Look Mom, no hands!

If you were a fly on our walls, there is one conversation you would hear at least 3 times a week.

Mandi "Jacob, don't be so rough with him."

Jacob "Mandi, relax. He's a tough boy, he can handle it."

Mandi "Maybe when he's a little older, but he's too little."

Jacob "Mitchell, tell your mommy that you're not a wimpy little boy. Tell her that you're big enough to handle it."

Yes - Jacob is constantly pestering the poor little guy to no end. Sound familiar, Katy? :) He used to pester Mitchell to the point that Mitchell would start bawling and then Jacob would feel bad. Either Mitchell's getting used to it, or old enough to handle it because he seems to he liking it more these days.

Maybe I am a tad bit too protective, but it is wrong to be worried about putting a 3 month old up on your shoulders? Apparently Mitchell doesn't mind much :) Aren't they a cute little pair?!?!

How can you say no to a face like this!?!?

This is Mitchell's "please, please, please feed me" face. Isn't it pathetic? Obviously by his size, we have a hard time saying no to him. I have a feeling this little pouty lip is going to haunt Jacob and I for years to come :)

Bumbo seat

Here is a picture of Mitchell in one of his favorite toys - his bumbo seat. Since he was tiny (and yes, he was actually tiny not too long ago), he has wanted to sit upright rather than being cradled like a baby. This bumbo seat lets him sit up all on his own! It's also one of my favorite toys because I can sort mail/fold laundry/cook lunch/etc. right next to him on the counter and he'll entertain himself for a long time.

3 months old!!!!!!!!!!

Look at our big boy! Mitchell turned 3 months old today! He has literally changed so much in jut the last week. One of the books I read called the first 3 months the "fourth trimester". I believe it! He is so much easier! He doesn't seem to need nearly as much sleep (even up to last week, he couldn't stay awake for more than an hour at a time). He's now taking only about two naps a day and is eating every 3 hours instead of every 2. We're working on stretching that out to 4 hours. Now if he'd only sleep through the night!

He is doing GREAT at Lindseys! Her boys (2 & 1 years old) are so cute with him. Lindsey said they have taken a big liking to him. They have a little boy doll that they've had for some time that they've never had any interest in playing with....and now all of the sudden now that Mitchell has been coming over, they have begun playing with it when he's not there.

Mandi's first day back at work

Well, I survived my first day back at work. Jacob went with me to drop him off for moral support and it went off without a hitch. There was a cute little "welcome back" sign hanging in my office with my co-worker's signatures on it when I returned. It was really nice! I was actually kind of enjoying my adult time and did really good all morning. But then I looked down and saw that it wasn't even noon yet, I really started to wonder if I could stick it out until 3pm. Jacob and I carpooled and if he wouldn't have been there, I think I might have caved and left earlier than 3pm! But I got a bit busier after lunch and the next time I looked down at the clock, it was already 2:30...time to start wrapping up. If I can keep the 9-3 schedule going, I really think I will be happy with the arrangement.

Mitchell received a glowing report from Lindsey (the gal watching him for us). He is continuing to spread out the times between feedings and naps, in fact he only ate 4 times today! That is a definite first. Maybe his chubby little rolls will start disappearing one by one. Now don't get me wrong, I don't want them all to go away, but I think he could lose a few :)

I'm not sure that I blogged this yet - but Mitchell started LAUGHING on Easter Sunday for the first time. Oh, it is ADORABLE! He did it once or twice Sunday morning, but when we were giving him a bath on Sunday afternoon, he did it a bunch right in a row. Jacob ran to grab the video camera to try to capture it, but we couldn't make him do it on que. Anyway, when we picked Mitchell up, Lindsey was telling us about how he was laughing at her...and that was the first time I REALLY wished that I would've been with him instead of at work. We brought him home and I tried desperately to make him laugh for me....but to no avail...even during his bath. Doesn't he know that he's supposed to save his laughs for me!?!?! :(

Some bunny loves Mitchell

Here are some pictures of Mitchell's first Easter. We had a cute little outfit that he wore to church and most of the day and we kept intending to take pictures but didn't get around to it in time. He had kind of a rough day. He's been on a pretty good routine lately of eating every 2ish hours and sleeping for 45 minutes out of every 3 hours, but we knew he'd turn a corner and start eating and sleeping less....we think today have been the beginning of that corner. He went almost 4 hours between feedings once! That is a first during the day! He did not want to nap on his normal nap schedule. It was a bit frustrating because he was tired enough to be fussy, but not quite tired enough to want to sleep. It makes me even more hesitant to hand him off to someone else tomorrow...but I have no choice. Wish me luck :)

Biggest Lil' Husker Fan

I went to breakfast with some girlfriends this morning and just as our breakfast arrived, Jacob called my cell phone. Every time Jacob calls my cell phone when he's watching Mitchell, my heart skips a beat because I just know I'm going to hear Mitchell bawling in the background as soon as I answer. In fact, I still have a text saved from the night I went to bookclub and left Jacob and Mitchell home together. Here it is "What is the solution for non stop crying (including while feeding him)?" I mean, how do I respond to that text?!?!?! Back to my breakfast story - to my pleasant surprise, there was no bawling in the background when I answered this time. Instead Jacob was calling to find out where the camera was. When I arrived home later, I found out why Jacob was so anxious to take Mitchell's picture. He had put on matching Nebraska shirts. I thought it was very cute...but I was also amused by the fact that he couldn't find any pants for Mitchell (eventhough they were folded neatly in a drawer), so he picked the only "pants" that he could find out of the closet to pair with the Nebraska shirt, which was a pair of overalls. Of course, he couldn't put the t-shirt on UNDER the overalls or else it would risk not being able to read it....so the t-shirt was over the overalls. Mitchell didn't seem to mind!

Happy Easter!

Mitchell had a good time meeting the Easter bunny. The little lady working the Easter bunny booth said "You can either set him next to Easter bunny or you can set him in his lap." I said "Um...he'll need to sit in his lap, he can't sit up by himself." She said "How old IS he?" She was shocked when I told her he was only 12 weeks! Yes, he needed a little assistance sitting...but not smiling. :)

Touchdown!!!!

This is a picture of Mitchell's favorite sleeping position. He puts his arms up like a referee signaling a touchdown. He's done it since he was first born and even when he was in utero, he always had his hands up by his head (in fact sometimes it was tough to see him in the sonograms through his hands). Jacob and I get a big kick out of it. :) We had to get a picture to capture it before he quits doing it. I picture him saying "Hey...I'm a big guy, I need space to spread out."

Looking more grown up every day!

Isn't he looking more and more grown up every day?!?! He just got up a nap and was looking so cute to me, so I had to snap a few pics. I think this camera might be the best investment we've made in a long time!!! I can not wait to see how good of pictures it can take outdoors this spring!

Yes, it's a forward. You can't delete, but you can choose not to read! :)

I got one of those email surveys....rather than forwarding it on to people that don't have time to read it, I thought I'd just blog it!

1. What is your occupation? This week my occupation is stay-at-home mom, but this is the last week of maternity leave, so next week I'll be back to being a boring ol' auditor again :)

2. What color are your socks right now? Black

3. What are you listening to right now? The monitor - Mitchell is napping, so I'm waiting for him to wake up.

4. What was the last thing that you ate? A pear - still dieting : )

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yep - my dad made sure we could all drive stick shifts

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Ummm...probably mango

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Jacob - he's still out of town

8. How old are you today? 30..yikes!

9. Favorite drink? If I had my ultimate choice, it would be wine....but I don't get much these days.

10. What is your favorite sport to watch? Baseball - see number 15

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yep - dyed it red for the past few years and now my son was born with RED hair!?!?! Explain that one?

12. Pets? Tex - dog, Baby - cat

13. Favorite food? Peanut butter & ice cream, gave it up for lent - easter couldn't come any sooner!!!

14. Last movie you watched? 27 dresses - I watched a pirated version on my laptop while feeding Mitchell - ha :)

15. Favorite Day of the year? Royal's Opening Day - usually its the first really nice day of the year. Who can beat sitting at the K drinking a beer enjoying the sun after being cooped up indoors all winter?!?!

16. What do you do to vent anger? Cry

17. What was your favorite toy as a child? Sit n' spin

18. What is your favorite season? Fall

19. Hugs or kisses? hugs!

20. Cherry or Blueberry? Blueberry

21. Do you want your friends to email you back? Yes, I know several of you will cringe when you see ANOTHER one of these come through....but I like them, so humor me!

22. When was the last time you cried? Sunday - started talking to Jacob about having to leave Mitchell next week :(

23. What is on the floor of your closet ? Purses

24. Favorite smells? Jacob's face lotion & Mitchell's breath - I'm weird, I know :)

25. Who inspires you? Lots of people inspire me - here are a few
I'm inspired by Jacob's passion, motivation and willingness to tackle anything (running a half marathon even though he didn't have time to train, teaching himself to install tile rather than being overwhelmed by his ignorance - which is what I have done)

I'm inspired by my sister's (Kelli) ability to make friends EVERYwhere she goes without being a cameleon (changing to fit in to different situations). Never met a person that didn't like her.

I'm inspired by my mom's work ethic. She gives 110% to everything (even if it's helping finish MY basement) and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty.

I'm inspired by my dad's money management. He earned a modest living and still managed to retire at 55.

Our pastor is also very inspirational to me. I leave church each week feeling like there has got to be something I can do to make this world a better place...but I'm usually snapped back into reality by the time we reach the car and start talking about what to make for dinner.

Someday, I'm going to combine all of these insprirations and use Jacob's passion and willingness to tackle anything, my sister's ability to make friends to talk others into helping me, my mom's work ethic to convince myself not to shy away from hard work and my dad's money management to find the funds to do something wonderful. I just need to figure out what it is going to be :)

26. What are you afraid of? failure

27. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? cheese!

28. Favorite car? Hmmm...not really into cars

29. Favorite cat breed? the only one I have...persian

30. Number of keys on your key ring? 5 - my car, jacob's car, my dad's house, my house, mailbox

31. How many years at your current job? will be 7 years this August....man, is that possible?!?!?

32. Favorite day of the week? typically I'd say Thursdays, but starting next week I'm going to stay home with Mitchell on Wednesdays, so I'm thinking it'll soon be Wednesdays

33. How many states have you lived in? Two, Kansas & Missouri....I don't stray too far :)

I'm a weeeee bit O'Irish

Happy St. Patty's Day! I know Mitchell will likely kill me for making him take this picture someday, but I just couldn't resist. Jacob and I were talking about how we have spent every St. Patty's day since we went to college drinking green beer or going to some type of event (westport, parade, etc). I thought I might be a tiny bit jealous that I wouldn't be celebrating St. Patty's day this year...and then I looked outside. COLD and RAINY! I do feel bad for those that are trying to celebrate in this weather, but I am content hanging out indoors with Mitchell. Maybe I'll make myself one little green beer after Mitchell goes to bed tonight. :)

Jacob went out of town this morning, he'll be back on Thursday night. This is my LAST week at home with Mitchell - I go back to work a week from today :( Just like anything else, I'm sure it won't be so bad once I just do it.

Here's a little video that Jacob took this morning. Grammy Diane & Grandpa David bought Mitchell this cute little outfit for his first St. Patty's Day. He looks so cute in it :)

Jacob is on my s$@t list :)

Jacob has become quite the handy man over the last couple of years. I swear that when I met him, he didn't even know how to open the sliding glass portion of a window. Yes, I swear. Since we've had our house, he's taken on project after project and has learned so much! He's getting really good at them....well, I say all of this as a precusor to tell you why he is on my s#$t list.

Last weekend, Jacob decided to start in on the project to tile our bathroom. He swore it would be a two weekend project and that he and my dad were going to bear the brunt of the work. Those of you that know my dad probably also know that he sometimes lacks a little motivation. Yes, he did help Jacob for one day, but there was still a LOT to be done. Anyway - Jacob somehow talked me into helping him tile on Friday night. We just had to do one little part of the process. We were going to lay down the mortar and then secure the backer board to it. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, Jacob went a happy hour after work and we didn't get started on our "little" project until 9pm. WE DIDN'T FINISH UNTIL 2 AM! We couldn't stop b/c we'd already mixed the mortar and it would dry up overnight if we quit. Now, staying up until 2AM on a Friday used to be an every weekend event...but that was when we could solidly sleep until noon the next day. Instead, I was awoken by Mitchell every 2 hours until 6 AM on Saturday morning, when he decided to begin his (or shall I say "our") day : )

We still have a lot of tiling to tackle this weekend when Jacob gets back in town, but we will NOT be beginning any projects at 9pm. I'll post a picture of the finished project. Hopefully it'll be worth the effort!

David - why don't you live closer?!?!?! :)

Can I hold him????

Taby and Dylan came over to visit yesterday. Dylan was constantly wanting to hold Mitchell. Right after I took this picture, Dylan said "Can you take him? He's heavy!" It was funny. Dylan will make a wonderful psuedo-big brother. At one point Mitchell started fussing a little, so Dylan started dancing around in front of him waving his toys around and singing a little song. It was the cutest AND it worked! I told Taby to bring him over anytime :)

Here are two little videos...not the best ones, but for lack of anything better to post today, I thought I'd go ahead and share them. This first one is of me going to pick Mitchell up from his nap the other day. I LOVE going to get him from his nap b/c when I walk into his room he's crying and as soon as I peak over the edge of the crib, his wail turns into a smile. I'll try to get a better one later.

For the diehards...here's another somewhat boring, but cute little "show me your smile" Mitchell video. You also get a good shot of his tonsils. He does some crazy half yawn/half gag thing. Wow - I really know how to sell a video. Ha :)

Oh, and just in case you're curious how the nighttime schedule is going - last night I was awoken at 1am, 3am, 5am and 7am. Jacob's mom warned me that Jacob wasn't a very good sleeper when he was little....I guess his "mini-me" is following in his footsteps. (I mean he obviously couldn't have gotten that from me! Ha!) All I have to say is....it's a good thing he is so damn cute :)

Diaper changing mess!

I'm going to spare you a picture of this one - although I guarantee that you will likely form a mental picture anyway. I was changing Mitchell after his morning nap and noticed that his diaper didn't quite contain its contents....in fact, its contents had spread their way all the way up his back. Poor little guy :( Anyway, I was holding him up face towards me to try to reach around and clean off his back and backside, when the little twirp decided it was an opportune time to start peeing ALL OVER ME! I looked him straight in the face and he was smiling at me! I couldn't help but laugh! I was just wearing workout clothes, so it wasn't that big of a deal. I'm going to have to workout a better system! Ha :)

Mitchell got to go on TWO walks yesterday! It was over 70 degrees - yeah! It was Jill's daughter Addison's FIRST birthday, so we took her and Mitchell to the park. Addison seemed to enjoy it a little more than Mitchell since he slept the whole time (no, I'm NOT complaining!). Jacob came home from work early and we took Mitchell and Tex on another walk. It was 8 times easier with Jacob and I, rather than the walk that Tex took Mitchell and I on. No, I did not mistype. Tex literally pulled Mitchell and I around the block last time when I took them by myself. Mitchell is a big fan of the outdoors! Glad he likes it b/c we plan to spend lots of time outdoors this spring. FINALLY!

Mommy approved sleep schedule

He was back to his "mommy approved" sleep schedule last night! Yeah! I didn't go to bed until 11:30pm, so I fed him before I went to bed and then he woke up at 3:45am and not again until 6:45am. I was prepared for him to want to start the day after the 6:45am feeding, but he went right back to sleep and didn't wake until almost 8:30am! Whoa! That's two days in a row. If he continues doing that, it's going to break my heart to have to wake him up to take him to daycare. :(

We had our first puppet show this morning with the little puppets (click on the link to see the puppets...fun new blog trick that I just learned) that Granny Karen got Mitchell for Christmas. He loved it! He is really trying to grab things and put them in his mouth now. He's also drooling like crazy. The pediatrican said "people will tell you that he's probably getting ready to teeth, but I don't think he's ready quite yet". She seemed to think I would be disappointed that it would be a while until he gets teeth, but to the contrary I'm not sure I'm ready for teeth yet. Look at me, he's not even 3 months old and I'm already wishing he wouldn't grow up so fast :)

Sleepless nights return!

Despite my hopes, not only did the 1am feeding resurface last night, but so did the 5:30am waking - both of those in addition to the 4am feeding. :( Guess the nursery isn't magic afterall! In the words of pre-drugged Paula Abdul...I take two steps forward; I take two steps back. We'll try again tonight!

P.S. The one good thing was that since he spent so much time awake during the night, he slept until 8:15am this morning. Man, was I happy that Jacob's alarm didn't interupt that sleep! I needed it :)

Typical night

Here is what our typical night has looked like the last couple of months:

• 8pm - lay Mitchell down to sleep in his pack n' play in our room
• 10pm - If he's home from work yet, I hang out with Jacob for a few hours before I lie down for bed
• 11pm - hear Mitchell cry, feed & change him (1 hour of sleep for Mandi)
• 11:30pm - lay Mitchell back down to sleep
• 1ish pm - hear Mitchell cry, wake Jacob up to ask him to move over to his side of the bed b/c he's crept so far over to my side that I don't have room to sit down and feed Mitchell, feed & change Mitchell (1 1/2 hours of sleep for Mandi)
• 1:30pm - try to lay Mitchell back down to sleep, if not successful on the first try, try, try again; usually soundly sleeping again by 2:30ish (1 1/2 hours of sleep for Mandi)
• 4am - hear Mitchell cry, feed & change
• 4:30am - lay Mitchell back down to sleep (1 1/2 hours of sleep for Mandi)
• 5am - hear Mitchell cry, take him to the living room to rock him and try to get him back to sleep without feeding since he just ate an hour ago, usually both of us fall asleep in the rocking chair before I wake up and lay him down in our room again, usually 5:30am (1/2 hour of sleep for Mandi)
• 6:15ish am - hear Mitchell cry, feed & change (45 minutes of sleep for Mandi)
• The daytime schedule begins!

Not to mention that Mitchell also wakes up anytime Jacob's alarm goes off. Jacob has to keep his alarm on high volume b/c he's a heavy sleeper (proven by the fact that he sleeps soundly through all of the above activity!). So, I moved the alarm to my side of the bed, set it on low volume so that Mitchell won't be stirred when it goes off, and then I wake Jacob up. So, in the rare instance that Mitchell is still sleeping before Jacob's alarm goes off, I still don't get to sleep b/c I have to get up to wake Jacob up. To make matters worse, Jacob likes two snoozes before he gets up for good, so I have to wake him up THREE times in a row. Fun, Fun!
On Saturday night, Jacob and I decided to try moving Mitchell into his nursery for the first time. We started the night like any other:

• 8pm - lay Mitchell down to sleep in CRIB
• 10pm - I decided to wake Mitchell up this time to feed him before I lay down for bed
• 2:45am - I wake startled because I have not yet heard Mitchell cry. I look at our baby monitor and convince myself that it must be broken. I head up to Mitchell's bedroom and stare at him for a few minutes to make sure I can see his chest rising and falling. Whew...he's still breathing. I lay down on the futon in his room and wait for feeding time. (4 HOURS and 45 MINUTES of UNINTERUPTED SLEEP for Mandi)
• 3:30am - Mitchell finally wakes, feed & change
• 3:50am - Mitchell sound asleep in his crib again. I'm still quite ready to leave him again, so I lay back down on the futon anticipating the normal 5:30am waking.
• 6:30am - much to my surprise, Mitchell does not stir again until 6:30! Feed, change and up for the day! (2 1/2 MORE hours of UNINTERUPTED sleep for Mandi )

Another added advantage is that we moved the alarm clock back over to Jacob's side of the bed now that Mitchell is far enough away not to be disturbed by the loud volume. So no more waking up to wake Jacob up :)
Mitchell has done his new schedule for TWO nights in a row now and last night I even slept in my bed the whole night :) I'm not even sure to do with myself now that I'm getting what I consider a full night's sleep! I heard that it takes doing something three times before it becomes a habit, so keep your fingers crossed that tonight is another good night!!!

Tummy time

I think Mitchell's tummy time is paying off. His little neck and back are getting stronger and stronger. Here's a picture of him propping himself up. He's getting to be such a big boy!

Well...I had my first run-in with someone disapproving with my decision to go back to work. A friend's mom asked who was going to watch Mitchell and I explained our situation. I'll be going back to work in 2 weeks, Mitchell will stay with a friend from work's wife (Stinson) for 3 weeks, Jacob will then be off for 6 weeks and finally Mitchell will start daycare in June. She kinda stared at me in disbelief for a minute, like she wasn't quite sure how to respond and then finally said "well...you know that no one else will raise your child quite like you would raise your child." I wasn't exactly sure quite what to say. I then explained how I planned to work only part-time. I didn't elaborate to tell her that "part-time" will likely exceed 30 hours a week. Anyway, that seemed to satisfy her. Jacob happened to witness the conversation and later told me that I should've said "and no one else will pay our mortgage payment quite like me either"...of course I can never come up with those types of comebacks in the moment :)

I think I just got my first taste of the workout my guilty conscience is in for. Feeling guilty for not being able to dedicate myself to my job as much as I have the past 5 years, and more so, not as much as my other co-workers...and on the flip side, feeling guilty that I am not able to dedicate myself to Mitchell as much as I have since December. Let the guilt floodgates open...and welcome to the world of a working mom :)

Bathtime pics

Here are some post-bathtime pics of my doughboy! He is such a happy little guy (most of the time). Jacob and I took him out to eat with us for the first time last night - he did so well! He just sat there and played in his little carseat. I don't think we'll do it too often, but it was fun for me! I think it was my first dinner out since he was born!

Rolling over?

Here is a little video clip of Mitchell TRYING to roll over. He doesn't quite make it this time, but it's cute to see him try. It's kind of funny because the "roll over" command used to be reserved for Tex. You can see Tex sleeping in the background of this video. He isn't nearly as amused at Mitchell's new tricks.

He did it!

Guess who ROLLED OVER this morning!?!?! Yep - he sure did. We have been trying to get in more "tummy time" (what a cheesy term) lately to help strenghten his neck muscles. He was doing tummy time on the floor this morning while we were watching Jacob get ready for work and Mitchell rolled from his tummy to his back. There goes my days of leaving him laying where ever I'd like. I guess I'll actually have to use his straps on his changing table now! I'll try to get a video of it one of these days.

Nap Time

Jacob was supposed to be putting Mitchell down for a nap...but I think it worked the other way around. :) Good news - Jacob is FINALLY feeling better. Even better news - neither Mitchell nor I have caught it yet! Yeah!