This Blog has been Jacked!

Troy: Imparting his wisdom on to the next generation

2011-05-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hoppy Easter for Jack!

2011-04-28T08:19:00.001-07:00

Yeah, it's belated. Bite me.

I love my nerd

2011-04-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

Jackie Jack, 24 months to the day.

TWO YEATS!

2011-04-04T02:30:00.000-07:00

Errr, that would be two years. TWO YEATS is what you hear from Jack when you ask him how old he will be on his next birthday. Well, that birthday has snuck up on us, and I somehow find myself being the momma to a two year old man child.

Oh Jackie Jack, you are a delight. You keep your Poppy and I laughing so hard that sometimes I fear we'll collectively pee our pants. Your Poppy says that having you around is like having a tiny Bill Murray living in our house. You have your father's comedic timing, and your momma's love of all things mischevious.

It is so hard being two, but you are doing your best to be so good. Things can get frustrating for you, but you always take a deep breath when momma asks you too and that usually calms you right down. You wake up in the morning and the second you're done nursing you say "play" and rush off to the livingroom and the waiting arms of your proud Poppy.

You know so many words and speak in such great ESL sentences that sometimes I have a hard time remembering you're only 24 months old. I love that you love learning and choose books over almost anything. Your imagination has me wishing I could live in your creative little head because it must be so fun and happy there.

Every momma is proud of their kid, but somehow you've made me push the acceptable limit and I'm often bursting at the seams with pride. You are such a kind boy and are so polite; "please" and "thank you" are words that we rarely have to remind you to use. You were fully potty trained by 23 months, and you still are so excited each and every time you go "pee pee on the potty".

You love with a kind of love that eharmony.com wishes they could bottle and sell. Even though you don't know how to be super gentle with cousin "Parkah", you're often tackling him to try to hug him, rather than out of spite.

This isn't just a mother's pride speaking - you are seriously one of the brightest little munchkins I've ever met. I was so impressed with you when you told the 8 year old boy on the airplane that his dinosaur was an "Iguanodon" and it uses it "claw to jab foe". And you had to tell him this information because he didn't know. You surprise me every day with what you pick up, and are a constant reminder that I need to watch my language least you tell an errantic Lil Tykes car driver to fuck off some day on the playground.

You have your father's unconditional kindness and I hope you never lose that. You also have his calves, and well, let's just say that leg modeling could potentially be in your future. The two of you have the same little furrowed brows when you're thinking, and I love watching the wheels turn in your head while you try to figure out something new.

Speaking of your Poppy, he loves you so much and it makes him so happy that you guys are besties. You may not understand this now, but many daddies and sons out there in this world don't have the type of relationship you two have. Your father will never allow someone to say he is babysitting you, because a real father doesn't babysit his own child. You are the first thing on his mind when he wakes up, and the last thing he thinks about when his head hits the pillow. When he's had a long day at the fire station, he comes home and will watch you sleep in your crib for up to 20 minutes.

When the two of your hang out alone at home, I know that I will be greeted with a completely trashed house completed with a giant fort and every toy you own on the floor. But your laughter and smile from playing with your Poppy makes it worth it...even when I'm cleaning bubble residue off the TV, or prying a ninja sword out from under the bookshelf.

From me, you've gotten your love of adventure, your desire to collect as much information as you possibly can, and a strong core belief that you can do things on your own. Unfortunately, you've also seem to have developed my bossiness. We'll work on that together.

I adore that you love helping me cook and bake. Even though it takes 4 times as long to make something, and 10 times longer to it clean up, I look forward to turning around from the counter and seeing the chair you've brought over as you declare "Jackie help".

These next few years will be huge for you as you continue to learn, gain independence, and expand your world. Poppy and I can't wait to be there with you to hold your hand when you ask for it, and give you little nudges when you need it.

xoxo,
Mommy

This stuff only happens on my watch

2011-03-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

Sarah Bunch Photography

2011-03-04T07:58:00.000-08:00

Over 1 billion years ago when my sister was in Jr. High, she met a wonderful girl named Tammy. My sis and Tammy had lots of adventures and a friendship that has been around since the earth cooled. I would link you to Tammy's blog, but eh hem, she hasn't updated it since NOVEMBER. (hint hint Tammy)

Tammy's sister Sarah took up photography a year or so ago while living in Spain. Recently Sarah moved home to Washington and decided to open a photography business. I've admired Sarah's photos for a long time now, and was sooooo excited when Troy, Jack, and myself got to be a family of guinea pigs for Sarah's new venture.

Sarah used to be a kindergarten teacher, so she was great with Jack despite the fact that he was a molar teething hellcat that morning. It was also farking cold, but it didn't seem to phase her as she climbed through bushes and mud to get the perfect shots.

Despite the subzero arctic temps, my rambunctious and pesky toddler, and pausing for me to constantly wipe snot from my nose, we had a fantastic time with Sarah! We are beyond pleased with the photos (click here to view a sample of our session), and are so thankful that these precious memories were captured by such capable hands.

So, if you're in the Puget Sound area, and are looking for family photos, my family highly recommends Sarah for your photography needs! Oh, and she is fluent in Spanish which is muy bien. And yeah, I had to look that up on google translator.

Cleaning out the camera

2011-03-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

We've been using Troy's old Mac as a computer lately, and I didn't know how to upload photos for the longest time. So, here is a giant backlog of photos for your enjoyment. They start around 4th of July and span the year until Monday.

It's happening

2011-02-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

My "little baby" is turning in to a big boy. Yesterday his uncle Scotty (one of two) saw him and said "Baby Jack, when did you become a man"?

And they say that kids always reflect parts of their parents. Jack has my pasty white skin and blonde coloring, my love of organizing and cleaning, a manic obsession with lights being turned off when you leave a room and chairs being pushed in, and my dislike of most vegetables. To date, Jack has Troy's furrowed brow scowl, and love of adventure, but nothing has really screamed "Troy".

Until Saturday...

My wonderful father-in-law Barry likes to tell a story about Troy when he was about 4 years old. Troy is known as "mumbles" because since he could first talk he has talked at almost a whisper or his mouth sounds like it's so full of marbles you can't understand what he is say. Verbal from The Usual Suspects was likely modeled after Troy.

One day when Troy was little, Barry took him to get his allergy shots. They were standing on a street corner and all of the sudden Troy yelled "dad that lady is FAT". Barry recounts how in Troy's whole life he never spoke above a whisper, and yet he chooses that to shout.

Flash forward to Saturday. Jack and I are at Fred Meyer when a very large man walks past us. Jack yells "Hi Santa Cwas"! Without stopping to think, I turn the cart out of the aisle and start heading the other way. Jack, thinking Santa was simply playing coy yelled "Hi hi hi Santa. Ho ho ho".

With all the rain we've been having this winter, I had hoped a sinkhole would develop in the baking aisle of Fred Meyer. Alas, it did not.

The Boy Wonder reads

2011-02-08T16:12:00.001-08:00

Stylin & profiling

2011-02-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

Please do not adjust your computer settings - his head is truly that big.

Sparkling pink sequined headband - CHECK!

Homemade superman cape - CHECK!

Thomas the Train jammies - CHECK!

Sly smile - CHECK!

Three cooks in the Kitchen

2011-02-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I scored an awesome play kitchen for Jack on freecycle. If you don't already use freecycle - you need to! It's kind of like craigslist, but everything is 100% free. You can send out emails saying you're looking for something, or have something to get rid of. I've scored nearly new toddler rain boots ($20 at Target), an almost new pair of snowpants that Jack can use in 1-2 years, and now Jack's play kitchen!

J bone has LOVED to help me cook for months. It usually takes about 5 times as long to make the food, and 10 times as long to clean it up, but it's worth every second because it makes him so happy. I wanted to foster his love of cooking and encourage creativity, but there were two issues:

1) we don't have extra money for a play kitchen
2) we don't have extra money for a play kitchen

Er...I guess that is just 1 issue.

Anyhoo, I posted on freecycle that we were looking for a play kitchen. Withing 24 hours, someone responded that they had a wooden one that had been "rode hard and well loved, but it should clean up well". On MLK day, Jack and I drove out to the BFE portion of our county and picked it up. The little girl who had outgrown it came running out of her house with a huge bag of plastic food and said "he can have these too". SCORE! Freecycle isn't about bartering, but I did give them a fresh and still warm from the oven loaf of my bread as a thank you.

It stayed in Troy's truck for a few weeks, but finally this weekend we brought it upstairs after Jack went to bed and cleaned it up. "We" is a relative term because I made Troy do it all. We threw the plastic food in the dishwasher on sanitize. Troy covered the kitchen with a blanket, and we waited for Jack to wake up the next morning.

The kitchen was A HIT! And who cares that it's pink!

We've run in to a new way of teaching Jack about what constitutes "real food". I'm doing my best to make clear to him that an onion, banana, egg, and a corn cob are not the core ingredients of a successful birthday cake. You have to give the boy credit for creativity though! And hey, the dinosaurs LOVED it.

Clearly the sage advice of Dr. Seuss is lost on the younger generation

2011-01-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

Jack's New Years Resolution

2011-01-03T10:39:00.001-08:00

Stop being such a slave to fashion!

A child's milestones

2010-12-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

The day your child is born, you realize for perhaps the first time that you are someone's "mom". It's your job to nurture them and protect them. You watch and wait for every sign of advancement - "oh look, he's looking at me", or "he just rolled over"!

As they age, there are less obvious signs of milestones. I feel that this morning, Jack definitely wanted me to know that he is no longer a baby, but a toddler - a little man. Moments ago as I was getting ready to eat lunch at work, I realized he made his point clearly by "packing my lunch" by adding a zebra when I wasn't looking. Perhaps he wasn't comfortable with the amount of protein I had packed for myself?

Sometimes, you just gotta dance it out

2010-12-10T10:05:00.001-08:00

Thank you!

2010-11-29T09:17:00.000-08:00

Thank you for the prayers for little Ian and his family. He was able to go home on Saturday!!!

They now believe it's an issue with his kidneys and he is being closely monitored.

Prayer request for a friend

2010-11-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

The newborn son of a friend of mine is in the hospital. They're working hard to figure out the cause; it it appears to be a blood clot in his heart. Any prayers you can spare for little Ian and his parents Elisa and Steven would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

The hairdryer and the gerbil - a "tail" of misguided youth

2010-11-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

God, I love my sister. She's rocks. She's kind, she is hilarious, and she is my best friend. She is also the reason that I can never truly use a hair dryer without giggling. Why you ask? Let me tell you a story...

The year is 198(something) and I'm probably a 3rd grader, which means my sis is probably in the 6th grade. She was learning about human development and had learned that when a gentleman gets "hot", something happens. What the "something" was remained vague to our sheltered small-town minds.

Around the time of human development lessons, I acquired two gerbils - first, Mr. Pipster (Pippy to his friends) and then Randy (named after the radio commercial character Randolph the Fibar Snack Bar Beaver. Don't ask, I won't be able to explain). We all lived a happy little existence in my messy room full of books and other nerd stuff.

After Randy had been introduced to the cage, we were constantly worried that one them might get pregnant. Gerbils don't exactly come with identifying gender tags. Being the budding human growth and development whiz that she was, my sister decided that she would investigate this situation and report back.

I watched with mild amusement while my sister held my poor defenseless gerbil by his/her tail and trained a hair dryer on to his/her nether-regions. After about 30 seconds of a steady stream of hot hair on his/her gerbil junk, my sister put him/her back in to the cage and declared that Randy was a girl. Her thoughtful hypothesis came about when she got the gerbil good and hot and NOTHING happened, ergo, Randy was a lady rodent.

I'm not the best story-teller in the world, so perhaps you may not be able to appreciate how hilarious this story became once we actually learned a bit more about human development and realized how misguided her experiment was.

A few other reasons I love my sister:
1) she saw the title to this post and knew immediately what it was about
2) she saw the title to this post and called me a few four-letter words for sharing it
3) she is actively trying to figure out how to keep this from my brother-in-law Brian

Love you sis!

No words needed - my kid is SUPER!

2010-11-09T10:39:00.001-08:00

Cute Jack stories and a reminder TO VOTE!

2010-11-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

Regardless of your position, make sure your voice is heard by voting tomorrow!

And now, for a few cute Jack stories:
On Saturday I took Jack shopping at Fred Meyer (PNW grocery store). He knows when I say "let's go grocery shopping" it means he gets a free cookie from the bakery. The whole way over he was practicing getting his cookie. From the backseat, I heard the following on repeat for about 3 miles:

"Cookies"
"Ohhhhhh"
"Tank YOU" (cause he knows he has to say that when someone gives him something)

Once we got to the store, we were attempting to get down an aisle that was blocked by 3 people chatting. I said "excuse me", but they didn't budge. Jack yelled "HEY, BEEP, BEEP" and they quickly scooted out of the way.

As I passed by, I realized they weren't native English speakers which is why my polite "excuse me" didn't register. Apparently, "BEEP BEEP" transcends nations, languages, and dialects. My little Goodwill ambassador!

Pumpkin Patch - 2010 (Warning: photo HEAVY)

2010-10-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time at the pumpkin patch this year! We returned with our friends Lulu and Brian and their adorable daughter Bria. The weather was horrible headed down and on the return, but other than 10 minutes of rain while at the farm, we had ok weather.

Which is good considering there were storms and flooding all over the PNW this weekend. This is a shot of "the Nothing" that I was driving in to yesterday:

Last year, Bria was terrified of all things pumpkins. This year? Not so much. She did great, and I think part of it might have had to do with her newest little boyfriend:

My dear, may I escort you over to the goat pen?

It's plain to see who was pursing who in this photo sequence!

Can you blame him for two-timing his girlfriend Lyla?? Look at this sweet little face!

He kept trying to pick up pumpkins whenever she was looking. I had to tell him girls aren't impressed with the "poop face"

Here you go young lady, let me load that pumpkin up for you

Where to?

I hear chicks dig tricks. Watch THIS!

Yes Poppa, Momma is watching too. She's impressed with both of us.

It worked!

And kept working all over the farm!

My poor pale babycakes. Every photo of him with Troy, Jack looks washed out because the camera can't comprehend that light shade of skin tone.

Thankfully with me in the photo, he gets a chance to look tan

This cracked me up. It means every one of these things actually occurred and made them put up a sign. If you can't read it, it says: Pony Riding Rules:
No Yelling
No Screaming
No High Fives (don't high-5 the pony?)
No hitting the pony
No Balloons

Even with all the cute girls around, in the end, you go home with the lady who brung you

Jack's 18 month appointment

2010-10-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

Weight - 24 lbs 8.5 oz. He's moved up from the 20th to the 30th percentile!
Length - 33 inches (?). He is at the 75th percentile. He constantly fluctuates between 75th and 80th for height.

The pediatrician was very impressed with his verbal skills, and complimented us on his healthy diet and lack of TV watching. He does get to watch a little bit of TV each week when we need to do stuff around the house, but generally it's off all the time. The doctor also said he loved to see all the bruises on Jack's legs. He said he worries that 18 month olds without bruises aren't having enough fun. Hee hee.

The doc told me that Jack's development is fairly advanced with words, signs, colors, counting, etc. Troy and I work with him, but much of the praise goes to my amazing Aunt Connie and Uncle Jim (Gackie and Unk Jim) who watch him 4 days a week. They love reading with him (except for "Are You My Mother"), and teach him lots of great things. Thank you!

At 18 months, Jack is:
-Wearing 24 month or 2T shirts
-Wearing 18 or 24 month pants
-Can count to 10, but chooses to usually ignore "7" because 7 sucks
-Is finally giving us kisses and hugs without being bribed. I like this new affectionate Jack!
-Is referred to as "The Mayor" whenever we go anywhere. He loves to smile, wave, say hi, and give random strangers "high-5's" and "knucks".
-Knows most animal sounds if you ask him. For the record, Penguins say "brrrrr", flamingos say "I'm pink, pink, pink", and Meerkats say "meow".
-LOVES "reading" books, especially in the car

-Can say A,B,C, and D. And can identify and say "O".
-Adds an "a", "eh" or "y" to the end of any word with a hard consonant. Cup = Cupa, Fort = Forta, Pete = Petey. My friend who is a speech pathologist said it's normal.
-Knows almost all his colors, including teal. His favorites to say are "pinka, booooo, and geen".
-Loves anything Mickey and cowboy

-Has his naughty moments, but is generally a really good boy. When he gets timeouts he always says "sowee".
-Has gone poo poo on the potty twice.
-Loves hip hop and says "no no no no" whenever I turn on NPR in the car

-Is the light of his Poppa and my world.

Thank you!

2010-10-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

Thank you to those of you who donated to Team Baby Bear for the Lupus Walk this past weekend. Many of the donations were annoymous, so I'm unable to write you a formal thank you. I appreciate the generosity and donations; every little bit helps in the end!

The weather was nice, and Jack and I had 2 great friends and their son join us for the 5k. The whole thing was incredibly disorganized, but we enjoyed our time for chatting.

At one point we got left behind by the crowd due to a potty stop. We couldn't figure out where everyone went (did I mention how disorganized it was?), so we decided that Lupus wasn't going to be cured by us wandering the downtown streets of Olympia. Instead, we headed off to a restaurant for chicken fried steak and eggs. One cannot cure Lupus on an empty stomach! Just a note that we were like 99.9% done with the walk. So, you didn't donate for me to eat CFS.

Jack decided to voice his thoughts on Lupus:

My boys

2010-09-23T14:32:00.001-07:00

Ain't they cute?

Inherited traits

2010-09-22T15:56:00.001-07:00

The ability to multi-task comes from me.

He gets the nudie gene from his father.

Polar opposites

2010-09-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

From: there's a real chance my kid might be gifted!

To: are we sure that the fever didn't fry his brain?

And we were washing the sheets on the bed, so we don't normally live like that.

First trip to the zoo - the day after

2010-09-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Check, check, check it out

2010-09-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

I'm honored to be the guest poster today over at Farmer's Daughter's blog. Farmer's Daughter has a wonderful blog with great living from scratch tips, awesome farm stories, and photos of her cutie pie kiddo.

Check it out if you get a chance.

J fab

2010-08-30T10:45:00.001-07:00

Someone did NOT appreciate getting made up with discounted jewelry while I was in line to return some items at Macys.

Who's the kid in this situation?

2010-08-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

He claims to build these elaborate forts for Jack, and yet who is having the most fun in this photo?

I see a lot of Dungeons and Dragons in his future

2010-08-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

Well crap

2010-08-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

1 week of Jack eating dairy, and he's been a fussy gussy. All his teeth are pretty much in now, so he is either going through an angst-ridden pre-teenage hormone thing, or his tummy hurts.

Back to the $11 special cheese. Balls.

New blog...an adjacency if you will

2010-08-04T11:40:00.001-07:00

I have a new blog in addition to my blog about Jack being the cutest kid in the world. The new blog will focus on my homemade crap and thriftiness. If you care to check it out, click this link

Jack at the dentist

2010-08-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

We took Jack to the dentist yesterday for his first ever visit, and it went great! Our dental assistant explained that the first 2 visits for a kid Jack's age is really just to get them to feel comfortable with the experience. They did a super quick cleaning, flossed 1 tooth to get him used to the feeling, and then the dentist took a 1 minute look.

I was pleased see that we use the same toothpaste at home as they do at the office - Tom's of Maine Silly Strawberry with fluoride.

Our dental assistant rocked, and let Jack play with all the "stuff". She said that most kids won't even sit in the chair, let alone touch anything, so she was uber impressed with Jack. She was so impressed with him, that she sent in other dental assistants to "check out her 16 month old star patient". It may have just been something they do to every kid to make the parent's feel special...if so, it works. HA!

She was great and let him play with the sucker thing. You can see it in the video below...which unfortunately was shot sideways and I can't flip it.

Jack hanging out with Sue getting some schooling on the various tools:

Jack channeling Hunter S. Thompson:

He did so well that she let him pick a stuffed animal AND a sticker! The bear's name is "denty" because we're not creative in naming his toys.

I think he was so comfortable at the dentist, because we read him this book for about 3-4 weeks leading up to his visit. I got it at the library, and I think it helped because he knew what to expect, etc.

How to make homemade vanilla extract

2010-07-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

*warning, without giving anything away, if you normally receive a Christmas present from me, don't attempt this at home...cause then you are a Grinch and will ruin Christmas for me.

Saturday Jack and I made homemade vanilla extract. It was extremely easy (start to finish it took 10 minutes), and I'm looking forward to testing the results when it's ready in 8-12 weeks!

The process is foolproof...so says the person who doesn't know what it taste like yet.

Ingredients:

-vanilla beans. Don't get the old crummy expensive ones from the store. These are lovely, had free shipping, and were shipped extremely quickly. And they made my mailbox smell heavenly.
-vodka or bourbon. Note if you don't drink, visiting a liquor store is like a foreign experience. I told a Jewish friend of mine that it would be like if she visited the bacon store.

Step 1 - assemble your beans and kitchen shears, or a sharp knife (paring knife would be great):

Step 2 - cut vanilla bean in half, leaving about 1/2-1 inch at the top intact. They're easier to cut than it looks like. The consistency is similar to that of a pepperoni stick:
Step 3 - find a glass jar with a secure lid. I used a quart sized canning jar. Fold the beans in to the jar:
Step 4 - pour 2 cups (for every 6 vanilla beans) of your choice of liquor in to jar:

Step 5 - put lid on jar, and shake a few times.

Store in a cool, dry place for 8-12 weeks. The longer you let it sit, the stronger the vanilla flavor will be. Shake the jars every few days to speed the process.

When ready to give as gifts (hypothetically speaking of course), pour in to individual bottles. I found a great deal on this site. As you use the extract, replace with a little bourbon or vodka, and the beans should last for a few years.

And now you have a lovely gift, that is frugal to give, and isn't full of additives and high fructose corn syrup.

Step 6 - ask your personal assistant to upload photos on to your blog:

Note to self: always carry a rock with you

2010-07-21T07:31:00.001-07:00

Cause you never know when you'll need to crawl under one.

Scene: Tuesday evening, crowded college classroom - 40+ students waiting for my information session to start. Across the room I notice a girl I went to high school with who is visably pregnant and wearing a maternity shirt.

Dumb ass: Well aren't you adorable! How are you feeling? (points to belly)
Innocent little lamb: Great, thanks for asking.
Dumb ass: When are you due?
Innocent little lamb: Um, I had him last Friday
Dumb ass: Well, uh, you look great. Gotta go, I need to start the presentation!

Insert foot in mouth.

Exploring Ocean Shores

2010-07-12T19:20:00.003-07:00

This weekend, Jack got to hang out at his Grandma & Grandpa's house at Ocean Shores. Despite a little sand snack, I think he had a great time. But you can be the judge.

Things I'm thankful for today

2010-07-12T10:56:00.001-07:00

I'm thankful to be able to grow my own fruits and veggies. I'm thankful that I can walk 10 feet from my front door and get safe, organically grown produce.

I'm also thankful for grocery stores. Because if we had to survive off my "harvest", we'd be one hungry family! hee hee!

MENSA, you may consider this Jack's application

2010-07-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

*Agdo = alligator
**At the very end you can see Jack's "bitch, please" look. Kid can peel paint with a glare

"We're gonna need a bigger loaf"

2010-07-06T16:42:00.001-07:00

On Saturday I made 200 oz of fresh strawberry jam. That should keep Troy occupied until August.

Interesting study on organic farming

2010-07-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

Compelling information about organic growing. Read study here

Ohhhh, you know what you should do?

2010-06-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

Move to WA and buy a gorgeous piece of property! A salmon bearing creek, 2.64 acres, lake access...what's not to love?!?!

Please have the number for CPS handy

2010-06-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

You'll need it in approximately 25 seconds...

There is a pivtol day in every young dork's life

2010-06-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

For my young dork, that was Saturday. With much ceremony, Troy presented Jack his first light saber. Check back tonight for a video of the momentous event.

Update: we couldn't upload the video. Jack was totally naked in it, and there was so much toddler wiener that we thought better of putting it out there.

For posterity

2010-06-02T13:45:00.001-07:00

I want to be able to look back at this blog and see Jack's developments as he grows. With that in mind, I thought I should sit down and make a list of signs and words he knows.

We have him in a very exclusive American Sign Language immersion program (aka, my aunt & uncle's house), and it's totally worth the cost! Hee hee.

Troy, Connie & Jim, let me know what else I'm missing. Things in red have been added since original post

Signs:

Please
Milk
Sleep
More
All done
Dog
Cat
Mom
Dad
Sausage
Smoothie
Waffle
Squirrel
Banana
Bread/toast
Bird/chicken
Book
Cheese
Dance
Apple
Owl
Thirsty
Light
KC (my cousin)
Swing
Hot
Bath
...I know there are a lot more

Words:

Momma
Dada
Banana
Kiwi
Cakies (pancakes)
Mum Mum (brand name of rice crackers he likes)
Chicken
Blues (blueberries)
Book
Read
All done
Cheese
Milk
Bath
Sausage
Please (peeees)
Butt (and then points to his or your butt)
Dog
Bird
Up
Ka (Kannika my aunt & uncle's dog)
Kitty
Dance Dance (means please turn on the digital music on the TV so I can bust a move)
Beep Beep (means he wants to read this book)
Keys
Apple
Pig
Owl
AB (means sing me the ABC song damnit!)
Hot
Jeep Jeep (means take me for a ride in the toy Jeep)
There are more, I just know it...

Tuesday challenge

2010-06-01T11:57:00.001-07:00

Happy first day of June! If someone could please tell western Washington that it's almost summer, I'd appreciate it.

In honor of our rainy and icky weather, my challenge to you is to limit the use of your dryer for 1 week. We have 2 folding racks for indoor drying, and 2 tiny retractable lines for outside deck drying when the weather shapes up! This little guy is fantastic for socks, undis, etc.

We hang our clothes and let them almost airdry. When they're still a bit damp, we throw them in the dryer for 15-20 min to finish up the drying and to get the "crunch" out. If we can do this in the Seattle area, there are no excuses for not trying it yourself.

I've always line dried clothes to an extent, but really ramped it up last month after Troy's company laid off many of their employees. Every bit of savings counts for something. With the outside temp about the same over the last 2 months, my power bill dropped by $30. That is tangible savings.

Tuesday challenge: make due with just a tiny bit less

2010-05-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

After hearing a story this morning about one of my advisees, I realized that as privileged Americans, we don't truly understand what it's like to get by on nothing. I'm not talking about having to cut your Starbucks runs; I'm talking having to haul wood and water to heat your home. No matter how poor you are by American standards, most of us truly don't understand what going without means.

So this week, the challenge is to make due with just a tiny bit less. Next time you pull off some toilet paper, put 1 square back. Just try it out...could you do your business without that 1 little square? Yes? No?

It's not about depriving yourself of basic needs, it's just pinpointing what basic needs truly are. Do you need to wipe your tushie? Yes, please! Do you need 15,000 squares to do so? My guess is probably not.

Maybe next time you shampoo, you don't lather rinse and repeat. How does your hair look at the end of the day? I've got $1 that says it looks exactly the same.

And heck, if you find out you do need that extra square, and your hair really does require 2 shampooings, simply go back to your routine the next time. I'm just asking you take a chance that you don't actually need it.

You can judge me, but I refuse to feel guilty

2010-05-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that with my job change, and Troy's desired career change, things are tight in our house. Some months, they're stupidly tight, but we manage.

Jack doesn't like many veggies, or pasta (any of the gluten-free ones), so with his food allergies (Dairy and wheat), the products he chooses to eat can be crazy expensive. The only gluten-free bread he likes cost $6 a loaf, and he'll eat a loaf a week. The sheep's milk cheese that he enjoys costs about $8 a week. Added to that, the coconut milk he drinks for fat and protein runs about $8 a week.

So, given all that, I refuse to apologize for my actions today. I was at the market to get J's special milk and saw that someone had taped $1 off coupons to half of the cartons. At $3.99 for a half gallon of the stuff, I looked around to make sure no one was looking, and ripped off all the coupons and shoved them in my purse. Sue me.

Weekly Challenge

2010-05-18T12:01:00.001-07:00

I've decided that each Tuesday, I'm going to issue a weekly challenge to myself and others, and I invite you to take part!

This weeks challenge: next time you see a servicemember (military, police, fire, etc) and you're at a restaurant or coffee place, offer to buy them a drink or a meal. If that isn't in your budget, a simple "thank you for your service" is a gift that anyone can appreciate.

Save money, keep your spawn healthy & save their childhood

2010-05-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

The other day T-Roy, J Bone, and I were on our way to GG's (Great Grandma C) house. GG lives in a post WWII neighborhood where all the houses were built for service people returning from the various foreign campaigns. They are all pretty small - at least under 1,600 square feet - and most only have 1 bathroom.

I'm not sure how we got on the topic, or who brought it up, but the Troyster and I were discussing how small of a house that is by today's standards. How can a family a four live comfortably in such a tiny house? Well, my baby daddy and I discussed and determined the following:

1) In post WWII people were happy to just be alive, let alone have a house to call their own. They didn't need a McMansion in the best neighborhood to be content.
2) Back then, people didn't have stuff. Stuff wasn't necessary to make you happy; you had your family, your health, and maybe a Buick with giant tail fins in your driveway. Others didn't judge you if you didn't have latest gadget, rather you were judged on how hard you worked, your honesty, and your famous potato salad recipe that was always a hit at the block party's Fourth of July BBQ
3) Kids didn't need giant rooms to house their 53,481 toys, X box, Wii, and lap top. They probably had a few dolls, a bat and a ball, and maybe some coloring books. Why didn't they need tons of toys...
4)...because they got off of their asses and played outside where kids belong. One benefit to this is that obesity rates for 1950-1960 were 9.7% of the American population. Today? Around 30%.

After our discussion, I've made a few decision about my life, and the health of my family.
1) I don't need a giant house. I don't want to clean it, and I don't want to feel pressure to fill it up with junk that I'll eventually donate to Goodwill. I don't have the money, and I certainly don't have the time.
2) I need to stop defining my life and my worth by the cost of the crap that is accumulating unused in my house. "If you want to feel rich, just count the things you have that money can't buy" (author unknown...to me at least and I'm too lazy to Google that shit).
3) Jack doesn't need so many damn toys. He just doesn't. He plays with a handful of them, but mostly chooses to read books, clean the floor with rags, or dance.
4) Jack will never have a TV in his room until he can earn enough to buy one himself. I want him outside enjoying the fresh air and embracing childhood, NOT inside being exposed to crap that is way above his age bracket.

So, maybe I'm weird (I know I am) for shunning things that society tells me I need to live a "better" life . I cook a lot from scratch, I garden, I can (home preserving), I make my own bread, jam, and apple butter. But guess what...I'm ok with that. Finally.

Help me have access to a Trader Joes!

2010-05-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

If you're a Kitsap County resident, please fill out the "request a store" petition via this link:
http://www.traderjoes.com/about/location-requests-form.asp

Trader Joe's is awesomesauce, and I miss having one close by.

Caught you being cute

2010-05-13T08:29:00.001-07:00

In the car this morning Jack kept asking me for milk. I handed him a sippy and he was quiet for a few minutes. I heard him talking softly, and turned around to see this:
He was holding his monkey in the "cradle position" and feeding him some milk.

As a society, I thought we were passed gender inequality

2010-05-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

I work hard to make sure that I'm seen as a equal. I don't ask for, or expect special favors because I'm female. *

I don't play the gender card to get things that I haven't earned. Millions of women before me have fought to make sure I am treated fairly.

Despite all of that hard work, I woke up last weekend to this blanant gender bashing:

Brat

*excludes requests for spider removal

Humbled

2010-05-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

There are times in our lives when we hit a wall and realize that the human race isn't meant to do things alone. Our forefathers (and mothers!) had it right - they lived in communal groups and helped each other with food production, barn raising, child rearing, etc. In other words, they asked for help and accepted it in times of need.

I hit that wall recently and instead of the feel of brick on my face, it felt like hugs - big squishy hugs. I'm honored to be a part of a group women that doesn't idly stand by and wait for you to ask for help; they simply offer it with a smile and a few encouraging words. There is no expectation of reciprocity, just kind gestures for the sake of being kind.

Through the end of my days, I'll carry the gratitude with me. Thank you.

Of all the things Jack could have inherited from me,

2010-04-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

Why did he have to get my rhythm?

It's your party and you'll cry/get a fever if you want to...

2010-04-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

Holy hell, the little man turned 1 and had a big boy party! How did my teeny little baby boy become a toddler?

He started getting ready for his party the night before by coming down with a 102.5 temperature. Motrin and Tylenol made it manageable until after his party when it shot up to 103.7. Troy took him to the doc on Monday, and lo and behold, a double ear infection. Poor birthday boy!

Anyhoo, despite the ear infection, Jack's party this weekend was a blast, and I think everyone had a great time. And yes, he is wearing a Chewbacca shirt.

Jack getting a birthday hug from cousin Ashlyn:

Jack getting a birthday KISS from cousin Ashlyn:

My cupcakes.

These things were my pride and joy.

I am by NO means a crafty person, so if I could make these, you can make these! The inspiration came from here kick ass cupcakes. I used a gluten, dairy, and sugar free cupcake recipe (relax, they're tasty) from Baby Cakes NYC's cookbook.

For the "fur", I took a plastic container and put about 15 drops of blue food coloring in the bottom. Put the lid on tightly, and shake. Then add coconut, put the lid back on and shake until you get the desired color. Add more food coloring to the side of the tub and shake again if you want it darker.

Frost cupcakes with blue frosting, and then dip in coconut "fur". Top with a mini Chips Ahoy, and white chocolate melting candies with brown M&M's glued on with white frosting. Not sure what happened with ole one-eye up there.

Jack enjoyed his cupcake after a few initial tentative bites (around 15 seconds he spits it out):

Then it was time to open his $35,671 worth of new noisy toys, clothes, and books:

Jack received so many gifts, but perhaps the coolest was a sock monkey quilt and pillow set from my mother-in-law's best friend. Seriously, how cool is this:

The aftermath:

All in all, it was a great day, and Jack was so blessed to be surrounded by people who love and care about him.

A proud parenting moment for Troy and me

2010-04-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

After bath time, Jack always gets some nudie time in the living room. It's fun for him, and helps his skin to be diaper free for 10 or 15 minutes. Occasionally, he'll pee, but hey, we have hardwood floors so it's an easy clean up.

Well, last night Jack was standing up playing and peed (we totally didn't notice because he was in a corner). He then slipped on the puddle of pee and hit his head on a toy.

We kept him alive for a year, I guess he's on his own now!

May I have your attention please?

2010-04-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

After 1 year, 5 days, 12 hours, and 35 minutes (give or take) I am DONE PUMPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been pumping 4 times a day, and feeding Jack from the tap 3-4 times a day since he was born. I'm still going to breastfeed him morning and night until he's 2 or weans himself, but I don't have to drag my stupid pump with me to work anymore!

It has been a very long and very tough road, but I did it and I'm pretty damn proud of myself, and don't mind saying so. It's worked well enough for me that I never had to open the emergency can of formula the hospital sends home with you.

In the last 12 months, I have survived the following:
1) a kid with an extremely powerful latch. We're talking the Incredible Hulk of breastfeeding. In the hospital the lactation consultant couldn't figure out why his latch hurt so much because everything was correct. He was laying in his bassinet next to the bed, so she put her finger in his mouth to test the latch. She went to take it out and ended up dragging him to the other end of the bassinet because he wouldn't let go. O-U-C-H
2) flat nips. I had to use a nipple shield for 9 weeks
3) weaning off the nipple shield. So frustrating
4) A baby with GERD which means I constantly had vomit on my nips, and had to keep him upright for 30 minutes after he ate.
5) Mastitis, countless clogged ducts, and 2 milk blisters which caused me to pump blood and almost throw up from the pain.
6) A dairy-free diet for 7 months (and counting) because of Jack's dairy allergy
7) A painful over supply that led to 300 oz being stored in my freezer
8) 6 months of a dwindling supply which was made worse by 300 oz in my freezer that I couldn't use because it contained dairy
9) A nursing strike
10) Pretty funny baby torture
11) Trying to find non-disgusting places to pump in while at meetings and conferences for work.

Through all the tough times, I pushed through and made it the full year. Troy has always been supportive and would hold my hand when I would almost puke from the pain of the initial latch.
Thanks for all your help babe. And thanks for playing "find the nipple shield in the sheets" with me at 3 am many many mornings.

For those just beginning their nursing career, I'll tell you truthfully that it's one of the hardest things you'll ever do. But, if it wasn't worth it to me, I wouldn't have made it this far. A few pieces of advice: you're not always going to like it, but never quit on a bad day. Take it one feeding at a time, and make sure you have a lot of support from family.

Thanks girls, you've done me proud

Mmmmm, Jack snacks

2010-04-08T10:20:00.001-07:00

Jack and Grandpa C cooking up something tasty!

Happy first birthday Jack! You've come a long way baby!

2010-04-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry I'm a terrible mom and am posting this a day late, but I hope you'll forgive me.

Before you were in this world, you were a wiggly little man in my belly. You haven't changed much since you were born, and you make me laugh with your constant need to explore and move, and to look at everything. Your curiosity and love of life has changed the way I look at everything: cardboard boxes, birds, and mirrors are all things I never truly appreciated for being fascinating.

When your dad and I were talking about having a kid, it was hard to picture how our lives would adjust to having another little being in it. Now, I can't imagine that you haven't been here all along. Some days you are the only thing in my world that makes sense.

The next few years will be about learning and gaining your independence, and I can't wait to see things through your eyes. Thank you for being my son.

Momma.

The truth

2010-03-29T19:15:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, I posted that we were having Jack tested for Celiac because his weight gain had slowed so dramatically.

The truth is, that isn't why he wasn't gaining a lot of weight. He wasn't gaining weight, because we make him work ALL day and clean the house, as is evident in the video below. We were too embarrassed to admit that at the time. Sorry we mislead you.

A girl's gotta dream big!

2010-03-26T13:54:00.001-07:00

Before becoming a mom, if you had asked me what a mom might want for mother's day, I would say "brunch" or "diamonds", or something like that.

For my second Mother's Day as a full-fledged mom, I just want a compost tumbler. A woman needs to have goals in life!

Here is Mix Master J playing in the grass with dandelions after the Home Show last weekend.

Sometimes life sucks

2010-03-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things come along in our lives that kicks us in the crotch and pushes us in the mud. This recently happened to a close friend of mine, and it just sucks a fat one for her.

To help life seem a little brighter, please consider sponsoring me or joining my team for the October 2, 2010 Lupus Walk in Olympia, WA. There is a new permanent link to my team webpage on the upper right-hand side of the blog. Kickin Lupus' Ass

Thanks!

Fun with toddler food

2010-03-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

I know he's not technically a toddler for another few days, but whatever, he's a toddler and eats toddler food!

The past few weeks Jack has given us a preview to his teenage years by eating us out of house and home. Homeboy ate about 50% of a rotisserie chicken over the last 3 days, and can eat half an avocado a day. He also ate 8 oz of homemade applesauce 1 night for dinner AFTER having a chicken sausage, 1 kiwi, 4 oz of arroz con pollo, and 2 oz of diced cinnamon apples, and about 20 oz of breastmilk during the day. And if you happen to have your finger near his mouth while he's eating, you're libel to pull back a stump.

He's been on a "no veggies" kick lately, so we're trying to find new ways to sneak them in. I made gluten and dairy free pancakes on Sunday and added about a cup of steamed and pureed sweet potatoes to the batter. Threw in some blueberries (Jack crack), and little man loved them! Sucker.

On Sunday I also I made him gluten and dairy free chicken pot pies. Using Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking flour, xatham gum, a little shortening, and some water, I made a "crust". I pressed the crust in to a greased large muffin tin, filled it with the pot pie filling, and patted a little topping over that. Baked for 25 minutes and voila, le petit pot pies that Mix Master J was double fisting for dinner.

The countdown is on

2010-03-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

Including today, I have 14 more days of pumping. It can't come soon enough!

Prayer request

2010-03-17T08:40:00.001-07:00

Could everyone please keep my friend Elaina and her sweet little girl in your prayers? They're waiting on some results that should come on Monday.

Thanks

Please vote for Jack!

2010-03-16T12:45:00.001-07:00

www.movin925.com click on "Baby Idol" and search for "Jack C".

Thanks!

Dear 16 year old Jack

2010-03-11T13:52:00.000-08:00

Today as I shoved lunch in my mouth while pumping and checking my email at work, I realized that I had yet another clogged duct. As I dug in to the duct with my thumb and pushed it towards the pump shield, almost throwing up from the pain, I thought about how much I love you and my heart almost exploded.

So, you'll understand why I slapped you across your smart mouth the other day when you told me you hated me and then went in to your bedroom and turned up your music and went on MySpace to tell everyone what a bad mom you have.

Sundays are fun at our house

2010-03-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

For my Auntie Anne

2010-02-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the kick ass toy; I love it! And I love you, and can't wait to see you in a few months.

xoxo,
Jack

You look different...

2010-02-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

Did you change your hair? Nope!
Did you lose weight? Nope!
Have you tried Levitra? Nope!
Something is different, and I can't quite put my finger on it...
"oh you mean my sweet new blog design? Yeah, it's pretty freaking awesome".

Special thanks to my friend Nurse Casey for the creative blog redesign!!!

Fever free for 48 hrs

2010-02-17T08:46:00.001-08:00

Thanks for all your prayers - Jack seems to be on the mend!

Where is my damn magic wand?

2010-02-15T15:34:00.000-08:00

I need someone to erase the last 4 days. Please?

Let's start with Thursday: I had to get up at 4 am to go to a conference in Seattle. Things are fine, the day goes quickly, and after a medium amount of traffic, I get home at 5 pm. I open the back of my car and realized...I had forgotten my pump at the conference. And I forgot the 10 oz (after having supply issues for the last few months) that I had lovingly pumped for my child in a coat closet. There were tears. And snot. And self-loathing. Thankfully, my father (my hero!)went and fetched the pump the next day, but the 10 oz had to be trashed. Fuck.

Friday: I had the day off, and Jack is the happiest baby ever! I'm the happiest momma ever because he took a 2.5 hr nap in the morning. I should have known something was up. We went to my parents and played pretty hard. He got a little fussy towards the end, but it was nap time. My lovely sister in law came over to watch him so I could go get my toes and hair did. He woke up after I left fussy and clingy. Temp = 101.4

Saturday night: 104.5 temp that is controlled by Motrin and drops to around 101. He woke himself up around 10 pm with diarrhea and the fullest diaper ever. I will now plug the shit (get it?) out of Bum Genius cloth diapers. Had Jack been wearing a conventional diaper, there would have been poo in the next county. But, the BG held the crap in (barely), and it was a relatively easy clean up.

Sunday: Troy wakes up with the man flu. Jack is a pretty happy boy, but a little fussy around bedtime. Woke himself up again at 10 pm with a giant load - again, the diaper held - and a 104.7 temp. We gave him a warm bath and some Motrin, and the temp dropped to 103.7. 1 hr later it was down to 102.5. Because of Troy's man flu, I was already sleeping on the couch. I pulled the hide-a-bed mattress in to Jack's room and we had a slumber party.

Monday: Around 5 am, he woke up fever free. I got him in to the ped around 8:45 am. She did a general exam and thought it might just be a virus. Then she took a peek at his throat and the poor little duckie had blood back there. We did a rapid strep test, and it came out positive. Boo. He's on an antibiotic, and I'm hopeful that he's feel better soon. I want my happy kiddo back.

It's getting hot in here...

2010-02-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

Poor Jackie Jack. We were grocery shopping and somewhere between the condiments and dairy sections, he just went listless. This kid is never not wiggling, and all he wanted to do was snuggle in the Ergo. His forehead was burning, and his little eyes were red.

I got him home and his temp was 104.1. We gave him some Motrin and a cool bath, and the temp went down to 102.5. It was 101.9 before bed. We're supposed to watch him, and if the fever persists for the rest of the weekend, I need to bring him in on Monday.

He was so pathetic at bedtime, that I had to climb in to the crib and snuggle with him to get him to sleep.

99 Things

2010-02-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

Stolen from Elaina's blog

99 things
I stole this from another blog. I thought it was cute. You're supposed to bold the things you've done.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (can you count a layover in the airport?)
13. Watched a lightening storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (if you coun't shrimping...)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Should we be offended, or proud?

2010-02-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

Last night, for the first time Jack stacked his wooden blocks! However, the two blocks he chose to stack were "F" and "U".

I sense he is trying to get a message to Troy and I...

My email was hacked

2010-01-29T05:01:00.000-08:00

Hey all, my yahoo was hacked last night for some reason. So, if you received an email saying I was stuck in London and needed money, please disregard.

You would also know it wasn't me if you got some forward about how if you sent that email to 10 of your friends, your computer would give birth to a real-live puppy. You would know it wasn't me, cause I hate forwards!! =D

Sarah

The "free ride is over" tour continues

2010-01-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

When even Grandma C makes you work to earn your keep, you know you're no longer a coddled little baby!

It's a major award!

2010-01-27T11:00:00.001-08:00

My knocked up (probably with twins) pal Flojat honored me with this award:Ok here are the requirements of the award:

List 10 things that make you happy.Pass it on to 10 bloggers that make your day a better one!

1) This sweet little awesome kiddo I know named Jack. He's my heart
2) The man who made it possible for me to spawn, T-Roy Pickens. He's the best father and husband a girl could ask for
3) My family and their health (ok, family members you can giggle now)
4) That there were donut holes at work this morning!
5) That I may not have everything I want in life - like a house - but I have everything I need to be safe and healthy
6) That Jack gets to spend 4 days a week with my aunt and uncle who love on him like crazy. And the lucky little stinker gets 1 day a week with Grandma C. Grandma C lets him crawl around naked and pee on things. So for Jack, pretty much the best day ever
7) That my sis is pregnant with a healthy baby boy. Between my best friend Megan having a boy and my sis, Jack is going to have so many playmates nearby
8) DVR. Yes, it's superficial. Yes, I watch too much TV. Yes, I love it so much
9) That my sister-in-law and her husband have moved back to WA
10) The amazing women I have in my life to support me, laugh with me, and cheer me on. In person, or via the interwebs, I'm blessed to call you my friends.

Here are my 10 bloggers:
My sis: http://www.ohboyherewegrow.blogspot.com/
Jack's future mother-in-law: http://lylaslifeinpics.blogspot.com/
Jack's pumpkin patch pal: http://holcombs.blogspot.com/
Leenie: http://andersbrewhaus.blogspot.com/
Tammy Jo: http://www.tammyincharge.blogspot.com/
Jack's cousin Ashy: http://www.ashlyngraceyingling.blogspot.com/
My girl Blue: http://littleblue1224.blogspot.com/?zx=1d6d97c2c2002303
Mary Mary quite contrary: http://mary-mrsh.blogspot.com/
An amazing and inspiring momma of twins: http://lettenbergertwins.blogspot.com/
The kid who introduced Jack to the joy of swings: http://littleskipper.com/

Ang and Steph, I wanted to nominate you, but you cough neverupdateyourstupidblogs cough.

This stuff only happens on Troy's watch

2010-01-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, Troy watched Jack so that I could have a glorious 4 hrs to myself at the mall. I was on a mission for new work clothes, and a fantastic pair of jeans. What I ended up buying was overalls for Jack. And new Carhartts for Troy. Oh well.

I can't say enough about how great it was to have 4 hours to browse and just recharge. As great as it was, I don't anticipate it ever happening again. "Why", you ask? Because when I'm gone for that long, my child is allowed to leave the house and go in to public looking like this courtesy of his dad:

Black dino hat, blue puffy coat, Santa sock monkey PJ bottoms, and slippers with cars on them. As my Grandpa Q used to say when he took the grandkids public places "don't tell anyone you're with me".

This stuff only happens on my watch

2010-01-25T10:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Troy's sleep-in day, so the following takes place between 6:45 am and 6:49 am, Sunday morning. I was alone. I've been watching a lot of 24 lately...

6:45 am: Jack wakes up
6:45:30 am: I walk in to Jack's room and see that he is covered in pee. Likely culprit - improper nighttime diaper selection. I'm not one to place blame, so I'll be silent about the perpetrator. It wasn't me.
6:46 am: I take Jack in to the bathroom to get a bath ready
6:47 am: bath water is ready. I strip Jack's piss threads off of him and take the diaper off. I notice a skid mark, but think nothing of it. I begin to lower him in to the tub without paying attention
6:47:30 am: I hear a PLOP and feel water hit my face. At this time I realize that Jack had a very solid turd stuck to his butt that is now floating around the tub. I put J on the floor and fished it out with one of the cups he uses as a tub toy.
6:48 am: I put him in the tub anyway. In the poop water.
6:49 am: Mother of Year nominations are announced. I like my chances.

The countdown is ON

2010-01-20T09:09:00.001-08:00

51 more work days and I'm done with pumping. To say I can't freaking wait, would be an understatement.

A friend of mine called her pump, "Pump Vader", and I think that fits perfectly.

I'm so sad inside

2010-01-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

For the life of me, I can't figure out why God chose to give me such an ugly baby...

New camera

2010-01-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

T-Roy and I got a new DSLR camera after Christmas. Thanks to help from Erica, Ang, and my cousin Kayce, we picked out a Canon Rebel and love it!

I'm still trying to figure out what 99.99% of the camera can do, but here are some of my favorite pictures we've taken so far.

Everyone needs a hero. If you need one, you can borrow mine:

I know it's a new camera Momma, but get it out of my FACE:

The family resemblance is uncanny:

Great news from J's doc!

2010-01-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

The blood work came back and Jack does NOT have Celiac! He might still have a gluten or wheat intolerance or sensitivity, but it's not a formal allergy.

I'm going to keep avoiding wheat for the most part for another week or so. Once I add it back in, we'll evaluate Jack's reaction.

I appreciate everyone's prayers and support.

Bragging on T-Roy

2010-01-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

The time has come to give my man some props for being kick ass.

T-Roy is an AMAZING father. He loves to play with Jack and has created one of Jack's favorite games - "Squish" which involves 2 pillows from our bed and a squealing 9 month old. He is very hands on and gladly assumes all parenting responsibilities that some dads think are "mom only tasks"...well, except the breastfeeding part. Try as he might, he just wasn't cut out for nursing a child.

After working a full day - oftentimes in the rain or cold - Troy picks up Jack from Connie & Jim's house. In addition to that, at least once a week he'll take Jack over to Great Grandma C's house so that she can play with Jack. What a man!

Jack Attack and I are so bless to have him in our lives!

Blood draw update

2010-01-13T09:01:00.000-08:00

Despite having to go to two clinics to find a tech willing to draw the blood of a 9 month old, Jack handled the blood draw like a champ. He cried because we had to hold him down, but the needle part was simple for him. We should have the results back by next Tuesday.

Except for a few instances where it is obvious his back molars are bothering him, overall he seems to be a much happier boy than he was a week ago. Jack continues to sleep really well and he's back to pooping normally (he even clogged our toilet last night. That's my boy!). Even if the blood test shows that he doesn't have Celiac, I might stay off wheat for a few more weeks and then add it back to see if he reverts back to his previous ways.

Jack would like to borrow some prayers please

2010-01-11T08:42:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow afternoon he's going to be held down by yours truly so that some mean phlebotomist can draw some blood from his cutie pie little arm.

We had a 9 month check up on Saturday, and Jack's weight gain has dropped significantly in the last 2 months. He is still gaining weight, but went from the 75th to 40th percentile. The doc thinks he might have Celiac which is an inability to process glutens. When people with Celiac disease eat foods that contain gluten, an inflammatory reaction occurs that can damage the small intestine and inhibit the absorption of nutrients (per WebMD).

The blood test will show if he can tolerate glutens, and I'm hoping that it comes back clear. That being said, I've cut a lot of wheat out of my diet since Saturday, and Jack has had the best two nights of sleep since he was 2 months old.

If the test shows that it isn't Celiac, then the decline in weight gain could just be a result of his extreme wiggliness.

I appreciate any prayers or good thoughts you can spare for Jack's guts!

The free ride is over pal

2010-01-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

Now that Jack is a crawling machine, I'm putting him to work:

"What are those yellow things on his knees", you ask? They are microfiber kneepads* that I made for him this weekend. They protect his wee little knees when he's crawling AND dust the wood floors while he's scooting around. No more crawling without working bro.

*US patent pending so don't even try bitches.

Happy 9 month birthday Jack!

2010-01-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

In honor of Jack being out of mah bellah as long as he was in it, we had a private house party at our apartment.

We hired a DJ who is popular in Europe and is making the rounds here in the states. Making his Washington debut, DJ Jackie Bear:

Customer service at it's finest

2009-12-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

We got a bunch of AMEX giftcards for Christmas and are using the cards to buy a new camera from Amazon. The giftcards don't cover the full cost of the camera, and that is where my issues start.

1) Amazon recognizes AMEX giftcards as a credit card, and they only allow 1 credit card to make a purchase
2) I had to purchase an Amazon giftcard using my debit card for the remainder price of the camera
3) stupid AMEX doesn't tell you that for online purchases you should first register your card, so Amazon has taken $1 from my giftcard during the verification process and won't refund it for 7 days.
4) since they took that $1, I'm now $.49 SHORT of my stupid order, and had to buy another $5 (lowest amount) Amazon giftcard to cover the balance.

I've spent more time on the phone today with Indian, than Indian people.

Decorating issues

2009-12-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

Without a fireplace mantel, where on earth will I display my "Mother of the Year" award? Mother of the Year award you ask? Yep, I won it for my "excellence in Mothering" yesterday.

Jack and I were out and about running errands yesterday and he insisted that I treat myself to Wendy's on the way home. Who I am to question the logic of an 8 month old? About 1 mile from home he made it clear that he was SLEEPY. Upon getting in to the house, he made it clear that he was also POOPING.

He's been having painful poops for a few days, and when it's happening he insists on being picked up and will freak out if set down. I picked him up and held him in my arms while he was still wearing his jacket and shoes. I decided to breastfeed him thinking that would calm him down enough to then change his diaper. Turns out he was SO sleepy that he fell right asleep, and there begins my actions that brought me the mother of the year award.

I realized if he was sooooo tired he probably needed sleep more than a diaper change. I decided that I would put him in his crib (with likely a poopy diaper, shoes, and a coat) and if he woke up I would change him and put him in to more appropriate napping attire. He ended up sleeping like that for almost 2 hrs because he was just wiped. I even vacuumed around him and checked on him multiple times to make sure he was ok and he didn't move a muscle.

He did have a sweet zipper mark on his face when he woke up though. And I enjoyed my Wendy's in peace.

I died from cuteness this am

2009-12-24T08:45:00.001-08:00

I dropped Jack off at GAC's this am, and waved goodbye as I was leaving. Jack turned around and waved back at me. He hasn't waved on his own yet, and of course he did it perfectly this am. Awww

A great way to make a difference in someone's life

2009-12-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

I read this story the other day on CNN and thought it was such a cool idea. Awesome heartwarming story!

If you're interested in donating a few bucks, check out the list of needs here: Modest Needs

Baby food

2009-12-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

Jack has been an adventurous little eater lately...partly because I've been an adventurous baby food chef. Jack's Auntie Megan bought me the Babea Cook (get it? ha!) baby food maker last year for Christmas, and man that thing gets a work out! And yes, Amy, you'll get it when your kiddo is ready for solids.

I love making baby food because it's cheaper than buying the jars, allows me to control what he's eating, and because of my hippiness, allows me to make sure that he's eating primarily organic. You don't need a fancy baby food maker though - a steamer basket and a blender works great! I love these for storing the food: http://babycubes.com/. Watch the site for sales, because I got all of mine for 75% off last year.

Jack's favorite "breakfast" seems to be apples with blueberries, with an occasional smashed banana mixed in. For lunch/dinner, he enjoys "Momma's Thanksgiving Feast" which is sweet potatoes, cranberries, apples, pears, turkey, peas, and carrots all steamed and blended together.

My newest creation is "Jackie Bear's Hell's Kitchen" meal. Troy worked for 3 or 4 seasons on Hell's Kitchen, and as you know if you watch the show, Chef Ramsey is all about his f$#king risotto!

Jack's baby risotto (recipe based on "Cooking for Baby" cookbook from Williams and Sonoma. Another rockstar gift from Megan!):
1/2 cup of Arborio rice
1 cup of no sodium added chix stock or water
little bit of olive oil
veggie of your choice (I used peas)
meat of your choice (I used organic chicken thighs. They were cheaper than breasts (hee hee) and have more flavor

Bring water to a boil and add rice. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 15 minutes, stirring once. Fluff with fork. In blender, mix veggie and chicken - add to rice. Will be good in the fridge for 3 days, or 3 months in the freezer. I add a bit of water before I serve it to J since it thickens up when cold.

An imporant reminder from Jack Barry

2009-12-15T18:54:00.000-08:00

Jack would like to remind everyone, that in these tough economic times, you don't need to spend a lot of money - or any to be happy. One truly only needs a free box from Costco.

And Jack, your Grandpa John would like to remind you and all babies out there that box cars are not "freaking toys". You need to make sure to check the oil, get your lug nuts torqued after 25 miles on new tires, and all windows need to be washed 3 times before they're considered clean.

It was bound to happen at some point...

2009-12-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

...I, Sarah, was proven wrong. I'm sure you're all as shocked as I am by this. But, it is a joyous mistake on my part!

My sis is almost 19 weeks pregnant, and I've been CONVINCED the kiddo is a girl. She had her ultrasound yesterday, and turns out - Boy! Everything looks good, and Jack is so excited to have a little boy cousin to play in the mud, pee in the snow, and throw plastic hatchets at trees.

Myself, I'm happy to have a place to unload all of Jack's boy clothes and toys! Amy & Brian, you're about to get an avalanche of crap...

Isn't he adorable...err handsome?

The proof they say, is in the pudding

2009-12-13T17:31:00.000-08:00

Meeting Santa

2009-12-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

"Hey Momma & Poppa, thanks for bringing me to the mall with you! I love when we get to spend quality time together": "What the deuce? Who are you? That beard looks scratchy": "Start the car. I am officially DONE with family time at the mall. And Momma, you better not put this on your stupid blog.":

He stands

2009-12-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

This am as J was playing in a box, he decided to grab the side of it, lift himself up, and kind of teetered in there for a bit. Life is about to get really interesting in our house...

The box is courtesy of one of Jack's godmothers, Auntie Anne. She sent him a really fun toy for Christmas that is currently under the tree. But, J gets to play with the box until then.

All aboard the S.S. Jackie Bear! And yes, he looks so tired because the little butthole woke up 4-5 times last night, and then woke up early this morning.

And just for Anne: "I'm on a boat motherf@#ker!"