A day of firsts...

Yaaaaay Jack and Mallory!!!
Tuesday, Mallory cut her first tooth; and Jack said "DaDa."

Jack is also very mobile. He now crawls from room to room. He has this facination with doors and cords right now. Biscuit remains his favorite thing to look at, though. He is amazed by him.

Were your children captivated by your pets?

Visiting Santa Claus

This a picture from Jack and Cousin Mallory's first visit to see Santa. I have one of him by himself, but wanted to include Mallory. :) It's hard to tell that she's actually older than him, isn't it?

Family Pics~October

I am so blessed!

I love his little vest with the dark background and blocks. It looks "old-timey." None of his shoes fit that day. Now I always keep a pair in the next size up.

6 Month Pics~October

With his favorite sleeping buddy

He had just started standing. You can't tell...but I was just inches away, terrified he'd fall.

What a sweet baby!

These were all taken right after his second haircut. I didn't like the straight bangs.

Seasons Greetings!

Life gets so busy during the holidays, doesn't it? I'm glad that Kevin and I don't sweat the money deal. We celebrate advent each evening and reflect on Jesus's birth. We enjoy the Christmas lights, Santa Claus, social events, too; but we choose to enjoy the cheer of the season...and not rely on credit cards. :) Kevin and I haven't really been shopping together, but we have discussed all the details. We've pretty much tag-teamed with Jack.

One tradition Kevin and I have is to give to charities. His whole family does it. We take the money we would spend on each other and donate to a charity of choice. Kevin and I like to send out a letter or email explaining the gifts we purchased with the rest of the family's sacrifice. Last year, we got a thank you card from one of Kev's teenage nephews thanking us for the gift. What a message! I never really gave from the heart in that way before Kevin, besides a shoebox gift or something. He has taught me so much about giving. He is one of the most selfless givers I know. We adopt a family from the community who is truly in need or give to the Care Center. There is such a need. I can't wait for the day Jack will be old enough to pick out gifts for another child his age...maybe in a year or two.

FOR SALE

This house is FOR SALE in Prattville. If you know anyone who is interested...let me know. I'll help you get in touch with the owner.

Beautiful, 4 bedroom-2 bath home in friendly, new, & fast-growing family neighborhood. Spacious master bedroom with cathedral ceiling and large living room with gas fireplace. Tiled kitchen with dining area and separate utility room. Foyer with wood flooring. Fully landscaped backyard complete with six-foot privacy fence and storage building. Recreational features including basketball goal and horseshoe pit in backyard. Carport area that opens to backyard.

Here's a link to our family photo session slideshow and Jack's six month pics. We waited until after the adoption was officially complete to have the family pic taken. I was just afraid to jinx anything. Jack was such fun. Kim is always so good at capturing his little giggles. Notice...he has no shoes on...I think they turned out cuter with his fat little toes showing anyway.

http://www.kimboxphotography.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?slideshow=jack

ps...no heckling the mommy pics!

This is my little buddy in his new "big boy" shoes. They're called Gotcha, but they look Sketchers. I've decided that it's in our best interest to have at least one pair of shoes in the next size up. About a month ago, we went to have family/6 month photos taken and Jack had no shoes that would go on his feet. It was like he had magic beans the night before!

Halloween

Jack was a purple dragon for Halloween. My niece, Mallory, was a little chick. My family came over to eat hotdogs and help give out candy. Rene and Scary Skyler and some other friends also came. We had a great time. Thanks for helping us celebrate guys! Here are some pics of the purple dragon and the chick. Jack also ate his first lolleypop. The cow is Aunt BJ.

Ok...I'm sorry!!! I have very little time left in my life. It's been difficult getting to the blog lately, but I've missed you all.

Today is a perfect example of my chaos...I went to the grocery store around 7 am before Kevin left bright and early for a business trip . He was kind enough to take Biscuit to the vet on his way out of town. Incidently, the vet called for my doggie about 10 minutes before Kevin left. We had to call a neighbor to see if she could help watch Jack while I pick Biscuit up this afternoon. He was going to be sedated and I didn't think it safe to drive with a scared dog and a 7 month old. Poor Biscuit has a torn ACL. He has to have surgery next week, but they had to sedate him today to be absolutely sure that's what he needed. Jack was very active playing while I was leading conference calls, calling my students, and returning a weekend's worth of emails. He was very happy as long as I stayed in his direct line of vision. He's so much fun, but he's also at that stage where mommy must be present at all times. He's teething again, too...fun, fun. He was dressed in a very cute, warm, and fuzzy sweatsuit until he puked all over himself at lunch. Not sure why that happened. He's not usually a puker. Maybe I fed him too fast. I spent lunch tending to frustrating "lazy student who doesn't understand why she's failing" issues. My 9 year old nephew went missing after school today because he all of a sudden decided he was old enough to hoof it with his cool friends. Of course both parents call his teacher aunt who's no longer a teacher. I spend 15 minutes trying to locate him at school, until we learn where he is and 10 minutes talking to everyone who kindly calls me back to report it. By this time I'm about 30 minutes late on phone call appointments with students. The vet calls for me to come get Biscuit, who it turns out DOES need surgery. It also turns out that he was afraid at the vet and needs to be crate trained in a week to prepare for his surgery and the recovery time he's going to spend in a crate while we travel for Thanksgiving. My little neighbor comes to watch Jack while I get Biscuit. By the time we get back, I'm 1 1/2 hours late on my calls. I finally feed Jack who's also wiped out. Then I spend the evening catching up on emails that should have been received during the chaos.

We're also selling our house, which I love, because we need more space. I know, you'd think 3 people could function in a 4 bedroom-2 bath house. Not so. I have a home office. Kevin has a home office. We have a bedroom. Jack has a bedroom. We hope to adopt again in a couple years and will need a bedroom for baby #2, we'll use for a guestroom until then. We love to entertain and need a dining room. We've been looking at houses for about 6 months now and have fallen in love with two in the same neighborhood. All we have to do is sell our house. So, if you know where I live and know someone interested. Have them contact me. The house is for sell at a great price. We want to move ASAP!

It's official!

It's official! We no longer have to worry about "them" taking our little boy away. Them is anyone who would ever consider it. Even though the birthmom had 48 hours to change her mind from the time of birth, we had to wait 6 months for the courts to approve it and make it official. Today was the big day. We had to travel back to Texas, not the birth location, to appear in court. I was nervous about it all weekend, but it wasn't bad at all. It was actually very pleasant, almost like a wedding. Our family was married today...I like the sound of that. We were officially united as one. Seriously, there were lots of "yes" and "I do" replies made by my sweet hubby. Lucky for me, I only had one "yes" at the end to imply that "I agree with everything he just said." The whole experience reminded me of Night Court. The judge was very friendly, excited, and happy for us. The bailiff took photos for us during the entire process. Afterward, the Judge asked if he could come around to the front of his bench to be in photos with us. He wanted to hold Jack for the pics. Since we were in a "family court" setting, there were other folks we didn't know in the courtroom. They were all behind the bailiff smiling and waiving at Jack, trying to get him to smile for the camera. Complete strangers were so excited for us. The judge and attorney said that Jack was one of the biggest HAMS they've ever seen in front of the camera. We were able to read some information about the law firm that represented us today, too. WOW! Very powerful! Extremely impressive backgrounds. What a relief! Kevin said that today had better be Jack's one and only time in front of a judge, except of course when he gets a little brother or sister. :)

5 1/2 months

I just love these pictures of my little man! I promise this is his personality about 95% of the time. He has become very active, though. As soon as he's up on those knees I'm going to need more help while I work. It's kind of hard to run with a lap top. :) If you look closely at the middle picture you'll see his new pearly whites! The bottom picture is the Jack we met this past week. He's becoming bashful around strangers. When someone he is unfamiliar with tries to talk to him he hides his face, doesn't cry, just hides. He also hides his face when he laughs some now. We were actually playing "peek-a-boo" when I took this photo. Notice how his hair is in his eyes?

Ok, I know...I'm way behind! Wow! There is so much to share.

Jack got his first tooth the day before he turned 5 months. He now has two of the most beautiful pearly whites I've ever seen. It wasn't as bad as I had expected. He was grumpy one Friday afternoon, and I couldn't make him happy. Usually he is very easy to pacify. Saturday was perfect. We had a great time playing all day. Sunday afternoon, I saw his first tooth barely peeking through his gums on the bottom of his mouth. It melts my heart when he smiles.

Jack can sit up all by himself...well, as long as I sit him up. The point is he no longer falls over. It makes playing with him so much more fun.

Jack is already in dire need of his second haircut. The hair over his forehead is already in his eyes. I am not sure who I'll get to cut it. My own beautician is nervous about it, but willing.

I think I've heard him say "Daddy" a few times when he was upset. I'm not sure, but I think so.

Jack loves to pet the doggies. He loves Biscuit and Birdie. He watches them all day long.

Updates

Updates coming soon... I promise!!! I have a very busy life these days. ;) I hope to have them up by Friday and Saturday. They'll be worth the wait.

First Haircut

Sorry for the hiatus. Life's been busy, and I didn't want to write an entry until I had photos to include.

Jack got his very first haircut a couple weeks ago. Thanks, Granny! He was such a good boy! He and his daddy had a big time talking and laughing. It only took a few minutes. Mainly, he just needed some shaping around his ears. It was more like a trim. We got the whole thing on video, but here are some cute photos.

Back to School

It occurred to me this afternoon that tomorrow is the first day I haven't gone "back to school" since I started kindergarten in 1979. Wow! I wonder how I'll feel. I think I'll miss all the kids with their hugs and high fives and summer stories. I won't miss the 25 mothers outside my door waiting one by one to tell me about their children's "special needs" as if I'll remember each of them. I hope I don't do this to Jack's teachers. I promise to try not to do this when he begins school.

I'm enjoying my job with WGU. I'm still in education. I make more mulah than I did with National Boards stipends in the classroom. I get to have lunch with girlfriends, work from any city with internet access and telephones, talk to students all over the country, and roll out of bed and stumble into my office without brushing my hair. I don't have to defrost my windows in the winter or do bus duty. How cool is that? I also don't collect hugs from ten-year-olds. I miss that the most. Leaving the classroom made me realize that I truly am a teacher at heart. I hope to return someday, but if I were teaching right now, I'd miss my precious Jack even more than someone else's ten-year-old. What a blessing. With WGU I'll be able to walk Jack to his own classroom and grit my teeth when I want to share his "special needs" with his very capable teacher.

***As a side note for all you teachers out there...I actually received an email from a student's mother the other day trying to excuse her daughter's unprofessional disposition. Yes, the student is already married and has a child. I wonder if she also explained her child's "special needs" in 4th grade. Probably...I'm sure that's why she finds it necessary to do it today. In case you're wondering...NO, I didn't reply. GET A LIFE!

Jack Hits the Road

Jack spent his first night away from home last night. All of my family had dinner at Mom and Dad's house for my brother's birthday. Jack spent the night while Kevin and I went to the movies afterward. It was really strange waking up this morning. There wasn't near as much to do. Kevin didn't know what to do with his hands while I was getting dressed. When we entered the church for mass, everyone looked at us funny. They were trying to figure out where he was. Some even worried that he had been "taken back." No, he's still ours. We just decided that 4 months was old enough for him to spend the night with grandparents.

How old were your children when they first spent the night without both parents in another house?

Unnoticed Decorating

Kevin brings Jack and me small teddy bears from every state he travels through. We've collected quite a few. When KJ was out of town for a few days last week, I finally found the time to put many o f them in a corner net above the chest of drawers in Jack's room. The following is a conversation Kevin and I had a couple days after he returned:

Me: (standing in the nursery) Kevin, you didn't even notice Jack's room.

Kevin: (alone in the office) Sure I did, baby.

Me: No, you didn't. You would have said something.

Kevin: (sneaking down the hall to peek in the nursery, unaware that I'm already in there) Well, there are lot's of interesting things in Jack's room.

When he entered the room we both were laughing so hard at Kevin's incognito attempt to discover what I'd done to the nursery. He was so caught! It's feels good to have a big belly laugh like that sometimes. Life can become so busy that we don't take time to enjoy the simple things.

Another Jack update...

Today, Jack found his feet. Actually, I think it possibly started Sunday. He's worn flip-flops and sandals, but usually goes barefeet. He wore white baby shoes (you know, the traditional leather kind your mother put on your feet) to church Sunday. He never complained, but I noticed him just staring wide-eyed at his shoes. I could imagine him thinking..."What in the world are THOSE big things?" When Kevin put him in bed with me bright and early this morning (yes, Kev was up bright and early and had already fed him) he was only wearing one sock. When I inquired about the status of the missing sock, Kevin just said, "Yeah, that's how he woke up." Figures, only Kevin would worry about Jack spending his whole day with one sock on and the other missing. Throughout the rest of the day I noticed Jack holding his toes. I think the big white shoes in church brought his attention to his feet. It appears he's pretty happy with them. He hasn't tasted them yet, but he's been playing with them all day.

I weighed Jack today. I couldn't stand it any longer. He's getting so heavy I just had to know the latest total. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but I weighed him twice just to be sure there wasn't any mistake. He weighed a whopping........16 1/2 pounds! He goes to the doctore for his next check up next week. So, we'll find out for sure then.

Other Jack facts:

• He kissed me on each cheek the other day. It was more like an open mouthed lick, but that's what he was trying to do. He was giving me love before going to sleep. Jack loves kisses.
• He sings back to me now.
• He can roll over both ways. Tummy to back. Back to tummy.
• He's eating cereal at night now. Loves it!
• He still needs a haircut.

Bloggin' Mamas~ Stacy said it best.

Jack and I met a few of my other "blogger friends" and their children for lunch at Chik-fil-a Saturday. We had a great time chattin' it up about blogs among other things. It was nice to get together with others who have interests similar to me. I know...I'm such a nerd. My personal observation is that blogs are becoming a new sort of virtual soap opera. You get kind of caught up in the stories people write about. You wonder what happens next in the saga. It's really weird to see how many folks from all over the world check out my blog. My favorite part of our excursion, though, was the hulk immitation (for those of you there). It was also nice to get out with Jack. It was the first time I think he's been around so many children at once. He was so quiet, checking everything out. Notice the wide eyes above. ;) Of course, I'm sure one dayI'll have a difficult time keeping him out of the air-conditioned play area. Geez..with all the babes we're holdin' you have to wonder who has time to type! It was a lot of fun, ladies. We should make it a quarterly thing.