Xmas pics

I finally got around to uploading all of my xmas pics from my camera to computer.  So here are a few from Jack's first Christmas!!

jack & great grandma

jack & grandma

Left over trifle!!!

Yup that's right, I'm sitting here eating last nights left over trifle and snuggling by the fire with the hubby :)
My little peanut is in bed early tonight (even after 2 naps today!!!). Poor thing is so worn out from the past couple day's festivities. It's snowing like crazy right now and not going to stop anytime soon either. Johnny keeps saying he "should" go out and shovel so it's not so heavy tomorrow but never actually gets up to do it. It's so cold out, can't blame him.

So all in all I'd have to say this has been another great Christmas! Family, friends, lots of yummy holiday food, AND of course presents. My tree is still hanging in there pretty well which makes me want to leave it up a bit longer but on the other hand I really kinda just want to get my house back to pre-Christmas status.

Jack made out like a bandit as expected, I'm pretty sure that's just how it's going to be from now on.....hahaha
Next year is going to be even more fun with him since he will be able to open his own presents and stuff.

Down side of this year is that I got sick on Christmas. Just a cold but aches and pains and a pretty bad sore throat is not what you want to be dealing with on Xmas and on top of things have to take care of a 5 month old! Luckily I didn't have to work today and my mom came to the house to play with Jack.

Here are some pics from Xmas and one of what's happening outside right now....

Xmas Day

Monkey fun on Xmas Eve

pic of my front yard - can't even tell what is driveway and what is yard!!!

Just opened the back door to let the dog out and found this wall of snow!!!  This is about 6 inches within a couple hours....Buffalo winter!!!

 I have a ton more pictures but haven't uploaded them from my camera yet.  These are just a few I had on my phone.  So once I get everything uploaded I'll post more

My bad !

So I got in bed tonight with every intention of posting and then totally fell asleep! I'm up feeding the baby right now and figured its not too late even though its not "technically" the same day anymore.

Ummm let's see, baked a couple pies, wrapped presents, did some laundry, and had dinner at a friend's house.....pretty much sums up our day today.

Baby boy was a crank pot for most of the night unless I was holding him. I secretly (not so secret anymore) love that he's such a momma's boy, but at the same time I feel bad for Those who love him so much and just want to hold him.

Ok I'm exhausted......sweet dreams everyone!

Over the river.....

......and through the woods to a Christmas party we go! Tis the season for good food, good drinks, and good friends.....who like to party of course :)
The little guy is bundled up and in tow, bottle is packed so momma can have a cocktail, and off we go.
Nothing crazy happened today other than a surprisingly busy Saturday at the shop!
I guess people have company in from out of town and want to go out to eat.
Ok by me!

Here's a pic of me and the munchkin before we left tonight.....YES I'm blogging in the car on our way (but I'm not driving!!)

Santa came early!

As promised here are a few pics from our visit from Santa Clause last night....

 

 

So all in all I'd say first visit with Santa was a SUCCESS!  Can't wait for next year, I'm kinda hoping for one of those screaming pics while sitting on Santa's lap, I think they are SOOO funny and adorable.

So four days left until Christmas and as expected I thought of something else I need to get before Tuesday.  Can't say though just in case a few specific people decide to check my blog before then.  

I just have to rant a bit, I was so annoyed this afternoon after leaving work, I stopped to get gas and I guess everyone else in town had the same thought because it was a MAD HOUSE!  Maybe they are gassing up before the "big storm" that we're supposed to get.  Anyway, I pulled into an empty spot and quickly have to back up because a guy in a big pick-up is backing into the spot that I'm in.  So I back up in fear of getting hit and he stops and then DOESN'T move!!!!  He just sat there and wasn't going to let me pull up so I can pump.  I couldn't believe someone could be such an ass especially so close to the holidays.......GRINCH!  So me, being the mature adult in the situation, had to find another pump to fill up at.  

Just let the dog in from outside and to my surprise there is at least 2-3 inches of snow on the ground!  Kept hearing it was coming but I wasn't actually expecting to get anything.  I'm SUPER excited though that we are expected to have a white Christmas this year.  There is just something about having the ground covered in light, fluffy, beautiful snow on Christmas, I just LOVE IT!!

pic of front porch!

Here are a few others of us just hangin out by the christmas tree

 

LOVE this guy!

Count down is on!

So in our house its the 5 days of Christmas, simply because 12 days is just too long to wait....aaaaand this year I've been quite the procrastinator!
So in honor of the last 5 days left until the big day I vow to post each day with updates into the crazy lives at the Kong household :).
This is pretty much how today has gone thus far:

Cranky pants wasn't happy unless being carried around by Mom sooooo we had our own little photo shoot!

Pic with our new neck pillow from Aunt Betty

    

Did my last minute Xmas shopping this morning and dare I say it...I'm .FINISHED!!!  I think, I'm sure I'll think of something I forgot to do.  Santa Clause is coming to the house tonight.....yep Santa comes to us for pictures hahahaha, gotta love that!  Can't wait to see how Jack reacts to him.  I'm thinking this year will be fine but next year might be a different story.  

Pooping is a big deal in our house these days, well for Jack anyway.....since the start of eating solids its been a bit of an issue, which I'm told is normal but still not something you want to see your little guy going through.  SO I'm happy to announce that yesterday we went TWICE!!!  The things you get excited about once you have kids I tell ya! lol

I've begun making my own baby food.  I received a baby bullet as a baby shower gift and dug it out the other day and decided to give it a go.  Yesterday I made enough sweet potato servings to last almost an entire month!  I'm pretty impressed with how well it works actually.  Two  (not even that large) sweet potatoes made 10 servings, ok so not a whole months worth but I'm figuring in the fact that we won't be eating sweet potatoes every single day.  I'm doing all organic fruits and veggies of course, the more I read about the health benefits, especially for kids, the more determined I am to do this.  So far just sweet potatoes but I did buy some organic carrots and plan on doing those this weekend.  

Have to try to get this kid to take a nap.......which by the way has been nearly impossible unless we're driving around in the car lately!  

Will post Santa pics either tonight or tomorrow :)

Fa La La La La

 

 Christmas is literally right around the corner and I JUST started shopping Thursday....it is Saturday.....talk about waiting until the last minute.  Needless to say Jack is not getting anything from us for Christmas this year.  I can't go into a store without buying something for him as it is so he gets stuff all the time!  Plus I know some other people (grama and grampa) who will make sure my peanut has plenty to open this year.  Not that he will even remember or be able to open presents by himself!

Tree is up and decorated, xmas cards have been sent, I've made a million cookies of all kinds (it counts if they were for the restaurant right?!)  and most importantly....Christmas music has been playing for weeks now!  I LOVE Christmas music, I have it on ALL of the time....Johnny can't stand my slight obsession....but I don't are it only happens once a year! :)

Ok so I feel really bad that I haven't written in such a LONG time, I mean its been a month, I couldn't believe it when I just looked at my last post!!  But to my defense things have been busy at the restaurant so I've been spending a lot of time there.  Then when I finally do get home I feel like my evening is over within a blink of an eye.  Basically I play with Jack for a little bit, feed him a couple times (including solids now!), bath and then bedtime.  

So I have to say the transition from three months to four months with an infant is a lot of fun.  I saw such a growth spurt in him, it seemed like literally every day he was doing something new and exciting.  We made the transition to the nursery and him sleeping in his crib.  This was not as scary as I had anticipated. I thought it was going to be so hard for myself let happen and I'd be a nervous wreck with him not sleeping in his own little bed next to ours...........BUT it was actually a nice relief.  It got his play yard out of our bedroom (since that was what he was sleeping in), plus I don't have to tiptoe around as much.  So I'm really enjoying having him in his own room.  Plus the monitor is the BEST, it allows me to see and hear what he's doing at all times.

 

We went to our 4 month check up and the pediatrician gave us the "4 month talk" about how we need to move him into his own room (as we did) AND stop feeding him throughout the night.  He was back to waking up every 2-3 hours at night and I wasn't sure why.  The Ped said that he is clearly not starving and isn't even hungry when he wakes up, he just doesn't know how to sooth himself back to sleep yet.  SO we made the transition which went really well at first.  He starting sleeping for 10 hours straight!!!  We'd put him down between 8:30 and 9pm and he'd sleep until morning.   I couldn't believe it. I got real used to that real quick!!  He did this for about a week and I thought we were in the clear but then he started waking up around 11:30pm - 12am and I would let him cry for a while but then end up feeding him because he would go back to sleep afterwards and usually sleep until morning.  THEN he started not getting up at midnight and getting up at 3am for a few days.  So after trying the "cry it out" method I would go in and feed him since he was not going to sleep and I am exhausted at this point.  Recently he has started getting up at midnight and 3am.  Last night was awful, I don't think he slept a solid hour and was still crying at 3am.  This is after I'd gotten up to feed him twice throughout the night.    I think he is teething, I noticed his gums are a bit swollen and I can see a tooth under the skin.  He is constantly gnawing on his hands and of course Sophie the giraffe.  So tonight I gave him a little Tylenol before bed so we'll see what happens.  I just don't want to get in the habit of doing this just to get him to sleep through the night.  I can't be the only mom out there that this has happened to.  Any advice is welcomed :)

                                          

Besides the whole sleeping situation we have also started solids -meaning cereal.  I initially gave him rice cereal but then he didn't poop for 5 days so I switched to oats which has more fiber.  He's pooping but its not every day.  Apparently this is normal especially when they have any sort of dietary change like the introduction of solids.  Just this week we introduced fruits and veggies.....we tried bananas first - seriously you would have thought I was giving him poison - the look on his face was priceless, all I could do was laugh because it was so cute.  He HATED it HAHA!  I'm not giving up though.  Then we tried carrots which he semi liked but still only a couple bites actually made it down his throat....the rest all over the bib and his face!  I'm determined to start making my own baby food, I've found some pretty good recipes and "how-to" posts on pinterest.  The little pouches of organic fruits that you buy you have to use within 24 hours so I ended up throwing most of it away.  Same with those little jars, you have to use within 3 days.  Such a waste!

More changes - my little guy has become SUPER attached to Mommy!  I mean its crazy how attached he is to me, I love it don't get me wrong but I worry that it will only get worse.  I had to stop taking him to my grandmother's twice a week while I wen to work because he would cry the ENTIRE time!!  Like scream his head off, tears streaming down his face crying....poor guy just wants him momma.  So he got his way and comes with me to work whenever I go for now.  Luckily I'm fortunate enough to be able to do that and have my brother working upstairs so that he can watch him if I need him to.  Once Jack starts moving around though I'm going to have to think of something else because he won't be able to be at the restaurant like that.  

Happier changes - he's even more vocal and louder.  He makes the funniest facial expressions.  He studies my face so intently and then tries to mimic what I do.  We are working on giving kisses right now.  His giggles now and its hilarious, in fact he thinks I'm hilarious - LOVE this kid <3

we can sit in the bumbo now!!!  He's so cute!

Watching his first Jim Valvano speech with Dad

We like the bouncy thingy.....sometimes hahaha

from soup to nuts!

So Halloween has come and gone and we are on to thinking about Christmas!!  Yep its that time of year, really I'm just excited to decorate the new house.........and introduce Jack to all things Christmas!  I can't wait to do all of the things my parents did with me as a kid, visit Santa and sit on his lap, make a stocking for Jack, start his collection of Christmas tree ornaments- I know this one may sound a bit weird but I have an aunt who has bought me an ornament every year since I was born and when I moved out and got my own tree I already had a ton of ornaments to decorate my tree with.  So I am thankful for that plus its pretty neat to look at them all and see the years printed on each one.  

I have to say its pretty funny as I'm looking around the room right now.......I'm writing my blog while Jack lays next to me eating his hands and trying to roll over, Knuckles (one of the dogs) is barking at the crackling fire, and Johnny is trying to muster up the energy to go to the gym.

Last week or maybe a week and a half ago it was morning and Johnny starting yelling from downstairs as if something was wrong.  I came down with Jack to see what the commotion was only to find out that it had SNOWED during the night and was sticking to the cars and ground!!!  Yep it happened, the first official snow.  I keep hearing that we're in for a pretty bad winter this year, which doesn't make me happy mainly because people don't like to go out for lunch when its so blizzard-like outside.  Last winter was so mild so I feel like we're due for a rough one :)
Speaking of business, we've got a little competition, although we knew it was coming, you're never really ready I guess.  Another restaurant, not quite as quaint as Scripts, has opened up just around the corner.  I've done enough stressing and trying to predict the future for everyone and just need to accept that it is what it is and business has been just fine so far...........soooooo.......happy thoughts and positive thoughts it is :)

In Jack news - he is trying to roll over, has become MUCH more vocal, has been caught sucking his thumb.....which I IMMEDIATELY take out of his mouth, and his sleeping patterns are seriously all over the place!  He will be 4 months in 2 days and for the past 3 weeks his sleeping has been completely messed up.  I'd like to be able to blame it on the time change but it started before that.  He went from sleeping a good 5-6 hours every night, sometimes even 7 or 8 hours to getting up every 2-3 hours every night!!  This makes for a VERY tired mama and some pretty sluggish days.  I'm hoping things have turned around though because the past 2 nights he's slept for 7 and 6 hour stretches....my fingers are crossed!!!
He's also started to giggle which cracks me up and makes me want to act ridiculous and silly all day long just so I can hear those little baby giggles!!  It's so much fun to watch him develop his own personality, I think he's going to be one little character.....especially if he's anything like his daddy!

having fun in our new bouncy thingy........thanks Kim and Paul!

Just hanging out with Dad

his butt is supposed to be where his feet are!  he has learned how to push himself up in the nap nanny

I LOVE these little feet!!

tummy time