tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18186841937741878932024-02-19T02:22:46.658-05:00Amy and Melissa's Family BlogMelissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.comBlogger290125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-79047854675508363072011-06-16T20:21:00.003-04:002011-06-16T20:24:40.258-04:00Yellow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixk34bx_7ePOcKhiVRrAEXtJp_EGxcuGYKrzTGfhU6q-9FYtF-4YGxpOmrnuYq13fM-2Exm7PRw4f7o0EoMXdxMKC0qV5KPWWyeM8jUqD6S_g3km-kzipuHeokmFpixDakLbOLryAUm3w/s1600/yellow.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixk34bx_7ePOcKhiVRrAEXtJp_EGxcuGYKrzTGfhU6q-9FYtF-4YGxpOmrnuYq13fM-2Exm7PRw4f7o0EoMXdxMKC0qV5KPWWyeM8jUqD6S_g3km-kzipuHeokmFpixDakLbOLryAUm3w/s320/yellow.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618977356170492882" /></a><br /><br />June will be black.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com67tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-32767024400003590272011-05-04T09:06:00.008-04:002011-05-05T11:49:35.788-04:00PinkWe have decided to join into <strong><a href="http://anofferingoflove.wordpress.com/other-projects/2011-color-photography/">An Offering of Love's</a> </strong> 2011 Color Photography Project. The month of April was the color pink. <br /><br />I find this extremely ironic because as soon as April ended Jackson was diagnosed with pink eye. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDw8iYKkChIwizuSJTfz-JHchYVPZKEmCZPlEzBUFd3aRe-I0Iff_T2OrIMEOl4qJTkXCdfz9zpTjrvSLexjaQ-VXNldvFlZqpLy561L7emgmp8mqLfZmuqLLv4HQbE6yp8mRV5OTQhJQ/s1600/April_pink.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDw8iYKkChIwizuSJTfz-JHchYVPZKEmCZPlEzBUFd3aRe-I0Iff_T2OrIMEOl4qJTkXCdfz9zpTjrvSLexjaQ-VXNldvFlZqpLy561L7emgmp8mqLfZmuqLLv4HQbE6yp8mRV5OTQhJQ/s320/April_pink.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602847666654386898" target="_blank"> <br /></a>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-41917917212317031692011-04-26T09:44:00.002-04:002011-04-26T09:52:39.096-04:00Bye ByeJackson has started telling us when he's ready for bed. It's AWESOME! We'll be doing our bedtime routine of a bottle and books when all of a sudden he'll say "bye bye" and start waving. At first we were completely confused about what he was doing but now when he does this we put him in his crib and tell him good night. Then the whole time we are walking out of the room he lays in his crib waving and whispering bye bye. When we close the door we don't hear a peep from him until morning. I have to repeat myself and say it's AWESOME!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd44T3Yr32t8tMo9LIMUemSerOJXGLnRmW5TPla4LGccsftct6J6HaEO2ypvZ6gUQsGxxexoF87_ih7cCvEqkwjZDr2sdzZZk-__nk5iJe_0pQc105FVFwQSh0SV9NY-s7dfZqSlgc_mQ/s1600/5651759740_c7d6178548_b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd44T3Yr32t8tMo9LIMUemSerOJXGLnRmW5TPla4LGccsftct6J6HaEO2ypvZ6gUQsGxxexoF87_ih7cCvEqkwjZDr2sdzZZk-__nk5iJe_0pQc105FVFwQSh0SV9NY-s7dfZqSlgc_mQ/s320/5651759740_c7d6178548_b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599889752715720722" /></a>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-1716465298293967242011-04-04T21:25:00.004-04:002011-04-04T21:28:59.167-04:00Crazy Boy with the Crazy Hair. Bub ByeAs a baby Jackson had the craziest hair. It would always be sticking up on end and for a while he was sporting a full on mohawk. As he's gotten older and his hair longer it's started to fall. There are those off days though if he sleeps on it just so or if his hair hasn't completely dried from the night before, a bit of the old Jackson crazy hair comes out to play.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WBLLPAkVAOs?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-8313365690152778832011-04-03T22:28:00.001-04:002011-04-03T22:28:13.248-04:00Best WeekendI had the best weekend!! The weather was actually pretty good most of the weekend and we took full advantage by taking Jackson to the park many many times.<br /><br />The last time he was at the park he was 8 months old or so. The park adventure mostly consisted of the swing. Now that he's walking the park has become this whole new world of fun. He runs around, looks over and under things, is obsessed with the slide and points excitedly up in the air and says his own version of airplane.<br /><br />I can't wait until next weekend when we can go back again.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/9066765@N07/5587654090/'><img src='http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5587654090_d067cb7c32_b.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/9066765@N07/5587654460/'><img src='http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5294/5587654460_f182b25e00_b.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/9066765@N07/5587060961/'><img src='http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5587060961_44967c5bd5_b.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/9066765@N07/5587061309/'><img src='http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5587061309_1f4c54b893_b.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-58962139175168466972011-04-02T21:17:00.001-04:002011-04-02T21:17:33.362-04:00Moving 2.0Let me set the stage. We moved to Toronto in September and decided to rent a house for a year. It is by no means our dream house but it had an outdoor space for Campbell and a couple other items that were on our must list so here we are.<br /><br />Cut to the beginning of February and our landlord knocks on our door as we are about to head out for Jackson's birthday party. He explains he'd like to talk to us and we agree on a day for him to return. Whenever your landlord wants to speak with you it can never be good and when he came back around a couple days later carrying a bottle of wine I knew we were screwed.<br /><br />So apparently, our landlord had gotten a permit the year before to do work on our house but because of the market decided to rent it out instead. When going to renew the permit he was told no and he would need to start work by the end of June or lose the permit. So basically us living here was a huge problem.<br /><br />However, our landlord, aka Daddy Warbucks also owns the house next door and has asked if we would be willing to move one house over. After looking at the house (which is nicer than ours), haggling on the rent and listing out a few other items we wanted it was all set. <br /><br />So there you have it, our second move within a year. But this time it will only be a few feet to the east rather than thousands of miles north.<br /><br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-45760254949303570752011-04-01T08:25:00.002-04:002011-04-01T08:35:24.567-04:00KetchupLet me start off by saying no we are not dead, yes I still have my arms and fingers and no my computer has not been infected with some horrible virus. My initial reaction is to say we've been busy but when I read stories like <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.astoryoftwomoms.blogspot.com/">A Story of Two Moms</a></span> that excuse just comes off as incredibly lame so I will make no excuses.<br /><br />So much has happened in the time I last wrote:<br />- Jackson had his first birthday<br />- We had a house full of grandparents come for a visit<br />- We experienced a month of sickness<br />- We found out we are moving...again<br />- Jackson is a running and "talking" machine<br /><br />With so much to catch up on and being that horrible blogger that I am I've challenged myself to post everyday for the month of April to get back in the swing of things. So until tomorrow here is a recent picture of Jackson. He's starting to look like an actual kid!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRK8J4FxVmFWX-JGV3sUBuvgJ0XukpxcJL6hwzGUo0zDqAlWKngW0tQfF3riSGLDIe_s2mdphXp6_Ppg0ShOwB5coX12uSb1fsd6gJ0LvoqmrCPIxRG3C80R5xPjq5Vk7ibPE3x-0ObA/s1600/191254_10150182864575289_583880288_8707597_3006204_o.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRK8J4FxVmFWX-JGV3sUBuvgJ0XukpxcJL6hwzGUo0zDqAlWKngW0tQfF3riSGLDIe_s2mdphXp6_Ppg0ShOwB5coX12uSb1fsd6gJ0LvoqmrCPIxRG3C80R5xPjq5Vk7ibPE3x-0ObA/s320/191254_10150182864575289_583880288_8707597_3006204_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590592621998465234" border="0" /></a>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-48107329163834144812011-01-28T08:14:00.007-05:002011-01-28T10:20:24.114-05:00Rants and Confessions<strong>Rant:</strong> Before having Jackson I never noticed how lazy people are. Now I see it everyday. What irritates me most is when able bodied, seemingly healthy people push the little handicap button to open the doors instead of god forbid actually having to manually pull/push on the door itself. The other thing that chaps my ass is when people go out of their way just to take an elevator down one flight when the stairs or an escalator are nearby. Amy just rolls her eyes everytime I bring this up and basically just tells me to get over it because it's really not impacting me that people are doing this. Well now I can officially say I have been affected!!<br /><br />Every morning Jackson and I have to take an elevator down from the outdoors to the subway.I have to use the elevator because I have Jackson in a stoller and I look like a pack mule with all the bags I'm having to carry. Well yesterday I'm pushing Jackson in his stroller (outdoors) and am heading to the elevator which has just arrived at ground level. Five able bodied women pile in the elevator leaving no room for me, Jackson or the stroller. As Jackson and I stand there in the cold staring in disbelief one of the women hits the "Close Door" button on the elevator!! Normally I would have been irritated. But the fact that these women had no problem leaving a baby outside in the cold so they didn't have to walk down a flight of stairs left me enraged. I'm sure people around me must have thought I was an idiot but I don't care. I could tell by how they were avoiding eye contact with me that they heard me yelling at them about how ashamed they should all be feeling. <br /><br /><strong>Confession:</strong> I hear it all the time, "My kid loves going to daycare". Most of the time I think that these parents are 80% totally right and 20% saying it to mask guilt of having to take their kid to daycare. Well I can 100% say that Jackson LOVES going to daycare. It's gotten to the point where he basically hurts my feelings everyday. Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful to not be one of those parents who has to leave hearing their child's cries in the background. The drop off is not my problem, it's when I pick him up that he tears my heart out, stomps on it a little bit and hands it back to me. <br /><br />It used to be that when I picked him up I got the biggest of smiles and he would crawl over to me as fast as possible. Now when he sees me I get a half grin and he might reach out for me to pick him up. Once in my arms though he pushes me away and tries to get back to his teachers. When he realizes we're leaving the room he starts to cry because he doesn't want to leave. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that he loves "going to school" but is it too much to ask for him to not love it that much??Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-61532652351319470342011-01-23T19:35:00.002-05:002011-01-23T19:39:47.676-05:00Walking MachineCheck out that swagger!!<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/I233mxzArRI?rel=0&hd=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02148303965459238872noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-16817285067294131022011-01-21T12:43:00.005-05:002011-01-22T20:54:19.413-05:00BittersweetI feel as though the first year of Jackson’s life was all about holding on. Holding on to my sanity, trying to hold on to my friendships as I changed and became a mother but mostly about holding on to this sweet little boy as he cried, fed and slept. I got a call from daycare yesterday telling me that Jackson had taken a bit of a spill while practicing his walking skills and got a nasty scrape down his back. He’s fine, no harm done. But this event and his quickly approaching first birthday makes me realize that the next year of his life will be a theme of learning to let go. <br /><br />I’ve (half) joked that when Jackson started standing and eventually ventured off with his first steps that I should start pushing him down so that he would never learn to walk or gain the tools needed to achieve some independence from me. But he cannot be stopped, and as he’s learned new skills I’ve also learned that I have to slowly loosen my grip. In order for him to learn, I have to let him fall, get hurt, basically become a big boy. But I’m finding this so hard because as all these changes are happening my instinct is to tighten my grip on him instead of releasing some of the control, anxiety and heartache I feel. I'm focused on the tears he will shed when he falls down or the time he no longer turns to me to be nursed, instead of revealing into the person he is becoming.<br /><br />Jackson is developing this amazing, mischievous personality and everyday I witness his curiosity and wonder at the world around him. The way he says kitty and ball make me smile; when he takes a few tentative steps towards my open arms I am so proud. Every day he continues to explore that world and everyday I share in his enjoyment but along with this enjoyment is a little twinge of sadness of a time we are leaving behind.<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-49146225012789732902011-01-12T16:16:00.002-05:002011-01-12T16:21:09.805-05:00Pumping StressIt really is true what they say about not knowing how good you have it until it’s gone (or something like that). I didn’t realize how lucky I was at my previous job when it came to providing me with a place to pump. I sometimes even got irritated because my little place was a server closet that had a free standing desk loaded up with equipment and a chair in it. Every morning when I came in I would unlock the door to my little room that had the dimmest of lights and let as much of the heat out as possible so that when I had to go in there it didn’t feel like I was in some sort of sweat lodge. Looking back now I miss my little place so very very much.<br /><br />I don’t know if it’s just my new company or if because maternity leave in Canada is 12 months that companies don’t really know how to handle mothers who need a place to pump at work but I feel like they are severely ill equipped to handle my needs. Before taking this job I made it clear that I needed a place throughout the day to pump. My offices are pretty open and the only places that have a lock on the door is the HR office and one conference room that has ¾ of the window frosted. I was told I could use the HR office to pump when needed.<br /><br />I have never been so frustrated and brought to tears more often about pumping than I have since working here. The HR lady who said to “just ask” when I needed her office is always “busy” and can’t leave or when she can it’s 4:00 in the afternoon and I can’t wait that long. When it comes to the conference room it’s ALWAYS booked so that’s not an option either. One day it got so bad that I actually had totake the subway to Amy’s work and pump in her office (which has a video camera in it by the way so I’m sure someone somewhere had a very eventful day.)<br /><br />I know I don’t have that much longer to go but this is just making an already difficult “job” all the more difficult. It sucks having to constantly stress and plan where I’m going to go that day and how many times I’m actually going to be able to pump. And the even bigger stress of how will I get enough ounces to feed Jackson at daycare the next day when most days I only get one opportunity to sneak into a room for 15 min. I’m thinking I’ll only have to do about 4 more weeks of this and then Jackson will have passed his first birthday and will hopefully be on cow’s milk during daycare. How soon and how did some of you start transitioning your little one to cow’s milk?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-7762003261524864192011-01-07T09:45:00.001-05:002011-01-07T09:45:36.967-05:00Major MilestonesThis week has been both a challenge and amazing. I want to focus on the amazing right now and might write another post about the challenges another time. There is just too much goodness to talk about and I don’t want to taint or overshadow it with gloom.<br /><br />We decided since Jackson is creeping up on the BIG #1 (sob, tear) that we would try weaning him off his pureed “baby” foods that I send to daycare. Every morning I pack 3- 4oz bottles of breast milk and three containers of homemade baby food for Jackson to enjoy throughout the day. He’s been eating some of the food provided at daycare like the other “big kids” in his class (12-18 month olds) but has mostly been eating what I’ve sent. I thought that over the next few weeks we would slowly taper off on the food I bring and get him full time on the “big boy” daycare provided food. Well my plan lasted a whole two days. Jackson is an eating machine! No more baby food for him thank you very much. He is on full time table and finger foods. There are some meals where he will have 2-3 servings. It’s like a flip has been switched and he’s now totally getting it. Food he used to hate, he now eats with vigour. I’m so excited for this change not only does it open up a whole new world for him but it also is one less thing I have to do every morning. It also makes me sad because it’s just another step away from babyhood.<br /><br />Speaking of steps, Jackson officially started walking yesterday!! When I picked him up from daycare one of his teachers had a HUGE smile on her face and told Jackson to show me what he can do. I crouched down and reached out my arms and with the biggest and proudest grin on both our faces he took about 4 steps into my out reached hands. It was so nice to see everyone’s excitement over this major milestone. Heads were poking out from all sorts of doors to watch him toddle a few steps forward. I’ll try and capture is on video. Part of me wants to push him over so that he never walks and can stay a baby forever!<br /><br />Now this one I’m scared to put in writing for fear of jinxing the whole thing but I’ll throw caution to the wind and say Jackson’s had two AMAZING nights of sleep. This means I’ve had two AMAZING nights of sleep! For the past two nights Jackson has gone to bed at 7:30ish, woken up at 11:30 where I feed him and then I head off to bed. Normally he will wake up again during the night but for the past two nights he has slept through until 6:30. What?!? What?!? Now I’m not going to lie the first night there was some crying on his part at 2:00 but I stuck to my guns and didn’t run in there. After 15min, there was quiet and that was the last I heard from him. Last night there wasn’t a peep. I NEVER thought we would get to this long of a stretch but there you have it. I’m hoping that we eventually get to cut out the 11:30 feeding but for now I’ll take this and enjoy it.<br /><br />Who would have guessed 2011 would start out by being so eventful?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-74890073763912959752010-12-31T19:54:00.016-05:002010-12-31T21:06:16.342-05:00Play by Play6:00 - Jackson is asleep early.He slept horrible the night before and would only take one 30min nap today. Even though he went down easy, I'm thinking we're in for another rough night.<br /><br />6:23 - Oh what a shock! Crying and screaming uncontrollably. Lay him back down in crib and put my hand on his chest. Feeling my back tighten as I hunch in a pretzel like shape over his crib.<br /><br />6:33 - Remove hand and start to tip toe out. Damn you creaky floors!! Crying begins again. I leave the room hoping he'll fall asleep.<br /><br />6:56 - Has not stopped crying and I think I might join him. Go back in room and rock him in the glider. Falls asleep. Put him in crib and try to sneak away. Spidey senses alert Jackson of my maneuver and crying begins again. I leave the room anyways.<br /><br />7:15 - Unbelievably he is still crying. This stubborn streak does not come from me! Go into room and sit next to his crib and hold his hand.<br /><br />7:22 - He settles and appears to be asleep. So I let go of his hand. How dumb am I? Cue crying so I hold his hand and he stops crying. This is friggin' ridiculous!<br /><br />7:28 - He has let go of my hand and is standing in the crib trying to talk to me. I ignore him and keep quiet. Trying hard not to laugh at his attempts to engage me in conversation.<br /><br />7:33 - The Little Fucker is now playing with his crib toys and is laughing. I have a feeling he's laughing at me.<br /><br />7:41 - I've inched my way to the door, he's started to notice. His baby talk is starting to sound angry but he continues to play. The dog is looking at me like I'm crazy and I'm starting to agree.<br /><br />7:49 - Sitting at the door, it's slightly ajar. Debating if I should make my move.<br /><br />7:50 - Think I'm going to do it. I'm going to open the door wider. Little Fucker is still playing behind me. Happy giggles and the jangling of crib toys can be heard.<br /><br />7:52 - Crap! I think he saw me. Keeping very still, I'm almost in the hall. Afraid to turn around but playing has stopped.<br /><br />7:55 - Has started yelling "dada" at my back as I sit in the hall. Never a good sign.<br /><br />7:58 - Silence. Thought he might have gone down. I stupidly look over my shoulder and delighted squeals come from the crib. The dog and I are now fully in the hall. All we have to do is close the door.<br /><br />8:00 - I heard a yawn from behind me so I close the door. He starts to cry, scream and fake cough all at the same time. He is PISSED OFF!!<br /><br />8:07 - Still not letting up, he is in full on tantrum mode. I seriously don't know who he gets this from? Am debating my next move but am going to wait it out for a bit longer to see who will win this game of chicken.<br /><br />8:11 - Silence. Could it be?<br /><br />8:12 - Nope.<br /><br />8:19 - Stretches of silence are increasing. Do I jinx myself and say he's finally falling asleep?<br /><br />8:22 - I'm such a sucker. Have gone back in for another round. Am greeted by a tear stained, snot nosed baby who is standing and trying to catch his breath as he sobs.<br /><br />8:23 - Almost falls asleep in my arms instantly. Poor overtired baby. Looking at him all warm and quiet makes me think he isn't such a Little Fucker after all.<br /><br />8:25 - Continues to twitch and fight just as he's about to fall into a deep sleep. Am thinking my exit strategy will have involve a three stage process.<br /><br />8:30 - Mission commences. Have stopped rocking and am sitting in the glider, he remains quiet and appears to be asleep. Phase two: As delicately as I can with a 22 lbs baby I attempt to gracefully stand and walk to the crib without any disruptions. Everything is looking good so far. Final phase: gently place the grenade (aka. sleeping baby) in the crib and hope it doesn't detonate. <br /><br />8:33 - Success?!? After 2 hours, I have all my fingers and toes crossed that he is officially asleep. Hoping that I will not be ringing in the New Year in my son's room. <br /><br />9:02 - Breaking open a well deserved bottle of wine! <br /><br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneMelissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-67338574198245522242010-12-23T11:49:00.003-05:002010-12-23T11:55:33.492-05:00Santa PictureI've been wanting to post this picture for awhile but for some reason or another just haven't. This is Jackson's first official Santa picture. I personally think Santa was just calling it in this year. Look at the eyes you can totally tell he's not smiling. Tyra would say he needs more "smeyes". Next year we will be holding better auditions ;) I have a feeling next year Santa will be smiling and Jackson not so much.<br /><br />Happy Holidays Everyone!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDWNCsOp7cp3jEBWMlTIFn_eZHV-9vgESrbeWu0zKbKXGDpg82rQ7sIq6wBlLNKnyQk42OGb-DYbid-UFJkStHSwIzKUUFEEIhEVQ4KEPNRN0gHZ9RjPJkEQEsFiwIMok67J1BfTzVYQ/s1600/MyPicture.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDWNCsOp7cp3jEBWMlTIFn_eZHV-9vgESrbeWu0zKbKXGDpg82rQ7sIq6wBlLNKnyQk42OGb-DYbid-UFJkStHSwIzKUUFEEIhEVQ4KEPNRN0gHZ9RjPJkEQEsFiwIMok67J1BfTzVYQ/s320/MyPicture.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553921914726788802" /></a>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-25878943983930222922010-12-20T19:28:00.008-05:002010-12-20T20:02:17.925-05:00Christmas Came EarlyWe got our ornament today from the Holiday Ornament Swap organized by <a href="http://anofferingoflove.wordpress.com/2010-holiday-ornament-swap/">Offering of Love.</a> Not only were we lucky enough to get an amazing ornament, but it was also an ornament that keeps on giving because the proceeds from the ornament go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.<br /><br />We were so fortunate to get our our ornament from the ladies at <a href="http://alittleturtle.wordpress.com/">Looking for a Little Turtle</a>. To say they have a lot so their plate right now is an understatement. So HUGE hugs and kisses to them for such a beautiful tree decoration and for taking the time to send us something so pretty. The picture below doesn't do it justice. Jackson has given it his full seal of approval. Next year they'll have TWO little ones opening up ornaments!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMvIC6i60ZX5P6nybrbXpy4kS-bjyOhyphenhyphenwP0cFYWQsxVdaYV_LwYu5vsX247VPqqsFtNS93YXXy1omvrronSCllPtF14f47wIsRGUCCTsF3PD0yFP5kMrLSRnTjdQ47O8jb0Y4PZB6hQM/s1600/ornament.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMvIC6i60ZX5P6nybrbXpy4kS-bjyOhyphenhyphenwP0cFYWQsxVdaYV_LwYu5vsX247VPqqsFtNS93YXXy1omvrronSCllPtF14f47wIsRGUCCTsF3PD0yFP5kMrLSRnTjdQ47O8jb0Y4PZB6hQM/s320/ornament.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552930227457454658" /></a><br />And to the person who I have I'm beyond horrible for waiting so close to the holidays to get yours out but I swear it's on the way!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-13049100539475846582010-12-16T09:14:00.001-05:002010-12-16T09:15:29.392-05:00More ChangesSo much to talk about I don’t even know where to start. This has been one crazy year!<br /><br />In 2010:<br />1. We had Jackson<br />2. Sold our house<br />3. Moved to a different country<br />4. Amy started a new job with her same company<br />5. We travelled to the Dominican for my sister’s wedding (post on this to come later)<br />6. And to add to this list… I started a new job! <br /><br />Amy and I “joke” that the only thing left on the list of big life events is a death and then we’ve experienced everything possible this year. For those who know me I HATE change so you can only imagine how excited I am for this year to be over and for the dust to settle a bit so we can slowly get into some sort of normalcy.<br /><br />I’ve been at my new gig for a week now. I really like it! I’m getting to learn a lot of new things which is one of the reasons why I was interested in this position in the first place. But going from working from home to working downtown means a huge change from what our day used to be like for everyone. I think we’re all slowly adjusting. We’ve shifted Jackson’s bedtime later; he now goes to daycare full time and I have super mommy guilt about all of it. I’m hoping the daycare guilt soon. I HATE that because of my commute he is the first baby at daycare and one of the last to be picked up I think part of it might be weather related. I feel like Jackson and I never see the light of day. We leave when it’s dark and we come home when it’s dark. I feel like a write the following words in every post but here it goes anyway…I know it will get better. Hell, look at all the changes we’ve tackled so far and we’re still standing.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-88474622834994185782010-11-26T21:53:00.003-05:002010-11-26T21:59:54.405-05:00Birthday GirlThat's right! This little lady celebrated a birthday today. We've had one crazy year. A baby, a big move and she's been amazing through it all. Happy Birthday Amy!! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEGMfB_UxKiBJKjxRJxsWSk9fEqfwR3iiy_q3RHUameyjQbnxNUvpqDGBa_1RDH-dS4IXRquWmSZjQI8pT6b5NAKEMo0DNZ1IL6ToUCGKh6RjuYyrfgbnIeAwwRHBmoswtrGBmAZhgKA/s1600/birthday+girl.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEGMfB_UxKiBJKjxRJxsWSk9fEqfwR3iiy_q3RHUameyjQbnxNUvpqDGBa_1RDH-dS4IXRquWmSZjQI8pT6b5NAKEMo0DNZ1IL6ToUCGKh6RjuYyrfgbnIeAwwRHBmoswtrGBmAZhgKA/s320/birthday+girl.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544058697714072242" /></a>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-54961414302065784372010-11-25T22:32:00.003-05:002010-11-25T23:14:19.080-05:00ConfessionI am here to say that my 9 1/2 month old son does not sleep through the night. Not only does he not sleep through the night, he's not even close. Realistically I know that one day when we send him off to college we will be an individual that can sleep through the night but right now it just seems like it will never come. I thought this same thing when I'd see other babies in his class sitting up on their own or eating finger foods and now he does these things too. Just like those milestones I know the sleep will come too.<br /><br />For the past 3 nights we've actually had some really great sleep nights. He's made it through the night doing a 5 hour stretch! It's funny how to some this might be a bad night but this extra time we're getting feels amazing. We get up in the morning and actually feel rested. I"m hoping that he's slowly starting to stretch out his sleep periods naturally.<br /><br />So for all the other moms that also feel like all they hear about is how everyone else's baby is sleeping through the night. It's okay to be jealous (I know I am) but know you are not alone. My name is Melissa and my baby does NOT sleep through the night.<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-64770743923915252682010-11-24T19:11:00.009-05:002010-11-24T20:49:36.221-05:00NamesakeMy dad's name is Jack. He passed away unexpectedly the summer of 2002 of a massive heart attack. He was 56 years old. That's all I'm really going to say about his death. That day was beyond horrible and because of that I don't want it to be what represents the memory of him. It's the 25 years that I got to spend with him that I choose to remember.<br /><br />I've been thinking a lot about him this week. I guess it's inevitable with my sister's upcoming wedding. Then today when watching Oprah who should be on but Garth Brooks, one of my dad's favorites. Seeing that he was on brought a smile to my face, it was a nice reminder to me that even though he's not here he's still around.<br /><br />My dad was one of those really great dads. There was that Christmas that he was so excited about the Nintendo he bought us for Christmas that he took it out for us before the 25th, or the times that my sister or I would make him so mad that he would kick the air in frustration as he was scolding us. He would be there at my softball games and when I went away to college he would always call to tell me what the weather was like where I was and what events were going on in town in case I was looking for something to do. He used to call me "kiddo" and when we would go somewhere he would walk beside me and rest his hand on the base of my neck.<br /><br />It's because of all these reasons and many more that we named Jackson after him. My grandpa died when my dad was 18 years old. I never really talked to my dad about it, about what it was like for him to lose a dad at such a young age. I wish I would have and I wish I would have asked more about my grandfather. I don't really know that much about him or feel that great of a connection. I refuse for this to be the case with Jackson. Jackson will know about his Grandpa Jack and understand why he was named after him. <br /><br />I guess days like these always seem to come up around holidays and big events like weddings and babies. Today is just one of those days that I'm just missing my dad more than normal.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-qY5nVv3jf9xTwLFUo4adyNpxT2C7Mle4KBNN-D85ZZmCmptTb9E8Dxb6Fp67al_EBv_eVVim7qOx0nTvhmYNV90N-6srSL3DOY8Q-JJ2z3xtBGywhjegKq24SkcglcEYipTAGhP8yQ/s1600/scan0003.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 254px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-qY5nVv3jf9xTwLFUo4adyNpxT2C7Mle4KBNN-D85ZZmCmptTb9E8Dxb6Fp67al_EBv_eVVim7qOx0nTvhmYNV90N-6srSL3DOY8Q-JJ2z3xtBGywhjegKq24SkcglcEYipTAGhP8yQ/s320/scan0003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543296374672171778" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCi48p8eUKwzWmrq1hL3LxCaU9c5ioaIyaa2HnviDzbaE1xhPNf7lRpMWKBuPLxKmgktmXv3Edue5zJUTKlZ5Rq172udG49a9BTr7xlekroBqp2TH5dTlqDVvyMZg8ES_iAduK3_xTu4/s1600/scan0002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCi48p8eUKwzWmrq1hL3LxCaU9c5ioaIyaa2HnviDzbaE1xhPNf7lRpMWKBuPLxKmgktmXv3Edue5zJUTKlZ5Rq172udG49a9BTr7xlekroBqp2TH5dTlqDVvyMZg8ES_iAduK3_xTu4/s320/scan0002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543296248218392898" /></a>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-58851294979703865652010-11-23T21:56:00.007-05:002010-11-23T22:05:45.894-05:00A Life Lesson from JacksonToday has been a very long day filled with getting the dreaded call from daycare that your baby has a fever and then taking said baby to a doctor's appointment. So no formal blog post today. Instead I'm going to pass along a very important lesson that Jackson taught me today.<br /><br />Everyone knows that you shouldn't drink and drive or run with scissors BUT did you know that you shouldn't eat blueberries and mangoes when you're sleepy???<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2N5Zeue622L9w94yTkTxDUAvYMCpcO1AaxgOop3dUWHz97b3aFgksURmmgqWNfjDFY83INTKO4rBy-wLBMMuiVxsjTjxe2-fyRdq6fku-M46kiubjlb9T-LmoHXTOWMi16z3Yz9rXQQ/s1600/berrytired.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2N5Zeue622L9w94yTkTxDUAvYMCpcO1AaxgOop3dUWHz97b3aFgksURmmgqWNfjDFY83INTKO4rBy-wLBMMuiVxsjTjxe2-fyRdq6fku-M46kiubjlb9T-LmoHXTOWMi16z3Yz9rXQQ/s400/berrytired.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542946559683489666" /></a>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-87641755960047252862010-11-22T21:33:00.005-05:002010-11-22T22:02:03.269-05:00Runaway DayToday plain sucked. Jackson isn't feeling well and because of it he's been an emotional basket case. If I put him down he cries, if I sit down holding him he cries, if I give him space he cries. But then for a fleeting moment he will find a blissful distraction and the tears stop momentarily until he remembers that he's supposed to be fussy. Case in point: (please ignore my horrible sounding voice)<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tnxbJGdYGzQ?fs=1" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />This was my entire day. On top of it, work was horrible and everything seemed to go wrong. So not only was I trying to balance dealing with Fussy Gussy I had work drama as well. Needless to say I failed miserably at both. So what did I do? If I was a little kid again I think I would have packed up my favorite belongings in my backpack and run away from home. Since that wasn't an option I packed us all up and went to the park. For 30min today, everything was okay. Jackson was a happy boy swinging in the swings and I intentionally left my phone at home so work couldn't follow me there.<br /><br />I wish I could say that this moment turned the day around and it ended on a positive note but unfortunately it didn't. Jackson continued to have meltdown after meltdown. So when it was time for bed and after an hour of trying to get him down to no avail I plucked my snotty, hiccuping, tear stained boy out of his crib and brought him into our darkened living room where under a fuzzy blanket he laid against me and we watched Yo Gaba Gaba until he had calmed down enough to be put back to bed. Sometimes you just have to do what works and tonight that was what worked. I'm hoping he feels better tomorrow. Based on all the blogs I've been reading it sounds like I'm not alone when it comes to having a sick baby right now.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-63044208207946307732010-11-21T21:16:00.006-05:002010-11-21T21:54:41.090-05:00Night TerrorsA post at the <a href="http://anofferingoflove.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/odds-ends/" target=blank><span style="font-weight:bold;">Offering of Love's<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span></a> blog helped me feel so much more normal, with the added bonus of helping me find something else to post about.<br /><br />Jackson slept in our bed for the first three months of his life. We ultimately moved him to his crib because Amy and I weren't getting any sleep in the few short hours that we were being afforded. Even though he was in bed with us for such a short time I didn't realize what an affect if would have on me.<br /><br />Fast forward to 6 months later and I'm still waking up multiple times a night in a sheer panic. I'm convinced that Jackson has either gotten tangled in the covers or has fallen out of bed. There has been some nights where I have woken up on all fours next to the bed thinking that Jackson has rolled under it. Poor Amy has been woken up by me frantically patting the covers in my attempt to look for Jackson. She's had many conversations with me (who is half asleep) trying to convince me that Jackson is okay and safe in his crib. This happens weekly!<br /><br />So you can understand my excitement at seeing the post at the Offering of Love's blog and all the comments of others who have had these same late night panic attacks over baby. I'm hoping they end soon for both my sake and for poor Amy who has to deal with a crazy person in the wee hours of the morning.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-16976234295840310222010-11-20T21:47:00.001-05:002010-11-20T21:49:48.358-05:00MoreJackson has learned how to sign "more" he started doing it when he was eating and has quickly learned that it can apply to almost everything in his life. <br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/L4hlED0Bvcs?fs=1" frameborder="0"></iframe>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-65544698743993252812010-11-19T18:46:00.010-05:002010-11-19T21:16:57.395-05:00Being a Mom<a href="http://babymakinghusband.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/almost-one/" target=blank><span style="font-weight:bold;">Next In Line<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span></a> posted some interesting questions on her blog today so I thought I would answer them on mine.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Biggest Surprises</span><br /><br />One of the biggest surprises is that even though he is over nine months old I still can't believe Jackson is actually ours. Before he was even here I remember looking in his empty crib and thinking that it would soon be his bed. Now, each night when I put him down in his crib I still look down and can't believe the crib is now filled with this amazing little boy.<br /><br />I also can't believe how much sleep you don't get but somehow your body keeps on going. There are days where you just feel like a shell of a person and you go through the day on auto pilot. Sure, you hear about how you don't get sleep but we didn't really understand the lack of any downtime. There is always something that needs to be done.<br /><br />Things that totally would have grossed me out before I don't even think twice about now. I've had every imaginable bodily fluid on me and on my clothes. I changed the rankest of diapers, washed god knows what out of my hair and I can't even begin to count the number of times I've been peed on. Through it all I haven't gagged once or wanted to change anything.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />My Most Unglamorous Mama Day</span><br /><br />Without a doubt this was the time of <a href="http://amyandmelissa.blogspot.com/2010/07/saturday-day-6.html"><span style="font-weight:bold;">"The Sickness"<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span></a>. Amy was up here in Toronto and Jackson and I were going it alone in Austin. A stomach bug had taken out Jackson's entire daycare class but I still held out hope that he wouldn't get it. Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky and it was 48 hours of changing diaper after diaper while breastfeeding more than normal to keep him hydrated. I didn't know how I was going to make it through but then I got "The Sickness".<br /><br />It was hard enough just trying to look after Jackson while feeling like absolute hell but to make matters worse our house was on the market and we had people coming through the house. I will never forget strapping Jackson into his car seat that I covered in a towel to protect against any mishaps and tossed the dog in the back seat next to him. We then drove around the corner to wait it out. Jackson was thankfully entertained by the dog as I sat in the front seat throwing up into garbage bags I brought with me. After 20 min of waiting, the people who ended up buying our house left and Jackson and I crawled back into the bathroom to play in the fort we had created there. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Favorite mama and babies activities</span><br /><br />Bedtime Breastfeeding<br /><br />Jackson is not one of those snuggle, cuddle babies. When he nurses during the day he's constantly distracted, sitting up, laying back down, twisting backwards because he heard a noise. But at bed time he's all mine. I'm his sole focus and I LOVE IT. He snuggles in close, pats my face, and puts his palm up to my mouth for me to give him kisses. No matter how hard of a day it's been that moment makes up for everything.<br /><br />Bathtime<br /><br />Amy's favorite part of the day is bath time with Jackson. That is their moment to play, be silly and just be together one on one. It's so much fun to hear them splashing and laughing from the other room. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">My advice for other moms</span><br /><br />The best advice I ever heard and will give here is that if you survived the day with everyone still alive it was a successful day. It is so true! You can stress about how much or what the baby should be eating, where the baby should be sleeping and for how long or should the baby be crawling/talking/walking but ultimately if you survived the day, it really doesn't matter what you did to get there. Sure the baby took all his naps in the swing, it's okay if the baby drinks formula, and just because your baby isn't crawling/talking/walking when they are "supposed to" doesn't mean they are less intelligent than other babies that are. Are you all still alive? Yes? Then you did a great job today.<br /><br />Now it's your turn. What about you? What advice do you have? what was your most unglamorous day? What surprised you the most and what has been the most fun?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1818684193774187893.post-23784596118342592202010-11-18T22:00:00.003-05:002010-11-18T22:58:39.782-05:00Packing AnxietyWe are now 9 days away from our trip and I'm getting the creepy crawly stress feeling starting at the base of my neck. I think I'm going to pack Jackson's suitcase over the weekend to at least try and get a bit of a jump on things. We've never traveled with Jackson for a week long vacation before and the older he gets I feel like the more stuff he needs. It would also be different if we were going somewhere that if I forget something I can just run to the grocery store and buy it. But I don't think they are going to have diapers for sale at the all inclusive resort in the Dominican.<br /><br />Amy is a little stressed out too because she's feels she doesn't have anything to wear that is beach wedding appropriate. So off to the mall we went. As you can image our trip was an epic fail. Seriously, what did we really think we would find? A nice pair of linen pants tucked amongst the sweaters and flannel? We have a plan B that hopefully will work out. If not, it's going to be wool pants and a festive snowflake turtle neck.<br /><br />I feel like we always are in these situations before trips or major events and we always end up pulling through and making it work but with Jackson now in tow there are so many more variables. Hopefully we still persevere.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696340051062851389noreply@blogger.com4