Life with Jace & Kylie

The quiet times

2010-08-08T15:17:00.003-05:00

Not that it has ever been very quiet around here, but we have been laying low the last two weekends. Next weekend starts the birthday bonanza- we have two on Saturday, and then Jace's the next week. And then our fall is quickly disappearing before it is even here. Steve wants to take Jace to two Mississippi State Football games, and then go to a third with some friends in Florida, and then another weekend my parents will be here and we are going up to College Station for an A&M game. Sadly I have not been since I have been married and it will Jace's first. So we plan on doing the whole thing- March In and all.

Kylie has moved from barely walking to almost mastery in the last three weeks. She even tries to run but is not there yet. She loves music. If anyone starts to sing on the TV, no matter where she is, she goes to listen and "dance", which consists of standing on her tippy toes at this point. And after only having two teeth on the bottom, her first ones are starting to make an appearance. It looks like 4 all at once. Considering this she has not been too cranky.

She's is growing up so fast...

2010-07-18T19:55:00.007-05:00

My baby girl turned one on Saturday. Time has flown by.

Kylie had a great time at her birthday- definitely not the shy kid that Jace was. I have always loved ladybugs, so in the back of my mind I had her theme picked out a long time ago. It was great to see friends I had not seen in a while- having two small children does not do wonders for a social life. As one of my guests replied when we asked how it was havign two, "one plus one does not equal two". But of course they are all worth it- just look at that smile!

And as if turning one was not a big enough milestone, today Kylie decided she was going to do the walking thing. She had taken a couple steps here and there, and usually had to be coerced, but today she was just excited to do it, and did it all day long. She still teeters at times, but she is well on her way to being a genuine walker. She is not a baby anymore.

On Friday I took Jace to the circus. I was in the hospital with Kylie last year, so it was my first time. He did really well- probably better than me. I like the animals- especially the elephants, so those parts were great. There were just a lot of clowns... That I was not as excited about. But he loved it, so I am sure we will go again next year. Maybe next year the grandparents can come to town (yeah dad if you are reading this take notes), because I will have to take both kids, and I am not sure if I am that brave!

Happy 4th!

2010-07-05T20:42:00.006-05:00

We decided to keep this one low key. Kylie has had a cold for two weeks, and Steve and I got the smaller version last week. Then Jace came home with a fever Wednesday and was not rid of it until Sunday morning. So any hopes we had of doing something special for the holiday were overridden with our desire to all get well. No great loss- it was too hot to do much of anything.

We did take Jace to Toy Story 3. It will be a while till we take him back to a movie. He loved the first two, and while I have to say the 3rd was not quite as good as the first two, if this movie did not keep his attention I am not sure what will. We only had to threaten to leave once, but he was restless the whole movie.

So for the 4th, we blew up the small pool in the backyard, turned on a sprinkler and grilled some burgers. Jace enjoyed eating outside, and asked to do it again today, but it was just too darn hot. Because Jace was feeling better, Steve decided to take him to the Pearland fireworks. Kylie and I stayed home, since it was way past her bedtime. Well between her waking up every 30 minutes from our neighbors illegally setting off fireworks (note the annoyance in my voice), to Kayla frantically pacing, it was not the most relaxing night for me. But it sounded like Jace had fun. Maybe next year we all can go, and we will give Kayla a sedative.

I finally got some pics where you can see Kylie's two little bottom teeth. She drooled a lot today and was chewing on everything so maybe she might get some more before her first birthday, which is only two weeks away. She is also starting to get a hang of the walking thing a little more. She is up to about 10 steps before she crashes. She is not walking for lack of trying- she loves to try. I tried to get it on video, but it was a jinx- maybe next week she will be more consistent.

Making it Quick

2010-06-27T20:42:00.004-05:00

Ok the guilt got the better of me so I am making a quick post. I should be in bed because I feel like crud. Our family had been healthy for at least a month, but we all had one ailment or the other this weekend.

A couple weeks ago Steve took Jace to the Texas Speedway on the north side of town and Jace loved it- of course.

Last weekend we took the kids to Sea World. I have to say the trip went better than I expected. It was the first time we all stayed in a hotel room together, which with a white noise machine, and two kids who are heavy sleepers, we did ok. Then I did not know how Sea World would go. In June I was afraid of the crowds and heat, both of which were not ideal, but we had a lot of fun. Jace loved it a lot. Kylie was just along for the ride. Jace rode his first roller coaster (kiddie version) and log ride. I am actually looking forward to taking them back, but it will be cooler and when school is still in session next time.

Today I had to catch some video of Kylie playing with Jace. I found out in her new classroom they call her The Wrestler. She supposedly tackles everyone in sight, no matter what their size. I cannot imagine my sweet girl- hah!

Manic May

2010-06-07T20:07:00.012-05:00

Well, the rest of the month disappeared, quickly...

Kylie keeps making leaps and bounds towards being a big girl. She is now drinking from a sippy cup though she loves to play with it too. She did finally get her first tooth. It has been a couple weeks, but there is a ridge of a tooth barely above the surface. If it makes its way out a little more I will try to take pics. She is really getting good and walking behind something and her balance has greatly improved. Today she started in the Toddler 1 class and had some challenges. It is only one nap, not until 11, and first bottle not until 9:30. She made it through that alright, but was exhausted tonight, and ended up with a pretty good bump on her cheek from trying to bend over to get something while standing up. I have signed more incident reports for Kylie bumping/bruising something in the last 6 months than we have for Jace in the last three years!

Jace made it through his first two weeks of swim lessons and graduated from being a guppy and is now a goldfish. The second to the last day the fire alarm went off (false alarm) and I was afraid he would never go back because he hates loud noises, and it was piercing. So now we have moved on to twice a week maintenance, and with the neighborhood pool open we practice on the weekends.

For Memorial weekend the whole family made the trip to Mississippi. Luckily the engine on the plane, combined with good timing, had Kylie asleep for the trip. She was not about to sit on my lap patiently for even five minutes. We had a good and relaxing time. Jace tried out playing the drums (video included below) and loved to play in the water. This was Kylie's first bathing suit experience- and she loves to splash. The kids loved playing with their Meme.

Jace's drumming debut...

And last but not least we got the pictures back from our session in April (you may have noticed a new pic in our blog header). I love our photographer! Getting two little ones to take a good picture is a feat, but getting all of us is a miracle! Just a couple of my favorites...

Rocker chick

2010-05-16T21:09:00.003-05:00

So all weekend Kylie has had her tongue stuck out. Not just a little- more like she has been watching too many Kiss videos. Coupled with a little crankiness, and lots of drool, this girl might be actually getting a tooth finally. Jace got his first tooth at 7 month old and Kylie is going on 10 months old and has none. Just one more thing, on a very long list, of the differences between my two children. But we don't have a visual of the tooth yet, so who knows.

Jace is doing world's better at swim lessons this time around. I am not sure if it is because this teacher seems more interested in making sure he feels comfortable (the other was all business), or he just had a better idea of what was going to happen. Whatever it is I am glad he is having fun. He walks through the door by himself, with no prodding- yeah!

Crazy Mommy Weekend

2010-05-09T20:30:00.004-05:00

Well this weekend it was Mother's day and my birthday all rolled into one. I had Friday off, but spent most of it working on projects for Jace's room. I sewed some curtains and a bed skirt, and made a cornice. I also put some vinyl stickers up- supposed to be the easiest. Well within 20 minutes they had all peeled off. I used them because when he outgrows construction equipment I just wanted to peel them off with no damage to the wall. Well I ended up using scrapbook adhesive, and so far it is holding. Here is the end result.

There is still more to do, but I have to decide what that is exactly.

Mother's day was pretty low key. I did get to sleep in a little so that was nice. I scrapbooked a lot (I had not done any since January). But looking at all those pics reminded me that I had not taken many lately, so I broke out the camera.

Tomorrow we start swimming lessons again. It is a two week class. We started this once before but Jace missed the second week because he had a bad stomach bug. I am hoping it goes better this time- he was pretty scared. He had started to warm up at the end so I am hoping we pick up there. Tonight we practiced in the tub- I am crossing my fingers.

Progress

2010-05-02T20:06:00.007-05:00

Geez, I keep saying I will get back to weekly posts but I am not there quite yet. So we have had a couple progress reports as of late:

#1: Kylie has started taking some first steps. Of course using a walker, but walking nonetheless. She just turned 9 months old! Jace was at least 11 months old when he started this all.. And she pulls up on things with the greatest of ease and is getting brave enough to let go every once in a while. I am sure running is around the corner (especially if Jace's teasing continues).

#2: As I already mentioned Kylie turned 9 months old April 17th. Time flies so fast. She weighed in at 18#7.5oz(25-50%) and 27.5"(50%). We are definitely noticing some of her baby chub is disappearing. She is on a faster track than Jace was except in one department- still no teeth!

#3: Kylie has outgrown her duck tub. Tonight was her first bath in a real tub. I felt adventurous and decided to let Jace join in. They had lots of fun.

#4: I am hoping I am not jinxing this as I write, but Jace has made progress in the potty training department. After using pull-ups for a month, and fighting him every time to go potty, we talked to the school and went to underwear. He only had one accident a day. And then this weekend none (outside of naps)! We also crossed a big hurdle- going potty in public restrooms. He hates loud noises so flushing toilets and hand dryers strike fear in him. We we were out to dinner and poor thing had to go #2. We went to the potty six times. I finally convinced him to go, promising we would not have to flush (of course I did after he left the stall). After that he has gone all weekend long, and we ran lots of errands this weekend. I am really hoping we have made a step forward, but realize there will be little steps back every once in a while.

#5: I rarely post about myself.. But I got a new job! Still with Ineos, but it is a promotion. I am now the Feedstock Supply Manager. I am responsible for making sure we have feeds for two of our plants. A lot more interaction with the outside world. It has been fun so far.

One day this weekend was miserably hot and humid- I am sure just a taster of what the summer will be like. But I could have done without it. Our outside time was in short increments, so here we are blowing bubbles.

And we had another photo session with Laura. It went fairly well considering it did not start until 5PM and Kylie is usually in bed by 6:45. I love the sneak peaks:

http://www.studiobloomphoto.com/blog/?p=986

Three Strikes We Are Out

2010-04-12T20:35:00.009-05:00

So again I went missing again, geez, for over a month. To put it nicely it has been chaotic.

#1: Steve and I went on a real vacation- no kids! My parents came to watch them a few days while we ventured off to Asheville, NC. We stayed at the Inn on the Biltmore Estate- it was gorgeous. We had a fun and very relaxing time. The only thing that could have been better was the weather. Just like spring weather anywhere it was unpredictable. When we flew in it was in the 70s but then the next two days it was in the 40s. So maybe would have been better to wait a couple more weeks- plus the flowers were just starting to bloom. Neither of us packed for it to be quite that cold, so we just wore lots of layers.

Steve wanted to document that I asked to go on a carriage ride when it was 40F outside.

#2- Easter. Steve's mom and niece came to visit for a couple days. Jace and Kylie were thoroughly spoiled. We went to the zoo- Kylie's first trip.

It also gave us some time to work on projects. We converted Jace's toddler bed into a full size bed. Ever since we moved him upstairs a year ago I had not decorated his room knowing that once we converted his bed I would get all new bedding. So we have gone with a construction theme. We painted his room (over the course of the next two weeks) and Steve put up a chair rail. I think Steve is done with construction projects for a while (or until I threaten to hire someone again)- he had some rework on the chair rail and had to call out an electrician after the room lost power when he was hammering in a nail. It was a lot of work, but we like the way it turned out- all for a 2 year olds room...

Jace's room- stage #1. Paint and chair rail.

#3 sick kids. Easter Sunday Jace did not eat very well, which is not like him- and by mid morning he had thrown up the two M&Ms we had let him have. As the day went on he started doing a little better, so we thought it was maybe a 24 hour bug or something he ate. By Monday afternoon they called from daycare that he had a fever. He had picked up a full-on stomach bug that I later found out had started to spread at school the week before. Jace never had a stomach bug that lasted longer than a day, so this was new to us. It took him a couple days, but besides being tired, a mild fever, and an upset stomach it was not too severe. Then Thursday morning Kylie caught it. When I put her to bed the night before she was happy, and had eaten well. When we went to get her the next morning she was dangerously cold (94F), had diarrhea and was not very responsive. So we quickly took her to the ER- our first trip with a kid. They ran a series of tests on her and took x-rays and nothing showed up so that coupled with the fact that her temperature had come up and she was more alert after getting her hooked up to an IV they chalked it up to her getting dehydrated. That day she was not very happy- she did not feel well, I am sure, plus she was not very happy to be getting small doses of pedialyte- she wanted to eat. But by Friday afternoon she had gotten much better and was back to her normal self by Saturday. It hit her a lot harder than Jace, but she got over it quicker.

So we got the kids back to healthy (for now), and I started getting things back to where they had been almost four weeks ago. I need another break....

Ride'em Cowboy

2010-03-14T20:38:00.007-05:00

We took the kids over to the rodeo last weekend. Well we actually did not see any of the rodeo (we figured neither of them would sit still long enough), but we did go to the carnival and the Agventure to see the animals. Kylie rode her first longhorn! When we walked in we were amazed how all these small children/babies were sitting on that thing- well they do a great job hiding it, but there is someone back there holding them. The animal was heavily sedated but still made me a little nervous.

Jace loved all the rides. He ran from one to the other. We learned a lesson. He got on the jeep ride, and it started bouncing up and down a lot, which we were afraid would terrify him but as you can see from the picture he loved it. But we made sure to watch the rides first before putting our two year old on them, from then on.

On our way home from dinner last night Jace was singing, Row-Row-Row Your Boat. We thought he had skipped to another song, but then realized it all rhymed. I guess there is another verse we never knew for this song. He taught us something.

Talkers and Movers

2010-03-07T15:08:00.005-06:00

Jace's vocabulary is really expanding, and he is starting to put together gramatically correct sentences. So in order to keep up, Kylie started talking as well this week. Some might call it babbling, but nonethless it is cute. She has started with the always popular, b-b-b.

So she is a talker now, and has got the moving thing down as well. She takes a couple crawls and then resorts back to army crawling. Either way she quickly gets anywhere she wants to go.

Hermann Park

2010-02-28T20:12:00.003-06:00

Well this weekend has been gorgeous so we decided to venture a little further from home. Jace has been to the zoo many times, but we never has just packed a lunch and spent some time at the park, which is bad because it is so beautiful. So we did just that. The only rule for us about going is that we go early to beat the crowds. By the time we left around 1PM it was a mad house of people trying to get in. Jace had so much fun while we were there- they have multiple playgrounds and then a lake as well. The picnic lunch was an adventure (I would not expect any less) because Jace could not be still so he was continuously sitting/stepping on food. And in the end Jace and I road the train back to the depot and Steve picked us up- no lines to get on and we did not have to pay since we only road half way so it worked out really well. Both kids passed out on the trip home- a sign of a good time.

Dr. No

2010-02-21T20:45:00.005-06:00

So Jace had a serious case of the "no"s this weekend. He said no to just about everything. As if this was not bad enough there even came some hitting with it at times. I came out of the bedroom yesterday morning (after being sick all night) and I was greeted with "no mommy" and and a hit. So needless to say he spent a lot time in time-out this weekend. I could make excuses for him, like he has a bad cold, but he has been sick before and never acted like this, and I am not one to forgive this kind of behavior even if he is feeling bad. I am not sure what has gotten into him, but it is already old so I am hoping that sweet Jace returns and this other Jace only makes an occasional appearance in the future (never is to hopeful since he is a toddler).

It helped a lot that we let him play outside a good bit this afternoon. Now if the weather was always warm enough and dry enough to let him do this we would all be better off.

Kylie started eating some solid foods- just stars and yogurt puffs. She is getting better about it, but there was a lot of gagging faces at first when she could feel something in her throat.

Yesterday the weather cooperated again so we went back to the park.

A happy valentine's

2010-02-14T18:37:00.013-06:00

Today was a busy, but very funny day in our household. After coming home from breakfast the kids opened their valentine's presents from the grandparents and mom and dad.

Everything goes in Kylie's mouth these days.

And just in case you forgot how cute she is...

Jace is big into monster trucks these days. Nothing says "I love you" quite like a monster truck box of chocolates.

I got this at Hobby Lobby for a $1. Luckily Kylie let me get a few pics in- I thought they were too cute.

It has been rainy and cold for what seems like forever. So when the sun was out and it was in the 60s we all went for a walk to the park. It was Kylie's first ride in the wagon.

Jace loves the swings. Kylie tried it for the first time today and she loved it too!

And what would a holiday be without cupcakes? Jace helped me decorate the first one and then had to try them out.

So today was a pleasant end to what started as a not so pleasant week. The antibiotic they changed Kylie to last Friday did some bad things to her digestive system. They were changing her outfits several times a day at daycare. But they wanted her to get at least 7 days of it in, which we did. Her bum was so burned and red, the poor thing. Luckily within 24 hrs of her last dose she was back to normal, so now we are working on healing. Jace never had this bad of a reaction to any medicine so this was all new to us. Hopefully we can stay healthy and not have to take them again (as I type this I hear Jace and Kylie coughing in their monitors- ugh).

Monsters of all kinds

2010-02-07T20:17:00.006-06:00

Well Saturday was a very busy day for Jace. We got up and went out to breakfast. After only being home then for 30 minutes we headed over to Reliant to watch a Sesame Street show. I have to say I was actually quite impressed with it- I thought it was really well put together. Jace loved it of course, and was standing and dancing for a good bit of it.

At intermission I headed to the concession stand to get Jace some lunch. To my dismay they only had sodas, but I had to get something since Jace had gone through all the water I brought with us. So we got a Sprite. Jace has never even tasted a soda before. So I warned him it might tickle his tongue. Sure enough after the first sip he stuck his tongue out and touched it with his hands. He called it "fuzzy" juice. He was not every excited about it, which I am ok with.

After going home to take a nap, he woke up and we went to dinner, and then him and Steve headed to another Monster Truck Show. He enjoyed the last one so much and I guess it only comes once a year so Steve decided to take him again. This time I made Steve take the camera.

The low point to our week was that Kylie was pretty sick. On Tuesday they called from daycare saying she had a 102 fever. We took her to the doctor and he thought he heard something in her lungs so the fever coupled with the fact that she has had a cold for over a week led him to believe she might be getting pneumonia so we started antibiotics. So the next couple days she was not her happy self, and on Friday we took her back because she still was having fever. Her lungs sounded better so they decided the fever was from the cold. Finally Saturday she was fever free, but Saturday night she was up between 1-4AM which is not like her at all. I am wondering if there are some teeth trying to make an appearance.

January in Review

2010-01-31T20:37:00.006-06:00

Well I have finally finished scrapbooking 2009 so I am back to world of blogging. Trying to keep up with our family scrapbook and Kylie's baby scrapbook has been a time consuming process but all worth it. So here is the major events of January...

Jace has started potty training. The first weekend we just tried pull-ups. Like many had told us, this does not work because they do not feel wet. Then the next weekend we went to regular underwear. This led to many loads of laundry (not a big deal) and many puddles on the carpet (bigger deal). So then we went to pull-ups over the underwear- seemed to kind of work but he really did not seem to mind being wet. All the while we had been using an M&M as a motivator. Then last weekend we told him if stayed dry while we ran errands he could get a Lightening McQueen car. His eyes lit up- we had found the motivator. He stayed dry and got the toy. But I was not about to give him a toy every time he stayed dry so this weekend I drew a progress chart- he gets a sticker every time he goes (as long as he stayed dry in between) and after 10 stickers gets a small toy. It seemed to work, he stayed dry for the most part this weekend. Here he is showing off his new Monster truck.

Speaking of Monster trucks, Steve took Jace to his first show last weekend. We did not know how he would do since it did not start until his bedtime. We bought him some good ear protection, and I figured that he would fall asleep half way into it. Well at 9:30 they come in the door and he is still wide awake- he loved it. He has been a daddy's boy ever since. He wants Steve to do everything for him.

A few random pics from today. He is a messy eater, but he does like cleaning up. I wonder sometimes if that is why he is so messy.

I think he had more fun playing with the caps than actually coloring.

And then there is Kylie. She continues to be a trooper. She had her 6 month appointment and measured in at 26" and 16lb 11oz (both 50%). Hard to believe she is 50% with those chubby little legs! She had to get four shots and did not even make a face through the first three and on the fourth let out a single cry- tougher than I am.

At the beginning of the month she mastered sitting, and more recently she has started to army crawl when there is something she wants like dad's remote or Jace's toys. She is eating fruits and vegetables (pureed of course), and loves them all so far

I had to take a couple pictures of one of her last baths in her baby tub- she is quickly outgrowing it.

Christmas Recap

2010-01-10T20:06:00.016-06:00

Well, Christmas was so great (and busy) that I am just now getting to post about it all. We spent a week in Boulder City with my parents and my brother's family. It was a great time. Jace was finally old enough to play with his older cousin Dylan and in not time at all they were the two Musketeers. Mom and dad had lots of fun activities for the boys like decorating cookies, going the shark reef at Mandalay Bay, getting to see the Knight's Jousting Tournament at Excalibur, and a train ride in Boulder City. I am struggling with what pics to post since we got so many good ones, despite Jace's many attempts to not cooperate.

An annual trip for us is to the Bellagio Atrium- it is always decorated so nicely. We finally figured out the trick- go early in the morning, it is so much less crowded and so much more enjoyable.

As always Mom got the kids cute Christmas outfits to go to Christmas Eve Service in.

Grandma had connections, so Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus stopped by Christmas Eve to give the kids each a gift.

Even the two babies got to play together (Tyson is three days younger than Kylie). Dylan loves grandma's Jacuzzi tub- Jace was not so sure until the last night- the loud sound of the jets made him leery.

We took Jace down to the Strip one morning just to show him around. He liked the gondola ride, and FAO Schwarz in Caesars, the rest was maybe lost on him.

New Year's was pretty uneventful. Most of the weekend consisted of undecortaing, and luckily I remembered at the last minute that I had gotten tickets to Disney Live for Jace so we went to that.

Other than that the only other notable things is that Kylie has now tried all of the Gerber Ones fruits and vegetables and does very well at eating them all (Jace was not this good). I am hoping she stays a good eater and someday teachers her brother how to eat fruits and vegetables since he still manages to pick out green specs from anything. She has also mastered sitting and has started to Army crawl- she is very determined if she sees one of Jace's toys.

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town

2009-12-19T21:00:00.008-06:00

Well we have embraced the holiday mood around here- tree is up and decorated, stockings hung, gingerbread house made and presents all bought! So now we are just enjoying it. Jace loves to drive around to see all the Christmas lights so we spend a lot evenings driving around trying to find the best lights.

Here is Kylie in her Santa hat.

These are some pictures that came home from school with the kids. You cannot see it too well here but Kylie's hat says Feliz Navidad- yep we live in south Texas. And then Jace's made us laugh forever. Who is the only kid in the picture who you cannot see their face? Yep that's ours (he is in the very middle- just a forehead).

I debated whether or not to take the kids to see Santa- Jace is not into standing in lines and I was not sure how he would do with Santa. At school they typically have one so I figured we would just do that. Well of course they did not do it this year. Then I started to feel guilty that Kylie would not have her baby picture with Santa. So Steve almost took her on his day off, when we found out that Bass Pro Shops brings one in where they give you a free picture, let you take your own the same time and no lines! It sounded too easy but luckily it turned out that way. The set-up was a lot nicer than I thought it would be, Jace sat on Santa's lap, but did not smile, and Kylie just hung out. Pretty successful in my mind.

And on other news not Christmas related- Kylie has moved on from cereal to fruits and vegetables. Here she is with her first veggie- peas. We started fruits with applesauce yesterday and of course she was a fan, but who would not be after peas, green beans and squash.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2009-12-04T20:46:00.008-06:00

Well, nothing quite gets you in the spirit of Christmas like a snowfall. We got some this Friday (the earliest Houston has ever had). It was enough to give everything a good coating. They closed the schools early so Jace came home and played with dad while Kylie and I stayed warm inside. Jace was so excited about wearing all the gear that we could not get him to take off his hat and gloves once he was inside.

Steve made some hot cocoa- well lukewarm for Jace since he does not like anything remotely hot (see his hat and gloves are still on).

Steve thought he would try to take the dogs for a walk in the snow. Ellie hates the cold since she has no body fat, so Steve put her sweater on. They got as far as the edge of the garage and she would not go any further.

Kylie has started to be able to sit on her own. It is not for longer periods of time, but she can definitely balance better. She has also gotten where she enjoys of the exersaucer as well- something else to occupy her.

We started cereal a week ago. She is not too keen on it yet. Most of the meals end with her spitting it on me and her.

Jace made his first Gingerbread house today. I did the frosting but he did all the decorating on his own. He is very proud.

A lot to be Thankful for

2009-11-28T21:10:00.006-06:00

We spent the week in Mississippi with Steve's family for Thanksgiving. It was a really great week. With two small children you just never know how travelling will go. Of course they both have colds so I was worried about their ears- but I am thankful neither of them had issues. Kylie slept and Jace was entertained- I am also thankful for that. In fact when we landed today Jace pointed to another plane and said "ride that one next." A lady even commented how good they both were- I was of course worried she had just jinxed it.

Jace loved being at his Meme's. I wondered how spoiled he was going to get. He was the center of attention a lot but never really acted up too much. The weather was great- cool but not too cold to go outside, which was good because Jace loved running around and playing in the leaves. Here are some pictures from the week.

Before we left we put up the tree. So when we got home today we got out the ornaments. Jace loved getting them out of each box. He hung a couple up but was content to let mom and dad do that part.

Kylie continues to be a trooper. At one point her nose was so red (because it was constantly running resulting in constant wiping) that Steve was affectionately calling her Rudolph. But all the while she was just smiles.

Always something

2009-11-15T10:48:00.006-06:00

I guess with two small children I should expect no different, but we seem to be sick a lot lately. Nothing bad (so far) just lots of snotty noses, coughing and a low fever every once in a while. It all started 5 weeks ago when Jace got a runny nose and cough. Then it spread to Steve and I. Kylie got the runny nose. Two weeks ago Jace wakes up from his nap with a fever- went to doctor and he has pneumonia. Early last week his lungs are clear again and he is down to just the runny nose, Steve and I are feeling better, and Kylie is good. End of last week Kylie got her runny nose back, and Jace has the cough back (never got rid of the runny nose). Ugh... It is always something.

So that all being said, our doctor got swine flu shots in and I debated getting it. We obviously are germ magnets, and Kylie cannot get it so I felt like we all needed to get it to help protect her. Though there is such a shortage that the people at the daycare still cannot get it. So we all got it- the nasal spray. As we are filling out the paperwork I am asking questions like, "since the nasal is a weakened, but live virus, do we have to worry about exposing Kylie" and the nurse at first said she would avoid kissing her or any close contact the next couple days.. what? then she retracted and said it was very safe- that is why they were suggesting it for all parents for children under 6 months. As if the stress was not enough worrying about Jace being harmed by the vaccine I was now worried we would actually be giving it to Kylie. So far we are all ok. Jace had a small fever Friday night, not really sure if it was related, but nothing one dose of Motrin could not cure.

Saturday Jace and I went to Disney on Ice. He had a lot of fun- based on the fact that he only got slightly bored once. I had fun as well- I love my Disney movies- I knew all the songs. On the way home I was singing Little Mermaid and Jace says "me no like it." Nice- gotta love kids' honesty.

Neverland

2009-11-03T20:39:00.005-06:00

We started Saturday morning with a trip to Dewberry Farms. It was a little bit of a trip (about an hour), but Jace had a lot of fun and the weather was gorgeous. It was pretty muddy since a front had come in the day before, so luckily I packed extra clothes.

Jace was a dragon for school activities, but Peter Pan for Halloween night. I had seen this Tinkerbell costume for Kylie back in August, and could not resist. And since Jace is not really old enough to have too much of an opinion on the matter he was Peter Pan. He really got into Halloween this year which was fun. We practiced saying "trick or treat" up the driveway but when someone answered the door he went mute- maybe next year. We just went up and down our street. After coming home he was excited to hear the doorbell ring- he would say "kids coming."

Kylie rolls to her stomach now instantly almost every time we put her down. The downside- she does not like being on her tummy, and she has not figured out how to roll from her stomach to her back. Not a big deal except for when she does it at 4AM. If she is real tired she finds her thumb and goes back to sleep, but often times she just gets super mad. With Jace he liked sleeping on his stomach and once he was rolling we could not stop him, so this is all new to us..

Jace has been suffering from a runny nose and cough for over three weeks. I called to take him in last week to the doctor, but the nurses convinced me that since he did not have a fever or having a hard time breathing there was not much they could do for me. Well Sunday he woke up from his nap with a 102 fever. The poor thing was having chills and throwing up. Luckily by the early morning the fever broke. The next day we took him in and he had a slight case of pneumonia. Poor kid. So the last two days we have been home with him. I took him up to the school today and he looked up at me with those big blue eyes and said "momma, go home", so we turned back around. By noon I felt like a sucker- he ran around all day and had to be convinced to take a nap. Oh well, luckily the weather was nice so we spent a lot of time in the backyard.

Girls weekend

2009-10-25T16:13:00.004-05:00

Well as I am writing this Jace and Steve are on their way back from Mississippi. They went to go visit Meme (Steve's mom). So Kylie and I hung out this weekend, just us girls. It is amazing how you somewhat get used to all the chaos, so when it is quiet it is kind of eerie. I only got these pics in, because amazingly we stayed pretty busy doing all those things mommy never seems to have time to do and then those that she always seems to be doing (like laundry). Next weekend is Steve's birthday, so we have a sitter on Friday night to celebrate that, and our anniversary a little late. Then of course Saturday night is Halloween, and depending on how brave I feel I might take Jace out to Dewberry farms that day. Chaos is just around the corner.

Oops I almost forgot. Kylie turned from her back to her stomach this weekend- first time. No repeats yet. She can also sit up a few seconds on her own- she really hate to be laying back so she is always working out those ab muscles.

The other day one person said Jace and Kylie look nothing alike- I tend to agree. But then someone thought they had the same eyes. So I decided to do a comparison. I guess they do look a little a like, but she definitley has much chubbier cheeks!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-18T09:58:00.008-05:00

Last night we took the kids to the pumpkin patch and were somewhat successful. We got some pictures, but getting Jace to look at the camera and smile was just not happening. I knew he would love the tractor, but what did not occur to me until we got there was that the tractor would be such a distraction that all he wanted to do was ride the tractor. I will attribute this to my mom's side of the family- there must be a farming gene in there somewhere. So we got some pics and were only mildly exhausted in the end. Then we went to dinner which was more of an ordeal than the pumpkin patch. It is a local place that we had not been to in a long time, so we thought we would do something different. Well we were seated right away, but were still there an hour and a half. This is just not easy to pull off with two little ones. Plus while the place was busy it was quiet, which does not work very well since Jace likes to break out in song with his ABCs and he does not know how to sing quietly. Luckily most people thought it was cute, but we were exhausted by the time dinner was over. Jace passed out on the car ride home, since he had already had a long day because we had a birthday party earlier that day. I wish I could have passed out on the car ride home too.

Steve took Jace to Bass Pro Shops for entertainment purposes last weekend, but I know he just wanted to brainwash him a little more into believing we need a boat.

Kylie is just doing fine. She is so easy going, it is a blessing!

Vegas trip and work woes

2009-10-10T20:56:00.005-05:00

Well I am catching up on posts- my first week back to work and already behind- not a good sign.

Last weekend Kylie and I went to Vegas to visit Grandma and Grandpa and left the boys at home. Boulder City has a great annual art and craft festival and I have not been in years so it was a great excuse to take a short vacation before my maternity leave was over. The weather was great and we got lots of shopping in. Grandma got Kylie her first Raggedy Ann doll, though it is a Christmas gift so she has to hold out a little longer to play with it.

Then it was back to work for me on Monday. Work was so chaotic. I had stayed caught up with email while I was out so I thought I would come back and just slide back into things- wrong. Well I think everyone was saving things for me so it was crazy. The only good part was that it left little to no time to miss Kylie, but her picture sits right in front of me, so I did get sad a couple times. Kylie did well at school- that is what the teachers say at least, though every time I went to get her she was content.

Jace and I went back to the zoo today. We had a cold front come in yesterday so while we were there it was in the 60s. He was better this time- did not have to chase him around so much. He still wanted to run, but kept in a closer proximity and never really went the other direction. He passed out hard on the car trip home so I think he had a good time. We took them both for a walk tonight when we got home. Kylie tried out her new jacket from Grandma and stayed snugly warm.

Our October is going to be so busy- hope it is not a trend for the rest of the year!

And despite our best efforts to support our football teams the Aggies and Bulldogs are not doing so hot. But we enjoy brainwashing the kids nonetheless. Jace now knows his Aggie and Bulldog t-shirts- next is the fightsongs (ha-ha).

Fuzzy Hair Kind of Day

2009-09-24T12:10:00.006-05:00

So in a last attempt to cram in as many pictures as I can before I go back to work here is the last two days.

Last night after Kylie's bath her hair was very fuzzy and it carried into the morning. Made for some cute pics.

Yesterday I took pictures before a feeding and it went better than expected. Though in the end the hands had taken over...

I have to give credit to what I call my "big" camera- it takes pictures so quick that I can catch some of these smiles. The small, but convenient camera just was not doing it.

Have you noticed the pictures have shifted from Jace to Kylie? I somehow need to balance this out a little better. He is still around. Today he had to go to the opthemologist because his eyes were so red the last couple days. Doctor said it is allergies- poor little guy.

Depressing

2009-09-20T14:48:00.005-05:00

Well sadly next week is my last full week at home with Kylie before I go back to work. The following week we are going to Vegas mid week (just me and Kylie) to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Can you believe she is already 9 weeks old?

I like my job, but who would not feel bad taking this face (and those cheeks) to daycare?

I think the last one is saying "enough already"

Fun with playdough

2009-09-16T10:17:00.003-05:00

With all of the rain this weekend I had to come up with some indoor activities to entertain Jace. So we got out the playdough kit he got for his birthday. He loved it and the mess was not too bad. His favorite was the scissors, though teaching him how to hold them was difficult, and eventually he just went to using two hands.

This week has been a lot more relaxing. We had purchased storm panels that can be bolted on in the case of another hurricane, and last week they came to install the bolts. Those suckers were at least 6 inches long and it was so loud in my house every time they drilled. They were here three days, so my nerves were wearing thin trying to find quieter spots in the house where I could semi-relax and Kylie could nap. So this week I have been cleaning/organizing closets- not fun, but necessary. Amazing what you find. And taking pictures of Kylie daily. She is such a smiler when you talk to her- just trying to catch it on camera is a little more challenging. Here is Monday's results.

I am afraid I am jinxing this as I type. Kylie has been sleeping from 9P-3A the last week which I was happy with, but last night was 10P-5A. It would be nice if it continues, but we will see.

Yeah they are here at last...

2009-09-10T20:04:00.008-05:00

We got the professional pictures of Kylie yesterday- Yeah! Here are some of the favorites..

Just another day

2009-09-07T15:45:00.006-05:00

Not too much excitement around here and that is the way we like it!

Jace is healing from his face-first encounter with the sidewalk. He decided to get out of the wagon while I was pulling it (unbeknownst to me), and when we went over a bump I just heard lots of crying and saw him face down. Luckily it was not too bad and he got over it pretty quickly- the hardest part was getting him not to pick the scabs. Someone told Steve that was good- less scarring that way. Really? I thought it was the other way around. We went for another walk this week and he stayed strapped in the whole time- lesson learned by mommy. Another funny part to this story is that right before we got back in the wagon to head home he had picked a flower for Steve, well after the accident it was really wilted and full of snot, but he still was proud to give it to his dad.

We have hit the whiney stage with Jace and he does this face where he scrunches his nose- drives me nuts. So we are working on saying please more often. He is good about it when he wants a cookie, but we are trying to extend the application. Surprisingly he started saying "bless you" after we sneeze- must have gotten this from school. "Excuse me" is also in the works, but Steve needs to work on that too (as Jace said it for him after he burped)....

Kylie's sleep habits have been a roller coaster still leaving us guessing as to handle bed times with her. Two days she slept most of the day and then 7 hours at night, but that was short lived so I am chalking it up to a growth spurt. Most nights it is 9P-2A and then up again at 5. The doctor said at her 6 wk appointment that is pretty good, so we will be happy with that. Just hope it gets better before I go back to work, which seems right around the corner at this point (October 5th). At her doctor appointment she weighed in at 10lb5.5 oz(75%) and 22in(75%). She has officially shed her little peanut status.

College football started this weekend and Steve was really excited. Here are some pics of us all wearing our gear. Jace can say Gig'em and Go Aggies though he is lacking coordination for the thumbs up still- maybe by the end of the season.

Ode to Grandma

2009-08-23T09:34:00.002-05:00

Well, my mom headed back home this Saturday so we are back to being on our own. Let's just say it took me all day to do a couple loads of laundry with a newborn. I set her down a couple times and she got pretty upset- something her and I have to get used to. We will miss her (and her extra set of hands). Thanks Grandma.

Mom had Jace help make brownies. He loved "cooking". I need to do that more- I am convinced this is why Mike and I love to cook.

And as always the bonus Kylie pic.

Some Observations

2009-08-20T20:26:00.006-05:00

Well, I may have a child that looks like me. Jace is a spitting image of Steve so I am keeping my fingers crossed. Kylie has the dark hair and eyes like I did, so at least for now I think we look a like (I am the baby on the right).

Ok, so something Jace was infamous for was spitting up. So far Kylie does not do this a lot- I am keeping my fingers crossed it stays this way. Jace routinely would spit up what felt like a whole bottle right after you fed him. We and the daycare workers had to change clothes frequently. The doctor just called him a "happy spitter". On the other hand Kylie has already had 5+ diaper explosions. Jace only had one, though it was very inconvenient on a trip to Mississippi when it was freezing outside and we somehow had to clean him off on the side of the road. Kylie tends not to go #2 everyday so when she goes it is a lot- I have finally learned to put a bigger diaper on her those days, which has helped. But before I had this ah-ha moment, we had one at a restaurant, and it gone on her car seat and they did not have a changing station in the restroom. Ah the joy...

Little Aggie

2009-08-20T11:06:00.002-05:00

I had to put her in this outfit and take some pics since she is close to outgrowing it. But have no fear, there are many more Aggie outfits in her future...

Jace's Bday weekend

2009-08-17T21:40:00.007-05:00

Well, I think we survived Jace's 2nd birthday. Fun but exhausting. His party was Saturday at Gymboree with some of his friends. Jace used to be shy around strangers (at least at first) but he has moved past this. Needless to say he ran around the whole time being a little ham, having such a good time. Jace's obsession for a while has been "tractors", which is what he calls any piece of construction equipment, so that was the theme of his party. He has worn his "tractor" t-shirt several time since the party and was mad this morning when it was not clean to wear to school again, even though he has just worn it yesterday for his actual birthday.

Saturday night we opened gifts from the party. He loved a fire truck he got from the Ghaffari's, and to Steve dismay, what he called a necklace, but was really a stethoscope from a survival kit. Jace has the opening gift thing down, but timing is a little off. He oohs and aahs even before the gift is open. Too funny.

Then Sunday Grandma and Grandpa took Jace to the Wildlife Park in Alvin. It was hot as usual, but I think they all had fun. Then there were two firsts for Jace- lunch at McDonalds and chocolate milk. That night we had family birthday night and Jace got his gift from us- a rideable "digger", as he calls it.

And just so you know she is still around, here is the latest pic of Kylie. She is close to outgrowing her newborn clothes and diapers (sniff, sniff).

Overachiever

2009-08-07T20:54:00.002-05:00

Well, just a quick blog update about Kylie. We went to the doctor yesterday and not only did she gain the minimum 4oz in a week, she gained 15.5oz- that's right almost a full pound in a week. Well, since 6-8oz is typical I think she overachieved just a little. So now she is at 7lbs 12.5oz, so she is also finally above her birth weight. Makes you wonder if something was off with her last measurement, but I have to admit I had noticed her diapers were a little tighter this week and she has definitely added some length as her newborn pajamas are getting too short (sniff, sniff). I am a little less stressed at this point.

Little Peanut

2009-08-04T10:02:00.008-05:00

Well we went back to the doctor and while Kylie stopped her weight loss, her weight gain was not all that great- 2oz in 6 days. Ideally it would have been 6-8 oz, or at a minimum 4 oz. So we are trying somethings different this week, including keeping a detailed journal and will head back again this week. Other than the lack of weight gain she is doing great- already can push herself up and turn her head during tummy time- much stronger than we remember Jace being. My mom did tell the pediatrician I was only 12 pounds at a year old (which also freaked out the doctors), so that gave him some comfort. And I turned out alright (I think).

Kylie had her first real bath since her umbilical cord came off while we were at the doctors appointment last week. Of course she was not happy. She had to get another one last night when she had her first poop explosion.

Jace continues to be Jace, full of lots of energy. Mom and I took him to the zoo on Saturday bright and early (to beat the heat). You would think this would have worn him out since he ran around most of the time, but he was not ready of a nap until 2 as usual.

Looks like I found two little kids playing with the camera...

And for me the only thing notable is that I am no longer taking any meds for the c-section pain. Yeah!

Kylie's Photo Debut

2009-07-29T08:53:00.001-05:00

Well, here is the sneak peak from our photo shoot last week- I love them. Depending on when you look you might have to scroll down to see it. The caption is "Another 4 day old".

http://www.studiobloomphoto.blogspot.com/

Grandma to the Rescue

2009-07-26T19:55:00.005-05:00

Well, my mom came in this Saturday. We managed a couple days on our own, but were very happy when she got here and had another set of hands. Jace had a busy day. They spent a while at the park (good thing my mom is used to the heat, I am not quite sure about the humidity), and then came home long enough to have lunch and then headed back out to the swimming pool. So he was worn out.

Kylie continues to be a good little baby. We had her one week check up on Friday, and unfortunately she had lost a little bit more weight (4oz). She is eating well and has plenty of wet diapers, so me and the doctor were not too worried, but we have to head back on Thursday and make sure she does not lose any more. I have been trying to limit how much I am supplementing with formula, but she does cluster feed right before bed time so I am not making enough at those feedings, and if she continues to lose weight we might have to supplement more, which makes me sad but we will do what we need to do. She was 25% on weight and height- they also show she shrunk some since she was born from 21.25" to 19.75"- just goes to show you how accurate this is.

I am slowly weening myself off the pain medicine and so far I am doing pretty well. With my mom here I am excited to have time to cook healthy meals again- anyone who knows me knows I love to cook. I had gotten out of the routine, but with Steve and I vowing to lose some weight, I am taking advantage of this time to get back in the swing. Cooking Light had a lot of recipes I am looking forward to trying! It is the little things that make me happy.

Baths and Bonding

2009-07-22T21:29:00.007-05:00

Well, last night Kylie had her first sponge bath. As is always the case, she was not too big of a fan, simply because she was cold despite my best efforts to keep her covered. But she smelled so pretty afterwards, and it was funny that she looked like she had so much more hair when it was all clean.

Today we had a step forward with Jace. I came out of the bedroom with Kylie and he asked to hold her. Well, actually he wanted to carry her, but we quickly explained she was too heavy, so he settled for sitting with her on the couch. So several times through the day he asked to hold her. He pointed to all her parts- hands, feet, hair, etc. And then I asked him to say "I love you" and he actually said "I love you baby". Too cute.

Today was pretty busy. Steve had set up a session with a local photographer to come take newborn pics of Kylie here at the house. We also got some in with all of us. It was the one thing I regretted not ever doing with Jace- and I really liked this photographer last time we used her. So I am eagerly anticipating the sneak peek that she will send next week- I will send the link once I get it.

This afternoon we took Steve's mom to the airport. She was a great help watching Jace while we were at the hospital and then even after. Thanks Meme. We have the next couple days on our own- yikes!

PS- for those new to the blog world, you can make the pictures bigger just by clicking on them.

Coming Home

2009-07-20T20:01:00.013-05:00

Well, we got released from the hospital around noon today. It is amazing sometimes how long the process can be- both the pediatrician and my doctor were both by and signed off by 7- oh well we finally got home...

The last two days have already started to become a blur, so I quickly have to blog about it. Saturday was kind of crazy. It seemed like every nurse, group and other random person had to stop by. From lactation to picture people, to cord blood person and birth certificate person, we had them all. I was worn out by the end of the day. Luckily, Kylie, thus far, is pretty low maintenance and a good eater so she cooperated for the most part. It is quite amazing though how many people asked if I was about to start feeding her, and when I replied yes, just kept going.

Sunday on the other hand was much more enjoyable- much more me and Kylie time. Jace and Meme went to the dog show and then came to visit, but other than that it was pretty quiet. Steve went home for the night so again this lent to more bonding time with Kylie though I let the nurses take her in between two feedings so I could get some sleep.

Jace is still not sure what to think about all this. He sees her, but not sure about touching/holding her. He does like helping though, so we are starting there- he helped unpack bags today and get her bottle for me. The pediatrician said just let him figure it out himself, and that is the plan.

I am doing ok- a little pain. I tried to cut back on the medicine this morning, but after a couple hours called the nurse- a little too soon. Tomorrow the plan is to take Jace to daycare, because Steve has to go into work for a couple hours, so I should get in some rest. Kylie will easily go 4 hours between feedings, or more, but I am waking her up at 3. She is on the up swing on her weight- she went from 7lbs.50z at birth down to 6lbs14oz, but last night she had gained an ounce back. We see the doctor at the end of the week for another check up.

Ok, enough of the babbling, here is the important part, some new pics....

A few more pics of Kylie...

2009-07-17T14:28:00.005-05:00

It's amazing just in 2 years all the things you forget about a newborn (swaddling, suctioning out spit up, those yucky first diapers, etc)...but how quickly you remember them when faced with them! Here's a few more pics...

Kylie Rose is here!

2009-07-17T10:04:00.005-05:00

Well...at 8:25 this AM (July 17th), Kylie Rose joined our family. She is 7lbs, 5oz...and 20 1/4 in long. 10 fingers, 10 toes...all looks good. Kylie is now at nursery getting all cleaned up, while mom is in the recovery room. All went well and both Julie & Kylie are doing well. Here's the first few shots...obviously, better ones (when she's not all purple & stuff) will come later. :)

The countdown

2009-07-13T19:47:00.002-05:00

Well being that we are only three days away, I think we are on the final countdown. Tomorrow we have the final doctor's appointment and pre-op appointment with the hospital. We will find out if I have made any progress- there were not too many signs last week, though I understand that can all change quickly. Sleeping is not going all that well, so I am getting tired as the week goes on. Last week I managed to lock my keys in the car and thought I had accidentally thrown away my credit card away (only to be found a couple days later by Steve, after I called it in as lost)- all signs I am tired. The sad part is that with a c-section I know the discomfort will not be going away for a while, and the lack of sleep won't be either for at least the next month. But my mom is coming to stay for a while, so maybe there will be a little relief on that.

I think I have decided that with your second one you worry a lot more about all the things that could go wrong. I am not sure if you are just so much more excited the first time around or just naive. I just don't remember being this nervous the last time around. On the other hand I should be more comforted because I should know a little bit what to expect. I remember asking myself a lot the first time, if what I was feeling/experiencing was "normal". Somehow this is not comforting.

Unfortunately Jace's molars have decided to show up, so the drooling and runny nose have been around for the last week. Not the best timing, but if we give him a little Tylenol through the day he is not too grumpy, though we have reverted back to having to watch him at all times since everything goes into his mouth to chew on.

Well this is my last post for a while. Steve plans on posting pictures pretty quickly after Kylie is born, so keep an eye out. The c-section is scheduled to start at 7AM Friday, and I know if everything goes well he plans on coming home to upload some pics that evening (Steve's mom will be here to stay with Jace).

Happy 4th

2009-07-05T20:59:00.009-05:00

Well, just like every other weekend lately we tried to minimize activity. Friday I ran some errands and after I got home decided that was the last of that- I am getting just too tired, too fast. The 17th is not that far away and even though I am mentally probably not ready, I am physically getting there. Steve reminded me today, this will be my last full week of work for a while- it sounds great but then I remember I won't be sleeping normally for the next month, at least.

To recap quickly the weekend before, the bulk of it was attending to Jace's first case of stomach flu. Luckily it only lasted 24 hours, but we still washed sheets three times, and we had to purchase our first Pedialyte. What an experience. I think Steve caught it during the week and stayed home a day, while I luckily did not get it. So not much fun for us.

So for this weekend, Saturday we went to dinner club (well brunch in this case) at some friends house. We had plans to go to a parade that morning, but I voted it down the night before since we both had a late night working on miscellaneous tasks and the idea of getting up early AND having to pack everything up and then bear the heat did not sound appealing (sorry Jace). We had some good food, companionship and then to top it off they have a great pool. We had to leave around Jace's nap time, and he did fall asleep on the car drive home, but only after repeating "bye-bye sophie" 20 times (his little girlfriend).

That night we just grilled at home, and had plans to make homemade ice cream. But alas I forgot to put the bucket in the freezer, and when Jace kept saying "cupcake" (man the things they learn at school), I decided to make some. As is evident by the picture I think he liked them. We had the ice cream tonight, but still heard about the cupcakes all day, at every meal. Jace was well asleep by the time fireworks really picked up (930), and I was shocked he slept through it all especially since some people across the street did their fair share, even though it is illegal in our area. So while we did not have to worry about Jace, Kayla was a whole other story. She is 85lbs of shaking dog when it comes to fireworks. Even when we went to bed around 11 she still would not settle down, so Steve slept on the floor with her in the living room until she calmed down, so one of us could at least sleep. Ellie could have cared less.

Steve was shocked this weekend because as he flipped to The Matrix on TV I did not know what it was. I just never had any desire to see it. So that is what we watched Saturday night. I have to say it was pretty good, good enough to keep my attention (the 2 hour nap that day helped as well), but I still say it is a guy flick.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-23T20:25:00.008-05:00

Well, again not much again going on around here. Saturday I ran errands for several hours. This is normally exhausting, but have I mentioned how hot it is? A lot of the counties are banning the sale of fireworks because we have some pretty bad drought conditions going on. Well regardless of the heat it had to be done, well two major things anyways.

Jace loves to sit in his chair in his room and read. Well, we really did not want to buy another glider for the baby room (what do you do with one glider, let alone two later on), so we wanted to move it back downstairs when the baby was born. But then what would we do for Jace. So we searched and amazingly even at Walmart we would pay a couple hundred for a chair, so when we found a smaller recliner at Lazy-Boy we thought that would work, and because of a sale it was not that much more. Well nothing is ever easy. When I went back to the store to buy it, I wanted the unprotected one because they wanted to charge $70 for the protectant and I thought Scotchguard would suffice. Oh and then they did not even have that model in all of Houston even treated, except for the floor model which had a tear in it. So not only was I looking at having to pay more for the treatment but also a more expensive model. Luckily the salesman had quoted and wrote down prices two weeks before, so I was at least able to convince them to not charge me for the more expensive model. Jace likes his new chair. Item one done.

The second item was booking a place for Jace's birthday. Last year we had it at the house- mostly adults, but some kids who had to be entertained inside because a birthday in August does not work well with being outside unless you have a pool, and we don't. So after last year I decided we were going somewhere. Jace does not turn 2 until August 18th, but considering if I did not do this now I would be trying to do it with a newborn, I decided now was better than later. So we debated a jump place (Jace still seems scared of them), Chik-Fil-A (no party room) or a paint place (will he get it?)- I was trying to keep it in Pearland. We had gone to a friend's birthday party last year at a Gymboree and Jace loved it and it was before he could walk, so I was pleasantly surprised they had one only about 15 miles away in Missouri City. So I walked in, told them when I wanted it, paid my deposit and was done. Gotta love it.

The most important part of the weekend was Father's Day. Steve is pretty low key on his wants (well most of the time- don't get me started about his car obsession), so we kept it easy. He wanted catfish so we went to Sudie's for lunch, and his gift consisted of various Mississippi State garb, including some stuff for the kids. I was going to go big and get him a new grill since he seems to dislike the one he has now, but he decided to stick it out one more year. And then in the afternoon we went to the pool. Jace probably goes between the big pool and the splash pad 10 times in an hour but he likes it a lot.

Not nearly enough thanks to someone who does so much and is so good to his son- we love you Steve! (even Kayla- she forgot to sign the card).

Signs of Summer

2009-06-14T20:05:00.003-05:00

Well this will be a pretty boring post (warning) as our weekend was pretty slow. But with me in the 8th month of pregnancy and the feel-like temperature above 100F, there was not too much I felt like doing.

I went to a friend's shower on Saturday- I know at least eight people who are having babies in July or August. The news keeps talking about the Hurricane Ike baby boom- I think they are right. I went to get a pedicure last weekend and met a girl who was scheduled for delivery on Friday and they called her Thursday and asked she wait until Monday to come in because they were full. I am hoping it tapers off soon- I am not very excited about maybe having to share a room with someone (private rooms are first come, first serve).

This weekend we did two things that definitely point to the fact that it is summer. This morning we finally made it over to the neighborhood pool. Jace was unsure of the fountains and big pool at first but was mad at the end to be leaving. And then tonight as a special treat we had ice-pops. I thought it might be less messy than a regular Popsicle, which it was, but he did not like holding the cold packet. So Steve ended up feeding it to him- he really liked it.

We were bad about pics this weekend- we will get some posted next weekend.

Grandparents Galore

2009-06-09T20:00:00.016-05:00

Well, by the time this weekend was over we had two different grandparents come through so it was one crazy weekend. Steve's mom came in Friday and they all headed to Discovery Green Park and then the Children's Museum. Jace is getting to the age where he is really starting to enjoy things like that, especially the water games. Friday night we had a night out with some friends while Grandma gladly babysat. Then Saturday morning we went shopping at Babies R'Us. We got most of the essentials bought for baby#2. It has not been that long, but you forget how expensive bottles are- I even internet shopped hoping to find a better deal, but no luck.

Sunday afternoon Steve's mom headed back to Mississippi and my dad flew in. Sadly it was not a happy occasion as we had a dear family friend pass away, Christine Guebard. She was only a couple years older than me, and it was very unexpected. She was a great chef, and a wonderful person. Dad had flown in to Houston to drive with me, since a 3 hour car trip to San Antonio by myself is not a good idea considering how far a long I am. Plus we got lots of talking in- I am not sure my dad and I talk 6 hours in a year (well maybe) let a lone a day. Their whole family has always done so much for us, even taking us all in after Hurricane Ike (even the dogs)- we will miss her.

Jace loved having the grandparents here. It was funny to watch because they shared a bathroom with him now that he is upstairs, so in the mornings when he saw a light go on he would get out of the bed and peer under the door looking for someone (advantage of a video cam- we could see it). My dad said one morning he heard this little voice saying "hi" from under the door. So he decided to peek in and be a good grandad and change his wet diaper. It did not occur to him that there could be something more in there, so luckily I happened to come in the room when he discovered it was more than wet, and did not have a wipe within arms length. Otherwise Jace would have been carried around the room by his feet while dad found the wipes. Even the dogs loved having company- someone more for Kayla to lick- she ran to the stairs this morning looking for someone.

Summer Fun

2009-05-31T20:42:00.010-05:00

Well, summer it definitely upon us to the point where we dread going outside because it is just so hot!! But Jace loves it so we have been trying to find ways to make it a little more enjoyable. Starting last weekend the blow-up pool made it's first appearance. It is big enough for dad to sit in with him (while sipping a Corona), so it it not too hard to talk either of them into it. Jace probably spends more time out of it than in, but he loves it nonetheless.

I have been missing in blog land lately because 99% of my free time has been going towards getting Kylie's room put together. Our hand was forced because the furniture was ready for delivery and I really wanted to have the room painted before it got here. Last weekend I helped Steve cut-in and tape for painting her room. It was the first time Steve had ever painted anything, except for charity reasons where taping and cutting-in did not happen. I had to reassure him twenty times during the cutting-in that that step took the longest- though he was definitely skeptical and it was wearing on what little patience he had. He was much happier with the roller. The color is Honeydew- a light green. Then this weekend was details- putting together some craft projects and painting a name mural above he crib. It was a long weekend but it is done, and we are happy. Next weekend Steve's mom is going to be here, so she can watch Jace and we can go get all those things you still need for baby#2 like another mattress, changing pad, etc. So we are getting close.....

Sad, Sad Day

2009-05-19T20:11:00.010-05:00

Well, our weekend was a low. Late Wednesday night Steve's dad passed away. He had been sick with pancreatic cancer, but he was just in the hospital for diagnostic tests when he passed away, so it was pretty unexpected. Luckily my mom was able to fly in and watch Jace so Steve and I could go to Mississippi to be with his family. If the number of people at a visitation or the flowers sent are a testament to how many people whose lives were touched by Loyd then he touched many. I did not know him very long, but for the time I did, he was always so sweet to me and I know he was a great dad to Steve and a wonderful grandfather to Jace.

Steve's mom mentioned a song that reminded her of Loyd and after I heard it I could not agree more,

"And he bowed his head to Jesus,

And he stood for Uncle Sam,

And he only loved one woman

(He) was always proud of what he had

He said his greatest contribution

Is the ones you leave behind

Raised on the ways and gentle kindness

Of a small town Southern man"

We will miss this him a lot...

Changes all the time

2009-05-12T20:22:00.005-05:00

Well, Jace's life has been a changing lately. After just getting him adjusted to his toddler bed we changed things up on him again. He moved from the nursery into a room upstairs- there is so much more space. But like any situation, there were a few small setbacks but we seem to be making progress again. A bit of crying and wandering but the last two nights he has fallen asleep in his bed(knock on wood). When he is not quite tired he gets in his chair and "reads." Here are some pics of how we found him two different nights.

We got a call today that Kylie's furniture is here, so we have to get our butts in gear and get her room painted (well Steve does anyways). Sounds like a Memorial weekend activity.... So there should be pictures soon.

Slow weekend

2009-05-03T20:12:00.017-05:00

Well, it was one of those weekends I don't have much to blog about. That is a good thing- we needed a break.

Steve attached a toddler rail to the existing stair rail to aid Jace in the whole stair climbing experience. He is good about climbing up the stairs, but did not like going down backwards. He is kind of getting the hang of using the rail- but like anything it will take lots of practice.

Well after a great start to bed time in the toddler bed there has been ups and downs. There were some nights with lots of crying, and then others with none. The latest trend is that he walks to his bed, after we read a story, climbs in and looks like he is ready to fall asleep. I leave the room and before I get back to the monitor he is up and walking towards the door. He tries to open it a few times, unsuccessfully, and then sits on the floor, and gradually falls asleep there. Then 30 minutes later he is passed out so we pick him up and put him in his bed. Not ideal but at least there is no crying involved. Nap time is a whole other story. He used to nap between 11-12. So we have put him in his bed at noon, and there is no crying, but he is out of bed, reading, and playing. Again not all that bad, but it is not napping. So we let him out and he acted not tired till about 2 PM when he curled up on the floor in the living room and passed out. So we have clued in that that key to nap time from now on is that he will no longer do it unless he is pretty tired- new nap time, around 2PM. This does not coincide with nap time at school, which is at 11:30, so we will see how that works, but he does get up a little earlier during the week. A learning curve for all.

Just some random pics from the weekend....

Crib Jumper- The end of an era

2009-04-26T19:54:00.009-05:00

Well, we hit another turning point this weekend. Saturday morning Steve went to get some kolaches because we were going to have a garage sale. We had heard Jace get up but he usually lays there a while talking to his Pooh doll, so I decided to get the dogs fed. Then all of a sudden I am thinking, wow, it seems like Jace's voice is not coming through the monitor and sure enough I turn around and he is walking down the hallway- that little turkey got out of his crib somehow. And then again at nap time he did it again, so we rocked him to sleep (which we never do). But after his nap Steve went in to get him and sure enough there he was with one leg already over sitting at the top. Luckily we already had the toddler bed conversion kit, and though we dreaded making that leap, I was just so afraid he would hurt himself trying to get out of the crib. So he is officially done with cribs- much earlier than we would have ever expected. Saturday night we dreaded bed time, but luckily it was a non event- we just put him down, he stayed there and went to sleep. But this morning I went out and got a video monitor- I am much more paranoid now that if I hear a noise he is getting into something- so far it works well, I love it. Naps are a little more challenging, but we never had a good routine around it like bed time, so I think we need to start it, like they have it at school. I am thinking if they can get 15 kids to sleep on cots all together for 2 hours, we can get him to take a nap in his bed, right? Well, tonight he did well going to bed again (knock on wood) so I would rather have nap challenges than bedtime challenges for now.

This weekend was very busy (for us anyway). We had a room full of stuff to sell, since one of the guest rooms will become Jace's new room in May, so we can convert the nursery to Kylie's room. Most of it sold at the garage sale, except the bed, so for 2 hours that was pretty good. We cut the garage sale off early so we could go to Jace's daycare fundraiser festival before he had to nap. I think he liked it- but it was hard to tell since I think he was a little on the tired side. That evening we ended up at PF Chang's- my favorite. I had packed all kind of things for Jace not knowing how Chinese food would go. But we ordered some kid friendly dishes (not spicy) and lucked out that he took a great liking to Lo Mein noodles.

Some random picss from the weekend....

Monday we got some upsetting news. One of Jace's teachers, Mrs. Maggie, had died in a car accident over the weekend. It turns out her family was in Mexico for a wedding, and everyone in her van died when it appears they tried to out beat a train at a crossing. Her husband was driving, and also in the van were her two small children, her mom and dad and two siblings. Very sad. She took care of Jace when he was an infant- we loved her. She always had a funny story for me everyday about Jace- it usually entailed him spitting up a whole bottle on her, which is a lot to endure when it is not your kid, but she seemed to really like him which made me as a mom feel so much better about taking him to daycare. She was only 27, so sad. Just a reminder to not take things for granted and just slow down- it is not worth it.

When it Rains it Pours

2009-04-19T19:26:00.002-05:00

Well, not much excitement this weekend, except for the rain! The weatherman had been saying we would get some, and did we ever. On Saturday morning we all headed out to run some errands, and while it was overcast and a little rainy, it was not that bad. After lunch we headed home for Jace's nap and then it started. For about three hours it just rained sheets. Our street filled up near the end, which made me nervous, but it did not hardly move into the driveway. We watched cars trying to drive by and waiting for them to stall. We were supposed to go out for a nice dinner that night, and the babysitter even called to make sure we were still going. But it quit after a while, and we still made it out for dinner with blue skies even making an appearance. The news reports today said Pearland got 8 inches.

Jace was moving a mile a minute this weekend. I am not sure where all the energy came from. One funny moment was when we were in Carter's shopping this weekend. They have a hop-skotch patter on the floor, and Steve was trying to teach him how to do it. He was trying really hard and beamed with pride when he thought he had gotten it down. It was hilarious to watch.

Easter Games and Baby Names

2009-04-12T19:05:00.008-05:00

Happy Easter everyone. Well, after the weatherman scared us all into believing it would be a horrible weather day we ended up with 15 minutes of rain and the rest of the day was blue skies- what a great day.

Jace started his day with opening gifts from the Easter Bunny. The favorite was a toy vacuum- not a masculine toy (as my husband pointed out) but he loves it. The other toy was a Big Wheel- his feet do not even come close to touching the pedals so that one got packed away in the afternoon because mom and dad were already tired of pushing him around on it.

Then there was an egg hunt- after much practice, starting with grandma and grandpa two weeks ago, daycare and then at the neighbors yesterday, he did good, and was so excited to get those two M&Ms in the egg.

Well, I think we have settled on the girl's name..... Kylie Rose. So we no longer have to call her "the girl".

Watch Out for That Ostrich

2009-04-04T20:37:00.015-05:00

Today it was nice outside so we ventured out to a wildlife park outside of Alvin, about 30 minutes from us. What an adventure. You drive through the gate, where you pay and buy buckets of food, and even before you get to the parking lot there are various animals to greet you. We were shocked how close they got to the car- especially a giant Ostrich. Steve had the food with him up front, so when it looked like the Ostrich was going to stretch his neck into the car to get the food he started rolling up his window, and meanwhile I am taking pictures so I was caught off guard when the Ostrich was suddenly up close and personal looking right at me for food. We got away without getting pecked, and needless to say we both laughed so hard all the way to the parking lot.

So then you park and they take you on a tram through the rest of the park. We rode in the back of the truck, pulling the tram, and because we were sitting a little higher our encounters were not quite as personal, which was a little disappointing, but then there were times we were glad to be where we were- who knew camels were so friendly (or maybe they just wanted breakfast).

The only animals you did not get too close to was the rhinoceros, lemurs, and giraffe. But besides that we had deer, lamas, camels, buffalo, zebras, emus, etc coming right up to us eating out of the feed buckets. It was pretty neat.

Weekend Away

2009-03-30T20:20:00.014-05:00

Well, my mom and dad came to town this past weekend to watch Jace so Steve and I could get away for a few days. We spent Friday and Saturday in the Brenham area. We stayed at a wonderful B&B and explored the parks in the area. The Bluebonnets were spectacular. Just a few pics below (including a belly shot for those who have been asking).

We had some time to talk names for the girl. We narrowed it down to Kylie or Kaitlin (spelling is still up for debate). Steve says he won't make a decision until he knows the middle name- so now we have to work on that. A little closer...

Mom and Dad had fun with Jace. They taught him to Easter Egg Hunt and Mom made him our traditional Easter Bunny cupcakes. And of course there were many trips to the pond to feed the ducks- he loves that.

Short Update

2009-03-22T20:21:00.004-05:00

Well, I don't have a whole lot to say for this week. Jace and Steve went to go see his parents in Mississippi this weekend so it was a somewhat quiet weekend. I did a lot of those things that I never seem to have free time for, like scrapbooking, yard work and decorating. I even did a couple "me" things like a pedicure, shopping, and lunch at PF Changs (my favorite). I also went to go order the baby girl's bedroom furniture. I lucked out because it happened to be 20% off, which made the trip much more enjoyable. We ended up with white- which I was surprised to find that Steve thought this was a must for a little girl- he is usually very contemporary when it comes to furniture but he wanted white traditional. So here is what we ended up with. http://rominakidsfurniture.com/products-nerva/baby-room-nerva.html

We also ordered her bedding. I needed something with a little yellow in it, because I did not want to get a new glider. And neither of us are big on pink, so here is what we got:
http://www.cottontaledesigns.com/collections/dragonfly-ii.html

I enjoyed my free time, but was glad to see them both back home today. Next weekend my parents are coming to watch Jace while Steve and I get away for a day or two. Mom already has big plans to make bunny cupcakes, a Toth tradition, and practice Easter egg hunting.

Yeehaw

2009-03-15T13:41:00.009-05:00

Well, Jace had his first trip to the rodeo on Saturday. Unfortunately the weather was uncooperative, rainy and cold, but we had fun nonetheless. We were hoping the rain would keep people home, but instead they all just crammed into the buildings along with us. This was disappointing because the part we looked forward to the most was the livestock building where Jace could see cows, and pigs, etc, up close. It was crazy- people everywhere. He did get to see some cows and pigs, but after that mom and dad were done with the crowds and we needed to head over to the rodeo. So note to self, go earlier next time.

Then there was the rodeo. Jace loved when something was going on, but during the lull in between events and competitors his attention was limited. So Steve did not find this very relaxing. Luckily there seats were not taken all around us so we could spread out and Jace could move around. Second note to self, always buy Jace his own seat- there is no way he would have lasted on our laps. We were able to stay until after the bull riders, and by then his patience was thin and it was getting late.

Jace is picking up words left and right. He will now say "good-bye" to almost everyone, and my favorite is "please". I am a big fan of the word so we are trying to get him to say it when he wants something instead of grunting. He will someday have to learn that just because you say please does not mean you get it, but for now it is just cute to hear him say "pease" with a big smile on his face. He has also started to stand up to the dogs. Often time he gets his face licked whether he wants it or not, especially from Kayla, but now he will put up a finger and say "no-no" and amazingly she listens. Here is a pic of him saying "cheese" for the camera.

Post Surgery

2009-03-05T20:49:00.009-06:00

Well, we made it, and with flying colors so far.. This morning Jace had surgery to have tubes put in his ears and his adenoids removed. We were there at 6AM (thank goodness the surgery center was close by) and Jace was none the wiser. Steve kept saying he felt bad that he did not know what was going on, I was just thinking thank goodness he does not, as it would have been that much more stressful to have scared parents and a kid. By 7AM he was back in surgery. For the adenoids he had to have general anesthesia and a breathing tube which was the scariest part. Well 45 minutes later the doctor was calling for the post op review- he was glad we removed the adenoids- they were very enlarged and covered in puss (I know, yuck). After he came out of the anesthesia he was not very happy, so the car trip home he did not want to be in a carseat. He kept drinking water which made me nervous that he would be sick since I tend to have some nausea with anesthesia, so the car ride home was long even though it lasted 20 minutes. At home he was still out of it which made for a very unhappy Jace for a little longer. After walking him around for a bit he fell asleep hard on Steve's chest and we could put him down in his crib to sleep it off.

He woke up at 11:30 a new little man. He was laughing, playing, and hungry! He ate two bowls of oatmeal, which again made me scared since they had told us clear liquids, milk and then food and we skipped the milk part since he was so hungry (he was climbing the chair to get into his seat). The rest of the afternoon we just hung out- even went for a walk to find the local ducks and feed them. I kept telling Steve he was supposed to be taking it easy as they wrestled and were running to catch ducks. For dinner he scarfed down two scrambled eggs, applesauce and pudding. He did real well the rest of the day- he got sleepy early which was expected and not too happy with the ear drops, but that was much better than we expected.

Here are some pics from the day..

Baby News and Binkey Blues

2009-02-21T19:50:00.002-06:00

Well this week we had two major events in the Flanagan household. The first is that we found out that we are having a girl. When they told us, Steve asked if they were sure, I am not sure if this is because he is afraid of having a girl or afraid of all the stories people seem to tell you about a boy popping out after they were told they were having a girl. Well anyways both the tech and the doctor said they were 99.9% sure, so let's hope they are right. I was going to be happy either way, as long as the baby was healthy, but it will be nice to have on of each. Steve has already fast forwarded to her teenage years- so it is a little harder for him to be quite as happy. The grandparents are thrilled- my mom finally has a granddaughter.

The other big news is that we are quitting binkies (pacifiers). Jace was not a fan in the beginning, but as teeth appeared we gave them to him, mostly to stop him from biting (gave him something to chew on). Well overtime he became more attached, and it became routine. Now that he has most of his teeth, we started the weaning, and were to the point where he only used it at night. So we made the leap this weekend, and knock on wood, so far so good. We have packed them all away in the cabinet- he seems to not miss them until he sees them, so out of sight out of mind. The doctor said it would be good to get rid of them before his ear surgery, so let's hope we are on our way.

Jace had his 18 month old check up this week. He is a talking machine these days, though nothing makes much sense. He got bit the other day at school (it always seem to be the girls that bite him) and the minute Steve came to get him he pointed to her and tried to tell him all about it. Well he is 33" tall (75%), 24lbs 4 oz (30%) and has a big head (90%). We told the doctor that we are still having issues with eating whole fruits and vegetables so we are supplementing with the pureed form, and he told us to stop the pureed. He is growing fine and he said he just needs to learn to eat them. So this week luckily strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, nectarines and oranges were on sale. So we are ready- our little boy has to grow up.

An Ear Update

2009-02-15T19:07:00.003-06:00

Well we went to see the ENT doctor this last week and he definitely recommended Jace have tubes. He took hearing tests, and there was below average movement in both ears, and one ear was even worse (where he has gotten most of the ear infections), and his hearing was below average. I think Steve and I had already decided that we would do tubes, but then the doctor also recommended he have his adenoids out too. The doctor really thinks it is the root cause of why he gets sick so much (the place where the bacteria gets caught and grows). They don't normally take them out until the child is 18 months old, just because they are hard to get too when they are smaller, and Jace will be 18 months old tomorrow. He said if we just do the tubes he will likely still gets runny noses a lot, which he has constantly now (the doctor called him a mouth breather, because he is always stopped up). So we are currently scheduled for tubes and adenoid removal on March 5th- though we have until the pre-op appointment to make the final decision. We just feel so bad that he is sick all the time, but the idea of having to put him to sleep for surgery makes us both cry just thinking of it. Everyone tells me it is the best thing they ever did, but it still is very hard. Oh and he prescribed another antibiotic- his ears looked better but there was a lof of fluid in his ears, so it was a matter of days before he had a bad infection again. This one was supposed to dry him up (nose and all) but we are on day 6 of 10 and his nose is still running all the time.

So in a week we will know if we have a boy or girl- exciting. It seems so much more real then- you can start talking about names and SHOPPING. Though if it is a boy I have no reason to buy any clothes- Jace had so much and I saved everything (there are 8 big containers in closets upstairs). But we will still need to get furniture and start talking about the nursery. I know Steve is somewhat afraid if it is a girl- there is so much more cute stuff out there for girls, but knowing how much the grandmas love to shop and the bargain hunter in me will make me refrain from buying too much (I hope).

We actually got out by ourselves on Friday night for a friend's birthday party. Which considering it is the only the second time we have had a babysitter that was not one of our moms, it is a big deal for us. We use an older lady who works at Jace's daycare (she used to be his teacher) and her fee is reasonable so I wonder why we don't so it more- he reminded us. When she came he instantly knew what was going on. He did not cry he just got sad. He laid on the floor and put his face down- would not even look up to say goodbye- killed me. We had a good time, but felt guilty. We keep saying we need to do it more, just to go see a movie since it has been 2 years since we have been together, so we will see if we get the guts- he knows how to lay on a guilt trip.

No wonder there are problems with our legal system

2009-02-08T19:01:00.006-06:00

Well, Monday and Tuesday I spent witnessing why there are so many problems with the legal system (or part of it anyways). I had jury duty. I report at 8:15 and after starting 45 minutes late I find out I have to come back at 1:30 for a jury pool- too long to just hang out in Angleton so I boogied back to Pearland (45 mins each way) ran an errand, had some lunch and headed back to the courthouse. The next three hours I spent in a jury pool where I had to keep listening to people basically making up ridiculous opinions in an obvious attempt to get out of serving. Now I was not exactly excited about serving, especially as busy as work has been, but it is my duty so I was not going to lie to get out of it. Well, needless to say I was not picked, but at the end we found out 25 of us needed to report back in the morning for another jury pool, and I was one of the lucky. So I headed back Tuesday morning. This was a DUI case where the person already had two convictions and he was on trial for the third, which apparently makes it a felony and the person FINALLY looks at serving some real jail time (this post would be too long if I posted my views on drinking and driving). It was amazing to me how many people either had a DUI (about 7) and how many people had a close friend or relative killed by a drunk driver which led them to believe they could not be unbiased (10)- which excluded them all. Well at noon they had decided who they wanted and when they called juror number 12 of 12 she did not respond- she had not come back from the break! And of course they did not want to pick an alternative but rather break for 2 hours so they could try to find her. When we came back 2 hours later, I heard her (juror #12) explain she was just standing outside when the judge called her outraged. I wish she had been instructed to give us all an apology. So we were called in again just to be released. So after two days, I know like I should have felt like I did my part, but somehow felt I did not. My husband is always mad when I get jury duty (3 times in 4 years and him none) but after calling him at every break I think he now understands why I get frustrated.

Jace did well this week, we are hoping the antibiotics cleared the ear infection but we will find out Tuesday. We ended up going to the zoo Saturday which he loved. It is funny because this week it seems like he started catching on to things. He now will give you a kiss- he leans over to you and presses his lips to you cheek- too cute. Also started to say "more" and doing the sign for it- good and bad. Most parents would think this is not a big deal, but everything Jace has said up to this point always sounded like "da" though we could tell he understood us when we asked him something. And he finally ate pasta- first spaghetti with ham and peas and then mac&cheese. He would not even touch it before so to pick it up and eat is stunned us. I still cannot get him to eat whole fruits or veggies, though he will eat anything pureed. My grocery bill is very expensive every week trying to come up with something new for him to try- but just like the pasta I think he will just change his mind someday.

Two more weeks and we will know if we are having a boy or girl- getting excited. I am doing well- kind of have a slight cough still, but feeling better than last week.

The Ear Infection Blues

2009-02-01T19:32:00.004-06:00

Well, Monday I got a call from the daycare- Jace had a fever. Steve stayed home with him Tuesday, and the fever was persistent even with the tylenol and motrin, so Wednesday I took him to the doctor. And for the third time since October Jace has an ear infection. This one came on fast, and the last one took two doses of different antibiotics to clear, so they seem to be getting progressively worse. So the doctor recommended we go talk to an ENT about getting tubes. I guess the new rule of thumb is three in 6 months of 4 in a year- so we are there. I hate the idea of putting him through surgery, but he is sick all the time lately. I know he will still get colds, but they (supposedly) should not be this bad. He had the fever all the way through Thursday night- it was amazing what a good sport he was about it, but between the coughing and fever he was a sad dude. I guess we will see what the doctor says week after next. Amazing once you start talking to people how many kids have tubes.

And needless to say, the inevitable happened today- I am achy with a sore throat. So me and the couch have been best friends along with my cup of hot tea. I have jury duty tomorrow so that should be pleasant- my luck is I will be there all day.

We got our front load washer and dryer this week. After watching the washer the first time we could not decide if it was working right because it does not add hardly any water (you can never see a level), but after some inernet research and asking a friend it seems that is how they work. I had read they use so much less water but had never imagined this. Jace had some very dirty items that we used as test subjects and they all came clean so I guess it gets things clean regardless of the lack of water.

I have created a condiment monster..

2009-01-24T20:09:00.006-06:00

Well, I should have known better than to offer Jace ketchup (since Steve is a condiment addict), but I have now created a monster. Last week we were eating dinner and he pointed to the bottle, so I gave him a little. He proceeded to stop eating his regular food and just scooping the ketchup into his mouth. We finally tought him it is for dipping, but now whenever it is around he wants some. And the tonight we went out for Italian and got him tortellini with the tomato sauce on the side, so he could dip it. Well he decided he did not like the pasta (just by touching it- he has texture issues with pasta still), and proceeded to just eat the sauce. Luckily he liked the bread and the chicken steve and I had in our dishes, or it would have just been tomato sauce for dinner. I have gotten to the point where I can never guess what he will like. We have had no luck getting him to eat cheese of any kind, but then last night he could not get enough of queso and chips.

Today we had big plans to go to the zoo, but then the weather was not as pleasant as we had hoped, so we headed to the children's museum. Jace had a fun time running around, it kept his attention for a little over an hour. After a quick trip to Sam's Club on the way home, he passed out. I think we will wait to take him back again when he is a little older.

Looking through a new lens

2009-01-19T20:24:00.014-06:00

Well, with Jace and I finally feeling better we had a good weekend. I finally got to use the new lens on my camera, and while it is a learning process, I am excited about it. The lens allows you to take portraits with really blurring out the background- they always seem to be my favorite. The trick is getting the shutter speed to match up with the aperture to not overexpose the pictures- thank goodness for digital- lots of practice shots..

So recently someone asked how I was feeling, and followed with the question about how this pregnancy compares with the last. I decided there was not too much difference between the two actual pregnancies (same symptoms) so far but the differences come from that I have Jace now. With the first when I was tired I simply took a nap or if I felt bad I just retreated to my room. Now with Jace, normally his needs comes him first and then at the end of most days I just pass out on the couch (before 8 is not unheard of). Makes me wonder how mom's with 7 kids possibly do it.

So I cannot even believe that I am admitting to this, but we just got the last of our outside Christmas decorations down this last weekend. We have become those people. The lights did not bother me but the large wreath was just too obvious (we did at least turn the lights off). I do have to say that there are some people who still have items out including yard ornaments, so we have beat those people. There were excuses we kept coming up with, like I was too sick to watch Jace while Steve did it, but the reality is these last few required the extension ladder which Steve loathes. I cannot blame him because I am not a heights person either, and we keep saying we will pay someone to do that part, but his cheapness comes out so he sucks it up (he says he has reached his limit this year, but we will see next year).

Anyone out there have a front loading washer and hate it? We are considering getting one, and luckily I get a good deal through work, so it makes the additional costs easier to swallow, and when you read how much water it saves, less detergent you use, and how much more gentle it is on your clothes, you start wondering what is the catch. I did read the cycle time takes longer, which is not a big deal to me since the capacity is so much more than my current machine.

And then there were four

2009-01-11T18:31:00.003-06:00

So in case I forgot you on the email- we are expecting in July. July 24th to be exact, but if I have a c-section (which I am currently leaning toward) it would be sometime the week before. We are excited. I keep telling Jace there is a baby in my tummy and he is disappointed when he lifts my shirt and it is just belly. Today we asked him where his baby is, and he lifted up his shirt to show us his belly. I wonder how much of it he gets- just funny. I went to have some of the first ultrasounds Friday. The doctor said he could have told me the sex but Steve was not there and I know it would only be 80% accurate so I passed. Steve was disappointed I did not just have him write it on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope- now we have to wait until February 20th. My sister-in-law is due the day before me so my mom has two chances to get her granddaughter (but so far they have decided that they will not find out the sex beforehand).

The other highlight of the week was Jace had his first dentist appointment. We had noticed some plaque build up on his bottom teeth and were struggling with how to best brush his teeth, so we decided it was time. Amazingly Steve said it went rather well. He supposedly just sat there while they cleaned them, which is hard to imagine because he throws a fit a minute into brushing. They also gave us brushing pointers which have worked- more or less pinning him down. And we even get in some flossing- amazing. I was happy to read that children only get 20 teeth, which means Jace is almost done. He is not REAL bad when getting teeth, but he is irritable and extremely drooly. Feel bad putting a bib on a 17 month old, but it is bad.

Other than that we are just trying to get back to healthy. Jace was doing well until yesterday and the runny nose and really bad drooling is back. His teeth are hurting which is evident by the drool and a finger always in his mouth. My fear is the ear infection never went away again (after third antibiotic)- he is sometimes tugging at his ear and has started to not like baths which are usually signs his ears hurt- might call the doctor again this week. After not having ear infections for such a long time now we cannot shake this one. I got over my bronchitis but am now on another antibiotic (more specific) for a horrible sinus infection. I have had sinus headaches before but this just lasts day and night, and nothing seems to relieve the pain. Finally two nights ago I started feeling better at night, so I am getting some sleep at last. But now during the day one side really hurts and it spreads into my teeth. But it has become more bearable day by day so maybe (cross my fingers) I can be back to somewhat normal in the next week.

Catching Up

2009-01-04T19:00:00.015-06:00

Well, I apologize profusely for being such a slacker, it is not in my nature... I was hoping that Steve would take to doing some updates but no luck so far, so I am going to do my best. I had this feeling that I could not do updates without pictures, which we have also been bad about doing, but as I read my friend Corrie's blog, hysterically laughing, I realized it is just nice to know what is going on in people's lifes even without pictures.. So I will post once a week regardless of my picture situation to keep you all up to date.

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. My mom and dad came for the week and then Mike and his family joined us later in the week. It was a full house but we had a great time. Jace and Dylan got to actually play since Jace is now walking- the favorite toy was definitely the wrapping paper role. We celebrated Christmas early- Jace loves his Mickey airplane.

Then quicker than we knew it Christmas was upon us. We took Jace to his first Lights in the Heights. We went early- he loved the parade and we were done before the crowds were too bad- mom loved that. Then for the Christmas we drove to Mississippi- I was very nervous about an 8 hour drive. Jace is at the age where he will watch TV, but he is not all that interested. Well several episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse along with good timing with his naps made the trip very bearable. We had a great time with Steve's parents- Jace loved riding around the yard in the little red wagon. He enjoyed Christmas and was in to it much more than we expected- a lot of it was the joy of ripping the paper off but he actually then played with the toys. He got an Elmo- was not so sure about that, but he is warming up to him.

Well, all good things come to an end, and we crashed. The day after Christmas Jace got a cold, which meant sure enough I was to follow. We both have been suffering the last week. After trips to the doctor- Jace for an ear infection and me for bronchitus, the antibiotics are slowly kicking in. Jace felt pretty good today, thank goodness since daycare starts tomorrow. I am on on the other hand still struggling- just need to take it easy enough so I don't get pneumonia this time around. Steve had to be mom and dad in the week he was hoping to take some time off and relax. Kids change everything!!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T20:37:00.010-05:00

Jace was a little lion for Halloween. He was a very good sport about the costumes- I don't think he tried to take it off once. At school they had a parade and then a celebration in the pumpkin patch- he wore his "cooler" lion costume to that event. For those of you not from Texas, Halloween can still be very warm. Luckily this year was a little cooler, but we were glad to have this second costume, eventhough Steve thinks he looks like a Pilgrim in the pictures. Steve was able to take the day off so he caught some of it on video (see link off to the left- to be posted soon). Notice the poor Little Elmo- he was in the dark most of the event!

In the evening we headed over to our friend's house to do some trick-or-treating, or that was the plan anyways. Jace ran around a bit in his costume, but by the time the gang was ready to go, he was ready to go to bed. He has been trying to get over an ear infection this week, and we think there are more teeth coming in (today's signs were lots of drool and a finger always in his mouth). He is normally in bed by 7, but this week it had been 6:30, so his time was up! Maybe we will actually do some trick-or-treating next year..

Weekend with Grandma

2008-10-26T20:13:00.009-05:00

This weekend my mom came in to stay with Jace while Steve and I got away for our Anniversary. They had a good time, and mom found their "spot"- IHOP- he is a fan of scrambled eggs and pancakes. Thanks again mom!

As always I was horrible about taking pictures, so there are none to post of the two of them. But I did get a new lens for my camera as an anniversary gift so hopefully I will be inspired to be better next time. I did get some precious photos from dinner time. He loves vanilla ice cream...

2008-10-18T21:08:00.015-05:00

Well, I guess Steve thought we were the only ones out there without a blog, or that we had too much free time on our hands (hah!), so we are starting one. With friends and family so far away it helps us all keep in touch- so on to blogging....

Last weeked we had a pretty successful photo session (was supposed to be his 1 year pics, but Hurricane Ike postponed that). We have not seen all the pics but we have gotten a sneak peak- take a look http://studiobloomphoto.blogspot.com/. You might have to scroll down a little to get to us (posted Oct16th).

Today we visited the pumpkin patch. Jace loves going anywhere outside, so he liked it, but I am not sure what he thought about the pumpkins- he would never really go close to them on his own. Getting a picture of him these days is close to impossible now that he has gotten a hang of walking, so he is not really into sitting still, and is easily distracted when other kids are around- We tried!