new words, new news

After my last list of words and new things, jax has learned so much more.

First, Jax has learned a new style of basketball. We currently have bins of christmas decorations in our living room so jax decided that he would put his ball on one, climb on the bin, throw his ball in the baketball net, climb down, go get his ball and do it all over again. Jackson has also learned that if he climbs on the dog food bin, he is the perfect height to reach the light switch in our pantry room (thanks daddy)! He now decides whether or not he wants us to watch tv by turning the tv on and off. And, he has decided that he WILL play with the computer, despite what mommy and daddy say. He has learned all of the clapping parts to "If you're happy and you know it". And He's getting much better at scaling down the stairs and is even trying to come down foreward, holding onto mommy's hand of course. He really is growing before our eyes.

Of his list of words we have a few newbies:
Matt (for uncle matt)
Keys
No No (hmmm. I wonder where he learned this one)
Pee Pee
Niecey (for aunt denise)

and of course, last but not least:
Baby

Now the story behind this one is cute. Jax has been able to say baby for a while now, but recently he met his baby cousin Ben for the first time, who is only a few weeks old. Jax pointed and said baby. When we came home that night. Jax found a baby doll that we keep in our house for our friend's girls. He carried this baby around saying "bay-beee". He gave baby hugs and kisses, and then proceeded to throw baby on the floor. ha ha. But he knew what baby was.

So this is a good segway into our "new news": In June 2011 Jax will be a big brother to baby brother or baby sister! He has no clue of course what's going on, but I'm sure he'll figure it out on D-day. We really think Jax will love being a big brother (once the jealousy goes away) and I know we'll love having a new little one as part of the family. So stay tuned for more updates and keep following us as our family grows even bigger!

Words words words

Since our last post, Jackson has continued to amaze us on a daily basis. He is such a smart, smart boy. Some of his favorite things are football, playing basketball with his little tikes basketball net (which he's quite good at I might add), climbing the stairs ha ha, playing in his ball pit which he got from grandma and grandpa porter for his birthday, brushing his teeth, playing with the dogs, turning light switches on and off, opening doors, fans (oh how he LOVES fans), and reading. It took him a while to really get into books, and now he loves them. But not being read to (unless PopPop smith is doing the reading). He likes to read the books himself and point at all the pictures to have you tell him what each picture is. And more recently he's started picking up books and "singing" the abc's, as if that is what's written in the book. Only the abc song that he sings sounds more like "d,c,d,c". It's definitely very cute.

Jackson has also become quite talkative, and I fall in love everytime he "talks" to me. He can carry on a full conversation with such a serious look on his face, only everything he says is "Jackson talk". Other than the Jackson talk, however, he has learned quite a few words, which is what I'm dedicating this blog to. Here is what we are hearing our little boy say these days:

Uh-oh (one of his first words)
Wha' sa (What's that)
Ra Ra (This is what the dogs names sound like to him)
Puppy
Poopy (which he will now say during diaper changes, ha ha)
'Nana (Banana)
B-apple (Apple)
Ball (quite clearly, ball)
hoo-ball (Football, very different from any other ball)
Doo-dle (Said carefully in two syllables for Sophie Doodle, a family bird)
Coo-kie (also said very carefully in two syllables)
Mommy (my favorite word of them all)
Da-Da
PopPop
MomMom
Door
Car
Moo (as in what a cow says)
Boop Boop (the noise a train makes when the horn is beeped)
Sissy (what we are calling his Aunt Krista)
Uncle (which he pronounces more German than anything else)
Auntie
Tanta (meaning Aunt in German)
TaTay (which we learned means daddy in Tagala)
Weee (What he says when he spins in circles, lol)
I (as in the letter "I")
Go-gurt (Yogurt)
Peese (Please)
Ca-tur (Water)
Sue (Shoes)
Flower
hot dog
Hi (One of the cutest things he says)
Buh Buh (Bye Bye)
Thomas (As in thomas the train)
Elmo
Bur (Bird)
(he says something to mean airplane, but I can't quite make it out)
Up (and he will point up as well)


Along with all of his words, he is also getting quite good with body parts:
Nose
Mouth
Eyes
Ears
Hair
Tummy
Belly Button
Feet
Hands


We really have been blessed with such a smart, loving, wonderful little boy who has been so much fun to be around. His laugh is contagious and instantly makes anyone smile and his smile alone is enough to make any day better. I couldn't be thankful for anything more than I am thankful for him.

<3

1 year ago today...

... at this very moment I was holding my newborn baby boy and my little Jackson was surrounded by friends and family welcoming him into his first day on Earth.

It's hard to believe that that was only a year ago and at the same time that it has already been a year. While I can't remember much of how things were without our little boy, it still seems like just yesterday we were anxiously awaiting his arrival.

The past year has been full of so many great memories and so many learning experiences. Jackson has grown so much. We've celebrated his first smile, his first turn onto his belly, sleeping through the night, his "talking", the first "mama" and "dada", rice cereal, baby food, sitting up, his first tooth all the way up to his eighth tooth, his army crawl, and after seemingly forever, his real crawl. We've recently celebrated him standing, his first few steps to Justin or I, his lovely stair climbing and just this past Friday, his first real walking experience all on his own. And now, today, his FIRST birthday, his first celebration of his life up until now.

Jackson has not ceased to amaze me at how fast he grows and how quickly he learns. He is picking up words like Ball (bah), Bye Bye (buh buh), MaMa, DaDa, Doggie (Daw-dy), Bird (Bir), Hi Baby ( Hi BeBe), Uh Oh, PopPop and so on. He has many tricks, his favorites being high five, clapping, blowing kisses, so big, and yum yum (you say yum yum and he rubs his belly). He has also learned where Jackson's nose is, where Mommy's nose is and where Doggy's nose is and now we are working on mouth and ear. Jackson has become quite the little swimmer, paddling hard and fast with fury and excitement. His personality has become so distinct- such a sweet, happy, loving boy with oh such an attitude too, haha. He has learned to love his big four legged brothers, sometimes a little too much, but he is also a gentle boy giving kisses just because and snuggling up with a sweet smile on his face. Jackson has also learned to share which he demostrated so well tonight feeding his big piece of birthday cake to Mommy, Daddy and MomMom.

Jackson has truly become my absolute everything. I know we parents always say that. And we are always used to hearing it too. But until you're there, rocking your baby to sleep, just you and him with his lullabies playing and his eyes heavy with dreams and you're staring at this beautiful little person who needs you, trusts you and loves you endlessly, - until you've reached that point, you never realize just how true that saying is. Jackson has filled our hearts with so much joy and love. He has made the little constant daily problems non-existent and has focused our lives on the things that make life worth it. And it's funny to think that it won't be until he has reached this same point in his own life that he will understand just how much he has changed us and impacted our lives.

Jackson Scott: I love you endlessly. You are truly my world, my everything. I long to hold you and see your smile when I'm away, even if just for a few hours, and I thank God for every moment I spend with you. This past year has been the best year of my life and I am so excited to watch you grow and to be a part of the person that you will become. I pray that we lead you in the right direction and give you everything you need to have the best, most fulfilled life possible. Happy Birthday Baby Boy. May these special days last forever. We Love You.




(Celebrating Jackson's 1st Birthday at the Baltimore Aquarium)

Official Update:

I STILL hate snow!!!!!!

All 20-30 inches sitting outside of my front door. And I hate the 10+ inches that will fall tomorrow even more. I'm so done shoveling. And the snow is ruining my dentist appt, my doctor's appt, and my cpr resertification appt. Blech. I can't wait until some sunshine and warm weather. My flip flops have felt quite neglected this winter.

The only good thing about this snow is that Jackson has a good routine during it. Out of the crib at 8, breakfast at 8:30ish, nap at 10, lunch at 12, nap around 1:30, dinner at 4, nap at 5 for an hour, bath at 7 followed by a bottle and 7:30 bedtime. Wow, did we just somehow come up with a real routine? Who whould have thought!

We did also have fun with the neighbors shoveling the street, "borrowing" salt from a broken down plow truck, and watching another plow come "clear" our street just after we finished shoveling it. Justin also helped the neighbors and other neighbors and kid build an igloo. I was too tired and cold at that point. And then he joined them for fireworks after.

I've also enjoyed actually cooking all or most of our meals. It's been nice not ordering out (except for during the superbowl of course... way to go Saints).

So I guess the snow wasn't that bad but really, do we need another foot of it :(

In Jackson news, he is quite the mobile child these days. And it's too funny how he does it. He still can't crawl, although he's getting awfully close. BUT he can surely pull himself through the whole living room and dining room by using his arms and pushing with one foot. It's quite hysterical how he does it. He's also figured out how to actually get into his toys. The other day I heard him rustling over in his play area and I look over and he figured out how to open the mega blocks container and pull the blocks out. Clean up will start to get much more extensive soon I'm. His vocabulary of ooohs and ahhs and bah, plah, da da, and ma is becomming louder and much more clear. And his smile... my goodness that two tooth grin. I LOVE it. And his laugh is too funny too. It actually cracks me up when he laughs, which makes him laugh even more. This kid definitely makes me melt :)

Time to upload some videos and pics to my computer. No promises you'll see them here tonight, but maybe on facebook! Goodnight all!

Thoughts of the day

I OFFICIALLY hate snow.

I really wish my child would take his nap... there's LOTS of laundry to fold and LOTS of dog hair to vaccume (I hate trying to spell that word).

And I wish I could fast forward 6-7 years so I can have my three kids and go and get a tummy tuck because I hate looking at this disgusting stretched out wrinkly blob sitting on my abdomen.

Oh, and I officially hate cold weather. My skin feels like a brillo pad, even after I lotion up. bleh.

Post 11

Officially accepted the Bayview Job as an RN. And I learned today that some of my classmates are getting their ATT's (the letter that allows you to sign up for the boards). Not looking forward to getting mine because I'm definitely not ready yet. But, soon enough! My official start date at Bayview is February 15th. My first big girl career :)

Jackson was ridiculously cute today. The clothes I dressed him in, the faces he made, the lunges he made toward me with that awnry little face. And, we fingerpainted for the first time. It was a very brief event led by me dipping his hand in pant and keeping his hands away from his face. But still a lot of fun.

Parents coming over tomorrow to cook me dinner :D and visit Trader Joe's with me. And then it's Bayview on Wednesday for a physical and my cousin's house on Thursday for a playdate with my cousin's two boys, my other cousin's son, and my cousin in law's son and daughter. Friday is karaoke and spaghetti at church, Saturday is the Polar Bear Plunge (haven't officially decided to plunge yet) and Sunday is up in the air still after church. Maybe my friend from middle school's daughter's second birthday or a trip to the Eastern shore to see my friend heather and her adorable 2 year old Charlie. What a packed week ahead!

Blog 10

I have been neglectful the past few days, but also busy, and sick, and dealing with a child with a cold. :(

But other than all that. Justin had a trip to Ohio last week so it was just me and my handsome little man for a few days. I decided to have some of my nursing friends over (and one of their boyfriends) and I made Maple and almond crusted chicken, green beans, and corn. The girls brought salad, plantains, wine, and dessert. It was actually a very nice evening and we all agreed that we had to do that more often.

Last week I was also able to work it so that my Ped Onc interview was on this coming Tuesday rather than the 29th. And then bayview called an offered me the med/surg job and just told me to let them know by Monday(tomorrow). So I decided that I would accept but still go on the other interview and if I was also offered the Ped Onc job I would take that instead but if not I'd have something to fall back on. But then this past Friday Hopkins downtown called to tell me they already filled the Ped Onc position. So it looks like it will definitely be Bayview after all. I already emailed the nurse recruiter to accept the position, but it will officially happen tomorrow morning.

This past Saturday Justin and I took Jax out for his first trip to the playground. He kind of liked the slide a little but he LOVED the swings. We got great pics and video of it (which will be up soon). And then today Justin left again for Ohio for another 3-5 days. Ugh. Too bad he didn't go somewhere nice. Jax and I definitely would have went with.

I don't have any pictures tonight, but I'll get them up here soon.

Til next time!

Blog 9- Jackson 6 months

Today we had Jackson's six month check up. Of course, shots were included, which is out least favorite part. But, other than that the doc just looked him over, asked tons of questions about what he's doing and what he's eating and how he's pooping. He gave us the go ahead to give him yogurt, all meats, all fruits and veggies pretty much, and wheat pasta and tomato sauces. We also found out that Jackson is a whopping 17 lbs (50th percentile range) and he's 27 inches long (75th percentile range) so he's long and lean like his Daddy. The doc said we might be able to expect him to be between 5 foot 10 inches, and six foot.

We spent the rest of the day with our friends Joe and Rachel and their 9month old Ryan. Rachel stays home with Ryan all day so it was a good day to get out for lunch and walk around the mall with our sleepy boys. Hopefully there will be many a play date, and especially pool dates ahead!

No pics were taken today, but I'm still working on videos. I'll attempt getting those up tonight!

Post 8

Sorry for the lack of posts the past two days. While 365 consecutive posts might not be possible for me, if nothing else, it will get me to post much more frequently!

The past two days have been busy for us. Yesterday was my share day at Johns Hopkins Bayview. It went really well. I like the nurses on the unit and I really like the manager, and while they said it was "fast-paced", it wasn't as fast as I was expecting, which is fine with me. The nurse manager said she really liked me and that I should expect to hear back from the nurse recruiter by Monday. Since monday is a holiday, however, and the nurse manager probably wasn't thinking about that, I probably won't hear back until Tuesday. This gives me a little more time to try to get Hopkins main campus to move that interview closer, except that the recruiter there will be out of the office Monday and Tuesday. Ugh. I'm really interested in Pediatric Oncology so I would really like to go on the interview and shareday, but if they're not able to move it closer, I don't foresee being able to have Bayview "wait" for me to give them an answer that long. And in that case, my choice will have to be Bayview, which isn't a bad choice at all. But if they do move the interview closer, the choice will be difficult and will ultimately come down to which setting could I see myself working in for a long time. Hopefully it all works out the best way possible. At this point it's not about money or benefits or location, but about the job itself. Hopefully I'll have Someone on my side to help me make the best choice.

After my shareday Justin and I went out to dinner, alone, leaving Jackson with his parents. We went to Tidewater grille and had a great meal.

Today I slept in and it was fantastic. We then went to the store, had lunch, and joined our friends at Bert and Laura's house for a "cook-out" (food around a fire pit, and mostly inside) and some Ravens game action. I actually missed most of the game because Jackson was overtired and was really difficult to put to sleep. He is stuck to me when that's the case and I can't put him down, so we napped on the couch together. While I would have liked to see the game, from what I hear, I didn't miss much, so I'm not too bummed. And now we're home, ready for bed again, and the world is updated on our lives.

As you enjoy your weekend and your holiday on Monday, don't forget to pray for Haiti and the Hurricane victims. May they find safety and comfort and feel great love from all of the world during this time of hardship. Goodnight.

Happy Half Birthday Jax - Post 7

Happy Half Birthday to my wonderful, beautiful, amazing little man. May you be blessed with more birthdays then I'll be able to count. I love you endlessly!!!!!

Today was my interview at Bayview. It went really really well. And then I get home and find out that Hopkins downtown has scheduled me for an interview and share day on a Pediatric Oncology floor for the 29th. Crazy. So now what if bayview offers the job. Two weeks ago I was stressing about not having even an interview, and now I'm stressed about the decisions I'll have to make. Oye.

But in other much more exciting news to a mommy, today was Jackson's Half Birthday. Yup! My boy turned six months old at 8:16 tonight. I cannot believe where I was six months ago and where I am today, but I've loved every minute (okay, maybe not recovery, but I love jackson every minute of it). We celebrated by having crab cakes at grandma's... Jackson had gerber chicken noodle. Then we came home, had a bluberry muffin (Jax's birthday "cake"), made six month imprints of Jackson's hand and foot, and then went off to sleep. We also found out that Jackson may be teething yet again, but this time with top teeth, YIKES!!! Pretty soon he'll be eating steak and potatos with the rest of this.

Here are some pictures to share. The first two are of Jackson and Justin... Do they not look identical?? The rest are of Jackson celebrating his six month birthday.

Kaplan, Bayview and No sleep, oh my.

Today was another day of Kaplan. And boy did that review class come quick today. I stayed up watching movies with Justin last night and doing some online kaplan quizzes so i hopped in bed at 12:30. Well Jackson woke up at 2:30 and screamed andcried everytime Iput him down for three hours. I had to get up at seven so it was a brutal night. And this morning he screamed everytime I put him down again, so needless to say, I was late everywhere today. BUT, on the bright side of things, he was good for Oma and Lucas, and I got called for an interview for tomorrow at Johns Hopkins Bayview. I had to quickly arrange some last minute letters of reference and a transcript, but it all pulled through, so we'll see how tomorrow goes.

To end the day, I leave you with no images, just a prayer request for all those suffering from the devastating earthquake disaster in Haiti. May we people of such prosper and blessing find some way physically, financially, spiritually and emotionally to help those who so desperately need it at this time.

Goodnight.

Kaplan day 2 - blog 5

Today was Kaplan day 2. It seems that this $379.00 class may be helpful after all. I didn't learn a lot about content today because, as a graduate nurse, I should know the content. But I learned a great deal about how to work my way through those tricky NCLEX questions. I'm hoping that tomorrow and the next few days of the review will be just as helpful and that, when the time comes, I'll be confident and prepared enough to pass the NCLEX and become a Registered Nurse.

Images of the day: Kaplan's logo and Stephens Hall, one of the main buildings on Towson's campus in the winter. This is where our pinning was held.

Review day 1 - Blog 4

Today is my first day of Kaplan Review for my NCLEX exam. It's only 8 classes, but man will it be greuling. And it was sooooo cold in that room AND I'm getting sick :(

But in better news, Jackson's 2nd tooth is finally in and growing strong.

Unfortunately I have homework (graduate college and get homework the next day, ugh) but I wanted to make sure I got this blog in.

Goodnight!

GRADUATION Jan 10

The big story today was that I FINALLY graduated from college. I gratuated from Towson University with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. It was a very nice ceremony, yet long awaited ceremony. I truly thought today would never come, but standing in line waiting to enter, I couldn't believe it was finally here. It's amazing how fast time seems to have flown when you look back on it all. I still remember moving into the dorms in August of 2005. Since then, there've been a lot of ups and downs and so many changes to my life. And it's definitely odd to think that that chapter of my life is finally closed.

After the ceremony ended, those who attended and my brother, his girlfriend and my uncle went back to my other brother's house just in time to watch the Ravens beat up on Brady!!! Seriously, what a GREAT ending to a much deserved day.

Below are a few pics from the ceremony and after. My blogger is being weird so I can't space the pics out to add captions, but I'll try to figure it out!!!! Enjoy.

Jan 8th - Pinning

So today was my pinnign ceremony which officially ends my nursing school career. I still have to take the NCLEX but that is completely outside the realm of actual nursing school. The pin we receive is what distinguishes us as RN's. (Because it's silver and shiny and small and my camera is not equipped for those items, I can't get a great pic of it.) Leading up to today I thought this whole thing was a waste of time and a waste of money for that little pin that I'll never wear. Then I started seeing how much this pinning meant to so many other people. Like the friend who has nurses in every generation of her family, and my friend who is graduating from Towson's nursing program sharing this experience with her sister who is graduating from another nursing program this semester as well. And listening to the speaker, I started to appreciate the ceremony and the pin, and my future title of RN more than I have throughout the program. It's funny though how you struggle for two looooonnnnggg years and have so many trials and tribulations and it all comes down to this one triumphant day and this tiny little pin. I forgot for a few hours how grueling these past two years have been and I truly looked forward to my future. I only hope that in my future, I can live up to the standard that has already been set by so many smart, caring nurses that exist today.

So that's today's blog. Here are a few pictures to share with you my experience.

This was after the pinning before bedtime, but I added this because in this pic Jackson looks exactly like Justin when he was little. I'll have to get a picture of Justin up here sometime for comparison.

And this is during the ceremony when I'm getting pinned.

Below are my four best friends throughout nursing school, the girls I turned to and complained to and leaned on and studied with and cried with the most!!!

Starting with Julie...

and Sarah...

and Emily...

and Melissa.

<3>

December 2009 Pictures

Here are the December Pictures. Cookie making, christmas Eve, Christmas day and New Years to be added tomorrow, after I've slept!!!

Jackson's first snowfall!

Daddy as Santa

I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus

MomMom Smith as Santa Claus

His Raven's hat only fits with a beanie underneath, ha ha

Jax and his little girlfriend Anna

Sleepy boy

Snowstorm of 09

Watching daddy play in the snow with the doggies