Very different Anniversary

I have not seen Ben all day. He went to work at 11am. I went to work at 4:30p. He gets off at 11pm. Sadly, my hubs is sick. All together.....walking pneumonia and now stomach bug because of his meds he is taking.....poor guy. I have him an oatmeal bath ready and some different meds to help his tummy. I have become a nurse for my future nurse. 

As I listen to the wildness going on in NYC, I decided to create my Anniversary Plate for Ben. I went to the Dollar Store before work today and purchased my white plate. I got inspired by Pinterest and made this Anniversary plate. I wrote a sweet message and popped it in the oven.  

 Because we are "loaded" with our awesome jobs, we could buy each other anything, but since that is a lie, my gift costs $1.07. (smile) I am pretty excited though and it is the thought that counts. It is our official Anniversary plate that I can pull out each year. We can laugh and think "how did we survive on our little income and having an almost two year old to provide for in the process." God provides in many ways. We can't see how it all works out, but it always does in His way. I am so blessed to be on this adventure. 

We have 137 more days until Ben grabs that diploma and I turn 29. That will be a special day. 

Happy New Year, everyone. Happy Anniversary, Benny. Happy 2013! It is going to be a great year! 

clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere

Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhereClean up, clean up, everybody do your share
That is playing in my head as I clean up the house from being gone a week. We were in and out of the house and have piles and clothes and stuff everywhere. It is good to be in my pajamas and getting things done. My son took a great nap to aid in the cause. 
Now, on to snack time and play time with my boy until 7pm. Then, more cleaning begins. I love getting my house back to normal. Then, we are on the road starting tomorrow again......at least my house will be clean. :)

I'm going to Jackson.....Mississippi

We had Jackson in the car, going to Jackson, Mississippi. He wasn't named after the city, but my mom's maiden name. Cool anyway....

We left on Thursday to spend the weekend celebrating a wedding and then Christmas with my brother's family. It was wild and exciting time. I had 4 wardrobe changes which all involved looking pretty. (Starbucks clothes get boring after awhile) 

Jackson had a little suit for the wedding. He was a little too excited about the wedding and after the finish of the songs that the mothers walked down to, he would exclaim "yay" and clap. The people around him thought it was darling, Ben was embarrassed. Ben had to slip out and miss all of the wedding. However, they met another "noisy" friend outside and they played together. 

My job was to make sure the bride was on time to each event during the weekend and keep her calm and focused. I am pretty proud to say that everything went smoothly and I got her up to the door at the chiming of the hour at 5pm sharp! It was monumental. I only cried when she walked down the aisle because her darn music was so moving and not like a typical traditional wedding. I am a sucker for music and how it works into the moments. She looked magnificent and he couldn't stop smiling! 

Afterwards, we celebrated with 500 of their closest friends in this gorgeous Inn and I once again kept us on schedule. A nod to the band and decorated car in front, we got everyone out on time. Lavender was thrown at the finale and I wanted to smell my hands all night. At the last minute, I spotted the balcony and insisted she and Erik do their bouquet and guarder toss from the top like Romeo and Juliet or Kate and Prince William. She LOVED the idea. She giggled and I cued them to kiss. Then, when we got to the bottom, I cued them to kiss at the door before running to the car. It was fun in the middle of the excitement. 
I had to meet the couple around the block to give them the marriage liscence and her purse, clothes, etc. She said the sweetest thing to me ("I was hoping the last person I would see would be you") and we hugged for a minute. As I waved to my friend of 18 years and wished the newlyweds goodbye, I knew that it was a great day. The little girl that I build sheet tents in the yard, had dance parties in our room, and taught me how to organize, was a married woman. And, to a splendid fellow. God did great matching those two up!

Colorado Pony Ride

My son has been on a pony ride about 3 times and is usually unsure about it each time. He didn't mind the ride this time, but check out the size of the pony. I think it is a perfect size for our little man. Now, Jackson literally hops on Ben's back and says "weeee" and they go around the house. Jackson even kicks his legs to the sides to get him to go. I will get it on video it soon.

Fort

I heard Jackson over the monitor talking, but he wasn't in his bed. I was hoping he just decided to go exploring in his room. Ben walked in and found him in his fort with all his stuffed animals. I was hoping that would happen one day. I love it. 

White Christmas and Christmas Cards

During Jack's nap today, I watched White Christmas and worked on our Christmas cards.
Before that, I was feeling so overwhelmed with what projects to start on........this put me in a relaxing mood to get in the holiday spirit. I am feeling soooo much better now and I am in a great mood. Jackson and I are on our way to get Daddy some dinner and bring it to him at the hospital.

Time Change

I like that Jackson is still on Colorado time slightly.....he is asleep and it is 9am. I am loving this.

Tubes it is

Jackson will be having his little out patient surgery in a couple of weeks to have tubes put in. Here is hoping for a happier/healthier little boy. He needs a break from the meds. 

ENT Doc

We will be leaving at lunchtime to go see the ENT doc for Jackson's ears. Praying for good results.

Last day

This is our last day in Colorado. While I am sad we have to leave because we had so much fun, I am ready to go home and decorate our house for Christmas! We are going to buy a tree this week.

We will also be leaving next Thursday to go to Mississippi to see my bro and family and for my best friend's wedding. I am thrilled to be the matron of honor in this special day!

Photos coming soon. :)

No good very bad morning

Jack was a happy camper until he accidentally fell and bit his lip. I looked and there was blood all over the place. Oh no.......I ran over and grabbed a Popsicle for him to suck on to help with the swelling. If he was a little girl, people would think he had the prettiest rosy lips.

Then, we had a check up at the doctor's for his ear infection. There is a drawer in the cabinet in every room and Jackson likes to open it and gently close it. Well, some Dennis the Menis had already broken it and the staff had thought they fixed it.  Nope.....I was talking with the doctor and he pulled it open and it fell straight down. It scared him to death. It didn't hurt him, but it sure did make matter worse.

He now has an appointment for the ENT doctor and will probably have tubes next week.

Now, that it is almost noon, I have declared that the NO GOOD VERY BAD MORNING is over and my hubby is home. He is finished with finals and is very happy. We are going to Colorado today and are supposed to have snow on Sunday. I am praying for a great flight with my boys and a wonderful time while we are there.

Until next week........

Brown paper packages: FAIL

I had this wonderful idea to wrap all of my Christmas presents in brown paper. However, I forgot that I always get sinus infections if I am around cardboard boxes. Well, same idea.......FAIL.

Nose running, eyes watering, coughing, sneezing. So much fun. Ben suggested that I wear a dust mask to wrap gifts. Could you picture that?!?!? hahaha

I am going back to the standard paper. Ho, Ho Ho!

3 days

On Wednesday, we will be flying to Colorado. Jack's bags are already packed. Ben and I need to pack ours still. I am going to work on cleaning our house today because who wants to come home from vacation to a dirty/messy house? Not the Ladd family.

Uh Oh.......Weeee

We had fun outside in our 70 degrees weather. Being inside all day with this illness was making both of us a little crazy. So, we went for a walk and got to see the train go by. I usually don't have the timing just perfect and we miss seeing the train by 10 seconds. Today was the day. I was halfway up the street and turned around when I heard the first toot. Jack and I looked at each other. He made the Choo-choo hand motion and noise and we were off. You should have seen me running down the street with my NON-JOGGING stroller. We were booking it. We arrived at the perfect viewing area and Jackson was so excited. When the last two sets of wheels were out of sight, Jackson said "more, please." I said, "I'm sorry, Jack. All finished." This boy loves trains!

After our walk,  I decided to let Jack run around while I did some yard work. I couldn't use the leaf blower around Jackson, so I raked the leaves a while. Jackson decided that when he would run through my piles of leaves (that I had carefully put together), that he would yell "uh oh." I tell him that it was NOT an accident. So, every time he would run through them, I would yell "weeee." It was a fun little vocal battle we were having. I bet the neighbors got a kick out of it. "uh oh........not uh oh......weeeee.......uh oh......weee......"

Jack is asleep now, so I am going to work on some laundry and watch a Christmas movie. Ben is at work until 3am, so I am going to work a while and then relax. Good night, everyone.

I can't cut hair

When a little boy won't sit still for his mommy to cut his hair, you end up with a very bad haircut. So, we are on our way to a professional. :)

No meds = Fantastic Friday

We will NOT be giving Jack his steroids today. Here's hoping for a fantastic Friday with my boy.

I have to work from 4-10:30 and I am hoping it will be a smooth night. Last night was horrible.

But, I will not be thinking about work until 3:30 today. I'm off to go eat breakfast with my boys.

TGIF, everyone.

Stay-at-home Mommy

When your child is sick, it is so hard to leave them to go to work. I can't wait until May 2013.....I mean, I can.....and I have to, but I look forward to the day when I turn in my notice. I do not mind my job, but it is what I am missing at home that kills me the most. I look forward to the times when our little family is all together and I can do what I love best. Being. a mommy. and. wife. 

Ben and I usually say hello/goodbye and tell each other about what currently has been going on with Jackson (what he has eaten, times of sleep patterns, diapers, etc) If we are at home together, Ben is either sleeping or studying. He works 20 hours a week and then goes to school. Then, I run out of the door to go to work until usually 10pm. I knew that our life during school was going to be crazy for these 2 years. I am blessed with such a flexible schedule with my boss. I am blessed to even have a job to support my husband to achieve his dreams.

But, I am tired and I want to put all my energy into creating fun things for Jack and I to do daily. I want to learn how to cook well. I want to finish some projects. I don't want to miss a thing during these important years of Jackson's life. For the most part, I am with him until dinnertime. However, he is missing seeing his parents together at dinner. One day very soon that will happen. 

Until then, I will press on, and on May 18, 2013, you will hear a loud cheer and if you are with me, see happy tears run down my face. I will know that I was being taught so many lessons on perseverance and trust. 

I will be able to fit all the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle together and know that I followed directions from God and continued until I have finished the 1000 piece puzzle. 

Crazy baby

I don't want to give Jackson steroids again.

He can't sleep because of the meds. He is n amazing sleeper. ( see previous posts)

He has been so spastic and then just had a panic attack. It took 20 minutes to calm him down. He seemed disoriented and out of control. He was confused and couldn't calm down. I am not okay with that. :( poor little guy.

Jack needs to get better soon.

Trickle

Our humidifier has a trickling noise....I wonder if he will have a fuller diaper in the morning. 

Listening in the monitor might make me get up in the middle of the night. Ha!

Croup

Our little Ladd sounds like a barking dog when he coughs. Good thing we went to the doctor early to help him get better in a swift manner.

sick boy

I know Jack is not feeling well because he wanted to take a nap at 11:30 this morning and is still not up (3:15). I might just go in there and gently wake him up. Poor boy. Ear infections stink. Now, he is getting a cough. Not good.......

(worried mommy)

My outdoors kid

Jackson DID NOT want to come inside this afternoon. He loves to run THROUGH the leaves, chase after the neighbors' cats, and rake leaves. The only thing that convinced him to come inside was to eat...Hungry Jack can always eat. 

It was a beautiful day! Now, on to uploading videos and photos over the last couple of weeks. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy the Parade, sitting by a fireplace, being with family, and being thankful for all you have. 
Happy Thanksgiving!

The Ladd Trio

Cousin Time

We are in Cumming at my parents' house. My brother, his wife, and two girls are here as well. I love watching the kids run around the house playing together. It is mad chaos and it is wonderful. Dinnertime is interesting too. I am looking forward to our Thanksgiving meal tomorrow night and what that will hold. 

The girls adore Jackson and Jackson adores them. They hold his hand and walk around the house. "K" and Jack are 8 months apart and "G" is the big girl about to turn 5 next week. Fun times! I wish we lived closer together so they could play more often. 

Oh, another cute thing. "G" calls her boy cousin "Jackie" or "Jack Jack." That will come in handy later on when they are teasing each other. :)

Good Night from a full house of "Terrells" and the "Ladd Trio." :)

As a good friend would say, "We have been Terrellized." 

Living on the edge

This boy took at 3.5 hour nap! I had to make some noise to get him to wake up a little bit. 

See his sweet little toddler pillow? He loves to lay on it and say "night, night." 

He has to have his blankets. He only has them in his bed. No Linus blankets at our house. We knew he needed a toddler pillow when he started bunching up his blankets and laying on them. 

See the bump on the mattress. I rolled up a blanket and put it under his sheet. 

Then, JUST IN CASE, I added some pillows to the floor. I think we are safe! :)

Paci

It would have been nice to remember to tell the babysitter that your son takes a pacifier to go to sleep......2 hours later.............."mom that wants to crawl under a rock" moment.

Big Boy Bed

We have advanced to a big boy bed. And by that I mean that his railing is off on the side of his crib. The scary fact is that he can get out of bed anytime he wants. I thought this transition would not happen for a while, but it was a very spontaneous decision yesterday. 

Previously, I had "pinned" all sorts of ways to help with the transition. All my "pins" were forgotten when I forgot to put a blanket/pillows or something up on the side so he wouldn't fall out of the bed. (2 feet off the ground).  During his nap yesterday, I heard a "BOOM." I opened his door and all I saw were legs and Jack running toward his bed. I immediately shut the door quietly and ran back to the monitor. I think he was embarrassed because he got back in bed and "acted" like he was asleep. I thought it was hilarious. No harm was done. 

Tonight, I have a blanket rolled up down the length of his bed (under his sheet) and pillows on the floor. We said prayers and talked for a moment. I could tell in his eyes that he enjoyed this quiet moment with me while he was laying on his little toddler pillow and holding his blanket. He thought about getting up, but then sweetly snuggled down in his bed and went to sleep. 

I really think one reason why he is okay with this spontaneous change was that he helped me unscrew the screws and pull the railing off the bed. BeBe (Ben's mom) and I talked with him about how it was his big boy bed. We let him get in and out of the bed and praised him for being a big boy. He was a part of the transition. He examined the railing leaning up against the wall and then looked at his bed. It was a surreal moment. I hope this willingness to sleep in his bed continues. If not, I will find him snuggled under his fort (table) with his stuffed animals in the morning. And, that is okay too. Every boy needs a fort to sleep in. 

Sleeping in....

Jackson has decided to sleep in this morning. I had a nightmare and can't sleep anymore. Go figure....I will be productive during this restful time and get a little reading done.

Enjoy your chilly Saturday morning.

Ta-Da!!!!!!!!!

So, I have a confession. I was sooo tired today and took a nap while Jackson napped. Well, I was in such a deep sleep, I thought that he had been awake and was hungry and ready to get up. (see previous post) My son does not scream to get out of his crib. He doesn't try and climb out of his crib. He is playful and quiet and really could been awake in there an hour and I wouldn't know it. Well, I woke up in a panic and turned over to the monitor and thought, "I need to go get him up....it has been almost 3 hours." .................
I am usually dramatic when I walk in his room like a mom on a commercial trying to wake their teenage son. (I am practicing for later.) I opened his door and exclaimed, "Ta-Da....!" (Jazz hands and all)  No movement. Um.....oh no! Well, I walked closer and he was sound asleep. He was like the "Niquil commerical" sleeping.

So, I am now cleaning up our house and getting his snack ready because "Hungry Jack" comes out after a 3 hour nap.

I am a little embarrassed, but no harm was done. I can just document this occasion to share with him when he is a teenager and will not get out of his cozy bed.

Good Morning, Hungry Jack!

Jackson doesn't say "Mommy" when he wakes up in his crib. He talks and reads the letters on his wall and is currently saying "eat." I guess I better get up and feed the boy.

Shoes

Anytime Ben or I put on our shoes, Jackson automatically starts blowing us kisses and running up to us and gives us kisses because he thinks we are leaving. Then, he waves bye bye. 

My sweet boy. 

Kisses

I am not sure what prompts my son to do this, but it melts my heart:

I was getting his bath water ready and he was jumping on my lap and couldn't quit hugging me and I would give him kisses and he would press his head closer to mine to get more kisses. He would give me more hugs and then he would give me a kiss.

Jackson is not a cuddler, mushy, hug-fest boy, but it was splendid that he was for 3 minutes. I loved that special moment with my sweet boy.

I love being a mommy.

March 24, 2012

It has been a while, but I had to take a break from this blog. I am going to try and start again, but until then, I will leave you with a picture from Jackson's 1st Birthday Party. 

Alarm clock and a dust bunny

I do not need an alarm clock. At 7AM daily, I hear Brahm's lullaby in Jackson's room. He pulls on a little string on his stuffed elephant. He doesn't call for us and he doesn't get upset. He just keeps pulling that string. I just get tired of hearing the song and get up to go get him.
I love that he doesn't wake up cranky, but just pleasant and patient. Love my little boy.

And, he has decided that a dust bunny would be good to eat. Our foyer is one of the only places that has hardwood floors. Thanks, Jackson, for showing mommy she needs to clean. I hope that dust bunny was yummy. Yuck!

Sick

My boy was sick last night. I went to work at 4pm and he started vomiting at 6pm and didn't stop until 1am. I got home at 11pm and rocked with him. He threw up on me, but I didn't mind because I had work clothes on. They needed to be washed. However, it was definitely a movie moment when he took out his paci and threw up all over Ben. We laughed about it today.

God's blessings with a healthy child:

Month 1: random fever resulting in a LONG visit to the hospital for testing. Result: unsure illness that lasted 12 hours.

Month 9: Cold and ear infection.

Month 10, almost 11: Vomiting from another world. Ben changed the sheets 5 times, changed his clothes 5 times. 4 loads of laundry for one child. Glad that is out of his system. (This awful virus/bacteria illness came from the 2 year old neighbor that came to play)

We just wanted to work on that immune system. I would have rather been sick than hold my son over a sink to puke. That was a sad day.

Ben prayed that he would rather be sick than Jackson. Well, prayers were answered. My hubby is sick with a fever and flu like symptoms. As for me?!? I am fine and disinfecting everything in my home.

Pull the string

Jackson is quiet when he wakes up. I never really know he is awake until he verbally tells me he is ready. The last couple of days, I have been informed he was ready to get up with the sound with music. Who needs an alarm?!!? The elephant that has hung in his crib since birth has finally been discovered. If he pulls the string it plays a lullaby. It cracks me up because he continues pulling it to hear the song one more time. Never a dull moment!

Protest

It has finally happened. He protests when you take something away from him. I do not think I am ready for the long road ahead of me.

move the bookshelf

Well, it is time to move the bookshelf away from his bed.

We originally used the bookshelf to prop the monitor on top. He found the monitor on the shelf and decided to play with it.

We attached the monitor to the wall. He found the cord. Yep, pulled that thing down.

We moved the cord.

Today, I just caught him reading in bed. He found his books and pulled them through the rails in the bed and was enjoying some reading time, instead of nap time.

He is a smart little thing. This will be interesting when he moves to a toddler bed.

I just don't know what to do with myself.......

Jackson has been asleep since 9:45. I rarely get an hour to get everything done. He popped up at 11:00 and then fell back asleep. Um....he is still asleep. Yes! (noon)
I have been able to work on my Thirty-one business, rest, and read.
He remembered how bad he was yesterday and decided to give mommy a break.

Thank you, Jackson.

Bathtime

 

He bit me

10 months and one week, with six teeth, in the living room....Clue anyone?!?

Yep. It scared me. I cried. No blood. He was finished, but decided to bite and pull like it was a chew toy. Oh my.

Sorry for the graphic detail.

However, I will continue until March, unless next time he is mean about it. Then, I am done.

Motherhood bites....sometimes.

More

I have been working on sign language with Jackson so he can communicate and not get frustrated. Tonight, he finally signed "more" during dinner. It was such a special moment!

High Five and Bye Bye

In one day, we had some great developments!!!

"High Five" on command and "Bye Bye" including a wave. ADORABLE! I love watching him grow and learn new things. It makes my heart sing.

Dear Jackson....

Dear Jackson,
You have grown so much in this last month. Every month, I think that you can't get any sweeter, cuter, and have more personality. You most definitely can!!!

You are so curious and want to explore and examine everything you pick up. You think it is hilarious when we "drive" the cars over your back and head. You LOVE your walker that Daddy bought you for Christmas. You have this look of, "LOOK WHAT I CAN DO!!" You enjoy jamming out on your piano and dancing. You still can sit and read for a long time and even enjoy reading by yourself with your little books. (I don't have the heart to tell you that sometimes they are upside down)

Bath time is your absolute favorite time of the day. We will be playing in the living room and Daddy will turn on the water and you take off towards the bathroom.

Sadly, you are having a hard time with 4 teeth coming in on the top of your mouth. You are ready for this pain to be over with. On Friday, we had to take you to the doctor. I knew something wasn't right. Sure enough, you had an ear infection and a cold. :( You are still a happy baby during the day, but taking naps and sleeping is hard because of your stuffy nose. However, you do love your bubble gum medicine.

You absolutely love going on strolls outside in your umbrella stroller. Life is good when you are on the go! (You let out a little exclamation when we stop the stroller)

Recapping on Christmas. You loved the ribbon and got into ripping the paper. It was overwhelming at times, but you loved the colors on the paper.

Mommy and Daddy enjoy reading your blessings to you at night and pray that one day you will actually ask for us to pray blessings over you. You are a special child of God and we love you so much!

I still can't believe that in 3 months you will turn 1 year old! I DO LOOK FORWARD TO MORE SLEEP AT NIGHT. Since January 3rd, you have figured out how to put yourself back to sleep at night. (FINALLY) and do not need us as much. Last night, you went to sleep at 8pm and didn't officially wake up until 8pm. I hope it is not the sickness helping you sleep. I hope you are realizing that sleep is AWESOME!! :)

Well, I think we will eat some breakfast now. Until next time.....

Love you,
Mommy