Travelin' Tracy

Ella at 1 Week Old

2012-01-27T16:57:00.000-08:00

Introducing Ella Hazel DeGaetano
January 19, 2012
7 lb. 4 oz., 18.5 inches

Ella Hazel is officially one week old and we are one week wiser on how to manage two children. I know it feels overwhelming to bring home the first baby, but I must say, it is even more challenging to have two children to deal with. Of course, it might just be especially hard because they are only 16 months apart so I have two in diapers, two that don't speak, and two that cry! We are adjusting though, and with my mom's help we are slowly adjusting into this new phase of life. I am hoping to continue the blog updates about Ella, just like I did with Jack. Of course, my time is less available, since I'm basically breastfeeding all the time. So for the first month, I will update once a week and then it will be once a month. Oh, and don't worry I haven't forgotten about Jack, he will get a post update at 18 months (only two months away).
Nicknames: Hazelnut, Sweet Pea, Ella Bella, Little Cloven Hoof Princess

Weight and Length: She started at 7 lb. 4 oz., but dropped to 6 lb. 12 oz. at her first doctor's appointment. Ella's length started at 18.5 inches at the hospital and was measured at 20 inches at the doctor's office...for some reason I think she was measured wrong at the hospital, or could she really have grown that much in five days?

Temperament: Well, she is still so little it is hard to say. She sleeps a lot. In fact, she was pretty jaundice so she was especially sleepy. Even now I still have to wake her up for feedings. If I didn't, I think she would sleep at least four to five hours at night. I am hoping that is a good sign for our future (maybe we will have one child that likes to sleep through the night). Since she sleeps so much, she hasn't been too much trouble. She usually just cries for food and if we have a hard time with the latching process she can get really upset. However, I have noticed that she will let you know when she is mad. The cry becomes very intense, almost to a point that she gets worn out from crying. It is really cute.

Items/Toys That We Love The Most: She is still too little to care about much. I have noticed that she only likes to be swaddled in a blanket. Whenever I try to use a swaddle that Velcros she will begin to cry and will not stop until I remove it. If I had tried to swaddle Jack in a blanket then he would have squirmed his way out of it. Ella, however, lays pretty still or if she does move her arms out, then it doesn't seem to wake her up. I think I might also become a huge fan of my baby slings/carriers. How else am I going to make dinner with Jack pulling on my pants and Ella crying? So I figure it will be used a lot more than it was with just one child.
First/New Experiences: Everything has been new and different with Ella. She is so different and her needs have been so different. First of all, the delivery was very different that my first, but I will write about that later. Fortunatemly, she was healthy and able to be in my arms right away. That meant we were able to try breastfeeding immediately and she was good at latching. Then it was fun to be able to have her in the hospital room with us. Plus, we left after just 24 hours, so that was new and special for us as a family.

We also noticed that one of her feet was all the way bent backwards. Of course we were concerned, but my doctor suggested that we give it time, because it might have just been bent from being in the womb. After speaking with the hospital pediatrician, we were even more concerned because we thought she had a club foot. An appointment was made for two days later to go to a pediatric orthopedist. We did a lot of research on the Internet and only grew more worried. I thought I would have to drive up to Morgantown, WV (about a two and a half hour drive) to see this specialist each week. We had anticipated her having a new cast every week to help straighten out her foot. The good news is that the specialist said it was not club foot. It was just bent from being squished in the womb. Each day we need to do stretches to help put it into the correct place and we are hoping that it will improve around a month's time. I included the picture below to show what it looks like.

We also had different complications with her and jaundice. I guess I didn't worry so much about the jaundice with Jack, because he was in the hospital so they treated it with the bilirubin lights. She stopped pooping on Sunday (at four days old) and didn't poop again until late Monday night. I was concerned that I was not giving her enough breast milk, so I decided to supplement. I used a system that would allow me to give a little formula while she still breastfed. This would allow her to still stimulate and increase my milk supply. So far that system has been working good and she began to poop. Fortunately there has been a tremendous support system in town with my friends. I feel encouraged to keep it up and I am already decreasing the amount of supplemental formula. Hopefully I will be able to breast feed on my own.

*I took some pictures in hopes to find one that I like enough for a birth announcement. I would like to get those ordered this week and sent in the mail as soon as possible. Here are a few of the pictures below.

A Homemade Christmas

2012-01-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

The last two years we have been more strapped for money. As a one salary house, it means we are taking less vacations, spending less on eating out, and it also means we needed to cut back on the money we spent for gifts. I had a lot of fun coming up with some homemade gifts last year and I wanted to continue that process as much as possible this year too. However, Joe and I did spend a little on each other (probably because we haven't bought gifts for each other since we have been married) so that was our splurge.

I was really pleased with all the things that we made as a family. I forgot to take pictures of the gifts that were given to my in-laws, but I will tell you about them. First up though, is my favorite gift that we made...a hat rack for my brother. It was a family project. Joe, cut and prepped the wood and painted two gray strips, then Jack finger painted, I mod-podged, and finally Joe screwed in the hat hangers. I love it and look forward to making some art that is similar.I made a quilt for my sister. She asked me to and I knew what I needed to do, plus she provided the supplies with her old jeans and t-shirts. I think it turned out pretty good, but I did break a couple needles on my machine until I bought a jean needle. It was also pretty heavy, but it has got me thinking about a picnic blanket that I want to make with my old maternity jeans! I can't wait.

We went digital for my dad, my mother-in-law, and my grandparents. I went to a website where I could personalize calendars and mugs. I made a mug for my dad with a picture of his grandson and his dog (Roxey is basically his favorite child). Then we made two different calendars for my grandparents and my mother-in-law. I especially loved my grandpa's reaction as he wondered how we were able to make it...he doesn't really understand the whole computer thing!
I made a simple recipe book for my mom with some of my favorite things to cook. I knew she would appreciate it, because it would be tested and worthy dishes for her to make. I also made homemade vanilla extract for her and my mother-in-law. I even made one for myself, which I really need to test out sometime soon.
I made a small make-up bag and some foot scrubs for one of my sister-in-laws. The other family members were given items that were purchased, but that's okay, because they were reasonably priced. And although our Christmas celebrations were spread out over two weekends (one with family and then on the actual day we were at home on our own), I look forward to next year, when I can come up with even more ideas of homemade items and hopefully get Jack and our baby girl involved too!

Inner Harbor, MD

2012-01-02T13:58:00.000-08:00

We decided to make a visit home to our families in mid December. That was important, because we were also celebrating my Mother-in-laws 60th birthday party. So a day was dedicated to her and we took a trip to the inner harbor. I have never been there before. I guess it is pretty new development. It was nice to walk through the main hotel and see it decorated for the holidays. Plus, we went into lots of stores...especially since it was so cold and windy. Jack hadn't napped well that day so he was a bit cranky, but it was a fun trip with all of my husband's family!
Perfect pictures, like the one of Kevin above, are hard to come by! As you can see in the three below, it was hard to get everyone to look at the same time!

National Zoo ZooLights

2011-12-20T05:04:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we made a trip home to visit family in Northern Virginia. It was a time to celebrate my mother-in-laws 60th birthday. In addition, we also did some simple Christmas celebrations, since we would not be returning the following weekend. One thing I really wanted to experience this year was the ZooLights at the National Zoo. I thought it would be fun to get my family together and walk throughout the zoo. We even went inside a few of the buildings. Jack was a lot more interested in the animals too. The last time we had been here was in August, so just in a few months he has become that much more interested in the animals. It will be fun to go again in the summer.

The turtles were busy getting it on...I guess we interrupted their nightly routine!

The Last Two Months in Pictures

2011-12-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

I need to update on my blog...it has been busy for me over here, because I have been making a lot of Christmas presents. Plus, I started working during the day as a tutor and a home bound teacher. Fortunately, the home bound is complete, so that has freed up some time for me! So this post will mostly be picture heavy, to show some of the cute things that Jack has been doing. I don't have any pictures from Thanksgiving, which probably means we took them all with Joe's cell phone. I will have to write about that separately, because it was so great! Anyhow, here we go!We saw Santa today...he was at the local breakfast place. Jack didn't cry, but he shook his head "no" to say he didn't really want to sit there!

We bought a tree this week and decorated it. Unfortunately with a room remodel going on, and my being pregnant, I don't feel motivated to pull out many other decorations this year. However, I still think the house looks nice.
Since we had a lot of stuff to bring back from Lowes for our remodel, the car seat was moved out of the car...however, it looks like Jack is ready to go for a ride!

Jack started carrying my lunch bag around the house, it looked like a little purse!

We tried finger painting. It took three different tries on this paper to make his uncle's birthday card.
Jack has been very cuddly lately. In fact, a couple nights in a row he would leave me and go to his daddy to lay next to him. Twice I found them both asleep!
Jack is curiously finding different places to explore. I had to laugh when I found him in the stove!

Jack is going to be musical when he grows up. He loves to dance, he loves playing on the piano, or on Daddy's guitar. It is just too cute.

My grandparents came for a visit in early November or maybe it was October? Anyhow, Jack was a little sick, so he was super cuddly with them, which they LOVED! We made a small trip down by the river to walk around. These were my favorite picks from that day!

Trick or Treat! Jack's First Experience

2011-11-01T04:37:00.000-07:00

We met up with a few friends in town to experience Trick or Treating this year for Halloween. Even though Jack was still a small to understand, there were a few times that he walked up to the door with his friends to get candy. It was fun to experience too, because we went to the "busy" street in town. Apparently all the kids from the country roads come into town and hit this main street. In my opinion, it would be better to come to our neighborhood, because we have better candy, since we aren't having to buy $100 worth in candy.

Anyhow, we only stayed out with the friends for about 40 minutes so we could get back to our house and pass out candy. Don't you think Jack makes a great doctor?

We carved our pumpkins on Friday night...Joe did the creative and scary face and I carved out the ghosts!

2011-10-26T07:08:00.000-07:00

I think we are ready for the bike trailer...don't you think?

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-18T12:04:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago we went to a pumpkin patch with Jack. It was really more of a family farm, but it was really fun to go as a family and pick out our pumpkins for the season. I guess I had high hopes for more photographic locations, you know, like bails of hay or wooden cut-outs that we could put our heads through. I was hoping for a corn maze, but I didn't see one either (maybe that was going to be done the next week?). Anyhow, we did get two bigger pumpkins and one little baby one for our front porch. I have included a few photos from the excursion...the last one is my favorite.

This picture includes the two pumpkins we picked out and our little pumpkin.
Maybe this was the maze? Jack was afraid to follow his dad into the walkway and I didn't really want to squeeze my pregnant belly through there so I didn't follow.
This is one of Jack's favorite things...to be thrown in the air. Don't you just love it?

Road Trip: Boone, NC

2011-10-13T10:40:00.001-07:00

We decided to make a climbing/camping trip to Boone, NC. This was the first time we took Jack camping and I was a bit nervous how it would work out with Jack. Fortunately, he did excellent sleeping in the tent (probably because he was sleeping right next to the both of us), but during the day it was a different story!

We left on Friday night after Joe got home from work. This was the perfect getaway trip, because it is only about a three hour drive so it didn't feel too long. Jack slept for most of the trip and we were able to get the tent set up before he awoke. It was cold outside and at this point almost eight thirty, so we decided to go to sleep as a family. I think at first Jack was a little scared of the tent, especially not understanding that we were going to fall asleep in this place. We decided to keep a headlamp turned on for another thirty minutes just so he would feel comfortable and realize that we are all going to fall asleep.

The next morning it was super cold outside. I knew it was going to be cold and windy, but I guess I underestimated how it would feel for Jack. He was not so happy, especially because he little hands were cold. I had a hat and jackets, but no mittens. We tried to take a hike before the outlet mall opened, but Jack was not having any fun and started to cry. About a mile into that hike, we had to stop and Joe trekked back to the car as quick as he could, while I hiked up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and waited. It was sleeting a little bit, so a nice older couple offered to let us sit in their car. Jack was crying the whole time and I felt so embarrassed, but thankful that we had a warm place to wait. He did much better after we bought a pair of mittens and a new hat. We tried to take another hike and see some cows, I think those pictures turned out perfect, but that was also the only time it was actually sunny outside.

Later in the afternoon we met up with a friend and Joe went climbing with him. I sat in the car and read my book, because Jack had fallen asleep and I didn't want to wake him up just to venture into the cold and wind. He did pretty well the rest of that night as we sat next to a fire and of course I think it helped that we went out for dinner. The next morning I left with Jack to visit friends in Charlotte, NC. They have a little girl and it was nice for Jack to have two days to play with another kid. I think it was a great camping trip and I look forward to many more days of camping and climbing as a family!

At one point we sat in the car while daddy made hot chocolate because it was so cold!
This was a picture from the first hike, before Jack had his meltdown!

Fall To-Do List

2011-10-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

Maybe I will be more motivated to get everything done if I have written it down. So consider this the location where I put all those fun ideas on "paper." Maybe you will all have some ideas for me to add to this list...so feel free to add them!

Visit a Pumpkin Patch

Carve a Pumpkin

Take Jack trick-or-treating

Reel Rock Film Festival Date Night

Make a Baby Blanket for the future Little Girl

Start making Christmas Presents

Buy fall decorations after they go on sale

Camping

Thanksgiving Week Family Trip

Make a dozen recipes that call for pumpkin

Get Jack to jump in a Leaf Pile

Plan a Thanksgiving Meal

Rock Climb until I Can't Anymore

Lots of Hikes

Jack is 12 Months Old

2011-09-28T04:43:00.000-07:00

*Many of the pictures I wanted to use are on another computer and I don't want to waste too much time getting this up! Well, Jack's birthday was last Friday, so this is being updated a little late, but I really wanted to include some pictures of the birthday party. Plus we are transitioning from one computer to a new one, so I am trying to get all the pictures that we took in the last month (it feels like we didn't do so well this month, oops!). This last month was a busy one in our house. After getting home from our trip to Northern Virginia, Joe started back to work in a new school, we renovated two more rooms in our house, and Jack started to walk. I can't wait to show pictures of our finished rooms, but that will have to come at another time, since I am still waiting to put up window treatments, plus this is a post about Jack! This will be the last monthly post about Jack but I hope to be more proactive about writing on my blog in the future, with some shorter posts.

Nicknames: Peanut, Stink Butt, Big Boy, and Mr. Giggles

Temparament: He continues to be a happy baby and smiles at everyone. I should count my blessings that he never went through a separation anxiety and would always allow others to hold him. Usually he is shy for the first few minutes though, but when he feels comfortable he smiles, walks, crawls, or plays with anyone. His sleep patterns are still super inconsistent. I don't know if it is caused by teething issues or if I have just raised a child that does not know how to fall asleep on his own in the middle of the night. Here is what happens...We have a bed time routinue (bath, teeth brushed, story, then in bed with music and a little head rub). It takes about ten minutes, but he goes to be every night without problems. The hard part is that he wakes up in the middle of the night and cries and does not want to be in his crib alone. If I give in and let him go in our bed though, he doesn't sleep well either. In fact, he tosses and turns, wimpers and cries with unsteady sleep in between. How do I fix that? Any ideas? I guess we are lucky that he still takes two naps during the day and they are good naps, which allows me to shower and clean a little.

He is also growing in personality. Last night he started laughing really hard when either I or Joe sneezed. I guess it was funny. So when he sneezed I decided to giggle with him. Jack has also been able to have a lot more play dates with kids through church and in the community. Sometimes he is super observant and other times he tries to play with the other kids, but usually he just pulls out pacifiers to put in his own mouth or he hits them! That can be pretty discouraging! I'm sure he will have lots of time to work on sharing when his little sister arrives.

Solids: Jack continues to branch out with the foods that he is trying. I can almost always give him items from our dinner. He eats a variety of foods, but has showed some pickiness by spitting out items he doesn't like. He also points to foods or drinks that he wants. Maybe we are one step closer to talking? He will go to the doctor next week, so I don't know if he is getting any bigger, but he is developing just fine so I have decided not to worry anymore. I guess that just means we will get away with wearing nine month clothes for longer!

Items/Toys That We Love The Most: Jack is playing with all his toys and he received quite a few new ones for his birthday (just what we didn't need in our crowded house). Even if it makes things crowded, he is happy and that makes us happy. Forntunately some of those gifts are almost better as outside toys so that helps. Although, I find that we don't really need toys for him to be happy. All Jack needs is a handful of cherrios, a dog to climb over, and a playground to go to each day. He loves being at the playground, especially since he can walk. I am learning he has an eagerness to explore and climb/walk all through out the playground. We try to go as often as possible each week.

First Experiences: On August 23rd Jack took his first steps alone. We happened to be in Charleston at the Home Goods store and I was worried that he would not want to sit in the car seat for another hour to go home. So before we left I tried to have him walk around or move a little bit. I put him down and he stood in place, so I thought, let me get in front of him and see if he would walk towards me and he did it. It was only two steps but I was thrilled and cheered him on so he did it again two more times at the store. I couldn't wait to go home and show his daddy. However it took a while from that point to his official days of walking. It took almost the rest of that month for him to feel confident enough to decide that walking was better than crawling. We are now at that point and it is cute to see him follow me around the house with such excitement. He is no longer our baby boy and is growing into our toddler child.

My World Comes Full Circle

2011-08-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

Don't you love when you have one of those moments when you are reminded of the past? Well, I had one those crazy moments where I ran into someone from my travels overseas in the most random way and it pulled me back into those days of exploring. Oh, i miss those days and I am itching for the opportunity to work overseas again (in about seven years!).

This past Monday I arranged to go climbing with a few friends from town. I haven't been able to go regularly since Jack has been born. However, there was going to be a very good size group and three of us were pregnant, which meant they were at least baby friendly! So after Joe got off work we headed to our friend's house to meet up with everyone. We started with introductions, since there were two couples we did not know and then we hatched plans for where we would go for the evening. During introductions we were introduced to a man named Matt, who has an Australian accent. He mentioned that they were building a house in Summersville (just a few towns over) but they own a hostel in Switzerland. I didn't think much of it, until we were riding in our car headed to the climbing area. I told my husband that I thought Matt looked so familiar and I wondered if that was because I stayed in a hostel in Switzerland. It was actually the first place I had ever rock climbed! I have even told Joe about this place and how beautiful it is and one day I wanted to go there with him.

So when we arrived at the climbing area, I had to ask him. I couldn't remember the name of the hostel, the town, but I definitely remembered all my memories from the trip. So I asked Matt how long he had lived there, since it was in 2003 that I took that trip with an ex-boyfriend. Sure enough, his wife said the name of the town, Gryon and I knew it exactly and couldn't believe he was the guy who first taught me how to climb at the Chalet Martin Hostel. Almost ten years later and I was going to be taking him out to an area where I live and love. Now feel like there is so much more incentive to make another trip to their hostel. I look forward to that day.

Before I end this post, I must tell you about some of the amazing things I was able to do there. Maybe you will want to experience it for yourself. While we were there took an amazing hike to a cross on top of a mountain. It started out with sunshine, a storm hit, and then sunshine when we reached the top. We ate our lunch in a ski lean-to although and gazed out at the wildflowers on the mountain. It was amazingly beautiful. I wish I could show you those pictures, but that was before digital cameras and I really don't look through that scrapbook much since it involves an ex-boyfriend. We also managed to swim in freezing cold glacier water, under a damn! Eat delicious steaks, which were cut by the local butcher and then he marinated it with his own stuff, and we grilled it out on their deck overlooking the snow-capped mountains. We spent a day climbing a local crag, followed by a trip to the thermal pools (a spa resort). And it was probably one of the nicest hostels I have come across. I can't wait to bring my family back there one day.

All pictures that you see here are from the Chalet Martin website, http://www.gryon.com/

Jack is 11 Months Old

2011-08-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

Only one month left of being an infant for little Jack. This year has really flown by and also been such a learning process for the both of us. Every day I think he looks more like a little boy and less like a baby. The funny thing is that I have always wanted children, but I guess I'm sad to think that he will grow up. I love him this little and I know I will keep loving him as he grows, but I just love having a little one around. I can truly understand when people say they miss when their kids were "that age." I'm already sad to see that he is changing.

Nicknames: Pumpkin, Little Man, Peanut, Sneak Butt

Temperament: This past Monday, we took Jack out for an afternoon climbing trip. There have been many times when it doesn't seem all that successful and I end up heading home early with him. However, maybe it was the larger number of climbers (8 people, 3 of which were pregnant), but he was a very happy camper. He was crawling all over the rocks and giggling with everyone. I was happy to get some climbing in before my belly gets too big with baby number 2. We took a trip to visit family for a couple weeks, which completely messed up his sleeping schedule. Thus, we went through the whole process of falling asleep in the crib. He is doing OK at it, but still wakes up in the night. I am beginning to wonder, will that ever change? Although Jack can have his moments, I have found that he takes most things in stride. He loves to be around people and interact with them. He also loves to play with dogs or cats. We are lucky to have such a laid back child. Another thing he really likes to do right now is open and close doors or cabinets. Last month we put safety looks on the kitchen cabinets so that helped from having a big mess of pots and pans. However, he still loves it when he can find an open door to play with. Who knew they would be so much fun?

Solids He Has Tried: Just the other day I had mentioned to Joe that Jack can pretty much eat anything we are eating. Usually at dinner time I will give him small pieces of our meal. So far that has meant, spaghetti, casserole dishes, tacos, beans and rice, etc. He still eats some baby food though and I give that to him during the day. I went to the WIC offices today to apply for some support and after they weighed him, he was only 19lbs. That seems a bit discouraging for me, because I feel like he has really increased his diet, but only gained 1/2 a pound in the last month. Maybe I just need to be trying to feed him more often?

Items/Toys That We Love The Most: While we are at my parents house, my mom bought a baby walker and it quickly became his favorite toy. He loves to walk behind it and gets a big smile and he almost giggles. I always laugh too, but that's because he runs into everything and doesn't understand when it bangs into something and he can't move forward. I am learning though, that I don't need too many toys. He is just as happy to play with Bodhi (our dog) or crawl around when we are outside. When I take him to the park he likes to be in the baby swing. Oh, and when we are around other children I have noticed that Jack is not afraid to pull other kids pacifiers out of their mouths so he can try theirs! Um, sorry about the germ swap! Although he doesn't always listen to me, I have noticed that he definitely understands. If I explain things to him, more than half the time he will follow my directions. He is so cute!

First Experiences: While visiting with our family, we were able to take many day trips. One of my favorites (which also happen to be too short) was to Intercourse, PA. Jack had no idea he was about to experience such a place as Intercourse, but he was happy none-the-less to be with all the family in my parents truck on the way up. Basically we went to explore Amish country. We stopped in a few stores, then ate a huge and very delicious lunch, followed by some bike riding (although I was a slow and timid rider). Overall, I think Jack had a good time. He also decided to take his first steps. Now, he is not walking yet, but that will come with time. I happened to be on a trip to Target in Charleston. Since it is an hour drive before we return home, I decided to let him walk around for a bit in the store. I put him on the floor and he just stood still. So I let go with my hands fully expecting him to squat into a sitting position, but he just continued to stand with this huge grin as if he was proud of himself. So I moved a few steps away from him and said, "Come here," and sure enough he took a few steps forwards into my arms. Since then he has done that a several times, but only at my encouraging. I'm not sure he really wants to walk yet, but he can do it when he is ready!

You can really see how pretty his eye color is in this picture! I think he has my eye color!

National Zoo

2011-08-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

We just returned home from a two week trip to visit family in Virginia. Of course, we kept extremely busy seeing friends and family, but planned a few trips in as well. It seems like every trip to VA we are running errands as well, since there are stores that we cannot get to at home. This trip was nice since it was so lengthy, it allowed us to do almost everything we wanted to do. One of the outings was at the National Zoo. In fact, Jack and I went there twice (once with my mom and once with my sister and husband). Here are the pictures from both trips. I must admit it was super fun as we left in the morning when it was still fairly cool outside and left around 1pm before we were too sweaty.

When I went to the zoo with my mom, I happened to experience one of the most humorous and gross "mom moments." I had pulled Jack out of his stroller to see the lion family playing and as I held him up, he was leaning against my chest. It didn't take long for me to smell that he had a poopy diaper so as I was pulling away, I looked down and saw a big poop spot on my chest. It had smooshed up and onto my shirt! Of course, my mom was laughing as I looked over at her and said, "Mom, help me!" I just wanted a wipe to clean up the poop on my clothes first.

Thankfully she helped me as we worked our way over to a bench and stripped Jack down to nothing and wiped him up. I didn't realize there was a big spot showing on my shirt until I saw the pictures below! Oh well. We survived and I could at least laugh it off. I guess that is what motherhood is all about!

Prepping for Jack's Birthday Party

2011-08-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

There is about a month and a half before we reach Jack's birthday. I am so excited about it. I don't have a lot of money to spend, but I feel like it is worth celebrating the fact that we all survived one year together. Plus, I can't wait to see Jack smoosh a cake in his face. I can't wait! So I am looking forward to a great party with some friends and family. The other night, I couldn't even sleep because I kept thinking about details. The next morning I wrote them all down. So I'm putting a few of these on the blog as a good reminder to follow through and make this a fun party...I haven't planned for something like this since my wedding day! Should I mention again that I can't wait?

So I thought I would put a few of my ideas out on the blog for you all to enjoy! I don't even mind if it spoils the surprise for those invited, because I just can't wait! I'm already shopping for supplies.

1. Food
I am thinking of working with what we got. So we will have pulled pork and coleslaw (hopefully using ingredients from our garden) with a mixture of vegetable side dishes and macaroni and cheese for the kiddos. Of course there will be cupcakes and smash cake for Jack. I'm thinking of working with a woodland theme. Since we already have owls in his bedroom, I am thinking of making these cupcakes! I love them!

2. Decorations

I will most likely do something very simple. My plan is to make some tissue paper balls, use christmas lights for lighting outside (if I need it), balloons, outdoorsy items that we have around the house, and I made fabric flag pendants too.

3. Games/Activities
There won't be a lot of kids there, but there will be a few. Plus it would be fun to have something for the adults to do too. So I'm thinking of setting up a cornhole game, having a simple bowling game, maybe a puppet show, and some other activity. I'm still coming up with ideas in this department. Maybe some sort of photo booth would be fun. I could work on that!

4. Favors
I think trail mix will do nicely in little bags to go. Those should be fun to make. I can't wait. There is still plenty more to think about (well, not really since I'm not going to go too crazy) but I will just have to wait until the big day to show pictures. I am pretty certain I am looking forward to this more than anyone else. Yeah, yeah!

Jack at 10 Months

2011-07-24T11:34:00.001-07:00

July has been very busy for us. I took a temporary job working at a local middle school for their summer enrichment program. I loved it and was glad to bring some money into the family. Joe was the stay at home dad for those few weeks too. I think he actually found it a little difficult. Not that Jack is difficult, but just having to work his schedule around the naps and feeding times really was an adjustment and he felt super lazy. By the third week we had figured out a system of letting Joe go for a morning run, which allowed him to feel more motivated. It was a quick month but as usual, but this past month did not disappoint. Jack is learning more and more everyday. Nicknames: Peanut, Stink Butt, Mr. Adventure

Temperament: There was a bit of teething at the beginning of the month, and he now has two teeth on the top. We also transitioned Jack into the crib, after about three months of sleeping in our bed. It took a few days of us taking turns (who would sleep in the room with him, on the guest bed), but he now does it. He still wakes up a little at night, but we have a system down where I can go in and give him a kiss and turn on the nighttime music and he will go back to sleep. That is a relief! He has also learned how to throw a mini temper tantrum. He will arch his back and fuss while flapping his arms. Plus, he has too much energy to just sit around. He wants to crawl everywhere and discover everything. He does a lot of clinging right now too. It seems like I'm writing all about his negative behavior, but the reality is that he is a super happy baby. He giggles all the time and finds plenty of ways to be entertained. He loves to be around people and when they talk to him he usually acts shy by putting his head on my shoulder, but will quickly go right into their arms. When he gets really excited he flaps his arms and justs seems to love life.

Solids He Has Tried: I missed his nine month appointment since I was working so I got to hear all about it from Joe. Apparently he didn't gain very much weight in the last three months, only about a half pound. So he weighs in around 19lbs. and the doctor encouraged trying to feed him more. I am hoping the limited weight gain is because he started to move around a lot, he went through a no solids phase, and we are in that transition into more food. So we have been trying out a lot of different things. Jack really just loves to feed himself, so I try to give him pieces of our meals as much as possible. He also loves Cheerios, but what kid doesn't? I just like that I can put him in the high chair and feed him Cheerios while I get other food ready. He has started to eat larger portions too (a whole jar at one sitting). But my favorite thing to feed him is also the most expensive thing at the grocery store. I buy these organic baby food packets in squeeze bags, which is perfect for on the go. Jack can just suck it out (which I am hoping will help him use a sippy cup too) and there is virtually no mess. He loves them too.

Items/Toys That We Love The Most: Jack really loves it when we pull out his wooden blocks and let him knock them over. Sometimes I don't even get very far in the tower building process before he is crawling over to knock them down. Actually he really doesn't need too many toys, he just wants your time. He loves to be chased or play hide and seek. I like to get on the floor and crawl around and have him chase me then I go after him and he just giggles like crazy. Jack has also learned to play the game of testing his limits. When we say no, he will keep trying until we are going after him. I have a feeling we will be going through that phase for a while. He also likes to drop things on the floor to see who will pick it up. He just wants the time to be with us, but will happily play by himself by pulling toys out of the toy baskets.

First Experiences: Although I have been working, he has still been able to do a lot of fun things. We have spent several days at the lake sometimes with his life jacket and sometimes without (he doesn't like the life jacket). We went to a baseball game in Charleston, but Jack could have cared less about the game. He was more interested in crawling all over the place. Needless to say, we only stayed for half the game, which was fine when our tickets only cost a dollar! Many days he was put in the baby backpack to go on hikes, climbing areas, or the lake. I'm happy to report that he loves to be in it and enjoys the outdoor experiences. In fact, when we are at the climbing areas, he often crawls all over the rocks...like father like son! We bought a baby pool for the backyard so he can be a happy water baby. I usually get in with him and blow bubbles. He also got to experience his first babysitters that weren't family, and that was a tough one for me. He is such a trooper though and did just fine. Jack discovered the stairs and I have included a video of him going to the top. Needless to say, we must keep the gate up or he would find his way onto the stairs. What else did he discover: toilet paper, feeding others, feeding the dog, and sliding off the couch!

Every month he continues to be a joy and I look forward to seeing him interact with his younger sibling. I can't wait to see them play together. He probably has no idea what is going to happen and sometimes I worry about him not having enough time with us. He is still such a a growing baby and I can't believe in six more months we will be taking care of two babies! We must be nuts.

Baby 2 Is On The Way!

2011-07-20T05:26:00.000-07:00

We are officially announcing that we are pregnant again. Of course, many people already know, but I'm going to put it out there on the world wide web now. We are 13 weeks along at this point and so glad everything is going well. In fact, getting pregnant this time went a little too well. We got pregnant much faster than we could have ever expected, but we are thrilled and super grateful to be able to continue to expand our family.

Last Few Weeks

2011-07-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

We have been somewhat busy the last few weeks. I was hired to work a summer program at a local middle school so Joe has become a stay at home dad, but only for about four hours since I only work until noon. He still isn't sure if he likes it or not, but I think it has been some quality bonding time. I like having a little bit of time to work and I am just glad I can help bring money into our wallets!

Below I included a few pictures from our 4th of July weekend. My parents came down on a whim and were able to enjoy a few of the festivities in town. I took Jack to see the parade and we watched the Dachshund Derby. It was also the first time my parents got to see Jack in the baby swing, which he loves. Then on Monday we went to the Cranberry Glades to explore. It is a beautiful area of West Virginia and we were able to go on three or four little hikes as a family. Hopefully we will be able to make a camping trip out there in late August or September.

Jack is 9 Months Old

2011-06-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

Another month has passed and Jack continues to grow and develop in so many ways. In fact, I think this month I saw him develop more then ever before. He is learning so many skills. I keep telling people that this is the fun baby age, because he is so interactive and it is exciting to see him learn how to do new things everyday. I enjoy everyday, but I find that I can't keep my eyes off him or he will get himself into a mess. So we are fast approaching the toddler years and that makes me super nervous! Well, here we go with the usual stats.
Nicknames: Peanut (we use this the most), Little Man, Little Stinker, Mr. Trouble

Temperament: He is starting to go into the stranger anxiety phase. He seems more reluctant to be held by others, but usually after a little time he warms up to them and is all giggles. Jack has also learned to whine. He does it all the time. If he does not want to be sitting on the ground, or he doesn't want to be held, if he doesn't like the toys he is playing with, it really doesn't matter why, but he will whine. I think it is cute, but it does get a little old to hear his high pitched squeak! He is teething as well, so there are definitely days when he is not his happiest, however I think he continues to be a very happy little boy.

Solids He Has Tried: We were going through a phase where it seemed like I could not get Jack to eat any baby food. It was always a fight basically. However, when I saw my family over Memorial Day weekend, my mom showed me what I needed to do. She basically forced the first bite in and then he was opening up his mouth for more. So that is what we do now. He has tried prunes, kiwi, chicken, corn, and green beans in pureed form. Jack is also super curious with what we are eating and starting pulling food from my hands because he wanted to eat it. So we have started to also give him small bites of our food. He has tried, chicken, bread, rice, beans, apples, carrots, yogurt, and pasta. I feel bad if I eat something that he can't try yet so I have to eat something things when he is not looking. Oh, and after visiting all his family it was basically impossible to not let him try some ice cream (in very small amounts).

Items/Toys That We Love Most: I recently pulled one of his Christmas presents out from the toy box (since he is just now old enough for it). It is an electronic toy that can be put on plastic legs. He likes to pull up and stand next to it and push all the buttons. He also really loves to look at books and flip the pages. All he wants to do is flip the pages. It is not so much about the toys as it is all about pulling them out of their basket. Or pulling the dvds off the shelf. At my parents house he liked to pull the dog toys from their box. I guess that is the most fun for him right now. He is also in love with throwing things. It is funny to see him pull a pacifier out of his mouth and just throw it across the floor. I think this is the first time that toys have become super important, especially if they have buttons on them. It is nice to see Jack grow in his interests.

First Experiences: Well, he was able to do so many new things this month. He officially sat up on his own, started fully crawling without his belly on the floor, began pulling up onto his knees and then onto his feet, and eating food from our meals. He also took a trip to NY to see relatives from his father's side. We took a plane ride to Myrtle Beach to see my grandparents since the ticket price was so good. He did an excellent job on the plane too. Jack went to the national zoo and took a subway ride in Washington, D.C. He was also able to go to a Pet Farm on Long Island with some of his aunties and his nanny. Many of the pictures included are from that trip to the farm. He showed very little fear of the animals. It was cute to see him grab at the birds.

We are truly spoiled to have Jack in our lives. I know I say that every time, but he is wonderful and I can only hope that our next child will be just as cute and fun. I can't wait to continue to see him grow up! Who knows, maybe next month he will be walking!

A Funny Video

2011-06-07T16:12:00.001-07:00

This is for Joe's family that read my blog. I think this will give them a good laugh!

What do we do when dad is away?

2011-06-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

Joe has been gone the past three days for a school field trip to Washington, D.C. I wish we could have gone with him, but would have had to drive separately and gas is just way too expensive. From what I hear, the kids are having a blast. Most of them come from really poor families, and through funding the school was able to cover most costs. So about thirty kids and three days of D.C. sight seeing. Joe told me that the kids were so excited to be in the hotel, because they had never been in one so nice (how cute is that?).

So what did we do? Well, not too much. I have been tired lately and it was pretty hot outside. However, we did get out a little bit too. We took lots of walks (I was unmotivated to run...boo hoo), a trip to the park, a picnic in Babcock State Park, a trip to Summersville Lake, we watched a movie, I ate ice cream. Jack grabbed at my peach at one point the try it...he did the same thing with some bread and grabbed a big piece to eat. I guess pureed food just isn't cutting it anymore. We made homemade strawberry ice cream with berries from a friend's garden, and worked in our garden.

Our picnic at Babcock State Park...that is the first time Jack kept his hat on.

We both took a bath every night, because no air conditioning makes us very sticky through out the day (don't worry we have window units in the bedrooms).

Look who is taking over the whole bed? He sleeps just like his dad with the arms out!

Southport, NC

2011-06-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial Weekend, Jack and I boarded a plane headed to Myrtle Beach, SC. However, we did not stay there, but drove an hour north to my grandparents house, which is also basically on the beach. We spent two days at Oak Island beach, a day in a swimming pool and shopping at an outdoor mall, then lots of relaxed time with family. I feel like I ate way to much, but thankfully I was very diligent with a running routine (which is super important to me right now since I really wanted to lose more weight...but, well, that would be happening for a few months). Anyhow, I thought I would add some pics for my parents to see. Enjoy!

"Dad, where did your dog go? Where's Roxey?"
Oh, she is sitting in his lap...that's my dad's new favorite child!

My mom was playing with Jack...I decided not to add too many more pics from the beach, because I look so bad in my swimsuit. I am embarrassed by it!

Jack is 8 Months!

2011-05-24T05:39:00.001-07:00

Another month has passed and it went quickly. That is probably because we were very busy at our house. We had guests at our house every weekend through the entire month of May. This past weekend I was busy helping with the New River Rendezvous, which is a big climber's festival in town. Jack was in tow the entire time and seemed to be enjoying himself. I appreciate that he takes all the craziness with ease. I often wonder if he will be grumpy from a lack of nap time or if his schedule is "off" but he continually shows off his happy personality.

Nicknames: Little Man, Peanut, Wiggle Worm

Temperament: Often times people ask me if he ever cries and I think he is perfectly natured when we are out in public, because he is so curious that he has no time to be frustrated and cry. So yes, my baby does cry, but not a lot. He will cry if he is hurt and tired or if he doesn't feel well. As I suspected last month, the first tooth has emerged, and it is taking forever to sprout. I feel like Jack might have a high pain tolerance, because he doesn't seem to be too grumpy. However, he does have serious separation anxiety when he sees me walk away. Luckily he does well for his daddy though. We are still working on the bedtime routine. Right now he will fall asleep in his pack-n-play which is in our bedroom and around 1am he wakes up and wants to be close. I think we will be working on the bedtime routine in the summer when dad does not have to work.

Solids He Has Eaten: This month has been tricky with solid food. Sometimes he just doesn't want to eat, or he just wants to feed himself, which means nothing is going into his mouth. I am trying to figure out how to increase the solids, it just seems he doesn't want them. He did get to try spinach, pears, yogurt, mashed potatoes, and rice puffs. He doesn't like yogurt very much, but I have tried it with applesauce and then it is a little more tolerable. He really loves the rice puffs, but still does not have the finger technique to get it into his mouth. It is still fun for him though. Yesterday I gave him small pieces of a banana, which he loved so today I will probably try cooking a mango to make it soft and give it to him in little pieces.

Items/Toys That We Love The Most: I love putting Jack in the jumper, since it frees my hands up to sweep the floors, make dinner, or wash dishes. Jack has learned how to army crawl, so there is no leaving him alone. Yesterday he crawled from the living room, through the hallway into the dining room and he was working his way into the kitchen. Crawling is his favorite thing right now, and with that he has discovered cords, dvds, the bookshelf, the fireplace, the floor heater, and he loves to crawl over to our dog. I am constantly working to baby proof. Oh, which means I love all the baby gates that my parents brought with them a few weeks ago! Jack loves to play with all his round toys that will roll away and he has to go after them.

First Experiences: As I mentioned above, he has learned how to scoot across the floor. Each day it seems to get a little better too. He also gets up on his arms and knees to rock back and forth all the time. It is like he is learning new things every day. He still doesn't quite sit up by himself yet, but I figure he will learn that soon and once he does he will just be pulling himself all the way up! Jack has tried his first sippy cup, but still does not like it much! And he tried the rice puffs, which I feel is a big change to his eating patterns. We took a walk to the town park one evening and he loved it when I put him in the baby swing. He was swinging his arms and giggling, which is a clear sign of excitement over here. I will have to do it again!

We love having Jack in our lives. Everyday he makes me laugh and we giggle together. I love when he crawls over to his momma, because he is tired and wants to be snuggled. It is nice to know that I'm on his favorite list. I know that one day that will change. And I am already putting plans together for his first birthday party. I can't wait!

Charleston, WV

2011-05-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I went to a weekend conference with 11 students from the high school that I taught at. I am still the school advisor for the HI-Y club, which basically helps students to develop leadership skills. For this particular weekend we were headed to the state capitol as they acted as legislatures and had to present a bill that that they wrote, or they were lobbyists, pages, etc. Jack came with me for the weekend trip. I always have fun chaperoning these weekend get-aways and I'm always very grateful to the program that has allowed me to bring my child as well. The first picture is a shot of Jack outside of the capitol building (I believe that is a memorial for the world wars).A church right next to the biggest mall around (totally small by comparison to NoVA). It was also next to our hotel and we got to see people practicing Palm Sunday.
There was a prom on Saturday night, so many people came to the capitol to take pictures. It really is a beautiful building, but I always find this so crazy. Back in my day, we just took pictures on the front lawn. It was also especially crazy this year because they had a rained out Easter carnival in the downstairs that morning, then there were the prom goers, and we also witnessed people setting up for a wedding in the hallway before we had left for the day.

Lunch on Saturday was at the governor's house, which is right next to the capitol building. I took a few pictures inside and of the gardens. It was a stunning building.

Spring Break at the Red River Gorge, Kentucky

2011-05-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love the picture above? That was Jack after he rolled all over the cabin floor. We decided to spend our spring break in Kentucky, with family at a cabin. It is a great climbing area, so of course Joe was happy to get out and try some climbing, but we also did a lot of hiking and just quality family time. Most of these pictures are from our two days of hiking, when we searched out some natural bridges. I'm still waiting for my sister to send me more pics, but this will give you a nice peek into our trip.

Jack is 7 Months!

2011-04-25T10:16:00.001-07:00

It is crazy for me to think that we are now closer to his 1st birthday party than when he was born! Time is flying and he is growing up so much. This last month has certainly been one full of new and different challenges. Or maybe I should say changes?

Nicknames: Peanut, Little Man, Bambino, Bella Faci, Jacquomo, Wiggle Worm

Temperament: Although I still find Jack to be an easy baby to take care of, he has become very demanding for my time. I am pretty sure he is teething or it is from a small cold, but he constantly wants to be held lately. And when you set him down to use the toilet or make dinner then he yells, not cries, just yells. I was definitely not expecting that, but I feel like we have a baby that expects attention all the time now. He has also decided that he does not like sleeping in his crib anymore. After listening to him cry in his crib for over an hour, I am just too tired to fight it anymore, so he ends up in bed with us. And he is like a koala bear, clinging with arms and legs wrapped around my arm. Get this though, if he sleeps with us in our bed he can go from 7pm until 7am, but that never happens when he is in his crib. He continues to charm others when we are out in public and I have been told a few times that I should submit a picture of him in a baby contest. Maybe I will try that this month? I was thinking of using the picture below, since I like it so much.

Weight: He is around 18 lbs. and continues to have a stocky Italian build. His eating habits have been changing. He was eating around 8 oz. in four bottles a day at the beginning of the month and now he is eating between 6-7 oz. four times a day, since he just doesn't want to finish the bottle.

Solids He has Eaten: Sweet Potatoes, Bananas (which has given him diaper rash twice so we are done with that for a while) Baby Oatmeal, Baby Rice, Applesauce, Peas, Carrots, Avocado, Squash, Peaches, and most recently he tried Green Beans. I can't wait to try yogurt next. Although, lately he has been eating a little less (maybe from the teething?).

Items/Toys That We Love The Most: I love using the bumbo seat, because it is convenient for baby feedings, but we are also using it in the bathtub when Jack has bath time. Ever since we went into a pool (a first this past month) he loves splashing water, so this works until he is sitting up on his own. We are also using the stroller a lot more as the weather gets warmer. Oh and since Jack is right on the cusp of crawling he loves wiggling around after an electronic toy ball that plays music and rolls around so he has to chase after it.

First Experiences: Let's see, he swam in a hotel swimming pool, which was super exciting for me. At first he was pretty scared, but after watching the other children playing and splashing in the water, he decided it was fun. He has gotten so good at rolling around, that he is now at a point where he does push-ups and has started getting up on his knees. I believe that crawling is right around the corner. He started eating two meals during the day, once at 9am and the other time at 5pm. He is making lots more noises, we even hear him say, "da da da da" and a gurgling noise that no one has been able to replicate yet. He got to touch the cat too, which of course made him super excited. We took a trip to the Red River Gorge, and took lots of pictures, but I'm saving that for another post. Oh, and he has graduated to sitting in the Ergo carrier on our backs! I love that the most.

Lewisburg, WV Chocolate Festival

2011-04-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went to Lewisburg to enjoy to tasting of their annual chocolate festival. I was so excited to go, but I also was afraid it would not live up to its name. Thankfully, it was the perfect way to spend the afternoon with my family. We were able to get ten tasting tickets and we wandered around the town trying lots of yummy chocolate treats. I think my two favorites were the rich chocolate pudding with a raspberry (it had a much fancier name and it looked divine) and I really liked the rice crispy treat that I dipped in dark chocolate. Yum!

No yummy treats for Jack, but he was the best baby ever. I think he was super excited to be spending the whole day with both mom and dad. As you can imagine he crashed on the way home.

New Videos

2011-03-30T04:33:00.000-07:00

I'm sure my family will enjoy these. The second video is a little shaky, because I am still learning how to use our hand held video camera.

Jack is 6 Month's Old

2011-03-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

We are back with another monthly installment about our cutie patootie! I think I'm going to nickname his cute legs as "Thunder Thighs." He has the perfect amount of chubbiness so it is only natural they should be known as T-squared! He has grown in leaps and bounds this month and I am happy to report them on this ol' blog of mine, which has become far less about travel and much more about family life. Oh well.

Nicknames: Peanut, Little Man, Nut Butt
Temperament: He continues to be an easy baby to care for. In fact, tonight he played in his jumper while we ate dinner, then while I played the piano, and even for five games of Boggle. I think that was over an hour, but he just loves it. As you may have noticed from some of the previous videos he has the cutest laugh and it makes our day when we find the magic formula that gets him going. He now knows how to sleep without a swaddle, however we are slowly weaning him off nap time in momma's arms. I'm sure it is my fault, because I like it too much. He does just find at bedtime though, so we must be doing something right, I just need to work on that this month. People always comment that he is a cutie, and of course I think he puts the charm on, because he is always smiling when we are out in public.

Weight: We actually went into the doctor's office today for a diaper rash that just didn't want to go away (I figured it was a yeast infection and I think I was right). Anyhow, I found out he is 16 pounds.

Items/Toys That We Love The Most: Now that I figured out how to use the stroller...I didn't know I could make the front wheel swivel...I am in love with using it. Sometimes I just strap a sleepy baby into the stroller and bring it out in the yard to work on the weeds. He naps and I work on the yard. It also came in handy when I was working at a Model UN conference with a couple students. Jack would nap in their and it became the station for storing diapers and bottles. The pack-n-play is also coming in handy lately too. Sometimes I will put Jack in there while I'm making dinner and he will roll around and at least I know he is not going to roll into anything. Of course Jack still loves the jumper and I have found he loves this simple musical toy that my grandparents bought him. Lately I have him play with it during diaper changes so he doesn't wiggle right off the changing table and I can attach the diaper to his body much easier.

First Experiences: Jack was able to try lots of different foods this last month. Here is the order of different foods: Rice cereal, baby oatmeal, sweet potatoes, bananas, back to cereals, avocado, squash, and this week he will try peas. He did not do so well with the bananas. I don't think it was an allergic reaction, but his digestive system just might not be ready for it. Or maybe it was the little seeds inside? I'm not sure but after the second day he has a seedy stool and immediately developed a diaper rash. This rash would fade away and come back in a different spot until I finally decided to just go to the doctor today and it was diagnosed as I thought...a yeast infection! So he also got his first diaper rash too (if you don't count the rash from the jaundice at birth). I hope to try bananas again, but in a month because he really enjoyed the taste.

I think we are finally at a point where he will begin eating solids for breakfast and lunch. He is growing up so much! He also started eating four main feedings during the day at 7 oz. at each feeding. Sometimes he even tries to grab the bottle to put it in his mouth, but he doesn't really have the hang of that yet. Oh, and he has finally mastered how to roll. He can roll from back to belly or belly to back and he can go in both directions. In fact, sometimes he will get onto his belly and drag the blanket to get his toys or pacifier closer to his mouth. I figure it won't be long before he learns how to army crawl. Then I will really have to baby proof the house! Until then, I will just enjoy watching him play in one place.

We Captured This Last Night At Dinner

2011-03-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

So we were simply eating dinner while Jack was banging his hand on the bumbo seat. I decided to do it too and this was the result. It was so funny that we had to grab the camera. I am sure that our families will appreciate this one. It shows how happy of a baby he is. We love him to pieces!

Jack Update: For the Family

2011-03-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

When your family lives hours away, these updates are a lifeline. I know my parents love them and I'm pretty sure all his aunties and uncles, plus his nanny does too! So since my dad has been pestering me to update with some video footage and since they will be at my grandparents house this weekend, it is time for a Jack update. I went to a conference with some students (I'm and their adviser, even though I'm still on maternity leave). I probably go into the school once a week with Jack for meetings. Well, there were other babies at the conference so Jack got to play.

After eating bananas, Jack broke out with a diaper rash. I think it might have been the yeast from the bananas, so occasionally he had some naked butt time. Don't you just love those baby rolls?
He has started smiling for the camera now. He used to just stare at it like it was the weirdest thing....which makes pictures not as fun!

Here is a video of him rolling both ways!

Stairs Update: New Paint Colors

2011-03-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

Back in January/February we decided we wanted to paint the stairway. It is a low cost alternative to replacing them, which we don't have the money for right now. But a gallon of paint is cheap (or even cheaper if you only need a half a gallon). So anyhow, we first painted the stairs green with hopes to bring a pop of color. It was definitely a "pop" of color, but my husband hated it. I liked it and those that saw it had mixed opinions. So I tested out white on the risers and realized I liked that so much better. If you were to see up close then you would know there are a lot of flaws, so the white does not hide them, but overall it looks much better. Joe wanted to paint the tops brown to keep them neutral. I was against brown for a long time but finally sucked it up since he let me have the white on the risers (which he did not like too much). So now you can see what we finally settled with. Oh, and I think it looks SO much better. We should have done that to begin with!

The Ugly Green Stairs:

Things I Love. . .

2011-02-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

I love that Jack was born to be a Yankees fan (it's in his NY Italian upbringing).
Sweet potatoes were for dinner tonight. When else did they look so cute smeared all over a face?

Jack is 5 Month's Old

2011-02-21T07:35:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to me that Jack has been with us for almost a half a year already. He is such a joy and a very happy baby. Developmentally he has grown up a lot this month too. Maybe that is why his sleeping patterns are also changing (ugh!). I have loved being a mom and Jack makes it even more fun, because he is starting to hug and snuggle a little more. I think this is the age where a mother develops her sense of unconditional love, because the baby is so dependent on her. Here are a few of the great things that have happened this month.

Nicknames: Peanut, Little Man, Wiggle Worm
Temperament: He continues to make lots of noises. Sometimes when I am playing the piano he will make sounds...I think he is singing. Lately he has been fighting sleep. He will easily fall asleep in my arms, but does not always want to sleep when just put in the crib. He has learned to wiggle out of his swaddles too, so it looks like we will be learning new sleeping patterns during his fifth month. He continues to be a happy baby though, and laughs more each day. Jack laughs a lot for his dad, especially when Joe tickles him. I have even seen Jack laugh at Bodhi, our dog. When my parents were here, he was giggling at my mom when she put him on the changing table. And he still gives away lots of smiles when we are out in public.

Another thing that is changing is his eating schedule. For a long time he was content to have a 6oz. bottle about every four hours. Now there are times when he won't eat for long period of time, so I have learned to increase the amount to about 7 oz. at each feeding.

Items/Toys That We Love The Most: Jack is definitely starting to show favorites. He still really likes, Mike the Moose. If you put a bunch of toys on a blanket, he will gravitate towards that. He has also started using the jumper that my mom bought at a yard sale. His feet barely touch the ground, but he still uses them to hop a little bit. The Ergo baby carrier has seen a lot of good use lately, since the weather has warmed up (lots more climbing trips). Fingers and toes also make for great entertainment. Jack will often reach for his feet to pull the socks off or suck on his toes. And of course, he loves to suck on his cute chubby fingers!

First Experiences: It took a few months, but Jack is finally rolling from his back to his stomach. He still does not know how to get back onto his back, but that doesn't stop him from flipping over and then whining for someone to help him out. Of course, right after you help him out, then he does it again right away. Forget about doing the dishes or folding laundry!

We also decided to try rice cereal. I was going to wait until he was five months, but his curiosity when we ate, made me decide that he was ready to try it out. He will stop what he is doing and just stare at us eating, as if he is studying the way to chew food. So every evening I get a little rice cereal mixed with his formula and try it out. He makes faces and most of it still rolls down his chin, but he is started to get more of the spoon in his mouth each time. I can't wait to start giving him vegetables and fruit (I need to do some research and find out how long I should wait to try that).

We also had our first getaway without Jack. My parents drove down on the weekend before Valentine's Day so that Joe and I could enjoy some alone time. I knew he was in good hands with my parents, but I was so worried that he would cry and stay up all night. Thankfully he was great. I am not even sure if he missed me?

At his last doctor's visit he weighed a little over 14 lbs. I would assume he has gained at least another pound. He was around 25 inches, so he is getting bigger too. We are looking forward to warmer months ahead, with more play dates at the park and mommy can take Jack for morning jogs.

While We Were Out. . .

2011-02-16T16:34:00.000-08:00

My parents were kind enough to venture down here this past weekend, so that Joe and I could enjoy a romantic getaway. I was glad to know that he would be in good hands (I knew my mom would take good care of Jack). And my dad would get some stuff done around our house (install new smoke detectors and try to install our diaper sprayer, which happens to be broken...urgh). I think they had a good time, since I found these pictures on my camera when I returned home! I would have added some from my dad's facebook page too, but I can't seem to find a way to copy those pictures now that facebook has changed...oh well.

Whitegrass in WV

2011-02-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day my sweet husband called my parents ahead of time and asked them if they would come down for the weekend to watch Jack. That would allow us to get away for a few days and have a little alone time. So after a few different plans, we finally settled on the idea of going to Whitegrass Resort on Saturday to cross country ski, return home that night and then climb locally on Sunday. Everything was planned around the weather, and it just seemed to keep changing so we weren't sure if it would be a skiing trip or a getaway south to rock climb and explore Asheville. Fortunately it looked like there would be a light dusting of snow on Saturday in Canaan Valley, WV so we decided to take the cross country ski route.

I have wanted to try cross country skiing for a long time. Cross country skiing always seemedmore like hiking and a leisure way to enjoey the beauty around you. I have never been a big fan of most winter sports, because you almost always have to like speed (down-hill skiing, snowboarding, sledding, skating) and that is not my favorite thing. Of course you can always throw in some adventure with some downhill drops, stream crossings, and a trip off trail. It was definitely all that I expected and more.

For starters it was a little harder that I expected. I fell a lot on this first trip and I was super afraid of going downhill and losing control. I still really don't know a good way to stop or turn, but I could use more practice at it. Joe just recently bought some back country skis, so he has had a bit more practice. He also likes the adventurous aspect more, so he first took me out to an area that was untouched by other skiers. The more adventurous we got, the less I liked it (after attempting to cross a stream and go uphill on crazy steep hills, I asked for us to turn around. So we did, and then thankfully Joe went on the easy trail. This was good for me to learn the basics. I still wiped out a lot. It was a great workout and very exhausting, but also thrilling. I hope we get a chance to go again next year. I included some pictures of our trip. As for the climbing part, I did not get any pictures, but that was also a great day.

I'm so thankful for my parents for allowing us to get away for a few days. We truly enjoyed the time to connect and have some fun. I think they also had a lot of fun with Jack. They even took a bunch of pictures of him...which I will post later. So I figure it was a win/win situation for everyone.

Provo, UT Girls - BYU Divine Comedy

2011-02-07T14:22:00.000-08:00

This music video cracks me up and makes me think of college (I even miss those days). If you are not Mormon it probably won't be as funny but it was created by the improv group at BYU and I loved going to their shows.

Stair Renovations aka. The Quick Fix

2011-02-07T04:03:00.001-08:00

So we have been working a lot of updating and improving our 100 year old house. It has definitely had its surprises for us, with wiring and old style dry walls. For the most part we have finished renovating the upstairs in our home. We completely gutted the bathroom, painted the bedrooms, leveled out the hallway floor, and put up new drywall. This new drywall was actually put up in the upstairs hallway all the way downstairs into the entryway and through the dining room. So have uncompleted stairs was a big eyesore for us. The stairs probably deserve to be replaced, but with our budget being saved to renovate the kitchen we just wanted something to make them look better. So we painted them!
I love how it came out. So we painted the front doors (we have two) to match. It allowed for a more cohesive look through out and green looks a lot better on the doors. However, Joe is not so in love with the green color. He wants to change it, but we have already had friends over for a visit and they liked the green. So maybe I can convince him that we need to keep it the way it is. Let me know what you think!

A Few More Pictures of Jack

2011-01-31T05:15:00.000-08:00

Of course I can't help but post a few more pictures of our little bundle of joy. He has learned how to put his toes in his mouth (so flexible). And he is grabbing things and holding them in his hands all the time now. Don't you just love how he has decided to rip my face off? Or don't you like seeing him watch tv with dad, eating pretzels? Okay, Jack was not eating he was just holding the pretzel, but it looks so darn cute. I even think he looks cute in his track suit (very Sue Sylvester, don't you think?). I was about to work out and I thought he would look good posed for his own workout! And of course we just love to hear him laughing. It lights up our days.

Jack at 4 Months Old

2011-01-24T08:44:00.000-08:00

This last month seemed to fly by, I'm sure with a few trips home to see the grandparents plus one made to North Carolina, we were kept pretty busy. Jack is really starting to show his personality. I love when he makes different noises and I especially love that he is starting to giggle. He has laughed for a while, but now there are times when he will have laughing fits. Usually it happens because we do something that he finds funny. So of course we do it again and again and again. Right now he loves when his dad takes him on a "race car ride." He laughs for me when I sing or tickle his sides. Of course, it makes us proud parents!

Nicknames: Peanut, Penuckle, Little Man

Tempermanent: He continues to express his moods through the whining that he makes. The louder the whine, the more annoyed that he is, which means mom is not moving fast enough for his liking. Actually he is very easy to understand. He whines and rubs his eyes when he is tired. He whines into a cry if he is hungry and I have not gotten the bottle ready fast enough, and he grunts when he is going to the bathroom. He had one of his worst crying sessions back in December when we were visiting family. I don't know if it was because his schedule was off or if he is not fond of older people, but he was crying so hard the first night I didn't know if I could make him stop. I felt very helpless as a mother and at that moment could understand the difficulty of having a colicky baby. He started crying like that again today when I went to the neighbor's house (we live next to an 80 year old woman). He continues to do well with a schedule and I relish the evenings spent alone with Joe.

Items/Toys We Love The Most: Jack loves to play with a stuffed animal that we have named, Mike the Moose. He actually has two of them so one stays upstairs and one downstairs. It is easy for him to grab the legs, which he brings to him mouth. He also loves his plastic keys which shakes around his head like crazy. I keep thinking he is going to knock himself in the head, but it hasn't happened yet. He received a lot of blankets, so I have been using those on the floors since he likes the wiggle room.

First Experiences: Developmentally he is learning to hold things in his hands and bring them to his mouth. He is also starting to rock onto his sides, so I'm sure he will be rolling within the next month (but then again, I never know). Jack had his baby blessing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He wore his uncle (my brother's) baptism outfit with a sweater that was made by a great aunt. A baby blessing is a very special prayer given to a child asking for the Lord's blessing for their future. It was a wonderful experience and I was happy to have some many family members with us for the experience.

He will have his 4 month doctor's visit next week. I am looking forward to finding out how much weight and length he has gained. He also seems to be watching Joe and I eat, which makes me think that we will be starting food with him very soon. I wanted to wait six months, but we might start trying around five months. That should be a fun experience. Mostly I keep thinking how blessed I am to be able to stay home with him. I love being the one who gets to see him grow everyday. It would be hard to have to work and not see him. So everyday I am thankful that my husband supports our lifestyle and allows us to have this experience.

Another Video for the Grandparents

2011-01-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

For the Grandparents

2011-01-21T12:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5055146616300304133

Cloth Diapering

2011-01-19T07:57:00.000-08:00

I read a couple different blogs of friends and a few are blogs that I have come across while searching DIY projects. Well, it seems like there are quite a few of the DIY groupies that are also cloth diapering parents. They have all posted about cloth diapering so I figured I might as well do the same! In fact, before I was even pregnant I wanted to cloth diaper. Today there are several makers of cloth diapers and it is very easy and convenient to use. When I told people that I planned to cloth diaper, those that had never tried it all said, "Wow, you are brave!" or "Good luck trying that," or even, "Won't that be gross to wash them in your washing machine?" First off, I'm not that brave, because I chose the easiest cloth diapers to deal with. I am using mostly BumGenius diapers in the one-size-fits-all. Basically it is built with a waterproof shell and cloth inserts. There are snaps that allow for a snug fit and get adjusted as your baby grows. The pictures included though are of a Fuzzi Bunz brand, which would be my second favorite cloth diapers. Secondly, I did a lot of research ahead of time to be sure this was what I wanted to do so I did not have to rely on luck. I didn't want to invest a couple hundred dollars if I was just going to quit, so I took a lot of time to be sure this was the right decision for me. Lastly, the washing machine does a fine job. I would like to think that if I had diarrhea or vomited all of myself that it could clean up those messes, so why not some baby messes?

Here is how it all works for us. I keep the diapers ready to go next to his changing table. I bought about 30 diapers, which allows for a few days of wear before doing a load of wash. About every third day I empty my covered plastic trashcan (next to the changing table) which is filled with diapers. I have a waterproof and washable liner which acts as the carry all bag. I basically turn that inside out into the washing machine and run a sanitary cycle with an extra rinse at the end. Sometimes I will also do a pre-rinse. Then the inserts are put into the dryer and I air dry the waterproof shells. I use Green Shield Organic Detergent (since it is free of dyes, enzymes, etc). Super easy and I can even add his cloths into the cycle so I'm not really doing that many more loads that normal. I love it and Jack's bum looks so cute in the cloth diapers.

It took a bit of talking to convince Joe that this would work, but the funny thing is now he absolutely loves the cloth diapers. On a recent trip for the weekend Jack had a terrible blowout diaper which I think was only bad because it was a disposable diaper. Joe just kept mentioning that this would not have happened in cloth diapers and I think he is right. (On trips we always use disposable for convenience and ease. It might be difficult to lug around dirty diapers and ask family or friends if we can wash them.) And Jack never gets diaper rash unless he is wearing disposable diapers, which makes for another reason that we love to cloth diaper.

It is a simple process and I'm so glad that I was determined to try cloth diapers. When I first told my mom, she thought I would give it up, but we are still going strong and loving it more everyday. I love that I have only bought one package of diapers for traveling. It saves us a lot of money and that was really my big reason for trying this out. I read that the average family spends about $3000 dollars on diapers per child. I spent less than three hundred (some diapers were gifted to us) and plan to use these for our second child as well. And even though I was a bit nervous about how it would rinse in the washing machine, it works just fine. In fact, right now since he has not had solids yet the poopy diapers are very runny and easily rinse out. It is no worse that cleaning up baby clothes that got poop or pee on them. When he starts eating solids we will install a diaper sprayer to our toilet to remove the nastiness. And it doesn't really stain, but if there are some stains then I put the shells out in the sun and everything is bleached out. So easy!

I don't know if this will help anyone thinking about cloth diapering or maybe it will convince other that they should try it, but I highly recommend that they do. I mean, who really reads my blog anyways? It was much cooler when I was traveling, but cloth diapers is a close second, right?

My Grandpa Has Skills

2011-01-11T10:46:00.000-08:00

Last year about a month before Christmas I was wishing that I could have a better trash can than an ugly plastic one. Years ago my parents needed a trash can that would fit the largest trash bags so my grandpa made one for them with a carving on top. So I got the idea for him to make one for me, but I did not need it for a big trashbag (that would suck to carry outside). I gave him a trash bag for measurements and asked for a tree with an owl sitting in the branches. So for Christmas that is exactly what he gave us and it is darling. Now, little did he know I was hoping for a carved tree with a carved owl, instead he painted ours. I think he did not have the time to do a carving. However, it has become a trend in my family since my brother and sister both have a space for their trashcans. He made one for my sister, and since she loves turtles that is exactly what she got. Isn't it cute? I think it looks like art, yet it is a place to put her trash. Then this year for Christmas my grandfather made one for my brother with an outdoor scene. He figured he might like a picture with a deer since he has been hunting before. I just think it looks amazing and I wanted to show them off. Grandpa has some serious skills. We are lucky to have him around!

Jack's First Christmas

2011-01-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

It took me a while to get these pictures posted, because we had some computer problems. Actually the one computer that we were using broke so it was a few weeks before I could have my laptop looked at. I had not used my laptop since June and it was freezing up on me. After a trip to geek squad I found out that I just needed to do a system recovery. So simple. So now we have a working computer to use, which is super nice. Plus I can upload some pictures and videos, especially since my brother bought us a video camera (super exciting).

Jack was spoiled by his grandparents and aunts and uncles this year. There were clothes and lots of toys for him. In fact, he is now stocked up with plenty of clothing for next year and some toys for a good while. Plus, his aunties even bought hats and mittens that will fit him next year. I knew this would be the case and since money is tight for us, I decided that I did not need to get him anything. I probably won't get much next year either, because he will still be so little. Here are some pictures from our Christmas trip to Northern Virginia.

(We were supposed to make a trip to New York after Christmas, but over 20 inches of snow fell the day after. We were not going to risk the road trip, so we came home a little earlier.)

As you saw in the previous post, we decorated gingerbread houses. I think I did a pretty good job on the gingerbread layouts. It was a fun activity for Christmas Eve.

My dad is feeding Jack, but he couldn't neglect is baby so of course he let Roxey jump onto his chair. It was a crowded mess!

Kevin and Jack were getting into the Christmas spirit with their holiday clothing.

A New Christmas Eve Tradition

2010-12-25T10:56:00.001-08:00

This year we decided to have a gingerbread house decorating contest for Christmas Eve. I decided to be Betty Crocker and make all the gingerbread and the frosting...for seven people (just in case we broke one set) and we used what items we had around the house. Now we would like to leave it up to you to decide which you like the best...add a comment and tell me which you think is the best and they will be the winner. Oh, Joe and Kevin broke theirs. I guess they don't have gentle hands. So all that is left is mine, Gina, Andrea, and Diane's gingerbread houses. I won't tell you which is which, since I don't want you to know who made them...just pick your favorite house!

Jack is 3 Months Old

2010-12-21T05:32:00.000-08:00

Of course another month has gone by and I wonder if I have taken enough pictures of Jack. Some people are so good at documenting each month with a special onesie that says the week or month, but I'm just content to be like my mother and take pictures. I figure after the first year I'm going to put everything together in a scrapbook! We are just excited to celebrate his first Christmas and spend time with family members in New York.
Nicknames: Peanut, Little Man, Pumpkin

Temperament: He has always been an easy baby, but he continues to bring out his personality more each day. I have noticed that he doesn't really cry very much, he is more of a whiner. You know he is fed up when it really turns into a loud cry. He is also very vocal. Lots of coos and sounds. I think he has just discovered his voice so many times he will repeat noises or just get louder and louder. From an early age people always said that Jack was observant and he continues to take in his surroundings. He loves to look at the trees on hikes and not only does he smile at everyone, but he looks them straight in the eye. He has also fallen into a very nice routine with two morning naps and two afternoon naps. He is usually ready for bedtime around 7:30 and wakes up once at 12:30 for a meal. He is eating at five different times about 5.5 ounces each time.

Items/Toys That We Love The Most: Well, I have fallen in love with his baby swing. It was a bit too fast when he was younger, but now that he weighs more I think it has slowed the rocking down a bit. Many morning and afternoon naps are taken in the swing, which allows me to get a lot done! I think Jack has found his hands to be the best toys right now. He can put them in his mouth for a longer period of time so I often see him sucking on his fingers. The hairdryer has also proved to be useful for tummy time. I will lay Jack on his stomach on the boppy pillow on the bed, then I dry my hair. It gives him at least ten minutes or so without any crying as he is fascinated by the hair dryer. I continue to love our Ergo baby carrier which allows us to take Jack on walks throughout this cold winter!

First Experiences: Jack is making different noises, you can see it if you watch the video attached to this post. He also started grabbing at toys, mostly just swatting at them, but occasionally he gets them in his hands and he will hold on for dear life. He also seems to really be able to identify me as his mom, because he will kick and wave his arms like crazy when I am around or during diaper changes. He started to giggle too. All though it is more of a laugh than a giggle.

Jack has not rolled yet, but I figure it will happen soon. I had my first moment of thinking that I wished I could have some freedom. Eight hours of sleep would be really nice too. Becoming a stay at home mom has definitely been a big change, but I really love it. The moments of freedom and a need for a break do not last very long. I only need to see Jack smiling at me and I just melt. Plus, I have found that I can get much more down when I don't have to go to work everyday...the house is cleaner, dinners are better, and occasionally I even get to do some crafts!

What Shall We Give?

2010-12-20T12:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays

2010-12-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Was A Great Day

2010-12-02T06:09:00.000-08:00

I felt like yesterday was a really productive and wonderfully relaxing day. I was able to work on a few Christmas presents...I'm trying to make a few of them (to save some money), we took a family hike on the endless trail, followed by a yummy dinner, and a happy baby who enjoyed his bath and went straight to bed. It was a cold day, but I loved seeing snowflakes fall from the sky all day (even if it did not really stick). It just gave me that much more Christmas spirit. We brought the camera along for our hike.
Right now we are dog sitting for my parents so it has been fun to see Bodhi play with his girlfriend, Roxey. And of course, they loved the hike as well.
I actually took a lot of pictures yesterday too, because I wanted to capture his cute outfits. Two of Jack's aunts bought the same Christmas outfit from Target. I think it is adorable. Of course, Joe thinks I'm dressing him up too much, but I love it. Especially his leg warmers!
Then this morning I actually put him in his first Yankees onesie. I know that will make his other aunt happy!
My favorite picture of them all would have to be when Joe decided to read Rock and Ice magazine to Jack for his bedtime reading. The great thing is that Jack loved it...he was just staring at Joe with the most interest. I just know daddy is going to be his favorite!

Jack is two months!

2010-11-26T04:39:00.000-08:00

The second month has gone by quickly and fairly smoothly. We are beginning to see Jack's personality and it makes me very happy. I love being a mom and feel very blessed right now.

Nicknames: Little Man, Peanut, Wiggly Worm,Bean

Weight: 12 lb. 02 oz.

Temperament: He is a great baby. For the most part he only cries when he needs something: food, sleep, a diaper change. He has also started to talk to us with lots of coos, which has been really fun and he is a great smiler!

Items/Toys that We love the most: I decided to buy an activity center, which has been a favorite spot for Jack to play. He will lay there for up to a half an hour and just look up at the toys. I can tell when he is happy because he will coo at the toys, and when he is done it sounds like an angry coo!

First Experiences: Jack started sleeping a little longer through the night. Now we will feed him around 8pm and then he does not wake up again until 2 am. After a quick feeding he is back to bed again. Unfortunately I cannot seem to kick him of the habit of waking up at 4am. He is not hungry, but just wants his pacifier or to get into our bed in the morning. Then he will sleep for at least another hour or two. I don't know how this habit got started, but it never fails to happen every day! He also started smiling. I was the first to see them, as he likes to do it when I am changing his diaper. It must be because he is looking right up at me and I noticed that he was studying my face. He gave his dad a smile on Joe's birthday, which of course made Joe very happy. Now we see smiles everyday whenever he is awake.

Jack also started to coo. I am trying to get him to make a high pitched coo, but I only hear those occasionally. I have a feeling he will be giggling by the three month mark. He has also experienced his first cold. Both Jack and I have gotten sick this week. It is just a little cold, but I was so worried about Jack sleeping through the night. We survived though!

Oh, he also went climbing with mom and dad three times! Although I was constantly worried about Jack crying while we were climbing, but mostly he just loved being outdoors. He would lay down looking up at the trees and just quietly observe. He also took two road trips...once to his great grandparents house and then also up to Northern Virginia for Thanksgiving.

Honestly, we have the best little baby. I cannot complain. I am learning to be a good parent and just feel very blessed to have him in my life.

Hunting Season

2010-11-12T06:20:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I was taking a hike on the town trails when I heard a gun shot...yep, just a reminder that it was hunting season. Don't worry I did not go too far into the woods, but I figured this reminder was a great excuse to dress Jack up! Now he is ready to be a true West Virginian and go hunting!

Our House - 1 Year Later

2010-11-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

We have done a lot of work on the house in the last year of living here, so I thought I would show the before and afters of the rooms we have worked on so far.

1st Project - The Upstairs Bathroom
Before

Upstairs Bathroom After
The Baby's Room/Guest Bedroom - Before
This room was is good shape, since the previous owner had already renovated the bedrooms, so mostly it needed new paint and the fine touches to make it into a nursery. I'm still sort of not finished with this room though, because I have some pictures to frame and hang up, plus I need to complete the slipcover for the chair. Let's be honest though, a baby takes up your time so I will get to it when I get to it.

Baby Room/Guest Room - After

Our Bedroom - Before
This room was also in good shape, but we changed the paint color, added doors to the top of our closets, brought in a sophisticated fan, and curtains.

Our Bedroom - After

Upstairs Hallway - Before
You might not be able to tell, but we had to re-level the floors. That was a big project for Joe and he did a fantastic job.

Upstairs Hallway - After
Downstairs Hallway - Before

Downstairs Hallway - After

Dining Room - Before

Dining Room - After

The eyesore in the middle of all this would be our stairs. At first we were going to replace them, but for cost reasons, it is far better for us to just repaint them. So that will be a project that we complete in the spring. Right now we are adjusting to parenting, so other than the little project here and there to finish up the hallway work, we are not doing any renovations. But we have done a great job for just one year though, don't you think?

The upstairs is complete (except the thresholds which we need to install) although I'm sure we will add a few more accessories or pieces of furniture. Now it will be work to get the rest of the downstairs finished...especially our kitchen, which just might be the worst room in our entire house. I love this old house, and I'm happy with our improvements...and besides the bathroom reno, everything else was done while I was pregnant! Okay, I admit, Joe did most of the work with help with my family (but I'm a painting machine....that is definitely my specialty).

Oh, I should also mention that Joe had a major surgery on his wrist after falling 30 feet in a climbing accident. To keep himself busy when he could not climb (and honestly when he could barely move his fingers and wrist) he built our dining room table, a book shelf, and a coffee table. We also planted a garden, added a screen to our front door, put a vapor barrier underneath the house, and fixed the sub pump!

And here is one picture of our Little Man that I took while I was roaming from room to room taking the after pictures (we have family come for a visit, so I knew it was time to take pictures since I finally had a clean house).

Halloween

2010-11-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

We did a low key Halloween this year...we went climbing, had only one set of trick or treaters and dressed up Jack for pictures. We wanted to go out to a friends party but Jack started to really cry (it was bed time) so we stayed in!

Jack at 4 Weeks Old

2010-10-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

Nicknames: Bean, Wiggle Worm, Pumpkin

Temperament: He is more and more aware of his surroundings. It has been fun to take him for walks as he looks at all the leaves and the sky. He went on his first road trip, up to the Morgantown area. Dad had a leadership training and we came along for fun. The first night he did not want to sleep. He also seems to be sucking on his fingers more and more each day.

Items/Toys We Love The Most: Since I have noticed that Jack is more coherent, I started to bring out toys to attach to his car seat and bouncy chair. My friend, Stephanie, made a baby sling for me and we have been using that a lot around the house. His pacifiers still champs most things so I always make sure I have two whenever I leave the house!

First/New Experiences: As I mentioned before, we took our first family trip. It was only two hours from home, but I made sure to over pack on diapers and wipes. Trying to figure out his formula set up was probably the biggest obstacle. He didn't adjust well the first night, but was much better the second night. My mom and sister also came for a visit and he was able to experience his first bridge day event. Fortunately the weather was wonderful so we spent the afternoon walking out to the bridge to see base jumpers depart off the bridge. He also got to experience his first cloth diaper. I think they look so cute, even though they are more bulky!

We are hoping to get to a point where we can take him climbing soon. I am feeling better everyday. I look forward to the family outing when we can climb. I need to get back into exercising soon! I have also noticed that Jack is smiling a lot more during the day and not just when he is dreaming. I can't quite tell if he responds to my voice, but I'm trying to remember to enjoy every minute with him when he is this little. I can already tell that he has grown. I wonder what he will look like in another month? I also feel more comfortable as a mother. It is a great feeling to know that I have this little person that I get to help and comfort each and every day! Boy, do we love our little Jack!

** Don't you love the Halloween costume that I put together. I bought that baby onesie when I first found out I was having a boy. The face mask was actually from the hospital (from the jaundice days, they had to cover his eyes) and since we were sent home with two of them, I put one in the scrapbook and cut out the eye holes from this one for his costume! He is so cute!

Jack at 3 Weeks Old

2010-10-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

I'm going to change the layout for my weekly (soon to be monthly) posts about Jack. I think this might be an easier way for me to get things written down.

Nicknames: Peanut, Wiggly Worm, Bambino

Temperament: He continues to be on a routine. One night he even slept from 7:30pm until midnight. I couldn't believe it, but that was only one night and we are still holding out on the three hour routine. Occasionally he is fussy, but I think it is a gas issue when he decides to cry. He also seems to be more and more coherent with each day. He also likes to grunt and whine before he really begins to cry...which I think it cute!

Items/Toys That We Love The Most: This week I was able to put Jack down more and he seems to enjoy sitting in the bouncy chair. It makes my life easier for a few hours, since I can get things done and it is cute to hear him entertain himself. I still love the Ergo baby carrier. Daddy has even taken Jack on a few hikes with the baby carrier. Oh, and we can't forget the pacifier, which is the biggest comfort for Jack and we bring one with us everywhere. I learned that lesson when I left it in the car at the doctors office and he cried like champ! I could barely communicate with the doctor.

Firsts/ New Experiences: Jack spent his first nights in his crib this week. It was nerve racking for me at first because I would worry about every sound that I heard, but I am doing better now. I still respond to his cries, but it is usually just because he wants his pacifier. He also had to make two more trips to the doctor because there was a lot of gunk in his right eye. It was just a blocked tear duct, so he is much better now. He also met his uncle Chris for the first time and went to the grocery store for the first time. I was glad since he slept through the trip, so we did not make a scene. Oh, he also graduated to the larger diaper category (8-14lb) and soon he will get to try his cloth diapers!

Daddy is still pretty tired everyday going to work, but I feel like we are getting some routines. It just feels like we are getting better at this parenting stuff!

My Birth Story

2010-10-14T05:02:00.001-07:00

I think it is only appropriate to start this post by stating that when I was in the last phase of labor, as in, pushing the baby out, I made a comment that has made my mother chuckle ever since. I said, "I can't believe I'm going to have a baby!" It's not as if I didn't know. Obviously Joe and I had been trying to get pregnant the year before and I pretty much knew right away when I became knocked up. However, throughout the whole pregnancy I could never seem to wrap my head around the idea of my life changing forever.

I feel like I was really blessed during my pregnancy. I didn't have any morning sickness, very little heartburn, and the swelling didn't set in until the last six weeks. He kicked a lot, my weight gain was 32 lbs., and I loved being pregnant. Even after I passed my due date, it still wasn't that hard to go to work every day (although it was a little more difficult the day before I delivered). With each passing month I because more and more curious at what my little bundle of joy would look like? How was he going to act? Would he be colicky? How tired was I really going to feel? And of course, how bad will labor really be? Labor. The big unknown. I read a lot of birth stories online. I was fascinated by how different every one's experiences were. I only wished for a short labor with manageable pain. Wouldn't that be nice?

I decided I was going to continue to teach up until the day I delivered. Of course, all my students would ask, "what are you going to do if your water breaks in class?" Or, "what if you started labor while at work?" And I would always reply that I would just leave and go to the hospital. I reminded them that most people do not have a baby that quick, so I figured I would be able to make it to the hospital. Each day that passed after my due date, the kids would say that couldn't believe that I was still there. I had a feeling that the baby would be late, but four days after my due date I was anxious to go to my appointment to see if my body had made any progress. In fact, that Tuesday I was feeling a lot more uncomfortable. I didn't want to work the next day. I didn't sleep well and my body hurt. I guess I was hoping that was a sign that I was closer to delivery. However, the doctor burst my bubble when he said, "the cervix is still closed." No progress. So we made an appointment for three days later (a week from my due date) for an ultrasound and talked about the option of induction if the baby was another week late....ugh, I might have to feel this uncomfortable for another week? That made me cranky. I kept telling Joe that I was not going to go to work the next day if I felt this uncomfortable, because I needed the rest.

I went to bed early that night, trying to get the courage to make it another day of work, but I woke up around midnight feeling contractions. I figured it was just braxton hicks, but I found it very difficult to go back to sleep. After about an hour of discomfort I started to keep track of the time. They were happening regularly, but they were not at consistent times. Oh, and I cannot forget to mention that I constantly had to go to the bathroom. I guess that is a good thing, because I really didn't want to poop while I was pushing my baby out and after going about ten times that night, I think I got it all out of my system! Around 3 am I decided to take a warm bath. Joe woke up and asked how I was feeling. The pain was bearable, but it felt like this might be the real thing. I couldn't believe that possibly I was going into labor. I was going to have this baby soon, within the next few days. I could just tell. Around 4am I tried to get back to sleep, and I think I might have gotten about an hour of rest, but by 5 am I was up and in pain once again. This time I figured it might feel better if I tried to walk around, but with it being dark outside still, I found myself doing laps around the house. Joe woke up again around 5:30 and I told him to call into work, because I knew we were going to the hospital. At this point the contractions were stronger, but still inconsistent in times. Mostly they averaged around 8 minutes apart.

This is when I called my mom. I wanted her to be there for the delivery and although I still wasn't positive I was in labor I knew it was going to happen within the next day or so. It was a five hour drive for her to get here and we told her that we would call if we headed to the hospital. Then at 6am I called the long-term substitute and told him that I would not be in school and that I thought I was in labor. Now it was just a waiting game and the pain was getting worse in my back. That's right, I was experiencing back labor and it was feeling worse with each contraction. Joe was trying to keep track of the contractions and I think I frustrated him, because I didn't tell him when the contractions started, instead I would just try to breathe through them. At this point contractions were getting closer together at 6 minutes apart. There were times I was keeling over with the pain and I told Joe to start getting things together for the hospital. I took a shower, not knowing when I was going to take another one. Around 8 am I was in so much pain I wanted to go the the hospital. Joe was freaking out because we had taken the car seat out of the car and kept asking me how to reinstall it while I was having contractions. I kept thinking there was no way I could take through the pain! Finally I yelled at him that he had two days to figure it out and it was not necessary right now since I just wanted to go to the hospital.

Unfortunately when we arrived at the hospital the midwife checked me out and told me I was only 1 centimeter dilated! That was it. All that pain and I was only 1 centimeter dilated. I was asked to walk around the hospital for two hours and then see where I was at then. So I did, but the baby kept pushing into my sciatic nerve so it was very painful. After two hours I was only two centimeters, so not much progress. The midwife suggested that we go home so I could try to eat and walk around some more. I tried this, but I could barely stomach any food and walking was once again difficult with the baby pushing on my nerve in my left leg. By 3pm it was time to head back to the hospital. I was in some serious pain, but after a check at the hospital I was only 4 centimeters. At least I was finally in active labor. I was ready for drugs. I wanted to be a strong person who didn't need any drugs, but I couldn't handle the pain. An hour later the anesthesiologist arrived and gave me the heavenly epidural. It didn't take long for the pain to disappear, but it also brought on some problems.

I found out that my blood pressure went down which then affected the baby's heart rate. A doctor came in and more drugs were administered. It all happened sort of quietly, and I felt fine the whole time. Except that I was numb from the chest down. I didn't like being so numb. Thankfully I found out that it was going to wear down a bit. I was also requiring a bunch of IV bags of fluid. Apparently I had dehydrated myself from all the trips to the bathroom the night before and I had thrown up about four times! I think that didn't help when it came to the epidural. Fortunately the medical team were able to get everything under control. I'm glad too, because after the doctor left the midwife told me that they thought I was going to have to have a c-section. I'm so glad that did not happen.

Since everything was stabilized they decided to give me the epidural drip, but I found that it was only taking effect on one side of my body. So I started to feel the full force of the contractions once again. It was painful, I was frustrated, and tired. Why did this have to happen to me? I should have just avoided the epidural to begin with. After two hours of my whining and experiencing severe pain another anesthesiologist came into my room and tried to fix the problem. He gave me another shot of the epidural. I felt heavenly and I was finally able to relax. This time, even though my blood pressure went down and the baby's heart rate went up, I was determined to sleep. I figured they would be able to fix the problem once again. I was just going to trust the medical staff and allow my body to relax since I did not know how long it was going to last. This was probably the best thing I did for myself, since it allowed me to dilate even more. I went from 5 centimeters to 8.5 centimeters within an hour. I knew I was closer to the end and that made me happy.

Fortunately the medical team was able to fix all the epidural complications again with another drug so I did not have to have a c-section. I'm so glad now that I did not have to go down that road. Of course at the time of severe pain I kept saying, "I don't want to do this anymore!" "I'll take the c-section!" And everyone just said, "you don't have a choice, you have to finish it now." Because my body did not take well to the drugs I was told that I would not receive any more and once it wore off that was it. I could be experiencing the final pain of this labor, but that was okay, because I didn't want to harm the baby. Fortunately for me, within an hour I started to feel the need to push. Although I was only at 9 centimeters, the midwife helped me out. Each time I contracted she would try pushing against my cervix. This was the trick I needed and within twenty minutes I was ready to start pushing.

Finally, I was going to see my child. I was going to have a baby. I would be a mother. This was something that I have wanted to do for almost ten years. I couldn't wait to experience this new stage in my life. It was really going to happen. All I had to do was push the baby out. And when they say you have a desire to push, they are right. You don't even think about pain at that point, because all you can think about is bearing down and pushing. I still felt a little of the epidural, so I was able to feel every sensation, but with muted pain. And I pushed. I used every muscle in my body to push. I gripped the sides of the bed and pushed. It took about an hour. In between contractions I would take deep breaths and relax. I kept my eyes closed, but I would listen to my mom, my husband, and the midwife carry on a casual conversation. It was so easy for them! Every once and a while they would look at me and if I opened my eyes they would say, "you are doing so good." To be honest, this felt like the easiest part of labor and since it was the end I knew I could handle it. So I just kept pushing.

Finally with four big pushes he arrived, all purple and slimy. He was put on my stomach and it took a while for him to cry, but he did a faint cry. I couldn't believe I had a son. The nurse worked to clean him up, while Joe and my mom looked over her shoulder. The midwife kept prodding and poking me to finish up the delivery process. I just wanted to see my baby again. Since he swallowed some meconium (his first bowel movement in the womb) he was brought back to the nursery. I was only able to give him a kiss and was told they would bring him to my room as soon as possible. It took the rest of the night for me to find out that he would not be coming to my room. He would need to stay in the nursery. Luckily, Joe and I were able to make our way to the nursery the next morning and visit him. I loved him. I wanted him to be get better. I just wanted to hold him. Jack Muir was my baby. My responsibility. My future. I gave birth to him. Even now, three weeks later I think, this was the bundle of joy in my body. What a miracle to have this new life and I can't wait to experience every moment I can with him.

Two Weeks Old

2010-10-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, I won't post pictures and and update for every week he is born, but I figure that the first month is sort of momentous, so I will be writing a little about the events from the past week. So lets see...my mom left at the end of the second week. As I mentioned before, it was great to have her here. She allowed me to enjoy my time with Jack and take naps when I needed to. I was able to rely on her for the laundry, dinner, and she even broke down my garden for the end of the season. I think she also enjoyed being able to cuddle with her grandson and going to his first doctor's appointment.

This week we got the hang of our nights and our days. About halfway through the second week we were officially on a routine. Jack was eating every three hours on the dot...not because I wanted him to, but he just got cranky right at those times. And he was sleeping more at night in his own bed. So I was feeding him at 10pm, 1pm, and 4pm with sleep in between. This was a lot easier for me and has made me a lot happier. It was getting so hard, because I didn't want the nighttime to come, since I knew I was going to be up all night long. I'm just glad he is finally on a schedule and I just remind myself that it is a phase and there will be a day when we get to sleep through the night too. One of my friends gave us great advice, that I think made a big difference. She said after each feeding during the day we should try to keep Jack up for at least 10 minutes. That would help him to identify the days and make sure to give a calm and darkened setting for the night. After trying that for a day, he seemed to sleep better at night. I also started swaddling him more tightly, which I also think was a life saver!

He had his first doctor's appointment on Tuesday. Thankfully, he already gained weight and was 8 lbs. 05 oz. but I'm not surprised, since he always seemed like a big eater to me! The doctor said he was looking good, so he does not have another visit until the end of this month. This was also the week that he had his first bath, since the umbilical cord and the circumcision stuff fell off. I actually think he likes bath time so it will make for a nice part to our evening routines. I will have to take bath time pictures or maybe even a video sometime soon. I also started making a bedtime routine. Every other day there is a bath, he gets his pajamas on, story time, and then his last feeding for the day.

I feel like he is more and more aware of his surroundings everyday. He stays awake more and looks around the room. We find ourselves falling in love with him more and more each day too.
Oh, the cat still does not know how to feel about the baby. She is afraid and pretty much keeps her distance! I still need to write about the birth experience and even though I took pictures last week, I was not happy with them. I would like to find a good one for sending out in the mail...We will see!

PIcture Taking

2010-10-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

It is hard to get that perfect picture...here are some attempts!

Finally I caught a smile!

One Week Old

2010-10-04T07:40:00.001-07:00

There isn't too much to post about the first week home with Jack. Of course he was already five days old when we were finally able to bring him home with us. So I had two days to experience life with a newborn in the house. Since my mom is also here with us we had to figure out the best sleeping situation as well. The guest bedroom is also the baby room. I think in the future Joe and I will probably just sleep in the guest bed, or put Jack to sleep in our room in the pack-n-play. So this week that is what we did, Jack slept in our room in the pack-n-play. However, he really didn't do much sleeping. I don't know if that is normal, but he really didn't like to be laying down in the crib or pack-n-play. The best spot was in some one's arms. So we dealt with a bet of his fussiness and lots of holding to get him to sleep. Oh, not to mention I had to change his outfit four times that first night, because each time I put his diaper on I forgot to point his penis downwards. So he would pee right out the top of the diaper onto his clothes and drip down the side of his back! I'm such a good mommy, right? Luckily I figured that out pretty quickly though, and that has not been to much of a problem since. Now we are just trying to keep the peeing from happening during diaper changes!

For the most part, he is like a normal newborn...lots of sleeping, eating, and pooping. He tends to fight off sleep though, especially from the hours of 8pm to 1pm. That makes for a tired mommy. Oh, and he really does not like breast feeding. I think this is because he started on a bottle while in the nursery. Unfortunately I do not provide the quick supply that a bottle does and he has to work a little harder for my milk. Therefore, any time I try to put him on the breast it results in a lot of crying and a very sad mom, who really wants to give the best to her son. I have also had a chance to try out his baby carrier and found that he loves it and it basically puts him to sleep and allows me to do the things I want to do, like write this post. The Ergo was worth every penny I spent on it!

I continue to get better with each passing day as well. The swelling has completely gone away in my legs and ankles...yeah! Each day it seems as though I am smaller in the stomach area too. And every day I take Jack for a walk in his stroller and I can go further and further (with less pain). As we are now halfway through the second week of his life, I hope he will continue to learn to sleep on his back in the pack-n-play so I can get more sleep. I don't mind getting up at night, it is just not going to bed that I hate. We have even had to co-sleep a little bit. I know it is probably okay, because all over the world they do it, but of course there is the other half of me that worries. So the more I can get him into his own bed the happier I become! This week I hope to write down a little about the birth experience and also take some newborn photos! He also has his first doctors appointment tomorrow!

2010-09-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

How could you not love this face?

Our Baby Boy Has Arrived!

2010-09-25T06:15:00.000-07:00

It has been really crazy since I have been in the hospital, but I wanted to officially make the annoucement that our baby is here. He arrived on Thursday, September 23rd at 12:53 am, weighing 7 lb. 14 oz. and at a length of 20 1/2 inches. After laboring for about 24 hours, I was happy for the labor to be over, but another set of concerns arose. Jack swallowed some meconium during delivery which was a concern and he was whisked away to the nursery. Unfortunately he has had to be under an oxygen hood ever since to help with his lungs and x-rays have shown some pneumonia. Thankfully the doctors and nurses have been treating him well and he is slowly getting better. Hopefully I will be able to hold him before I am discharged tonight. On a good note though, I have started pumping so it won't be long before he gets some breast milk! He is the cutest baby ever, which the most adorable cries and whimpers. And he looks just like his daddy! I just want to hold him forever. I love him already!

Welcome to the world
Jack Muir DeGaetano

My Life Will Change Forever This Month!

2010-09-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

It is mid-September and I was thinking this morning...I can't believe September is already here. Actually the last six weeks has really gone by slow. I keep thinking about experiencing labor and I'm freaked out by the idea that life is going to change. I have continued to grow more in love with my husband and now I will be sharing my love with another little bundle. Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited to finally see my baby. I can't wait to see what he looks like, find out what he personality is like, and experience all the firsts of parenthood. Yet, I also think about how life is going change.

I'm having a hard time sleeping now, but just wait until the baby is finally here. It is also scary to think about being responsible for another individual. FOR. THE. REST. OF. MY. LIFE. Doesn't that thought just sound so scary? I just want to do a good job. I want my relationship with my husband to continue to grow stronger and I know that we will be so busy with our baby.

I'm sure I am sounding awful, but it is just some of the things I am thinking about right now. And lets not get started with labor. I'm scared to push a baby out! It is going to hurt and I want so badly to be tough and be able to say that I did it without any help from drugs! I don't know how I will take the pain, so I will just have to wait and see. I guess the idea of this baby arriving is just all so surreal.

Every day I am asked when the baby is due. As a teacher, the students are constantly asking me, "When is the baby coming?" or "You haven't popped that baby out yet?" I have one more week until the due date. However, I have a feeling he won't be ready just yet. I'll do what I can to prepare. The car seat has been installed, the hospital bag is packed, and I'm halfway through my lesson plans for a sub. So little by little I'm getting things together. Our house projects are almost complete...we just need to finish up some touch-ups with paint and add the last bit of trimwork in the hallway. It is a crazy thought to realize life is about to change forever. I'm excited and nervous.

The Last Big Project Before the Baby Arrives

2010-08-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

So we continue to work on the house this summer and I have to admit, we have done some serious damage on the place. I can't believe we haven't even been here for a year, because it feels like we have done a lot of projects. Of course, I'm not doing much this time around with the preggo belly, but I did help my mom and grandma clean windows and baseboards. Plus, this project has taken on a life of its own and grown...into three big projects! I can't believe we will get it all done before the baby is here. I just hope we can get the walls painted before baby Jack arrives.We were originally just planning to drywall the hallway upstairs with hopes to get the downstairs hallway too...which we are doing! Plus, we opened up the entryway into our dining room for better movement (it was really narrow between the hallway and stairway railing). And then Joe decided to also redo the walls in the dining room since we were working partially on that room! SO, we are have a lot of painting to do...it is madness! I'm a bit grumpy, and I'm sorry to all my family for having to deal with my moodiness. I really have appreciated their help in the past week. I just can't wait to show some more pictures and updates and hopefully a finished project!

We also celebrated our second anniversary with a super delicious dinner with family and a blizzard between the two of us! I'm constantly impressed with my husband and I feel so blessed to be with him!
b

This video is not great...I always forget that I cannot turn the camera. Oh well! You can see how my house has been for the last week.

House renovation Updates

2010-07-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

I can't remember the last time I updated about the changes going on in our WV house. Of course we painted the baby room and started setting that space up, but since we moved in last November we have done quite a bit to improve on the space. Here is a list of things we have done so far (and when I say we...I mostly mean my husband because he has done a lot of work):

Renovated the bathroom
removed ugly tile from entry hallway to discover hardwood flooring underneath
Painted our bedroom
Painted Guest/Baby room
Put together furniture for baby room
Installed a ceiling fan in our bedroom
Built closet doors for our room
Built a dining room table
Built a bookshelf
Built a coffee table
Planted a garden
Releveled upstairs hallway flooring
Installed new upstairs hallway flooring

It is a good start for not having even been here for one year. Not to mention there is a lot of things that needed to be done to fix things. We don't just live in a normal house. Ours is over 100 years old and has been wired, added on, and built by those that probably did not have to follow any regulations. So every step is that much harder once you really see what is behind the walls.

Our next project is to finish the upstairs hallway by putting drywall in the ceiling and finish off the walls while hopefully also finishing up the walls into the downstairs hallway. We are going to be working on this next month with the help of my dad and grandfather. It will be the last project before the baby arrives. Then it will be a little of a break until next spring. Then we are going to get started on the downstairs renovations! One step at a time! So hopefully the next time you see the hallway and stairs it will not look like this!

Baby Shower

2010-07-12T02:17:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I went home to Northern VA to visit with family and friends for a baby shower. I was excited to see everyone and eat some yummy cake. My sister, mom, mother-in-law, and sisters-in-law all worked together to make food and get the shower together. We decorated onesies and enoyed each other's compnay. Below are some pictures of the cute cake my sister bought from the same person who made our wedding cupcakes and some of the decorated onesies! I'm thankful for everyone's kindness and and getting more and more excited for baby Jack to make his debut.

Starting the Nursery

2010-06-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

I started working on the baby room the first week I finished school. First step was to pick out the room colors. I knew that I wanted a neutral color for most of the walls, but have one accent wall with a bright green color. After checking out a few sample colors, I found my picks, bought the paint, and prepped the room. It took me two days to paint (by myself) because my husband was building our dining room table at the time. Don't worry, most paints today are safe for pregnant women with no odors!

After our baby shower last weekend (which I need to post about) Joe started to put together furniture for the baby room. The dresser, which we put on our registry probably took the longest (and sadly, it is a pretty cheap piece of furniture for a lot of money). We also got our crib from my parents and thankfully that went together nicely and looks good too, for half the money of the dresser!

I have also started washing the new clothing and fabrics in vinegar to eliminate any chemicals. Then today I made a crib skirt, and lined the dresser shelves with cute paper. This room will be officially put together by the end of July. I still need to attach the wall decal, assembly the IKEA chair, put pictures on the wall, and read the manual for the baby monitor. Then I guess I should make some room for baby bottles in the kitchen, get the car seat in our car, and all the rest of the stuff that I should be thinking about with a baby on the way. So at least here is a start to our preparation for baby Jack!

Summer Goals

2010-06-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the last day for me this school year....yeah for summer break! I was looking back on my last summer goals and plans and I am happy to report that I completed almost all of those projects. So I figured, if I write it down again, then I will complete it all:

1. Get the baby room together - I cannot wait to start painting this weekend!
2. Make some pillows with cute fabric I bought at IKEA.
3. Make a dining room table (with the help of this blog Knock-offwood.com)
4. Pick lots of yummy veggies from my very first garden!
5. De-weed around my house
6. Go to the beach
7. Make a trip up to NY to see Joe's family
8. Get ready to have a child in my life
9. Read a few new books (and get a membership at our public library)

A Pregnancy Post

2010-06-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have been looking at a lot of different blogs lately and I am jealous that I have not been updating how I have been through out my pregnancy. So although I am 6 months pregnant already it is never too late to start sharing a little about what I am experiencing. Plus, I figure when I am a stay-at-home mom, this blog will be an outlet for me to communicate with others in the world.

1st Trimester-
I found out I was pregnant almost right away. Of course, we had been trying to get pregnant, and in December I decided to try an ovulation kit. I guess it worked in our favor because within a few weeks my body was not doing it's regular thing! I was afraid to actually take a pregnancy test, since I didn't want to psych myself out. However, my sister was in town for a weekend trip and she convinced me to get a test (she even bought it). Actually, she bought two, and when I tried to use the first digital test I did not follow the directions and I messed it up. So I had to wait until the next morning. I woke up before everyone else and took the test. It did not take long to say that I was pregnant, and surprisingly I was very calm about it. It was as if I knew this all along but I was not as excited as I wanted to be. That came later though (it just did not feel real yet).

I walked upstairs and told my sister, then snuck back into bed to tell Joe. He was super excited. Of course, there was no way we would be able to keep a secret so we called all the family, starting with my grandparents. It was special and very exciting! Pretty much right after I found out that I was pregnant I started to feel the symptoms. I was tired, had to pee all the time, and I had a strong sense of smell. In fact, I found that I really hate a distaste for tater tots...ugh, they still sound gross. Luckily I did not really have morning sickness, but I did feel nauseous in the afternoons. It was weird, but as long as I ate regularly I was not that bad. I definitely can not complain, because many of my friends were sick their whole pregnancies.

We took a trip to Seattle towards the end of the first trimester and I was feeling great and just starting to show with a little gut. In fact, most of the time I really just feel like I have a huge gut. I guess I thought it would feel different. It was also on this trip that I first started to feel things...I didn't know if it was the baby or not. Now I am thinking it was probably the first movements from the baby and pains from my stomach stretching.

Of course, everyone was asking us if it was a boy or girl, but we did not know yet. Plus, I had no clue what to expect. We both wanted a boy, but I did not really have any inclinations that it was a boy. Well, at one point I did have a dream that we had a boy and I thought he was the most beautiful baby. However, I figured it was just a dream. Now I find that experience to be really special.

2nd Trimester -
My appetite started to pick up, even though I don't feel like I am eating that much more. I just went through a month were I wanted to eat a lot of fatty foods. I guess you might call them cravings, but it really doesn't feel that desperate. On the other hand, I have grown to love fudgcicles. Yum!

I also have started to notice the baby movements a whole lot more. Usually at night or when I am sitting down. I think I am just too busy to really pay attention to the feelings. I also noticed that my stomach was really starting to grown. In fact, I was forced to look for other options in clothing. So I bought a few items of maternity clothing. Mostly dresses, because they seem to be the most comfortable. In fact, it wasn't until last week that I realized I cannot wear my jeans anymore, so I figure that is pretty good if I lasted six months in my normal clothes. Joe and I also went rock climbing for the first time in a while...I was horrible. I was trying to be careful and felt really off balance at the same time.

Two weekends ago my parents came for a visit and we worked on a vegetable garden. I was so excited to get things going, but of course we needed to get a little weeding out of the way. Let's just say my back was killing me and I noticed how much more exhausted I felt at the end of the weekend. I'm continuing to feel tired quickly...and since we don't have air conditioning I am starting to feel uncomfortable in my skin too. I'm hoping I will be able to survive the heat with very little swelling in my ankles. I feel like a blimb already. I had my husband take pictures, as you see above and I look so bad. Actually, I think I look much better in person, but that never seems to come out on camera.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for students and it could not come too soon. I am anxious to get started on the baby room. Plus, my heartburn is getting worse. So it will be nice not to experience that while encouraging teenage boys to stop talking and focus on their assignment! I have also been paying attention to my belly a lot more, with hopes that I might see the movement, but to no avail. In fact, Joe has still not felt our baby boy and that makes me sad. I can't wait for him to be part of the excitement. Each time I feel him kick me, I notice that I am more inclined to talk to him as well. And then I think, is this really happening? I'm going to be a mom...am I ready for this? Will I be good at it? I hope so. I want to be more excited, but I feel really scared for all the upcoming changes. And to make matters stranger, I have three students that are also pregnant, who see more excited to be moms than me! Weird...maybe I am just more realistic about it.

So at this point, I'm going to try and take a few more pictures. It will be nice for baby Jack to see them one day. Plus, in two weeks I am going to paint the baby room and start the decorating process! So there will be lots to post about. It might not be my travels, but it will be something.

Lake Quinault, WA

2010-05-17T16:13:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite places that we stayed while traveling through Olympic National Park was in Lake Quinault. We had heard of this old lodge where Franklin D. Roosevelt had once stayed. Apparently he was there to check the area out and make sure it was a great place for a national park. I think he made a great decision and I must say, I loved the lodge as well. I felt like we had gone back in time, when people went on vacations to the mountains and signed up for an all-inclusive package. There was a lake to swim in, canoes to take out, lots of hiking, board games to play, a great big fire to sit next to, and a delicious restaurant.

In fact, I ate one of my favorite meals (that only cost as much as our stay for the night!). We didn't think we would be able to get a room, but since it was the off season they had a great walk-up price. We jumped at the chance to stay in a small, simple room. It wasn't about the room, it was about the lodge itself. Plus, we had really enjoyed the hiking too. We definitely hope to go back there one day with our kids and highly recommend others take a trip there too (just remember to go in the office season.

Our First UltraSound

2010-04-28T16:50:00.001-07:00

So I don't know if this will be the only one, but I can say it was very exciting....especially because we found out the sex of the baby! It is going to be a boy. It was the last thing we found out, but right when the technician focused in on that part of the baby, Joe could see the baby's penis! It was right there for us to see just because he wanted to make sure everyone knew! And right away he was doing karate kicks...Joe loved that too. Needless to say, we are thrilled and so excited to be having a boy (secretly it was what we both wanted). And just seeing the baby made me realize this is really happening! So in the picture you can see the baby's head and he has his hand on his forehead. The second picture is a front image of his face...doesn't it look like skeletor? And last is a video where you can even see the heart beating!

Twilightville

2010-04-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

I couldn't drive through Forks, WA and not stop to take a picture. I would not call myself a faithful Twilight fan, but I have read all the books...and quickly too. I have also seen both of the movies. And being that I am a teacher that has many students with an obsession for the stories, I thought I would have to get a picture.

Of course, the town looks nothing like the movie...however, all the forested land does. And we also went to the beach next to La Push...it was beautiful. I noticed that everyone in Forks was feeding off the popularity. There were Twilight burgers, Jacob or Edward sandwiches, plus many stores were selling things related to the movies!

Wildlife Sighting in Washington State

2010-04-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

We had the best spring break in Washington State. It was beautiful and a little cold, but well worth to trip. We took lots of pictures, but I'm just attaching a few for the time being. In fact, I think it was the perfect babymoon trip for us. It had a little hiking, some great mountain vistas, nice beds to sleep in, and no set schedule. I don't think we could have been it any better. I love my husband more and more everyday and it was so much fun to take this trip together. Most of the pictures you will see were taken by him...he is much better with a camera than me!

Giant stuffed bears...oh my!

We saw about five raccoons while at the museums in Victoria, Canada.

Seagulls in Ocean Shores, WA

Roosevelt elk spotting as we circled Quinault Lake.

Hey look it is Big Foot's son...and he is going surfing!

New Adventure - Spring Break in Seattle

2010-04-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

So Joe and I decided that we should make our spring break a fun trip because we did not know what kind of fun we would be having in the summer when I am really far into the pregnancy. So after scoping out ticket prices for a while, my wonderful husband found tickets from Washington, D.C. to Seattle, WA for a little over $200 each. So we decided to book the tickets and travel off to a part of the United States that neither of us has really been. Plus, we are renting a car and traveling to Vancouver, B.C. and Olympic Island National Park.

It is going to be a true adventure because we have decided not to book anything in terms of hotels. I guess we figure this way we can take our time everywhere. I just hope that we can still do this on the cheap....we will have to report about it and tell you later. I think it would be fun to stay in a tree-house hotel and since it is the off season, we might have a chance of getting a room for a lower rate. Plus, there are the hot springs on Olympic Island that I won't mind soaking in! It will be fun.

I know I have not posted in a while, but it has been project central at our house and it did not seem that important to write about. When I return from spring break I should show the finished pictures of our bathroom and we painted our bedroom. Plus, there will be a nursery to create too! And pictures of Washington! So stay tuned.

The Big News!

2010-02-17T07:52:00.001-08:00

The word already went out on facebook and of course we have told our families, but I am officially 9 weeks pregnant! Of course I am so excited, since I have had a baby fever for a while now. It just felt like the right time to start trying and after about six months we were successful. I feel very blessed, since I have had many friends that tried for years and years to become pregnant.

So at this point, now I need to eat heathly and hope for a heathly baby. Oh, and we have one more house project to complete, a nursery to decorate, and Joe is recovering for a serious rock climbing accident. After hurting his hand and wrist severely, he is not working to move his fingers again and we are both praying for nerve recovery. So there is lots to do, but we are so excited and scared for our future!

Snow Storm

2010-02-11T05:46:00.000-08:00

The first week of January we had a week off of school. It snowed everyday about three or four inches a day. Nothing too bad, but the icicles grew all around the house. Each day this one would get bigger and bigger. Until finally I decided to open the window and break it with a hammer! Now we are having snow again, and the icicles are building up again!

The Bathroom Renovation

2010-01-08T16:54:00.001-08:00

So the last time I post anything it was the start of our bathroom renovation. I was hoping to post in steps, but it was a lot of work and took a lot longer than I expected. We figured we would get the big stuff done in a week, and if we had a normal house that would have been okay. However, our house is over 100 years old and it needs a lot of work. So here I go with a story.

We started the renovation the week before Thanksgiving, since we would have a whole week off for the break (it is great to live in WV, because Thanksgiving and hunting go together). So Joe and I started the prep work by getting rid of the ugly walls and flooring. We emptied out the cabinet and basically started to demo. Then when my dad arrived on Saturday we continued the demolition process, which did not end until the end of Sunday. There was a lot to get rid of and lots of blown-in insulation to get rid of. While demoing we noticed some bad electrical work and that the roof was falling. Of course those were things that we had to fix first. It took one day to jack the roof up and re frame out the ceiling. My dad is basically a trained electrician but it was a surprise to him to see some of the spliced electrical work. He was so stumped that it took him a while to figure it all out. Plus, we had to pull of the flooring up as my dad discovered some electrical work that was sparking! He had to make cut-outs and boxes for all this electrical work Plus we now had a lot more framing to do. I figured we would have the shower, cabinet, and tile installed within the week. That would have been nice!

Instead, we were lucky to have the electrical work done. We even had to call my brother in for extra support since he is excellent at framing out walls and such. Luckily two days after the Thanksgiving break was up, we had a shower and drywall up. Even though it was just for a week, I was tired of showering at a campground. Plus, it was November and it was just plain cold outside. And when I had to go back to work, it was not fun to feel dirty and tired from not getting a morning shower.

My dad and brother had to go home and back to work so we were on a stand still for another two weeks until they were able to come back down to help us. On the second trip, we installed the tile, put in the cabinet and sink, and had the drywall mudded two times. Then it was another break for the holidays.

At this point, I was glad to see some of the biggest problems solved, because I really did not need a fire to start from bad wiring, however, I also wanted it to be done! We needed my dad's help, since he was mudding the walls. Fortunately he was able to come day on New Year Eve with my mom. On Saturday we finished the mud and sanding. Then we cleaned up and prepped for paint. We primed and painted on Sunday and it was great to get everything into place. Plus, it was snowing so we knew that we would be off school on Monday. YEAH FOR SNOW DAYS! Unfortunately Joe did not like the paint color, so on a whim we rushed to Lowes on Monday afternoon and picked another color. Then we started to paint, but we did not like that color either. That meant we were back at the store on Tuesday (another snow day) to pick up samples and wood for the trim work. Thankfully we found a color that we like and on Wednesday (another snow day) we were able to paint again. Plus Joe got a start on some of the trip work after painting. On Thursday (another snow day) we put up the trip work and cleaned up the house. Then we celebrated because Friday was also a snow day so we painted the trim work and any touch-ups, installed the toilet paper holder, and stained our built in cabinets. This could not have been done so well if we had to work each day. I'm so glad we had the time off. Tomorrow I am going to clean off any mud on the floors and caulk the tub. All that is left is to finish our built-in shelving! It looks so good and I am glad to see one more room in this old house be renovated!

Our next project...the hallway and staircase!

So here are pictures in a play-by-play:

1. This is what the room looked like when we bought the house.

2. Demolition (do you see the electrical work just sticking out of the insulation?)

Or how about the electrical box sitting in sawdust? We ripped up the floor to take a look at this and found three more splices in the electrical wiring! What a nightmare!

My dad actually fell through the floor by accident. He was okay, but it put a hole in our kitchen ceiling. That gives us one more reason to renovate that room too!

3. We start to re frame the roof and add structural support

4. I think we filled our truck and my dad's truck about six times.

5. Drywall is up and the cabinet is being installed. Yeah for a shower!

6. Here comes our new slate flooring. It was a process to put these in, because I had to seal the tiles three times, once more before grouting, then grout, and then seal it again. Plus, I ran out of grout and had to put some and finish the last four tiles on the next day.

7. The finished project (minus the built-in shelves). We were able to reuse the toilet and medicine cabinet. Everything else is brand new. I will have to put a price break down on here soon.

Our First Renovation

2009-11-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

So we bought the house, an old house, built in 1896. I expected there to be quirks, and things that would need some TLC, but I guess it was too much to except it to be free of West Virginia ghetto rigging! We are redoing our upstairs bathroom and it was a complete gut job. We are four days into what we were hoping would be a week long renovation (we get all of Thanksgiving week off, because of hunting season). I think we will be lucky if we get the wall up, the bathtub installed, and the start of a tile floor! Nevertheless, it is exciting to think we are going to make this a better place and we love it!

This is a picture of me "Raising the Roof." Basically after we demo-ed the bathroom we found a hole in the ceiling/roof, so before we could really address the bathroom we needed to figure that out and fix the roof that had dropped. So it was a process today. Actually I didn't do much of the work, thanks to my wonderful husband and my dad. I was given the task of pulling out nails on the old trim that we are going to try to salvage. Plus, I pulled staples out of the staircase, for a future project. Tomorrow while they work a little more, I will be making pumpkin pie, jello, and peeling potatoes...for Thanksgiving! I just can't wait to have the final reveal of our bathroom!

Bridge Day, New River Gorge

2009-11-04T09:05:00.000-08:00

The 3rd Saturday of every October is Bridge Day at the New River Gorge. One thing I have really love about living in Fayetteville is all the festivals and outdoor adventures that we get to experience, but still live in a small town. The highlight of bridge day is the fact that base jumpers come from all over the world to legally jump off the bridge. It is pretty cool to see. However, this year, it was really cold. Unfortunately we missed the first chile cook-off, but I am thinking that I might particpate next year. So here are a few pictures and maybe next year, we will get some visitors in our new house to see the Bridge day festivities too!

I posed in front of this backdrop...doesn't it look like I am going to jump?!

A view from the bridge looking down to the New River.

Can you see where they were jumping in the middle of the bridge?

Base jumpers packing up their parachutes. It is a very careful process. We asked and they said they had hopes of jumping three times. Apparently jumping off this bridge is one of the safer ways to base jump.

My husband is all bundled up because it was freezing outside!

Lots of goodies to eat along the way to the bridge...

Did I not capture the coolest picture ever? He was jumping off with flippers! And below is some video footage of base jumpers. It was a fun, but cold day.

I'm a home owner!

2009-11-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

All the paperwork was signed this morning! Joe and I are officially puttinng roots down in West Virginia...who knew this would be the way everything would turn out. We are so excited. And the bonus: I took the day off too! YEAH

2009-10-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

It has been a long while since I last posted anything. We have been busy with moving in, visiting family and friends, new jobs, and now our new house! We officially close on the house on November 2nd. It has been a long process, but the date is set, the loan is approved, and all I have left to do is get home owner's insurance. That is on the list to do today!

So I took a few pictures of our place right now. We don't have a lot of furniture, so it looks plain. Plus, if you haven't noticed, it is a fixer upper! So through the coming months and years we will be updating with all the new things that we would like to do on our house. At this point we have plans to update the upstairs bathroom, redo the hallway and staircase wood floors, get rid of ceiling tiles, fix the walls in the dining room and living room, and put in a whole new kitchen and downstairs bathroom! Plus, there are lots of little things that just need to get done, because it is an old house. Officially it was built in 1896, and it is even on the historical records! So exciting for us. I cannot wait to start buying rugs, curtains, and all the extras to make it into our home.

We've Moved!

2009-08-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we are finally in Fayetteville, West Virginia, since I started working this past week. School starts for students on August 26th, which is this Wednesday. I have a crazy teaching schedule, as I will be teaching four preps. How I get myself in these messes is beyong me. However, I really seem to like the people that I am going to be working with. It will be tough to teach so many subjects at once, but once I have done it, then I will be able to teach anything in the county! Bring it on...well, I say that now, but in a week a might be crying.

Hopefully this house (pictured above) will be our new home!

As for the updates on a house, we put a contract on a house and now we are in the process of waiting. We ordered an apprasial and hopefully it will be done this upcoming week. Once that is out of the way, we will now for sure if the house is going to be ours. It is really exciting, and sometimes we drive by the house just because we want to see it. So I really hope it works out, because our little hearts are set on buying it. Until then, our friend has been generous to let us stay at his place. He actually owns two little small houses in Fayettevill, which sit side by side. He has fixed up one of them, which he now lives in. The other, which was orginially rented, turned into a storage unit, as he found that he needed more space. Since it was basically available, we are using the space for a simple rental price. It works for us, because there is a kitchen, bathroom, and a small room to sleep in as he has things stored in the rest of the house. It might not be much, but about 10 days ago, I thought we might be camping!

We are staying here for about a month!