traveling - day 5

Sunday in Wray

Grandma and Grandpa Courtney came over for a nice dinner. There were lots of foods for Jace to try: ground up pot roast, baked potato, sweet corn. He did not care for much but he found one thing he liked: Grandma Courtney's homemade bread. He gobbled large bites of the soft, sweet bread. I didn't think to put any margarine on it at lunch. When I added the margarine at supper he didn't like it as well. He would take large bites, suck on them for a few seconds then spit out flat, soggy bits of bread. I am really trying to find ways to add fat calories to his diet and he is not pleased with my efforts. At his one year Dr. appointment she told us he was only in the 15% for weight. She gave us a preprinted diet guide that had hints for adding fats and proteins to his diet. Basically it said to add milk, yogurt, butter and cheese to everything and offer peanut butter as a snack! He is allergic to all the recommendations.

This afternoon we got out of the house for a while. Jace explored rainbow park. He spent most of the time watching some rowdy kids play on the big slide. There was an amazing little 18 month old girl, not much bigger than Jace, who kept going down the slide by herself. She was totally fearless. She started out sliding on her belly, feet first but soon started sliding on her bottom, facing forward. She would tuck into a little ball and just shoot down the huge slide at top speed. She took a minute from her sliding to bring a rock over to Jace where he was sitting in the grass watching her. It was so sweet. Once again, I wish I had the photo but I know better than to take photos of other people's kids (let alone post them on the Internet).
Jace crashed early tonight he was so exhausted. I watched a cute movie with Mom & Dad, Greenfingers, about some prisoners in England who start gardening. I'm inspired to plant more flowers.

Happy Birthday Jessica!

We look forward to celebrating with you sometime later this week.

traveling - day 4

The "traveling" titles refer to all the time that Joel is traveling for work but today it means Jace and I also. We made it to Wray. The trip went as well as it ever has. Jace slept from Denver to Brush. We stopped at the McDonalds there for lunch. It was a nice break and he did not fuss when we got back in the car. He was awake for most of the rest of the drive, talking and playing. I think he dozed off between Yuma and Wray. He woke up when we arrived at my parent's house. My Mom met us in the driveway and Jace was so excited to see her. He practically dove out of the car.

We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon playing and exploring the house. Went to dinner at 4th and Main. Had a bath and tucked into bed (Jace did, I'm still typing).

Goodnight.

Sharing a snack with Grandpa Doug. TaterTots and grapes (which Grandpa had to peel and cut into little pieces). Eating in the living room was a brave choice. Jace kept crawling around with bits of potato in his fists.

traveling - day 3

A retirement party was the highlight of the day.

Jace and I joined the celebration honoring Elaine. She isn't officially done at Cherry Creek High School until later this summer. After that I'm sure she will still be a welcome help substituting in the offices when they need her. The party was very nice. There was a ton of cake and lots of flowers. Friends and staff came by to wish her well. Jace made himself comfortable in the office. He immediately noticed the computer screens that had photos of bears on them (he pointed and growled). He tapped away at Grandma Elaine's computer like he knew what he was doing. He explored the staff mailboxes. Most entertaining was when he discovered an empty recycling bin and pushed it round and round the entire office space. He payed little attention to obstacles (including peoples legs). When he would bump into anything he would just pause for a few moments to shift the box around and then continue on his way. I can't count how many people said how adorable he was. I think he likes an audience.
At Friday night dinner with Gary and Elaine Jace did pretty well considering how tired he was. There was a two year old boy at the restaurant that Jace stared and waved at until he and his Mom came over to say hello. The other boy wanted Jace to get out of the highchair so that they could play. They left, Jace ate a little more and then started to show how tired he was by getting louder and more frantic. Luckily we finished our meal before his head started to spin. When we arrived home I found him slumped over in the car seat fast asleep. I made a lot of noise getting things unpacked and even took a few photos of him sleeping. He didn't wake up until we were walking to the house.

We are on our way to Wray tomorrow. I wish I felt more ready to be gone for a few days. We are only half packed, nothing is organized and we desperately need to buy diapers before we leave town. Hope the trip goes well.

Wow, this is my 100th blog post!

traveling - day 2

Where's Winks? That was my first question for Jace this morning. When I went to get him up I peeked in the crib and did not see the little stuffed elephant, Winks. I turned my back for a couple seconds to open the blinds and when I looked back, Jace was standing in the crib, holding up Winks. I laughed and rewarded the little genius with a shower of morning breath kisses. It is so amazing when he demonstrates comprehension like that! I know he understands lots of what I say but it is rarely so obvious.

Nap time did not happen this morning. There were tears and yucky boogers. Instead we spent the morning planting flowers. Jace loved being outside. He stayed busy with all the rocks, sticks, dirt and plants that I would let him play with. I strategically inserted the Binky in his mouth to cut down on the risk of him tasting everything outside. The plan worked. I had all the planting done before he spit out the pacifier in the dirt. By the time we got cleaned up and had some lunch Jace was so tired he did not put up a fight about napping.

His afternoon nap worried me a little because I wasn't sure he would be ready for bedtime. I decided a trip to the swimming pool this evening would help wear him out. We had not been swimming since our class ended over a month ago. It was great fun. The pool was not busy at all and when they did a 10 minute "adult swim" we were practically the only ones in the pool. Jace was fascinated with the huge fountains that spray water into the play area of the pool. These had not been running when we were there before. He would point up at them and say,"oooooooooooooooooo". Yes Jace, they are cool. However, he did not want to get very close to them. After 30 minutes in the pool Jace was shivering and his lips were eggplant colored. The poor kid has no fat on him. We took a warm shower and headed home.

At dinner we shared some watermelon and BK french fries. Jace enjoyed both. We listened to the neighbor's barking dogs and had a nice conversation that went something like this:

Jace - "Do" (sounds like Dog with no G sound)

Me - "yes, Dog"

Jace - "Do"

Me - "Dog says Woof"

Jace - "woo"

Me - "Yep, Dog"

You get the idea. I've never liked those dumb dogs until now. (Still don't want them barking at 6 a.m.)

traveling - day 1

The holiday weekend was great. Sarah was in town for her cousin Scott's wedding. She stayed with us for 3 nights. Weird that I didn't take any photos when she was here. It really was a vacation from all things routine. Sarah and I got pedicures. Joel and I went to a movie (Star Trek is awesome - go see it). Sarah and Joel ran the Bolder Boulder. Like I said, it was a great weekend.

Joel is back to Angel Fire today. Traveling again with Tim. I don't expect them back until late next week.

Jace is as busy as ever. It is hard to imagine that he could discover something new every day but some how he does. Today it was the toilet paper. I left the room for 2 seconds and returned to find 10 feet of toilet paper on the floor.

Some other recent discoveries include: the thermostat and doorknob (He tries to reach both.), the neighbor's cat (Today, he tried to crawl after it.), and the dishwasher (He comes into the kitchen whenever I open it and pulls out all the silverware. He would climb into it if I would let him.).

We had a good day but I am missing Joel already.

First Steps!

It is official. Jace took his first several tentative steps today. The first time was this morning, he was watching a commercial on the Disney channel so he didn't realize that he was standing on his own for several seconds. When he turned his attention back to me (I was sitting beside him on the floor) he took three little steps to reach me. I was super excited and called Joel to tell him about it.

This afternoon he spent lots of time pushing that Pampers box around the house. He is really good at using it as his walker. It is an empty box now so he has to be a lot more balanced and controlled to push it without tipping it over. Also, his steering skills have improved. He moves around furniture and in and out of the living room and kitchen. The only obstacle he consistently runs into is me. He loves the hit and run game. He gets up to full speed pushing the box, runs into me (or Joel - he started this game), the victim (Joel or Me) falls over dramatically as Jace continues on his way (laughing hysterically). It is a fun game. I have my doubts about the ethics of it but it is great fun.

When Joel got home this evening Jace did some more stepping! He walked between us a few times. Five steps in a row was his best.

Jace is walking.

Joel is home for the weekend.

Things here are good.

This is what happens when Mom is trying to feed you green beans and you are throwing a fit. Jace smacked his face down into the spoon full of food. It is not boogers. He seemed better today in that department.

traveling again - day 3

Joel will be home sometime tomorrow. I am so grateful that this trip is a short one. Joel has a yucky cold. He has been stuffed up and coughing since Sunday evening. Today Jace had a runny nose all day. Maybe that explains the crying Monday night. He only cried once last night and it was just for a couple seconds. He seemed to feel OK today but he was all snotty. For me this was difficult because I'm a little obsessed about booger chasing. I routinely use the saline drops and the nasal aspirator on him to extract any yucky stuff. Today it was a loosing battle. I just carried Kleenex in my pocket and swiped at him whenever he came close.

We were home most of the day. I got a little more cleaning done. I ran the vacuum for the first time in more than a month. Jace was terrified. He has never liked the vacuum but today when I turned it on he was startled and screamed. So I vacuumed while carrying him. I don't think that is good for the spine.

Our one trip out of the house today was to the Sunflower market. I must have been craving fruit because I bought a lot (apples, watermelon, cherries, grapefruit, mango and kiwi). Jace will get to try some new stuff (watermelon and kiwi - I don't think he would like grapefruit). We can all load up on vitamin C and get better.

Today's photos are both funny moments.

This morning Jace discovered the balloon that Aunt Jessica got him for his birthday. He was very excited. He looked at me and said, "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" It cracked me up. Then he pounded on the balloon for several minutes. Thank you Aunt Jessica and Uncle Don. He liked the gift!

This evening I was trying to get a photo of Jace clapping and talking to me at the dinner table. I hate to use the camera's built in flash but the images I was getting were just too dark. I popped the flash up and Jace started squinting. He has had the flash go off in his face so many times that he was anticipating the bright light. Smart kid (and Mom takes way to many photos).

One year ago today we brought Jace home from the hospital!

traveling again - day 2

Last night was rough. We stayed at Palmer's house (our usual Monday routine). Jace started crying just after midnight and cried off and on for three hours. I am not sure why. He would calm down whenever I picked him up but as soon as I tried to lay him back down he would start up again. I'm just praying that he does better tonight.

Our day was mellow. Jace was tired this morning so he snuggled with me and watched Sesame Street after breakfast. Usually he is way to busy for snuggling. He napped pretty well today so there were no major melt downs. Some highlights of our day: Jace climbed down the stairs at Palmer's (with me one stair below him), he emptied Elaine's Tupperware cabinet (I cleaned it up while singing the Barney cleanup song), he pushed a toy car across the table at dinner tonight. One of my favorite moments today was when Jace got upset because I wouldn't let him go out the patio door. He started to cry (dramatically). His face got red and he pressed both hands against his face in such frustration that I started laughing. He was not sure what the joke was but he started laughing with me. Seriously, everyday he finds new ways to communicate (very clearly) what he wants and does not want. He is well on his way to toddlerhood (is that a word?).

A pretty tired little man.

traveling again - day 1

Joel was home for our busy birthday planning days and then had to leave again this morning. The upcoming holiday weekend will make this trip a short one. Have I said before how I hate this job that takes him so far away so often?

Jace slept great last night. He was a little clingy today and didn't take a long enough nap. Still, we had a nice day. Jace found the toy box that Joel finished assembling. He was just so darn cute standing at the toy box in his PJs this morning. I was surprised how full the box was already. Thank you Grandma Joy and Grandpa Doug for the toy box.

I tried to start some deep cleaning at our house. I couldn't get much done. I started scrubbing the kitchen floor but Jace was all over me. He was tired and wanted attention.

Tonight at Palmer's house Jace got very excited when he found the pool of deflated balloons. He attacked the pile, crawling through it over and over. I was so sure that he would eventually pop one of the balloons but he never did.

At dinner Jace gobbled up little bites of hot dog. He seems to prefer salty treats over sweets. We had dinner on the deck with Gary and Elaine then Jessica, Don and the kids arrived to watch "Dancing". Jace clapped and squealed excitedly when Janae, Alyssa and Dustin came in the house. He played with them and opened gifts from the girls. Janae gave him a teddy bear with a Broncos sweater named "Bob" (Janae named it. She won the bear in a claw game.). Alyssa got an adorable, soft, stuffed puppy for Jace. She named it Kitty. Thanks girls!

1st Birthday!

A whole year old. Jace is one whole year old. I keep saying it because it is so difficult to believe. I am totally exhausted tonight so I'll have to catch up on writing later this week. Just wanted to mark the day. Jace had a great birthday party.

Thank you so much to everyone who helped put on the party and to everyone who helped celebrate.

This is what proud, tired parents of an overstimulated 1 year old look like.

A walk in the park

Joel made it home late last night. I can't even express how nice it is to have him home. I can relax a little and just know that things will be OK. Amazing things happen like: coffee gets made, my hair gets curled, the lawn gets mowed and there is still time left to spare. We work through the day as a team and enjoy that extra time as a family.

Today we joined Jessica for a casual lunch with some of her high school friends. One friend, Liz, and her family were visiting from Orlando. Liz's husband works for Lockheed Martin and they live in Winter Garden, FL. (No, they didn't know Dan.) There were 4 other little boys there for Jace to play with and there were lots of toys. When we left, Jace was exhausted. He took a little nap.

This evening we went for a long walk in the Cherry Creek State Park. Jace rode in the stroller for a while but he much prefers riding on Joel's shoulders. I tried to teach him to throw sticks in the stream but once I gave him a stick he did not want to let go of it. Joel took him for a hike through the trees and down by the stream. The wind picked up as we finished our walk. Tonight is cooler than the last few days. It is a relief to be able to open up the house and cool off. I am trying to enjoy the spring but dreading the hot summer days ahead.

bye-bye Da - day 8

This is the longest Joel has been gone in a while. It is feeling endless. He will be home late tomorrow but may have to be gone again next week. I hate it.

Jace and I finally got some party chores done today. We got a late start. We slept late this morning and that ends up pushing the nap time back. It was middle of the afternoon before we got out of the house. We did some power shopping. Jace did really well. He was bored and started to get tired. The only store he enjoyed was Gymboree. It is a kids clothing store that has a TV built into a low shelf and lots of cube chairs to sit on (or climb on, or push around). Jace watched a few minutes of the cartoons and then started pushing the chairs around. We were the only shoppers in the store so he had all the play space he wanted. He pushed one of the chairs down the isle and started pulling socks off the closest shelf. When I went to put the socks back I noticed Jace was stinky. We had to get going and find a changing station.

The last stop today was the Party store. Jace was super tired by then and getting hungry so I was hurrying. As soon as we walked in the store he looked up, pulled the Binky out of his mouth, pointed at the balloons and said, "ba". Yes, Jace we will definitely get some balloons for your birthday.

Today's photo: My tired little man in front of the 1st birthday stuff at the store. He has been using the Binky a lot more lately and when he is really tired he tugs his hair.

Mother's Day - day 7

My first Mother's Day as a MOM. I have a whole new appreciation for what it means to be a mom.

It was a nice day. It rained last night. The cloudy cool weather continued through today. Jace and I both overslept and were a little late to Church. We spent most of the day at Palmer's house. Jessica and Don came over for brunch.

Joel and Tim worked all day today, just like every other day.

I messed up trying to tape the finale of "Amazing Race". Jace had apparently changed the channel on the VCR (yes, we are old school). I forgot to check all the settings. I was so bummed.

Watching the Muppet Show with Uncle Don.

After the bath

I love being his Mom!

bye-bye Da - day 6

Jace and I drove to Wiggins today to visit the Cranwell family. Becky just finished her Masters degree in English! Congratulations Becky!

We spent a fun afternoon playing at their house and at a nearby park. Becky took most of the photos today so there are even some with me in them.
The trip made it feel like the weekend. It was great to have something special to do today. Jace and I are missing Joel like crazy. We have church first thing tomorrow morning so I'm cutting this short tonight.

Thanks to Becky, Justin, Dylan and Taylor for the fun afternoon.

I think this is the only photo I took today.

Jace with Becky and Taylor.

Jace trying to catch the dog.

bye-bye Da - day 5

Half way. Joel will be home Wednesday so we are half way through this trip.

Jace and I had a nice day. Not a very productive day but it was good. Our morning routine is solid. He gets up and eats, plays while I get a few chores done, we both have breakfast, play a little more, read a story then he takes a nap. I love the nap. I try to organize everything for the rest of the day and enjoy a little alone time. After the nap we get around and have some lunch. Then we are finally ready to get out of the house. It is often 2 o'clock by the time we are ready to do anything outside the set routine.

Today our task was to go looking for party supplies for the little man's upcoming birthday. The Party City near our house was gone! I had a coupon and was ready to shop but there was no store! In the days before baby this would have been a minor set back. I would have just driven to another party supply place. With Jace in tow that wasn't really an option because I could not afford the extra 30 minutes of driving. We ended up checking out the options at a nearby Target. We didn't get anything. On Monday we will try a different shopping location.

Jace watched an episode of the Muppet Show this afternoon. He was mesmerized. He was clapping and dancing (he bops up a down). Elaine and I enjoyed watching him watch the Muppets.

Tonight, as I was getting ready to tuck Jace in, the TV downstairs turned on. We have it on a timer. When it turned on, I remembered that Jace had dumped out his animal puzzle on the living room floor, in front of the TV. The puzzle proceeded to make farm animal noises triggered by the flickering light of the TV. The horse went "neigh, neigh" for 20 minutes. Thankfully, Jace fell asleep. He likes that puzzle but I'm thinking of taking the batteries out.

It is raining tonight. I love the rain. The house will stay cool. I will sleep better.

Today's photo: Waking up from his nap. I went in to get him, he was standing at the edge of the crib and he lost his balance. He fell sideways like a vaudeville comic. The photo was him smiling after the fall like he was a little embarrassed. (I wish the Binky wasn't covering the smile,)

bye-bye Da - day 4

I am exhausted tonight. Jace and I had a productive day. We made it to the grocery store this afternoon. I have been needing to go for a while so it was an expensive trip. It is amazing how much baby food Jace is going through. When we got home from the store Jace was hungry and tired so I didn't get the groceries put away. Then Jace took a nap on my lap (I have to enjoy these moments while I can). After his nap he "helped" with the groceries by unpacking the bags I had left on the floor. I was excited to go watch Janet and Aaron play softball this evening so I just ignored the mess and got Jace ready to go. It was the perfect evening at the ball fields. Jace loved being outside. He clapped for the team and waved at everyone. He wanted to explore on his own but I didn't want him crawling around so he had me walking around with him. Gary and Elaine came to the games also. When they arrived Grandma Elaine took over the walking Jace around. He had a great time and he was very ready for bed tonight.

I wish Joel could have been at the ballgame with us.

I wish Joel was going to be home for the weekend.

I wish I had gone to bed an hour ago.

Goodnight.

Jace and I watched Sesame Street and folded laundry. That is the third sock he put in his mouth while "helping" me.

bye-bye Da - day 3

This used to be my favorite time of the year. These warm May days have always represented the ending of the school year, the promise of long summer evenings, lots of great stuff to look forward to. This year I'm just grumpy. Today the warm weather felt too hot, too early. I'm dreading trying to keep the house cool enough to maintain Jace's precious sleep schedule. His room is the hottest one in the house and our HOA (I've mentioned before how much I hate them) has a rule against air conditioning units in front windows. I think we will be breaking that rule this summer. The long daylight hours make it tough to put Jace to bed at 8. I am putting black out curtains on my wish list for his room. I can not stress enough how much I love the predictable sleep schedule. Finally, something in the air today triggered flashbacks and brought about vivid memories of last year at this time. I was so pregnant and so uncomfortable. Yikes, I'm glad we are not there right now.

I'm grumpy but Jace is great. His climbing skills earned him two crashes today. I've been so worried about teaching him how to go down the stairs. I didn't realize that what we really needed to work on was how not to fall off the couch. I was sitting right next to him watching when he tumbled. There was a loud thump. I didn't breath for several seconds. He looked at me, sat up, and crawled away to go play on the other side of the room. He didn't cry at all. He didn't even seem phased. He also didn't climb on the couch again today. However, he repeated the show at Palmer's house this evening. This time climbing on to a footstool then tumbling off the other side. Grandma and Grandpa Palmer were horrified. This time Jace cried and we made up an ice pack for the back of his head. We couldn't find a bump or even a red spot on his head where he fell. He calmed down pretty quickly. I think he was mostly scared. I hate when he falls but I suppose this is just the beginning.

We got a message from the pediatrician that Jace's blood work came back totally normal! I'm not sure what to think because that still leaves 2 out of 3 blood tests with low counts. For now, I'm going to relax. We will have a chance to talk with the Dr. at his 1 year appointment in a few weeks.

Elaine and I took Jace for a walk this afternoon to another park. It was warmer than I would have liked but the walk felt good. Jace loved exploring the different park. He especially liked the abacus. He stood there moving the balls back and forth for 10 minutes at least. He was so focused. Once in a while he would say "ba" as he moved a ball. It was fun to watch.

bye-bye Da - day 2

Today was a beautiful day. It was warm and overcast. It was a perfect day at the park. Jace and I took a long walk and played at the park. Jace was tired when we got back to Palmer's house. He took a nap and woke up very grumpy. This is not uncommon but today he was grumpy for a long time after the nap. Elaine and I got tickled with him because he kept giving us dirty looks and refused to be cheered up. He did get better after we gave him a snack (and he filled a diaper).

It is too quiet tonight. Jace is asleep and Joel is gone. I like being home but it is always difficult for me to settle down and go to bed. I'm tired so I better try to get some sleep soon.

I didn't take any photos today, just the video. If I could have captured it, today's photo would have been Jace meeting a little girl at the park. She was 14 months old. She and Jace spent a few minutes staring at each other across the back of a little blue whale riding toy at the park. (I didn't think her mom would like a stranger taking her photo.) It was a cute moment.

Here are some photos I took last week that I love. Who needs a walker when you have a big box of Pampers to push around, right? Joel and I were at opposite ends of the hallway with Jace pushing the box back and forth between us. He would stand up behind the box, hunch his shoulders, get a very serious look on his face and then push. The face had me laughing so hard I started crying.

bye-bye Da - day 1

Jace has been saying bye-bye for a couple weeks now. I am calling it his first word because, even though he makes lots of sounds, his bye-bye (sounds like ba-ba) is always accompanied by a wave. He seems to be clear on the meaning. This past week he has started saying something that sounds like Hi (sometimes with a wave). One day last week he was trying to get Joel's attention. I kept telling Jace, "that's Daddy". Jace started calling out, "Da". In the last few days I have heard him using "uh-oh" (when he drops something or the time he accidentally opened a bi-fold door). I get a kick out of it cause he says, "uh-oh-oh-oh" pronouncing 4 syllables.

We have been so busy the last few days. Joel was home last week. Thursday, we had to go back to Children's Hospital and have the blood draw redone. That idiot (the guy who did it the first time) mishandled the sample he took on Tuesday. He called and had us come back in. We were so upset. This time went better but it was still really stressful for Jace. I'm not sure how we should have handled the situation but I'm glad its over. Friday we spent the day getting ready for the weekend and enjoyed dinner with Gary, Elaine and Aaron Strand at Amigos. It was nice to see Aaron. Saturday morning we got around early, dropped off Jace at Palmer's and went to the Marina. Joel and I gave a sailing presentation for Jayden Marsik's cub scout group. Joel showed the boys several useful knots and then took them for a short ride on the Santana 20. After the scout thing, I went with LaRae for an overnight scrapbook retreat. It was so great to get away for a night and get some photos put into last year's album. Yesterday, I was happy to get home. We took advantage of the nice evening and went for a walk in the park. Joel carried Jace on his shoulders. It was great. When we got home there was a little excitement when Jace got a hold of a drink cup that we thought was out of his reach. We found him sitting in a puddle of Mt. Dew, playing with the ice cubes. He was having a lovely time. When we picked him up he cried. I cleaned him up. Joel cleaned up the floor. We agreed, once again, that we will get rid of this carpet as soon as we can.

Today Joel had to leave again. He is working in NM again. This time he and Tim are in Angel Fire. For the first time ever, I am jealous of where he is. It is a beautiful area. We camped near there several years ago and I would love to see it in the spring. Jace and I had a normal Monday. We are at Palmer's tonight after enjoying dinner with the cousins and "Dancing with the Stars". The rest of the week we need to do the planning for Jace's birthday party. I hope that the week goes by fast.

Today's photo: Watching "Dancing" with Aunt Jessica