Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Sadness at the holidays

This past weekend, a woman that I vaguely knew and her husband were killed in a car accident. She was the editor of the student newspaper at the college that I work for a few years ago. I didn't really know her at all...more that I knew of her. It was just so sad to me because I learned that she and her husband have a little boy not much older than Jack. I sat on my couch and cried just thinking about that poor little boy that will have to grow up not knowing his parents. That led me to think about Jack...how much I love him...how much I want to teach him...and how much I want to watch him grow up and turn into a wonderful person. I was so devastated just thinking about him growing up without me or his daddy.

So, as I prepare for my first Christmas with Jack, I am praying for the family of these two young people that were taken much too soon from this world. I hope that you will all hug your children tonight and remember to take each day as if it will be your last. Sorry to be a downer right before Christmas! It's just something I wanted to write about.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Seven Months

Jack Ryan...you are seven months old! I can hardly believe it!


So, other than grabbing your sign and not letting mom take your picture, what are you up to this month?

You wear mainly 9 month clothes, but some of your sleepers are 12 months.

You are now the proud owner of two teeth! The second just poked through! I guess you will have your two front teeth for Christmas!

You are still not completely able to sit on your own, but you are getting very close.

You have no interest in rolling from your back to your stomach. You hate being on your stomach, so why would you want to go onto it?

You love to watch Wheel of Fortune! It cracks mommy and daddy up! You get so excited when it comes on!

You have started to eat baby yogurt at breakfast and having a snack each afternoon. You really like yogurt melts and puffs.

You have had some tastes of "people food" lately. You have had mashed potatoes, sweet potato, a bite of hamburger, and french fries. We won't mention the little tastes of cool whip and pudding we have teased you with too. On Christmas you will get your first taste of turkey!

You are definitely starting to play with your toys more. You love anything that plays music or has lights.

You really like looking at the Christmas tree and all of the Christmas lights that are up right now!

You still go to sleep between 6:30PM and 7:00PM every night and sleep until at least 7:00AM. You happily stay in your crib and babble for another 15-25 minutes until we are ready to get you up.

You have now had two ear infections and are currently taking medicine to avoid a third...your right ear is nice and red...we are trying to avoid a Christmas trip to the ER, so the doctor went ahead and gave you an antibiotic.

You aren't sure what you think of naps. You typically take a nap in the morning (not that long after you get up) and then you eat your breakfast of either oatmeal or yogurt. You then sometimes decide you need another morning snooze after playing for a while. Other times, you stay awake until time for your afternoon nap.

I am pretty sure that your daddy is your favorite person right now.

When I go to pick you up from your crib in the morning, you give me this big grin and kind of yell a little. It's like you are saying good morning to me. Then, when I pick you up, you put your hands on either side of my face and just smile at me. It's like you are saying "well hello mommy, let me take a good look at you." It honestly is my favorite part of the day!

You are honestly a very good baby. You are mellow most of the time...you don't cry that often.

You are pretty spoiled by your grandparents and parents!

We can't wait to see you open presents on Christmas!

We love you very much!Apparently paper is very tasty!


You really wanted that sign...no matter where we put it!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

A Conversation...

My husband and I sometimes have the most random conversations. And sometimes I forget how funny my husband can be.

On Sunday, we were sitting in our living room playing with the baby and watching TV. A story about Tiger Woods came on (is anyone else sick of hearing about Tiger and his many, many transgressions?). They were talking about his decision to take a break from golf indefinitely. However, some very funny writer for "Weekend Today" decided to make the headline a little comical.

I didn't pay the story any attention until my husband starts laughing hysterically.

Barely able to speak, he stammers, "Look...at...the...TV..."

Before I can even look, he yells "Tiger Pulls Out....Tiger Pulls Out...HA HA HA HA HA!"

Apparently the Today Show decided it was a good idea to title this particular story "Tiger Pulls Out" (no pun intended, I'm sure!).

My husband thought this was the funniest thing he had ever heard or seen. So, I decide to humor him and laugh a little too. It really is true, men never really get past an eighth graders mentality, do they?

Monday, December 14, 2009

Being Green...a slight rant.

Let me start this post by saying that I have nothing against the "be green" movement and the idea of saving our planet for future generations. I am absolutely for all of that. With that being said, let me begin.

It's Christmastime. This is one of my favorite times of the year! I love Christmas music. I love putting up my Christmas tree. I love driving through neighborhoods and looking at Christmas lights. I love buying gifts for the people that I love. I love sharing this season with my baby boy. And, I absolutely love getting Christmas cards! Kelly over at Kelly's Korner was talking about this last week. I adore going to the mailbox, opening it up, and seeing those green, red, white, and gold envelopes peeking out at me. It's such a welcome respite from all the bills, junk mail, and catalogs that I receive on a daily basis.

This year, however, I noticed that I was receiving fewer Christmas cards. I thought to myself, "well, people are busy, maybe they are just running late with getting the cards out this year." Then I started getting some emails. People would say "we are trying to be "green" this year, so we are sending out an email newsletter or card." I literally got ten of these over the weekend. As I mentioned previously, I'm all for saving the planet, and for being green to a certain extent. I recycle. I think before I print an email or a document. However, I will not stop sending Christmas cards because I want to save the planet. One family indicated that they didn't send an actual card because her husband had lost his job and they simply couldn't afford the postage. That, my friends, is completely understandable. But the other nine...well...I was slightly annoyed. This is literally putting a damper on my holiday. I actually keep all the Christmas cards that I receive in a box with all my Christmas stuff. Then when I get all that stuff out, I have all the previous years cards to look at (and to remember who sent me a card that year that I might otherwise forget. I mean, not that I don't love my husband's great aunt so and so, but I have never met the woman! I might not remember to put her name on the Christmas card list). I also keep all the envelopes so that I have their addresses handy.

With all this email business, how am I supposed to keep track, dang it?? I guess what this comes down to is that I don't like change! I was telling my mom about this over the weekend, and she just laughed at me. I'm a major techie...I love to have the newest items as soon as they come out! I usually get behind anything technological. But, in this case, I just can't do it!

Thoughts? How do you feel about e-Christmas cards??

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

the post in which I realize I am an awful blogger

I guess that I am just not cut out for this blogging thing! I can't seem to post once a week...let alone once a day! I'm not sure how some of my favorite bloggers do it! They have families and jobs, yet they still find time to post on a daily basis. It's amazing to me!

I guess I really don't feel like I have anything to say that would be of interest to anyone. I could talk about my baby. I could talk about my job. Neither are super exciting to anyone except me!

I think that trying to blog has made me realize that I don't have anything going on in my life except my baby. I love that little guy more than this post could even begin to explain. Seeing him smile and hearing him laugh make every day worth living. That being said, I know that I have to live my life for myself...not just for my son. I have to figure out what is going to make me feel like a whole person...what will personally fulfill me?

The quest begins.