You've got mail

I love getting mail. I love email, but I LOVE real mail. There is nothing quite like hearing the mail truck up the street and the anticipating what little surprises are awaiting me in the mailbox. Or if you're like me, it's equally as disappointing when you go to check the mail only to find it empty and realize its a federal holiday. And don't get me started on the proposed no-mail-on-Saturday scare.

Well on Saturday , I opened the mailbox to find an abundance of fun mail. And by "fun mail" I mean packages!

First, my sweet BFF Alisha sent me a package with a beautiful scarf (to match my Uggs I might add), a cd of praise music & a bracelet she made.







Triple fun! Not to mention the sweet note written on her custom stationary. It'll be worth big bucks one day when she's a famous designer - better hang on to that =)



Jackson also go some fun mail today. Bebe sent him a special note and congratulatory prize for giving up his paci.


He was super excited when he realized the package was for him - wonder who he gets it from?

Rounding out the mail stash were my February Costco coupons, my US Weekly, our new insurance cards, and some tax documents. Doesn't get much more exciting than that!


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Bye-Bye Paci

On Wednesday of this week, we decided to bite the bullet & send Jackson's pacis into the clear blue yonder. We've been talking it up for several weeks (or months...) now so it really came as no surprise to him. After a morning of fun at Monkey Joe's, we stopped by Wilson's and got a dozen helium balloons. He was super excited to pick out the colors he wanted. We loaded our circus in the car & I let him enjoy his last few hours with his beloved paci.



After nap, we tied a paci to each balloon and waited for Ben to get home for the big send-off. He couldn't resist as few last sucks.










{Being somewhat cheap, I only splurged on 12 balloons when in reality, we needed about twice that. Turns out each paci needed two balloons to set it free. I ended up throwing about 6 of the pacis in the trash - don't tell Jackson!}

And on the count of three, we sent all of Jackson's pacis to the poor babies who needed them.







**Note the single red balloon that Jackson hung on to.

Fast forward 2 hours. His remaining, paci-less balloon** escapes in the foyer. Out of our reach. Meltdown ensues. Meltdown becomes full-blown tantrum once he realizes that there is no paci to comfort him. Uh-oh. Ben creates a distraction by making a bounce house in his room and letting him go at it until bedtime. Thank goodness for co-parenting!

After multiple attempts at getting him settled down and us taking turns explaining that, yes, even the pacis in mommy's car got sent away to the poor babies, I finally laid down with Jackson around 9:45 and feel asleep until around midnight, at which time I stealthily snuck back into our room.

Thursday morning: No mention of paci until we get in the car for preschool. I go through the explanation yet again that ALL pacis - from the bed, the car, the drawer, all of them - were sent away with the balloons. And finally I think he go it.

The true test was when he slammed his fingers in the huge heavy church doors as we were leaving school yesterday. Yes, in the jamb -- fortunately not broken, just bloody. If this didn't trigger his screaming for the paci, then nothing will!

So 3 days post-paci, I'd say we have cleared this hurdle. Up next: Potty Training!!


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Dave Ramsey would be proud!

So after my discouraging "workout" at Curves, I decided to check out some real gyms. Ironically, that very day, I ran into another mom at Jackson's school who just so happens to be the director of childcare at Pivotal Fitness. My primary roadblock in finding a gym was my comfort level with the childcare services. Flash-back to Mystery Paci....and that was actually at our church where I am very comfortable with the childcare. So no telling what we'd run into at a gym!

Encouraged by what I was hearing about Pivotal, I took a tour & did a 7-day trial, which I really enjoyed. The childcare was good; they actually do crafts with the kids and have half-walls that separate the babies from the crawlers from the toddlers. They don't do diapers or feeding, which I think is good from a sanitation standpoint. So of course each & every time I've worked out, they've paged me because Weston needs to nurse mid-workout. Go figure =)

Anyways, I went into it the situation knowing that everything is negotiable, and it is not in my nature not to try to get a deal. So when the sales guy Brad gave me the pricing, I made a point of explaining that I don't work outside the home so my hubby would be by to check out the gym and if he liked it, then I could consider joining. Ben did his part & took a tour a few days later and gave me the green flag to join. (And while Ben likes to save money just as much as the next person, he doesn't like to hassle with it and pretty much told me to just go join instead of playing games.)

However, using some major Dave Ramsey strategy, I resisted from going into Pivotal on my own and just waited on old Brad to give me a call to close the sale. And as expected, he called exactly 1 day after my trial membership ended. The normal rate is $44/month, which rolls up to $528 a year. I told Brad that since Ben's company has a corporate discount program with another local gym, I needed to be at $30 per month. We were willing to pay for the year in full, but could not pay more than $360. So my buddy Brad comes back and says, "How about we do $348 for the year? That way you'll be at $29 per month." Um yes!! And just for the asking!

I makes you wonder how much money you could save just by asking.


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5 Months of pure joy

Sweet Weston turned 5 months on January 17, and we cannot believe how fast he's become such a huge part of our family. He's the most content, laid back, lovable, chubby baby and we cannot remember life without him.

His 4-month checkup was actually closer to 5 months, but he was just shy of 20 lbs (94%tile) and 26.25" (60%tile). He's wearing 9-12 month clothing and nearly in the same size diapers as Jackson.

We started him on veggies this month and so far, I've whipped up sweet potatoes & carrots. He's still trying to decide if he likes either of them.



As far as sleeping goes, Ben broke the up-all-night curse when he held "Daddy Bootcamp" last week when I went out of town. And after Weston's epic sleep that night, he followed that up on Saturday night with a 6:30 pm to 7:30 am stretch. And up until now, we've had full nights of sleep with only the occasional outburst. Thank you Jesus!

{By the way, I was able to get my hands a pic Ben took of the chaos that was "Boys Night". Notice Weston passed out on the couch.}



But Weston's most distinctive trait is his smily face. He's almost always happy. Its so easy to catch a smile on his sweet little face and I love it.






And this was Weston's reaction to me taking him in the bounce house in the Bjorn...




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Brave or crazy?

Venturing to Costco at lunchtime with 2 kids and no help...brave or just plain crazy?


1slice of pizza & a berry smoothie later, we got our shopping knocked out with minimal drama. Diapers, Gain, goldfish, baby spinach, yoga pants, clementines and olive oil and we were out. My only complaint: no samples to be had!! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Chomp Chomp

I'm surprised it hasn't happened earlier. Kids this age bite. And they bite hard! Thankfully, Jackson has never been a biter and I would MUCH rather be the parent of the bitee than the parent of the biter.


Today when I picked J up from preschool, Mrs. Betsy made sure that I saw the note on his daily slip explaining how he was bitten on the arm. Jackson was doing his own thing and his classmate randomly tried to take a chunk out of his forearm. Uninstigated, making Jackson a victim. Check out those teeth marks!


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Thrown a "Curve"

Once again, I have fallen victim to a Living Social "deal" that I thought was just too good to pass up. Still struggling with my post-baby weight, I snatched up the $15 deal, giving me a 1 month access to Curves.

{Side note: I have never been to Curves, all I know is that its a women's only gym & that appealed to me}

So last Thursday, I decided to activate my membership & I went to the local Curves to start my training. Oh boy. I was, without a doubt, the youngest person in there by a good 20 years. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against hanging out in diverse life stages....just not at the GYM. No lie, while the "trainer" was educating me on the various equipment, she had to excuse herself to go turn down the music because the lady coming in had issues with her hearing aid interfering with the sound system. Catch my drift?

So after 2 "strenuous" rounds of the circuit, I was barely breathing harder than I do after lugging my 20-pound five month old up a set of stairs. In fact, I didn't even have to shower after my workout. Enough said.

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Current obsessions

I've become quite fond of several new material things in my life, along with some other randoms that make me just plain happy.

1. My Uggs. Christmas present from Dad & Linda and I have worn them practically ever day since, despite the record high temps.


2. The Hot Spot mug. For a mere $3.49, this is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only does it keep coffee super hot for forever, you can also refill it for $.41 (including tax!) with gourmet coffee, flavored creamers & even a dollop of whipped cream. Pure bliss!


3. Karen Kingsbury books. I'm pretty much obsessed with her Christian fiction series and really think that the Lord is using these books to speak into my life. Try one, you'll be hooked.


4. My iPad. It speaks for itself, but I can attest that I have not touched our desktop in over 2 months. Plus its super handy to use while nursing :)


5. Fun Containers. Ben loves to make fun of me for collecting any & all plastic containers and storing them in my canvas bin appropriately labeled "Fun Containers". Ironically, Ben has raided my fun containers on numerous occasions and its unbelievable how often you need a small, disposable container.


6. Scout bags. Over-priced but super handy for everything from shopping, to beach trips to camping. The bags are made from tarp material and are all funky, bright prints.


7. Costco baby wipes. Buy them by the case & use them for EVERYTHING. Baby bottoms, faces, hands, make-up removal, dashboard dusting, counter wiping, baseboard tidying, you name it!


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A daddy-duty miracle

So this past Friday was my first night away from my little one for the first time. Ben was surprisingly upbeat about keeping both kids solo for nearly 36 hours, considering one of them doesn't sleep well at night.

So I was SHOCKED when I called to check in on Saturday morning to find out that Weston pulled a miracle & slept from 9pm until 8am. EPIC. I'm so glad he was so good for Ben; otherwise my next girls night away would be in the very distant future.

And to follow up the sleep awesomeness, Weston gave us 12 to 13 hour stretches of the sleep the past several nights as well. Hopefully we are on to something! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hallelujah!

FINALLY! Weston gave me an uninterrupted night of sleep. He went down at 6:30 pm, woke at 11 to nurse then slept until 6:30 am. It's amazing what 7 hours of sleep will do for a girl! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Christmas Jammies

I was inspired by a friend who has taken annual pictures of her boys in their Christmas pj's.

Never mind that my picture was a) taken on New Year's Day and b) Jackson looks like Lloyd Christmas because Mommy had just given him a haircut (you should see the back - sorry sweetie!)

Better late than never!


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Yum yum eat 'em up

As a nursing mom, I'm thankful little Weston loves to eat straight from the source. Jackson didn't take to nursing super well so I managed a hybrid of nursing & pumping for over 9 months. Weston, however, has been slow to take to the bottle and pretty much refuses it. He's pretty much been my side-kick 24/7 since he was born, except for the occasional mommy outing where Ben or one of our parents has kept him and he may or may not take his bottle. However, the true test is approaching...next Friday will be my first night away from my baby.

For the 3rd year in a row, my high school BFF Sally & I are heading down to Atlanta for a day at the Gift Market. We'll spend the night & head back on Saturday, diverting through Dawsonville to hit up those fabulous outlets. I am so looking forward to a little getaway and I'm super grateful for Ben being brave enough to keep both boys overnight. Especially when one of them wakes up every 4 hours to eat....and doesn't exactly like his bottle. The next 7 days are crucial for me to get Weston gobbling it up. Or else it may be a loooong time before I get away again!!

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Weston is 4 months old!?!

Wow, these 4 months have absolutely flown by. Too fast for sure. I love having a baby in the house. We are getting to enjoy stages that we didn't get to enjoy with Jackson. Now don't get me wrong -- its HARD -- but I love it. I am treasuring each stage this time, instead of rushing & pushing towards the next milestone. Now if he would only start sleeping well at night...

Weston has been rolling over for a few weeks now and is growing much more tolerant of tummy time now that he knows he's not stuck. This week he has reached the huge milestone of sitting up unassisted. How precious is this?

I also starting giving him some rice cereal by spoon this week, which he seems to dig. I'm thinking that he may be ready for solids in order to sleep better at night. However, I don't want this partial weaning to affect our nursing success so I'm apprehensive about doing too much too soon.

At Jackson's request, we've been giving the boys a bath together. Our tub is large enough to fit the infant seat and Jackson with plenty of room for toys & bubbles. Westie loves it and so does Jackson. Just makes more work for me trying to wash & dry off one little boy at a time & keep the other from drowning.

Weston is barely fitting in 9 month clothing and his size 3 diapers are being traded up for the size 4s just as soon as we run out. Weighing in at 17 lbs at 4 months, I am losing all hope of Weston being able to wear any of Jackson's clothes.

Skill-wise, Weston seems older than he really is. He tracks us well from across the room and seems very intuned to what is going on and shows appropriate emotions. He is reaching for objects within reach, and had more than once pulled over a glass of sweet tea which was left within reach of his perch in the Bumbo. Shame on us. Westie is always smiling and seems so friendly & happy. He loves watching Jackson and his eyes light up when he sees him first thing in the morning. He can bear his full weight on his legs when standing and we are starting to prop him up against the coffee table/couch/etc to see if he can figure out how to stand independently.

We love every minute of our life with these two precious boys. What little blessings they both are!