End of the week thoughts...

This has been a crazy week and I am glad for it to end!  I know I said that things would finally be calming down around here, but I guess I was wrong.

We have had the normal things, homework, bible study, CA duties.  Plus, we have two events this Saturday night (we are going to have to split up to fulfill commitments).   Plus, I signed on to work extra hours at the library this week (to try to make up for missing work for Latin Day and Boston).

I would love some baby advice/thoughts.  Jack normally sleeps from 7:30/7:45 until 7 a.m.  Sometimes he wakes up a little earlier (6:30/6:45) if he hears me getting up, taking a shower, etc.  But the past week or so, he has been waking up at 5:30.  We can usually get him to fall back asleep for another fourty five minutes, but then at 6:15, he's up and crying.  So I've been feeding him early, which is fine, but I don't know if that's really the problem.  I honestly don't know what the problem is...daylight savings?  hunger?  teething?

So has anyone had any problems with this?  My big fear is that I am not producing enough food to keep him full all night...could that be possible?

Midweek Confessions

It's time for Midweek Confessions!  I am linking up with "E, Myself, and I."

* Friday at Latin Day, Jack was practicing walking (while holding my hands) and hit the gym floor hard.  He had a pretty nasty bruise for a few days.  I felt so bad, but I was also so embarrassed that I let him fall in front of all of my professors!  What kind of mother am I?

* I then proceeded to call the pediatricians and leave a message for the nurse.  Great--I have become that mother who calls over the smallest things.  I always claimed I would not do that!

* Last week, E, the link up host, left a comment that she loves Bech and my names--made my day!

* Sometimes I go to my humor board on Pinterest and laugh at all my pins.

* I just noticed that there is spit up on my shoe.  Gross.  But I have yet to make any effort to clean it off.  Oh well...

Ya'll should join in...it's very cathartic!

life lately

We have been so busy this past week!  But it has been a good busy.

On Wednesday, one of my good friends from high school, Liz Anne, came for a short visit.  We had fun eating, talking, sitting outside in the unseasonably warm weather, and playing cards.  Liz Anne is one of those friends that I can just pick up again with, no matter how long it's been since we last talked, and I love that!

Thursday night, we had a semi impromptu cookout with some neighbors and friends--lots of fun!

 Friday was Latin Day.  Latin Day is just like JCL (Junior Classical League) in the South.  The Latin high school students in Vermont come to UVM for the morning.  There are skits, displays, a probatio (quiz bowl), and recitations.  This years theme was constellations.  To get out of dressing in a costume (I'm not a big costume person), I put Jack in a cow outfit.  He was a baby Taurus.

My little cow!

The grad students manned the t-shirt table.

Jack and I went out to lunch with some classics people, then headed home for a nap (I took one, too!).  When Bech got home from work, he woke us up to walk down to Citizen Cider with some friends.  Their hard cider is amazing!

Friday night I went to dinner with my friend Amy (she passed her comps!) then met up with Katie to watch "The Hunger Games."

Saturday was spent relaxing, cleaning, and doing homework.

Sunday we had our church plant group over for lunch.  Bech cooked some local beef, and we made tacos...so good!  Then Bech and I curled up on the couch to catch up on some Parks and Rec.

Today it's back to being cold Vermont.  We enjoyed our warm weather (I wore shorts twice last week), but today is going to be in the low 30's.  There was even some snow on the ground!  I am looking forward to a calm, slow week.

9 Months

Sweet Jack is 9 months old!

I am putting this post up a few days late, but I only took this picture 1 day late.

No clue on how much Jack weighs.  He has his 9 month check up in a couple of weeks, so we will know then.  My guess is about 22 pounds.  He is so tall, but he has slimmed down a little.  He wears 9 to 12 month clothes (he has a few 6 to 9 month clothes he can still fit in--especially the smocked outfits).

He sleeps from about 7:30 p.m. until 7 a.m.--although lately he has been waking up a little early, like 6:30 or 6:45.  I think he is still readjusting after all the travel and visitors.  He has not been the best napper lately.  He nurses (or takes a bottle at daycare) four times a day, and eats solid three times a day.  The past few weeks we have been giving him more "table foods."  He loves hummus, guacamole, bread...let's be honest--Jack loves anything edible!

Jack started crawling this month (3/9).  Once he started moving, he did not stop!  He can already pull himself up on everything and can crawl up the stairs (with supervision, of course!).  He is fast!

And with the moving comes attitude.  Now that Jack can reach almost anything he could want, he isn't very happy when you take that away from him.  We will have to work on that...

Still just two teeth and no sign of any more!

Jack loves music.  He loves to crawl over to the stereo and put a cd on.  Then he will just stand there and rock back and forth dancing.  He also loves to sing along with music.

Here is Jack--on the go!

He said his first word this past week..."Dada."  He has been saying it for a few weeks, but it mostly just sounded like babbling.  But this week he has started saying it if we ask.  And he has been saying it to Bech.  Too sweet.

Jack traveled a bunch this past month.  He and I flew down to New Orleans and spent a few days in Baton Rouge.  He loved seeing his two grandmothers, one of his great-grandmothers, and his Aunt KK.  Then my family came to visit, and we spent a weekend in Boston.  He was a trooper.  He also got to enjoy his first frozen yogurt!  

Likes:  his "lovey," eating, music, being read to

Dislikes:  not getting his way!

Jack is absolutely the sweetest little boy.  Every day I am so thankful to have him as a part of my life!

And finally, for comparison...

Who is this big ole boy?  Everyday he looks less and less like a baby!

Midweek Confessions

I'm linking up again this week with "E, Myself, and I" for Midweek Confessions.

* I am starting a diet today.  So I finished off the ice cream in my freezer last night.  Makes total sense, right?  I mean, I don't need any distractions so I might as well eat it before hand.

* My class today got cancelled and I am upset about that.  Seriously...who get's upset about a cancelled class?  But I am prepared for it and I would like to go and learn.  Oh well...

* I love the show "Dance Moms."  I totally judge people who watch Jersey Shore, Real Housewives, and whatever that stupid Kardashian show is called, but yet I love me some Abby Lee Miller.  And even though Maddie is a better dancer, I like watching Chloe dance more.  She's just a better performer, I think.  Anyone else watch the show?

* I mentioned that I had Pinkberry yogurt for the first time in my last post.  But I didn't mention the fact that ate it 4 times over 48 hours.  Um...that's a little ridiculous!  At least one time it was for a meal...

See--Jack likes Pinkberry, too!

Settling back down...

We are back from Boston and actually have a sort of calm.  We have been so busy this past few weeks, and we are going to be so busy again at the end of this semester.  I am just going to try to relax (well, not TOO much...I still have school work!) and enjoy this time.

We had a wonderful time in Boston this past weekend.  My paper/talk went well enough.  We walked the Freedom Trail (although not all the way to Bunker Hill).  And we ate and shopped!

Jack was wonderful...I am always impressed by how sweet and easy he is in new situations.  He had one night where he cried a LOT, but he was having stomach issues.  Poor guy!

Here are some pictures from the trip:

Bech, Jack, and I took a coffee break at Cafe Vittoria, in the North End.

This was one of Jack's many stroller naps of the weekend.

The weather was beautiful!  In fact, it's still beautiful...tomorrow will be in the 80's!

After giving him lots of tastes of our Pinkberry, we decided it was time to let Jack have his first cone.  Of course, Bech helped him with the ice cream and ate the actual cone.

I think he liked it!

Midweek Confessions

 I skipped Midweek Confessions last week because of the job interview, but I'm back this week!  Here's the link to the host site.

* You know those moms/families who bring a fussy baby to eat at a restaurant?  Um, well I have become that mom.  Between going to Baton Rouge and my family coming here, we have eaten out a lot.  And my normally sweet baby has had his fussy moments.  No crying, which is good, but lots of throwing puffs on the ground.  Oh well, we left good tips...that makes it all better, right?

* I am presenting a paper Friday morning at a conference, and I am TERRIFIED.  You would think after doing debate and speech all through high school, teaching, and various other events where I have had to speak, I would be over it.  I mean, seriously, I am just reading the paper.  That's it.  But still, terrified!  Any one else hate speaking in public?

* I have a major crush on Ben from Parks and Recreation.  I love him, and I love Leslie and him together!

* I buy canned baby food.  Some of you may be thinking that this is a silly thing to confess or feel bad about.  But I really wanted to make Jack's baby food.  Buying cans or packets feels like such a waste.  And, yeah, we recycle the cans, but not buying at all would be better than recycling.

But I tried making it for a couple of weeks, and I never could get the consistency right on the veggies.  So we just started buying it all canned.  I do cloth diapers, so at least I am being earth friendly on that front!  I guess when you are a student and you work while being a mom, you can't do everything the way you want!  But I wish I could.

Can't wait to read everyone else's confessions!

Randoms...

My mom and sister are up in Vermont for spring break, so I will just do a short post of randoms...

* This ad was on my facebook side page yesterday.  Really?  This is like the creepiest picture I have ever seen.  Yes, if your child has alien blue eyes, she might need a therapist.

*  Ansley and my Mom are loving spending time with buddy boy, and I think he is enjoying all of the attention!

We have been shopping (I finally spent some of my Christmas money!) and have eaten at a few good restaurants around here.  Jack has been pretty adaptable

(sorry for the quality of this pic--it's from my mom's iphone!)

* We have a crawler!  Jack has been sooo close to crawling for a week, but he finally started crawling on Friday.  And I am embarrassed to say that he started crawling for an...iphone :(  He loves to play with my mom's phone, so we set it out a foot in front of him, and he crawled right towards it.  Uh oh...

* This weekend we are headed to Boston for my conference paper.  Anyone have any things we HAVE to see?  (Ashley, thoughts?)

Next Year...

I hate the not-knowing.  I am a planner and I like to know everything.  I like to have everything figured out.  So not knowing for sure what our plans our for next year has been a huge stresser!  I need to start looking for a place to live!  I need a job!

But now, we have a plan!  This past week, I flew down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for a job interview.  Jack and I got into New Orleans at 11 p.m.  I interviewed and taught a few classes on Tuesday.  And Wednesday morning, I was offered the job!  I signed the contract Wednesday afternoon.  We are headed to Baton Rouge this summer, and I will be teaching middle school Latin at a private school there.

Bech and I talked and prayed about it a lot, and we both felt like this would be a good job for  me.  And then, after spending time at the school, I just really wanted to work there.  It is a sweet, sweet school.  I had already accepted the job and was about to sign the contract, when the middle school principal and I met the headmaster quickly.  The headmaster turned out to be my college minister's (Chip Welch) dad.  Seriously?  I know that this school is the right place for us next year!

So now we are starting to look at houses and apartments for next year.  We are both so excited to be back in the South and back near family!

Leaving on a jet plane...

Jack and I are heading out in just a few hours.  Whoa, am I nervous!  I don't particularly like flying; I feel like it's a necessary evil.  And flying by myself with an almost 9 month old?  Hm, not on my list of favorite things. 

But I know it will be fine.  Jack is such a sweetheart and will (hopefully!) be wonderful on the flights.  If y'all think of it, please say a prayer tomorrow for me.  I have a day long interview (which includes teaching two Latin classes!).

Here are a few pictures I took yesterday.  Bech is the master at getting Jack to laugh!

I just love him!

Jack's latest trick is blowing raspberries...he is quite proud of himself!

Things I'm Loving Right Now...

This is a busy week/weekend.  I am prepping for my interview (Tuesday!  Prayers would be appreciated.) and working on a conference paper for the 16th.  Since I'm pretty sure y'all have no desire to hear about Latin or Greek, I will share some things I am loving right now...

1.  Parks and Recreation

Bech and I started watching this show a few weeks ago, and we LOVE it.  Leslie is one of the most lovable characters ever.  We are at the beginning of season 3, and I am ready for Ben and her to get together already!

2.  Sonic

Since I will be in the South this next week (but only for a few days), I am ready to have some Sonic.  I love (and miss!) Diet Cherry Limeades.

3.  Purity facewash

My mom (or technically, Santa) got me some of this facewash from Sephora for Christmas.  I love it!  It smells so good.

4.  This cute movie

It makes me smile!

5.What list would be complete without this little stinker?

Jack and I are going to have some quality time this next week.  I am flying down and back by myself with him.  I have done this before a couple of times, but now he is a lot more active.  I am going to have my hands full!  But I know he will be a sweetheart through it all.