July 2008

A busy month!

I kept thinking that I would get around to uploading pics and now realize a month has passed. It has been pretty busy. My folks came down for the 4th of July. Dad and Ben did some work replacing rotting boards on the garage. If it hadn't rained every day, they could have finished more quickly! It looks great now and we are so glad to have it done. Jacob didn't stay up for the fireworks but he did get to do some non-fireworks (champagne poppers, snaps, etc.) He had a blast and didn't know what he was missing. We went to Storyland for the first time. It's a little park that has painted statues depicting many of the Mother Goose fairytales. It was very hot out but worth it. Jacob was even able to ride most of the rides at the amusement park connected to it. I was shocked when he stepped up to the 'Must be this tall to ride' line and was 42 inches. I need to measure him to see if that is accurate. His school scrapbook from May listed him at 39 1/2. He had a blast and asked to ride many of them over and over. I'm excited about this and can only hope he will share my love of looping roller coasters! Jacquelyn is already 4 months old. She was 17 lbs and 7 ozs, 25 1/2 inches, and her head was 41 cm. She is already rolling over. This actually started around two months but she is so good at it now that I can't leave her on our bed while I wash my hands after diapering. She is also trying to push herself forward but gets her right arm stuck. Problem-solver that she is, she rolls over to free her arm and rolls back to push forward again. Reclining in the bouncy seat isn't very much fun right now and she's constantly trying to sit up. Unfortunately, she can only sit pretty much bent in half which causes spit-ups. Oh well! Right now, Ben is busy at work. He is excited to finally have something to do. First, he was helping keep track of boats, personnel, and equipment as Hurricane Dolly made land fall. Now, he is helping with the oil spill in the Mississippi River her in New Orleans. He just got switched over to it today so I don't have details yet on what his part is. I think that covers all the exciting things in our world and I will try to get pics posted soon!!

Still learning the ropes of blogging!

The pics below are from the past few weeks. The picture in the yellow dress is Jacquelyn's 3 month b-day. What are the odds that I would dress her in the same one she had on in her 2 month pics? You wouldn't think they would be that high since she has so many different outfits. Jacob still loves to be close to her and I can't wait until she is old enough to play with him. She smiles when she sees him and he can make her laugh. She babbles quite a bit right now and is somewhat scheduled (if we were ever at home!) Ben just finished his last of three trips out of town. Unfortunately, it was in Iowa and he didn't find out until he got there that they were too flooded to do the training. He drove up just to turn around and drive back. He even called to verify the training earlier in the week but I guess they changed their mind. We have been getting rain for the past week so it's been difficult to do much. We went to the Aquarium yesterday and the Farmer's Market in Gretna today. The Aquarium was crowded with kids from area daycare groups and day camps but Jacob had a blast anyway. Jacquelyn slept through most of it. The grown-ups just tried not to go crazy from the hundreds of kids running around in an enclosed space. We will have to try on a different day next time!

3 months old!!!

Jacquelyn is growing well (as you can tell from the pics). She is two months old in the yellow dress (taken 5/14/08). The other pic was taken somewhere around that date. At the doctor's appointment she weighed 14 pounds, was 23 3/4 inches, and her head was 39cm. That sounds so big but it's about the amount that Jacob gained in his first two months (from birth weight to 2 month visit.) She is starting to smile at us and babbles quite a bit. Jacob still adores being around her and wants to hold her every chance he gets. He is such a big help when I need him to get items for her. He has even offered to change her diaper!! I'm tempted but I think he's still a little too young. Daddy had his first long road trip since Jacquelyn was born. It was exhausting for me but we all managed to survive it. Thankfully, we have friends that live close by so Jacob could play and burn off some energy. Jacob and Daddy continue to be greeters at church. Jacob is really getting into it and even starting to learn some names of the members. Daddy has also started singing in the choir so Sundays are busy days for us.

The first pic is from her first week home. The second one is from a week or so ago. We will write more later

First Time Part 2

It's not easy to find time these days to get on the computer, phone, or take pen in hand to write a letter. I can't believe that it's already been 7 weeks since Jacquelyn was born. It seems like just yesterday. Then again, sleep deprivation does make one day run into the next. We are starting to get into a routine and I even managed to survive my first 2 days with Ben on the road. We all lived to tel the tale but I'm still not looking forward to his next trip in a few weeks. Jacob has been amazing as a big brother. He wants to hold her every morning as soon as he wakes up. When she gets fussy, he wants to try to calm her down. It doesn't even faze him when she spits up on him or her diaper leaks through. I have been informed, however, that we need to make sure she doesn't play with his toys when she starts crawling. We explained that wouldn't happen for a few more months but he wanted to make sure we were aware of his wishes.


We have been busy since March 14th. My (Brande) mom was in town from Feb.23 until the week after Jacquelyn was born. Dad drove down to pick her up when it was time for her to return to Missouri. Then, Ben's mom came to town. Ben's dad is trying to schedule a trip here. We have a new little niece in Dallas (born 4/27) so I don't think Uncle Chris and Aunt Trish (Ben's brother and sister-in-law) will be coming any time soon! Besides the visitors, Ben and Jacob have become greeters at church. Jacob even has his own nametag and shakes hands with a 'Good morning' as people come in the door. It's so sweet to see!


Well, Jacquelyn will be calling/crying soon so we will write more later! Love to all and God bless.