And While I'm Thinkin Of It

Ok, I can't stop myself, its another post! But I just have to say that after a weekend of cranky, sick yuckiness, Jalen has been cracking me up today!! My two favorite new "words" of his are probably not going to be funny for long, but this weekend he has figured out the meaning of "Uh-oh..." And it's such a serious tone when he says it too, so that makes it even better! And today he started shaking his head (which he has done before) but added the "no no no" to it! It was so funny! I was hoping he wouldn't learn the word "no" for a while though; I'm not ready to hear that screamed back at me. Also today he learned how to lift the lid on the toilet....more child locks in the near future. And his new jammies are so cool I can't stand it, so I had to add a post-nap pic.

Where's Mace?

Jalen and his favorite buddy, Mace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEnoQigvJcI

Playing With Dad

Here is Jalen and Daddy playing on Thanksgiving.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyIwrqRAsg4

Playing Outside

This is a video of Jalen playing out on the back porch.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDAy-ZtWYJw

Thanksgiving, party of 4

We stayed in Knoxville this year for Thanksgiving, due to being home only two weeks ago, and had a great feast and a great day. Devan marinated and fried our turkey, and because he was prepared and had all the right tools, everybody was safe and the turkey was absolutely delicious! I made plenty of sides, but as Devan reminded me today, no dessert. Somehow that slipped my mind as I was drooling over garlic mashed potatoes and buttery rolls. Jalen tried a little of everything we ate and liked it all until he decided he wanted to feed himself -- and by that I mean throw everything on his tray onto the floor. Enter Mace ("MMmmmAAH!" to Jalen). And I say party of 4 because Mace got to enjoy the giblets. Ew. After the feast, we put up the top-half-only-decorated Christmas tree while J was napping. I was afraid to see what would happen when he woke up and saw it. But, he walked over to it, touched it to see how prickly it was and that was it, and so far that's still it. He and Daddy have been working on dribbling and passing skills lately and Jalen is showing some real potential. Duh!

It's Official!

I guess we can say now that Jalen is officially walking! Although, in about two more days I will probably have to change that wording to "running."

A Long Walk

Here's a video showing how well Jalen is walking lately.
And working on his bounce pass.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SC-tl0rCcE

Jalen Laughing Video

This is from a couple months ago probably, but it is another one of Jalen laughing hysterically at Mace playing with J's toy.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukm7DudVub8

Punkin Got A Pumpkin!

Last weekend, we went to the Oakes Farm pumpkin patch. It was so cold, but so much fun!! They had a corn maze, kiddie rides, a big homemade slide, a bounce house, and a hayride to the pumpkin patch. We met Matt, Katie, and Grace there and hopped on a wagon.

I couldn't help but think of It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown when we arrived in this field with pumpkins strewn everywhere. Here you can see Grace picking the first pumpkin she saw, but it turned out to be too "heaby"!

Here is Jalen choosing his first pumpkin.

There was a long line to get back on the wagon, and to some good hot chocolate!

All in all, it was a great first family pumpkin pickin'!

AND I also have to add: Jalen started saying "Da da da da da" yesterday, and discovered how to stand up without pulling up on anything!

The October Update

Where have I been?? Busy and unmotivated, I guess. Let's pick up where we left off:

We traveled back to IL the first weekend of Oct to see teeny tiny new baby Kalden. Jalen paid no attention to him, of course. But wow, a lot happens in 9 months when you look at a newborn and then at J, who looks like a two year old next to him! He has changed so much.

Jalen attended his first parade when we went to Enfield's Mule Days. The sirens were a little startling, so it was a good thing they handed out little frisbees that were the perfect size to chew on (because you know I wouldn't let him chew on a tootsie roll!).

On Sunday of that weekend, we headed to Louisville, KY because Devan was attending a meeting the next day. This was our first hotel stay as a family. I'm calling it a vacation because I haven't been in a hotel in way too long! Jalen's favorite part was the closet because the doors were mirrored. While Devan was in the meeting, Jalen and I strolled along 4th Street, which was awesome. They have a couple blocks that are all restaurants, bars, shops, and very pedestrian-friendly. We spent several hours in Borders reading books and enjoying our "vacation".

I started working on Wednesday of that week, at Natural Alternatives, where I was before Jalen (but who remembers those days??). I am working Wed, Fri, and every other Sat to start out. J has been staying with friends of ours while we look for the "perfect" sitter to care for our little punkin-head. He has had a great time playing with Maddy and Grace, and Pete the dog.

Jalen's 9 month check up was on Monday. He is 21 lbs 3 oz (50%-75%), and 29 3/4" tall (90%), which is totally backwards from what we thought! So maybe he will be tall dark and handsome like his daddy!! He is super healthy and amazing, but we don't need to be doctors to know that. He has been teething hardcore for about two weeks, and its hard to get a good look, but I think his top two have broken through. Some of his new favorite activities are:

• Pushing/Pulling/Scooting things. Chairs, stools, his activity table, the vacuum, clothes basket, walker, Exer-Saucer, ... I mean anything. Push it, pull it, push it, pull it.


• Opening and closing drawers -- same concept.


• His new laugh. It's like "Ah ha, Ah hah, Ah hah!"


• Oh, maybe I should have put this first -- taking steps! He will take one, sometimes two, steps at a time before getting scared and falling down. The other night he was cruising down the couch at full speed and when he ran out of couch, would take a couple steps before he realized what he'd done and sat down!


• He's really good at standing, and can even squat down and stand back up now.


• Still says "Mom", but its a more pronounced "Ma-Ma" now, and makes some other undiscernable sounds now too.


• When he eats, he likes to reach up and grab his hair, styling it with an all-natural tomato based gel. (See photos)

Ok, that's all I can think of. Coming up we have Uncle Phil and Aunt April visiting this week, then Grandma Connie will be here for the big Race for the Cure, and finally, Halloween!

Welcome Baby Kalden!

Congratulations to Uncle Keith and Aunt Savannah on the birth of their son, Kalden Ross Welch. He was born Monday, Sept 28 at 5pm, weighing 6lbs 15oz. I don't have any pictures, of course, because we're here and they're there, but trust me, he's precious! Jalen is happy to have his first cousin (he doesn't know it yet, but he is).

Jalen stayed a few hours on Friday, with Rachel and Maddy, and Monday, with Jodi and Allie, and had a great time. Although, I hear he was pretty mellow and, like always, soaking it all in. He didn't cry when I left, or at all for that matter. We are going today to meet a new babysitter, who will be watching him when I start working again on Wednesdays, Fridays, and every other Saturday. He will be there with two other boys I think, so I am sure they will be teaching him all sorts of new and creative ways to get into trouble! Actually, I think he will have fun there.

This morning, J and I went to an open gym playtime and tried all sorts of new things. They had a baby pool filled with balls (his favorite), even though there was also a mini trampoline. Just look at those arms fly! And there was a slide, ride-on toys, a tunnel to crawl through, and tumbling mats/blocks to climb. He spent most of the time watching the other kids play, but he had a good time.

Here is a picture of our little "Linus". I'll miss this stage :)

Bye-Bye Mommy!

Every parent has the smartest kid ever, so I have to brag on mine a little. He learned to wave "Bye-Bye" in all of about a day and a half. We finally got him on video waving:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCP9X1AMJ64

He's so smart! :)

8 Months Already!

Mace, do you smell what I'm cookin'?

Alright critics, he had this shoe off before I could even take the picture. But we have done a little more practicing wearing shoes since then, and so far haven't lost any while we've been out. Nan, here's a thigh picture just for you.

At 8 months, Jalen is crawling with ease, still jumping (and likes his Johnny Jump-Up now), pulling up anywhere, standing unassisted, and cruising along the couch. I don't know how much he weighs, but it is equal to a lot! He gets upset if I shut a door that he was crawling toward, even if he was across the room, because dang it, he wanted to go outside!! He loves opening and closing the dishwasher door. Actually, he can't open it, so when he closes it he gets mad. He CRACKS UP when we are out for a stroll and Mace is barking and fighting me to go say Hi to another dog -- well, who wouldn't laugh at that, it's probably pretty hysterical. He has started a new game where he tosses one of his toys a few feet ahead and crawls after it. Here he is doing his favorite activity: throwing shoes one by one off the tote onto the floor, while showing off his first clipper cut and handsome outfit with shoes.

Yes, I said you're handsome. But you've got some big shoes to fill -- just keep growing!

It Happened.

Jalen's first shiner. It took a little longer than we anticipated, but it's a pretty good one. We were having lunch with Daddy at the Bowen office and he crawled over to a low window sill and was balancing for a moment on one hand and the opposite knee when he swiveled to the ground, but not before smashing his cheekbone into the metal window casing. We knew it really smarted when we heard a type of cry we hadn't heard before and it immediately started bruising up. By the time I got back with some ice, he just wanted to suck on the ice, so he was ok.

It has turned out to be a "toughen up" weekend. After waking up from a nap on Saturday (the day after), he pulled his music player in his crib down on him, which happens a lot, but it must've hit his bruise because I heard the same painful cry. Then that night he realized he could climb up on the bottom shelf of a console table, and right as we looked at him in disbelief, faceplanted onto the floor, bruising his eye just above his cheek bruise.

I wonder why I'm starting to have a sense of dread about him learning to walk? Maybe because he has no fear and does things like this: climbing over Mace to reach the couch. What is it they say about paying for the sins of your childhood? I think they mean your husband's childhood!

Recap of Labor Day Trip to So IL

Well, this is so very late, but you know what they say...

(everyone chime in) "Better late than never!"

I have a lot of catching up to do, so there may be multiple posts today or in the next few days. First, a recap of our trip back home. Jalen woke up a few times on the way there to help me sing along with the radio. We stayed busy most of the days, visiting lots and lots of good ol' Illinois folks. We made a few trips to Wally World, crashed a baby shower, went for a couple strolls through beautiful Dolan Lake, went to the DuQuoin State Fair, and attended a football game.

Jalen had his "serious face" on throughout the fair, as he looked around attentitively, studying the craziness all around him. He went through the petting zoo unimpressed (he does live with a pony), but we laughed as one of the animals -a deer I think- tried to eat Dad's shoe! Brianna will no longer push J in his stroller, as she was given a balloon for "her baby", and asked if "Mama" would come pick a duck and he would let her win! But I think Jalen's favorite part of the fair was the hot tub display. I heard him ask Pa-pa if he would buy him one of those!

The times we spent around the house, Jalen learned to love the good things in life - cardboard boxes.

Now he and Mace fight over who gets to play with the empty box.

A special treat for Jalen was when Papaw taught him how to drive the lawnmower. Maybe next summer he can start earning some cash and pulling his weight around here!

Watch out Papaw, I like to go fast!!

Driving back to TN was frustrating for the little man. For the first time, he didn't sleep the whole way or sing, he just wanted out. Frustrating for me was the fact that there was a torrential downpour and we couldn't go faster than 40 mph for part of the way. So, sorry to say I don't look forward to doing that again for a while! But you all know where to find us!