Christmas Cards? Go to Shutterfly

Looking for beautiful X-Mas or Holiday cards? Don't want to worry about spending tons of money or finding the time to do it yourself ... well check out Shutterfly's Holiday Card Collection

I have used Shutterfly for over five years now -- making everything from photo books to wall calendars. Some of the most cherished items I made were cards -- for grandparents on mother's/father's day to birthday cards for loved ones. Every year I send out Christmas Cards that let everyone know what we have been up to. This year was a BIG one because it was Jaiden's first year of life. Shutterfly has a folded holiday card that lets you put up to five pictures and captions. This is going to be perfect to let friends and family know all about Jaiden's BIG year. Shutterfly really makes the process as simple as possible -- I have made cards in less than five minutes! Let's talk quality ... they are perfection! I was unsure the first time I had something printed, but from then on I have never used anyone besides them!!

This year I plan on using these to do our family X-Mas cards and bloggers check this out: 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly!!

http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/


Love,
Dada & Mama J

First Birthday Photoshoot Video!!

Click HERE to see Jaiden's First Birthday Photo shoot video... only online until November 14th!!

The wonderful Melissa Stottmann took Jaiden's newborn and six month pictures and we went back to her for his one year pictures as well. We did them about three weeks early so that they could be printed and framed for his BIG First Birthday Party on November 20th!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

BUSY!!!

I feel like we are always on the GO!! Since we got back from Charleston we have been to Baltimore (mom got her first night out!!!), Brigantine to visit with family and North Jersey to visit friends!

We also found a venue for our wedding reception as well as a NEW apartment in Rutherford, NJ. We are set to move in TWO days and we have done little packing. I am trying to focus on bringing the BIG items and come back for the rest. We will be going back and forth for a while until I find a job and then we will live there full time. But Jaiden still has his Gymboree and swimming classes here in West Deptford, so we will be back for those!

After we are moved in I will start focusing on Jaiden's FIRST Birthday party on November 20th (I don't know where the last year has gone and I can't believe how big he is getting.)

So between moving, planning my June 4th wedding, Maid of Honor duties for my sisters wedding just two months after mine, helping with two of my other friend's wedding (bridesmaid in one), Jaiden's birthday planning, trying to find a job and oh yah, raising Jaiden ...I would say that life is going to be BUSY for awhile!! In fact, I do not see life slowing down until maybe retirement!! I feel so blessed to have all these happy occasions to celebrate and am completely in love with my life :)


Love,
Dada & Mama J

Charleston or Bust!

We are all packed (well mostly) and I am ready for BED as we will be getting up at 1:30am to leave for Charleston, SC. It is a 12 hour drive ... or it would have been if we didn't have a 10month old ... so I would assume, 13-14!!!!! We have some friends to visit down there but my Uncle Bill and two cousins live there and we are staying in their cottage. I am very excited for Jaiden to meet my cousins as they are closer to his age than mine (Alana - 7, Ben - 3.)

I will update with pictures and stories when we return next week! Say a prayer for a safe trip and my sanity on that kind of a car ride!!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Afternoon at the Park

We had quite a busy weekend -- trips to Target, IKEA, went swimming , took walks and ventured to the park! I just want to share with you some pictures of our trip to the park!



When did he he start looking like a little boy and no longer a baby?

HAPPY 10 Months Sweet Baby Boy!!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Gymboree!

Jaiden trying to reach out and 'catch' the bubbles!!

Jaiden has so much playing at Family Fun Day that we signed him up for classes this fall!

Yesterday was Jaiden's first Gymboree class at Riverwinds Community Center. It was for babies ages 6 -16 months! There were five other kiddies in the class, but only one other that was close to Jaiden's age. There were two baby babies, only about 6months. Then two other kids that were probably 14-15 months old.

He loved it!! We climbed over different tunnels, banged on a drum, danced and sang songs, played with musical instruments, went 'tubing', played with bubbles and got to play in a parachute! Hopefully every week is as fun!

Unfortunetly, we will not be there next week because we will be in Charleston on a family vacation but we will have six more classes on Thursday's after that. And the best part is that J gets to come and spend time with Jaiden during his lunch break!!


Love,
Dada & Mama J

Fall To Do List

1. Pumpkin picking & carving!
2. S'mores with my boys
3. Trip to the zoo
4. Beach trip on a fall weekend
5. Start baking and making some of the new fall recipes I've been dying to try
6. Squeeze in a few date nights over in Philadelphia
7. Coffee shop for fall inspired coffees/lattes, etc.
8. Train for a half marathon in December and get back into shape for all these weddings I have
9. Picnic lunch at the park and more trips to the park
10. Cherish these fall days with Jaiden before I have to eventually go back to work

...and not to mention find a job, a wedding venue, plan a wedding, plan Jaiden's first birthday, look for apartments in North Jersey and get ready to move this winter!!

It is going to be a BUSY BUSY fall but I am so excited for everything. I feel so blessed to have so much to look forward to!


Love,
Dada & Mama J

Starting to Feel Like Fall

This is Jaiden at WD Family Fun Day on Saturday September 11, 2010. He loved playing at the Gymboree play area!

....and I hope it stays this way! It is nice to be able to take a walk without sweating to death or worrying about shady areas to cool off, making sure we have sunscreen, hats and bottles of water!!
I have spent the past few days at home trying to get organized but I am limited by my almost 10 month old boy who is on the move!! He does not stay still for longer than 30 seconds so it makes near impossible to get anything done unless he is in his jumparoo or ASLEEP!!

I know it is early but I am starting the early stages of planning his 1st Birthday on November 20th! I am very detail oriented so it is going to take some time to put together! I have started making homemade invitations and found some decorations in the $1 section of Target! In the coming months I will tell you how to do a chic jungle safari birthday party on a budget! I am hoping that this party is the start of a future party planning/dessert business I can do on the side. I guess we will see how it goes ....

Jaiden is having a fun Football Sunday with his dad, as he has maybe glanced at the TV for two whole minutes! Maybe one day he will want to watch with his dad!Jaiden on Sunday Funday!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Found this, Read this and Smiled!

- click on picture for a LARGER view of the article!

This is for all my friends who I forget to call back or stay in contact with!! I still love you all and I am not ignoring you!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Last Days of Summer ...

My beach bum!

Always eating sand!

He loves the ocean!

He thinks he can drink the salt water!

One last beach day in Brigantine of Summer of 2010! We have such a busy fall we will not be back until the middle of October ... and I do not think it will be 'beach' weather! We had an amazing summer and can't wait until next summer :)

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Jaiden's Summer Milestones!!

We left for the beach on June 30th and returned on September 7th! That is a little over two months ... however, a baby can accomplish so many milestones in that short period of time!

Drum roll please ......

Jaiden was only rolling over in June and by September he was SPEED crawling! Not only is he crawling but he can pull himself up on furniture and cruise from couch to coffee table to couch!

Jaiden learned how to CLIMB stairs!! He tries to climb down, headfirst (OH NO!!)

Jaiden was still playing on his mat, grabbing at toys back in June. By July, he pulled down the mat and managed to use his strength to pull the toys off the mat! Needless to say he outgrew the mat before August!

Jaiden loved being in his tent while at the beach back in June and July. By August, he crawled out of the tent in a matter of minutes to explore the beach! By September, he crawled down to the ocean (with no fear of the water) and puts his face in the saltwater. He also digs and enjoys EATING the sand as well! He is ALL over the beach, not sitting still for one minute!

Jaiden had six teeth in June and by the time we left in September he had eight teeth!

Jaiden's summer hats and shorts no longer fit ... he is officially in 12month clothing!!

Jaiden's hair was brown in June and by the time we left in September it is getting lighter and lighter ... almost a strawberry blonde!! Hey, at least he is starting to get more and more hair ... although I think it is going to be a curly mess!

Jaiden sure has found his voice this summer! Not only does he love to scream but he also says 'AHHH!!!' He will say it soft and then someone will say it back to him and it will progressively get louder and louder!! By the end of August, he learned how to say 'BaBa.' Not that he knows that it means but he says it a lot!

One of my absolute FAVORITE things that Jaiden does is when he gets excited he huffs and puffs like a dog and speed crawls over to whatever it is that causes his excitement! Lately, when I am crawling on the ground when him and crawl faster and faster and say his name it causes his to crawl faster and faster and huff and puff! At that point he drops to the ground and starts hysterically laughing into the carpet!! I finally got it on video, so I will upload a video soon!

I am sure I am forgetting something, but that is a lot of changes in such a short period of time!! I feel so blessed that I am able to be home with his and experience all of these 'firsts!' I know I will go back to work soon, but I will cherish the time I had with him!!

Goodbye sweet summer ... and I can only imagine what milestones we will see over the fall!!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

End of Summer

And what a summer it has been!! We have been so lucky to spend all but one week at the beach house this summer. This upcoming week will mark the 8th heat wave of the summer with over fifty 90+ days, AT THE BEACH!! Usually it is considerably cooler at the beach with the sea breeze, but this summer has just been oppressive heat and humidity. It sometimes limited the amount of time Jaiden spent outdoors. But we still sweated it out and went for a beach walk almost every day! I can remember in the beginning on the summer Jaiden was content playing in his tent with all of his toys. By the end of the summer he wanted out of that tent so he could crawl all over. He became such a speed crawler that sitting down at the beach became a thing of the past. He no longer played with his toys and enjoyed playing with and eating the sand! We would bring our chairs up to the ocean and he would stand there waiting for the BIG waves to get his all wet!! We would sit by the water for hours and Jaiden would just jump and jump!! Being at the beach really tired him out, which I LOVED!! And that meant he was going to take a GREAT afternoon nap.

Let me give you a summary of our BIG, exciting summer at the beach! We had TWO beach engagements this summer -- myself on July 2nd and my sister on August 21st! We had a BIG Birthday party for J, Gerry and myself. Forth of July weekend cousin Nikki and Casey drove up from Florida and got to spend the week with us. Every weekend was jam packed with visitors!! J's friends, Jason, Seth, Pete and Rachel came to hangout at the beach. My college friends, Tiff & Lea came down as well one weekend. Jaiden's godfather and Aunt Rachel came down to visit over Birthday weekend and Rachel did a second time when Jamie was away! My friends from home, Katie & Kelly came down so we could go to the Food Network's Food and Wine Festival (which was somewhat of a disappointment, but still a fun day with friends.) J & I were able to get out and explore the wonderful restaurants that Atlantic City had to offer, as well as Brigantine.

After reading this summary I hope you can understand that we had a VERY busy summer and that is why I had very little time to blog!! We are now back in WD, but will be going back to the beach one more time for Labor Day weekend with J's brother and some friends.

However, this is my week to get all of us organized for the Fall!! We have some exciting things happening ... from football games, baseball games, family vacations, first times at the zoo and amusement parks and celebrating Jaiden's 1st Birthday in November!! First up, we are taking a family vacation to Charleston, SC at the end of September to visit friends and family!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

A Trip to the beach!

In the past eight months everything has changed since Jaiden was born. A trip to the store is no longer quick, a 9pm dinner at a restaurant just doesn't exist without a babysitter and our trips to the beach have become a lot more involved!


The picture above is what my days at the beach consisted of -- a small bag with sunscreen, a beach towel, a book/magazine and possibly a chair or umbrella. How simple is that? Took me less than five minutes to get ready for the beach and another five to walk down and maybe two minutes to 'set up.' I could lay on that towel for hours and then break to the ocean if I got too hot sunbathing. I would come back to the house for lunch or nap on the beach through lunch. Clocks did not belong at the beach, we came back whenever I got too much sun or it was dinnertime. Another two minutes to 'pack up' and I was on my home to shower and relax!

Fast forward one year ....THIS is our 'set up!'

I started thinking about our beach trips all the way back in March!! I purchased a tent so he would be covered from the sun and have a non sandy place to play! In May, we purchased a 'beach' stroller so we could easily wheel him to the beach and one of us would not have to carry him. We can not just wake up and go to the beach whenever we feel like it. It is usually after his first nap of the day around 11am. And this is our beach process:

- dress Jaiden is a new diaper, swim trunks and a rash guard.
- put sunscreen on him.
- pack his bag which consists of: extra diapers, wipes, swim diapers, multiple changes of clothes, 3 bottles, formula, water bottles to mix his formula when we get to the beach, puffs for him and a hat or two for him to wear once we get there!
- dress myself and get my bag together: ONLY a book (which I may or may not get to even take out of the bag anymore!)
- snacks and a water bottle for myself and J.
- pack underneath the stroller: all of his toys, sheet to lay out so he can crawl on it, tent, 3 towels, water bottle for ourselves, sunscreen for all three of us.
- put Jaiden in the stroller and make sure he has two toys with him to play with on our walk down.
- get 2 chairs, Jaiden's 'pool' and the umbrella out of the closet to bring with us as well!

Now that we are packed we grab our chairs and put them over our shoulders and begin our walk to the beach. After trudging our stroller through the thick sand we make it to our 'spot' and begin to set up -- unpacking the chairs, setting up the umbrella and tent, getting towels/sheets put down, getting toys out and then placing Jaiden in the tent!

We sit down for a matter of minutes before Jaiden has escaped the tent and is now heading for the sand. He LOVES to eat it ... and with all our best efforts he has eaten plenty of it!! After chasing him and getting sand out of his mouth we take a walk. On this walk he may or may not take a twenty minute nap, being awake by the time we get back to our spot. He plays with his toys and we continue to keep him from eating all the sand off the beach. Every five or ten minutes we head down to the ocean for him to dip his feet in the water (and to get the sand off of his face!)

Towards the end of the day we put him in a swim diaper and bring our chairs down to the ocean. We sit in the water and Jaiden splashes and waits for all the big waves to come! He is fascinated by the bubbles that the waves make and when the waves go back out. He continues to eat wet sand in between each wave!!

The end of our beach day includes changing him into a non wet/sandy outfit. He goes back in the stroller and we pack up our beach day!! We are fairly quick because we know Jaiden NEEDS a nap!! Another trip through the thick sand and we wash our feet off, 'unsand' everything, bring everything inside, give Jaiden a bottle and put him down for a nap.

So no longer is it a easy, care- free, restful beach day like last summer but one day down at the beach with the two people I love is worth the time and energy that it takes to make it happen!!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Oh No, A Mobile Baby!

Jaiden trying to climb the stairs, but getting frustrated when he can't keep climbing!

In the short time since moving down the shore Jaiden is becoming more and more active!! The first week we were here he was very content on his jungle mat, just playing with the toucan and starring at the giraffe. A short three weeks later he went from rocking back and forth to the worm and now full on crawling! He is learning to stand when holding onto the furniture. I even found him trying to crawl up the stairs. He is getting into all sorts of trouble with his new found freedom. He is always heading to the brick fireplace, over to the wires near the TV or playing with the blinds!

I count my blessings that I am able to stay home with him and continue to watch him grow and see all of these 'firsts!'

Standing and holding onto the ottoman!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

4th of July Weekend!!

Where do I start?!? This is my absolute favorite holiday and this year was the BEST one yet!! We have the opportunity to spend the whole summer at the beach since I am not working and J can 'work from home.' On Thursday afternoon we packed up the car with boxes, clothes, Jaiden's jumparoo, food, ever toy we own and headed down to Brigantine, NJ.
Julie, Gordon, J, Jaiden and myself spent Friday at the beach, enjoying every bit of the holiday weekend. J, Jaiden and I went for a walk on the beach and J told me that he wanted to go down to the beach tonight for the fireworks, and I agreed! We put Jaiden to bed, ate dinner and J was rushing to get down to the beach to take a walk before the fireworks at 9:30pm. When we got to the beach we sat in a lifeguard stand talking about how fast Jaiden is growing and how amazing our lives are. J wanted to go to the water to take pictures, but I was saving our last bit of battery for when the fireworks started. He then wanted to take sunset pictures, and I was insisting we save the battery! He said he would use his phone, so I went with it. He took a picture of me in the sunset and then I took his phone to take a few myself. As I was fooling with the phone J was behind me and as I turned around he was down on one knee!!!!! He was PROPOSING!! He mentioned how he couldn't imagine his life without me and wanted to be with me forever. He then asked me to marry him!!!! Of course, I said YES, and he got up and we hugged and kissed. After a minute or two he took my hand and put the ring on my finger! It was stunning and I was still in a semi state of shock, having not believed what just happened. We started to walk towards the jetty and the fireworks started a few minutes later!! I couldn't be happier and it couldn't have been any more perfect :)

Jaiden celebrating his first 4th of July!!

We got home and the Spence's and Mantici's were already there ... and Jaiden awake entertaining all of them! The rest of the weekend was celebration after celebration. We spent our days at the beach with the family and our nights celebrating our engagement and the 4th of July. It was such a special weekend and I am sorry that I am so late in sharing the story!

Best 4th of July firework <3

Love,

Dada & Mama J

BIG NEWS!!

Stay tuned for an EXCITING post after the holiday weekend!


Love,
Dada & Mama J

Closer to crawling!

And we're in trouble now!

Jaiden has been getting up on his knees and pushing himself back and forth trying to learn how to crawl! So it is just a matter of time before he is crawling!! Even though he is not crawling, boy can he get around -- from rolling and scooting and pushing ... he can sure make his way around the room!!

What a fun weekend we had; Jaiden spent some time in daycare on Friday night while we worked out! I think he likes being there -- he has his own walker which he walks all over the room! Saturday we went to Miss. Abigail's birthday party and Jaiden got to watch all the big kids bowl! We went straight from there to the beach for the rest of the weekend!! Lots of walks on the beach spending time with Aunt Julie and Uncle Gordon.

He still has a cold, as this sixth tooth is breaking through!! Another few days and we might get a break on the teething!!

This is going to be a busy week as Jaiden and I need to put the finishing touches on our Father's Day surprises and get things together for our summer down the shore!! I am getting internet down the shore so J can work from there so we can spend as much time at the beach as we want!


Love,

Dada & Mama J

SICK Week!!

Not only is Jaiden sick but so am I! And we all know that happens when moms gets sick -- nothing gets done!! I caught the cold that Jaiden has so we spent a lot of time indoors this week trying to rest and get better. Let me rephrase that, Jaiden played no matter how much he coughs or his nose runs. One would never know he is sick by the amount of energy he still has. I on the other hand just feel wiped out, so J has been helping me more in the morning so I can get a little bit more sleep. And I just feel so bad for Jaiden, his two top teeth are cutting through (in addition to the one on the bottom I posted about earlier) so he is congested and in a lot of pain!! It has just thrown off his whole sleeping schedule as well, so he now wakes up every two hours, YAY!

Luckily my cold medicine started working today so we were able to run errands and work on our surprises for Father's Day which is next weekend already!! Honestly, where has this month gone??

We are gearing up for a fun weekend of birthday parties and the beach!!


Love,

Dada & Mama J

ANOTHER Tooth!! And this makes 4!

Jaiden and his two front teeth!

Another runny nose, lots of sneezing and a cough ... we all know what that means!! Jaiden is getting another tooth! It is on the bottom right hand side, to match the one that came in on the left about three weeks ago!! So we are in for a week of sleepless nights and pools of drool!


I am also seeing swollen gums on his top two teeth ... so I'd say we have another month of teething. But who am I kidding, we have another two years of runny noses that results in painful teething!

Trying to make this a GREAT week for my little man so he can forget about his teething pain!


Love,

Dada & Mama J

Mothers vs. Fathers

While I was in search of funny and sentimental quotes or poems for our Father's Day 'surprises' I found it rather hard. Everything I found was either comical or shall I say plain old silly. Here is some of the silliness I found; “When I was little, my grandfather used to make me stand in a closet for five minutes without moving. He said it was elevator practice.”~ Stephen Wright.

However, last month I had no problem finding anything relating to mothers or grandmothers. There were no silly quotes or funny one liners. A few months ago I stumbled upon this reading; 'The Gift of Being a Mother.' It was so beautiful and heartfelt and while it relates specifically to mothers I began thinking that some of these same thoughts could apply to fathers as well.

My favorite exert from the reading is this; That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.

Do fathers not feel the same way about there children? Why only the heartfelt poems for mothers? I know that in this family both J and I would do anything for Jaiden to make his life better. Don't all parents feel this way, not just mother's?

Here is the beautiful reading I am referring to. It just might make you tear up a little like I did.

We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of starting a family. "We're taking a survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?"

It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. "I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations." But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.

I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than
watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a souffle; or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation. I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for child-care, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.

I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer
be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room
rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that rest-room. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.

Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.

I want her to know that a Cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will
become badges of honor. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women
throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk
driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about
most issues, but become temporarily insane when I discuss the threat of nuclear war to my children's future.

I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your
child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of
a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time.

I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.

My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have
formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I
reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

Love,

Dada & Mama J

Jaiden Photoshoot Video!! 2 Weeks Only!

Jaiden

Check out the link above of Jaiden's 6 month photo shoot! It will only be available to view for the next 14 days!! They are adorable photos and I am completely obsessed and love them!!

Hope you love it too :)

Love,

Dada & Mama J

6 Month Doctor's Appt!

May 27th we went to Jaiden's 6 month well visit!! Let's start off with his most up to date stats ... DRUM ROLL please!!

Weight: 19lb 7oz
Height: 27 1/4 in
Head Circumference: 43 1/2 in

We went to the doctor's on April 28th so almost a month ago and he was 19lb 2 oz ... so he is not gaining as much as did when he was younger, but still a BIG boy! They told us that he was in the 75-90th percentile for both height and weight.

We were also told that he was able to eat more food and we could start on Gerber Stage 2 foods as well as some puffs!

He also got 4 shots in his theighs and 1 orally. He screamed his little head off for about 2 minutes and then he forgot all about it.

Someone is sitting over my shoulder ... being very distracting!! But overall, the appointment was a success and now we do not have to go back until he is 9 months!!! I can't even imagine what he will be doing in three months -- walking, talking, eating table food!!

SLOW DOWN TIME!! I would like to enjoy the next few months of his first summer !!


Love,

Dada & Mama J

What I do All Day ...

I can’t tell you how many times people, including friends ask me what I do all day, implying that I am siting home drinking coffee all day and painting my nails. That I have time to get everything done on my infamous to do list. Well…all parents should like this one.

I found this when I was logged onto my news sites that I follow. It is from a column in the Washington Post. Its quick, witty and deserved to be shared. The title of this post is Why don’t friends with kids have time?

The reader asks…

“Dear Carolyn: Best Friend has child. Her: busy, exhausted, no time for self, no time for me, etc. Me (no kids): What did you do today? Her: park, play group…Ok, I’ve talked to parents. I don’t get it. What do stay at home mom’s do all day? Please no lists Library, grocery store and dry cleaners…I do all those things too. I guess what I’m asking is what is a typical day and why don’t moms have time for a call or email? I work and am away from home nine hours a day (and some let events); I manage to get it all done. I’m feeling like the kids is an excuse to relax and enjoy, but it so, why won’t my friend tell me the truth?Is this a contest (“my life is harder than yours”) What’s the deal? I’ve got friends with and without kids and all of us child-free folks have the same question?—Tacoma, Washington.”

Her response….

“Relax and enjoy. You’re funny.

Or, you’re lying about having friends with kids.

Or, you’re taking them at their word because they actually have kids, because you haven’t personally been in the same room as them.

I keep wavering between giving you a straight answer and giving my forehead some keyboard. To claim you want to understand, while in the same breath implying that the only logical reason your mom-friends are either lying or competing with you, is disingenuous indeed.

So, because it’s validation you want, the real answer is what you get. When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention from getting them out of bed, fed, cleaned and dressed; to keeping them out of harms way; to answering their coos, cries, questions: to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest to be declared essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from un- shelving books in the library; to keeping rest times, to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too tired, hungry or bored any one of which produces checkout line screaming.

It’s needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.

It’s constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice,constant reglegation of needs to the second tier.

It’s constant scrutiny and second guessing from family and friends. It’s resisting constant temptations to seek short term relief at everyone’s long term expense.

It’s doing all of this while concurrently teaching virtually everything-language, manners, safety,resourcefulness, discipline,curiosity, creativity, empathy. Everything.

It’s also a choice, yes. And a joy. But if you spent all day everyday with this brand of joy, and then, when you got your first tem minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thoughts, instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn’t judge you, complain about you or marvel much more productively she uses her time. Either make a sincere effort to understand of keep you snit to yourself”

Love,

Dada & Mama J

Happy Half Birthday Jaiden Alexander!

Jaiden at 1week old

Jaiden at almost 6 months!

Where has the time gone? How has it been six months already? I remember it like it was yesterday ... they were sticking me with IV's and prepping me for my C- Section. Jaiden Alexander Williams was born at 3:52 PM and at around 5:30 PM I was finally able to hold him. My life is nothing like what it was just over six months ago, and I couldn't love it more. Little did I know that little precious face would bring immense happiness into not just my life but both sets of families lives as well.

I can remember when he needed to be swaddled and 'shhhhed' to sleep and would spend the first few weeks sleeping in our arms! J would carry him swaddled like a football around the house or to rock him to sleep. He was such a tiny newborn that not even his newborn clothes would fit him.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye he was already three months and quite the mover and shaker!! He was growing so quickly and already doubling his birth weight at about 14lb's. His skin rolls had turned to double and even triple chins. He was taking everything in and just so observant of the world around him. He loved everyone he met and would always want you to play with him. He was definitely not a 'cuddle' baby anymore! He had yet to roll over to sit up but everyday he was on his way to doing these things.

Right after Easter is when all these milestones started happening!! He had rolled over to his stomach and then a month later rolled over to his back! In between that time he was eating baby food ... his favorite are the greens, least favorite is cereal!! He had also gotten his two bottom teeth in the month of April. He is also becoming more and more vocal ... just spending time in his crib just talking to his 'crib friends.' He will spend 20 minutes just 'ooohhhing' and 'ahhhing' and trying to form words! Just this week he has tried to get up on his knees to start to crawl!!

So six months from today we will be celebrating his FIRST Birthday and I will again be wondering where the last six months have gone!

We love you so much Jaiden Alexander! Happy six months :)


Love,

Dada & Mama J

Stay Tuned ...

In the next few days I will be updating the 365 Project!! I know I am about a month behind but with J away this week I have a lot of free time after Jaiden goes to bed!!

I will also be putting up a special 'Half Birthday Party Extravaganza' that we had earlier this week for Jaiden's half birthday!

If you are ever in need of more pictures make sure you check out the 'It's All About Jaiden' shutterfly site!


Love,

Dada & Mama J

Another Tooth!

Which means another cold ... more coughing and congestion for Jaiden! It also means a lot less sleep for his mother as well! He is getting another tooth on the bottom and it has not yet cut through and let me tell you, it is so much worse than the last two! He is up every hour or two during the night and is just so cranky during the day! I think he is also going through his six month growth spurt as well ... which can make them cranky and sleep less!! I mean lets face it, he is definitely getting bigger and bigger!!

If you look closely you can see his first two teeth that are on the bottom! Also notice the shirt that is covered in drool!!

Love,

Dada & Mama J

Jaiden's Shutterfly Site

Hi All,

In addition to this blog we have decided to make a Shutterfly blog called, It's All About Jaiden. The reason for this is so that you are able to see more pictures than what we post on this blog. It also gives you a chance to print out whichever ones you want through Shutterfly.

Another nice feature is the Calendar, in which we will be able to update you on when Jaiden's many milestones occurred. We will still continue to blog on this site but look for whole albums of pictures on the NEW Shutterfly site!!

Look for the link in the upper right hand column entitled, It's All About Jaiden.

I will be sure to post this evening about Jaiden's fun and exciting trip to Florida, but photo's are already up on the Shutterfly site!!

Love,

Dada & Mama J

First Cold and Tooth!!!

Jaiden has had somewhat of a rough week or two. He started out two weeks ago throwing up, then came the cough and sneezing. Of course he got sick about two weeks before we were taking our first flying trip to Florida. For peace of mind I took him to the doctor's to make sure it wasn't affecting his breathing or even an ear infection. $20 co- pay and I walked out knowing what I did when I walked in there. There is nothing the doctor can do for a 5 month old with a cold - so I went online searching for every 'mom' trick I could find. So for the past week this is what I have been doing: steam the bathroom for 10minutes before bath time, do a vapor bath to open up his lungs and help with the congestion, rub baby vicks on his chest. The one useful 'mom' trick I found was to put baby vicks on his feet and then put socks on him at night. They said it helps them sleep -- and boy did it!! I also did saline drops, sucking the snot out of his nose and a humidifier in his room!! After over a week of that routine I am finally starting to see him feeling better!! We go back to the doctor on Wednesday, a day before we leave to get the 'OKAY' that it is safe for him to fly.

Looking back two weeks ago when he was first starting to get his cold I should have associated it with his teething! You could see the whites of his two bottom teeth coming in. This morning they FINALLY broke through!! There are no more soft baby gums, when Jaiden grabs your hand to put them in his mouth it is now going to hurt!! I notice a little discomfort and we have teething rings galore! However, I bought into the 'must- have' teething toy named Sophie. Sophie is essentially a chew toy, but the 500 plus reviews on Amazon claim it is so much more than that!! Sophie will arrive in the nick of time ... the day before our Florida trip!

So many new milestones are happening so fast ... we have so much coming up as summer is right around the corner. Next Thursday we are heading to Florida to visit Great Granny Lois and my Aunt and Uncle before we head down to Fort Myers for my cousins wedding. When we get back we are heading down to Brigantine for Mother's Day Weekend with my mom, sister, Gordon, Granny Elaine and Uncle Frank. Towards the end of the month we have his 6 month well visit and shots. I am most excited for our amazing photographer to come back and take Jaiden's 6 month photos. I have so many ideas and I can not wait to see how they turn out!!

So that is the run down for the next month of Mr. Jaiden Alexander's life...I hope to be blogging in between the busy month ahead!!

Love,

Dada & Mama J

Week 14 - Happy Easter!

April 2

April 3

April 4

April 5

April 6

April 7

April 8

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Week 13

March 26

March 27

March 28

March 29

March 30

March 31

April 1

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Jaiden's BIG Week!!

Each week Jaiden seems to hit a new milestone and this week proves to me that he is just growing up so quickly. We just had our 4 month well visit with the doctor and she 'okayed' us to start him on solid foods such as cereals and pureed fruits and veggies. So he has been eating single grain rice cereal 2-3 times a day and not hating it! Some days he loves it and is literally eating the spoon while other days he wants nothing to do with it and will spit it out instantaneously. Here are some funny pictures of him eating cereal over the past week!

Jaiden's very first taste! Not sure what to think!!


Trying to eat the spoon!


Look at that face!

He loved it this day!

And now he would rather eat his hand!

Another reason it was such a BIG week for Jaiden is because it was the first time he was able to turn OVER by himself (from his back to his stomach.) I have been helping him the past few weeks -- kicking one leg over or putting one arm up but on Wednesday April 7th he turned over all by himself!! We were up in Mahwah staying at Godfather Jamie's house and Jaiden was playing on his mat and in two seconds time he was on his stomach!! Here comes the problem, he can't stand being on his stomach and does not know how to turn onto his back yet!! Sooo....screaming begins once he is on there for a few minutes! Each time I teach him how he will roll back over, hoping that he will learn quick!!

YAY! Jaiden turned over by himself (and still finds a way to put his fingers in his mouth!)

Not only is he rolling over but he now loves to sleep on his stomach so this is how I find him every morning when I go in to get him. He used to lay on his back in the AM and talk to himself but since he hates being on his stomach it is just SCREAMING!! I am hoping he will eventually enjoy being on his stomach the same way he did when he laid on his back.

Those were two HUGE milestones I thought I would share with you all :)

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Jaiden's First Easter!

Jaiden in his new whip with his Easter outfit on!

This past weekend we traveled with Jaiden, J and Uncle Ashton up to Syracuse to visit J's father for the Easter holiday. We had every inch of the car packed with not one inch of room left. We were packed up and on the road by 1pm!! Jaiden was such a trooper -- he slept a little and awoke for an hour of traffic through Philadelphia. Four hours into the trip we stopped at a state park in PA so Jaiden could stretch his legs and get some cereal in him!

TWO more hours and we were there!!

Saturday and Sunday were beautiful days and we were able to go for walks and spend some time outside. Of course we were worried about him getting any bit of sun so we was covered head to toe. Saturday night J's father cooked a beautiful ham dinner for Easter and we had many many laughs. Jaiden was smiling and talking and just making everyone laugh.

Of course the Easter bunny found us up in Syracuse and left Jaiden a fun Easter basket! He also got treats from O'Pa as well!! It was a trip that just went by so quickly and before we knew it, it was time to make the journey back to Mahwah, NJ for a dew days. On the way home Jaiden slept the entire time -- that was almost a four hour trip!! He is just such a great traveler, which is a good thing because at the end of the month we will all be heading down to Florida for my cousin's wedding!!

Here's to great memories and more to come with every holiday we get to spend with family!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Week 12

March 19

March 20

March 21

March 22

March 23

March 24

March 25

Love,
Dada & Mama J