Week 8 ~ weigh in

Things are ticking along quite well, if you ask me! For week 8 I am down another -3lbs, which is almost 30lbs in just two months!!! I have less then 20lbs left to be at goal and I'm hoping they go by just as fast as the first eight weeks have! I figure another 6-8 weeks and I should be right where I want to be! I plan on taking Christmas off and enjoying the festivities but I might have to slowly introduce sugar and carbs cause I think last time I dove right in it made me sick?

I have been doing some Christmas baking this week and have been successful at NOT sampling the cookies! However if there are any left by Christmas time I might sample a few, just to see if they are worth baking again!? It worries me a bit to do baking or cooking but not sample the food, what if people are just trying to be nice by saying they are good? Maybe I watch too much Hells Kitchen and hear Ramsey yelling at the chefs to always taste their food! LOL

Jacob had his Christmas photos last week and we finally got the proofs sent to us to look over so we can place an order. I'm not 100% happy with them but my hubby says it's cause I'm too picky. Above is one of the poses we did that I liked. I am still waiting for them to do some editing to a couple pics to make my decision on which pose I want to order. Hopefully they send them soon cause I really need to send out my Christmas cards!! The weeks seem to be going by very fast and I'm worried that before I know it Christmas will be here!!! :o

I also need to go through "Santa's workshop" and see what "Santa" has bought for everyone. I'm a little worried that Santa went a little over board this year. It just seemed like there were so many good deals on things that I am certain Jacob would like! Santa's elf needs to get those gifts wrapped and hidden.

A sad month

This past weekend was emotionally exhausting, we found out on Friday morning that my hubbies Grandmas best friend which we always referred to as a 2nd Grandma, had passed away. She was battling lung cancer and went from bad to worse in a very short time and even though it was sort of expected that she was going to pass it still came as a shock as most deaths do. Then on Sunday we got a phone call from my inlaws saying that Gma wasn't doing so well and had coded the night before. We were suppose to work at the track that day but it was soooo foggy that we knew we weren't going to be racing for a while so hubby and I went to go see Gma in the hospital. She didn't look good at all, her oxygen was super low and she didn't even really look like she was awake.

Later that day I Jacob had a birthday party to go to, his day home Moms daughters 3rd bday. So we went and tried to have a good time, Dora came to the party too!! She was a big hit with all the kids. There was a face painter there that did a awesome job, so I grabbed one of her cards - maybe next year I will give her a call for Jacobs party. They had pinatas, one of Dora filled with girl stuff and and one of Diego filled with boy type toys. The kids loved picking up all the candy and toys and putting them in their little baggies (another great idea)!! The Mom made the cake, which I think turned out amazing and tasted pretty darn good too!! It was fun, and I think Jacob enjoyed himself too! Then as I was leaving I checked my phone and saw a message from one of hubbies relatives telling me that Gma had passed!?!? I of course didn't believe her right away, I mean we just saw Gma that morning and yes she did look super sick but her oxygen was going up when we left and I had hope that she would get better. Maybe I was naive, as usual, so of course I call my hubby right away and see if he heard anything and he said yes... he got a call from his parents a few hours prior but didn't call me cause he knew I was at the party.

I still feel like it is all too much to handle all at once, I am very overwhelmed, trying to deal with the loss of a great lady that cared a lot for our family and then not even 3 days later the loss of a Grandma that I know loved Jacob more then words and would give anything to see him smile. The funerals are planned for this weekend and the beginning of next week. I just know I'm going to be emotional about it all. I also know that it probably isn't over yet, my Dad is now transferred to a Extended Living place and I have to clean out his house. The reality of how sick he is getting is starting to sink in as well, I feel like one of these days the reality of being alone is going to hit me. All the ones we love are being taken away, some before they even have a chance to get old.

weekly update ...

On the weekend I took Jacob to Fort Edmonton park, a old historic park we have here in the city. It starts in the 1800's and goes to the 1920's (I think), it's pretty neat and although Jacob isn't really interested in the history part of things he did enjoy the barn where lots of chickens and turkeys followed us everywhere. They also had pigs and horses that Jacob checked out and pet. We went on the trolley and train ride, both were big hits! Jacob wanted to keep going on the train but after two trips around the park I decided it was time to go. It was a good day, Jacob walked most of the way by himself, pushing the umbrella stroller with his bear in it and when he got tired he sat in the stroller! I didn't have to carry him once which is a huge surprise!? We should have stayed there and had lunch at the old hotel but instead we went to Mc'd's. After lunch we headed to St.Albert to visit my Dad in the hospital, he looked really good, surprisingly - the guy seriously amazes me every time I see him. I don't think I give him enough credit. So after that we headed home to pick up the dog and head to the track to spend the night with hubby.

Sunday morning we had a play date with the Moms group, we went to a lake in the city that was really pretty. All the kiddies seemed to have a good time and it was nice to see the Moms again. Hopefully we will be able to get together again soon. It seems like almost everyone in the Mom group has either already had or is having their second baby. And as much as I would like to try for a little girl I don't think hubby is ready for that step. Plus we have some other issues to work on first. It was a pretty good weekend, I will have to take Jacob back to Fort Edmonton again for more train rides before winter comes.

Oh, and I almost forgot.... I bought a bike trailer/ carrier for Jacob to ride in and we can go for bike rides now. So last night we assembled the trailer and hooked it up to my bike. He loved it, we just went for a quick ride first to see how he was and when we got back to the house he was asking to go again!! So off we went for another trip around the block and when we turned down our road he was screaming to go again! LOL Needless to say I think he likes it, which is great! Now I can get some exercise in and Jacob can enjoy a bike ride. I was a little nervous and scared at first but it all went ok. I still need to get myself a bike helmet and bike lock so we can go shopping and stuff. Maybe tonight I will go shopping, I have to buy 2 bday present too for Jacobs friends.

pics and stuff

Here are a few pics of our trip to the zoo, there is a huge Humpty Dumpty that has been at the zoo for as long as I remember and is always a must to get your picture taken with him!! The kids had fun chasing the bunny in the petting zoo, the elephant is always a highlight and I tried to let Jacob go for a pony ride but he wouldn't hold onto the saddle with two hands so we got a picture and a credit to try again next time!? I love going to the zoo, seeing all the animals and letting Jacob experience different things. Hopefully in two weeks we are going to go to Fort Edmonton park and take him on the big train!! I'm sure he will absolutely love it!!

Not too much is new to update on my parents, I'm pretty sure my Mom has been admitted and finally has a room but I still have to call the hospital and make sure before I head over there to visit tonight. My Dad is still doing fairly well, the nurses want to get him into a hospice but he said no, although it probably won't be long before he goes in. I think I've convinced him to have a garage sale, I think it would be easier to start thinning out his stuff now then after~?! I also went to visit my hubbies Gma in the hospital last night, she looks a bit better - she is having problems breathing so she has to have oxygen. Hopefully everyone will start to get better very soon and we can start enjoying our summer!!

And the winner is .....

~FINAL WEIGH IN NUMBERS~

So our little mini challenge we had going on with a few friends and people at work is finally over and the final numbers are in. We started April 1st and went to July 1st to see who could loose the most percentage of body weight. Everyone put $25 into the pot and the winner wins the prize!! So here are the final numbers:

Bryan - start weight=227.8

final weigh in=224.8

total loss=3lbs

1.3%

Amanda - start weight=169.4

final weigh in=168.8

total loss=0.6lbs

0.4%

(technically she dropped out)

Denise - start weight=247.8

final weigh in=237.8

total loss=10lbs

4%

(this is the last weigh in # I know of)

Leanne - start weight=222.8

final weigh in=205.4

total loss=17.4lbs

7.8%

James - start weight=191.8

final weigh in=180.2

total loss=11.6lbs

6%

So as you can see, from all the final numbers that I was given .... looks like I'm the big winner!! But me and James have decided to do a double or nothing mini challenge. We are starting now and finishing around the end of October (Halloween). It will be based on % of weight lost again, so if anyone wants in on this mini challenge they are more then welcome. It is more for fun and just to make sure we stay on the right path, not like last time. When I did this same challenge with the Moms group I did really well and then once the challenge was over I went right back to my old ways and gained it all back. So this time we are going to keep going!!! James and I have the same weight loss goal of 169 and although he will probably beat me to it, it's nice to have someone push you a little to try harder. I'm glad that James is going to continue with me for another 3 months cause already I have found myself being drawn to foods junk that I shouldn't eat (like chocolate bars and chips).

Below are a few pics of our Canada Day celebrations! It was a fun day, we started off with a small parade downtown - the Silly Summer Parade. It is really short (only about a half hour) and really has just about anything in it. One of Jacobs little friends joined us to watch and beside the fact that I got a parking ticket it was over all a pretty good parade! :( After the parade we stopped for lunch, Jacob crashed on the way home and even went back to bed for two more hours once we got home!! Which was good cause we kept him up till midnight to watch the fireworks, which he LOVED!!

Jacobs 2nd birthday party!

Well the Birthday party went off OK, except that Jacob wasn't feeling very well. I think it was a combination of teething and lack of sleep? He was just very drained on Saturday, didn't want to much of anything but sit and be held. He hadn't eaten much for 4 days, probably cause his teeth hurt and he apparently didn't sleep well the night before, also probably cause his teeth hurt. So, he didn't really play much with his guests or show much interest in his toys but the next day when he woke up and saw all his new toys he was very excited!! He had a good nights sleep and was acting more himself. I was also surprised that a lot of family had left before gifts were even opened? I thought we were running on time but apparently they were getting tired?

So here are a few pics of Jacobs party:

Above is a pic of all of Jacobs new toys and gifts from all his friends and family! He loves all the new toys - thank you to everyone that reads my blog and was at the party to share in my baby boys 2nd Birthday!! :)

weigh in ...

Weigh in =207.8lbs (-1.8lbs)

Not too bad, I'm actually pretty happy with this loss considering the fact that I haven't been to the gym in over a week, the May long weekend was quite the challenge with a few extra "snacks" and not enough protein, then with the added stress of my Dad being sick... I think I did quite well!! :) It is slowly coming off, which I'm OK with as long as it continues to come off!

So I guess my hubby bought a trailer yesterday, I haven't seen it yet so all I know is that it kinda looks like the one we looked at and liked? It is a 2006, 31ft travel trailer and that is about all I know!? He picks it up today after supper so I will take pics and post them, I'm actually kinda excited to see what he has bought and can't wait to clean it and set it up!! Now we will be able to spend more time together as a family!!

I also guess I might have been wrong about my Dad being in the hospital for a while!? They discharged him this morning!?!? I guess he was able to eat at the hospital and keep it down so they sent him home? I will probably go see him on Saturday and see how he is doing.

Jacob got his 2nd year pics done yesterday, he was pretty good - considering he's not much of a ham. The photographer was able to make him smile a few times and I think the pics turned out pretty good. It was hard though when we were finished to go through all them and pick out the ones I wanted cause Jacob was hungry and kept trying to leave the store!? I posted one below for you to see.

time for an update...

Well ... today is my 5th day on WS (Wonderslim) and so far it's going pretty good. The weekend was a little bit of a challenge, we did our usual (visit family, go to St.Albert, etc.) so I found that my water intake was not where it should have been. I was lucky if I had 32oz, it's just hard to drink that much water when you are traveling and at other people houses. Then on Saturday I had packed some snacks for Jacob but he didn't want anything I had packed for him so I went to McDonalds and got him a meal, nothing for me! But I did steal a bite of his cheeseburger and had about 1/3 of his fries. It's hard to say no to him when he offers me food, last night we had fish sticks for supper and Jacob dipped one of his and said "Mommy eat" as he handed me his half dipped fish stick, so I replied "Oh- no sweety, you eat" and he insisted "NO -MOMMY eat!" so I had a bite, I suppose I could have pretended to take a nibble off the end but I figured what the heck it's only one bite of a fish stick and if that is going to stop my weight loss then I guess I was meant to be the fat girl!

Well... I was a little worried about the cheats I had and wanted to wait till I had been on the program for a week before weighing in (just in case I didn't see the results I wanted too) but I couldn't do it... last night at the gym I jumped on their scale and it showed a loss. So this morning my co-worker convinced me to get on our scale here and see what it said and guess what?! It showed a 5lb loss and I still have 2 more days before my official weigh in!!! Yah!

Surprisingly I don't really feel as hungry as I thought I might, I am however very thirsty which I suppose is good cause it helps me get my water in. The Puddings/ shakes are good, nothing fancy and the protein bars are like having a treat! As for the 'meals' ... they are a challenge to eat! Not so good, edible ... but barely! The only one so far that was good was the veggie joe, the 'chicken' meals will not be on my next order! I also got a scale so I could learn how much 5oz of meat is and I am very surprised at how BIG 5oz of meat is!! Plus my 2 cups of veggies for supper, my plate is very full! I so far can say that I like the plan, I think I will continue on it for at least another month. I just have to figure out how to order things separately so I don't get the 'chicken' meals anymore!! :P

Jacobs first pony ride at the Mom Pop and Tot show! He wasn't really too crazy about it, he wouldn't hold on to the saddle so I had to hold him there the whole time. It was fun though!! :)

Xmas re-takes

Well, we got our re-takes done and there are 2 that I like, he still isn't smiling in any of them but I suppose that is just the way he is? He has never been a "ham" when it comes to taking photos, the one with the green background is about as big of a smile that he gave the photographer. So now I have make it to the mall to place my order and get my Christmas cards out!! But tonight I have another interview with a day home so I wont be able to make it there till tomorrow~!? I think I'll be lucky if I get the photos by Thursday and get my cards mailed by Friday!! :( Next year I will be more organized, it just seems like Christmas snuck up on us this year!

I had a very busy weekend, it was packed full of Christmas fun! Saturday morning all the Moms came over for a Christmas party for the kiddies. It was fun to see all the kids playing, and socializing. It's neat to see how different each one is even though they are about the same age!? We had a gift exchange ... Jacob got a doctor set! ;) He seems to really like it, it came with a pair of glasses that he tries to put on all the stuffed animals. We also showed him how to put the pretend bandage on one of his toys and we gave it medicine so last night he grabbed the band aid and put it on the bear all by himself - it was cute!

On Sunday my work had a Christmas party for the kids, it was held at one of the hotels in the city that has a water park. This was our first year attending, it was fun except the water in the pool was sooooo cold! Needless to say we didn't swim for very long! Then we went to one of the banquet rooms to wait for Santa and have a late lunch (hot dogs and french fries). We kept asking Jacob if he was going to sit on Santa's lap and he kept shaking his head, it was cute! Jacob got a toy from Santa that already needs to be fixed but I think he had a good time playing with all the other kids.

On Saturday we also had a interview with a new day home, since I'm not too sure I like the one he is at right now. This new one seemed very good but of course costs more!? I have 2 more interviews before deciding which one I like. I feel bad for the day home lady that he is with right now .... I feel like maybe we aren't giving her enough of a chance, he has only been there for 6 days (2 weeks - 3 days each week) but he just seems like such a different kid from his last day home!? I plan on telling her tomorrow that we are looking for a new day home. Friends of ours also came over Saturday night which was nice, Jacob likes playing with his friends and it gives me something to do!

15 days till Christams!! :o

I installed a scrap booking program on my work computer and have been working on small projects when we are not busy. I love it, and I think I'm fortunate enough that my boss is a really nice guy and as long as I work when work needs to be done it doesn't seem to be a problem! Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job and the company I work for!! ;)

I have so much to do, this month has been crazy busy! This weekend our Moms group is having a xmas party for the kids and I volunteered my place! There will only be six of us but my house isn't that big so I'm worried about not having enough space!? I guess we will just make the best of it but I am have two days to clean the house, make some more nut n' bolt (munchie) mix, bake some cookies and dye my hair! O - and wrap the present for the gift exchange!

Our living room is being engulfed with toys and I'm worried it's just going to get worse with Christmas only 15 days away!! Jacob has soooo many toys and he is only one and a half, I can't even imagine what our house will look like in a few years! I'm hoping to teach Jacob that he needs to give some gifts that he no longer plays with away to people that need it, once a year he can pick out any toys he wants to give away (hopefully a box full).

I am also hosting Christmas dinner this year for my family, which is a first! It will be the second time I have ever cooked a turkey and hopefully it turns out as good as my first. I just need to practice my stuffing, last time I think I used too much thyme and it tasted funny. We are celebrating on Christmas Eve - presents and all! It is my hubbies family tradition that we would like to carry on with Jacob. Santa comes to our house Christmas Eve night, after supper, which makes it a little tricky to get all the presents under the tree without the kids seeing! But it is so worth it to see the miracle light up in their eyes! We are hoping to carry on the belief of Santa for a few years and hoping that our family will participate in the lie. My brother isn't really on board, he wants to be the "cool Uncle" that gives the cool gift that Jacob will remember. But we want EVERYTHING to be from Santa, so hubby says if my brother puts a tag on the gift saying "from Uncle J" then hubby will take it off and replace it with one that just says Jacob or from Santa. I'm kinda on the fence about the whole thing, I like the idea of having Jacob believe in Santa but I also think he needs to know that people you love give you gifts as well and you give gifts to people that love you. So I think for the first few years in his life we will be all about Santa but then when he starts school and finds out there is no Santa then we introduce the gift giving to family?

Speaking of Santa ... I took Jacob to see him last night and ... he freaked out!! I had to sit with Jacob and Santa to settle him down. So I had to decide .... do I take the picture of Jacob crying on Santa's knee or the one of both of us with Santa ?? I took the one where he is freaked out! It was funny, and cute in a mean mom kind of way. I thought it would make for a good story years from now when Jacob understands but I also took the picture number of the good pic just in case I change my mind and want a "good" pic of Santa. I have 2 days to decide if I want to spend another $20 on Santa pictures?! :)

New Day home = good night sleep!! :D

Here are a few Christmas pics of Jacob, I'm not happy with any of them though. He was so tired - you can actually see the bags under his eyes in the blue and silver pic! It's totally my fault, I booked the appointment for noon!?!? WTF was I thinking!? He usually naps from noonish till 2ish? Needless to say I re booked his appointment for next Friday at 10am, which should be a good time for him and hopefully we can get him to smile at least once!? My girlfriend has also suggested using her for our pics, she has just started a photography business and takes excellent pictures but lives kinda far (although she said she would come to our house) and she could come over quicker then us waiting for the next appointment. I'm worried that if I wait to take him back next week and by the time we get the proofs and pick the photos we want I will have no time to mail my xmas cards. So I'm thinking of using my girlfriend, it might cost a bit more but she guarantees a smile and I could have the photos quicker so I can get my cards out! I totally should have done this last month!! Next year I will definitely do photos in November!

Jacob started at his new day home yesterday and he slept through the night !?!? Now I'm not sure if the two are related but that is the only thing that we changed so my guess is that he must have tuckered himself out playing with his new friends and therefore slept really good!? I guess we will see if it happens again tonight? The day home lady (Sandra) said he was really good, when I got to their house to pick him up he had a death grip on his puppy teddy bear and blankie (which seem to be his new thing) and when he saw me he kept saying "maa-ma" over and over. I love hearing him call me, it makes me feel so loved!

I think I'm all ready for Christmas, I still need to wrap everything and check my list to make sure I didn't forget anyone. I know I bought a few too many gifts for Jacob so I think I will just wrap them and save them in case a friend stops by and I need a gift. I'm pretty excited this year for Christmas, I think Jacob will also be excited ... at least for the first 20 minutes!

New dayhome!

Above is an old pic of Jacob and some of his friends playing with a kitchen, it was a big hit - Jacob really enjoyed playing with it!

So we found a new day home for Jacob and his first day is today!! It is $100 more a month then what we were paying before but we don't have to supply any food - just diapers and wipes, and we are getting 2 more days a month. She called me this morning and let me know that things were going good, which was kinda nice that she called even though at first I thought something was wrong! Hopefully it works out, hubby really needs to finish some projects and get caught up on paperwork!

I took Jacob for his xmas pictures last weekend and finally got to see the proofs, I'm not happy with any of them! He didn't smile once and they didn't do anything special to the photos like they normally do (like black and white or color enhancing). I think I'm going to make another appointment for pics even though it is getting quite close to xmas and I wanted to put a pic in xmas cards which need to be sent out ASAP! I should have got his pics done in November!

I can't believe that Christmas is only 23 days away!! :o I think Jacob will actually show some excitement this year and I'm looking forward to seeing that! I also volunteered our house for the Moms group xmas party, which should be interesting cause our house isn't that big so hopefully it's not too crowed!? I really need to put some of Jacobs toys away to make room for all the new toys at Christmas time and I asked my hubby to put the glider chair that I used when Jacob was a baby in the basement so that I can put more toys in his room.

FINALLY !!! A full nights sleep!!! :)

Above are a few pics from the Moms group Halloween party, it was so hard to get pictures of all the kiddies - they don't sit still very long and it seems like when they are still it's cause they are eating and have messy faces!! :) The party was good, and if it wasn't for one of the Moms stepping up and volunteering her house I don't think the party would have happened!? Some Moms are very concerned about H1N1 and didn't even want to come out if anyone even had a sniffle!? I'm not saying that H1N1 isn't something to laugh about but I don't want to live in a bubble and I don't think Jacob should either! So the next get together will probably be for Christmas and I am already excited!! :)

So .... not sure if you read the title of this but FINALLY last night we had a FULL night sleep!! From 9pm till 6:30am!!! It was amazing, he woke at about 3am and I heard him whining a bit but he just fell back asleep !! I hate to say it but I think hubby might have been right about the bed!!!??! Yesterday we put a fluffy comforter on his bed and covered it up with another fuzzy sheet so the bed was a little softer then before. Maybe that is why? I guess we will find out tonight!?!? If he sleeps through the night again tonight then I guess Jacob just likes a softer bed? I also finally found the "Huggies bedtime" diapers and decided to buy a pack (they were on sale and I had a $3.00 off coupon) they are suppose to be more absorbent. I must say .... they SUCK!!! :( Jacob woke up this morning with wet pj's because his diaper couldn't absorb anymore! Which is kinda funny cause he didn't even wake up during the night for a bottle and before I was using "Pampers Baby Dry" and never changed him in the middle of the night and they didn't make his pj's wet! I think we are sticking to Pampers Baby Dry - they seem to absorb way better!!

Finally, below is a pick of all the kiddies at the Halloween party, all of Jacobs friends! It was soooo hard to get a good pic! Jacob is squishing Kayden (red parrot) and the rest of the kids are crying, Izzy (in all white) is suppose to have a red hat that looks like a mushroom top. It was crazy! Next time we will have to figure out how to get a good pic!?

Happy Halloween!

Our weekend was good, very busy but aren't they always!? I have pics I posted too!! How exciting!!! :D

So Saturday I let hubby sleep in and I got up with Jacob at 6:30am, then he had a good nap from 9:30am - 12:30pm, I wanted to go to the mall and get some pics done of Jacob in his costume (posted below) but we had a Halloween party with the Moms group at 2pm so I felt a little rushed. Thankfully there was no line to get pics done and we were in and out, then headed to the party. It was nice to see all the moms and kiddies again, I haven't seen some of them since the birthday party. We left there around 4pm and had to rush to go see the Great Grandparents and in laws, Jacob got his little pumpkin bucket filled up with candy and then off we headed home to have supper and do a little trick or treating around our house. Jacob seemed to really like trick or treating and one of his little friends (who's 2 1/2) was really into it! It was fun, we walked the block and headed home.

Sunday was my day to sleep in and it was daylight savings day so technically I got an extra hour to sleep then hubby!! :) We have swim class on Sundays and after swimming I headed to St.Albert to take my Dad shopping. I dropped Jacob off at my Moms to babysit so that it wouldn't be so hard for me to go shopping (which was great!). Dad was shopping for a new recliner for upstairs and we finally found one after looking in 5 stores!! Dad just stayed in the car and I would go in too see if there was anything I thought he would like, then tell him what I saw. It was tiring, in and out of the car so many times but at least he finally found one he liked and it was only $350! I also had a very quick visit with a girlfriend in St.Albert while I was out there and stayed for a quick visit at my Moms. It was a good weekend!

The time change was a little hard on Sunday night for Jacob, he passed out at 7:30pm and of course woke in the middle of the night but not only once but twice!?! I'm so frustrated with him waking, he shouldn't be at this point in his life.... he should be sleeping through the night!? Hubby and I got in a huge argument last night because I say that we need to let Jacob CIO (cry it out) and hubby refuses to let him cry that long. Hubby is OK if he is kinda whinny and moaning but if Jacob is actually wailing then he will give in and gets mad that I wont go to him. And don't get me wrong ... it breaks my heart to sit there and listen to him wail and cry but EVERYONE says that this is something that NEEDS to be done! Jacob needs to learn how to fall back asleep on his own after waking in the middle of the night!? It very frustrating that hubby isn't on the same page as me. He won't even water down his bottle!? Says all that will do is make him bloated!? I wish hubby would leave for a week or two, just go live somewhere else and then maybe I could get it done? When I ask hubby for other ideas on how to get him to sleep he suggests that maybe Jacobs bed is too hard cause apparently Jacob slept through the night at Grandmas one night and hubby thinks that maybe it was because they have a fluffy mattress in the playpen!? I'm tired of arguing about it and have now refused to get out of bed when Jacob cries, which I think only irritates hubby but I feel like if this is what hubby wants to do then HE can get up and do it! Personally I'm done with getting up in the middle of the night!!

So below you will notice that on the left are Halloween pics from last year and on the right are pics from this year ... Jacob is in the same outfit and same shirt he wore last year!! :o I had so many of the Moms comment that he has slimmed out a lot! I'm sure you can also see a difference!! :) I will post pics tomorrow of the Moms Halloween party.

Need more sleep!! :(

This picture is a little old now but I wasn't sure if I shared my bean bag story!? Sooo ... I thought it would be fun for Jacob to have a bean bag chair, little did I know that you had to put the beans in the bag yourself and when the directions recommended filling the bag in your tub I kinda ignored them and decided to fill it in the living room!! I learned the hard way on why they recommend doing it in the tub!! It was a complete mess but Jacob had fun and all I could do was laugh!!

Everyday I find that my love grows for him and although some days are terribly frustrating lately I have been seeing all the positives. He is such a little smarty pants but maybe I'm just by ass? He seems to learn things that I don't feel like we taught him but he watches and learns then shows us what he knows. He now has to have bubbles in his bath every night and wants to be the one to put them in, and will put the bottle back after we are finished. He is becoming such a little boy, it just amazes me at how far he has come and yet has so much more to learn!

We spent the night last night in the ER, Jacob has been sick for a few days and his cough sounded really bad so we took him in. It is frustrating that they make kids and babies wait so long in emergency, you would think they would try to get them out fast. There was one little girl there that had a broken collar bone and had been there for 3 hours, waiting to see a doctor!! We were there for 2 hours and Jacob was getting quite restless by the end of that! Turns out to be just a viral infection but there was no harm in getting him checked out, he should start feeling better soon~?

Sleep has not been on my list of things to do lately, with Jacob being sick the nights are even longer then before BUT on a plus note he went the entire night without having milk, we just gave him water and he seemed to be OK with that!? We tried to do it again last night but he wanted his milk, we will keep trying to swap out that night bottle of milk with water and hopefully he just wont wake anymore!? Plus with him being sick he has a hard time sleeping on his back so we tried putting a pillow in his crib to elevate his head but we end up sleeping with him on the couch for a bit or bringing him into our bed.

I feel like everyone around me is sick lately, everything from a simple cold to terminal cancer! It's mentally exhausting and you mix that in with being physically exhausted and you end up with an emotional basket case! Ready to snap at the smallest thing! I almost snapped on my hubby when I found out he cancelled my pvr recording for Biggest Loser and we watched Hell's Kitchen instead!! But then I realized it's just a TV show and that maybe I could watch the episode on the net? The new guy at work is so funny and makes me laugh almost everyday, like a hard belly laugh and I have to catch my breath. The only problem with this is that since I am on the verge of snapping I tend to cry when I laugh hard and it feels good but it's like a window opening that could be a disaster at work. It's just hard right now to be strong and stay strong, I feel like my brother isn't doing his part and I'm sure he feels like he is doing everything!? I want to do more for my Dad but it's hard when you have young children and live so far away!? I might just have to take a week to help Dad out, he has been talking about selling his house but personally I think it should get a little TLC before listing. He just wants to list it "as is" and will probably loose out on thousands of dollars just cause he doesn't want to spend a few hundred.

Anyway .... here is a pick of the finished bean bag and Jacob enjoying a snack on it.

PARTY!

The party was great, we had lots of family and friends show up - about 40 adults and 10 kids! It was kinda a ruff day for Jacob, he decided it would be a good no nap day so I felt rushed to get through everything before he had a meltdown! Thankfully he never really did have a meltdown but just didn't want to sit still and seemed a little cranky. He got so spoiled (as expected), he got lots of clothes, toys and money! Most of the clothes I will have to return cause they are 18 month size and that is what he is in right now and some of the toys were duplicates so I think I will be busy this week end exchanging everything. He really got into his cake this time and was very messy - it was fun to watch him get right into it!

Now that his party is over I get to know what a "normal" week is like and so far I kinda like it! So far most days I leave before he is even up and then when I get home I make dinner, give him a bath, play for a bit and put him to bed. I love the way he runs to me when I get home and gives me big hugs! I do miss not being able to go for coffee with the other Moms and socializing Jacob around other kids (which I think has helped in his development).

Yesterday Jacob had his 1yr shots, one in each arm and one in the leg! He did good, the nurse asked a million questions but I guess that is her job. Hubby had to deal with him after cause I went to work but he said Jacob didn't seem out of the ordinary at all. Of course he got weighed and measured and hasn't gained a pound since last month but grew in length (I'm not worried, he's still a big boy and on track with his graph). So Jacob weighed in at 24lbs and was 30.5" - not too much is new this month, he is trying to say more words and his walking is much better. He squats to sit now instead of just falling on his butt. He can feed himself with a spoon and enjoys "scooping" his food. He usually listens to commands like "come here" and "can I have...", His temper is starting to show more and his personality is coming out, he seems to know what he wants and shakes his head "no" when he doesn't want it. Still only has 6 teeth but I'm sure his molars are on their way.

Pro pics are in!! Now to decide!!

The pics are in!! And I think they turned out great, the magic of digital photography - they were able to hide all the bumps and bruises on his head! Now to just decide which one(s) I want!! These are a few of my favorites but I think I'm leaning more towards the pics where he is sitting on the chair? The studio said they could change things on the pics too if I wanted, for example: I like the umbrella one but I'm not too crazy about his dazed look so I could take his head from the chair photo and crop it onto the umbrella pic!? Isn't technology amazing!! So here are some pics, maybe you could help me out and put your vote on which one you like!?

I think this is my fav.

Well, the big birthday bash is tomorrow and I think I'm sorta ready!? I made loot bags for all the kids that RSVP'd (10)!! I'm not sure if it's normal for there to be loot bags at a one year olds birthday but just to be safe I did, cause what parent doesn't need more dollar store crap lying around the house!? he he

Saturday is going to be really busy and I'm grateful that my in laws are keeping Jacob over night tonight and aren't bringing him home till they come over for the party at 3pm! This way I don't have to try and clean house, make chili, decorate the house, pick up the cake AND entertain a one year old!!

I guess that's all for now, I will post later with birthday pics and how the party went!