Time to babyproof

Elena's finally learned to crawl!!! I went out last night with some friends and darn if my little cutie didn't take crawl for the first time while I was out. I've been lucky enough to catch almost all of the firsts for my kids, so this was quite a disappointment, but I'm glad that she's finally getting the hang of it. She's been working on crawling for quite some time. Now I have lots of babyproofing to do since EVERYTHING goes in that child's mouth. lol

I went out last night with friends and had a few drinks. Had a good time. Jackson and I went to a playdate today at Chick-fil-A and it was fun. I love their playground there, it's just the right size for him. Afterwards we went to not one but two McDonalds. Yuck! I went to one and got him a cheese sandwich, then he decided after we were almost home he wanted another. Well seeing as how he is avoiding food at all costs, I went to another one for another cheese sandwich and thought I would rent a movie. Wrong, they had nothing, bummer. I really like that Red box rental thing, a dollar a night is great and usually the selection is pretty good. Jackson got a movie, but nothing for Mom and Dad. Oh well, I'd just fall asleep during it anyway, lol.

Back to Chaos

We picked Jackson up Tuesday night after work. I met my Mom at Target and picked up my little man. It was so great seeing him and he was running so fast to come hug me, that I was afraid he was going to fall. I was so happy to see him and then moments later, I was hit with a cold slap of reality- candy fit. Oh yeah, I love him seeing my Mom and getting a little free time, but oh what a price I pay. He gets majorly spoiled and my neice and nephew are bad influences on him as well. So we spend the next couple of days trying to get him back to a normal sweet little boy. Yikes!!!

We're still in whining fit modes, he doesn't seem to be feeling very good. I hope he doesn't get sick. We got haircuts yesterday, and he was good during it, but very impatient to go home. He looks so handsome. I got a trim with some shorter layers on top so I can wear a ponytail and not actually pull all my hair back. I might have to take Elena next time. Her hair is always in her eyes, that she always has to wear clips.

We got Jackson's room painted, well we still have the doors, but those will have to wait. John put up a new ceiling fan which is really cute, and I think the room looks pretty cute overall, just not thrilled with the orange wall. We did all four walls different colors, blue, yellow, green and orange. They all look nice except the orange is a little too sherbet colored for my taste. We're thinking of re-painting that one.

Elena is doing great, she is almost to the point of crawling, she kind of just scoots everywhere. She loves pulling up and of course , still sticks EVERYTHING in her mouth. Whoops, she's pulling all the movies out of the entertainment center, gotta run!!

Missing my baby

It's really hard to let your children go. I let my Mom take Jackson this weekend for a couple of days. It's not the first time he's been away from me, but gee, it doesn't get any easier. I miss him so much!!!

It's hard to hear the bad things that happened to him, or the comparisons to my nephew, which I'm still recovering from the same about me and my sister. It's something I want to shield him from, but I can't. He has to be able to grow up and be a boy, a young man, a man, instead of my little baby. Granted, he will always be my baby, but I can't continue to smother him, to coddle him, it will only make it harder for him in the long run. I need to find a healthy balance between the coddling and the letting him be his own little person.

He's really such a great little guy, so smart, sweet, caring and sensitive, I could go on and on. I just think he's one of the greatest little guys out there, other than when he is being spoiled rotten and throwing a fit over some toy or junk food that he wants. lol

I love my little man!!!!

My baby

Okay, so as not to make Jackson think I think anything less, I need to post about my little man. He's so smart it's amazing how often he tries to, and sometimes does , outsmart us. I can hear his little wheels turning in his mind as he tries to finagle to get what he wants. He's gonna make a great negotiator. He's also just about the sweetest kid alive. He's so loving , always quick to try to make me feel better and offering to take care of me when I'm sad. Sometimes I feel like the child and he the adult.

I love the look he gives me when he gets excited to see me. His whole face lights up and he gets that coy grin and a bit of a blush. The endless supply of hugs and kisses I get make my day. I don't really get the hair fascination, he prefers my hair in a ponytail and asks for me to wear it that way all the time. It really upsets him when I don't. Strange, but I think he's just in a weird Mommy mode right now.

He's also growing, just not at the rate he should. I wish he wouldn't fight us so much on the food issue. He's also fighting on drinking milk now too, geez, he is going to be the death of me , he is SO stubborn. Gee I wonder where he gets that from? lol He's just like my little mini-me, but way smarter, sweeter, and better looking. I am just so utterly in love with him, even if I do want to choke him sometimes. He's a wonderful son and I am going to have such a hard time letting him grow up. If only he could stay my sweet little boy forever. Jackson, you will always be my baby! I love you Watermelon.

7 Months

Holy cow! My little girl is 7 months today. I'm very emotinonal about this. Yes, I know it's great that my baby is growing , but she's my last and it goes by oh so quickly. What does her 7 months mean to me? She's one step closer to going to daycare, she's closer to crawling, eating solids, talking , walking, and closer to becoming a toddler instead of a baby. I am enjoying all of these baby moments, as they will very quickly be gone. I didn't quite take the time to really appreciate Jackson as a baby. I just wanted him to be a little boy, a kid who can hug me give me kisses.

So I am savoring these moments with Elena. As much as I complain, she is a terrific girl. She's got the brightest smile, her eyes just twinkle when she's happy, which as long as she gets her way, is often. She is so ticklish, and I love her giggles. She's so soft, and has all that crazy hair ( dinosaur hair is what Jackson calls it). She's getting to the age where she reaches for you ( melts my heart) and we are going through separation anxiety as well ( for me and her, lol). I love the cute little noises that she makes that I just can't duplicate and the way she looks like a tiny ballerina doing plies everytime she's in her Johnny Jumper. I love you little Lenybug!

I haven't updated lately because frankly I just didn't have it in me. I've been feeling a little sorry for myself, okay a lot sorry for myself lately and just haven't felt like putting my feelings out there. I know I should just be thankful because things can always be worse, but sometimes that's easier said than done. Anyway, enough of my pity party, on to something more worthwhile.

We moved Jackson into his new bedroom and he actually slept in there. Elena slept in her room all by herself, they were sharing a room. She actually slept much better, guess it's easier to sleep when you have a nice quiet room instead of a brother to wake you up way too early. We haven't painted Jackson's room yet, because we're waiting to see if we're going to do the addition onto the house, which means they would have to block up Jackson's current window and cut a new one out, so no use in painting until we get that figured out. I can't wait to decorate it though. We're painting the walls different colors and doing a whole dinosaur theme.

Elena's room will stay the way it was as an animal nursery, and eventually I will change it to butterflies, ladybugs and bumblebees.

I can't believe my baby girl is almost 7 months old. I didn't have a hard time with 6 months, but 7 months is closer to 1 yr than a baby, so in my mind, much tougher. She's growing so quickly and she's my last, so I just really appreciate this age. I also know that the older she gets the closer she is to going to daycare. Something that I will put off as long as possible.

In Memory of Jenna Jurgens

Yesterday was the funeral of Jenna Jurgens. She was a friend of mine, although I wish I had gotten more time to get to know her better. Here's what I do know: She was an amazing woman. She beat cancer twice and I really thought the third time would have been no different. She was strong. A fighter until the end, she was one of the strongest people I have ever met. She had a can do attitude, that she could do anything and make it seem so simple. She was an awesome mother, she had 3 young kids and a 4th on the way, yet somehow made it seem so easy to take them anywhere and everywhere. She had a lust for life. She was so full of energy and appreciative of each day that she had. She had lots of friends and family. She was a true inspiration to so many it's kind of overwhelming. To see someone that was so full of life and love gone is devastating. I looked at her in her coffin, and she just didn't even look the same. This wasn't the vibrant woman so many of us knew and loved. I feel for those poor kids who will grow up without such a wonderful mother and can only hope that one day they will realize how truly great she was. She won't get to see her kids dating, graduate, go to college, get married, have kids, it is just so heartbreaking but I know she will watch over them and she is now pain free in Heaven, with Will in her arms. She doesn't want us to cry, but we will for a while, and then hopefully we can move on with our lives and remember this incredible person. Hopefully she has taught us to appreciate our days a little more than we might have, to stop and just give our kids an extra hug or kiss when we're too busy. Jenna touched so many lives and when I die, I can only hope that I have enjoyed my life as she had, and touched even just half as many lives as she did and I will be a happy woman. She made a true difference to so many and not many people can say that. We will remember you Jenna, thank you for being my friend.