Race for the Roses

We had our Kentucky Derby party again this year. We had a great time catching up with our friends! We even invited our new "frat boy" neighbors (has anyone ever noticed that frat and fart have the same letters? I mistyped the first time I wrote it and called them "fart boys", ha!) The weather threatened not to cooperate, but it ended up being a very nice day. We had about 30ish people cheering on the "Run for the Roses". There was a three way tie for first place - Amy Carter, Lisa Sutterby (for the SECOND time) and Paul Baxley. They each raked in $25. As you can see above, Mitchell was more interested in the roses than the horses. :)

One size fits all

My dad's 62nd birthday was on April 30th. He came over to celebrate with Mitchell and I, and brought his new "one size fits all" Eddie Bauer hat. Apparently they don't think 4 month olds count. :)

Mitchell is still a big fan of his exersaucer. It plays this little song when he plays were certain things. I caught Jacob humming the tune in the kitchen the other day when Mitchell wasn't even in it. Ha!

Grandma and Grandpa Bays visit

My mom and stepdad (David) visited us for the last 6 days. It was so nice to have them! David and Jacob worked on the basement again - they are making pretty good progress. Bet you can't guess what was the focal point of Mom and I's time? Ha! Yep - Mitchell. They brought their black lab, Baylee, so even Tex had a friend :) It wasn't too hard to see them off yesterday, because they'll be back down in about a month for Mitchell's baptism on June 7th.

Like father, like son

How much does Mitchell look like Jacob in this picture? It's amazing. There was a brief time that I thought he looked just like my sister, but he's starting to resemble his daddy more and more.

Jacob is hoping Mitchell's also shares his hobbies. He likes to take Mitchell down into the basement that he's working to finish and "show" Mitchell the progress that he's made. Here they are in one of the framed out walls.

Ray Charles

For the very first time, Mitchell made me literally laugh out loud so hard that I had tears streaming down my face. We have been spending a lot more time outdoors lately, which he is a big fan of....EXCEPT when the sun gets in his eyes. He squints and turns his face from side to side. Jacob and I decided to buy him some baby sunglasses to see if he liked them. We tried them on for the first time tonight when Mitchell was sitting in his bumbo seat. He started arching his back and throwing his hands in the air - he serioulsy looked like Ray Charles! After a few seconds, he calmed down and just started looking around the room in his new shades. We got a big kick out of it! I'm not sure how long these will actually stay on his face - time will tell.

Four months old!

Mitchell is 4 months old! All books seem to refer to it as the "golden age". He is getting more and more fun every single day. We had our 4 month check-up at the pediatrician today. Here are his stats:

Weight 19 pounds, 8 ounces - greater than 97th percentile

Height 26 3/4 inches - 95th percentile

Yes, he is a biiiggg boy! :) She recommended not starting rice cereal until he's 5 1/2 months old (mid-June), which was fine with us since he's obviously getting plenty of nourishment as it is! We'll start fruits and veggies after our 6 month appointment.

This is the life.

Look at this picture of Mitchell...now picture him 30 years from now in a hottub rather than a baby bathtub, with a cocktail glass sitting next to him. Ha!

I'm not sure why I'm obsessed with bathtime pictures - but there is just something irresistable about a clean baby...so here are few more pictures for your viewing pleasure. There are a few people that admit to only looking at the pictures anyway (cough, Aunt Kel, cough). :)

Spring has sprung!!!

Here's a picture of Mitchell and I taken in our front yard before I head off to work. We are so happy that spring is FINALLY in full swing! The people that lived in our house prior to us apparently spent every spare minute gardening because there are flower beds EVERYWHERE in our yard. They are beautiful, but honestly, they've fallen a bit off of our priority list the last couple of years so we haven't been able to keep them in their pristene condition. Each year we try to promise ourselves that we'll do better....but have yet to actually follow through. Maybe this is the year!?!?! :)

We sweat; He sleeps :)

We have been scouring garage sales trying to find a jogging stroller. Jacob thought he'd get a lot of use out of it while he's on leave (we'll see about that!). We finally found a cheap one listed on Craig's list, so Jacob picked it up last night and we gave it a try this morning. Here is a picture of Mitchell after our morning jog. He almost always falls asleep when we go on walks/jogs. This jogging stroller seems to suit the whole family - as you can imagine, Tex is extremely fond of walks. Our poor kitty - maybe we can put her in the basket down below and see if she likes the ride :) HA!

The house next door was was up for sale and the new neighbors started moving in this weekend. We were so curious to see who might move in...we were hoping for either a really nice, young couple (everyone else on our street is fairly old) OR a very dependable middle aged couple with three daughters 16, 13 and 9 - so we'd have babysitters for LIFE! Well - we got neither. It's two 20-something guys - roommates. :( We jogged past them this morning as they were moving in their mini-fridge (just screaming barely out of college frat boys.) They probably wonder what the heck we do for a living, since we were jogging at 1oam on a Wednesday. Jacob said, "maybe they'll think we won the lottery." If only we were so lucky!

1 day home with daddy = 1 call to pediatrician

Jacob would probably kill me for blogging this - I guess this'll be my test to see if he ever reads it :) Jacob started his paternity leave from work on Monday. He called mid-day to tell me that he found a TICK on Mitchell! While he was attempting to munch on grass on Sunday afternoon, I guess a little insect thought he'd munch on Mitchell :( I felt so bad because I was the one that had given Mitchell a bath on Sunday night and I hadn't noticed anything. I was really starting to feel like a bad mom! Jacob was awaiting a call back from the pediatrician to tell him how to treat the tick, but I never heard back from Jacob and figured out why when I got home from work....apparently it wasn't a tick afterall because the little spot was gone the next time Jacob looked. Can't blame him for being overly attentive! MUCH better than the alternative!

"SUN"day earns its name

We returned from Oklahoma to find PERFECT weather in KC! We layed Mitchell on a blanket in the yard and spent some time in the flower beds. He kept rolling himself off the blanket and picking up grass blades and trying to put them in his mouth. Mitchell has become more and more aware of his surroundings lately. Jacob said it perfectly this afternoon. He said "It's almost like you can see his brain learning." And you really can! I was drinking a bottle of water this afternoon while I was holding him similar to how Jacob is holding him in this picture above. I set the water bottle on the table in front of us and Mitchell reached out to grab it (not unusual). But then he honestly tried to drink it! He brought the cap up to his mouth and fussed until we tipped it up for him. Of course, it spilled all down his front - but that's okay :)

I know that water bottle story doesn't sound like anything amazing...but to Jacob and I it was. We are just slowing starting to realize how special it really is to be a parent. This little thing arrives on earth and it literally can barely see anything, let alone comprehend what anything is. I still remember the day that I could tell that Mitchell could really see his mobile. Now, all of the sudden he is starting to realize what things are used for. I just can't wait to see all of the lessons this little guy has in store for us.

Oklahoma!

Jacob and I took Mitchell on his first trip to visit Mitchell's grandparents (Karen and Rick) and his great-grandparents in Sapulpa, Oklahoma (near Tulsa). Mitchell did GREAT on the four hour car ride! We tried to time it perfectly so that he was ready for his first nap of the day when we got into the car. It paid off because on both trips (there and back) he slept about 3 of the 4 hours! Here is a picture of Mitchell and his Granny Karen. Jacob's sister, Katy, met us there for the weekend too. We had a big family gathering at the great-grandparents house on Saturday to introduce the new family member. Mitchell is still taking naps about every 2 hours, so we made a cozy spot for Mitchell to nap in his great-Gpa's big walk-in closet b/c it was dark in there. Understandably, he struggled a bit falling asleep, but he finally did take a short nap. He was a happy camper when he awoke, in fact he had created a game for himself. Jacob witnessed him swinging his legs back and forth making the pants hanging in the closet move back and forth and then just starring and smiling at them. Why do we invest in these pricey toys, again?!?!?

The bank Rick works at helped spearhead a project to build this playground/park in downtown Sapulpa, so we took Mitchell to try out the swings and bouncy horse. He is still a little too young...but we had fun trying. Maybe he'll enjoy it a bit more next time!

Giggle box

I promised a while back that I'd try to get a video of Mitchell's little laugh. It's just adorable (of course, most of what he does is adorable to me!) I apologize that it's so dark! I should've turned the lights on before filming, but I was trying to hurry and capture it before he got stage-fright. If you can't see, at least you can hear. My cold has made my voice a bit raspy, but yes, that is me tickling him.

Oh - and a quick update on my last blog - Mitchell slept until 8:45am yesterday! Can you believe Jacob's luck????

Our happy, healthy baby seems to be slowly returning :)

Mitchell was still a little congested yesterday, but overall seemed to be breathing A LOT better than he was this weekend. Hopefully he will continue to improve. Unfortunately, I think I caught the cold from him :( Now that I know how terrible it feels, I really feel bad for the poor guy!!! No wonder he hasn't been his normal smiley self!

I stayed home with Mitchell on Friday and Monday, so Jacob is taking his turn today. Mitchell hasn't been sleeping the best (probably because he can't breathe!), but it sounds like he must be making up for it today because it's 7:45am and he is STILL SLEEPING. He hasn't slept in past 6am for as long as I can remember! Jacob claims that he had a "talk" with Mitchell about how he needs to start sleeping in later for the next 6 weeks while Jacob is on paternity leave. We'll see about that... :)

Double ear infection and RSV :(

When I called the doctor on Friday, they said that if he started to sound like he was wheezing that we should try to bring him in. When Mitchell woke up this morning, he was most definitely wheezing :( I called right away, but they couldn't squeeze him in until 11:45 (which was a little stressful because I had a baby shower at our house at 2pm!) My sister, Kelli, is in town this weekend (hence the picture above) and has been a lifesaver the last couple of days. She watched Mitchell all morning while Jacob ran errands and helped me get the house and food ready for the shower.

We were only at the doctors for maybe 30 minutes. Based on his quick exam, it was pretty obvious that Mitchell has an ear infection in both ears AND RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). Ugh!!! He gave us a prescription for amoxicillin. The kind we got is an orange flavored liquid that Mitchell tries his hardest to spit out!

Although every kid is sure to hate his parents at some point in his life - I think we may have reached that point early in Mitchell's life. Between the saline spray up the nose, constant nose sucking and shoving amoxicillin down his mouth - I'm pretty sure he thinks we were put on earth to torture him.

And to top things off - we can't send him to daycare this week (or atleast the first few days)....which was his last week anyway, since Jacob's paternity leave starts next week. Obviously, I wish he wouldn't have gotten sick at all....but if he had to get sick, it would've just been tooooo convenient for him to get sick when Jacob already planned to be home!

Snotty, yucky mess :(

Yes, that describes Mitchell's current state. It has come on slowly, but his first cold is now in full force :( I wish you could just teach a baby how to blow his nose! He is soooo congested that he can hardly even eat :( We called the pediatrician and we're doing everything they recommended: 1) squirt saline solution up his nose and suck it out (he HATES it!!!! Can you blame him?) 2) elevate one side of his bed so that he's sleeping at an incline; 3) put a humidifier in his room. They said it'll take 10-14 days to run its course and will get worse before it gets better. I sure hope this is the worst that it gets. I'm staying home with him today - I made it 7 years at the firm without one single sick day....I didn't even make it 3 weeks as a working mom! Keep your fingers crossed that he's back to his old smiley self by Monday :)

Royal's Opening Day

Royal's Opening day used to be one of my favorite days of the year....I think I'm going to have to come up with a new favorite! It RAINED and was COLD!!!! Ick! We had our co-workers over to our house again this year for the pre-game kegs and eggs party, which was fun. Mitchell was almost as popular as the keg :) He had a great time getting passed around. Someone was constantly talking and playing with him....he liked that! Mitchell has been making more and more sounds lately. I should retract that statement. He has always made LOTS of sounds....but lately the sounds have become more like talking and less like crying :) Here is a litte video of one of our "conversations" this afternoon.




My dad was going to watch him while Jacob and I went to the game, but he called this morning and said he wasn't feeling too hot and didn't want to pass whatever he had onto Mitchell. So Jacob went to the game and Mitchell and I stayed home and played this afternoon (which was fine with me since the weather was so crappy anyway). Jacob put Mitchell's exersaucer together yesterday, so I got a little video of Mitchell playing in it. He is getting to be such a big boy now days - so much less baby like. Look at him practically standing up in it!

Hammock time

Jacob and I spent the weekend trying to get the house, deck and yard ready for the Royal's opening day party that we're having on Tuesday. We were working in the yard today, enjoying the nice weather (it was around 70 degrees!). Mitchell fell asleep, so Jacob laid him in our hammock for a quick picture opportunity. (Don't worry, we didn't let him fry in the sun. We moved him into his bed for the remainder of his nap.) Isn't life rough?!?! I would've killed for an afternoon of laying in the hammock :)

Mitchell has a little Royal's jersey for the party on Tuesday. I'm sure I'll have pictures to post. He is going to be at the party, but is not going to the game with us. My dad and Sherri offered to babysit, but the forecast is calling for 50 degree high and 70% chance of rain on Tuesday :( I may not end up going to the game anyway :( We've had BEAUTIFUL opening days for the past 5 years, so I hate to see the streak end this year. Ugh! :( Keep your fingers crossed!

I love our daycare :)

Top 10 reasons that I LOVE our daycare arrangement!

10. They have WAY more toys than we do! We're slowly building our supply, but this way Mitchell gets a little variety.

9. She always says "He's such a good baby!" I know it's not always true...but it still makes me feel good. Can you imagine picking up your baby and having his babysitter say "he was awful today" - talk about making you feel terrible!!!!

8. She's not annoyed when I call to check on him during the day. Although I'm calling less and less these days because I know he's doing fine.

7. Lindsey packs cookies in our diaper bag sometimes :) When I reach into to get his dirty laundry for the day, I'm sometimes pleasantly surprised to find a little bag of homemade cookies for Jacob and I. Yum!

6. She washes Mitchell's bottles for me. I know this seems like such a small thing....but it's one less thing I have to do when I get home! I leave her the new bottles for the next day when I drop Mitchell off, and throw the clean bottles that she gives me into my purse for work the next day. It is great!

5. I had a really cute little outfit on Mitchell last Friday because we were going to the Home Show right after work. Mitchell soiled his t-shirt and instead of changing him into his plain little onesie that I packed in his diaper bag, Lindsey dug out a t-shirt of her boys' that she had packed away. She knew I wanted him to look cute that day. Isn't she nice?!?!?

4. Jacob and I carpooled on Friday. When we went to pick him up in the afternoon, Mitchell was down for a nap, so Lindsey uncorked a bottle of wine and Jacob and Mark (Lindsey's husband) drank a few beers. WOW - our version of "Friday happy hours" have really changed!!!

3. Mitchell is sooo cute with her two little boys. He smiles at them constantly and watches them wherever they go. (Xavier is 2 and Isaac is 1)

2. She's been working with him on tummy time, reaching for objects and self soothing during nap time. All of them seem to be paying off. Mitchell is SOOOO much easier to put down for a nap and for bedtime now! It might just be his age, but I think it's also because Lindsey has been working with him.

1. I don't feel guilty for leaving Mitchell during the day. I know he's with someone that will take VERY good care of him, and he's always so happy when I pick him up!

I love my play gym :)

Mitchell has been able to use his hands to grab things for the last month or so. He really enjoys his play gym...I try to hang different toys from it to give him a little variety (that's what one of my books told me to do anyway). Here is a little video of him in the play gym. I didn't catch him at a very smiley time. I'll have to get another one soon. He is still FULL of smiles. His laugh is still completely unpredictable and infrequent...but so worth the wait.

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!

Leap Day

Here is a little video of Mitchell swinging in his swing on Leap Day. (sorry it's sideways!)
Anyone else having spring fever as bad as I am?!?!? Although I'm happy that March is finally here, the ONLY bad thing about it is that I have to return to work on 3/24. It's going to be a rough transition, but I'm sure we can handle it.

Two Months Old!

Mitchell is TWO MONTHS old today! Here is a picture of him chillin' in his rocking chair. My grandma and grandpa bought for Kelli and I when we were little. I'm working on teaching him to rock himself to sleep - only kidding - I'd never give that up, that's my favorite time (if he's not crying!)

Aunt Katy - he's wearing your booties...but not for long! He's just about outgrown them, along with his other 0-3 month clothes. Yes, he's a big boy!

We had our two month pediatrician appt this morning and Mitchell weighs 15 pounds and 8 ounces and is 24.5 inches long. He's huge! He's in the 92nd percentile for height and 97th percentile for weight. He had to get his first round of shots :( He bawled for a few mintues, but seems to be doing okay now. Sure hope he continues. I was warned that it might be a long night for me tonight - yeah :)

Jacob is sick as a dog. He has barely left our bed since Sunday. Mitchell and I have been avoiding him like the plague (come to think of it...I hope it's not the plague). In fact, Mitchell has actually slept the past two nights in his crib for the first time - and I have been sacking out on the futon in his room. I'm not sure who's been tougher to take care of the past three days - Mitchell or his daddy. :)

First Big Car Trip

Well....we did it. We made our first big car trip. Mitchell, Tex and I drove to Minneapolis. It was quite an adventure! It was sooo cold that I didn't want to leave Tex in the car alone while Mitchell and I went inside anywhere, so Mitchell got his feedings in the backseat of the car at various reststops along I-35. He did so well! He slept nearly all of the way. Both times, he would start to get a little restless with about an hour left. I'm not sure how many times I told Mitchell "I promise, buddy, we're almost there". Guess I might as well start practicing now since I'll probably be saying that for years to come! I promised him that I wouldn't make him get into his carseat at all today!

We even took the little guy on his first trip to the Mall of America. I would imagine this will likely be the only time we'll be able to get out of the mall without spending a dime on him. I can hear it now..."come on, grandma, please buy this for me..."

I have given into my addiction to Starbucks coffee again There was a sign for a Starbucks drive-through along I-35 somewhere in Iowa. Mitchell was sleeping soundly in the back, so I thought I should treat myself. I kept one eye on the mirror so that I could see Mitchell and the other on the road while I crept off the highway toward Starbucks. I ordered my Venti "skinny" vanilla latte, paid my $4 (what a rip off) and was merrily on my way back onto I-35 - feeling like a million bucks...until I realized that I had forgotten to order DECAF. Our hospital nursing class told us that any caffeine that I drink stays in Mitchell's system for up to 96 hours! I just pictured myself pumping Mitchell full of caffeine and then strapping him into the carseat for 5 more hours and somehow hoping that he would sleep....yeah, right! So as HARD as it was....I had to let my full Latte just miserably sit there, slowing grow cold until I dumped it at the next gas station fill-up. Ugh :(

Leisurely Sunday morning reading in bed

You won't believe what we caught Mitchell doing this weekend. We left the room for a few mintues and when we returned, he was doing some leisurely Sunday morning reading in bed. Obviously he was a little shocked and had a tough time explaining himself : ) Just kidding...and no he can't sit up on his own. He does pretty good when he's propped up against something though (like our headboard). It was a cold and snowy weekend, so we stayed in much of the time despite our trip to church. He slept through much of it and seemed to like the loud music.

When we're out and about and people ask how old Mitchell is - they look at me like I must be mistaken, when I respond. My follow-up comment is "Yes, he's a big guy!" Jacob weighed himself and then stepped on the scale with Mitchell in his arms and we're guessing he's around 15 pounds now! No wonder my back kills after a day of carrying him around!

Bathtime Video

Here's a little picture and bathtime video of Mitchell on V-day. He still loves his baths....until I get him out. I don't like stepping out of my hot shower either, so I can sypathize with him!

Mitchell even performs his own stunts in this video. He's a "Jackie Chan" in training.

P.S. The length and frequency of Mitchell's baths are inversely related to my hot showers :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Mitchell is seven weeks old today! We're looking forward to Daddy getting home early enough to have dinner with us tonight (Jacob's been working a ton lately - gotta love busy season). He said he'd try to be home by 8pm. I said "That's not early!" Wow -it's strange out my point of view has changed in a year. Last year at this time, we made dinner reservations at 9pm. :) Of course, last year at this time, I didn't have a newborn waking me up at 3:15am to eat and then wanting to play for two hours! Kind of funny that for some reason, when I was pregnant, my body naturally woke up at 4am every morning. I guess my body was preparing itself for 4am play sessions!!

Mommy & Mitchell

Here is a picture of Mitchell and I before my first big night out! One of my girlfriends celebrated her 30th birthday with a pubcrawl. I joined for the first two bars and even had one beer at each. It was nice to be out....but after two hours I was ready to return to my boys at home! Of course they were both sound asleep when I got home - I think I missed them more than they missed me! :)

Chunky Monkey

Look at our little chunky monkey at bathtime!!! We used to take baths every three days, but now that Mitchell has become a spit-up king (I like to call him Dairy King), we're now bathing daily. He has so much fun kicking around in the water! I can't wait to take him swimming!

Six Weeks Old

Mitchell is SIX weeks old today! I can't believe how fast it goes! I finally got a video of him showing off his newest and most endearing (oh, and only!) trick - his smile. It melts my heart :) He seems to be the happiest in the morning, unlike his daddy!
He is also LOVING bath time. Everytime I splash the water up on him, he opens his mouth to try to catch some! Before anyone reports me to social services for allowing my child to drink dirty bath water, I should tell you that I don't splash it up quite high enough for him to actually catch it....that doesn't keep him from trying though. I'll try to get a video of that this weekend when Jacob's here. I have to keep my hands on him at all times in his little tub - squirmy and slippery are a dangerous combination.
It was 70 degrees out on Monday, so we took advantage of the weather and Tex and I took Mitchell on his first walk outdoors. He seemed to really like it and was fast asleep by the time we reached Pflumm. Tex was in doggy heaven too - it's been too long since the poor guy was taken on a walk. I, on the other hand, was probably the worse off of the three of us...it was quite a struggle to man the stroller and the dog at the same time. We might have to talk Jacob into joining us next time. From the looks of things outside (we have 3 inches of snow on the ground right now), it'll be a while until our next outdoor walking adventure. :(

Mitchell's First Superbowl

Today was Mitchell's first super bowl...and Jacob thought what better way to introduce him to the sport than carrying him like a football. I know that his size as a baby is not necessarily indicitive of his size as a full grown adult, but if he stays in the 90% percentile, he may become more familiar with the sport! Look at his chubby little arms and legs!!!!