Sell-Smith World

Some Recent Pictures

2009-04-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

2009-04-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

2009-04-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

I'm Back

2009-03-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

I've decided not to scrap the weblog. Instead, I'll update it twice a month with pictures and posts. It's just so difficult finding the time to do everything!

The past month has been a whirlwind as always. We celebrated birthdays (including mine), anniversaries and small milestones. A momumentous event, Greg making mid-tenure review, occurred this week and we plan to celebrate this weekend!!!!

2009-03-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

Snow, 2 1/2 and Greg's Birthday

2009-02-08T13:45:00.001-08:00

A lot has happened in the last 2 weeks. First, we got tons of snow. One storm brought about 10 inches and another dumped another 6 on us. However, since the temps have been in the 50s the last 2 days, most of hte snow is gone. What's left is a yard full of mud and dog poop.
Next, Jake turned 2 1/2 on January 26th. We really didn't do anything to celebrate. In fact, I remembered his "half" birthday several days after the fact. Oh well.
Finally, Greg turned 38. Now, I did remember this one. Poor Greg was sick on his birthday and couldn't enjoy his obligatory birthday meal.

Xavier Family Night

2009-01-25T16:21:00.000-08:00

We went to Xavier for family night. It was a fun time with lots of food and basketball. Jake loves the "Blue Blob." We also started a new semester of Kindermusik this week. Not a bad week for the J Man!

Potty Training

2009-01-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

Jake shows no interest in potty training. I even bought him Thomas underwear. After he took the underwear off, he peed on the floor. I really want him trained by July so he can go to preschool in August.

Entertrainment Junction

2009-01-25T16:09:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to the largest indoor train display in the world. They had rooms and rooms of G-scale trains. Jake liked the play area best. He's now fascinated with Thomas the Tank Engine.

Back to Reality

2009-01-11T18:09:00.000-08:00

We've been back in Cincy for over a week and life has smacked us right in the face. We are back to school and work and Jake's busy schedule of Kindermusik, play group, OT, etc. Quite a contrast to all of the lounging we did in PA.

Jake is now eating almost everything we give him. Amen!!! The OT has instructed us to distract him through all of the gagging. We let him watch a They Might Be Giants video while he eats and promptly turn it off when he stops eating. It's incredibly motivating. He now eats pudding, eggs, cheese, bacon, carrots, peaches, turkey and meatloaf. We are trying new foods every day.

I started back to school this week and Greg went back to work to prep for classes next week. We are looking forward to going to a giant train exhibit this weekend.

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That's Funny

2008-12-16T18:55:00.001-08:00

Jake is one of the funniest kids I've ever met. I'm not just saying that because I'm his mom. When he finds something funny, he says, "That funny." Tonight, I asked him what makes him so funny. He replied, "beep beep dot com." If you don't watch a lot of TV, beepbeep.com has a commercial with the Road Runner that Jake thinks is hilarious!

We went to OT again today. Even his therapist thinks he's a riot. When he doesn't do what he's told (like not eating or touching food) he goes into "time out." He loves time out. He sings to himself, recites the alphabet, counts and mocks several TV commercials. His therapist can hardly keep from laughing at him when we are all supposed to ignore him.

We got a new CD called Here Come the 123s. There are several songs about numbers and counting. Jake has all of hte songs memorized and really freaks people out when he starts singing, "4 +4 is 8, 8+8 is 16, I can adddd...."

New Do

2008-12-13T18:57:00.000-08:00

I've been having problems with my thyroid for several months and I've lost a lot of hair. I avoided my hair dresser for the past 4 months. Today, I decided to take the plunge and heed my endocrinologist's advice and get my hair cut short. Here it is - the hair cut everyone seems to have lately. I think this is the new "Jennifer Aniston" cut.

Random Pictures

2008-12-13T18:47:00.000-08:00

We are getting ready for Christmas. The tree and lights are up. Jake is more interested in the porcelain nativity set than the tree. I had to move the set because he kept picking up the figurines.

As you can see in most of the pictures, Jake is obsessed with the iPod. He knows more about the iPod than we do. He can access all of his videos and even wireless internet connections without passwords. Scary!

Jake started OT about 2 weeks ago. He's working on building a tolerance to certain food textures. He's doing very well. Tonight, he tolerated eating some applesauce and touched a piece of cheese to his lips. He continues to gag, but at least he's trying it and not puking.

Jake also got a few early Christmas gifts, including a tricycle, Mr. Potato Head and Elmo slippers. He loves all of them!

I've got one paper left in this semester. I should have it finished by tomorrow and then I'm semi-free of school for 3 weeks. I still have to work at practicum and finish up a bunch of psych evals., but I will feel better without the stress of classes!

2008-12-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

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2008-12-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

Trip to Pennsylvania

2008-12-01T05:34:00.001-08:00

We traveled to PA and NJ this past week. We had a great time with friends and family.

2008-12-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

2008-12-01T05:25:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T05:20:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in New Jersey with my side of the family. My sister served 22 people in her home. She even planned a pilgrims vs. indians trivia contest! Jake had an awesome time visiting cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. He was so excited about a ping pong match between his cousins that he ran into the table and bruised his eye. I think it will be healed before his Christmas picture this week.

New Obsession

2008-11-12T17:21:00.000-08:00

Jake is totally obsessed with this song. Greg is totally obsessed with the singer, Lisa Loeb!

Trick-or-Treat

2008-11-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

Zoo Pictures

2008-10-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

We went to the Zoo on Saturday and had a great time.

No Surgery for You!

2008-10-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

That's right. Jake didn't have surgery today. We got to Children's at 7:45am with an irritable, hungry kid. We went through every step of the registration process and surgery prep until just before heading off to the induction room. The plastic surgeon stepped into the room and said, "I can't operate on this kid. There's nothing there to remove." Apparently, all of the cauterizations and stitches from last weekend destroyed the pyogenic granuloma. What we thought was a temporary fix, turned out to be the cure. Well, possibly a temporary cure. The surgeon couldn't guarantee that it won't grow back or start bleeding at the site. I had ambivalent feelings about this. I'm glad he didn't need another surgery, but yet can't help but wonder when/if this is going to crop up again. I really don't think I can handle another week like the past one. This dramatic week ended in a fizzle - very anti-climactic. Greg summed it up nicely - "We wanted a homerun, but ended up with a bunch of singles leading to a run."

When a get a chance, I'll post pictures of his sweet face. We're going to the zoo tomorrow, blood and God willing.

Update

2008-10-14T18:23:00.001-07:00

We went to Children's Hospital Monday for a plastic surgery appointment. Jake is scheduled to have surgery this Friday. I really had to beg and plead to get this appointment. I'm not too proud to cry, yell or threaten doctors. I've come to realize that I need to go to these doctor appointments loaded for bear. I'm lucky to have a mother who's a nurse who helped me gain a small understanding of the medical world. Even my limited knowledge of medical procedures is helpful in a world that doesn't seem to want to help.
We have excellent children's health care in Cincinnati. I can't imagine living in a place like Pulaski, VA and having this type of crisis. Despite our access to excellent care, it's been difficult navigating this system. I can honestly say that I am COMPLETELY OPPOSED TO SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE!!!! In a world of socialism, I would have to quit my job and school and stay home with Jake to make sure he didn't bleed again before his surgery appointment in 5 months.

A Bloody Mess

2008-10-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

This summer a spot appeared on Jake's face. It looked like a blood blister, pretty harmless. It seemed to grow as the weeks passed and finally he scratched it open 2 weeks ago. We got the bleeding under control and put liquid Bandaid on it. Well, this Thursday it openned up again. It bled uncontrollably Friday and I took him to the ped. The ped said it's a pyogenic granuloma and would need to be removed by a pediatric plastic surgeon. The ped cauterized it, but was doubtful that would hold. Sure enough, we were headed to the zoo on Saturday when it started bleeding again. We went to the ER and had it cauterized again and covered with DermaBond. We are scheduled to see a plastic surgeon Monday, but just for a consult. While this may not seem like a crisis, it's caused serious disruption to all of our lives. Jake is slowly bleeding all over his clothes, bedding, not to mention the house. The health care professionals don't seem to be concerned about this because he's not gushing blood. I try not to overreact to these types of situations, but I'm seriously stressed out. We need to get this under control ASAP. I couldn't even take him to church today because I was afraid he would start bleeding all over the place. On top of that, he is sick and vomitted more than I've ever seen a child vomit this morning. Please pray for us. We are incredibly stressed by this (seemingly) benign situation.

Halloween Costumes

2008-10-08T17:41:00.001-07:00

I'm a terrible blogger. I just don't have time to take pictures, upload them, and then get around to posting. I'm seriously rethinking this whole blog thing.

But anyway, we went and bought a couple of Halloween costumes today. Two gently used costumes and one from Target. What do you think? Which do you like the best? I think he's going to wear the 2nd dog costume for trick-or-treat. I'm going to try to put together a dog costume for myself. It might just be white sweats with spots and ears. The next town over has a yearly mother-son dance at Halloween. If we can swing it, I think we'll go.

2008-10-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

Potty Time

2008-09-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

Jake peed in the little potty 3 times in two days. Last night, however, he sat on the potty for 5 minutes, then stood up and peed on the floor. Oh well! I just need him fully potty trained by August so he can go to preschool.

Hello, Hello

2008-09-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

In case you want to know, the words are:

Hello, hello, let's sing together,
Hello, hello, let's sing hello,
Hello, hello, let's sing together,
Sing together let's sing hello.

The other verses are Wave to Ben and Bounce to Annie.

Lavendar's Blue is the other song he is singing.

Greg's Artistic Side (by Candlelight)

2008-09-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

Greg was inspired by the candlelight. It looks like we have power (b/c of the flash), but we really didn't.

Baby's First Hurricane

2008-09-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

Who would've known that we would get hit by a Category I hurricane in Ohio?

We lost power Sunday and have limited power today. Lots of fallen trees, power lines and patchy roofs.
Jake got a little bit fussy when he couldn't go outside or down in the basement.

Caricature

2008-09-10T17:57:00.001-07:00

The picture was too big for my scanner.

Duets and Other Stuff

2008-09-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

Jake loves to sing duets of his favorite songs - the ABC Song, Twinkle, Twinkle, Hello, Hello (from Kindermusik), Have You Ever Seen a Lassie, Lavendar's Blue and many others. The video is one of us singing the ABC song. We sing this song together about 20 times a day, no kidding.
We had a great week. We went to a spirit celebration at Xavier where we had caricatures done (I'll try to scan a VERY cute cariacature of Jake and me), listened to some fun music, ate good food and had the opportunity to ride in a hot air balloon. We actually didn't ride in the balloon because the long was too long with very young looking college students.
We also started Kindermusik today. Again, Jake seems to be the class clown. While the other kids are sitting with their parents, Jake is running around the room, opening doors and getting into every non-childproofed nook and cranny. The teacher (the same from last semester) commented on how she should have known to Jake-proof the room when she saw him on her roster.
Our swimming pool remains open so we've been swimming a lot this week, too.

Swimming, Xavier, Kindermusik... Does this kid have the life or what?!

Tubby Time

2008-09-08T16:56:00.000-07:00

Fun In the Office

2008-09-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

I'm Back!

2008-09-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

I got back from New English Monday night and I've been running ever since. I had great visits with my friends Steph and Chris and the Sells. I also had a phenomenal time in VT with my classmates. I learned a lot about cognitive assessment. These week-long meetings either deplete or invigorate me! This last one reminded me how much I want to be a psychologist.

Jake is doing well and seems contented. He likes to sing duets with either me or Greg. He thinks it's so funny when we sing the ABC song or Twinkle, Twinkle together. Jake is recognizing more letters and numbers and will repeat just about anything we say. He even tells us what to say - "say, hi Leeza" or "say, sha la la la."

This Week

2008-08-25T05:55:00.000-07:00

It's another sad week for me. I'm leaving for New England Tuesday. I'll spend the first night in Massachusetts visiting the Sells, a definite highlight!! Then, I'll spend 5 days in Vermont cramming an entire semester of information on cognitive assessment into 5 days. Finally, I round out the trip with a visit with my friend Steph in Connecticut - another highlight needed to balance out the stress of school!

This past week has been a lot of fun. My friend Erin visited us. She has a 4-year old son who Jake loved to play with. We visited the Cincy Children's Museum - the most impressive children's museum I've ever seen.

Mamaw is here now and will watch Jake while I'm gone. Below is a cute picture of Jake wearing Mamaw's jacket.

The Boys on Vacation

2008-08-25T05:50:00.000-07:00

More Disney stuff

2008-08-15T05:40:00.001-07:00

Jake and I made these free videos while waiting for Greg to ride Mission Space in Epcot. Check them out soon. I don't think the links will last much longer.

http://parklink.disney.go.com/parklink/dis/pi/missionspace/2008-08-03/53514c5ee9d6df5e

http://parklink.disney.go.com/parklink/dis/pi/missionspace/2008-08-03/adb9db7c4041d3f

Disney

2008-08-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

We made it to Disney and back. After 8 hours of driving to Pennsylvania, a 3 hour car ride to Northern Virginia, a 17 hour train ride to Sanford, FL and then a 1 hour car trip to Orlando, we made it to Disney World. We stayed on site Disney and didn't leave the property for a whole week.

It was the trip of Jake's lifetime (all 2 years of it at least). Despite the 95 degree weather and extreme humidity, Jake did Disney "Smith style", running from ride to ride. We tested Jake's limits by putting him on as many rides as possible. He rode the Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan's Flight, Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, Toystory Mania, Enchanted Tikki Room, It's a Small World, Spaceship Earth, Nemo, Imagination, and many others.

Jake has officially been indoctrinated into the life of a Smith. We do amusement parks with intensity no matter how much heat. He was a good sport, at least as good as a 2-year-old can be.

We've learned that life with a 2-year-old is unpredictable. The highs are very high and the lows are just as low. He lives in the moment and has big feelings. He had lots of big feelings at Disney. I'll post more pics and videos later.

2008-08-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

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2008-08-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

2008-08-12T17:53:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday!!!

2008-07-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

Jake celebrated his birthday several times. He had a party in Hanover with the Sells and a party in Cincinnati with the Smiths. Below is a video from the party over July 4th. The other video is an older video of Jake playing in the yard.

2008-07-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Birth Day

2008-07-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

On July 26th we went to King's Island to celebrate Jake's birthday. Here are some pictures of Jake and Dora. Compared to all of the previous celebrating, it was pretty anti-climactic!

IKEA

2008-07-30T12:46:00.003-07:00

We made a trip to IKEA and finally got shelving units. No more toys all over the basement floor.

New Swimsuit

2008-07-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

Before and After

2008-07-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

Greg and Papaw painted the foyer. It was a huge task, but they successfully pulled it off. It looks one thousand times better!

We're Back

2008-07-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

We had a great time celebrating the 4th of July with lots of family and friends.

Blackmail Pictures

2008-07-09T13:40:00.001-07:00

Jake Gets a Phone Call at Chuck E. Cheese's

2008-06-29T17:18:00.001-07:00

RUN

2008-06-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

I think we have one of the silliest kids on this planet. When Jake is free to run, he is the happiest, sweetest toddler I've ever seen. So, that's what we did this weekend. We RAN!!! Jake swam in our neighborhood pool, ran around Chuck E. Cheese's, ran around a huge outlet mall, ran around daddy's office building, ran around a community carnival and ran in the yard. He wore his harness at the mall and carnival and of course everyone stared at us, but I don't care. You have no idea how much energy this kid has. Greg calls him our beagle. If he were a dog, he'd surely be a beagle b/c he just wants to take off. I don't think he knows how to walk anymore because all he ever does is run. Maybe we have a Forest Gump on our hands. You can't contain this kind of energy. The nice thing about this is the fact that he is napping longer and sleeping in later in the mornings :)

This Past Week

2008-06-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

It's been our typical frantic week, trying to squeeze in more activities than we have time for. But, overall, not so bad.
We went back to the zoo on Saturday to see a new giraffe exhibit. The giraffes will eventually eat crackers out of your hands or so they say. Right now the giraffes seem skittish and are attempting to adapt to their new environment. We left both cameras in the car, so I don't have any pictures. We plan to go back in a few weeks, so I should have pictures later in the summer.
Jake really doesn't seem to care about the animals at the zoo or the rides at King's Island. He just wants to run. To accomodate his desire to run wild, we got him a harness. I used to look at parents who put their kids on "leashes" and think they were insane. I know understand the necessity of this action. Our harnessing experience at the zoo was met with mixed reactions. We got lots of stares, but I also heard people say things like, "We need to get one of those" or "Jimmy has the same thing but his has a monkey on it." The harness seems to be a practical solution to Jake's intense level of energy and desire to be free. As both grandmothers say, "He is all GO!"
I can't believe that Jake will be 2 next month. Despite his extreme energy level, he is really a great kid. He is incredibly friendly and sociable. He flirts with everyone he encounters. I think he's pretty bright, too. He can now count backward from 5. He's recognizing shapes, colors and some words.

Another Hectic Week

2008-06-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

The weeks just seem to fly by. We had more severe thunderstorms this weekend and another neighbor's house got struck by lightning. It looked like a canonball was shot straight into their roof, leaving a decent-sized hole.
We had several people spend Friday night at our house. Several friends from school spent the night because we had another seminar on Saturday. Jake loved all of the attention. He laughed so hard I thought he was going to puke his guts out. He had a smile on his face the whole time!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T17:31:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers, godfathers, grandfathers, uncles, and men who just love children!
I've been thinking about our unique situation and how fortunate I really am. Greg and I are nearly equal partners in the parenting of Jake. I recently read some stuff on gender roles for one of my classes and I realized how few parents have the ability or desire to have this type of partnership. I think we knew all along that this type of lifestyle was what we wanted. The fact that Jake has his mother and/or father with him the majority of the time is amazing.
I can't say how great of a father that Greg is. He's been a natural from the start. I remember countless nights that he took the 10pm-3am shift so I could get some sleep. Greg is very patient with Jake and isn't afraid to show affection.

I'll post some pics soon.

Butterfly Exhibit Video

2008-06-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

We went to an Asian Butterfly Exhibit at the Krohn's Conservatory this weekend. I thought it was beautiful. There were butterflies everywhere and they were not afraid of people as you can see from the video and pictures. Jake, on the other hand, did not think the exhibit was all that interesting.

Included are also pictures of Jake playing outside. Enjoy!

Butterfly Exhibit

2008-06-07T11:39:00.001-07:00

Fun In the Sun

2008-06-07T11:35:00.001-07:00

Tornadoes, Bugs and Swimming

2008-06-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been exciting and scary for us. Several tornadoes touched down around Cincinnati. While we didn't experience the full tornadic effect, we did experience severe thunderstorms Tuesday and Wednesday. Our neighbor's house got struck by lightning and the fire department and other emergency personnel were on the scene. The lightning strike left a whole in their roof. Surprisingly, Jake was not afraid of the lightning and thunder. He actually laughed and appeared excited. I was terrified and he was excited.

We've also been battling bugs - ants, spiders, earwigs, you name it. We had a company come and spray the inside and outside of our house to get rid of these pesty creatures.

Before the nasty weather hit, Jake was enjoying swimming in our community pools. We went swimming 3 out of 4 days. He LOVES the water! I have to keep my eyes on him all of the time because he frequently goes under the water, on purpose! I think he's going to be a fearless swimmer like his daddy.

I continue to remain swamped with school work. I've been psychological testing and I'm practicing on friend's children and adults. Greg gets IQ tested this weekend. I can't wait to see how "Mr. Gifted and Talented" turns out.

Happy May Birthdays

2008-05-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

Several family members celebrate birthdays in the month of May - almost all of the Sells. Happy Birthday Robin, Keith, Jeff and David.

But, we want to say an extra special Happy Birthday to Nana. Have a great day, Nana!!!

King's Island II

2008-05-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

We went to King's Island again on Wednesday. Jake really likes Dora the Explorer so we took him to a live action Dora show. He was amazed! We also rode a couple of rides.

Some Pictures from This Week

2008-05-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

Greg and Jake surprised me with Guitar Hero! I'm so addicted! I can already play several of the songs on medium difficulty level.
Jake also discovered stickers this week. He loves Dora the Explorer, so he and daddy bought Dora stickers during the last trip to Target.

The Good, the Bad and the Painful

2008-05-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

Another difficult week. Jake has been so moody. One minute he is laughing hysterically, the next minute he's melting down about a remote control or some other thing he can't have.
On Saturday, I was checking my email and Jake desperately wanted my attention. He was so mad at me that he came over and bit me on the thigh, leaving a bruise. I was tempted to spank him, but instead verbally scolded him. I've never seen such pathetic little soul. His lip quivered and his eyes filled with tears. He hugged and cuddled with me for about 15 minutes.
On a happier note, Jake loves to say the word 'awesome.' We often say, "Papaw is ____" and he fills in the blank with "awesome." He spontaneously said, "Mommy is awesome. Daddy is awesome." I try to hang on to those warm, fuzzy moments when he is screaming about some button that he wants to push.

2008-05-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

A Typical Meltdown....

A Better Time...

Rough Week

2008-05-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

It has been a seriously rough week. Jake has had one tantrum after another. Every time I tell him "no", he melts down, cries, pushes me and then clings to me. If I didn't work two days/week, I would have lost it by now.

Jake went to daycare today because Greg and I had a meeting with a Montessori pre-school. Even though Jake won't be eligible to attend until August 09, we had to submit our application now. I'm excited about the idea of a Montessori education. We observed the classroom and I think it would be a good "fit" for Jake's style of learning.

I am starting psycholgical testing. I'm trying to recruit kids in my neighborhood on which to administer IQ and achievement tests. I'm so excited about learning this new skill!

Doe a Deer

2008-05-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

A doe has been leaving her fawn in our neighbor's yard. I'm not sure why a mother deer would trust to leave her baby in the middle of a very busy yard where many children and animals play, but it makes a great picture. I was "fawning" over it all afternoon.

I Loved Him First

2008-05-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

I finally came out of the closet as a country music listener. There is this song by Heartland called "I Loved Her First" about a father's love for his daughter. I often think about this song and how Jake will someday leave us and have a life of his own. Whoever that special person may be, I want them to know that I loved him first.

Happy Mother's Day to all of those mothers who loved their children first. Happy Mother's Day to grandmothers, godmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins and anyone who just loves kids!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

2008-05-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

This isn't his best rendition, but it's the best I can capture. He never wants to sing or talk when the camera is rolling because he's so focused on "pushing buttons."

This Week

2008-05-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

We had tons of fun this week. The transition from school to home was difficult at first, but I'm so happy to be back with Greg and Jake. This is going to be a difficult semester, but I plan to take it one day (or sometimes one hour) at a time. I want to enjoy this time with Jake and have decided not to let school come first or get in the way of our time together.

We went to the Cincinnati Zoo to begin our Mother's Day celebration. My favorite animals are the gorillas. There is one baby in the group and the mother seems so attentive to his needs. It's funny to think that I aspire to be like that gorilla.

Jake's vocabulary is astonishing. He repeats almost everything we say. He is learning colors and days of the week. We're also in the process of learning Disney characters to prepare for our trip to Disney World this summer.

I'm Back!

2008-05-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

I got home from New England at 1:30 this morning. It was a very long week. The pictures were probably deceiving. I wasn't playing with dogs and floating around on a raft in the Gulf of Mexico. I spent the week exploring some very difficult issues related to myself and others. It was like being in intense, group therapy for 5 days. At times, I wanted to throw in the towel and come home. In the end, I learned a lot about my own process, how to be in a group, I deepened some already existing friendships and made new ones. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

I am glad to be back with Greg and Jake. Jake hugged me so many times today. He didn't want me out of his sight. I can't believe how much he has changed in only a week. His vocabulary is expanding by leaps and bounds. Today he said to me, "Mommy, daddy working." Yes, daddy was at work. He also sang a song from Kindermusik with another child's name in it. I can't believe he remembered the name of his friend.

I'll post pics later.

I Miss You, Jakey!

2008-05-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Jakey,

I miss you soooo much! Hopefully, Daddy and Nana will find this message and read it to you. I can't wait to see you on Monday! Here are some pictures of me.

Love,

Mama

This Very Busy Week

2008-04-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been another whirlwind week for us. Jake and I left PA Sunday, spent the night in a hotel and returned to Cincy Monday afternoon. I worked my usual 13 hours on Tuesday and by Wednesday Jake was really sick with an ear infection. The ped was amazed that a preemie went 21 months without needing antibiotics post-hospitalization.

I worked 12 hours on Thursday and Friday got about 5 inches chopped off my hair. Check out my new do!

On Saturday, Jake turned 21 months! We celebrated by resting and recuperating.
Finally, we made our first trip of the season to King's Island today. I'm not sure how Jake is going to like the rides this year, but we got on the LazyTown Sports Copters and the Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion. Greg rode the Beast while Jake and I searched for soda machines to "push buttons" (his latest obsession).

Jake continues to enjoy clocks, doors, phones, remotes and of course, buttons. He likes music, too. He sings several songs. He has learned songs at Kindermusik, on TV and songs that we just make up. He likes to watch videos on YouTube and look at his pictures on the blog. He will point at the computer and say "Jakey" to look at his picture or "Wiggles" or "Gabba" to watch Wiggles and Yo Gabba Gabba videos.

This will probably be my last post for a while. I'm headed off to Vermont on Tuesday for school. Nana is flying in to the rescue to watch Jake while I'm gone. This is a bittersweet occasion for me - I'm looking forward to some adult time, eating ethnic foods (which we have so little of in Cincy), sleeping without waking up and looking at a monitor, not having to yell at Leeza and learning new things. But, this is the first night I will spend away from Jake since he came home from the hospital :( I'm going to miss Jake and Greg terribly!!! I'm going to install my new videocam on the laptop tonight.

2008-04-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

2008-04-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

Wedding Pictures

2008-04-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

My Best Friend's Wedding

2008-04-21T17:01:00.001-07:00

Jake, Sarah and I traveled to PA for my best friend, Steph's, wedding. I was the matron of honor. It was a stunning wedding and tons of fun! I met so many awesome new people that I want to stay in touch! Check out some of these pictures.

Bodies the Exhibit

2008-04-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

Papaw, Sarah, Jake and I went to see Bodies, the Exhibition today. In case you aren't familiar with this, it's a traveling exhibit of real, dead bodies. Some are entire bodies and others just organs. Some people object to the way these bodies were collected - all were unclaimed, unidentified cadavers.

I thought it was amazing. The intricacies of our bodies is astonishing. Jake, however was less than impressed and decided that he wanted to run free halfway through the exhibit and started screaming. I'm going back again so I can take my time and read each sign without having to deal with Jake.

Jake did think some of the stuff was "neat." At one point, he looked into a case of brain parts and said, "neat." I'm not sure what that was all about, but he was happy for a few minutes.

This Week

2008-04-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

As you can see, Jake's had a few tantrums this week, but nothing like the previous weeks.
We are gearing up for the next 3 weeks. In that time period, I have several papers due, the Smiths are coming to visit, Jake, Sarah and I will be traveling to PA, I will be the matron of honor in my friend Steph's wedding and I will travel to VT for a week for school. I will also get to see the Sells. On top of that, we have our regular work schedules, daily chores and of course, Jake. I look forward to May 5th when our lives slow down a bit.
Jake is a little under the weather at the moment. He went to daycare yesterday and seems to have contracted some type of illness. He's running a low grade fever and is lethargic. He's eating even less than normal. He just isn't the typical Jake. I pray that he recovers quickly!
Jake continues to learn new songs. I often catch him singing while he is off playing. He has such a cute singing voice and he even stays on key.

2008-04-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

Mama

2008-04-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

My name has changed. I am no longer "mommy", but "mama." This change spontaneously occurred last Friday. Jake suddenly started calling me mama. He won't even say mommy. There is a song that we sing about family and he changed the words in the song to mama instead of mommy. Maybe I'm over-analyzing this, but I can't help but wonder why? Is there some major change in his thinking about me? Did my relationship to him change in some way? I guess I've been called a lot worse.

Haircut

2008-03-29T06:18:00.001-07:00

Daddy doesn't like Jake's new haircut :(

20 Months

2008-03-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

I don't know what happened to our sweet, adorable baby. It's like some demon has possessed him, causing him to throw himself on the floor, kicking and screaming. I think we've hit the terrible two's a few months early. Since we've returned from PA, Jake has had one tantrum after another. They are usually triggered by taking something away from him (like cleaning supplies, remote controls, phones - you know, all of the things children should have) or making him come inside from outside. He has learned how to make himself limp so you have difficulty picking him up. He then precedes to lay on the floor kicking, screaming and crying. The dogs and I had to step over him yesterday when I was putting groceries away and wouldn't let him have a bottle of beer.

On the other hand, Jake went to daycare today and had a great time. The staff said he was very well-behaved. No tantrums. Go figure.

I think I'm going to have that beer now.

Family

2008-03-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

I took this video before we went on Spring Break. Jake didn't say everyone's name in this video, but he knew everyone in PA.

Spring Break 2008

2008-03-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

We're back! It's been a long and busy spring break. We traveled to PA where we spent 11 days visiting friends and family. In the course of a week and a half, we dined out every day, did tons of shopping, threw a bridal shower for my friend Steph, went to an Easter egg hunt, attended several church services, and celebrated birthdays passed. I don't think Jake has ever had a better time.

Jake learned several new words and phrases while in PA. He now counts to 15 and says the entire alphabet (with some prompting). He has so many words that he can ask for many objects by name. But, the most exciting thing - he is now singing! He sings Pat-a-Cake, parts of Twinkle, Twinkle, Rock-a-Bye Baby and a special song we sing at nap time. He has such a cute, little singing voice. However, he remains incredibly energetic and busy. If he's not strapped into a stroller, he just takes off. I ask everyone if their child was this busy and they all say, "I don't think so, but it's been so long I don't remember." We are constantly looking for ways to keep him physically active to burn off some of the energy.

Check out these pictures.

2008-03-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

2008-03-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

One Crazy Weekend

2008-03-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

So the blizzard of '08 ended here in Cincy. But, we woke up this morning with no heat. Our heater broke down some time yesterday. Greg called several people to come out and look at it. Do you know how hard it is to find someone who can fix your heater immediately following a blizzard? We finally found this guy who came out and fixed the electric pilot light. I was afraid we were going to have to spend the night in a hotel.

Jake now has a cough and stuffy nose. I'm hoping he feels better for his upcoming visit with family.

We were able to get out of the house today. We went to Toys R Us and the mall. I couldn't believe how many people were driving on barely safe roads without 4-wheel drive. We bought this really cool game called "Frame It!" If you are the competitive type, you'll love this game!

Blizzard

2008-03-08T17:35:00.001-08:00

Shut In

2008-03-08T17:18:00.001-08:00

We've spent the last 2 days shut inside. As of 8:30pm Saturday, we've gotten about 15 inches of snow. It's drifted in some areas where it totals 3+ feet. The forecast calls for another 1-2 inches tonight with very strong winds and lots of drifting.
I'm so impatient to get out and go somewhere! I can't believe how antsy I am. When Jake was first born, I would spend entire weeks at home without stepping outside the door. I was so paranoid about taking a fragile preemie anywhere except the doctor's office.

This Week in Pictures

2008-03-03T06:59:00.000-08:00

This Week

2008-03-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Overall, this was a pretty good week for the Smiths. As I mentioned in a previous blog, we celebrated my birthday. I plan to milk it for all it's worth. I've declared this my birthday month!

Yesterday, we saw Michael Feinstein perform with the Cincinnati Pops. It was a great show, but I swear we were the youngest people in the audience. Every Jewish grandmother and grandfather was there. On the way out, we noticed several retirement home buses and an ambulance! I guess they wanted to be prepared.

We spent a lot of time outside this weekend. Jake loves to "go outside." He throws a major temper tantrum when we bring him inside. One of his favorite words is "awesome." Going outside is awesome!!!

We are desperately trying to put some weight on this kid. What do you think?

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-03-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday. It's the last birthday that I'll have that will round down to 30. Overall, it was a pretty good birthday. Greg and Jake bought me lots of presents including a new cell phone, a new webcam for when I travel to Vermont without them, a CD and Dutch Blitz the card game. We went to this pit beef place on the other side of Cincinnati and had a nice lunch. I even got to sleep in until 9am. Not a bad day!!!