A growing family

Finally, here is a picture of my growing self (not the best photo, but it does show the belly!) ...hard to believe we only have 3 months until this little girl's arrival! And yes, for those who haven't seen me in a while, my hair is growing too. I also posted a lot of pictures of the boy so make sure you keep scrolling down...we've had some fun since we got home and I thought I would share...we hope you enjoy!

Playtime in my new jersey

Auntie Claire gave Jbird a great new jersey for Christmas (we hate she won't be able to visit this year)...and it was warm enough today for a test run. He looks too cute!




















What up? (says our lil' gansta)

Taking over for the dog

What you can't hear is our son "woofing" in the first two pictures. He started imitating that sound Monday and then decided to imitate Jasmine...quite funny!




















As you can see, he is quite proud of himself...



















and Jasmine appears unmoved by her demotion...she sits perched on her "throne" completely oblivious!















Another picture captured that day during playtime

Discovering the Christmas Tree

Jbird didn't show much interest in the tree until today - he even ignored the boxes while I was decorating Monday. He discovered a red ball and a frosty one with glitter this afternoon and I caught him having some fun...

Taking a swing at the ball...



















Just looking after Mommy said not to touch...



















Mommy caught my follow through!



















Maybe she'll let me touch the tree...



















What, me? I wasn't touching it!

Somethin' just ain't right

Somethin' just ain't right when it's 79 degrees outside while I decorate our Christmas tree! Crazy to think our high on Thursday will be in the 30s...gotta love livin' in Texas!

Night #2

Night #2 in the big boy bed went GREAT! He didn't fuss at all, and I didn't hear him until this morning. He even got out of bed, shut his door (we gate him in), and read his Elmo book. Nap time today went without fuss again and he slept his normal time - I am just now hearing him beginning to stir. How thankful I am that thus far this transition has gone so smoothly... gives me hope for bringing home a pink bundle in 3 months!

Big move

There is much to write about since my last post (we were gone for 9 days driving over 1800 miles!), but that must wait until later. I did want to take a moment to share a monumental milestone that occurred last night...Jbird spent his first night in his "big boy bed" (ie. his crib mattress on the floor of his room)!





The night went much better than we thought it might. We thought the easiest way to transition to this new bed would be to try it out our first night home after being away from home for over a week. I wish we could have captured the look on his face as we laid him down and walked away. He was holding both his bunnies with wide eyes - he seemed a bit unsure of what was going on.

We didn't hear a peep out of him for over an hour so we went to check. He was too adorable and looked SO BIG! We just stood holding each other, watching our miracle boy sleep, and I wept. It's the small things that just grip my heart - I can handle the big milestones, but this one was too much. I decided we needed a picture and thus what you saw above (it really was dark in his room, our flash lights up the whole block I think!).

Another 15-30 minutes went by and we heard him wail...he had rolled off the bed. He rolled off two more times before we decided to put the bed rail on. It took a bit to calm him back down, but then he was out...or so we thought. He would cry out and then quiet down...finally I went to check on him only to find him hitting his head against the wall as he tried to turn over. He was still asleep so I scooted him down and over a bit and prayed for the best...and I didn't hear anything else until this morning. I found him sitting on his bed with both bunnies thrown over the rail. So night #1 was pretty good in our opinion - and I have a plan for preventing the head hitting tonight.

Nap time today didn't go as well. He slept at church this morning so that usually means no nap at home...and today proved no different. He did lay quietly for a bit playing on his bed. Then I heard a sound I know well: the vibration of the doorstop. I found him behind the door playing. Back in the bed we go...wailing commences...and I find him in the middle of the floor. So he has figured out he can get off the bed which might make tonight a bit more interesting. I am waiting to put some toys in his room until we have the sleeping thing down a bit more. Overall, this first 24 hours is not the battle or trauma I thought it could be.

Our little boy is growing up - much faster than I wanted, but only out of necessity so his sister can have a bed when she comes home! He gained a lot of confidence with his walking while we were gone too - so now we are working on learning how to stand up without needing something to pull up on.

What a precious gift he is to us...I love being a mom!

He's walking!!!

Up to this point when someone asked me if Jbird was walking, I would smile and say, "He'll take a few steps between Mom and Dad with encouragement, but he's so close." Well, today he turned a corner and he spent over an hour total walking to various parts of our living room tonight! He had been playing tag with us for a few days - not stopping long before he turned around to head back to the other - and today he started between me and the ottoman. Before it was all said and done, he was going back and forth between the fireplace and coffee table of his own free will. With each pass, he got faster and more steady. He is doing a great job steadying himself, but when he does end up sitting down he simply says, "uh-oh", and crawls to something to get up and go again. He is so proud of himself...and so are we! It's hard to believe he wasn't even crawling 2 months ago. He is growing up so fast, but this is a big help to me as I continue to grow another little one inside. So now when asked if he is walking, I will smile and say, "YES!" We are still in the early stages, but something tells me he'll be running before Christmas.

A few changes

With the upgrade of Blogger, I decided to update my template. Also to avoid favoritism, I sorted my links alphabetically. I hope this doesn't cause you too many problems and that you might even enjoy the new look. Have a great day!

I have a crown

I have a crown...unfortunately it isn't one that sits upon my head - it's in the back of my mouth! I inherited my grandfather's and mother's bad teeth - lots more work than one soul should have to endure in their mouth in one lifetime...and today the dentist found I had a fractured molar. The amazing part is that I had no idea and no pain or sensitivity due to the fracture or decay. So, now I sit with the left side of my face swollen and tingly as the meds wear away and I get to go back next week for the permanent crown. I do love my dentist - he doped me up well so I didn't feel a thing (not even the shots) and he kindly gave my jaw a rest throughout the ordeal. So, I now always carry my crown...and I might try to milk it for all it is worth! Something tells me this won't be the last...thanks, Mom, for passing along your thin enamel...couldn't you have opted for something a bit better to give me?

Halloween fun

We had a great time last night! He did a bit better in his costume, and he was a trooper as we walked our friends' neighborhood. He got a kick watching their daughter go door-to-door. Here are a few pictures...I'll post one of Jbird and his friends later once the system stops bugging out!

A close up of his face














A picture from the front (where he is actually walking toward me which is why my mom looks so surprised) and a rear shot