Baby Shower for Erin

We got to go to another baby shower today but this time it was for a friend from back home: Erin. It was fun to just be able to sit back and watch all the excitement going on - as sort of an indirect participant - rather than being the focus of attention for a change! Erin's mom, Dotti, found me on Facebook and invited me. Who knew they were here?! I also got to catch up with a couple other friends that I haven't seen in quite a while. They've lived in Nampa for several years now but, for some reason, we've never run into each other. It was nice to see some familiar faces in the crowd. They were the only ones I knew. I took Mac with me so they got to meet him too. Thank goodness I brought him along... it's easy to talk about our kiddos when the conversation comes to a stand-still. :) But it was good to chat for a little bit, nonetheless. Didn't take any pictures though... I need to remember to start bringing my camera with me EVERYwhere. You just never know when there will be a good photo op. :)

8 Weeks Old

It's so weird that Mac is not yet 2 months old... but he is 8 weeks old! I don't know when I'll stop posting the weekly 'birthdays' and just go to monthly 'birthdays' - maybe at the 6 month mark? Sometimes it's hard for me to calculate the weeks into months! Ok. Like, 19 weeks. That's really... almost 5 months. 'Cause I really do think of a month being just 4 weeks long. It's those extra days that throw me all off! Anyway, Happy 8 week Birthday, Mac! (From your confused mommy!) :D

Cutest Little Legs

Just had to get this picture! I don't know if you can really tell but... Mac has his legs crossed and it reminded me so much of Brent. Whenever Brent gets down on the floor, if he's kneeling, he'll have his legs crossed behind him just like this. Anyway, this is the first time I've ever laid Mac down this way but I just had to try something different! I have no problems getting him to sleep... it's the staying asleep that's wearing me out! He likes to fall asleep on his belly on top of me. But when I go to put him down on his back, he'll totally wake up and cry! And his naps end up being no longer than 15 or 20 mins. So I thought: what if I put him down on his belly? I figured since there's no change in position or sensation, he might just stay asleep! And guess what? He did!! Of course, I stayed right there with him and checked on him every 5 minutes... so I didn't get anything done anyway. I probably won't do that too often because of associated risks... but at least I know it works now!

Headed Back to Idaho

Time to get back to the daily grind in Idaho. Bleh. We'd much rather stay in Oregon! Pleeeease? Can't we stay? :) Even Mac wanted to stay. I'm sure of it! Especially since he cried right at the beginning of the trip. I ended up sitting in back with him for a while. He finally settled down and then was pretty much asleep the rest of the way home. He's such a good baby! Talk about getting acclimated to riding in the car! Sheesh! Going 1000+ miles in 5 days will certainly do it! No doubt! We did get an earlier start to the driving today... it's nice for Brent to have some time to relax this evening before heading back to work in the morning. I suppose Idaho's not all bad. It's possible that it's growing on us. But every time we get back to Oregon, we really do miss it there. It's just so beautiful! There's a reason for all that rain...

Sunday Sushi

It just had to be done! We couldn't let our time here in Portland go by without at least one trip to the sushi place! So Sunday was our day to take some 'Jackson 3' family time. We did go to church with mom this morning. Then we had lunch with mom, Jodi and kids before they trekked back to Idaho. Well, mom didn't go to Idaho. Just Jodi and kids. :) But after that, we had some free time. We stopped back by dad's again to give him a picture that we forgot about last night. We went to a book store... then to our favorite sushi place. We had hoped to get over to Aunt Jackie's place but they were busy today. Darn. Maybe next time. I think it was about 10pm when we got back to mom's place. Time for bed, I suppose. We've got the long trip back to Idaho ahead of us tomorrow! Here's a little bit of Mac and G'ma time caught on film tonight:

Another Busy Day!

We got to spend some time with the Jacksons and Sullivans today! We met everyone at the hotel where Brent's folks were staying and, from there, went to Sweet Tomatoes (a favorite of mine in the Portland area) for lunch. This was Mac's official introduction to Aunt Marcy and family! They were able to come down from Olympia and it was so fun to see them! After lunch, which was fabulous by the way, we went back to the hotel and snapped some pictures of Marcy, Tex, Kristin, and Jesse with MacGregor. Cute! We also got to open a couple of really cool gifts for Mac today! G'ma, G'pa and Aunt Shawna gave him a homemade quilt! Gorgeous! Marcy, Tex and kids got him an organic cloth doll, a bath time animal wash-mitt and a knitted frisbee. Fun!

From there, we went to G'pa and G'ma Sanford's place to visit with them for a while. This was Mac's official first visit with them today as well. Aunt Jodi and her kiddos were able to be there to visit with everyone too! That was a fun time. They provided a light dinner for all of us and we had such a good time chatting. By the time we got back to mom's place, it was dark. And Mac was pooped. He had such a full day of meeting lots of relatives for the first time, he just zonked out! We were all pretty tired. Today was fun. But hopefully tomorrow will be a little more relaxing. :)

7 Weeks Old + Busy Day

Today was a super busy day for a 7 week old! We had to get up and get ready for the day kinda early since we were to be at the Graveside Service in Molalla at 11am. That was a nice service. Short and sweet. There were lots of folks there that I hadn't seen in a while so it was fun to visit them and show off Mac. And it was a beautiful morning at that cemetery on the hill. Gorgeous view, too. Next, we were off to mom's church in Canby for a luncheon at noon-thirty (yum!) with the Memorial Service to follow at 2pm. We met Brent's folks there. This was Mac's introduction to the Jackson G'parents and Aunt Shawna! Everyone really enjoyed that. After lunch, we got to see "Aunt" Mary! It was fun to finally see her again! It's always too, too long in between our get togethers! Then it was time for the service to start. G'pa Bill had a special place in his heart for pastors - so there were at least 4 pastors who spoke at this service! Mostly about fishing. Of course, that was Bill's passion. Towards the end of the service, there was a time of "testimonial" sharing. Folks would just stand up and tell a funny story about Bill or just how they knew him. Again, most of the stories were regarding his love of all things "fishy!" It was a neat time of reflection! And it was cool to hear about the impact that Bill had on the lives of others! I'll tell you what, I wish I would've known some of those things before his passing: how he helped others in times of need, his generosity, etc. My respect for that man grew with every story during that service. It would've been nice to let him know. After the service, we kids went back to mom's place and helped her eat some of the tons of left-overs we had from lunch! Still yummy! All in all, a good day... all things considered.

Headed to Portland!

So. We're going to Portland for a long weekend to take part in the funeral services for my step-dad. This will be Mac's first long car ride. I hope he does ok. I feel like I'm packing everything but the kitchen sink. I suppose if I forget something, there are stores in Portland. :) Brent is working a few hours this morning just to get some time in for today. We'd like to try and leave here by 2pm. Packing is done, car is loaded... off we go!!

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We actually didn't get on the road until about 3pm Idaho time. But we made it to mom's at about 11pm Oregon time. Nine hours. Not bad for our first trip with baby. And Mac didn't do too bad! He slept most of the way! In fact, he probaby would've slept even longer if I hadn't felt the need to wake him up to feed him. Hey, I didn't know that the only time you have to wake a baby to eat is if they're losing weight and failing to thrive. Hmph. Now I know. And yes, we probably could've made it there in the normal 7-8 hours had I just let him be. Oh well. Live and learn. When we pulled up at mom's house, Janella and her son were still there helping with last minute details. It was nice to be able to visit with them for a little bit. And Mac was smiling so big at Janella and G'ma - it was cute! He has just learned about smiling within the last couple of days so it was fun to see him use his new skill. :)

No Pictures Please. :)

This was the cutest picture! It looks like he doesn't want his picture taken... but I think he's just keeping the light out of his eyes. Sweet little hands. Funny little guy. Anyway, not doing much today... just getting some things ready to head out to Portland tomorrow. Y

Mac's 2nd Photo Shoot :)

Another cute outfit today! G'ma Nelda should like this outfit... it has frogs! :)

Silly and Snoozin'

My goofy guys. :) Just had to share a couple more pictures...

One of the gifts Mac received was called "Pee Pee Tee Pees" which are little cone shaped cloths that go over his penis when changing diapers so that he doesn't get us wet. :) Well. They look like little birthday hats so daddy decided to put one on Mac's noggin. And being the loving, discretionary mom that I am, I of course just had to take a picture. :D That was our 'before church' fun.

Then after dinner they both zonked out on the recliner! Go figure. It's what we do best on a Sunday afternoon: The Nazarene Nap. Well deserved, I must say.

Mac's 1st "Photo Shoot"

Mac was wearing the cutest little outfit today so I just had to take a few pictures of him in it! What a cute kiddo! :)

Sad News

My mom called this morning to let us know that my step-dad, Bill, had passed away. He had been sick for quite some time so the news wasn't too shocking... just grievous. Even though, on some level, it may have been expected, there's still a moment of unanticipated astonishment. Like, "...it can't be real, right?" And Brent and I were just talking about needing to get over to the Portland area again! I guess we'll be headed that way sooner than we thought. I hate that it's for this reason. I hate that MacGregor didn't get to at least meet his G'pa Bill. I guess I should be thankful that Bill got to see pictures of Mac. And we'll certainly make sure Mac knows who his G'pa Bill, the Fisherman, was. Hope you're enjoying the fishing up in Heaven, Bill! Thanks for everything! Love you! P

Happy Heart Day!

Our small group decided to go on a group date tonight. We went to a Japanese restaurant in Boise and had our meal cooked 'hibachi' style. Soo fun! When we got there, the place was packed! Thank goodness we had reservations! It was kinda crazy to see so many people there at 8pm. I guess it was a hot spot for Valentines Day dinner. And Mac slept through the entire evening again! Which was amazing in itself because it was noisy in there! And it was hot, too, because of all the flame burnin' Hibachi ovens that were on. Apparently Mac likes it hot and noisy. Anyway, the evening was wonderful. Fabulous friends, yummy food, and good conversation. Love it!

6 Weeks Old

Another week has gone by already! It still hardly seems real... bein' a mom. I love it though and wouldn't trade it for anything! We had another couple of Dr appts today. The 1st was my 6 week postpartum check. Everything's lookin' fabulous! I'm now 21 lbs below my pre-preggo weight!! So exciting! Dr King also gave us a little light blue onesie with a stork on the front and the name of the clinic on the backside for Mac. He can't wear it yet though... it's for a 6 month old. :) I'm sure it'll be cute on him when he can wear it. Then, since we were in the general area, I took Mac in to get weighed. The nurse wrote it down for me... and I've promptly lost it. I think he was right around 10 lbs though. I'll have to find that paper! But I did get a couple of cute pics of Mac in his car seat. Doesn't he look so cozy? :) Cutey pie.

Happy 39th Birthday, Brent!

Today is Brent's birthday. I think it's just a given that we go out for sushi on his birthday. It was soooo yummy! And it was a good night out. Mac slept the whole time. We had a fun time together and great conversation. We went to IOU Sushi in Boise. It's an all-you-can-eat sushi bar. And we always forget that the rolls there are HUGE so we always order too much and then we're completely stuffed when we walk outta there! Well, this time we ordered a bit too much and we couldn't even finish it! Oops. We also forgot about this weird rule they have about charging extra if you leave too much on your plate! Oh my! We were so full! We couldn't eat another bite! We contemplated stuffing our pockets but then I remembered... we have a plastic baggie in Mac's diaper bag! Yay for diaper bags!!! Brent somehow remained inconspicuous while filling up our plastic baggie with sushi! I couldn't believe we were actually doing this! I think we were both trying so hard not to laugh! Of course, after we paid and finally got out to the car, we couldn't stop laughing! My tummy hurt from laughing so hard! It was so fun. And I'm sure Brent won't mind taking the sushi left-overs to work for lunch tomorrow! Win-win. ;) Good times. e

Catching Up...

Oh my goodness have I got a lot of catching up to do! My sweet baby boy is over 5 weeks old already and I haven't written a thing! I have some notes jotted down on paper but I'll have to just pull other things out of my memory bank... but I promise I'll get something new posted on here soon! And then I'll try to stay caught up from now on. :)

Baby Shower #3

My friend, Jamie, was so nice and offered to throw another baby shower for us! I figured since the 1st one was all the ladies at work and the 2nd one was the church ladies, this one could be mostly family and a few friends. I think there were a couple ladies who were out of town though as there were only a few who showed up. But it was a good chance to get caught up and visit with those who came... it was cozy and totally laid back. Jamie had made a fruit salad and set out a few other breakfast type snacks. It was fun. And Jamie and Aunt Nadine had a good time getting acquainted - they're both artsy. :) Although, they may not like the word "artsy." Aunt Nadine is a watercolorist and Jamie is a photographer... but since both of those words have about 87 letters in them, I shall like to use the word "artsy." Plus, "artsy" is just fun to say. ;) Sadly, I have no pictures from this shower... but I totally should've taken a picture of the gift that my sister gave me! It was so clever! It was a "baby!" She had taken baby jammies and stuffed 'em with drop-in bottle liners and toys. She used a Precious Moments babydoll for the head and then wrapped a blanket around the whole thing! It really did look like a baby! So cute! Anyway, even after all that, we still had our small group meeting tonight, too. Today was a good day! Y

5 Weeks Old

Happy 5 week birthday, Mac! Today we went to Target to buy your swing! We used the gift card from the Drs at the clinic where I work. It's a pretty fancy-schmancy swing with lots of bells and whistles - we hope you like it! It was kinda tricky to put together so it'd be a bummer to have to take it apart again. :)

Friends...

... are God's way of taking care of us.

I got to see my friend, Liz, for a few hours today. It was sure good to get caught up with her! She and her hubby are living in Cali now... but she came up here to help out her mom after a knee surgery. We hope to get together again before she leaves in a week and a half. I love chatting with her... it seems we can just pick up where we left off. And it was a nice break in my day! LOVED having the adult conversation! :D And the coffee was good, too! ;)

Formula Saga (cont'd)

Called Dr Roy today. He said to come on in again. I brought back all the samples they gave me! Evil stuff. When I told him about our Saturday and that I thought Mac didn't like the taste he told me that most babies don't like the taste of that stuff. What?!?!? Um. Don't make me feed my child something that's proven to be GROSS!! Anyway. Dr Roy called a pediatric G.I. Dr who said that we could just switch Mac to the soy-based formula and he should be fine. Thank goodness! They were able to give me lots of sample cans of that to take home. Plus, we've been getting Similac checks and coupons in the mail. Wahoo!
p.s. When we made some of the soy stuff, Brent took a taste of that too. He said it was much, much, much, MUCH better than the other. Much. :) Even though I'm sure that any formula, in general, isn't all that tasty. Yeah, I wasn't brave enough to taste it, however.
p.p.s. I should also mention that Mac is 1 month old today! Yay, Mac!!