Thursday, April 29, 2010
Family Fun
A couple weekends ago, we had the pleasure of going to my sister-in-law's baby shower (well, actually just my mother in law and I) and then the following day we had an all-family outing. My husband's sister, Sharon, came down with her husband, Ted, and their three boys, Isaac (7), Jonas (2), and Kaleb (4 months) from their home in Deer Park. We had a lovely day together starting with breakfast at Denny's and then a trip to a nearby park, followed up by a trip to the pool at our complex and then dinner at Pizza Hut (which was a disaster and Aaron and I will not go to a Pizza Hut again). The weather was BEAUTIFUL!! We could not have asked for a better day. Here are some of our pictures from the baby shower as well as the time we spent at the park. I'm actually not in them as I'm the one taking all of them, but that's usually the case. I'm sure people wonder if I actually exist! Enjoy!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Embarking on another adventure...
Ok, well it's not really an adventure per se, but I thought of trying something different. For one week every month, I plan to make one post every day with no words, just pictures. Some bloggers, like myself, are familiar with something in the blogging world called "Wordless Wednesdays" where instead of writing a post, you just add pictures and let them tell the story.
Well, in an effort to force myself to take more pictures of my kids (not that I don't take them, but I just don't always do it on a regular basis) as well as other things, I'm expanding that thought of one day in pictures to a week in pictures. I may have other posts within that week if something comes up that I feel compelled to write about, but mainly I would like that week to focus on pictures. So, I plan to kick this off next week and continue it on a monthly basis for as long as I can.
And speaking of pictures, look for a post sometime before Friday from me detailing some recent family pictures we had when a bunch of the Andresen clan got together. I finally uploaded the pictures...and I got some great shots!
Stay tuned for next week!!
Well, in an effort to force myself to take more pictures of my kids (not that I don't take them, but I just don't always do it on a regular basis) as well as other things, I'm expanding that thought of one day in pictures to a week in pictures. I may have other posts within that week if something comes up that I feel compelled to write about, but mainly I would like that week to focus on pictures. So, I plan to kick this off next week and continue it on a monthly basis for as long as I can.
And speaking of pictures, look for a post sometime before Friday from me detailing some recent family pictures we had when a bunch of the Andresen clan got together. I finally uploaded the pictures...and I got some great shots!
Stay tuned for next week!!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Natural Family Planning
Today marks the first day of a new endeavor for the Andresen family. After talks with my husband, we have decided that we are going to not use birth control anymore. I've been on birth control for the better part of 8 years (minus the times I was pregnant obviously). I've tried different methods including several variations of the pill, Nuva Ring, the patch, and Mirena. If you count the "morning after pill" then that would be one as well...however if you use Jaxson as evidence you can tell it didn't control much in my case. :)
Anyway, fact of the matter is, while I've had "success" with the pill, meaning no ill side effects, Aaron and I are both not really comfortable with relying on medication to control fertility especially since long term users can suffer side effects. The Nuva Ring, patch, and Mirena all caused reactions with my body and since I'm trying to be more natural of a person, I'm trying to eliminate all unnecessary medications and substances. For the last 9 months, I've really had issues with my system reacting to medication; first the bleeding and discomfort issues with the Mirena since July, and then the last 2 months (which coincide with the Trinessa), I've suffered with recurring bladder infections which could be tied to the birth control. Before that I never had problems and the last one I had wasn't responding to antibiotics and it was starting to turn into an acute kidney infection. So we decided to just let nature take it's course. I stopped my birth control immediately upon our conversation, and today marks the first day of my cycle ( a week early...yay for me, right?) and a new "era".
I'm both excited and nervous about this new development and the new changes. I've been charting and temping on Fertility Friend for my last two cycles, but since I was on birth control it showed that I was having "anovulatory cycles" so it wasn't really accurate in determining anything since I wasn't ovulating...which kind of defeats the whole purpose. I will resume the charting and temping now that I'm off medication so that I can truly learn more about my body. This is the part that excites me. For the first time, I am taking full responsibility and ownership of my fertility. To me, that's a pretty powerful thing. A woman's body can do a lot, which makes me proud, and I'm excited to learn more about myself in a way I wouldn't have really expected.
For now, Aaron and I are TTA (or "trying to avoid") because we are not quite ready to be pregnant again financially, but this will help us to gain insight into my cycles so that when we decide to TTC (or "trying to conceive") we should hopefully have success in a short amount of time. Not that we've ever had trouble so far; in all fairness, we've actually been most fortunate to have no issues with fertility. However, it's something that is always in the back of my mind as I've seen it happen to people who have initially had no problems and then cannot conceive again without a struggle. This is where the nervous part of this whole process comes in.
As much as we are not ready to have another baby quite yet, we are fully resting this in God's hands (and ours as well). Should it happen despite our best efforts to avoid then it obviously was His time, not ours, and we will work with that. However, I have to admit that Aaron and I are both excited at the prospect of actually planning a child. Both of our boys weren't planned; Jayden was a "trial by fire", not planned but not prevented method and happened the first month, while Jaxson was our surprise child who was conceived on two types of birth control AND during the one intimate time that cycle. Neither of us have experienced what it is like to actually try... and while that would be a wish or hope for some to have it come so naturally and without effort, we would love to wait and anticipate the day where we find out if we are expecting. Are there two lines? Is there only one?
Not to say that we feel robbed or jilted because our two boys were conceived so fast... they are blessings in their own right and we feel so fortunate to be parents. Our boys are our life. We just would like to try a different approach. So we will wait to see what happens on this new journey.
Wish us luck! I pray that a Fall 2011 baby will be in our future!
*** On a side note, I saw a Mirena commercial on TV the other day and I noticed that they added a clause in there which wasn't in the original ads that "if you get pregnant while on Mirena, it can lead to loss of pregnancy and fertility". Yikes!! I'm so glad that I'm not on that anymore. What a scary prospect!***
Anyway, fact of the matter is, while I've had "success" with the pill, meaning no ill side effects, Aaron and I are both not really comfortable with relying on medication to control fertility especially since long term users can suffer side effects. The Nuva Ring, patch, and Mirena all caused reactions with my body and since I'm trying to be more natural of a person, I'm trying to eliminate all unnecessary medications and substances. For the last 9 months, I've really had issues with my system reacting to medication; first the bleeding and discomfort issues with the Mirena since July, and then the last 2 months (which coincide with the Trinessa), I've suffered with recurring bladder infections which could be tied to the birth control. Before that I never had problems and the last one I had wasn't responding to antibiotics and it was starting to turn into an acute kidney infection. So we decided to just let nature take it's course. I stopped my birth control immediately upon our conversation, and today marks the first day of my cycle ( a week early...yay for me, right?) and a new "era".
I'm both excited and nervous about this new development and the new changes. I've been charting and temping on Fertility Friend for my last two cycles, but since I was on birth control it showed that I was having "anovulatory cycles" so it wasn't really accurate in determining anything since I wasn't ovulating...which kind of defeats the whole purpose. I will resume the charting and temping now that I'm off medication so that I can truly learn more about my body. This is the part that excites me. For the first time, I am taking full responsibility and ownership of my fertility. To me, that's a pretty powerful thing. A woman's body can do a lot, which makes me proud, and I'm excited to learn more about myself in a way I wouldn't have really expected.
For now, Aaron and I are TTA (or "trying to avoid") because we are not quite ready to be pregnant again financially, but this will help us to gain insight into my cycles so that when we decide to TTC (or "trying to conceive") we should hopefully have success in a short amount of time. Not that we've ever had trouble so far; in all fairness, we've actually been most fortunate to have no issues with fertility. However, it's something that is always in the back of my mind as I've seen it happen to people who have initially had no problems and then cannot conceive again without a struggle. This is where the nervous part of this whole process comes in.
As much as we are not ready to have another baby quite yet, we are fully resting this in God's hands (and ours as well). Should it happen despite our best efforts to avoid then it obviously was His time, not ours, and we will work with that. However, I have to admit that Aaron and I are both excited at the prospect of actually planning a child. Both of our boys weren't planned; Jayden was a "trial by fire", not planned but not prevented method and happened the first month, while Jaxson was our surprise child who was conceived on two types of birth control AND during the one intimate time that cycle. Neither of us have experienced what it is like to actually try... and while that would be a wish or hope for some to have it come so naturally and without effort, we would love to wait and anticipate the day where we find out if we are expecting. Are there two lines? Is there only one?
Not to say that we feel robbed or jilted because our two boys were conceived so fast... they are blessings in their own right and we feel so fortunate to be parents. Our boys are our life. We just would like to try a different approach. So we will wait to see what happens on this new journey.
Wish us luck! I pray that a Fall 2011 baby will be in our future!
*** On a side note, I saw a Mirena commercial on TV the other day and I noticed that they added a clause in there which wasn't in the original ads that "if you get pregnant while on Mirena, it can lead to loss of pregnancy and fertility". Yikes!! I'm so glad that I'm not on that anymore. What a scary prospect!***
Friday, April 23, 2010
Some people just don't think!
It's been a blur of a week. I've been so busy with work and stuff around the house that the days just started to meld together. I remember thinking that yesterday was Thursday, but for some reason it felt like Monday. I've been waiting forever for Friday to come. I think because of the craziness of this week (it had some great points too, like a lovely offsite for work that I was stressed out to plan, but turned out really nice...and the fact that Wednesday was "Admin Day" and I was surprised with cards, flowers, and a Borders gift card from the managers and associates) my emotions and stress just amplified and took over.
Where am I going with this? Well, it all went down yesterday really. It was the NFL Draft and that's, like, a monumental event for my husband. As in, don't even bother talking to him because he won't hear you. Trust me, I tried. I even was talking to him about football and he didn't listen. That is, of course, until I told him I was pregnant again (I'm not) and then I'd never seen his head turn so fast. Hmmm.... I'll have to remember that one for the future when I'm trying to get his attention again. Anyway, so the kids and I had been sent over to my mother-in-law's house so we wouldn't interrupt his "man time". I'd had a busy day at work and was tired from Jaxson not sleeping at night and since my husband is too much of a grouch to help with night duty (even though he's unemployed and doesn't have to be up at the butt-crack of dawn like I do), I was just tired and stressed. As soon as I showed up to get the kids they went from being "Grandma's Little Angels" to, well...not so angelic. Even more stress.
So I get home at 9:00 last night and we get Jayden to bed and attempt to get Jaxson to bed. The hubs was cranky with me because I was stressed and just wanted to relax. I, apparently, am not allowed to have "bad days" otherwise I get chewed out. Funny how he can whine and moan all he wants though. Men. So, in all his grumpiness he told me to just not talk to him the rest of the night. Okay...fine. Then I decided I wanted a spoonful of raw cookie dough (yes, I know I'm weird, but it's totally a family thing) only to find that the 3 POUND, $15 tub of cookie dough that was special ordered from my niece's fundraiser that I JUST brought home on TUESDAY was almost gone. Gone. I made ONE dozen cookies (half of which my hubby ate overnight when I was sleeping) out of a tub designed to make 4 dozen and that's it. Yeah, you guessed it...
My husband ate almost 2 pounds worth of raw cookie dough (with some help from my brother in law) in one day. I was livid. First off, I just bought it (and that's some pretty darn expensive cookie dough). Second, it's only been in our house for 2 days! Third, it's a special flavor so it's not like I can go to the store to buy more of it. Lastly, and most importantly, the whole reason I got it in the first place was because it was supposed to be for the kids and I was really looking forward to having some special time with the boys making cookies. Now? Not so much. I'll be lucky if I get a half dozen cookies out of the scraps that were left for me. Seriously, who does that??
One thing about my husband: he eats just because. He gets bored and he eats. Also, by my terms and maybe those of others, he's just kinda lazy. He'd get mad at me for saying that, but it's the truth no matter how much he doesn't want to admit it. He will eat anything that is pre-made because it's convenient.... and he hates to be inconvenienced. He also complains that we have no food in the house. Ha! We may not have our cupboards chock full of gourmet food, but we do have boxes upon boxes of Hamburger Helper, Rice a Roni, & Mac and Cheese. We have soup & makings for grilled cheese or lunchmeat sandwiches. We have microwave dinners, chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Problem with all of those is (gasp!)... that he has to actually make it or put it in the microwave!!! Oh, and then he complains that he eats like crap. Well, yup, 2 pounds of cookie dough, a whole pizza, and a liter of Diet Pepsi in one day will do it to ya! Duh!
He apologized and said that he didn't realize that it was important to me or that I would get that upset. He also didn't bother to ask, though. I love my husband, and, while part of me is rolling my eyes and laughing with irritated amusement and disappointment, I'm over the whole thing for the most part, but gosh... some people just don't think!!
Then, this morning I got Jayden up to get him dressed and I noticed that Jaxson's ceramic hand/footprint plaque that we made when he was a newborn was broken in half. We made one for each boy (and intend to make one for each of our last 2 kids) as keepsakes. When I bought the one for Jaxson, it was poorly made to begin with (like it was a bad batch from the manufacturer or something) and it was already chipping in places so I was looking for an excuse to try to redo it anyway. In comparison to Jayden's it looked like crap and I was disappointed with it. Confused as to how and why it broke, I pulled it off the wall and set it on the kitchen counter so I could try to repair it enough to use the existing prints on the new mold. Luckily it didn't break over the hand/footprint so I should be able to cast it again with the new clay and keep the same prints (seeing as Jaxson's not a newborn anymore, this was important), and therefore I'm not as mad as I could be. I can make it work.
Fast forward to about an hour ago when I receive a call from my husband. He asks me what happened to Jaxson's plaque and I said that I didn't know; just that I went to get Jayden dressed and I saw one half hanging on the wall and the other half had chipped and fallen on the dresser. I figured that maybe Jayden was playing with his basketball hoop and accidentally hit it with the basketball, as that was always our fear, but even that didn't add up as it had to have happened yesterday as it was intact when I left for work yesterday morning and Jayden was gone all day at Nana's house. When he got home, he went straight to bed and was out like a light so he didn't even play basketball yesterday. Then my husband chimes in: "Oh, okay I know what happened..."
As you know, my husband and brother in law were over at the house alone yesterday to watch the NFL Draft. Well, according to my husband, he was out in the kitchen and my brother in law went into Jayden's room and was playing basketball with his hoop. My husband heard a loud clank (like something breaking) and soon after, my brother in law emerged from Jayden's room like nothing happened. Aaron told him that he heard a sound like something breaking and asked his brother what happened to which his brother said nothing or just brushed it off like nothing. I guess at some point Aaron asked if he wanted to go and play basketball again and his brother must have said no or that he didn't feel like playing anymore. So I guess all the pieces fell into place for my husband and he finally understood what happened: his brother wasn't being careful with the basketball, broke Jaxson's plaque, and just ignored it. Just left it there and didn't even say anything to us. It would have been smart for Aaron to go into Jayden's room to look, but I assume he was too caught up in the Draft and just took his brother's word for it.
In all honesty, I'm really not all that mad that it broke as it seems to be repairable to a degree, but had it not been? Well, I would have been pretty angry. The thing that does irk me, though, is that my brother in law didn't even tell us and pretended like nothing happened. I mean, did he not think that we wouldn't notice the half-hanging broken plaque on our wall? Did he want to pretend like he had nothing to do with it in hopes that we would just assume that Jayden broke it? Seeing as we wouldn't have seen Jayden actually break it he wouldn't have been scolded anyway, but did the thought ever cross his mind that a 2 year old might have taken the fall and possibly been punished for something that he didn't do?
I can't completely fault my brother in law because, in my mind, I'm assuming the reason he didn't say anything is because he probably feels guilty and upset that he broke it knowing full well it was an important keepsake... and if that isn't the case, well then that's different. I'd also like to think that there was a possibility that he didn't realize it had broken, but given the state it was in and the sound it supposedly made when it broke, I find that unlikely as well. I know if I had heard the sound of something breaking, the first thing I would have done is checked out what happened. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but I can guarantee had the shoe been on the other foot, he and his wife would have been equally as mad or frustrated and would have expected the same honesty from us. I believe that honesty is the best policy and I guess I would have wished that he'd just said "Yes I did it, it was an accident, and I'm sorry." Even better, he should have just told Aaron up front when he asked him what happened. Yeah, we probably would have been irritated or upset, but not nearly as much had he actually said something instead of ignoring it completely.
Again, it looks fixable so I'm really not that heartbroken, but it does bother me that he didn't have the common courtesy to admit to it for whatever the reason. I truly love my brother in law, but gosh... some people just don't think!!
Anyway, have a happy Friday! It's beautiful outside, it's payday for me, and I'm excited to go buy some picture frames (and a new plaque for Jaxson) so I can finally hang pictures on our walls. Yes, I'm a bad mom and, even though we have taken pictures of Jaxson on a regular basis, he's a year old and I still haven't hung them up yet. Ha, what am I thinking!!??
Where am I going with this? Well, it all went down yesterday really. It was the NFL Draft and that's, like, a monumental event for my husband. As in, don't even bother talking to him because he won't hear you. Trust me, I tried. I even was talking to him about football and he didn't listen. That is, of course, until I told him I was pregnant again (I'm not) and then I'd never seen his head turn so fast. Hmmm.... I'll have to remember that one for the future when I'm trying to get his attention again. Anyway, so the kids and I had been sent over to my mother-in-law's house so we wouldn't interrupt his "man time". I'd had a busy day at work and was tired from Jaxson not sleeping at night and since my husband is too much of a grouch to help with night duty (even though he's unemployed and doesn't have to be up at the butt-crack of dawn like I do), I was just tired and stressed. As soon as I showed up to get the kids they went from being "Grandma's Little Angels" to, well...not so angelic. Even more stress.
So I get home at 9:00 last night and we get Jayden to bed and attempt to get Jaxson to bed. The hubs was cranky with me because I was stressed and just wanted to relax. I, apparently, am not allowed to have "bad days" otherwise I get chewed out. Funny how he can whine and moan all he wants though. Men. So, in all his grumpiness he told me to just not talk to him the rest of the night. Okay...fine. Then I decided I wanted a spoonful of raw cookie dough (yes, I know I'm weird, but it's totally a family thing) only to find that the 3 POUND, $15 tub of cookie dough that was special ordered from my niece's fundraiser that I JUST brought home on TUESDAY was almost gone. Gone. I made ONE dozen cookies (half of which my hubby ate overnight when I was sleeping) out of a tub designed to make 4 dozen and that's it. Yeah, you guessed it...
My husband ate almost 2 pounds worth of raw cookie dough (with some help from my brother in law) in one day. I was livid. First off, I just bought it (and that's some pretty darn expensive cookie dough). Second, it's only been in our house for 2 days! Third, it's a special flavor so it's not like I can go to the store to buy more of it. Lastly, and most importantly, the whole reason I got it in the first place was because it was supposed to be for the kids and I was really looking forward to having some special time with the boys making cookies. Now? Not so much. I'll be lucky if I get a half dozen cookies out of the scraps that were left for me. Seriously, who does that??
One thing about my husband: he eats just because. He gets bored and he eats. Also, by my terms and maybe those of others, he's just kinda lazy. He'd get mad at me for saying that, but it's the truth no matter how much he doesn't want to admit it. He will eat anything that is pre-made because it's convenient.... and he hates to be inconvenienced. He also complains that we have no food in the house. Ha! We may not have our cupboards chock full of gourmet food, but we do have boxes upon boxes of Hamburger Helper, Rice a Roni, & Mac and Cheese. We have soup & makings for grilled cheese or lunchmeat sandwiches. We have microwave dinners, chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Problem with all of those is (gasp!)... that he has to actually make it or put it in the microwave!!! Oh, and then he complains that he eats like crap. Well, yup, 2 pounds of cookie dough, a whole pizza, and a liter of Diet Pepsi in one day will do it to ya! Duh!
He apologized and said that he didn't realize that it was important to me or that I would get that upset. He also didn't bother to ask, though. I love my husband, and, while part of me is rolling my eyes and laughing with irritated amusement and disappointment, I'm over the whole thing for the most part, but gosh... some people just don't think!!
Then, this morning I got Jayden up to get him dressed and I noticed that Jaxson's ceramic hand/footprint plaque that we made when he was a newborn was broken in half. We made one for each boy (and intend to make one for each of our last 2 kids) as keepsakes. When I bought the one for Jaxson, it was poorly made to begin with (like it was a bad batch from the manufacturer or something) and it was already chipping in places so I was looking for an excuse to try to redo it anyway. In comparison to Jayden's it looked like crap and I was disappointed with it. Confused as to how and why it broke, I pulled it off the wall and set it on the kitchen counter so I could try to repair it enough to use the existing prints on the new mold. Luckily it didn't break over the hand/footprint so I should be able to cast it again with the new clay and keep the same prints (seeing as Jaxson's not a newborn anymore, this was important), and therefore I'm not as mad as I could be. I can make it work.
Fast forward to about an hour ago when I receive a call from my husband. He asks me what happened to Jaxson's plaque and I said that I didn't know; just that I went to get Jayden dressed and I saw one half hanging on the wall and the other half had chipped and fallen on the dresser. I figured that maybe Jayden was playing with his basketball hoop and accidentally hit it with the basketball, as that was always our fear, but even that didn't add up as it had to have happened yesterday as it was intact when I left for work yesterday morning and Jayden was gone all day at Nana's house. When he got home, he went straight to bed and was out like a light so he didn't even play basketball yesterday. Then my husband chimes in: "Oh, okay I know what happened..."
As you know, my husband and brother in law were over at the house alone yesterday to watch the NFL Draft. Well, according to my husband, he was out in the kitchen and my brother in law went into Jayden's room and was playing basketball with his hoop. My husband heard a loud clank (like something breaking) and soon after, my brother in law emerged from Jayden's room like nothing happened. Aaron told him that he heard a sound like something breaking and asked his brother what happened to which his brother said nothing or just brushed it off like nothing. I guess at some point Aaron asked if he wanted to go and play basketball again and his brother must have said no or that he didn't feel like playing anymore. So I guess all the pieces fell into place for my husband and he finally understood what happened: his brother wasn't being careful with the basketball, broke Jaxson's plaque, and just ignored it. Just left it there and didn't even say anything to us. It would have been smart for Aaron to go into Jayden's room to look, but I assume he was too caught up in the Draft and just took his brother's word for it.
In all honesty, I'm really not all that mad that it broke as it seems to be repairable to a degree, but had it not been? Well, I would have been pretty angry. The thing that does irk me, though, is that my brother in law didn't even tell us and pretended like nothing happened. I mean, did he not think that we wouldn't notice the half-hanging broken plaque on our wall? Did he want to pretend like he had nothing to do with it in hopes that we would just assume that Jayden broke it? Seeing as we wouldn't have seen Jayden actually break it he wouldn't have been scolded anyway, but did the thought ever cross his mind that a 2 year old might have taken the fall and possibly been punished for something that he didn't do?
I can't completely fault my brother in law because, in my mind, I'm assuming the reason he didn't say anything is because he probably feels guilty and upset that he broke it knowing full well it was an important keepsake... and if that isn't the case, well then that's different. I'd also like to think that there was a possibility that he didn't realize it had broken, but given the state it was in and the sound it supposedly made when it broke, I find that unlikely as well. I know if I had heard the sound of something breaking, the first thing I would have done is checked out what happened. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but I can guarantee had the shoe been on the other foot, he and his wife would have been equally as mad or frustrated and would have expected the same honesty from us. I believe that honesty is the best policy and I guess I would have wished that he'd just said "Yes I did it, it was an accident, and I'm sorry." Even better, he should have just told Aaron up front when he asked him what happened. Yeah, we probably would have been irritated or upset, but not nearly as much had he actually said something instead of ignoring it completely.
Again, it looks fixable so I'm really not that heartbroken, but it does bother me that he didn't have the common courtesy to admit to it for whatever the reason. I truly love my brother in law, but gosh... some people just don't think!!
Anyway, have a happy Friday! It's beautiful outside, it's payday for me, and I'm excited to go buy some picture frames (and a new plaque for Jaxson) so I can finally hang pictures on our walls. Yes, I'm a bad mom and, even though we have taken pictures of Jaxson on a regular basis, he's a year old and I still haven't hung them up yet. Ha, what am I thinking!!??
Monday, April 12, 2010
Jaxson's One Year Photos
So, we had Jaxson's one year photoshoot on Saturday and let me tell you how much of an experience that was...
Seriously, if everything could go wrong...it did. One thing that you have to understand is that pictures are very important to me. They tell a story and last forever. If you have nothing else, pictures can say a thousand words and are a wonderful way to solidify your memories; proof that things happened, to help you remember the time gone by as the moments begin to fade. My whole family thinks I'm crazy that I get pictures so often, but I want to look back years from now and relive those years with my boys when they were young...and maybe someday pass pictures down to them so that they have stories to tell their children from where they came from. So, yeah, they are important to me and I'm pretty anal about it. Picture day is a big deal for me, but it also always turns into a big headache. I should have known that Saturday would NOT be an exception.
So, originally our picture appointment was at 4:00. Lately, both of our kids have been on nap/sleep strike and it took us longer than expected to get them to bed. I had left with Jaxson to go to Value Village to see if I could find some cute clothes to wear for pictures since my wardrobe is so lame. Jaxson got part of his nap from sleeping in the car, but then was awake by around 2:30. Jayden was supposed to be in bed for his nap at 11:30. I get home by 12:30 to find that not only is Jayden awake, but that Aaron was scrubbing his carpet. Yeah, our sweet two year old boy decided to rip off his poopy diaper and smear it into his carpet because... "I not like da wear it," he says. Me: "Oh, you don't like the icky poo poo?". Jayden: " Yeah, I no like da wear the poo poo, Mama. It icky!" Only good thing from this? Proof that he's getting closer to wanting to potty train. He's getting good at telling us at times when he needs to go potty (which he will actually go) and he hates being poopy so he tells us right away so we can change him. Anyway, back on track.
So, we also had to get haircuts. I always look like the fat and frumpy mom/housewife in our pictures because I'm always so focused on getting everyone else ready and out the door that I neglect myself. I don't want to look back at pictures and feel like the fat and frumpy mom. I decided to spice my hair up a little bit, and we had to trim up Jayden's shag (seriously that kid's hair grows soooo fast...he should donate some to his little brother, haha!). That also took longer than expected, so I called the photo studio to see if we could shift our appointment back. They said they could get us in at 5. Cool, or so I thought. We still didn't get there until like 5:30 because of traffic and they had already closed, but were waiting for us. That made me feel like crap and I was already stressed about being late. I HATE being late to everything. Another of my pet peeves.
Then as soon as we showed up my husband said, "You aren't going to be happy...". Which I answer with a "Why, what happened?". Yeah, my dear sweet husband FORGOT to change our two year old's diaper and he peed through his diaper and pants and onto his car seat...and we had no extra clothes for him. So, he ended up taking pictures with pee-soaked jeans. You think that's it? No, then despite naps which were not long enough, both boys were uncooperative and cranky. Jaxson's teething so he's screaming and drooling all over his clothes and I couldn't get either boy to sit still long enough to take a decent picture where there wasn't crying involved. Then, they found these Easter egg props and both boys had to play with them, stick them in their mouths, throw them, and fight over them... We managed to get ONE shot at a family picture, so we just had to take what we got.
Although crying pictures were not what I envisioned, some of them did turn out to be pretty funny. And maybe one of these days I can get both boys to hold still long enough to get a professional picture of them together that I can put in my cute "My Boys" picture frame. Or learn to not stress out so much about something I have no control over. Ha, a mom can dream, right? Anyway, here are the shots we were able to get. We didn't order every pose, but we did get most of them as it was kind of slim pickings.
Here's our lone family shot. It would have been great to have Jaxson not chewing on his shirt, and for my face to not look so chubby with a cheesy grin, but oh well.
Funny thing about this is that I couldn't get Jayden to hold still without struggle for his two year pictures (we still got great pics) but when it came time for Jaxson's pictures, Jayden wanted to steal the show and get his picture taken. We couldn't burst his bubble so he got his picture taken too... :)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
One Year Stats
Jaxson had his one year checkup on Tuesday evening and I have to say that he definitely lives up to his nickname, "Little Man". Here are his stats:
Weight: 19 lbs, 11.5 oz. (10%)
Length: 30 in. (60%)
Head circumference: 18 in. (25%)
So, even though he's littler, he's still growing on his curve so there's nothing alarming about that. Dr. Rogers just said that he'll be a tall and slender kid, which is fitting as that's exactly how his Daddy is built. Everything else on his exam was passed with flying colors. He's walking everywhere, he can already say 4 different words ("mama", "hot", "kitty", and "baba") and he's working on all four one-year molars. The top ones have been partially in since last month, but now they are really starting to come through as are the bottom ones.
He also got three shots at his visit, which I always feel terrible about. He cried and cried, but as soon as I cradled him against me, he calmed down and was back to his happy little self. He has to go back in July for his 15 month checkup, but we got all green lights until then.
I asked his doctor about his constipation issue and she said we are doing everything right, but we need to just increase his Miralax. Jaxson does well with eating grains, fruit, and protein (meat), but he has a hard time with vegetables. He doesn't like pureed foods and so there's not a lot of "finger food" veggies we can give him that are soft enough for him to chew. We are also trying to cut down on how much liquid he has in hopes he'll eat more solid foods...and we are working on taking away the bottle and switching to a sippy cup. Luckily, he seems eager to use the cup like big brother, so hopefully that will be an easy feat for us.
Everything looks fantastic! He's a healthy and thriving little boy...and for that we are very thankful.
Weight: 19 lbs, 11.5 oz. (10%)
Length: 30 in. (60%)
Head circumference: 18 in. (25%)
So, even though he's littler, he's still growing on his curve so there's nothing alarming about that. Dr. Rogers just said that he'll be a tall and slender kid, which is fitting as that's exactly how his Daddy is built. Everything else on his exam was passed with flying colors. He's walking everywhere, he can already say 4 different words ("mama", "hot", "kitty", and "baba") and he's working on all four one-year molars. The top ones have been partially in since last month, but now they are really starting to come through as are the bottom ones.
He also got three shots at his visit, which I always feel terrible about. He cried and cried, but as soon as I cradled him against me, he calmed down and was back to his happy little self. He has to go back in July for his 15 month checkup, but we got all green lights until then.
I asked his doctor about his constipation issue and she said we are doing everything right, but we need to just increase his Miralax. Jaxson does well with eating grains, fruit, and protein (meat), but he has a hard time with vegetables. He doesn't like pureed foods and so there's not a lot of "finger food" veggies we can give him that are soft enough for him to chew. We are also trying to cut down on how much liquid he has in hopes he'll eat more solid foods...and we are working on taking away the bottle and switching to a sippy cup. Luckily, he seems eager to use the cup like big brother, so hopefully that will be an easy feat for us.
Everything looks fantastic! He's a healthy and thriving little boy...and for that we are very thankful.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Happy Birthday Jaxson Robert!!!
I typically don't like Mondays. I find it dreadful dragging myself to work after a weekend at home spending quality time with my family and it makes me wish Saturdays and Sundays could last forever. However, today is different... this is a special Monday; a Monday I have been anticipating and looking forward to for a while: my son's first birthday.
Today is a wonderful Monday; it was the best Sunday of 2009...and every April 5th from here on out will be a joyous day; it's the day I welcomed a son. How could any day be better than that? And how lucky am I that I have not one, but two special days of celebration for two sons whom God saw fit to bless me with? I feel so loved and am so grateful that I was chosen to be their mother and them my sons.
I cannot believe it's been a year (almost down to the hour!) that I wrote about being in labor with Jaxson, not realizing that his birth was only a quick 2 hours away. Or that it's been 364 days since I proudly announced that he arrived and shared the first glimpse of my son. Boy, how much a year can change things, and how fast it truly flies. I'm still in awe.
Happy 1st Birthday my sweet Jaxson. I love you very much and I am so very proud of you. 
Today is a wonderful Monday; it was the best Sunday of 2009...and every April 5th from here on out will be a joyous day; it's the day I welcomed a son. How could any day be better than that? And how lucky am I that I have not one, but two special days of celebration for two sons whom God saw fit to bless me with? I feel so loved and am so grateful that I was chosen to be their mother and them my sons.
I cannot believe it's been a year (almost down to the hour!) that I wrote about being in labor with Jaxson, not realizing that his birth was only a quick 2 hours away. Or that it's been 364 days since I proudly announced that he arrived and shared the first glimpse of my son. Boy, how much a year can change things, and how fast it truly flies. I'm still in awe.
At 6:13pm on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the opening day of baseball (as Daddy will remind me), our 7 pound, 18.5 inch long, blond-fuzzed, blue-eyed "Little Man" came into this world. Now he is a walking, babbling, one-year old who loves to snuggle with Mommy, romp with his best friend/big brother, dance to music, laugh and love. He is so much more than I could ever write about, and along with his big brother, he has truly touched my heart.
Happy 1st Birthday my sweet Jaxson. I love you very much and I am so very proud of you.
Love, Mommy
April 2009
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This past Saturday, we celebrated Jaxson's first birthday with a circus-themed party out at my sister's house in Gold Bar. I'm humbled by all of the family and friends who trekked down there and came out to celebrate this special day with us. It was a great party with good food, cake, and presents. Lots of laughs and lots of fun.
Tonight, in honor of Jax's real birthday, we are going out to dinner at Red Robin so he can have a sundae and they can sing to him.
Tomorrow he has his one year checkup so we can see how big he is.
Then, finally, this Saturday we have his one year pictures which were rescheduled from two weeks ago when we all fell ill.
Please enjoy some pictures from Jaxson's first birthday!!
Miscellaneous
Presents
Cake (and cupcakes!)
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