Happy Second Birthday Sophie!!!

Today out Little Miss Sophie turned 2 years old!  I can not believe how fast the time flies.  I remember so clearly being at the hospital, hearing her cry for the first time and holding her just minutes after she was born.  Now she is a silly comedian who is so brave and can do just about anything!  She is such a joy and definately knows how to have fun and make you laugh.  We can't wait to celebrate your birthday sweet girl!!!!!  It is going to be a FUN party!  We love you!

Ca Ca Cause where ahh yooou?

Speaking of traditions, the day after Thanksgiving has always been a super fun one. The day starts off with us girls (my mom, Bonnie and myself) plus all the kids, loading up and heading over to the mall for some serious shopping. Ok, well now that there are children in the mix the shopping part has gone a bit to the wayside...as a matter of fact, not a one of us got a single Christmas gift while all together. But it was a fun day none the less. First we headed over for some lunch- McDonalds Happymeals for the babies and Panera for the rest of us (Jackson can never resist a McDonalds Cheeseburger. It is his favorite!) Then it was train and Santa time. Oh my goodness the babies could hardly contain their excitment while waiting their turn for the train. Everytime it would pass by them in the loop one of them would exclaim "Choo Choo Chain! Mommy, Mommy! Choo Choo Chain!" Sophie was even climbing up on the fence to get a closer look. Anna didn't feel like riding, so she was the big sister and cousin and walked the babies to the train and helped them get seated and then aslo helped them get off. She is such a big girl now. They loved every minute of it.

After the train we headed over to see Santa. Oh man, the kids were soooooooooooo excited. Words can't even describe the level of excitment they had waiting their turn to see "Santa". There wasn't a big line, thank goodness. But those that were ahead of us, they kept trying to cut infront of, all the while calling for him

Sophie: "SANTA CLAUS?! SANTA CLAUS?! Where are you?!"

Jackson (following her lead): "Ca Ca Cause (Santa Claus, incase you needed a translation) where ahh yooou?!"

And then all of them calling at the same time, as loud as they possibly could......: "SANTA?!" "CA CA CAUSE?! " "SANTA CLAUS?!" "HANTA!!" (Jackson's other word for Santa)

They were truly a riot. They were knocking on the door of Santa's house and trying to figure out where in heck this Santa guy was. Finally it was their turn. They went charging as fast as their little legs would carry them right up until they saw exactly what Santa really was. You could actually hear the breaks screaching as they came to full stops infront of this strange guy with a huge beard. NO WAY were they going anywhere near them. I had picked up Jackson to set him on Santa's lap, and like a monkey he wrapped his legs around my waist so tight and kept repeating franticly "No Mommy, No Mommy! No Mommy, No Mommy!" Bonnie had already plopped Sophie (who is usually Little Miss Brave, Can Do Anything Girl) onto Santa's lap. She immediatly started crying for Mommy and was wiggling to get down. They made it very clear that there was no way in the world they were sitting on this guys lap- Santa or not. But Santa was so sweet and suggested that Bonnie and I sit down on the bench holding the babies, Anna sat in the middle and Santa stood behind us. It ended up a cute picture in the end. But neither of the babies were thrilled that Santa was still that close to them. It was the craziest 3 minutes ever! But Anna is truly growing up. She was very brave and told Santa everything that she wanted for Christmas. We were all very proud of her. This was the first year she would talk to him. But don't worry about the babies, they all recovered quickly. Gummies fix everything.

After all the excitment it was time to do some shopping for the kids Christmas outfits. We found some beautiful ones. These kids will be the best looking children at church, hands down. We also picked out matching flannel PJ's for once we are all at Mimi and Papas house- so cute! Be sure to check back for pictures!

After all this shopping the kids needed to blow off some pent up energy so off to the play yeard it was. It was here that I finally noticed that Jackson isn't just a little baby anymore. He wasn't the littlest boy there this time. And he didn't need me to help him climb on the toys. And he also didn't need me to protect him from the big kids- he was running around crazy with the rest of them! Boy did they have a blast. Great way to end the day. We weren't even out of the parking lot and Jackson was sound asleep. An army wouldn't have woken him up!

Now it was time to take Little Man for a sleepover at Grammy and Pop's house so the grown-ups (including Anna this time) could go out for our special dinner. This year we were heading to Mallorca. This was an absolutly delicious meal. Defiantely up there on my list for best seafood. Be sure to check it out sometime! Our waiter was very sweet to Anna. He could tell it was a special night for her so he asked if she wanted to touch one of the lobsters. She got to pick out her favorite and he then pulled it out of the tank and let her pet him. On the way back to the table she pulled me aside and said "Best night ever." I was beaming over her joy. It was so special.

After dinner it was back over to my parents house for some after dinner drinks and conversation. It was a lovely night and a great way to remember this year's version of our perfect tradition.

Snow is C-o-l-d But So Much Fun!

When purchasing Jackson's winter coat this year, I went ahead and picked up a pair of snow pants for him as well. That and the brand new boots from Grammy (thank you so much!) and his hat and mittens from Mimi, Jackson was all set for a fun (and warm!) time outside. Since it was a touch warmer outside I decided to try everything out and have his very first experience of playing in the snow! As I was bundeling him up in all of the layers I couldn't help but think of the scene from one of my favorite Christmas movies, The Christmas Story. The part I am refering to is when the mom spends forever getting Alfie all dressed up in his "gear" just for him to tell her he has to go to the bathroom "really bad". Made me giggle, and for once be thankful for diapers.


As soon as we were outside Jackson was right there in it. He couldn't wait to finally touch and walk in this stuff called snow. He definately loved it right away- except that it kept sticking to his favorite mittens. I must have had to brush them off a hundred times until I showed him how to clap his hands to make the snow fall off!


Since we were playing outside Jackson was determined to have all of his outside toys to play with, and was even more determined that they would work just as well in the snow as they do in the grass. This led to a little bit of frustration when his dumptruck couldn't make it over the snow mounds. But once I showed him that snow could be made into balls this made everything cool again. We had to make "Papa Snowballs" and "Baby Snowballs", Daddy ones and Mommy ones too. And then we threw them down our hill and watched them roll to the bottom. This provided tons of excitment! They not only roll, but make paths when they do it too- so cool!


Next bit of fun, Jackson helped me make his very first snowman. Jackson collected all the stones and the pinecone for his face, while I went to work creating the body. I realized this was my first snowman, probably since middleschool times. I decided shame on me, and promised that I would make a new snowman every year from now on. And now I have a fun little helper. I had to make a little guy, because it was getting cold and Jackson was getting impatient. But once he was finished Jackson couldn't stop laughing and looking at him.

The only thing he didn't like was that I used the forbidden "Caca Berries" for his hair. Here I go telling Jackson for months not to touch the Caca berries, just to go and use them on our snowman. Not wise Mommy! But it's ok, I got a telling to and I will never use them again. Promise.

Now the snow has all melted and Jackson can't figure out what happened to our "Guy" (this is what he has named him). We told him that he must have gone on a walk, since melting ment nothing to him. Now I just get asked "Guy back Mommy?". Nope not yet. But we will definately make him a friend to come home to once we have snow again!

Giving Thanks and Being Proud

Tradition has always played an important role in my life. For as long as I can remember my sister and I have held onto to the many traditions in our family. No matter how silly some may seem, and how hard our parents have tried to change or drop them, the traditions always remain. Oh and we aren't afraid of starting new tradtions that we think would be a great idea to continue year after year! One of my favorite traditions is one we do on Thanksgiving. This "officially" started some time around when Bonnie began hosting Thanksgiving Day at her house. Before we would eat our bountiful feast, everyone would gather together, hand in hand, and in turn tell eachother what it is they are most thankful for. We then end with a prayer to the Heavenly Father thanking him for all of these things and blessing the meal before us. This usually brings everyone to tears and hearts overflowing with love. It is such a special time- one I look forward to all year long.


Looking back on this got me thinking about what it was I wanted to share with everyone tomorrow. We each usually say one, maybe two things and then it passes onto the next person. Well, I realized that this has been a good year! There are literally thousands of things I am thankful for and for this I in turn am proud of my life and those that are in it. I have decided to name a few of the most special things I wish to give thanks to here, and that way I don't really have to choose tomorrow. I will just go with whatever it is that flows out of my mouth at that very moment.


I give thanks that I married, hands down, the most amazing man in the world. I am so proud of the man Scott has become and look forward to watching him grow as years go by. I couldn't dream of a more wonderful husband and friend. He listens to my heart and has the ability to just "get me". He works so very hard all day long so that I am able to stay home with Jackson 98% of the time. For this I am also grateful. I never would have thought I would be able to be a pretty-much-stay-at-home mom at the age of 29. Amazing. I am also proud of how darn handsome he is- I am proud to admit he looks good on my arm. I am grateful to God for the love we have in our household, and watching Scott with Jackson makes me fall more in love with him every single day. I am proud of the father he so naturally became.


I give thanks to God for blessing me with the most beautiful little boy in the whole world. How is it that I was the one chosen to be the mommy of Jackson?! He is so perfect and wonderful, I am in awe every single day at his accomplishments and tenderness. He is a bundle of energy and also a bundle full of love. I am so proud to say that he is my son. Becoming a mom is truly the most beautiful thing I have ever and will ever accomplish.


I give thanks for the cute little house that Scott and I own.


I give thanks to God for giving me that perfect family to grow up in. I am proud of my parents and strive to be at least half the role model to Jackson that they are to me. My father is the defination of what is honest and kind. I am proud to able to look at him and know that is how to be good. I hope I also make them proud of the life I have chosen to live and the way I have gotten here.


I am so very, very proud of the beautiful relationship I have with the women in my family. My sister and mother are my very best friends, and I couldn't imagine a life without them in it. I give thanks for letting us not only be family but to truly be friends. Not everyone is this lucky- I know. They are the best role models, and guinea pigs out there. They let me be me, and even like me this way. I am proud of the type of woman my sister is. Bonnie is so strong and I want to be like her in this way. My mom is the most courageous woman I know, and the thing is, is that I don't think she even knows this about herself. She is a phenomenal woman.


I give thanks for being raised in a Christian home and for being made to attend church and sunday school as a child. Because of this upbringing, I now have a relationship with God that I am proud of.


I give thanks to God for the most beautiful little girls that I not only have have as my nieces- but can also proudly say I am am their Godmother as well. Anna and Sophie light up my life and help to fill my heart with joy. They are truly "Angels from Heaven".


I give thanks for marrying into the most wonderful family. I love that they are not just my "in-laws", but family that I love as much as my own. They have taught me very much and am proud to say I am also now a part of their family.


I am proud that I graduated from college and give thanks that I had the opportunity to work at an amazing job in my field at Harvard University just after graduation. This job also makes me proud that I was able to move to a completly different state 13 hours away from the home and security I knew. And thrive.


I am proud that I breast-fed Jackson. And together we both thrived. I give thanks that God gave me this amazing ability and that I was successful to make it exactly to my goal of one year.


I give thanks for the amazing girlfriends that I have in my life. These women are so special and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to learn from them and to share in their lives. Time has carved a bond in us that will always remain in my heart.


My heart could go on and on with all of the things that I am Thankful for and those wonderful things that make me proud. But this list pretty much sums up those things that have really made an impact on my life and soul. I am grateful and very proud of this list. For as this blog says "My Cup Runneth Over".


Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

It's Been a While....

I am so sorry it has been such a long time since i have updated this blog! A few weeks ago, somehow between my going online during Jackson's nap and Scott coming home from work our internet stopped working. We tried everything we could think of to fix it before having to go to any drastic measures. But after all the advice from every person we know and still nothing working, we finally bit the bullet and killed our computer. We had to do a system restore and put it back to factory settings. Unfortunately these factory settings are from 2005, so we have A LOT of updating to do, including reinstalling lots of software. But the good news is that we now have internet again and didn't have to buy a new computer to get it (as much as we would have loved a beautiful new Mac, with the holidays here, our wallets couldn't swing it- bummer). With no internet for weeks I was about to loose my mind. I finally made Scott set up his work computer at home in the evenings so I could at least check my email. I was going crazy thinking of all that I was missing- yes I have now realized how addicted I am to this darn thing! But *phew* we are back. And the plus side to this whole mess, is that it forced us to back everything up on disc. We didn't end up loosing any pictures or documents during our kill, but if we hadn't backed anything up I am sure we would have. That is just how things go!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

In my opinion anyways! Fall has always been my favorite season. Starting in mid August and going through November, Ohio is just so lovely! The leaves changing to all the beautiful colors and making the Metroparks a blaze of oranges, yellows and reds. There is that wonderful smell in the air; a combination or drying leaves, bonfires, and apples. You can finally bring your sweaters, boots and jeans out of hiding. And what is better then snuggling up under an afghan with a cup of hot tea and a good book or movie?

Jackson seems to like this time of year best to. There are balls everywhere (pumpkins), and all kinds of new things to collect- pretty leaves, acorns (with and without 'hats') and more sticks then he can squeeze under his little arms. He can't go anywhere outside without stooping to pick up new treasures.

I have really been trying to take advantage of all of the wonderful Fall-Fests and Harvest Parties that are going on everywhere. It is gives some new things for us to do plus it is just a great way to get the family out and about in this beautiful weather. So far we have hit up the Johnny Appleseed Festival at Mapleside, looked at tractor's at North Royalton's Fall Fest, we went pumpkin hunting at Red Wagon Farms in Columbia Station and yesterday we went to Sagamore Hill's "Spooktacular". I have always loved going to these things and now with Jackson around it gives me even more of an excuse to go to as many as possible :)

At the Spooktacular, they were doing free pictures to all kids in costume. So of course we dressed up little man. One more excuse to wear his adorable costume. This year he is dressing as a Little Lizard. We got the costume from his cousin Maxx and oh my goodness, it is too cute! The best part about it is that it is totally snuggly and warm. I can't wait for Halloween to come so he can go trick or treating with his cousins. Jackson and Sophie will actually be able to walk up to the doors this year. It is going to be so fun- don't worry, there will be lots of pictures!

As much fun as Halloween is, probably my favorite thing about this season is Thanksgiving. With it on its way it makes me start thinking about all of the things I am thankful for. This year my cup runneth over.

God's Pharmacy

I read this the other day and have been thinking about it ever since. It fascinates me! It just shows even further that God has had an ultimate plan since the begining.


Enjoy!


God's Pharmacy
It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... all before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners... God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!

- A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

- A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

- Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

- A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

- Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

- Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. Thesefoods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

- Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? ... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

- Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

- Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

- Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

- Grapefruits, oranges, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

- Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

A Super Fun Time at Memphis Kiddie Park!

Yep, that's right; Memphis Kiddie Park is still one of the coolest places in town (if you are a kid, that is!) The other day, Bonnie, my mom and myself took all the kids to the park for a fun and totally different type of afternoon. Anna has been there in the past, but this was the babies first time. And oh my goodness let me tell you-- they LOVED it!! I don't know if I have ever seen something cuter then watching Jackson and Sophie ride all the rides. At first we were all a little nervous as to how they would act once on the rides without Mommy right there with them. But it was clear after the first ride- Move out of the way Mommy's and Mimi- we can do this all by ourselves! They were so cute and so brave! They sat perfectly still and acted so well behaved you never would have known they weren't even 2 years old yet!

Anna pretty much ran the show as to what rides they were all going to go on- which was just perfect, because being the old pro she is, she knew all the best ones! First we all were able to ride the Merry Go Round to get everyone warmed up- and that was all it took. After this they were ready to be big kids and ride stuff without having Mommy or Mimi right there with them. Next we were off to the boats- these ended up proving to be by far the coolest of the rides. These boats are actually in water- so once the babies figured this out they just had to put their hands (and arms- up to the shoulder if you were watching Jackson) in it and splash like crazy. It was too funny.

Next it was off to the rocket ships. On this ride they all had to be even braver then before. They had to sit by them selves!! Up to this point the babies were at least able to sit together, or in the same car as Anna. So when the ride instructor told us we had to seat Jackson and Sophie alone, Bonnie and I just looked at each other like "Oh boy...” But we went ahead and gave it a try. And you know what, they weren't even scared! They were so good and had so much fun.

So since the rockets worked out so well, we headed over to the Horsy ride. On this ride the kids rode in a suri (yep, with the fringe on top) pulled by a horsy around a good-sized track. I thought for sure Jackson would freak out a bit when he would go to a part of the track where he couldn't see me (we have some separation anxiety issues lately) but he didn't! He and Sophie got to ride together and oh My Goodness- we all wanted to just cry because of pure cuteness! They looked like little precious moments dolls- soooooo sweet! After the ride was over I couldn't stop kissing him because he was so darn cute and so brave- waving to mommy and sitting like such a big boy.

Then we had some terribly unhealthy (but yummy none the less) lunch and off to some more rides. The kids rode their favorites about a million times until the park was ready to close up for the day. I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive about going to the park when Bonnie first suggested it. But it was so much fun watching the kids enjoy themselves so darn much I can't wait to go back! Great idea Bonnie! Be sure to check the Baby Albums for all the pictures- there are some gems!

A terribly sad story. Prayers Please!

There is a blog called Nie Nie Dialogues, that i have been following for some time. As a blogger myself, I loved reading what came from her heart. She had a special way with truly enjoying the little things in life. She took pride in motherhood and continually made me think "I wish I thought of that, ok, well at least I can now 'borrow' that idea!" I found comfort in her life and faith in God, and the pure love their little family of 6 had for eacheother. Yes, she is only 27 years old, but a beautiful mother of 4! Hearing this news the other day when I checked in on her blog completely devistated me:

Stephanie (Nie Nie) and her husband Christian were in a plane crash on Saturday evening. From what they can tell, the plane crashed shortly after take-off in Eastern Arizona. The flight plan was to refuel, side-skirt a storm and head home. There were three people on board, Stephanie, Christian and his flight instructor. The flight instructor's condition was most severe following the crash. He passed away that evening. Christian was admitted with burns cover 30% of his body and a broken back. Stephanie entered with burns covering 80% of her body.

The doctors are focused on their burns right now, and they are still in critical condition. All other fractures and internal organs checked out to be fine. The burns are severe and will need surgeries, grafts and most of all, loads and loads of time. It is still very touch-and-go as it pertains to their survival and recovery . . . Stephanie being more critical than Christian.

As of September 25th, Stephanie continues to fight! Doctors have not updated her status of very critical condition. Although she is starting to react more to outside stimulus, she continues to be in a medically induced coma (and probably will be for months). Last week's skin graft surgery (using her own skin, if you will recall) was successful. Doctors wanted at least 30% to take (typically, the body does not accept the whole skin graft) and we were told that 50% took. Of course this means that she will have many surgeries in the future. In fact, she will have another skin graft (her own skin again) on Friday. Thus the life of a burn patient. There is a very long road ahead for the whole family. Not just emotional and physical, but also monetary. Their medical bills are already at $2 million and their insurance has a "lifetime maximum" of $1 million. It is estimated that Stephanie's expenses alone will be around $5 million.

I am so deeply saddened since hearing about this tragedy. My heart just breaks for this family. I haven’t stopped thinking or praying for them since I heard about them on the news. They are a very strong family of faith and love- for eachother and for God. Through Him they will get through this. But I still can’t help all of the thoughts racing through my head of my fears for this family. Along with the prayers of recovery (currently Stephanie has a 60%-80% recovery rate) I wonder will their four beautiful children even recognize their mother after this is all done? Will Stephanie ever feel beautiful again? I am just so very sad. Please take some time and read some of Nie Nie Dialogues. Through these journals you will also fall in love with this family, just as I have. Stephanie’s sister, Courtney has taken over her journal (along with 3 of their 4 children- the baby went to another sister) to keep everyone up to date on the status of the family. If you would like to read her own personal blog as well, please click here.

Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers. If you would like to help in any way, all information regarding how can be found here.


My heart is with you Nielson family!

Johnny Appleseed Festival at Mapleside Farms

Yesterday was a really great family day! We decided to go up to Mapleside Apple Farm because they were having their 35th Annual Johnny Appleseed Festival. These fall fest's are always such a great time here- lots of great food, vendors and music. Bonnie was also going to be coming up with the girls and Jill and Granny, so it would make it even more fun.

We got there first and made our way inside to check out the Apple House and all the yummy homemade goods. They were handing out Apple Cider Slushies (Yumm-o!) and also a taste of a relatively new Apple called Honey Crisp. They were sooooooo delicious. Keep your eyes out for these; they seriously were the best apple's I ever had. Aside form the apples, Jackson’s favorite part of the Apple House is definitely the huge buffalo head above the fireplace. We had to look at it and talk about it for forever! He has a stuffed buffalo that Grammy and Pop brought him home from South Dakota, so he recognized it right away. Although this one was MUCH bigger!

Next we decided to head on down to the festivities outside. After smelling all the yummy food it didn't take long to realize we were starving. So we headed over to the food tent for lunch and to listen to some music. The food was just excellent (not your normal "fair food") But then again, Mapleside has their own restaurant. Jackson got to try his very first corn on the cob. At first he didn't know what to do with it, but once he got his first taste he just wanted more and more! It was too darn cute. He eventually got really good at biting the corn off the cob, and was loving every bit of it.

After lunch Bonnie and their crew arrived so we headed over to the face-painting booth so Anna could get her's done. Boy was it beautiful! Her entire face was done in pink swirls, and adorned with a jewel and glitter. After she was done you could just see how beautiful she looked and felt. It was really sweet. Next it was on to the pony rides. Jackson just enjoyed running around and looking at everything free of a stroller so just the girls decided to ride. Sophie was just to cute- all her squeals and smiles! She loved it!

The rest of the day we wandered around looking at all the booths, getting some fun freebies (like Jackson's new shades?!) and enjoying the great music they had playing. It was really a wonderful day. After such a stressful past week with Jackson being sick and all- this was much needed. For all of us.

By 3:00 we were pretty tired after all the sun and people so we thought we would head home to relax. We thought all our excitement was done for the day until we were on our way home and North Royalton was having their Fall Fest. We spotted the whole tree lawn of the town square FULL of tractors. We absolutely had to stop for this one. If you didn't already know, our little Jackson ABSOLUTLY LOVES tractors. Every kind, big ones, little ones, you name it. We even had to get him a book on tractors so he could look at them all day long (which he does, believe it or not!). So seeing this many at one time and so many different ones up close, he was in heaven. He couldn't contain his excitement, running from one to the next with his little fists clenched like he does when super excited. This was by far the highlight of the day.

When we got home every inch of Jackson just shined with happiness. All he was doing was dancing (lots of "happy feet"), playing with his new balloon, kissing us, kissing the kitties, and talking about tractors nonstop. Our Happy Little Man is back to us- finally. It was a good, good day for all of us.

Jackson vs. Roseola

This was by far the hardest week I have ever had with Jackson. On Tuesday, from what seemed like out of nowhere, Jackson developed a pretty high fever and was extremely whiny and clingy. He didn't know what he wanted- wanted to be held, and then wanted nothing to do with you, hitting and screaming, then playing and kissing. He had really no appetite and hasn’t even wanted much of his bottles. It was a huge and pretty scary roller coaster. At first I thought that maybe he was just teething but he was just getting more and more demanding and angry which isn't like him at all. He is usually so loving and tender. But whatever was bothering him was affecting him so badly that he couldn't express it in words so he just got extremely frustrated.

On Thursday we had his 18 month Well Baby Check Up so I just figured I would bring him in there and ask Dr. Biglow about what in the heck could be wrong with him. Since he didn't have any other signs of illness, like coughing, sneezing, etc. she said that he probably just had a viral infection of some kind and to just keeping doing what we have been with keeping him comfortable and giving him his Motrin every 6 hours to keep his fever down. She said that he very well could have Roseola which is a viral infection that consists of a high fever lasting 3-5 days and then as soon as the fever breaks they develop a light pink rash that starts in their torso and then can spread to their arms, legs and face. It isn't itchy and shouldn't bother the child. The good news is that once the rash breaks out they will be better in just a day or two. We just had to wait it out and see what happens.

Well yesterday was a very testing day on how good of a mommy I really could be. Jackson hasn't been napping well, only about an hour a day when normally he sleeps 2-3 hours. He wakes up still tired, and completely angry and crying. There was nothing I could do to calm him down. On Thursday he did the same thing but I was able to take him outside and after an hour of crying he finally calmed down and we sat outside in our bare feet and ate O's and drank juice. But unfortunately yesterday was a rainy mess. No going outside for us. It took me 2 hours and lots of tears (I must admit in both of us) to finally calm him down. I know that I would need to try and keep it together because me getting upset would only make things worse on his end. I also know not to take it personally but after a week of crying, whining, restlessness and then bouts of rage in between it was hard to understand that it wasn't just me and that all of a sudden my child now hates me. But the thing is that as soon as he would finally calm down and the Motrin would kick in he was Mr. Love Bug again, hugging and kissing me. I am not one that recovers so quickly from frustration and tears, so we were both on one big huge emotional roller coaster!

Well thankfully this morning Jackson woke up seeming more himself. Scott let me sleep in so I could recover after such a difficult day and working that night (what an amazing husband!). Once I woke up though around 9:00, Jackson started getting cranky again. I couldn't help but wonder yet again "Is it me?!". But after having some calming quiet time with Daddy on the chair Scott noticed a rash that was beginning to develop all over Jackson tummy and back. After a little bit it started spreading to his face and neck. Well sure enough our Little Man does indeed have a case of Roseola. What a relief to finally know what in the heck is wrong with our sweet baby. The best news is that we are now in the final stages of the infection. The rash can last anywhere from a few hours to a couple days but he should be back to his silly self by hopefully Monday-- My sanity depends on it!

Labor Day Weekend

This past Labor Day weekend was a big one for all of us- especially Little Man. On Saturday we had Neil's cousin, Johnny's wedding. This was a big deal because all of our usual babysitters were going to be busy. My parents and Bonnie and Neil were all going to the same wedding and Sandy and Don were leaving for their vacation the day before. So we all were going to be very brave and all of the kids (Anna and Sophie and Jackson) were to be babysat by Tesa, Neil's 15-year-old cousin. Now, Tesa has watched Anna and Sophie many times, but it was going to be the first time for Little Man. We were only in Lakewood so if anything were to happen we could run over there ASAP, so we were feeling pretty good about the whole thing. And boy am I glad we did. Jackson was so good! He had a blast with Tesa and the girls. Since he is so comfortable with the Stenger's house and with both of the girls being there with him things went really well. I guess it was a little difficult getting the babies to bed, but we figured it would be that way. But Tesa handled it all very well, and when we all got home the babies were all happy and sound asleep in their beds like angels. It is such a good feeling knowing that we now have another babysitter if we needed one in a pinch.

On Sunday, after Jackson's nap, we met up with a few of the other Kanengeiser's out at Rick and Judy's house to go to the Geauga County Fair. What a blast this was! Unfortunately Judy wasn't able to join us due to a twisted knee, but Uncle Bob, Aunt Deb and even Sara who is was in town from Toledo University (!) , Grandma K, and Aunt Peggy (Judy's sister) along with Rick and our crew, we were a pretty good bunch! From what I learned, this fair is the longest running fair in the country! And boy, is it a lovely one! We all had a blast- Jackson especially. I knew he would enjoy the people watching and all the animals but I wouldn't have guessed he liked it this much! It was so cool seeing all these animals up close and being able to touch all the farm animals too. Little Man got such a kick out of touching the cows and goats. It was so cute! Plus we all shared Fair French fries with ketchup and malt vinegar- one of all our guilty favorites! Jackson’s new favorite thing lately by the way is ketchup. Yummy, does he gobble that stuff up!!!

Another pretty special thing for Jackson was he got to ride rides! OK, one ride. But he rode it three times! He was only old enough to ride the merry-go-round, but oh my goodness did he love it! I could have died just watching the look of joy and hearing the squeals from him! First he rode it with Daddy, and then we wandered around the fair a bit. When we came back to the merry-go-round he rode it one more time with me and then with Grandpa right after because he loved it so much he didn’t want to get off! We have wonderful pictures from it but they will be coming later because they are in print form. I need to upload them to the computer so check back soon! This really was a fantastic day!

On Monday, Labor Day, we all headed over to my parents house to celebrate my dad’s birthday. It was a perfect afternoon- the weather was beautiful, excellent company and great festiveness all around. It got pretty warm by late afternoon so my parents pulled out the sprinkler and we let the kids go crazy and play in the water. Usually Sophie and Anna are the daredevils, flying through the water and dipping their faces in it while Jackson stays off to the edges and just lets the mist hit him- but not today. Today he was super brave and ran right into the water, put his head and hands right in it, and just had tons of fun! I was so proud of him!

Over all it was a super busy weekend. But it was a really great one with lots of family time and lots of fun experiences.

Planes, trains and automobiles....

Jackson has all of a sudden gotten so big! Lately I have been in just such amazement at all of his accomplishments and changes. You can now hold a real conversation with him and he will talk to you back in real words. I love it! It is seriously so cool that he can now ask us questions and when we do so, he answers them back!

He also has taken to cleaning up- especially when what he has messed up is something he is not supposed to touch. It will all of a sudden get very quiet in the house. Hmmmm…I wonder what Jackson is getting into. All you have to do is walk within eyesight of him and he jumps up and in a flurry starts putting away whatever it is he has pulled apart (for example pulling out all of the diapers from the diaper basket, emptying his drawers, pulling apart the Kleenex box- yes, every single Kleenex was out of the box by the way…. etc.) It is pretty funny and very hard to not laugh at times. It is so darn cute. Although I can’t say the Kleenex box was too cute….

Another new "Big Boy" things as of lately- we have retired the highchair! Jackson now sits at the table like a big boy, in a brand new booster seat! He loves it! Jackson's spot at the table is the seat next to the window. It is so exciting here! Thank goodness we moved onto a pretty busy street because Jackson's love for cars, trucks and anything with wheels makes eating dinner very fun! He is so busy looking at the trucks, cars and always wishing for a tractor, he hardly notices when you sneak in a bite of food he wasn't always so interested in before :) Sneaky Mommy.... hahahaha. The other day we got to see a bulldozer drive on our street (they are doing construction up the road). Jackson just about fell out of his chair over enthusiasm! And then clear as day Jackson said "Momma Bulldozer!" Now it was my turn to just about fall out of my chair! I think he surprised himself with that word because he got his proud little grin he gets when he does something new and cool. It was very cute. Then today at breakfast we saw a woman get pulled over for speeding, turns out she had a suspended license so they had to call a tow truck- so we got to see a police car with flashing lights and a tow truck pull a car away. A very exciting breakfast to say the least. Jackson could hardly contain himself!

So definitely as of lately Jackson's new favorite things are tractors, cars, trucks and especially heavy machinery. He is such a boy. On walks we have to stop and look at everything. For a gift when Jackson was born we received a huge book called "My Big Truck Book. For Kids Who Love Trucks!" It has become the ultimate favorite. We have to look at this at least 20 times a day. Who would have known this mommy would become so knowledgeable on trucks and their names! But I can now tell you the difference between an "Excavator", a "Backhoe Loader", a "Telephone Line Repair Truck", "Combine Harvester" and oh, so much more! Lucky, lucky me! It will be very easy shopping for Christmas and birthdays this year for sure!

Here are a few new words Jackson has also started using regularly:
Shower
Pizza
Car
Gate
Up
Down
Please (not always when it is supposed to be used, but he has learn the word at least!)
Sha-poo (shampoo)
Spoon
kiss
bike
He also says Kitty now instead of itty

So that takes his total up to 93 words at 18 months old- not bad! Keep up the good work little man!

The Death and Rebirth of "Tag"

I did a very bad thing a few weeks ago.....

I was giving Jackson his bedtime bottle. He must have had a bit of an air bubble in his tummy because he ended up getting sick all over the two of us. No big deal, this has happened before. We just strip all down and throw everything in the washer to get nice and fresh again. So I did just like I always do. It was late so I just let it go while we went to bed and I figured I would throw it in the drier when we woke up. Well that next morning I went down to take care of everything and I looked in the drier and what did I see? Everything had turned orange- including Tag. Tag, if you didn't know is Jackson's precious baby blue blanket. You have seen it in millions of his pictures. He loooooves this thing. Love is probably an understatement. He carries it everywhere, he sleeps with it every night, it soothes him while having a bottle- basically it is his best friend next to Scott and me.

When I saw his special blanket I instantly broke into tears. I felt terrible! It turns out the shirt I was wearing that night had red dye that bled onto everything else. I instantly put stain remover on Tag, and put him back into the washer two more times to try and get the red dye out. But unfortunately it didn't work. All it did was turn Tag this horribly ugly shade of dirty flesh.

So onto a Tag hunt we were! First stop was Target. They had blue thermal Gerber blankets, but not the same light blue color of Tag. I picked one of them up just incase that was all I could find, hoping that the color wouldn't matter too much. I brought it home, washed it so it would smell like Tag- but Jackson isn't dumb. He didn't buy it for an instant that this dark blue blanket was his special Tag. Ok, next stop was Kmart. No Gerber blankets what so ever here. Oh boy, I was running out of options!

And then a light when on in my head- Baby's R Us!!! They just had to have it! So I gave them a call and the nice lady on the phone assured me they had a baby blue thermal Gerber brand blanket in stock in their store. The Messiah Chorus started playing in my head- Hallelujah, Hallelujah!!!! So in the car we went as fast as we could, just incase there was a huge rush of mom's running out to buy baby blue colored blankets! Over to the bedding department we ran and there on the bottom shelf, just waiting patiently for us, was a beautiful, brand new baby blue Gerber thermal blanket. As soon as Jackson saw it in the shopping cart he started calling "Tag, Tag!" Yay, I think this is going to work!

We came home; I put Jackson down for a nap and got to work on our new Tag. Now you see the reason we have named this blanket Tag is because the best part of it, according to Jackson, is the silky tag that he has rubbed down to almost nothing. I must admit I was getting a little nervous because the tag was indeed getting a bit ratty. What was I going to do if it got rubbed to nothing at all?! So while Jackson was sleeping I washed and dried the blanket and then cut the special old tag off of the now dirty flesh colored blanket and sewed it onto the new beautiful blanket. Now, Tag has not only the special old tag on it, but also a brand new one he can start breaking in. After it was finished I draped him over the arm of the chair in the living room waiting patiently for Jackson to wake up and see him. I crossed my fingers and held my breath that this new Tag would be as good as the old trusty blanket.

The moment Jackson waked into other room, the first thing he saw was Tag, went running for him and calling out "Tag, Tag, Tag!!" Just like finding a long lost friend. It worked!!!! Time for the Halleluiah chorus again! Tag has been reborn! Yayayyayayay!

I have now learned a very important lesson. Always, always, always separate reds from baby blues in the washing machine. No mater how many times you have washed something before, it could possibly run onto something very important.

Ok, I need to run. We have to go to Baby's R Us to get a back up baby blue thermal Blanket just incase ANYTHING happens to Tag again!

Where's Jackson's Belly? *updated with more words*

Jackson did the cutest thing a few weeks ago. I just about died from cuteness overload.....

Jackson was walking around the house eating Cherios and playing. When all of a sudden he didn't want them anymore and he threw his handful all over the floor. I said "Oh no Jackson. We don't throw food! Pick them up, put them in your belly." So he walks over to them, picks the Cherios up, pulls up his shirt and sticks them in his bellybutton. Just like I told him. Literally :) Too cute!

So the last time I posted a word list it was back in May. Since then the words are coming faster and more frequent. We have a new one almost every day. Here is an updated list (that I am sure I will have to add too as I think of more.)

Mama
Daddy (sometimes he will call Scott Dada, but not too often anymore)
Papa (this is my dad)
Mimi (this is my mom)
Bon Bon (Auntie Bonnie)
Anna
AhEee (I think this is Sophie. He says this when he sees a picture of her or sees her in person)
Pop (this is what he calls Don)
GiGi (this is what he calls Irene, Don's mom and also he used to call my grandmother this)
Isss (Memphis, our cat)
Ra Ra (Ringo, our other cat)
Pup (for Alex, Bonnie and Neil's dog. Everyone calls him this so Jackson picked this up instead of his real name)
Hop (this is Jackson's stuffed bunny)
Tag (this is Jackson's beloved blue blanket that you have seen in many of his pictures)
Cocoa (This is my old teddy bear that I had as a child. Jackson now plays with it.)
Pete (this is our next door neighbor. For some reason he picked up on his name and says it whenever he sees him or if we are outside by his house!)
Abby (Grammy and Pop's kitty)
Jesus

cheese
cracker
bottle
hata(hotdog)
peas
cracker
WaWa and as of lately he says Water too.
bite (as in "I want a bite")
bowboo (blueberry)
peach
Puff (these are airey snacks from Gerber's called Puff's)
cooka (cookie)

ball (definately Jackson's favorite word or thing!)
buh ball (football)
shoe
sock
sta (star)
tractor
pane (airplane)
aside (outside)
puter (computer- he just said this for the first time this morning!)
gol (golf. He has a set of golf clubs and balls, and knows what they are called)
block
keys
bah-oo (balloon)
cock (yes, we know what you are thinking... But this word means Clock!)

Poop and Pee Pee (he tells us when he has done both of these- especially Poop! Lucky us. Pretty soon we will have to get a potty chair for him to start looking at and getting used to!)
Pee Pee (this also means his little "boy part" He likes to point it out to us while changing his diaper or in the bathtub or when running around naked!)

itty (kitty)
bir (bird)
fish
bee
baah (he says this for both lamb and cow)
dee (deer)
E-I-E-I-O (he sings this when his Baby McDonald is on)
buffalo (Grammy and Pop brought him a stuffed buffalo home from their trip to South Dakota and he learned the word right away)
Pooh (Winnie the Pooh)

Tada!
All Gah! (all gone. This is Jackson's first two word sentence!)
All Dah! (all done)
Mah (More)
Bye Bye!
Hi!
Night Night
This/ Look at This/ What's This (uses these three a lot. Each distinctively sound different. Seems to know the difference)
Yes (When you ask him if he wants something he says "Yes Yes Yes!")
Ah-oh! (He says this when something falls, or he drops something, when a show is over and the credits are on, etc.)
caca (this means yucky. He learned this word from Auntie Bon Bon)

beads(the kids have these Mardi Gras beads they like to wear to play dress up)
baby
book
box
sha (show, as in a movie. We call his Baby Einstein movie's "shows")
puddle (puzzle)
Awww (this is what we call hugs in our house)
boo boo (this is all bruises, cuts, etc.)
teacha (teacher. He learned this word from the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear. The teacher page is his favorite- go figure!))
cork

too ha (toothbrush. This is one of his other new words. Yes we know this seems like a strange word to learn. But him and Sophie are obsessed with toothbrushes and brushing their teeth. I guess there are worse things!)

Blue (for Blue's Clue's, the TV show. It is Jackson's favorite and he will ask for it by name)

Blue Book (his Blue's Clue's book)

So, so far this is 82 words! You go little man, that is amazing! I want to say that this is all of them, but I am sure I am leaving something out! I will add more if I think of any. Also, if anyone else can think of any, be sure to let me know and I will add them too!

First touch at stardome....

So as many of you know the wedding we went to in July in Scotland was for one of my girlfriends', Marisa who married a Scottish Musician, Stuart. He is the lead singer and visionary of the band Belle and Sebastian. While we were visiting, Marisa and Stuart gave us a t-shirt for Jackson that is brand new for the band. It wasn't even available for purchase as of yet. They wanted us to take it home and take some pictures of Jackson in it so he could be the model for it on their band website! How cool is that?! Welllll...... go check out our little model, it is published!! Yayay! And I must say he looks awfully cute! And yes we know he isn't smiling. Jackson told us it wouldn't be cool and wanted to use his "Indie Kid Face".... :p I have uploaded the pics from the "Photo Shoot", Take One and Take Two. As you will see it is difficult to get a picture of a 17 month old smiling and standing face first so I could get a good view of his t-shirt!!!

While you are there, take a few minutes and look around the website. www.belleandsebastian.com
If you aren't familiar with them, check out the band a bit. They are fantastic!

This is the link to Jackson's page. Click on his photo like you are choosing to purchase it and you can see it bigger.
www.belleandsebastianshop.com

Thank you Marisa and Stuart for choosing our little Jackson to be your model. If you ever need his assistance in the future you know where to find him :)

We Love and Miss You Grandma Trapp!

I know, I know, it has been absolutely forever since we last updated anything on this website and we are so sorry! Life in the Kanengeiser family has been very busy. One of the main reasons for not getting on here as of lately is because of the passing on my grandmother Klara Trapp. After Christmas her health started declining and moved into a nursing home for more care then we could provide to her. About a month or so ago she had a stroke and things seemed to move very fast after that. On Thursday, the 10th, the nursing home called my parents to tell them that her health was failing and we all came to be with her and help give her and each other strength. My parents stayed by her bedside along with my Uncle Allen and Aunt Joanne for the next four days. On Sunday, July 13th she passed away peacefully with my parents and Aunt and Uncle by her side, praying with her and singing her favorite hymns. If you knew my grandmother, you would have known she wouldn't have wanted to go any other way.

Grandma was a kind soul and brought joy to all who knew her. She is now, after 28 years apart, with her husband, and also her Mother and father and 10 brothers and sisters. We all take peace in knowing she is happy and with God. She waited her whole life-94 years(!) to see him, and we can only imagine the joy she has now being with him forever more.

On Tuesday my parents, Bonnie, Anna and myself (Neil and Scott stayed home with the babies) took a trip up to Ludington, Michigan for Grandma' burial. My Aunt Joann and Uncle Allen also drove up. She spent many of her years there and that is also where my grandfather is buried. Instead of moving him home to Ohio, she wanted to be with him there. It was a wonderful trip and really meant a lot to spend this time together as a family, remember all the fun times we shared and fond memories of Grandma up here at the lake.

Thank you to everyone who supported all of us during this difficult time, for all of your cards and prayers, and warm words. It means a lot to our whole family.

Too-ha! **updated with more words!

Sorry it has been a while since we wrote last. Life has been BUSY! This is the Summer of Weddings. Most of you kow that 4 of my girlfriends are getting married this year and I am a bridesmaid in 3 of those weddings, and am doing a reading in the forth. So between Wedding Showers, Bachelorette Parties and the weddings in general my mind has been everywhere! One of the most exciting things coming up for us is that one of the weddings we are going to is in Scotland! Yep, that's right, that little place located in the United Kingdom! My girlfriend Marisa whom I met when I was working in Boston moved out there, fell in love and the rest is history. She asked that if we could swing the trip she would love for me to be in her wedding. How could I say no?! What an amazing opportunity!

We are so very excited- but nervous at the same time. This will be by far the longest I have ever been away from Jackson. We've done a few overnights, but that is it. This trip will keep us away for a whole week. While we are gone he will be staying with my parents, so I know he will be in excellent hands. But I still worry. Of course these past few weeks he has decided to become incredibly clingy with me. He can't stand it if I even leave the room for a moment. This makes dropping him off at my sisters while I work a challenge; even going out as a family to parties it takes him a while before he realizes I'm not going to leave him. I just hope that us leaving him for so long won't hurt him too badly. I have to make myself remain positive or I will drive myself crazy and not want to go. But we have already bought our plane tickets; reserved our hotel room and I even have my bridesmaid dress- no backing out now! But it will be good for Scott and I. With our opposite work schedules and me being so busy with all this wedding stuff our time together has been limited. We see each other for a quick kiss hello and a kiss goodnight (usually when one of us has already been sleeping!) and that is about it. The trip will be a lovely time to catch up on us.


Aside from wedding stuff we have been having so much fun with little man. He grows more and more every single day! Jackson has really been moving along on the development train. He can climb up on the couch and chair and get down all by himself and he us sooooo super fast going up the stairs. This second part freaks me out a bit since he doesn't know how to get down quite yet. I have to remember to leave the door to the attic closed or he is running up them! His talking is also coming much more quickly. Just the other day he said two new words in the same day! He has a few favorites, but so far these are his words:
Mom Mom
Dada
Papa
Ma Ma (Mimi)
Bon Bon (Auntie Bonnie)
Anna
Pop (Pop- sometimes he calls Don Papa too, but it is pretty close!)
Ball (definately Jackson's favorite word or thing!)
Mah (More)
shoe
cheese
sta (star)
Isss (Memphis, our cat)
Ra Ra (Ringo, our other cat)

Baba (bottle and pacifier- uses these two a lot. Knows the difference between the two. Just so happens to use the same word for both)

This/ Look at This/ What's This (uses these three a lot. Each distinctively sound different. Seems to know the difference)

Buffalo (Grammy and Pop brought him a stuffed buffalo home from their trip to South Dakota and he learned the word right away)

itty (kitty- although he hasn't said this one in a while)** He just said it tonight! That's what I get for saying he doesn't say things... he has to proove me wrong!

Yes (this is one of this newest words. When you ask him if he wants something he says "Yes Yes Yes!")

Too Ha (toothbrush. This is one of his other new words. Yes we know this seems like a strange word to learn. But him and Sophie are obsessed with toothbrushes and brushing their teeth. I guess there are worse things!)

Buh Ball (football)

Tada!

Ah-oh! (He says this when something falls, or he drops something, etc.)

WaWa (water, another of his new words)

So that is 26 words so far and he is only 15 months old. I think that is pretty darn good! Although I am thinking there are more words, but for some reason they are escaping me! I will add them if I think of more. I think one of the coolest things is that he can now ask me for things with using words. He doesn’t have to just point and have me try and guess what he wants. He is also starting to mimic the sounds of animals, which is super cute. He does the kitty Meow and also an elephant (with arm motions for the trunk and everything. I love it! It seems like everyday there is something else new going on or coming out of his mouth- just amazing.

Well, if I don’t get a chance to write before we leave, I promise to give a full report of our trip and also Jackson’s first vacation away from mommy and daddy!

Our Little Nature Boy

I was chatting with a girlfriend the other day and she was telling me about this game that she plays with her kids. It is "The Sign's Of Spring" game. It is quite simple really, all you do is whenever you see something that has to do with Spring, you point it out and then when they go home they either write about it or draw a picture of it in their Spring Journal. They keep these every year and look back at the end of the season and see how the children’s observations have grown. Plus it is a neat way to keep a "farmer's almanac" in a sense. They can see if they saw their first robin around the same time or if the daffodils popped their heads out a week early this year. I think that is such a great idea and I look forward to playing this game with Jackson, as he gets bigger.

Spring has definitely come our way for we are getting more and more nice days. On Monday it actually reached 60 degrees! Whoopee!!! Finally what I have been waiting for- a chance to play outside! So after a really nice visit with GiGi in the nursing home Jackson and I ran around outside and explored. The grass was still sopping wet so we had to stay on the driveway. But this was fine with both of us! It was just so much fun running around, collecting rocks and Jackson just LOVED watching the leaves blow around in the wind! It was so much fun watching Jackson's eyes light up and all of the new things he was discovering. Lately he has become attached to a stuffed bunny we have named Hop. Hop has been going many places with us, and today was no exception. I took a bunch of pictures of our playtime outside and you will see our little friend in many of them. Jackson and Hop are cute little buddies.

Yesterday it was a bit chilly, but with the sun shining so bright it looked like a beautiful day. We were both feeling a little bit of cabin fever, so I bundled Jackson up, took our trusty new red pail and went outside to explore some more. The grass was drier this time so we were actually able to walk around in the yard a bit to look for leaves. Jackson had so much fun collecting treasures! He found our pathway that leads from the driveway to our patio and discovered all of the wonderful tiny stones that fit perfectly in his little hands. We played over here for the longest time. Grammy and Pop, that red pail you got Jackson for Easter is so perfect for collecting treasures- it can hold so much! Plus it is perfect to then dump out and start all over again with! So thank you very much, we both love it!

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you about one of the best parts of the day. Jackson discovered a worm. Yep, a big, fat, juicy worm. It was finding it's way back to the grass and Jackson was soooo interested in him. He reached out his little finger and very gently gave it a touch. Ewwwwww!!! Jackson jumped back and gave a bit of a shudder. Not at all what he expected that weird looking thing to feel like! But he had to go back and examine him some more. We must have watched this worm for a good 5 minutes- that is a long time in toddler time! Then it was off to collect more rocks and leaves. It is going to be so much fun watching Jackson experience all these new things in nature. I can't wait until I get him a pair of Wellingtons so we can walk down to the creek and look for frogs. Now that will be a site!

Zoo Time!

A few weeks ago we took the kids to the Rocky River Nature Center, or "Little Zoo" as we like to call it. They have lots of animals there to look at, deer, turtles, fish, raccoons, bunnies, and even a bald eagle. Anna loves this place and even had her birthday party here one year. But boy oh boy did the babies love it this time! They got so excited every time they would see a new animal. It was so cute! So we knew they were defiantly ready for the big stuff....

So on Friday Bonnie and I decided to take our chances on the iffy weather (they had been forecasting rain off and on all day) and take the kids to the zoo for some fun and exercise (for Bonnie and I!) Bonnie has a zoo membership so it works out nicely that if it does indeed rain you won't be wasting money since it is free to get in. The first animals we saw were the elephants. Oh my goodness did Sophie get excited! She and Jackson have just learned how to make the elephant sound, with the arm up and everything, so this was very cool for them to see elephants so big and close. Every part of the zoo was such an experience for them, all the people, the animals; the pretty trees in the breeze- everything! They couldn't get enough. And Anna loved being the big sister and cousin and made sure to point out all of her favorite things to them.

We even discovered an itty-bitty baby turtle that was lost, walking on the main path by the swans. We made sure to scoop him up and put him back into a safe place to save him from an unsuspecting foot. He was only about the size of a half dollar- so cute!!!

Another absolute favorite of the day were the seals. Boy do these guys know how to put on a show! Their trainers were in there with them today so we got to see them do tricks, watch them be fed and groomed and of course perform with their silly antics. The babies couldn't get enough! They were squealing and laughing every time the seals did anything new. If this didn't convince me that I needed to get a zoo membership this year I don't know what will!

It ended up being a gorgeous day, without a cloud in the sky (mommy even got a little sunburned!) and definite blast for everyone. We can't wait to go back- and this time bring a camera with a fully charged battery! Zoo anyone?!

Jackson Goes to Bed Like a Big Boy Now!

We didn't want to say anything about this in the worry that we would jinx it- but since it has been going on since February, I think we can finally talk about it outloud...

Jackson goes to bed like a big boy now! YAYAYAYAYAY! Ever since he was born we couldn't just lay him down in his bed while he was awake- we had to bounce him quietly until it put him to sleep. He was a FIGHTER too! Sometimes it would take up to an hour for him to finally give in to sleep. This prooved to be frustrating on all of us! I would read in my books and magazines how you need to lay them down awake so they can learn how to put themselves to sleep. We always thought "Yeah Right!" How is that even possible?! He would scream and cry and fight and drive us all crazy. Finally Scott and I decided that we were going to try letting him "Cry It Out". I was never a huge fan of this, but it has worked for friends of ours so to make it easier in the long run we would give it a shot. We were going to try it the next night.

Well guess what- the next night after giving Jackson his bottle he was squirming in my arms like he was having a hard time getting comfortable, so I thought...hmmmm, I am just going to give this a try and see what happens. I kissed his face, told him we loved him and Jesus loved him, covered him up with his blanket and said good night and walked out the room. He babbled for about 5 minutes and then was sound asleep. Each night we would do this, every time expecting to get the screams that we would get in the past- but they never came. Can I just say how wonderful this is! No more stressful nights, no more frustrations of me and Scott having to take turns getting him to go to sleep. Jackson is a big boy now and we all like it better this way! Good job little man!

Awwwwww......

Jackson has started doing the cutest thing! If you say to him "Jackson give Mommy an Awww..." he goes up to you, lays his head on you and says "Awwww". It is his sweet way of giving a hug. Now if this doesn't brighten your day, I don't know what does!

Our little man has another tooth coming in which of course has made him feel a bit under the weather. So please send some "Hurry Up Tooth!" and "Feel Better Soon" wishes our way.

Did you know your nose has holes in it....

....the EXACT size of your fingers? Well, Mr. Jackson just discovered this very fact! And he has been showing us every day since the discovery. Luckily he hasn't discovered that there is anything up there to dig out- YET. I have to say it is pretty darn funny. He gives you this sly grin, his "I'm a little troublemaker smile" and slowly puts his finger into his nose. Then he starts laughing so hard, for he finds himself incredibly hilarious. I know I shouldn't encourage it, but you honestly can't help but laugh. He already has such a sense of humor about life and does the silliest things. All day long he has me laughing.

The other afternoon he just didn't want to nap. After 20 minutes of walking and bouncing I just laid him in his crib for "Mandatory Quiet Time". I walked out of his room and settled down to read some of my book for Book Club.

Mr. Jackson just did not want to sleep. I went ahead and let him play in his crib for a good 45 minutes. He was having a heck of a good time, so I didn't need to interrupt it. Although I was getting more and more frustrated knowing he NEEDED the nap, and knowing that we were approaching the time when it was either sleep or not because it was getting too late in the day. I finally went back in there to try and settle him down one last time. I picked him up and tried to calm him down. He was wiggling, and giggling. I said to him firmly "No Jackson! This is not playtime this is naptime. You need to sleep." And what did I get in return....he broke into the biggest fit of giggles you have ever seen. I was obviously sooooo hilarious! Here I am trying to be so stern, but how can you when he is so happy and innocent?! Veteran Moms out there, how in the heck did you do it?! I finally gave in and just let him get out of bed and play. I just figured he would crash early. Which I was right- he was in bed and asleep by 6:30!

I've decided we gave birth to a silly, silly monkey!

Yay for Green Vegetables!!!

So our little man has not been a big fan of any green veggies since he was able to eat solid foods. Ok, that is putting it nicely- he DISPISED them. He would gag on them like I was trying to feed him cardboard. Either that or he would spit them out all over me, himself, the walls, his highchair- in other words they weren't going anywhere near his tummy! This posed as a bit tricky for me, because I know how essential those vitamins were. I could sometimes sneak them in if I mixed them with his carrots. But he usually figured it out about halfway through.

Well I decided to give them another shot seeing as he IS one year old now; such a big boy! I started with 'Sweet Peas' because I thought they would go over the best. And boy did he gobble them up! Mommy was so excited! The next day I thought I would try 'Spinach and Carrots'. He loved this one even more! But then again, it did have his favorite veggie, carrots in it. Yesterday I moved on to the biggest obstacle thus far- the dreaded 'Green Beans'. These have been on his "Yuck List" for a long time. I could never sneak these things in- he knew every time. So I was really going out on a limb today! The one I choose was 'Green Beans and Turkey'. ...Ok, fingers crossed....let's give it a shot, I have my washcloth and face mask ready ....Wow, you would have thought these were his favorite food all along! Now, I think Jackson has been fooling Mommy all this time because he couldn't possibly love them all so much all of a sudden. That stinker... hahahaha. Well either way I am thrilled. So now maybe we can finally get rid of that orangish tint to his complexion :) Yay!

Being a Mom

My friend sent me this little story and it warmed my heart so. I just wanted to share it with all of you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Love,
Amie

BEING A MOM

We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family."

"We're taking a survey," she says half-joking.
"Do you think I should have a baby?"
"It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral.
"I know," she says,"no more sleeping in on weekends, No more spontaneous vacations."

But that is not what I meant at all.

I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes.
I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.

I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?"
That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her.
That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub.
That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a souffle or her best crystal without a moments hesitation.
I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood.

She might arrange for child-care, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.

I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom.

However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.

Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself.

That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.

I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor.

My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks.

I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man
who carefully bathes the baby or who never hesitates to feed, change or play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women
throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving.

I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.

My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes.

"You'll never regret it," I finally say.
Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand
and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

May you always have in your arms the one who is in your heart.

Jackson's 1 Year Doctor's Appointment

On Thursday I took Jackson to see Dr. Lash for his 1-year doctor's appointment. We couldn't see his regular doctor because she took an extended maternity leave, so Dr. Lash is was. He was actually a very nice man; I would definitely take Jackson to him again if Dr. Biglow wasn't available. At first Jackson wasn't so sure about him. He has a beard and Jackson doesn't know anyone else besides Pop with one of those. He freaked out a bit when the doctor tried looking in his ears but then Dr. Lash let Jackson hold the stethoscope and play with the light on it, which he thought was wayyyyy cool. So then they were instant friends. His appointment went really well. Jackson is growing and progressing just right. He now weighs 19lbs 4oz, and is 29 1/2 inches tall, which is 2 feet 2 inches. Yep, that means that I am only 3 feet taller then my one-year-old son. Hahahaha.

I opted for him to get the Chicken Pox vaccine, which Jackson was so good for, hardly cried at all. As soon as it was done he was smiling again. What a champ! Since we live in an old house Dr. Lash said it would be a good idea for Jackson to get tested for lead. He said that there is probably nothing to be concerned about, but he just likes to make sure. And I told him that the way Jackson bites and chews on everything, that it probably wasn't a bad idea. After his regular appointment we had to go down to Outpatient Screening where he would have his blood test for lead. Jackson did NOT like this. And I don't blame him. They had me lay him down on this board and they Velcro straps around him like a little papoose so he would be still. I would imagine that that would be pretty scary. Jackson cried so hard, it was just awful. I hate seeing him in pain. Made Mommy get all teary too! But we were brave and handled it OK.

After the appointment we went out and met up with Mimi, Auntie Bonnie and Sophie to bum around Target and then get some lunch. This definitely made his day better. Those two babies together are so darn cute! They love each other so much. It just warms your heart to see them interact. While we were out we picked out Jackson’s Easter outfit; boy is he going to look handsome! Wait until you see pictures! So all in all it was a good day.

Oh, and by the way...did you know that Jackson is part Termite? Well he is! Take a look in the pictures and see what he has done to his crib..... we need to call Babies R Us ASAP! He shouldn't have been able to do this much damage!!!!

It is official- spring is on it's way....

Sort of. At least Cleveland Style. On Monday, Jackson and I woke up to the most beautiful day! The sun was shining and the snow was melting big time. At a closer look, we could see the sidewalks were pretty much all clear- wait a minute! Does that actually mean we could go for a walk today?! Yay! Daddy must have been thinking about us and wondering the same thing because in his good morning phone call he told us that it was going to be really warm today and that we should go for a walk to get rid of the cabin fever we had both been feeling since being sick. Hot Dog- outside it is!

Jackson had a really good morning nap and woke up, ate a big lunch (finally his appetite is starting to come back!) and just as we were about to call our neighbor to join us with her kids, Lora rang us and asked if we wanted to play outside. Two stay at home mommy's dying to get the kids out of the house- and us too, really! I decided to try out our brand new stroller from Grandpa and Grandma Kanengeiser. It is this really cool lime green umbrella stroller- but updated to today's standards. It has a basket underneath to hold a diaper bag, etc. and a canopy, plus it is taller then most umbrella strollers so you don't have to hunch over to push it. Jackson also gets to sit up more to explore the world better then in his huge travel system. For our walk today it worked out perfect. There was still snow in spots, and this stroller made it so easy to maneuver around and over it. So thank you again Grandma and Grandpa- we love it!

I can't even tell you how wonderful it was to get outside. And we all felt it. Jonah drove his Jeep, and Jackson and Mari enjoyed their stroller walks- and Lora and I got to get a little exercise. Much needed at least for me, I have to say! After the walk I took Jackson out of the stroller and let him walk around a bit. He is such a boy. What was the first place he had to go play in- yup, the huge water puddle! He ran right to it and stomped around. *Mental Note* I'm going to have to get him a pair of boots to play outside in! And then, even better he eyed up an even bigger, even muddier puddle and sat right down in it. Boy was he surprised when he got all wet! It was too cute! But he didn't mind, and if it weren’t time for a nap we would have played out there longer!

Unfortunately the next day turned cold again and now I am looking out my office window to ice covered trees and a few inches of snow. Blagh. But the forecasters are saying 40's for tomorrow. So there is definite hope for spring soon enough- well maybe not soon enough, but coming never the less!


**On a side note** You can now view the pictures in each album as a slide show. Now you don't have to click through each one if you didn't want to. Nice new feature!

Jackson has 2 more Teeth!

After some super tough teething days, Jackson's top two teeth next to his middle ones finally broke through! Yay! He now has 6 teeth total- 4 on the top and two on the bottom. We noticed they came through this past weekend on Sunday, February 24th.

But along with the good news we got some bad....

Poor little man, on Sunday afternoon while shopping at Borders with Mommy and Daddy, got what seemed to be a case of being overheated. He had dozed off in the car and we just kept him in his car seat in the stroller. Took his hat off, unzipped his coat but just let him snooze. Well he woke up while we were shopping and just didn't look right. He had a greenish tint to his skin and a glossy look to his eyes. We immediately took him out of his seat, took off his coat and sweater and gave him some nice cold water to drink and crackers to calm his tummy. He was so out of it he was actually shaking and giving the look of being ready to throw up. After a little bit he finally started looking a bit better. We fed him some lunch and let him walk around a bit to get his blood flowing. Once he started looking more himself we decided to get him home. Once we got there I sat down with him to give him a bottle. He drank for about a minute and then sat up and proceeded to throw up everywhere. Ugh, the poor little guy! He has never thrown up like that before. It scared him a bit and made him weepy. But after he calmed down he seemed to feel almost back to normal. He was playing and acting silly. He went to bed that night and that is when the coughing started.

Well what we thought was only a case of being over heated ended up turning into a double ear infection and the beginnings of a sinus infection! The past few days have been pretty trying on all of us. Jackson has this terrible cough that makes him gag afterwards. He has all this phlegm from his sinus infection he is trying to cough it up but doesn't know what to do. So he gags, and many times coughs so hard it makes him throw up. He had been running a low-grade fever off and on and that was while taking Motrin. The doctor was a little concerned that he had a fever of 100.1 while under a fever reducer so they had me bring him in. And I am so thankful I did it when I did! Out doctor told me that if I would have waited even one day his ears and sinus would have been full blown and he would have been in terrible pain. So we had perfect timing. They prescribed Jackson some Amoxicillin that he needs to take for the next 10 days. After just two doses of it you could tell he was already feeling much better. The tough part though is getting it in him- and keeping it in. He HATES it. The moment you put it in his mouth he spits it right back out. And of course it is bright pink so now everything he has been wearing and everything I have been wearing has these lovely bright pink stains on them. Between the medicine and the throw up my washing machine has been on over drive! I finally figured I had to try something else. He HAS to take this stuff to get better and I can’t keep wasting it. So I found that if I put it in his oatmeal with his fruit he has no idea and gobbles it right up. Thank goodness! Success!

Now after 3 full days on antibiotics he is much more himself and actually playing again instead of just wandering around. He is still really clingy and a bit weepy, but at least he is on the mend. Taking care of a sick baby is hard work! Mommy is worn out! But I am just happy he is doing better. 4 days of throwing up will tire anyone out! Get better soon my little prince!

Jackson's 1st birthday a huge success!!!!

Well looking back a month ago, Scott and I were a bit worried that we wouldn't be able to have Jackson's 1st birthday party at our house being that it is on the small side. We really wanted to have a huge blow out with all of our friends and family to celebrate his big day. But since Jackson decided to be born in the winter that became pretty much out of the question. We knew we had to scale back so we did some brainstorming and decided that if we can get our basement in tip top shape, do some big purging and rearranging we could probably pull it off with just our closest family. We decided to only invite all of the grandparents, my sister and her family, and Jackson's best friend Nathan and his mommy and daddy, Adrianne and Matt. Just those people alone we had a total of 25 people (including kids and us!) *Phew*! Everyone helped out and brought a little something to contribute to our meals. Things went so smoothly- aside from our kitchen fuses blowing 4 times. Of course it was the fuse that controlled our oven, microwave, fridge and coffee pot! Go figure. But after some finagling and a bit of patience dinner came out smoothly and super delicious! Thank you everyone who pitched in. You were a HUGE help!

After dinner Jackson opened all of his presents and boy did he make out! He got tons of cool new clothes, some great new books to read, and lots of fun new toys. He has already played with each and every one and loves them all! Jackson also got a bunch of new Baby Einstein DVD’s, and is thrilled to watch something new. So far his favorites are Baby Neptune and Baby Wordsworth. Auntie Bonnie, Uncle Neil and the girls got him this cool blanket from the Taggies line. If any of you know Jackson you will understand how much he LOVES this blanket. He is a tag addict- if it has a tag it is a favorite. This blanket is not only super snuggly, but it has a ton of tags on it- lots to rub, hold onto and comfort himself with. He has slept with it every day since. Thank you! We also wanted to thank all of you for the wonderful savings bonds and additions to his College Advantage Funds. These are incredibly special gifts and at this rate Jackson will have a full choice of college’s to go to! It means a lot that you are all helping his future grow.

After some more playing and visiting we all had plenty of time for our food to digest a bit and it was cake time!!! This is the big part Mommy and Daddy were waiting for. We got a Cassata cake for us adults and Jackson got his very own chocolate cake with vanilla frosting to smash into. At first he wasn't so sure as to what to do with it. But after a little help he was right in it. Too cute! I am uploading all of his birthday pictures so be sure to check back often. Thank you Adrianne for being my picture girl so I could pay attention to Jackson and company and not have a camera in my face the whole time. If anyone else has some digital pictures from his party please send them our way and I will post them here online for everyone to see. You can email them to me at amie.kanengeiser@gmail.com

Thank you everyone for the fabulous company and wonderful time! We are so thrilled that we were able to pull this day off without a hitch. We had a fantastic time and hope you all did too. I am sorry we couldn't invite everyone to this party but we are definitely looking forward to having another bash once the weather turns nice (if that ever happens- don't know about you all but we have over a foot and a half of snow out there and it is still falling!!) Can't wait to do it all again!

One year ago today....

It is so hard to believe that already one whole year has gone by! Just one year ago today we were in the hospital well into labor. I write this at 10:15pm. By this time I do not really remember too much... labor was a bit fuzzy at this point. I do believe I was given a second dose of my epidural, and I think we were trying to rest a bit. What I do remember was that the show 24 was on. We were trying so hard to watch it (we are MAJOR 24 junkies- thanks mom and dad!) but I was so uncomfortable I made Scott turn the volume almost off. The poor guy had to watch it reading lips ...hahahaha, sorry babe! We thought things would really get moving at this point, I was dilating and all was good. But then Jackson started not reacting well to the Pitosin so they had to take me off it and give me oxygen. But when I was off Pitosin, the contractions slowed waaaayyyyyy down, which meant my labor slowed way down. So we played with the back and forth thing for what felt like forever. The rest is a bit foggy but I know it was hard. Honestly the hardest thing I have ever done. But then finally in just 10 more hours our sweet little man was born.

When I would talk to other mom's about childbirth and if it really is so terrible; all would say you forget how bad it is after you have your beautiful child to hold. I thought this was all crap. Yeah right! How could a person really forget something so awful?! But you know what, they were right. Yes, it was hard; yes I know it was painful. But was it so bad I wouldn't do it again? Nope. I honestly can't even describe the pain or tell you truthfully what it was like. God created something truly amazing in us Mom's. A blinder of sorts. He just kind of put a fog around us during that time to make it OK, and then he gave us the most beautiful love story we will ever live.

Thank you God for blessing us with the most beautiful, handsome, fun, crazy, wild, happy, most cuddly little boy in the world! We love you Jackson- and welcome to one amazing year of life!!! I can't wait to see all of the years to come.

Jackson gave Mommy a broken toe!

This morning Jackson and I were over at my neighbor Laura's house for a little play date with another girlfriend and her children. About 10 minutes into getting there Jackson, walking into the kitchen to show me his prize- a very heavy children's toy, promptly dropped it to the floor and it landed squarely on my second toe. Instantly I felt the pain shoot up my foot. The instant pain actually brought me to my knees and I had to sit down right away. I have broken a toe two other times in my life, so I knew that is what happened without even looking at it. Laura gave me an icepack and we just hung out for a bit- I was just hoping that I was wrong and that the pain would eventually subside.

Once it was time for Jackson's nap, we headed back home. But since there was quite a bit of snow outside I wore my winter lace-up boots. It was excruciating! As soon as I got home I investigated- sure enough, my toe is swollen, bruised and no pressure can be put on it. Unfortunately there is really nothing that can be done for a broken toe unless it is misaligned. I just buddy taped it, took some Motrin and hope it won’t cause me too much pain tonight at work! Wish me luck- OUCH!

The pains of being a theething tot!

Jackson is growing up fast and with it comes more teeth. He has two more teeth coming in (the ones on either side of his 2 front teeth). They are giving him so much trouble- our poor little man! He has a boogery nose, a cough from the drainage and icky mouth pain. All of this leads to wakeful nights and crabby days. He just has so much trouble teething. Sophie's teeth pretty much just pop in and you hardly know that they were coming until they are already there. Not our little guy. They give him such a hard time! I wish I could take his discomfort away! Thankfully Infants Motrin works wonderfully. Best part is that it lasts 8 hours, unlike Tylenol, which is only 4-6. It doesn't relieve all of his pain, but it definitely helps. I think the worst part (for me) is the runny nose. I constantly have to wipe it and he hates it! I am sure it is making his little nose tender so all I can do is rub a little Vaseline there at night to help soothe it. I just hope these teeth come through already so he can get some relief!

The uncomfortableness has also made him much more clingy with me. He wants to be held all the time and doesn't like it when I leave the room. On one hand it makes for a difficult day if I need to get things done around the house. But on the other hand I get a snuggle buddy again. He was so busy with this new independence of walking he had no interest of sitting on your lap for more then a couple of seconds. Now we will sit together and read stories, watch shows or just sing songs. I definitely like this part of teething! Also one of the best things is he is starting to call me "Mom" again. That was his first word and I used to hear it all the time. Then he learned "Dada" and everything else went out the window. EVERYTHING became "Dada". I no longer heard Mom, or Mama anymore. I have to admit it made me a little sad- even though I knew it was just a phase. Well this week, he has finally started calling me "Mom" again. Yay!

The other good news is that Jackson is being a bit more agreeable when it comes to eating. He is enjoying his baby food again and also his oatmeal. Not as much as before, and I need to distract him with finger foods so he feels in control. But it is defiantly easier on all of us! Phew! I don't think I am ready for him to grow up so fast yet!

Joy of eating....

So Jackson has always been a wonderful eater. He loves to try new things, and has had quite an appetite for almost anything. He loves variety, and there isn't a whole lot that he doesn't like. But as of lately he has been trying my patients at mealtime. He is wanting to become more in control of his food, which means that if it is something he can feed himself, HE has to be the one doing the feeding. If I give him a spoonful or a bite from my fingers, he spits it out so he can do it himself. I am excited for him, but at the same time this leads to a VERY LONG mealtime. Patients is key. I can't be in a hurry and try to rush him. These textures and tastes are new and fun and he wants to take his time exploring them.

I like to watch Jackson playing with his food, exploring the textures and consistencies. And sometimes he even eats those things with their fabulous textures and consistencies, but the exploration is just as important as the eating - I try not to lose sight of that.

We are now at that point where baby food is B-O-R-I-N-G. And to be honest I don't blame him. The food is quite bland and the texture is pretty much always the same. So now Jackson is for the most part, eating what we are eating. What used to be his most favorite meal of the day, his breakfast of oatmeal with a dash of cinnamon, and a jar of fruit he now spits out like it is dirt. So I have had to try out other things in its place. His new favorite breakfast is scrambled egg with cheese and peanut butter and jelly toast. Dinnertime was quite trying yesterday. He didn't want anything I was giving him. Most everything was getting the off-the-tray-and-onto-the-floor treatment. So mommy had to put away his old favorites of baby food and make the real deal. I scrambled through my fridge and pantry and quickly came up with an alternate. And he loved it. His new dinner consisted of Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, fresh Sweet Peas, and Macaroni and Cheese. All of which he had to feed himself. Needles to say, dinner was VERY messy. But he loved it. I guess this will save us money from having to buy jarred baby food! We will just use that extra money for stain remover...hahahaha.

Like they say, until they’re one, it’s just for fun. What happens after they’re one is I suppose, anyone’s guess. Since we are alomst there we shall see soon enough!

Jackson's 1st Sleepover Away from Mommy and Daddy!

What a fantastic day yesterday was! We had a lot of plans for our Thursday, but it was going to be a lot of fun!

While growing up I had a girlfriend named Hannah. She was a wonderful friend, we did lots together like any good girlfriends do; play at each others houses- which included sleepovers of course, went to church with each other’s families, shared secrets, all that good stuff. We were close for a number of years and then in high school I transferred to Lutheran West, Hannah stayed at Berea High and we gradually lost touch. No real falling out, just two girls doing different things at different schools. Well thanks to a silly website called MySpace, we got back in touch after many years apart. The Internet is such a wonderful tool! We discovered that we had both just gotten married quite recently and also we were both pregnant at the same time! How exciting! Another girlfriend to share the joys of motherhood with! Well, unfortunately about a month or so after getting back in touch, Hannah and her husband Tim had to move to North Carolina for his job. Back to emailing, I guess! And email we did! We tried to get together over Christmas, but with all of the hustle and bustle (and Hannah's knee surgery!) timing just didn't work out. So when Tim had to go out of town in January, Hannah and TJ (their adorable little boy) decided to come back to Ohio to visit some family, of course I jumped at the opportunity to visit! This time we were going to make it work!!!

On Thursday Jackson and I met Adrianne (no Nathan unfortunately, he was in school) over at Hannah’s moms’ house for a play date. It was such a lovely afternoon! Although it has been so many years since we had last seen each other, it was like no time had passed. We caught up on what is new in our lives, talked a lot about our kids and just enjoyed being together again. TJ and Jackson had so much fun together. They are both walking now, so it was so cute watching them get into stuff and play with all the fun toys. TJ is 14 months old, just a little bit older then Jackson (so I am sure he learned a thing or two from him!) I am so looking forward to when they are in town again- only this time we will have to plan for a day when Nathan can join us too! Lucky for us, Hannah, Tim and TJ will be moving back to Ohio- but not for a few more years. So we will have to rely on email and phone to stay in touch until then. So worth it! I have posted pictures from our playdate in the Baby Albums section. Check them out!


For my birthday, Scott got us tickets to see a truly incredible show. It was Patty Griffin, Emmy Lou Harris, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller performing at the Allen Theater at Playhouse Square. We thought we would take this opportunity for Jackson to have his very first sleepover away from Mommy and Daddy! We took him over to my mom and dad’s for the night while us parents went out for a night on the town.

Scott and I had so much fun! We went for dinner before hand at the Hanna Restaurant in the Hanna Building and then off to the show. We had 4th row seats- AMAZING! The 4 musicians all sat on the stage, surrounded by their guitars and each took turns singing one of their songs while the rest of the group backed them up. It was such a special performance- definitely one I will never forget. After the 2 ½ hour (!) show, Scott and I went up to the stage to see if one of the roadies would give us a set list or something. But even better- Buddy Miller came out to collect some of his things. Scott called to him “Hey Buddy! Can we have a guitar pick, it’s her birthday?!” He said sure and gave us one of the picks he used to play that night and then he even signed our program! It was so cool! What a special night!

The next day after SLEEPING IN (something we haven’t done in a very long time!) I went over to my parents to pick up the little man. He had such a fun time! He ate super good for my mom. She even got him into Whole Milk from a bottle. This is something we have been working on for a little while now. I am so proud of him! Now I feel so good about doing this again from time to time. I very much remember how special it was for me when I was growing up to spend the night at my Grandma’s. I am happy Jackson will get to enjoy this too. So huge success for all of us! Go Kanengeiser Family! :)