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

Splurge!

I totally splurged and bought Jack the cutest little pair of baby uggs!  Actually they weren't that pricey and I bought them a bit big so they will get him through the entire winter and hopefully spring as well.  I figure they are perfect for stroller rides and those chilly days/nights that are ahead!  Speaking of which, today its in the high 70s and I'm LOVING it, but next week its 40s every day (which means nights are definitely snugly fleece sleeper nights ;)

 

STILL getting baby  gifts from our awesome friends!  I love coming home to a package waiting on the front porch.....who doesn't like getting presents??!!  But in all serious, everyone's been super generous and we are very appreciative.

Today is a sleepy sort of day, got home from work and just want to pass out!  Tried to get Jack to nap but that didn't happen.  I have to start keeping better track of his nap schedule, I'm not even sure we are on any sort of schedule at this point due to our busy schedule - but I'd like to get on one for sure.  

Halloween is now less than a week away and I found the most adorable kids trick-or-treat bags.  They are little monsters/pumpkins/black cats the perfect size for little kids from Williams-Sonoma.....originally 19.99 on sale for $5.99 free shipping.  Soooooo I bought three, one of each!  I figure they are too cute to pass up and I can decorate with them when not being used.   Here is the link AND good news I just checked for the next 2 days they are now down to $3.99.....go get them they are adorable!! http://www.offers.com/offer/959971/

out for a walk today!

Super useful stuff

So my little Jack is getting so long that we decided to swap out the Moses basket in our bedroom for the pack n play -to be used as his bed. I'm not quite ready to make the transition to the crib just yet. He still fits in the basket but I just feel like its getting a bit cramped and the pack n play will allow him to stretch out as he so likes to do when sleeping.
Remember when I said he is teething?? Well yesterday I was rubbing his gums trying to feel for those little bumps beneath the gums and I couldn't really feel them anymore!! I can see them barely showing under the skin but definitely can't feel them like I could before, is it possible that they moved or shifted?? I swear I'm not crazy, several other people saw them as well. our good friends came over last night, one of which is a dentist, checked Jack's mouth out and said he couldn't find anything!!! Wtf, I'm miffed, but also kinda glad because I'm not sure I'm ready for the teething stage just yet. Especially since he can't even hold on to his own teether just yet.

I was thinking this morning as I'm sitting up to feed Jack,still half asleep, how much I LOVE my programable coffee maker. I set it each night before bed and at 7:30am it freshly grinds the beans and brews me my much needed cup a joe! This got me thinking of all the other must have items I now find super useful now that I have a baby. Like the boppy- I know I've mentioned this before but I can't stress enough how much I use it - and in so many different ways. Another love and slight obsession of mine are the skinny cans of Perrier - variety pack. The cans are small and slim, perfect for on the go (which I am constantly), plus a great alternative to soda! My iPhone is something that I love anyway but seriously don't know what I'd do without it now- allows me to blog, email, Pinterest, Instagram, or just about anything while feeding the baby, and since I breastfeed I've got some time to kill. Also HAVE to have the app "total baby", it has saved me from losing my mind by having to remember and keep track of every time I nurse Jack. It's a lot to have to keep track of what time he ate last/on which side/for how long...etc... All you do is hit start and left or right side when you begin to nurse and then hit stop and save when finished. The app logs and saves everything for you so you can keep track of patterns, and saves you the worry of having to remember one more thing. You can also keep track if diaper changes, naps and bath time if you'd like. $4.99 but worth it for sure! Oh I am totally in love with the sports bras I have (from Target) that are cute and stylish, comfy and SOOOO easy to access when nursing a baby. No straps or snaps or anything to finagle- just pull to the side and you're ready...here is the link http://m.target.com/p/gilligan-o-malley-women-s-2pk-nursing-sleep-bra-assorted-colors/-/A-14000718
Last but not least our stroller- the city mini single- in black of course😉 very smooth, super easy to maneuver with one hand, and really easy to fold and toss in the car. I actually just keep ours in my trunk so I have it with me at all times http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003WIYO04

3 month pics

I've just figured out how to efficiently upload pics and post on my blog from my phone....finally...not sure how I never figured this out before!! So much easier. So here are some pics in honor of Jack being 3 months old today.

3 Months Old

Jack is 3 months old today and I'm so proud of my little guy, he's developing into such a little man already.  His personality is really starting to come out, his smile just makes me melt! -seriously this kid is going to get away with anything and everything if he keeps this up!  All he has to do is flash me that toothless grin and I fall in love with him all over again.   Speaking of teeth (or lack there of) we are teething already!!!  He started at about 2.5 months but I didn't figure it out right away.  This would explain a lot of his crankiness.  He's got a couple of white nubs under the skin on his bottom (front) jaw that haven't poked through yet, but they definitely bother him.  I'm not really sure what to do to comfort him since he is still too young to hold on to the teether by himself.  He loves Sophie the giraffe but I have to hold the toy in his mouth while he gnaws on it.  He's constantly gnawing on his fist and trying to shove the entire thing in his mouth.

nom nom nom nom.......

I've also come to the conclusion that keeping a baby book or anything like it is just something I'm NOT nor probably ever will be good at!  I find myself constantly taking mental notes to jot this or that down, today was a first of this or that, and then I swear it completely leaves my mind forever.  So I guess this blog will just have to do.

We've had such fun getting into the fall spirit at our house.  Got giant mums and pumpkins for the front porch, took pictures of Jack with the pumpkins...(of course!!), decorated the mantel over the fireplace, and the BEST part of all, we've been having fires in the fireplace.  I LOVE the smell of a wood burning fireplace.  There is nothing better than having a fire on a cool night, getting into our pj's and snuggling up with our little Jack monster.

  We decorated the front porch with pumpkins and of course had to take picks!  It was such a warm fall day, as you can see Jack is sporting shorts and a tee.

Halloween mantel😄

long over due update

Oh Jack why are you so cranky!  Just kidding, he's just been a pill this morning but seems to have changed his tune.  He's 11.5 weeks old and has decided that he only likes to be held by me at night time and and on top of that he prefers me over the bottle (SHOCKER)!!  Only problem with that is he gives others a hard time when they try to feed him now.  So we are working on that and trying to give him a breast milk filled bottle or two a day- hoping this gets him more used to it.  He used to take one no problem, but since he's started developing his own personality he has become very particular.

We've been doing lots of projects around the house, trying to make it our own, update it and make it more our taste.  The past two weeks we've been painting non stop......dining room and entry way into house.  I decided on this grey/brown color (sticks and stones -Sherwin Williams) for the entry way, my friend Monica has it in her house and its so pretty.  It looks great in the daylight and against the white trim, but then we painting all of the way up the stairway (VERY tall walls) and it all of a sudden looks really dark.  So I'm not sure if I love it anymore!  Not that it makes a difference, there is no way Johnny is going to repaint those tall walls again.  I'm hoping once we have the trim and everything done it will look better.   On another note I have all of these empty frames that need to be filled, and I bet you can guess who's picture is probably going in every single one of them!!!  So the other night I was going through the hundreds (literally) that I've taken of Jack since he was born, TRYING to decide which ones to order online - little did I know that with my indecisiveness this would take me HOURS!!  Ultimately exhaustion got the best of me and I just picked a bunch.  They should arrive any day now, finally I won't be staring at the strange faces of other people's kids in my frames :) (you know, the ones that come in the frame from the store)

I was at Marshall's over the weekend and saw the cutest little tiger Halloween costume for 3-6 months, only $11.99 so of coursed I convinced myself I had to have it.  I told myself I wasn't going to buy anything like that since he really isn't going to use it, we aren't going trick-or-treating or anything.  I mean he can't even sit up on his own yet!  BUT it was the only one left, in his size, and super cheap, soooo it came home with me :)
The least I can do is have a Halloween photo shoot with my adorable little tiger cub.  I will def post pics once that happens.  

So as I mentioned earlier Jack has become very clingy at night and only likes me to hold him.  This is fine, I LOVE snuggling with him, but it can become cumbersome when he doesn't want to go to sleep and is wide awake and extremely cranky.  I can't get a single thing done.  What bothers me even more is that Johnny thinks the kid hates him since all he does is cry when he tries to hold or take care of him.  I feel so bad and try to help but he's just cranky and super particular on what he wants at night time.  The pediatrician said this should stop after 3 months, I guess a lot of babies are like this.
 SO today I decided that I would purchase that I originally didn't think I would use.......I went out and bought the BabyBjorn.  Yep I broke down and did it, and I have to say I think its going to work out well for us.  Both Johnny and I can use it, Jack seems to like it so far, and I can use both of my hands with him strapped to me! 
I was on a roll this morning when out and about (making use of Jack deciding to nap for 3 hours!) I bought a play yard I'd been looking at.  Again I didn't think I wanted or would even use this either BUT here I am with one sitting in the family room!  I originally didn't want one because they all seemed so big and bulky, come with so many various attachments, all look very "baby" -which I don't like, and just take up a lot of room.  Then I got to thinking about what we were going to do for sleeping arrangements for Thanksgiving when we go to Ohio to visit family.  Then I saw this one, the Aprica play yard!  It is so not "baby looking", and it has a bassinet level for Jack to spread out on.  Since he's gotten so big and long, he loves to stretch out and sleep spread eagle.  I thought this might work.  All of the reviews were really good so I thought I'd give it a try.  Best part about it, I found it on sale at Babies R Us and then I had a store credit to put towards it.  So SCORE, I got it for under $100!

So far so good, very easy to assemble, and super sturdy! That is one thing I did notice about others....not as sturdy. 

Now back to Jack......he's ADORABLE and I can't get enough of my Jack kisses every day!  He has discovered hands, I'd say, within the past two weeks. Its so cute to watch him try to shove his entire fist in his mouth and just suck on it.  I think from here on out everything is going to start going in his mouth.  Also he's drooling a LOT more, I never go a day without a sopping wet shoulder...haha.....always catching him sticking his tongue out trying to taste whatever is near his mouth.  His smiles are SO big and mornings are our favorite in our house.  He has the best smile and he is all about laughing and playing in the morning.....Johnny likes to get him out of bed in the morning since he's in such a good mood as apposed to night when he gets so cranky.  This is a good thing and shows him his son DOESN'T hate him :)
 Here are a few pics of my little Jack monster:

We had a little bit of a fashion show..........this is what I do when he's wide awake and I don't feel like doing anything productive :)

Oh and did I mention my little peanut turned 2 months old!!!!