Pool Cue

There are 2 things that Jack really loves: balls and climbing on tables. (He is constantly dancing on my coffee table, and the balls...let's face it. Boys love balls. It's inborn or something.)

Anywho...a pool table is like heaven for this child. What could be better? It's a TABLE that has balls! (Nevermind the bucket on his head...that's just us being silly after we decided to do an impromptu paint job and remodel my mom's living room. It was a wild weekend!)

Level Headed

My dad is doing some landscaping and renovating in the backyard, making preparations for a new garage and deck addition, and terracing the yard. He's been working on it for a few weeks now, and this weekend, he had a special helper. My Uncle Dub (the carpenter) couldn't be there, so Jack lent a hand with the level...just to make sure his G-Pa was doing a good job.

Here he is checking the cinder blocks.
And checking to make sure G-Pa is getting it level.
Evidently not. Jack had to take over...


He quit shortly after...and walked all the way to the end of the driveway! By himself! He RARELY gets that far from his mama, but he's getting more and more independent every day!

Riverwalk

On Saturday night we took Jack down to the Riverwalk in San Antonio to see the Christmas lights. (Us and around 400 thousand other tourists.) I can remember my parents taking me to see them through the years, and wanted to share them with Hubs, who had never seen them, and Jack. We started at the Main Plaza and the Alamo. The Christmas Tree in the main plaza.
The Hubby and I have a funny series of pictures where we're standing in front of some monument and are completely covering the monument. We have one in front of the Alamo from his first trip to visit me in Texas, so here's another! You can just see it's corner in the background.
Jack enjoying his stroll on the Riverwalk...he oohed at all the decorated river barges and carolers.
The Christmas lights! They are the same every year, but the never cease to amaze me. They adorn every single tree and boat and railing they possibly can with lights, and it's always magical.

Even the horse drawn carriages are adorned with lights!
And, so was this truck. Pretty sure it was a regular person, with hundreds of lights on his truck. I stood there for a long time waiting for him to get through the light to me to get pictures of his crazy get-up!
I grew up loving the Riverwalk, and I still love it as much as I ever did. Especially now that I live so close to it and can easily share it with my family.

Merry Christmas

Christmas MeMe

1. Fresh Tree or Fake Tree: It's fake, pre-lit, and skinny....and I love it!

2. Favorite Ornament: I have many favorites on my tree, but I think the ones I love most are the Swarovski ornaments of mine, Hubby's and Jack's initials.


3. Favorite Christmas Song: A Carol of the Bells is my absolute favorite to listen to, and I love Do You Hear What I Hear.

4. Favorite Tradition: I love Christmas with my parents. We usually do it the night before Christmas Eve, my parents, sister and her significant other and me and my little family all get together to exchange gifts and eat lasagna and just be together, and that's my very favorite thing.

5. Favorite Gift Ever Received: It is incredibly difficult to choose a favorite gift ever received when I look back at all the great things I've been given. A big stand out for me is the microscope my parents gave me as a child. More recently, my husband gave me a nativity scene I was dying for, and it is precious to me.

6. Favorite Christmas Meal: I love that my family changes it up every Christmas. We do the super traditional Thanksgiving meal, and one year we all decided it was too much to do again in just a month, so we change it every year. This year, it's Cajun Cuisine!

7. Favorite Christmas Cookie: Not a cookie, but my mom's homemade fudge. She only makes it this time of year, and it's so worth waiting for (and likely wouldn't taste as good if I had access to it all the time.)

8. Favorite Place To Be: The place is really inconsequential. It's the who to be with, and as long as I have Chris and Jack, and my family around me, I'm happy.

9. Favorite Memory: I think my favorite Christmas memory to date is the trip we all took to Durango, Colorado several years ago. It was my first white Christmas, we rode the Silverton Steam Train through the Rocky Mountains, and it was just a great trip, and a great Christmas.

10. Favorite Christmas Movie: The Polar Express. It's everything I love about Christmas, the spirit of believing.

Sick & Tired

I just returned home from Jack's re-check at the doctor's office for his latest ear infection, and of course, it's still hanging around. In the right ear, same as last time. He also has fluid behind his left ear, which could likely become another infection any second now.

Rather than putting us on yet another round of antibiotics, this time, we got a shot of something that is supposed to get rid of it. And we get to go back first thing tomorrow morning for a second shot. And first thing Saturday morning for a third. Did I mention I live out in the country? And my uber-fabulous pediatrician offices in San Antonio? A minimum 45 minute drive from me? Well, now you know. All the trips to the doctor I'm always telling you about require at least 4 hours out of my day between getting there, waiting, seeing the doctor, waiting again, filling the scrips and getting home. It's the MOST exciting part of my life.

Not to mention the fact that at this point, the whole ear situation has left me completely deflated. It is stressful, I have a baby who is in a constant state of pain and has had to learn to just play through it, which saddens me completely, it costs me hundreds of dollars going through all this (and that's just co-pays and scrips....not the insurance ((that I'm oh-so-thankful to have)) we pay hundreds of dollars for each month). It is becoming more than I think I can take.

I'm at my wit's end with this ear nonsense. To the point that I literally cannot wait to go see the Pediatric ENT and am praying that he will say they're putting tubes in Jack's ears (words I NEVER thought I would say). I'm even hoping that they look at his adenoids and say "You know, we might as well get rid of those, too. And since we're in there, we'll just get rid of his tonsils to save you the trouble later." I am WISHING for my baby to have to go through surgery. That makes me feel terrible.

What makes me feel MORE terrible though, is the fact that he is in pain, on a regular basis. That he doesn't play for more than a few minutes without having to rub his ear because it hurts. That often times, he is feverish and cranky. That he has trouble sleeping sometimes. That the fluid behind his ears impacts the way he hears. That eventually, that hearing loss could affect his speech ability. The fact that speech will affect his entire life.

So, right now, I am worn out with this, and am praying for time to fly until we're sitting in the specialist's office, and that the specialist decides to just take action (if that's what's necessary) and we can solve this problem and stop just medicating it.

**I also have a sore throat, tons of chores to do and work that I could be doing, but aren't because I'm home. So that's my day so far!

Child Prodigy

My husband, who is a part-time stay-at-home-dad, and I just had the following exchange, via text:

Him: Our son can read.
Me: Really?
Him: He can read 'dada' from his MOMA* book.
Me: What?
Him: In his MOMA* book. One of the pages says 'dada'. I point to it and he says dada.
Me: Because you taught him to!
Him: Well yeah. But it's still exciting.

Ahem. He says dada ALL the time. Teach the kid to read mama, already!


*The AWESOME book I bought for him at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I couldn't find it online to show you.

North Pole Village

Last night was the Hope Hospice Tree Lighting and the opening of North Pole Village, so we headed out for that. Every year at the Rec Center where I live, they recreate the North Pole Village. It's an awesome fundraiser for the Action center in our town, and it's also an incredible experience. I know the amount of hard work that goes into it, and the impact it has on our community, so I love going every year (and volunteered at Santa's house prior to having my own kiddo.)

At the North Pole Village (which is created of tiny little houses inside the rec center) you can:

• Go to the Petting Barn and play with animals (puppies from the animal shelter)
  
• Write a letter to Santa at the Post Office (which they will then "deliver" to Santa's mailbox at his house!)
  
• Go to Toy Land and adopt a new stuffed toy (EVERY child gets to choose a toy AND gets an adoption certificate from Mrs. Claus)
  
• Go to the Village Church to sing Christmas Carols and hear the story of Christmas
• See the Live Nativity
• Go to the Schoolhouse and make a craft to take home (last night it was jingle bell necklaces)
• Visit the Library and take home a book of your choice
• Frosty's Ice Fishing where you can fish for a treat
• Go on a caroling hayride
• Go to the Country Store where you can purchase handmade Christmas decor and commemorative ornaments or shirts
• Visit the Bakery where children can decorate and eat a cookie
• Go to the Elves House for face painting
• And of course, go to Santa's House for photos

We skipped much of the stuff that was too involved for Jack, like jingle bell necklaces and cookie decorating, and we also skipped Santa, since we've already seen him and Jack doesn't particularly like him. (Shhhh, don't tell Santa!)

We did, however, get a book at the library, pet the puppies, and adopt a stuffed animal. We also peered at all the Christmas lights and visited with the many people who turned out for opening night.

Here's Jack deciding which book he wanted. He settled on a book with numbers, and a nifty handle so he could carry it around.

The man in the hat is our Sheriff, and I thought it was amusing to see him serving dinner. He's a Lion, and that's their part. The other ladies are our District Judge and my Commissioner-Elect. They're all fantastic people, and I'm blessed to know each of them so well.
Now, back to Jack...here he is visiting the puppies at the Pet Barn.
This pictures does no justice to the Village, but it gives you an idea. The opposite wall looks just like this, complete with a church with a real steeple and everything.
Here we are with some of the dozens of Christmas trees. They're all decorated differently and there are tons of them.
Jack loved the lights outside and wanted to play with them all.

It's so much fun and I look forward to going back year after year, especially when I can watch Jack really participate in all the fun activities.

Richard's Tree ~ Paying It Forward

My friend Courtney posted this, from an email she received from a friend, and I thought it was so neat that I'd pass it along as well.

Click here to vote for Richard's tree:
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/poll.jhtml?pollCode=trees&results=yes&_requestid=41469 (It's the 4th tree from the left)

Hi – strange request but I could use your help for a friend. She is my best (and only) friend from high school (lori fogarty). She has a son that was born one week before Tori (yes, we were pregnant at the same time – how fun is that? – can't believe its been 8 ½ years). Anywho, when Richard was born he was born with Poland's syndrome and without one of his hands and is missing the pectoral muscle on the same side. Richard is the strongest, most amazing child and kids in his class when he was in kindergarten would tuck their arms into their sleeves with only their elbow hanging out so they could "be more like Richard" because he was "so cool".

Richard is now 8 ½ and Neiman Marcus solicited children for their ideas for the Christmas Trees in the downtown Dallas windows of Neiman's. Richards tree was chosen and he got the chance to work with the designers at Neimans to build his tree. His idea was to build a tree of all the gifts that Scottish Rite Hospital has given to children he has met over the years (wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, crutches and the like). They were so impressed in working with him that Home and Garden Television (HGTV) recently did a story on the Neiman's trees and wanted to interview Richard for their story.

So now … Neimans chose 6 trees and they were unveiled last week in downtown Dallas. They have opened up voting to the public for our favorite tree and well … here I am shamelessly asking you to go and vote for Richard because I know how deeply winning this would be for him. He has struggled with so many things that other little boys unknowingly take for granted and I have watched he and his family struggle and grow stronger over the years.

Just last month Richard was told by one of his teachers that if she were his mother she wouldn't have bought him tie shoes she would buy him Velcro shoes as she watched him struggle to tie his shoes on the playground. He came home in tears. He and Lori worked for literally years to learn to tie his shoes so he could wear tie shoes like his brothers and his friends.

I can't imagine how I would have reacted … but not Lori … She just told him that "well, Richard, this is why God gave you to me – because he knew I wouldn't sell you short. You can wear tie shoes and tie them just like all the other boys – and I am raising you to be a man and a man you are already becoming."

I want him to win this one and I want his mom to have this win for him (and for her too). I want her to have the first place award so she can beat that crappy teacher up with it. I want it for Lori because of the challenges she has faced with the schools and our community. I have a hard time writing and talking about him because of how deeply I have experienced this struggle from the outside and how deeply I love my friend and cannot begin to imagine the strength she has had to muster for things I know I have unknowingly taken for granted as a mother.

Sorry for the diatribe but if you could help me by voting for Richards tree on the Neimans website (notice the prosthetic hands reaching to the sky he designed at the top ….:) … ) … I'll keep you posted on the results (please also forward the link to those who think may vote too – FYI you can vote once a day – bookmark it if you will) …

Brrrrrrr!

Y'all! It SNOWED in the Hill Country this morning.

This is South Texas, dang it! It doesn't snow!

I want the warm nice weather back!

Funnies

Standing in my bathroom getting ready this morning, Jack participated in a small act that got me giggling, and I realized that he has lots of these funny little behaviors that keep me smiling. Here are a few that are at the top of my mind, and have me smiling just thinking of them

~He will shout into literally ANY tube (or cylinder). This morning in the bathroom, it was a toilet paper tube (that was still covered with t.p., no less). He also shouts into the end of the water hose, into cups, paper towel rolls, butter tubs, you name it. If it has a round hole, he'll shout into it. Imagine for a moment a little boy shouting down a full roll of toilet paper and you'll smile too.

~He has lots of words...quite a good little vocabulary, but he also has this babble that he gets going, and it is the sweetest and funniest sound echoing through our house. I know he knows what he's talking about, and the expressions on his face tell me that he's serious, but you can't not laugh at this sound. It's one I can't explain well, but trust that it's funny.

~I've always been convinced that making car sounds is something that's innate for little boys, and now I'm sure of it. My little guy is just one, and he makes vroom, vroom noises with his cars. No one taught him this, he just DOES it. He also makes vacuum cleaner sounds. When inspecting the vacuum cleaner. It's laugh inspiring to watch a child who you would think cannot correlate car sounds to a car, but does.

~The child thinks that EVERYTHING was made to be ridden. The wagon he got for his birthday, he tries to ride. I put together his Clipo table last night and what did he do? He rode it. If I lay down on the floor with him, he tries to ride me. Same thing with his daddy. Funniest part of the mommy and daddy riding is that he's got it totally backwards and tries to ride our faces.

~Yet another of those things I'm not sure where he picked up, but he hisses at the cat. In Garden Ridge on Sunday he made funny hissing noises at my mom and me.

It's so wonderful when he's well and all his little quirks come back out. (They may not be quirks, they may be things all babies do, but this is my baby, and the only one I've been around much, so to me, they're his.) If laughter is the best medicine, we will most certainly always be well in the Stewart house.

Out of This World Fun!

Jack had his 1st Birthday party on Saturday, and I can honestly say that when I selected the theme, it was just to be cute...I had no idea it would actually be out of this world fun! The party could not have been any more perfect if I had dreamed it. It was exactly the right number of people, the perfect combo of baby boys, and so much fun.

Jack's G-Pa and Ga bought him his very own bounce house and ball pit for his birthday and he loved it! He loves balls anyway, so this was a perfect gift for him since he was surrounded by balls! Now if only he had more hands....
Our good friend Alysha (whose house we were married at) bought Jack his first tricycle! His legs are a bit too short yet, but he really loved it and will most certainly grow into it.
He had lots of fun ripping up wrapping paper on all the gifts, and then walking away with it, leaving me opening the rest of the presents.
The best gifts are green and made of paper, and evidently he learned that very early! He made away with 50 bucks in cold hard cash for his birthday (that makes him richer than me!)
Some of our favorite people, the Thomas' gave Jack his first baseball bat! Mr. Jack T. picked it out for Little Jack on his own which makes it that much more special!
Another special present was this great kid sized wagon that the Tiller's gave Jack. It's the perfect size for him to put his toys, or rocks at some point, into to drag around. Right now, he thinks it's something to ride and fell out of it several times later that evening.
Jack got so many great gifts for his birthday. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful and caring people in our lives. The Knowlton's gave Jack a big wheel (which his legs are too short for as well) but he'll grow into it rather quickly.
Then it was time for cake! Our baker (who did our wedding cake) made his birthday cake and it was awesome! The rocket was a separate cake that came off just for Jack!

Some of our neighbors and new friends came from down the street. They are all little blonde boys and are perfectly stair-stepped in age. Eli, 11 months, Jack, 12 months, Tyson, 15 months and Justice, 22 months. We opened a bunch of Jack's new toys for all the boys to play with.
Jack enjoying the bounce house bridge, sliding into his ball pit. (The most fun gift!)
Playing in the bounce house.
Of course, the most fun was had when the party was over and we were taking everything down. Jack jumped on the tarp as Hubby was dragging it up and went for a ride through the yard.
The Stewart's! We had so much fun celebrating Jack's birthday with all our favorite people and friends new and old. We look forward to doing it again and again!

Birthday Boy

For Jack's actual birthday, Hubby and I had a small celebration that included one of his gifts and a cupcake! He thoroughly enjoyed the ENTIRE cupcake, and made a thorough mess of himself and the dining room while eating it.


I'll admit the cupcakes were super sweet and had to be washed down with some cold milk. By all three of us.
My smiling, happy boy! (Look at all those teeth! 5 now!)
We Three Stewart's celebrating the birth of the littlest Stewart. =)

1 Year Check-Up

Jack had his one year check up today and aside from the fact that he again has double ear infections, he is a perfect little one year old!

He weighed 23 lbs, 3 oz and was 30.5 inches long, putting him in the 70th and 75th percentiles for weight and height, respectively. Dr. P was very impressed with Jack's language skills, and with everything else, too. We made the switch from formula to whole milk the day before yesterday, along with nixing the bottle entirely, so when I told Dr. P that Jack hadn't had a bottle in 2 days, we got a big high five! He got 4 shots (yuck) and a prescription for his ears (double-yuck). I expressed my concerns that I was certainly doing something wrong and not enough to prevent these ear infections and he reassured me that there is nothing I can do about it, and that I shouldn't worry myself.

He also referred us to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, who we must see within 2 weeks. On the bright side, Dr. P did say that they don't always automatically recommend tubes. Sometimes they watch them closely, until around 18 months before deciding to go that route, so we shall see what they say about the Jack ears.

Overall, a great appointment! We love our pedi and I am happy every time we leave there! Especially since it means my little man is healthy (minus those pesky little ears.)

One Year

One year ago,

"At 7:34, Jack Eugene Stewart entered the world, weighing 9 pounds, 1.4 ounces and was 20 and 3/4 inches long. He was very healthy and happy and just perfect. His daddy went to the nursery with him while I got stitched back up and sent to recovery. After an hour in recovery, I was taken to my postpartum suite to wait and wait and wait for Jack to come out of the nursery. Finally, around 11, they wheeled him in and I was able to get my hands on him! He's gorgeous and perfect and everything I've ever dreamed of."

I couldn't have known then that that last sentence would be one that I would repeat aloud, and especially in my head, millions of times, daily. In his first year, I have witnessed miracle after miracle as he has grown before my very eyes, discovered so many things in the world that surrounds him, changed from a helpless infant into a walking, talking, climbing machine and continued to be the little boy that had been my dream.

I have said before that he has been the gift that gave my life purpose, and he is. I knew the moment I first saw him, just like I know right now, that I was born, put on this earth, to be his mother.

To hold his hand when he needs it held, and to let go when necessary. To comfort him when he cries, and to leave him alone. To teach him, and to learn from him. To love him, and be loved by him.

Happy 1st Birthday, my Little Man Jack.

Thanksgiving '08

Incredibly, I have zero pictures of Thanksgiving '08 to share! Evidently I was too busy eating to snap any photos.

Thanksgiving '08 really started on Wednesday with everyone at Olive Garden celebrating Hubby's 27th birthday. It was a wonderful evening, and was good practice for stuffing our faces the next day!

On Thursday, out little family got up and spent the morning together before heading over to my parents house around 1 o'clock. We all gathered in the kitchen, finishing up dinner and waiting for everyone to arrive before sitting down to eat around 2:30. It's so nice to be so relaxed about everything, everyone making their plates from the "buffet" and sitting down to eat with one another, inside and outside, and moving from this table to that as they finish their plates and move on to visit with someone else in the family. I just love it. All the good food, all the laughter and the sharing; it's all just more satisfying to me that I can really explain.

After lunch, we all moved upstairs to get comfy on the sofas and around the living room to watch the Dallas game and continue the visiting. I think everyone finally made their ways home just before (Or just after?) the Texas game kicked off.

On Friday, the ladies (and Jack) all loaded up for a Black Friday outing to Garden Ridge Pottery. Somehow, it wasn't super packed, and we wandered around there for a few hours, gathering up ornaments and wreaths and candles and all sorts of yummy things before heading up to Gruene for some lunch at my favorite place, Adobe Verde. Then Friday night, Chris and I joined my cousin Codi and her man Brad to see Four Christmases. (See it. It's hilarious!) Saturday it was a trip to Target and to Ross for some Christmas shopping for my Grammy, Mom and me. Jack was able to stay home with his other Grandma while I ran around with them, and then it was MORE Mexican food for lunch.

Sunday brought back normalcy with church and an afternoon spent with my mom watching Christmas movies and looking through the sales circulars on the couch while Jack played and napped. And then Monday brought back work. Boo.

It was a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving weekend, and I'm so glad everyone stuck around for so long and that we were able to spend so much time with one another. It really makes me wish we all lived in the same town so we could see each other like that all the time. At least they're all close enough that I get to see them as often as I do.