My Belated Mother's Day Post...

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you hot, amazing, and oh so talented momma's out there in blogger world! I have no good excuses at all why I didn't post this yesterday other than I was enjoying my own Mother's Day! It was finally nice here in good old Indiana so we were able to enjoy some outside time! I am crossing my fingers that we will be able to do this on a regular basis now and that the RAIN is OVER! :)

Some pics of Mother's Day 2009 (a rare occasion that Mommy and JD get a photo shoot...a perk of the day!) :)

I first off want to thank my own mother, we call her Granbecks :) (she too has a blog and posted a lovely mother's day post which includes some very embarrassing photos of yours truly...if you get a chance, click on her name and give her some blogger love) for being such a wonderful momma to me! My mother, if you don't know her, is one of the most caring, thoughtful and amazing individuals you will ever meet. She is also very kind. I am so glad and proud to call her my MOM and hope to instill in my children the kindness and love for others as she has done for me! I LOVE YOU mom, and Happy Mother's Day.

Second...some of you may have figured out that a lot of my REAL LIFE friends also have children around JD's age. Aimee, Brooke, Laura, Ashley, Brooke, Talia, Jessica, Jaimie, and Tara to be exact. Aimee is my closest of all of those real/blogger friends and between our really close group of friendies 3 of us were prego together (not planned because lets be honest folks...that would be creepy). Through the blogger world I have had the opportunity to "reconnect" with some of the ladies above and see their grown up mommy selves. I have to say that I am so proud of the women that are in my life! You are ALL phenomenal women and wonderful mommies! I think it is so fun that we all have children around the same age...we need to get together for some playdates so these children know each other! :)

Last but not least...yesterday in church our pastor had an interesting spin on a Mother's Day sermon. He read out of Mark Chapter 10:1-16. That chapter actually talks about divorce...so when I looked it up and saw that I was confused. But as usual he did a wonderful job of bringing God's grace into the message. A couple of things that stuck with me dealt with the priority order of family. Meaning most of us put our children FIRST, and ourselves last. But God teaches us:

GOD
FAMILY

CHILDREN

...and that really got to me. Mostly because JD has been the "center" of our world since he was born. And that sometimes (as you even know as I have blogged about it) I have lost myself, and admittingly P-Daddy and I have had to find each other (through the poop and bath time and spit up). I always knew God should be first and we strive to make him that way, but I thought it was more like...

GOD

CHILDREN

HUSBAND

ME

...or maybe that is how I LIVE most of the time?! Well anyway, its nice to regain God's intention on our lives. The second and last thing that he said that I loved is: " HOME is where God is at center stage...when God is there we can all find our proper place."-Pastor Greg McGarvey

I am certainly not trying to preach to you, at you, NOTHING like that dear readers! This blog has always been about me sharing my thoughts on life...and I found this refreshing and powerful. :)

Before he went into his sermon, Pastor Greg read the below. Something many of the mothers out there have received as a forward I am sure...but I couldn't resist posting this because I think it is perfectly said and very witty! :)

POSITION: Mother, Mom, Mama, Mommy, Ma

JOB DESCRIPTION:Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills! and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities.Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair,mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls,maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute,an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills,so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.

I hope each and every Mom out there had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Dear JD,

I have never written you a letter before because I just felt cheesy doing it but for some reason I have this internal push to do so now...so here I go.



You are 18 months, 21 days, 3 hours and 28 minutes old. I prefer to drop the whole "month" thing and just say you are 1 1/2...A YEAR AND A HALF...how did that happen already? I have this feeling that if you ever do read my blog you will be in your twenties and you will be like..."mom, seriously? You are a nightmare!" But I think you will probably eventually say those exact same words for some other nightmarish thing I end up doing along the way so I am going to continue blogging about our life.

This leads into the question of...have I told you that I think you are going to be opinionated yet? You will get this trait VERY honestly by the way...and Daddy and I have something coming for us I am sure. Well...at a year and a half you already kind of are opinoinated in your own "lost in translation" sort of way and Daddy and I LOVE IT! We are always going to encourage you to vocalize how you feel about things. But I am telling you right now, we are not always going to agree with you Mr. :)

Right now you are soaking everything in you possibly can and everyday I can see your eyes focused and your ears tuned in because you are a learning machine. You still aren't really "talking" but as said above, you do talk and share your opinions in the only (current) way you know how. Your favorite phrase is "Whats that?" (sounds like "wos aaaa?") and you ask that question about a cazillion times a day. We love it and answer each and every time because we cannot wait to hear that first clear as day word come from your mouth. Your favorite word (or closest to it) is "Dad" (prounounced "Da"). We have heard "ma" but normally only when you are mad about something. I hope this isn't a trend. We are so proud of your curiosity.

You do understand what we say though. Sometimes you try and pretend like this isn't the case, but you completely get us now. That is something Daddy and I weren't expecting and have really come to appreciate. I think we both thought you would talk first and then understand us. It really has been quite the opposite. You have understood us for months and do whatever we say (unless you are pretending you don't understand us, and this typically leads to a "time out"). Its amazing to have you understand what we are saying, because now we communicate with each other.

Recently you have decided to start climbing. You have always sort of climbed up on the ottoman but now its the top of the couch, the coffee table (where you also breakdance), kitchen table chairs, up and down the stairs and if I somehow the cabinets are unlocked from their babyproofing you would love to use the convenient pull out drawer as a step stool to get on the counters and dance.

Funny story...I always take you upstairs with me when I go to sort and start the laundry for the day/week (our laundry room is upstairs). You typically ride laundry basket over to start a load with me and then run around upstairs terrorizing night lights, blankets from your room, remotes from the guest rooms and anything else you can get your hands on. I let you because none of this is dangerous and it keeps you occupied. You never dare to try and go back downstairs as you are a little leery of going DOWN stairs by yourself. That is until the other day...when I was putting a load of laundry in and didn't hear you anymore. I yelled your name and still nothing. Then I heard something hit the hardwood floors at the bottom of the stairs (don't worry people this is a good ending). My heart stopped beating and I ran to the stairs thinking the worst. But there you were ALL THE WAY AT THE BOTTOM smiling the biggest cheese ever with the remote control (because heaven forbid you forget that anywhere you go) which had just fallen off the bottom step because you had carried it in your little hand the entire way down and dropped it just as you were hitting the first floor ready to run. So a chapter closed that day in our morning routine because as happy as I was that you were safe and sound, I also knew that could have ended very differently so you stay downstairs confined by gates in the safe living room while mommy goes to do the laundry. I am still very proud of you that you braved the big staircase all by yourself and went down the "baby way" safely.

You have also started giving us REAL kisses on the lips. This is something that you have done off and on since you were 9 months old but really you were more off than on. Lately if we make the kissey noise (translated MMWWWAA) you pucker your lips and make the same noise from wherever you are. Then if we ask for a kiss you lean in for and go straight for our lips! Its so freaking cute and we are enjoying every last one because we know that as independent as you are...this too shall pass.

We have always been very impressed with your motor skills. You were stuck in the same position in mommies belly for basically 9 months straight because of mommies oddly shaped uterus so I believe you came into the world and said "thank GOD" then stretched your arms and legs as far as they could go and have never stopped. I won't rehash all of your accomplishments on here because people read this and we aren't trying to brag on you (and I actually did document these sorts of things in your baby book so check there if you are curious) but you are amazing! Mommy and Daddy don't know all the ins and outs with "Gross" and "Fine" motor skills but everyone that comes around tells us you have them both mastered already. You recently started building huge buildings with your mega blocks (translated: large Lego's), did a "pudding painting" with GranBeck with an actual paint brush, and you color almost daily.

When you were an infant you HATED being naked. You peed through about a million outfits a day though so you were constantly naked throughout most days therefore you were screaming your head off. Everyone that came around found this very strange because apparently most babies love to be naked. Well to us you have never been "most babies" about anything so it wasn't surprising to hear that at all. At 1 1/2 you would now MUCH rather be naked than with clothes. In fact, given the opportunity you will undress yourself, even taking off your own diaper! This is not funny so please stop with the diaper business. We don't need poop on or in the carpet. Oh yeah...you aren't reading this until you are twenty...well anyway I hope you stopped, otherwise I have probably scarred you for life telling everyone your naked stories. Yes, I am totally going to be that mom. You also LOVE to pee in mommy and daddy's closet before and after bath time. We have purchased a potty because I am pretty sure you know what you are doing now. It may be time to start the process of potty training. I hear thats fun...again I will let you know in your teens in front of all of your friends how that one went. :)

Speaking of bath time...it is probably Daddy and my (and yours too) favorite time of the day. You have become this olympic swimmer/synchronized swimmer in our tub. You voluntarily lay back in the water with your just your face out of the water for most of your bath. You typically tell us "stories" while kicking your little legs as fast as they can go! Towards the end of every bath, as we are letting out the water you also flip over, stick your head in whats left of the water face first and blow bubbles. We did not teach you to do either of these things by the way so we aren't sure where you learned them, but we couldn't be more thrilled that you love the water as much as you do. We are, however concerned that your confidence is going to lead to you running up to the deep end of the community pool this summer and just jumping in. Due to this concern you will be living in some sort of flotation device whenever we are around water.

You never were a cuddler. I see all of my (and your) friends all snuggled up together for milk time or just because time and you are typically running around in circles laughing and "talking" (and lets be honest...on occasion screaming too). I stop you, sit you in my lap and give you a big hug and before I know it you are out of my lap and running again. I love your energy and am so proud of your mobility but I can't tell you how excited I am that you have entered a cuddle stage. This morning you came up to me as I was sitting at our kitchen table reading email and you stuck your arms up so I would pick you up and then just laid your little head on my shoulder for at least five minutes. This never happens so I am thrilled whenever I get those moments. I hope that we always hug each other.

A few of my other favorites are that you love purses and carry them around the house like a mommy (this is obviously NOT one of Daddy's favorite things), you know how to get the rocket started along with Little Einsteins (patting your legs and saying "pa, pa, pa" and then raising your arms in the air and saying BLAST OFF, or rather, "BAHHH"!-Its priceless), you dance on beat, especially when mom sneaks in some rap music to your life (you bump and grind and its hysterical), you are a ham and whenever there is a crowd in the house you use the middle of the living room as your stage and put on a lovely show (by running in circles and falling to the ground laughing over and over again), you go up to adults (people you know or complete strangers) and say "hiiieeee" and wave to them. You wave to people on my cell phone and cars on the road, sing the ABC song (just la la la-again priceless), you are trying to eat with a spoon or a spork with every meal but you ALWAYS stick your finger in and lick it FIRST (as to test to make sure what I have given you is actual food) before you decide that using the utensil may be appropriate, you know where your eyes, ears, nose, mouth and toes are...and you kind of know where your elbow is but most of the time when I ask you that question you just point to Elmo, and when daddy comes home from work you give me this shock and awe look on your face as you hear his car pull into the garage and run to the gate to greet him with a big smile and a "DA!"

I am sure this will not be the ONLY letter I will ever write to you but mostly you will get a lot of talking out of me. I guess the letter(s) will be few and far between so that you actually pay attention to the words instead of tuning me out (I am only assuming here...because I talk a lot and am sure you will get lots of earfuls that will warrant some tuning me out).

There is so much to say about you I could fill the entire Internet. You are such an amazing young toddler in every way. Your laugh is contagious, your smile warms hearts (especially dads and mine) and your pure will to do everything you do is inspiring. I think Dad and I are sometimes surprised at how amazing you are and that somehow we made you. Then the reality that everything we are currently doing is molding you hits us and we freak out for a second, then come back to reality and go back to doing our best at being your parents. You make us better people and we are thankful for you everyday. We always will be.

Love,
Mom

Professional Pictures and our First Trip to the ER

I will calm your heart rates first and tell you that our first trip to the ER with JD was very low stress. I actually wasn't even sure I was going to blog about it but I do think that it may help a fellow baby blogger out in the future...

Saturday we were all set to go to the local Pumpkin Patch, take the hay ride, pick out a few pumpkins and most importantly take some pictures of Mr. JD (at this point its all about the photo opp right?) :) I was sitting on the floor with JD in my lap reading a book before morning nap time and all of the sudden he started to rub his right eye and before I could even pass it off as him being tired he started blood curdling SCREAMING!! So I turned him around and looked at him and he would not open his right eye (insert a little bit of panic).

Dad, my eye hurts!

P-Daddy came into the room and looked over the situation and said that we should go ahead and lay him down for a nap (see if he would even take one), that maybe he was just overly tired and throwing a fit (although my instincts told me that wasn't true) BUT I settled, laid JD down for a nap and he actually fell asleep for 2 hours! So when he woke up, his eye was red but he seemed to be back to normal. I just thought that maybe he had something in his eye that had bothered it but now all was fine.

Then for the next hour if he got even close to the sun shining in the house he would scream, grab his eye and run away and sometimes even run into things (insert more panic). So I called the pediatrician, or THREE pediatricians total (everyone I called that was supposed to be on call had a message saying "call x doctor now because I am no longer on call today") so I left a message, Mr. On Call said go straight to the ER, do not pass "Go", do not collect 200 dollars, just go to the ER because they are the only facility open today that has the capability to check to see if he has a tear in his cornea (all my drama queen self could think of that moment was that he was going blind).

All better!

Indianapolis has a wonderful Pediatric ER that we went to. Its amazing, they were amazing and they made him all better! P-Daddy and I were calm. We were actually somewhat skeptical that it was anything more than something in his eye. That our first trip to the ER was going to be a big fat laugh because they were going to give us Natural Tears eye drops, chuckle at us a little, and then send us out the door with a big bill to follow in the next 30 days. Turns out we were wrong and he did in fact have a Corneal Abrasion. It was painful to watch them check for this BUT with some Baby Motrin, and the medicine he was SERIOUSLY all better in less than 24 hours. The eye apparently is the fastest regenerating (aka healing) thing in our bodies. Apparently babies get these all the time because they have something that has gotten in their eye and they itch it and it scratches the cornea. Who knew?


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Last year we had professional pictures taken as a family by Bobbi and Mike Photography. They are AMAZING and I am so glad that we invested in this for his newborn photos (see an example on the right of the blog labeled "family photo"), but this year we decided that JD should be the star of the show by himself and we went for a more "traditional" or what I like to call "old school" route and took him to Portrait Innovations (which I would highly recommend if you are thinking of going this route on photos. Their staff is professional, you can normally make an appointment and get in the same day, they are affordable, AND you get your pictures same day). Although it isn't completely candid (which is more my style), you can definitely see his personality shining through! Here a few of our favorites!

Our Favorite!

Mom, can we PLEASE still go to the Pumpkin Patch? These aren't real!

Dad stop! You are too funny!

I'm ONE!

Why don't we just take this Bear home with us? Seems logical to me Mom and Dad!

You want me to what? Sit on this chair...no chairs are for standing sillies!