Sunday, August 30, 2009

Can I Order a Relaxing Weekend Please?

Summertime is crazy busy for us. Take this weekend for example. Friday night we went to a BBQ at church with Jeramy's mom and stepdad. Saturday morning, I was on a mission to get Jillian shoes that not only fit but were difficult for her to pull off. Otherwise, I was going to be getting some dirty looks once the colder weather hit, and I was still toting around a barefoot baby. Luckily I got some recommendations to try the Stride Rite factory outlet nearby, and I was able to score a couple of very cute shoes that stay on for a slightly unreasonable price. I also took the opportunity to visit some other outlet stores at the mall to stock up on some clothes for her fall wardrobe. I love shopping for Jillian. So much funner than shopping for myself. Then we headed out to three BBQs. That's right...3. First with some close friends from high school, then to our old neighbor's house (it was sooooo weird to meet the people who bought our house and see some of the changes they made) and then to a housewarming for a friend who moved back to town. We got home around 10:30pm, and all three of us crashed. Then we were up before 6am today to drop Jillian off with Jeramy's dad and stepmom so that we could hit the Puyallup river to fish. The pink salmon run every other year, and there are so many in the river that they actually run into you when you are starting in the water fishing. We both caught our limit of 4 each and headed out to grab Jillian. Then we stopped by our friend's who had been fishing with us so Jeramy could show him how to fillet fish. Then we went to visit my grandma for a few minutes. Then we did the week's grocery shopping. Then we went home where I unloaded groceries, reorganized the pantry and threw out the old stuff, put away Jillian's new clothes, along with some other chores. Oh and inbetween all of this we somehow managed to change Jillian's diapers, feed her, and let her get some naps in (usually while driving).

I'm beat. And the thing is that every weekend has been like this all summer long. We'll be camping Labor Day weekend so that won't be much better. I'm just hoping that as fall sets in things slow down just a bit. Because while I like to be busy, this is just insane.

And I'd better not forget, Jillian has started walking. She can now take several rather unsteady steps in a row. Generally she'd much rather crawl because she is so damn quick via that mode of transportation. But as the weekend has progressed I've seen her walk more and more. Here is a picture from last Thursday when she was just starting (and as you can see she was highly encouraged by her Daddy.) I know, I need video. We lost the charger to our camcorder, and Jeramy just ordered it the other day. So hopefully video of Jillian is in the near future.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Oh Yeah...Happy Belated Anniversary to Us

Things have been crazy for me lately, and I totally forgot to acknowledge that Jeramy and I celebrated our 11th anniversary last Saturday. We spent our first anniversary fishing on the Puyallup river (caught one pink salmon each) and going to a family reunion. Not exactly romantic, but we are rarely ones to make a big deal out of the day. Really spending the morning together doing something we enjoy was celebration enough.

Look how young we were!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Into and Onto Everything

Whenever we take Jillian places people always seem impressed by her mobility. Then they look at me and tell me their sorry. I certainly appreciate their empathy because they're absolutely right. Keeping up with a fearless and mobile infant is hard work. And teeth have brought a new complication as she intends to bite all furniture in her path, as reflected by the $50 I blew at Babies R Us in an attempt to save the rails of her crib from further damage. As adorable as she is moving about, there are times I ache for that oh so brief period between the constant crying stage and crawling. And yet we keep encouraging her to hit milestone after milestone with our cheers and "yays". I even caught Jeramy coaxing her to take a couple of steps this afternoon.

Here are some examples of her latest feats (in addition to escaping through the dog door):

She climbed in this toy bin herself. She couldn't quite figure out how to exit it though. She would get frustrated, then play with some toys for a while, then try again.


She loves climbing on the step of this toy (which also happens to be the loudest toy on the planet)

Quite competent with her walk behind toy although she can't back-up yet.

I wish that I could say that standing is a new thing, but she has been doing it for a few weeks now. She can even squat down then stand back up then squat again then stand up...well you get the picture. I tried imitating her but discovered that it's really hard work (great for the leg muscles though)

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

More Camping

We went camping again last weekend. Yup, two weekends in a row. You might think I'm crazy but it is so much easier to go camping the second time because you've already done much of the packing which is the part I really dread (well next to the unpacking that is). We just left the camper sitting on the truck all week, while Jeramy found other vehicles to drive. This time we drove east of the mountains over Chinook Pass to the Naches area. Our friend's dad has property there alone the American River and there are four-wheeling trails nearby, both of which kept Jeramy quite busy all weekend. I on the other hand spent much time relaxing and knitting.

Jillian spent her weekend with friend Kaycie who is about a year older than her. We are so lucky to know so many little girls just about Jillian's age. They both had a great time, and Kaycie taught Jillian to laugh at farts. That's right, potty humor has begun, and we haven't even reached her first birthday. Great.

Right before the trip, I bought a snack bowl to keep treats off the floor. Jeramy lovingly calls it the bear trap because of its design. It said 12+ months so I didn't know if Jillian would figure it out, but my worries were for nothing. Clearly, I underestimated the power of baby cheesy puffs.

And don't worry, we didn't forget the baby pasture either. Last time we depended on the Pack 'n' Play. However we knew that wouldn't fly with Kaycie wanting to run around (and in turn Jillian wanting to crawl after her).

Jillian even got some fishing and relaxation time in with her Daddy. Apparently they caught a baby fish, but I was too far down river at that time to catch the photo op. Jeramy says that he won't fish this way ever again though. Carrying around 20 pounds of baby on your chest on a rocky shore is not so good for the back it seems.



Monday, August 17, 2009

And Jillian's Real First Word is...

Well I think we really have a first word. It is...drumroll please...

"Yay!!!"

It is said with the exclamation marks. And while clapping. It seems that I'm raising a cheerleader (oh God). It is absolutely adorable.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Camping Pictures

Thank goodness for friends with cameras and batteries who post pictures on Facebook! Because of them, I can bring you these:




Monday, August 10, 2009

10 Months

Jillian turned 10 months old last Friday when we left to go camping. I could spend about an entire post going on and on about how quickly time has flown by, but I think I have probably exhausted your patience on that subject. And truly this month has been no exception to my excitement and dismay over her growth as she has reaches one milestone after another.
  • She can stand for several seconds at a time (once for almost a minute) on her own. She is cruising around furniture with ease. I fear that walking is in the near future.
  • She crawls up stairs with ease.
  • She loves cans and bottles. Basically she wants anything we drink out of. One day last week when Jeramy and his mom were just out of reach she graped a nearly empty 2 liter of sprite and took a few gulps. When I heard the news I didn't know whether to be concerned at her consuming soda or impressed that she didn't spill any.
  • Spitting has become a new found passion. Blowing raspberries on Daddy is a lot of fun. Spitting food all over the nearest adult is even more fun.
  • She greatly enjoys babbling. And screaming. Holding screaming contests with her baby friends is among her favorite pasttimes. She also likes makes "s" sounds. I think that she is starting to get the hang of "dada" and "baba". Unfortunately "mama" has not made the list.
  • She adores dogs and wants to pet (well really yank on) every one she comes across.
  • She has gotten pretty proficient with her sippy cup. If other babies are nearby, stealing their sippy cups is great fun. She still prefers her bottle when it comes to drinking formula.
  • Her two bottom teeth are pretty far through now. Very cute, and a little crooked. With her dad and my genes, I'm quite certain that several years of orthodontia are in her future.
  • As you can tell by her pictures, she really is a very happy baby. I wouldn't call her an easy baby as she is quite demanding of your attention. But she has such a fun and vibrant personality. It is what I adore the most about her.
What I learned this month was that swim diapers are good at not absorbing water. They are not so good at holding in urine. This is what happened to me when I let Jillian sit on my lap after swimming.

She is simply impossible to resist.

I didn't even pose her for this pic, I swear! Heineken should consider using babies in its advertisements. Although maybe there are some rules against that...

Sunday, August 9, 2009

The Best Part of Camping

We love camping. Granted we have a camper so we're not exactly roughing it. But I do enjoy the woods, the outdoors, the hot dogs, the s'mores, and the relaxation. Throw in a bunch of friends and it certainly makes for good times. The best part though? Jillian napped beautifully and consistently and each nap was like 2-3 hours. It was amazing. Normally I'm lucky if all of her naps combined equal that amount. With naps like that it is almost worth moving into the camper! She slept well at night too, but I didn't as she apparently moves around a lot in her sleep and is quite the bed hog. It makes me glad she sleeps in her crib.

I'd post pictures but after arriving I discovered that my camera was out of batteries. Hopefully I can snag some of my friends pics off facebook or something to share soon.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Getting Clingy

I would say that Jillian is generally a pretty outgoing baby. While she tends to be most playful with mom, dad or grandma, she is usually willing to be held by others without much fuss. If I were to say she preferred anybody, it would be her dad and not me, and really that did not bother me as much as I might have expected.

Well this weekend, all that changed. I’m not sure if it is due to the newly emerging teeth, a lack of sleep or just new found separation anxiety. But regardless, she was all about mom, all the time. Overall, I’d have to say that I’m touched. As a working mom who doesn’t nurse, it is very satisfying to see that she knows I’m her mom and that she loves me so very much. At the same time, a little goes a long way sometimes. I was on my feet with her in my arms for so much of the weekend that my back and legs actually ache. And it is excruciating to have to leave the house when your baby is wailing for you. Even Jillian herself seems conflicted in her clinging. She is a rather energetic baby who wants to be on the move, and she is constantly squirming to get out of your arms. But once you set her down she starts to cry, especially if people are around. It is quite frustrating for mom and baby, I assure you.

I know this is a phase that will pass all too quickly and a day will come when I’m deemed a “mean mommy” rather than somebody to cuddle with. So I’ll pop a couple ibuprofen and enjoy it. And with a little girl as goofy as this one, it is admittedly hard not to enjoy it.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Another Year Down for Jeramy

The big event of the weekend was Jeramy's 31st birthday yesterday. So of course that called for a birthday/addition warming party. I'd like to have called it a bedroom warming party, but Jeramy thought that sounded a little wrong for some reason. Plus the house was a disaster, and we really needed something to get us motivated to get it cleaned. Really, Jeramy's birthday couldn't have come at a better time.
The evening included the regular festivities such as blowing out candles on a Harley Davidson birthday cake. Note the present in the background with the princess pink wrapping paper. Yup, for Jeramy from friends.

Lots of Jillian's tot pals were there too. Here you see her hitting Becky with the rattle she stole from her (Jillian is a bully who won't share).
Here her grandma was holding Dakota, and Jillian insisted that she be held too. Jealous?
Best of all, Jeramy bought a swimming pool this weekend. Jeramy's dad took him up to the local reservation casino on Thursday and gave him $100 to spend. Somehow he managed to more than triple his money playing penny slots. Finally he had the funds to buy a pool, which he has been longing for all summer. The only problem is every store was sold out thanks to the record-breaking heat. So he turned to Craigs List where someone had listed a 18' x 4' pool for $225. It had been bought 3 years ago for $600 and used 2 months. Jeramy offered $240...and a good thing because the lady had like 6 inquiries on it. Let's just say that I'm a little bit excited about this!
Aft