Mr. Giggles

Guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

A Little Lesson

Did you know that mashed carrots stain fingers, faces, high chair trays, and counters? I now know this and will remove mashed carrots from said surfaces a lot quicker next time for the sake of keeping our little guy from looking like he applied the self tanner a little too thick around the mouth!

Figures

The one Tuesday that I have to get up early for work, Jacob decides to sleep in until seven. Hmph.

Heated

It's cold outside, and it's cold in our house. I just turned on the heat and am finally starting to thaw out. I knew the change in temperatures was on its way, but did it really have to get here so soon? Brrrrr....

What's that Smell?

Can candles go "bad"? I plugged in a fall-ish candle last night and Caleb mentioned that it didn't smell right. It smells fine to me, which leads me to wonder whose sniffer isn't working?

Sew simple? Uh, not so much.

I have been known to dabble in sewing, so when it came time to get Jacob a cart cover, I decided I would just try my hand at making one. It's the first time I have ever followed a pattern--and it will probably be the last. I laid out the pattern and realized I had no idea what any of it meant (even after figuring out that I was initially looking at the Spanish directions...) Anyways, I completed the first seven steps (after consulting with my mom on every single step--thanks, Mom!) and decided that I would just skip the next 15 steps and go straight to the final step. The cover looks fine (not great, but I'm not looking to impress anyone), it's reversible so that means less frequent washing, and it does the job of keeping Jacob's mouth off of every germy inch of the cart. Mission accomplished, though next time I will save myself a Saturday and pick one up at the store!

Side note: I should have made a matching bib as it seems Jacob's teeth are not effective at keeping drool in the mouth as shown by the dark blotches ALL OVER his shirt!

Don't panic, but...

Our nation is experiencing a canned pumpkin shortage. A friend of ours discovered that as she traveled all over the suburbs looking for canned pumpkin to satisfy her pumpkin bar craving. Turns out that bad weather is to blame for this shortage. Caleb and I are considering buying any/all canned pumpkin we can find to sell on Craigslist. Perhaps we could retire early with the profits we make from our inflated prices?

Fully Loaded

Though the same size as our last, our new dishwasher seems to have more shelf space to load things in. So when we bought it, I was super excited to think that we wouldn't have to run it every other day. Three weeks into our new purchase, I have realized that we are still running it every other day. Do we just go through that many dishes, or are we terrible at dishwasher organization management?

You Poor Thing

I don't know if it was the bananas caked to the head, the carrots crusted on the face, the disheveled hair, or the overall dirtiness of Jacob's clothes, hands, and feet that prompted Caleb to remark that Jacob looked like a homeless baby the other day. I laughed at that comment, then I scheduled an immediate impromptu sponge bath. Homeless no more!

Alright, I'll admit it...

Jacob's one cute little booger. Most of the time...

Distressed

This is what happens when we leave Jacob alone in his crib. Has his crib turned into an expensive chew toy, or do we just have an artistic child on our hands?

Side note: Check out this picture of him. I snapped it after I finally got him to nap. I thought I had picked all of the paint chips off of his hands, clothes, face, and mouth. Must have missed one.

Another One on the Way!

Yep, that's right. Jacob is getting another tooth. The top right one is poking through, and it looks as if the left one isn't far behind. I am guessing they will be going public in the next few weeks!

This Bites

At what point will Jacob realize that he can stand up without having to use two hands AND his mouth?

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y

After way too many hours of research, I finally figured out the problem with our Google accounts. A tricky problem to fix that involved going to places in the computer I never knew existed, but I did it. I feel a lot smarter (Caleb says nerdier), and am back to blogging on our main computer. Hurray!

What's for Dinner?

That's the question of the day in our house. And the answer for today is: Nothing. Unless, of course, I can whip up a meal with a tub of margarine, a container of pudding, a handful of tator tots, and a few dozen overripe garden tomatoes. I hate not having food in the house almost as much as I hate grocery shopping...

Where's the snooze button on this thing?

Like clockwork, Jacob wakes up every morning at 5:45. And like clockwork, I turn off the baby monitor every morning at 5:45 for just an extra 15 minutes of quiet. It doesn't matter if we put him to bed at 6:30 or 8:00 the night before, the little guy always, always, ALWAYS wakes up at 5:45. Will he ever learn that it is OK--and very appreciated--to sleep until our alarm clock goes off?

Down. Up. Repeat.

Since learning how to pull up on EVERYTHING (even scaling the walls), Jacob has now figured out how to stand up in his crib. One thing he has not figured out yet is sitting back down. With that said, nap time used to be an easy activity: lay Jacob down, walk out of the room, return an hour or so later to retrieve him when he wakes up. Now it has turned into lay Jacob down, walk out of the room, return two minutes later to lay Jacob down (again, and again, and again, and... you get the idea). It has turned into a battle of wills and sometimes I win the battle, and sometimes I give in to the little booger and give up on nap time. I'm starting to wonder if strapping him to a gurney or throwing a piece of plywood across the top of the crib will be the only solution to this very annoying situation. Hmph...

What Gives?

I have been trying to log on to Blogger this whole weekend (not that I have anything important to write), but Caleb's computer won't allow access to any Google web sites (we can't sign in to Gmail or Blogger). I suspect that our little computer nut may have something to do with it, but I can't be sure. So until I figure out exactly what has been changed, disabled, or erased on our main computer I will be using my very viral-but-not-contagious laptop to blog. More to come. Stay tuned...

I'm not going.

I have officially decided to take a pass on going to my high school reunion. A hundred bucks per couple is too much to spend on a night filled with awkward conversations and no ex-boyfriends to scope out. Maybe I will feel differently when it comes time to attend my 20 year reunion. Maybe not...

Chain of Events

1. Crawl over to the dog food.

2. Climb up to the bowls.

3. Splash in the water and throw food on the ground.

4. Realize that, like everything else, dog food can also go in your mouth.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4.

My New Mantra

Let me preface this post: I am nearly almost always a very punctual person (five minutes early is right on time), and then I had a baby. Now I am subject to Jacob's schedule (never wake a sleeping baby, right?), and sometimes I run a little behind schedule. I am getting back to my old self, and after reading an article in my Parenting magazine last night (yes, I actually had time to read!) I will keep this phrase in mind: Better late than never, but never late is better. Catchy. And effective too. Punctuality, I'm coming back, and I have missed you!

Do a Little Dance

I'm convinced that the noises coming from a happy baby are the best sounds in the world. And maybe Jacob has a future on Dancing with the Stars?

Family Fun

Pictures from this past weekend. Jacob loves his new Iowa gear!

There's no "L" in Wrestling

The new Iowa shirt Caleb's parents picked up for me. The "l" in "wrestling" is clearly not there. Could Herky be taking the place of the "l," could he have busted through the "l," or is it just plain missing? Caleb and I think it was an editing oversight, but I'll still wear it. Go Hawks!

In the Dark

I drove home from work tonight with my headlights on -- and actually needed them. A sign that summer is on its way out. Sigh.

Bo-iiiiii-ng

Just goes to show you that the best toys aren't toys at all (and that my filming abilities are still terrible. I think I need to install stage lighting in my house!)

Caught on Film

Proof that Jake can have a relaxing weekend when visiting us...(Don't worry, Jakers, we'll get that list together for next time. We would hate for you to be bored!)

Tiger on the Loose

Caleb and his dad spent the day wandering around Cog Hill at the BMW Championship. I was super excited that Caleb scored tickets to this golf outing for two reasons: 1. He really enjoys watching golf, and this is a great experience for him, and 2. Since he was at the actual outing, I wasn't forced into having to watch the whole thing on TV with him. It was a great day for both of us!

Third Time's a Charm

It took three trips to Wrigley this summer, but we finally got to see a winner and sing the victory song! Sticking around for the whole game meant a two-hour commute home, but it was worth it. A fun time with good friends and cold beer. Great way to spend a Friday afternoon!

Nine Months Old and Sleepin' on the Floor

I always have the baby monitor with me after I put our kiddo down for a nap and expect to hear him playing with his activity box (or complaining) until he dozes off. Such was the case the other afternoon. And then I heard pounding. I knew exactly what it was: Jacob had pulled himself up and was slapping his hand on the top of his crib. Needless to say, nap time was a bust and exactly two hours later we had the mattress dropped to the ground. The transition seems to be going OK, except that I have already had to rescue my screaming baby after he has pulled to stand up, tipped over, and knocked his noggin on the rails. Is it really that hard to just sleep in the crib?!

Busted!

Totally caught Jacob kissing himself in the mirror. I can't blame him. Wouldn't you want to kiss something that cute?!

Out with the Old...

We have a new dishwasher! Our old dishwasher worked, but only if we pre-cleaned off everything. And by everything, I mean every. last. speck. A waste of time and water, and a source of frustration as all of our cups on the top shelf would inevitably end up with food residue. Ick! Anyways, Lowe's was having a super deal on dishwashers, and we couldn't pass up the opportunity. So sayonara crappy old dishwasher, hello functional pretty one. I just won't know what to do with all of the extra time saved from not having to wash the dishes before loadin' 'em up!

Caleb even gave Jacob a quick lesson on dishwasher un-installation. I know, I know, that screw gun is a baby danger. But I can assure you that our kiddo didn't stick around long enough to prove it.

Vaccinations and Waiting Room Toys

Jacob had his 9-month check up this morning and this is what we know:

1. Jacob's puny. He weighed in at 18 pounds, 2 ounces and is 27 inches long. Barely reaching the 10th percentile for either measurement. (But his head ranked in the 40th percentile. Holy smokes!)

2. Jacob is a patient patient. We had to wait well past our appointment time as our doctor was running late. Turns out she couldn't find the shoes she wanted to wear. First of all, don't tell your patients that, and, secondly, what woman doesn't have more than one pair of brown shoes to choose from? She went to school at Iowa State, so we'll use that as her excuse.

3. Jacob needs to figure out how to put his chompers to good use. By 12 months he needs to be eating 3 solid-food meals a day. At this point everything goes in the mouth and down the hatch without so much as a bite. Not sure just how we are going to "teach" him how to chew, but I guess we will have to figure out something.

4. Jacob likes the waiting room at the pediatrician's office. It is a toy filled, germ producing dream for our little guy, and he loved every minute of exploring all of these new-to-him toys.

He's currently napping off the excitement and the trauma of the visit. I think I need a nap, too!

An After Shot

This is the finished project that Caleb and his dad started a couple of weekends ago. Planter box, end cap, and the maple tree in the background are all new. Looks good. Now I think it's time to actually enjoy it before it gets too cold.

"Bean" There, Done That

We headed into the city for lunch at Millennium Park, snapped some pictures in front of the Bean, and played on the grass for a bit. (Yes, Chicago does have grass!) Weather was nice, crowds were small, and Jacob was a perfect angel. Great day!

College Football is Here!

We may not live in Iowa City, but we were up and ready to tailgate at 6:45 this morning. Caleb and Jacob cheered on Iowa (and had a few drinks) as they narrowly escaped defeat. Go Hawks!

My Little Bird

This movie a little dark (I'm just the camera girl, not the lighting engineer!) but I have to laugh at it because every time we feed Jacob he has his mouth open wide waiting on us to shovel in the food. So not a picky eater!

Pajama-Rama

First it was baby jeans, then it was baby shoes, now my must-have baby clothing obsession is two-piece pajamas. I think I like them so much because I can still gobble up Jacob's belly after he is ready for bed. And, seriously, what doesn't look A-DOR-ABLE on our little guy?!

















And it looks like we will be lowering the mattress in Jacob's crib this weekend as he was trying to jump ship while I was snapping photos...

A Day in the Life

You know you have officially crossed the line into full-blown motherhood when the two songs that you can't seem to get out of your head are "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "She'll be Coming Round the Mountain." Now if you'll excuse me, I must go. It's time for Sponge Bob.

Basket Case

A kid-friendly cage to keep my on-the-go kiddo under control.

Oh, and Jacob's shirt says "Playing the Field." So cute!