What do we do when dad is away?

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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.