Crawling, Hiking and Cardinals

Jeffrey took an extra long nap on Sunday evening and woke up crawling!

 

Today we went hiking at Guadalupe State Park. It was a beautiful day for it, especially after being home during this sick and icy week!

 

     One of my dearest friends at work shared this idea with me 3 years ago when a cardinal was hanging out and trying to get my attention day after day at the window of the library...

     "A cardinal is a representative of a loved one who has passed. When you see one, it means they are visiting you. They usually show up when you most need them or miss them. They also make an appearance during times of celebration as well as despair to let you know they will always be with you. Look for them, they'll appear."

Since then, I have seen more cardinals than I ever have IN MY LIFE! I love this. Thank you, Cynthia!

A Happy Birthday Month!

     My late Aunt Kim taught us to celebrate your birthday ALL MONTH, sooooo...
     On my birthday while I was drinking coffee in bed, Brant surprised me with great birthday gifts and a sweet card from him and Jeffrey. Jeffrey and I had a normal day, library baby time and made a great steak dinner to celebrate with Brant.
     That Saturday, Gram and Grandpa came up and spend some time with us before we went out to eat for a special date at Ruth's Chris. This was the furthest I had ever been away from Jeffrey. I have to admit, I was a little nervous, but once we got there, I was so glad to be there. We had "the best creme brulee in San Antonio" and I thought it was so Disney World like that such a nice restaurant took our picture and gave it to us when we left-they didn't use to do that, strange. We stopped at a wine bar for a glass of wine on the way home. We enjoyed ourselves, just the two of us, out, for the first time in a long time. Jeffrey had a great visit with his grandparents. As we were pulling up to the house I said, "You think everyone is asleep? Want to make a bet?" Brant thought everyone was asleep for sure, but Gram was getting some extra time with Jeffrey because he woke up, which is totally fine with me!

 

     We celebrated with my family this past weekend with Mom's Pizza Prep Night-Italian style make your own, just like we did last year, Mmmmmm.... And her amazing carrot cake! So much fun.
    

 

Thanks again, Jen, for taking such great pictures!!!

Lainey and Graham made one pink and one orange card for me, (my favorite colors together! My Dad had a cute story about that.) Lainey made a special trip to HEB to get these beautiful roses for me. Such a thoughtful girl!!!

     Jeffrey's had a really runny nose since Friday night. Didn't know if it's just allergies, but why would they hit him so suddenly when the pollen/allergens have been SO bad for weeks now? We went to the doctor today and said that it's a cold. We're keeping an eye on it because it could be RSV, which is going around like mad. Funny that since he's stopped breast feeding in December, he's had two colds...errrr....

It's been a great birthday month so far!!! Celebrate!!!

Babies in America



     We hosted a playdate at our house on Tuesday. These are so much fun. They used to be all about us supporting each other, getting advice and watching the babies. Now, the babies are getting so active, we're looking for other activities to do with them. Our next one will be at our park to feed the ducks and play on the baby playground instead of just within our home. We did have a great time though!

     This morning, we met our friends Candy and Baby Alexis at the zoo. We walked and talked and looked at the animals on this beautiful day. After they left, Jeffrey and I stayed and watched the train in the park while he drank his bottle and ate his food. So glad we have same-age baby friends we can do things with!

     My sister-in-law recommended a documentary called "Babies" to me. It is so interesting. It follows babies through their first year+ in four different places in the world; Mongolia, Namibia Africa, Japan and San Francisco. As I listen to my baby talking himself to sleep on the monitor, I ponder all these different circumstances, none of which are wrong. Things like how the African woman wiped the newborn's poop off on her knee and "cleaned" it from herself with a dried corn husk. I noticed in their mom groups, (baby "playdates" in all the places,) none of the mothers were overweight, except for in America. Three out of four had cats and all treated them so differently, (our cat would never allow the pulling and tugging!) All the babies crawled at some point and noticed their "private parts." It was neat to see them putting things on their head, all being silly, mumbling, playing with their lips, sounds and saying Mama in their own ways as the first of their words. I didn't know they would sing Happy Birthday in Japan just like we do! It shows the San Francisco baby cleaning a banana and the African family cleaning an animal to eat. And bathing is a completely different ritual all around! How independent babies are able to be! What a treat! Thank you, Shari for this recommendation!

10 Months Old!

     Jeffrey is already 10 months old! Soon it will be time to plan a birthday party! He is coming into his own personality for sure. He is so much fun, but very apprehensive at times. Kristina gave him a peek-boo-teddy bear for Christmas that he does not know what to make of and it startles him some. I'm sure he'll be the kid who absolutely hates people in costume. I was the same way... I get it. There has been so much growth this month. I keep having to come back and add to this post! Jeffrey has begun doing the hand motions with songs we sing and participates in library time rhymes and watches the book being read. He loves a song I learned in elementary school and have sung to him since the beginning, "Skinamarinky Dinky Dink" and opens and shuts his hands. He does this hand movement for "all done" when finished eating too, which is close to the real sign. He dances mostly with his head and neck, he gives precious little "head butts" and tenderly bumps our foreheads with his, (he love this with an Eskimo kiss included.) He waves goodbye, growls like a bear, gives high fives and claps a lot. He likes to go backward and got up under his crib, under the dust ruffle the other day, which frightened him. It was dark under there! Mostly he scoots a little and goes back to a sitting position over and over or he pulls with both arms to get from A to B. He is more interested in pulling up on everything, (we had to lower the crib this month.) His top two teeth and his bottom two teeth are all coming in at once now, (we're thinking the amber teething necklace really works and don't want to be without it!) We still try to go at least one place each day to "see some people." If we don't, we're both a little off. He loves his Little People Barn that Shari and her family gave him for Christmas. The animal noises crack him up and he carries the sheep around with him to chew on. Jen gave him some awesome sound blocks he loves to shake too. When reading, he still likes to touch each page and now he's starting to turn the pages and turns them the right direction! As with most babies, EVERYTHING goes in the mouth. We just can't avoid it, even at library babytime and other activities, oh well! He's taking 2-3 naps a day and likes his veggies and meat, (yay!) and is loving yogurt. This past month was a big one with lots of firsts and special family time. Happy 10 months, little bean!

He points to me a lot! "I got you!"

 

 Feeding the ducks at the park on this beautiful day!

Big boy car seat!

Have You Ever?...

In honor of my birthday week, I thought I'd write a post solely about me! I'm sure I am leaving out some big events, but these are just a few interesting little things I've done in my 36 years on this planet.
I call it, "Have you ever..."
Have you ever slid down the Spanish Steps in Rome, Laughed so hard in your hot tub full of your best girl friends, Picnicked at the Eiffel Tower, Waded in the creek behind your house, Gone on a midnight drive to the Jordan River, Been named after your grandmother who is praised for her gracefulness, graciousness and greatness, Eaten pistachio ice cream in Piazza Navona with your mom, then the next time you were there, in honor of your mom, Cleaned a monkey's teeth with your dad, Gone barefoot at your wedding, Seen the Rosetta Stone, Sang on top of a piano in front of a crowd, Snuck your brother in to spend the night in your dorm room, Seen the Roman baths in Bath, Laid in bed with someone you love who is dying, Ridden on a double-decker bus to work, Had to force feed your newborn baby, Taken a bubble bath in Jamaica, Randomly run into your best-buddy cousin in New Orleans, Considered not attending a good friend's wedding, Ridden a camel on the Mount of Olives, Been on the night watchmen's tour in Rothenburg, Bought a house because of the amazing 50 oak trees on the lot, Had amazing ribs in Bruges, Ridden a gondola up to Gimmelwald, Sat on the beach all day in Cinque Terre, Requested (and received) Guantanamera from a mariachi band in Rome, Peed in the bushes with a respectful old lady in Joppa, Had homemade noodles right down the street from THE Coliseum, Swung on the swing at the Old San Francisco Steak House, Floated in the Dead Sea, Made a slideshow using no computer or slides, Caught three bride's bouquets, Drank a beer in the Swiss Alps, Borrowed your sister's wedding veil, Sang with a bachelor party in Antwerp, Taught your best friend to drive stick shift, Gotten a ride with a waitress down to town from a castle, Modeled and been in a major magazine, Changed your own oil, Quit your job because you didn't believe what you were having to do was right, Danced at the disco by the Jordan River where thousands of Christian pilgrims are baptized by day, Had to perform the Heimlich maneuver, Shaken hands with or given a hug to 22 six year olds on a daily basis, Tried to write a book, Been to Stratford-Upon-Avon, Given a painting you painted as a gift, Ridden in the back of an OLD mini cooper for the "short" trip to Brighton beach, Played the tambourine at a friend's wedding, Been to St. Paul's Cathedral with your grandparents, Had a frozen roast slide out of the freezer and break your toe, Looked up at the Twin Towers from the street below, Dated a guy in a foreign country, Sang karaoke in Hollywood with a group of people from all over the United States, Walked to work, Given a kid their first ice cream cone, Searched for a certain foot sculpture with your mom in Rome, Heard the Jewish fishermen sing Shout to the Lord on their boat on the Sea of Galilee, Made cookies and not tasted one, Ridden a bike through Amsterdam, Read the same book to or done the same lesson with 8 classes of kindergarteners, Gone on a carriage ride through Central Park, Helped couples choose their wedding bands, Had to tell a friend about something you wish you hadn't seen, Heard "It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be," in many different languages while viewing the Mona Lisa, Had a couples massage the day after you got married, Hiked up to the castle in Koblenz, Ordered snakes for your classroom, Given yourself shots daily, Had your dad get bit by a gerbil in a room full of five year olds while doing a veterinary talk, Been to a gay beach with your mom who wanted to buy matching rainbow striped towels, Played in the same woods your dad played in as a child, Had to break an engagement, Seen the original London cast of Les Miserables, Nursed your baby proudly at the mall, Taken the night train to Barcelona from Paris, Been to a bullfight in Spain, Gone on an adventure with a new Hebrew friend in Tiberius, Driven up to Jerusalem, arriving at sunset to the strange sounds of the ancient city, Lost someone who is extremely important in your life and life is never the same again, Sung Silent Night and Away in a Manger while IN the manger at Bethlehem, Made dinner on your anniversary wearing your wedding dress, Shared communion overlooking Jerusalem and near the Garden Tomb, Gotten your Master's Degree, Celebrated the New Year with total strangers in a foreign city, Read a favorite, funny poem to a class of six year olds a gazillion times, Walked the Snake Path down from Masada, Watched your grandmother sleep, Sung your high school song with the person who wrote it while on a boat from Burano to Venice, Sung Amazing Grace in Paul's prison cell, loved more than you ever though possible... WELL, have you?

Just a few-I'm sure I'll think of more!

Happy New Year! and Zoo!

Happy 2014! We spent our New Years Eve watching Jeffrey in front of the fire and football:

I made traditional New Year's Day food for dinner, (black eyed peas, greens-spinach and my favorite, ham hash!) Mom invited us over for lunch the next day for the exact same meal...Mmmmmm! Jeffrey really liked the peas and ham.

     Jeffrey has so much learning and growing to do this year! I look forward to seeing it all! 2013 sure was a great year. Here we go, 2014!
     We took Jeffrey to the zoo for the first time last weekend! It was COLD! We look forward to using our passes a lot this year.

 Watching the monkeys