"Where's Jack?!"
"Peek-a-boo!"
Handsome boy
"Thank you, Emily!"Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Lookin' for sand in all the wrong places...
At Sea World this Tuesday, while I took Kim's girls, Kristen and Allison, to ride the "Great White" rollercoaster - TWICE! - she took the boys to the giant sandbox. She took these fun pics while I was away...
Jack and his buddy Logan having a blast!
"Weee... this is so much fun!"
Jack decides to make sand angels on his belly!
Logan and Hunter join in!
"Wow, wait until Mommy sees me! Aunt Kim let's me get totally messy... She's so cool..."
Time to wash it all off in the water park!
Monday, August 13, 2007
"Jack, can you say 'Scholarship?'"
The estimated total costs (as of today) for Jack Everett Griffin:
To attend The University of Texas at Austin starting in 2022 would be $174,098.
A lump-sum investment of $54,883 today or monthly investments of $553 would grow to $174,098.
To attend The University of the Incarnate Word (like Momma) starting in 2022 would be $269,932.
A lump-sum investment of $85,094 today or monthly investments of $857 would grow to $269,932.
To attend Princeton University starting in 2022 would be $476,100.
A lump-sum investment of $150,087 or monthly investments of $1,512 would grow to $476,100.
Assumptions:
- Jack begins college at age 18, and attends just four years.
- Rate of annual college cost increase - 6%
- Money earns 8% compound interest
Want to calculate this info for your kiddos? Click here: AmericanFunds.com
(Yes, you can choose maroon schools too... if you would want to do that to a child.)
"Is her talking Spanich?"
Jack Everett was just over two years old, sitting on my lap while I was getting a pedicure one afternoon. He always loved going together. We'd sit on the "shaking chair" and he'd watch them wash my feet and paint my toenails while I read books to him, or gave him a snack. (Yes, I went because JACK enjoyed it so much. SAHM of the Year!) All three pedicure chairs were full. While I was reading to him, the technician painting my toenails started speaking in Vietnamese to her coworker one booth over.
Jack looks up from the book and says all loud, "What is her saying!?" I was all embarrassed. I said, "I am not sure, she is not talking to me. She is talking to her friend." The other patrons giggled a little. Of course, Jack does not take note of my soft, evasive tone and drop the subject. "What is her saying with those words?!!" I said, "Honey, I don't know. I am not sure what she is saying. She is not talking to us."
All ears are on us now. "Mommy, is her talking Spanich?" They all giggled and looked at me. I said, "Isn't it pretty? It's another language, called Vietnamese." The technician nods and says to him, "Yes, Vietnamese."
He looks at her matter-of-factly and says, "No, it was Spanich."
Jack looks up from the book and says all loud, "What is her saying!?" I was all embarrassed. I said, "I am not sure, she is not talking to me. She is talking to her friend." The other patrons giggled a little. Of course, Jack does not take note of my soft, evasive tone and drop the subject. "What is her saying with those words?!!" I said, "Honey, I don't know. I am not sure what she is saying. She is not talking to us."
All ears are on us now. "Mommy, is her talking Spanich?" They all giggled and looked at me. I said, "Isn't it pretty? It's another language, called Vietnamese." The technician nods and says to him, "Yes, Vietnamese."
He looks at her matter-of-factly and says, "No, it was Spanich."
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Night out for Jodi's "29th" birthday
A couple weeks ago, Jeff and I enjoyed a night out with some friends and ate at "Perico's" and then went to "Chango's" Havana Club (fancy word for Cigar Bar). I thought it would be super smoky, but it was well-ventilated. (Wow, am I getting old.) As Jodi promised, it was a really classy place with great live music. One of us - take a guess which one - enjoyed hitting the dance floor for a few songs. We ran into our neighbor's son, Steve, who used to be the young highschooler who mowed our lawn every once in a while for $20. He was bartending that night. We really felt old then! Here are a few pics from the night.
THE GIRLS!
Back row: Lisa, Melissa, Heather... Front row: Tracy, Jodi, Jennifer
Me and good friend, Lisa
Yes, we ended up being the matchy couple in red that night. We weren't thrilled about the idea, but I knew I wasn't going to change, and I thought Jeff looked awesome, so we just went with it. We had forgotten that about a week before, we had both worn white and denim with this same crowd, so they were sure to poke fun at us for it...
After that night, we said the same thing we say every time we dress up and go out together: "Let's promise ourselves that we'll do this more often..."
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Mommy heals ONE of the ankle injuries in this house...
So, this has continued for a few days...
Anytime he would hear us talk about Jeff's ankle, or pain meds, or anything on the topic, Jack Everett would start up again... "You talkin' 'bout my weg? I hurt my weg, wight here. I need a Lighteen Akeen (Lightning McQueen) band-aid! Watch out for my weg, okaaaaaaay?"
The cuteness had (almost) worn off, so I said, "Jack, If your leg hurts so badly, we probably need to go see Dr. Purnell and get a shot."
His immediate response: "Wook! It's all better!"
Anytime he would hear us talk about Jeff's ankle, or pain meds, or anything on the topic, Jack Everett would start up again... "You talkin' 'bout my weg? I hurt my weg, wight here. I need a Lighteen Akeen (Lightning McQueen) band-aid! Watch out for my weg, okaaaaaaay?"
The cuteness had (almost) worn off, so I said, "Jack, If your leg hurts so badly, we probably need to go see Dr. Purnell and get a shot."
His immediate response: "Wook! It's all better!"
Thursday, August 9, 2007
"Watch out for Daddy's weg, okay?"
For those who already know, Jeff turned his ankle tagging third base during Friday night's Bjorn's Softball game. (Yes, he was safe at third.) The MedClinic doc took x-rays and told Jeff it could be fractured, but that "he couldn't tell from the films. Go to a specialist if it's still bothering you in 5 days. That will be $75 big ones, thank you very much." [So, maybe I paraphrased a bit.]
So, since it's all huge and purple 6 days later, we took him to the Ortho Surgeon this morning and he has torn ligaments and a 3rd-degree sprain (apparently the worst kind) but the good news is, it is not broken.
While we waited, Jack repeatedly sang the chorus of "Deep and Wide" at the top of his lungs in the waiting room. He does the hand motions, but just holds them at "Deep" until the very end of the song when he comes to a loud finish with "There's a fountain flowing deep and WWWIiiiiiiide!" and extends his arms to the sides, getting louder as he notices people watching. (Where does he learn this type of behavior?)
So, no surgery, no cast, and no more medical bills! Poor Jeff, he is in a grey boot that helps with the pain when he walks, but will just have to heal with time.
Jack keeps saying, "You guys watch out for my weg, cause I hurt it. Watch out for it, okay? It's my weg. I hurt my weg. Watch out for it. Okay, Mommy? Watch out for my weg. I hurt it, okay. You watch out too Daddy, okay? For my weg, Daddy, you have to watch out...." on and on and on... and on...
So, since it's all huge and purple 6 days later, we took him to the Ortho Surgeon this morning and he has torn ligaments and a 3rd-degree sprain (apparently the worst kind) but the good news is, it is not broken.
While we waited, Jack repeatedly sang the chorus of "Deep and Wide" at the top of his lungs in the waiting room. He does the hand motions, but just holds them at "Deep" until the very end of the song when he comes to a loud finish with "There's a fountain flowing deep and WWWIiiiiiiide!" and extends his arms to the sides, getting louder as he notices people watching. (Where does he learn this type of behavior?)
So, no surgery, no cast, and no more medical bills! Poor Jeff, he is in a grey boot that helps with the pain when he walks, but will just have to heal with time.
Jack keeps saying, "You guys watch out for my weg, cause I hurt it. Watch out for it, okay? It's my weg. I hurt my weg. Watch out for it. Okay, Mommy? Watch out for my weg. I hurt it, okay. You watch out too Daddy, okay? For my weg, Daddy, you have to watch out...." on and on and on... and on...
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Allergy Update
Jeff and I visited Jack's Allergist today for a 3-month checkup after his last round of skin testing. She was pleased with the weight Jack had gained and how healthy and active he looked. We really like her. (Dr. Priyanka Gupta, part of Ratner, Dilley and Associates)
When we last met with her and she reviewed the test results, the intention was to start a round of trials, one food at a time. Maintaining absolute control of his diet (in order to truly isolate one food at a time) the plan was to try each allergen for a few days and then record the results. The idea is that while certain allergens may show up on a test, we might find that those same allergens don't actually cause a physical (gastrointestinal in his case) reaction.
We told her about the wheat trial we had conducted (per her instruction) on June 1st, and shared the disastrous results. We started with the wheat test because he had had prior exposure to wheat, so we needed to know for sure whether that exposure was resulting in the inexplicable recurrent vomiting. If taking it out resulted in no change, we would have had to conclude that something else was wrong (digestion issues, gastro problems, reflux, etc.)
We gave him about 6 pretzels every morning for three days, and all three days he vomited within a few hours. Other than those three days, he had essentially stopped vomiting since his test two months prior. This (oh so enjoyable) wheat trial helped us to conclude that wheat was still definitely off limits.
Because of the results of his trial, (when you're cleaning up vomit out of your Sam's shopping cart, you realize why they call it a trial) and his dramatic improvement over the past 3 months, she stopped any further food trials. She instructed us to continue to eliminate all allergens until he is re-tested in April 2008. We were really hoping to try to introduce milk next, but his milk allergy is even stronger than wheat, so she did not want to try this too early.
She said that this next year or so is his best chance of outgrowing some or (God willing!) all of his allergies. So, while we were a bit disappointed that she did not feel comfortable continuing with the trials, we completely understand, and agree that it is best just to give him time to heal and build his own resistance. We are thankful for answers and so glad that he is as healthy as he is!
-----
For Mom's documentation sake only (sorry to bore with so many details...):
Pediatric Epicutaneous Test results: Taken 04-27-07
100% Avoidance:
Egg White 22
Soy Bean 18
Milk 17
Pistachio 17
Wheat 13
Mesquite 11
Almond 8
Peanut 7
Pecan 7
Peas 7
Cat Dander 7
Oak 6
Positive results, but just keep an eye on:
Bermuda Grass 7
Chocolate 6
Corn 6
Peaches 6
------
On a lighter note, when we were leaving the parking lot of the Medical Center, we had to pull up between two toll booths to pay the parking attendant. They were painted blue, and Jack says, "Mama, are we at Sea World!!??" It was too funny. These kiddos are paying attention to everything!
When we last met with her and she reviewed the test results, the intention was to start a round of trials, one food at a time. Maintaining absolute control of his diet (in order to truly isolate one food at a time) the plan was to try each allergen for a few days and then record the results. The idea is that while certain allergens may show up on a test, we might find that those same allergens don't actually cause a physical (gastrointestinal in his case) reaction.
We told her about the wheat trial we had conducted (per her instruction) on June 1st, and shared the disastrous results. We started with the wheat test because he had had prior exposure to wheat, so we needed to know for sure whether that exposure was resulting in the inexplicable recurrent vomiting. If taking it out resulted in no change, we would have had to conclude that something else was wrong (digestion issues, gastro problems, reflux, etc.)
We gave him about 6 pretzels every morning for three days, and all three days he vomited within a few hours. Other than those three days, he had essentially stopped vomiting since his test two months prior. This (oh so enjoyable) wheat trial helped us to conclude that wheat was still definitely off limits.
Because of the results of his trial, (when you're cleaning up vomit out of your Sam's shopping cart, you realize why they call it a trial) and his dramatic improvement over the past 3 months, she stopped any further food trials. She instructed us to continue to eliminate all allergens until he is re-tested in April 2008. We were really hoping to try to introduce milk next, but his milk allergy is even stronger than wheat, so she did not want to try this too early.
She said that this next year or so is his best chance of outgrowing some or (God willing!) all of his allergies. So, while we were a bit disappointed that she did not feel comfortable continuing with the trials, we completely understand, and agree that it is best just to give him time to heal and build his own resistance. We are thankful for answers and so glad that he is as healthy as he is!
-----
For Mom's documentation sake only (sorry to bore with so many details...):
Pediatric Epicutaneous Test results: Taken 04-27-07
100% Avoidance:
Egg White 22
Soy Bean 18
Milk 17
Pistachio 17
Wheat 13
Mesquite 11
Almond 8
Peanut 7
Pecan 7
Peas 7
Cat Dander 7
Oak 6
Positive results, but just keep an eye on:
Bermuda Grass 7
Chocolate 6
Corn 6
Peaches 6
------
On a lighter note, when we were leaving the parking lot of the Medical Center, we had to pull up between two toll booths to pay the parking attendant. They were painted blue, and Jack says, "Mama, are we at Sea World!!??" It was too funny. These kiddos are paying attention to everything!
Hey, Batter... Batter...
Aunt Sharon bought Jack one of his favorite birthday gifts: His first real T-ball set. She said that it was one of Kyle's favorites when he was three. Now that Kyle's has turned him into a college baseball player, we have great expectations from this T-ball set and Jack's future in baseball. Had to share some pics.
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Such concentration... .
Strike one....
Of course, Daddy plans to make him a switch hitter.
A hit on his first try left-handed!
Awww, who needs a tee when Uncle Greg is pitching?! It was a fun afternoon at the ballpark (Aunt Mel's front yard.) Jeff and I look forward to many more "at bats" this summer. Wow, hard to believe Little League is just around the corner! By then, hopefully he won't still be running the wrong way around the bases.
To see all 19 pics from the day: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=s5k5l03.658mnxvj&Uy=-ajfi5j&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Larger than Life
Jeff and I (and the Griffin family) took Jack Everett to the Dinosaur exhibit at the Witte Museum this week.
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Of course he is outfitted for the occasion in his 'Dino shirt' from Mamaw and his 'Dino hat' from Aunt Mel. 
Jack wanted Daddy to hold him at first. It was dark, and the roars were loud. I couldn't really tell whether he thought they were real.
Lucky for us, the baby dinos were hatching that day. :)
He got closer, but not too close.
Crawling in a dinosaur footprint.
Jack Everett finally gets up close and personal.
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I remember visiting the Witte Museum on many a field trip growing up in San Antonio. I remember it being very very big, and I remember the exhibits being AWESOME!
All these years later, the experience was so different. I was struck most by how very small the Witte was compared to my oversized memories. I mean, we were there for an hour, and we had definitely seen every exhibit. It is similar to when I went back to our house in Boerne, TX a few months ago, and it seemed so small compared to what I remember from my childhood. I remembered this HUGE hill in front of the house we used to fly down on our bikes and in wagons. Today, I see that it's a low-grade slope at best. The same was true when I remember my Great Grandma Burkart's "Treasure House." Trey and I used to go through the Treasure House and find awesome things like calendars from the 1940's. When I went back a few years ago for her funeral, it was really just a shed. Trey and I could hardly believe how tiny it really was. As a child, I loved the Witte Museum, loved our "cottage" in Boerne, and loved exploring Grandma Burkart's Treasure House.
All these years later, the experience was so different. I was struck most by how very small the Witte was compared to my oversized memories. I mean, we were there for an hour, and we had definitely seen every exhibit. It is similar to when I went back to our house in Boerne, TX a few months ago, and it seemed so small compared to what I remember from my childhood. I remembered this HUGE hill in front of the house we used to fly down on our bikes and in wagons. Today, I see that it's a low-grade slope at best. The same was true when I remember my Great Grandma Burkart's "Treasure House." Trey and I used to go through the Treasure House and find awesome things like calendars from the 1940's. When I went back a few years ago for her funeral, it was really just a shed. Trey and I could hardly believe how tiny it really was. As a child, I loved the Witte Museum, loved our "cottage" in Boerne, and loved exploring Grandma Burkart's Treasure House.
As a Mom, it's so much fun to see the world through tiny eyes again. I can see that Jack Everett is making memories just like the ones I made when I was little. I see the excitement when I allow him to get a Happy Meal toy, or the wonder when he gets to see the "animals" at the Bass Pro Shop. It's easy to let my adult realism creep in. It's easy to think, "It's just a small museum and it's all the way across town." or, "He does not need those McDonald's toys. They just end up in garage sales." It is easier to keep a room clean without a HUGE Lightning McQueen tent in his room and Thomas the Train track spread out all over the rug. It's cheaper not to buy the Diego and Dora Dixie cups. Sometimes I have to remind myself to let him live large and have some of these special things. I have to make myself go ahead and buy the pajamas that actually turn him into Spiderman (Thanks Aunt Sharon!)
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One thing is for sure: Good or bad, he will have memories of his childhood. I just want him to have memories like the ones my parents created for me; Memories that are larger than life.
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To see all 32 pics from the day:
Highlights from Jack's 3rd Birthday
Oh, we of little faith... God is good - the weather held up nicely for Jack Everett's swim party - overcast, but just warm enough, and totally dry. We had a great time.
It was kinda funny; I ordered 4 dozen inflatable beach balls from Oriental Trading and was so excited to use them as decoration in and around the pool, and as giveaways at the end of the party. When it was time to blow them all up, the little rubber nozzles would not stay shut. We (my nieces and nephew, Jeff and I) would blow them up, and they'd pop right open, letting all the air back out. So, we all laughed as we finally just blew them up and quickly slapped a big ol' piece of clear packing tape on each one. It was funny seeing the whole operation: all assembly-line style as we filled trash bags with 48 taped up beach balls. They were super cute anyway.
It was kinda funny; I ordered 4 dozen inflatable beach balls from Oriental Trading and was so excited to use them as decoration in and around the pool, and as giveaways at the end of the party. When it was time to blow them all up, the little rubber nozzles would not stay shut. We (my nieces and nephew, Jeff and I) would blow them up, and they'd pop right open, letting all the air back out. So, we all laughed as we finally just blew them up and quickly slapped a big ol' piece of clear packing tape on each one. It was funny seeing the whole operation: all assembly-line style as we filled trash bags with 48 taped up beach balls. They were super cute anyway.
Jack kept saying, "There's tape on these cause they're broken?"
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There is ONE area where I am actually almost grateful for Jack Everett's food allergies.
No cake to bake, cool, decorate, take, cut, serve, or clean up. (I am no Julie a.k.a. Betty Crocker.) Plus, it was SO cute watching him blow out his candles on his watermelon 'cake' because he truly does not know the difference. His little friends notice and may comment, but he is so innocent and thankful and excited. I am so proud of how he has adjusted to his allergies and how good he is about staying away from foods he cannot have. He's been a real champ about it all.
All he knew was that his six weeks of "practicing" blowing out candles was about to pay off.
Happy 3rd Birthday, Jack Everett!
{ I remember my Grandmama telling me once that if she had it to do all over again, she would have gotten in the pool and made memories swimming with her kids and grandkids. When she said that, I remembered that Trey and I had been swimming in her neighborhood pool dozens of times when we had come to visit them, but realized that she never did get into the water with us. I always thought that she either did not know how to swim or that she had always "just been to the beauty shop." It never crossed my mind that she might not want to be in her bathing suit. She was gorgeous. She still is. When she said that, it really stuck with me, and meant even more after Jack Everett came along. I just decided that I was going to stop worrying about being self-conscious, and enjoy this special time in my life. I got in the pool in my swimsuit in front of everyone, and guess what, it was just fine. No one even noticed, and if they did, they better delete any pictures. }
Anyway... returning from that huge tangent...
Jeff and I had fun swimming with him and his friends, and he seemed to have had a blast too.
He was exhausted by the time we left. He fell asleep before we even got out of the neighborhood.
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So, it seems like we celebrated Jack's birthday all week long. He is so confused. I spread the gift-opening over the whole week to avoid (me) getting overwhelmed. He had his party on Sunday, gifts on Monday, had the crew at Tomatillo's sing "Happy Birthday" to him on Tuesday, opened the rest of his gifts on Wednesday, then Thursday he woke up and we said, "Jack... guess what... it's August the 2nd!" He goes, "It's my birthday AGAIN!!!??" He probably thinks he is six years old now.
While charging the video camera before the party, Jeff and I watched a short clip of Jack opening his Christmas gifts just 8 months ago. He looked so small. It is good to look back and remember all the things he has learned, how much he has grown, and all that we've experienced with him this past year.When we do, we realize it's truly worth all the celebration.
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