Life at 6 Months!

Jay is already SIX months old! (Six months and one week if we're counting.)

At our visit with the doctor this week Jay weighed in at 19 pounds, 14 ounces. He may or may not have been a maniac on the scale, so that could be less than accurate. He measured a mere 28.5 inches in length...daddy and I double checked and we have him just a hair under 30 inches. Either way 28.5 is the very top of the chart, so the doctor is fine with his weight, even said he would be fine gaining a pound to a pound and a half for his frame- although I have no idea where he would put it!

We got a few shots and a clean bill of health! A great report and a 9 month appointment, hopefully we will have no reason to go before then. (crossing fingers, knocking wood)

Life is FUN these days. Jay is very active and plays all day long. We're still on a great schedule and sleeping through the night 12 hours. Still just two teeth but drooling like crazy. Size 3 diapers are still a great fit, but most 9 month clothes are coming up a little short, literally. There are some john-johns that will still fit if we move the buttons and most of the 9 month play clothes are find for around the house, but we are moving to 12 month onesies and pajamas almost exclusively. Still not officially crawling-Jay gets where he needs to go by spinning on his tummy on the floor or crawling with his lower body while using his elbows and chin or forehead to support the upper body--this is quite bothersome to Mommy since the modified crawling combined with drool, toys and hands in his mouth keeps Jay's face red, a little chapped and bumpy ALL the time. This too shall pass they say.

Jay is babbling a bit but primarily communicates by making the raspberry and motorboat sounds. I promise you Daddy and I can translate the difference between an irritated motorboat and a joyful one as if Jay is using actual words. Who knows if he will ever need to talk!

Mealtimes are still going great, we have added Turkey this week and things are great. We tried a puff and he gagged, so maybe we are not quite ready for snacks yet. We're practicing with a cup and will start adding something to it this month.

And now for the photos....I'm trying to edit myself, but finding it difficult. Enjoy!!

Where's Jay?

There he is! He is a pro at this game and will play anytime, anywhere. 

I just loved how he was trying to "get" the light on his leg. 

 

Mr. Serious. I get this face ALOT.

On a personal note....

This post isn't full of super-cute pictures of my little guy. But it is a very quick update on some things I have been working on lately, which could explain the slow down in the posts....

As my adventure as a SAHM evolves a bit, I am working to catch up on the thousand or so to-dos I have had in the back of my mind for a year or so--cleaning out closets and dressers, garages and deep cleaning bathrooms, fireplaces and under-the-sink (bleh). I am also hard at work catching up on correspondence, managing my position within the Junior League and attempting to be social a bit.

Why? I have a goal you see....I am getting the ducks in a row now, while it is still dreadful and cold outside in an effort to alleviate stress and mundane to-do's that can make us anxious and miss out on all that life has to offer. So, pardon the interruption while I prepare for the fun that lies ahead over the next few weeks.....

We're starting a new wives Bible study here at my home...

Joseph and I are planning our very first trip away from Jay...(we will be gone approx. 60 hours!)

Jay is getting closer to independent mobility every single day...

I am learning to manage the must-dos and enjoy the want-to-dos, I think I am granted an adjustment period here....

We are working on a life that is simplified but well-lived. Stay tuned for more to come-I promise to have Jay's 6 month update posted very soon!!

Saturday and Stacking

There are probably many things we could've, should've done with this past Saturday afternoon. But Jay had some important lessons to learn about stacking.

So, we did this instead. :)

Then the boys decided that mommy had taken plenty of pictures and they had important work to do. 

Pardon the interruption, fellas!

Gift that keeps on giving

Nearly 2 weeks into my life as a SAHM and I am still overwhelmed by the blessing this has been in our lives! Will it be stress-free? Certainly not. Do I feel as if I have worked 14, 14 hour shifts in a row? Indeed. Can I find a way to share the gift I've been given? I sure hope so.

Jay is loving life these days and is so fun! Learning lots of new things--like yesterday he learned when you give him a hug or he nestles his face against you he says, "Ohhh" or will repeat it if you say it. So sweet!

He is also grabbing everything and putting it directly in his mouth.

Our days have a rhythm now and consist of Jay waking up at 8 or 8:15, then he says good  morning to his daddy, into the high chair for rice cereal and fruit (he's had them all now). After breakfast we play in the living room mostly until 10 when he takes a bottle and goes down for a nap. He sleeps for 90 minutes to 2 hours so is usually up around 12:15 or 12:30 then it is more play time. His "periods of wakefulness" are getting longer recently and he is moving from a bottle every 3 hours to sometimes closer to 4. More play time on his little play gym, in the exersaucer or on the floor on blankets with a gauntlet of toys to roll and inch between. He really is so very close to crawling.

We play and watch the dogs and try to learn new things then he takes another bottle between 1:30 and 2, then he takes another little nap--usually 45 minutes or so. Up around 2:30 or 3 we play until 4 or 5 when he takes another bottle--no nap this time and straight back to playing! He is in the high chair again between 6 or 7 (depending on the timing of bottle #3). For dinner he is having fruit and veggies or sometimes 2 veggies. He is a vegetarian until the 6 month visit (which is less than 2 weeks away--gasp!) when I predict we will begin adding omnivorous selections to the menu along with some of the yogurt options. We will also probably begin puffs, cheerios and self-feeding then--I predict things are about to get VERY interesting.

After dinner in the high chair he plays with mommy and daddy for a while, takes a bath and takes a goodnight bottle around 8. He's out like a light by 8:30. Then I get caught up from the day's fun and get ready for the next day. Until last week I was waking him around 11 for a 5th bottle, but thought I would see what happens without it--um, nothing happened. He wakes up at 8 happy as a lark and ready to go again!

Now that I have put our "rhythm" into writing, I fully expect for everything to change in an instant. I have learned that as soon as you think things are common, everything changes to uncommon. Oh well, this is the life we're living!

New Years and News

To ring in 2011 Joseph and I went to the NYE Gala hosted by the Junior League of Tuscaloosa. We made an outing of it and were joined by Jennifer and Sean and Jon and Stacey Miles.

 And now for our news! Starting January 1st (01-1-11), I became a full-time stay-at-home mom!

I returned to work on November 1st (11-1-10)  as planned before Jay was born and immediately knew it was not what I wanted to do. The position I held within the athletic department would continue to require the 7-day work weeks and crazy schedule I had maintained for the last 4 years. I thought I could balance the regular work week with the athletic events and make a "normal" schedule for our family. The reality is that I would have been sacrificing too much and taking from our family to benefit the athletic department without receiving equal benefits in return. So, after 6 weeks of juggling Jay between Dede, Mimi, Daddy and Mommy with 2 pooped grandmothers, a stressed out dad and a guilt ridden emotional wreck mommy we made the decision we all knew was right....I resigned effective December 31 and have not looked back.

I am officially one week into my new career now and it feels very odd not to have "work" in the back of my mind somewhere. I've never felt so well equipped to do anything before, I am 100% certain that I am better at being a mother (and hopefully a wife) than I have ever been as an employee or coworker. I know this is what I was meant to do. I think we are all sleeping easier at night not dreading the next morning and wondering if what we were doing as a family was "right" and when it would get easier or better.

I have an amazing husband who is a remarkable provider and has made this possible for our family. If you would have asked me when I was 20 about my career when I was 30 I am sure I would have given an answer full of confidence and arrogance that I would be established and a leader in my chosen industry--maybe I was and maybe I wasn't. I can tell you now, at 30, I am more secure than I have ever been. Maybe I am not on fire to move up professionally or reach new heights in my career and make a name for myself, but that is okay with me. I don't feel like I have anything to prove. I am completely happy with my life and all of the blessings I see everywhere I turn. I have been given far more than I deserve. I am committed to giving my husband and child the best of what I have to offer. I am NOT willing to sacrifice that for anything in this world. I have had great opportunities, worked with wonderful people along the way and made some fun memories--the thing that makes me smile more is the thought that now I am doing what I was intended to do. I am just starting the greatest adventure of my life and all of our experiences and lessons up until this point have made this possible. Here's to a new year and a new chapter!!

Christmas in Dixie

 What's the difference between a Country Christmas and Christmas in Dixie? Well a Country Christmas was filled with lights, songs, characters, visitors and go, go go. Christmas in Dixie meant time at home, warm surroundings and snow, snow, snow!

We came home Christmas eve with Mimi in tow and one little fella who had more than his fill of the car seat for the day.

A little playtime with his Little People nativity set, then it was pj time!

He wasn't crazy about the hat that coordinated with his pjs or the camera, but I got a few pictures before Jay threw in the towel.

We awoke Christmas morning to some snow flurries and Jay got to see what Santa brought and open his stocking.

Jay "loved" every new toy he got this Christmas. 

Marking each new toy with drool, he welcomed the lion into his world. 

Santa left a lion and a Fisher-Price activity center that goes along with some other toys he received over the holidays. His stocking was full of another little lion lovey, sippy cups, a paci holder, a toothbrush and toothpaste, flash cards, stacking cups and some Gerber Puffs. Then it was time for another present from Mommy and Daddy then off to Dede and Papa's for lunch and presents.

 There are three very fortunate grandsons pictured here at Dede and Papa's can you find them?

After all of the gifts, meals, family and fun of the holidays we had one tuckered out little elf. Jolly as he may have been.

We had a wonderful first Christmas and are working hard to play with all of our toys and wear our new clothes! Thanks to everyone who made this "first" so wonderful for sweet Baby Jay. We are so lucky to have wonderful family and friends to enrich our lives and Jay's life. Looking back, I wish I could have taken a picture of every single person who held him and experienced the wonder of this first Christmas with us. We love that so many people love our son and love spending time with him!

A fire kept us warm all weekend as it snowed and snowed (but didn't stick) through the 27th.