Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday...

Saturday Jul 19, 2008

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday...

Cause Saturday night's the night I like
Saturday night's alright alright alright
-Elton John, Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)

So, how do you like the new look to the blog? While I said I'd raise my kids with gender-neutral colors, everything in our house is turning baby blue. And while I'm still a little worried that he'll take all this blue as a cue to become a UNC fan, I'm starting to get used to it being the main color in our lives. So why not the blog, too?

We have a new skill that we're trying to teach Jay ... It's called "how to sleep in on Saturday mornings." Weekday mornings, he'd be happy to sleep in until 8 or 9. But Saturday mornings? Now that's the day to start early! Saturday is the ONLY day of the week that he wants to get up on his own. This morning, at 5:30 a.m. he was awake and ready to start the day. Derek and I played the "maybe if we ignore him, he'll go back to sleep" game. Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Not gonna happen. But at least he's happy when he wakes up. There's no better way to start the day than by going into his room to see him grinning up at me. Even if it is 5:30 on a Saturday morning.

Posted at 11:04PM Jul 19, 2008 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[2]

I'll be the boy in the corduroy pants...

Tuesday Jul 15, 2008

I'll be the boy in the corduroy pants...

...You be the girl at the high school dance
-Tom Petty "You Wreck Me"

So the time has come to start moving our little baby into bigger boy clothes. Sniff, sniff. This weekend, we cleaned out his closet and put all of the newborn & 3 month old clothes into the closet. And one of the casualties was an adorable pair of corduroy pants with little patches on the knees.

In the hospital, Jay's only clothing was a diaper and a swaddling blanket. Clothes were just too much trouble when he had lines and monitors attached to every appendage, including a pulse ox on his big toe. When we first brought him home from the hospital, we were so excited to put him in "real" clothes (if you can call footed PJ's clothes!). We'd try on 5 different outfits a day just to see how cute they all were. Hmmm, reality check. Honestly we'd change outfits that often because most days he'd puke/poop on his clothes about every other hour. Many days, he would wear a onesie with these cute brown cords, and I loved that he looked like a little boy instead of a tiny baby.

But the time has come to retire the brown cords ... along with all of the other newborn clothes and most of the 3 month old clothes. Poor kid gets a serious diaper wedgie when we try to snap the onesies at the crotch. And then when the diaper gets full, the snaps pop open! (Actually makes it easy to know when a diaper change is needed.) He's only 4 months old, but he's already wearing 6-9 month sizes. At his doctor's appointment last week, he was in the 75th percentile for weight and 95th for height. He's gonna be a tall one, folks! All the ladies are going to want to be his date for the 9th grade dance, because he'll be the only boy taller than all the girls.

But it makes me a little sad to pack away the baby things. As with all things, you have to say goodbye to the good things about one stage of life in order to get the benefits of another stage. So it's time to bid a fond farewell to the miracle swaddling blanket, the baby-size paci, the Bendy Bar, and the tiny clothes, even the corduroy pants. Time goes so fast - next thing you know, he'll be taking some cute girl to the high school dance. And I'll be the crazy mom, crying behind the camera, begging them to stay and take just one more picture in front of the fireplace.

Posted at 01:18PM Jul 15, 2008 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[2]

And there's this One Particular Harbor...

Monday Jul 07, 2008

And there's this One Particular Harbor...

...Sheltered from the wind
Where the children play on the shores each day
And all are safe within
--Jimmy Buffett, One Particular Harbor

For a long July 4 weekend, I can't imagine doing anything more fun than going to the beach. So that's what we did. And while we still have not mastered the art of packing light while traveling with an infant, we are getting to the point where we take less crap along with us.

And Jay, for the most part, was loving life on the coast. He had the undivided attention of his LaLa and his Great AJ, and he performed all the tricks he's got. He's really mastered the rolling over trick, and performed it over and over and over and over and over again, much to the delight of all his admirers. He even showed off a new trick - munching on his feet. Yep, finally got that enormous big toe into his mouth. It was hilarious to watch because he works SO hard at it. It's a two-handed process - one hand goes behind the ankle to pull the foot toward the face, and the other serves as a guide to get the toe into the mouth. But once he figured it out, man, he could not get enough. When we got home last night, I swear the look on his face said, "Sweet! Those toys came home with us from the beach!"

And the entertainment was not all of the indoor variety. We suited Jay up with the swim diaper, the too-big Hawaiian print swim trunks, the t-shirt, and the big floppy hat. (Uncle Matt said it's more flamboyant sombrero than manly sun hat, but what does he know?!) Add one uber-thick layer of baby sensitive suncreen and the kid was READY! (Of course getting him to that stage only took 45 minutes.) So we took him onto the beach to explore the sand & get his first dip in the ocean. I can't say that he was exactly thrilled about it, but he didn't cry so I figure that's a good start. He's a Pisces, so our little fish has got to love the water, right?








Let's go back to the beach!

Posted at 10:43PM Jul 07, 2008 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[1]

And there's this One Particular Harbor...

Monday Jul 07, 2008

And there's this One Particular Harbor...


...Sheltered from the wind
Where the children play on the shores each day
And all are safe within
--Jimmy Buffett, One Particular Harbor

For a long July 4 weekend, I can't imagine doing anything more fun than going to the beach. So that's what we did. And while we still have not mastered the art of packing light while traveling with an infant, we are getting to the point where we take less crap along with us.

And Jay, for the most part, was loving life on the coast. He had the undivided attention of his LaLa and his Great AJ, and he performed all the tricks he's got. He's really mastered the rolling over trick, and performed it over and over and over and over and over again, much to the delight of all his admirers. He even showed off a new trick - munching on his feet. Yep, finally got that enormous big toe into his mouth. It was hilarious to watch because he works SO hard at it. It's a two-handed process - one hand goes behind the ankle to pull the foot toward the face, and the other serves as a guide to get the toe into the mouth. But once he figured it out, man, he could not get enough. When we got home last night, I swear the look on his face said, "Sweet! Those toys came home with us from the beach!"

And the entertainment was not all of the indoor variety. We suited Jay up with the swim diaper, the too-big Hawaiian print swim trunks, the t-shirt, and the big floppy hat. (Uncle Matt said it's more flamboyant sombrero than manly sun hat, but what does he know?!) Add one uber-thick layer of baby sensitive sunscreen and the kid was READY! (Of course getting him to that stage only took 45 minutes.) So we took him onto the beach to explore the sand & get his first dip in the ocean. I can't say that he was exactly thrilled about it, but he didn't cry so I figure that's a good start. He's a Pisces, so our little fish has got to love the water, right?








Let's go back to the beach!


Posted at 10:43PM Jul 07, 2008 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[2]
Comments:

Love the new Pics!

It looks like everyone had a great time.
I swear in the last pic, Jay looks like a mini-Derek. Eye brows up and big smile!

Posted by crystal on July 08, 2008 at 10:37 AM EDT #

In my next 30 years...

Monday Jun 16, 2008

In my next 30 years...

I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Hey my next thirty years I'm gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I've done
Maybe now I've conquered all my adolescent fears
And I'll do it better in my next thirty years

My next thirty years I'm gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
Figure out just what I'm doing here
In my next thirty years

Oh my next thirty years, I'm gonna watch my weight
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late
Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers
Maybe I'll remember my next thirty years

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and hang out with my wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years
Okay, I don't typically post the entire song, but this time I couldn't resist. Today is my thirtieth birthday, and I think that those lyrics are all good ways to spend my next thirty years.

But first, I must apologize for being so incredibly slack about blogging. Forgive me, readers, for I have sinned - it has been over a month since my last blog update. To say that my life has become infinitely busier since returning to work is an understatement. Anything more than getting up, getting Jay up/fed/into clean diaper/dressed/diaper changed again/re-dressed in an outfit sans poop/into carseat/to daycare is pretty much out of the question these days. I had always had a question in the back of my mind about how to end the blog - but just ending without any official end really isn't fair, so I won't subject you to that. And he's getting so darn cute that I really do need to post some new pics. (They're at the bottom, but you better not just scroll past all my chatter to look at his cute mug!) So don't give up - I am going to get back to more regular posting!

So yesterday, we had a big ol' birthday bash to celebrate the fact that Derek and I both turned 30. His birthday was last Saturday (June 7) and mine is today. We had a pig pickin' party in our backyard with lots of friends and it really was a celebration to remember. I had a blast catching up with folks and watching our kids play, even if I had lost my voice and couldn't do much of the talking myself.

So what's new in Jay's world? His biggest trick is that he can roll over from back to front. (Well, he's done it once, and gotten REALLY close a bunch more times - I say that counts as a trick!) Most babies roll from front to back before back to front, but not our little prodigy. And he's discovered his feet, which is hilarious to watch. He gets this super-excited look on his face like "Whoa - there are those things again!" and spends the next 20 minutes trying to get them into his mouth. Unfortunately, his little round belly gets in the way and he hasn't managed the toes to mouth thing quite yet.

But he has mastered the art of getting lots of other things to his mouth. He likes to gnaw on fabric in particular - our shirts, his nasty burp cloths, funky bibs --- mmm, sour milk. Gross to us, apparently tasty to him. And he's a big fan of grabbing things in general. His favorite thing to grab is a big handful of Derek's arm hair. I think it's funny. Derek - not so much.

Jay got to meet lots of new people yesterday including his cousin Camden and Aunt Mandy & Uncle Ryan from Omaha/Dallas. (Where are you guys these days, anyway?) Camden, a normal-size baby, makes Jay look like the Jolly Green Giant. He's continuing to grow so fast, speeding through the newborn and 3 month clothes and now into 6 month size. He weighs in at a whopping 14 pounds, 11 oz these days.
..
Okay, so here are those pics I promised. Cutie, huh? And a wonderful way to spend my next 30 years.

Posted at 08:13AM Jun 16, 2008 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[2]

We are family...

Monday May 12, 2008

We are family...

...I got all my sisters with me!

Okay, so Jay doesn't have any sisters, and neither do Derek or I. But we've got all the brothers, cousins, uncles, grandparents and great aunts that a kid could want. And this weekend, Jay got a chance to hang out with almost all of them.

This was Jay's first chance to interact with the entire Perry clan. Growing up, most of my holidays were spent at Appie & Papa's house with my mom's extended family. She's one of 5 children, and when the whole clan gets together, it's quite a party. I've seriously never interacted with so many people who each think that they are the funniest person in the room. (Truth is, if they weren't all in the same room, they each would be the funniest!) Her siblings are hilarious, and they love to tell stories. The louder the telling and the funnier the story, the better. (I think they nearly scared Derek off the first few times he met them, but my smashing good looks kept him around in spite of my family.)

On Friday afternoon, we headed to Asheville to celebrate Aunt Kylie's graduation and reunite with most of the Perry clan. (Jen's first cousins, while technically "first cousins once removed" are going by the "Aunt/Uncle" titles.) We caravaned with my parents & brother and made it after only 2 baby-feeding, gas-getting, bathroom breaks. He really is a great little traveller - as long as mom kept singing "She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes" to him, he was perfectly content. We only had to make up a few verses to the song. The trip was uneventful, and as soon as we got there Jay got loved on by all of his cousin-aunties, especially Aunt Kelsey. She was great with him and has already mastered "The Bounce." As long as he's bouncin', whether in the stroller on a bumpy road or in your arms as you dance around, he's usually pretty content. And in her arms, he was pretty happy.

He had a great weekend. He didn't seem a bit bothered by all the passing around or the noise of the crowd. Great Aunt Beth (aka GABby) spent most of the day Saturday snuggling with him, and that gave me and Derek the freedom to do a little exploring in downtown Asheville. Yahoo! Luckily, I believe that we rescued him before she had a chance to teach him the UNC fight song... that was a risk leaving her with him unsupervised, but he was still wearing Wolfpack red when she returned him to us, so I think we're safe.

Then, on the way home, we took a brief stop in Mocksville to give Jay a little time with his Granna and his Great Aunt Bonnie (guess she's a GABby also?!) and his Mammaw, his only great grandparent. Family time all over the state! He showed off his biggest smiles for Mammaw, and I think it was about as good a Mother's Day gift as she could get. Then he pooped in her lap, and while not the best Mother's Day gift, it was entertaining.

I only wish that Jay's other great grandparents could have had the chance to meet him. Derek and I were both unusually close to our grandparents, and we lost 4 grandparents in 6 months last year - both of my mom's parents and both of his grandfathers. It was a really tough time, but we know that they are all looknig down our little cutie and cheering us on from above. We miss you guys!

Posted at 05:05PM May 12, 2008 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[3]

Workin' 9 to 5...

Wednesday May 07, 2008

Workin' 9 to 5...

...What a way to make a living!

So, the maternity leave days are over, or at least nearly over. I started back to work on Tuesday. For the month of May, I'm working Tuesdays, Thursdays and half days on Fridays to get back into the swing of things more gradually. We've got quite a collection of Jay-sitters while I'm out - grandmas, aunts, and even Derek are all getting in on the temporary daycare. So it's certainly a little easier leaving him with people who love him as much as I do (or maybe even more in the case of the grandmas!).

And returning to work really wasn't as hard as I expected. Other than forgetting all my passwords to access all my systems, it was pretty much as I had remembered it. Phones ringing, emails landing in my inbox, and students waiting outside my door - typical day in the Financial Aid world! Honestly, in some ways, a day in the office is much easier than a day home with Jay. I know what to expect and when to expect it. Very rarely do I see anyone crying in my office. I spend a lot more time sitting at my desk and a lot less hauling dirty burp cloths back to the washer. But the end of my maternity leave makes me think back on what I expected compared to what it was really like. Here's a rundown:

What I expected - taking long walks in the sunshine around the neighborhood with Jay in the stroller
What I got - taking long walks in the middle of the night up and down our hallway with Jay crying incessantly

What I expected - Meeting friends for lunch at North Hills with Jay in his carrier
What I got - Grabbing a bowl of cereal during Jay's 15 minutes of napping and calling it both breakfast and lunch

What I expected - Doing work on the Financial Aid FAQ system while Jay napped quietly in his crib (actually got a laptop from work for this purpose!)
What I got - Doing work on the gigantic pile of laundry, aka Mount Burp Cloth, desperately hoping that Jay would nap for more than 15 minutes this time

What I expected - Nursing when he was hungry, anywhere and anytime (I'm a liberated woman - of course I can discreetely nurse in public!)
What I got - Lots of time nursing my good friend Medela the breastpump

What I expected - that I'd have the cutest baby ever
What I got - the cutest baby ever. So cute, in fact, that I spent quite a few hours just watching that angelic face sleep in my arms.

Yes, maternity leave was both a hundred times more work than I expected, and a hundred times more rewarding than I could have ever predicted.
So quiet down, cobwebs
Dust, go to sleep
I'm rocking my baby
and babies don't keep.

Posted at 10:15PM May 07, 2008 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[3]