King of the Jungle

Jack, my monkey, this post is bitter sweet. Thanks to Granny for her great photography skills I have over 200 adorable photographs of your first birthday party. That means I had a lot of cute pictures to choose from and really tried to narrow it down to give you a snap shot of your special day. It's slightly bitter, as once again my blog is coming to an end. I hope you have enjoyed reading and watching Jack grow and learn. This blog holds a special place in my heart. I am glad you have enjoyed the ride with us, but now it is time for me to take a break. Just as important as it is to document life's journeys and memories, it is equally important to sit back and take them in without always feeling like I need to run to a computer. With that said, just as I promised when I closed down Hannah's, if another little blessing ever happens to enter our world, I will be back. With that said, here's to you my Jack and your final post!

We had your birthday party on the 23rd at the park near our house. Hannah calls it regular park. There is a picnic area that I decorated to look like a jungle. Mommy had 30 foot crate paper vines with leaves coming out of them sitting in our garage for weeks. They looked great on the ceiling. There were animal centerpieces with jungle grass, an adorable monkey cake made with love by Auntie Laura, home made food, jungle balls for the kids to play with and your personal favorite blow up jungle animals which you have been carrying around our house for the past week. I was so happy with how the party turned out. We had about 40 guests, of family and friends and everyone was there because they love you little man. You were spoiled with lots of presents. Your sister was very excited that she got to help you blow out your candle and open your gifts. I later asked her if she made a wish for you when she blew it out. She said she wished you would walk. Mommy's wish for you is always the same. I wish that your heart is filled with happiness. You seemed to enjoy looking around and taking it all in. I hope it made you feel loved. Mommy had so much fun planning this day for you sweet boy and it's a day I will never forget. Special thanks to Nana and Gramps who without complaint are willing to help in anyway. I truly couldn't have pulled it off without your help. Also thank you to Auntie Laura who spends hours making sure the cake is the most adorable thing ever and most importantly made from the heart. Also to Granny for her great photographs and endless help and to every family member and friend who loves my son. You all mean the world to me and I'm sure at some point during this last year I have leaned on you each in some way. For that, I am forever grateful. It takes a village they say, and I am surrounded by the best!









King of the Jungle


LOVE














too funny







































I tried to think of a clever way to end the blog, but there is only one thing that seems right to say.
MOMMY LOVES YOU JACK BRYANT FOREVER AND ALWAYS!

August 22!!!

My Boy is ONE! On Jack's first birthday, Daddy took the day off of work and we headed to the San Diego Zoo as a family. This was Hannah's first time to a large zoo and she was very excited too. It was such a fun day and I'm so glad we chose this activity for Jack. He loves stroller rides, being outside and looking at things. He seemed very interested in the giraffes, pointing and calling them 'a gas.' That exhibit is nice because you can get very close. It was my favorite too. The monkeys were also another family favorite because they are so active and came very close to us. Jack could see them perfectly and was making monkey noises. One monkey grabbed a nut and was trying to crack it right in front of us. We also enjoyed the bus tour where Hannah was excited to ride on the top. Hannah loved every animal. I'm glad we all got to experience the zoo together.

It's Jack's Day!

Happy Birthday Letter

My Darling Jack on your First Birthday,
Sweet baby boy, my Christmas miracle, how do I find the words. Mommy wanted you so badly, but I never could have imagined a baby boy as dear and precious as you. When you entered this world, I swear my heart doubled in size. You have brought so much joy, love, happiness and laughter to this family. You are adorable, curious, brave, smart, lovable, patient, sweet, easy going, sensitive and funny. From the day you were born, you have made everything easy on mommy. You have made our family whole like a missing puzzle piece.

In your first year of life you have learned to crawl, get around quickly, climb, talk, point, wave, clap, roll a ball and eat food. Your favorite toys/games are peak a boo, the crawl through caterpillar, the Cookie Monster kitchen, Hannah’s Doc McStuffins nurse station, balls, cars, your puppy book, the Snow White dwarfs, and dinosaurs. You love to play the copy game with sister and either make fart noises with your mouth or chase each other around. Big sister Hannah has adored you from the second she listened to your cries through the hospital door as you entered the world. She loves you to the moon and back and I know the two of you will forever have a special bond. You are a great little sleeper and snuggle right in with your blanky and paci. You are a mommy’s boy which I love. You like when mommy sings you “Beautiful Boy” and “Twinkle Twinkle.” You absolutely love love love climbing any and all furniture. The higher the better. Climbing the stairs or onto your sister’s bed (a few feet off the ground) is an activity of choice and you love climbing the tall equipment at the park with Hannah and going down the slides. Insane. We call you Monkey or Jack Jack.

I have watched you grow, learn, explore and develop. You have the best smile and are the happiest little thing. You inspire me to be a better mom. Jack Bryant I wouldn’t change anything about you. I am honored to be your mommy and my wish for you is that you become a man of God, a thoughtful brother, a faithful husband, a sensitive father, and a hard worker. Someone who laughs at himself, tries his best, is kind to others, enjoys life, calls his mom, protects his sister, loves with his whole heart, takes chances, and is proud of who he is. You make the world a better place and I am so happy God gave us you. My precious Jack you are truly the most unique little light in my life and I can’t explain how much I love you. I do promise to try my best to show you every day of my life that you are loved more than life itself. Jack I can’t wait to watch you walk, swing your first bat, kick your first goal, wear your first back pack, catch your first fish, fall in love, go to your first school dance, drive your first car, walk across a graduation stage, walk the girl of your dreams down the aisle and someday hold your own baby in your arms. In that last moment, you will know just how much mommy loves you.

Thank you Jack for entering this world with ease. Thank you for giving your sister a bond for life that no one else can give. Thank you for taking it easy on me at times your sister needed me more, thank you for turning to me when you need a snuggle and reassuring me I’m doing something right, thank you for laughing when life gets too serious, thank you for trusting me with your life, thank you for acting like I’m your hero and that I, just as I am, is enough. Jack in your eyes I see the best of me. I pray for your purpose as I know you are intended for greatness and I pray that when my time here is done, you are proud to be my son.

I love you now and forever “Just the Way you are”
Happy Birthday my Jack, Mommy loves you.

Surgery Number 3

Every parent knows how much your heart hurts to see your child sad or scared or in pain. You want to take it away and make their life happy again, just trade places with them and reassure them that everything is going to be okay. 3 1/2 years ago when Hannah was born with cleft palate, I got thrown into a medical whirlwind I was never expecting. Yes, cleft palate is fixable and not a death sentence and my heart breaks for any parent who deals with far worse, but Hannah is my baby and her journey has so greatly impacted me that sometimes I just feel the need to express my thoughts. From the moment she was diagnosed, we were rushed to the NICU followed by a very long and detailed appointment in San Francisco including but not limited to a mental health status check of myself that made me feel like Hannah was way more severe than she ever was (trust me, as Nana, she will confirm). This was followed by countless doctors appointments by every specialist you can imagine. I was told everything from she might not speak, she may be cognitively impaired, her heart may be bad, she might be missing teeth, and she may have social struggles. I was told by a plastic surgeon in San Jose that he knows many mothers who chose to abort babies due to cleft palate. Sucks for them, they missed out on an amazing kid like Hannah. Emotionally for me it has been difficult, but through everything Hannah does she is a model of bravery, beauty and grace. Today was no different. Hannah had ear tubes put in for the second time. I had to wake her up at 415 and she woke up with a smile on her face. Hannah does not understand everything, but she is able to say that she was born with a hole in her mouth. As we sat waiting for my mom to arrive to watch Jack, she said "after today I won't say "what you said?" anymore. She enjoyed wearing her Frozen jammies and bringing her frozen blanket. Monkey of course came because he has been with her at all her appointments. She enjoyed the fish tank in the waiting room too. The hardest part of the morning was pre op because her anxiety level rose fast. She was very afraid and kept saying she didn't want to do it. I can so clearly remember Tim saying the exact statement as we walked into Cedars Sinai for his surgery. The surgery is actually very quick and easy. It's the same Doctor who did the tubes at 7 months. Even though it's an easy procedure I hate watching the nurses wheel her away. Makes me so sad every time. About 10 minutes later Tim and I got to go back while she woke up. She woke up very quietly and just appeared very tired. The nurses were so wonderful the whole morning help calm her with coloring pages and frozen stickers, they even did each step on Monkey that they did on Hannah like checking blood pressure, listening to heart, even the gas mask. I hope this is the last time I have to see my baby in a hospital bed until she is sitting in one having a baby of her own. I don't care if you're there for a major surgery, a bad flu, a minor surgery or a broken leg, nothing hurts more then seeing your own heart scared. Hannah, my girl, you have made me braver, stronger and more faithful since the moment you were born and I love you "Just the Way you Are."

On a totally different note since I haven't updated in awhile, Jack's new thing is "What does the dog say?" So cute if you ask him or anytime he sees a dog in print or in real life he says "Oof Oof" So cute I love it. He also knows how to 'play catch' aka roll a ball back and forth with you. Last week we went up to Pop's house in Big Bear which is always fun. We went to the zoo, mini golf, ate good meals, played at the park, and enjoyed time together.







A favorite activity of Jack's. Pulling out the cereal and dumping in all over the floor.

11 Months

My darling boy, 11 months, how full you make my heart. At 11 months your favorite activity is climbing the stairs and opening cupboards. You also love remote controls, cells phones, cars, dinosaurs, putting things in and out of buckets, stuffed animals, Hannah, your paci, being with Mommy and Daddy, bath time, crawling outside, stroller rides, balls and peek a boo. When we play peek a boo you put the blanket over Mommy's head then pull it off and laugh. Too cute. Your dislikes are seeing mommy walk away, being confined, and having your face wiped. Your favorite foods seem to be bananas, blueberries, meatloaf, and bread. You are a little more picky of an eater then Hannah was at this age. You can clap, wave, and high five. You have six teeth (two bottom and four top). You say Mama, dada, ball, Nana (Hannah) the most, but can also say bubble and baba. You have started dancing a when music plays. Still not much interest in TV or books. You have places to go and people to see, no time to sit. Seize the day. You absolutely adorable and get the most compliments on your eyes and dimples. Your hair is coming in quite blond. You always have a huge smile on your face and seem to feel really proud of just about anything you do. We call you monkey because you literally climb everything and recently started lifting your feet off the ground and will dangle off of furniture. You must have very strong arms. You are my best little boy and I am so excited to celebrate your birthday next month.

You stand by yourself big boy. Could be walking any day


You crack me up, instead of falling or even taking a step, you always just ever so slowly and controlled squat to the floor. You seem to have strong muscles and control of your movements




This is how you look the majority of the day, one HUGE happy smile


Teeth

The Last First

Fourth of July is something Tim and I look forward to because it marks the beginning of summer for us and we enjoy our yearly tradition in Bishop. We have gone every year but 2012 which was the surgery year. But the fourth 2014 has come and gone and that marks the last first holiday for Jack. Next stop...1 year Birthday! We just got home today so I should be unpacking, doing piles of laundry, etc, but it was such a fun trip I couldn't wait to see all the photos on the computer. I'm not really sure where to start as we were gone 8 days so there are many activities and memories to write about. I will try to hit the highlights. We enjoyed hanging out by the pool, swimming, relaxing, chatting, and eating most days with special activities sprinkled in. One of my favorite things is watching Hannah play with her cousins. Tim kept saying how he felt like Hannah didn't even talk to him for a week because she just has so much fun running off and playing with the boys. I know the kids will be bonded forever. They all love playing in the giant play house which has recently been turned into Z Bar (you can tell who the oldest is here I think) where you are free to come and place an order for food/drinks. They have dining both in doors and out and the service is 5 stars. The kids also loved making water balloons, millions of water balloons. We had a water balloon toss that Uncle Jeff and Katie completely dominated. Auntie Laura was busy making rainbow loom bracelets which was a big hit. Every family member sported a red/white and blue bracelet and of course the kids requested many color varieties. The cutest part of the rainbow looms was that Zane, Weston and Hannah decided they were power bracelets and when they combined their powers they became the "Mighty Cousins!" They made up their own little chant and super powers, so cute. Hannah was Rainbow Power, Zane was Lava Power and Weston was Lighting Power. We did fun fourth of July art projects and Auntie Laura was Hannah's personal hair stylist the whole trip. Hannah wouldn't even let me touch her hair. On the fourth we had a couples round robin bean bag challenge. Tim and I took 2nd place, not bad considering Tim completely carried our team. Every year, we come up with a new 'theme' if you will for the fourth. In the past we have had talent show, carnival and this year it was a salsa competition. Everyone entered a homemade salsa and then the taste test began. I took third place and Tim took 1st!!! (we worked together on both recipes so it was a proud moment) which made up for my pitiful performance in the bags tournament. Laura was nice enough to remember my Granny's tradition of painting on the windows and ran to the store so the kids could cover every square inch of Nana's windows in paint. We had fireworks on the 3rd and 4th. On the 3rd, we all walk down the street and sit in the back of Gramps' truck with popcorn. Hannah loves this and is so expressive about the beautiful colors. Even Jack Jack made it out and stayed up til 10. On the fourth we drive to the airport and listen to patriotic music while the fireworks go off. This is followed by Nana's homemade ice cream. We got up to the lake for fishing and picnic and with a little help from Uncle Jeff, Hannah caught her first fish. She was so excited and said it was her "lucky day." We also went on a little hike in Mammoth and did a nature scavenger hunt for the kids where they had to find objects like pinecone, acorn, pink flower, etc. This year we had a new fun activity on the xbox1 Just Dance where the family took turns dueling in dance offs. The kids were so cute and the adults were hilarious. So fun and quite the workout. There are so many more things that I'm sure I'm missing like feeding the ducks, playing at the park, walking in the stream, Bachelorette night, games, etc. Hannah says her favorite part of the trip was going to the farm and feeding the donkey and goats, especially the goat they named Sweetie Pie. It's so cool watching Hannah because as Nana puts it she is so girly, loves princesses, purple, jewelry, etc., but can also get dirty, feed animals, walk in streams, kick dirt, touch fish etc. My Sweet Jack would probably say his favorite part was getting lots of attention from all the people, playing trucks, eating, climbing the stairs, emptying out the cupboard, and chasing his cousins. His speech completely took off this trip. He officially consistently says in context the following words: 1. Dada, 2. Bubble, 3. Mama, 4. Baba 5. Nana (Hannah) and 6. Ball So proud of you little man. He is so sweet and such a good sport. As you know our family does our daily peaks and pits at dinner each day. I shared Hannah and Jack's peaks so now its only fair to share the pits. While swimming on one of the first few days Hannah got stung by a wasp and was then afraid to go in the pool the remainder of the trip. She is such a good swimmer and loves the water so I really hope this fear doesn't last long. Jack's pit was the car ride. We go at nap time so he sleeps for some, but poor little guy does not like being in the seat that long. Overall so much fun and we can't wait until our next trip. Lots of pictures, I tried to pick my favorites, enjoy.



hair do's by Auntie Laura




Night One Fireworks


















Cowgirls


Salsa Contest










Fishing


Thanks Uncle Jeff








Just Dance




The Mighty Cousins


Mammoth