Quitting

I've been doing a lot of internal debating, quite a bit of internet reading, and listening to friends' stories about quitting the paci.  Or as it's known in our house, the bapi.  Jack seems to be growing more and more addicted as the days go on..  I've been wondering when is the time?  How do we do it?  I can't wait for the bapi free days.  The ease of not wondering where they are.  Knowing you have about 30 in the house, but cannot find a single one.  I look forward to not "cleaning" them off after falling on the ground in the mall, the parking lot, the yard.  I also dream about the future when we are bapi free and don't have to do a bapi hand off similar to a play action fake. 

Today I was putting Jack in the car around his nap time and he was frantically requesting a bapi.  I obliged, pulled it out of my back pocket, sucked the lint off, and placed it into my little boy's mouth.  He promptly took it out and dropped it.  Somewhere in the back of my car.  Now if you have seen the floorboards in the backseat of my car (or any mother's car) you would understand the panic that ensued.  Where the hell did it go?  Jack is asking yelling screaming "BAPI", I'm sweating and frantically moving the diaper bag, Brobee, the cart cover, 5 books, 2 toys, baby hiking boots (more on that later), and resort to getting in the backseat, cllimbing over jack, and hanging out of the car.  All in front of school.  Jack's school.  His new school.  Yup, I'm sure they flagged our file as questionable parenting.  The 2 years

ago me totally would have too.  5 minutes, 1 pinched kid, and what feels like a small workout later I found the bapi.  Thank god.

Lesson learned:  Pack 2 bapis at all times.  And no, we are not quitting this month.  I'm not ready yet.

18 Months

I'm going to attempt to unpack my bacgs here and stay awhile.

Now that you are officially 19 months here I thought we should post about the past 18 months.

18 About 18 Months

1.  You re 32" tall and 25 lbs of pure fun.
2.  Excitement and energy run through every ounce of you.
3.  With the excitement comes exhaustion.  Mine.  Again, I don't know how people with 2 kids do it.

4.  You have 16 teeth.  You know how to use them.  On us.  It hurts.

5.  B/c of your new found love for biting, you have learned about "me time".  TIME OUT.  Generally you handle me time ok and we end with a hug, kiss, and a "sahrry' (sorry).

6. Sahrry (sorry), doggie, mommy, daddy, shoot, guys, gosh, peease, sank sue, yesssss, and bubbles are just a tiny sampling of your ever growing vocabulary.  And short sentences are your newest skill!

7.  Speaking of skills you have mad baseball, basketball, and golf skills.  Keep it up!  Mommy and daddy want to cash in your college fund for a really really fun trip in a few years!  Any kind of scholarship works for us!
8.  "Side" is your favorite place.  Unfortunately for you the mosquitoes love having you "side" too!  They see you as an all you can eat buffet.  After a few hours on your swingset, a lady asked me if you were healing from a bad case of the measles!  Nope!  Just mosquitoes, and a lesson learned, only go "side" with a can of OFF
9.  After all your sleep issues you have turned into a wonderful sleeper.  3.5-4 hour naps in the afternoon and 11 hours at night time.  I really cannot complain.
10.  You cough on command.
11.  You sneeze on command too.
12.  In true boy form, burping makes you laugh hysterically.  Thankfully, Grandma taught you "scues me"
13.  Yo Gabba Gabba and WonderPets are your favorite tv shows.
14.  According to you, DJ Lance Rock is "AWESOME"
15.  After another trip to MO, you are quite the traveling pro!  16 different planes, 8 connections, and countless flight attendants all crammed into 18 months.  (I think that's more trips than dad took in his first 18 years of life)
16.  You are obsessed with trucks, trains, buses, and planes.
17.  We are decking out your new room with all of the above items.  But not quite yet.  You still love your crib.
18.  Your newest trick is telling us about your poop, boogers, and pee pee.  YOU.ARE.ALL.BOY.

Thank you, Jack, for making the past 18 months the very best months of our lives.  Without you what exactly would we be doing with our time?

Love,
Mom and Dad

LA--The Land of Actors, Producers, Kobe Bryant, and The Esarey's

The last day in April I left the house at o'dark thirty (THANKS GMA) to board a flight straight to LA.  With a quick pit stop in Cincinnati.

As I left Norfolk I could hardly contain my excitement!  5 days of no poopy diapers, no middle of the night missing paci hunts, and 5 solid days with one of my best friends. 

POLL QUESTION:  I almost used bestie in that last sentence.  Who likes/uses the word bestie?  Besides you, Waddie.

The moment we touched down I was stoked beyond belief (See I even sound like I belong in LA)!  In 5 short travelling hours I had read a book (not of the cardboard variety), took a nap, and told everyone within earshot that I already missed my boys. 

On the ground in LAX I was immediately on the hunt for celebrities.  I've been so unlucky in my life that I have never, NEVER, seen a celebrity in real life.  Except Whitney Port pre The City and Jarrell from Project Runway, but do they really count?  Celebrity spotting in LAX.  Not one.  Not a single solitary celebrity...that I could tell anyway.  I mean, really every single person in LAX was beautiful...or wearing a tourist t-shirt and a fanny pack...Plus, I realized I don't really know who any celebs are unless they are painfully obvious. ie Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, etc...but do they really fly commercially anyway?

Ah!  Seriously more than 3 paragraphs in and I'm still at LAX?  BORING! If you are still reading...
I'm now in the car with Mere and her hubby of almost 2 years, Bear.  Mere is my soul sister, sister from another mister, 5'5" clone with brown hair that likes numbers.  Remember? 

In true Mere fashion she had a color coded schedule for me starting with... Malibu Wines!  The girl really knows the way to my heart!  So no celebrity spottings YET, but on to tackle another first.  Wine tastings.  And let me tell you...this.was.awesome.

The people watching in LA is much like window shopping.  I found myself thinking, oh I'll take that top and I want that dress, and oh gosh those shoes are fab!  Think about watching the reveal of What Not to Wear 99% of the time.

We were 2 bottles in and feeling no pain when we decided to drink rooftop and watch the sunset.  It was beautiful.  From what I remember (I'm kidding...sort of).  Oh! and my drink was smoking.  Literally.  Here's proof.

It was delish.  It was devoured.  It was $1,000.  Best $1000. spent. ever.  That's the other thing about LA.  EXPENSIVE!

Sushi for dinner.  Drinks afterward.  And I passed out fell asleep in the car.

The next AM we took our hungover groggy selves to church.  Now this church was beautifully placed in Beverly Hills (I think), up on a mountain, with breathtaking views.  Lunch with mimosas and shopping on Rodeo Drive was next!  What better way to cure a hangover right?  Sadly, no celebrities.

Ok I won't play by play the entire 5 day trip, but it was awesome.  Well actually...I just might play by play for you...just a little.

Monday.  Day 3.  My birthday.  Mere and Bear surprised me with a massage in the morning (amazing), my boys surprised me with flowers and a love letter (special), and Mere + me decided a fab lunch in dresses and shopping was on the agenda (stellar).  We shoved gourmet pizza in our mouths, valeted for $8 and went shopping at a BCBG outlet...my idea of greatness!  We took pictures with the stars and got thisclose to seeing the premiere of Thor.  If only we didn't have reservations (amazing reservations).  That night we ate at Red O .  It was every bit of fabulous.  And...celebrity spotting #1!!!  David Spade was in the back corner laughing and carrying on with a gorgeous blonde about 5 feet taller than him (who isn't taller than him?) and some other guy (I'm going to say his agent).  My first celebrity spotting.  in LA.  at dinner.  my birthday dinner.  This was deserving of a bathroom break!  Just like in college, Mere and I grabbed our purses and casually walked past him so I could get a better look.  AWESOME!  Wish I could have gotten a pic...I mean it was my birthday!

Tuesday.  If you ever go to visit Mere and Bear, diet for approximately a month beforehand.  The food in LA is fabulous, the restaurants are beautiful, and the company isn't too bad either.  We decided to do lunch at Fig + Olive (incredible).  EVERYTHING had olive oil in it.  I think this restaurant was built just for me.  I totally felt like "ladies that lunch" Then off to The Getty!  Fab day!  Food trucks for dinner...when hold the phone, we had a spotting!  The Ladies Man.  Enough said.

We totally look the part of "ladies that lunch"

The Getty

At Foodtrucks

Wednesday.  LA is just beautiful.  I think I said it 100,000 times, but I would have seriously packed up the UHaul if I had been discovered.  I continuously called Chris to tell him to grab Jack and let's move!  So needless to say, I was sad to leave MereBear!  But super excited to get home to my boys!  I knew they were falling apart behind the scenes!  I was always scared to ask Chris what he had made for dinner (pizza, mac & cheese, hot dogs) and was totally worried we had run Grandma into the ground (She was a saint and watched Jack EVERY DAY while I was away...many thanks and more GMA). 

Until Next time LA!  And I promise you...there will be a next time!

DISCLAIMER:  The drink wasn't really $1000, but you get my drift.  Expensive.

Back in the Saddle Again

It's really happening.  I'm officially trying to jump back on the blogging bandwagon.  I'm sure my ridiculously awesome posts have been missed so much and by so many .  So for the 3 of you that keep asking me why I quit blogging...I'm back.  For real.

Now that my announcement is out of the way I'm overwhelmed.  Where do I start?  Where did I leave off?  According to my blog Jack is still 11 months...it is February...there is snow on the ground.  WOWZA, why did I ever take a break forget about blogging?  Oh, that's right I have THE BUSIEST 16 month old ever.  No exaggeration here...he is busy.  I am exhausted.  How do people have multiple children?  Nannies?...ok gotcha.

So, back to filling you in.  I spent April and most of May at home with Jack.  Although stressful on the pocketbook I was over the moon thrilled with the opportunity.  9 1/2 long weeks of screaming and crying; coupled with my postpartum, out of whack, crazy hormones I never completely enjoyed my maternity leave.  In fact, I couldn't wait to get back into the office.  This go-round was completely different.  Jack and I played, he napped, we enjoyed every moment together.  I 100% enjoyed it.  Almost so much that I was tempted to play the lottery the night before I went back to work, but didn't want to be disappointed when I didn't win.

Catch up is tough work in a blog.  How can I possibly fill you in on months and months of activities?  Nevermind be creative.  I do much better with a single topic.  Let's stick to pictures for now.

I call this Sir Elton Jack

So independent.  It is ridiculous...and messy

Strawberry festival!

My 2 favorite boys

He colors...and eats the crayons

Boys will be boys

Next up, my trip to LA!  Loads of fun, pounds of food, lots of drinks, and 2 celebrities!  Not to mention my incredibly awesome hosts!  I wish I had been discovered...I was so ready to move there.

I'M BAAAACCKKK!

Watch out world...tomorrow I'm back.  I just know it.  I am going to be creative.  I am going to be witty.  I am going to be funny.  And I am going to blog.  I swear.

L

A Christmas Story...not for the weak

I don't have to tell you that Christmas Season is way over...but I'm going to.  Christmas is over.  WAY OVER.  Christmas 2011 is 294 days away.  And although we are in the middle of St. Patty's Day celebrating, shamrock buying, green beer chugging, and parade watching, I'm going to tell you a Christmas story.  Our Christmas Story.  One that would only happen to us.

Every year at the beginning of December the hunt for "the perfect tree" is on.  CDitty and I scour Hampton Roads in search of an 8 foot, VERY fat, very beautiful, totally awesome Frasier Fir. 
SIDE NOTE:  Christmas 2009 was a total exception.  We got a Frasier Fir off the SALE RACK!  $15 for a "fat" tree, completely dead on one side.  But that's a whole different Christmas story.  One that happened WAY before I was blogging.

Back to Christmas 2010.  Having virtually no days off together, CDitty and I bundle Jack up one cold December morning and head out to find "the one", the decorative centerpiece to Jack's first Christmas.  The pressure was on because my family would be celebrating Jesus' birth at our crib (pun 100% intended).  We were in luck...at our first destination there stood "the one".  Although it hadn't settled and it's branches were still up we knew this was it.  The tree.  Jack's first tree.  Excitement set in as we merrily hauled our purchase home and placed it out back in a water bucket.  A few nights later CDitty and I spent the evening stringing lights and strategically placing ornaments out of the reach of our precious 2 legged creation.  We marvelled at its beauty, high fived, and went to bed.

Baby Jack bundled up and ready to find "the one"

**DECEMBER 20, 2010**

CDitty and Jack were playing in the Living Room.  I come down and am immediately "attacked" by CDitty and Jack.  I fall to the floor while they "get me".  While down on the hardwoods I notice a ring of dirt around "the one".  Hopping up I put on my detective cap, run to the kitchen, and grab a wet paper towel.  This dirt...baby spiders.  Not 1 or 2, but hundreds upon hundreds of BABY SPIDERS. 

Go ahead and read that last paragraph again.  Now let me back up.  Our perfect tree is up, decorated, and in our house for almost 3 weeks before POOF hundreds of spiders.  We spun (pun intended again) ourselves into total panic mode, then frantic clean up mode, followed by pest control mode.  I'm sure after the shop vac, swiffer, wet paper towels,and pest spray if any spiders were alive they were wishing they weren't.

Like straight out of a comedy Chris and I frantically all but poured pest spray over our tree.  Seriously, spraying in each hole, up the trunk, through the branches, around the stand, even the majority of the beautiful needles were covered in pest spray.  We were shocked the tree survived.  Heck, we were surprised we survived.

Why didn't I take the tree down?  Because it was Baby Jack's first Christmas.  His first tree.  It was beautiful.  It was decorated.  We spent FOREVER decorating it.  My family from Missouri was coming in town.   All selfish reasons, but despite the spiders I REALLY REALLY loved our tree.

Spider removal took 3 days.  Although I'm sure we killed them all on Day 1 WE I forced us to spray for 2 more days "just in case".  Day 3 we put the skirt back on the tree, put the presents back under, and pretended we were never invaded by baby spiders.

In true detective fashion I researched the daylights out of spiders and spider babies (thank god for google).  Chances are mommy spider laid her egg of approximately 500-1,000 (I repeat 500-1,000) spiders.  The tree was most likely sprayed with pesticide on a farm, cut down, hauled to Norfolk VA, purchased by us, decorated, and placed in our comfy house for 3 weeks.  According to google the baby spiders, not intended to hatch until the spring (warm weather), were tricked by our cozy house and surprised us December 20th.  Merry Christmas right?

I called and got our tree purchase refunded, but this Christmas story was definitely one to remember.  Going fake next year?  Not a chance.  I mean, seriously, what are the odds?

Post spiders

Too quickly...

I looked at my dayplanner (iPhone) today and realized OHMYGOSH February is more than halfway over!  Soon it will be March, April, my trip to LA, and May... I will probably blink and 2011 will be 2012 and then next thing I know Jack will be driving or worse, married and I'll be a grandma!  Classic me; total overreaction.  Back up..real life...Jack is 1.  And I am in my 20s.  But seriously, February is really flying by.  I think when I'm actually a grandma I want to be "Nonie" or "Nona", maybe "Oma".  Mainly I want to be awesome.  Just like Jack's Nana and GMA.

Back to the point of this post.  Wait, is there a point to this post?  Not yet?  The point is to thank CDitty.  For what?  Being awesome.  That's what.  (Side note:  awesome is my current favorite word.  In a thank you note I wrote this week I used awesome no less than 5 times.  IN 5 SENTENCES!)

Life is funny.  The twists and turns, ups and downs.  Each event is the sometimes direct, sometimes indirect result of another event.  There are endless amounts of scenarios and countless people to thank (Annie Fannie) for leading me to CDitty.  Because of him life's ups are really up and the downs don't seem to be half as bad as they would be alone. 

So here is a toast to CDitty.  Thank you for being my 100% complete opposite.  You are my dark haired, handsome, calm, and spontaneous hubby.  Thank you for being my goofy, studious (ha), hardworking partner.  Thank you for picking me and loving me.  Bust most of all, thank you for being an awesome dad,  an incredibly generous father, and a total role model for Jack.  There is not a person in this world I would rather share life's twists and turns with.  Because of you life's ups and downs seem like a fun roller coaster and sometimes (I repeat sometimes) aren't all that stressful.

Here is a...

...a sneak peek into Jack's BIG BASH!

Does it get any cuter?

11 Months

Jack,

In just 6 short days you will be turning 1.  A whole year has flown by.  I'm scared to blink, I don't want to miss even just one second.  Scared when you are 16 I'm going to forget the scrunchy face you make when you think you're funny.  Or any other thing you do for that matter.  I'm not ready to let go of my baby, not ready for a toddler.  Good thing I have 6 more days.

January 9th you turned 11 months old.  This past month has been definitely one for the record books. 

Your first Christmas happened.  And let me tell you it was quite the event.  4 days of present opening and endless days of clean up!  Although I've never doubted it, Christmas reassured us that you are definitely loved.  NO. DOUBT. ABOUT. IT.



Christmas Day with my cousins

 Christmas Day you point at Gage and say, "Dog".  Although it sounded a lot like "GOG" I'll give it to you, your first word.

Christmas night ended with snow.  Lots of snow.  14" total when the storm was over.  We took you sledding.  Your hat was a little big and the snow was bright so I'm not so sure you thought it was nearly as awesome as we did. 

Sled Day!

December 29th you decided this crawling thing was totally overrated.  You had been "accidentally" walking for weeks, but today you took steps.  All by yourself.  Just like that crawling became a thing of the past and you became a mobile machine.

NYE 2011:  So fun.  We got dressed up (a little) and went  to Summer and Fresh's house.  2 words:  KID CENTRAL.  8 adults and 6 kids, wine, champagne, and food galore!  It was so fun!  You stayed up past your bedtime (until 9PM, crazy right?!?) And the fireworks and midnight didn't even wake you up.

2010 Babies and their Moms!  (Mia too!)

Grandma got sick on January 5th.  She was in ICU for quite a few days and the hospital for nearly 2 weeks.  Your dad took you to visit, but only stayed in the lobby.  No need to catch H1N1.  Luckily, GMA got to walk down to see you.  I know you missed her and she missed you too.

Stats:

• You had a serious growth spurt.  9 month pants are way too short.  9 month onesies fit fine in the body, but the arms are a tad short.
• Still a size 3 diaper.
• You still LOVE to eat.  We are getting more courageous with food and in torn you are getting more variety.
• Making sounds and "talking" are 2 of your favorite past times.  You make an elephant sound and roar like a tiger (we are training you well and plan on sending you to MIZZOU).
• If we could bottle and sell your energy I know we would be billionaires.  Once you learned how to walk you haven't looked back.  We.  Are.  Exhausted.
• 8 teeth.  We are teaching you how to bite into food.  Because again, you love to eat.

Six days until you are 1.  Six days until we have known you for 365 days.  For now I'm celebrating 11 months!

Love always and forever,

Mom and Dad

Today...

...is going to be a good one.  We've had plenty of bad ones already in 2011.  Today??  Not one of those bad ones.  3 signs of a great Friday:
1.  Jack slept in until 6:45 (He must have known dad and mom are going to be out late tonight)
2.  I have gone to Sonic 3 days in a row for a Diet Dr. Pepper with crushed ice.  Each day they have been out and I've left empty-handed.  Don't get me wrong, the cheddar peppers were tempting as were the onion rings.  I just wanted the ice...AND the Diet Dr. Pepper.  Not only did I score DDP this morning at Sonic, but the manager gave it to me for free.  She apologized for being out the past 2 days and applauded me for my persistence.  Awesome.
3.  CDitty and I are going on a real live date tonight.  We are headed out to dinner and then to a concert with friends.  CANNOT wait!  (Thanks Grumps for monitor sitting tonight!)

I have lots to blog...I'll do more later.  For now I'm going to celebrate this Friday!