Mom & Daddy Baby pics

I found this photo and decided I had to post it! Its ME in 1978. I think this one looks so much like some of the Jace photos that it is scary! Also, he gets his reorganizing skills from me. Sorry Mom for making such a mess. Thanks for cleaning up after me back then.

OK, Jace also looks a little like his Dad. Here's the Palmer family photo taken probably very early 1974.

missing daddy - day 6

Jace and I had a busy Monday. Our morning was much like any other. I really enjoy our morning routine. We get around slow. He is usually awake (and happy) around 7. I feed him a little then we play for about an hour. Then we have a proper breakfast. After cleaning up breakfast we read a couple stories and Jace takes his morning nap around 10. That nap is possibly my favorite part of our day. I have time to get dressed, make the bed, take a shower, organize for the rest of the day, make phone calls, and finish a cup of coffee. If Jace has a good morning nap we are both a lot happier for the rest of the day.

Today our afternoon was filled up with running around town. We stopped at the post office, library, and grocery store. We finally made it over to Palmer's house for our Monday evening family time. The kids get Jace wound up before bedtime. It is crazy but he seems to enjoy it. Tonight he crawled all over chasing Dustin and Alyssa. He impressed them with his speed. Everyone was trying to make Jace laugh so that they could see his new teeth. It was a rowdy time. Joel called several times to let me know what scores the dancers got on Dancing with the Stars (in Dallas he watched it an hour ahead of us). Wish he was here. He will be flying home on Wednesday. I'll be counting the hours until then.

Today's photos:

playing with cousins &

moving the remotes out of the family room (who knows where he will hide them)

peek-a-boo

missing daddy - day 5

Joel is still working in Dallas. Jace and I are missing him lots. Today we had a nice Sunday. Jace played in the nursery with a little girl named Madison. Grandpa Gary usually peeks in to the nursery to check on Jace some time during the service. Today, Jace saw him and was disappointed that Grandpa didn't come get him. I think this was the first time he recognized the familiar face and wanted to leave the nursery. After church, Jace took a nap then we went to lunch. This afternoon we played at Palmer's house for a while then headed home. On our way home we stopped at the Health Food store. I got a couple new products to try: soy milk and some margarine for baking. Also found some different baby foods for Jace to taste: corn & squash, and a veggie mix that includes spinach.

Jace seemed pleased to be home. He was tired this evening. I'm also tired very tired tonight. Wish Joel was here. Hopefully, he will be home in a few days.

Today's photos: goofing around at dinner (rice cake on face) & Peeking through the blinds

Grandparents visiting

Today was a full day. My parents came to town for a short visit. My Dad had a little free time with the snow on the ground. Jace and I were both very happy to have company. We had lunch at my favorite Italian place, Armondo's. We toured the bathroom design section at Lowe's looking at and discussing the various features of towel bars and drawer pulls. Who knew there were so many detailed choices involved with redoing the bathroom. Jace took a short afternoon nap. When he woke up he was so excited to see that Grandma Joy and Grandpa Doug were still at our house. He wrestled and had crawling races with Grandpa. He played peek-a-boo and listened to songs with Grandma. We all went to dinner with Gary and Elaine at Mongolian BBQ. The restaurant was packed and there were lots of other kids there. Jace was getting very tiered and overstimulated by the end of the evening. Mom and Dad said their good-byes and headed for home after dinner. Thanks for the visit you guys. It made our day.

Jace and I are staying at Palmer's tonight. It will be nice in the morning to be closer and have help getting ready for Church. I really hope Jace sleeps OK cause he was wound up and chewing and drooling a lot today. I better get to bed soon - just in case. Miss you Joel, wish you were here.

Bath night

make it messy

Today's photo: reorganizing the pantry

There was a beautiful layer of snow on everything this morning. One reason I love Colorado is that one day is a blizzard and the next day the sun comes out and melts it quickly. I was so glad to be able to get out of the house this evening. Jace and I met Gary and Elaine for dinner at Amigos. It at least that made it feel like Friday. Most of the day Jace and I were home. I have lost count of how many times we have made messes and cleaned them up only to make the same mess all over again (he mostly makes them and I mostly clean them up).

snow day

Finally! Finally, we are getting some snow. I am so thankful for the change in weather and the moisture. Jace and I spent the day playing around the house. Joel is bummed that he is missing the snow. It would have been fun to get snowed in together. Love you baby. Wish you were here.



Today: Look at the snow.

teething is tough

Jace is definitely working on those teeth now. The front bottom two are visible though only if you make him laugh or cry. Unfortunately, we have lost some sleep the last couple of nights. I am blaming the teeth but I'm not totally sure. Jace starts crying around midnight. He calms down if we comfort him but won't go back to sleep. Every time we lay him back down the crying starts again. He stands up in the crib and just cries. Monday it was for about an hour. Last night it was close to and hour and a half. I feel so bad for him but it is frustrating. When he was tiny we just fed him and put him back to sleep. Now, it is more complicated. I hope he sleeps quietly tonight.

Joel left today for work in TX. This time he and Tim are working in Dallas for that office. They didn't know they were going anywhere until a few hours before leaving today. They think they will be there for a week. Nobody really seems to know what is going on. Joel is so frustrated (and tired from our interrupted night).

I didn't have any photos today but here are some from the last few days:"Helping" with the laundry.

Teething is not pretty. This is a baby that really needs more sleep.

Swim class with Daddy.

balloon

Today's photo: After church Jace played with Grandpa Gary's birthday balloon (the one Jace picked out for him). I wish I had this on video because he was really bopping the balloon around.

We had a pretty quiet weekend. Jace was up in the night last night. I think he is about to get another tooth. Joel took Jace out yesterday in the running stroller for a 5 mile run. Jace did great. He was mellow but never fell asleep. I loved the free time and Joel got a little work out. We did some shopping. I checked out the selection of milk free products at the health food store. There are some interesting things like rice ice cream, vegan mayo and coconut oil yogurt that we might have to try in the future. For now, we have started offering Jace some soy formula. He sips it but isn't enthusiastic. At least he doesn't break out in a rash. We also priced materials to replace our fence. The HOA sent us a notice that our fence is leaning. Wow, they are really on top of things. The fence has only been leaning the entire 8+ years we have lived here. Anyway, It is not in the budget right now to replace the whole fence so we will just replace one post that is broken and hope that is good enough.
I'm not sure what we will be doing this week. Joel's work, which has always been unpredictable, is even more so now. He may go back to WY but we will just have to wait and see.

Swim Class

A better day

Except for all the paperwork on the kitchen table and the new epi pens we got today you wouldn't know that anything was different around here. I'm still feeling worried about what the allergies mean for our diets. Right now its not much but over the next few months and even years it will probably be very different in my kitchen. I requested a couple cook books from the library so that I can start thinking about the foods Jace can have instead of worrying about all the ones he can't have. Jace had a really normal day: play time, nap time, shopping trip, another swim class and Joel got home from WY late this evening. The swim class was great. Jace was a little more relaxed in the water. He started splashing with his hands and didn't mind getting his face wet. He drank a little pool water (he can't have milk but pool water is OK!?!). As predicted, today was a much better day.

He is exploring every inch of the house. He stood up under the table and started unscrewing a loose nut on the table leg. He just barely fits under the table when he is standing.

Allergies - YIKES!!

I am so tired tonight. Jace was great all day. We had a fun morning kickin' around the house. This afternoon we went to the store on a desperate diaper mission. This is the first time we were totally out of diapers. I put the last one on him then strapped him in the car seat to go buy more. He is fun at the store he just looks around at everything and tries to reach stuff. He fell asleep on the way home. Usually he wakes up when the car stops but he was really out. He is so cute when he is sleeping. I'm thankful he got that rare afternoon nap cause our evening was difficult. I was dreading the allergist appointment. It took two and a half hours! Jace did awesome. He played with toys, crawled all around and watched some Elmo. The doctor was nice but everything took a long time. We talked about food allergies that he might have. The doctor decided to test for Milk, Egg and Peanut allergies. Jace did so good for the scratch testing. He did not cry at all. He just squirmed a little and started anticipating the nurse every time she got close to him. It turns out my suspicion of a Milk allergy was correct. He also tested positive for the Peanut allergy. I was (still am) overwhelmed thinking of all the foods that means he can't have. Also, we now have to carry an epi pen in case of a bad allergic reaction. Yikes. The doctor ordered a blood test to see how severe these food allergies are. I have to figure out a time to go get the blood work done. What a bummer. We got home really late. Jace was starving (he tried to eat my face). He had to have a bath to clean up the mess on his back. I hope he sleeps good tonight. Tomorrow will be better.

He looks as tired as I feel.

I especially like the food in his hair.

St. Patrick's day swim class

Today was very nice. The weather was unusually warm. We spent last night, like most Mondays, at Palmer's house. Jace and I had a mellow day. He woke up just after 7. We played for a while then both had breakfast. While Jace had his morning nap I cleaned up our play time mess and packed up our stuff. We had lunch and went for a long walk. We walked to the park with the baby swing. Joel caught up with us at the park. He got off work a little early because he is going on a two night trip to WY starting tomorrow. When we finally made it home we only had a little time before our swim class. Jace did not take much of an afternoon nap. The swim class was fun. Jace looked adorable in his little swim trunks. He did not mind the noisy swimming pool. Jace was the youngest in our class of 5 kids. The other little guy in the photos is only a few weeks older. There was one boy who screamed and cried. I tried to keep Jace away from him and closer to the mellow, happy babies. We practiced moving around in the water. There were some songs to accompany floating and bobbing. Jace liked the jumping the best (big surprise). After class we hurried home for dinner, bath and bedtime. Jace was exhausted (so am I). Next class is on Thursday. Tomorrow we go for allergy testing. That is likely to be just as tiring and a lot less fun.

Busy week in Wray

We had a very busy week! Joel is not traveling which is wonderful but there also is not much work. Last week he took the week off (rather than stay on the clock with nothing to do). We went to Wray to visit my parents and help with a few projects there. Joel and Dad worked on getting the home computers networked and set up with wireless Internet. My parents are still in the middle of the bathroom remodeling. There is a lot of dust everywhere. Since the last photo I posted they have finished the wiring, framed in the walls and installed the shower.

We were fortunate to get to spend some time with the Cranwell family. Dylan and Taylor stayed a few hours at my parent's house while Becky and Justin attended an aunt's funeral. Then we stopped at their house on our way back to Denver. It was great to visit and have the kids play together.

Jace did lots of exploring around my parent's house. He tackled the small set of stairs. He enjoyed cruising along the wrap around couch. There were lots of cool toys in the basement to discover. It was great to have the large, carpeted family room to roam around. We just had to make sure he didn't get a hold of Grandma's plants or the fringe on the drapes.

In Wray we spent time visiting with family. We helped prepare all the corned beef for the annual Brophy card party. It was great to see my Dad's family (some of whom I had not seen since last year's party).

Grandpa Doug introduced Jace (in his St. Patrick's day duds) to everyone at the card party. Jace is beginning to recognize who is familiar and who is not. This new skill resulted in him scowling at almost everyone he met and even crying a few times when he got nervous. Also, he cut his first tooth on Saturday so he was a little out of sorts most of the day.

It was a nice trip and it was awesome to get home. Our house is a mess but there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed.

Brophy Card Party

the swing

What a beautiful Sunday afternoon. It was so nice out today. We went for a walk to a park we had not been to before. Jace tried out the swing and the slide for the first time. The slide made him a little nervous (or maybe it made me nervous) but the swing was a big hit. Jace also really liked watching the other kids on the playground and riding on Joel's shoulders.

Our weekend really flew by. Joel and I enjoyed Saturday afternoon at Alyssa's school play, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was super cute and very well done. Jace tried some spagettii noodles at Gejo's. I think he liked them. His frown in the photo is because he doesn't like the flash on the camera. It has nothing to do with the food.

Today's photo: My view of the little man climbing the stairs.

WY again - day 2

Today felt really long. Jace was clingy. Sometimes I think that is fun cause he is not much of a cuddler and today he would hold on to me. Tonight though my back aches from carrying him most the day and I got almost nothing done. Whenever he has an off day I blame it on teething but so far he still doesn't have any teeth.

When he wasn't holding tight to me, he managed to find a few more holes in our "baby proofing". He pulled himself up next to one of the house plants and got both hands in the dirt. He started to crawl under the bed and then got mad when he couldn't get back out. Both incidents were slightly amusing but required my immediate attention so I couldn't get photos of them.

Today's Photos: A fun game of Peek-a-boo.

WY again - day 1

It seems I only blog when Joel is traveling. That is the case again today. When he is home it seems like our days are so full there is just not a spare moment. This past weekend we were running all over. We had a nice dinner out on Saturday night then stayed with Palmers. Sunday we took a day trip to the mountains. Jessica, Don and the kids were spending the weekend at a friend's house on Shadow Mountain Lake near Granby. This house was incredible (and for sale if you have 2.5 million $ to spend). We had a nice time with them snowshoeing, playing cards and watching movies. It was a lot of driving to do in one day but I'm really glad we were able to go.

Monday Joel had the day off so we did some more stuff around the house. Joel installed one of the baby gates at the bottom of the stairs. Jace is getting good at pulling himself up and is starting to be interested in climbing. We did laundry and cleaned around the house. Jace "helped" Joel fold the clothes. Then we had our Monday night dinner with the family. Next week Dancing with the Stars starts up again. The show is the reason we all started getting together on Monday nights so we are looking forward to it.

Saturday: Jace trying to get the phone.

Today, Joel left for a short trip to Douglas WY were they are doing more survey work for the railroad. He is traveling with Tim this time. They hope to be home Thursday or maybe Friday. Jace and I spent most of the day at Palmer's house. Jace woke up a little early and then so he was ready for his nap right after breakfast. We took a walk around the pond this afternoon. Jace liked getting out of the stroller and sitting in the rocks at the park. I had to watch closely so he wouldn't eat any twigs or gravel. He also really liked the dogs that were out for walks. He would start kicking and trying to talk to them. I was pleased to have a successful walk with the stroller. Twice in the past I have had to hurry home with Jace crying in the stroller. I can't believe how warm it was today! Even tonight I have the window wide open. I hope we will get some more snow this spring. It is scary dry.
Today's Photo: He liked the park but didn't want his picture taken. Every time I got out the camera he frowned or turned away. I think the photo looks a little like Jace and his stroller superimposed into an Andrew Wyeth painting. Weird.

Grand Lake day trip

Crawling to Grandma Elaine