persistence...

Just so when Jack is 3, 15, 25 and being stubborn as all get out, he can say my favorite lines, "I can't help it, I was just born that way"

I had just finished giving Jack his bath, lotion, hairbrush routine. After a few ninja like moves, I had performed mission impossible and had all the books back on his bookshelf before he could take any down. He, of course, immediately grabbed Brown Bear and handed it to me. I was tired of asking Red Bird what he saw, so I put it down, snatched him up and escaped to the living room. After many tears and distractions of Harper, balls, Puffs and water, Jack STILL kept going to the baby gate and crying like had been locked away for life. I finally gave in and opened the gate, letting him escape to the bedroom. I continued my belief that my child is not one and that he can understand everything I say and told him that I was done playing in his room and if he wanted to play back there, he had to play by himself. He looked at me and happily crawled away. After a few thumps and thuds on the monitor, one happy squeal later, Jack comes crawling over the babygate and makes a beeline for my lap and hands me Brown Bear. Needless to say i spent the next 30 minutes, with  brown bear, red bird and a purple cat.

Happy Birthday Jack!!

Jack turned one last Saturday, ( the 20th). I cannot believe how fast and slow the last year has gone for us. Fast as in I cannot believe he is one, slow as in I cannot believe it has been a year since I have slept and intern year was incredibly painful. We had a "party" with my parents and Carter. We decorated, let Jack destroy the really ugly cake I made him, and open some presents.  Next year, I will just buy him a dozen balloons and he will be happy :)

Jack had his 12 month checkup on Wednesday with a temporary pediatrician until we can get in with the one we want. The boy is falling off his growth curve, but they don't seem too concerned. He weighed in at a whooping 21 lbs 3 oz ( 21% percentile), he is 31 inches long (84 %) and his head is 48 cms ( 89%).  So like my sister predicted he looks like a hotdog. No but really, he started out in the 80's for percentile, at his nine month he dropped to 50% and now to 21%. At this rate, by his 15 month he will be off the chart ( and not necessarily in a good way). We aren't too worried, he eats all day long. Carter is constantly saying, He's eating again?!?!  Still no official words, just a lot of pointing and dat's. Maybe dog, but its questionable. No steps yet, but he is close. Otherwise, he is very busy and still has never met a stranger!!!

Happy Birthday Abby!!!

Happy Birthday Abs!! Crazy to think you are a one, which means Jack will be catching up shortly...
Here are a few pictures of Jack's first best friend and my favorite little gorilla baby...

And yes, we will make you wear coordinating outfits and take your pictures for the rest of your life, so get used to it...

And maybe by the time you are two, we will have a good picture of you and me...

Virginia is for Lovers..

Who ever would have thought I would be actually be missing Cville. Oh how things have changed...

Here are the top 10 things I am missing..

10. Bodos
9. 23 weekers, A pod, Possible ECMO candidates, 27 week twins, and maybe even some feeder/growers.  (but not the schedule)
8. 4 o'clock Chai Break while I am taking care of 23 weekers
7. Southern hospitality/friendliness
6.  Dumplings, cupcakes and gelato all for one meal  (even though the hot dog company was making a pretty good attempt at being added to that meal)
5. Fresh Eggs
4. Harris teeter
3. Lunch and pedicure dates
2. Days in the Country
1. Bodos


A few notes on things I have noticed in the Sunshine state..
1. Grocery stores.. They aren't very common or I just can't find them. I don't know what people eat.

2. Shopping carts.  Californians never learned how to put them back in the little cart corrals. Also, apparently they are a highly sought after item. All the carts have sensors on them so if you take them out of the parking lot the wheels lock up. I haven't tested it out, but that's what the signs say.

3. People, people everywhere. Seriously, its like everyday is the day after Thanksgiving at Target, Trader Joes, PetSmart. It makes me claustrophobic.

4. I think it might be the only state right now where I have to wear a jacket to walk Harper in the morning and that is a good thing...

Unpacked???

So as of tomorrow, we will have been in Santa Clara for 3 weeks and I am unpacked???. Right, the three boxes of books under the desk, the one random bathroom box, and the one box in the living room that I cant bring myself to move to the garage, don't count right?? The to do list is still a million miles long, and keeps getting longer, smog checks, returning cable boxes, findng a post office are all the errands that seem to take me a whole day to do. Target and the grocery store are becoming slightly more easy. I did spend awhile looking for corn syrup the other day. Umm, why wasn't it in the baking aisle?? I still dont know.

Jack and I are getting into some sort of vague routine. Harper is now only barking at every other noise she hears, instead of every one. Carter is working away and not hating the commute too much (yet). We do really like the apartment, but we want to be closer to Stanford and we want to be in more of a community and less of corporate housing ( Cisco, Oracle, McAfee are all within walking distance of the complex).

That's my quick update. Jack is throwing all of his food onto the floor for Harper to eat. I take it he is done. Hopefully, I'll write blog more soon...

CWS!!

Jack got to go to his first College World Series outside of the womb this year. I only wish that it could have been at Rosenblatt :(. The new stadium is really very nice, but I miss section E , Row 17, Seat ten and the railing that goes along with it. Our new seats are comparable, but we don't have a railing, or the same people sitting around us. It just feels different. I missed the bead man, the girls catching foul balls, sitting behind the team's fan sections, and the railing. There isn't much personality at the new stadium.It was also way too loud. It felt like fans weren't paying any attention to the games, but were all too busy walking in front of me to go get food.  I tried very hard to like it, but no such luck. Hopefully, one day Jack will be able to run the bases of Rosenblatt at the zoo if they do what they say they will.

As for the CWS, well we were super excited UVA was there. GO 'Hoos. I do love some college Virginia baseball and hate to see them lose on an error. I do however think that it is pretty cool that South Carolina won the last CWS at Rosenblatt and the first one at Ameritrade Park ( which seriously could they not think of something better. (Dear NCAA, I hate you).. IT would have been a hundred times better if it was UVA, but hopefully they will be there next year.

Jack was a champion at the games. He would sit and eat his dinner and cheerios. He played with the straws and the scorebook until it was time for a nap/bed depending on the game. Then Grandma would walk him to sleep since I needed to watch the game :). He also made his first tv appearance and was on the big screen at the park during the last UVA game. He was pretty adorable in his orange shirt and hat.  Carter got to make it out to the last UVa game on his trip across the country. Hopefully, he will be able to make it out next year for some more games.

Seat 10.. I miss you!!

IMG_116

I'm Back...

and trying to be a better blogger.. so here we go again. I

A Boy and his dog...

Jack has always loved Harper and Harper has always loved Jack. I would say we are lucky, but honestly I think most dogs ( especially Goldens) love their babies. Recently, however, Jack LOVES Harper. Not only will he not eat anything when she is around, but he constantly talks to her. A conversation goes, Jack babbling to Harper, then Jack squealing at Harper. Harper looks at Jack, then looks at me, then slurp!! One fat lick on Jack's face, hand, etc. Then a loud giggle, squeal noise from Jack. Jack's life goal is to reach Harper wherever she is. He rolls, army crawls, and gives his best effort to get to her and grab whatever body part he can reach. Harper, thank goodness, is ridiculusly patient and could care less if he is pulling her hair out, has his hand up her nostril, or spreading her toes. ( Disclaimer, we don't let Jack torture her, and we make him stop when we see it). After said occurrence, however, I'll move Jack out of Harper's reach. He immediately starts to roll to her, while she looks annoyingly at me, sighs, then gets up and moves closer to her. I guess I should start to take the hint. It is also hard to teach Harper not to lick Jack when he is the one putting his hand in her mouth. Oh well, she is officially his first best friend, and he is her baby. I think Ferberizing Jack was more traumatic for Harper then for anyone else.

Here are some of my favorite Jack and Harper photos..

What is this thing??

Do i Like him??

Yep, I think I like him

I love him!!

Up to no good

Hello I'm talking to you..

And just to remind you how cute a Golden Puppy is.....

Jack loves Abby!!!

Thank goodness for technology!! Abby can still be Jack's best friend ( second to Harper) even though she lives 1400 miles away. He loves to watch her Flip videos and on the ipod chats!!

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Working Woman

So I have been back at work for about 2 months now. Unfortunately ( or Fortunately if you are a preggo in cville) , we haven't had very many babies at work lately. I havent had much of a chance to actually do patient care. And let me tell you, I like doing the schedule, but taking care of a  23 weeker is more of my cup of tea than staring at a computer screen of numbers all day.

Everybody has said that having a baby changes everything. And yes they are right in all the normal, expected ways ( inability to eat in restaurants, so excited to get three things on a to do list done, drying my hair is still a daily accomplishment, etc.) But the place it has changed me the most is at work. I have never been much of a crier, and at work to say the least I am always a little cynical. However since the Jack Jack came along, working is a whole new ball game. My first week back I took care of a little man, and when I asked his mom if she wanted to hold him, she starting crying, then I was crying. It was ridiculus. I never cry at work, even when  my primaries die. Yes the baby was very sick, and yes she had never held him, but seriously. I blamed that little emotional outburst on hormones. But it is continuing on, I can not stand to hear a baby cry or fuss without comforting him (I know that doesn't sound out of the ordinary but if you work in the NICU, you get that sometimes they just have to cry). I have patience for kiddos at work that never ends. I tear up when we take the babies away right after birth (even though obviously we need to) because the mom doesnt get to love on them. I have basically become a blithering mess. Clearly, jack has changed me and I think in the long run it is going to make me a much better nurse, at least a more understanding nurse to the parents. Dont get me wrong, I was a pretty awesome nurse before hand :) and I have always been a fan of letting parents hold. Now I get it though and it breaks my heart to think if that was me and Jack in that situation. Everyone who says having a baby changes you is right. And it words that are unexplainable, it is 100% for the better.


No worries though,  do not think that it has changed me in how and what I feel should be done, I'm still pretty cut and dry in what I would want done for my baby. I havent completely lost it. yet...

Sleep is for the Weak..,

and I am learning I am one of the weak. Jack went through a little bit where he would sleep from 8-4, eat nd go back to bed until 730ish. That however is a thing of the past. Jack is wanting to eat every three hours at night and needing a pacy put back in his mouth about once an hour. He has conveniently learned how to take it out and throw it across the crib.  Needless to say ,I am one tired Momma. Remember when I used to nap for three-four hours an afternoon, oh how I miss those days,,

here is the little night owl...

On a side note, there are only 161 days of intern year left, not that I'm counting...

good bye holidays hello winter

The holidays are officially over now that it is January 4th. I count the holidays as going through my birthday. We had a great and busy Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve in Charlottesville, Carter, jack and I opened presents in the afternoon, then we went to a Christmas Eve party with Carter's parents. Jack was a sweet boy and slept through almost the whole party. After wards, we went home and Santa had come early. Christmas day, Carter went to work for the next 30 hours, so Jack and I drove to Richmond and hopped on a plane. We spent 5 days in Omaha and Jack finally got to meet his Uncle Ben. Jack hung out with Nick and Abby. Jack was royally spoiled and I am now looking for some sort of toy box that doesn't look like a toy box for the living room.

 For New Year's it was questionable if I would have to work New Years Day after being cancelled on the Eve, so we grilled some steaks, made some potatoes and I was in bed by 9.  Not that I needed anything else to remind me of how old I was getting.

My birthday was pretty quiet. Carter's on night float this week so he brought me home some cookies and flowers at 10 am and went to bed. Jack and I went to Starbucks to get my free drink, had a long trip to Target and took a nap. Not a pretty bad day on my end. I was lucky enough not to have to make dinner a, because it was my birthday and b. because the oven keeps catching on fire when we turn it on. Jack wanted to keep telling me Happy Birthday all night long, so he woke up about every hour and a half. Wasn't that so sweet of him...

On a Jack note, he is busy, moving, and questionably suicidal :). In the past two days he has tried to throw himself out of his bumbo that was on the table while we were eating breakfast and then arched back in the tub and dunked himself. He was obviously fine after both events, and probably wouldn't have been phased by either if it werent for his mom frantically grabbing him and scaring him to death. Need less to say he can't be left alone anywhere.
Alright hopefully will post more often..
Here is the little man...

A package from when Unlcle Scotty is home

Sleeping at a UVA BBall game

With Grandpa at the game

Before opening presents

Santa Came!!

The Boo

Jack and Daddy in Christmas Jammies

PLaying with my new toys at Grandma and Grandpa's

So Happy

about 2 seconds before he tried to throw himself off the table

Chunky Monkey