FOOD!

We FINALLY ran out of Gerber food the neighbor gave us.  I made 4 new recipes today and it was SO fun.  I made some "Apple pie" Apples, raisins, oatmeal and cinnamon.  Green smoothie: Broccoli, peas, pears.  Moroccan chicken: apricots, dates, chicken, carrots, leek, onion, ginger, cinnamon.  Chicken Casserole: Chicken, peas, carrots, onion, leek, apricot, stock, rice.  Hope you like them!

Anyone have any great baby food recipe they want to share?

11 months

Well Jack, this is your last month of being my "infant".  In four weeks you will be ONE!  AHH!  It makes me so sad to think about it.  I ask people politely to refrain from talking about it.  I cannot believe how big you are.  You are our little man.  You have 4 teeth fully in, working on 4 in the back.  You walk holding onto things, crawl everywhere, you don't want us to hold you anymore.  You pull up to a stand on anything, you wave, give high fives, and head hugs (what we say when you throw your forehead into our neck).  You stand by yourself for a few seconds at a time now.  You are just growing up so fast!

I am SO very thankful that i was given the privilege of being there when you have done all of your firsts.  Your first smile, your first laugh, your first crawl, your first stand, your first mumbles, i love watching you grow, i just wish it wouldn't go so fast.  I love you Jack and cannot wait to see what God has in store for your life.

10 months

Baby Baby not so baby boy.
This was a big month for you!  You started crawling and crawling FAST.  You didn't even allow me anytime to prepare... you headed straight for the light socket and started trying to put your finger in the hole.  Yes European outlets are holes... not great when baby fingers fit perfectly!  You got your top tooth in and are working on the second one.  You now pull yourself up to a stand and can go from your belly to a seated position.  You crawl over and try to sit in my lap... you haven't quite mastered that yet but you are cute enough when you try that i help you the rest of the way.  You reach up at my knee and if i don't pick you up right away you scratch my knee.  You say dada and momma and i am pretty sure you know it means us know.  You SNORT, oh i love it!  haha.  When you are fake whining you put your head down and snort!  I love you my little man, but i want you to stay my little man... please don't get bigger than me!  Okay well i don't want you to be incredibly short either so... just slow down okay?  Let me enjoy your adolescence!

9 months

I think your biggest milestone this month was reaching.  You TOTALLY reach for us.  You lean in with your butt in the air and reach out with both hands.  Then you sit on our laps totally satisfied with yourself.  It is the best thing.  I love that you want us.
I thought i would share a few fun quotes that we have heard about you...
The doctor at the ER said that your dad and i should "keep having babies because not having more would be a disservice to the planet, you are the cutest baby she has ever seen."
A lady at the grocery store said to the cashier "he really is so cute, babies don't come out that cute."
and a coworker of dad's said "he doesn't know how pimp he looks right now rockin' those nice clothes."  :)
There you have it, you are our suave handsome little man, i love every minute with you.

BABY FOOD

So at the moment i have a DRAWER FULL of baby food from the neighbor

my cheap self wants to use that food before i start making more...

BUT my cooking/craft loving self is DYING to make more

so while i suffer at the thought of feeding baby Jack plain ol' Gerber bananas and carrots i will entertain myself with the wild combinations i will make when i am finally set free from the chains of boredom.

enter exhibit A:

Ella's Kitchen

Link to Recipes

I loved these when we were in the states.  

I made baby food a few times but it just makes such LARGE quantities and i didn't have my freezer jars so it went bad quick.  Plus Jack wasn't too fond of eating beets for a week at a time.  He DID enjoy the applesauce, go figure.

8 months

Little Man!

Stop it, stop it, stop it.  You brought me to tears this month when you sat in a shopping cart for the first time, took a few steps while i held your hands, started trying to crawl, reaching for things, and got your first two teeth. 

You make me so proud but i like that we are buddies.  I like that you light up when i smile at you or that i can make you giggle by "eating you like corn on the cob", or kissing you.  I know that this time is fleeting.  Before i know it you won't want me to kiss you.  You will wipe a kiss off of your forehead and say "Mo-om".  I don't want that.  I want to play with you and take you with me everywhere forever.  You are my precious little man.


If i feed you cookies will you stay small?
I love you bugsy.

7 months-a lot late

Dearest Jack,
This month you learned to sit by yourself!  This was a huge deal because now we can sit and play with you, roll balls to you, show you your animals without worrying about holding you too! 

You think that your feet are a second set of hands.  It is so cute.  You will grab a ball with your feet and pass it to your hands.  We kiss your feet and when we stop you lift them up to us again.  You chew on your feet now... I am pretty sure you are ready for teeth.  We call you drooley cooley.  Your shirts are ALWAYS soaked.  If we hand you anything it goes directly into your mouth and comes back soaked. 

While you were in America you tried some not so healthy things like Nana's Ice cream or the breading in a donut.  You loved all of those things but i think it is just because your momma has been trying to feed you beets.  I love you my little boy.  I love watching you grow.  I just wish it would all slow down. 

6 months

Dear Jack,
Where does the time go?  You are HUGE now.  You don't look like the same baby i gave birth to.  You giggle but you make us work hard for it.  You chomp on ANYTHING.  You Roar.  You stick your foot in your mouth.  You say momma.
You ate your first bits of food this month.  Grapes, mangos, apricots, bananas, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, peaches...
I love you my little boy.  Stop growing please.

well...

So my goal was to make a stuffed animal for every letter of the alphabet...

So i made one but um this does not look like an alligator it looks like some sort of fish or salamander...

Um FAIL

But, i think at least attempting it counts for something right?

Try, try again.

On another note, check out the cool embroidery by new sewing machine does by itself!  :)

Happy Mothers Day to me! 

Crafting :)

 I made my first two dresses!

SO FUN!

There WILL be more...

The finished products:

Jacks bunny hat

&

Easter basket Liner

5 months

Dearest Jack,

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?
You had your very first giggle on April 1st :)  You are so fun.  You smile all the time now.  I love lifting you up like in the lion king and then blowing on your big ol' belly, especially when you sqeel.  Or blowing in your neck, or helping you "wrangle some cattle" or make monkey noises while you play with your sock monkey.

You do not want to sit down EVER, you stand all the time, you wobble and dance and i love it!  You drool EVERYWHERE!  You blow bubbles with your spit all the time and will entertain yourself for a long time doing just that.  You make me laugh all the time.  You smile when you see yourself in the mirror, and you LOVE when i brush my teeth.  Is my breath that bad?

You roll continually, you do "Thunder Slaps" (what Dad calls them) when you slap your thighs with both arms at the same time.  You grab anything you can, eyes, noses, ears, lips.  You pretend you have a cough to get attention.

Yes, your feet are still the cutest thing around.  We love you.

5x7 Folded Card

M Is For Mother's Day 5x7 folded card

Design personalized Mother's Day cards with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

4 months

OOPS a little late...

Dear Jack,
Where does the time go?  It seems like yesterday your dad and i were so excited that you would be coming into this world, and now you are not only here playing with me but you are HUGE!  This month i called you lantern in front of some people at Church and i am pretty sure they think that is your name :)  That makes me giggle.  Speaking of giggles, you let out your first one on April 1st!  I loved it!
We are still fascinated by your feet and i think we passed that on to you.  They seem to be your favorite thing.  You play with them constantly, kicking or clapping them together or wiggling your cute little toes.
You try and talk ALL THE TIME.  All the time.  You sound like a little dinosaur most of the time.  Daddy calls you Tyranosaurous-Jack, Jack-asaurus, and Jack-oraptor.  Your smile is the best thing in the world.  I cannot get enough of it.  That and your cheeks which i smooch all the time.
You munch on your hands, both of them are always in fists and in your mouth.  You suck on your dad's arm and drool all over it, matting his hair down.  :)  You can beat anyone in a staring contest, you only seem to blink if you are flirting with your big beautiful eyes.
Mainly i cannot get enough of you my little friend.  I love that when you sit against me you lean your head up at me and smile, i love that you look around for me if i am not right in front of you and i love spending all of my time with you.

new project

I want to make a bunny hat and shorts with a bunny tail...

here we go!

bloomers

Update

We are out of the hospital.  Jack is doing much better!  Praise the Lord!
The nurse came in the next day and held my hand while she sobbed, she told me she couldn't sleep all night she felt so horrible for what had happened to Jack.  That was nice of her to come back, she didn't have to.

So besides the continuance of mystery meat, the rest of our stay was pleasant.  The kind of left us alone, i told them they couldn't just take him while he was sleeping, that he wasn't sleeping enough so not to wake him and they stopped.  I started weighing him myself and doing his temp, etc.  They just left us alone and gave me a chart to monitor him.  It was nice.  The doctor was terrific, he gave us new Vitamin D that Jack won't spit up, and said that he probably cries because i pick him up so often, that he should self soothe.  That i should just sit next to him, talk to him or read and then reward him by holding him when he soothes himself.  That he doesn't need to be held to let out a little gas... I just can't resist the poor boy!  This will be a challenge...

Oh, just for your entertainment let's play

GUESS THAT MEAT

The picture doesn't do this justice, the meatballs were almost WHITE!

I ate vegetables and bread for the three days i was there. 

:)

3 months (a little late)

Dearest Jack,

I don't like you growing so fast, will you please stop?  Your dad and i cannot believe how fast you have grown, you are now 12.5 lbs, a long way from your birth weight!  You sit up, try and do crunches, stand, roll over and try and talk all the time.  You are so interactive now!  You always look around and soak everything in, you are going to be SO smart! :)

I love watching you all the time, i love hearing your little voice, i love that your smile is so huge now!  I love when you pump your arms and your legs at the same time like you are ecstatic about something, i love that you know you have me wrapped around your little finger.  I love that you look for me when others are holding you.  I love you my little boy, i just can't get enough of you!

German ick

So i already complained about fasching, the side you don't know is that Jack has been sick for the past two weeks and was crying in the car when the little boy told me i couldn't go home until the parade was over.  The parade that hadn't started yet.  When Nick pulled up next to me we decided we would at least try and enjoy the parade.  Jack was dressed and bundled up in his stroller/car seat with his fleece sleeping bag thingy... PLENTY warm.  In fact his head was hot.  Then the german lady comes up to me and says "this no good, he get sick."  I said "Yes ma'am we hadn't planned on bringing our son out, but we are not being allowed to get home at the moment."  ugh...
NEXT... this is now Monday.  Jack is crying all day inconsolable.  He doesn't have any wet diapers RED FLAG so i take him to the ER.  Well apparently fasching also cuts down the manning at hospitals.  Wonderful.  It took 4 hours to be seen and there was 1 person in front of us.  After a nurse walked by screaming baby Jack a few times she finally said "I will go FIND a doctor".  We were then admitted....
fast forward a bit...
Jack now has an IV in his head.  I was told i need a nurse to WATCH ME feed my son while at the hospital so i call a nurse... she doesn't understand me (i know it is my fault too for not knowing German but i am frustrated so let me vent please) she grabs Jack and proceeds to walk away... where she was going i dont know.  HIS IV IS IN HIS HEAD, she did not take the stand.  Instead the stand hit my bed YANKING my sons head back and the IV out of his poor little head.  Blood starts going everywhere, i start balling, she yells SHIZA (a bad word) and walks out of the room.

WHAT!?!

I am balling, Jack is balling, i bow my head and PRAY that Nick will walk in at any second and hold us.  I look up, Nick is standing there.
Thank you.

AND the food stinks, AND when the nurses come in they don't knock and the lift up my covers, uh hello... anywho i am just ... ick, i want to be in America.  Right now.

SLEEP

Last week i figured out that Jack was just getting up at night to be held and not necessarily to eat.  He consumes about 5 ounces at every feeding but at night he drinks MAYBE 1 ounce.  This was affirmed as i laid him back in his crib and he started screaming.  I rubbed his belly and he pushed his pacifier out smiling at me.  Little punk, he knows he has me wrapped around his little finger!

He then had immunizations last week and slept through the night, (i think from crying all day and not sleeping once).  So i then knew he did not need the food during the night which made me feel better taking a friends advice and letting him cry it out.

THEN CAME TIME... time to put my "talk" into practice.  I was going to let him cry.  His screams went on for what felt like two hours, my stomach started feeling queasy, i could so easily make him stop crying by just picking him up... but no that would not help either of us.  The cries started sounding like "mommy please" "pick me up" and "MOOOOOMMMMY"... I did not do too well, but after only 15 minutes he fell back asleep and woke up in the morning.

I am pretty sure that was harder on me than it was on him.  We will see how long this lasts, i hope he will just understand soon and not wake up.  I don't like to hear him cry!

So you may have heard, i was pulled over by the polizei on FOOT.

Yes, they didn't just drive up next to me to talk, they actually put on their lights and siren. 

Question: Where was i going?

Do you understand that i am a mother, pushing a stroller, do you really think i was going to try and get away?

um no.  But thank you for embarrassing me further.

First they say to me, "are you German or American?"

I answer "American"

They look at each other and chuckle.

um... what is the deal?

They say that walking with a stroller is way too dangerous, i must turn around and go back into town.

I tell them i am not from Gladbach, i live in Bruch.

They don't care, i need to turn around.

I ask how i am supposed to get back to Bruch.

They tell me to call someone.

They drive off and then make 2 loops to ensure i am turned around.

Thank you.  Thank you for not offering my son and i a ride in your station wagon!  

oh dear.
I ended up asking some RANDOM germans to take us home.
AWESOME.

All we wanted was some exercise and vitamin D.

some time for life...

I am finally getting the hang of Jack's schedule which is providing me time to do more things like clean and cook and knit and blog.

I like this.

On that note, here is Jack's newest hat.  I had time to do it during one nap :)

Thank you Jack.

That's how i roll

Well my baby is officially spoiled and so am I.

Nick let me purchase the Quinny system that i wanted but wasn't willing to spend the cash on.

DUDE!

Great deal though, still expensive but i figure it's an investment in our future :)

Quinny Buzz 3 stroller

Footmuff 

Dream Cot

Maxi cosi cabriofix

Easy base

Parasol

buzz box

bug net

weather shield

  

Everything is interchangable with the main stroller and this thing turns on a dime!!!

So different from our beast of a stroller!  

:)

we bought it for less than 50% and it was only used 3 months!!! 

YAY!

So excited to use it!

2 months

Dear Jack-o-lantern,

I don't want to write this, that means i am admitting that you are growing up.  All parents say they can't believe the time goes so fast, and now i am one of them.  I love how chunky you are now, that you hold your head up and smile at me or try and chat with me but i now know that you will be all grown before i know it!  I don't like that one bit.

This month you had your first haircut, sat in your bumbo seat for the first time, started "talking", tried to crawl, and smiled with purpose.  It was an eventful month, now if you would just sleep through the night . :) (I tell myself that you wake me up because you want to spend time with me)

Daddy walks you around our house making up new songs for you and saying "ooo, how do you do it?" We can't believe how cute you are and how you change every day!  I love when you put your mouth into a little triangle and your eyes light up!  When you fake cry your chin trembles and you stick your bottom lip out and we just laugh at how adorable you are!  (sorry)

I love every minute with you, i get a bit stressed when you scream and i don't know what you want, but i can't stand to be away from you for more than 5 minutes.  I miss you even when you are being a little brat box.

Please stay this size, i love you Jack.

hahaha

10 Things to Never Say to a Pregnant Woman

by Amy Morrison of Pregnant Chicken
1. “You look so big/small.” Remember when you were a teenager and you didn’t want to be unique in any way? Well pregnancy is the same and nobody wants to be told they look huge or teeny because it just scares them. Anything different from other pregnant women = weird = giant freak baby or creepy peanut baby.
2. “Haven’t you had that baby yet?” If that woman’s pregnancy seems long to you I can almost guarantee that it feels like about 30 years to her. Pregnant woman who are asked this question should be legally exempt from murder convictions.
3. “You look tired, you must be having a girl because they steal your beauty.” Someone actually said this to my friend. So really what you’re saying is “you look like crap”. Thanks. I think the response to this should be “Strangely enough I’m not tired enough to give a nice roundhouse in the mouth if the situation calls for it.”
4. “So do your nipples look weird? Mine went all crazy.” Pardon? Unless this pregnant woman is someone that would tell you about her anal leakage or an odd growth on her armpit, then don’t ask this kind of stuff and don’t share this kind of crap with anybody. Ever.
5. “Sleep now because you won’t get any when the baby gets here.” What the hell does this mean anyway? It’s not like you can bank sleep. It’s like saying “Don’t eat this year because an all-you-can-eat-buffet is opening up next March”. Plus, who says that the woman you’re saying this to is sleeping now? She may be a congested ball of heartburn, hemorrhoids and back pain so this kind of thing just adds insult to injury.
6.”I hate that name.” Really? Oh okay, then they won’t name it that. Nobody cares that a girl named Angela took your oatmeal raisin cookie in grade two so don’t lift up the tarp covering your mental baggage. On a similar note, if they want to name their kid Adolph or Kleenex just nod and say “nice” – that will be the least of that kid’s problems anyway.
7. “Were you hoping for a girl/boy?” It’s not really anyone’s business and if she ain’t sharin’ don’t you dare ask. If you’re asked this you should answer that you were actually hoping for a puppy that could fart rainbows then just walk away.
8. “Was this an accident?” A woman’s reply to this should always be “suck it.” It’s a nice, clean, confusing retort for someone that is rude enough to ask this kind of question.
9. “Did you use fertility drugs?” I don’t want to get all misty here but all babies are miracles and by asking a question like that you’re somehow implying that babies that were conceived with ‘help’ are different from babies that weren’t. Not cool so don’t ask.
10. “Should you be eating that?” This whole website is about people embellishing myths and half truths to scare the crap out of pregnant ladies. So unless she’s about to accidentally snack on dog shit, don’t say anything and let the poor girl eat.
Finally, there are three things you always say to pregnant women:
1. “You look fantastic” Even if she is a sweaty, wheezing Jabba the Hut with swollen ankles and a maternity top that no longer covers her fish pail, tell her she looks fantastic. She is making a person and that’s pretty fantastic.
2. “That’s wonderful” If she tells you she’s going to give birth squatting in a Mr. Turtle pool surrounded by chanting Tibetan squirrels, you say “that sounds wonderful”. Every pregnant woman makes about 200 declarations of what she is and isn’t going to do and about 4 stick. Don’t ruin her moments.

3. “It’s going to be alright” When she starts crying because the pizza shows up wrong or she panics because she used regular detergent to wash the baby’s onsies so she’ll be a horrible mother or simply because she threw a reciprocating saw at your head because “you’re too much of a moron to understand what she’s going through”. This is when it’s a good idea to pull out “it’s going to be alright”. A side car of “you look fantastic” couldn’t hurt either.?

One Month Old

Dear Jack,
Today you are one month old.  I can't believe it, the time has flown by.  Even the first week i kept telling myself to cherish every minute with you, i knew it would go by too fast.  I don't take naps when i should because i stay awake staring at you.  I just love you so much.

When we were still at the hospital you were holding your head up and trying to stand, you could do push ups and amazed all of us with your strength.  In your reflex tests you tried to run when they set your feet on the table and after the nurse started singing "Thunder Struck" she said we should sign you up for the New York marathon.  You are just like your daddy.  You amaze us every day.

You were a bit spoiled this month with the arrival of your Nanna, Poppi and uncle Brandon.  They all loved you so much too, so you were always being held, rocked, and talked to.  You had a hard time when they left because mom and dad just couldn't hold you enough to make up for all of their love.

We are fascinated by your feet.  Your daddy says he wants to take them on a date!  :)  You straighten your legs and flex your feet when you eat, you grip our finger with your toes and you point just your big toe.  We love all of it.  And you seem to like the attention paid to your feet.

Your dad always talks to you, he says he loves that you two are so in love, that you are best friends.  He says you are obsessed with him and he is obsessed with you.  I just love watching my two boys interact.

We love you Jack, and are so excited to be your biggest fans for the next 1,387,982 months!