7 and 8 months old

The last couple of months have been very very busy! We have spent a lot of time with family and with each other! Jack is growing bigger and bigger everyday and keeps experiencing firsts! Here are some of the highlights from the past 2 months:

• Jack is now crawling like a pro and he loves to stand up on things! It is hard to keep up with him now! The dogs are still doing well now, even though he is more mobile. 

• He continues to be a good eater. He loves beets, sweet potatoes, apples, and peas, although we have not found anything he does not like. This week we started finger foods, though he prefers that we feed him.
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• Jack got to experience his first snow. We did not stay out very long, but he did not seem to mind. 
• We celebrated his first Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years! Holidays are so much more fun with Jack!

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• Jack met Santa!

• We finished swim lessons and he really started to enjoy them. We will start again in February.
• As a family, we went to Lincoln, NE to meet up with some of J.P.'s friends from Benedictine to participate in a weight lifting meet. Since then, J.P. has also competed in 2 more meets, winning both in his weight class.
• On my side of the family, we went shopping for our family that we adopted for Christmas. It is a great new tradition that we are doing and I am glad that we can do this now with Jack.
• Jack got sick for the first time so we spent some time in Urgent Care and a lot of snuggling. He is finally on the mend and I am hoping we don't have to deal with that very often!
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• Bath time is a lot more fun now that he can sit up on his own and is playing with toys.

• After Christmas and how spoiled Jack got, it was time that we start putting together a play room. It is a work in progress, but looks pretty good so far. 

     

Not sure if this year will top 2012, but we are excited to see what 2013 brings our little family. 

Busy Busy Busy (6-7 months old)

Jack turned 6 months old on October 18 and had his doctor's appointment for shots and a general check up. The doctor says he looks really good and he did pretty ok with the shots. His 6 month stats are:

18.11 pounds (75%)

26 3/4 inches long (50%)

17 3/4 inches head circumference (90-95%)

After Jack turned 6 months old, it meant he was ready for some real food. We have decided to make our own food for Jack (except for the oatmeal) and so far I think he likes everything we have given him! So far we have tried oatmeal, avocado, and green beans. Next up, peas!

First bite of oatmeal

Sorry a little shaky and a little long, but he makes me laugh with how he chews after a bite!

Jack has also started sitting up on his own! We plan on baby proofing this weekend because it is just a matter of time before he starts crawling.

The weekend after Jack turned 6 months, J.P. and I went to St. Louis for our friend's Dan and Shanna's wedding. This meant that Jack (and the dogs) got to spend the whole weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Price. Grandma and Grandpa loved having him and were good about sending us pictures.We had a great time with our friends and it was nice to spend some time with just the 2 of us, but we sure did miss our little man.

                              J.P. and I with our friend Cate and
                                         baby Margo. (Jack's future tutor)





The weekend of October 26-29 was super busy!
On Friday, We took another trip to Topeka for an alumni event for my Washburn University soccer team. It was great to see everyone again and Jack got to play with Elle, Mickey, and Liam.

On Saturday we drove to Atchison for Jack's 6 month pictures. Atchison is so pretty in the fall and was a great backdrop. He did great and I can't wait to see them. Megan Bickford always does a great job.

Later that day, we headed to Olathe. My sister and brother-in-law were in town from Phoenix so we wanted to spend as much time as possible with them. That night, Grandma and Grandpa Hatlestad watched Jack while J.P. and I went to a Halloween party with Cari, Kyle, and Kyle's sister and her husband. It was a costume party, so we had to dress up. J.P. is often compared to Mr. Incredible so we decided to go as Mr. and Mrs. Incredible.

On Sunday, Kyle's parents had a Chief's watching party that we were all invited to. Jack got to play with Kyle's sister's little girl while we watched the Chiefs loose, again...

On Monday, I went to work while Cari, Kyle, and my parents got to watch Jack. I only worked a 1/2 day so I met Cari and Kyle at Oklahoma Joe's, the best barbeque in Kansas City! Cari had never eaten there before! I know, weird! We spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out before we met Kyle's family at Minsky's pizza for 1 last gathering before Cari and Kyle headed back to Arizona. Jack loved hanging out with his Aunt and Uncle and I think they loved spoiling him all day!

Jack celebrated his first Halloween as a skeleton for day care and a lobster for trick-or-treating (to 1 house) and pictures.

Picking out his first pumpkin!

Daycare outfit! I think it lasted 2 hours...

I know it doesn't look like it, but he liked his costume I swear...

See! He is smiling. The dogs on the other hand, do not like their costumes! 

Jack's pumpkin!

The last thing that we started this past month or so is swim lessons on Saturday mornings. Jack is doing a great job and even goes under water! I hope he enjoys
swimming as he grows!

Just a funny picture with the best pacifier ever! Thanks Luke and Cate!

Almost 6 months Old

I know, I missed the 5 month old post and we are quickly approaching Jack's 6 month birthday (so crazy how fast this year has gone so far!) We have been crazy busy since our last blog update, so I hope I can remember everything that we have done!

On September 18, Jack turned 5 months old. This age is so much fun and he wants to explore and interact with everything. With this new found curiosity, it has become harder to take his monthly picture with his turtle. Every time we put the turtle next to him, he wanted it in his mouth, so finally we had to hold the turtle down for this picture.

That Friday, we had our monthly date night. Earlier in the month, we pulled out the Seafood popsicle stick for our date, so I decided that we should go to Red Lobster, since I have never been. It was pretty good, and those cheddar biscuits are AMAZING! I had made them about a year ago, but they were no where close to as good as the real thing. My co-worker, Diane, and her family watched Jack the couple of hours so we could have our date, thanks Diane!

On Saturday, I decided to run in the Strutt with Your Mutt 5K with Marley to benefit a local animal rescue. I decided not to bring Rufus because he is more of a sprinter. This was the first race since having Jack and I felt really good. I have been doing more CrossFit and not much running since giving birth, so I was not sure how I would do, but I was amazed on how much CrossFit training translated into running! Since it was a bit cold that day, we decided that Jack should stay home with J.P. so they could have some good father-son time. When I got into the car that morning, J.P. had surprised me with a good luck goody cooler filled with water, Gatorade, and energy snacks! He even included a banana for Marley for a pre-race snack! How did I get so lucky to be married to this man?

We have been able to go to Topeka a few times to see J.P.'s side of the family. We went one weekend to celebrate cousin Brett's birthday. This was the first time that we put Jack to bed somewhere else then had to move him to bring him home. We started in Topeka where we fed him, put him in his pajamas and into the car seat. He fell asleep on the hour and half drive to J.P.'s boss' house so we could watch the UFC fights. Once we got there, we woke Jack up so we could place him in our portable bassinet. After the fights, we then had to put him back into the car seat and then come home to put him in his crib. He was such a trooper, barely fussed with the transitions, and fell back asleep rather quickly. It is good to know that we can do this every once in a while and not mess up his schedule too bad.

The second time we went to Topeka, it was for Friday and Saturday night for J.P.'s 10 year high school reunion. On Friday night, we went to the high school football game and to a local bar while J.P.'s mom watched Jack and the dogs. It was fun getting to meet J.P.'s high school friends. On Saturday, we went to Gage Park for a picnic. We got Jack on his first swing and he absolutely loved it. I love seeing how much joy something so simple can give my little man! After the picnic we went to visit J.P.'s friend Julie and Tim and their little boy Jake, who is only a few weeks younger than Jack. They were pretty cute how they talked to each other and tried to suck on each other's hands! Later that night was the more formal reunion event, so Grandma and Grandpa Price got to watch Jack again. It is so nice to have family close and willing to watch our little man so we are able to have "us" time. The weekend was culminated by a birthday celebration for J.P.'s boss' twins. It was a candy theme, so I was glad that Jack wasn't eating food yet so he didn't get a sugar high!

Yesterday, Jack and I spent some good quality time together. He started the day by going to a consignment sale. I have never been before and I found some great clothes for the fall and winter. I had to really watch myself, those sales could get dangerous very fast! But I am proud to say I stuck to my budget! We then went down to the Plaza to have lunch we our friends Natalie and Robin with their babies Layla and Darwin. It is so nice getting together with other working moms and realizing that I am not alone with feeling overwhelmed with work and being a mom.

J.P. and I are so excited for the upcoming months and the holidays that come with them and all that we will be able to do with Jack! We love being parents and everything that comes with it!

4 + months

4 month pic 

I know, sorry, it has been awhile. We have been pretty busy this past month and 1/2 so it is hard to find time to post. J.P. has been in the middle of the 'busy season' which means it is my busy season as well. 

The following is what my weekday consists of:

5:30 wake up, make coffee, make bottles, make lunch, pack pumping bag

6:00 wake Jack up to feed

6:30 take shower and get ready for work while Jack hangs out in the swing

7:00 eat breakfast

7:30 take Jack to daycare

8:00-4:00 work day

4:30 pick up Jack from day care

4:45 feed Jack

5:15 change Jack and get ready to work out

5:30-6:30 go to the gym, Jack naps or plays at the gym

6:30-7:30 cook and make dinner

7:30-8:00 play/cuddle with Jack

8:00-8:30 feed Jack

8:30-8:45 put Jack to bed

9:00-10:00 clean bottles, pump

10:00 read for 10 minutes before passing out

I am not sure on what J.P. does every hour of the day, all I know is that he is working really hard from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Sometimes, he has been able to get home before Jack goes to bed and he gets to see him for a few minutes in the morning. It is a hard 4-6 weeks, but it is all worth it in the end. For the hard few weeks, J.P. does get some time off/slower time in the winter and over the summer to spend some good quality time with Jack. On the weekends, we are also able to spend some good quality time together as a family!

On top of the busy season, we have also had some fun things happen.

We celebrated our 3rd Wedding Anniversary at the end of July (out anniversary was on a Wednesday this year). We decided to spend a night with just each other, so Jack got to spend the night and Grandma and Grandpa Hatlestad's house. He did really well without us and we did well without him, but it was good to see him again when we picked him up. J.P. planned our date, so we went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on the Plaza. It was a rare treat, but a great food memory. I can still taste the steak when I think about it. They also treat you pretty special when you are there for a special occasion. We got a hand written card from the staff, a decorated table, and a special dessert. It was amazing! We stayed the night at the Intercontinental Hotel (got a great deal on Priceline) and got up the next morning for brunch at Tom Fooleries. We then went to see the new Batman movie, which was amazing! In the end, we left Jack for about 24 hours. Even though we missed our little man, it was nice to have some alone time. I think my parents really enjoyed having him all to themselves as well!

We decided to transition him to his crib this past month (don't judge). Overall, the transition went well. The first 2 nights he was still in the swaddle because I thought he would feel more secure, but on the second night he woke up on his tummy, still in the swaddle, and he couldn't flip back over. This is the first and only time he has rolled over from back to tummy, but needless to say, we no longer swaddle him for bed. We now put him in super cute sleepers! The rest of the first week, he woke up once every night, which he has not done since he was 6 weeks old. We found out that he sleeps like his dad...constantly moving. I found him a various positions, but most of the time with his head up against the railing. I think he was hitting his head and waking himself up, so I got a mesh, breathable bumper and since then he has been sleeping through the night again. 

First night in the crib

Super cute sleeper!

Jack had his 4 month check up as well. He weighed in at 16 pounds 10 ounces ( 75%) was 25 3/4 inch tall (75%) and his giant head was 17 1/4 inches around (98%). The doctor thinks he is a healthy boy and doing well all around. He is growing up so fast, and is really starting to play with toys, which is so much fun! Unfortunatly, Jack has also found his thumb recently. We thought we had avoided this discovery, but who knows, maybe we can break it before it becomes a habit...

Great-Grandma LaBadie (GG) and Great-Aunt Laura (Gaga) came to visit from North Carolina for a week. 2 of those days, they got to watch Jack all to themselves while we were at work. On the weekend, my cousin KT also drove down from Iowa, so we stayed at my parents so they could spend as much time as possible with Jack. He got very spoiled, but he loved every minute of it, but I think my grandma enjoyed it even more. We also we able to celebrate GG's birthday while she was here!

     

GG and Jack

                           Gaga Laura 

4 Generations

Cousin KT

This past weekend, Jack went to his first football game. J.P.'s 2002 football team at Benedictine College was honored, so we went up for the day. Jack did really well, but it was a bit stressful for mom and dad trying to keep him cool but covered up so he didn't get burned. J.P.'s mom and aunt also came up so they could support J.P. and see Jack. Everyone at BC fell in love with Jack. Who knows...he may be a Raven someday!

J.P.'s team being honored

First football game!

Grandma Jan

My friend Erica also came into town with her 2 kids Elle and Mickey. This is the first time we met baby Elle, and she is so adorable. It was pretty fun seeing the two babies interact and it is always good to catch up with Erica. 

The 3rd Month

Ok, so I have decided, Jack is growing up way too fast...I had to put him in size 2 diapers today! We continue to stay busy and love being parents more and more each day!

Late June and early July, J.P. left us for a week to go fishing in Canada with his dad, uncle, and some friends. He had a great time, caught some very yummy fish, but I think he missed his little man more than he thought he would. I know we really missed him, but we survived! I took a day off to hang out with Jack and went to lunch with 2 of the girls I did water aerobics with while we were all pregnant. It was fun to have time with some girl friends, but it is crazy how conversations change after you have a baby! 2 days, Jack went to day care all day, and the other 2 days he spent with Grandma and Grandpa Hatlestad while I was at work. I think they really enjoyed spending all day with him and now they keep hinting that they want us to move closer...probably won't happen!

This month, Jack also got to celebrate his first 4th of July. We went to my parent's house for a cookout and was able to take Jack swimming again. He enjoys the pool more and more each time we put him in. Hopefully this fall, we can start swim lessons! He was asleep by the time the fireworks started, but maybe next year he will be able to enjoy them!

J.P. got to spend a week with Jack before he had to start working, so Jack is now in day care full time. Jack really enjoys Miss Val and always smiles when I drop him off to her. We always get good reports too! It is such a relief that we have found a wonderful daycare.

Aunt Brooke and cousin Briana came to visit!

Kansas City was the host of this year's All Star Game, so during the festivities, Reebok asked our Cross Fit gym to host a throw down between 2 MLB All Stars, Jose Bautista and David Ortiz.  J.P. was able to participate in the event and able to meet some big name baseball players. I wish I would have been able to go, but I had to work : (

Jack's 3rd month was culminated by being baptized! It was a wonderful day to spend with family and to celebrate our sweet angel John Steven. He wore a baptismal gown that was made by my Grandpa LaBadie's mother and was worn by all my aunts, uncles, cousins, and my sister. It was so neat to be able to carry on the tradition.

Grandma and Grandpa Hatlestad 

Grandma and Grandpa Price

Jack with the pastors and his baptismal sponsor, Pam

Links to some videos:

Jack's Baptism:


Jack waking up (my favorite part of my morning!)

I FINALLY GOT A GOOD PICTURE OF JACK AND MARLEY!!