Week 60

Apr 28-May 4

*update*

I forgot to add this picture to the post...Ed says this is what I will look like from now on.

Well we finally did it. After years and years of protesting technology and being the last people on earth (at least our age) who don't have texting...we have crossed over. I even took an extra step into the world of technology and got a Blackberry Curve complete with internet and the works. :) I have to admit I am excited, but also a little nervous. Let me tell you the reason we didn't get texting for so long and maybe you will understand a little better why this is such a big deal.

We used to have texting when it first came out. It wasn't very popular and we didn't really use it much. THEN texting became so prevalent that people would text someone while talking to you. It was like suddenly humankind could not make eye contact because they were constantly drawn to the light of the screen. It got really annoying. People texted at our dinner table, texted you when you were in the same room, etc. We kind of thought it was out of control so Ed and I protested it. When we meet new people they just can't BELIEVE we don't have texting. "How do you communicate?" they ask us. CALL THE PERSON!!!! Imagine that!

We have crossed over and have vowed not to become that person. Also, there is no texting while driving. I am personally not that coordinated. We do like the picture messaging b/c we can communicate with pictures of what Jack is doing while the other is at work. Makes things a little easier.

Lets see...what else is new with us? We have continued to play outside in our pool or at the beach. It's been nice because Ed has been getting home around lunchtime so we have plenty of time to go play. It's awesome to finally be able to enjoy the beach in our backyard.

Jack LOVES the beach now. No more fear! He runs around and says hi to everyone sitting in their chairs. He attracts a lot of attention with his sunglasses, hat, and various swimsuit outfits. Surprisingly he wears the sunglasses now. I think he finally figured out what they were for.

We make sand castles and look for one special sea shell for each trip. We bring back one from each time we have gone to the beach, but we have to pick the one favorite. Ed started the tradition with Jack. By the time we leave here we will have a ton of "perfect" shells and also a count of how many times we visited the beach! :) Clever.

This last little bit is just for Ed. I figure I have no control over him making our child a total geek so I had better give in at some point. In honor of May 4th...May the 4th Be With You!

Week 59

April 21-27

We had a great week! It is really starting to get warm down here in sunny Florida. We should get some kind of incentive since we don't get any seasons (the palm trees look the same winter/spring/fall/summer and it gets kind of BORING!). It is finally warm enough to bring out the pools and sprinklers!!

Last year I was hoping to get Jack into the pool, but he wasn't quite big enough until the end of summer. I bought him a little turtle pool that I thought was adorable! I saved it on the shelf in the garage all winter so we really need to get it out.

In the meantime, our neighbors got out their pool and sprinkler one day. When Jack and I went to play in his play house they invited us over to swim. It was a nice day so I put on Jack's swim "outfit" and we joined our neighbors Emily and Audrey. Jack was a little hesitant for about a second and then you couldn't get him out of the pool if you tried! He would run from the pool to the sprinkler and then back again. It was so much fun!!!

The other exciting thing that happened this week is Jack has really been starting to use utensils more. Obviously we have to help him "load" up his spoon or fork, but he is getting really great at putting the food in his mouth. Sometimes he will just practice for a few bites and then eat the rest with his hands. This is all fine with me because utensils should only really be introduced at this point in time. He is always so proud of himself when he accomplishes these little things.

Eating is one of Jack's favorite things so it was only natural to introduce a new sign. I taught him how to ask for "more" food. It was pretty amazing because I really only showed him twice at breakfast and now he does it ALL THE TIME! I managed to get it on video, here is the short little clip!

Week 58

April 14-20

There are quite a few funny stories in the happenings of this week. Where should I start? I think the first one is what I like to call "The Great Haircut Debate." Ed has wanted to cut off Jack's curls for awhile now because he thinks they look too girlie. I have been very resistant and so far Ed has let me win this battle, but I think I just might have to give in pretty soon. In the past couple of weeks we've heard MANY, MANY times the following types of phrases:

"Oh what a cute baby, what is her name?"

or

"Look at those curls, she is sooooo cute!!"

Despite the fact that Jack usually wears blue, black, etc. One of the times he was wearing a dark green shirt and camouflage shorts with his little brown shoes. WTH? Even if the curls looked feminine, shouldn't the clothes be a tell all? So now I jokingly call the poor baby "Jacqueline" and it makes Ed soooooo mad! It is hilarious!!!! :) To get back to my original point, I think I might give in...not because people mistake my little boy for a girl, but because it's really starting to get out of control and now truly looks like a mullet. It doesn't grow at all in the front, but the back is crazy curls everywhere! I could put it into a pony tail if I wanted. I think we might have to get the first official hair cut very, very soon. I will take pictures of course. :)

The next little story is the "Creepy Carnival." On the way home from work Ed noticed that a Catholic church on Hwy A1A was planning on having a little carnival over the weekend. Ed thought it would be a great idea to take Jack (he really just wanted a funnel cake) so he was hoping I would get called off work Saturday or Sunday. Sunday we got our chance. We put Jack down for his morning nap, packed up the diaper bag, camera, etc and planned on a fun little afternoon. We even remembered to get cash.

We got down there, parked the car, and ventured in for some fun. Before I get into the story I have to preface it by saying that I hate carnivals. In my humble opinion they always seem cheap, dirty, rigged, and a total waste of money. I was trying to keep an open mind though because I thought Jack would like to see all the rides, the people, and eat some delicious, unhealthy food (the only redeeming factor of a carnival).

So we put Jack in the stroller and agree that we should make a lap around and check out what kinds of games/rides they had. One of the first places we passed the nasty old guy smoking a cigarette says, "play this game and I guarantee the baby a prize whether you win or lose." The game was balloon darts. Ed loves darts so I was like, "go ahead and give it a try." It was $5 for 3 darts and Ed popped 2/3 balloons. So the guy gives us this little stuffed animal and then tells us that if we want to work our way up the wall to a bigger prize he will let Ed throw as many times as he wants and as long as he is winning, it will be on him.

So...Ed starts throwing, makes one, makes another one, etc. He gets up to 4 in a row and we're almost all the way up the wall so I'm like, "okay, that's good." The whole time thinking to myself we're pushing our luck and if he misses one we're going to have to pay this guy a ton of cash. So the guy grabs a big stuffed animal and goes, "that will be $40.00." I was like, "excuse me? That's not what you proposed. That wasn't the deal." The guy got pretty angry and was arguing. I'm not usually one to get angry on the spot, especially with a stranger, but I wasn't about to pay the guy ANY money...especially for one of the disgusting stuffed animals that on closer inspection were dirty. I was sooooo mad. I basically said, "just forget it," and started walking away.

We both agreed that we were finished with games, but we figured we should at least get our funnel cake that we had been looking forward to for days. We walked over to the food cart and the guy was like, "it will be at least 15 minutes until the oil will be hot enough, otherwise it will be doughy." We looked at each other and said, "lets get out of here!" We figured it was a sign and we it was probably poisoned or tainted somehow. Ed almost walked into the church to ask the staff, "Do you know what kind of people you are allowing onto your grounds????" Instead we went out for a lovely lunch at Slow 'n Low BBQ. It was DELISH!!! We've been eyeing the place since we moved here and regret not having gone sooner.

This post is getting long already so I will shorten up the rest of the stories. Jack's new thing is shaking his head "no." We wonder if it's because that's all we seem to say to him most of the time. Even when we are at our own house he is constantly getting into things he knows he's not supposed to. He can also do the sign for "all done" and he happily lets us know when he is finished eating. It is so neat that he can really understand and communicate his needs. I have noticed he really follows directions well. I can tell him to go get something specific like "mommy's shoe" or "daddy's shoe" and he can differentiate between the two.

Here is a picture of his play date with Riley. They used to fight over the car. One would sit in it and the other would always try to squeeze in beside him. They finally found a happy medium. While one sat in the car the other would push him around. So cute! :)

Okay so for my last funny story I will just let this video tell everything. For those of you who have Facebook you have already seen this. I've realized this week how much fun one little kid can be. If he continues to crack us up the way he does now, we are in for some fun family times in the future. Sometimes it makes me wonder how much fun two kids would be...

Busted Mattress

Week 57

Apr 7-13

This week we relaxed from our week away from home and once again got back into our usual schedule. Isn't it funny how you feel like there should be a vacation after a vacation? There's something about packing for a trip, collecting things along the way, and then coming home only to find a place for all of it. It is almost overwhelming and exhausting just to think about. I try my hardest to have a clean house before I leave for a vacation. I find that even when that happens we still unload the car and create such a mess that there is no point.

Jack truly enjoyed all of the company and attention he received from family and friends. He is a very sociable little guy and loves to interact with people. I've noticed that he loves going out to eat, going grocery shopping, anywhere he can meet new people. I'm glad he's willing to communicate with people and I hope that trait continues to stick with him when he gets older.

Ed noticed a new skill that Jack has recently started doing...jumping. He will bend down and using both arms jump up off the ground with both feet. He becomes very proud of himself when he does it.

One day last weekend when I was at work Ed said Jack woke up and his hair looked like this. He described it to me on the phone as, "Jack looks ridiculous, the little swoop of hair is like a tellie-tubbie swirly thing." He said it stayed that way all day. Hilarious!!

Nothing else new to report...have a great week! :)

Week 56

Mar 31-Apr 6

Happy Easter! I know these posts are all very late and I have been behind. So sorry to my faithful followers. I know you are dying for new pictures of Jack. We had a lovely little mini-vacation over Easter weekend. Somehow the stars aligned and we both managed to get enough days off work to make the drive up to South Carolina to see family.

We left the Tuesday before Easter at our usual time of 3:00 am. It is the easiest thing to do because Jack can sleep most of the drive. We were staying at Ed's moms house in Sumter because she had all kinds of Easter fun planned and she has a crib for Jack which makes things SO MUCH easier!! We haven't put Jack in a Pack 'n Play since he was around 4-5 months old. I don't really think he would sleep in one, at least not without a fight.

Ed's Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Tom, and cousin Mallory flew down from Pittsburgh as well to stay at Ed's mom's house for the weekend. It was awesome for Jack because he absolutely adored Mallory. She was our little helper and kept Jack entertained. As usual Ed's mom went all out for a fun-filled family vacation. We dyed and thoroughly decorated Easter eggs, baked and decorated cookies, played games, and enjoyed amazing food and drinks!!

The most popular game of the week was Cranium. If you've never played it...I definitely recommend it. It's kind of a mix of trivia, Pictionary, charades, and much more. We played it almost every night. I am proud to say that the ladies team is undefeated!! I don't know if I have ever seen a more competitive team than Ed and his Uncle Tom.

The Friday before Easter we drove to Columbia to visit with my family. My Grandma had flown down from Pittsburgh and was staying with my mom. Jack got to see his Mimi, Gigi, Uncle Andy, Uncle Will, and Aunt Caroline. We had the pleasure of getting to see my Aunt Ruthann who is the nicest woman in the world, she met up with us for lunch. It was a great day.

Saturday we had yet another relaxing day. We decided to go bowling. We had a good time, but Jack got a little restless and just wanted to walk around. Everyone took turns following him around in between bowling.

Easter Sunday the kids woke up to baskets from the bunny. Jack thought all the commotion was great. He even wore his bunny ears for almost 20 minutes! :) We got some cute shots.

Uncle Ryan and Auntie Amanda came over after we ate breakfast and then we all headed to church. Jack lasted around 40 minutes and then we had to take him outside so he could run around. Not too bad for a 1 year old, I was pretty proud of him.

After church we returned back to Ed's moms house and got into our comfy clothes. We went on a great Easter egg hunt in the back yard. Jack even participated...it was so cute!! He did quite well for himself. After we let the kids find as many as we could, it was time for some of the adults to look around. :)

All in all Easter was a great time. It is so strange to compare Jack as a 1 year old to his last Easter when he was barely 2 weeks old. Such a difference!!

One cool milestone Jack reached was getting to switch his car seat to the forward facing position!! We figured he would enjoy the ride home a little more. No more looking at the seat, now he can see both of us!