Happy Halloween!

Jack had a wonderful 2nd Halloween. This year we went for a Star Wars theme. Jack was Chewbacca, Kevin was Han Solo, and I got to be Princess Leia. I really wanted to be Padme but decided against it due to the fact that Kevin and Jack's characters are from Episodes IV,V, & VI, whereas Padme is from I, II, & III, and that would just be silly mixing old Star Wars and new Star Wars.

We started the morning off by visiting Kevin at work. He took Jack around for everyone to see. Of course they filled Jack's pouch with candy. Poor babycakes, he can't have candy. Lucky for him, his mom was there to eat it. Afterwards, we picked up my paycheck in our costumes. It wasn't as weird as I thought it was going to be as everyone was dressed up at my work, too. After that, Jack and I picked up my mom from my sister's house and we had breakfast at Nancy P's bakery. Someone told me that Jack was the cutest Ewok he'd ever seen. I corrected him very quickly.

We then came home and relaxed. Once Kevin got off work, he got dressed up and we headed over to Nick and Laura's to see Princess Pippa and Will as Thomas the Train. They looked so cute! Pippa got to go trick-or-treating which delighted her beyond belief. Jack's still too small for it so we came home and passed candy out to the hob-goblins. We had about 8 crowds. I bought way too much candy though. I filled their buckets up, but the bowl of candy never seemed to get smaller! So now I have tons of Snickers (yuck), Milky Ways (blah) and M & M's (Booo!). Looks like Kevin will be the popular one when he takes bags of candy to work.

Before I go, a special congratulations to my friends Summer & Hunter on their own hob-goblin being born on the 29th! His first name: Jack! They have such fantastic taste. Kudos!

Reno Trip

I didn't take any pictures of Jack while he was in Reno, but Lisa did so these ones are from her blog. I'm so glad he was able to go over there and had such a wonderful time!

Laugh & Learn Smart Pony

Kevin and I have been trying to decide what to get Jack for Christmas. Between all of his clothes, toys, and everything in between, it's hard to pick something. However, a few days ago I saw the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Smart Pony. It's pretty basic; The kid hops on and bounces and spins on a pony. But the part that I really like is it is hooked up to the TV so he can interact with it and learn different things like shapes, colors, etc. Most of the reviews that I've read on it are very positive. It has three levels: age 12 month, 18 months, and 24 months, so it looks like it will last him another year as well. Anyway, if anyone has it, I'd love to get your opinion on it!

Dear Pippa...

Dear Pippa,

I'm sorry I threw a toy at you the other day as hard as I could. I was just trying to practice so I can be a football or baseball star one day. Now that I have your cold as punishment and I've wiped my boogers all over my mom, the couch, and the clean laundry she was folding, I've learned the ere of my ways. Who would have known a 30 pound tot could produce so much mucus?

Love,

Jack

Coupons!

Ok, I am a HUGE coupon nut. Ever since I started working at Albertsons, it's become a hobby of mine to find coupons for everything I purchase. Now, my sister-in-law, Laura, made a very good point that you can't use coupons unless they are for stuff you already buy. So, every other Tuesday I buy a newspaper and get the Safeway $10 off coupon which is good at Albertsons (we take competitors coupons). After that, I cut out all the ones from all grocery stores of stuff I use, like milk, eggs, etc. After that, I wait for the Saturday paper which has all the manufacturer coupons. When I'm at work, we have a machine that spits out coupons for our customers. If our customers don't want their coupons we get to have them, so I collect all of those. Then I go online to the websites of the products I buy, such as Pampers, Olay, Colgate, etc. and I print any coupons the website has. Lastly, and my favorite, is going to coupons.com and clipping them from there. Last night Kevin and I went grocery shopping. We bought $196 in food, and I used $84 in coupons and my employee discount bringing the total to around $112. I probably spend about 30 minutes a week collecting ALL of my coupons and it saved me that much money! I really recommend to all of you new moms, old mom, and non-moms to cut cut cut coupons! You won't believe how much money you will save!

Blue Fish

While I was in Reno, I stopped by the VW dealership to see what they could do for me by taking the VW GTI off my hands. Let me tell you a little something about the GTI: The GTI was a car I bought for Jason but when we broke up I became the lucky owner of paying $370 a month for a car that was way over priced. It only had two doors so you can imagine how fun is was getting Jack in and out of it. I also have anxiety and paranoia so every time we went over a bridge I imagined us falling into a lake and me not being able to get to the back seat to save Jack. Oh, and poor Kevin is 6'5" so it was a bit uncomfortable for him to drive it. She was falling apart (literally pieces of her were breaking in my hands) and you can imagine how Kevin and I felt every time we looked at a car that was meant for someone else. We hated it. Wait, I take that back, we LOVE how fast she could go, but we still disliked her. 75,000 miles on her, and if I ever got into an accident with her and Jack was in the back, I don't think he would have lived.

So, off to the dealership I went. I had three cars in mind that I wanted that Kevin and I had been looking at but couldn't even begin to afford. Max, my 22 year old car dealer (he could have sold me a potato sack he was that good), was showing me what he had at the 6 dealerships in Reno that were all under the same owner. Then I saw her... Blue Fish, at least, that's what I call her. She is a 2006 dark blue Jeep Liberty with FOUR doors and four wheel drive. Only 24,000 miles, and a price that we could afford. I took Blue Fish for a test run and it was like we were one on the road. I called Kevin right away who said, "Whatever my baby wants my baby gets". He's a very smart man!

So, the GTI is gone. I had a tear when I said goodbye to her. She was full of crazy memories and some awesome races, but now Blue Fish and I can start a new life together. One that is safer for Jack, big enough for Kevin, and no more paranoia for me. Heck, we could even have a 2nd baby it's so big! Just kidding!

Anyway, I have named my new love Blue Fish. Not sure how Kevin feels about that, but that is what I call her. My best friend Mary, in Reno, has a salt water tank with an exotic fish that she named Blue Fish, so of course it's now the name of my car.

Ok, now that was on Tuesday that I bought her. Yesterday, my mom, Jack, and I are driving back to Bend from Reno. After a few hours on the road, I switch places with my mama so I can nap. Right in the middle of me dreaming about Sarah Palin and what an awesome VP she is going to be, my mother wakes me and tells me Jack spit up just a little and to clean it up. It was just a teaspoon of spit-up. So I say, "Oh Jack Jack! Are you not feeling well?" He seriously looks at me and PROJECTILE VOMITS on me, the back of the passenger seat, himself, his car seat, the seat next to him, and the floor. My new car, my sweet baby Blue Fish! NOOOOO! I start to scream at my mother to pull over and she cuts across traffic like a mad woman (ok, there was no oncoming traffic and the only place to pull over was the other side of the road). We get out and I am dry heaving at the smell. If I see a paper cut I want to pass out, so you can imagine what baby barf does to me. We spend the next 20 minute cleaning the baby, the car, and everything else with baby wipes and laundry. We drove home with a very angry baby for the next three hours with him crying. We had to leave all the windows open as well. I stopped at Walmart the moment we got to Bend and bought cleaner and air fresheners. Poor Jack, he was so miserable. I hope Blue Fish doesn't hold this experience against Jack. She strikes me as the type of girl to hold a grudge. Yes, I know she is just a car, but she still can hold a grudge.

Reno 911

Fun story for all of you. Three nights ago I got my baby back from my mama. Jack Jack has been totally off schedule so instead of going to bed around 7pm -8pm, he's been fighting it and staying up until 10pm or 11pm. Even though you can tell he wants to fall asleep, something inside that little guy is stopping him. So, three nights ago he refused to fall asleep until I drove him around in the car. 

Then the following night, we had the same problem with him. So I put him in my VW at 11pm  and drove him around the ghetto of Reno a little. All of sudden, I look in my rear view mirror and I see blue and red lights flashing. I pull over, roll down my window, turn off the car, and put my hands on the wheel. The officer comes up to me and says in a very scary officer tone:

Officer: "Do you know how fast you were going?"

Me: "No, Sir."

Officer: "You were going 26."

Me: "Oh... Is this a 15 zone?"

Officer: "No, it's a 45."

Doh! I was going almost 20 UNDER the speed limit! Well, that's a first!

Me: "Oh my gosh!"

Officer: "And you were hugging that line; Mam', have you been drinking tonight?"

Me: "OH MY GOSH! NO SIR! I have my baby in the back seat and he wouldn't stop crying so I was driving him around so he'd fall asleep. I'm just so tired."

Remember that scary officer? Yeah, he takes his flashlight and points it in the back seat at Jack, and of course my sweet baby has his bottom lip out and big doe eyes looking at him. All of sudden, Mr. Reno 911 turns into a soft teddy bear:

Officer: "Well hi there little guy! Are you giving your mama a hard time? Hi Buddy! Hello there!"

So, after talking to Jack and explaining to him in a baby voice that he needs to be good for his mama, he tells me to just pick up the pace, stay in the right lane, and have a nice evening.

Lets just say this is the second time I've been pulled over and sweet cheeks in the back gets me out of a ticket. Nice.

I Miss My Baby!

Tuesday we drove to Orinda where I got to spend several awesome days with my aunts. Jack just loves being there and is having a blast. I came to Reno on Thursday, and Jack is still in California with my mom. He is visiting his Great Grandma, who is 90, and his Great Great Aunty Laura, who's somewhere in her 80's, today. He's a total trooper and been so wonderful to everyone. 

But I miss my baby so much. I cried yesterday and this morning thinking about him. I hate not having him with me. I used to drop him off at Lisa's with no problems. I even went on a 4 day bachelorette party once leaving him with my sister! I don't know, something is different and I just want my baby back.

Today is my friend Connie's baby shower. Being a mom, I know what new mothers need and don't need. So, I got her diapers, wipes, baby wash, and a pirate rubber ducky that tells you if the water is too hot for the bath. It was so hard to resist the baby clothes, but I did.

My mom is coming to Reno tomorrow with my Jack. I can't wait! I will have him all to myself Sunday and Monday. Alas, I will be sharing him on Tuesday with Grandma Beautiful when she gets back to town. I've never been a good sharer, but I never want to be one of "those moms" who doesn't let people see their child just because the relationship with the father didn't work out. Sure if they were trashy and bad for Jack, I wouldn't let them see him, but they are wonderful and love him so much. Still, I hate sharing. 

Farewell For Now!

Jack and I are set for our grand adventure to California and Nevada, and we're bringing Grandma Tutu with us! We have a lot packed into 9 days, hopefully we get to see everyone! We will start our trip off by visiting GrAuntie Linda & GrAuntie Michele, followed by Great Grandma Eunice (my mama's mama). I will be leaving my beloved baby behind in California and making my way to Nevada on Thursday. I have tons of plans with all of my friends for the weekend, and Jack will be in Nevada with Grandma Tutu on Monday. Depending on what Grandma Beautiful's plans are (Lisa), she can take him Monday night or have him starting Tuesday morning. Jack has a lot of people to show off for, so please bare with him if he gets a little cranky towards the end! Being that adorable is no easy task.

I will be back to blogging on Thursday the 23rd, so be prepared for lots of stories and pictures! Farewell for now!

Love, Chrissy & Jack Jack

P.S. We love you, Kevin/Dada!!!!

Barney

One of my favorite things about going to Laura's house is watching Pippa sing the "I Love You" song from Barney. She always grabs Will and forces him to hug her and to be a "happy family!" Sweet Pip, oh how we love her so!

Here's a few play dates with the kiddies last week. Will and Jack have this love-hate relationship. As long as there is no food, Jack loves him. But the second Will has something, Jack tries to steal it from him. What an angel pie!

It's Too Cold!

Yesterday, Kevin and I took Jack to the Pumpkin Festival! I was so excited because it was not only free (oh how I love that word!), but it was something that everyone could enjoy... that is until we got there. O... M... G... It was so dang cold! It was only like, a 20 minute drive outside of Bend, but it was at least 15 degrees colder. I had on my long johns even and I was still so cold. Jack did ok for the first few minutes, but then he got too cold and was miserable. His nose turned all pink and he cried and cried until we put him back in the car. I was so disappointed because I wanted Jack to have fun but it just wasn't in the cards. It's ok though, he had a good rest of the day playing with us and eating home made pizza.

Question For You Mom's

So I need some motherly advice, Moms. Jack hasn't used a pacifier for 11 months now. He has no interest in them. However, he loves going to be sucking on a bottle. Even if it's empty he still wants one to fall asleep. I don't want his teeth to rot from sucking on the bottle when he falls asleep, so what do I do? He won't suck on a pacifier, but that boy loves himself a bottle. Any suggestions?

Pumpkin Head

For Halloween, GrAuntie Michele and GrAuntie Linda got Jack an adorable sweatshirt! And being the smart GrAunties that they are, they new size 2T would fit this 1 year old perfectly! GrAuntie Michele also made Jack a pumpkin hat. Look how cute he is in it! Even when Jack cries he's adorable.

Thank you, GrAunties!!!!

Safety First!

Jack taking a nap today on the couch while watching Word World.

When we moved from Reno to Bend, the futon frame we had snapped in half during the move, so Kevin and I had been sleeping on a terrible futon mattress on the floor for a few months. To my delight, he surprised me with a new bed frame, mattress, and box spring! (He works for a company that not only does magazines but has a few radio stations, so he was able to do something called "trade" where he got a fantastic deal on a brand new bed by trading air time with the furniture store). Now that we are a few feet off the ground, Babycakes likes to sit on the bed, then scootch his way down. Then have us pick him back up, put him on the bed, and get back down. He exhausts me sometimes!

So, I remember when I was a kid, I used to love standing on my parent's bed. My mom and dad would tell me to sit down or I could get hurt. I remember thinking, "Pssh! I won't get hurt! They are so silly!" Well, this morning Jack was cuddling with me in our nice new bed and he decides he wants to play so he stood up and started walking around on it. I screamed, "JACK! NO! Get down before you hurt yourself!" And at that moment I realized, I am my parents. I know, I know, I'm very upset as well, folks. Who would have thought, right? Oh, and not only did I get all Ms. Safety with Jack, but I also put socks on him so his feet won't get cold. Look at me! What's happened? Socks? No jumping on the bed? I make me sick!

Sherman Tank

Jack roaring like a lion!

Last night when I picked Jack up from his cousin's house, he had gotten a second wind and wanted to play instead of go to sleep (it was around 9:30pm at this point). Kevin and I decided that since we didn't get to see much of him yesterday, we would play for a little while. Here is the results of playing with Mr. Jack. Enjoy!

My mom likes to refer to Jack as The Sherman Tank. He learned early on that the shortest distance between to points is a straight line. With that said, he doesn't believe in going around people or things when he wants to get somewhere; No, Jackaford believes he can just go right through them. He learned last night if he wants to get through Kevin, he'll have to go around.

Other fun things my tot enjoys doing is taking his toys, my shoes, my cell phone, the remote, whatever, and tossing it over the baby gate. Oh yes, how many times have I been missing something and I'm throwing couch cushions everywhere looking for it, only to find that Mr. Jack threw it down the hall? I'd say 17 times since June.

And here he is pushing his car in a circle. He could push that thing in a circle all day and not think twice about it. Round and round and round... he must get very dizzy.

But who needs fancy toys when you have pillows to throw off the couch? One of Jack's favorite games is to sit on the couch, be buried in pillows, and then throw them onto the floor! YAY!

I didn't get any pictures, but Jack spent about 7 hours at his cousin's last night. They have a cool fort in their living room that he just loves! We are going to build one here for him. His Aunt Jessica chased him there, then he'd pop his head out, laugh, go back in... it was very fun for everyone.