Crying it Out

Last week we had Jack's six month appointment/slash/shots with our Doctor. Branden came with me this time which was nice since Jack screamed his face off when he got the shots (and oh joy we get to go back tomorrow for a flu shot!).  When we were there we talked to the doctor about Jack's sleeping habits. Despite a few freak nights where he's only woken up once or twice on average the kid has been waking up between 6 and 8 times a night and I was getting pretty sick of it and far to exhausted to survive! I was feeding him atleast 3 or 4 of those times because it just made it faster/easier to get him back to bed.  The doctor stated very matter of factly that I have been spoiling Jack and if I keep it up he's going to expect it for the next few years and that we needed to start letting him cry it out. She told me to try it a few weeks and see how it worked and to just wake up with him once to feed him about the middle of the night. She said to go in and check on him when he cried but not pick him up or comfort him. I was not impressed to have to start this!

So that week we went home and began our quest to let Jack cry it out with his afternoon nap. He woke up 3 times screaming his face off for a good 10 or 15 minutes each time before going back to sleep. I was a wreck. I was crying and so upset. Branden was so wonderful comforting me and trying to make me feel better, but in my emotional state I decided to yell at him like some insane irrational beast. Apparently hearing my baby cry makes me CRAZY! But he continued to be understanding. His nap was so hard I did not think I could do it through the night, but Branden made me promise to try. That night he woke up 3 times screaming before I even went to bed, it was TERRIBLE. I went to sleep about 10:30 and he didn't wake up again until 1:30, I fed him put him back to bed and he slept until 7:30. INSANE!

everynight since (except one freak night he decided to wake up at 2:30 am and play in his crib) he has only woken up once in the night to eat. Its amazing! Its taken me a few nights to get used to it (who knew your baby sleeping better could be SOOOO painful for your poor chest!) but now I'm sleeping better than I have in months and for the first time since Jack has been alive I feel well rested its amazing!

I'm so shocked it worked so fast! Either I have a genius baby or crying it out really does work!

Days away at Grandma and Grandpa's

On Wednesday night last week at midnight the expansion to the computer game Branden loves came out and we both knew he would be obsessed at first. He walked to the video game store at midnight got it and played all night. Thursday morning (in order to save our marriage and allow him the freedom of a few days of indulging in computer games) I dropped him off at school and headed to my parents house for a few days so he could enjoy his computer and Jack and I could enjoy my parents.

When we got to my parents house we decided a fun way to spend the day would be to go and visit my very pregnant older sister (she is due Saturday YAY!). We had such fun. I haven't seen her house since they've done a bunch of renovations so it was good to see. Jack christened all her baby (Elron as we call him in utero)'s stuff.  He played in her jolly jumper and loved it soo much so we've borrowed it for now.  WE had lunch together, then decided to go shopping. The girls perused while my Dad watched Jack in the stroller on the benches.  

We went to baby gap and their were several ladies from my sisters ward that worked there and wanted to see Jack. So I went out and got him and brought him in, just to discover he had taken a GIANT duece and it had gone everywhere. Luckily baby gap is well equiped with a washroom and baby changetable as well as plastic bags. He had pooped eVERYWHERE it was the most enormous poop of all time. It was in his socks and all the way up his back, almost in his hair. All of his clothes were finished. ITs a good thing we were in baby gap because his wonderful grandparents bought Jack a new outfit. I'll have to take a picture soon, but he got the CUTEST shirt ever that says "I'm kinda a big deal" (quote from anchorman for the will ferrell impaired) and Branden has a shirt that says the same thing and I'd been looking forever for one for Jack. We were so lucky and he got cute knee high socks and cute sweat pants that will be super comfy for winter and warm! I secretly think the kid just wanted new clothes so he chose well where to crap his pants. Thank goodness for grandparents eh!

Jack sitting on his Cousin Elron and His Aunt Sarah

After the mall we headed back to my parent house, where Jack proceeded to not sleep but scream until 11pm and then woke up about a billion times that night. So the next morning we were set to go swimming with Grandma and Grandpa, but I was to exhausted so Jack got to have his first outing without me (we've left him with people, but he's never gone out anywhere without us). He went swimming with them and my parents said he was so good, didn't cry at all, charmed all the old ladies at the pool and was obsessed with splashing everywhere and everyone and then wiping his cute little face with the back of his hand. I was sad to miss his adorableness, but glad for the break.

Jack and his very proud Grandpa!

My mom and I did a bit more shopping that day, just looking around mainly and hung out. For dinner my Aunt sue and cousin Zach came over and Jack always loves them. Then Jack and I headed home to a very lonely Branden who was over his game and ready for me and Jack time. It was quite a fabulous weekend!

Jack and his adoring Grandma.

Six Facts for Six Months

Jack was 6  months old as of yesturday. I can't believe he is soo old! The last six months have been the best I've had yet, also the hardest and I can't believe how fast they have gone by. I was really, really hoping my sister would have her little baby boy yesturday, but no such luck. I though it would be cute if they were exactly 6 months apart, but oh well they will be close enough.

Here is Jack's facts for now

1. Jack thinks his feet are the greatest thing in the world. If you tap his foot to  his nose its a guaranteed smile/slash/laugh fest.

2.Jack loves to sit, he's become such a sitting champ lately. The only problem comes when he doesn't want to sit anymore he doesnt' know how to get out of sitting position so he just screams until I get him or he falls.

3. Jack is just the most pleasant baby on the planet now. he's alwasy been a really good baby, but was a smidge fussy sometimes and clingy. Now he will go to anyone, do anything and he just smiles and laughs and is just so agreeable. Its great. He still definately has grouchy days and moments, but he is just getting more amazing by the day.

4. Jack is finally getting hair! thank goodness. Its not exactly thick and lustrous yet, but he's definately got a thin layer covering his whole head now.. its sooo cute and soft. I love it. ITs soo long right at the back so it sticks straight up back there... so cute!

5. Jack is trying super hard to crawl, but he just ends up swimming on the floor. He hasn't figured out getting his body off the floor yet so he does the crawling motions ont he floor. its sooo cute. Occasionally he gets his tushy up and lunges forward and bifs his face of the floor. It makes me laugh!

6. Jack has the flirtiest smile I have ever seen. He is just so cute and whenever someone makes eye contact with him he gives this winning, adorable, charming, perfect smile. you can't help but love this amazingly flirty kid!

Memory Corner Round #2 Already!

Well I'm still unable to sleep from Jack wakings so I thought I would move up my schedule and move on to my second round of Memory Corner and hope that effort makes me tired enough to actually sleep.

One summer some time ago my good friend Kevin came down to visit me in my hometown of browntown.  As part of that weekend me and my friend Jacquie decided to take him and our other friend Andrea to the rope swing. The rope swing is a thing frequently visited in my youth, I spent one summer going their almost everyday with a large group of my friends. It is basically a rope tied to a tree over a dirty grimy river. You, as the name of it clearly implies, swing out on the rope and drop in the dirty grimey river. Doesn't sound to exciting now, but it was alot of fun! 

Picture of Kevin, me and Jacquie after our rope swing trip. Please forgive my hideous blond hair stage and welfocity (I had just jumped in a dirty grimey river after all).

So off to the rope swing we went this Saturday afternoon. When there Andrea decided that she didn't want to actually  jump IN the dirty, grimey river so she decided just to swing out on the rope and come back in. However, this was a big failure for her. As the rope swung out and back in Andrea missed her footing on the ground and swung back out again screaming all the while. Kevin, being the big strong man he is, decided it was his time to jump in. He yelled  out "I'll save you Andrea!" in his most heroic voice (which sent Jacquie and I into our first fit of hysterical laughter) and he jumped out to save her from the rope. He failed at this effort miserably!! He grabbed onto Andrea and the Rope as the swung back in, but did not have a good grip on the ground himself and out onto the rope he went with Andrea and they both went tumbling down into the river. Oh my holy heck did Jacquie and I think this was hilarious we collapsed into laughter as the two of them climbed out of the river. They were unimpressed, but Jacquie and I laughed and laughed and laughed. It was a grand day and we mocked Kevin for his failed heroics for years to come!

Kevin and I later that day, clearly he had forgiven me, but is making a very strange face for some reason?

Date Night

So this weekend on Saturday night Branden and I had a date night. Our good friend Elaine offered to watch Jack and we took her up on that offer. We were really looking forward to a nice, fun, romantic evening alone...

Know how to ruin a romantic evening alone...

Start it off by ordering copious amounts of chinese food...

You will then spend the next few hours alone watching Tropic Thunder and laughing at jokes that are too stupid to actually laugh at while on separate couches with your pants undone or in sweat pants moaning to eachother about your sore MSG filled tummies.

Not romantic, but we definately did have fun together.

So Jack woke up alot and refused to sleep from about 3 to 4:30 tonight and now I'm wide awake and unable to get back to sleep. So I was looking through old picture files and reminiscing and I found a picture of Branden the first night I met him. I think he's like 15 or 16. Ahhh.. how I love him, even so cute when he was a skinny little guy.

Memory Corner

This is the group of ladies I travelled to YSA stuff that summer and were witnesses of this event (actually I don't think Hilary was there that particular time,but she usually was)

The picture is Hilary, Heather, My sister Sarah, Me and Jacquie.

Recently I've been reading through my old journals while in the bathroom (too much information I know). I've been reading my journals from my teen years and I laugh and laugh and laugh at myself because honestly I was ridiculous and also I had forgotten many of the hilarious things that happened to me when I was younger so I have decided to institute on my blog Memory Corner where once a week (or so, basically whenever I feel like it) I will tell a story from my past that  I think is funny or important in some way or another.

Today I share the T-Rex story.

Way back in the day (which was a Friday in case you were wondering) my dear girlfriends and I were heading off to a YSA conference in Kingston. We arrived rather early so we hit the mall in town and were (for some unknown reason) browsing around toys r us. We found this jumbo t-shirts with a t-rex on them which for some reason we thought were hilarious and were joking about wearing and walking around the store holding our arms up in perfect T-rex fashion pretending to be t-rexs and saying in a growly voice "I"m a t-rex". I know this sounds retarded, but 4 girls together equals much silliness and ridiculousity.

Anyways fast forward to the conference. The second night there was a dance in a building by a harbour and it was the hottest building ever so everyone was sweatier than you can imagine (this doesn't really apply directly to THIS particular story, but I thought I would mention it anyways). Anyways after the dance we were walking back to our car and the boy that I liked at that moment was walking along beside us and started talking to me. And honestly I was such a spaz around boys I liked. I was super chill with boys when I was just friends with them, but when I wasn't friends first and just liked them out of nowhere... TOTAL spaz. I was (and still am, even with Branden now) about the least smooth girl you will ever, ever meet. So anyways he starts talking to me like a normal human being and I spaz out and all I can think of to say is "I'm a T-rex" in the ridiculous growly voice, with my arms raised up like a t-rex and then I ran away. ARE YOU SERIOUS? its probaly my most ridiculous moment ever. It was a tale told around YSA for years to come and everyone always mocked me by saying "I'm a t-rex" in a ridiculous growly voice, with their arms raised up.. UGH. So embarassing, yet still to this day I honestly think its hilarious and am proud of myself for being such a tool! (needless to say NOTHING every became of me at that boy, but a hilarious story!)

Half Way Done

Today marks the official halfway point of my maternity leave. As of today I have been off work for 6 months and have 6 months left.  This is a day (for some odd reason) that I have been dreading. It feels so weird that my time at home with Jack is half over. This morning while I showered and Jack laid on a towel on the floor beside me looking up at me, reaching for me and singing and yelling I cried and I cried. I got so sad at the thought of leaving him, which is pathetic because I still have 6 months left, but I just felt so sad. 

And then I decided this wasn't a sad day, this was a day to remind me to treasure my little guy. So I got out of the shower and spent the rest of the day playing with, cuddling, laughing with, throwing around and just adoring my little man.  And I resolved that the next 6 months will be even better than the last 6 months (if thats even possible). That I will spend more time playing with, laughing with, adoring and enjoying my little Mom. I will be a better Mom every day and I will intrench in him so firmly my total love and adoration for him that he will never be able to forget when he's off being independent at Day Care.

Joy in the Journey

This weekend was our Stake Conference. One of the focuses of this stake conference for us was finding joy in the journey and it really hit home with me because I think its something that I often struggle with. Somedays it just feels like I'm waiting for my life to start. I'm sure just about anyone who is married and waiting for her husband to finish school so they can buy a house etc. understands. But its such a waste of my effort and my life to just wait for my life to start. I really want to resolve to find more joy in the journey.  There are so many things about our life now that are amazing and that we will never have again.  With Branden in school he is around the house alot more and is able to spend tons of time with me and with Jack. Its such an amazing opportunity for us to get to be together so much as a family and I can really see the effects in Jack's relationship with Branden. I think I just need to appreciate more of what we do have now and stop worrying about what we don't have.

Halloween

Jack's first halloween went pretty well. He spent the day dressed up in a halloween onesie and the cutest pumpkin hat in the world. Seriously I don't care if its not in season I am putting that hat on him every day until it no longer fits his gigantic noggin'. It's just way too cute.

Halloween night we went to our friends Elaine and John's house to take Jack out trick or treating with them (we felt stupid actually taking him to doors when he is clearly to young for candy, but wanted him to have the experience).  So Branden and John took the kids out and Jack just watched the older kids trick or treat. He conked out on his Dad's shoulder after only a few minutes though so they came on home and helped Elaine and I hand out Candy. It wasn't too exciting for Jack but he did seem to enjoy it.

And now a photo montage of the event.

All dressed up in his Halloween outfit with his Daddy.

Cutest/drooliest pumpkin head EVER!

Ready to go out trick or treating

On his way out

Conked out on Elaine after he got back.

 He woke up after just long enough to develop a love of chip bags and smacking them on the ground. he fell asleep again still clutching on.

The next morning he was still loving the chip bag!

He Sits

So this past week (Tuesday, October the 28th to be exact) Jack finally sat by himself. We never thought he would. He hates sitting and hardly ever practices. He just loves to stand to much so goes stiff as a board when we try to sit him. But I have been vigilant about karate chopping out his middle and making him practice every day so now he sits. Obviously if anything distracts him he's over in a second. But when he focuses he can sit quite awhile. We are so proud!