In Our Sunday Go To Meetin' Clothes

Jon David's mimi bought him all these cute baby boy clothes just like she used to dress his daddy in when he was little. We dressed him for church and he was a hit with all the ladies. He looked SO sweet and I can imagine my hubby and his chubby baby legs wearing similar outfits. Very fun!

That's about all the news that's fit to print. We had a great weekend and everyone is doing well! Praise the Lord!

Nothing Runs Like a Deere

After days of pink frying pans and kisses, Jon David was ready to hang out with a real "man's man." Good thing our next stop was to see Ryan. Ryan is one cool dude. He has a lawn mower, trucks aplenty and a John Deere hat that he let my boy borrow. Though not completely comfortable with all the affection my sweet son wanted to show, Ryan was a good sport and allowed Jon David to hug him. Here are some pictures of the guys working in the yard.

"Ryan, how much gas does this thing take? 50 gallons?"

(The "Do Not Copy" markings are necessary because there are bad people out there who steal people's pictures from blogs and do whatever they want to them. Thanks to Erin for alerting me to this. It's a TOTAL drag and takes A LOT more time to get these posts out. But, I want to protect my boy and our family's photos. Ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Little Casanova

Jon David enjoyed sweet reunions with his lady friends last week. He spent most of his time with his very first friend, Jordan. They were both very happy to see each other and there was lots of PDA (public displays of affection). The hugs and the kisses were plentiful! Can you blame him? Look at that sweet face!

Yes, Jordan - you are busted! I see you kissing my boy!

After spending so much time being a guy and hanging out with Tyler, Jon David surprised me by being able to play so nicely with Jordan's toys. He took to her pink frying pan as if it were the coolest truck he'd ever seen. He was impressed with her neat car and enjoyed making his car sounds ("vrooom vroom") and hopping in for a ride.

Next, we spent an afternoon with Eleanor who wasted no time in wooing Jon David. See her below whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

"Hey, Jon David! I think you are cute!"

Yes, it was a good week and great fun to spend with two of our favorite little girls! We miss them already!

Here are some other photos of my boy being really funny and cute. Notice his 'do on the last one. Talk about static cling! It's kind of hard to see but it made me laugh.

Window Treatment!

We're back! We've been out of town visiting friends and I'll post about it later with the fun details. But, first things first...

We went to the mall today and Jon David had his first stint as a front window model. :) babyGap has a huge picture of him in the window (along with a small one with his name and another with sweet Sarah, the girl casting call winner). The store managers were all excited about his visit and wanted to take his picture IN the window. I was not sure how it would all go but thanks to some fruit chews, Jon David put on a show!

In addition, babyGap sent us a HUGE picture of Jon David. I think it's like 8 feet by 6 feet and it's the same as the big one in the window minus the text at the bottom. Thank goodness we're getting a new house so we can properly display it. It's seriously HUGE. We love it! And our friends at babyGap are so sweet to us. They even sent along new bedding for baby brother. It's super cute and when we get into our house and set up his nursery, you can bet there will be a post about it.

Here are pictures from our fun adventure!

Check out Aunt Cindy's blog about Jon David...

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by my sister but before we get to that, here is a not so great quality photo of my boy that I, for some reason, really like.

Why I like this picture... Jon David's stance is so big boy and I just love the sweet look on his face. His jeans look funny all rolled up too. He's becoming quite the kisser and it melts my heart for him to walk clear across a room to plant one on his mommy's lips. When his daddy and I kiss, he laughs and then does a kiss on his own. I'm glad that we're raising a little lover boy.

Back to the tag. Here goes...

Four Jobs I've Had in My Life

Orientation Leader, Florida State University

Bobbi Brown Freelance Makeup Artist

Fragrance "Girl" at the mall - horrible!!!

Waitress

Four Movies I Would Watch Over and Over

Anne of Green Gables

Babe

What About Bob

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Four Places I Have Lived

Naperville, IL

Houston, TX

Washington, DC

Raleigh, NC

Four Loves of My Life

Jesus Christ

My beloved husband

Jon David

My new baby boy

Four Most Memorable Moments

Getting engaged in a hot air balloon over Sedona, AZ

Our wedding day

Birth of Jon David

Prediction: birth of our new son

Four of My Favorite Foods (not fair to ask a pregnant woman - now I want some!!!!)

Portillo's (Chicago chain)

Lou Malnati's Pizza (again, Chicago)

Tex-Mex from Houston (Irma's or Lupe Tortilla)

Lobster, scallops and Brie (though not together!)

Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now

My new home!!!!!!!

In a fabulous spa

The beach or mountains with my 2 guys with the same name

A Houston Astros baseball game (and they win!)

I thought an old picture of me would be appropriate with this post. If memory serves, I was in 1st grade. My mom did not do the best job with my bangs but you gotta love my groovy shirt!

I've seen this tag in a few other posts so I'm not sure who is left to tag. If you're reading this post and have not played this round of tag, you're it!

Hey Everyone - It's JonJaya!

(Disclaimer - if you are one of those people who have better things to do with 3 - 4 hours of your life each week and are not watching American Idol, this post will be completely lost on you. Well, you may still find the picture of our son with a mohawk kind of funny. So, keep reading!)

Though we are not moved by the soft vocals coming from Sanjaya on American Idol, we did find inspiration from his hair. While bathing a very silly and happy boy, we decided to experiment with his look and came upon this 'do. :)

Weekend recap - blessings! We praise the Lord as our offer on a house was accepted by the owner's on Friday night and we will soon be homeowners! We're so thankful and thrilled for this amazing blessing! And my beloved gave me many "kitchen passes" this weekend and I enjoyed time at a baby shower and then the big highlight was scrapbooking for 6 hours with my friend Kim. The other super duper wonderful thing was my 2 hour nap today. It was a rainy, lazy Sunday and I got a major break from mommy-duty and rested. So, I write this post as a thankful and rested woman. :)

Worth 1,000 Words

Pictures, as they say, are worth 1,000 words. Here are a few from today.

These little fingers are desperately reaching for Mommy who is trying to take a bath before Daddy heads off to work.

This is the face of a little boy who thinks he is in big trouble for breaking part of a blind. Really, I should be the one in trouble because I sometimes let him play with them after he takes a nap. I'll move his crib back towards the wall (I have to move him so this does not happen when he is supposed to be sleeping). From this angle, he can turn on and off the light switch and play with the blinds. He's not usually this rough (and the blinds are cheap) and one broke. What a guilty expression!

The scene of the crime...

This one does not say too much other than "Mommy, that play date wore me out!" We visited a friend and Jon played with two other kiddos. He ran around outside and was good and tired. I wanted him to wait to nap until we made it home and even my bribing him by feeding him Chick Fil A nuggets & fries on the way home could not keep him awake.

At a babyGap Near You!

I was trying to wait and post this after they have Jon David's picture in the front window but, frankly, I can't wait anymore! Late last week, the casting call winners' (Jon David and cute, cute Sarah) pictures from Hawaii were put up in the stores across the country. I attached images of the shirt and hat he wore for his "Havana Nights" look in case you wanted to run out and get it for your little one. We even bought an outfit for baby brother to wear next year. Can't wait!

I knew the picture would be good but I was thrilled once I saw it. I can't even imagine how fun it will be to see him in the front window!

So, here are the pictures from our local store. I'm sure he's up near you now as well. But, you may want to wait a week until they unveil the front display. He should be in the window for about 2 weeks.

Other things we've been up to - Time Out City! I took out his pack & play, put it in his room without any toys. This is now our version of the "naughty seat" since there ain't no way this boy is sitting in a chair for a minute. I'm somewhat encouraged by his response to these 60 - 90 seconds of "thinking time" that he has been been earning. I actually think he is starting to "get it" though that does not mean he has turned from his ways of pulling on electrical cords, tugging curtains and blinds and turning on/off the computer hard drive. Those temptations are just too, well, tempting! As they say, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

I'm encouraged to get back into reading "Shepherding Your Child's Heart" because I want to get this discipline thing right. I trust the good Lord will hear my prayer for this direction and help guide me. It's tough!! Advice??

Jon David's Lawn Care Service

What a busy little man! Using his new bucket given to him by Aunt Cindy, Jon David took to Grandma and Grandpa's yard and began working. He carefully picked up these little prickly things. I think my sister said they are called "gumdrops" or something like that. It was too cute to see him "work" for a long time cleaning up the yard! We're printing business cards this week so he can earn some extra cash for toys.

Opening Day!

JD's dad started a neat tradition by taking him every year to an opening day game baseball game. This is now a tradition for our family. Last year, we went to Opening Day for the Washington Nationals. We did not know the reason for all the major, major fussiness that our dear son was exhibiting but we later learned it was his first ear infection. He was miserable until he finally fell asleep on Daddy and we were able to be there for about 3 innings (though we never even made it to our seats - we just walked around.).

In our area, there are AAA baseball teams (minor leagues) and we took in Opening Day at the DBAP (Durham Balls Athletic Park). It's the same team as was portrayed in Bull Durham but it's the relatively new (and really nice) ballpark.

Our goal: make it to first pitch. The game started at 7:15 pm which is right around baby boy's bedtime (or at least bathtime). We were approached as we enter the park to have Jon David participate in their Stroller Derby after the 3rd inning. We laughed and told them, "Thanks, but we'll be happy to make it to first pitch." Plus - remember, we're working on going to one nap so the nights can quickly dissolve for us. We were just being realistic, maybe even jaded. ;)

We arrived with plenty of time for Jon to cruise the seats and take in some of the pre-game festivities. Of course, Daddy bought him a ball cap and a new baseball. We took in fantastic ball fare including my FAVORITE, cotton candy! When I tried to introduce my son to the wonderment that is cotton candy, he looked at me as if I were trying to feed him something incredibly nasty. See below. Too funny. Basically, he ate french fries. Who said that you need to eat healthy at a ballpark.

Icky Cotton Candy

Prior to the start of the game, there was a blessing which was really nice. I've never seen that before. There was a cool military parachute team that cascaded onto the field from high up in the sky. Then there was a moment of silence for two Durham Bulls employees who passed away in the off-season. Jon David was not sure what was going on and asked, "Ut oh????"

Then, this was a sort of funny parent moment... After the silence, there was the National Anthem. It's kind of a long song, I started to realize, and Jon David was taking it all in and looking around. I saw his lower lip start to protrude and then it began to quiver. I was thinking, "No way. Why in the world would he cry now?" Sure enough, he began to look heartbroken, as if his little world were crashing down. Seriously, this was no small sign of despair. Luckily, the song ended and we reassured him that all was well. Though not completely convinced, he regained composure.


Well, we exceed our goal and saw way more than the first pitch. Yep - we saw the first batter retire (for you non-sports folk, they got out) and even a pitch or two for the next guy. At that point, it was getting pretty cold, he was tired and full out crabby. We got home around 8:30 pm and enjoyed some ice cream after we put our tired boy to bed.


We have another Opening Day in our near future so stayed tuned. We also want to have Jon David go to the "Land of Milk and Honey" (aka, Grandma and Grandpa's) so that we can enjoy a date night and actually watch a game.

Jon David and his new bucket hat.

Opening Day Family Photo.

Notice Jon David's Texas flag socks.

Daddy, will you teach me how to throw a ball?

Play ball!!

A Two Bath Kind of Day

We started off the day clean enough. Jon David went for the preppy look as we headed to Little Gym. He had a great time there maneuvering the balance beam and basically running around for 45 minutes. Good, good fun!

I love him in these cargo shorts. And the belt, courtesy of you-know-where, is a big hit with all the mommies. Daddy has a belt like this that Mommy wears when she gets REALLY big with Baby.

Things then took a turn...

Lunch consisted of the gooey part of a NutriGrain bar being mashed into his hair. The dirty face and clothes are par for the course. I was prepared and he only had on a onesie and some little leggings. Bath #1.

At least he was out of his nice clothes...

Daddy had dinner duty since I was off making 13 meals at Dream Dinners (What an amazing concept! The food is decent and the time and money savings is significant). Back to my messy boy...

I've been flirting/postponing teaching Jon David to feed himself. I'll give him a spoon with some yogurt on it and have tried putting the suction cup bowls on his tray. That goes relatively well. He gets bored and I just keep feeding him. Well, Daddy handed over the reigns, I mean - the bowl. Well, as you can see, things got messy. But, I think Mommy learned something. Her boy is more than ready to start learning to feed himself. Something tells me maybe I should just be ready to give many baths in the coming days... :) Besides, being clean all the time is overrated!

It's so much more efficient to just put your face IN the bowl.

There was never a child so lovely...

There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson


On the topic of sleeping, here are a few of my favorite pictures of Jon David sleeping over the past, gasp, 17 months. I never tire of looking at my baby especially when he's sleeping so peacefully.

Don't you just love the rump in the air while asleep? Check out his crib posse!

Not a great picture but I still like it.The early days...

My little angel...A friend made this hat and he wore it ALL the time. He was so tiny! Only 4 lbs 7 oz at birth.

Two is too many and one is not enough…

Okay, Mommies – you KNOW what I’m talking about. Anyone who has a kiddo over 16 months knows the not-so-fun transition from two naps to one. The morning nap is rock solid - too solid in fact. I have to wake him up after an hour or there will be NO hope in an afternoon nap. Then, when it is time for an afternoon nap, he plays for 1.5 hours though he sounds like he’ll be asleep at any moment so I hold out hope. Then we get about 20 minutes of crying. At that point, I feel like a bad mommy whose child has spent a long time awake in his crib. You see my dilemma?? Yes, I’ve played with the timing of the naps and think the real cause is that he’s ready for one nap.

So, here is my plan… Ditch the morning nap and go for the gold with the afternoon nap (gold = 2 glorious hours!). We’ve done this for four days now with reasonable success. I hear the transition is not really a smooth one because they are not really getting all the sleep they need in the afternoon nap and that it may take a week or two until he really hits his stride with the one nap. So, bed time has been a little earlier these days.

But the real change is this… Mommy no longer gets an AM nap. You know the mantra of having babies, “sleep when they sleep.” Well, no more for me. It’s kind of, well, sad. I’ll get over this, I’m sure, if he’d had a fantastic afternoon nap. So, to keep him from asking all morning, “Nigh Nigh,” I have to get us out and moving. This is no small feat for me. To have us both dressed and me looking somewhat presentable and out the door by 9ish, that’s pretty big for us. And, to add to my woes, I know that soon, when my new son arrives, I will not have the luxury of always sleeping when the baby sleeps. I can, at best, hope for baby boy and Jon David to nap at the same time in the afternoon so that Mommy can sleep. Advice???

Two naps or one, it ain't no thing. I love my boy and just have to share with y'all how handsome he looked going to church Sunday. He and Daddy were quite a sight to see. I’m in love, love, love!

A Great Day for a Ball Game!

Yeah! Baseball season is here!!! What a long winter! :) We are huge baseball fans; we especially love the Houston Astros.

Saturday was such a pretty day that we caught our Florida State Seminoles playing Duke. It was a glorious spring day and a fun family day trip. Unfortunately, the 'Noles lost which is surprising since they are one of the best in the nation. No worries for Jon. He has since learned to say in the sweetest, most excited voice, "Yeeeaaaaaaaaaahhh!" He cheered the whole time - for both teams. When you're that little and cute, I guess you can do that and no one thinks anything of it.

I thought winter coats were a drag but I have a new drag - sunscreen. Ugh! I'm so scared to get it in his eyes since he's moving the entire time I'm trying to apply it. Then, I'll have a huge problem on my hands as he'll start to wisely fight me more. And what it does to my boy's hair. Not good! But, it made for some funny pictures and made his wavy curls show even more. Here is the proof...

BTW - any advice on putting sunscreen on wiggly toddlers?