We had a great week together for Thanksgiving. I got most of my to-do list finished. We cleaned out the spare bedroom to begin the transformation into Joel's playroom, got most of Joel's Christmas presents bought, and got caught up on laundry. We didn't necessarily do something new together, but we did make it out to the Witte Museum again, and Joel loved it. I think it's because he has the freedom to run and play without being strapped in to a stroller.
So I didn't do the "I'm thankful for..." post on facebook like everyone else, but I figure it can't hurt to write it here in a semi-private setting.
Joel,
You are blossoming into the most precious, kind-hearted, lovable, funny, charming little boy I could ever imagine. You've started calling me mama again, for a while it was da-da followed by a grin. My heart swells when I hear you say my name, especially when it's accompanied by outreached arms and puckered little lips. You have brought so much to your father and I. He always says, "Who would've thought being a parent would be so much fun?" You make us laugh hysterically on a daily basis. Whether you're riding on your daddy's back like a horsey and telling him, "Go Dada!" out of no where, or showing off that you're a big tough guy by picking up big boxes full of baby wipes and putting them on the couch (all while grunting and carrying on about how heavy it is). You make us so happy. Everything is right now that you are here in our lives. Thank you Joel for all that you give to your daddy and me.
Thankful for you always,
Momma
Joely B.
Joel at 1 week old
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Half way to TWO!
Today Joel is 18 months old! The past few weeks his language has just exploded and he is saying so many new things daily. Moon, backpack, jacket, okay-okay, I'll do it, I get it, I Joel (points to self), Dora, and the best- when he eats something he likes he says, "Mmmmmm!" Too cute.
We had another rendezvous with the emergency room last weekend. Little man was running temps up to 105 and the only explanation they could give me was that he had rhinovirus- the common cold. It is so scary when his temp gets so high and it's just a waiting game. Cranky, fussy, snotty, throw-up...I can handle all those. But when he feels so bad he doesn't even fuss, he just lays on me and sleeps. Ugh, awful. After lots of prayers he pulled through and came back home each night (we went twice over the weekend).
Now we're off for a whole week for Thanksgiving. To-do list:
We had another rendezvous with the emergency room last weekend. Little man was running temps up to 105 and the only explanation they could give me was that he had rhinovirus- the common cold. It is so scary when his temp gets so high and it's just a waiting game. Cranky, fussy, snotty, throw-up...I can handle all those. But when he feels so bad he doesn't even fuss, he just lays on me and sleeps. Ugh, awful. After lots of prayers he pulled through and came back home each night (we went twice over the weekend).
Now we're off for a whole week for Thanksgiving. To-do list:
- clean out guest room to make into Joel's playroom
- do a new activity with Joel
- Get a little Christmas shopping done
- catch up on laundry
If one of these is accomplished, we will be in good shape. :)
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Trunk or Treat & Pumpkin Patch
Tonight Joel went with his Mammaw (Joel's name for Carol) to the Trunk or Treat event at her church. He was dressed in his cowboy costume and looking handsome, as always. He filled up his pumpkin pail with a few treats, and even won a cupcake at the cupcake walk!
I'm so lucky that Joel has such good grandparents in his life :) Love them.
Last weekend we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. Joel was in love with the pumpkins. Each one he saw it was like he was surprised it was there. Each one. Over and over. Crazy kid. He was definitely more busy this year going off on his own, so pictures were a little harder to get this time. We did still get some good ones.
Man, what a difference a year makes!
I'm so lucky that Joel has such good grandparents in his life :) Love them.
Last weekend we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. Joel was in love with the pumpkins. Each one he saw it was like he was surprised it was there. Each one. Over and over. Crazy kid. He was definitely more busy this year going off on his own, so pictures were a little harder to get this time. We did still get some good ones.
Man, what a difference a year makes!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
17 months
So our little man is sprouting some new teeth all of the sudden. All four molars have cut through and he is finally getting some friends to accompany his bottom two teeth.
Here's so new things Joel has been doing that I of course think are the most precious, genius, adorable things ever:
- Joel helps me carry in groceries. Really. He gets a bag and brings it into the house, puts it down in the kitchen, and follows me back out to the car. Love him!
- Joel helps me put away dishes from the dishwasher. He loves to hand me the silverware one piece at a time while I wait by the drawer. Yesterday he got a little overzealous- when I turned around he was holding a big dinner plate, like, "Here you go!" I could see that ending badly real fast.
- Joel loves to watch Joel. I have a lot of little videos on the computer and he likes to watch himself and laugh. He says, "Joel, Joel.." while he watches.
- He has developed a love for Dancing with the Stars. As soon as he sees it on tv he says, "Dee! Dee!" which obviously translates into "dancing". Duh.
- He has found a name for Carol. Although Grandpa was easy for him, he has chosen to forego the Grandma route and go with Mammaw. He came up with it on his own and says it when he sees Carol's picture, but has yet to say it to her face.
- He is very into pumpkins. Going to HEB is very exciting for him now with all the "Big Mac" pumpkins outside. Note to self- carve pumpkins this weekend and go to pumpkin patch.
- He has started to put a few two-word sentences together. So far we have No dog!, Read Dada, and Me Read.
- He still loves his books and loves to hear the abc's. His favorite book right now is probably Chugga Chugga Choo Choo, but Little Blue Truck is a close second. He has even gotten to where he knows some of the words when he sees the pictures. He'll say, "bump bump bump" when we get to the page that has the truck going through the mud and on the last page he'll say, "beep, beep, beep!"
- While giving him his breathing treatments is not his favorite thing to do, he is ok if we start singing to him. The bingo song makes him laugh and he also likes Twinkle, Twinkle, ABC's, and Itsy Bitsy Spider.
- He's still holding strong at 30.5 lbs
Saturday, October 1, 2011
A few new firsts
before
afterToday Joel had his first haircut! He did really well and wasn't scared. I was afraid he wouldn't look like my baby anymore, but I really like how his hair looks. We just got a trim so he kept the curls, but they are more tame :)
Here's another funny Joel story:We were at Carol and Bill's house the other night for pizza and Survivor. Bill had made a milkshake for himself and he gave Joel a couple bites of ice cream while he was putting everything in the blender. Well, later on Bill walks into the living room and Joel says (for the first time), "Grandpa!" Clear as day. It was hilarious. He went right to Bill- like, where's my ice cream?
Needless to say, Carol immediately went and made Joel his own bowl of ice cream and kept saying, "GrandMA will give you ice cream"
We still haven't heard "Grandma", but she's working on it. (Carol) :)
Monday, September 26, 2011
For my Fan (singular)
Rhea has reminded me that I am a horrible mother because I have let myself get too busy to update what little man is up to. So let's just fix that now.
At Joel's 15 month check up earlier this month he was 30 lb. 4 oz- 95%, 33.5 inches- 96%, and I can't remember his head, but it was 90%. So he is an all around big guy, still. We saw a different Dr. that day and she asked, "Is dad a really big guy?" Umm...not so much. I was never tiny as a kid and neither was Benny, so I think he'll stretch out eventually.
So new words:
Agua (I think that's how you spell it) He will only say this, not water.
Papa (Benny's dad)
Read! (as he throws books in my face)
bird
eyes
bowl
dog
thank you
Beeee (please)
Belly ( as he pulls up his shirt to show anyone his belly)
And millions of nonsense words that he apparently thinks are very important, but I haven't decoded yet. He will sit by us and put his face right in front of ours and nod his head as he talks away about something very serious.
He has gotten really good at going down the stairs. He knows he has to sit and scoot. This brings a great sense of pride to him after he accomplishes our big set of stairs.
Joel loves to be outside. Unfortunately, right after we get home it's 5:00. So I usually struggle to get him from the car to the inside of the house. I want him to walk (did I mention he's 30 lbs?) but that means he tries to walk around the yard as I think of every bribe in the bag to get him to come inside. Dada usually works, even though Benny's usually not even home. I'm mean, I know.
He still loves to have books read to him. One after another, after another, after another, after another...so we've moved half of his books downstairs to his room :) Of course we LOVE reading to him. It's just easier on the sanity to read 10 books instead of 25 over and over.
He loves our rides home from daycare b/c I exaggerate every turn I make with varoom-varroooomms and beep-beeps. So he says "beep-beep" the whole way home now in the car. Too cute.
I'm starting to face the truth that Joel needs a hair cut. He pretty much looks like a clown b/c his curls stand straight out on the sides and the top. I keep putting it off. I'm not sure why, I think it might be because I don't want him to look more like a little boy than he already does. He doesn't look like a baby anymore. He wears huge shoes, size 8, big boy clothes, size 3T, and his body isn't round and roll-covered anymore :( Well maybe some parts are still round.
At Joel's 15 month check up earlier this month he was 30 lb. 4 oz- 95%, 33.5 inches- 96%, and I can't remember his head, but it was 90%. So he is an all around big guy, still. We saw a different Dr. that day and she asked, "Is dad a really big guy?" Umm...not so much. I was never tiny as a kid and neither was Benny, so I think he'll stretch out eventually.
So new words:
Agua (I think that's how you spell it) He will only say this, not water.
Papa (Benny's dad)
Read! (as he throws books in my face)
bird
eyes
bowl
dog
thank you
Beeee (please)
Belly ( as he pulls up his shirt to show anyone his belly)
And millions of nonsense words that he apparently thinks are very important, but I haven't decoded yet. He will sit by us and put his face right in front of ours and nod his head as he talks away about something very serious.
He has gotten really good at going down the stairs. He knows he has to sit and scoot. This brings a great sense of pride to him after he accomplishes our big set of stairs.
Joel loves to be outside. Unfortunately, right after we get home it's 5:00. So I usually struggle to get him from the car to the inside of the house. I want him to walk (did I mention he's 30 lbs?) but that means he tries to walk around the yard as I think of every bribe in the bag to get him to come inside. Dada usually works, even though Benny's usually not even home. I'm mean, I know.
He still loves to have books read to him. One after another, after another, after another, after another...so we've moved half of his books downstairs to his room :) Of course we LOVE reading to him. It's just easier on the sanity to read 10 books instead of 25 over and over.
He loves our rides home from daycare b/c I exaggerate every turn I make with varoom-varroooomms and beep-beeps. So he says "beep-beep" the whole way home now in the car. Too cute.
I'm starting to face the truth that Joel needs a hair cut. He pretty much looks like a clown b/c his curls stand straight out on the sides and the top. I keep putting it off. I'm not sure why, I think it might be because I don't want him to look more like a little boy than he already does. He doesn't look like a baby anymore. He wears huge shoes, size 8, big boy clothes, size 3T, and his body isn't round and roll-covered anymore :( Well maybe some parts are still round.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Back to Work...
Well tonight was Joel's official last night of summer vacation with mom and dad. He'll go back to Ms. Pat's full-time tomorrow. I'm trying to not get in the, "ugh- I don't want to go back to work" mood. So instead I am focusing on the great summer that I was fortunate enough to spend with my baby boy and darling husband.
I loved "sleeping in" 'til 8:00 every morning- thank you Benny for waking up first. :)
I loved our weekly trips to the zoo watching Joel run around the toddler area. He would point to the animals, munch on gold fish while we pushed him around in the stroller, and even made a few friends while playing in the grocery store.
I loved feeding Joel waffles for breakfast.
I loved taking naps while Joel took his nap in the afternoon.
I loved having dinner with my family every night.
I loved running around the house chasing Joel while making the Jaws "Dun-nah" sound and hearing him squeal.
I loved reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and 100 First Words a bazillion times. Every day.
I loved using sidewalk chalk with Joel in the backyard, even though he just taps the chalk on the ground while I draw pictures.
I loved watching Joel get excited about swimming and kiddie pools.
So even though I would love to stay home with my boys every day, I know I get more time with them than most working moms do. I'm excited to get this school year started and get that much closer to Halloween costumes, pumpkin patches and putting up a Christmas tree. :)
I loved "sleeping in" 'til 8:00 every morning- thank you Benny for waking up first. :)
I loved our weekly trips to the zoo watching Joel run around the toddler area. He would point to the animals, munch on gold fish while we pushed him around in the stroller, and even made a few friends while playing in the grocery store.
I loved feeding Joel waffles for breakfast.
I loved taking naps while Joel took his nap in the afternoon.
I loved having dinner with my family every night.
I loved running around the house chasing Joel while making the Jaws "Dun-nah" sound and hearing him squeal.
I loved reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and 100 First Words a bazillion times. Every day.
I loved using sidewalk chalk with Joel in the backyard, even though he just taps the chalk on the ground while I draw pictures.
I loved watching Joel get excited about swimming and kiddie pools.
So even though I would love to stay home with my boys every day, I know I get more time with them than most working moms do. I'm excited to get this school year started and get that much closer to Halloween costumes, pumpkin patches and putting up a Christmas tree. :)
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Party for two...at home
This weekend Benny is taking a referee class in Austin which lasts from 9-6 Sat. and Sun. So Joel and I had our first day at home alone today in a long time! We watched the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show this morning while Joel had his morning milk. Then we played for a couple hours after eating waffles (Joel's breakfast staple) around 8:00.
Joel took a little nap around 10:30. After lunch we went outside and played in the backyard for a bit. I tried to blow bubbles with Joel, but he just wants to hold the wand and dip it in the bottle over, and over, and over... Combining the soapy bubbles with the dirt he already hand on his hands made a lovely mess that Joel felt needed to be wiped on my arms. All over my arms. It was like he was saying, "Ew mom, get this stuff off of me. Here you take it."
So then we went and had a bath- which Joel will only stand or squat in, not sit. It actually makes it easier to bathe him, but it worries me because he tries to walk around in the slippery bath tub. We've had a few close calls, but I've caught him before he whacked his head too hard. Ugh, boys.
After his bath, Joel took his afternoon nap, so I took my afternoon nap. Man, I am going to miss those when I have to go back to work. Then we had an easy dinner after a failed attempt to sneak off an get fast food for dinner. Apparently my car battery is dead? I guess that happens when you leave a car sitting for basically 4 weeks straight. Oh well, hopefully we can fix that Monday.
Joel and I had a great evening watching Despicable Me- Joel is in LOVE with this movie. No matter what he is doing he will stop and become entranced whenever I put this on. It's kind of hilarious and a good thing to keep in my bag of tricks.
He also helped me get a few chores accomplished before enticing me to have a tickle fight with him. He laughs so hard when I tickle him. His face turns bright red and he can hardly catch his breath but he loves it. I love it. His laugh is probably my favorite sound in the entire world.
I love that Joel and I had today together. We missed daddy of course, but we had such a fun time just lounging around and playing. That kid is pretty perfect for me :)
I'll have to take him down to the park tomorrow since we will be home-bound again with no wheels.
Joel took a little nap around 10:30. After lunch we went outside and played in the backyard for a bit. I tried to blow bubbles with Joel, but he just wants to hold the wand and dip it in the bottle over, and over, and over... Combining the soapy bubbles with the dirt he already hand on his hands made a lovely mess that Joel felt needed to be wiped on my arms. All over my arms. It was like he was saying, "Ew mom, get this stuff off of me. Here you take it."
So then we went and had a bath- which Joel will only stand or squat in, not sit. It actually makes it easier to bathe him, but it worries me because he tries to walk around in the slippery bath tub. We've had a few close calls, but I've caught him before he whacked his head too hard. Ugh, boys.
After his bath, Joel took his afternoon nap, so I took my afternoon nap. Man, I am going to miss those when I have to go back to work. Then we had an easy dinner after a failed attempt to sneak off an get fast food for dinner. Apparently my car battery is dead? I guess that happens when you leave a car sitting for basically 4 weeks straight. Oh well, hopefully we can fix that Monday.
Joel and I had a great evening watching Despicable Me- Joel is in LOVE with this movie. No matter what he is doing he will stop and become entranced whenever I put this on. It's kind of hilarious and a good thing to keep in my bag of tricks.
He also helped me get a few chores accomplished before enticing me to have a tickle fight with him. He laughs so hard when I tickle him. His face turns bright red and he can hardly catch his breath but he loves it. I love it. His laugh is probably my favorite sound in the entire world.
I love that Joel and I had today together. We missed daddy of course, but we had such a fun time just lounging around and playing. That kid is pretty perfect for me :)
I'll have to take him down to the park tomorrow since we will be home-bound again with no wheels.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Houston Visit
We went to visit our Houston family this past weekend. Joel had a great time at the splash pad at Niccole's apartment. He was so brave, too brave, running through the sprinklers and then straight into the kiddie pool.
Afterwards, we went to dinner with Thomas and Jessica and had a good time although it was usually at my expense. Benny and Thomas went to a Dynamo's game afterward so Joel and I went back to Niccole's to relax.
The next day we all met Grandma Doris for breakfast. It was so nice to see her, but it makes me sad. She's getting older and I wish Joel knew her better since she has always been such a huge part of my life. Then we finally said goodbye to Niccole and went to Rhea's daughter's 1st birthday party. It was great catching up with her- I can't believe we've been friends for 20 years! When did I get old enough to have a friend for that long? Sheesh. Rhea's kids are so cute and that little Stella is as sweet as can be. There were a lot of little kids there and Joel thought he owned the place. He wasn't being too shy and he was having fun pulling on the strings of the balloons hanging in the air.
Overall we had a great little mini-trip to Houston and Joel was great. He made it through both Saturday and Sunday without his usual nap and wasn't fussy at all. He slept for about an hour in the car each way, but otherwise he just enjoyed looking out the window or talking to himself :)
He has started to mimic when we say, "One, two, three!" The one is hard to make out, but the two is pretty clear, and the three is usually just a squeal. He has also started "dancing". This usually happens for a just a few seconds while a jingle for a commercial is on. He will either spin in two circles, or just kind of bend his legs and squat a few times. Then when he sees me watching him he will run over to me laughing. He's so funny.
We're thankful to have had such a nice weekend with our friends and family, and we need to get better about going to visit them!
Afterwards, we went to dinner with Thomas and Jessica and had a good time although it was usually at my expense. Benny and Thomas went to a Dynamo's game afterward so Joel and I went back to Niccole's to relax.
The next day we all met Grandma Doris for breakfast. It was so nice to see her, but it makes me sad. She's getting older and I wish Joel knew her better since she has always been such a huge part of my life. Then we finally said goodbye to Niccole and went to Rhea's daughter's 1st birthday party. It was great catching up with her- I can't believe we've been friends for 20 years! When did I get old enough to have a friend for that long? Sheesh. Rhea's kids are so cute and that little Stella is as sweet as can be. There were a lot of little kids there and Joel thought he owned the place. He wasn't being too shy and he was having fun pulling on the strings of the balloons hanging in the air.
Overall we had a great little mini-trip to Houston and Joel was great. He made it through both Saturday and Sunday without his usual nap and wasn't fussy at all. He slept for about an hour in the car each way, but otherwise he just enjoyed looking out the window or talking to himself :)
He has started to mimic when we say, "One, two, three!" The one is hard to make out, but the two is pretty clear, and the three is usually just a squeal. He has also started "dancing". This usually happens for a just a few seconds while a jingle for a commercial is on. He will either spin in two circles, or just kind of bend his legs and squat a few times. Then when he sees me watching him he will run over to me laughing. He's so funny.
We're thankful to have had such a nice weekend with our friends and family, and we need to get better about going to visit them!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Quick note to Joel
Sweet Baby,
You just might be my biggest love. Tonight you were extra cuddly as you sat in my lap and had your night time sippy cup of milk before bed. You leaned back more and more as I held you head of curls in my hands and massaged your head. When I put you down in your crib you laid down for a second and then sat right back up. You looked at me with this silent grin. I ran my hand down your cheek and said, "Goodnight angel. Have sweet baby dreams. I love you." Your smile got a little brighter and then you laid right back down and smiled at me until I had to shut the door behind me. You never made a sound, just smiled. Melt my heart, why don't you? I love putting you to bed. You rarely get upset. Most nights go just like tonight. Little do you know I'm the one with a lump in my throat and tears blurring my eyes as I shut that door. I am so lucky to have you. Love you baby.
-Momma
You just might be my biggest love. Tonight you were extra cuddly as you sat in my lap and had your night time sippy cup of milk before bed. You leaned back more and more as I held you head of curls in my hands and massaged your head. When I put you down in your crib you laid down for a second and then sat right back up. You looked at me with this silent grin. I ran my hand down your cheek and said, "Goodnight angel. Have sweet baby dreams. I love you." Your smile got a little brighter and then you laid right back down and smiled at me until I had to shut the door behind me. You never made a sound, just smiled. Melt my heart, why don't you? I love putting you to bed. You rarely get upset. Most nights go just like tonight. Little do you know I'm the one with a lump in my throat and tears blurring my eyes as I shut that door. I am so lucky to have you. Love you baby.
-Momma
Monday, June 20, 2011
Daddy's Day
Yesterday was Father's Day. Joel and I sneakily woke up early and cooked Benny his favorite breakfast, french toast and bacon. I had made Benny a goodie bag of all his favorite drinks and treats and we got him a book, cd, and a nice shirt. I can't wait for Joel to get a little bigger so he can be more involved in the present making process. I remember trying to paint his hand for that turkey shirt I made. He hated it. So while those do turn out cute, I don't want to torture the poor guy when he doesn't even understand WHY I'm torturing him. :)
Later that day we went over to Papa and Mackie's house for lunch/dinner. Joel was kind of fussy, but in his defense they do schedule "lunch" at the weirdest times. Two o'clock lunch- but once we get there we don't actually eat for another hour, so it's this weird in-between time that throws our meals off all day. Well 2:00 is also right smack in the middle of Joel's nap time. So he wasn't too happy to be there, but he did his best.
He is definitely a daddy's boy. He's going through I guess a phase where he wants Benny ALL the time. He'll let me pick him up, but almost like, "ok, pick me up and take me to my dad please." It's pretty understandable though. They are spending a lot more time together since I am teaching summer school. Joel stays home with Benny 4 days during the week and only goes to Pat's 1 day since it's summer.
He loves saying "el low" now. He'll pick up phones or anything somewhat resembling the shape of a phone and hold it to his ear and say "el low? el low?" Too cute. Pat told me he also says it right when he wakes up from his nap.
Benny has been taking him to the zoo a couple times a week since they have a pretty cool toddler area there. There is a little beach area with water and then an indoor play area as well. He loves it. I got to go with them last Saturday, so it was neat to have Benny show me around and see all the things Joel has been experiencing.
Joel loves to sit atop his perch on his playscape we have upstairs. One side has a little climber with foot holes and the other side has a slide. Every now and then he'll go down the slide, but he mostly just gets up to the landing area and hangs out. He'll peek around the side of it at us and giggle. I love it.
Later that day we went over to Papa and Mackie's house for lunch/dinner. Joel was kind of fussy, but in his defense they do schedule "lunch" at the weirdest times. Two o'clock lunch- but once we get there we don't actually eat for another hour, so it's this weird in-between time that throws our meals off all day. Well 2:00 is also right smack in the middle of Joel's nap time. So he wasn't too happy to be there, but he did his best.
He is definitely a daddy's boy. He's going through I guess a phase where he wants Benny ALL the time. He'll let me pick him up, but almost like, "ok, pick me up and take me to my dad please." It's pretty understandable though. They are spending a lot more time together since I am teaching summer school. Joel stays home with Benny 4 days during the week and only goes to Pat's 1 day since it's summer.
He loves saying "el low" now. He'll pick up phones or anything somewhat resembling the shape of a phone and hold it to his ear and say "el low? el low?" Too cute. Pat told me he also says it right when he wakes up from his nap.
Benny has been taking him to the zoo a couple times a week since they have a pretty cool toddler area there. There is a little beach area with water and then an indoor play area as well. He loves it. I got to go with them last Saturday, so it was neat to have Benny show me around and see all the things Joel has been experiencing.
Joel loves to sit atop his perch on his playscape we have upstairs. One side has a little climber with foot holes and the other side has a slide. Every now and then he'll go down the slide, but he mostly just gets up to the landing area and hangs out. He'll peek around the side of it at us and giggle. I love it.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
What a difference a couple weeks make...
Joel has really started to walk A LOT lately. If we are home and he's shoe-less, then he's walking. I haven't been so great at keeping shoes on him, like ever, so he's still adjusting to walking in those. But just within the past 2 weeks he has really changed so much in his development.
So besides the walking, we are now 100% bottle-free. Thank the Lord! We used Dr. Brown's bottles, which are great. But not so great having to clean 5 parts to a bottle every time you wash them. Sippy cups are much easier.
As far as talking, Joel is now saying:
- Mama
- De De
- no (everything is "nooo")
- ball
- ba-ta (bottle/sippy cup)
- Go
- DA! (doggy)
- eh low (hello)
He is also following directions really well. If we ask him to go get his ball, he'll look around for it and go get it. We can tell him to put the ball in the box and he knows just what to do. He has also taken to picking up balls and launching them across the room or straight down to the floor. Such a cutie :)
I took Joel for his 1 year check up the other day. He's 26 lbs. 12 oz. and 31.5 inches long. That puts him in the 91st percentile for both height and weight. I'm glad his height is finally catching up. He's been in the 90+ %tile for weight since about 2 months, but length was always around the 75th. He's just an all around big guy, and I love each and every inch of him. He has such a sweet personality. He loves to giggle with me and Benny and he loves to snuggle with me on the floor. Joel's version of snuggling is to stand up above me while I'm lying on the floor, purposely fall down on top on my head, lay next to me for about 30 seconds, then stand up and repeat the process about 10 times before he finally lays down and stays there. Joel also likes to probe my face with his fingers. Poking my eyes, sticking his finger up my nose, in my mouth, pinching my nose, pulling my fly-away hairs out, you name it. Ouch! Needless to say, we're working on being "gentle". :)
So that's what's new with Joely Bean. We went to the beach last weekend, but I will write about that later and add some new pictures.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
What's cute with yellow and green icing all over?
Today we welcomed Grandma Carol, Papa and Mackie, Oma and Opa, Great-Grandma Doris, Aunt Niccole, Grandpa David, Debbie Grandma, Uncle/Cousin Thomas, Aunt/Cousin Jessica, John and Lindsey. We all (I hope) had a great time visiting and playing pass Joel around. He was such a good boy just like he always is. I know he won't remember, but the first birthday is mostly for the parents I think. A day for me and Benny to say, look at our precious baby boy. He has given me the absolute best year of my life, so the least I can do is set aside a day to celebrate him. :) Man I love that kid more than words can say.
So everyone showed up around 11:00-ish. Joel had taken a nap in the morning, so he made it through most of the day before he crashed around 3:00. We had burgers, chips, appetizers, and the famous chocolate fountain made an appearance with all the yummy dipping items. Thanks Carol!
After lunch we opened presents. Joel got several little bike things in different themes- Buzz Light Year, Radio Flyer, and Winnie the Pooh. He always looks so proud of himself when he rides those things. Grandma Carol got him the coolest thing- a ball house with tunnels! I got inside it with him and I thought it was cool! I can remember being a kid and building forts out of sheets in the living room, I would have LOVED to have something like that. Lucky butt.
Our big present to Joel was a little climber thing with a slide. He has already learned how to use the foot holes to climb up the back, but then he just sits on the platform. He's not too keen on the slide just yet. Oh, and my dad got Joel an awesome swing. I pictured them getting a little plastic one with ropes to tie around a tree, but they got him an actual little kid bucket swing like you'd see at a playground! Awesome! That thing will last for years.
My favorite part of the day was the cake. As we brought in Joel's own little round cake with the candle lit and everyone singing his little face just lit up. Everyone was singing "Happy birthday" and I got the biggest lump in my throat. I think it was a combination of realizing this day had finally come and being a little overwhelmed with happiness. How lucky am I that I get to give my baby such a special day? I hope I can be there for a 100 more birthdays for Joel :)
It was a great day. I'm exhausted and I now know why many parents have parties at Chuck E Cheese and other places, but I really enjoyed having his party here. How in the world I will make it through when there are other kids and actual birthday activities involved I do not know. But I will, and I love every minute of it. Well maybe not the sweeping, mopping, and dusting, but you get the idea.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Go Baby Go
Joel took 6 steps yesterday! Benny and I were playing tickle fight on the floor with him and we both turned around to see him Frankenstein walking towards us! He has taken one step here and there before, but this was the first time he did several at one time. So exciting!
He is also saying "No", "Ba (ball)" and more "Mum ma" and "Dada"
We're working on sippy cups, but he's not too into it most days. Sometimes he will drink from it, but most of the time he just pushes it on the floor. Only two more weeks until his birthday! Crap!
He is also saying "No", "Ba (ball)" and more "Mum ma" and "Dada"
We're working on sippy cups, but he's not too into it most days. Sometimes he will drink from it, but most of the time he just pushes it on the floor. Only two more weeks until his birthday! Crap!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Smarty pants
So I have to brag for a moment. This weekend Joel and I were playing with his Zoomer-something-or-other spinny race track thingie. There's a ramp that leads to a deck that spins the cars around in a circle before it spits them out the other side. Anyway- there's a little red button/sensor thing that the cars have to go over before the spinning deck will turn on. So I showed Joel to push the red button to turn it on. My little guy has been going back to that toy with all kinds of things, touching the red button, and watching his toys spin around and around!
I think that's pretty neat that he still remembers that the red button turns it on! I know, maybe it's not that impressive in the grand scheme of things he will accomplish in his life, but come on, that's pretty cool for a baby. :) It's fun to watch how he can figure things out now and remember how they work.
Updates:
I think that's pretty neat that he still remembers that the red button turns it on! I know, maybe it's not that impressive in the grand scheme of things he will accomplish in his life, but come on, that's pretty cool for a baby. :) It's fun to watch how he can figure things out now and remember how they work.
Updates:
- Joel loves to clap his hands! He gets very excited when we say, "yay joel!" and clap
- He now says "Ma!" a LOT
- He will stand on his own while cruising the couch
- He has taken a step a couple of times, but then plops down on his bottom
Monday, April 4, 2011
We created a monster, but he's cute so it's okay.
- Joel was home sick ALL last week. So I missed MWF of work and Benny stayed home Tuesday/Thursday. Poor little guy had a double ear infection (round 2), and bronchiolitis. He didn't act like he felt bad until after we went to the doctor (of course). I felt really bad because I had been kind of blowing off his fever thinking it was just a little cold or teething. Anyway, so silver lining is that I got to spend 3 extra days home with my little man!
We had a pretty good week, considering he wasn't feeling too hot. We didn't go anywhere since he was running a temp I didn't want to get his germies on everyone else, so we just stayed home and played. And napped, and napped some more. That kid definitely takes after me in that department. When he doesn't feel good he takes TWO 2 hour naps a day. Hallelujah! So this momma got some much needed rest as well. Did I tell you I love that kid?
Well today was Joel's first day back to "school" in a week, so naturally he needed some readjustment time. Ms. Pat told me that he was fussy and didn't want anything to do with the kids. He only wanted her to play with him. Humm...I wonder why? I think little Mr. got used to being the only little one around and getting non-stop attention. I really don't see what the problem is. Joel is clearly the cutest/sweetest/smartest/ most fun baby at that place. She should be begging him to play. No? Okay, I guess that's a little overboard. :)
What's Joel up to you ask? Well let's see:
- So Joel's new thing is that he likes to be funny. He will being playing on the carpet and then all the sudden go lay his head down on a pillow like he's sleeping. Then he'll pop up, laugh, and quickly crawl 5 feet over and do the same thing again. He loves when Benny and I laugh at him.
- He also loves to hand us things. If he has a toy, paper, whatever and we ask, "Can I have that?" He will hand it over. BUT then he puts his hand back out as to ask for it back again. When we oblige he gets VERY happy and squeals. Did I mention this kid is flippin' cute?
- He also is content to sit in his high chair ONLY while eating. Once he's done, he wants out. This usually causes a problem b/c after I feed him, I cook our dinner and the dogs eat theirs. So I prefer he not crawl around while the dogs are eating ( he tried to climb in their bowls and we all I know I think those dogs are dirty/nasty/annoying/so on). So tonight I remembered how much he loves being my sues chef. I plopped him down in the kitchen with a small pan and a spoon and presto! He was distracted for at least 10 minutes. Mommy accomplishment #231.
- Joel now has 4 teeth, two top/two bottom, and the others are on the verge of emerging very soon. Trying to get foreign objects out of his mouth is becoming more and more of a challenge.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Joel's first word(s)
Benny and I have been trying to get Joel to either say "Dada" or "Mama" for the past couple months. I didn't really care which came first, but I cannot say the same for Benny. When I would work on mama, he would say things like, "Let's just try one at a time. Let's stick with dada for now." Ha, whatev!
So Joel being the peacemaker that he is decided that he would say BOTH words, TODAY! He has made these sounds before, but today they seemed intentional as he said them when he was going towards us. Benny is more of a "De-de" than a "Dada" and I am very clearly "Mum mum" instead of "Mama", but hey, we'll take it!
Way to go Joel :)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Letter for my baby
Dear Joely B.,
Today you are ten months, 2 days old. You love to crawl around on the floor and "chase" mommy around in the bedroom. You also love to climb all over and under your daddy. Everyone always comments on how beautiful your eyes are. They are these big, blue lights of happiness that make my world better every time I see them.
I love to spend time with you Joel. Every morning I can't wait to go see your grinning face when I open the door to your room. And every morning my heart hurts a little when I have to leave you to go to work.
I have your pictures everywhere in my classroom and my students say, "Aww, baby Joel" when they see your face on my desktop. I have gotten really good at making the most of every free minute I have at work because I refuse to stay past 3:30 so that I can pick you up as soon as possible. I also refuse to take home work anymore. When I'm home, I'm yours and daddy's. Work is the last thing on my mind when I have your babbles to listen to and your belly to tickle.
You have made my life brighter and I feel so special to have been chosen to be your mommy. You have such an adorable personality already. Always chuckling when you see your dad and I laughing, squealing with joy when we play our favorite games, and looking at me over your shoulder with that sly smile when you know I'm about to tell you, "No, don't touch that!".
I know my parents told me they loved me, and still do. But it's so much more than that. You will never understand how much of my heart you have until you have a child of your own. No other love compares, not even close.
I hope our relationship stays close and strong throughout your life. I want to be close with you and be there for you always. I know there will be times when it seems like I don't know what it's like because I'm "Mom", but I promise I can at least be there to listen. So many teenagers become like strangers to their parents as they grow up and that just can't happen to us. We are so blessed to have each other and to have a family like ours. I pray that none of us ever take that, or each other, for granted.
Joel you are the best part of everything for me. The best part of my day is being with you in the mornings as we both wake up together. The best part of my afternoon is coming in and seeing your smiling face when I come to pick you up. The best part of my time at home is playing with you and running back and forth saying, "I'm gonna get you!" and hearing you crack up laughing. And you have made the best part of my marriage be that your father and I have come together so much more since having you. When we're with you, with both play with you and are amazed by your little accomplishments each day/week/month. When we're not with you, trust me- all we talk about it YOU!
Your daddy and I want to give you a loved life, and we will do everything in our power to achieve that. When I was about 8 to 9 months pregnant with you I would listen to my George Strait CD in the car almost every morning going to work. One of my favorite songs is I Cross My Heart. The words in that song remind me so much of you.
Our love is unconditional, we knew it from the start.
I see it in your eyes, you can feel it from my heart.
From here on after let's stay the way we are right now,
And share all the love and laughter
That a lifetime will allow.
I cross my heart and promise to
Give all I've got to give to make all your dreams come true.
In all the world you'll never find a love as true as mine.
You will always be the miracle that makes my life complete,
And as long as there's a breath in me, I'll make yours just as sweet.
As we look into the future, it's as far as we can see,
So let's make each tomorrow be the best that it can be.
I cross my heart and promise to
Give all I've got to give to make all your dreams come true.
In all the world you'll never find a love as true as mine.
And if along the way we find a day it starts to storm,
You've got the promise of my love to keep you warm.
In all the world you'll never find a love as true as mine,
A love as true as mine.
I love you Joely B. and I hope to spend my life making sure you know just how much you mean to your daddy and me.
With all my love,
Mommy
Today you are ten months, 2 days old. You love to crawl around on the floor and "chase" mommy around in the bedroom. You also love to climb all over and under your daddy. Everyone always comments on how beautiful your eyes are. They are these big, blue lights of happiness that make my world better every time I see them.
I love to spend time with you Joel. Every morning I can't wait to go see your grinning face when I open the door to your room. And every morning my heart hurts a little when I have to leave you to go to work.
I have your pictures everywhere in my classroom and my students say, "Aww, baby Joel" when they see your face on my desktop. I have gotten really good at making the most of every free minute I have at work because I refuse to stay past 3:30 so that I can pick you up as soon as possible. I also refuse to take home work anymore. When I'm home, I'm yours and daddy's. Work is the last thing on my mind when I have your babbles to listen to and your belly to tickle.
You have made my life brighter and I feel so special to have been chosen to be your mommy. You have such an adorable personality already. Always chuckling when you see your dad and I laughing, squealing with joy when we play our favorite games, and looking at me over your shoulder with that sly smile when you know I'm about to tell you, "No, don't touch that!".
I know my parents told me they loved me, and still do. But it's so much more than that. You will never understand how much of my heart you have until you have a child of your own. No other love compares, not even close.
I hope our relationship stays close and strong throughout your life. I want to be close with you and be there for you always. I know there will be times when it seems like I don't know what it's like because I'm "Mom", but I promise I can at least be there to listen. So many teenagers become like strangers to their parents as they grow up and that just can't happen to us. We are so blessed to have each other and to have a family like ours. I pray that none of us ever take that, or each other, for granted.
Joel you are the best part of everything for me. The best part of my day is being with you in the mornings as we both wake up together. The best part of my afternoon is coming in and seeing your smiling face when I come to pick you up. The best part of my time at home is playing with you and running back and forth saying, "I'm gonna get you!" and hearing you crack up laughing. And you have made the best part of my marriage be that your father and I have come together so much more since having you. When we're with you, with both play with you and are amazed by your little accomplishments each day/week/month. When we're not with you, trust me- all we talk about it YOU!
Your daddy and I want to give you a loved life, and we will do everything in our power to achieve that. When I was about 8 to 9 months pregnant with you I would listen to my George Strait CD in the car almost every morning going to work. One of my favorite songs is I Cross My Heart. The words in that song remind me so much of you.
Our love is unconditional, we knew it from the start.
I see it in your eyes, you can feel it from my heart.
From here on after let's stay the way we are right now,
And share all the love and laughter
That a lifetime will allow.
I cross my heart and promise to
Give all I've got to give to make all your dreams come true.
In all the world you'll never find a love as true as mine.
You will always be the miracle that makes my life complete,
And as long as there's a breath in me, I'll make yours just as sweet.
As we look into the future, it's as far as we can see,
So let's make each tomorrow be the best that it can be.
I cross my heart and promise to
Give all I've got to give to make all your dreams come true.
In all the world you'll never find a love as true as mine.
And if along the way we find a day it starts to storm,
You've got the promise of my love to keep you warm.
In all the world you'll never find a love as true as mine,
A love as true as mine.
I love you Joely B. and I hope to spend my life making sure you know just how much you mean to your daddy and me.
With all my love,
Mommy
Friday, March 18, 2011
Happy birthday to you...
I have used this spring break to get some things accomplished and it feels great. I have spent one day spring cleaning each of the major rooms in the house. I have also ALMOST caught up on laundry. I still have a couple loads left, but they are all Benny's clothes so I'm not in a huge rush. I don't mean that in an ugly way, he just has tons of clothes so he'll be alright.
I have also started to work on Joel's first birthday party. I went to Hobby Lobby the other day and bought some cute card stock to make some decorations. I am doing a monkey theme. You know those picture frames with little cutouts for each month of baby's first year? Well I am making my own version of that but using regular sized pictures. Once it's finished I'll post it, but it will be used for decoration at the party. I'm also doing a banana cake and making "banana cake splits". I saw the recipe online. You get banana cake mix, put chocolate chips in the batter. Then once the cake is made, you cut it into squares and top it with a small banana slice, whip cream, a small scoop of ice cream, chocolate syrup, and a cherry on top. I'm going to make Joel's smash cake in the shape of a monkey.
Tonight I also made Joel's birthday invitation on the computer. I totally cheated and looked online to get ideas, and then I just made one myself with Photoshop. It turned out really cute. I need Benny to add a little monkey to the bottom corner, but I'm pretty proud of it! ( I took out the address and phone numbers since I don't know if just anyone can look at this)
I still have a lot to do, but I am so happy to be able to plan a nice get together for my son. I've already had all our family tell me they will be there, which means a lot! I know Joel won't remember the party, but that's not what it's about as I've said before. I'm not going to go crazy with the monkey stuff, but doing some little extras is fun. :)
I have also started to work on Joel's first birthday party. I went to Hobby Lobby the other day and bought some cute card stock to make some decorations. I am doing a monkey theme. You know those picture frames with little cutouts for each month of baby's first year? Well I am making my own version of that but using regular sized pictures. Once it's finished I'll post it, but it will be used for decoration at the party. I'm also doing a banana cake and making "banana cake splits". I saw the recipe online. You get banana cake mix, put chocolate chips in the batter. Then once the cake is made, you cut it into squares and top it with a small banana slice, whip cream, a small scoop of ice cream, chocolate syrup, and a cherry on top. I'm going to make Joel's smash cake in the shape of a monkey.
Tonight I also made Joel's birthday invitation on the computer. I totally cheated and looked online to get ideas, and then I just made one myself with Photoshop. It turned out really cute. I need Benny to add a little monkey to the bottom corner, but I'm pretty proud of it! ( I took out the address and phone numbers since I don't know if just anyone can look at this)
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Pinches and Kisses
Today is St. Patrick's Day. Joel looks festive in his leprechaun tuxedo shirt. Joel and I pinched his daddy this morning because he was the only one not wearing green. I took this picture of Joel, which is quickly becoming another favorite.
Hopefully everyone had a good day with their babies and/or loved ones. If you haven't taken any pictures of your loved ones lately, I'd highly recommend it :)
Monday, March 14, 2011
Still gobbling it up
Joel started stage 3 food today, which is basically baby food with some chunks in it. Appetizing! I also bought him some toddler yogurt that was really good. The first bite wasn't so tasty because I didn't realize there was fruit and cereal at the bottom that needed to be stirred up. But we got the hang of it soon enough.
Joel has always been such a good eater. From his 2 week to 8 week appointment, he gained 6 pounds. That's when Benny and I were feeding him every time he cried. We way over fed him at that point. He was drinking eight 6 oz bottles a day! That's way more than he eats even now. Now he drinks an 8 oz bottle in the morning, then has four 4 oz bottles the rest of the day.
I can't believe he's already getting close to eating real table food. I love picking out baby food for him. It all looks so yummy (yes I think baby food looks good). I might have to up my game in the kitchen pretty soon to keep up with all the meals he's been getting lately.
He will be 10 months next Saturday. He is cruising around everywhere, but still hasn't taken his first steps. He can give high five now. We cheer for him when he does it and his face just lights up with this big smile. He's so stinkin' cute. We are on spring break, and since we have to pay for daycare anyway, we took him this morning to Ms. Pat's house. We needed to work on the house so it's just easier. But I just miss him so much when he's not here. I couldn't wait to go pick him up after his nap time. I get it now when mom's cry on their baby's first day of school or when they go off to college. I just pray these next 18 years are the longest of my life!
Joel has always been such a good eater. From his 2 week to 8 week appointment, he gained 6 pounds. That's when Benny and I were feeding him every time he cried. We way over fed him at that point. He was drinking eight 6 oz bottles a day! That's way more than he eats even now. Now he drinks an 8 oz bottle in the morning, then has four 4 oz bottles the rest of the day.
I can't believe he's already getting close to eating real table food. I love picking out baby food for him. It all looks so yummy (yes I think baby food looks good). I might have to up my game in the kitchen pretty soon to keep up with all the meals he's been getting lately.
He will be 10 months next Saturday. He is cruising around everywhere, but still hasn't taken his first steps. He can give high five now. We cheer for him when he does it and his face just lights up with this big smile. He's so stinkin' cute. We are on spring break, and since we have to pay for daycare anyway, we took him this morning to Ms. Pat's house. We needed to work on the house so it's just easier. But I just miss him so much when he's not here. I couldn't wait to go pick him up after his nap time. I get it now when mom's cry on their baby's first day of school or when they go off to college. I just pray these next 18 years are the longest of my life!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
remembering to be thankful
Today was a crap day. Work is weird/stressful/annoying. The house is a mess and I can't seem to find the time or energy to clean it this week. Joel's babysitter said he fussed all day and just wanted to be held. If he wasn't being held he was trying to climb up her legs, etc. Well he did the same thing when I got home. I was trying to cook dinner and he was in the kitchen with me. I distracted him with a pot and wooden spoon for about 5 minutes, but then he was back to my legs again.
Afterwards, we went upstairs and I tried to sit and play with him on the floor but he just wanted to climb up me- not be held- just use me as a step ladder :).
Benny had to work late and didn't get home until about 7:00 so at that time I was pretty done. I gave Joel a bath and finally sat down on the couch while he climbed on Benny.
I opened up my laptop and checked this blog that a girl I went to high school with writes. I have been checking it everyday since I came across it two weeks ago. It's the saddest thing. Her 4 month old daughter passed away two and a half weeks ago from what they think was SIDS. I don't check it to cry (although it did make me cry A LOT when I first started reading it). I really just want to see how she's doing. I can't fathom that kind of pain. I have had loss in my life, but nothing could compare to the loss of a child. Your child. So as I'm reading how she is struggling to go to the grocery store because everyone has a baby, I am reminded to stop and be thankful. Was today stressful? yes. But at least I had today. I had today with my son and my husband. I had today with my friends at work and my students that rely on me. I bounced Joel on my knee and made him crack up laughing, and I took some pretty cute pictures of him playing "sous chef" in the kitchen.
I am so blessed to have had today. I need to remember that more often.
Afterwards, we went upstairs and I tried to sit and play with him on the floor but he just wanted to climb up me- not be held- just use me as a step ladder :).
Benny had to work late and didn't get home until about 7:00 so at that time I was pretty done. I gave Joel a bath and finally sat down on the couch while he climbed on Benny.
I opened up my laptop and checked this blog that a girl I went to high school with writes. I have been checking it everyday since I came across it two weeks ago. It's the saddest thing. Her 4 month old daughter passed away two and a half weeks ago from what they think was SIDS. I don't check it to cry (although it did make me cry A LOT when I first started reading it). I really just want to see how she's doing. I can't fathom that kind of pain. I have had loss in my life, but nothing could compare to the loss of a child. Your child. So as I'm reading how she is struggling to go to the grocery store because everyone has a baby, I am reminded to stop and be thankful. Was today stressful? yes. But at least I had today. I had today with my son and my husband. I had today with my friends at work and my students that rely on me. I bounced Joel on my knee and made him crack up laughing, and I took some pretty cute pictures of him playing "sous chef" in the kitchen.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Let's go for a walk
Tonight Joel, Benny and I went out for our weekly Friday night family dinner. It was Freebirds tonight (trying to save some cash). Before Joel came along, Benny and I would always go out to dinner and a movie on Friday nights. Always.
I get annoyed with people that bring babies to movies. Not so much because the kid makes noise, I'm used to noise, but I just think it's wrong to make a baby sit in a loud, dark theater for almost 2 hours. So anyway, we don't go to the movies much anymore- which isn't a bad thing. Netflix is our new friend. But we still try to go out to dinner on Friday nights. It's just now it has turned into "family dinner night" instead of "date night".
Joel is such a good baby. He has yet to throw a fit in a restaurant or scream/cry. And yes I am probably jinxing myself and I'm sure it's coming one day, but as of today he's good. He is very content to spend his time trying to grab our food (he is VERY fast) or ever-so-carefully trying to put his cereal puffs in his mouth. He has also developed a habit of being interested in waitresses, not waiters, or any other teenage-ish girl in the restaurant. He will follow them around with his eyes, turning his head to see where they went. When he really likes the waitress he will smile and move his eyebrows up and down. It's too funny.
So tonight, like many other nights, we had a nice dinner and then came home. It was about 6:30 and the sun was starting to set so we decided to go for a walk. We strapped Joely into his stroller, leashed up the dogs, and we were off. Joely sat up in his seat looking this way and that the whole time, very interested in what was going on around him. I remember when he was a little baby and I would take him for a walk around the block to try to get him to stop fussing. He would always fall asleep. Then when he was a little older we would go for walks and he would mostly just stare up at the sky. Now he sits upright, looks around, and my favorite- turns his head around to smile at me while I push him along.
Benny and I talked a lot, the whole time actually. It was nice to get away from the tv, the noise, everything and just go for a walk together as a family. Joel didn't make a sound. It was like he was just listening to mommy and daddy talk about what's going on with this and that.
I think I would have liked to have gone on family walks with my parents when I was young, but I don't remember doing it. That's not to say it didn't happen, because unfortunately I have a pretty horrible memory from when I was little. But that's a memory I wish I had.
So I think another one of my mommy goals is to make sure Joel has a lot of those kind of memories with his dad and I. Simple little things like taking a walk and talking to each other. I know realistically I won't be able to give my son everything he wants in life, but I should always be able to give him my time. And what better way to spend our time than getting outside and taking a walk together? It's as simple as that. :)
I get annoyed with people that bring babies to movies. Not so much because the kid makes noise, I'm used to noise, but I just think it's wrong to make a baby sit in a loud, dark theater for almost 2 hours. So anyway, we don't go to the movies much anymore- which isn't a bad thing. Netflix is our new friend. But we still try to go out to dinner on Friday nights. It's just now it has turned into "family dinner night" instead of "date night".
Joel is such a good baby. He has yet to throw a fit in a restaurant or scream/cry. And yes I am probably jinxing myself and I'm sure it's coming one day, but as of today he's good. He is very content to spend his time trying to grab our food (he is VERY fast) or ever-so-carefully trying to put his cereal puffs in his mouth. He has also developed a habit of being interested in waitresses, not waiters, or any other teenage-ish girl in the restaurant. He will follow them around with his eyes, turning his head to see where they went. When he really likes the waitress he will smile and move his eyebrows up and down. It's too funny.
So tonight, like many other nights, we had a nice dinner and then came home. It was about 6:30 and the sun was starting to set so we decided to go for a walk. We strapped Joely into his stroller, leashed up the dogs, and we were off. Joely sat up in his seat looking this way and that the whole time, very interested in what was going on around him. I remember when he was a little baby and I would take him for a walk around the block to try to get him to stop fussing. He would always fall asleep. Then when he was a little older we would go for walks and he would mostly just stare up at the sky. Now he sits upright, looks around, and my favorite- turns his head around to smile at me while I push him along.
Benny and I talked a lot, the whole time actually. It was nice to get away from the tv, the noise, everything and just go for a walk together as a family. Joel didn't make a sound. It was like he was just listening to mommy and daddy talk about what's going on with this and that.
I think I would have liked to have gone on family walks with my parents when I was young, but I don't remember doing it. That's not to say it didn't happen, because unfortunately I have a pretty horrible memory from when I was little. But that's a memory I wish I had.
So I think another one of my mommy goals is to make sure Joel has a lot of those kind of memories with his dad and I. Simple little things like taking a walk and talking to each other. I know realistically I won't be able to give my son everything he wants in life, but I should always be able to give him my time. And what better way to spend our time than getting outside and taking a walk together? It's as simple as that. :)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Party time! Well, in 3 months...
So today I got excited because I realized I get to plan my first birthday party for Joel soon. For a split second I thought, eh- maybe we shouldn't have a "party" since he probably won't remember. But then I realized this isn't about Joel remembering. It's about us celebrating his birth. I will be inviting all those that were there at his birth, or shortly thereafter ;).
So Benny had the idea that we should do a monkey theme since we call him Joely Bananas. Well, I usually call him Joely B., but the B could be for Benjamin or Bananas, whatever :).
I was looking online and they do have some cute monkey stuff, but they also have some other themes. Pirates, owls (Who's turning 1? Ha!), ocean, and my personal favorite-magic. I think I will hold off on the magic party until Joel is older and could enjoy it. A friend of mine had a pirate party for her son once and it was so cute.
I love being a mom in this day and age. You don't have to be creative, you just have to Google and there's all the ideas you could ever need. So I think we'll go with monkeys this year. I want Joel to have a birthday party every year until he tells me to stop. One of my goals for myself as a mom is to make sure my son knows how much I love him as he grows up. I think making a point to celebrate the day he came into my life is a good way to show him that.
Now I'm off to Google monkey party ideas!
So Benny had the idea that we should do a monkey theme since we call him Joely Bananas. Well, I usually call him Joely B., but the B could be for Benjamin or Bananas, whatever :).
I was looking online and they do have some cute monkey stuff, but they also have some other themes. Pirates, owls (Who's turning 1? Ha!), ocean, and my personal favorite-magic. I think I will hold off on the magic party until Joel is older and could enjoy it. A friend of mine had a pirate party for her son once and it was so cute.
I love being a mom in this day and age. You don't have to be creative, you just have to Google and there's all the ideas you could ever need. So I think we'll go with monkeys this year. I want Joel to have a birthday party every year until he tells me to stop. One of my goals for myself as a mom is to make sure my son knows how much I love him as he grows up. I think making a point to celebrate the day he came into my life is a good way to show him that.
Now I'm off to Google monkey party ideas!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Joel's first sick day turned into a hospital stay :(
Like my other post, this is a late one but a significant one that shouldn't be skipped.
January 14th Benny had to pick up Joel from the daycare because he was running a temp. and had thrown up. So Benny took him to see Dr. Arnold and she checked for the flu and rsv. Negative on both and she tells us he just has crud in his chest and is congested.
So that night we give him tylenol to keep the fever down and he sounds very hoarse and congested. The next day we still notice congestion in his chest so we try steam showers, nasal spray, bulb syringe, humidifier, you name it we tried it. That afternoon he started sounding weasy and I notice when he would breathe in his chest was retracting. I kept asking Benny, "What did the Dr. say? Did she say he had croup?" This irritated Benny b/c he had already told me what she said, but I just couldn't believe that he was "just cruddy with congestion."
So eventually we called Carol to get her opinion on whether or not we should take him to the ER. She said he was probably fine, but it would make us feel better to just check. So me being the smart one that I am suggested we go to the urgent care clinic instead of the ER. There's usually not much of a wait there and I figured they would just tell us he had the croup and there wouldn't be much we could do about it (from what I had seen online).
Well we went, and he did have croup but instead of them reassuring me that we had done all we could and it would get better on its own, they told us to transfer him to the ER right then. What? Why does he need to go to the hospital?- This is what I'm thinking. Turns out it was a lot more serious than I thought, or at least it was at the point where it could have easily gotten very serious very fast. We stayed in the ER until around midnight before they told us they wanted to admit him over night to keep an eye on him. We had been giving him breathing treatments every couple of hours but he was still weazing and his chest was still retracting. At that point the doctor didn't seem to concerned, more just taking precautions so we didn't get stuck in the middle of the night with a sick baby, so I only shed a couple of tears. I stayed the night with Joel and let me tell you. Seeing your baby in a hospital bed crib is not a sight I ever want to see again. It was so pitiful. I wanted to crawl in there with him and hold him all night but I couldn't. He was so exhausted he was able to sleep pretty well.
So the next morning another doc came in to talk to us and ending up saying Joel needed to stay for another 24 hours for observation. That's when it hit me. My baby is really sick. I couldn't help but put my face in my hands and let it all out. It was mostly guilt for letting him go as long as I did before taking him to the doctor. It just falsely reassured me that he was okay since not 24 hours before we took him to the urgent care clinic, Dr. Arnold had told Benny he was fine and just "cruddy". She didn't even prescribe any meds. But the thing about croup is it's on-set is fast. Kids can go from being fine to an hour later barking like a seal. Joel's was so severe that he couldn't cough. He couldn't get enough air in his lungs to cough and here I was trying to sit him in a steaming bathroom. I felt for the first time like I had failed him. I felt guilty before for things like not breast feeding him when he was first born, but this was different and worse. I felt like I had put him in danger. I think at times I can be too relaxed about things and I need to stop and realize it's ok to be a little dramatic and over-protective/cautious when it's my baby. I guess I didn't want to be "that mom" that rushes her kid to the ER with every little fever or cough, but hey- I bet that mom's kids are healthy and that's all that matters.
So during our 2 day hospital stay Joel was his usual angel self. He was exhausted from all the breathing treatments and strangers coming in at all hours to check his vitals, but he never once was fussy. He would just sit in his crib and play or we would go for a walk around the halls and he would "talk" to the nurses. I was better knowing he wasn't hurting at least.
We got through those two days, Saturday and Sunday and went home Monday afternoon. We were off from work that Monday for MLK day, but I still stayed home with him Tuesday and Wednesday. I was pretty drained from being in the hospital all weekend and I just wanted to be with him. It would have drove me nuts to be away from Joel the day after he was discharged from the hospital. Plus he still needing breathing treatments from a nebulizer the next few days after, so I wanted to be the one to help him.
So here we are, over a month later and my little man is all better. The flu went around his daycare a couple weeks ago but he managed to avoid it and he has remained pretty healthy with the exception of a little cold he had in early February. I really appreciate all the doctors and nurses at NC Baptist though. They were so good to us when I delivered Joel there nine months ago and they were go to us when we checked in for the weekend. However, I hope I never see them again! :)
January 14th Benny had to pick up Joel from the daycare because he was running a temp. and had thrown up. So Benny took him to see Dr. Arnold and she checked for the flu and rsv. Negative on both and she tells us he just has crud in his chest and is congested.
So that night we give him tylenol to keep the fever down and he sounds very hoarse and congested. The next day we still notice congestion in his chest so we try steam showers, nasal spray, bulb syringe, humidifier, you name it we tried it. That afternoon he started sounding weasy and I notice when he would breathe in his chest was retracting. I kept asking Benny, "What did the Dr. say? Did she say he had croup?" This irritated Benny b/c he had already told me what she said, but I just couldn't believe that he was "just cruddy with congestion."
So eventually we called Carol to get her opinion on whether or not we should take him to the ER. She said he was probably fine, but it would make us feel better to just check. So me being the smart one that I am suggested we go to the urgent care clinic instead of the ER. There's usually not much of a wait there and I figured they would just tell us he had the croup and there wouldn't be much we could do about it (from what I had seen online).
Well we went, and he did have croup but instead of them reassuring me that we had done all we could and it would get better on its own, they told us to transfer him to the ER right then. What? Why does he need to go to the hospital?- This is what I'm thinking. Turns out it was a lot more serious than I thought, or at least it was at the point where it could have easily gotten very serious very fast. We stayed in the ER until around midnight before they told us they wanted to admit him over night to keep an eye on him. We had been giving him breathing treatments every couple of hours but he was still weazing and his chest was still retracting. At that point the doctor didn't seem to concerned, more just taking precautions so we didn't get stuck in the middle of the night with a sick baby, so I only shed a couple of tears. I stayed the night with Joel and let me tell you. Seeing your baby in a hospital bed crib is not a sight I ever want to see again. It was so pitiful. I wanted to crawl in there with him and hold him all night but I couldn't. He was so exhausted he was able to sleep pretty well.
So the next morning another doc came in to talk to us and ending up saying Joel needed to stay for another 24 hours for observation. That's when it hit me. My baby is really sick. I couldn't help but put my face in my hands and let it all out. It was mostly guilt for letting him go as long as I did before taking him to the doctor. It just falsely reassured me that he was okay since not 24 hours before we took him to the urgent care clinic, Dr. Arnold had told Benny he was fine and just "cruddy". She didn't even prescribe any meds. But the thing about croup is it's on-set is fast. Kids can go from being fine to an hour later barking like a seal. Joel's was so severe that he couldn't cough. He couldn't get enough air in his lungs to cough and here I was trying to sit him in a steaming bathroom. I felt for the first time like I had failed him. I felt guilty before for things like not breast feeding him when he was first born, but this was different and worse. I felt like I had put him in danger. I think at times I can be too relaxed about things and I need to stop and realize it's ok to be a little dramatic and over-protective/cautious when it's my baby. I guess I didn't want to be "that mom" that rushes her kid to the ER with every little fever or cough, but hey- I bet that mom's kids are healthy and that's all that matters.
So during our 2 day hospital stay Joel was his usual angel self. He was exhausted from all the breathing treatments and strangers coming in at all hours to check his vitals, but he never once was fussy. He would just sit in his crib and play or we would go for a walk around the halls and he would "talk" to the nurses. I was better knowing he wasn't hurting at least.
We got through those two days, Saturday and Sunday and went home Monday afternoon. We were off from work that Monday for MLK day, but I still stayed home with him Tuesday and Wednesday. I was pretty drained from being in the hospital all weekend and I just wanted to be with him. It would have drove me nuts to be away from Joel the day after he was discharged from the hospital. Plus he still needing breathing treatments from a nebulizer the next few days after, so I wanted to be the one to help him.
So here we are, over a month later and my little man is all better. The flu went around his daycare a couple weeks ago but he managed to avoid it and he has remained pretty healthy with the exception of a little cold he had in early February. I really appreciate all the doctors and nurses at NC Baptist though. They were so good to us when I delivered Joel there nine months ago and they were go to us when we checked in for the weekend. However, I hope I never see them again! :)
Changes
Joel is at it again. Growing up without my approval. So we are now in the process of having his two top teeth cut through. He's handling it well. A tad fussy and major droolly, but hey- that's got to be tough. He is also sprouting some new curls on his head! The curls are crazy when he first gets out of the bath tub. He looks so darn cute. He loves to take baths and acts like a little fish in the tub. I think he's going to like swimming. The other day he was sitting in the tub and all the sudden he just dunked his face under the water. I was sitting in the tub with him of course. He can right back up and took in a deep breath but didn't get scared or cry. He just kept on playing with his ducks and trying to grab the jets on the side of the tub.
He also mastered crawling a few weeks ago and is now cruising the couch on a regular basis. This is how most of his evening is spent. He will play with his toys for a while, but then he will come to the couch and go up and down each side. He stops to chat with me or Benny every now and then, but then goes on to the end tables and inevitably tried to grab something that we have to move out of reach. He is also learning what "No" means. I try to only say it when it is serious, like chewing on cords or going towards anything dangerous. He stops and looks at me. He used to smile and go back to the task at hand, but now he will usually move on to something else.
Just this last week Joel has started waving "bye-bye". For some reason he will not do it for Benny much, to Benny's dislike, but he does it to Pat when we leave her house every day. When we come home, we usually play in his room for a while before going upstairs. His new thing is to crawl out into the hallway and wave to me as he goes further out. He's so funny. He also crawled up the two stairs leading up to the kitchen the other day!
In less than 3 months I am going to have a one year old. Wow. But like I said before, I love watching him grow more than I wish he would stop. So far it has only gotten better, so I anticipate the next several, several years of my life to be what it's all about. I can't wait :)
He also mastered crawling a few weeks ago and is now cruising the couch on a regular basis. This is how most of his evening is spent. He will play with his toys for a while, but then he will come to the couch and go up and down each side. He stops to chat with me or Benny every now and then, but then goes on to the end tables and inevitably tried to grab something that we have to move out of reach. He is also learning what "No" means. I try to only say it when it is serious, like chewing on cords or going towards anything dangerous. He stops and looks at me. He used to smile and go back to the task at hand, but now he will usually move on to something else.
Just this last week Joel has started waving "bye-bye". For some reason he will not do it for Benny much, to Benny's dislike, but he does it to Pat when we leave her house every day. When we come home, we usually play in his room for a while before going upstairs. His new thing is to crawl out into the hallway and wave to me as he goes further out. He's so funny. He also crawled up the two stairs leading up to the kitchen the other day!
In less than 3 months I am going to have a one year old. Wow. But like I said before, I love watching him grow more than I wish he would stop. So far it has only gotten better, so I anticipate the next several, several years of my life to be what it's all about. I can't wait :)
My new Valentine
So this post is late. Valentine's already passed, but it was Joel's first so I need to write about it. He actually spent the day with his Grandma! Mommy and Daddy had to work and Mrs. Pat was home sick with the flu. Once Joel went back to school he was able to exchange Valentine's with the other kids. He gave out Scooby Doo Valentine's this year. We made the "Be Mine" and "Let's share Scooby snacks" ones out to the girls, Ally, Savannah and Lyla. Cole and Andrew just got the "You're a good little buddy" type cards. I think when Joel is in elementary he is going to hand make his cards for his class. Those store bought ones are so boring, but that will probably be what he wants. He wore a cool Beatles shirt that read, "All you need is love". If that's not the truth I don't know what is. My little family of 3 might not have a lot of stuff, and we may not be able to afford to go on a big vacation this year but that's okay. We have the best time just being with each other. Girls from work go to happy hour after a hard week at work. The only thing I want to do after being at work all day is go pick up Joel as quickly as possible. Benny and I are home-bodies and I love it. We have free entertainment 7 days a week. Joel makes me laugh (hard) on a daily basis. So we may live on a budget, but I'm right where I want to be in all aspects of my life.
All in all, it was a great Valentine's Day. We stayed at home and cooked dinner, and I had the two loves of my life right by my side where they belong. <3
All in all, it was a great Valentine's Day. We stayed at home and cooked dinner, and I had the two loves of my life right by my side where they belong. <3
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Pause Please
Joel is growing and changing everyday, which is what is supposed to happen. But for a moment I would just like a pause button because this is all going by way too fast. I can't believe he is almost 8 months old. But then on the other hand, I love seeing his little self develop.
So big things have happened since the last time I posted. Christmas! Christmas was awesome this year. It felt more like old times than any other Christmas I can remember since I was a kid. This is largely in part because of Joel. He got so many fun toys that once again remind me that he's getting bigger. He actually sits and "rides" this motorcycle toy we bought him. He can stay on it all by himself. He just needs help on and off it. Rattles aren't cutting it anymore, he needs more entertainment. We call the motorcycle his hog by the way.
We went to Houston, had secret santa and white elephant gifts with my family. It was nice to have "family" time with them again. Then we spent Christmas Eve at Carol's and Christmas morning at home with just the 3 of us. That was my favorite. Helping Joel tear off wrapping paper. Of course he just wanted the paper in his mouth rather than worrying what was under the paper, but to each there own. We put out cookies for Santa and he even left Joel a note! So glad Santa is stopping by again. :)
Then after Christmas, Joel had some surprises for us too. He sprouted his first tooth, which quickly turned into two teeth! He also has began to crawl around. He doesn't get totally off the ground on all fours yet, but he reaches with his arms and pushes with his knees. The funny thing about babies is no matter how many brightly colored toys line the perimeter of the living room, they always want to play with the computer, remote, or pull stuff off the shelves of the entertainment center.
Joel is my joy. He smiles and kicks his legs when Benny or I come in the room. He listens when he hears Benny come in the door after work and looks for him to come upstairs. He crawls over to me and pulls on my clothes to tell me he wants to be held. He opens and closes his hand on my arm as if he's trying to tickle me. And his laugh. Ahhh... if I could only hear one sound for the rest of my life that would be it. It is beautiful innocence personified. Sometimes he chuckles, but sometimes he really gets going and squeals, squeaks, and acts like he can't take it anymore.
It's so interesting to see his mind working now. He focuses on things so intently. I can see that he wants to understand how things work, what are they used for, etc. I can't wait for this summer. I want to cherish every morning that I get to stay home with him b/c like I said, I know it will be gone before I know it.
So big things have happened since the last time I posted. Christmas! Christmas was awesome this year. It felt more like old times than any other Christmas I can remember since I was a kid. This is largely in part because of Joel. He got so many fun toys that once again remind me that he's getting bigger. He actually sits and "rides" this motorcycle toy we bought him. He can stay on it all by himself. He just needs help on and off it. Rattles aren't cutting it anymore, he needs more entertainment. We call the motorcycle his hog by the way.
We went to Houston, had secret santa and white elephant gifts with my family. It was nice to have "family" time with them again. Then we spent Christmas Eve at Carol's and Christmas morning at home with just the 3 of us. That was my favorite. Helping Joel tear off wrapping paper. Of course he just wanted the paper in his mouth rather than worrying what was under the paper, but to each there own. We put out cookies for Santa and he even left Joel a note! So glad Santa is stopping by again. :)
Then after Christmas, Joel had some surprises for us too. He sprouted his first tooth, which quickly turned into two teeth! He also has began to crawl around. He doesn't get totally off the ground on all fours yet, but he reaches with his arms and pushes with his knees. The funny thing about babies is no matter how many brightly colored toys line the perimeter of the living room, they always want to play with the computer, remote, or pull stuff off the shelves of the entertainment center.
Joel is my joy. He smiles and kicks his legs when Benny or I come in the room. He listens when he hears Benny come in the door after work and looks for him to come upstairs. He crawls over to me and pulls on my clothes to tell me he wants to be held. He opens and closes his hand on my arm as if he's trying to tickle me. And his laugh. Ahhh... if I could only hear one sound for the rest of my life that would be it. It is beautiful innocence personified. Sometimes he chuckles, but sometimes he really gets going and squeals, squeaks, and acts like he can't take it anymore.
It's so interesting to see his mind working now. He focuses on things so intently. I can see that he wants to understand how things work, what are they used for, etc. I can't wait for this summer. I want to cherish every morning that I get to stay home with him b/c like I said, I know it will be gone before I know it.
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