Flashback (And Things To Remember)

Don’t adjust your computers.  You are ACTUALLY reading a post.  A new post!  I have had a lot of stuff going on in the past few months, particularly working 60+ hours a week in December, that put blogging on the back burner.  I am hoping this blog post is the return of my blogging, but now I’m sick so who knows.

So much has happened lately, but probably the most important thing was that Jake turned one!  He ate yummy blueberry pancakes for breakfast!

We had his party at our house on his birthday (December 8th).  He loved playing with all the kids and squishing the delicious cupcake between his finger.  He would probably have eaten the entire thing, but mama was worried he would get a belly ache.

Another important event was (obviously) Christmas!  Jake still didn’t really understand what was going on, but he was such a good boy the entire day.  I was worried he would get over-tired and cranky, but he both napped and played well with the other kids.

He’s been doing some really cute things lately.  I kept telling myself to write them down before I forgot!  He has learned so much from us and from the teachers at daycare.  For example, he waves bye bye, shakes his head when you say no, and claps any time you say YAY!  We recently just taught him this little trick:

And he just started doing this on his own:

His official first word is Uh-oh!  But he also says dada and occasionally mama (very rarely).  And he got some maracas for Christmas and he LOVES them!

We also discovered his love for pasta and meatballs.

He also loves the roomba and making raspberries.

Another thing that is his favorite to do is close doors!  He never catches his finger in the door either…knock on wood.  I don’t have it quite on video yet, but I’m sure I will soon.

Just wanted to drop in, say hi, and let you guys know what was going on in our lives lately!  Talk to you all soon.

 

10 Things to Remember

Jacob is an interesting character.  He has so many traits I want to remember, I thought I’d share them with all of you!  Here are the top 10 things he does that make him unique…or a baby…whichever:

1.  Has “puppy dreams”.  Sometimes while Jacob is sleeping, he makes little noises like you would hear a puppy make.  You know, whimpers and the like.  Very cute!

2.  Has erratic nursing patterns.  This boy is so crazy!  Sometimes he does a great job nursing.  He latches on and nurses on each side for 15-20 minutes each (for a grand total of 30-40 minutes).  He’ll then sleep for 2-3 hours like a champ.  Other times he nurses for 5 or 10 minutes, falls asleep, and then wakes up again about an hour later screaming like he’s starving.  He then repeats the cycle.  I finally have to give in and give him a bottle of typically a breast milk/formula mix.  Weirdo!

3.  Makes the “wow, you’re crazy” face.  I like to sit with Jake facing me and make lots of funny sounds and noises.  He then looks at me with his eyes wide as if to say, “Dude, you’re crazy!”  I absolutely love it!

4.  Wants to escape.  Usually after about ten minutes of making said noises, he starts pushing against me with his feet.  It makes me think he’s trying to get away.  Unfortunately for him, he’s stuck with me!

5.  Loves sleeping on people.  If Jacob could talk and you gave him a choice of places to sleep, he would always, 100% of the time pick a person’s chest.  I can’t complain though.  When I’m holding him and look down to see that cute little face with his mouth open, I don’t want to be anywhere else in the world.

6.  Fights sleep 75% of the time.  I was reading the Babywise book and they suggest feeding the baby, having a bit of playtime, and then putting the baby to bed.  You then repeat this cycle a few hours later.  I think it’s a great idea in theory…until Jake decides he wants to skip his nap.  It’s not that he’s not tired.  He’s usually exhausted!  He just has a hard time settling himself down.  Hopefully this changes soon!

**Update:  I originally wrote this a few days ago.  Since then, the nice women at the daycare informed me that Jake has no trouble going to sleep for them.  I asked them what they did to encourage that behavior and they told me they swaddle him and he goes straight to sleep.  Tonight, after Jake had been awake about 1.5 hours after feeding, I knew he needed to go to sleep, so I tried the swaddle/pacifier trick.  He was asleep within 5 minutes.  Holy lord!  Who is this baby and what have they done with Jake?

7.  Has a love/hate relationship with his pacifier.  Jake can’t decide if he likes the pacifier or not.  Sometimes he’ll be whimpering and he’ll want the pacifier.  Other times he’ll be making the exact same noises and we try to give him a pacifier only to have him immediately spit it out.  He’s so funny!  When he doesn’t want the pacifier and you try to give it to him, he makes the funniest face…like you’re trying to force feed him brussels sprouts!  It’s this “What the heck are you trying to give me, Mother?” face.  Love him!

8.  Loves the bath tub.  For the first few weeks before his umbilical cord fell off, we had to give him sponge baths.  He hated them.  Even though we would put a space heater in the small bathroom and turn it on full blast before the bath, he would still shiver and shake like he was naked in the middle of a blizzard.  When this kid is cold, he CRIES!  Needless to say, we avoided giving him baths for a while.  Then, after he lost his umbilical cord, we were finally able to bath him in the baby bath.  He loved it!  He was able to be warm and get cleaned at the same time!  He must take after his Mama.  Ever since then, he has loved his time in the bath.  I hope it continues!  I can’t wait to play with him and all his toys!

9.  Prefers to be naked.  A few weeks ago in the early morning hours, I was changing his diaper and noticed some redness on his bottom as well as around his legs where the diaper went.  I didn’t know if we had the diaper on too tight or what, but I decided to let him air out a little.  I put some towels down as well as a waterproof mat and let him have some naked time.  He loved it!  Not only was he able to pee on Mom (twice) but he was able to get some air on his poor, sensitive skin.  Ever since then he has shown preference whenever we take all his clothes off.  I can just see him spending the summer in just a diaper or less!

10.  Loves lights.  We have ceiling fans with lights all over our house.  Any time we have the ceiling fan lights on and we walk under them holding Jake, he becomes mesmerized with them.  He will sit and stare at them for as long as we let him.  Oddly enough, however, when we put him in a chair or bouncy seat within eyesight of the lights, he doesn’t look at them as much.  Maybe it’s because he is further away from them?  I don’t know.  Either way, it’s kind of funny to watch.

These are just a handful of things that Jake does right now that we have been noticing.  The interesting thing about babies though is how they change so frequently.  Take this example for instance:  Jake is six weeks old today and I have tried several times to get him to sleep in his pack n play during naps.  It seemed like it would be easier to hear when he woke up instead of using the monitor.  Tonight, after speaking with the ladies at the day care, I decided to try it one more time.  He was relatively wide awake when I swaddled him, gave him a pacifier, and laid him on his back in the pack n play.  As I said above, he was out in 5 minutes.  This was a huge achievement for us.  A milestone really.  Not only did he fall asleep in his pack n play, he was able to do it swaddled AND on his own!  (He has not been the best at self soothing while falling asleep.)  He has been sleeping for about 2.5 hours and will probably be waking soon for his last feeding before bed.

Every day, I find myself loving Jake even more than I did the day before!  I love seeing all the different changes he’s making and I love watching him discover things.  I never know what the next day will bring, but I’m excited for it!

Favorite Christmas…

I. Love. Christmas.  I love everything about Christmas from shopping for that perfect gift for a loved one to baking tons of Christmas cookies to listening to Christmas music from Thanksgiving on.  OK, well, if I’m being 100% honest I don’t love the crowds that come along with Christmas, but if I do my shopping at home on amazon.com (or prepare by drinking a few glasses of wine before Jeff drives me around looking for presents) then I’m a-ok!  Obviously I’ll be foregoing the latter this year…

During the Christmas season I have several “must dos” on my list.  I also have lots of favorite things I watch, listen to, or eat every year.  I thought I would go over some of those things today!

Food:
Favorite Christmas Cookie – Christmas Butter Cookies
Most of my food favorites I have been making or eating for as long as I can remember.  Perhaps that’s why they are my favorites?  My favorite Christmas cookie is no exception.  Every year without fail I must make at least one batch of Christmas Butter Cookies.  I can remember rolling out the dough and using those awful metal cookie cutters that were so detailed your cookie would fall apart before you even got it on the sheet.  My favorite cookie cutter was one in the shape of an angel like this.  Her wings and head fell off a lot, but she was still my favorite!

I had a love/hate relationship with these cookies for a long time because I hated rolling out the dough and cutting the cookies.  Then I got smart.  I would pick one design (typically something simple like a Christmas tree or a bell) and make all my cookies with that design.  This way I would be able to quickly cut out the cookies and then I could spend my time decorating them with homemade icing!  I can still remember sitting at the kitchen table for hours trying to get my cookies to look just so before deciding I was tired of being creative and would go all Jackson Pollock on them.

This technique actually made for some pretty neat looking cookies!

Favorite Christmas Appetizer – Sausage Balls
This, again, is one of those recipes I have been making for years and years and years.  I almost always make them for our carry in at work on Christmas Eve.  (In case you don’t already know, I work retail and always have to work on Christmas Eve.  To make this day more fun, we have a big carry in where everyone makes things and exchange presents and the whole lot.  It’s quite fun!)

This year, since I most likely won’t be there for Christmas Eve as I’ll be on maternity leave, I decided to make the sausage balls for our Black Friday carry in instead!  They are always a big hit.  I can’t have a holiday season go by without making these balls at least once.  I even made them for my baby shower this year!

Favorite Christmas Eve Meal – Homemade Pizza
When I was little, we would go to midnight mass at our church.  For this reason, we typically made homemade pizza for our dinner.  It was quick, easy, and made terrific leftovers for the next day!  I can remember standing on a chair putting the pepperonis on the pizzas under my mom’s watchful eye.  I looked forward to this meal every year and continue to carry on this tradition any time I can.  As I mentioned above, I work Christmas Eve every year.  On top of this, every OTHER year, Jeff and I make the three hour pilgrimage to Cleveland to spend Christmas with my Dad, stepmom, and their family.  Sometimes I don’t get a chance to make homemade pizza simply because I’m not home.  This year, however, homemade pizza will be made!  (Can you tell I’m looking forward to having the holiday season off?  First time in 8 years!)

Favorite Christmas Meal – Standing Rib Roast
Yes, Christmas dinner is a splurge for us.  My parents started having standing rib roast for dinner as far back as I can remember.  My dad was in charge of the meat and he would carefully prepare and cook it until it was perfectly done.  Seasoning it with salt, pepper, and other spices, he would let it hang out on the counter coming to room temperature (like a good cook would) while soaking in all the yummy seasonings.  Then he would cook it in the oven until the outside was crispy and the inside was like buttah!  Gosh, my mouth is watering…

When Jeff and I moved in together, I decided to treat us to my family’s traditional Christmas dinner one year.  I made the rib roast, crab cakes (a new favorite of ours that year), salad, twice baked potatoes, and chocolate mousse.  We stuffed ourselves silly that year and loved every minute of it!  I will hopefully get to do the same kind of thing this year!  Not only is this my favorite Christmas meal, it’s one of my favorite meals period.  24/7/365!

Entertainment:
Favorite Live Action Christmas Movie – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

For as long as I can remember (I feel like I’m using that phrase a lot in this post!), this has been my favorite live action Christmas movie.  I don’t know if it’s how hilarious Chevy Chase is, how crazy Uncle Eddie is, or simply because of Aunt Bethany.  She makes the movie, I think!  All I know is I have to watch this movie every year no matter what.  In fact, I’ve already watched it this year!  This is one of those movies my sister and I can quote to each other and get each other laughing hysterically in a matter of minutes.  Love it!

Favorite Christmas Cartoon – Dr. Suess’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Oh, Maxie!  This is, without a doubt, the best Christmas cartoon out there.  Sure, Frosty is great and Rudolph is nice (though he’s not really a cartoon…), but the Grinch steals my heart every time.  My sister is obsessed with Max the dog.  Every time she sees him she says “Maxie!!!” I tend to watch this movie a few times every season because I love it so much.  Other people must love it as much as I do, otherwise they wouldn’t charge $9.99 for a 30 minute movie on amazon.com!  (This is down from the $14.99 it was last year…)

Favorite Christmas Album – Alabama’s “Christmas”

There are a lot of Christmas albums out there that are good…Barenaked Ladies “Barenaked for the Holidays”, the Elf soundtrack, and Josh Groban’s “Noel”, but the album that holds a very dear place in my heart is Alabama’s “Christmas” album.  I remember riding in the car with my dad listening to this album as a verrrrry small child.  It was released in 1985 and, since I was born in ’81, it’s been around almost as long as I have.  Even now, when I hear “Tennessee Christmas” or “Christmas in Dixie” I have to stop for a minute and take it all in.  And, buddy, if I’m listening to the album the whole way through, I have to have a tissue or two handy.  I get very sentimental and emotional around Christmastime and this album is definitely one that makes me remember my childhood.  I will always link this album with my daddy and the great times we had as a family during Christmastime in Tennessee.  Love you, Dad!

Favorite Christmas Carol (Classic) – “Carol of the Bells”

Hark how the bells,
sweet silver bells,
all seem to say,
throw cares away

I used to say “O Holy Night” was my favorite Christmas Carol, but one day I was listening to a bunch of Christmas music and this song stuck out to me.  I love the melody and the fast paced lyrics.  Like I said, it just stands out to me as my favorite carol.  Really, there’s no one reason I like this song more than the others.  I just like it best!

Favorite Christmas Song (Modern) – Kenny Chesney’s “All I Want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan”

There are so many great modern songs I like, but this one combines two of my favorite loves into one:  Christmas and tropical weather.  Honestly, I don’t know that I would really like to spend Christmas in a tropical climate seeing as when I think of Christmas I think mittens, hot chocolate, and snow, but that doesn’t make me like this song any less.  I think it would be neat to spend one Christmas on the beach soaking up the rays.  You know…at least to try it!  Either way, this is one of the first Christmas songs I think of when I think modern Christmas music.  I look forward to listening to it every year.

Favorite Christmas Song (Instrumental) – Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve Sarajevo”

Who doesn’t like this song?  I mean, really?  When I’m listening to it while driving, I have to make myself slow down because it revs me up and gets me in good spirits!  I remember when my high school boyfriend introduced me to this song during the holiday season one year.  I loved it and made him play it over and over and over again!  I’m pretty sure I made him sick of it.  I can still listen to it over and over again.  I love it!

Miscellaneous:
Favorite Christmas Ornament – Disney World 2009

Jeff and I got this ornament while we were in Disney World in February of 2009.  I knew I wanted to get an ornament, but couldn’t find any that really spoke to me.  I like simple, classic pieces (like these James Avery ornaments), so when I saw this silver Mickey ornament, I knew it was perfect.  I love that it’s engraved with “2009″ on it so we will always remember when we got it and will be able to relive the memories we shared while on vacation there!  We are both looking forward to taking our little Peanut to Disney World when he’s old enough.

Best Christmas Memory – Christmas ’89
One of the most fun Christmases I remember is when my mom’s entire family came for Christmas in the winter of ’89.  My grandmother, two aunts, two uncles, and three cousins migrated northeast from Texas to spend a week with us in our Tennessee house.  I have Christmas morning on tape and try to watch it every year at least once.  I was 8.  It was one of the best times I’d ever had, especially because it snowed that year!  Snow in Tennessee is like rain in the desert…infrequent and magical!  I can still remember playing with all my cousins in the snow after opening scads of Christmas presents and “outing” Santa Claus!

Side story:  How I Found Out Santa Wasn’t Real
I had a bad habit of snooping around for Christmas presents when I was little.  A very bad habit.  In fact, my siblings even taught me how to open my Christmas presents and retape them without our parents being the wiser, though Dad swears he could tell…  This year, after my mom and Aunt Anita came back from shopping, I sneakily snooped in the trunk of the car and found a pair of white, frilly barrettes.  I still remember what they looked like…white, circular cloth with pink ribbons on them.  I made a mental note of this and went on my way.  Wouldn’t you know, I got those same barrettes in my stocking from Santa.  I even make a special effort to point these barrettes out to my mom on the video I have.  While we are opening presents, I keep my little secret to myself.  Only while we are getting ready for breakfast do I announce, in front of my two younger cousins mind you, that Santa is not real and I have proof, clutching my barrettes in my 8-year-old hand.  My parents quickly shoo me out of the kitchen and speak quietly to me about Santa and how we will have a discussion later.  Luckily, my cousins did not hear my announcement, but from that moment on, I knew the secret.

I recently read this article about how one mom explained Santa to her child.  I thought it was a very sweet way to explain things and I am considering doing the same thing in (hopefully) 10 years when my little guy starts questioning things.

Best Christmas Present – Our Little Bundle
Now, I don’t know for certain, but I have a feeling my favorite Christmas present of all time is arriving this year.  He’s going to come a little earlier than most Christmas presents, but I’m ok with that.  Spending Christmas with our little guy is going to be one of the most magical experiences of my life and I look forward to it every day.  I know he won’t understand the magic of Christmas this year or probably even be awake for much of it, but being able to cuddle him and kiss him and marvel over him will be enough for us.  I don’t think that any other present, past or future, will ever replace the one we are getting this year.  Unless of course we get another little miracle around Christmastime, but please let’s not get that far quite yet!

I hope my Christmas favorites have put you in the holiday spirit.  I would love to hear about some of your favorite memories and traditions!  Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year and I look forward to it the whole year long.  I love being around family and creating memories that will last a lifetime.  I am so excited to start a new chapter of my life during the most magical time of the year.  I hope your Christmas season is wonderful!  I can’t wait to hear about it and share my experiences with you guys as well!

Also, don’t forget to check out my Healthy Hydration post and enter for your chance to win a Crystal Light prize pack!  Entries must be submitted by this weekend!

Hawaiian Memories

Some of you know, but many of you don’t, that I am lucky enough to be going to Maui for a week in about a month and a half.  Jeff and I decided to get one last luxurious trip in before adding to our family.  If you know me at all you know that I am hardly containing my excitement.  I’m trying, but I’m not doing all that well.  What can I say? 

Jeff and I went to Kauai for our honeymoon in October of 2007.  Kauai was nice, but it wasn’t my favorite island.  It was, though, still Hawaii and who can complain about Hawaii??  I thought I would share some of our favorite pictures and video from our honeymoon.

Hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane!  What has been your most memorable vacation?  What destination is highest on your must see list?