Thursday, May 26, 2011

Thank you Carolina!!

The Carolinas are miracle working states.

In the 2+ weeks we were there, Jackson has started to talk!  Yeah, he was saying things here and there before but he is seriously talking now!  And, it's as I suspected, he talks in phrases and sentences - forget one word at a time!  I don't know if it was the change in environment, being around different/more people, or if it just clicked one day...but I don't care the reason.  I'm just one proud Momma!

Here's a list of all the new things he's saying/doing since my last post about it:

-  "See it?" and pointing when he wants something.

-  "I did it!"

-  "Do it again!"

-  "Good catch!"

-  "Touchdown!" - He throws his arms up and everything! PS - he started saying this when watching basketball??

-  "Quack, quack, quack" like a duck

-  "Ruff, ruff, ruff" like a dog

-  He will point to his nose and other parts when really pushed.  He HATES this game and usually does it with a huff and a puff to get us off his case.  :-)

-  "Vroom, vroom" when playing with a car or truck.

-  "Nana" and "Grandma" - he knows what he's doing to wrap those grandparents around that pinky!!

-  "Glasses"

-  "Cookie"

-  "Weeeeee!" when going down the slide.

- "Me" - when he wants us to give him something, especially a bite of something we are eating.

- "Shake, shake, shake!" when we are singing the "Shake your booty" song.

I'm sure there's others that I'm leaving out (I should've written them down) but that shows you exactly how much he's said in just TWO WEEKS!  It's pretty unbelievable.

Now for some cutesy stories from the trip:

1.  I was driving my mom's car around and went to visit my brother and sister-in-law.  I was backing out of their extremely slender driveway and ran over the curb.  The bottom of the back bumper hit the pavement hard.  Just then I heard a very audible, "UH OH!" from the backseat.  That's right buddy, if Momma messed up Nana's car...that's a big uh oh!

2.  One night after dinner my mom gave Jackson a paper towel and told him to wipe his face.  He paused, looked at it, put it behind him and started wiping his rear end.  We were all in tears from laughing so hard!

3.  When staying with my dad in the hospital, I turned my back for a second to see the room door wide open and Jackson gone.  I ran out in a panic only to see him running as fast as he could down the hall with open arms to a group of young nurses.  One of them squatted down, spread her arms open, and scooped him up.  (It was like one of those slow-mo meadow scenes in the movies.)  They all died laughing.  Clearly, a group of ladies would only be standing in a group to wait for him?!  Such a ladies man!

4.  Jackson was introduced into the never-ending fun of throwing rocks in a creek and hitting a stick against a tree.  We, literally, had to pry him away from both activities.  At one point, my step-dad tried putting him on his shoulders to appease the tantrum, which just resulted in Jackson beating on the top of his head and pulling his hair the entire way back to the house.

5.  We got to put Jackson in the pool for the first time this year at Bryan's mom's new house.  He was a little hesitant at first, but loved splashing us in the kiddie pool and loved when Bryan would bounce him around and help him kick his feet in the big pool.  He wasn't so crazy about me holding onto him, but I don't blame him.  Being in Daddy's arms feels much safer!

I'm super glad we got to take this trip for so many reasons.  The Carolinas are good for the soul and for the speech!

XOXO

If moms got Mazzies like bad actors get Razzies...today I'd be a winner.

Every year, right before the Oscars, the worst actors/movies of the year receive Razzie Awards.  Some years, the winner of the Golden Raspberry for the worst actor/ress  is also the winner of the Oscar for best actor/ress (i.e. Sandra Bullock in 2009 got a Razzie for "All About Steve", then turned around and won an Oscar the next day for "The Blind Side.").

Earlier today, I felt like I deserved an award for Best Mom.  I took Jackson to his Speech Therapy evaluation and he did great.  He tested right where he should be and DOESN'T NEED SPEECH THERAPY!!  I wanted to jump, dance, and shout it from the roof tops.  I'm so happy he is improving so quickly with his speech but most of all I'm THRILLED that I don't have to drive an hour away for a 30 minute speech therapy session every week.  (Sorry if that's selfish, but you know you'd be happy about that too!)

I was also SUPER excited to come home and find my new AppState colored hula hoop from Hoopenanigans.  Bryan had already gotten it set up, so I immediately went to hooping.

Isn't she lovely?

I was a little frustrated because I couldn't keep it off the ground, but I finally figured it out.  Right as I started getting good I felt a thump and then heard a scream - the kind of scream that comes out silent at first because you're catching your breath - yeah, it was that bad.  Jackson had walked right into the path of the hoop behind me.  Keep in mind this is not a hula hoop you'd buy in the toy section of your favorite super store.  This is a large, thick, weighted adult hula hoop.  I grabbed him but couldn't get him stop clutching me long enough to look at his face.  When I finally got a peek I saw this...

Would it be inappropriate to tell everyone he was in a bar brawl?
I'm not sure which one shows worse parenting skills.

And, today's Mazzie for Worst Mommy goes to...

...me.

XOXO

Sunday, May 8, 2011

My Second Mother's Day

I cannot believe that this is my second Mother's Day.  It seems like yesterday I was sitting in the congregation of my church thinking that I couldn't wait until the day I could stand up and be recognized with all the other mothers.  I actually thought as I stood in church today, "Wow, I'll never have to sit and watch this ever again."  It made me smile.

I am so thankful that I am a Mommy.  My heart is so full of love, my life is so blessed, and I am so eternally thankful to the Lord for my sweet little boy.  He makes every day a lovely adventure.  There isn't anything I wouldn't do for him.  It's unfathomable how much I love him and I can't wait to watch him grow over the years into a little boy, and eventually a man.  I also can't wait to see what God has in store for my family, growth wise.  I look forward to hearing more tiny footsteps in the Parsons' household!

I am also so thankful for the two women in my life that taught me what it was like to be a good mother - my mom and my MeMe.  I am so blessed to have always felt loved, respected, and have always known what it was like for people to be proud of me even in my failures.  The message in church today was about what it means to be a good mother.  As I sat there and listened to the five qualities given out of 2 Timothy, I was reminded how both my mom and MeMe exhibited every last one.  They taught me how to be tender and compassionate, to have self-control, to be giving, to instill pride by praising your children, and above all else to have a RELATIONSHIP with the Lord.  Just as Paul said Timothy had these qualities because they were first in Lois (his grandmother) and Eunice (his mother), it's my prayer that I can instill these qualities in my children because they were instilled in me.

Happy Mother's Day Mom and MeMe!  I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Now for a quick rundown of the weekend. --

Saturday was the start of a great Mother's Day weekend.  Jackson gave me an early Mother's Day present by sleeping until 11 am!  I actually woke him up by busting into his room in a frantic because I was worried about him.  We had a lazy day, went to the grocery store where I stocked the pantry and fridge with healthy foods, had a good yet easy dinner, played with Jackson and kept him up way too late, and then watched a movie with Bryan.  It was an awesome day at home.  I just love those days!

My day started uber-early today though due to the sleeping in yesterday.  Jackson woke up at 4 am this morning and I had to go in and rock him.  He gave me another present at 4 am though.  I was rocking him and he looked up at me, pointed to the dresser (where I put his cup) and said "uice" for juice.  I just smiled real big and told him daddy was on his way with it.  Way to go big guy, way to go!

Before we went to church I got some news that my dad hasn't been doing well.  He's been battling kidney stones and is severely anemic.  Bryan and I talked after church and after talking with some family, we decided I'd head to NC tomorrow to help take care of him until he gets back on his feet again this week.  So, today has been a day of laundry, packing, and prep for mine and Jackson's flight tomorrow.  We had a great dinner though topped off with fresh watermelon.  DELISH!

Because of my trip, I'm going to apologize in advance for how long it will be until my next blog.  When I get back I should have some great pictures from visiting family and a trip to the beach!

XOXO

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Sad times for Mrs. Robin

The best way to put this is just to say it bluntly.  Mrs. Robin's babies didn't make it.

The other day I told you that one of the eggs had hatched.  I went to check on it yesterday morning and the baby was curled up and very still - I just thought it was asleep.  I also noticed that one of the eggs had a small hole in it so I was excited that it might be hatching at that very moment.  I quickly backed away from the window so Mrs. Robin would come back and couldn't wait to come back in the afternoon to see two chicks.

Well, yesterday evening I was very disappointed.  When I went to check, the first baby bird hadn't moved and it's abdomen seemed swollen and blue; and the egg with the hole in it, had not hatched.  I knew then that the baby hadn't made it and likely the other eggs hadn't either.  I double checked this morning, and sure enough, Mrs. Robin is gone - along with the chick and one of the eggs.  All that's left is one lonely egg - abandoned and either not fertilized, or not viable.

Robin Not-So Fun Fact:  Only 25% of baby robins will make it to adulthood.  

I'm not exactly sure what happened but it could be one of several things.  1.  Another bird attacked the nest and killed the baby and destroyed the eggs by poking a hole in them because it's nest is close by and they would have to compete for resources.  2.  Disease.  3.  The elements - It's been chilly here at night and rained a lot so maybe the eggs/chick couldn't stay warm enough.  It could be that Mrs. Robin is fairly new at this and didn't pick a good location for her nest or didn't stay on the nest enough to keep the babies warm.  4.  Maybe the fact that I've been checking in spooked her off too much, but considering I've only done it once a day at most except for yesterday which was twice, I find that doubtful. -- At least I hope so.  I don't want to be known around the bird community as a chick murderer.  It could lead to an Alfred Hitchcock type of situation, which would not be good for my fear of birds.

Whatever the reason, the reality is that this is how nature works.  Some survive, and some don't.  It's how God designed things to work.  I hate that I had to see that reality, but I've so enjoyed the time I had with Mrs. Robin and her nest.

Turns out Mrs. Robin and I have more in common that I wanted us to have - we both know what its like to lose a baby.  I hope she's out there right now, picking up her little bird head and trying again, just like I did.  And, I'm sure she is.  Robins lay 2-3 nests each Spring/Summer.  It might sound silly, but I'll be praying for her and the survival of her other babies.

Good luck Mrs. Robin, and thank you so much for sharing your babies with me.  Even if it was for just a short amount of time.  I enjoyed everything you taught me.  What a great Mommy you are.

XOXO

Robin fun facts and other helpful information on robins and their nesting habits was found at http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/robin/EggstraEggstra.html.  

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

New babies and new words in our household!!

MRS. ROBIN'S EGGS HAVE STARTED TO HATCH!  After several days of checking and re-checking, we finally have a baby bird this afternoon!

Impatiently waiting for his/her siblings.

There originally were 4 eggs in the nest.  I'm guessing one of two things happened to the 4th egg.  Either Mrs. Robin instinctively knew that one of the eggs was not fertilized and got rid of it, or it did hatch but the chick did not survive and Mrs. Robin got rid of it.  I did get to meet Mr. Robin today when checking the nest.  I guess now that there is a baby, both parents are uber-protective.  It actually took me opening the window for Mrs. Robin to fly off the nest.  Both mom and dad kept flying back and checking me out as I was trying to take a picture.  I just talked to them sweetly and told them I was not going to hurt their babies.  Then Mrs. Robin waddled right over and sat right back down on the nest.  It was a touching moment!!

Robin Fun Fact:  Eggs usually hatch a day apart in the order they were laid.  This gives me hope that the 4th egg just wasn't fertilized rather than the baby didn't survive, because that would mean 2 eggs had to hatch in the same day.

I'm SUPER excited to announce that Jackson has picked up 3 new words/phrases in the past week!!  First was "wow."  The other day I let him press the button to open up the garage door.  It made him jump and I was afraid he was going to start crying so I just smiled and said, "WOW!"  His eyes got really big and he followed with a long and breathy, "Wooooooowwwww!"  I felt like I was on cloud nine.  

Second, was "uh-oh."  He's been kind of saying the "oh" part here and there but not consistently.  I was letting him watch a video on my iPhone and he accidentally hit a button, turning it off.  He said very clearly, "Uh-oh!" and starting pressing the touch screen to turn it back on.  Then yesterday, Blue laid down really hard on the floor and he looked at her, said "uh-oh", and patted her on the side.  I guess he thought she fell down.  It melted my heart!

Third, is "no way!" (Sounds like one word - 'nooowhey'.)  I LOVE this one.  He's been saying "no" for a few weeks but in the past 2 days, he's been saying "no way" to everything.  Me:  "Jackson can you say night-night?"  Jackson:  "No way."  Me:  "Jackson, let's go change your diaper."  Jackson:  "No way."  Me:  "Jackson do you want some juice?"  Jackson:  "No way."  SUPER DUPER CUTE!!

I think that puts his word count up to 9 now (several we thought he was saying at first, he isn't saying anymore in case you're looking back at older blogs) --  Daddy (sounds like 'Daa-ee'), Mama (rare but he says it sometimes), done (sounds like 'doh'), good (sounds like 'goo'), bye (the most southern, country 'byyyye' you've every heard), no, uh-oh, wow, and no way.  At 19 months, he should be saying at least double that amount but the fact that he's gone from one or two words to eight now shows he's making real progress.  And, it makes me VERY PROUD!

Jackson's first intervention session is Friday at 10.  I'll let y'all know how it goes!

XOXO