half a year...already?!?!

As each month passes I find it harder and harder to believe that my baby is growing into a not so new baby. Jman is already 6 months old...well 6.5 months now (don't judge me on the lateness of this post). I look at him now and find it hard to believe that he was ever as small as he was. He's able to sit up on his own, he rolls freely from back to tummy to back. He grabs at things and will use both hands to grasp and hold things as well as one handing things. We were finally able to start feeding him. He's not a fan of cereal but loves peas (that's all we've given him as we JUST started feeding him). He can almost hold his own bottle but gets a little lazy. And in the best news...crawling is literally moments away. He can get up on all fours and rock back and forth and pick up his knees but then he face plants. He's fantastic at moving backwards now if only he could pull it out of reverse and hit drive. He "talks" all the time and laughs easy. He's still an observer and thinker (he's destined to be nerdy like his momma) but I think that's a good thing. He weighed in at 16.06 pounds and was 25 inches long on the 14th. Oh my...6 more months and I'll have a year old baby...can you even call them baby's when they're a year old?

Look mom I'm Superman!!!

back

No, I did not fall of the face of the earth...although it might seem that way. I could blame my absence on lesson planning, organizing, and filing, teaching 25 kiddos, playing mommy and wife but the truth is I just haven't been in a blogging mood. I'm still not but I figure it might just be a case of "I really don't want to go the gym but must forge ahead until I'm craving it" so that's what we're going to go with...for now.

Nonetheless, in my absence over the past month we've taken our first trip to Tucson, our first family road trip to Flagstaff and my 5 month old has now turned into a 6 month old and this weekend we're venturing to Apple Annie's in Willcox to visit the pumpkin patch. We'll start with our first trip/mini vacation to Flagstaff.

To prepare Jman for a 5 hour car ride strapped into his own personal jail we decided we'd break him in with a trip to Tucson at the beginning of September. It was overall, a success so we figured "Hey, we got through that Flag will be a breeze". Oh dear. We made it. But, oh dear. We went at the end of the September to visit my brother who goes to NAU for Family Weekend. We left on a Friday and returned on Sunday. I'm letting you know that minor detail because for a 2 night and one full day stay you'd have thought we were moving there with all that we packed...for Jman. We took his Pack-N-Play, the bumbo, an entire suitcase full of clothing for both warm and cold weather, towels, sheets, blankets, an entire pack of diapers, an entire gallon of mixing water, an entire tub of formula, 6 bottles, his bouncy activity chair, a huge bag of countless toys and books, his floor mat, his carseat and his stroller. It took almost 30 minutes and a few configurations and repacking just to pack everything in to the truck with the stroller strapped to the lids on the bed.  I shutter with the thought of what we'll need when we go on our own Family Griswold-esque trip to Florida and New York this upcoming summer.

Anyway, I think we finally hit the road around 9ish and with several stops we finally pulled into Flag around 4:30-5:00. Jman started off really strong...napping along the way only having fussy bouts every now and then but by the time we hit the huge mountain we had an all out meltdown due to the change in elevation. Poor baby. The only thing that managed to calm him was sucking on my finger and having me sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider on repeat. Seriously, as soon as I'd stop singing he'd start up again. But we finally pulled into our camping ground and unloaded the truck into our cabin and then headed off for dinner at the restaurant where my brother cooks at.

The first night went well. I was worried as Jman has never really slept in his Pack-N-Play but he did well. Saturday we hung around the cabin, went shopping hit down town and celebrated the brother's birthday. That night was a different story. Jman was down around 7:30 but back up at 10 and would not go back to sleep for anything till around midnight. He and I finally fell asleep on the red vinyl couch downstairs. So uncomfortable and not at all a good idea when the next day you're going to be spending it in a truck for who knows how long on the journey home. Sunday we had breakfast at my brother's restaurant and then headed back home. The journey home took about the same time but we made it. Thank goodness the hubs and I decided to take Monday off to recuperate, only for me to go into work on Tuesday and then have to go home with a stomach bug (no I'm not pregnant although the thought did gross mine and several of my coworkers minds).

Enjoying the Flagstaff trees.

Hello, Uncle Jake.

Looking out with Opa. ( No babies were harmed sitting in their Bumbo's on elevated surfaces.)

Playing with my plethora of toys.

Tired daddy feeding me in the morning.

Getting ready for my walk with Opa. Yes, those are socks on his hands...don't judge, we live in Southern AZ.

Nana.

Uncle Jake ruined a good picture with his hand gesture.

Family picture.

Happy to be heading home.

Overall, the trip was really fun and made me miss Flag something bad. Oh, what I would give to live there. But it was fun to spend time with my family and bring Jman somewhere new. We're hoping to start to a family tradition of going there for Christmases and renting a big cabin.

5 months old

Oh, how is it possible that we already have a 5 month old?! I mean seriously!!! I can't believe this baby is 5 months old. He gets bigger every day and has really started to become like a real person lately. J man has finally realized who the dogs are and will smile and put his hand out like he's trying to pet them when they come near. He turns his head in the direction of someone talking and when the hubs or I walk into his line of vision he'll follow us as we move he also does this to Father Greg at church when we're listening to a homily. We're finally over the dreaded rolling-to-tummy stage and now he'll do it and hang out there for awhile before screaming. In fact it's his preferred sleep position. He's also a lot more vocal now when he doesn't like something and recently if he's trying to grab something or you take something away from him he gets very angry. He's also much more aware of permanent people in his life and occasional people. He also LOVES books especially when they're read to him while he's in his nightly bath. He looks at the those pictures and sometimes he furrows his brow like he's trying to figure out what's going on. He also loves the Itsy Bitsy Spider and the ABC's. We've also survived his first cold which lasted for 2 weeks.

I really cannot comprehend that in a month I'll have a half-year old baby. Time is really flying by and from what I hear it only goes faster. And I want desperately for it to slow down but at the same time I'm so excited and anxious to see what kind of person this beautiful meatloaf will turn into. Happy 5 months my Booboo! We love you oh so much and we, literally, cannot remember life before you.

Up All Night

No, we're not up all night however you know you're a new parent suffering from exhaustion when you start buying a coffee almost every day after having gone almost 27 years (to include 5 years of college) without touching the stuff. You also know you're tired when you only shave one armpit in the shower and realize this when you go to put deodorant on and one side has more stubble than it should seeing how you just shaved. Sorry if that was TMI...don't judge me.

J man has his first cold which he's had since last Thursday. He was cranky the whole week leading up to this blessed event and was waking up at least 3 hours before normal and having the hardest time going back to sleep. His cold is in full force right now which means coughing and a runny nose which we (read I) get to fix by practically sucking his brain out with that bulb device. No good my friends. No good. We're managing and I'm hoping he's on the mend now but we'll see.


In other baby news we put together his activity chair. It's one where he can push/walk himself around the table to do all 15 activities. Poor kids legs aren't long enough to touch the ground yet so we get to push him around as he gets antsy after sitting in front of one activity for too long. But he LOVES it. His whole face lights up when he sits in it and you can tell his brain shouting "This is so freakin' cool!! Where should I start?" or it could possibly be shouting "Why do these people keep giving me all this stuff?! I have no idea how to use it or what to do, especially since these things on the ends of these long things attached to the top of me are so tasty and good at grabbing things like mommy's hair. I'm really laughing at them because they look so dumb with excitement for me". But nonetheless we continue to put him in it and coo and laugh with excitement when he's excited. Side note: I totally love when he gets excited because his whole body gets into it.

He loves this red butterfly creature.

(I love instagram on my phone!)

Pure unadulterated excitement on this boy's face!

4 months

So, this is totally a week late but better late than never right? J man had his 4 month check-up last Friday on his 4 month birthday and it was the first appointment since he's been born that I wasn't able to attend. It was the first Friday of the first week of school and I didn't think it was fair to make a sub handle that. So the hubs took J man and they both did just fine. J man weighed in at 14.5 pounds and was 25 inches long. He also got his second round of shots.

I can't believe how big he's getting. He looks like a real person now...he's lost all of newness. He "talks" so much and I think is starting to learn the cause and effect of talking. If he talks we answer back and if we're talking he tries to interject. He's rolling to his tummy which isn't always the most pleasant experience for both him or us. He rolls to his tummy in his sleep and stays asleep. He sleeps on average of 9 hours a night...sometimes we squeak by with 10 hours. He's always been a good eater but now he gets angry when you take his bottle away when he's not done. He'll pull your finger or hand back. He's also trying to get his hands around his bottle. He's starting to become aware of people who are permanent fixtures in his life and people who come and go. He also will look towards noise and follow you as you walk across the room. He's also getting better at sitting up in his bumbo. The hubs can also get him to laugh hysterically by blowing on his feet and letting his beard tickle his toes. It's quite comical to watch.

I'm in awe of how fast time is going. I feel like he just came home from the hospital. I can't believe in 2 months he'll be half a year old.

He was grumpy from his shots.

i speak baby

The hubs made the comment today when I said we needed to try out a new piece of baby equipment, that "Oh no, another word I have to learn". And it got me thinking that yeah we've added a whole new vernacular to our current vocabularies. We've learned bobby, snoogle, jumpers (as in the onesie with shorts), bouncer, pack n play and now we're adding bumbo. That's right...our baby J is ready for his bumbo. Another baby that goes to the same sitter as baby J was sitting in it on Friday when I dropped him off and I asked his momma, who I also happen to work with, when she started putting him in one and she said about a month ago. And I though well dang, baby J may be ready for one too. And sure enough the hubs plopped him in it and he did just fine. He even pulled his toys off of the tray that attaches to it and shook them around when I plopped him in.

Oh what a big boy you're becoming baby J!

sweet dreams

Well the time finally came for baby J to leave his bassinet in our room and move to his crib in his room. Oh, what a sad moment it was. My eyes definitely teared up when we placed him in his crib. He slept like a baby while I slept horribly. I tossed and turned all night while he slept soundly. I missed hearing him breathe or sigh in his sleep. I missed rolling out of bed and looking into his bassinet to see him looking back at me with a giant smile on his face. When he finally did wake up at 6:30 am the sounds of his noises and cry were muffled coming across the monitor which was very different and will take some getting used to. But when I went in to get him he was wedged in the corner of his crib and still met me with a smile. 

Sweet dreams baby boy.

3 months

Baby J is 3 months old today. It's hard to believe how fast time is going. He has started with his sitter which broke my heart but is "a necessary part of growing up...for both of you", according to my mom. He's becoming more like a real person every day. He smiles a lot more on his own now, and even smiles when me or the hubs come into his line of vision. He turns his head to look at different things or to find where a noise came from. He found his hands a few days ago but is still trying to figure out how they work. He makes more cooing noises and will often try to "talk" back when you say something to him. Ceiling fans are still his best friends and he gets angry if they're not moving after awhile. He loves to stand up (with our help of course) and he holds his head pretty steady. When we lay him down and pick him up with his hands his head more often than not goes along instead of lagging behind. We're starting to work on him sitting with support. He also kicks and moves around now when he's in his bouncy seat and when we do play time on the ground he kicks around and will try to hit things. Although the poor kid HATES tummy time. Baby J loves to be outside and when he's grumpy a walk in someone's arms will usually quiet him down.

He also has taken to his routine pretty well...although it's a little off from starting with his sitter and all the new exciting things happening over there. He sleeps on average for about 7 hours straight at night...8 if we're really lucky. He's usually up by about 8 and ready for the day. He eats then and plays for about an hour before crashing out between 9-9:30. He'll sleep for about an hour or two then up again to eat, be changed and play time. Then about 2 or 3 we try for a nap which he fights but will finally exhaust himself enough to fall asleep for another hour or two. Then up with a cat nap around 6 then it's bath time around 8 and bottle around 9 and then he's out usually till 4 or 5.

Happy 3 months baby J!!!

4th of July

The first 4th of July the hubs and I were together we (me) decided we should tie-dye T-shirts to wear to a party we were going to and it sort of stuck. Now every 4th of July we tie-dye and last year we got our parents in on it and my brother. This year we traded my brother for one of Robert's and added Jameson. Maybe next summer we can get all of the family involved. But nonetheless it's still a good time. Some of us get really into it and some of us tie-dye the same shirt over again. This year was obviously baby J's first year and next year he'll be able to do his own. The city decided not to do fireworks this year due to the Monument Fire but we made up for it with our colorful shirts.

Our tie-dye stations.

Baby J's onesie.


The hubby's dad who tie-dyed the same shirt from last year.


Daddy and Baby J rocking their tie-dye.

The men BBQing on the 4th in the rain.



Baby J with his godfather and uncle.



My mom rocking baby J to sleep.

All of us to include Apollo and Lady.

Happy 4th of July!

greats and a baptisism

We've had a lot going on this past week. Last Sunday, June 26 we had Jameson baptized. That's right no more pagan baby for us. It was a special event and all of three of his uncles came into town as well as his great-grandparents. Jameson is a lot of firsts for a lot of people. He is our first baby. Our parents first grandbaby. Our brothers first nephew. And the hubby's grandparents first great-grandbaby. Needless to say this baby is going to be very loved (and spoiled) for the rest of his life. We asked family friends to be his god parents and had him baptized in our church, where both the hubs and I were confirmed and married and hopefully where baby J does all of his church firsts as well.

It was a beautiful day. On the drive over to the church the hubs asked me if I thought this was a special moment and I answered with, "No...I think it's more special for our parents and your grandparents". My thinking on the drive over was this is just what you do as a Catholic. If you get married in the church and have babies then you get them baptized. Well, I was wrong it was special and it didn't hit me until the moment the water was poured over him. This is a special moment. This moment starts his spiritual journey through life. And it is an awesome experience. My dad, who is one year away from becoming a Deacon in our church, participated in the ceremony. He did the readings and was also able to hold baby J while Fr. Greg poured the water over his head. You could see the pride in his eyes and the excitement on his face. That was also a special moment for me. And I know it was for my dad as well. Baby J also had the privilege of wearing the same garments that his dad and grandpa wore when they were baptized.

Between all the people who were there to celebrate with us we have probably 1,000 pictures--half of which are probably ridiculous, out of focus and caught us mid-statement or thought. Here are a few of the day as well as a few of baby J meeting his great-grandparents for the first time.

My dad holding baby J.

4 Generations

Great-Grandma holding baby J for the first time.

Great-Grandpa holding baby J for the first time.


You can't live in the west without a gun picture.

4 Generations again.

I just love this picture.