Summed Up in a Song

If i could sum up my family with a song, it would be this....

I see trees of green, red roses too,
I see them bloom for me and you.

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by

I see friends shaking hands
saying how do you do

They're really saying I love you.

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll never know

And I think to myself what a wonderful world

Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Weekend

Guess what i'm doing this weekend! 

I'll give ya one hint....

I am soooo excited. I haven't been to a movie in months, i've been a little busy. 

I love SATC, i have almost every season on DVD. 
I did not watch it when it was originally on HBO, i didn't have HBO. I started watching it after it came to network tv. Since then i've watched probably every episode several times.I feel like i know Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha. I think we all have a little of each of these women in us.

 If you are a SATC hater....well...you're either crazy, or a man. 

Have a FANTABULOUS weekend!

Our Weekend Looked Like This

Sitting around the patio with our family and friends

Campfires

Fake beer for momma

Carrying around my little man

Fireworks

Taking pictures in the moonlight....

Learning to Sit Up & Not Stressing Over Milestones

Jackson is learning to sit up with assistance.  He has also recently started rolling over in both directions.
I am so proud.

Before you are a parent you don't understand why parents are so proud of their children for doing the most mundane things. Now i get it, every milestone has me so excited, and taking a million pictures. When he learned to put a toy in his mouth, i beamed.

When you become a parent for the first time, you read a million books, and research everything (at least i did). As the days pass, most new parents wonder, when will he learn to focus on a face, when will he bring his hands together, when will his neck become more stable, learn to bat at toys, grab things, sit up on his own....

We have to learn not to stress over these things. All babies are different, and they learn at their own pace. Grow at their own pace. Guidelines are meant to be just that. Guidelines. It doesn't mean that your child is more or less advanced, smarter, or better in any way if they do things before or after they should.

If you have a baby that is just taking a little longer, relax, and don't listen to all "those moms" who think their kid is freakin' Einstein because he put his own sookie* in his mouth.

Now, here is a picture of my far superior child, reading at three months old. He can say tractor in three languages.

*soother

LONG WEEKEND!

Happy Victoria Day weekend everyone! I hope you spend some time in the sun with friends and family. We only get so many long weekends, so make the most of it.

Jackson LOVES being outside, and we plan to spend a lot of time out side this weekend. Every holiday/long weekend is so much more exciting when you have a little one. 

(An unrelated picture, he started out ON the playmat, he's figured out how to push himself along the floor on his back.)

The Swaddle

We've swaddled our baby from day one, the nurses in the hospital showed us how.

It was winter when he was born, so it made a lot of sense. He loved it, and it kept him warm, perfect. Now he's almost 4 months old, and he likes (NEEDS) to be swaddled for naps still (he hasn't needed it at night for a long time, but naps are something he's always fought). There are several reasons i felt we needed to break the swaddle habit, before it really was a habit:

-It's getting warm. In fact sometimes in the house it's hot.

-I've read that sometimes a baby can roll themselves over in their cribs, and get stuck face down because of the swaddle.

-Babies do a lot of moving around in their sleep, which is actually a part of their development.

-If he naps in his chair, i can't strap him in while he's swaddled, and he just about slid out of it yesterday.

-It's pretty hard to keep a baby swaddled when they get older, and if they CAN'T sleep without it, that could be a problem.

I was prepared for a few rough days. It took one day for him to learn to nap without it. The first day we had a really hard time getting him to nap, and the second day he fell asleep no problem (we do rock him to sleep for his naps) Now on the third day he's having a great swaddle free nap. Now we just have to work on getting him to stay asleep. Un-swaddled he can really flail his body about, and boy does that wake him up. First the arms flail, then he arches his back and moves around. This is one step in the right direction at least. The next struggle will be the sookie (soother), but i think he'll outgrow that on his own in time, as he only uses it for naps now, or if he's really cranky.

Here's a great tutorial on swaddling. There are a few great blankets made to swaddle a baby, they have velcro on them to help them stay closed. One is called the Miracle Blanket, another is the Kiddopotamus Swaddle Me. 

Action Jackson & Fender Bender

Baseball

Jackson went to his first baseball game yesterday.

It was daddy's beer league. They lost, but it's not winning that matters, it's having fun.

(Although some people are way to obsessed with winning....it's a beer league people!) Here's daddy in action.

Jackson was dressed for the occasion.

(i will get a better picture of his baseball outfit next weekend)

Although he slept for half of it, i think he really enjoyed the new experience.

We try and do lots of different things with Jackson. We don't ever really avoid doing anything because we have a baby. I think if you put in the effort you can do anything WITH your baby (except maybe skydiving). This way he'll be exposed to lots of things.I hope to raise a child that loves to try new things, and is never afraid. So he can live his life to the fullest.

LOVE IT

I heart this diaper bag!

I guess i'm a for real mommy.

Actually dreaming of cute diaper bags. I love that it doesn't look babyish, and it's big enough, it has a zillion pockets. It's by Kushies, and it is called the Boho bag. I love Kushies products in general. Everything they make is great quality. Their bibs are my favorite, and they make super cool sensory toys. Check them out http://www.kushies.com.

Now to convince the Mr. we need another diaper bag....hmmmm

A Tea Party

On Wednesday, i went with my mother and sister to my niece's school for a tea party.

They wanted to treat their mothers to a special day. I have to say it was the most darling thing ever.

They sang songs, spoke about why they loved their mommies, made bracelets for their mothers, and afterward we all had tea and cookies. Oh my gosh. I wish i had brought a video camera.

My little niece was so proud of her cousin. You could tell he loved her too. He was all smiles and coos.

I can't wait for Jackson to have a little brother or sister to love. (not in the very near future, don't get too excited Gramma)

I Don't Want to Forget

I don't want to forget all of these little things.

The way he smells.

His smiles while he sleeps.

The giggles when i get him form his crib in the mornings.

The way his chubby little fingers wrap around mine.

His smiles when i say silly things, him thinking i am the funniest person in the world.

The way he always opens his mouth when i'm trying to give him a kiss.

His ever changing blue eyes, sometimes so blue you can't believe they're real.

My little man, i'll try and keep writing all of these things down. Because i don't ever want to forget. When you are 5 years old and you tell me i'm the worst mommy ever, when you are a teenager, and you tell me you hate me. I'll look back at this, and remember all of these little things, and know that deep down you really do love me. Because i am your momma, and no matter how big you get you will always be my little man.

A Poem I Love

Song for a Fifth Child

By Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due,

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo.

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo

Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

My First Mothers Day

I awoke on Mothers Day to this lovely breakfast:

(french toast with strawberries, syrup, and whip cream)

Received this lovely bracelet:

(Jackson picked it out himself. On the front it says "Mommy", and on the back it says "Love Jackson")

And then we spent the day with our mothers:

(Grandma Cheryl)

(Grandma Phyllis)

And i made Creme Brulee! And it was good! And i didn't mess it up!

And there were these random bulls hanging out in my mothers back yard?!?!?!

It was a fantastic first Mothers Day. I can't wait for the next one.

I'm looking forward to my children making me breakfast themselves, and a huge mess of flour in the process.

The Scary Sheep

Quote of the Day

Children and mothers never truly part -

Bound in the beating of each other's heart.

- Charlotte Gray

Jackson and His Grand"Mothers"

Weekend

This weekend is Mothers Day. My very first one! I can't wait to spend the day with my family. For all the mothers out there, have a great day, relax and enjoy!

What do have planned this weekend?

P90X

Today i tried P90x. Just the workout, not the diet. As per my weight loss journey, i need to start weight training again, although it will be far less than i used to.

Pros:

-It is definitely harder than you'd expect an exercise DVD to be.

-The workout's are well explained, and they give you beginner or advanced options.

-There are workouts for every muscle group, as well as stretching, cardio, and yoga.

-Along with a healthy meal plan, i think it would really work, this ain't no sissy workout.

-There are a lot of different workouts.

-I doubt you'd plateau.

Cons:

-I don't like weight training in front of the TV

-The host/trainer only does the workout for 5 seconds, then goes around to "check" on the other people helping to demonstrate, wtf?

-It's annoying to have to pause it when the baby fusses.

Although my legs and butt will be sore tomorrow from today's workout, and it did feel good to train again, i doubt I'll stick with it. I don't really like weight training in front of the TV. Besides the obvious problem of a weight slipping and smashing the TV, I'd rather have headphones on and be focused on what I'm doing. I think I'll check out the different workout options, and then just do them on my own.

Tummy Time