11 Months

Jake is officially 11 months.  Well, technically he’s 11 months and a few days.  Which means he’s nearly one. ONE.  Can you believe it?

We’ve had some fun this month.  Mommy practiced her photography skills and Jakey got to dress up for Halloween.  We also (all three of us) got the stomach bug.  Ick.

Jake hasn’t changed a whole ton in the last month.  He is still getting four bottles a day:  at 6:30a when he wakes up, two at daycare, and one right before bed around 7:15p.  He usually goes to bed around 7:30ish and sleeps for about 11 hours.  Here’s a typical day in our life:

6:30a:  Jake wakes up, gets changed, gets a bottle
8:00a:  Breakfast
8:30a-9:30a:  Playtime
9:30a-11:30a:  Nap
11:30a:  Bottle #2
11:45a-1:00p:  Playtime
1:00p:  Lunch
2:00p-3:30p:  Nap
3:30p:  Bottle #3
3:45-6:00p:  Playtime
6:00p:  Dinner
6:30p:  BATH TIME
6:45p:  Changes into jammies and plays in his room
7:15p:  Bottle #4
7:30p:  Lights Out

Of course, this is on the weekends.  During the week, he goes to day care from 7:30a-5:00p.  Otherwise it’s the same.

Jake has a new favorite toy.  I broke out a huge box of Mega Bloks I bought super cheap at Walgreens last year and he has found a green square he carries with him everywhere.  He even took it to daycare and back one day last week!  It’s funny…I’ll throw the block in with the other blocks and he will pick that specific piece out!

The other day I bought him a fun little walker.  He’s still learning how to use it, how to not go too fast, etc.  He doesn’t know how to turn yet, but he’s pretty good at walking with it.

Speaking of walking…we have a walker in our house!  He got moved up to the next room at day care and they told us the babies don’t wait too long to start walking once they make the switch.  They see all the other babies walking and tend to figure it out pretty quickly after that.  He’s still not super confident at walking, but he will take a couple steps here and there.  I’m sure he’ll be flying by his birthday!

As I mentioned above, Jake’s birthday is right around the corner and, to be honest, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.  I need to plan his party, order invitations, get a birthday shirt for him, and figure out what to get him.  On top of that, I’m in charge of Thanksgiving this year (which I’m actually really excited about as I’ve never cooked Thanksgiving before) AND will be switching to only being off one day a week during the month of December.  That’s how we do at Walgreens…

Anyhow…back to Jake.  I also mentioned above that we all got the stomach bug a few weeks ago.  Jake brought it home from daycare and Jeff and I got it a few days after he showed signs.  Luckily, it only lasted about 8 hours in each of the grown ups, which was good because it let us take care of Jake better.  Also luckily, I happened to be off work the days we were sick!  Good thing too…

They put Jake in the baby swing at day care when he first showed signs of the illness and he still liked it!  We had moved our swing down to the basement a while back, but after hearing he slept soundly in it when nothing else worked, we brought it back up from the basement to give it a try.  He is content in it for a while, but I don’t know if it was worth lugging the thing back upstairs.  I guess we will find out.

We have decided Jake’s favorite food is most likely cheese, though blueberries are a close second.  He will actually pick out the blueberries even when they are hidden in other things!  (FYI, I don’t usually give him this much cheese but I was at work that night!)

I mentioned Halloween earlier.  Well, Jake was sick over Halloween but I still managed to snap some pictures of him in his costume so we could remember it for years to come.  I love his little costume!

We had a great month.  You can see it in our faces:

 

We love this little boy.  He’s the best in the world!

Birthday

Today is my birthday.  I am 31 years old.  I originally wrote I was celebrating the fourth anniversary of my 27th birthday, but then I realized I had no problems admitting my real age.

I have never really let age affect me.  When all my other friends were worried about turning 30, I looked at my mom who greets every new year with a warm hug and a mug of cocoa rather than a crucifix and garlic.  She looks at getting older as a privilege rather than a punishment.  (She is a grief counselor.  Maybe it’s stemmed from her profession??)

Anyhow, I will admit I had a couple moments of trepidation last year when the big 3-0 was looming on the horizon, but I brushed it off, pulled on my big girl panties, and got my mug of cocoa ready.  Hell, I even threw in fuzzy slippers and a bathrobe!

One year ago I was 5 months pregnant and feeling great.  I was married to my best friend and had a pretty good job.  This year, not much as changed.  Well, actually everything has changed but not so as you’d notice.  I’m still married to my best friend and have a good job, but now we have a beautiful baby boy.  He and Jeff are the light of my life.

I am proud of my age.  I’m proud of my 31 years of experience.  Every year (especially these days with an infant around) I gain more and more knowledge.  I have learned several things in the past year I will take with me forever:

-No amount of worrying or preparing will make childbirth go any differently than fate determines.  If you are destined for pain, you will feel pain…until the epidural kicks in.  If it’s in your cards to throw up in the middle of childbirth, well, then, you’ll throw up.  Don’t worry.  If your husband’s anything like mine he’ll say you looked cute doing it.  (Isn’t he the best?)

-Babies are hard work.  No seriously.  Let me write that down again.  Babies. Are. Hard. Work.  Newborns especially.  For the first three months, just resign yourself to the fact that you will not sleep, eat, shower, or do anything else like you used to.  Everything is a race against the clock.  Get it done before the baby wakes up.  If you’re lucky, you might get a whole shower in!

-It gets easier.  I suffered from moderate depression in my first couple weeks after I had Jake.  I had to keep telling myself “It gets easier. It gets easier.”  I knew it had to.  Around three months, everything shifted.  Jake was…different.  I really don’t know how to explain it except to say he changed.  He was more predictable (or maybe we just learned his schedule), he was more content, he was easier to be around.  One of my baby books says babies are born one trimester too early.  This would make sense to me!

-Not getting your oil changed in your car can (and probably will) result in your engine pooping out on you before it’s time.  Then, you will be forced to spend $$$$ on an engine for a car you planned to sell within a year.  Note to self: must get oil changed!  I’m going to really like having a new car that reminds you it’s time.

-Don’t sweat the small things.  This is still a work in progress for me.  It probably will be for a long time.  I have been told I overreact and am dramatic about things.  (Nahhhh…..me?)  I know I do.  I am wound up so tightly sometimes the littlest thing can cause me to snap unnecessarily.  I am working on relaxing, slowing down and seeing the bigger picture.  I’m not perfect and learning this is not going to be quick, but it’s probably my most valuable piece of wisdom I have gained in the past 12 months.

I have a niece starting college next week.  Turning 31 has made me think of her and realize she is about to get hit in the face with the knowledge stick.  I hope she takes it all in, makes mistakes, experiences triumphs, and learns from everything.  I’m so excited for her.  Good luck, Riley!!!

I know this post has been all over the place (blame it on me getting up at 3:00a this morning to go unload a truck at work), so thanks for bearing with me.  All that being said, I’m going to go watch a movie in bed.  (Read: sleep with a movie playing in the background.)

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Birthdays, Berries, and Babies

Birthday parties, especially baby birthday parties, are so much fun!  I think my favorite part is seeing one-year-olds tasting sweets for the first time.  One of Jeff’s friends from high school has a little girl who will be one later this month.  They decided to have her birthday party this past Saturday and invited us over.

They made burgers and hot dogs, had chips, fruit, various salads, and cupcakes along with the little one’s birthday smash cake as well.  We took Jake and let him interact with the birthday girl and one other little boy who was about 9 months old.  I think he really liked watching the other two.

After little miss had her fill (well…almost…she could have kept going!) of birthday goodness, we were all sitting around on the carpet talking.  I sat Jake in front of me and let go, not thinking.  I fully expected him to topple over as is customary, but he just sat there for a little bit.  He was bent over, but he didn’t lean side to side at all!  I think we might have achieved another milestone today!

(Not the best quality picture but oh well…)

The birthday girl’s mom gave the little boys gift bags for attending (how cute!) so Jake scored some little puffs and finger foods.  We can’t wait to try them later this month after he starts eating real food!  Soon after presents were over, Jake started getting tired and fussy, plus I had another engagement, so we packed up and went home.

For the first time in…oh…probably six years, I had the weekend of the Troy Strawberry Festival OFF!  My sister-in-law asked me if I wanted to head up there and I was able to say yes!  Originally we had planned to take Jake, but Jeff offered to watch him and I took him up on it.  Truth be told, I was a little hesitant of maneuvering Jake around a crowd like that.  I am not the calmest person when it comes to crowds.

We left home around 2P and got to Troy within 45 minutes or so, dodging two near death accidents on the way.  OK, maybe not near death, but we definitely were paying more attention to others than they were to us!  I guess our luck paid off when we found a parking spot less than a block from the festival!

The three of us (me, my SIL, and our other friend) slowly meandered down the aisles of the festival, checking out the different booths and food options.  I hadn’t eaten a whole ton of food at the birthday party and was still pretty hungry.  I wanted something savory, but opted for the strawberry shortcake because the only stand I had seen was at the end of the line and I figured we wouldn’t have the option to get it again once we made our way back to the front.

It was pretty good, though the strawberries weren’t as sweet as some of the ones I had gotten at Dorothy Lane a few weeks ago.  It was still yummy.

We kept walking, stopping at a couple booths to look at the handmade gifts before coming upon a very intriguing booth.

(source)

Wine frappe.  In other words, fun slushy for adults!  They had samples so we all tried the strawberry daiquiri and the pomegranate flavors.

They. Were. Delicious.

I ended up buying the pomegranate and cranberry acai flavors.  Heads up, Peggy, we will be trying these in September when you come.  If I can wait that long.

After searching for the chocolate dipped strawberries and striking out, we decided to head home, making a quick stop at Trader Joes.
We needed wine…

Once home, I played with Jake till he fell asleep then threw together some grilled chicken and single serve loaded baked potatoes (recipe to come).  It was a great, fun-filled day, but man, was I beat!

(“Strawberry” fountain in the square)

Sunday, Jake, Jeff, and I had a playdate with fellow blogger Joanna and her family.  We went over around 12:30p and spent a few hours talking and playing with our little ones.  She was lovely enough to cook us lunch.  We dined on jerk chicken, broccoli rice, roasted asparagus, watermelon, and almond flour donuts.  Everything was delicious!

The babies spent lunch napping (how about that?) and even though her crazy dog “The Destroyer” was barking up a storm, neither boy woke up.  They must really have needed some sleep!

After lunch, Jake woke and spent a bit of time making funny faces at The Husband.

After a bit, we decided it was time to go, packed up our stuff, and headed home.  Jake ended up going to bed around 5p and didn’t wake up until 10:30p for a quick but hefty feeding (9 ounces!) and then immediately went back to bed.  Jeff and I took advantage of this time to sit outside on our gorgeous patio, drink Skinnygirl margaritas, and enjoy each others company.

It was a great weekend and made me appreciate the time I got to spend with both boys.  I hope I get to spend more weekends with them in the future!