Jack & Hugh

Happy Friday!

2010-12-10T10:52:00.001-06:00

The boys and I have terrible colds - so am posting these photos to remind me of a happier week! Hugh's favorite word right now is airplane. He loves to send things flying saying "Airplane, Airplane, Airplane" or to make the space shuttle blast off. They both "helped" Mommy make fudge and cookies for Jack's teachers and the doctor's office. And couldn't help including the sweetest smile ever.

Hugh had his 15 month check up on Tuesday. Everything looked great!!!

Baby It's Cold Outside...

2010-12-07T21:08:00.001-06:00

It has been too cold for playing outside for an extended period, I draw the line at freezing. Above 32 we are bundled up and out walking and running and swinging. I have a hard time with the 20s, can't see the point in trying with the teens, and don't even want to think about what we're going to do when we soon hit the single digits. (Not far below 32 its really too cold to even snow, which takes a whole dimension of fun away.) But, it has been a challenge to think of enough to do inside to replace what we are usually doing outside. Yesterday I brought in the riding toys, that was a huge hit! The tight space makes good practice for backing up and steering :-).

Catching up...for real this time!

2010-11-30T10:14:00.003-06:00

I do mean the title - I am going to try and keep up with the posts about and pictures of the boys!! I did not mean to let time slip away from me. I've told people I kind of stopped blogging because I used facebook instead, but that's not really the reason. Its just as easy to update blogger as it is to update facebook. We just had a pretty rotten Fall last year, I could never get around how to write posts with everything that was going on. I truly dislike over sharing on the internet and it is so easy to do, I just couldn't get my head around how to post without doing it, so I did nothing. Then it seemed so daunting to catch up that I put it off! But I do like updating about the boys as best I can and I know there are some who look at this who do not use facebook :-). Above are some recent photos to start. I will try and update our web albums and write some posts on what the boys are doing now. We'll see how long it takes me!!!

"Look...a TRAIN!"

2010-01-08T22:00:00.002-06:00

From late October, the night Jack saw his very first train!!

Catching Up...Again!

2010-01-06T09:08:00.002-06:00

It has been almost 3 months since I've posted, given everything that has happened since then, it feels like a lifetime! I am going to make an attempt to get caught up (It is a New Year after all!) so be on the look out for multiple posts. The boys are wonderful and growing up so much. Jack especially changes more and more each week and truly enjoyed Christmas. I'll start catching up by posting the two monthly "birthday" photos I missed for Hugh.

Hugh at 4 months, being dragged along to see the Christmas Lights at the Zoo, 20 degrees F, at night, he was not impressed!

Hugh at 3 months, smiley! During the weeks we were at Great-Grammie's. In spite of the situation, I think they both benefited from the time there. They both got to know and interact with Great-Grammie more and Jack got to play outside for all of November (never would have happened in St Louis!).

27 Months!

2009-10-20T19:42:00.000-06:00

2 Months Old!

2009-10-20T13:04:00.001-06:00

Hugh is 2 months old today and had his 2 month check up this morning. He weighed 13 lbs and 12 ounces (95th percentile) and measured 25 inches long (97th percentile). Everything else looked great and he did well with his 4 shots and swallow vaccine. Mommy was also able to get a nasal H1N1 vaccine, one more thing off her list!

All Smiles!

2009-10-16T15:37:00.003-06:00

Trying to catch up with blogging, time is slipping away on me! Hugh is almost 2 months old, still very sweet and eating great. He is awake for small periods of time now and has been smiling for just over 2 weeks, he's also recently begun 'talking' and laughing with me, lots of 'o's'. I will try to write more frequently, with all the fun fall and winter activities coming up! For the mean time, I've updated the web albums with a September and an October Album (Where did September go, by the way?). (I know in the post below the photos don't seem to be working, I'll try to fix it, the photos are also in the web album.)

Catching Up...

2009-10-06T20:39:00.001-06:00

Jack and Hugh in the bath - they really enjoyed it!

At the zoo on Saturday.

Jack 'hugging' the train photo on his train calendar.

Hugh playing with a toy and looking a lot like Jack at that age - also in one of Jack's old outfits - sized 3-6 months!

Getting Bigger!

2009-09-15T20:33:00.000-06:00

My Two Boys

2009-09-08T20:40:00.000-06:00

2 Weeks Old!

2009-09-03T09:21:00.001-06:00

Can anyone believe Hugh is 2 weeks old? I hate that pregnancy goes by so slowly and then once the baby arrives, time flies. It is very unfair! Hugh had his 2 week check up today and everything was wonderful. At his one week check last week he weighed 8 lbs, 8 oz. He needed to be back to his birth weight (9 lbs, 1 oz) by today. Well, he far exceeded that with a hefty 9 lbs, 7 oz. Gaining almost a pound in one week. Needless to say, he is still a great eater! He is a sweet baby, very alert, and still sleeping well.

Jack is doing great also. He is still not terribly interested in the baby. Phil has been home with us for this week and he and Jack have had all kinds of fun. They've been to the park almost everyday and yesterday went to the Magic House. I am sorry to have to miss all the fun time with Jack, but so grateful he can have some extra time with Daddy and ease into next week when the three of us are home alone!

Baking Cookies!

2009-08-30T10:05:00.001-06:00

On Friday Grammie helped Jack and I make cookies (I really just took pictures). Jack loved it, especially looking at the letters. In the last photo he is saying 'O' for his 'O' cookie.

This week we ordered Shaun the Sheep: Off the Baa from Netflix for Jack. He loves it, he laughs continually for an hour - I have never heard anything like it! He giggles and laughs uncontrollably. Needless to say, we may have to add this to our collection. And actually, most of the adults in the house found it just as funny as Jack did!

(see new post about Hugh below)

Hugh!

2009-08-30T09:46:00.002-06:00

I am sorry for the lack of updates - I had the best intentions of posting things as they happened - but more important matters had my attention (see the photo above :-) ). Hugh arrived safely and soundly at 7:47 am on the 20th, weighing in a bit smaller than his big brother, at 9 lbs and 1 ounce, measuring 21 3/4 inches long. Everything went incredibly smoothly and I must say the whole experience was easier the second time around. For the past 2 years countless people have told us that we would never have a second baby as good as Jack was - well in a way they were right - Hugh seems to be even better - if that is possible. He is a champion nurser, eating just a few minutes after the surgery was over, and really putting himself on a schedule in the hospital. He sleeps in between eating and is happy to look around when he is awake. Even in the hospital he slept in 4-5 hour stretches through the night before needing to nurse. Since we've been home he's continued those stretches, essentially only feeding once during the night. It has been amazing. Grammie and Granddaddy were here to take wonderful care of Jack - allowing Phil and I to focus on Hugh. Jack is so far not terribly interested in his little brother. Occasionally he will run to check on him or look at him, but I guess Hugh has not really disrupted Jack's life much yet! The cutest thing was yesterday when Jack was playing with his alphabet cookie cutters (Jack loves the alphabet and recognizes most of the letters) and took the 'U' to lay by Hugh, we think meaning 'U' sounding like the way we say Hugh and especially the way Jack says 'U' - he sounds it out really long. At any rate - we are truly enjoying our two wonderful boys, I already hate the way time is flying by, Jack seems way too grown up and Hugh is already filling out more everyday.

Right now all of our photos are in the web album. I am going to try and better organize them and add more today, we'll see!

Oh, wanted to add, everyone is trying to figure out if Hugh looks like Jack or not. He definitely does look similar to Jack as a newborn, but a little something seems different around the chin/mouth. Also, his hair is much lighter than Jack's was at birth. Hugh's is very blonde and Jack's was darker brown and a little curly. Hugh's head is also smaller and rounder. We'll see, I think time will tell!

39 Weeks and 1 Day!

2009-08-16T10:24:00.000-06:00

Hugh's Room - Finished!

2009-08-07T10:51:00.001-06:00

Everything seems to be ready in Hugh's room, everything moved and unpacked that needed to be. Just waiting on the baby!

(Be sure to see the below post for Jack's room.)

Jack's Big Boy Room

2009-08-07T10:48:00.001-06:00

I've been meaning to post some photos of Jack's room with the crib out and his 'big boy' bed in, but the toys never seem to be picked up :-). Its been a month now and he still loves his bed and sleeps just as well in it.

24 Month Check Up!

2009-08-06T09:43:00.001-06:00

Today was Jack's 24 month check up - where have the last 24 months gone? He is in great health and above the 97th percentile in height and weight, 39 inches tall and 35 pounds, amazing! At this rate he will be taller than me by next year! He was not impressed at all by the visit or the measuring and looking the Doctor and Nurses had to do, but he was happy to be able to run Thomas and Percy and Gordon all over the exam table, desk, chair, etc, etc. He recovered quickly from his 2 shots and was rewarded with some cookies from the nurse.

I have had 2 doctors' appointments since my last post. Everything is looking great and still planned for the 20th. Baby Hugh is still growing, seems very active and healthy!

The above photos are from several weeks ago, but are some of our favorites. I'll upload more to the web albums, with a new August one.

Birthday Evening

2009-07-20T19:19:00.001-06:00

Birthday Boy with all of his cards!

Loved the Thomas card from Auntie Heather and Uncle Michael, which came with the little badge he is wearing.

Fondue birthday dinner.

At this point he is just eating the cheese, who needs bread?

Happy 2nd Birthday Jack!

2009-07-20T12:05:00.003-06:00

We had a wonderful birthday weekend with our boy. He loved all of his cards and presents. He loves his train table (on generous semi permanent loan to us from 2 sweet little boys) and his new trains. He is rarely without an engine in each hand. It is so hard to believe he has been with us 2 years and we can truly say every minute has been wonderful. We are now counting down and looking forward to Hugh's arrival, one month from today :-). PS - Loads of new photos in the July Web Album!

Photos From Last Week

2009-07-13T15:59:00.001-06:00

Helping Daddy move the crib to Hugh's room and put it back together.

New favorite thing - foam letters and numbers in the bath!

News

2009-07-13T12:09:00.002-06:00

I had a doctor's appointment today and everything is looking great. Baby Hugh is growing a lot lately, I measured 38 cm today, up from 36 cm 2 weeks ago. Dr. Smith said he may hit 10 pounds and be bigger than his big brother :-). The next appointment is July 27th.

In other news, on Friday night Jack started sleeping in his 'big boy' bed. He loves it and was so excited to see it in his room. So far its been great, its been 3 nights, and he's not been out of the bed once. We kept the same routine we used when he was in his crib, leaving him in there while he's awake and he falls asleep on his own. The funny thing is he doesn't get out of the bed when he wakes up in the morning, just lies there until we go in to get him. He always looks so sweet when we go in to check on him.

We cannot believe Jack will turn 2 next Monday!

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-09T07:36:00.001-06:00

Had a wonderful long weekend in Memphis for the 4th of the July, went by all too quickly. Jack had a great time playing outside! There are many other photos in the July web album - see photo at the top right side of the blog.

Hugh's Room

2009-06-30T12:23:00.000-06:00

Catching Up

2009-06-29T15:00:00.002-06:00

Say 'Cheese!'. Watching Elmo talk about teeth, so he had to show his.

Getting Thomas ready for 'Night Night'. At the end Thomas & Friends they always wipe Thomas's face before he goes to sleep.

Playing with one of the few new toys for Hugh. Poor Hugh will have nothing that hasn't been played with :-).

Trying to catch up with this post, I can barely believe June only has one more day! Tons of cute photos this month, so will upload the rest to the Web Album. The month has flown by. Jack started swimming lessons on the 13th, he and Daddy are doing them together. I wouldn't say Jack was thrilled with them, but they are very worthwhile. Since then we've been going to a local pool regularly. Phil and I love this. Jack is becoming more confident and reinforcing what he's learning in the lessons. This weekend we are heading to Memphis for the long weekend, yay!

In other news, I had a doctor's appointment today. Everything was great and normal. Still measuring big, but not a big growth spurt like the last time. Next one is July 13th, then only 3 more after that!!!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T18:06:00.000-06:00

Doctor's Appointment - 30 Weeks

2009-06-16T18:48:00.002-06:00

Everything looked fine at my doctor's appointment today. She did mention I was measuring big, about 36 inches. I was wondering if this little one would ever have the 'growth spurt' that Jack had. Still, I am not measuring as big as I was at the same point with Jack nor do I weigh as much, so we'll see what happens! As of this week we have 2 months left, all of my remaining appointments are scheduled. Next one is June 29th!

Hugh's Room

2009-06-14T20:55:00.001-06:00

The very beginning of Hugh's room. If you were able to see the left side of the room you'd see all of Jack's clothes and toys he's grown out of plus the other items that had been in the guest room. We are slowly but surely sorting things out! Will post a picture of Jack's room this week.

Playing Outside

2009-06-14T20:53:00.001-06:00

I had a great birthday relaxing with my boys. We had some friends over, grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, and of course had cake! Finished it off watching Jack play outside. Notice his face, took a tumble down the steps to the patio, was fine, but scared Mommy and Daddy to death!

Past Week

2009-06-14T20:51:00.001-06:00

Loves playing with trains and tractors and cars and trucks!

Gemma came to play on Wednesday, they were too cute together.

Relaxing in his new chair.

Just woke up.

Playtime

2009-06-04T10:57:00.000-06:00

Grant's Farm

2009-06-03T07:52:00.001-06:00

This past Sunday we decided to check out Grant's Farm before the weather became 'too' hot. It was really nice and Jack loved it, he was able to interact and notice the animals a bit more than he was able to at the zoo, because of the smaller scale. He really liked the pygmy goats above, petting them and feeding them a bottle. This was one of our first excursions where we didn't make him stay in the stroller the whole time and he did fairly well. He also had his first carousel ride, he wasn't sure what to think! We hope to go back soon!

Thomas the Tank Engine

2009-06-03T07:50:00.001-06:00

We are in the middle of what seems like an overnight love affair with Thomas, and really trains in general. It started in Folkston, of course, this last visit with Jack really getting interested in the trains in the photos on the walls and the models in the display cases. We didn't get into the train room this visit, he is going to go crazy when he sees that now! Then one morning Thomas happened to be on PBS and he just loved it, really paying attention to it. Now that we are home, its like an epidemic, which is why the 'Thomas' above came home with us last weekend from Toys R Us. Jack held him in the box in the cart at the store and all the way home in his car seat, you couldn't even see Jack's face. We also happened to get a Thomas DVD from the library, lets just say, both Mommy and Daddy can quote it word for word.

Doctor's Appointment - 28 Weeks

2009-06-02T12:12:00.003-06:00

Everything went great at my doctor's appointment today. I did have to get my RhoGAM shot, ugh! Baby Hugh is still progressing nicely, moving all the time, great heartbeat. And now my appointments are going to be every two weeks, seems like its all going by so fast! Next appointment is June 16th!

Recap

2009-05-28T10:23:00.001-06:00

2 Monkeys at the Beach!

Jack's favorite hotel activity? Watching the cars in the parking lot.

Finding shells.

Very carefully and deliberately playing Great-Great Gramma Frances's old organ.

There are many many more photos in the 2009 May Web Album (I apologize for the number!). We are home now, for the summer, awaiting Hugh's arrival in less than 3 months. Is everyone else as surprised as I am that I am in the last trimester? Jack was great on this trip and again enjoyed all the time and space he had outside.

Happy Birthday Daddy

2009-05-19T06:41:00.001-06:00

This was a few weeks ago, we had sausage dogs for supper. Jack ate all of his, asked to get down, then asked Phil to hold him. He then promptly swiped Phil's 'dog' and ate most of it. We are really missing Daddy this week, especially as its his birthday today!!!

At Bryce's House

2009-05-18T07:42:00.004-06:00

I've not been very good at taking photos since we've been in Georgia, but am trying! We've been having a really nice time, getting to see a lot of people, if only for a short time. I am going to try to update the web albums with a new one entitled May 2009. There are several new posts below. In other news, we are just really missing Daddy!! Cannot wait until he joins us this weekend. And too, the baby ticker above is in the double digits now!! On Wednesday the 20th Jack will be 22 months old and it will be 3 months at the most before Hugh arrives :-).

Papa's Chair

2009-05-18T07:40:00.000-06:00

Mother's Day Weekend

2009-05-18T07:37:00.000-06:00

Gabriel Jacob Friedman

2009-05-08T07:16:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the world Gabe and congratulations Mike and Erin! We are so excited and cannot wait to meet you. Hoping for a speedy recovery for Mom and lots of rest for everyone :-).

Reading While Driving

2009-05-06T10:20:00.001-06:00

Jack loves books, especially picture ones. Almost as much as books, he loves anything to do with cars. Yesterday at Toys R Us we found 'Busy Baby: First 100 Things That Go'. (He already has this one and loves it.) He read his book all through the store, pointing to each little photo and asking 'What's That?'. He read it all the way home and has read it most of today. His favorite page is the 'Big Rigs', which is incredibly detailed, with words like 'Grill' and 'Sleeping Cabin'. It is so much fun to see him so independently interested in something.

Doctor's Appointment - 24 weeks

2009-05-04T11:28:00.002-06:00

I had another doctor's appointment today and everything was great. Baby Hugh is doing really well and measuring right on target. My weight was normal again and happily not affected by my second stomach virus 2 weeks ago. My c-section is scheduled for August 20th at 7:30 am. They made 3 more appointments today, which takes me into July, time is going by so fast!!!! I've not been very good at taking photos of myself like I did last time, so the below post with me at 24 weeks at the zoo with have to suffice!

At the Zoo

2009-05-04T11:26:00.000-06:00

Missouri Botanical Gardens & Chinese Culture Days

2009-05-01T07:54:00.000-06:00

At the Park

2009-04-26T10:07:00.000-06:00

Summer Haircut

2009-04-24T19:52:00.000-06:00

21 Months!!!

2009-04-21T12:24:00.000-06:00

Hello?

2009-04-13T12:47:00.000-06:00

Egg Hunting

2009-04-12T18:45:00.000-06:00

Easter Morning and Lunch

2009-04-12T18:35:00.001-06:00

Finding his basket.

Opening the egg Mike and Clare and the girls brought from England.

Enjoying the mac and cheese.

Really enjoying the deviled eggs, I lost count of how many.

We had a lovely Easter. This morning we went to Church (after Jack found his basket and ate some chocolate for breakfast). We had a huge lunch with Phil's mom and friends, Scott and Peizhen. Jack had a long nap and the rest of us played Carcassonne (ala Mike and Erin). After his nap Jack helped us finish the game and then hunted a few eggs. He was actually happier about just being outside (its been a cold winter) and didn't care much about the eggs! We had some great dessert and are now just rounding out the day with leftovers and The Sound of Music. Will post some hunting photos next.

Baby Hugh

2009-04-09T19:38:00.002-06:00

It's A Boy!!!!

2009-04-08T11:52:00.002-06:00

We were very excited to see our new little boy on the ultrasound this morning. Everything looked wonderful, and I think he looked really cute. All of the measurements were great and he moved around constantly. When it came time to get the shot, there was no doubt he was a little boy, he even moved his leg and turned towards the scanner for us to get a full view. He weighs around 12 ounces right now and was around 10 inches long, everything right on track for 20 1/2 weeks and about the same as Jack at the same time. They are going to go ahead and schedule the c-section sometime this week, for sometime between August 15th and 22nd, so we'll know that soon. They'll do one or two more ultrasounds to watch his growth until then. We have some good photos and will scan them later.

We had just decided on a boy's name this past weekend, Hugh Colwell. Hugh from Phil's great-great grandmother's maiden name Hughes and Colwell is my mother's middle name and my great-grandmother's maiden name.

Poll

2009-04-03T08:02:00.002-06:00

Our 20 week ultrasound is next Wednesday, the 8th. I thought it might be fun if everyone guessed whether the new baby is a boy or girl, and we'll see whose right!

Fun!

2009-03-31T14:26:00.001-06:00

Like I said in the previous post, I did not get many photos during our trip to Georgia, but I did get a few of Jack playing outside. The weather was wonderful and he spent several hours a day outside. He loved it. He collected sticks and pine cones and seeds, played in the bushes, flowerbeds, etc. He skinned his knees several times and had scratches up and down both legs, not one tear was shed! He was too busy :-). We had a great time and were able to visit with a lot of people, if not everyone we would have liked to. We are hoping to go back in May.

We stopped in Memphis on the way home to see Grammie and Granddaddy and to break up the trip. (Jack was an angel in the car by the way, both ways, 12 plus hour days!) While we were there Jack and I both had a bad stomach bug. His first of that kind of sickness. And mine amid occasional returning morning sickness (hard to figure out what was going on). It was a rough couple of days, but we both seem to be through it now. We made it home to an excited Daddy on Sunday.

Now we are beginning to prepare for a string of guests over the next few weeks. We are so excited! Jo will be here this weekend (which means the annual Scottish games in St Charles), then Granny (Phil's Mum), then Mike and Clare and the girls! Yay! Also next week (the 8th) is our big ultrasound for baby #2. I can hardly believe how far along I am, I was shocked to see the ticker at the top of this page, we are half way!

20 Months!

2009-03-31T14:22:00.001-06:00

Jack turned 20 months old while we were at Great-Grammie's house. I did not get many photos, but happened to take this one on the correct day! One of Jack's favorite things to do was climb up in Papa's chair - especially if Papa was about to sit in it. Its low and sturdy, so easy for him to scramble into.

The Magic House - St Louis Children's Museum

2009-03-14T18:48:00.004-06:00

Today we went to the Magic House and it was amazing. It was heaving with people, being Saturday afternoon, but so worth it. They had loads of activities for Jack's age, really neat things. And some amazing things for older kids too, I mean I thought more than once, "I would love to play with that!". For Jack's age there were blocks (huge rubbery legos), slides, an enormous water table, several sand boxes, tunnels, and loads of smaller exhibits. There was a little room with a variety of light switches that turned on/off the lights above them, door bells and buzzers that worked, but all at their height. For older kids (and this is just the part we saw) there was a real grocery where you could shop and then check out your items (after you had been to the 'bank' to get your money), fully equipped kitchen/dining room, a life sized interactive oval office and courtroom (complete with robes they could put on). There was even a small section for babies (under 24 months) with items they could really interact with. The list goes on and on. Needless to say, we'll be going back. We were there an action packed 2 hours and anyone with a toddler knows its hard to keep them interested that long. But next time I think we'll go in the morning or during the week when its less busy. Jack was tired out tonight! We had the all clear at his ENT appointment yesterday, everything looked great. Still planning a trip to Georgia next week, just Jack and I, but I haven't started packing yet!

Last Weekend

2009-03-13T10:56:00.001-06:00

Learned how to push himself down the slide!

On a dock at the lake, he loved it!

Ok, when did he get so grown up looking??

At the observation deck watching planes land at RDU.

Finally catching up from last weekend. We had a wonderful trip to North Carolina and Virginia. Thankfully Erin updated her blog first, so you can read about most of the weekend here! I'll just add that we had a very nice (if too short) visit with Grampa on Saturday (and would you believe failed to get a picture). The weather was amazing the entire time, it was beautiful. Jack was able to spend almost all day everyday outside. We had wonderful food, BBQ 3 times!, fondue, grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, and Indian Buffet. I think the foods of my pregnancy this time should be grilled hot dogs, BBQ sandwiches (ONLY NC Style), and Vegetable Korma :-). Jack did really well on the trip, great in the airports, amazing on the flights, and handled late or no naps with ease. Flights were on time and perfect, makes you remember how very convenient and worthwhile air travel 'can' be. In other news, my morning sickness (or to be exact vomiting) returned after several weeks of me thinking it was over. Hoping its just a matter of a change in climate or something. (Of course we returned to temps in the 20s/30s in St Louis. As we drove away from the airport in Raleigh I told Phil, "I am so over the Midwest".) My next doctor's appointment is Monday, and after that the ultrasound on April 8th! We go to see the ENT today for Jack's follow up tubes appointment, then we'll be all done!! I'll post the rest of the photos on the web album, there are lots of cute ones.

How you know it was a good weekend...

2009-03-10T07:53:00.001-06:00

Jack at the airport before our flight home yesterday. More photos to follow!

Missouri Botanical Gardens

2009-03-03T11:34:00.001-06:00

Sunday we went to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, which ashamedly Phil and I had never been to. It was quite amazing to say the least, and seeing as most of it was closed for the winter, I cannot wait to go in season! We went to the Orchid Show, which was beautiful. As soon as we walked in Jack started 'Ohing' over everything. His favorite was the Climatron, which was amazing as well. It is huge, with winding trails through a temperate rain forest. There was a water feature with a little dripping rain as you entered, Jack loved this and stayed there forever. Its a good thing it was so warm and tropical, as his hair and clothes were soaked. There was also a huge fish tank he loved. (This makes me think he is going to flip over the zoo this year.) Bring on better weather so we can go some outdoor things! (It is currently 27 degrees right now :-( ).

Bubbles!

2009-03-03T11:29:00.001-06:00

Cheesy Grin

2009-02-22T19:05:00.001-06:00

Phil caught this at supper tonight. We usually don't get a toothy smile in a photo - it was a treat. Never mind the bit of avocado on his chin!

19 Months!

2009-02-20T19:49:00.000-06:00

About the Size of a Medium Shrimp

2009-02-19T20:18:00.000-06:00

All Done!

2009-02-19T09:42:00.002-06:00

We're home and Jack is doing well. Everything went great, he was a very good patient, and it did go as fast as they said it would. They took him back for anesthesia at 7:50 and before 8:00 the ENT had come back out and said they were done and told us how the ears looked, etc. By about 8:05 Jack was awake and in recovery. We were able to go right back to him, he was understandably upset as he was waking and shaking off the anesthesia. Within a few minutes he was calm and able to drink some milk. We were home by 8:45. He seems back to normal now, with a snack and some Elmo. We have a check up in 3 weeks. The place where the procedure was done really made it all easy and relaxed. It was an outpatient surgery center separate from a hospital. It was not crowded and we had very personalized attention. Everyone having anything to do with it talked to us extensively and you could tell they were used to working with children. Jack was very comfortable with the operating room nurse and by the time they took him he went with her willingly. He had his special blanket and cuddly toys, the anesthesiologist had the honor of carrying 'sheepie' back. We were able to wait in the pre-op area, which was just feet from the operating room and the recovery area (so as they said, we did hear him before we were able to go see him). It was difficult to see him upset and not understanding what was happening, but great now to see him doing well and hopefully on the road to recovery! Thanks for all of the good thoughts!!

Doctor's Appointments

2009-02-18T17:50:00.002-06:00

Today I had my second doctor's appointment. Everything went well. When the doctor tried to find the heartbeat, she could not get a steady listen as the baby is right under my c section scar, the scar tissue makes it hard to transmit. So we had a very quick look with the ultrasound and saw everything was fine. Heart was beating nicely and baby was moving around. It was amazing to see the difference from 4 weeks ago, since we did not have a look at this point with Jack. I have a photo and will post when the scanner cooperates! My next appointment is March 18th.

Jack is still scheduled for ear tubes tomorrow morning at 7:30, we have to be there at 6:30. (And no food or liquid after midnight!) We are anxious to get it all over with. His ears started bothering him worse over the weekend, he started having balance problems and putting his ears to his shoulders or holding his hands over them while walking. We went back to the doctor Monday to make sure nothing was worse, both were still infected, but ok to wait for tomorrow. I will update as soon as I can after we are all done and home!

A monkey with a new haircut...

2009-02-14T21:16:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T12:48:00.001-06:00

Bare Feet

2009-02-12T13:10:00.000-06:00

Helping

2009-02-12T13:03:00.002-06:00

Fun at Grammie and Granddaddy's

2009-02-12T12:59:00.000-06:00

Ear Tubes

2009-02-11T08:20:00.002-06:00

We saw the ENT last Wednesday and Jack and I both really liked him. He said that really our only choice was to put tubes in (through a small slit in the ear drum) and let the infected fluid drain from behind the ear drum. In almost all cases this clears up the chronic infections and within the next year his ears and Eustachian tubes should be mature enough to not have the same problems. The inserted tubes just fall out on their own. They just called Monday to schedule the surgery, which will be the 19th, at 7:30 am. It is done under general anesthesia (with a mask), but only lasts about 5 minutes. We are anxious about the procedure, but on the other hand anxious about getting Jack well finally. He is on his 4th antibiotic in the last 2 months (you have to wonder at this point if they're even doing anything) and we definitely don't want to risk hearing damage. So, if everyone would say a prayer or think a good thought for the 19th (and after) we would appreciate it!!

Big Eyes

2009-02-06T08:12:00.001-06:00

Update

2009-02-03T11:32:00.002-06:00

Today Jack had his 18 month check up. It went really well aside from the fact that both of his ears are still infected. I really hated to hear that. She referred us to an ENT and we actually already have an appointment with him tomorrow. It most probably means Jack will be getting tubes in his ears. I hated to hear that too, but do want him to get better and not have any lasting effects or damage from this. In other areas, he is really well. He weighed 29 pounds and 2 ounces (78th percentile) and is 34 3/4 inches tall (above 97th percentile). I felt like he had gotten taller in the past few weeks, his clothes were starting to not fit as well! He had one shot and did really well, especially when he saw the cookie the nurse had waiting for him. He was very sweet with the nurses and Doctor, who all think he is so cute. We'll see what tomorrow's appointment brings!

Catching Up

2009-02-02T10:45:00.002-06:00

Finally able to ride the elephant rocker Daddy bought before he was born. Affectionately named "Peanut Butter".

Finally 'warm' enough to play outside yesterday, using the term 'warm' loosely.

In his new bathrobe, trying to get out of it!

I've been horrible about posting, I blame it on the terrible cold and the first trimester. I'll try to remember the highlights. We went to the UK from the 6th to the 14th of January. We found out the day before that Jack still had the 2 ear infections he had the week of Christmas. So we flew out in a bundle of nerves and with a new antibiotic. Jack was perfect on all the flights (his ears didn't seem to bother him) and loved running around the airports. We had a great time with Frances, Bridget, and Ruth and were able to see quite a bit of family. If you go to the web albums you can see the photos in the January album. All 3 of us kept the colds we had before the trip during the trip and brought them home. We arrived home to record low temperatures. Our winters are always bitter, but the day after we arrived home it was minus 5 Fahrenheit. This was also just in time for some of the lovely pregnancy sickness to set in :-). We found out the next week that Jack still had both ear infections and a cold, most likely exacerbated by our trip. So we tried another antibiotic (this is our last chance before an ENT referral) and have our follow up tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed. Its been fairly cold still the last few weeks (mostly in the teens and 20s) and we had over 6 inches of snow last week. It was very pretty but caused Phil to have a snow day. It stayed around most of the week and just melted this weekend with our tropical highs in the 40s!!!! It is amazing how warm it felt. We've been so careful with getting him well, we didn't let Jack play in the snow. He did get to play in some leftover snow at the park yesterday and loved it. I will try to be better at updating! I am adding the rest of our December photos to the December album, so be sure to check it and the January and February ones!

Edited to add: I want to start the year out right trying to remember birthdays and things. So, a belated HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Chandler and Brandi on December 29th and belated HAPPY BIRTHDAYS to Chandler on January 12th and Grampa George (101) on January 29th.

Baby Taylor #2

2009-01-21T19:33:00.001-06:00

We found out just before Christmas we were expecting Baby Taylor number 2. Today was my first OB appointment and everything looked great. I am almost 9 weeks along and they set the due date around August 22nd. It is still early, but we were too excited to wait any longer to share the news. My next appointment is February 18th and then we'll hopefully get to hear the heartbeat! Today we had an ultrasound, you can make out the baby, but couldn't see much detail, other than a little heart beating away :-).

18 Months and 1 Day!

2009-01-21T19:19:00.001-06:00

Christmas Morning - Part 2

2008-12-25T13:10:00.002-06:00

Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T13:07:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T13:00:00.001-06:00

Christmas Monkey

2008-12-23T13:21:00.002-06:00

Please read to me...

2008-12-18T08:49:00.001-06:00

This is our view several times a day. Jack loves being read to and has figured out how to bring us his book of choice. His favorite book by far is Panda Bear, Panda Bear by Eric Carle. We read it what seems like hundreds of times a day. I love it! He will sometimes want his second favorite, Snappy Sounds Moo. I am so excited for this stage he has reached, I love to read so much and want him to love it as well. We'll read all day if he wants!

Finger Painting

2008-12-18T08:45:00.001-06:00

I decided to mix up some homemade finger paint to try with Jack. He wasn't quite into it yet, but we had fun. It was just flour and water, so ok that he had a 'taste'. :-)

Happy!

2008-12-14T21:44:00.002-06:00

From the last week...

2008-12-10T15:52:00.003-06:00

One of his new favorite things to do.

Helping me untangle the musical carousel.

Another favorite activity, rearranging the bottles in the refrigerator. Notice his shoe on the bottom shelf.

Sorry for the lack of posts. Jack was sick again last week, with a nasty virus in his throat. We ended up at the Doctor's Office on Thursday, but as it was a virus, we've just let it run its course. He seems to be feeling much better now, but still a runny nose and congested cough. It has not stopped him from being as 'busy' as ever. He loves looking at the Christmas decorations and sampling Mommy's baking.

Updates

2008-12-02T17:35:00.002-06:00

I've finally added to the web albums. I noticed today I had not added photos since October 18th! Where did November go?? There are 3 new albums, one for the rest of October and one each for November and December. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-28T20:42:00.004-06:00

These are just a few photos to represent the week. We have so many since the arrival of our new camera and its very difficult to choose. We've had a great week filled with family and friends. I will try to organize the photos once we are home and upload some to the web album. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving - bring on the Christmas decorations!

16 Months!

2008-11-20T15:50:00.002-06:00

Jack is 16 months old today, who can believe it? The last months have brought so many changes and especially in the last few weeks, he seems to have grown up. Good news, we went to see the doctor today, to check on the ear infection from last week, and the ears were all clear! Also gone are all the signs of a cold. I really hope this continues through our trip to Georgia next week. We'll be going from highs in the mid 30s to highs in the mid 60s and back again. The break from the cold will be nice, but that change in temperature always seems to do a number on all of us! Other than that we are looking forward to seeing our Georgia family, but not looking forward to the packing or the driving. I still have not added photos to the web album, but will try to soon.

Boys Night

2008-11-17T13:20:00.002-06:00

The other night I went to get my hair cut and left Phil with bathing and putting Jack to bed. When I returned home, it was to a multitude of photos - Jack and Daddy had a great evening!

Always Catching Up...

2008-11-13T16:39:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday - I love these overalls!

Sick Baby - Tuesday

Later that day...a little better

Yesterday - so happy after a nap and loving his 'Sheepie'.

In his new travel booster/play chair, a sign of all the travel to come. Also, wearing these, which arrived today. I am in love.

This week has gone by so fast. Jack started with a fever Sunday night, which lasted into Tuesday. We went to the doctor Tuesday morning and he had his very first (and last for awhile we hope) ear infection. He was much happier when his fever broke and today really seems back to normal. I felt terrible for him. The doctor's appointment was already scheduled for his 15 month check up, so they went ahead with his flu shot and his 15 month 'checks'. Everything seemed fine. He is 33 inches long and weighs a little over 27 pounds. In the 80th percentile for height and weight and off the charts for his head circumference (I think he comes by that honestly from both sides). We go back next Thursday to make sure things are cleared up, before we leave for Thanksgiving in Georgia on Saturday. Other than that we are just hanging in there. I cannot wait to decorate for Christmas, Jack will really notice it this year (maybe too much). I've been showing him all the decorations in the stores.

Another cute story: We went to play outside for a few minutes this evening. He loves walking up and down the sidewalk/driveway and looking at our 'tree'. Then a car drove into their garage across the street and Jack took off after it, he did the same thing when our neighbors a couple doors down drove in. He really associates cars going into garages and garage doors opening and shutting with Phil coming home. We've noticed it before, it is really sweet.

Epitome of Sweetness!

2008-11-07T15:02:00.003-06:00

A few moments before this I told Jack we were going out and we needed to get our shoes. I was busy putting things in my bag and I turned around to see Jack following behind me, both shoes in hand, I had to stop and give him the biggest hug. Yesterday I had the same feeling when he took the plastic plate from his snack and pushed it up onto the counter next to the sink (yes, he is that tall). I cannot believe how each day can really hold something new and different for him. It amazes me even more to think that these things were not things I taught him or expressly showed him how to do. He simply had watched us do them enough times and recognized the words I used. I want to remember every little thing :-).

Congratulations to Carla, Luke, Ruthanne, and John on the expectation of Baby Wilson #3, another new baby in May.

Catching Up!

2008-11-06T21:30:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. These are some of my favorite photos from this week. We have an overabundance of photos due to a new camera. I will try to have the rest in the web album tomorrow. Jack is loving the playground now and trying to climb UP the slide. He also is loving playing outside, walking up and down the driveway, on the sidewalk, and watching for the mailman to come. As you can see from the second pic, 'we' voted Tuesday, Jack was a good boy at the polls, everyone thought he was cute and wanted him to leave well 'stickered'. We are thrilled with the outcome of the election - and that is all I am saying on that. Other than to add that I am proud of myself for not posting anything political throughout the election, even though (believe me) I wanted to at times. Keep checking for more photos and posts this weekend. Happy Friday!!

First Haircut

2008-11-02T07:20:00.003-06:00

Today we went to the Hairy Elephant and finally got Jack's first real haircut. The salon was great, lots of toys, colors, and very patient staff. Jack was pretty good, all things considered, and hated to leave.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T08:21:00.003-06:00

Hope everyone has a FUN day! We may or may not be trick or treating this evening. Jack was up all night last night coughing. We headed to the doctor first thing this morning, turns out he has the croup. He seems to be feeling better, just has the lousy cough and heavy breathing. He weighed 28 pounds this morning and stood on the 'big boy' scale for the first time! These photos were taken while we were in Memphis. His outfit is really cute, although he's not too fond of the hood!

JACK o' lantern

2008-10-29T06:50:00.002-06:00

Snack Time!

2008-10-28T08:35:00.002-06:00

Stacking Everything...

2008-10-28T08:27:00.002-06:00

These photos posted backward of course, but I think you get the point. Jack loves blocks and stacking them, he does it very carefully. He was 'helping' me with the shopping on Sunday and I looked down and saw all the cans stacked. I thought that was pretty good...they are heavy! He also loves looking in the bags to see what will come out next.

The cat is 'finally' out of the bag...

2008-10-26T11:13:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to Mike and Erin on the expectation of Baby Friedman! He or She will be here in May!

Fun at Grammie's House!

2008-10-24T10:08:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Bryce!

2008-10-24T07:43:00.003-06:00

Jack & Bryce - September 2008

June 2008

December 2007

November 2007

15 Months Old!!

2008-10-20T20:28:00.001-06:00