In the back seat

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 

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Baby New Year

   
    
    

  
 

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Jackson is 6 months old

His half birthday has come and gone! My little nugget is 6 months old. He is growing so fast. I can’t keep up…IMG_5366 editWith the general holiday busyness, my lingering sickness, and big brother’s birthday, we were a little behind on posting these adorable pictures. But here is our guy, in his six-months’-old glory!IMG_5463 editIMG_5416 edit

He is still happy and joyful, but he also knows what he wants and will get it, one way or another! He has been known to holler when things are not to his liking, and he has only gotten more…ornery. Of course, my standards are high, because he’s such a sweet and happy baby. 🙂 (People who know his temperament are shaking their heads at me right now). I say it only to point out how his personality is emerging. One thing that is sticking with us (and I hope does forever!) is his love for his mama. He does not want to let me out of his sight. He instantly calms in my arms, and no one else will do. When he wants mama, he wants mama. IMG_5444 editIMG_5410 editIMG_5443 edit

Which is perfectly fine with mama. 🙂IMG_5421 edit

I find I am getting stopped often now for people to remark on how beautiful he is. I take it in stride, because I think all babies are beautiful, but it’s nice to note how much joy a baby brings to our hurried world that a perfect stranger would stop and comment. And smile. And coo. It gives me hope!IMG_5415 editIMG_5333_2 edit

Jackson is one curious little kitten! He isn’t content just to see everything; now he must touch it and taste it in order to fully understand what it is. He is on the move!IMG_5409 edit

Thus the efforts to incorporate the “6 months old” sign.IMG_5368_2 edit

And he’s moving all over. Not just rolling and rocking, but army crawling and scooting his way across the room. He does this to explore his surroundings. It’s almost scary how fast he goes when no one is looking! (Moral: always be looking). He kind of scoots like an inch worm and then grabs and examines objects, or puts them in his mouth, or hits them. Explorers have their methods…

Sometimes he will cry out because he’s stuck under the coffee table or cannot fit something into his mouth. He likes to knock things over and see what is inside, so I try to fill boxes with toys for him to do just this. While I’m cooking and he is on the counter in the Bumbo chair (please no letters–I am watching him and I don’t leave) he loves to knock over the utensil container and spill everything out, and then mouth things one at a time. My utensils have never been so clean! [Editor’s note: because I’m washing them, of course.]IMG_5383 editIMG_5345 edit

As you can see, he now has two teeth! Little pearly wonders.IMG_5466 editIMG_5501 editIMG_5455 editIMG_5486 edit

He is still soft, delicious, snuggly, and smells oh-so-good. I just drink him in every chance I get. His breath smells like angels and his cheeks feel like clouds. IMG_5472 editIMG_5356 edit

At his 6-month checkup, Mr. Jackson weighed in at 17 pounds, 12.4 ounces. That puts him in the 50th percentile for weight. He was in the 99th percentile for height! That explains why all of his sleeves and pant legs are too short.IMG_5372 edit

He is still a little cat-napper and fights sleep, and he still sleeps best on me in a carrier, as evidenced by the very loud wedding last weekend of his Godfather, Dillon. He slept on me while I danced on the dance floor!IMG_5513 editIMG_5367 editIMG_5365 edit

Oh, what a blessing, what an honor it is to be your mama, my sweet babe! To watch him wake up, scan the room for me, and see his face light up in dimpled joy when he finds me. It is bliss.IMG_5362 editIMG_5294 editIMG_5302 editIMG_5304 editIMG_5335 editIMG_5336 editIMG_5339 editIMG_5345 editI can’t believe it’s been half a year. I’m struggling with this idea quite a bit, in fact. It’s going by too fast!! I am in no rush for this sweet potato to grow up. IMG_5355 editIMG_5363_2 edit

We haven’t started solids yet because he isn’t sitting up completely on his own (or even really close to it) and he isn’t super interested in our food, more than the typical curiosity he has for all things. I am thankful to La Leche League for my knowledge of solid food readiness! He will be ready when he is ready, and hopefully mama will be, too. IMG_5368_2 editSilky-soft little ball of love, he is.

Oh Jackson Scott, I adore you!

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A life in Christmas ornaments

Taking down the decorations this weekend was an interesting task. I was amazed to see how much the ornaments we have collected tell the story of our lives together (Josh and I.) 

It’s funny because I used to sort of dislike Christmas decorating. It always seemed like a lot of work. I know I have given my mom a lot of grief about having to decorate and then take down decorations. I do remember the fun of unwrapping the carefully packed ornaments at my parents’ house, and asking for the stories about each one. My favorite was an ornament with clay “people”–it was just the faces of my brother and I. He was a bald baby, and I loved to see the little bald clay head on this ornament. I’m starting to see how special collecting ornaments really is. I should probably apologize to my mom…

Koal’s first collar:

He scratched at it relentlessly. I can still picture him, this tiny puppy, all leaned over and scratching at his collar.   
When Josh bought the condo:

Sorry for the blurry photo.   

We got engaged:

 
 The Harley days:  
 
We got married:

    I went to NYC:

  Along came Jacob:  
 
   
 

Our family has changed. 

   
 
And then Jackson:

   
 I’ll leave off with my treasured photo ornaments. We have amassed quite a few!

   
    
   

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Knott’s Merry Farm

What a day for Jacob! he got to go to Knott’s AND spend time with MimĂ©, Aunt Kere, Charlotte, and her friend Leila. He was in heaven. 

   
  

  
     
   

  

  

  

  

   
 

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NYE 

 A bounce house, the Pie in the Face game, sparkling cider, and a NYE countdown on Netflix is how we rang in 2016.   
    
    
    
    
    
  

 

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11:59

it is 11:59 pm on December 31, 2015. It was so close to midnight as I got ready for bed that I decided I should stay awake and write. 

New Year’s Eve isn’t my favorite holiday. I don’t like to be out on the road because I think everyone has been drinking. I don’t want to get dressed up and stay out late anymore. No one wants to watch someone else’s kids on NYE. I don’t want a fancy dinner. But more importantly, it feels so bittersweet each year. To mark the passing of time. Goals and dreams for the year that were not brought to fruition are put to bed. It’s hard for me not to look back to what I was doing last year, five years ago, even ten and fifteen, and the nostalgia is bittersweet. I never would have seen the events of 2015 coming. I had talked to my grandmother, Doris, for possibly the last time. She would be unable to talk soon after, and would pass away in February. I certainly couldn’t have predicted that, on a routine Monday afternoon in late March, I would fall out of my own front door and shatter my ankle. The pain that followed…the process of hopping on one leg for frequent night time bathroom trips while pregnant…the inability to care for Jacob, to meet his needs…it was trying. The worst part was seeing what I was putting my loved ones through. It was hard. My mind focused on the events ahead and the upcoming birth of my second baby, and out of the blue my first “baby,” my fur-baby, gets sick, is diagnosed with an immune disorder, and we have to make the very tough decision to end his life. I cried through several pairs of contacts. Two weeks later I am getting induced, against my wishes but alongside medical advice and urging. There have been two indescribably beautiful moments on my life, and the afternoon of June 30,2015 held one of them. Mr. Jackson made his debut earthside at 4:15 pm. I was instantly smitten with his dimples and sweet face, and feeling euphoric and powerful and so very happy. The events to follow were a waterfall of joy, one upon the next. Jacob meeting his tiny brother for the first time, the joy and pride involved in showing him off to family and friends, each milestone and development in his short life–all of these were beautiful moments. 

Time moved so slowly in the first half of the year. Especially in the second quarter as I laid in bed, sometimes overwhelmed by pain, and watched the hours slide slowly by. Jacob grew up so much and in so many ways this year. He has bloomed. I am so proud of the person he is. 

The second half of the year was like boarding a rocket and hurtling into the future. My two boys keep me so busy that the days seem five minutes long. It’s exhausting and exhilarating. I can’t believe how quickly time is passing and Jackson is growing up. I want to grab time and pause it to bask in these beautiful moments, but I just can’t. I suppose the brevity of them is what makes them so beautiful. 

So I find myself here, in the relative quiet of my dark house, listening to the sounds of children breathing, Josh snoring, and fireworks. It’s hard to watch 2015 go, knowing that it means my children are older and time is short. It’s also joyful to look ahead to the beautiful times that await us. 

So goodbye year. I’ll always remember you (especially as o fill out forms). 

I pray that we all enjoy the blessings bestowed on us, and learn from the past, but leave it behind. 

Happy New Year

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Laundry day

   
    
   

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Twas the Day After Christmas: The post-Christmas cleanup 

   ‘Twas the day after Christmas, and new toys were here
“But where shall we put them?” I started to fear. 

The shelves they were crowded, the baskets were full

“And how to keep tidy?” daddy started to mull. 

I emptied the baskets, the shelves did I clear

And neatly I sorted the things Jacob holds dear. 

    
The crayons tucked away, the stamps in their places

The puzzles and games all stored in their cases. 

 
When what to my wondering eyes does appear

But Jacob himself, with a frown from ear to ear. 

“I am kinda mad at you” he whispers to me 

“I liked my room the way it was” even if I don’t agree. 

Some things were moved back, and order restored

For Jacob’s wishes are not to be ignored. 

On Paw Patrol, on Rescue Bots, on dress up and disguises

On lightsabers, on art supplies, on daddy’s race prizes. 

   
    
 With all of the toys in accessible places

I was happy to be back in Jacob’s good graces. 

And now, my story being over, it’s time to turn out the light. 

Happy organizing to all, and to all a good night!

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Christmas 

in a few words: it was lovely. Magical. 

   
    
    
 

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