Visiting Jess and Coming Home to My Boys

Two weekends ago (wow, has it already been that long??) I went to visit my best friend from college, Jess. She is getting married next year and asked me to be her Maid of Honor! Of course I said YES! and offered to help with any planning I could. Let's be honest, the offer to help with planning was really just an excuse to go out and buy bridal magazines, which I may or may not think about buying every time I go to the store. In order to best help Jess though (and have some high-quality bestie time), I had to go see her in Indianapolis!

The weekend did not start off very well. First of all, Texas was having some horrible weather. The night before I was supposed to go to Indiana, we went out to dinner with Jackson's midwife, LCDR Shaughnessy. While we were eating, a tornado turned up in the area and we had to go hideout in the kitchen. It was really crazy! Driving home that night (after waiting out the worst of it in the restaurant), we joked about Texas and the crazy weather. Unfortunately, Texas was not done with us, and on our way out to the airport the next (gorgeous and sunny) morning, the weather took a bizarre turn again and I received a call on my phone saying that my flight was canceled. Luckily, they booked me on another flight, but that flight wasn't leaving until the next day! I briefly considered going to the airport and trying to get on a flight that day, and quickly decided against it. I really didn't want to have to deal with all the lines, cranky passengers, stressed out airline staff, it just didn't seem worth it and I doubt I would have made it on to any other flight anyway. So my weekend started off with a delayed start.

The next day our flight was delayed about 30 minutes, but I somehow managed to finally make it to Indianapolis to see Jess!! We went from the airport to the cake tasting (yum!! one of the more fun parts of planning a wedding!), burned some time at a strange bar, and then over to try on bridal gowns. Jess found her dress!! The first 6 hours of my trip we found the cake, dress, veil, and additional bling. So productive! We also figured out the bridesmaid dress and on the last day, we rested!

Sometimes it's nice to take a break and share a pitcher of beer and a rainy afternoon with good friends, so that's what we did. Jess's fiance, Chris, came as well. I know it's kind of my job like the groom, but it's so great that I ACTUALLY like him. Jess's Mom and I had several conversations about how much we like him. He's just really fun, down-to-earth, and not trying to be anyone he's not... but still has a little tiny bit of poeple-pleaser in him, especially when it comes to Jess. They compliment each other really well and I'm so thrilled that she has found such an awesome guy... and wedding dress... and CAKE!!

That evening we went to service in the church where they'll marry each other. It's gorgeous! and the people are so nice and friendly. Afterwards, they tried to make me feel "at home" and took me to a hibachi grill!!

I love that we're all wearing flip flops... out of college and we're still too lazy to put on real shoes.

The trip was AWESOME and I love seeing Jess and continuing to get to know Chris. While I was away though, my two boys were getting plenty of quality time together. SO much quality time, that I came home to find these on our dining room table:


Now, Steven loves Jackson, but the idea of being the only parent for 4 days was a little daunting. He did a great job and got through it though, and welcomed me home with these gorgeous flowers! He picked out the flowers he thought I'd like and had the florist arrange them for me. I think he really has an eye for flowers... certainly my taste! These flowers mean a lot to me because they show me that Steven really appreciates all that I do as a full-time mom. It was so nice to have my two favorite boys meet me at the airport after a fun weekend with one of my best friends ever.

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to all those wonderful Daddies out there!! We had a great Father's Day. First, we let Daddy sleep in while Jackson and I organized and cleaned out the closet in his bedroom. Since we didn't have a lot of closet space in Yokosuka, we bought Jackson a wardrobe to house most of his things. Since closet space is not an issue in our new apartment (yay!), we decided to turn Jackson's closet into Daddy's Music space. There's enough room for his guitars, songbooks, and his new keyboard that he got for Father's Day a couple weeks early. There's even enough room for Steven to be able to play his instruments in there! Jackson and I moved everything out except for a tiny corner that Steven wouldn't be able to use anyway. Then, we woke him up with little boy kisses and gave him his Father's Day cards. Since we got his Father's Day present a few weeks ago, he didn't have any gifts to open, but we showed him the clean closet that will become his music closet and a special Father's Day picture that Jackson did for him. The proofs from that picture session are here:

http://smilestore.picturepeople.com/my/images?tk=c59458b6-9b86-43e6-85f8-31804cf8b38f&CMPN=EmailAlbum

I have to say, they turned out perfectly! We took some time to lament the fact that we never had the chance to get Jackson into modeling in Japan. We would have made a ton of money!

We spent the rest of the day hanging out as a family until Steven's Father's Day dinner. He got to choose whereever he wanted to go. Unfortunately for me, he chose Chili's. I have a rule: I don't go to restaurants that we had in Yokosuka because I am SO SICK of them. Steven loves Chili's though, so when he requested we go there, I gave in. It ended up being a great day! Here's a picture of Jackson and his Daddy at Chili's:

Mooooooo

Last weekend we spent Sunday with my Mom at her house. She was going through baby withdrawal and called us to worm her way into some grandson time. Both she and Terri start to get a little nutty if they haven't seen him in 5-6 days. They start calling with offers of free lunch/dinner, babysitting, etc. It usually hits around the weekend, which works out well for us. We usually get at least one night to ourselves a week. Anyways, this weekend my Mom called and offered to take Jackson so we could have a nap. NAP - I love that word these days more than ever before. Since Jackson's sleep schedule was much more on target than it had been recently, and Steven had some studying to do, we decided to come over and hang out instead. While we were at her house, we decided to go over to Market Street to pick up some baby food for Jackson. Imagine our surprise when we drove up and saw a COW!!

...and not just ANY cow, Elsie, the Borden cow! We got there at the same time she did, so we got in to get a picture with her. Jackson had just woken up from a car nap, so he wasn't too interested, but he gave her a pat on the nose and we got to hear her give a good, loud MOOOOO! It was so cool. We already love Market Street, but the new one in Plano has been doing a lot of promotions like this one, so it's fun to be surprised sometimes!

Sleepless in Dallas

Whoa. There are MANY wonderful things about being a parent. I get to cuddle with the sweetest boy in the world, just looking at him makes me grin, and I don't think there's anything better than seeing him smile or hearing him laugh. We have fun together all day and I love watching him discover new things about the world around him. One of the not-so-wonderful things that comes with being a parent is the sleep deprivation.

Jackson started sleeping through the night at 4 weeks and we were under the impression that we were home-free! We were wrong. I still remember gloating to other parents "He's such a good sleeper! Always gives us 8 hours straight." Hmm. I think Jackson heard us and decided to mix it up a bit. Around 3 or 4 months he stopped sleeping though the night and started waking up 1-2 times during the course of the night. We were frustrated and wondered what happened, but after a few weeks decided that this was the new schedule and we could deal with it. He still usually slept for about 5-6 hours at a time.

Then 2 weeks ago, just when we were beginning to accept the 2am feedings, he decided to switch it up on us again. This time it was back to the newborn schedule - feeding every 2-3 hours around the clock. We were baffled! How could he possibly need to eat this much?! We've started him on 2 servings of solid food per day, plus I nurse him as much as he wants. Everything we read online that once caused us to smugly think "our son is so advanced" was making us crazy! It felt like we had tried everything that they suggested and it was just making it worse. In addition to this, it would usually take an average of one (very frustrating) hour to feed him, rock him, bounce him, and finally lay him to sleep in the crib, just to start all over again a few hours later. We were all very tired & not functioning well.

Throughout all of this, we thought that Jackson might have had an ear infection. Steven has a MAJOR history of ear problems and Jackson had gone through 2 courses of antibiotics to try to treat some fluid the nurse found in his ear during a check-up. She thought it might develop into a full-blown ear infection, and it did. So, we trotted him off to the doctor again and the NP said that his ears looked fine and unless he had had a recent change in his eating or sleeping habits, there was probably nothing to worry about. I told her that there WAS a big change in his sleeping habits and it was making us a little crazy. She told me that it was time to send him to "Baby Boot Camp" and I was horrified at the thought of letting Jackson cry without picking him up to calm him down. Now, having married a military member, I understand the point of "Boot Camp" and can totally see the parallel between the two. Boot Camp teaches prospective soldiers to rely on themselves and their comrades to get through a difficult time, ultimately making them stronger and better suited for the life that lies ahead. "Baby Boot Camp" (aka Crying or Fussing It Out) teaches the parent to resist the urge to try and fix everything for their child and lets the child figure sleep out for him or herself. I don't want to be the Drill Sergeant for my son though.

Finally, at our absolute wits' end, we decided to give it a shot. We have had an established bedtime routine for months now and Jackson's usually rubbing his eyes and nearly begging to go to bed by the time it's almost over. The last thing I do is nurse him to sleep. This has never been a problem, until he started waking up and ALWAYS wanting to be nursed back to sleep. Emphasis on want - he was not hungry, just wanted comfort. So that evening, when he woke up, Steven checked him, gave him a kiss, tucked him in and left. This was NOT what Jackson wanted, but Steven was determined to help him learn to get himself to sleep. After some whining, a lot of patting, and a few paci recovery missions, Jackson finally got himself to sleep - and slept right through the night!

The next morning when it came time for his nap, I tried to cuddle and rock him to sleep like I used to and he wouldn't have it. He was arching his back, pushing me away, crying... I finally got frustrated and put him in the crib while I walked away to relax a little before trying again. He fussed for a few minutes and then went to sleep on his own!

Now, I won't tempt fate again by declaring that we've solved his sleep problems once and for all, but I am so proud of Jackson for learning how to get himself to sleep. Since then, every night & nap I give him a kiss and a hug, tell him "Good Night" and put him in the crib. He protests a little every time, but usually gets to sleep within a few minutes (unless paci falls out - that's still a problem!). Most importantly, he's noticeably happier and better-rested than he's been in weeks! Yay! All that extra energy is necessary for the fun we will have at Gymboree tomorrow. Speaking of which, I should go to bed, so I can join in on the fun too.

Good night and sleep tight!

The Many Uses of a Strainer...

Well, Jackson is very interested in playing with anything that is NOT a toy this morning (trying to stick his fingers in the computer openings...!), so I have resorted to kitchenware.

The strainer was always my favorite kitchen "toy" when I was little. Now it's time to pass it on.

Jumper Boy!!

Here's what happens when you have the first grandbaby on both sides and both sets of grandparents live within 20 minutes... the baby has 3 of everything (one for each house).

Jackson is trying out the new jumper my mom got him this weekend. He basically loves it. I love my commentary... it's the definition of obnoxious new parent. "Smile at Daaa-aaa-aa-aaaa-dee!"



And this is my second (but definitely cuter) post for tonight, so don't forget to scroll down! :)

Project!!

I said that I'd upload pictures of my latest project, but I keep forgetting to do the "after" picture. So, here is the "before" shot:
We got this mirror at the IKEA in Japan. When I first saw it, I LOVED it. After 2 years though... I'm pretty lukewarm about it and have been asking Steven to replace it with something more classic and less whimsical. Since I don't love it like I used to, I thought that this would be a great piece to use to practice my crafty side.

I went to Hobby Lobby (love that store) and bought bronze paint to use to distress the mirror. When I got home, I told Steven my plan and he covered our table with trash bags and removed the mirror from the frame while I was putting Jackson to bed. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my husband? He's so great.


Here is the table (also IKEA... surprise!) covered with trash bags to protect it from my crafty ways!

I applied the paint by kinda punching the frame with the tip if the brush, and then wiping the brush across it in a coupe places. Then I took a paper towel and rubbed off some of the paint. I wish I had thought to get dark brown paint as well. It turned out a little brighter than I had anticipated.


And here's a close-up picture of the detail:

I like how it looks antique now, like we found it in a yard sale and gave it new life. Any IKEA connousieur would still recognize it in a heartbeat, but it was a fun (and cheap!!) way to transform and old piece that I was getting sick of having around.

Next projects: turn Jackson's useless pieces from his crib bedding set into some cute window treatments and build an alphabet book similar to one my mom made when I was a baby.