Crawling

Ok... just an hour or so after I finished that last post, Bobby is crawling! I think I jinxed myself :) :) :)

More Bobby Updates

- Bobby is not quite a crawler yet, but so close. He will crawl 1-2 steps, and then plop down on his belly. He'll then proceed to army crawl a "step" or so, and then repeat the whole process all over again.

(This is why my blog has been slacking lately... I'm trying to watch his every move!)

- Bobby is also pulling up on everything! He even tries to pull up on Winston, which is hilarious. Winston is a good sport.

- Bobby is really, really interested in Winston nowadays. He watches his every move, and just giggles up a storm when Winston walks near him. This is especially distracting in the high chair at mealtime.

- Table food eaten this week: cheese, hamburger meat, and bread.

- It has been a bad teething week! With the exception of one night, Bobby has gotten up 1-2 times each night. It was particularly bad two nights ago. The poor guy was in so much pain. I, of course, pulled out the big guns and gave him some Motrin. His naps haven't really been affected too badly. We've had two bad naps all week, which isn't much.

- Speaking of teeth, I bought Bobby some toothpaste today, and a little finger brush for me to use on him. He's got 2 teeth, and another coming (top).

- The baby boy has some snot! With the combo of teething, and the weather turning colder, I feel like I should buy stock in Kleenex! I am still not sure how one little baby can accumulate so much.

- Bobby is using the bathtub now without his bath seat. He is such a big boy! Bob does a much better job of bathing him, because he can handle him better. As I just mentioned, he is pulling up, even in the bathtub.

- I finally got Bobby his first pair of "soft" shoes today. I realized while at the park this week, that the kid needs shoes to play outside.

Well, I think that about covers Bobby's life this week :)

Flashback Friday

My stunning mother, circa 1985.

(Ha! Excuse the dog hair on the picture... I'm sure it is Winston's from when I was scanning!)

Jail Bird

Yesterday, Bob called me into Bobby's room. He had woken from his nap, and this is how his Daddy found him!

Flashback Friday

July 1983

My brother Michael, age 11 1/2 (standing), me, age 4 1/2, my brother Chuck, age 13 (sitting). My sister Kathy, age 1, (not pictured).

Spring Preview

Is Spring around the corner?

We got a dose of sunshine, the park, and warm weather this week.

Let's hope so!

Isn't he cute in his baseball cap?

Happy Birthday Ashley!

Happy 10th Birthday to my sweet niece and Goddaughter...

Ashley Elisabeth!

Photo courtesy of my brother's Facebook page

We love you Ash, and can't wait for you to visit this summer!

Love,

Aunt Jen, Uncle Bob, Bobby and Winston

Storking

In our culture, it is customary for meals to be brought to a family, when they welcome a new baby. When we had Bobby, we had meals brought to us just about every other night for three whole weeks! During that time, the generosity of our friends and neighbors was a huge blessing for us.

Here in the South, they call this kind gesture, "storking." Isn't that cute? I had never heard of this term before, so excuse me, if it is not just the South that labels it as such. And, there is even a website Take Them A Meal! that will handle all the logistics of setting up a schedule for the recipient and "storkers."

Since moving in, I have reciprocated this sweet act, with five different families. I hadn't even met two of the new moms, but thought this would be the perfect way to introduce myself. We had strangers (but, neighbors) do the same for us.

Anyhow, Bobby and Winston tagged along the other night, as we storked a fellow neighbor. She and her husband had a baby girl, four weeks ago...

"Mom, I'm cold! Let's get the show on the road!"

Our wagon - the perfect vehicle for precious cargo: baby and meal. (Please excuse the dog poo in the background, ha!!!)

Winston and Bobby checking out the goods before we headed out the door. It passed their inspection.

If you know of a new mom, I highly encourage you to stork her. I promise you, she will appreciate it so very much!

Flashback Friday

And, here my friends, is a picture of my siblings, sister-in-law's, and cousins...

circa 1998!

Check out my sister's half-shirt (so, Donna Martin), and my butcher of a haircut. I was given the nickname Mary Lou Retton by some of my college girlfriends at the time.

Oh well, at least we were all tan!

My niece Victoria's baptism, 1998.

L to R: Kathy (sister), Michael (brother), Caryn (sister-in-law), me, Alex (cousin), Denise (cousin), Lorraine (Victoria's mom), Chuck (Victoria's dad), Jorge (cousin).

Bobby Hosts a Playdate!

Bobby invited some of his friends over to play yesterday! We had a lot of fun! Some of the mommies partook in wine, while the babies enjoyed all of the toys!

Can you spot Bobby amongst all the babies?

Bobby Updates

Here's what's happening with Bobby these days:

- Bobby stayed in the nursery at the gym for the first time yesterday! As a matter of fact, it was my first time leaving him with strangers. He did great. The sitters said he was an angel, and played the whole time. I can't believe it took me this long to feel comfortable doing so!

- Bobby is in the process of cutting his first two teeth. One has broken through the gum, and the other is just behind. The teething process is not nearly as bad as I imagined. He's had a few moments of crankiness, but overall, he's still the same happy kid. I went with a few recommendations from friends, and bought him some Hyland's Teething Tablets. They are all-natural, and work great! He was getting up, on average, twice a night. I have been giving him the tablets before bed, and since then, he is back to sleeping through the night.

- Speaking of sleeping, Bobby is on average getting 12 hours of sleep. He has been waking up pretty consistently at 7am, which is nice. He slept in until 7:30am on Sunday. His naps are great too!

- Bobby has tried to pull himself up a few times. He is also scooting around quite a bit, mostly backwards. He is still trying to figure out how to crawl, but it seems pretty imminent.

- Bobby says "Ma Ma" a lot, and he's also said "Da Da" a few times. He is so talkative!

Overall, he has just been a dream (as my friend, Jamie would say). He rocked my world as a newborn. He cried a lot, and needed to be stimulated constantly. When holding him, we could not sit still with him. However, now, as an infant, he's amazing! His disposition is perfect, and sweet. He is easily entertained, and rarely is fussy anymore. Things have gotten much easier. I'm not so terrified anymore of having another baby! Ha!

New Year, New Me?

Bobby reading over the menu at dinner on New Year's Eve.

I'm a bit late on posting my New Year's Resolutions. I make resolutions every year. How can I not? I'm a BIG Type A Personality! I would say that they are more like goals. This year, Bob and I sat down together and went over a few as a family. I also made some personal ones for myself. So, without further adieu, here they are:

1) Live by Dave Ramsey's principles. We are currently reading his book, The Total Money Makeover.

2) Start and complete some home improvement projects or upgrades. Our list includes: installing backsplash in the kitchen, fencing in the backyard, and installing plantation shutters throughout the house.

3) Cut the caffeine habit. I'm a big coffee drinker. I'm not sure if I can give it up completely, but I'd love to cut back. It's now, more than ever, a ritual for me to have it each morning.

4) Cut back on screen time. I'd like to watch less TV, and spend less time on the computer. However, I do want to put more creativity into this blog.

5) Read at least 2 books per month. I'd like to read at least one book of my choosing, alongside my book club's choice.

6) Workout regularly and eat better.

7) Strengthen relationships. This may include a monthly date with Bob, or a Girl's Night out.

8) Hone my photography skills. I was lucky enough to get a new camera for Christmas. I really want to learn the functions and settings, and try to be more creative with my pictures.

Well, I think that's about it! I love the new year, and the feeling of renewal that comes along with it. I hope to accomplish these goals!

Gee... Thanks, Winston!

Oh, how I miss the grass in Florida - St. Augustine grass. It is soft, lush, and green! It grows like crazy, so, I am pretty confident Bob did not like that aspect of it. But, you could run around barefoot, lie in it, and feel like a kid again!

Check out Exhibit A:

Winston hanging out in our old backyard. Isn't the grass pretty?

Now, the grass in Birmingham is a different story. For starters, it goes dormant in the winter, and looks dead to me. Boo! I always get excited when the grass starts turning green again. It is not very soft, in my opinion either. But, I have to say the biggest inconvenience about it all is this...

Check out Exhibit B:

Taken through a window, Winston is basking in the sun yesterday (and, the grass!).

So, Winston will go outside, take care of his business, and occasionally lie in the sunshine. Yesterday, he did this, and rolled around in the grass. As you can see in the picture, it was all over him! I had just swept and steamed the floors too! Lovely... And, each time he goes out, he drags in little pieces of grass with him. It is all over my house! This never happened in our old house.

Ahhh, St. Augustine grass, I miss you!

Training Update

Sorry, no fun pictures for today's post. I still need to upload the pictures though from our New Year's Eve dinner.

Anyhow, the half marathon I'm dreading is coming up in six weeks! I'm dreading it, because it's my first one, and I have not been able to train properly for it. I am finally back to my running, but am doing just shorter runs. Bob is also signed up, and he's run less than me. We've both had injuries and pain holding us back.

So, what will we do? Our goal is to just finish at this point. I would have liked to have set a goal of a time to finish in, but that's not gonna happen. We are planning to follow a plan designed by Jeff Galloway, which consists of running 4 minutes, and walking 1 minute. His principles teach one to run injury free.

(As I'm typing this, Bobby is making the funniest faces! Love that kid...)

But, we both have been pretty consistent with our cross-training, so hopefully that will help in the end!

As for this week... it's going to be cold here in the 'Ham. We are expecting snow on Thursday! Bobby and I will most likely be indoors all week, with the exception of today's Kindermusik class. I am also going to watch tonight's premier episode of The Bachelor with some girls in the neighborhood later. I'm excited for that! And, I've got a hair appointment on Thursday, which is much needed!

I hope you all have a great week, and stay warm!

The Drew and Bobby Show

Here's another installment of the Drew and Bobby Show. If you remember from this post, they can be quite talkative!

Again, I was there to eavesdrop over the entire conversation.

Bobby: Drew. Drew. Drew!!! Are you sure you want to eat that? Dude, let me give you this teether in my hand. It's way softer on the gums, man.

Drew: I'm tough. I'm tough. I can handle this block. Watch me CHOW DOWN!

Bobby: Wow. Ok, ok.

Bobby: Alright, alright. If you don't want the teether, then I guess a stuffed animal will do. I'm 6 whole weeks older than you. I know best.

Drew: So Bobby... what do you think of MY toys?

Bobby: Yeah, yeah dude. They're pretty cool.

Drew: We've got our parents wrapped around our fingers, huh? Look at my mom trying to hand another toy to me!

Bobby: Yeah, I know. It's great. Let's keep this up until we're 18. Our secret.

Drew: So, are you using Johnson's Shampoo or Aveeno?

Bobby: Aveeno. But, I need to switch to your brand. You have way more hair than I do!

Drew: Is that toy organic?

Bobby and Drew: Whaaaat?!? Leave us alone! Stop taking our picture! We're trying to play! You guys are SO annoying. Gawsh!

Drew: I don't know man. I think my dad is weirder than yours.

Bobby: No, no... my dad is definitely more weird.

Drew: Ok, ok... they are equally weird!

Bobby: True... they do have a bromance going on!

Christmas Trip Recap - Part Three

Here are the last of our pictures from Christmas. These pictures are from Christmas Eve and Day. Enjoy!

"Santa's Lil Helper"

Kathy and I in our twin Christmas PJ's... even though you can't see the pants! Ha! I just thought this was a cute picture... we had just taken our showers too.

Bobby is treated like a king at dinner on Christmas Eve.

This is such a typical gift from my dad! Thanks Dad! (don't mind the spit-up on my right shoulder, please!) :-)

My sister got these for us! They are so cute!!! I wish I didn't have mine on backwards though. Love the pom-pom on Bobby's!

Yeah... he's the cutest baby ever!

From l to r: Kathy, Ricky, my cousin, Gloria, my aunt, Bobby, Bob, and me. Gloria, Ricky, and my other cousin and uncle (not pictured) had driven down from New York the day before.

Bobby met his Bisabuela (great-grandmother in Spanish) for the first time at Christmas. Bless her heart, while visiting us, she had a heart attack! She spent almost 4 days in the hospital. Thankfully, she was released on Christmas Day.

Well, that finally wraps up Christmas for us! Next year, we'll be in Peachtree City. And, then, no more traveling on Christmas for us. We want our family to form memories opening gifts on Christmas morning in our own home.

Christmas Trip Recap - Part Two

The rest of our trip in Orlando was spent doing various things. We spent a lot of time with my brother Michael and his family. We caught a Magic game. We goofed off with my family. We visited with my best friend. We drove by our house. We ate, drink, and were merry! These pictures are basically just a summary of what we did, and do not include Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I'll save that for my last Christmas post.

Bob and I still own our home in Florida. We are so blessed to have a sweet, caring couple in our home right now. They are going on their second year with us, and they are truly a Godsend. Anyhow, we decided to drive by the ol' crib. Our house is very "Florida" and was quite the pad for entertaining. I miss our pool dearly, but luckily, our neighborhood here has a great one. Anyhow, we had to take a picture of the house, because we couldn't believe how tall the plants we had planted right before our wedding (October, 2007) had grown! The plant to the left of the courtyard gate is taller than the house. This plant was shorter than me (I'm 5'5) when we moved in June of 2008.

Our tropical paradise, built in 1969.

Here is a picture of my dear hubby with my sister, Kathy. Of course, Bobby is there too! These two feed off each other when it comes to being funny. I'm so glad my sister (aka, my best friend) gets along so well with Bob. In my parent's house, there are three bedrooms upstairs. At this point of the trip, my grandmother was staying in one room. Bobby was in the biggest room (because of his Pack 'N Play), and then there was the 3rd room. Well, the first night, Bob and I slept in the room with Bobby, because it had the biggest bed. The 3rd room has two twin beds, where my sister slept. Well, Bob did not want to sleep with Bobby the next night, because he kept waking him up. So, the next night, Bob and my sister slept in the 3rd room together. Of course, they were in twin beds. So, the rest of the trip, I kept making crude jokes about how my husband and sister slept together! My dad didn't see the humor.

Bob, Bobby, and Kathy goofing off.

I love this picture of me and Bobby. He is always sucking on his fingers these days.

Of course I had to eat at one of my most favorite restaurants while visiting, Tijuana Flats. Check out the little snot in the background. I kid you not, she was staring at us like that the entire time!

Bobby and Kathy sharing a moment. I LOVE this picture!

Bob and I were able to check out a Magic game while visiting. My brother has season tickets, and always hooks us up when we visit!

Third row baby! Let's go Magic!

Here is my niece Meagan, and Bobby. I have to say that Meagan was my little Mother's Helper while visiting. She really did a great job with Bobby. She should though; she's the oldest of four. I told my brother she's a Domestic Diva in training. And, as my sister says, she's 10 going on 20. Love this girl.

Bobby met Santa too while visiting. I haven't scanned the picture yet, but it turned out cute! This is just a picture of him waiting in line. He wore his Baby's First Christmas overalls. This is a tradition that we will do each year... just as my mom did for me :-)

I love, love, love living in Birmingham. But, my heart hurts every time we visit Orlando. I grew up there. Aside from going away for college, and, having moved there when I was 7, I lived there for 22 years. My parents are there, and two of my three siblings. It will always be...

HOME.