Merry Christmas!

So? It's almost a week late.

Jack got a huge haul of gifts. Honestly, we could have gotten away with no buying him anything, but we did.

This picture pretty much sums up the day:

Jack fascinated with his new toys, especially the ones that make noise.

What did he get? Well, here's a list:

* The puppy above
* A V-Tech farm with animal and music sounds
* A walking/riding toy
* Tons of clothes
* A band in a box
* A baby piano
* Three trucks
* A huge moose stuffed animal
* Five wooden puzzles
* A baby cell phone
* Four wooden vintage toys (workbench, blocks, ball pounder, etc.)
* New bath toys
* Two stockings full of little things
* Tons of books
* A Little People plane
* Money (yes, seriously)

He cleaned up no? I am sure I forgot some things, but dang. The kid is spoiled.

Our day went well. Jack woke up at his normal time. Mommy was tired, but because it was Christmas, a cup of coffee and 6:00am wasn't so terrible. Jack opened his stocking. Well, mostly Mommy opened and Jack just tore paper to shreds.

We headed over to my in-laws in the later morning with a car full of presents, and my husband suddenly gasped and said this: "Oh my God, do you realize that we have about 13 years of assembling shit ahead of us?" Gee, thanks honey for reminding me!

Jack and the rest of us got utterly spoiled at the in-laws. Then it was off to my aunt and uncle's. The boy didn't nap great, but he did at least nap some. Unlike Thanksgiving which was a nightmare. We were all tired, but Christmas cookies made the day happy. Jack particularly liked the Peanut Butter Blossoms. That's my boy! He loves cookies.

Our first Christmas as a family was nice, but honestly, the kiddo isn't going to remember it. Next year will be an entirely different story, that's for sure.

Walking!

My big boy started taking steps about two weeks ago. He would take one step and then either fall on his butt, or he would get to his destination (usually between two pieces of furniture).

Today, I get a phone call from my mother-in-law.

He took three steps in a row.

THREE STEPS. Did you read that?

He is officially walking.

What's even funnier? He was very nonchalant about the whole thing. Like "What? So what? I am walking."

Did I mention that he's not even 11 months old yet? Next week, he will be going on his first date and possibly graduating college.

Not that I am biased.

I'm the Mama

Well, after weeks of saying "Dada" to Jason, Jack finally said "Mama" to me! I am so excited!

That makes two words that Jack says with purpose. I think he's working on a couple more: All done, and bottle. All done comes out as "ahduh" and bottle comes out as "bahbah".

My big boy is starting to talk!

Day of Play

Well, not a whole day, but a morning full of play.

I have been toying with the idea of taking Jack out to do some activities, but with the weather so gross, the activities need to be inside.

Jason came up with the genius idea of OMSI or the Children's Museum. Since OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) is closer to our house, I took Jack there. If he did well, then we would consider going to the Children's Museum another day.

We were out of the house by 9:00 so that we could arrive right when they opened. Armed with my coffee, a full and happy baby, off we went! My timing was great. We were some of the first people to arrive and boy was I impressed!

There is a huge room (almost the size of a gymnasium) just for little ones. There is an area specifically for babies up to 2 years. In that area was a ball pit, tubes full of all kinds of noisy things, big foam blocks and other toys and activities. Jack had a blast playing in the ball pit and watching the fish in the aquarium.

My first video ever posted!

How cute is he? Ignore my manly voice.

The rest of the play area was full of all kinds of fun stations. There was a station for pretend play, with a puppet theater, a toy kitchen and some dress up clothes. There was a sand station, a water station, a huge area with a pretend forest, a station for blocks, a jungle gym area and so many other things!

We timed our morning just right because Jack got to experience a live band playing. He really liked all the instruments.

There was a snack area, a nice room for nursing/feeding and two bathrooms with changing stations. Can we move in please?

Honestly, we could have spent hours and hours there, but after about 90 minutes, he was beat. As seen by this serious cute passed out baby.

The plans for tomorrow? The Children's Museum since he had such an awesome time at OMSI.

Three Weeks Really?

Has it really been almost three weeks since my last post? Sheesh, time is flying! I blame the fact that little man is so darn mobile and that it's Christmas. My free time (ha!) is spent shopping and wrapping.

I am going to keep this short, but I am on vacation this week and I have a goal: Update my blog at least every other day. I don't think that is too hard a proposition.

Here are some things that little man are up to:

* He took his first step on Friday. GULP! I don't think I am ready for this!

* He is eating really well. Trying new food, eating more at a sitting, etc.

* He is doing this screeching thing. It's really annoying when it's not cute.

* He amazingly, has taken to longer naps. If I catch him at the right time, he will sleep for an hour, or sometimes an hour-and-a-half! Praise God!

* He is coming to church with me. I haven't blogged a lot about my spiritual journey (it's taken place over several years), but it's important to me to raise Jack as a Christian. He is too little to understand church at this stage, but he's getting practice in the church nursery.

* I am trying hard not to go overboard with Christmas, but it's not working out so well. We bought him four wooden Melissa and Doug toys (which are awesome by the way), a set of musical instruments, a baby piano, two new books, and a huge stocking full of goodies. Honestly, I think our total spent was $100, but still. He is going to enjoy playing with the boxes more.

* Having a baby makes Christmas so much fun! My spirit is light, I am so full of joy, and giddy with excitement. I can't wait for Christmas morning. He won't remember it, but I certainly will. It's also one of the first Christmases in several years that Jason doesn't have to work! Our first Christmas as a family. What a blessing.

That's about it folks. I am trying to squeeze in some housework while the boy naps. My goal means that I will have until Wednesday to update my blog again. I hope I can come up with a good topic.

10 Months

Our little boy is 10 months old today! I can't believe it's time for double digits already.

I think I say this every month, but it's amazing to me to see how many changes Jack makes in just a few short weeks. I thought 9 months was really fun, but I think that 10 is going to turn out to be much more exciting! Jack has an amazing amount of independence and personality. He takes after my brother in many ways. It's a shame that they will never be able to meet since my brother died in 1986.

Jack, you are my biggest accomplishment, my biggest source of happiness, and at times, my biggest source of frustration. I think it's because we are both so strong-willed and we can butt heads. Even you being so little are very hard-headed and have quite the temper.

Some things that are "new" to you this month. I don't think they are necessarily related to your age, but I want to make sure to document them so I can look back and laugh (and maybe cry).

* You love to drink out of cups, but only if they don't have lids on them. You could care less about your sippy cup. It's really funny when you use your stacking cups as drinking vessels when you are in the bathtub. I can't imagine soapy, dirty water tastes very good, but you seem to think so! Every time Mommy or Daddy, or anyone for that matter, drinks from a cup, you want some too. Last night we shared a glass of apple juice together.

* Every day, you are eating better and getting more adventurous. We have given you almost every food we eat, with a few exceptions. Your absolute favorite meal is little pieces of bread smeared with peanut butter and your green beans. If this was your meal every day, you would be extremely happy. Throw in a few Cheerios, and you are golden. You have tried everything! Pizza wasn't your favorite, but you do love anything with carbs. We are alike in that respect.

* We have discovered that you sleep the best at night in bed with Mommy, but rather than Mommy holding you all night, you like to just lay next to her, usually on your tummy. A few weeks ago, you were waking 3 times a night, but these days, it seems like it's only 2. I can get used to this!

* You have recently discovered that you can stack items on top of each other to make yourself taller. I found you on top of your picture blocks the day before yesterday trying to reach my candle holder. Yikes! Slow down little dude!

* Although you only still babble and say "dadadada" or "bwabwabwa", you have started mimicing our intonations. I said "Hello" to you the other day in a very sing-songy voice and you copied my voice back. Both Daddy and I were shocked! It was the cutest thing ever and we were trying to get you to do it again for the rest of the day.

* You understand the word "no" but don't always listen to it. Most of the time you do, but if you are being strong-willed at that particular moment, you look, smile, and then keep doing whatever is naughty. I often have to pull you out of the pantry so you don't play in the cat's water bowl. Or out of the bathroom so you don't unroll the toilet paper.

* No walking yet, but boy can you climb and bounce and get around! Most of the time, if you are standing, you don't even hold on that carefully. Maybe with one hand, maybe with one finger. Pretty soon you will be cruising all around!

Jack, oh Jack. Yack Yack as Auntie Carrie calls you. I love that you are so curious and independent. Everyone who I talk to says you are going to be smart. I think so too!

We love you little man. Keep growing and becoming more "you".

Questions for Me?

I have seen other bloggers do this, and thought that I might give it a try. I don't have many followers, so I don't imagine I will get a lot of questions. However, for a period of time, I disabled the Comments section in my blog. That means, you can leave me a comment even if you are Anonymous. Oooooh.

So, let me try this for a few days.

Got a question for me? It can be about anything. Baby, marriage, cooking, personal, whatever! I am glad to answer them or give you my incredibly interesting perspective.

Drop me a line and if I get enough Comments, I will do a post answering your questions.

PPD Update

I realized that I haven't posted lately about my post partum depression and how I am doing.

Here's an update on me!

Most days, I am okay. I feel actually GOOD most days. I am going to counseling once a week and have addressed many of the issues about my depression and anxiety. My biggest issue is that I take things very personally and as a result, start doubting my abilities as a mom. This is something that I talk to my counselor about almost every week. I am getting a little less sensitive, but it's hard.

An example: On Thanksgiving, I visited my aunt and her family. Jack hadn't napped all day and was very cranky. I am used to this so it doesn't bother me. I do think it bothered my aunt and her family though. They made comments about his fussiness and when they did, I started questioning what I was doing. Am I being a bad mom by holding him when he's fussy? Should I let him cry it out?

One day, I hope to not be so sensitive to others' comments about my son and my choices as a mom, but who knows? Maybe I will always be this way.

My medication is helping quite a bit. There are days that I am still blue, but it's not because of my medication. It's usually because I am hormonal because of my period or just having a bad day.

I plan on continuing taking medication and seeing a counselor for a few more months. With my family history of depression, I have a feeling that my PPD will hang around for more than just the typical 6 months that my doctor hinted towards. When I feel ready, I am sure it will be a roller coaster, but I want to eventually wean myself off the meds. I want to be back to the normal "me".