six weeks

05/16/2014 No one knows how much I cried that day...

2

Its your last night as 1 and I hate it- i do... Cuz tomorrow is coming and then you'll be two... and then 7... then 23...then you'll leave me . And im sad and Im happy and it hurts and I smile bc I love you. you deserve everything and I hope you know that. Its your last night as 1 and I love you-I do. Happy 2nd birthday Jacker- Mommy

1 1/2

I pure straight love this little kid. I love his tenacity, his sense of humor, his love of books and curious george.I love his willingness to learn and help and play and dance and sing. I love his innocence. I love to hear him call me momma. i really love it when he kisses me for no reason or reaches over to hold my hand. I love that his daddy is his hero and that he is his daddy's best friend.I love that he never sits still bc that means he is an adventurer. I love that he tried to ride Baxter like a horse today....and Baxter loves that he was able to get away just in time;)

JaCk iS oNe!!!

Sooo Jack is one! Its official! We dont have a baby baby anymore! We have a big boy baby:) The last year has been crazy and fun and tiring and interesting and full of tears and laughter and fear and fun and LOTS of prayers. I think its the most amazing thing to be part of growing a person. I mean he watches and learns and develops new traits, habits, and ideas all day long everyday. Jack has gone from crawling to running... Im pretty sure we skipped walking altogether. He loves his dogs, and music, and all of his family. He isnt too keen on going to work with me still but we are getting there (and if Im being honest who can blame him- I know I would rather stay home and play all day too).

We are finally falling asleep with out a nursing marathon every night and I love it. I love cuddling with him and reading 2 stories (and dont even think about trying to cheat him out of the second one because he knows!).Im actually glad that no one told me how hard it is to wean a stubborn baby because I probably would have avoided the whole nursing thing altogether lol. All joking aside though- even though it was hard to do I would never give it up since it was so special and I love the bond that we created.... Anyways enough about milk!

Some of my favorite moments from the first year:

The whole first week of his life (it was so exhausting but it was awesome)
The first time he said Mama and Dadda
The smile he gives me when I get home from work
The voluntary kisses and hugs-  they melt my heart and make me wanna cry bc Im so happy
Watching Jack and Daddy read books together
Going on vacation and watching Jack absorb everything- He loves the ocean!
Graduation from swim class:) He is my favorite micro fish!
Christmas morning!
Reading "I love you stinky face" two times in a row each night for a week and watching Jack love it everytime
Letting Jack spend the night away with Grandma and Grandpa Hart- I really missed him! Alot!
Hearing him try to say Thank you (sounds like tank too)
Last weekend I said "I love you" and he said it back!

Thank you Jack for being a good boy and thank you Ty for being my husband!

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

note to jack

i love your little hands i love your chunky baby feet. i love your little laugh. i love your sweet kisses. and i love your snuggle moods. youre cute in footie pajamas. youre cute in everything. i love your inquisitive nature. and even though it makes it hard to do things i love that you need me. i love how you want to eat like a big boy. i love that you love your racoon hat. i think bath time really is the best. i love how sweet you smell after a bath. i love dancing  amd going outside and reading books with you. i love you. i love your daddy. i love. i love. i love.

Fall Time

So Jack is almost 10 months old. It has been a busy few months and its getting busier. Jack is a professional crawler. He has taken a few steps and even more falls (which scare the heck out of me!) He has 6 teeth and they are the cutest teeth of ALL time (I know I am biased... but I dont care:))

I think that we are finally getting this whole work/life thing balanced out. Jack gets to spend a half day each week with each of his grandmas and his baby sitter fills in the blanks. I love that both grandmas are so willing to help and I think its really good for him to be able to spend that quality time with him. I was so worried at first that it might seem like a job to them but since its only one day a week I think its special for everyone involved.

I am working 3 to 4 half days a week- it doesnt sound like a lot and sometime I feel like I should be there more often but Im usually not that far behind and in the end I would rather be known as a good mom than someone who never misses a deadline... not that I support laziness... I just support finding a good balance and going with what works for each person. I never want to be "that mom" who acts like she has the only way. I have decided in that last few months that I dont care what others think about me as a mom. If it works then do it. And unless I ask for your opinion I probably dont want to hear it (and now im getting off of my soapbox):)

Family Picture by Kayla Russel

Things that Jack can do now:

He points...I know it sounds trivial but its funny
He dances- he loves to dance to jazz and blues or the Elmo song:)
He took 5 steps
He gives his dog brothers their "crunchies"
He gives kisses...but only when he feels like it
He loves his aunts and uncles
He is in 12 month clothing
He recently discovered the dogs water bowl- this is NOT cute
He also recently discovered the toilet- even LESS cute!!!
He loves going on walks and grocery shopping
He wont sit still for diaper change even if you beg- we are working on that one
He LOVES bath time
He waives "bye bye"- and i LOVE LOVE LOVE this!
He likes to feed himself

Jack sleeping on the ferry back from Mackinack Island

Im happy...not always smiling... but I would say Im pretty lucky that I get to spend life with my two favorite boys and our silly dogs<3

Love this boy<3

At Aunt Rae's wedding

6 Months

Jack is 6 months old today! I can NOT believe how fast time has gone!!! It seems like yesterday I was freaking out wondering how in the world was I ever going to handle being a mom ?!?!?!?! I wont say that its always easy (because its not lol) but I wouldnt trade Jack for the world. I never realized what we were missing until Jack came along and made everything perfect. Yesterday ty and I went out for the first time in a month and while we enjoyed the peace and quiet we both missed jack even more.



Things that I took for granted before Jack:

Long Showers
Eating with both hands (not using one to occupy a bored baby)
Sleeping in
Leaving the house quickly
Our dogs
Friday night movie dates

Things that I never realized I would love:

Little baby clothes fresh from the dryer
Baby yawns
Baby stretches first thing in the morning
Baby laughs
Huge drooley smiles
little baby feet covered in sand from the beach
The sound of my baby making small talk with his daddy
Snuggles with my 2 favorite boys
Enjoying a quiet nite with my husband while our little one sleeps in our happy home


I guess the list goes on and on and Im still getting used to the list of things I used to think were important merging with the
list of things that are now even more important and some how the chaos of it all makes my life complete.

Oh and on July 3rd.......... Jack said "dada".........and even though he doesnt know what it means

 i LOVE it xoxo

 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him- Luke 2:40