"Stuffed" Blog Entry

Friday started off with a "bang". Jack and I played a little dress up for old times sake and headed out running errands. He got a lot of "Yee Haws" from the people around town that saw him. All he was missing was a hat!

When we got home from running errands there was a big box from Chicco at the front door. Guess the contest win was legit. It is a really nice stroller. Now all we have to do is decide what to do with it. Angela came over for dinner and brought with her bags of boy clothes for us to go through. Jack got over 40 items for a steal, dinner was great, the company was better, and from the headache I had the next morning it was obvious that the night was a success.

Nick had a staff development Saturday morning so Jack and I hung out waiting for him to get home and watch the Tigers play. He had planned to go downtown to work for Wayne, but Friday he decided to bring the work home to do instead....folding, stuffing, sealing, and labeling over 750 envelopes. We both worked on it pretty much all weekend but did take a break to head to a park near by to get some fresh air. The swings were way to hot for Jack so we didn't stay.

Shout out to Papa C and Bebe...Wouldn't it have been nice for Haggard Park to have put a sign out to warn us like this one? After seeing this we for sure ended our park visit and headed to Toys R Us to buy Jack his own swing for the front yard. In the parking lot at Toys R Us a bunch of birds flew over Nick and pooped all over his shirt, some of his pants, and the runner on the Pathfinder. Jack and I thought it was funny...Nick didn't. And hopefully it is just an isolated touch of bad luck...but the swing was missing a major part, it was the last one, and they don't think they are getting any more in :( . I'm going to keep looking though because I think Jack would love swinging in the front yard this Fall.

This week's vegetable is Zucchini. Since it is a green veggie that is not made by any baby food manufacturer...I made it myself. This was one of the many faces Jack made with the initial tastes of it...but by the end I think he liked it more than the peas.

The photographer was able to make it out this afternoon once the clouds cleared but our house just isn't the best place for natural photos to be taken....crazy since I feel with us facing West that the Sun is always beaming in here...just not enough for pictures without a flash. She did manage to get a few good ones that we'll share once she gets them to us. After dinner Nick and I worked overtime to get the envelopes finished, I met Ashley half way to make the exchange, and here I am about to call it a night in prep for another week.

Best Friends

Nathan, don't worry. Stick with me kid and this photo shoot will be a breeze.

I realize that our onsies are orange, red, pink, and yellow...just go with it.

With this newbie not sitting up we might be here forever.

With Mom things are always so much more difficult...it doesn't have to be perfect Mom.

I know little Nathan...just lean on me. It's almost over...I think!

Stay with me Nathan...I can't do it alone.

As you can see from the pictures above Ashley and Nathan came over for a play date today. There was tons of eating, napping, loosing bodily fluids, and another fun filled photo shoot. And yes...the printer ink is messed up so their onsies came out kinda girlie...but their strong in their masculinity. Tonight Ashley, Robin, and I are going to another huge consignment sale in McKinney...hope we find some good stuff.

Mamma Relle WON!

Luck hasn't been on our side lately....with the ants, the shoulder, loosing Nick's wallet, and then me being so scatterbrained last night I "left-lost" my credit card at the gas station.

Well, hopefully some luck is on the way starting with me entering a contest to win a Chicco C1 stroller in a contest and I WON!!! The e-mail came last night but I am not going to fully believe it til it shows up on our doorstep. Do Nick and I really need another stroller? Since we already have the snap and go, travel system, and the LSU umbrella stroller...probably not- but it is a really nice lightweight stroller that is worth $279 so we'll have to see if we want to hang on to it, try to return it to a store for credit, or sell it on Craigslist. Stalking baby sites on the Internet for hours upon hours has finally paid off :)

Check it out at this link. You mommies have til the end of the month to enter as well...they are giving away a stroller a day for the month of September. One entry per household.

http://www.chiccousa.com/product.php?productid=163&cat=5&page=1

Jack did really well at the doctor's this morning getting his 6 month shots and flu shot. I am usually the one that gets so worked up about it but he is clueless, cries for a few seconds, and then is just kinda off for a few days. He's napping now so here's hoping we have a calm afternoon without too much crankiness.

This picture is actually from last week. I went in one morning to wake him up (sometimes I think he'd sleep til noon- which is good, but messes up the day's schedule) and found him snoring like this.

Here is what his face looked like when I picked him up. Wub Nub had done a number on him. Good thing we didn't have to go out for awhile after he got up because it looked like I had beat him. Click on the picture to get a better view-it was dark in the nursery when I took this.

Guess he was sleeping pretty hard!

Pass (on) the Peas Please...

A meal for a King...Jack's first taste of a veggie. The selection today- peas. We'll continue peas for the week and every week we'll add a new veggie, then fruit, then end with the meats.

Jack's looking sleeping here because we had to introduce the veggie in the morning during his oatmeal feeding in case he was allergic to be able to notice any signs. Everything was ready- cereal and peas warmed to perfection, sectioned plate, spoon, bib, video camera rolling (Dad was at work), camera close by to snap these photos, and wet towel ready for the wipe down afterwards. Now all we need to do is taste it.

Initial response above the second the peas entered his mouth. What followed was DRAMA- gagging, coughing, grunting, and more gagging.

This response continued.

And continued.

And still continued.

The thought that it would get better with each spoon was clearly very wrong. I would feed him a few spoons of just oatmeal then try to trick him and put some peas on the spoon with the oatmeal...and every time he started his little "freak out" over. Finally he got so upset about it we finished the oatmeal and agreed to try it again with dinner....Nick fed him this evening and there was drama...just not as severe so maybe he'll slowly learn to enjoy it like the cereal. We'll keep you posted.

Whewww....No more activites...til tomorrow

This weekend was for sure....non-stop. It makes me have visions of what life is going to be like when we have more kids, extra curricular activities, and school work to be done...CRAZY!

The goal of the get together, other than for the boys to watch football was for us to get the 3 babies together for a photo shoot. This proved to be more of a challenge than we thought. Jack is obviously the leader of the pack because of his age...but he actually caused the majority of the troubles...he kept pulling out pacifiers and trying to suck on them, tangling his fingers in Willow's sweet curls, and trying to escape from the couch. This picture shows one of the many domino effects that we had....the others were one baby crying then the others, one hungry then the others, etc.

Despite the challenge we did manage to get at least one or two good shots of the Three Musketeers. The night was a success....Robin and I layed out, the boys got to watch their football and play Wii, and by the time The Parnell's left after 1 in the morning....the rest of us passed out. Can't wait til next time.

The photographer got in touch with us this morning and we figured since we will be traveling soon we should go ahead and try to shoot the pictures today. She uses only natural light so we knew that we were taking a risk with it being overcast...but if we held off til next weekend and it didn't work out...who knows when we would have gotten the pictures taken. We packed up and headed home from the Sullivan's, put Jack down for his nap, I rushed to get ready while Nick straightened up, and then it was time to bathe and to dress Jack. She had a hard time indoors because of the lighting, Jack wasn't smiling nearly as much as he has been lately, and with the outdoor pictures- turns out putting a baby in grass for the first time during a photo shoot wasn't the smartest idea ever. In the end the slideshow is wonderful and since only one family picture turned out due to lighting, she is coming back sometime this week to take a more of the three of us. Here is the link to the pics from today and I'll re-post it after we do the additional family shots. Make sure to have your sound on when viewing it.

http://www.thebirthphotographer.com/slideshows/Jack/

Jack napped for 2 and a half hours which he never does and here is a picture of him by 7 tonight. He was wiped out from all this activity. Hopefully this week will be a little more calm but with his shots, my physical therapy, and a few other daytime activities...looks like the whirlwind is starting over again.

All Dressed Up...You Know How it Ends

We all woke up and started getting ready for our photo shoot at 10 with The Birth Photographer. As things in life often work out...the phone rang and I knew what was coming. Her daughter was sick so she had to cancel on us. After a week of prepping the house, a shopping trip for flowers to add the final touch, and a beauty session this morning...we'll have to find another weekend when she can come. Looking at possibly tomorrow (depending on how her daughter feels and how the slumber party goes for us) and if not maybe next Sunday. Til then...isn't he such a beautiful boy?!?

Special Delivery For Jack

Jack got a special delivery from GG this week in the mail. When they were in town I showed her a taggie blanket that I wanted for Jack. Since it was easy to make, we had the fabric, and she is the best Great Grandma ever -she made Jack a blanket (actually two). They match his nursery and are full of different textured/sized ribbons for Jack to explore. He loves it!

Since we delayed his shots and aren't starting veggies tonight because of the slumber party we decided Jack deserved at least one 6 month old allowed item today... so we pulled out the sippy cup. As you can tell...he isn't too sure why the nipple is shaped so funny. After a little time playing with it we put it away til tomorrow.

Off to pack for the slumber party...hopefully it will turn out better than our pictures :)

6 Month Check Up

Jack had his 6 month check up today with Dr. Guetershloh. He did great especially since his appointment fell during feeding time and we had to take his bottle away to weigh him and for part of the exam. Dr. Guetershloh did a detailed examination, answered all 800 of my questions, and was very impressed with how well Jack was sitting up. I decided to hold off on his shots (he'll have 5 plus an oral vacination) til next week because tomorrow a photogrpaher is coming to the house and we want him to be himself...not cranky shot boy on Tylonel.

Here are his stats from his "report card:

Weight 14.7 lbs (5-10%)

Height 25.3" (25-50%)

Head 16.3 " (25-50%)

Physical Exam A+

Development A+

Tomorrow we have a very busy day. The photographer is coming over at 10 for a photo shoot then we are heading to Willow's house for a three family slumber party... yep, you read that right. The slumber party is starting off with Moms by the pool and Dads back home with babies watching football, then the Moms taking over baby care while the Dads continue watching football, then the night will continue with board games, Wii, drinks, talking....and hopefully peaceful sleeping of the three babies in their pack and plays :) Should be quite an evening.

Mom's Rotator cuff Intack

Jack is just as gitty as Nick and I are about the fact that my rotator cuff is intack and won't require surgery. When Dr. Rodgers told us I think we both had tears in our eyes. The recovery is still going to take about 3 months...but at least it won't be anywhere near as intensive as the surgery recovery would have been. I will have physical therapy with electric shock 3 times a week for a month before I go back for a follow up. We are trying to hold off on cortosone shots unless I am just not making any progress. Thanks for all your prayers!

Here's an added bonus picture of Jack in his PJ's. Sometimes (OK all the time) he is so cute that it is hard to put him to bed...I just want to hold him.

What's Better Than Squealing Raspberries?

Jack making Cereal Raspberries!

Thanks for those of you that have been checking on my shoulder injury. The results are in from my MRI but they will not discuss them with me over the phone(ANNOYING). I have an appointment at the end of the week with the Orthopedic Surgeon to discuss my injury and the route of treatment.

Pray for the best and prepare for the worst...that is how we are handling it....and with medication of course.

We'll keep you posted!

Squealing Raspberries

After Mom and Dad left- Nick, Jack, and I were laying on the bed. Jack sat with us forever squealing and making raspberries. Catching him on camera or video is so hard because he wants all electronics, but Nick was able to capture some of his "music" with with the digital camera.

Not Good-Bye, But See Ya Later

Papa C and BeBe left this morning. We appreciated all them coming so that I could get somethings done, go to the doctor, and spend time with them. It was sad to see them go, but it won't be long before Jack takes his first flight to go to the LSU-Florida Game and we are staying all week til my reunion the following weekend. Who knows what exciting tricks he'll be doing then...this weekend he started to reach his arms up for you to pick him up. We've been waiting for months for him to do that. Guess only time will tell...till then, I'll keep ya'll posted.

Happy 1/2 Year Brithday Jack!

Jack is 6 Months Old!

1/2 a Year!

Wow!

It is so hard to believe that Jack is already 6 months old. It seems like last month that Mom was here helping me because he was so little. Now she is here helping me and he is sitting up on his own, eating cereal, and is full of personality.

Jack's birthday card to Papa C had these stickers for them to share that that could wear to show the world that they are a great pair.

Wednesday BeBe got to go with Jack to Gymboree so Saturday Papa C had his turn. Nick swears that they were well behaved but I guess I'll find out when we go on Wednesday if they tell me Papa C and Jack were too rowdy. I do know that Jack passed out like usual in the parking lot and Papa C was pretty worn out himself.

While they were at Gymboree Mom took me to get my MRI (results on Wednesday-pray it's not their prediction-torn rotator cuff which requires a surgery with a 2 month recovery) and then we shopped at the outlet mall. Jack and Baby Saia got lots of goodies at their great sales.

After everyone napped and recharged Jack got into his nice LSU polo romper from Betsy, we headed to dinner at El Fenix, and ended the night at Half Priced Books. By the time we got home...everyone was ready to call it a night.

Happy Birthday Papa C!

Friday was Papa C's Birthday! He got to Dallas around lunch time so we packed up the car and headed to the park for a picnic.

Our picnic was fun! We ate Subway sandwiches and chips (Jack had a bottle of course), played with toys, and blew bubbles.

Papa C and Jack played on the playground equipment. Down the slide they went, Peek a Boo from the top of the jungle gym they played, but the swing was too hot for Jack's little bottom.

Midway through our picnic we noticed that the bottom of our feet looked like we'd walked through blue/green Easter Egg dye. Of course the remainder of the picnic I was obsessing over what pesticide/fertilizer it was and if it was harmful to us. When we got home to protect our "lovely carpet" we stopped in the kitchen to all clean our feet. It took a few washings to come off and after a call to the Plano Parks and Recreation we got the name and MRS number of the Winter Spray in case one of us got sick. They assured us it was non-toxic...but we'll see in a few years if Jack has a third arm growing out his back.

Of course Papa C gave Jack a bath! The table and floor were soaking when they were done.

Jack had already hit the sack(our bed because Willow had claimed his crib) but Dad's Birthday ended nicely with a Weight Watcher pie...after Dickey's Bar B Que for dinner. Do you think they balance out?

Bebe to the Rescue

Jack and I picked Bebe up at the airport this morning. The weather was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL so we picked up sandwiches and headed to the park for a picnic. After that it was time for Gymboree. This week we are working on tunnels....Jack took awhile to warm up to them...they were more fun when friends joined him in the tunnel. Then it was visiting at home, dinner, and Mom watching Jack tonight so Nick and I could go run some errands. Tomorrow Mom is in charge of Jack so I can get some things done that have been on my list since March.

Jack loves his Bebe!

The sun was in his eyes but he like the big kid swing

Jack and Travis in a tunnel

Bebe dancing with Jack

Parachute and Bubbles....look closely...one is on the tip of Jack's nose

He ate all his dinner with no fussing and even wanted more

Jack's First Haircut...

Today was Jack's first haircut. We took him to Jo Jean because all of you know how obsessive I am about hair and so far she is the only stylist that I trust in the DFW area. There are a ton of those kiddo places around here...but you never know what you are going to get there. Nick met us after school so he could be there for the monumental event.

Before the haircut- Out of Control

No Going Back Now

Wub Nub Duck Helped to Keep Him Still

Getting some hair products to style

The Relle Clan

Jack did absolutely great getting his haircut! Nick held him, I was the videographer/photographer, and obviously Jo Jean was in charge of the cut. The only "trouble" we had was that Jack thought Jo Jean was so pretty that he kept turning to look at her when she was trying to cut his hair. The final product....a little shorter in the front than we had anticipated making him look like a big boy instead of our little baby...but I know that it will grow back before we know it and any hair cut was going to make him look like a big boy because he is growing up. The curl has been preserved in a special silver jar in a wooden box where his birth certificate is and later his first tooth.