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Thursday, August 23, 2012

our life (through pictures)

With me starting work this past week and everything that coincides with that, as well my Master's classes starting back up at EKU, we've felt like we've barely had time to breathe!  Thus, I'll give you an update about all that we've been up to through pics...

Enjoy :)

just checkin' my email real quick...

ya know, posted up...

morning pow-wows with Harvey

lookin' so sweet :)

love this stylish little diva :)

first-day flowers from my M.i.L. and F.i.L.!

happiest. baby. alive.

yes, he IS always this smiley.  A.L.W.A.Y.S. and we LOVE it!

afternoon chat & debriefing time with Mommy.  We discuss our day.  Yes, seriously.

hanging out with Cousin Shawnee after school - waiting on Mommy to get home

he CANNOT get enough of his fingers and cannot get them all in fast enough.  We caught him mid stuff here and mid gag...oops!  HA!

Daddy got to go for a ride in a racecar!

"getting" his cousin

we have FOUND the feet!

we LOVE looking at the baby in the phone!


baaaaaby LOVE!

someone is holding his own bottle!  He hasn't quite got it down yet, but gives a valiant effort with each one

lovin' the ducky jammy jams

BIG boy sittin' in Daddy's chair!

seriously investigates everything!

eatin' some PEAS!!!

MA!  Give me MORE peas!

loooooooves peas!  they are his favorite!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Where I'm supposed to be...

Take a moment and think of an old-school "school" building...like one you see in the good ole movies....waaaaay back when.  What do you see?  What images are symbolic and/ or synonymous with that iconic school?  Hardwood floors?  Brick walls?  People that have been there for years and years to tell the tales of fond memories past?  HUGE hallways?  Several levels?  Enormous picture windows?  Carefully articulated architecture?  Years and years of history characterized through decorative displays?  Check...check...check...chhhheeeecccckkkk yes, yes, yesssssss to allllll of the above for my new school!  It. is. the. most. perfect. school. ever.   From the moment I walked in the doors, I was head over heels in love.  Most people know that I love all things vintage.  I love things that have a story and tell a story in and of themselves.  While these things may be old, their age paints a better picture for me and I think they are beautifully unique and uniquely beautiful.  To me, vintage equals charisma.  This school foots that bill and then some.  It IS all that AND a bag of chips too and I absolutely could not be happier.  But most of those things are all exterior...and truth be told, when you get down to the heart of the matter, none of that really matters - what matters is how I feel about being there and how I feel when I'm there...and let me just tell you, I feel great!

All of the heartaches, worries, fears, angers, tears, and anxieties up until this point have been worth it because I have been led here to my current location and can say with 100% certainty that I am EXACTLY where I am supposed to be.  It is a breath of fresh air and it. feels. exquisite!  The school is perfect, the kids are amazing, the teachers are captivating, and the people are the nicest, kindest, and most considerate, caring, and HONEST human beings I've ever been around in one place.  To say it feels like heaven is an understatement.  I just accepted the job Monday, but I already feel like a wave of calm has settled over me and I can finally breathe; it is exhilarating and refreshing.

On that note, it must be said: being away from my precious boy is certainly not easy and I honestly didn't think I could do it as the thought alone made me sick, but I know now that loving where you are and who you work with can really help those anxieties subside.  I am proof of that matter because I have left him in the care of my mom and I have survived...and so has he.  Obviously, I have a deep comfort with my mother keeping Jack during the day, but also having loving, caring, supportive, and understanding people you work with increases that comfort level tenfold.  I know without question, that I would most definitely NOT be feeling this way about leaving my sweet babe if I were to still be at my most recent school prior to this.  The negativity, insecurities, judgments, paranoia riddled atmosphere, micromanaging, insensitivity, bullying, and overall lack of consideration for and understanding that others have lives outside of work would have been a cancer to my emotional and mental stability at this time.  I know, right?  How could anyone be expected to thrive in that surrounding?  I could not handle ALL THAT and leaving my boy too...it'd be far too much.  Naturally!

My new work environment is none of those things.  The people are understanding, they are supportive, they are laid-back, they are caring, they are helpful, they are encouraging, and most importantly, they are so considerate and non-judgmental of others.  Thus, I can say with absolute certainty, everything happened EXACTLY how it was supposed to.  I am actually grateful for where I am and have come to realize that a favor was done for me in losing my job.  I...(yes ME)...I got lucky.  I have moved on to bigger, brighter, and farrrrr better.  The whole past few months, I kept thinking how things were really pretty crappy (and truth be told, that happening always will be), but now it's all in perspective because I can assure you that I am so, so happy!  THIS is precisely what I need and where I should be at this juncture in my life.  I get to love my sweet babe AND love my sweet job!   Nothing seems sweeter to me :)
To all of you who reassured me that God has a plan for me...you. were. right!  Thank you for reminding me of the purpose and for helping me to keep the faith.  You helped me stay on the path to here and I am so appreciative.  Would I trade the heartache?  Yes.  Could I go without the incessant worries of the future financial stability of my family?  Yes.  But could I go through it all again to be exactly where I am now?  Absolutely.  Life is good.

...and it's good because I am where I'm supposed to be :)

Thursday, August 9, 2012

the Food Diaries - part 1


well, our little shark man met solid food yesterday and it has been interesting, to say the least!  He most definitely did not know what was about to hit him and seemed to be baffled by the change in texture...ha!  It is obvious that it will take some time for him to adjust to his new way of eating.  I was unaware that babies thrust their tongue out initially to eat, so learning to eat solid foods is a process in training the tongue to go back in the throat.  For the next several weeks, we will be introducing new foods to our little guy and I am just praying all goes well and he gets acclimated as soon as possible!

Here is the video of his very first bite of solid food (I had to take the video myself as I was feeding him because it had to happen while B was at work and thus I wanted to send it to him so that he wouldn't miss out on the experience)...




We have decided that we will be making Jackman's food as well.  There are many reasons why, but we really like knowing what all is in the foods that are going in our child's body.  It's very healthy for him!  Equally important, it is waaaaaaay cheaper!  I did some research about them and then went to the grocery and made a list of all of the stage 1 foods.  Then, I headed straight over to the produce and freezer aisles and stocked up on fresh and frozen goodies.  I bought fresh apples, bananas, pears, and peaches, and family size frozen bags of: sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, peas, and green beans...ALL for around $12!!!!!  Next, B bought me a "Baby Bullet Food Processor" and I simply boil the foods, mix with appropriate amount of water in the processor and voila, fresh food!  Not to mention, I have at least 2 months supply of food FOR LESS THAN $12!  Can you believe that?!!!?  ONE thing of baby food is usually round $1!  I mean, it's a no brainer for us and I really enjoy making the food for our boo bunny!  To store it, we make it and freeze it in special made ice-cube trays and then just pop them out and put the different foods in labeled ziploc bags in our garage freezer.  So, soooooo EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY!

this is our very first batch...PEAS!!!  This batch will feed him for over a week...hollllerrrr!!!
Now, the hard part is getting him to like everything!  Hopefully he will...I was quite the picky eater as a child (I outgrew it), and B is still pretty picky as an adult.   Today, he was MUCH better than yesterday so I forsee it getting better and better with much practice and experience.

Now, I can't leave you without some of the most recent pics of our Toots man :)
he's so silly :)


the cutest shark I've ever seen, if I do say so myself


isn't this a typical man right here?!!?

he knows what's up when Mommy puts him in this chair and well, he's NOT gonna have it!


his Aunt Prissy got him this outfit for Christmas last year

girls have ruffle butt booties, Toots has cows on the booty :)

this was after his 4-month check-up

the nurse gave him a sticker and while I hate that the shots hurt him, there's just something so precious about band-aids on a boo-boo :)

precious babe :)

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

4 months for Jackbaby!

Friday, August 3rd 2012, marked Baby Jack being 4 months old!  Holy cow!  Look who's 1/3 a year old!  In terms of being a baby, he's so legit...he's the real deal Katie Holderfield...ha!  You're welcome, Aunt KK.


Stats - Jack Robert Thomas - 4 months
Weight: 13lbs. 7 oz. (25 percentile)
Height: 25in. (50th percentile)
Head: 42cm (50th percentile)

Our guy handled the doctor and his shots like a champ!  He was laughing, and cooing, and babbling, and flirting up a storm with all the ladies.  Everyone was talking about what a little social fella we have and boy do I love that!  He was really working up the charm.  When he got his shots, he let out a yelp, then laughed, and then didn't know whether to laugh or cry...it was precious, per usual!  We found out that he's a long, lean, smilin' (which we knew this, already) machine and all we heard is how beautiful, perfect, healthy, and right on track he is...music to our ears!  And guess who gets to start big boy food?!!!?  Watch your back folks, little Jackie is moving. on. up.



LIKES/ DISLIKES: looooooooves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but dislikes most other Disney Channel shows; loooooooves any type of thing that rattles, lights-up, or makes noises; likes to smile, laugh, and make noises himself; likes being on his back now if someone is sitting and interacting with him; likes to sleep AND eat; loves his rings, monkey, and owl hanging on his car-seat; dislikes having hiccups, but they are becoming less and less frequent; likes baths and doesn't even care if we spray him square in the face with the water; likes looking at "the baby" in camera phones or mirrors; loves hamming it up and flirting with everyone; loves being fussed over; dislikes if attention is not on him; love, love, looooooves sucking his thumb (eek!). To be honest, there's not too much he actually dislikes as he is pretty go with the flow and adaptable to most situations!  (LOVE!)
"I'm gonna get you, Harvey..."

FIRSTS: staying overnight with Mamaw and Papaw while Mommy and Daddy were out of town at a wedding; staying overnight AT Nanny and Poppy's; playing and standing up in his exersaucer; holding and shaking toys himself; hanging out by the pool, under the umbrella in his chair; everything going in the mouth.

CLOTHES: can still fit in several of his 0-3months outfits, but can also wear almost all of his 3-6 months clothes too.  It is mind boggling now to look at these outfits fitting him that I once thought looked enormous AND putting away a bunch of other clothes that are too small.  Our boy is growing, y'all!

DIAPERS: size 1, Huggies
we now see what he gets from me...the talkies.  I see many a "talkative" comments in the conduct department in our future :)

MOVEMENT: rolling, rolling, rolling over!  Also, it is crazy, but when he's on his stomach, he is quite the scooting machine!  B is insistent upon this as crawling, but we are a bit away from that!
"I warned you..."

TRICKS: Jackman ooos, coos, and "talks" all. the. time...LOVE!  His hand-eye coordination is really developing as he responds to things in front of him, grabs them, and then E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. GOES. IN. THE. MOUTH.  He also holds his head up quite well and is pushing down with his legs and standing and bouncing if you hold your arms under his.  It is so, so neat to watch him discover things in the world around him and play with, interact with, respond to, bat, and swing at toys!


PERSONALITY: He is such a little sweetie and laughs and giggles and smiles all. the. time which we love of course!  His laugh is hands down, THE MOST mellifluous sound to our ears.  He is so, so happy and such a ball of sunshine and hams it up for everyone.  If you smile at him, he'll smile at you...just the other day I was in Wal-Mart and random people were looking at him and he was just a flirtin' away!

someone does NOT fancy Mommy's camera flash...
EATING: 4-4.5oz. every 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  3 hours is a stretch if he only gets 4ounces.  Our hungry lil' feller will let you know when it's time to eat and then it's back to business as usual with him being chipper.  Depending on how tired he is, he'll eat anywhere from 4 to 6 ounces at bedtime.

SLEEPING: Holy moly, has this kid got it D.O.W.N, DOWN, DOOOOWWN!!!  His bedtime is anywhere between 7-8PM and I say "between" because he will let you know if he's not gonna make it until 8. Then, he wakes up between 7:30 and 8:30a.m.  Yes, you heard me correctly...little buddy is quite the sleeper!!  YAAAAY!  Sometimes (about 1 or 2 days a week), he'll even go right back to sleep after he wakes up until around 10ish when I HAVE TO WAKE HIM UP.
"Mommy, this is getting old...I'll just watch my fan instead"

SCHEDULE: Jack has kind of fine-tuned his own perfect version of a schedule for him.  It is crazy that a little 4 month old can get himself adjusted accordingly and proceeds to sleep through the night.  I mean, crrr-aaaaa-AAAAAA-zzzzzzzyyyy!  Most days, he wakes up around 8 and then we have an eat, play, sleep 3-hour rotation schedule from then.  Um yea, little buddy adjusted himself to that...(ya know, what we were frantically trying to stick to way back when?)...on. his. own.  SERIOUSLY.  Love.

NICKNAMES: Toots, Bubby-Wubby (or just Bubby), Wubby Wooster, Baby Jack, Jackman, J-man, Jackrabbit, Cookie Monster
apparently, it's a rough life being 4 months old

FUN FACTS: Baby Jack still sends a picture text message every single day to his Mamaw.  It has become part of our daily routine to wake up, eat, and then take a pic to send to Mamaw!  Jackman's hair still seems to be falling out and is much, MUCH lighter than it originally was.  Are we gonna have a blondie?!?  Time will soon tell, I suppose.  His eyes are getting lighter and lighter from dark blue.  He certainly knows who people are in his life and we love seeing him responding upon recognizing us.  Last week, we started a new tradition of "face-timing" with the Morel's (Aunt Sis, Uncle Joe, and Cousins Spence-a-roo and JilliBean).  Finally, Jack has several different laughs, but one of them is my absolute FAVORITE: it kinda sounds like a little old lady who has smoked for a long time...random and weird, yes...but it just sounds so funny to hear it come out of this cute little Toot!

WHAT'S COMING UP ON OUR SCHEDULE:
**Daddy's 30th birthday - (August 5th)
**Our first trip to Mamaw and Papaw's in Indy (August 10th, 11th, 12th)
**Mamaw's birthday (August 13th)
**Aunt Priss officially becomes a SENIOR in high school...holy Toledo! (August 9th)
**day we found out about having a little Toots (August 14th)
**Cousin Shawnee's first day of 1st grade (August 15th)
**Mommy possibly? going back to school (August 15th)
**Nanny and Poppy's 39th anniversary (August 18th)


none too impressed with the photography session

"got you, Harvey!"


doing everything in his power to avoid my camera flash