Lots of pictures...

So I know these are pictures from weeks ago...

but better late then never.
And this kid is keeping me so busy,
he is into everything!

I am seriously EXHAUSTED lately, but feeling good otherwise...
So that is my excuse for the lack of blogging.
Especially skipping his 9 month update.
So here is a short one:

Jack's current status...
6 teeth (which he uses to bite and chew everything...including my toe and his beautiful crib rail)
Loves food (especially ours)
Is finally on somewhat of a regular nap/sleep schedule (Thank you, God!!)
Loves to chase Sophie :) This never gets boring to watch
Is incredibly ticklish.

And overall, he just grows more fun each day...
I'm loving this age.
Hard to believe he'll be a year old soon!

Mother's Day

My first Mother's Day with a living child and one on the way!

My husband tried so hard to make it special, and it was.

We went out for breakfast, where Jack was an angel. Couldn't have asked for more:)

Then he took Jack for a run on the biking trail in the jogging stroller we just got so I could have my one Mother's Day wish: A nap! Having that hour and a half of uninterrupted sleep felt like heaven to this pregnant momma:)

Then, the one aspect I was not planning on was our realtor called and someone wanted a showing! Literally, I was the most annoyed that I have been in a really long time. So when I woke up from my nap, I started cleaning...on Mother's Day!

Seriously, ridiculous...

But when your house is for sale, do you really have a choice when the prospective buyers are not living around here? All I have to say is we had better get an offer!

While the house was being showed, we went and had some dinner and just enjoyed being a family. Lots of calls and well-wishes came in and I am so grateful for all those that were lifting me up. I won't lie, its still hard to think that Will should be here. And every day I still miss him.

But the other day I was reading something that Elizabeth Edwards said and it really stuck with me. Not just because what she said was close to my heart, but because often my heart breaks because most of our family rarely mentions Will or honors his memory in any way. And to me that is the most unbearable. So when I read her words, I felt like I had a voice to express just what that felt like. Because I love being a mom. And before Jack came along, I was a mom to Will first. And so this Mother's Day, I was celebrating being a mom to not just one, but two boys...

"If you know someone who has lost a child...and your afraid to mention them because you think you might make them sad by reminding them that they died, they didn't forget they died. You're not reminding them. What you're reminding them is that you remember that they lived, and that's a great, great gift."

What great advice, especially now, when spring is finally here and my mind is heavy with reminders that 3 years ago this month I began my 8 week stay at The Hotel Del Spectrum Hospital :) But this Mother's Day was the best I have ever had...and I look forward to many more with our growing little family!

CA trip

For spring break,

we ventured to our old home...Orange County, CA.
I have to admit that while we lived there, I absolutely could not stand it at times.
Now I am smart enough to also admit that not only was I stupid,
but that my feelings have changed.
There is so much to do there,
but most importantly we love our friends and miss them dearly.
And the best part?
Some of the best weather in the country.
Very predictable.
And in our life, I will take anything predictable...
we've had enough surprises:)

So we took a nice long plane ride with Jack (who did pretty well and won over the masses on the plane) and went for a little sunshine and relaxation...only when you have a 8 month old, there is not much time to relax. So about a day before we were supposed to come back home, we were finally on a schedule again and I was not ready to come back to grey and cold Michigan.

It was a fun trip. And I loved seeing everyone again and eating at all of our favorite places. We'll hopefully end up living out there in the future. Life it too short to live in a place you don't love. And I really miss the ocean and sunshine. My only bummed out moment was not being able to have the incredible mojitos at Coyote Grill in Laguna...and as far as Jack, that kid loves to be outside. Of course, time went too fast and between the pregnancy blahs and the time change we didn't do a whole lot.

But then again, it was just nice to sit by the pool and feel the sunshine again. And Jack, that kid was all about the water and being outside. He even got to pick a lemon off the tree:) I'm ready to go back for more...

Fashion Show

So along with Jack keeping me busy, there is something else that threw us for a loop this past month.

And since I love to shop,
when I saw this adorable shirt for Jack, I knew I had to get it.
Even though I am German, Not Dutch...
Doesn't matter,
its gets the point across, right?!

For the record, this was the biggest shock of my life.
Had no intention at all of getting pregnant so quickly after Jack.
In fact, after all we've been through, I didn't even think it was possible.
Just goes to show you, God has the ultimate plan...not us!

Now if I could just be blessed with Superman strength to get me through this...
and maybe a little delay in Jack walking too!

Months 7 & 8

Okay, I am embarrassed...

After all the people that read and follow this blog,

I should know better than to go nearly 2 months without posting anything.

And its not that I didn't want to,

writing is still my outlet...and perhaps if I did more of it,

the last two months would have been a bit more bearable!

But this kid...

takes up all my energy and time...

Since my last post in Feb. Jack has begun to crawl...to pull himself up on furniture...to bite all the furniture he pulls himself up on...and even gnaw on the nastiest thing~our concrete hearth that comes out of the fireplace. Ugh. Tim shudders with each little scratch of his teeth.

Then there are the wires. If there is anything poking out from behind a table, in the mouth it goes. I am seriously exhausted...

But there are so many fun things too. Jack loves food. He tries everything and we can no longer eat our own meals without him grabbing or screaming for a bite. Its fun to give him new things to try and watch his face.

But if we think we are busy with him now, just wait until the walking begins...and then there all the other things going on. More on that soon!

Snow, snow...go away

If I were to sum up the last few weeks it would be this:

Snow.

Tons of snow.

As you can see from the pics, the drifts were clear up to the glass on the door. At least a foot and a half high.

Then today it reached 45 degrees and I did a little happy dance as I watched the huge mountains in front of our house slowly melt down to something a bit easier on the eyes.

I am so ready for spring.

While it was busy snowing outside, we have been busy inside. Except for the one day that G&G bought Jack his little red sled and somehow talked me into going for a walk around the neighborhood. Don't let the sun fool you~it was FREEZING.

But besides trying to stay warm, we have officially put our house up for sale. Where are we going? Not quite sure...but after the huge blizzard I'm daring to say someplace a bit warmer maybe. We'll see.

Jack has also been going to Gymboree class, which helps us beat the "stuck inside all the time" blues. He loves it. Because let's face it, here in Michigan you can only go to the mall or grocery store so many times before you feel like your going lose it.

Today had a small sense of spring about it. Just how excited did this make me?

I was giddy.

Seriously, giddy.

Combine that with the plane tickets I just bought to fly us out to L.A. in a few weeks and today was a spectacular day:)

Now I just need to get my ab rolls to look as cute as Jack's in a swimsuit:)

6 months

Happy 6 month Birthday!

A whole half year already...

And what a week leading up to it!

Jack, this week you celebrated your half year birthday with a bang:

First fever (102.3)

First cold

and to top it all off your first TWO teeth popped through this morning!

You have not been a happy camper,

but you have been one tough cookie.

Since Christmas you can now sit up for longer periods without any help

or without falling on your face. You also are eating a few solid foods and no longer gagging on them:) What is the most disgusting thing? You love prunes...I have no idea who you got this trait from!

Most importantly, you can now fit into all your 6-12 month clothes I happily have stashed away along the journey:) And good thing, because not only are you the best dressed in the family (according to Daddy), but it means that you always have a clean set of clothes since you seem to drool a LOT...and never mind all the spit-up, since you love to bend your little body in half as you reach and grab for everything in sight, including your toes.

We love to make you laugh and giggle. Your feet and tummy are ticklish. And you just love to be a busy body, I know in a few short moments you will be giving me a great work out chasing after you.

You bring so much joy to our lives. Every day is something new...

Speaking of new, mommy found these fun stickers to slap on just before its time to snap your monthly photos.

What a great idea! Find them on www.pickysticky.com

If only everything were this easy! Because apparently your toes were much more interesting than anything I was doing to get your attention for a cute 6 month picture:)

*Sigh*

And that is nothing new...