Alex's 16th

We got together last Saturday to celebrate Alex's life. It would have been her 16th birthday. Her mom and I both agreed that she would have been majorly boy crazy. I wonder how tall she would have been. She would no doubt have been beautiful with her long blond curly locs. Her personality would have been much the same it was when she was younger, making everyone near her feel special and accepted. I wonder what her teenage rebellion would be? One thing I do know is that she would completely love my son : ) I pray JT has a bit of Alex's innocent love and compassion.



At the picnic at Mount Lemon Alex's brother Nik was asking for a hotdog without ketchup. Nik and Alex do have a lot in common, but ketchup is not one of them. Alex would have had "chipets" on anything : )

It was my first time on Mt. Lemon. I now know why Alex liked it so much. Now she's enjoying the view from a little higher up : )

Gurgles : )

JT started talking to us this week. He's cooing and smiling a lot lately.

Now when he cries it's usually due to him being tired. He wants to see everyone and everything. No time for sleep : ) Well, mom is going to have to start adhering to a schedule if she wants JT to sleep well at night.

Help from the Man

Joseph said I can go out dancing any Saturday that he doesn't have a gig, he'll take care of the night feedings and such for JT on Fridays, and we can switch on and off going dancing on Sundays. I don't know how often I'll take him up on the dancing, but it's so nice to have that option : ) I can't wait for Friday!!! I can't remember the last time I had a full nights sleep. My husband is the best : )

Week with Dad

Wednesday night - Dinner at Blake & Sonya's - Chicken Blake
Thursday night - Dinner at our house - homemade spaghetti
Friday night - just dad and me - left overs
Saturday night - Dad ate with Blake & Sonya - Father's Day dinner
Sunday lunch - Dad, Joseph, JT, and I ate at Macayos - Father's Day dinner
Sunday night - Olive Garden
Monday night - bowling (what fun!)

Dad and I went on quite a few morning walks with JT. Those were great : )
Dad also went bike riding in the heat. He seemed to enjoy it.
Friday, Dad and Joseph went to a driving range.
Saturday, Dad, Joseph, Blake, and Maury (Sonya's dad) went golfing. I hear Joseph is a great putter.

Dad also put a new toilet seat together, installed a door knob, cleared out our backyard, got my bike ready for a ride, etc. I'll have to think of some other things for him to do next time : ) Just kidding.

JT really enjoyed his grandfather. Boy, did JT ever grow last week! He's now 12 lbs.

Week by Week

It has just dawned on me today that every week is different. What works one week probably won't work the next. It takes me about 3 - 4 days to figure out what works. Last week I could lay my baby down on his tummy and he would be out. I laid him on his tummy today and he would begin crying within 3 minutes.

I think I know what the problem is today. My son is presenting me with messy diapers ALL day long and refuses to take a nap longer than five minutes in protest of his grandpa leaving. That settles it. Grandpa needs to move in with us : )

Colicy & Sleeping

Colicy - burp during the feeding when baby becomes agitated and for ten minutes after each feeding; put Gripe Water in bottle during dinner feeding; if baby wakes up within an hour after he falls asleep, burp again for ten minutes

Sleeping - if baby won't sleep during the day for more than 20 minutes at a time, place him on his belly. You'd be surprised how long he can sleep. Baby will often be cranky if he is over tired. Trust me. I know from personal experience.

Grandpa

My dad's in town for a week. He flew in yesterday : ) After I picked him up from the airport we went to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch with Sonya and Colin. Last night we all went to FEZ's for dinner except Joseph. FEZ's is really yummy. Their lamb chops are the best. Delicious strawberry shortcake too : ) It was made like I've never had it before. JT decided he wanted to eat during lunch and dinner too. I was smart and brought a bottle for dinner. He did better than I thought. I still had to walk and bounce him during both meals though : ) Grandpa got to dote over his grandchildren. He was a big help.