outdoorsy stuff – Page 8 – Myriad & Sundry

Visit from Uncle Tyler

April 29, 2013 2 Comments

Jameson asked if Uncle Tyler was coming back several times after he left, he enjoyed his time with his uncle so much!

They watched movies and tv shows together, and Uncle Tyler got introduced to Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, a replacement for the childhood series Mr. Rogers Neighborhood that Jameson just adores.

Brian and Uncle Tyler also found the time to put together Jameson’s new swing set on Saturday, though we didn’t get to spend as much time on it over the weekend as we would’ve like since it was rainy on Sunday!

They watched a lot of Disney movies too while Brian worked on getting materials for our garden and beginning the building. I figured it was the perfect time to work on building the garden so that we’d have a spare set of hands to either watch Jameson or help Brian out when needed! It worked out even better than expected, since Coraline was so needy over the weekend.

Sunday it was time to load dirt up into the garden, and Jameson insisted on helping out, even though it was lightly raining almost the whole time and a little chilly.

This photo of them and the wheelbarrows just cracks me up. Jameson had trouble loading up his shovel with dirt, so Uncle Tyler was happy to help, but Jameson insisted on pushing his own wheelbarrow back and forth to the garden.

We didn’t actually complete the dirt-loading process, but with Tyler’s assistance we got it much closer to completion than we would’ve on our own! (That is, on Brian’s own!) Don’t worry, we fed Uncle Tyler well for all his trouble, with breakfast casserole, ribs and spaghetti dinner. Although I think he’d agree that the hardest part was keeping up with Jameson!

Uncle Tyler even wiped a few noses for Jameson by the time he left. When Jameson saw me take another photo of Coraline and Uncle Tyler, he insisted on one for himself too.

children, life with baby

Spring Weekend

April 9, 2013 No Comments

Finally, spring weather seems to be here to stay!

This weekend, we got out a lot, even with a newborn and toddler. Saturday, we went to the meat market to stock up on fresh chicken and beef, and then stopped at the farmers market on the way back to pick up some apples for Jameson to take to school during the week.

We played outside, and it is so fun watching Jameson be able to run to through the backyard which is finally drying out a little as well.

It was even warmer on Sunday, and we went to the zoo! We met JP, Lisa and Jonathan there (and we were only about 10 minutes late, haha)

Jameson told us on the way that he was going to see zebahs (we were a little surprised at his choice of animals that he was intending to see, since lions and elephants are in more of the shows that we watch!). We did get to see zebras, but first we saw elephants and the lion, which was on his back, sunbathing.

The trip for Coraline was a bit anticlimactic, since she isn’t observing much yet! But I did breastfeed her, in public (with a drape), which I thought was an accomplishment. Much more convenient than bringing bottles, that’s for sure.

She napped most of the time, and was a little angel for the entire trip. I forgot how much easier newborns really are sometimes.

The toddlers went stroller-free, which was great. Of course, we couldn’t have done it without the two strong husbands to carry them when needed. It was so different, looking at Coraline bundled in her stroller and Jameson walking around and thinking that’s only two years away for her. I am regularly reminded of how fast the time goes, and perhaps more appreciative of that fact with her than I was with Jameson.

After some snacks and about an hour and a half at the zoo, we decided to get some lunch.

Lunch was wild! We went to Aladdin’s, and the boys did great with veggies and hummus and pitas, but Jameson clearly needed to go potty and kept refusing. We tried at the zoo at every restroom, and tried again at Aladdins another 3 times. When we spoke logically to him, he said he needed to go potty, but as soon as he saw the restroom, he refused. I am not sure where this fear of public restrooms came from, though I think it’s related to the automatic flushers; Aladdin’s didn’t have them though. Regardless, he started telling us he wanted to go home, and we quickly wrapped it up.

We tried at the public rest area off the highway with similar results. Somehow… he managed to hold it until we got home. I am still not sure how he managed that. This is the first time I have thought that being potty trained has its inconveniences. Not sure how to get him over this fear except to continue trying. Unfortunately, we only have opportunities on the weekends sometimes to get him to go at other restrooms.

Looking for any advice!

children, general life

Spring Ahead Weekend

March 13, 2013 No Comments

This weekend really did feel like spring, so much so that I didn’t even mind losing the hour to gain the daylight in the evenings. It was in the 50’s and 60’s all weekend long, sunny and amazingly enough, no rain!

Saturday, we had a few errands to run. Now that we don’t have swimming lessons anymore (at least until the fall), we have regained our Saturday mornings. First, Jameson slept in until about 9 (pre time change!), which was fabulous. Jameson didn’t seem too bummed about his restricted breakfast (no yogurt, since he had to come home on Thursday and stay home Friday due to diarrhea). He enjoyed his “special juice” of gatorade.

We stopped first at Target for some necessities, then a trip to Jo-Ann Stores, where I bought some fabric for my very first official backdropped photoshoot for baby girl.

I purchased this lovely home decor fabric, which shouldn’t reflect light and should fade out in a very nice way, matching perfectly with one of the newborn hats I purchased months ago. I just need to iron it… and Brian needs to get a hold of some PVC pipe for the structure of the backdrop stand.

We then did a dry run to the hospital. With Jameson and our scheduled induction, we casually arrived at the hospital with plenty of time. We don’t know what it will be like this time, so we opted to circle the hospital grounds once to see where the main entrance and ER entrances are.

After having the hardest time finding a place to eat lunch, we stopped at O’Charley’s. Jameson got in a half hour nap on the road, and was a pleasant lunch companion. Brian and Jameson played outside and took their first “spring walk” of the season while I putzed around indoors. Honestly, I can’t even remember what I did.

Sunday was even better! Our errands on Sunday took us to Harbor Freight to look at tools, and then to one of Brian’s go-to stores for beer-making-supplies. We followed that up with an amazing lunch at a new, recently opened joint with hand-tossed, wood-fired over pizzas. Jameson was a little less than pleasant this go-round, but the food more than made up for it.

After I enjoyed a lovely warm bath at home, I joined Jameson, Lily and Brian and Curtis outside for the rest of the day. I even took a few photos!

Jameson and Lily were quite the pair. He has been requesting to play with Lily every evening since!

While sitting with their juice boxes, Jameson suddenly turned to Lily and requested a high five, followed by “knuckles”. I am not sure when he picked up on knuckles like that, we have only done it a few times, but it was hilarious.

When I took photos, Lily and Jameson squealed “cheese” for nearly a whole minute, looking at each other and laughing.

They enjoyed chase, and played in their cars…

Check out that tongue!

… Drawing with chalk (Lily claimed everything she drew was a hotdog, and Jameson claimed the drawings were chicken nuggets and big poop)

… and watching Brian wash the car. Jameson was excited to help dad do a bit of the washing too; he wasn’t too neat about it and ended up all wet.

Later in the evening, we went on a walk with the neighbors, and another of our neighborhood friends happened to be walking and joined us as well. Jameson and Lily held hands. Wish I had had my camera for that one!

Jameson did have an accident when we returned, which he was very distraught over. He has been doing so well with the potty training that we are calling him day trained. He was simply caught up in the excitement! Earlier in the day, he requested to go inside to go potty, so he is definitely there. We are pleasantly surprised with his earlier-than-expected progress!

It was a wonderful weekend, and Jameson was simply exhausted by the end of the evening. I am excited for the return of warm weather (and disappointed that it’s not in the forecast now for at least another week–just cold and rain!).

P.S. Last night, we did end up at the hospital for a false alarm; we were back home about 3 hours later around midnight. Who would’ve thought that contractions aren’t just supposed to be 5 minutes apart, but also needed to be “strong”? So even though I did see an increase in strength from when they first started, they aren’t getting strong enough for labor. I am having regular, mild contractions that aren’t doing anything… still waiting!

children, preparing for baby

Snowy Sunday

February 5, 2013 No Comments

We’ve had a return of the cold, wintery weather after the first round melted. Saturday as it snowed we went separate ways as I went to a baby shower and Jameson and dad went to Jonathan’s 2nd birthday party.

While I was disappointed that I had to choose one to go to, it was nice to see old friends. I’m looking forward to going on maternity leave the same time as Teresa and having play dates. Or sleep dates, as the case may be for newborns. Our due dates are just days apart!

Jameson meanwhile loved the party and played nonstop with Jonathan, Vivienne, and Jonathan’s cousin Adela.

On Sunday, we spent a little time outside after Jameson insisted on going out to “help daddy shovel”.

As usual, he didn’t want to come inside! My sweet boys both love to be outside. Upon trying to get Jameson back in from outdoors, we told him, “Mommy’s cold, she forgot a hat and needs to go inside!” Jameson took his hat off to give to me. It’s not just pregnancy hormones that make me tear up at that. I would at any time. He already seems to have his daddy’s loving and generous personality.

Later, Brian’s parents came over for a visit since they had been away all week on vacation.

We have regular jokes that grandma is going to catch all of Jameson’s colds. It used to be because she couldn’t help kissing baby fingers, and now as a toddler it’s because she keeps playing with the toys like whistles and the harmonica they got him for Christmas. Jameson loved the whistled she brought back from Gatlinburg, as well as a cute “fish truck” which we’ve already run the batteries down on!

She rolled up a little new stuffed black bear for him in his blanket a couple times like a baby as well which we was fascinated with. It won’t be long before we are doing that with a real baby!

We are 34 weeks and had what would typically be a final ultrasound, though we will have one more in a couple weeks to check fluid levels one more time since Jameson had low fluid levels. Out little girl (and I had her check, one more time, just in case) is estimated at 5 pounds, 4 ounces right now which is near half a pound to what Jameson was at birth Right now, our estimate at birth weight is around 7 pounds, which is average sized and makes me happy.

I was a little concerned that the doctor seemed to think that if I got over 2 pounds what Jameson was at birth that we are at risk of c-section, but I am confident that we can have a natural (but epidural-ized) birth for an average sized baby. Jameson was undersized due to my gestational diabetes diet and was a week early.

We are otherwise very healthy and everything looks great! I am having Braxton Hicks contractions which are reasonably painful. A series of 3 just a couple nights ago woke me up, concerned, but they are not with any regularity and typically come on during exertion, so we’re not worried at them, just painful.

5-1/2 more weeks to go!

children

Snow Play

January 8, 2013 No Comments

Today, as the snow slowly melts from our snow storm just after Christmas, is perfect to remember it as it first fell: white and fluffy. The snow is pretty grungy now, and I’m not sorry to see the dirty snow go.

Brian had to work on that Thursday after Christmas, so it was just me and Jameson. At first, surprisingly, he didn’t want to go out and play. But I convinced him otherwise.

I told him we had to wear special pants to go outside, since he hadn’t worn snow gear since last year and certainly didn’t remember. He was excited to put on his “spesal pants” and even tolerated the coat and hood. The hood only worked one time; the next time we went out, he insisted on keeping it off. But luckily by then I found him a better hat that covered his ears.

We invited Sasha outside to play too! I showed Jameson how much Sasha loves snowballs (though she no longer leaps to get them!). Jameson mostly handed them to her, which I’m sure she didn’t mind.

Jameson went searching after more pre-made ones from the driveway being plowed, and Sasha tried to help uncover them.

Sasha wanted to go inside then but Jameson wasn’t done! We broke out the sled, and I pulled him around the yard for a while. He held on tight and enjoyed it far more than he ever did last year.

We slid down the snow bank the plow left behind a couple times without the sled and just ourselves; I think if we get another good snow we’ll take him to a bigger hill and ride with him in the sled properly. I think he’d love it this year!

He was so tolerant of me running back and forth to get my camera from the garage. We started walking in the backyard and I told him to wait for me and ran back to get it for another shot. When I came back he was waving at me to come over to him and saying “come on mommy!” which cracked me up.

He didn’t want to come inside. We went back out New Years Eve too, and he had a blast. I even forced him to make a little snow angel. He was a good sport about it.

Jameson overall enjoyed the driveway and sled and snowballs. He didn’t like walking in the snow as much and requested “hugs” (which is how he asks to be picked up) after a bit of time. He did seem to get over his fear of falling down though he didn’t like it very much. Poor thing doesn’t have good mittens for holding snow though so after a little while I give him my mittens so we can continue to enjoy the outdoors.

I cannot find good mittens or gloves for toddler size hands that aren’t just plain thin knit cotton. Any ideas? We checked Wal-Mart, Target, Kohls, Burlington.

children

Woodland Lights

December 31, 2012 No Comments

Sunday night before Christmas we went to the Woodland Lights as a family. We told Jameson he was going to see the lights, and talked about how pretty they were! He was pretty excited just to get outside, I think.

While we had just gotten a lot of snow where we live, there wasn’t any at my parents’, so it was easy and not too cold to walk around that evening.

Jameson took hold of Aunt Holly’s hand right away and walked with her almost the entire time!

Aunt Holly and Uncle Tyler, waiting for tickets to get in!

We took a few family photos before getting too far. Jameson really wanted to walk though, he wasn’t too interested in standing still for photos!

We had one more task to do though before we could leisurely walk through the rest of the lights; we had to see Santa!

Jameson already saw Santa once this year, but there was no line so close to Christmas, so we decided to go ahead and see him once more! Here’s Jameson and Meemaw:

He still wasn’t willing to sit on Santa’s lap, but he sat next to him just fine.

Aside from lights, there are a few animals to see. Jameson got to see chickens (which was great, since he only wants Owls and Chickens on his farm when we sing Old McDonald recently).

He also saw fox and the stars of the show, reindeer! Jameson tried to feed the reindeer the candy cane treat he got from Santa, but dad rescued it.

Jameson did great. He didn’t ask to be held much at all, and loved walking around and seeing all the pretty lights.

Last stop was to see the gingerbread houses inside. There was even a farm gingerbread house!

We all enjoyed visiting the Woodland Lights. It was their 20th anniversary, and we had gone a lot as kids but not for a long time, so it was nice for everyone to do it together, for Jameson!

Oh, and for the record, he did enjoy his first candy cane. I thought I might get to eat it, but alas, he ate near half the small treat before he was finished.

life with baby

Swimming Lessons

December 11, 2012 No Comments

On Saturday, December 1 we went to Jameson’s very first swimming lessons! I’ve been looking forward to the lesson for a couple months.

We enrolled Jameson in the Goldfish Swim School, and even though the drive is a little longer than we might want, everything else makes it worth it. For one, the lessons are perpetual for as long as we want to do it. So I intend to take him through the winter at least until the end of February before the baby is born. It’s ideal to consume some of his energy as the weather starts to get worse.

Plus, the facilities are brand new, the water temperature is like bath water, and we had our choice of times since it is so new.

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So what did Jameson think? He was hesitant at first, though he very quickly warmed up to the pool and trusting me to hold him. We did a lot of fun activities, and practiced kicking and pulling with arms. We chased balls across the pool, explored the shallow step of the pool (and Jameson had no problem inching his way across the step without my assistance).

The first lesson we balanced on the large foam ducks, and he was uncertain about that, but never once cried.

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The only part he was really hesitant about was laying on his back. We were supposed to get their ears wet or in the water, and that first lesson I didn’t really get him there.

However, even though he told me he was done when I asked, he never cried, and he has asked to go on his back in the water every bath time since. There was immediate improvement at our second lesson this past weekend, and he relaxed while laying on his back and looked in the mirror they gave him.

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The lessons are only a half hour, but I think Jameson would be happy to continue longer. He loved being in the water and asked for more when we got out.

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His favorite part? The part where I lifted and swooped him back down to the water. He likes those daring moves. Those always got big grins and a squeal. We are happy that he is looking forward to swimming lessons each week!

life with baby

Santa Parade!

November 27, 2012 No Comments

The weekend prior to Thanksgiving, we went to our friends JP, Lisa and Jonathan’s house for dinner and their local parade, which ends in Santa waving hello to all the kids!

First of all, Jonathan was ready for a dance party in the living room! Jameson wasn’t so sure about it though and didn’t want to dance. That’s okay, Jonathan was awesome enough for the two of them!

They enjoyed snacks before dinner (and I enjoyed a mocktail).

Then there was a minor scuffle over the broom. Both boys wanted to clean up. I am not sure how long this stage lasts, but I am pretty happy that Jameson wants to be involved in everything we do, which includes chores.

Luckily, there were two different brooms for the kids.

Dinner was excellent. JP and Lisa made an outrageously good macaroni and cheese, rich and creamy with winter greens, bacon and premium cheeses. Mmmmm…

For dessert, we enjoyed pumpkin bars. Jameson even ate some! (And not just the whipped cream this time)

Then it was off to the parade! The boys aren’t as easily contained by strollers anymore, and quickly wanted out and on dads’ shoulders or walking around. (Jonathan was expert at kicking his shoes off)

Jameson enjoyed the trucks and the dogs in the parade, though the loud noises occasionally startled him. They handed out free glow wands which are battery powered, so we’ve gotten some further use out of these since then.

We enjoyed seeing Santa as well, though it was even more fun to get up close and personal the following week! The parade was fun, and we got to see some lights and get into the holiday spirit. It’s after Thanksgiving now, so I don’t have to hide my Christmas music anymore 😉

life with baby

Trick or Treat

November 7, 2012 1 Comment

Sunday was our city’s trick or treat night, which had been delayed from the original Wednesday evening plan due to Hurricane Sandy. I didn’t mind, because it was another day to enjoy Jameson’s Elmo costume!

He got right in, excited to go outside. Brian’s mom brought over a foam glow stick, which he ran around outside with while we were waiting for Lily.

Lily was a fairy princess, and rode in the wagon with Jameson. She wasn’t sure about Elmo at first I think!

It was another brisk night, so I was thankful for his warm costume as we all headed up the road away from the fire that Brian built in the driveway. We all went, Aunt Melissa, Brian, myself and grandma with Lily and her mom. A whole herd of us! Grandpa stayed to man the fire and pass out candy.

When there were a bunch of houses close together, we let Jameson and Lily out and we walked them up to the doorways. Last year, most people were outside at the end of their driveways, but the bitter cold drove a lot more people inside this year.

Jameson did well saying “thank you” but didn’t say “trick or treat” at all. He was still cute; as we walked to the next house, I asked him if he wanted more treats and he’d repeat after me “mo’ tweat”.

It was all the more cute since he didn’t really know what treats were! He would take out treats in his bucket, give them a little shake and put them back in.

Except for the sucker, he knew that one and gnawed on the end of it all the way home. We managed to get to about 8 houses or more!

Our last stop was our own house of course! We were about to head inside when a group of trick or treaters came up. Jameson saw them get their candy and decided he wanted to trick or treat at our house too.

He clearly knew this was his show here though because he had no problem reaching into the bowl to pick one out himself!

Jameson had dinner, and while grandma and Aunt Melissa put him to bed, I came back outside to make some s’mores and enjoy the fire before calling it a night. We didn’t have many trick or treaters at our house this year or last, since we live on the outskirts of the neighborhood, but that just means more leftovers for me!

We offered Jameson a kitkat last night, but he returned it, not liking it. Score more candy for me again!

life with baby

Halloween Festivities Weekend

November 1, 2012 No Comments

Halloween started off last Friday with our neighborhood party! They have the party every year, though this is the first year we’ve participated. Neighbors either pay $5 or host a “station” at their house for kids to come visit.

Okay, the first time Jameson put this costume on, it was a fight! He screamed like we were cutting off his legs, poor thing. Brian and I looked at each other, and did what any good parent would do (right?) and we forced him into it. I’m sure we were both thinking “It’ll be good for you! Fun! Come on!”

He did end up enjoying himself, and the costume was perfect for this awful hurricane-generated rain that we’ve had since that Friday through today still. Still! He stayed warm and dry the entire time, and he loved staying up late. Jameson got a little slap happy at the end.

First stop was a photo station and then pumpkin ring toss. Jameson got a spider as his prize. Oh, and he also had a wonderful new eyeball necklace that lit up from the party favor station when we arrived too. He loves that necklace!

This is Nathan and Jameson, his buddy from school. Nathan was dressed as Thing 1, and his sister as Thing 2. We stopped at their house since they had a s’more station! The boys just had some graham crackers.

We also hopped aboard the hay ride tractor, which Jameson loved. He stared at the tractor the entire time and waved bye bye when we finished.

One of the neighbors is in a real Kiss cover band and had a photo booth there as well. Jameson refused until Brian picked him up. This photo is hilarious!

At the end of the evening, the snack station opened and Lily stopped by for a bit. This photo of Jameson climbing on her stroller made me laugh. He wanted her to come out and play! The night was getting late though and it was cold and misty, so we headed back home shortly after that.

On Saturday, we went to the Akron Zoo for Boo at the Zoo with JP, Lisa & Jonathan.

At least Jameson didn’t mind the costume as much this time, but by the face he’s making in all the pictures you wouldn’t know it. He seems very concerned!

But mostly I think he has a solemn face when he is taking things in and absorbing new experiences.

We rode the merry-go-round, which Jameson loved! He didn’t want to leave or say bye to the polar bear, he had so much fun!

The Akron Zoo is smaller, so we made the rounds pretty quick. I took a few inside, but then it started to rain so I didn’t get any more outdoor photos.

I love how he looks when you take a picture of the back of the costume, with the eyeballs up. Also, yes, he is wearing his eyeball necklace from the previous night again.

After the zoo, we went to Luigi’s for lunch, which I had been craving, so that was perfect! Jameson and Jonathan did really well with dinner, and Jameson ate rigatoni though no ravioli.

He finally ate filled pasta for the first time at daycare the other day; they said he ate it all (either that, or it was all on the floor and they couldn’t tell what he ate, right?!)

Due to Hurricane Sandy and the bad weather this week, our city Trick or Treat has been rescheduled to Sunday, which nice. By the time Halloween festivities are over, Jameson will have worn his costume for 4 days! Lots of adorable pictures of him in Elmo.

Yesterday on Halloween we didn’t lack for Halloween celebration; I went to his school’s Halloween Party and took some photos. More on that to come!

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