighbors, when I looked up and noticed Jack had a giant handful of dirt/ potting soil in his hand. Then I noticed his mouth making the chewing motion, and realized he was not just playing with the dirt, but yes, also eating it!
I'm sure I freaked him out a little as I ran full speed over to him and said no, while pulling dirt from his hand. I then looked in his mouth, which looked as if he had just eaten an Oreo cookie...yuck! I managed to get most of it out using my shirt, and then realized, oh well, what are you going to do? It's just dirt, right?!
I am sure it will not be the last time this incident takes place again!

Poor little tummy!

2011-03-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

As we have started adding more solid food into Jacks meal time we have also run into a small problem.....Constipation! UGH!
A small note of warning, this blog may be a little TMI (to much info) for some. But it's our blog so it's going in here!
As a person who once had problems with this as well at one point, I felt horrible for the guy! For the past week or so in the morning after his bottle Jack would pass gas, and make horrible faces as though he were pushing a large stool out. But when I would go to change his diaper, there would either be no poop or hard log type poop....not good. Babies may not poop everyday, but when they do it should look something like mud. Jack's did not :(

So after doing a little research, it seems that constipation is actually pretty common in toddlers who are moving into more food groups, and having solid food more often. At times the digestive system has a hard time catching up to the new food, causing constipation. I also found out that this is very common in older kids (2-4) whom are in the potty training process. In this situation it is due to being told to " hold" their poop, pee ect. Something to remember for when we are at that stage!

So after a few days of this, and changing Jacks diet to more prunes, pears, spinach, ect. and still no luck, off to the doctor we went. The Doc said this is pretty common, and that we should put jack on a 1/2 teaspoon of Mirilax for a week. If his poops do not go back to normal within a week that we would need to take him back in for a more invasive approach...no thanks!! Thank goodness after two days of being on the meds, we had a good poop!!!!!!

A little something to remember for the future!!

Tolet bowl, tolet paper, dog bowl......

2011-03-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

Toilet bowl, Toilet paper, Dog bowl......
what do these three things have in common? Jack loves to play with them! It has slowly gotten to be pattern for Jack to wonder, or follow one of his furry friends over to their eating area. This is where Jack found his first of three new " toys". After a few of these sessions, he decided it would be fun to not only put his hand in the cat/dog food but to also poor it all on the floor! Then he moved onto the water bowl, which was turned into a swimming pool! When does the pool open again??!!
These days the animals are now getting water and food breaks when Jack is napping, eating, or outside playing! :)

Now onto the last two....

The toilet bowl. This post may provide to much information for some, so beware!During the week when I am home by myself with Jack, I typically leave the bathroom door open while using the facilities, shall we say. This allows me to watch Jack, and make sure he is not getting into something that might be a danger to his health ect. After a few months of doing this, I suppose his curiosity got the best of him and he decided to check out this thing that mommy sits on, and this white stuff she uses to, well you know what, and I will leave it at that. So, by the time I am done using the facilities, Jack is usually sitting next to me on the floor unrolling the toilet paper, and at some point during the day he will make his way back into the bathroom to play with the water in the toilet bowl! GROSS RIGHT?!!! So now we keep the bathroom door shut, when not in use!

A new view!

2011-03-04T18:23:00.000-08:00

We have decided it is time to turn Jacks car- seat around! Many people, including our pediatrician say that you should wait until a child is a year old before you turn them face forward in their car-seat. Some people say that as long as your child is 20lbs they can face forward. The main concern is when in a crash is, is your child's neck muscles strong enough to keep them from having spinal damage due to the whiplash a baby/ adult might receive in the event we were to be involved in a crash?

As Jack parents we have decided that at 25lbs ( give or take) and 33 inches ( give or take) our cruising, crawling everywhere child, who is one month shy of his one year birthday is most likely good to go to sit facing forward! I would say that Jack agrees! We no longer get crying, or back arching while trying to put him in his car-seat. This did not happen often, we have a really sweet, easy going little boy. When it did, it made my blood pressure go up, and I felt like a horrible mommy! I also love the fact that I can see his face, and know exactly what his is doing with out relying on a mirror!
We are enjoying our new view!

pics!

2011-02-20T18:03:00.001-08:00

Our little helper!

Jack on his new big boy bed!

Playing with daddy before bed time!

little Mr. Independent!

2011-02-20T17:54:00.000-08:00

Jack is now very much into exploring, and REALLY wants to figure things out all by himself! At times I will see him struggle a little to reach a book, or move form one piece of furniture to the next while cruising. If I go into help he is sure to let me know, he does NOT need it! I am glad that he is growing up to be a independent little man, but I am also at times fearful he will get injured while on his quest. So of course I stay very close, just in case!

ALL boy!!

2011-02-20T17:46:00.000-08:00

I'm sure by the title of this blog you are probably thinking, um ya, no kidding! What I mean is, Jack is defiantly about doing " all boy" type things, all the time! He has moved into a phase of wanting to be outside all the time! If he is not napping, eating, or chasing Gracie our sweet dog around the house he wants to be outside! We go for wagon rides, which turn into crawling in the yard, or just sitting in the yard, playing with the grass, leaves ect. He is big on wheels, not necessarily cars or trucks, just wheels! If we go into the garage with the idea of getting in the car, and I don't put him in his wagon, or the BOB ( our jogging stroller) I will hear about it! I always thought of myself as an out doors person, but this little guy really is!

What a BIG boy! 10 months!

2011-02-16T19:13:00.000-08:00

Lately I feel like I just turned around, and Jack has turned into a toddler! He says mama, or mommy. He crawls everywhere and gets very excited if he thinks you are chasing him! He is also "cruising" and will sit and look at books all by himself. He will hold a graham cracker in his hand to eat it and eats anything, and everything at least 4 times a day! Oh, and how he loves bath time! And so much more! In a way it makes me sad that he is growing up so fast, but I am also really enjoying watching him learn, and explore!

Lately our favorite things to do are, Gymboree, The Children's museum, Story time at the Library, play group, going for rides in his wagon, and riding in the BOB on our runs!

In one more month we will celebrate his Birth-Day! Has it really been a year already?!

A few recent pictures.....

Such a big boy!

Rockin' his b-ball shorts!

Crawling everywhere!

Bath time!

Playing in the bathroom is FUN!

Helping mommy pick out her clothes!

My Laundry helper!

Hmm...what should I eat today? :)

2011, Austin Snow!

2011-02-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

Austin saw snow again this winter! The temps have gotten down into the teens every night for a week, and have been in the 30's during the day! This brought out the snow, and the coldest temps the city has seen since 1990! Hopefully next year, when Jack is walking will have snow again so we can get out and play in it! Now let's hope for some warmer temps because we are outside people!!

pics! and new favorite thing...kinda!

2011-01-29T18:10:00.001-08:00

A few new pictures! The last few pictures of Jack being a 9 month old boy!

Playing Peek-a-boo with mommy! "found ya"!

Look how big I am!

On our way home from the grocery store! Our HEB has balloons for kids at the check out stand....but instead of waiting till then we always grab one when we walk in the door! It's more fun to play with as we shop!!

Jack chillin watching Sesame Street! His favorite!

My boys taking a nap together! Nothing better than napping with our little man!

An Evening walk in the BOB!

Jack and his puppy!
One morning I was doing stuff around the house, and heard jack laughing in the kitchen. I went in to find him and Gracie playing around the island! Had to get it on video!

The ever lasting runny nose.....
Lately Jack has been getting lots of runny noses. No fever, sometimes a small cough, but the dang thing will never leave for more than a week or two, and then it comes right back. The first two times it developed into a cough and took him into the pediatrician and was told ears, and chest were all clear. Well, that's great but the poor kid can't sleep , and at times has a hard time eating because his little nose is stuffed up and runny. Well, Rob mentioned this to one of his co-workers who also has kids and she suggested the Graco Nasal Aspirator! It works on batteries, and sucks the mucus right out of the nose, and fast! The only bad thing, it works for about 2 weeks then breaks, this has happen twice. I called Graco and they said they would ship us a new one! Sounds good to me! So I now have a love hate relationship with this nasal aspirator. Love it, when it works. Hate it when it breaks, with no warning!

Pics

2011-01-15T17:43:00.001-08:00

Here are a few new pics! I am sure many of you have seen these on my facebook already. But for scrap-booking purposes here they are again!

Jack in the BOB out on our run!

My happy little guy!

Love the foot up while eating! It must be in the genes because I clearly remember being told to put my knees down while eating! funny!

Jack Christmas gift from Grandpa and Nanna!

Sick little man

2011-01-15T17:31:00.000-08:00

For the past 11 days Jack has been sick with a cough, and runny nose. This means, no good naps, or night time sleeping. Rob and I even got to the point where we point Jack in bed with us, because he kept waking up several times in the middle of the night unable to breath though his nose. To say the least, we are all just a little exhausted!

We took him in twice to see his doctor, just to make sure his drainage has not settled in his lungs or ears, all clear each time. We were told that a low grade fever was fine, and to let it run it's course which would take about 7-10 days...REALLY? you want us to wait 7-10 days to see if this goes away?!? There are two pediatricians that are in this practice, one that has two small kids (we really like her) and one that has no children. We saw the the latter both times, which is probably why she told us to just wait it out, even after we went into see her the second time. I wanted to say, do you know what it's like to not get a good nights rest for 7-10 days because your baby is up all night sick?! Finally, on day 11 we had ALL had enough and asked for her to call in an antibiotic, and decongestant! That night, Jack slept all night! HAAA! Thank goodness!!

Jack is finally on the mend, and we are all on the road to more sleep!

Happy New Year, 2011!

2011-01-01T18:59:00.000-08:00

It has been a wonderful year for our family! The best part of course was the arrival of our little Jack! After more than a year of trying to get pregnant, we recived the positive news that we would be having a baby! We will be celebrating his first birthday in only 3 months! Crazy how a year can completely change your life. While at the same sometime, make you wonder where the time went! I guess you could say, we were busy enjoying life! :)

New Years Eve 2011 was pretty low-key. We spent a couple of hours with our great friends, the Kapoors! Dinner and great company! We always have the best time when we get together and here is the only picture of the evening!

Cheers to a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2011!

9 month well check!

2010-12-30T18:28:00.000-08:00

Jack had his 9 month well-check!

Stats: Weight: 21lbs, 13 oz ( 50-75%)
His weight has dropped in the percentile rankings, which the pediatrician said is most likely due to his inch-worm crawling, and just being more active. Totally normal!

Height: 30 1/2 inches (off the charts still)

So it appears we have a long, lean baby! Jack is now eating around 4-5 solid meals a day, with a bottle in-between. He seems to like all fruits, veggies, and he has recently started chicken and turkey! His absolute favorite is, yogurt! Put yogurt with anything and he will eat it up.

Another "A- plus" well-check!

A visit to Santa!

2010-12-28T14:02:00.000-08:00

Jack was unlike most kids who you see visiting Santa! No crying, no reaching for mom and dad, AND he wanted to go back and hang with the guy after his picture was over! That's my boy! Everyone always comments about what a cool, laid-back kid he is! He has no fear of strangers, and smiles at everyone! Just don't try and take him out of mommies arms when he is tired, or his teeth hurt!!
Year one of seeing Santa, A success!!

Check Santa out!

OK! We like him!

Christmas day 2010

2010-12-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas day that started out with homemade french toast, bacon, and eggs! Yummy! Every year we try to think of something that we don't normally eat, and have a special indulging breakfast on Christmas day! After everyone was finished, we opened gifts which is now all about Jack! He had received many gifts from our friends and he had a lot of fun ripping into them!!

The first gift...." this looks like fun"!

Starting to unwrap...with a little bit of moms help!

Very determined!

"OH, that's what was in here"!

After the first gift, Jack started to figure the point of this unwrapping stuff! TOYS!!
On to the next one!!!

VERY exciting!!!! :)))

The wrapping paper is also fun to play with, in case you didn't know!

After all the gifts were unwrapped it was time to head to the grandparents house for more gifts and dinner! Jack got to see his great grandmother, and they a lot of fun catching up! So much fun that he decided to say his FIRST word. My dad was talking to Jack and said" Jack, say hi to granny"......so he did!! I think we were all in a little shock, and excited!! Such a cool moment!

After a yummy dinner, and opening more gifts we were exhausted!

Merry first Christmas to our sweet, precious boy! As your Grandpa said, " you made it magical"!!

Christmas Break!!

2010-12-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

It is now Christmas Break which means Daddy is home and now we can have fun adventures as a family of three!! Our first item on the list was to visit the Austin Children's Museum. I had heard great things about it, and Jack is getting to the age where we are needing to get out of the house and explore new activities! It is located in downtown Austin, which means lugging a baby, diaper bag, and stroller alone from whatever parking spot you can find. So we waited until we could explore with Daddy! I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy it was to locate, get parking, and explore the museum! They were even having a ten dollar off a year membership. We took advantage and got one! We will be back a lot!!

Playing in the " Raising Stair Ranch"! A gated area with educational toys/ activities for kids under the age of two!

Story time! A few of the employees come through at random times ringing bells announcing that there will be a story time. Since we love books, we had to attend!

We all had a wonderful time! This is a great place to take kids on cold days!

Fun at the Park

2010-12-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

Jack and I decided to venture out to our neighborhood park on what was a very nice 70 degree day...yep that's our winter. Jack is not yet walking, or even caring to crawl for that matter, but I knew he would most likely love the swings! I sat him in one thinking well, he will either cry and get scared which is really not like him at all. Or, he will LOVE it. Yep, in true Jack nature he loved it!

Our fun day at the park! The only thing missing was Daddy :(

We also found these cars that you could bounce back and fourth!

We had a great time, and will be going back a lot!

8 months!

2010-12-08T18:44:00.000-08:00

Jack turned 8 months old on December 5th! It is hard to believe it has already been 8 months! Everyone says enjoy every moment, because it goes by really fast. I have defiantly found this to be true, and it makes me a little sad....

Every now and then we have dinner with our neighbors, the Kapoor's. They have a little boy who is 4 months younger than Jack, named Neel. We usually alternate between their house one night, and the next at ours. We all have a lot in common, and always end up have a great time together! We always order dinner, and while the guys go pick it up Namita and I have our girl talk! It seems like the more we hangout, the more I found out just how much alike we are! Who knew we would have so much in common with such a sweet couple from India!
This past Sunday, we had dinner at there house and they surprised Jack with an 8 month birthday cake! It was such a nice gesture, and so unexpected!

Family Christmas pictures 2010!

2010-12-08T18:27:00.001-08:00

This past Saturday my side of the family came over to help take our 2010 Christmas pictures. My sister loves taking pictures, and always does a wonderful job! So I asked if she would be willing to take our pictures this year, Why pay a pro, when you have one in the family?! Now that we are a family of three I wanted to make sure and get some "dressed-up" pics taken this year! My mom and dad assisted in making Jack laugh, while our photographer snapped away! Here are some of my favorites.

Love this one of Jack and his Daddy!

Stairs are fun!

" I just figured out that I am tall enough to pull down these stockings!"

Our handsome boy! Love, Love, this little face!

Our family of Three :)

Consoling my little man....taking pictures is just exhausting!

Thank you Katy for helping us to create this beautiful memories!

Oh you’re a stay at home mom? So, you don’t work then?!

2010-12-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday while waiting for our appointment at Jack‘s pediatricians office I got into a conversation with their “super-sweet” receptionist, Annette. She asked me, “Do you work outside the home also”? Not, “so do you work”? We then got into a lengthy discussion about how many working women, most of them without kids, don’t consider being a Stay-at-home-mom, a “real” job. As you have probably figured out by now, I beg to differ!

So what does a day in the life of a stay at home mom look like? Well, I start out the day by sleeping in late, and getting to enjoy a leisurely breakfast followed by a leisurely shower. Sounds nice uh?! Get real! Don’t get me wrong. I am NOT complaining, or even saying that my job is harder than anyone else. I would not trade being able to stay at home with Jack for anything. As Rob says, I would most likely end up in therapy if Jack were in daycare. This would be caused by my constant worrying all day! Is he crying? Is he hungry? Is he getting the attention he needs? Is he sitting in a dirty diaper? Yes, I am that mom, and I am proud of it! This little boy means the world to me, and I feel so lucky every single day to be his caretaker and mom!

So what does our day look like? Or, my “job”?

Starting between 6-7 a.m. he wakes, usually in a VERY good mood! I walk into see this little, beautiful smiling face looking up at me, and I love it! We head down to get a bottle, which I usually make one- handed because he is still waking up and is not ready to be put on the floor to play yet. Jack has his bottle as we cuddle and talk. About 30 min later I get to eat my breakfast, which is now a protein shake because drinking your breakfast is much easier when you are also trying to entertain a baby while eating. Jack plays for a while, which includes me making sure he doesn’t put anything odd in his mouth, squeeze one of the animals to hard, fall over while holding onto something while trying to stand-up, ect. Then he eats his solid food breakfast, which he now tends to eat more of if he is able to watch Sesame Street while doing so! You say bad mom? I say, if it gets the kid to eat his solids! After breakfast we change diaper, which he now loves to squirm all around while doing. This of course makes it pretty interesting, and quite the task! Imagine putting a diaper on a small puppy, while try to entertain him at the same time so he will be still! We are now headed up to change for our morning walk. I put Jack on the floor with a toy, which sometimes works, and sometimes he wants to be held. So I put on my shirt, pick him up for a bit, and then we both sit on the floor while he plays with my tennis shoe while I am trying to put it on, but hey it’s entertainment! Then I change his outfit, which takes a while because sometimes he just doesn’t feel like changing or wearing a sweater for that matter. I sing to him, and entertain him while trying to also get him into the change of clothes. We head down stairs; I get my phone, water bottle, ect, all while holding him. Finally we are off! Get back from our walk, give him a bottle, he falls asleep for morning nap. I run and jump in the shower, because who knows if he will wake-up while I am in there or not. So I shower quickly, dress quickly, and no there is not time for blow drying the hair or putting on make-up. Now I need to eat something, wash bottles, clean up the house, fold some laundry, and get ready for him to wake-up!

He wakes; we change the diaper which is another battle of “pinning the diaper on the baby”. Go down to get a bottle which I make one handed again. Try and feed him while he is watching the more entering animals. We go outside and play, come inside and play, time to then fix his lunch and mine. Feed him, while also trying to eat depending on whether I got to eat while he was napping.

Now it’s time to get ready to run some errands, AKA get out of the house for a bit! Hmm, where should we go today that we can get to, and out of in about an hour, so I can get Jack home for his afternoon nap at 2:30? Oh, and we want to be in the car headed home by about 1:45 or else he will take a cat nap in the car and will be ready to roll once we arrive home, which also means no mental break for mom!

Ok, now pack the diaper bag, also one handed ( Have I mentioned jack now weighs 21 lbs?) which includes, making a bottle to-go, re-filling wipes, making sure we have a toy and putting the BOB in the car ( which also weights about 40 lbs! no sweat, right!?). Get Jack in his car seat, diaper bag in, and we are set! Arrive at our destination; grab cart liner, diaper bag, and Jack. Or BOB, diaper bag, and Jack, depending on the place. If using a cart fumble with cart liner to put it in place while holding jack. Half way through trip Jack no longer wishes to sit in the cart I of course I pick him up while pushing the cart.

Check out, get everything back in the car and head home. Back home get everything out of the car while holding Jack, give Jack a bottle and he goes down for last nap. OH! Just kidding… he decides he doesn’t wish to take his last nap today. No break for mommy until jack goes to bed now! New game plan! Time to think of ways to entertain him for the next 5 hours! We read books, play with the animals, go outside, make a few more bottles, have a solid food snack, watch sesame street video he LOVES for the millionth time ( I know all the words!) and around 5 head out to take our dog Gracie for a walk. Now imagine pushing a stroller, while walking a dog who doesn’t walk in a straight line…oh yes, fun fun! Around this time I start texting daddy, to see when he is going to be leaving work for today…because mommy has not had a break all day! That’s right at this point I have been going full steam ahead since about 6:30 a.m. that’s 12 hours and counting…and you think your day is long. Mine is not even over yet!

Get back from our walk feed Jack dinner play some more, and start getting Jack ready for bath around 6:45. The garage door opens HAAAA! Music to my ears daddy is home!! J Continue bathing jack, while talking with daddy about his day! Get Jack into his jammies, read a book, feed a bottle and he is down for the night around 7:30-8.

So now I get to relax while my wonderful husband makes us dinner! This lasts about 30-40 min, and then it’s time to fold some more laundry, wash someone bottles, pick up the house and generally get ready for the next day! The next thing I know its 9p.m. and it’s time to hit the bed, because Jack will more than likely wake-up at least once in the middle of the night with a wet diaper, and needing a bottle!

So that’s a pretty typical day. But of course, there are always variations but you get the just of it. HAAA! So, yes! To all the stay-at-home-moms out there! Kudos!

The start of the Christmas Season!

2010-11-29T18:31:00.001-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving we decided to go ahead and start putting up the decorations! Jack and I decorated the tree, and Rob worked on the outside! I think Rob felt a little odd wearing shorts and a t-shirt while putting up Christmas lights! We love our East Cost boy turned Texan!

The finished product! Daddy did a great job!

A few pictures over the last week.

My little smiley guy!

I wish I could remember what I said to him here!

Gotta love, Good Night Moon! We do!

mommy, I don't want to take anymore pictures!

Some Jumperoo FUN!

Go Phillies!

Gooble, Gooble...and a rumbumbly in my tummy!

2010-11-26T18:04:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2010......

Did not exactly go as planed. The Sunday night before Thanksgiving Jack, who is normally a very good sleeper! Woke-up four times throughout the night. Each time he woke, he ate a little and after walking a little went back to sleep. After waking four times, I thought well, could he be getting more teeth in? With this in mind I decided to give him a dose of Tylenol, and see if we could all get at least a little more sleep before morning. At this point it was 4AM, and he ended up sleeping till about 7:20...thank goodness!

Monday, after our morning walk I sat down to give him a bottle. Jack eats the whole thing, and promptly pukes it all up! (OH DEAR GOD!) All over me, and himself! After the " what the hell just happened" shock wears off I clean him up, and myself. Poor little man! I felt so bad! How hard it must be to feel so sick and, be so little.

I called the pediatrician, and ask for their first available apt. I then call Rob to tell him what happened, and he says he will meet us at the doctors office to help!

After meeting with our AMAZING pediatrician ( I say amazing b/c Dr. McConnell checked in on Jack everyday via text so we would not have to keep bringing him in!) , we decide Jack will go on Pedialyte for the next 24 hours and then add some solid bland food in. The good news, no fever, and he is well hydrated! Also at almost 8months, Jack now weighs 20lbs 8oz. So, there is no worry of him getting dehydrated soon, or loosing to much weight with the "sugar water" diet!

So our plans for Thanksgiving change from having all the family over, to my mom and sister delivering an extra Thanksgiving dinner to our house.

After five days of more puke, a diet of Pedialyte, being up for a few hours most nights, and Jack only wanting to be held by mommy... Jack is finally holding down formula! And getting back up to eating his normal, very large amount of food during the day!!! Hopefully next Thanksgiving he will be able to enjoy a large plate of all that Thanksgiving has to offer!!

Now onto a Very Merry Christmas!!

Pictures!

2010-11-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

Some pictures!

Sometimes when Jack decides he does not care for his solid food lunch, or dinner. We make it into Art class! Showing off his talent! :)

Found playing, when he was supposed to be napping! I heard him in the monitor moving around, nothing new. Then I clicked on the picture, he had turned himself sideways! Went in his room to find a BIG smile on his face! Too cute! :)

Sesame Street!!!!!! Our new Favorite thing!!!

Looking cute all bundled up in his BOB! I have been trying to run a few times a week. Thanks to the BOB it's been pretty easy!

Lots of updates!

2010-10-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

Jack has his FIRST tooth!!
On Sunday morning (10/17/10) we woke-up to find that Jacks first tooth had made it's appearance! I feel like our little man has been teething since he was 3 months old. Everyday I would think " OK tooth, where are you?!". The past few days he had been much more fussy, and chewing on his hand/ fingers a lot. Sure enough, it was his tooth. The front bottom right one to be exact! It has not come out enough to be able to get a good picture.When it does, I will be sure to post it!
Congrats little man on your first tooth! Now lets hope the rest of them don't cause you as much pain!

Pumpkin Patch time!!

Lunch out with daddy!

Every Wednesday Jack and I have a standing date to meet daddy for lunch! It breaks up the week, and allows some daddy time in the middle of the day! We have also found a new restaurant we really enjoy, East-side Cafe. It's not normally a place we would go to since it's on the East side of Austin, which is on the opposite side of town from us. The restaurant is close to Rob's office, so we thought we would try it, YUM-O! Everything is organic, and all the produce comes from their own gardens!
Jack and I look forward to our Wednesday lunch every week!

6 Month Well-Check!

Jack went to his 6 month well-check about 2 weeks late. No, I am not a bad mom, this was done on purpose. We have been spreading out his shots, so I wanted him to have a full month in-between his last round, and these. Dr. McConnell said Jack is doing wonderful, and was very pleased with everything! He is now one week away from being 7 months!

Stats -
Weight - 19lbs, 4oz ( 75th-95th percentile)
Height - 30 inches - ( way off the charts) Dr. McConnell is predicting Jack will be well over 6 ft. tall!

on a side note - Jack now has his second tooth! :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Fall!

2010-10-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!!

I decided to go on Etsy (www.etsy.com) and find a cute pumpkin onesie for Jack for Halloween night, and Thanksgiving day! I think it turned out pretty darn cute!

Its beginning to look a lot like Fall around here! We live on a wonderful street with with lots of children and fun parents! One evening we all got together and took some fun Fall pictures of the boys in their new Halloween outfits! As you can see little Neel stood out a little in his blue, but we could not leave him and his sweet mommy out of the group picture! I can't believe we got one with everyone looking at the camera!

Jack and his buddy Liam --Every morning (almost) Jack and I go on a walk with our neighbor Beth, and her son Liam. Liam and Jack are four months apart and Beth is also a stay at home mom. The walk gives us both some adult conversation during the day, and a chance to talk about our boys! Jack and I look forward to it every morning!

Solid food!
Jack is loving his solid food! and daddy is having fun making it! The Beaba hard at work!

The finished product!

Thanks daddy! Happy Boy!

soon to be six months!

2010-09-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some updates on what has been going on in our home!

Jack will be turning six months in a week. I can't believe that this sweet little boy has been in our life half a year. I also can't believe that in another six months, Jack will be ONE year old. Where has the time gone? Oh yeah... We had a baby! I still don't think that it has set in that the one thing we have wanted for so long is really here, a baby!! Or that we have had him this long! I tell Jack all the time how much mommy and daddy wanted him and how loved he is! OK, now that I have tears in my eyes onto another topic!

Jacks Highlights-
- Eaten so far ---, Squash- loves, Apples- ok, Apples & Plums- loves, Green beans- ok, sweet potatoes- loves, prunes - loves, Pares - loves.
- Now solely on formula ( more about this below).
-Taking 3 naps a day for about 30 - 40 each, and sleep 10-12 hours at night

Car-seats! It's time to get a new one. Jack is a very long, like off the charts long, and no longer fits in his current Graco car-set length wise! Rob and I have been researching a bigger car-seats that can face backwards until Jack is one, and then at which point we can turn him around. I believe we found one! It's called the Marathon -70 made by Britax. It has outstanding ratings, and many amazing safety features. It will also carry up to a seventy pound baby! Here is the link - http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/marathon-70

Now onto more Personal topic! CAUTION- if you don't want to know about pumping please discontinue reading as this point. :)

I have decided after pumping for 5 plus months up to 5-6 times a day, that it is time to STOP! I am currently pumping once in the morning, and right before bed only allowing about an ounce per side. It has been really nice not having my day revolve around when my next pumping time is. However, it has also been bitter sweet knowing that Jack is no longer getting the milk that nature intended for him to have, and instead chemicals ( formula) . I had always intended to breast-feed Jack, but once he was born it didn't work out so I decided to pump. It made me feel good knowing exactly how much of my milk he was getting, and how much formula he was getting. This gave me peace that at a newborn stage, I could be sure Jack was getting the amount of nutrition he needed to grow well. The majority of his intake was my breast milk and I was happy to pump ALL the time to make sure this was the case. Even with two cases of mastitis--OH yes. OUCH!!!

So now I am on the road to no longer being constantly attached to a pump, and buying more formula. I think in the end it will be a good thing!

Short and Sweet!

2010-09-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

There is not a whole lot new going on, but I did what to blog about Jack's recent accomplishments!

- He can now sit-up all on his own for about 5-6 seconds!

- To date he has had, prunes, squash, and sweet potatoes! His favorite so far is defiantly the sweet potatoes. This is probably because they were home-made by Daddy! Next are peas! We love our food processor!

-He knows his name! He will turn and look at you if you say it!

- He had his first cold. Jack has been fighting a " boogie nose", as we call it. Also known as a runny nose, for about 7 days. I took him into so see Dr. Bell last Friday just to make sure that it had not settled in his ears or chest. She said all was clear and to just keep an eye on him.

5 months -Happy Boy!

2010-08-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

Jack is now 5 months and things are going well!

Jack has settled into a really good day-time routine. He is taking good naps during the day, which generally last anywhere from 45 min to 2 hours each. We get out of the house at least once a day to run an errand or just walk around the mall, or Target ( both have AC which is a must in TX!). He is sleeping really well at night, going to bed around 8pm and sleeping till around 6:30a or 7:00am!! There are a few nights of waking up at 3am for a feeding and then back to sleep again!

He is all about his puppy Gracie, and loves to pet her and she gives him kisses in return! Jack thinks she is hilarious, and loves to be around her! These two are going to be best buds as he gets older! Every little boy needs a puppy!

We are slowly getting into solid foods. We started off with rice cereal, but soon realized this was causing some constipation problems. We have switched to oatmeal and prunes, and things seem to be back in order! Soon we will move onto veggies and more fruits! This means I get to break out the Beaba baby food maker soon! So excited!

We had our first evening out , without him a few weeks ago. Rob had an evening event for work that we had to attend, so Mom came over to babysit. Jack did wonderful and even went to bed really well for his Nanna! I on the other had, I made us late leaving the house because I was busy making sure he had everything he might need while we were out. I am so happy that I have Jack's Nanna to babysit, and not some stranger. I think if this were the case I would take him everywhere with us!! I don't think there will ever come a day that I am not overly protective of this tiny little guy!

Over all, Jack is a very happy little guy! He hardly ever cries, and tends to smile at everyone. I have even been told " I think your baby is flirting with me"! I could not ask for a better baby! We love you little man!!

Below are some recent pictures of this cute little guy!

A few of my favorite Things & Four Month well-check!

2010-08-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

A few of my favorite things!

My sister recently asked me what some of my favorite baby items are. She has a good friend who just found out that she is prego with her first child, and it's a girl. So my sister wanted some ideas on good baby gifts, and to pass along some favorite baby items. So this got me thinking that for scrapbook purposes it would be good to blog about some items that I have really enjoyed using!

In no particular order -
- Dr. Brown Bottles : Jack had horrible gas to where he would scream/cry in pain. A friend of ours suggested these bottles and they have made all the difference! Love them!

- My pump: When Jack was born he weighed 9 lbs, 13 ounces (yes, I had a c-section!) and needed more than the little amount of colostrum that I was producing so we put him on formula right away. Once my milk came in I decided to continue pumping so i could be sure of how much milk he was getting. I guess it worked because by his one week well-check he was over his birth weight!

- Wipes Warmer: My mom suggested we get this for those late night first few week diaper changes. It made all the difference when Jack went from waking/ crying due to the cold wipes, to staying pretty asleep once we purchased the wipes warmer!! Still a favorite of ours!

- Baby Swing: Can I just say, whoever dreamed up a baby swing many years ago was a genius! The first time we put Jack in his swing as a new born I'm pretty sure he slept something like 6 or seven hours. It was so nice there were many times I wanted to put the swing in our bedroom at night just to get a full nights rest. Worried it would deform his back form being in the swing that long all the time I decided against the idea. He did eventually learn how to sleep through the night! :)

- Baby Lamb Chair: I actually got the idea for this off a friends blog. Its like a lazy-boy chair for a baby, and Jack loved it for his first 3 months of life. It vibrates, and plays awful music but he loved it! He now knows how to arch his back to get out of it, so we no longer use this item very often unless we can stand very close by and only put him in it for a few seconds.

- Bert's Bees diaper cream: One of my longest and best friends Leslie suggested this when jack got a horrible diaper rash and nothing else was working! Thanks Les! It's all natural, and smells like Rosemary! :)

- Yellow body bath sponge: So we all know that baby baths come with sling like things that are supposed to be used with the baby when they are new born to help hold then in the bath until they are big enough to fit into the bigger part of the bath. So for Jacks first bath we used this lovely sling thing, and it sucked! You have to get the water in the bath just the right height so that the baby is sort of laying in the water but not so far in the water that they get it close to their face ect. Well, it just does not work. So my wonderful mom found a sponge shaped like a baby's body that fits into the bath allowing for the baby to stay warm and feel snug in the bath. We love it and still use it!

Four Month Well- Check time:
We had our four month well check on Friday. After Jack's first two rounds of shots he developed a fever each time, and got lethargic for a few days. So we have decided to just do one shot at a time instead of the cluster of shots they normally do. This made a huge difference, and I could tell that he did not feel as yucky! Dr. Bell was very pleased with his perfect head control so she gave us the green light to start solids. She had Jack do tummy time, and gave him a toy to see how well he was able to hold onto things. He was given an "A-plus"!

Four month stats:
17lbs, 4 oz. 27 inches long!

Four Months!

2010-07-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

Ouch!
About a month after I gave birth to Jack, I got an infection in my breast call mastitis. For any moms out there who have not had this---you are SO lucky! It is caused by cracked nipples which allow bacteria into your breast tissues that then cause the milk ducts in your breast to get infected and backed up . Oh the joys of breast feeding/pumping! Well, it basically feels like someone ran over your breast with an 18-wheeler. It hurts like hell and your breast gets very swollen. During this time you also have to continue feeding/pumping which also hurts like hell! Have I mentioned how much I hate both of these things!

WELL, I got it again. A few days ago I noticed there was a whole in the tube of my pump. Worried that I would not get all my milk out because of this I decided to pump extra--and then once my new tubing came in I would just go back to my normal schedule---NOT smart!! Luckily, I knew what it was this time and got on antibiotics really fast- but it still was very uncomfortable. I am very much looking forward to the day that my body is solely mine again- and not a food factory!

Sleeping through the night!!! Haaa :)
That's right, our little boy is sleeping all the way through the night now!! GO Jack! We have a wonderful night time routine, of bath around 6:30, play until 7:30, evening walk in our new BOB!! And then bottle, change and, bed by 9- 9:30 . Jack also does a great job of putting himself to sleep! We give our goodnight kisses and turn on his mobile and in about 15 minutes and he is out like a light!! I am so proud of his bed-time success! Now if I could just drop the pumping- and get to sleep through the night as well!

The BOB!
A few weeks ago we decided it was time to take the plunge and buy a BOB stroller. They are not cheap, but I knew it would be a great investment that we can use for many years to come! We have taken it on many walks and already love it! We still have our Graco stroller which will still use for the mall and inside areas.

Updates!

2010-07-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot going on!

Jack has grown up so much just in the past few weeks!

* He is sleeping 6 hours straight, eating, then sleeping another 3 or so! Thank you god!!

* He likes reading books, and we typically read 2-3 a day!

* He now falls asleep in his bath--play time during the day is so exhausting! :)

* He skypes with daddy at work daily!

* He loves baby Einstein videos!!!!

* Can hold his head up perfectly. Now we just need his back to follow and will be in great shape!

* Can roll from his back to his tummy

* is "talking" all the time!

* He HATES changing clothes, he would rather just stay in his dirty ones---such a boy! to bad mommy disagrees with this :)

* LOVES going for walks in his stroller! I think this is because he is now big enough to sit like a big boy and not in his car-seat.

Attached is the video of his roll over! So proud of our sweet boy! He is growing up so much right before our eyes!

Five great years! On July 3rd, Rob and I celebrated 5 years of marriage! We usually celebrate by going out to the Lakeway Resort for the weekend ( where we were married ). But now that we have our little guy, it just didn't workout this year. Instead we celebrated as a family and went to our favorite restaurant Bartlett's. My family is friends with the owner who ended up buying our dinner that night--Thanks Tim! It was delicious food, and wonderful service as usual! And Jack slept the WHOLE time!! Onto another 5 years!

Lifesaver! & updates!

2010-07-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

For the past three days Rob has been out of town in California for business. As a first-time mom to a three month old who still wakes at night, and is teething, I was not to thrilled to receive this news. But in true form Rob said, if we can't get some help for you while I am gone then I won't take the trip. MOM to the rescue! My mom came over to help out the entire time Rob was gone, she was to say the least AMAZING!! There is nothing like having my own mom here to help with my first child, and to ease my mind when my teething son is crying and Tylenol and cold stuff just is not helping! I was able to hand him off to her to take naps, knowing that he was in wonderful hands!
We took turns walking with him, feeding him, changing him, ect. it was wonderful! I think this is the first time since bringing Jack home from the hospital that I actually feel rested. Thank you Mom!!

On another note here are some highlights on what are little man has been up to!

He is breaking his first two bottom teeth. This means my normally very happy, smiley baby is crying and in pain. Which means lots of Tylenol, warm baths, and walking to relaxing him.

He is able to sit up, and hold his head up for a few seconds if i sit him on the floor and hold onto his arms to steady him!
He has out grown his baby bath in length, and we are onto a bigger one!
His 3-6 month clothes are starting to not fit. Remember he is just now 3 months old!
For the first time this week he slept seven straight hours. I will update latter on if this was a one time thing, or not.
He can eat up to 7 ounces in one feeding!

Our little Jack is such a good baby. I love walking into get him in the morning with his sweet smile looking up at me. We have party's with his "friends" (stuffed animals) daily! And after bath time we play a game where I make funny noises to him , and he makes them back and giggles.
This little boy just makes life so much sweeter!

Spoiled, and more!

2010-06-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

We have been spoiled again!
I have very generous parents! I have been eying a baby food maker from Williams-Sonoma, called Beaba Babycook. I was planing to wait until Jack started eating baby food to buy it, but in true form, as soon as I mentioned this to my parents they surprised me with it! My parents used a baby food grinder with my sister and I, and I have planed to do the same with Jack. So, this item is perfect because it's a steamer, blender, warmer, food processor and defroster all in one appliance. Which means that whatever Rob and I are eating, I can blend up for Jack!

Now, I have to talk about how much I love our neighborhood! We live in one of those awesome neighborhoods where the street comes alive at night! On any given night you can walk out our front door after dinner time and see small children playing in the streets, their parents out talking to neighbors, and animals chasing each other around. Rob and I know their names, and they know ours. I am defiantly looking forward to Jack growing up here!!

Alert the Tooth Fairy!

2010-06-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

That's right, we have our first two bottom teeth coming in!
For the past week we have noticed jack sucking on his fingers a lot, drooling, waking up every two hours (this only lasted about 3 days thank god!) and generally just not acting like himself. So, being the little researcher I am, I jumped on Google to see what the symptoms could be. Yes, I know, the only thing that can come from this is finding out that your child has some crazy disease. I found out he is probably teething. But, could this be? He is only 3 months old. So again, being the researcher that I am, I had to get the doctor to confirm this. We went in a few days ago to find out we were right, Jack has ridges which typically lead to teeth!

While at the doctor were also advised that due to Jacks size 14.5 pounds, we should put him, on Enfamil A.R. This formula includes a thickened rice starch which will allow him to remain full longer!! Rob and I are hoping this will also help him sleep longer!

New blogger!

2010-06-20T18:46:00.000-07:00

Now that I am a stay at home mom YEAH! I have decided it is time to get on the blogging band-wagon! Since, Rob and I have many friends who live in other States, and cities, I thought this would be the perfect way to keep everyone updated on the happenings of our life! I hope to update this often. But as many of you know, being a new mom, you never know what time you may or may not have! So welcome to our blog, we hope you enjoy staying up to date on the life of a daddy named Rob, a mommy named Christy- and our little new addition, Jack!

Jack is now---Three months!
Can you believe it! The first three months have gone by so fast; each day is still very different. Just as I feel we are getting into a routine, the days change and throw me for a loop. As the very scheduled person I am, this has been a little hard, but I am learning to roll with what this sweet little man gives us and allow him to teach me what the day will be!

Here are some highlights:

At three months he is sleeping in 3-4 hour stretches (again this can, and often does change from day to day)
loves bath time
Bartlett's is his favorite restaurant (he always falls asleep there!)
loves to play/ look at stuff animals and any toy that plays music
will follow mom and dad around the room with his eyes
laughs and giggles
sucking on his fingers
smiles
getting better head control everyday!
getting better at being in his car seat and running errands!

A little update on Christy and Rob--

Once I reached eight weeks postpartum I decided it was time to get this body back into shape! Most of my pregnancy I felt really sick, and extremely tired. Therefore I pretty much stopped exercising and so I have not done much in about a year. Well, I have employed the expertise of a trainer to help me get back into shape in a healthy way. Let’s just say, my first session was not good. I am so freaking out of shape it was seriously depressing!

I can now report 3 weeks into it---I can now run for at least 30 min! Sad for someone who used to run 3-4 miles a day, good for someone who gave birth to a 9 pound, 13 ounce baby!!! GO ME! Rob is doing more than I think most dads do. He makes us dinner every night, lets me sleep in when I need some extra rest, and runs the errands when I need to stay home with Jack. We are defiantly enjoying our sweet little boy and, our new adventure as mom and dad!