Visit From An Old Friend

After many aborted attempts at getting together one of my friends from college, Jenn, and her son CJ came over yesterday afternoon for lunch and playing. CJ is 6.5 and wants to be a firefighter. He has such a wonderful active imagination and gave me a short but inspiring look into what my life will probably be like in 5 years. It's a totally different way of playing than LP does when she comes to our house; definitely a boy/girl thing.



CJ and Jumpin' J had fish sticks and peas for lunch with berries for dessert. J was so entertained by CJ, it was really great to watch. After lunch we went for a walk and then CJ got to have a popsicle while his mom played with J. We were so glad to have them over and hopefully we can do it again soon.



Again, I took quite a few more pictures but these are the only two that didn't get corrupted. Bummer again because the best ones were ruined. I hate it when I get a picture I like and then something happens to it.

Reading

Yesterday we spent the morning cabinet climbing and then reading books in his room. He really loves books these days. They seem to be his favorite thing although he does have to take ALL of them out before reading.



I love this of course because I love to read and think books are great. It is amusing all the same to see this active kid with many toy options sitting down surrounded by books "reading" them to himself.



He even climbs into my lap now if I take out a book and sits to be read to. It gives me such a smooshy feeling when he does that!

Cabinet Climbing

I am seriously bummed right now. I had taken a few great shots of Jumpin' J the other day climbing into "his" cabinet and something happened to my memory card for my camera and I lost the best shot along with a few others. Here is the only one that didn't get corrupted.



Jumpin' J is madly in love with the sport of cabinet climbing right now. And I think it is great because I can keep an eye on him and still cook. After a failed attempt at the cabinet with the heavy pots and pans I decided to make J his own cabinet filled with items that would make fabulous noises but not kill him when thrown about quite liberally. J LOVES it! He throws all the bowls and things out of the cabinet and plays with them for a while and then climbs right into the cabinet to play. It is so cute.

Playing Outside

We played outside for a little while yesterday morning with our neighbors, Brisol and Reece. Jumpin' J loves his babes and they love him. I think he could get them to feed him grapes and fan him if he was only old enough to know how to ask. They are such cute little munchkins and they keep J on his toes.

We then went to NH so I could go to my dress fitter to get the alterations completed for Auntie Laura's wedding in 2.5 weeks. Better late than never I suppose. And after that we went to Grandma Laurie's house. It was a little early for dinner so J and I went outside to play again. But for some reason Jumpin' J was not excited about the grass outside Grandma's house. He wouldn't put his hands in it and kept climbing into my lap. Even when Grandma's neighbor came out to play with her Dora ball Jumpin' J wouldn't touch the grass. He did like the crunchy leaves that are scattered around.



Very weird that he had played in the grass in the morning with our neighbors but wouldn't play in the grass at Grandma's. I can only imagine that her grass must be longer and ticklier than ours. Much to J's dismay I took a picture of his distress before picking him up.

Spring Cleaning Help

Jumpin' J loves closets. He likes to explore in them and climb on things and check everything out. Our closet and his closet are regular places of exploration. Jumpin' J and I went to visit Grandma Laurie over the weekend and she was cleaning out her closet so J jumped right in to help.



He made sure the door was open wide and that the hangers were all tangled appropriately. But the items that fascinated him the most were Grandma Laurie's shoes, maybe because she has a lot of them. He opened all the boxes and checked them all out. And sat still for a few minutes (a long time for J) just picking up one pair of heels after another and turning them over and over. He was thoroughly entertained.

Bubbles With Daddy and 11 Months Today

Saturdays are inevitably busy these days because of Little Gym. Today Jumpin' J and I went alone because J's dad is still recovering from his knee surgery. After J's afternoon nap he and his dad went out to play bubbles in the front yard. I'm not sure who had more fun?!?!?!



J's dad would "catch" the bubbles and Jumpin' J would roar with laughter and rock in his stroller so much I thought it might tip over. It was really a special moment for both of them I think.



Jumpin' J turned 11 months old today. It's hard to believe that his next "monthday" is his first birthday. Time flies by so fast when you're having fun! It is very hard to get J to sit still these days so here are a couple pics I took while he was getting ready for bed.

Look Ma, Pots and Pans

Jumpin' J has finally discovered the cabinets! J's dad put locks on a bunch of them a few weeks ago in anticipation of this momentus occassion, thank you Daddy! J had been playing with the knobs for a while so we knew that opening the cabinets was an inevitability.



He hasn't really figured out all that you can do with them but I'm sure that will come swiftly now that he can open them. So everyone watch out if we come to your house because he, of course, really likes to open the ones he's not supposed to.

Posting on TravelSpark

TravelSpark is currently on a business trip so she is allowing me to "guest blog" on her website. I decided that my premier blog would be about our honeymoon trip to Antarctica. It was hard to write only a little bit and put only a few pictures so let me know how I did...

http://travelspark.blogspot.com/2008/04/driest-continent.html

The Explosion of Pink Has Left the Building

We had such a great weekend with the Lilypad Family. Jumpin’ J was endlessly fascinated with Lilypad Princess. When we went for a walk he just wanted to hold her hand and "talked" as if telling her all about his neighborhood, it was really cute!



And LP seemed to be just as taken with “her baby J” as he was with her. When J’s settled in to read with his daddy, LP climbed right up too so she could enjoy the story.



Although I wear pink there isn’t usually a lot of pink in the house. But this weekend there was pink and girly stuff all over. I’m not sure Jumpin’ J knew what to make of all of LP’s dress up clothes and princess dolls. He definitely liked LP’s cars and airplanes though.



And now with LP and her parents gone the house looks surprisingly empty without the explosion of pink. Good thing J has the full-length mirror in our bedroom so he has a friend his own age to talk to.

In Memory of Robert Jay H.

April 9, 2008 - April 10, 2008
7lbs 5 oz. 20 inches.

I AM NOT THERE

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.

You are loved forever RJ!

Matching PJs

Jumpin' J has several pairs of PJs from the store where LP Mom works because she gets a great deal on them. Last night before we left for the game I left a pair of PJs out for J's dad to dress him in for bed. And when we got up this morning I had to laugh when Lilypad Princess came up the stairs in the pink PJs that matched J's blue ones. They really are so cute together. I think that J wants to be just like LP. He follows her everywhere she goes and sometimes he just stares at her in fascination. I guess she must be super cool because she's 2 and a half to his almost one.This morning they read books and played zoo and played on the firetruck and ate Cheerios! All in all it was a multitude of adventures and they are both currently sleeping to regenerate for an afternoon of play!

Mom's Night Out!!

I am a lucky lady because Jumpin' J's dad gave me a pair of his Red Sox tickets to take Lilypad Mom to a Red Sox-Yankees game last night. Because the LilyPad Family lives 3 hours away we really don't get to see them as much as we would like and we miss them a lot!

He and Lilypad Dad stayed home to watch Jumpin' J and Lilypad Princess.

The Moms had an awesome time at the game despite some rain and a Red Sox loss. Well actually Lilypad Mom is a crazy Yankees fan so she was happy with the final 3-1 score.

We went to the new Cheesecake Factory in Natick and found we both LOVED their Avocado Eggrolls and spent some much needed time catching up. We got home at waaaayyy past our normal bedtime to find J's dad on the computer but Lilypad Dad and both kids were fast asleep. I guess the Dads will have to enjoy their cheesecake today.

5 Things I Can't Live Without

One of my newer friends, Katie, started her own blog and I think it's really great. I like her point of view and she has a lot of interesting things to say. Her latest blog is on the 5 things she can't live without and it has inspired me to put it into my blog too. So here they are in no particular order:

1. Friends & Family - through the good times and bad I realize that I am so very lucky to have my family and friends. It is truly a blessing to know that you have people to support you when you need support and cheer with you when you are cheering.

2. Love - More and more recently I have realized that I have this great capacity for love and that I just want to share it. I get such joy from simple things.

3. Learning- This is more than just going to school or reading a book. It comes from every contact you have with the universe. I would have to put my love of learning as one of the items at the center of my soul, I would wither if I couldn't keep expanding. And watching James learn is so rewarding, he is just such a sponge and takes such delight in learning!

4. Books - Another given for me. They can teach you so much and transport you to far off places. They can comfort, enrage, sadden, or bring joy! A good book is the glue that keeps me sane in my most insane times.

5. Sunshine - I have to admit this is one of Katie's Top 5 but when I thought about it I realized that it really was one of the things that I can't live without. My favorite times are when you wake up on a sunny cold winter morning after a big snowstorm and look out the window and everything sparkles in the sunlight and you tip your head to the sun and feel it warm you all the way to the tips of your toes. When I lived in Michigan sunshine was one of the things I missed most of all, the lake effect makes for many cloudy days. And sunshine brings such renewal to the earth and to each of us. So thanks Katie for helping me find my fifth.

Traveling with Jumpin' J

In honor of being allowed to post on TravelSpark here's a travel related blog...

Jumpin' J has already been to a bunch of states despite being not quite 11 months old. Some of that is of course because we live in New England and drive all over to see relatives and some is the trip J and I took to visit more far flung relatives while J's dad was on a business trip to Japan and S. Korea. He's been to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Texas, and Arizona.

The trip we took back in the fall was to Houston and Phoenix and it was really awesome. He did a really good job and got complimented by many of his fellow travelers. Looking back I am very glad that we attempted that first trip when he was so little. I know that it meant a lot to me for J to meet my further removed relatives but I honestly can't imagine doing that trip with how wiggly and active he is now.

That being said J's dad and I are contemplating a couple of trips right now. One of J's dad's friends (who is also his ex-boss) is getting married in India over the winter and crazy people that we are we are actually contemplating going. India is one of the places I have always wanted to see.... So insane as it might sound India might be the first foreign country that J visits. Well I guess he's been to China already depending on how you look at it ;)

And J's dad and I have been thinking we want to plan a reunion of his dad's family next summer sometime. It'll have been 5 years since we saw most of them at our wedding and none of them have gotten to meet Jumpin' J because they are scattered all over the country. I have been doing research and Erie Pennsylvania is as close as we can get to the center of Boston, Chicago, and Washington, DC. So we'll have to see how that all pans out. We're going to send out a letter to all his relatives soon.

Other trips we want to go on are to Italy and Norway to trace our families as well as a safari in Africa..... I guess once the travel bug catches you it is an incurable disease!!!!

Nice Weather for a Walk

Today was an excellent day for a walk. Jumpin' J and I took advantage of that to go out and get some fresh air. J loves to go for walks. When we went out today he starting making all his happy noises and laughing, he was so excited.

I'll never forget the first walk I took with him, he was only 4 days old and I just made it around the very short block near our house and I had to walk very slowly. And I remember the day that I turned him around in the Baby Bjorn from facing me to facing outwards. His head swiveled so much that day I thought it might break off as he tried to take in everything all at once.

He loves to go out and check out all the people and interesting sights. Over the winter we would drive to the mall or to Target just to walk around for a while. I did get a little stir crazy with the cold weather so it was a welcome break just to stroll around the mall.

Now that J's getting bigger I can only imagine that some day soon he'll be walking all on his own and I'll have to hold his hand while we go on our walks. He's growing up so fast.

Life is So Precious

As I sit here writing Jumpin' J is all snuggled up in his puppy pj's sleeping. And our friends, Cathy and Jay, are in the hospital dealing with one of the worst things that can happen.

The two together remind me that life is so very precious, so fleeting, so special. Every moment of life should not be taken for granted and should be enjoyed for all that it can be. Sometimes when the day to day is going on it is very easy to just get dragged into the muck but hopefully we can take time each day to pause for a moment and just relish life for being alive.

I don't know if I believe in God but I do believe that there is something out there that is bigger than me and that Higher Power has a master plan for us all. I can only hope for myself that I make the best of what my Higher Power has planned for me. I realize that we don't get more than what we can handle even if we can sometimes handle more than we really want to.

Please keep Cathy and Jay in your thoughts and prayers even if you don't know them, I think they could use it. And if when you see your loved ones give them a kiss and tell them you love them because life is so very precious.

GO RED SOX!!

Jumpin' J and his dad are all set for another run at the World Series Championship!!! Today is the home opener. Jumpin' J is all dressed for the occasion, from his head to his feet!I think the sox worked for the Sox because they won!!!!

Happy Birthday Auntie Erika

Jumpin' J wanted to send out a special Happy Birthday message to his Auntie Erika!!! And here's a Petesy Happy Birthday too!! Lots of hugs and kisses and salt for Auntie Erika!!!

Rough Day

Jumpin' J got up at his normal time but he was pleasantly suprised not to see his dad running around getting ready for work. Instead J's Mom and Grandma Potter explained that Daddy has a boo boo on his leg and he needs lots of sleep. It was a rough day for Jumpin' J's dad. His leg hurt a lot and he didn't feel good. We tried to let him sleep as much as possible.
Jumpin' J however had a very busy day. He went to the grocery store with his mom, played with Grandma Potter, and had a VERY fun time jumping as high as he could. He jumped so much that his mom couldn't even get a picture of him.At the end of the day he had homemade chicken soup that Grandma Potter made for dinner. And after some tubby time J's mom brought him downstairs to have Daddy read Jumpin' J his favorite book, Green Eggs and Ham.

J's Dad's Surgery

Yesterday Jumpin' J got to go to Newton-Wellesley Hospital with his mom, dad, and Grandma Potter because his dad was getting his knee operated on. It was a great adventure. J had lots to read.J's dad had to have his leg shaved for the surgery.Jumpin' J had lots and lots of nurses and doctors to flirt with and tell him he was soooo cute because there were many people who had to come in to see J's dad to make sure he was all set with his surgery.Here's J's dad being wheeled into the operating room.
And then Jumpin' J, his mom, and Grandma Potter went back to J's house after a quick stop at the MathWorks to drop off some work stuff for J's dad. A special thanks to Marta for getting the stuff to Liz for J's dad!

Jumpin' J got all ready for bed early because he had such a busy day. Just after J went to sleep his mom got a call from Doctor Rockett that J's dad was out of surgery and that he did great. J and his mom were very relieved!!! Grandma Potter stayed at the house to watch J while J's mom went back to the hospital to pick up J's dad. Here is a picture of J's dad waiting in the hospital for J's mom to take him home.All in all it was a very eventful day!! Get Well Soon, Daddy!!!

I Haven't Met a Food I Didn't Like & A Pee Story

What with the rain over the past two days both Jumpin' J and his mom are really starting to go a little stir crazy. J's mom decided to let him try black beans at dinner tonight. They were a hit. J pretty much likes all food that has some taste too it. He's even gobbling up the peas now as long as there's a little seasoned salt on it. Same with potatoes and Mrs. Dash. But of course J's mom forgot a bib so the whole front of his shirt is black and sticky but that's what Zout is for. This pic is of the second bunch of beans because he finished the first so fas t there wasn't even time for a picture.After months of trying to get Jumpin' J to drink from a cup because he never liked the bottle he suddenly LOVES his cup. He can even drink one handed if there isn't much juice in it. Right now he's drinking organic blueberry juice (well it's really mostly water with a splash of juice but don't tell him) because he can't have milk. He is so proud of himself when he drinks! Tubby time is one of Jumpin' J's favorite times of the day. He gets soooo excited when he sees the water running in the tub. And lately he gets naked in his bedroom and then follows his mom into the bathroom where she puts him in the tub. Tonight however he decided to take a pitt stop along the way to the bathroom, or rather a pee stop. Yup, he was following his mom but when she got into the bathroom he didn't come and when she took a peek into the bedroom he was standing up at his crib. She went to pick him up to bring him to the tubby and discovered that there was pee all over the floor and the bed skirt. And not a little pee but like a full bladder pee. Yuck yuck yuck!!! Jumpin' J just grinned and squirmed to get in the tub. Ah such is the life of Jumpin' J's mom!!!