My Future's So Bright...

I got to wear shades!

We bought Jack some cool baby sunglasses from mfs eyewear. They are absolutely adorable on him! He's one cool dude.

Jack had a play date over the weekend. His buddy is three weeks older than him and he seems more advanced for his age than Jack (it's always hard not to compare). I don't think Jack is behind or anything, I just think that his friend is ahead for his age. One difference though is that Jack sleeps through the night and his friend doesn't (his poor mommy). I guess I will take that. I like sleep!

I'm Obsessed

Thanks to Mary Kate at Our Journey , I found out about Picnik.com , a free photo editing web site (although you can pay for upgrading to premium services) that lets you do so many fun things with your pictures. As soon as I started using it, I was sending all kinds of cool edited photos to my husband and family. I am totally hooked!

Here's a couple of examples of what you can do:

The first photo to the right is the before picture and the photo below was made after messing around with some special "effects". I used the frames feature to make it look like a Polaroid picture, added a couple of cartoon-y characters, and also added my website URL for a watermark (which learning from Mary Kate , you can use to protect the photos on your blog.)

Here's another example of what you can do...

This is a family photo taken a little while back:

Below, here's what I did using the pencil sketch format:

Neat, huh?

You definitely should check it out and play with it. It's so much fun!

The Bachelorette

So, for all of you out there who watch the Bachelorette, what did you think of last night’s show?

Recap:

Last night we saw Jillian and the boys take a multi-day train ride through the Rocky Mountains, which I for one, would love to do. The scenery on the trip looked absolutely amazing!

Jillian first went on a one on one Robbie the bartender. She did not feel he was ready for the long term and gave him the boot. He was cute, but she’s right, he is probably too young and doesn’t seem quite like he knows what he wants in life yet. Later, Jillian had a date with Kiptyn, Michael, Wes, Jesse, Tanner and Jake where they went snowshoeing and hung out at a dream cabin. Wes let it be known that he is basically there for promoting himself (as if we didn’t know that). Tanner decided that he would put himself out there (as he thinks that he is too shy sometimes) and showed off his package (covered up though) in front of Jillian and the rest of the guys. I can’t help but laugh at him. Later in the hot tub (there’s always got to be a hot tub), she gave my man Kiptyn the rose.

Jillian had her second one on one with Reid, who the boys say is neurotic (and he is a little bit). They went snowboarding and she was impressed that he decided to snowboard when he did not know how (apparently he knows how to ski really well). They spent some time in an ice lounge and then cozied up together. She seems to like him and she gave him a rose.

Rose Ceremony:

Jillian pulls Michael aside as she’s not quite sure if he’s ready at his age for a lifetime commitment. He assures her that he is (and seems to be telling the truth). Jillian has already given out two roses and can only give three more. She gives the three roses to Wes, Jesse and Michael, which means that Tanner and Jake are out.

My thoughts:

I felt really bad for Jake (aka Mr. Perfect). My husband and I have said every time that we see him that he needs to calm it down when he’s around Jillian as it seems that he fell for her way too fast and seems as though he could be a pushover. He was laying his cards down way to quickly and that always scares women (and men) off. But, in his post interview, you can tell that this happens to him a lot and that’s really sad. He’s cute, super nice, employed, and seems as though he really would like to fall in love and get married. He’s the type of man that we women should go for and yet, because he doesn’t seem to have any bad boy in him, we don’t. It’s wrong that we women always complain about men being jerks, yet when the good ones come along, we throw them away. So, I felt bad for him.

I sooo wish she would have gotten rid of Wes. I cannot see what Jillian sees in him and it sucks for her that she doesn’t realize who he truly is. I really wish that Tanner would have whispered when he was leaving that Wes is the one with the girlfriend. He didn’t…but, in the previews for next week, it looks like Jake comes back to let her know. Yay! Usually I don’t like vengeance as it can look desperate, but I really don’t like Wes and think that him lying to Jillian is making her look bad, and so I hope that Jake tells her the truth and that she believes him. If she doesn’t, then something is wrong with that girl. If she really wants a long term partner, she has to stay away from the bad boys and if everyone is telling you he is bad and that he’s not there for you, then there is usually some truth to that. Sometimes you can believe what you hear.

My favorites are Reid and Kiptyn and I am still rooting for Kiptyn to go all the way. He was my choice from the first time they showed him, so I’m glad he’s still there. On Deanna’s season though, Jason was my pick from the first time they showed him, so my judgment may not always be the best. Hopefully Kiptyn doesn’t end up being like him.

By the way, they keep hinting that later in the season about somebody not being able to “perform” in the bedroom physically, but I think they are just messing with us. I mean, really, would she let it be known on TV if she was going to go that far with someone. Seriously doubt it.
Well, Tanner is out. No more talk of foot fetishes, which made me laugh, so I’m going to miss that. Jake, you are sweet and you will find someone, just don’t push too hard to find it. Wes, I hope you go home soon. Jesse, I’m not sure about you yet. You seem cool. Michael, you are fun and sweet, but you are probably a little too young. Reid and Kiptyn, I hope you are the two that make it to the end.

Some of Jack's Firsts

Well, there's a reason they call it Hotlanta. It was darn hot this weekend and so we decided it would be a perfect time to get Jack into the baby pool I bought him a couple of weeks ago. We went over to my moms house so that she could see his first time too. Jack looked so cute in his little surfer shorts with his big belly hanging out!

By the way, it was Father's Day. Jack, you have the greatest father in the world!

Jack got used to the water pretty fast. He's always done well with baths, so I figured he would probably be ok, but you never know if babies are going to start screaming when you put them in water.

Look at those baby rolls...CUTE!!!

I'm glad that Jack seemed to like the water and have fun. I should have bought some water toys for him to play with in there, although he can't quite sit fully unassisted yet and those will probably be more useful then.

A couple of weeks ago, we gave Jack rice cereal for the first time. Now, I'm not sure if any of you other mothers have tasted this before giving it to your child, but I'm surprised Jack did not call social services on us for making him eat this stuff. It tastes like wallpaper paste mixed with metal particles. It's absolutely gross and Jack agrees:

Needless to say, I couldn't keep the rice cereal in his mouth for too long. Why do the manufacturers of rice cereal or doctors even recommend it if its not going to go down the babies throat??? I assume that it's easiest on their stomachs and so that is why you should start off with that, but my child is clearly not pleased with it!

After a few rice cereal feedings, I decided that I wanted to try something that Jack actually might eat. My husband and I decided that we wanted to start Jack on a few different vegetables before starting him on fruits in hopes that it might allow him to get used to liking vegetables before giving him something sweeter. So we chose squash, which apparently, is actually a fruit (stupid us), but used more like a vegetable because they are not sweet. I have always thought of squash as a vegetable though, so I am going to keep on thinking that.

Here's the first attempt:


"Mommy, if this tastes anything like what you have given me so far, I'm going to be really upset"...

"What the heck...I'm going to vomit"...

"Why do you all hate me so much???"...

So clearly, I thought that he didn't like it. It was written all over his face. He was mad, so we then fed him his bottle and decided to try again afterwards. Well, after the bottle, look what happened...

He actually liked it and wanted to keep eating it! I guess I made the mistake of trying to feed him the new food before his bottle and he just wanted the bottle first. It went fine after the bottle. Yay! I'm so happy that he likes squash. That's my boy!

Therapy Thursday

Like many couples, my husband and I would both like learn how to communicate more effectively with each other. As I mentioned in my confessions, I need to learn how to control my anger (not in general everyday life as I tend not to be an angry person for no reason, but rather in arguments). When I want to talk to my husband about my wants, my feelings, or something that is upsetting me, I start off calm and I mean to remain so. The difficulty is that my husband is not as comfortable with relationship talks and can sometimes pull away and not be open to talking to me. I realize he is not as comfortable as me but when he retreats and tells me that he does not want to talk about it and keeps putting the issues off, I start to build up resentments because I cannot get my feelings out. So, when we start a conversation at a later time, those resentments are there and when I see him retreating, I get angered more easily.

I am not quite sure how to deal with this. I would like to not hold on to previous anger and just deal with things in the present time. But how is that possible? I feel that my husband would like me to forget any previous “issues” we have had and not bring them into the conversations we have now, but how can you not be affected by the way things have happened before if they have not been resolved? How can we find a way to talk constructively (which for me means not getting angry and for him, not retreating and thinking that I am trying to criticize?). I think this is one of the hardest parts of marriage. Luckily, I have a husband who is open to working things out and I think we can find ways to improve our communication. Our relationship overall is pretty darn great, but I know that it I am going to have to make some changes within myself and not just expect him to...and I am going to give it my all, so we don’t keep going in circles.

Jack at 5 Months

Jack, you are five months old today...

• You are getting better at sitting every day. You can hold your own for a little bit in the tripod position.



• You are incredibly strong and pull at everything, including my hair (please stop doing that because I have too little hair as it is).

-- You love standing on your legs and act like you are "the man" for doing it.

• -- Your only other food besides formula that you have had is rice cereal, which tastes like wallpaper paste (as mommy and daddy know as we stupidly decided to taste it). Hold on one more month or so baby, then you will get the good stuff...like sweet potatoes, bananas, and squash (not sure if you'll like the squash).



• If we try and put a cookie in front of your mouth to see if you will suck on it, you turn your head every time. Yet if we put a scoop of formula in front of your mouth, you chomp down on it. I am perplexed by this. You obviously can't be my son if you don't want cookies!



• You are trying your hardest to move/crawl when you are on your belly and pushing yourself up. You grunt a lot since you cannot make that happen yet.



• You are about 17 lbs, 5 oz and 26 3/4 inches long. You are in the 77th percentile for weight and 89th for height. You're still a big boy!



• You're just about to grow out of a size 2 diaper.



• You have sprouted a little more hair (or fuzz as we like to call it). You are still pretty bald though.



• You have learned that the pacifier is supposed to go in your mouth and you try on your own to put it in there (you have only done it correctly once and I was very proud).



• There are times when we can get you to hold your bottle for 30 seconds to a minute. We know it's just a fluke when you do, but it seems like you want to.



• You love to play peek-a-boo.



• You still sleep through the night...for the most part. We have our days when you are up four or five times and we cannot figure out why.



• We feel no teeth poking through yet, but swear you are teething (indicated by the massive amount of drool and overwhelming need to put everything in your mouth).



• You are a mellow baby and many people comment on how good you are.



• You are still the cutest and sweetest baby in your mom and dad's eyes and we still can't believe how much we love you!

Friend Makin' Mondays...On a Tuesday

Every Monday over at Kasey's All That is Good Blog, she gives directions for Friend Makin' Mondays which includes a different activity to be done by readers on their own blogs to get to know their fellow bloggers. Usually, it is anything from answering questions, sharing pictures, and things that help everyone to get know each other and support each other better. I have seen this on a couple of blogs and have decided to join in...albeit a day late...

Today's task is confessions:

1. There is a candy jar at work with bite size candy bars and I usually eat anywhere from 5-10 a day. I think I eat probably the equivalent of 3 full candy bars on a daily basis. This does not help me lose any of the pregnancy weight and probably why I have been stagnant with the weight loss.
2. I have not told any of my family (including my husband) or close friends about this blog yet as I am afraid they will judge me for it.
3. I miss the freedom I had before I had a child. I would not trade my baby for anything though.
4. I feel that I do not read or watch enough educational books or programs and fill my brain with too much useless knowledge...but that this is all my brain can handle right now.
5. Related to number 4, I watch way too much reality television.
6. Like Kasey , I was engaged once before the current hubby. While I will always have fond memories of that man, I do not regret ending the engagement as it has brought me where I am today.
7. I need anger management. I do not handle arguments well as my husband can attest to.
8. Even though I have a great life and a pretty good self esteem, I often feel that people are more "with it" than I am and have more exciting lives.
9. I tend to space out. I was given a most likely award by my cheer group in high school called most likely to space out.

Ok everyone. I have confessed, now it's your turn. Go here for the rules.

Weekend Buys

My husband and I each gave one another a day off from parenting this past weekend; he took Saturday and went over a friends house to do boy stuff and I took Sunday and did girl stuff...which means shopping.

I have to say, I am not a shopper. I am cheap (everyone always tells me to use the term frugal, but really, I am cheap). I rarely buy anything for myself and when I do, it's inexpensive. It's the way that I have always been, even if I have the money for things. While some people might think being cheap is a bad thing, I'm glad it's a trait of mine (and so is my husband...he's the same way). Occasionaly, I do find items that I want that are inexpensive and so I "splurge" (although splurge for me is not what it means for others). I bought a few things this weekend without spending much money, which I'm happy about.

I got this cute dress from Dots for only $16. I like it because I can wear it for work and on the weekends. It's really comfortable and has a summer-y feel to it.

Here is a perfect example of my cheapness. See the flip flops on the left...I have had those for years...years people. You can see in the picture that they have teeth marks (from my dog chewing on them) and they are ragged and falling apart. But hey, they served their purpose and they were very inexpensive. Well, finally yesterday, I purchased a new pair of flip flops...for only $6! But, I realized that cheap doesn't always cut it. I have only worn them for a very short period of time and they are pretty terrible. They kind of slip off my feet as I am walking and have almost made me trip a couple of times. I don't know if they will become comfortable or not, but I'm thinking that I just wasted $6.

This skirt was only $12. It's got a lot of color, which I like since I can wear it with a variety of shirts. I tend only to buy skirts that have this feature (which usually means I buy black...since it matches eveything).

I found these frames on clearance at Kohl's (less than $5 a piece). I couldn't say no. They had a ton of frames on clearance and so it was sort of hard for me to stop at just these two, but hey, I'm cheap, so I did.

I'm sore and I'm walking funny

I went to the gym at my work for the first time this morning. I woke just a little before 5:30 am (which was very difficult as Jack started waking up every hour starting at about 2:30, and so I was up three or four times before my alarm). Once I was out the door, being up that early wasn't too bad. I decided to just do the treadmill today and probably will for a while as cardio seems to be what works best for me and changes my body the quickest. I walked at a 4.0 mph pace for 15 minutes, jogged for 12 minutes at 6.0 mph, and did a slow jog at 5.0 mph for 18 minutes, for a total time of 45 minutes and total distance of 3.4 miles and am now paying for it as I am sore and walking funny. It wasn't that much fun and minutes after I started walking I already had a side stitch. I mean really, I have to be pretty out of shape to have a side stitch after only a couple of minutes. But, I learned a trick a while back to get rid of these; breath in through your nose and every time you exhale, pull your stomach in pretty tight. For some reason, if you do this for at least a minute or so, it seems to help. At least it does for me. And, it gives your tummy a little bit of a workout too.

The only fun part of the workout (besides the end of it) was that I got to listen to some new music on my ipod. But what wasn't good was the reason I was listening to new music. On Saturday, I went to download a few songs and somehow managed to delete my entire music library (...tear...). I pressed a button (which did not say press this and you will lose everything) and lost everything. I tried to look in every location on my computer to see if I could find the music that I previously had on it and could not find it (proof as to why I should back this stuff up). I was totally bummed. I had a lot on there from over the years, and it was wiped out. So, I went download crazy and put a bunch of new music on my ipod. Not good for my pocketbook, but it was great to have some new songs on there to motivate me while I am working out.

I stepped on the scale after the workout, and while I will not post the weight here (I like to keep that between me, myself and I), it looks like I really only have about 5 lbs to lose to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight (and really, I am not sure if I should expect to get back down to that). That's not too bad.

One issue that I have when working out is that I get beat red. I mean, as in fire red. Today was no different. If people were watching me, I think they would have probably thought I was going to explode. The redness lasts even after I have taken a shower and put on my makeup. I had to blast the air conditioning in my car for the couple of minutes it took to drive from the gym to work. That helped some and at least I did not look like a tomato. Does anybody else experience this? If so, do you know any tricks to get rid of the redness?

Storage

So, this is where I normally store Jack's toys; in the living room, in baskets under the coffee table. Not exactly the most pleasing place to the eye, but I didn't have anywhere else where I could just throw them when I wanted to clean up really fast.

Now, here's where they are:

I have had my eye on this wicker chest from Target for a while now and every time I'm there debate whether or not I should get it. I have known that we would need some type of chest/toy chest at some point to deal with the mounting toys that seem to increase every week, but never bit the bullet and got one. That is until yesterday.

I decided to stop by the area where this was again yesterday just to take a look and saw that the chest that I had been eyeing was on clearance from $79.99 to $55.98. I was so happy! I knew this would be the lowest it would go and so I had to get it. And I'm so glad I did. It's much nicer than having to look at the baskets underneath the coffee table, it's a good color, it's sturdy, and it's something that I think can last us a long time. I love Target!!!


This little guy now thinks that I should buy him more toys as that chest is not quite full yet.

So I Know I Can't Dance Like These Guys/Gals

I have mentioned before that I have a reality TV addiction and I was so happy last night because it was finally time for the top 20 couples to dance on So You Think You Can Dance. I absolutely love this show and last night proved why. It looks like there are going to be many fantastic dancers this season. I wish I could dance the way they do and while I have rhythm, these people blow me away.

As of last night, I think my favorite couple is this one:

Evan

Randi

I have liked Evan all through the auditions. He is so cute...and Randi is too.

I also like the couple of Melissa (the oldest contestant at 29 - yay us old people!!!) and Ade. They both look really strong.

I'm not really sure who will go all the way this year as most of them are great.

We will get to see who the first couple to go home is tonight. Anybody have any guesses of who it will be???

Hello My Old Friend

For the past week or so, I have not been feeling that well. It's not a cold, or the flu, or anything of the sort. It's women "issues". For the first time since I was pregnant with Jack, I have real PMS symptoms. Blah. I guess for the past few months after Jack, my body was adjusting and getting back to normal and now it is back to normal. Normal sucks! It was nice not having to deal with the pain, the moodiness (and you can verify the moodiness with my husband), the bloating, etc... I realized that something that is probably making it worse is that fact that I rarely work out since I had Jack. Before Jack, I used to work out (either fast walking or slow jogging) at least 4-5 times a week and that always helped my body feel better. A couple of days ago, I decided to re-join the gym at my work and am going to commit to working out at least three days a week there (starting next week). I will have to go in before work and leave the house by about 5:45 am, which I am not looking forward to, but it's the only time that I have that will work. I will probably start off with something not so strenuous, but my goal is to work up a real sweat during every workout. In the past, even when I jogged, I rarely sweat and I rarely was out of breath. Whatever I was doing still kept my body in shape, but it didn't feel like I was pushing myself. It was either that, or I was just in better shape than I thought, so what I was doing didn't really exert much effort.

Hopefully, I will stick to the workouts and next month, the women "issues" will not rear their ugly head so much!

Are any other women dealing with the onset of this after recently having a baby? Do you find that working out helps???

Saturday's BBQ

We had a great time at the BBQ at our house this weekend. It was good to see friends that we haven't seen in a while and introduce them to Jack, the weather was pretty nice and the food was great (thanks to me and my husband who was on the grill). Here are some pictures of the bean dip and chocolate chip cheesecake dip that I mentioned in a previous post. I made a lot and there were leftovers. More for me!!!

I also made some cheesecake bars that turned out really well.

Man, I love to eat!

Here are some pictures from the BBQ:

There were a ton of mosquitoes flying around and my legs were getting destroyed until I found some bug spray. This year has been really bad in terms of mosquitoes, ants, and other creepy bugs due to the heavy rains. We had to break out all of the citronella candles...even they didn't help much.

Jack's "nanny" (Auntie Jen) brought him to my work last Friday and I took him around to show him off (and he smiled and flirted with all of the girls - daddy would be proud). We then went and met daddy for lunch at the Taco Mac by his work. After lunch, daddy took him around his work, so he had a busy day. Here are some pics from Taco Mac. Jack does so well in restaurants. I think he's fascinated by all of the noise, so he doesn't get fussy.