Cheeeeeeeeeeeese!

This morning, Dave went out for his loooooooong run and Jack and I headed to Durham for a photo shoot with our favorite photographers Annie Leibovitz Harrison and Rebecca Faulk.  After our drive through Scary Town, we arrived at the location of shoot-an old refurbished textile factory.  The space was great with lots of hardwoods and exposed brick.  I changed Jack into his super cute outfit and Annie and Rebecca got to shooting.  I took my camera because Jack always smiles when he sees it (kind of like Pavolv's Dog).  While I was aiming my camera at Jack, I accidentally took this picture:

photo edited due to a disgruntled photog

Apparently, Rebecca moonlights as a contortionist.  The girls took Jack all over the space and used lots of different backgrounds and he was very cooperative.  Once they were done taking his pictures, it was time to snuggle.  Jack got lots of snuggle time with Annie and Rebecca and then passed out as soon as we got in the car.

I cannot wait to see his pictures.  They showed me a few on their cameras and they were so cute.

In the meantime, here are a couple pictures I took at home of Jack in his cute outfit.

I'll be sure to let you know when we get our disc with the pictures on it.  If it takes too long, I'll have you help me harass the photographers :)

"Walking"

Lately, Jack is only happy if he is standing up.  He can't stand up on his own, so he needs one of us to hold his hands so he can stand.  He has also begun to get "a little big for his britches" in that he quickly tries to let go of our hands and then falls down.

Our friend Blanca told us that when her kids were little, she would use a towel to hold them up to they could walk around and the adult wouldn't have to bend over so far and get a sore back.

Jack is loving his new mobility!

I was able to get a little video of Jack in action.  As you are watching, you'll notice that someone tries to steal the show (ahem, Scout!).  I also really encourage you to watch until the very end (it's only 25 seconds long, people) because it's pretty stinkin' cute right at the end!

Twins?

No!  I'm not having twins but I did get a glimpse into the life of having twins today.  My friend, Kristen, dropped her little girl, Eva, off while she went to work for a few hours.  Kristen is going to be working at the hospital that is about 1 mile from my house and I offered to watch her little girl while she worked.  It worked outs really well since Kristen is only going to be working part time and I live so close to where she works.  I don't really want to watch kids every day of the week so this will give me a little extra spending money but still leave the majority of my week open.  Kristen said it really well when she said, "I don't want to do anything everyday besides be a mom".  At 5 months old, Eva is only a couple months younger than Jack so we had quite the afternoon.

Jack reading a book to Eva

Eva enjoying Jack's "Circle of Neglect"

taking a little break for some hand holding

I do believe these two will be trouble when they get older

Jack giving Eva a little pat on her head

They both did really well.  Jack was happy to share his mommy and Eva was happy to play with a friend and some new toys.  The only hard part was when they both got tired at the same time and needed to be put down for a nap, but we managed just fine. 

I may not be bringing home the bacon, but now I'm able to bring home a few bacon bits!

I think someone knew what they were talking about when they made sure a woman couldn't have babies 2.5 months apart!

Here Fishy, Fishy!

Jack has discovered the fish tank in the playroom office and he loves to stand in front of it and admire the fishies.  By admire, I mean bang on the tank and scream loudly with joy.

She's Crafty

So I went ahead and tackled another one of my "pinspirations" from Pinterest.

I made a little monogram for Jack's room out of crayons.  When I saw that Crayola crayons were BOGO at Toys R Us, I went and got some so that I could tackle this project.

It was pretty easy.  I printed out some Js in various fonts and then started cutting and arranging the crayons to my liking.  I had a hard time finding a J that I liked.  I wanted one with the "top hat" and I wanted one that wasn't too fancy.  I ended up, finding on that I kind of liked and then improvising.  I glued all of the crayons to each other.  First, I tried hot glue.  That didn't work.  Then, I tried good ol' Elmer's glue.  That didn't work either.  Finally, I tried Gorilla Glue whose tag line is "For the toughest jobs on planet Earth" and it worked!  I'm not sure that my crayon monogram is the toughest job on Planet Earth...but maybe on Mercury...he seems like a wimpy planet.  Once I got everything glued together, I waited or it to dry before gluing the letter down to some card-stock.  I'm hoping I can find a shadow box frame so I can finish this puppy off and hang it up in Jack's room.

What pinspirations you working on?  Which planet do you think is the wimpiest?

Happy 200th Blog Post

Wow!  I can't believe this is my 200th blog post!  My original purpose for starting this blog was to keep all of our friends and family who live near and far up to date on our lives.  I never had any idea that I would stick with it and I'm happy that I have.  Thank you for sticking with us and following along on our crazy (often boring) adventure.  Here's to 200 more posts!

Piña Colada Cake

Oh. My. God! I made a very delicious dessert tonight and I just had to share with everyone.  It's super easy and super delicious and super not so bad for you.

Piña Colada Cake

INGREDIENTS
1 package of Angel Food Cake mix
1 (20 oz) can of crushed pineapple in it's own juice
1/2 cup shredded coconut (the sweet stuff)
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 (12 oz) contain of frozen fat free whipped topping, thawed

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9x13 pan with Kitchen KY cooking spray
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pineapple (including juices), coconut, rum extract and coconut extract.  Mix well until blended.
3. Pour batter into prepared 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown and level.  Let cool.
4. Serve with whipped topping

Just try not to eat the whole thing!!!

Brunch

We went to brunch this morning and Jack was such a good boy.  He is able to sit in a high chair when we are out, which he really likes.  He gets to look around and smile at anyone who will make eye contact with him.

studying the construction of the menu

Jack noticed Mommy was taking pictures, so he stopped to pose.

Reading the menu.  Trying to decide what to get.

 When all else fails, we play Jack's favorite game.  Peek-a-boo!

Where's Jack?

There he is!

We are so lucky that Jack is such a good baby and we are able to take him out with little to no problems.  He spent a good portion of brunch flirting with the lady that was sitting next to us and I overheard (with my sonar hearing) several other patrons admiring our sweet little man!

Splish Splash

Jack is still really enjoying his bath time.  We are still using his little tub, but I think we are about ready to transition to the big tub along (we'll just have to be super cautious that he doesn't fall over and bump his head).  Now that Jack is so much more aware of his surroundings, he is trying to grab everything and pull it in the tub.  He engages with his toys and still loves to splash!

Last night I decided to give Jack the opportunity to choose what toy he wanted to play with...he chose them all!!!

playing with all of his toys in his tub

lovin' the rubber ducky

you can practically hear his giggle

drinking some bath water

I'm sure not everyone will want to watch a video of Jack in the tub, but I'm pretty sure the grandparents will enjoy it!

Woobie

Growing up, I had a woobie that I loved dearly.  I carried it around everywhere and sucked my thumb until I was, well, let's not get in to details about how long I actually sucked my thumb.  My favorite part is the silky binding that goes around my woobie.  I still have my woobie (and a backup) and still sleep with it every night.  I remember when Dave and I first started dating and I sat him down because I had something very important to tell him.  I was sure it was going to be a deal breaker when I told him I still slept with my woobie, but he somehow found it endearing.  My woobie has fallen apart and been stitched together more times than I can count. 

Jack has taken a liking to the woobs and as much as I love him, I'm not sure I'm ready to hand my first love over just yet.  I decided to make Jack is very own blanket that he can love and cherish for as long as he wants (even if it is into his 30s).  I found a neat idea for a blanket on a blog and immediately "pinned it" on Pinterest.  If you don't know what Pinterest is, it is a website where you can basically bookmark ideas that you find online and share them with your friends.  If you want an invite, let me know.

So anyway, here's what I did.

I went and bought my fabric:

Then I got to sewing, this blanket has some almost quilt like qualities so it took quite a bit of sewing. I basically sewed all five layers on top of one another in diagonal lines about a half inch apart all the way across the fabric.  Then I cut in between the stitched lines (which was quite a bit of cutting). 

Dave decided to help me out with some of the cutting:

 After it was cut, I added some binding and threw it in the wash.  As soon as it was clean and dry, I handed it over to Jack.  It was love at first site!

Do you think he loves it?!

Playing coy.

Testing his woobie out from all angles.

By sewing the fabrics in so many lines and then cutting them, the cut fabrics curl up and make a "chenille" type fabric.  I really like the final product and so does Jack.  The colors I picked remind me of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Down with the Brown(s)

Yesterday we went and had brunch with The Browns.  I was their "childcare technician" when the kids were younger and I instantly became a part of their family.  When I left Virginia, I would go back and visit them a few times a year.  A few years ago, they moved to Chapel Hill and I couldn't be happier.  You first heard about Aunt Kori (the middle child) here.  Kori is about to move to Honduras to teach fifth graders and we needed some more Aunt Kori love before she left.

I hope that Dave and I are able to raise our child(ren) to be as wonderful as the Browns.  All three of their kid are thoughtful, caring and moral individuals.  They appreciate family and know the value of giving back to their community.  Teva is living up in New York, Kori just graduated from Virginia Tech and is heading to Honduras to teach, and Levi is about to be a senior in high school.  I can't believe these kids adults young adults have grown up from the 3, 7, and 10 year olds that they used to be!

Aunt Kori and Jack snuggling

Elissa and Jack

cheese!

Levi, Dave, Elizabeth, Geoff, Kori, Jack & Elissa

Then & Now

Skype

We've been Skyping with Nanna and Grandad.  It's a great way for them to see us Jack and much cheaper than weekly trips back and forth. 

This week, we sat the laptop on the floor in front of Jack so the grandparents could see how well he was sitting up.  Jack was much more interested in the computer this week than ever before. 

Knowing that we can see Grandad and Nanna often makes us feel a little less sad that they are so far away.  Definitely makes them seem closer!

Dave and Jack talk to Nanna and Grandad

7 Months

Guess who's already 7 months old? Well considering this blog is primarily about Dave, Jack and myself...you should be able to figure Jack is the one that is 7 months old.  Can you believe it?! 

Jack didn't have a doctors appointment this month but he has made some big changes.

This month, Jack:

• is wearing size 2 diapers, but will start wearing 3s when we finish this box.
• wears mostly 6-9 month clothes.
• eats solids 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner).
• eats rice cereal, bananas, apples, peaches, carrots, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, mangoes, yogurt and pears (there's probably more, but I can't remember)
• sits up, unassisted, for practically infinite amounts of time.
• drags toys toward him.
• moves objects from one hand to the other.
• is obsessed with remote controls and cell phones.
• wakes up once or twice a night to be fed.
• jabbers loudly.
• has been saying "mamamamama" (be still my heart) but doesn't really say it in regards to me.
• still loves jumping and standing up.
• kicks and splashes in the bath.
• loves shiny things (our watches, and rings).
• is fascinated by glasses (the kind you wear)
• is working on drinking from a sippy cup (not very good yet).
• is showing interest in crawling (but it looks more like swimming).

The City of Angels

A couple weeks ago, Dave traveled to Los Angeles for work.  Our good friends Marisa, Mark and Miles live there and Dave was so lucky to get to see them and have dinner.  The last time I saw Team M was back in February(seen here) Since I wasn't able to be there, I begged pleaded with bribed asked Marisa to take some pictures so I could live vicariously through them.

Marisa, Miles and Dave

The Daddies

Miles doing "Blue Steel"

The guys: Dave, Miles and Mark

 Marisa and I have been talking about getting together for months.  Between her busy jet-setting schedule and my not so jet-setting schedule, we finally picked a date that worked for everyone.  Jack and I will be heading to LA in September so the boys and their Moms can play!  I'm a little nervous about flying across the country with a 9.5 month old, but I'm hopeful it will be smooth sailing flying.

I can only imagine the adventures we will have when we all get together!!!!

74 days 'til we're airborne!!!

Pinch and Sting

***This post contains medical symptoms and procedures. It may not appeal to those faint of heart*** 

I've been experiencing a little pain in my big toe for the past couple weeks.  I thought it would just go away.  It was red, swollen and I saw a little puss come out a couple times.  I will repeat:  I thought it would just go away.

Yesterday, I was at Pilates and my instructor was admiring everyone's pedicures.  When she came upon my toes she said, "What happened to your toe?"  I said, "I don't know, it's been hurting a little bit."  She then said, "That's an ingrown nail and you need to see your doctor."

When I got home, I called the doctor and made an appointment.  Unfortunately, my regular doctor wasn't available (I think it's my fault, since I've recommended him to so many people) so I had to see another doctor.

I was quite nervous to go to the doctor this morning.  The doctor came in and confirmed my Pilates instructor's suspicions-I had an ingrown nail.  The doctor then told me that I'd need to go in for a "procedure".  A nurse came in and took me to the "Procedure Room".

To make a long story-short, he numbed my toe, cut my toe nail, removed the ingrown part, cleaned me up, and bandaged me.  When the doctor extracted the ingrown nail, the nurse let out an astonished "WOW!".  I apparently, I had the biggest ingrown toenail they had every seen (not to brag or anything).  The worst part of the whole procedure was when the doctor numbed me.  He said, "You will feel a little pinch and stinging."  He really underplayed how badly it would hurt.  I will admit, I asked for an epidural several times!

Do you think the bandage is big enough?

In true Elizabeth form, I joked with the doctor and told him that this would really effect my daily chores and I would probably need a doctors note.  I was pleasantly surprised when he came through for me:

Photo has been edited to protect the innocent.

 I'm still in a bit of pain, but I should be feeling better soon.
 

Just Keep Crawling

Jack has been sitting up really well for over a week now.

He is happy to sit up and play with his toys for long stretches of time.  Occasionally, he falls over and then he wiggles and tries to reach his toys.

Here's a video of his attempts at crawling.  I think it looks more like swimming, but it's definitely a start!

Feed Me, Seymour!

I called the pediatricians office on Thursday because Jack has been making a strange noise that sounds like he's struggling to breathe.  I wasn't sure if he had just learned a new noise and was using to scare me or if he was really struggling to breathe.  When the nurse called me back, she asked a variety of questions like: does he have a fever?, is he throwing up?, are his eyes watery?, etc.  I also mentioned that he hasn't been sleeping well and whenever I lay him down to sleep he wakes up screaming immediately.  The nurse suggested we come in and see the doctor since he had leaky eyes, was making the weird noise when he ate and was screaming when put to bed.  She said it sounded like he had an ear infection.

So Jack and I headed to the doctor's office.  First we met with the nurse and she took his weight (18 pounds, 8.4 ounces) and asked all the same questions.  I noticed that his weight had gone down slightly (less than an ounce) and asked if that was a problem.  She said, that I should discuss that with the doctor-she didn't want to worry me.  The doctor came in an checked out his eyes, ears and nose.  His nose and ears were clear (no ear infection) and his eyes were a little red and leaky.  The doctor prescribed some eye drops to clear up whatever is going on in eyes.  I asked about his weight loss and he said that it appears that Jack is hungry and that probably explains why he has been a little cranky and waking up so many times throughout the night.  He told me to start feeding him lunch (in addition to his breakfast and dinner that he already eats) and give him some water or juice each day. 

I started the new feeding schedule on Friday.  He's doing well with all of the eating but drinking from a sippy cup is a bit of a challenge.  He gets the water in his mouth and then it just runs right out.  We will continue to try.  It would be a shame for him to still be drinking out of a bottle when he goes to college. 

Here is a video of Jack discussing how he feels about the sippy cup:
(by the way, Jack loves watching videos of himself)