Tickle-me Jack!

Friday Fill-ins!

1. The right word is sometimes hard to find.

2. Open and shut the door quietly, please.

3. Up in the air.

4. With family and friends is where you'll find me.

5. Ooh! What is that delicious smell?

6. Always being kind to others is a good idea.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to the St. Brendan's fish fry, tomorrow my plans include taking Jack to ODU for the Easter egg hunt & get his picture taken with the Easter Bunny and Sunday, I want to get Jack's 9 month pictures finished!

9 Month Check-up!

Hard to believe my baby boy is 9 months, time sure flies when you're having fun!! Jack had his 9 month well visit today & here are the stats: 28.25 inches long & 19 lbs. 6.5 ounces! Big boy!! The not so fun news: little man had an ear infection... this is the 3rd time he's had ear infections, the 1st time was a double ear infection. The pediatrician was as surprised as we were considering he's been sleeping at night & has been the same old happy Jack. So we're starting a high dose of amoxicillian & have to go back in 6 weeks for a re-check. If things are cleared up by that appointment, we're ok since it'll be out of cold season... if not, next stop will be the ENT specialist. No fun, but I'm hoping it won't come to that. Here are my attempts at getting a 9 month picture with his bear (I'm surprised he's not just a blur because he did not want to sit still!)

He's scooting off of his chair to come after me!

I guess you can tell how busy he is... crawling over his bear!

I hope to be posting a video later of him rocking in the rocking chair that was given to me by my grandma... its not long but still cute!

Splish Splash Bath Time = Torture

So, Jack seriously hates bathtime... he screams & cries the whole time! Well, tonight he actually did ok, still whined through most of it but was more open to the idea of playing for a bit. I have some input from the other mommies out there on FB I asked for tips & tricks. He was most interested in using his cup to splash (by interested I mean he stopped whining for a little bit), couldn't get the feet kicking to splash... I bet he'll be all into that.

Here are some cute pictures after bath... he gets so cuddly because he was so upset!

Having his prune juice nightcap!

This is right before he stopped to pee on our carpet then proceeded to chase Matt down the hallway. Hiliarous!

If anyone else has tips or tricks for bathtime, we're open to suggestion! Got to make this routine a little less like torture for all involved!

Macy's Fashion Director Challenge

I just played around with the Macy's Fashion Director Daily Challenge... I found out about it from Angie at 5 Vinez Monkeys! Here's the info:

"Calling all Fashionistas! Macy's wants to see you put your best foot forward with their new Fashion Director Daily Fashion Challenge. To help celebrate the launch of this exciting campaign (where you could win a $500 Macy's Gift Card!), Angie at 5 Vinez Monkeys is hosting a giveaway on her blog to give one of her readers a $25 Macy's Gift Card. You won't want to miss this giveaway! Stop by before 11:59pm ET on April 4th, get all the details, and enter to win!"

Friday Fill-ins!

1. Today I will be buying mulch and our first fertilizer treatment of the year.
2. You ask why and I say why not?
3. What do you think of trying to work, have a family and go to grad school, that is my current dilemma.
4. At Starbucks on March 23 with a coupon it's free Pastry Day til 1030 Friday!
5. People say that what we're all seeking is the truth.
6. The image I cherish most is either holding my son for the first time or the first time Jack got a huge grin and crawled to me when I walked in the door from work.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing with my boys, tomorrow my plans include getting Jack's 9 month pictures taken and getting a head start on Mother's Day shopping (I can only explain after Mother's Day) and Sunday, I want to relax with my boys, and maybe do some work planning out my flower beds for spring!

My Heart is Green!

So, I absolutely LOVE St. Patrick's day! I don't think words can explain how much this holiday means to me, but I'll try. So my mom's maiden name is Ryan, does it get any more Irish than that? (Okay, okay... put an O' in front of it and it does). While my heritage is only 50% Irish I am 100% Irish in my heart... maybe its my pale skin & freckles or my dark curly hair!

I am bummed I didn't have enough vacation time to take off and spend Jack's first St. Patrick's Day with him. I did manage to run home around lunchtime. Here are a few pictures of my adorable 25% Irish boy... hopefully he'll love this holiday as much as I do!

Jack's new favorite spot standing on his chair looking out the window!

I'm not sure why this is sideways... but its still cute! His outfit has a "My 1st St. Patrick's Day" message on a clover, could there be a more perfect outfit for this occasion as a crawler?!

His bib! Trying to get a good shot, but he was all worked up wanting food!

Deal of the Day, Week, Year, etc...

So I don't know if you all remember the crazy flight that we had going down to TX last October? Well, long story short... we got bumped from our flight & had to spend 12 hours in the Minneapolis airport with limited diapers on our way down to TX for my friend's wedding and missed the rehearsal dinner! Because we were bumped from our flight Matt & I each got a $300 voucher.

Well, we booked our flights down to TX (for another wedding) and I thought for sure that the voucher wouldn't cover taxes & fees and we'd be paying that plus the difference if we went over $300 each. Well, ticket prices were at $260 plus taxes/fees... ok great, we wouldn't owe anything over the $300! Well the taxes and fees were about $42 and wow, the vouchers covered it! So for 2 roundtrip tickets to Austin, TX we paid $5.80!!

Can't wait for Kathleen & Tim's wedding in just under 4 months!!

Friday Fill-ins!

1. I am so looking forward to seeing our nephews and my sister-inlaw next week.
2. Hoping to have cheese pizza later.
3. When you get so busy you need time to yourself.
4. My family is a big part of my life.
5. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask me, I love to help.
6. I need the beach, hoping to go on a trip.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to spending time to my boy, tomorrow my plans include hanging with Jack while Matt's working and Sunday, I want to do some spring cleaning!

NFP Class #4

Wow, so I've been kind of bad about writing each time we've had an NFP class but we had our 4th class this evening! Things really clicked after the last class but since then I've actually weaned Jack so I have a feeling that some of the aspects of charting are going to be different in our experience. Just need to pay attention to the observations!

I borrowed a reference book for the postpartum period that is used in the Couple to Couple League's courses on natural family planning. I'm really excited to read it because while I feel like going through these classes have been very helpful the class we're in is more geared towards engaged couples. The instructor couple has been extremely helpful in interpreting our charts during the one-on-one time.

Jack's Visit to the Zoo

Here are some pictures from when I took Jack to the zoo to see the animals with my friend Emily & her son Leo! The weather was beautiful, just a little chilly. I went ahead and got a family zoo membership and I'm so excited to take him there when it warms up more!

Looking at the baby elephant Beco!

Looking at the goat & sheep at the petting area of the zoo with his buddy Leo!

Friday Fill-ins!

1. Why are you making things more difficult for yourself?
2. I want you to take my word for it.
3. I wish I could control the weather then it will be on my terms.
4. I am kind of a control-freak, I never like to wait and see what happens.
5. I could use a nap.
6. If only Jack's tooth would come through and then we'd all be getting a lot more sleep.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to celebrating my SIL's new job with Matt's side of the family, tomorrow my plans include cleaning out my clothes for things to donate to Goodwill and Sunday, I want to relax!

Pampers Giveaway by Angie!

Pampers introduces new Cruisers with Dry Max! Angie at 5 Vinez Monkeys is hosting a giveaway on her blog, and is giving one of her readers a gorgeous Liz Lange designer diaper clutch AND a redeemable coupon for a free week’s supply of diapers of the all-new Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max! Be sure to stop by before 11:59pm ET on March 12th, get all the details, and enter to win!

Phone Upgrade?

Hmmm, so I know this is kinda early, because we're not up for a renewal until May, but I was wondering what all of you busy moms out there think of your smartphone. I really like the Palm Pixi that Verizon currently has out, the OS looks pretty neat... I just wonder if the extra money spent monthly is worth it. I find myself having a hard time keeping all of our schedules straight these days while working full-time and being a mom, and this is only the beginning if Matt & I are blessed enough to have more kids in the future!

So I'm asking you, what do you use your smartphone for or what do you find are major benefits? Email, internet, GPS? Also, what do you dislike about it?