The Life of Barrett and Tanya and their Little Baby Jack

Tool Time

2012-01-17T19:46:00.000-08:00

Barrett was busy installing more cabinet locks (in our bathroom this time.) Jack though the power drill looked like a pretty cool toy so he went to check it out and "help" daddy work. The boys with a power tool
It looks to me like he is in love! I see projects with power tools in the future for Jack!

Backpack

2012-01-17T19:41:00.000-08:00

Jack got a big boy backpack from some friends for his birthday. We decided to let him try it out. He was pretty proud of himself. How grown up does he look with a backpack on and a paci in his mouth?!
It even has his name on it! Love it!

Random Phone Pics

2012-01-17T19:19:00.000-08:00

So now that I have an iPhone I have been using that more ofter to take pictures. Up until right now I wasn't too sure how to get those lovely pictures off the phone and on to my computer. Now that I finally figured it out (and it could not have been easier to figure out) I have a bunch of random but cute pictures from the past couple months. Enjoying the nice weather at the swings
Love the overalls

Spaghetti Night at Mom-mom and Pepa's house

Going shopping at the $ store to fill up our Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes

A visit to the Galleria at Christmas time

How much fun to have a baby with me this year to enjoy Christmas time with at the mall. Love it!

I love this. Here are all of our favorite drinks we got to enjoy while at the mall - Barrett's bold black coffee, my mocha frappuccino, and Jack's bottle of milk!

One afternoon while feeding lunch to Jack and Zach they both fell asleep while eating - both within about 30 seconds of each other. It was too funny. It looks like we will need to start having an earlier lunch time.

Cruising' in the radio flyer

What a messy face! Jack sure enjoyed his black beans at On the Border!

Yup, he's cute!!!!

Into EVERYTHING

2012-01-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

Jack has become a wild man! He really does seem to be into everything! You look away for a second, turn around, and he has something in his mouth, he has opened another cabinet, he is touching something that should not be touched or climbing on something. This sofa table originally had decorative things on the bottom shelf. We eventually took of those decorative things because Jack kept getting into them. Now that the fun stuff to play with is gone Jack has decided it is a great place to now climb into!
Oh my! All I can think about is that he is going to fall out and fall onto the tile floor.

So now we have a beautiful (not) pile of pillows on that bottom shelf to keep the little climber off the shelf.

Another project that Daddy has been working on this week is installing cabinet locks. This here is why. I will say that this particular cabinet is the one that he is aloud to get into since it is all our plastic containers, but oh my, even just having one cabinet open can make a BIG mess!

But I wouldn't trade these days of chasing around this wild man for ANYTHING!!! This is a challenging stage, but man oh man is this kid cute and super sweet!

Shiny and White

2012-01-16T20:44:00.000-08:00

We are getting little man (and us) in the routine of brushing Jack's teeth each day. He enjoys brushing his teeth. I think it is mostly sucking the water off the tooth brush that he truly enjoys. Whatever works! Looks to me like he is taking this very seriously!
Good team work keeping those teeth shiny and white!

Camping Under the Table

2012-01-16T20:34:00.000-08:00

Well, Jack had his first camping trip (under the kitchen table) with his best buddy Zach. I covered the table with big blankets, carpeted the tile floor with blankets and pillows, got out the battery powered lantern for inside the tent, and loaded up the tent with books and toys. Sounds like fun doesn't it? I remember loving doing this as a kid!
They enjoyed their time camping in there....only for about 10 minutes of so. Oh well. It was fun to try out anyway. We will for sure be trying this out again maybe when they are a little bit bigger and can actually appreciate all the hard work I put into making this fort for them. Ha! Good times...

Wagon Ride

2012-01-16T20:24:00.000-08:00

Jack got this radio flyer wagon for Christmas and is loving it! When we go for walks in it he is totally at peace and so content.

We have taken several walks to go visit Mom-Mom and Pepa down the street. Jack is always so happy to see them and always gets a huge smile on his face. Whenever we leave their house Jack turns around several times in his wagon to check and make sure Mom-Mom is still standing outside of her house watching us walk down the street until we turn the corner. It is so cute!

Such a happy one year old!

One Year Pics

2012-01-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

12 Months Old

2012-01-16T19:44:00.000-08:00

3 weeks ago (I know, I'm way behind) my baby boy turned 12 months old. In case you didn't know, that means that Jack is now a ONE YEAR OLD!!! At Jack's one year appointment he weighed 18 lbs 8 oz (3rd percentile) and was 28 inches long(3rd percentile.) Jack wears size 3 diapers. He is in 9-12 month clothes. Right now I am wishing there was a size 10.5 months for pants. Some of the 9 month pants seem a little snug around the waist but the 12 month are just way too long. Jack has a head full of brown hair, big blue eyes, 4 teeth on top and 4 teeth on the bottom.
Jack sleeps around 10 hours straight at night with normally a morning nap and afternoon nap, 1-2 hours each, although recently he seems to be leaning toward possibly taking just one nap in the late morning/early afternoon.
Jack is eating all finger foods - basically just whatever we are eating cut into small pieces. Starting on his 1st birthday he started gradually having whole milk mixed into his bottles. He is now completely through with nursing and completely on whole milk. He has about 4 six ounce bottles a day. We keep trying sippy cups but he is having a hard time transitioning to a sippy cup from a bottle. We continue to try. Eventually he will take a cup of milk, right?

Jack continues to be in love with his paci. It is his best friend right now.

Jack continues to cruise all over the place. He has begun taking a few steps here and there, but nothing too consistent yet. He is one cautious little man (when it comes to walking without holding on.) One of these days he is going to just let go and take off!

Jack's "Winter ONEderland" 1st Birthday Party

2012-01-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

I had been wondering for months what I wanted the theme to be for Jack's first birthday party. While looking online one evening I came across the theme "Winter ONEderland" and from that moment I knew that was it! What could be better? A party in the winter and he was only going to be turning ONE for a winter ONEderland party once. So Winter ONEderland it was!!! Most ideas came from pinterest and other peoples blogs. What did people do before internet? The Invitation - one picture for each month of Jack's life.
The welcome sign hanging on the front door - Welcome to Jack's Winter ONEderland

The Big Cake - those cake decorating classes I took while pregnant with Jack finally paid off! Vanilla cake with blue buttercream icing with almond flavoring

The smash cake

Melting Snowman cookies

Make sugar cookies. Frost with white icing. Put a marshmallow in the microwave for about 25 seconds then put the marshmallow on top of the frosted cookie. Decorate with colored icing to make it look like a melting snowman. Loved this! They were actually quite tasty too!

Jack's highchair

Snowballs (balloons) and snowflakes (foam snowflakes found in the $1 spot in target) hanging from the ceiling in the breakfast room.

The buffet area with a birthday banner and giant tissue paper snowballs

Dining room - more falling snow and snowballs

I took a picture of Jack each week, documenting his growth throughout his first year then displayed those 52 weekly pictures on the wall in the dining room.

Living room - still decorated for Christmas with the addition of.....snow falling!

Jack's monthly pictures

A clothes line with some of Jack's "baby" clothes hanging up.

"Melted Snowflakes" (water)

"Snowman's Hot Tub" (delicious homemade hot chocolate made in the crock pot)

Hot Chocolate Bar - Fluffy miniature snowballs (marshmallows), Frosty whipped Cream, Cozy Chocolate sprinkles, and Chocolate dipped candy canesHot beverage snowman cups"Snowman's Mud Bath" (coffee) For dinner - 21 pizzas, veggie salad, fruit salad, and chips (let me just add we ate pizza at our house for dinner for about the next week! That was a lot of pizza!)

Me and my little snowman

"Happy Birthday to you..."

Digging in

Yum!

Mommy and Daddy with the birthday boy!

Daddy and Jack

Icing face

What a mess but oh so cute!

Is the sugar starting to kick in already?!

Time for presents

The wrapping paper and tissue paper were his favorite part of the gifts I think.

Thanks everyone (we counted 54 people - family, church friends, and neighborhood friends) for coming to my party!!!

What a precious little one year old snowman

Playing with new toys

Game - Pin the carrot nose on the snowman

Smash cake, birthday bib and picture
(not sure why the picture won't turn the right direction for me)

The Gifts - I think Jack will be set with toys for the next year!

Party Favors

Snowman Kit
Just add SNOW!!!!

Hat, googly eyes, carrot nose, coal mouth, scarf, and pom-pom buttons. Once it snows just build a snowman and decorate it with these goodies!

Jack's first birthday party was too much fun! A lot of time and planning when into this but it was all well worth it! I'd say the party was a celebration of Jack's first birthday along with a celebration that Barrett and I made it through the first year as parents! We couldn't ask for a better son and look forward to all that is in store for Jack this next year.

Happy 1st Birthday, Jack!!!!

Baby's First Christmas Ornaments

2012-01-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

I had been searching all season long for the perfect "baby's first Christmas" ornament for Jack. We ended up with not just one....but 4! Can you tell we are excited about Jack's 1st Christmas? The first one I found (which I don't even have a picture of) was one that I ended up picking out earlier on in the Christmas season but I didn't really love it. It is the kind that you put a baby picture into. I still haven't put a picture into it yet and it is now packed away with all our decorations and never even made it to the tree this year.I then found this idea online (thanks pinterest) to make a hand print ornament. LOVED this idea. Now I can always remember how little Jack's hand was his first Christmas. This ornament Jack's Aunt Tara made for him. I LOVE this one too! I really just love anything that is personalized with his name on it.
This last one we found right before Christmas on clearance at Nordstrom's. We had gone to the Galleria to meet up with Tara. I walked by this ornament in the store and was oooing and aahhing over it. Once I met up with Tara inside the mall she was like, "I saw the perfect baby's first Christmas ornament in Nordstrom's today." Sure enough we had both seen this and loved it! So we now both have matching ornaments on our tree. What a fun memory that will be each year since we both had our baby boys just 4 weeks apart.

And lastly, this is not an ornament, but a necklace that Tara made me for Christmas this year. What talent she has! Have I mentioned yet that I LOVE anything that is personalized and that has the name JACK on it?!?! This is just perfect!!!!

A Little More Christmas....

2012-01-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

Just realized I never posted a picture of our Christmas card this year. We ordered them from Costco and are very pleased with how they turned out this year. I always have a hard time choosing just one picture for our cards so they always seem to end up having a bunch of pictures. It was especially hard for me this year since this was Jack's first Christmas but he had changed so much throughout the year. So we have a newborn picture along with a few pictures from throughout the year (the tie pic is from Easter, the hat pic is from his first trip to the ocean, the family pic is from the summer time, and the big kid pic is what he actually looks like right now :-) Christmas Card 2011
Snuggling with his new bear

Cousins - Mackenzie, Jack & Preston

Opening gifts with Barrett's side of the family Jack didn't make it very far staying awake during all the gift opening.

We all got a new bottle of the great North Dallas Honey! It is some good stuff! Another fun Christmas celebration!

Time for some fun with the wagon!Check out the dessert table - many different pies, cookies, and candies. Talk about sugar overload!!! And this is all for just 6 adults and 3 kids (one of those kids being Jack, who doesn't eat much at all yet.)We get all those desserts thanks to these two people - Barrett and his mom.This is my favorite...snuggle time on the couch with my baby boy.

Jack's 1st Birthday!!!!

2012-01-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

December 26, 2011
How could one year already have passed since we first laid eyes on our son for the first time? What a wonderful day that was- the day that Jack was born! And what a dream this past year has been getting to spend every single day with the best little boy a mom could ask for!

Jack's birthday morning - awake and ready for a fun day!

His door is all decorated for a birthday!
Yea! Balloons!

The big one year old eating his breakfast under more balloons and streamers.

"Happy Birthday Jack" banner

We took Jack to the Dallas World Aquarium for his birthday.

Checking out the sloth in the tree

Father and son

Birthday boy in his birthday shirt

This was Jack's favorite - the sting rays! He loved being able to stand up right next to the glass, watching the sting rays swing by.

Such fun!

Our family

Looking at the waterfall

He is taking it all in. Jack loves to just look all around.

Walking along the giant aquarium wall (while holding on to the glass.)

Oh no! I lost my balance!

That's better! That manatee was huge!!!!

Surrounded by fish in tunnel #1.

Tunnel #2

Looks to me like he is in the water with the all the fish!

Having fun!

We stopped for lunch at a pizza place on the way home. Jack was warn out and slept through the whole stop!

This picture was taken at 1:25pm - the exact minute Jack was born last year. He is exactly 1 year old!

Mom and Jack at 1:25pm

Dad and Jack at 1:25pm

At home and awake eating lunch - 2 of his favorite foods - black eyed peas and cheese!

GramPam and PaPa came into town on Jack's birthday afternoon.

Singing "Happy Birthday"

Diving into the smash cake!

Mommy, Jack, and Daddy on Jack's 1st birthday! Opening presents

My new toy boxJack, we love you and we are so glad that you are our sweet little one year old!
Jack's Winter ONEderland birthday party pictures coming soon....

Jack's 1st Christmas

2012-01-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS DAY!

Happy Birthday JESUS! Thank you for coming to the world as a little baby. We love You and love to celebrate your birthday! You are the greatest gift ever!

"Today in the town of David a Savior had been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." Luke 2:11

It was an extra special Christmas this year because we got to spend it with a child of our very own! It was so much fun! We loved getting the house all decorated and watch Jack enjoy all the lights and decorations (yum, I think he enjoyed eating those decorations more than looking at them, but anyway...)

Our house Christmas morning.
LOVE it - the decorated tree with presents all around, a fire in the fire place, new freshly made stocking for each of us (I had been wanting to make these for years), and a cute red wagon waiting for the little man!

We weren't sure how Jack would react in the morning, but he was actually excited to see some new toys! I'd say his favorite was this new farm set.
Opening his presents....

...and seeing how they all taste.

Tasting/Playing with is new stuffed animal - mini Java.

Back to the farm he went. He loved this farm! He would be trying to play with it then we would pass him another gift to open. He would get upset because he would just want to play with the farm, not open another gift.

Jack's 1st ride in his new red Radio Flyer wagon!

I think he likes it!

Opening his stocking

Our family of 3 on Christmas morning.

Java enjoyed her new toy - a new bone!

Barrett enjoyed his new toy too - a remote controlled helicopter!

Jack in his santa suit diaper. Ha!

More gifts.... that is one big pile of gifts for one little man.

Playtime with some new toys

And it wouldn't be Christmas without some candy making in the kitchen. Yum!

On Christmas we also went over to my parents house in the morning for our family gift exchange then went over again that evening for Chirstmas dinner and time with my grandparents and other extended family. Did I take any pictures there? Of course not! Oh my! But I will have those memories in my head as pictures (at least that is my plan right now :-) It was a great Christmas day!

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas time! This year the Christmas season FLEW by! I must be getting old because most other years it seams like Christmas can't get here fast enough. This year I couldn't slow it down enough! Before I knew it Christmas was here. Our family of 3.
We went to the 4:30 candlelight Christmas Eve service at Church. Jack came into the service with us. He had a little cough and runny nose so we didn't want to put him in the nursery. He actually did a really good job sitting through the service. It was mostly music, candles, and just a short message. We were very pleased with how well he did. And it was also kind of extra special having him with us!

Jack has been sporting his Santa coat all season long. Isn't it sweet?

After the service we went to Tara and Jacobs house for our annual Christmas Eve get together.

Santa came to the door and delivered a special gift to everyone. Jack got a new spoon and fork to eat his food with. Thanks Santa!

When we came Jack was read his "Night Before Christmas" story.

Instead of putting out cookies and milk for Santa, Jack put out some homemade candy that Barrett had made for Christmas! I bet Santa enjoyed having something a little different to enjoy at our house!

Yummy candy and milk!

Happy Birthday Jesus Cake

2011-12-26T22:17:00.000-08:00

This year Jack helped make a birthday cake for Jesus! Sprinkles....
...a hand slap into the cake, and a quick taste test for Jack (notice the icing on his hand and lips!!!)

We sang happy birthday to Jesus then dug in to enjoy the cake! I think he liked it!

Undecorating the Tree

2011-12-26T22:03:00.000-08:00

For the first week that the Christmas tree was up, Jack really didn't pay much attention to it. I was so proud! I thought, wow, I have an almost one year old crawling all around and he isn't even getting into the tree. Well, he tricked me! After that first week was over all he wanted to do was get the ornaments and decorations OFF that tree. Although I do get frustrated sometimes telling him over and over again "don't touch the tree" I remind myself how fortunate I am to have a little baby boy of my own to experience the wonder of Christmas with! Reaching for the red balls....
....but look at that sweet face!

Pulling the beads off the tree...

....and trying to eat them!

Our tree may not look perfect to others, but to me (and apparently Jack) it looks just right for this season of life!

The Lodge

2011-12-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we were invited to go to the Great Wolf Lodge to celebrate Jacob and Calahan's birthdays! It was such a fun get-away for one night. We met at the lodge on Sunday after church.
It was all nicely decorated for Christmas! As we were getting our family picture taken, these 2 creatures decided to join in the picture!

Our happy boy!

Kisses from mom

Yummy food from Dad

Barrett took Jack into the tree house. Great Wolf Lodge has an indoor water park. So even though it was cold outside, we could have fun at a water park inside!

Barrett loved the water slides!

What a fun party!

A Visit with Santa

2011-12-26T20:45:00.000-08:00

Jack visited with Santa 3 different times this year. The first trip to see Santa was at the mall with our bible study class playgroup. Jack was not very excited to sit on Santa's lap but I still LOVE this picture!!!
Next Jack saw Santa while at Bass Pro Shops. We just happened to be there and they give away free pictures with Santa, so I figured, why not try to get a non screaming picture with Santa. It worked! I don't think Jack even realized he was being held by someone else.

3rd stop was a visit with Santa while at the Great Wolf Lodge (post on that visit is up next.) This time around, not so happy again!

Nativity Scene

2011-12-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

We got Jack his very own nativity scene to enjoy this season as we talk about it being Jesus birthday. It is the one with the plastic "little people" for kids to play with.
He spent some time checking it out, exploring all the pieces, hearing the music, watching the star light up, and of course getting a quick taste of many of the figurines.

Throughout the busy Christmas season it is important that we share with Jack what Christmas is all about - the birth our our Savior, JESUS!

Christmas Countdown with Books

2011-12-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

I saw this idea online and thought it would be a fun tradition to start. What I did was wrap 25 books in Christmas wrapping paper. Most of them are children's Christmas books that I already had. Each night Jack unwraps (with assistance) a book to read before bed.
I think he should be getting the hang of how to unwrap gifts. He should be a pro at this by the time Christmas and his birthday rolls around.It is so sweet to watch Jack turn the pages of his board books. He really seems to try to turn the pages and loves looking at the pictures.
I love having a child to experience Christmas with this year!

Our Christmas Tree

2011-12-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

Jack had his first experience taking a trip to the Christmas tree farm we go to each year (otherwise known as Lowe's) to pick out the perfect tree for our house this year. It was the coldest I remember it ever being while picking out a Christmas tree. It was perfect though. Jack was able to wear his Santa coat and snuggle up in his warm Christmas blanket!
The boys with our tree!

I think he was happy that we finally decided on a tree so he could get out of the cold!

It is always so exciting to get home and see that the tree is still on the roof of our car! Barrett does a great job making sure it is tied on well each year.

Jack helped unload all the lights and ornaments from the boxes.

He loved checking out the lights (not sure why this picture is posting sideways. Sorry!)

Putting lights on the tree

The star

Every year we put glass balls on our tree. We knew that wouldn't work out too well this year with the little guy crawling around. So after Christmas last year we bought some plastic balls on clearance to replace our glass balls. Good thing we did!

We have a few balls without hooks on them that we keep off the tree for Jack to play with, hoping that they will distract him from trying to take the others off the tree. For the most part it has gone fairly well. He still is interested in some of the ornaments on the tree, but overall it hasn't been too big of an issue. I love Christmas time!!!!

11 Months Old

2011-12-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

Jack turned 11 months old on November 26th. Is my baby boy really going to be turning 1 in less than a month??? How is that even possible???? Our little guy is still as cute as can be with his big blue eyes and head full of brown hair. I had been spiking his hair up after bath time so he could have a cute little curl on the top of his head, but just in the last couple weeks his hair has gotten too long and will no longer keep its little curl.
It is becoming more and more of a challenge taking these weekly/monthly pictures of Jack. All he wants to do is play with the sign or just crawl away. Silly boy!

Jack sleeps in his crib at night normally 9 or 10 hours straight. It used to be where we could just lay him down and he would just roll over and put himself to sleep. But not this month. He has decided that he now wants to sit up or stand up in his bed once it is time to go to sleep. Often now I rock him to sleep then lay him down. I enjoy that extra time to snuggle. He normally takes 2 naps a day - morning and afternoon - 1 - 2 1/2 hours each.

Jack is wearing mostly size 9 and 12 month clothes and is in size 3 diapers. Jack is crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything. While we get ready in the morning he crawls around in our bathroom. Here he had crawled into our closet, onto Java's bed, and was enjoying a view out the window.

Here you can still see that curl on the top of his head. Jack will put anything and everything into his mouth. We cannot keep the floor clean enough. We look away for one second and he finds something new to munch on. My, oh my! He keeps us busy!

Love that big smile!

Jack cruises (walks while holding on) along the furniture. He has gotten quite fast too! It won't be long and he is going to let go and be walking on his own.

He found his cabinet full of the plastic containers to play with.

Here Jack is enjoying his first burger from Wendy's. Jack LOVES eating these days. He eats mostly whatever we are eating cut up into little pieces. He still has some baby food too. I nurse him or give him a pumped bottle about every 4 hours. Since eating so much table food he is not drinking as much milk.

We are so in love with this little man!

Jack's 1st Thanksgiving

2011-12-05T09:38:00.000-08:00

For Jack's 1st Thanksgiving we went town to Houston to visit GramPam and Pa-Pa. Jack got his picture taken with "Spot". They are both just about the same height this year. I can't believe Jack is standing there not holding on. That is a very rare sight to see him balancing on his own.
Reading a book with GramPam

Nap time with Pa-Pa

Time to eat! We are all so nicely decorated with stickers from Preston!

Pies, Pies, and more Pies!!!! (along with some other yummy desserts.)

Getting cleaned up after a meal. He is smiling in this picture, but normally that is not a very happy face during clean up.

Chillin' on GramPam's leg

Happy Thanksgiving from this little turkey.

...and the back of the turkey shirt.

I made him his turkey shirt (found the idea on Pinterest.)

Time for the Thanksgiving Feast

Yum, Yum!

GramPam and Pa-Pa gave Jack this "Night Before Christmas" book that they recorded themselves reading. So now Jack can have this story read to him by his grandparents whenever he wants. What a fun idea!

Cousins - Mackenzie, Jack, and Preston

Our Family - Thanksgiving 2011

Jack sitting on Preston's lap watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

And now asleep on Preston's lap.

The guys got some projects done around the house while we were there.

Playing games and looking at Black Friday Ads (didn't end up doing any shopping though.)

Playtime

His shirt says "I'm Stuffed"

Jack's checking out those beautiful big yellow balls hanging off the tree otherwise known as LEMONS!

Crawling in the soft grass

The day after Thanksgiving and already in the Christmas Spirit!

Our little Santa Baby

We went out shopping (more just looking) on Friday at an old town with cute little shops then ate lunch out. We got the perfect table by the Christmas tree!

This is where we discovered that one of Jack's favorite foods right now is black eyed peas. Ha!

We are so thankful this year to have such a sweet little boy named Jack as our son! He is a true gift from the Lord!

A Day at the Lake House

2011-11-15T19:43:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we got to go out to Uncle Scot and Aunt Dina's lake house for a family gathering. What a beautiful and very relaxing time this was! Jack warming up by the fire side
Checkin' out what's going on in the world outside

Jack spent some time sitting in his great grandfather, Papa's lap, just resting and being sung to.

We even took a ride around in the golf cart.

Such a fun and relaxing time - which is what a day at a lake house should be!

Random Cuteness

2011-11-15T19:35:00.000-08:00

Such a sweet big smile. Hard to see, but Jack is wearing a shirt I made for him with a tie and vest.
He just couldn't stay awake any longer! He fell sound asleep right in the middle of dinner.

This silly little baby is getting a ride in the laundry bag.

And now he is getting a ride on the dog!

Celina Balloon Festival

2011-11-15T19:09:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago now we were given some tickets to go to the Celina Balloon Festival and ended up having a fun afternoon there. Unfortunately it was a very windy day that day so there were no hot air balloons, but it was still an enjoyable time outdoors.We relaxed and played in the field where a lot of kites were being flown.
Barrett even tried out flying a kite (see him in the distance in the white/gray shirt?)

Have you ever seen such beautiful big blue eyes?

We checked out the careflight type helicoptor.

Jack had his first ride on a carousel with his Daddy.

He liked it!

We went into the petting zoo.

Looks to me like he wants to hold that little chick.

We couldn't leave without Barrett getting a turn on a ride. He tried out "Zero Gravity" (once again in the gray shirt in the center.)

10 Months Old

2011-11-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

Jack is 10 months old (and has been now for a couple weeks.) We weighs 17 lbs 6 oz (with clothes and diaper on)
He can wear anywhere from size 6-12 month clothes. The other day he was wearing pants and was tripping on them as we was cruising around. I looked and his pants were size 3-6 months. I guess he is still a shorty. He is in size 3 diapers.

Jack has beautiful big blue eyes, 4 teeth on the top and 2 on the bottom, and brown/reddish hair on his head. He started saying Da-da and then a couple days later started saying Ma-ma. Not too sure he really knows what he is saying yet, but we like to think that he does. :-)

Jack loves to pull up and now will cruising around along the furniture.

Jack is also a very fast crawler now! He is always on the go!

He really likes to crawl and play over by Java's cage these days.

As you can see we have had to baby proof the stairway. He loves pulling up on this gate and will just stand there looking all around.

I did find him over at the gate with his play keys in his hands the other day. I think he might be planning to unlock the gate to escape to the upstairs with those keys.

Jack now LOVES to eat! It took a while for him to come around, but he finally has! We basically cut up whatever we are eating for meals and he eats right along with us. I also feed him baby food along with the finger foods since a good portion of the finger foods ends up in his lap instead of his mouth. He loves most everything. He has really cut back on how much milk he drinks. He just doesn't want it as much since he is filling up his tummy with the solid food.

The poor little guy fell asleep while playing.

Jack has been sleeping 9-10 hours through the night. He will normally take a morning and afternoon nap - 1-2 hours each.

Each stage of his life has been so much fun! We love that he is able to interact with us, crawl where he wants to, and has just the sweetest personality! Jack you are a real sweetheart!

Jack's 1st Halloween

2011-11-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

We took Jack out trick-or-treating for his 1st Halloween. We got him all dressed up in his Jack O' Lantern costume (minus the hat that he now refuses to wear.)

Barrett walked him up to several of the neighbors doors to get candy. The rest of the time Jack rode in his stroller while we just walked around with some of Jack's cousins.

He was asleep before too long. All that trick-or-treating wore him out. Notice on his leg he is on a glow stick. There was an ambulance driving around the neighborhood passing out glow sticks to all the kiddos.

Each year we stop at this one house that hands out grilled hot dogs, chips, and lemonade. What a fun and different idea! No need to even eat dinner before leaving the house to go trick or treating!

Once home, Jack woke up....of course just in time to check out all his candy that he got in his bucket.

He tried really hard to open up some of the packages with his sharp teeth.

The treat he was able to eat was a baby MumMum cracker that he got while trick or treating at Mom-Mom and Pepa's house.

It was a fun first Halloween with our little pumpkin!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!For Jack's 1st Halloween he is a "Jack" O Lantern. (Well, last year when Jack was in my tummy I guess we both dressed as a Jack o Lantern.)

This weekend our Sunday school class had a Halloween party. All the little ones came dressed in their costumes. Can you find Jack?

While there the Dad's carved pumpkins.

Barrett carved the picture of the dog on the right.

Barrett, Jack, and the pumpkin

Jack dressed in his orange for church this weekend. He refused to look at the camera for a picture. He wanted to try and eat the flowers instead.

Our Family - October 2011

Me with my little pumpkin baby

Ghost footprint project with Jack's footprint at 10 months old.

Go Cowboys!

2011-10-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

Jack spent Sunday watching the Games (Cowboys and Rangers) with his Daddy! Yay, both of them won! We don't have a Rangers shirt (yet) but Jack did put on his Cowboys shirt for the big day. Way to show team spirit, Jack!

(Don't you just love that one little curl on the top of his head?!)

Jack's 1st Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we took Jack out for his 1st trip to a pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful day outside - a little on the warmer side, but not bad at all! Jack was a little fussy and didn't really want to pose for pictures, but we were able to get a few cute ones with him smiling. Jack's First Pumpkin Patch
On a hayride with Daddy

Sitting on pumpkins with the cast of Charlie Brown

That is one big pumpkin!

Surrounded by pumpkins!

There is a big smile!

A train ride

In the distance is the train. Barrett and Jack are on the blue car, third from the back.

How tall is Jack? Oops, he is standing in front of the numbers, but he is just over 2 feet tall.

2 little pumpkins in the little red wagon.

This is what he did most of the time when we would put him on the ground to take a picture...play with the grass.

Fall Projects

2011-10-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Pinterest, I found some cute fall projects that I made this week. Trick or Treat pillows
Burlap Pumpkin Wall Hanger (I hung this on our entry door coming in from the garage.)

My Treasure

2011-10-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

At the McKinney Trade Days there are many different types of products for sale - many small businesses, antiques, crafty things, then also booths that look more like garage sale items with just random things. While we were at the trade days this weekend we were walking by a booth that was more like a garage sale type booth. I glance over and what do I see? Just the thing I have been dreaming of having for YEARS! Here is the story. Every year growing up and now as a married lady we go to the state fair. And every year I look forward to getting to see the Vitamix (awesome very powerful blender) demonstration where they make ice cream, smoothies, fresh juice, peanut butter, hot soups, and much more all within a matter of seconds/minutes with the wonderful vitamix. Problem is, this machine costs about $500. No matter how wonderful it seems, we just couldn't bring ourselves to spend that much on a blender. So this weekend at the trade days I look over and what do I see sitting among a bunch of other junk? You guessed it.....A Vitamix!!!! I leave the stroller with Barrett and run over to look at the price tag....are you ready for this......$50!!!!!!! Immediately I ask the seller if this thing really works. He plugged it in for us right there showing us that it really did work. And the crazy thing is it has been sitting in this mans garage for years. Some relative had given it to him, he never used it, and now is selling this basically brand new $500 item for $50! I still can't believe it! This had been what I was hoping for -that someone would be selling one really cheap at a garage sale not really knowing how wonderful of a machine it was! Can you tell I'm super excited about this?! Here is my new treasure!

We have had this thing for less than 2 days so far and I have made a smoothie, fresh juice, frappuccino, and coming up tonight will be hot tortilla soup in just 6 minutes!

I love my new toy!!!

Fun Day

2011-10-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we took the short drive over to the McKinney Trade Days. Jack has had a cough this week and we couldn't put him in the nursery at church so we figured we would spend the day outdoors for some fresh air and shopping. It doesn't look like we will be making it to the State Fair this year, so this was a good alternative. We still were able to get our giant turkey leg and tornado taters.
Jack was a good little shopping buddy and enjoyed spending the day outside.
And now for the big news!!!! I found a treasure while shopping at the trade days! I have been dreaming of having one of these wonderful gadgets for YEARS and beg for one each year around the time we go to the state fair and see it being demonstrated there. Amazingly enough, my dream has finally come true! Stay tuned for my next post on what my WONDERFUL treasure is that we found and bought for a FANTASTIC deal!!!!

Fall Fest

2011-10-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

Our neighborhood had its annual fall fest this past weekend. It was so much fun going this year with our very own little baby! We had planned to take him in his Halloween costume, but with it being near 90 degrees outside, it was just too warm with his fleece costume. Instead he just wore his t-shirt that said. "I love my Mummy." Hopefully it will be cooler by Halloween so he can actually wear his real costume! We went on a hay ride.
Jack got his very own baby pumpkin. He rode around in his stroller holding on to the stem of it for quite some time.

He (along with his buddy Zach) got to check out the inside of the fire truck. They don't look too sure about it.

Jack, Barrett, and the fire truck

And a fall fest wouldn't be complete without some cotton candy! Yum!

Baby Boutique

2011-10-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

A couple months back my friend Rachel from college had an idea that we sign up to have a booth at a craft fair and sell some baby things that we make. Of course I thought this sounded like a fun idea since I love to sew and do crafty things. We both started looking online for a craft fair and ended up finding one that was just 2 1/2 months away. So immediately the sewing began! Any nap time or late evening that was available suddenly became sewing time. (This is one reason I have been so behind in blogging the last couple months.) This past weekend was the craft fair! Our little 8x4 foot booth. It was a small booth but it sure made it look like we had a ton of stuff!
I made onesies, decorative burp cloths, paci clips, baby shoes, wipe cases, newborn hats, hooded towels, bibs, nursing covers, wall sign, flower clips, and party hats. Rachel made bows, bow holders, flannel burp cloths, and wipe cases.

Decorative burp cloths

Paci clips, newborn hats, bows

Tutu onesies for girls and tie onesies for boys

Hooded towels

Wipe cases (I only made about 6 of these. Rachel made the rest)

Basket of bibs

Stand with shoes and bows

Shoes

Rachel and I at our booth. Jack came to visit for a few minutes. It was a very fun experience! We even sold some of our stuff which was exciting. We got many compliments on our products and people wanting our business card with our web site (problem is, we don't have one.) Ha! We may look into that or we may just sew for fun here and there and go to craft fairs once or twice a year. Who knows!

Crawling

2011-10-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

It's official! At 9 1/2 months old, Jack is a crawler! For real! He crawls like a real baby on his hands and knees. We were playing in the living room late one night. He was in his cozy teddy bear pj's and just started crawling. How does my baby boy keep growing? Each week he just changes so much!

Go Rangers

2011-10-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

Jack and his Daddy were watching the Texas Rangers baseball game. (Go Rangers!) Look how excited Jack was... ...he was so excited he fell asleep in this position while trying to climb on Daddy.

What a cutie!
(By the way...Jack's muscle shirt in this picture says "I get my muscles from my Dad" Love it :-)

Pulling Up

2011-10-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

This past week Jack has begun to pull himself up to a standing position and is able stay that way for quite some time. I left him playing in the game room for just a couple minutes, walked back in and found him standing up at his little piano.
He was even showing off - No Hands!!! Ha!

Paci Lover

2011-10-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Jack is in love with his paci! Maybe I shouldn't let him have it all the time, but right now it makes him happy and keeps him calm, so I let him have it. Normally I keep the paci on a paci holder. The other day the holder was stuck under Jack's ankle and he couldn't get it out from under there to bring the paci up to his mouth. So Jack's solution....
...just bring his mouth down to the paci! He kept going back and forth. Sit up and take a breath. Bend in half to suck on the paci for a few seconds. Sit up. Bend down. Back and forth. What he will do to get that paci...

Sweets for a Sweet Boy!

2011-10-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

Well we gave in and gave Jack some sweets last weekend! First off...a donut hole from our favorite donut place in front of our neighborhood.
We broke it up into little bite size pieces for him to pick up and eat. He loved it!

The next day...a baby size ice cream cone from Double Dips. Look at those eyes ready for his first lick.

So cold but so yummy!!! He kept opening his mouth for more.

I'd say that is a satisfied face.

Now he knows! Not sure how much longer we can keep these sweet things away without him knowing.

Football

2011-10-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

We went to Korbin's junior high football game one evening. It was the perfect weather for an evening outside! Jack watching the game with Daddy

Too cute - Oliver and his popcorn while watching the game!

Korbin playing football. He is in yellow (not sure where he is...)

Jack and Griffin

I love football!

Fall

2011-10-17T09:27:00.001-07:00

It is about time to play major, major catch up on my blog! It has been busy around here!

Fall is here, although it doesn't quite feel like it yet. Today the high is about 90. Luckily the cool front blows in tonight and it will be in the 60's tomorrow! Yay! We took a trip to the store and filled the cart with fall decor - pumpkins and mums. Fall decorations make me so happy!
Our front door all set for fall. I'm still on the lookout for a good fall wreath...as I have been since we moved into this house. Will this be the year I get one?

Our little "bones" baby sitting on the floor watching a Charlie Brown Halloween movie.

So relaxed!

I always love the thought of going on long walks in the spring and fall when it is nicer weather. Since it has been a little cooler Tara and I took the boys (Griffin, Jack, and Zach) on a walk to the corner store....

...and enjoyed a yummy icee and cheese hot dog. Yum!

Happy Fall!

9 Months Old

2011-09-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

Jack is now 9 months old - 3/4 of a year! Jack is just as sweet as can be with his big blue eyes and head full of brownish (with a hint of red) hair. Just a few months ago he had no hair, so this is quite an accomplishment for him!
Jack wears size 2 diapers (but we are close to moving up to 3.) He wears size 3-6 or 6-9 month clothes. I have several size 9 and 12 month pants I thought he could wear once it gets cool out but I'm beginning to think he may not fit in them - they're too big! With him being so short I tried on a pair of 3 month jeans I had packed away from earlier this year and they fit perfectly for the length.

Here he is reading a book with daddy while waiting at the doctors office for his 9 month check up.

At 9 months:

Weight: 16 lbs. 2 oz. = 2 percentile

Length: 26.5 inches = 5 percentile

Once again, a small little guy! You don't look at him and think he is small. He still has rolls on his legs and tummy. It all evens out I guess with his weight and length being low. He looks just perfect!

On the way to the doctor I let him know he wouldn't be getting any shots today. I was wrong. He ended up getting a toe prick to check his iron level (which was a little low, but not much of a concern) and a flu shot. Poor guy! But he handled it well and was very brave!

His next check up isn't until he is a big one year old! How is that even possible?

Jack started taking baths in this big rubber ducky tub. It is the perfect size for him and has made bath time so much more enjoyable!

Jack sleeps about 10 hours a night (in his very own bedroom upstairs), going to bed around 8 or 9 at night. He takes a morning and afternoon nap lasting an hour or two each and sometimes slips in another short nap throughout the day. Jack has started some what pulling up. His favorite time to pull up is when someone is sitting on the floor with him, he will grab onto your leg or shirt and pull himself up to give you a hug (or at least I like to think he is trying to give me a hug.)

Within the past 2 weeks Jack has really picked up on his eating! He is now eating baby food, like for real this time! He will eat about 1/3 or a jar of food which is really good for Jack! His favorites are fruits. He doesn't like veggie baby food.

With eating so much more food he is also getting many more baths. That food gets everywhere!

The pediatrician also suggested that we start giving him more finger foods - just cut up whatever we are eating. So last night he ate a real dinner - roast, carrots, potatoes, corn, and a roll. He LOVED it! He ate almost all the food that was on this plate! And he slept great last night too since he had such a full tummy!

He uses his pointer finger and thumb to pick up the food. It doesn't all make it to his mouth but he gets better everyday!

He still nurses about every 3-4 hours. When given a bottle he eats 5-6 ounces. His thing right now is that when he is given a bottle, he thinks only mommy should be the one giving it to him. It is rare when he will allow anyone else to give it to him - daddy, grandparents, nursery workers. etc.

Jack's Baby Dedication

2011-09-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, September 25, 2011, we dedicated our little boy, Jack Ryan, to the Lord. We are so thankful for this precious gift that God has entrusted to us and promise to raise Jack in a home that honors the Lord. Our prayer is that one day Jack will make his own personal decision to ask Jesus into his heart. Jack, all dressed up in his big boy clothes for his big day.
Our family - Daddy, Mommy, and JackJack with Mom-mom and Pepa Jack with Pa-Pa and GramPam

Griffin and Jack

Griffin was also dedicated on Sunday.

Tara and I with the boys

It was so much fun going through our pregnancies together, having new babies at the same time, then now dedicating our baby boys on the same day.

Jack was able to have both sets of grandparents here to celebrate with us...

...along with Grandy - his great-grandmother!

Here Jack was introduced to the congregation (about 5,000 people) along with meeting the Pastor. Pastor Jack met baby Jack. I think they like sharing such a great name!

Listening to the dedication message

Our Week

2011-09-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

GramPam and Pa-Pa came to stay with us this week. One weekend was Mackenzie's 8th birthday party and the next weekend was Jack's dedication at church, so we got a whole week of visiting together. GramPam and Jack reading books
Mackenzie, the birthday girl. Look at her ceiling - full of balloons!

Jack was excited to be at the party! Look at that excited face!

Jack playing with Pa-Pa.

Preston

More playtime with Pa-Pa.

Barrett got this swing hung up on our back patio this week, so now Jack can enjoy some nice fall evenings outside!

There is proof now that, yes, Java has licked Jack in the face.

Jack has really enjoyed eating this week too!

Dedication pictures are coming soon...

38 Weeks

2011-09-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

My how life can change in 38 weeks! Jack is now 38 weeks old. 38 weeks ago he was placed in our arms and we got to meet him face to face. Jack was also in my tummy for just 38 weeks, so he has now been in our arms for the same length of time that he was in my tummy.
This was the last weekly picture that was taken with Jack in my belly...he was born just days later!

Our sweet baby boy, Jack Ryan Walch after having spent 38 weeks on the inside.

Fishing Tournament 2011

2011-09-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Barrett got all geared up with his 4 fishing rods, pole holders, fish bait he caught with his bait net, stink bait, ice chest, and much more, all ready to fish away at the neighborhood fishing tournament! Barrett with his fishing gear
Throughout the tournament I only threw out one cast. It was one great cast because I caught this little guy.

Jack came properly dressed in his "Daddy's Little Fishing Buddy" shirt.

A lesson from Daddy on how to fish...

4 catfish + 1 bass = a good day of fishing!

Sleeping in the Crib

2011-09-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

Guess where Jack has been sleeping for the past week? In his very own room! His room upstairs has been all set for him since before he has even been born and now at 8 1/2 months old I was ready for him to move on up to his own bed. What made me make the move? Sounds weird, but it was all this cool weather we have had this week. I wanted to put the box fan in the window at night in our room and the window is right next to the pack n play in our bedroom downstairs. Didn't want him getting windblown and cold so we moved him upstairs. The first night he was up a few times. The problem was that he was getting his arms and legs stuck between the slats in the crib (the bumpers were out because I am paranoid about suffocation.) The next day I went out and bought the mesh breathable bumper pad. For the last week he has slept perfectly! No more getting stuck in the slats! He has been going to bed around 9 or 10 and sleeping until 7 or 8am! He really loves it! He has only gotten up once during the night this whole week asking for his paci, which is good for Jack. In the pack n play he would wake up at least once a night wanting the paci. Jack is loving sleeping in his own room!
This is how he gets comfortable and falls asleep most nights- rolls onto his side.

Sweet dreams baby boy!

Gone Fishing

2011-09-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

Barrett has spent much of his summer fishing. Many evenings and mornings he would pack up all his fishing gear and find a spot at the nearby Lewisville Lake to fish. With it being 100+ degree days outside, I had no desire to go out fishing with him at all. But tonight with it being the perfect temperature outside, I suggested that we hop in the car and that he show me a place or two where he has been fishing these last few months. All I can say is - WOW! What a calm, peaceful, quiet, and perfect place to relax (minus the bugs!) My fisherman fishing away in the sunset.
There were fish jumping up all over the place in the water. There were no catches tonight though.

Jack and I sat on the shore watching Daddy fish.

The 2 fishermen!

Jack sure had fun watching his Daddy fish!

Can you tell that Jack is always moving? Look at those hands and feet on the move.

Here is some of the scenery in the area. We were sitting in the chair on this pathway. Barrett was fishing to the right, down a little rocky hill.

In the distance was the new toll bridge.

To the left of the path from the other picture were lots of trees leading up to more water. It was more like a beach type area - without the sand.

The moon

It was so nice to be outside for the evening and get to spend some time enjoying the place where Barrett has been fishing. I can see why he enjoys it so much!

Baseball Game

2011-09-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

We were given some tickets at the last minute for a Rough Riders Baseball game on Labor Day evening which we gladly accepted! Just one more fun thing to top off such a nice day! The tickets included a parking pass and all you can eat food! Fabulous! Since we had Jack with us (and a stroller) we never even made it to our actual seats. We just parked the stroller up on the top level at one of the tables, ate and watched the game from there. It was perfect! Jack really did so well at the game- and really good considering already having had such a long day out at the zoo!
Such a happy boy!

"Watching" the game with Daddy

My boys:-)
A day with them makes me so happy!!!!

1st Zoo Trip

2011-09-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

Labor Day was such beautiful weather outside so we had to do something to enjoy it. What better than to take our little 8 month old baby boy on his first trip to the zoo. Does he look excited or what?!?!?!
We went to Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville, TX.

Jack is checking out the animals with Dad. Isn't that sweet? They both have their arms wrapped around each other.

Saying hello to one of the goats at the petting zoo

Jack was so busy looking at the giraffes, we couldn't get him to look at the camera.

Jack got this stuffed giraffe as a keepsake from his first trip to the zoo. Right outside the zoo there is a little train you can ride, so we hopped on for a quick trip around the park.

Riding the train

Thanks Dad, for a fun day at the Zoo and for a nice ride on the train!
Love,
Jack

Cooler Weather

2011-09-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

We woke up labor day morning to 60 degree weather outside. Quickly I walked outside with my little buddy to go for an early morning swing on the porch. Seconds later I ran back in to grab a light jacket for each of us and a blanket to bundle around the little man. This is what I have been dreaming about! Cooler weather!!!! Is it too early to start decorating for fall? Jack is all snuggly warm and loving the coolness outside.
Me with my little buddy

It doesn't get any better than this!

Birthday Weekend

2011-09-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was spent going to 3 parties! Jack was invited to his cousin Oliver's 3rd birthday at Chuck E Cheeses, Ledger's 1st birthday at the pool, and his friend Mason's 1st birthday for an airplane party at his house. Each party was just so cute! I only got a couple pictures though and they were when we were at Chuck E Cheeses... which was Jack's 1st time to that place I might add. Going on his first ride
Playing with Pe-pa and Griffin

Bath Baby

2011-09-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

The little bath baby taking his bath in the big boy tub! He loves bath time!

8 Months Old

2011-09-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

Little Jack is 8 Months Old...as of August 26th. He is still just as cute as can be!

We wears sizes 6 months, 9 months, and 12 month s(although they are a little big right now.) He is still in size 2 diapers.

Jacks eyes are big and blue! Jack is still being a very picky eater! His favorite thing to eat (or should I say drink) is milk. He nurses about every 3-4 hours. When he is given a bottle, he drinks 5-6 ounces. Recently he has been picky about who gives him a bottle though. He loves for mommy to give him his bottle, but he will take it from Daddy as long as mommy is not around. If he is in the nursery at church - forget it! He doesn't want any of the nice teachers there feeding him.
We continue to try feeding him baby food. He is getting a little better with it. He may eat up to about 1 tablespoon at a time now! WooHoo! That is as long as he is in the mood for whatever flavor you are feeding him at that very moment. His favorites flavors this past month were "Blueberry Apple" and "Apple, Strawberry, Banana." He is liking the berries. This past month I went ahead and just bought him his pre-made baby food (instead of making it on my own) since it takes him about 4 days to eat a whole jar of food and often times I am still throwing away some leftovers from that jar because he couldn't eat it all.

Jack has been making these silly faces this month. Still thinking he is trying to figure out what these 2 hard white things are that are poking him from the top of his mouth.

Check out the hair on my little princes head!

It's one of those cute little baby curls you normally only see in hand drawn pictures of little babies. He continues to get more and more light brown hair. It's at the point to where it gets all fluffy if you don't brush it down before it dries. He is also getting many comments about how his hair is getting a reddish tint to it now. How fun!

After busy days of playing, smiling, and just being a sweet baby boy, Jack loves to get his rest. He is still on no set napping schedule, but normally he will take a morning nap (1-2 hours) and an afternoon nap (about 2 hours) and occasionally a short evening nap (1 hour). He goes to bed around 9 or 10pm and sleeps until 6 or 7 am. He goes to sleep so easily. Just lay him down, he rolls over onto his tummy, and is fast asleep within just a few minutes.

We are in love with our baby boy!

Play Date

2011-09-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we had another play date with some of the babies of the neighborhood. It is amazing how much these little ones have grown since our first play date back in March. The moms had fun chatting and eating and the babies enjoyed playing. We had a few new guests join us this time around. Yay for more babies! We even have a set of twins due to arrive in our neighborhood this November! More boys, of course!
Jack enjoyed having a house full of friends.

Not the best picture ever of all the kiddos, but its the best we could do with a bunch of little babies. They sure are growing fast!

Entertainment

2011-08-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

It has been soooo hot outside and I have wanted nothing to do with the outdoors (unless it involves the pool.) So we have been spending lots of time playing indoors. The problem though is that you can only play with the same toys for so long, so we have come up with some inexpensive, but fun entertainment to help us out the last few days. Playing in the exersaucer in the kitchen while watching sesame street (or course while mommy is working on the dishes behind the scenes.)
Playing with homemade shakers made from plastic containers, each filled with either cheerios, rice, beans, or water and then sealed closed with packing tape.

Being entertained with the laundry basket with various pieces of "laundry" inside...

...or just playing in the laundry basket (with his buddy Zach.)

And my favorite....playing with the door stop and hearing it go "boing" over and over and over again!!!! Whatever keeps them happy!!!!

Cool autumn weather, I am ready for you!!!!! I want to go play outside!

Bath Robe

2011-08-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

After a bath, Jack got all cozy in his new bath robe. Such a cutie!!!

Summer Fun

2011-08-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that summer is almost over! We have had a pretty calm but fun summer together with our baby boy. Swim time with Dad
This summer has been SOOOOO hot with record days in the 100s, so a swim in the pool to cool off is always a treat!

Snuggling up in the swing with the little cow that Jack's cousin Preston let him borrow for the night.

Playtime with Java Jack looks so grown up with his baseball cap on and tennis shoes.

More playtime with the dog.

Sleeping sideways in the bed. He tends to end up in this position most nights.

With all the teething that has been going on, Jack has enjoyed his paci a lot! He doesn't put it in his mouth the normal way though. He likes to chew on the hard part of the paci and on the paci holder. Whatever makes him feel better!

More time at the pool with Dad - this time for "Movie by the Pool" night. Being shown was "Shark Tales."

We had a trip to Whataburger which was a perfect day to wear orange and white stripes!

Getting new teeth also means getting new funny faces. Those new teeth must feel weird in his mouth!

Such a cutie!

Hanging out at home.

And lastly, a view of the 2 new front top teeth. He seems proud to have them! Already a third top tooth appears to be making its way in. This boy just keeps growing and growing!!!

7 Months

2011-08-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well I'm a little (over 2 weeks) late at posting Jack's 7 months stats, but I am just enjoying every second I can with this little man. I don't want to waste time at the computer when I could be playing with him. But Jack is snuggled up cozy in his bed now sound asleep, so here it is... Sweet baby Jack Ryan has been here in our arms for 7 fabulous months!
He weighs approx. 15lbs 8 oz (as of his 7 1/2 month doctors appointment yesterday). This keeps him in the 4th percentile in weight for his age. Dr. Terry says he may just be a little guy and isn't concerned at this point.
Jack loves showing off his two bottom teeth with such cute smiles these days.

Jack nurses about every 3 hours during the day. When given a bottle, he drinks about 4-6 ounces. We tried feeding him baby food this month. We tried rice, oatmeal, green beans, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, bananas, applesauce, pears, and peaches. Of those, you kind of like bananas and peaches. But by like, I mean you may eat 1/4 of a teaspoon. The doctor thinks this may just mean that you will be one of the few that just don't like baby food and that you may just go straight to finger foods. It may be due to the consistency of the baby food, the lack of flavor in it, or that you just want the Independence and control of feeding yourself. Time will tell. For now you will continue to drink your milk, we will try feeding you baby food on occasion just to try it out again, we will start giving you vitamins that will give you more iron, and we will try some finger foods as soon as you are ready (around 8 or 9 months) and hope that you will eat something.

Jack spends lots of his time sitting on the living room floor playing with all of his toys. He had somehow gotten his keys (one of his favorite toys right now) stuck in his overalls. Maybe he was trying to put them in his pocket like he sees mommy and daddy do with their keys.

With soooo many 100+ days of hot, hot weather this summer, we let Jack chill in the backyard pool to cool off. Currently he does the best just laying down in shallow water versus sitting up in it. He still refuses to sit sometimes (or lots of times) by just keeping his back and legs stiff and not bending. So its easiest to just lay him down.

Jack wears size 2 diapers. For clothes sizes he wears 3-6 months, 6-9 months, and even some 12 month outfits.

His eyes are a light blue color.

He is getting more and more hair everyday! It is a medium brown color and even seems to have a little bit of a red tint to it.

Here Jack had gotten way too worn out from playing on his mat, so he put himself down for a nap right in the middle of play time. Normally he will take one or two shorter naps in the morning time and maybe one longer 2+ hour nap in the afternoon. But really each day is different. Really, he just goes with the flow. If I put him in his bed for a nap and he is tired, he will fall asleep within a few minutes, otherwise he just rolls around and will talk for a long time. At night Jack has been going to bed between 9 and 10pm and will normally sleep 8 or 9 hours, waking up around 5:30 or 6:30am. About half the time he won't go back to sleep after eating. If he does go back to sleep, it is by snuggling up in the big bed between mommy and daddy for another hour or so which I love!

We had our very last Story Time at the library for the summer. We will miss it although I think I probably enjoyed story time more than Jack did.

Jack has been teething, teething, teething! He makes this weird face these days where he is sucking on his lips. It must feel good to him. His two top teeth are SOOOO close to coming in. Really I think it is just days (if not hours) from coming in.

It has been such an extra fun summer having Jack here to enjoy it with us!

Our Family of 3

2011-07-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

We had family portraits taken this past week - our first real photo session as a family of 3! Thank you Alex for taking such wonderful pictures of our family!

Christmas in July!

2011-07-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is 100+ degrees outside, the middle of the summer and I am posting Christmas pictures! Why you may ask? Because I never got around to posting them right after Christmas since Jack made his early arrival the very next day. It has always been in the back of my mind that I needed to do this. So for the record, here is Christmas 2010! We spent Christmas in Dallas since my due date was just a couple weeks away. Barrett's parents came here to celebrate with us. Christmas with the Walch family always involves lots of baking and cooking, so much of our time is spent in the kitchen. My special spot to cook was sitting down at the kitchen table. At this point in the pregnancy I had high blood pressure, so I was told to stay off my feet as much as possible. Here I am making Oreo Truffles. Yum! Java stayed warm all cuddled up on her pillow with a blanket.

I spent much of my time on the couch here laying down on my left side (trying to help keep my blood pressure down.) I was stayed busy reading and knitting this blanket for Jack, trying to get it finished before he arrived (which unfortunately is still currently unfinished.) After attending the Christmas Eve service at church, we spent Christmas Eve at my Grandparents house. Korbin, Dylan, and Calahan are awaiting the arrival of Santa Clause. Camryn and Chandler And the tradition continued...Santa making his first stop of the night at the front door of Mimie and Papa's house to deliver one gift for each person. I remember right after this picture was taken I nearly deleted it off the camera because I looked so ridiculously huge! But now I just look at it and laugh! That is just what a preggo woman looks like when she is 9 months along. GramPam and PaPa with Tara Jacob and Oliver Mimie and Papa Here we are on Christmas Eve. Little did we know that less than 2 days later, our baby boy would be in our arms. For the last few years our family has done a white elephant style gift exchange on Christmas Eve. The gift I opened was this super soft and cute throw blanket that I became very attached to right away. All was well until someone decided they wanted to take this blanket away from me instead of choosing to open another gift from under the tree. No worries though! My wonderful father-in-law saved the day and somehow worked it out that I was able to steal the blanket back! It has been a great blanket too!
My Dad and I Mom and I

Christmas morning Barrett and I went over to my parents house to exchange gifts. Around 4:30 Christmas morning is when I first started having contractions (although I didn't know they were the real deal at the time.) So throughout all the eating, gift exchanges, celebrating and all I was kind of uncomfortable, but just rested as much as possible. We did take a short walk around the block to see if that would make the contractions stop. It didn't. At one point throughout the day we called my doctor (on Christmas Day, I felt so bad for interrupting his day) just to let him know I thought I might be having contractions. His thought was that it was just false labor since the contractions weren't real strong, so we kept doing on with our day.

We opened more gift once back home. Look at this gift tag. Amazing, Jack could purchase, wrap, and write on a gift tag before even being born.

All ready to open gifts (notice that nice blanket I was already using)

"Jack's Daddy" shirt

I even opened gifts while propped up on my side.

Christmas evening the rest of the family came over for a Christmas dinner and gift exchange.

The next day, December 26th at 1:25pm, our son, Jack Ryan was born - 11 days early!
He was the best Christmas present of all!

Our Week

2011-07-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple weeks Jack has been screaming, not because he is upset, just because he can. We have been calling it the "dinosaur" scream. What a fun stage!
Jack's Uncle Alex came to visit us from New York this week. The last time Jack saw him, he was only 6 days old. Jack liked his beard!

Jack and I stopped in at the new In-N-Out Burger (since his NY uncles wanted to try it out while in town.) All I got was a chocolate milkshake (it was late in the afternoon and we already had other big plans for dinner.) For about the last month the line at this place has been out the door and down the street. Not this day though! I walked right in and straight up to the counter to order. I'll have to go back to actually try out a burger next time. Jack too...he looks so hungry in this picture that he is eating his shirt!

For dinner while the NY uncles were in town we went out for Mexican food. Jack and his cousin Griffin got matching outfits to wear that say "My Uncle Rocks." If I could I would move that letter s up to the word uncle so it would say "My Uncles Rock." All of Jack's uncles really do rock!!!

Wide eyed Jack with his other Uncle that is here visiting from NY- Uncle Aaron.

Jack tried out his sippy cup for the 1st time this week. Currently it is just turning out to be a really nice teether. He hasn't quite figured out how to get the water out yet.

Chillin' on the couch together. Jack had fallen asleep while sitting at the table in Daddy's arm, so they moved over to the couch to rest together.

Next veggie: Carrots. Nope, doesn't like these either.

We also tried sweet potatoes. Not much luck with those. We have a picky eater on our hands!

Jack's 1st ride in the big boy shopping cart.

Does Jack look excited or what? He had just been given a taste of something he liked! Bananas!

Yes, he ate them and swallowed some this time! Finally! Only problem, he didn't go potty for days after this. Poor little guy!

One night this past week Jack slept in his crib upstairs all night for the first time. I had the video monitor on all night long and got up to look at it many times to check on him. He slept the whole night, but I don't think I was quite ready for the change yet. So now he is back in our room sleeping. I know it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but I figure, why rush it if I'm not quite ready. We are both sleeping well as is, so we will keep it that way for now.

Often time in the mornings after he has had his first feeding he likes to snuggle up in our bed to take a quick morning nap. It is so precious! I love those early morning snuggles!

He has gotten so good at sitting up to play! He likes feeling like a big boy!

We love this little boy!

A Future Bowling Champ???

2011-07-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

I have been joking (but also kind of serious) about Jack one day having bowling as his sport. My reasoning: it is hard to get injured in this sport (unless you drop the bowling ball on your foot), it is indoors (no need to sit outside in the heat to cheer him on), he can wear whatever cool clothes he wants while he plays (no need to purchase any team uniform) and while he is playing, I can enjoy cheering him on while eating a slice of pizza and drinking a coke. Ha! Okay, I guess I will let him have his say in what sport or activity he wants to take part in, but if it were up to me, I would choose BOWLING!!!! I came across this shirt last week and decided it wasn't too early to get him excited about the idea!
Yes, I'd say he looks pretty enthusiastic about the idea! Don't you?

Little guy, mommy will be happy with whatever sport you decide (well almost any sport!)

Veggies

2011-07-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

Jack tried his first veggie - Green Beans! He was a little more interested in them than the rice and oatmeal, but it would be a stretch to say that he liked them. First bite
Not too sure about them...

...but willing to try another bite. He is still not liking them too much. I have a slight feeling that he is going to have a hard time liking his veggies (just like his daddy!)

Chalk Art

2011-07-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

6 Month Old, Jack!

Homemade Babyfood

2011-07-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

I thought I would try out making homemade babyfood for Jack. My thought all along was that this would be fairly simple to make...and it really was! I used frozen veggies - I'm trying out green beans first.
I steamed them in the microwave using my new magic bullet cup and steamer lid.
1 cup green beans, 2 Tbsp water, cook 6 minutes.

Once steamed, I just screwed the same cup onto the magic bullet with a few extra tablespoons of water and blended for about 15 seconds.

Yummy green beans for Jack to try!

So far Jack has only tried rice and oatmeal but doesn't like either of them. He seems to get excited at first, but once it goes into his mouth he makes a face like it is the worst food ever! We will try the green beans this evening and hope that he will like them a little bit more. I'm not one to feel the need to rush babyfood consumption, but Jack has been waking up earlier and earlier each morning recently with even a 3am wake up last night, so my hope is that with a little more food in his tummy, he might sleep better.

4th of July

2011-07-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

Love,
JackWe started off the morning doing yard work - pulling weeds then putting out new mulch (not so fun.) Next we went to see a movie. In the evening we had a cookout over at our house - hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, beans, pasta salad, watermelon/fruit, cupcakes, and flan! Yum! Once it got dark we saw a few fireworks going off in the distance from the backyard. It was a fun day!
Happy Independence Day!!!

Jack's 1st Trip to the Movies

2011-07-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

We have not been to see a movie in the movie theater since before Jack was born and I have been really wanting to go. We found a $2 theater close by so figured it wouldn't be that great of a loss if we went to the movie and had to leave if Jack couldn't make it through. So on the 4th of July Jack had his first trip to the movies with us! Sitting in his seat - actually that is Mommy's seat. He just tried it out for a picture.
I did end up standing in the back of the theater for about the first half of the movie. He was pretty quiet as long as we were standing up. We only left the theater twice for just a couple minutes to get refills on the popcorn and drink, then to change a diaper. I will say that I would count this as a success. I was able to actually watch a good 95% of the movie (even if half of it was from the standing position.) By the second half of the movie he had fallen asleep in my arms so I was able to sit down, eat popcorn, and really enjoy it.

We saw the movie Soul Surfer - not what you would picture as a first movie for a little kid, but it was very good! I'm sure Jack enjoyed the scenes of the ocean in Hawaii. Ha!

Sitting Up

2011-07-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday we took Jack for his 6 month check up and he wanted nothing to do with sitting up. The very next day he decided maybe it was a good idea to start sitting up and would stay up for about 10 seconds at a time. Now, less than a week later he is staying up for as much as about 15 minutes or so! That is crazy how quickly he made the change from not wanting to sit at all to sitting so well so fast! So proud of his new skill.
Having fun!

Look what I can do!

Watching Praise Baby.

Hanging out with Java.

Laundry Room Makeover

2011-07-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

Since we have moved into our house, we have wanted to add storage in our laundry room. There had been no storage of any kind at all in that room, so our laundry supplies were always sitting on the floor or on top of the dryer. With Jack getting to the point where he will start crawling around and getting into things soon (and because we have been wanting to do this for 3 years) we figured we needed to finally get this project done! Before
Before

After

We painted the walls "posh red" and bought the cabinets from IKEA, which Barrett then assembled and hung. Thank you Jack for taking a few good naps so mommy and daddy could get this finished!

First Cereal

2011-07-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

Jack turned 6 months old so we figured we would give rice cereal a try for the little guy. Doesn't he look excited here, anticipating his first bite of real food?!?!
Yea, not as good as it looked on the spoon apparently.

More food on the face and clothes than in his mouth. I don't think he swallowed one bite.

We tried again a few more times over the next couple days. Still isn't falling for it. He loves his milk more!!!

6 Months Old

2011-06-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the baby boy just celebrated his 1/2 birthday, 6 months old. 6 more months and this baby boy will be turning 1. How can that even be possible? Jack continues to be a real joy! He is the perfect age and size to just ride around on my hip when we are out and about, just looks around, smiles (and yells too - just because he can!) Weight: 14 lbs 7 oz (4th percentile)

Height: 25 1/4 inches (11th percentile)

Jack is growing, but very slowly. The doctor thinks his growing may pick up some once we start feeding him cereal (which will most likely be any day now.) He has been nursing every 3 hours (or often times more often than that.) When he is given a bottle he eats 4-6 oz.

Jack can wear mostly size 3-6 and 6-9 month clothes and wears size 2 diapers. His eyes are a light blue color. He is getting more hair everyday which is a medium brown color now.
Jack goes to bed each night around 9 or 10pm and sleeps for 8-10 hours, waking up around 6 or 7am. Many mornings he will start stirring around 5 or so, I put his pacifier back in his mouth, then he will sleep an hour or two longer. He still sleeps in the pack n play in our bedroom. Someday he will move upstairs to his own room, but for now sleeping in our room just works best for us. This last month since Jack has been rolling from his back to his tummy, we often find him asleep on his tummy.

Or we find him in this funny position with his legs and arms sprawled out and his head turned up. However he is most comfortable to sleep is fine with us! Jack enjoys playing on the floor and reaching for toys now or playing in his exersaucer. He got his 2 bottom from teeth this month so has been putting anything he can into his mouth to chew on.

Jack also prefers standing to sitting. I took him to story time again at the library today. All the other babies were sitting nicely in their mothers laps doing finger plays and reading a story. Not Jack. He prefers to stand in my lap or on the floor. He does not like to bend at his waist, silly boy. The pediatrician noticed the same thing when she was with him at his 6 month appointment. Her guess is that he is going to be an early walker - like maybe as early as 9 months. Oh my, this should be interesting. It could be really cute though seeing such a short little guy running around. Can you picture it? I will unbuckle him from his infant car seat and he will just take off running. Ha! Jack loves being read too. He seems to really listen and enjoy looking at the pictures.

Jack, we love seeing you grow up and look forward to each new day we get to spend with you! You are such a precious miracle and we thank the Lord each day for giving us you!

4th of July Parade

2011-06-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend was our neighborhoods annual 4th of July celebration consisting of a parade, carnival activities, and fireworks. Last year the tradition began and this year the tradition continued - to take part in the parade with our wonderful friends and neighbor family (who are responsible for all the ideas, creativity, supplies, and preparation for all that you are about to see.) Last year just the guys were a part of the parade. I thought that would be the case again this year - just the dads and baby boys... but boy was I wrong! They had been telling me all the grand plans for dressing up as a human flag, playing patriotic songs on kazoos, etc. Of course I told them that this was a great idea! Do it! I didn't realize until just hours before the parade that us girls were included in all this "fun" too! All the white painter suits, red tape, blue shirts, stars, streamers, flags, jewels, and hats had all been purchased. Us girls had no other choice but to take part in the parade. And look how cute it turned out!!!! We were burning up in those painters suits but it was worth it just to have fun and make some great (and crazy) memories!

Jack and Zach wore matching flag shirts and cruised around in there decked out patriotic stroller.

By the end of the parade Jack was eating one of the flag decorations and Zach was asleep!

At the carnival we each got a snow cone and cooled off (without our flag costumes on - thank goodness!) The Dads pushed the babies in the swings.

Jack with his Daddy at the swing.

Jack sure enjoys the swings.

Where did he go?

All worn out and fast asleep.

Look at that fancy decorated stroller with 2 cute little guys inside! And notice what is sitting on the ground in front of that stroller....

....it's a trophy! And look what it says........1st Place!!!! That's right!!! We didn't dress up crazy like a flag and play patriotic tunes on kazoos for nothing. Nope. We won 1st place in the parade!!!! Jack sure was proud!