Sleepover at Jack's House!

Jack hosted his friend Alli Jean this weekend to a little sleepover while her parents attended an out-of-town wedding. This was Alli Jean's first night away from Mom and Dad and she did great! (Julie did okay too. I mean, she did leave me specific detailed instructions and a signed Power of Attorney, but other than that, she was pretty relaxed about leaving her baby for the first time.) Jack loved having Alli Jean over, although he occasionally had a hard time sharing his most special toys.

Here are some pics from the weekend:

At Alli Jean's house before she came over. I just love her blue eyes.

It became very clear by Saturday afternoon that we needed to get these two monkeys out of the house for a while, so we took them to the park.

Time for a drink break - they were getting tired. Our plan was working.

Scrub-a-dub dub, two 3-yr-olds in a tub!

She loved using all of his "BOY" things, like Lightning McQueen bubble bath.

Alli Jean shared her pink kitty cat blankie and pillow (to Jeff's dismay) while she snuggled in Jack's Diego blankie. He made her watch "The Incredibles."

Time to brush those pearly whites.

We were actually able to get up and make it to church in the morning with two kids! It was good practice for us.

It's good to have friends!

It was fun having a little girl in the house. It is uncanny how different little boys and girls already behave by age three. When they are at Alli's house, Jack spends much of his time lining up the baby dolls and making them coffee in the pink coffeepot in her play kitchen. Over here, Alli was leaving the living room and I asked her what they were playing in the back of the house. She replied, matter-of-factly, "There are robots and tigers in here so we have to get them." I enjoyed putting her in her pink jammies, and fixing her hair for church on Sunday with her little pink bow, even though she kept telling me I wasn't doing it right.

There was one point in the night that Jack Everett crawled up into Daddy's lap and said, "Sometimes I don't like Alli Jean very much." We asked if he was ready for her to go home and he jumped down and said "No!" Sunday afternoon, Duane and Julie picked her up while Jack was napping. When he woke up, he started crying, "I wanted Alli Jean to play longer!"

Julie, Alli Jean is welcome any time!

Bit of a Parenting Low.

I think there are times in every mother's life when she feels like she is really doing well - we stop and look at our little ones and feel really good about the job we are doing.

And THEN... there are times when we are not so proud. This was one of those times:

I picked Jack Everett up from school one day (over a month ago) and he had red Jello on his forehead. It was a small spot of Jello and I must confess thinking, "I wish his teacher would clean his face a little better after he eats." We were on our way to visit a friend and I wanted him to look nice. So, when we got in the car, I scrubbed his forehead with a wet wipey as he complained and pulled away. "Jack, I am not hurting you. Stop moving!"

I gave it a rest until we pulled into our friend's driveway when I saw that the Jello stain was still there. After all, that red dye sat on his forehead for hours and we all know how it stains fingers and chins. So, I combed his hair and went at it again with the wipey. He finally cried out, "Mama, you are hurting me!" I apologized, kinda rolled my eyes and figured, "Oh well, it's not that big a deal if he has a stained face."

When we got inside and I could look at it in the light, I realized that it was not Jello after all. My heart sank as it became clear that I had been vigorously scrubbing a scrape on his forehead this whole time. The scrape had totally gotten worse and the area around it was all rubbed raw, thanks to me. He was not being dramatic... it was really hurting him when I was wiping his open wound. The next day, and for almost a week, it was a dark scab.

Needless to say, I felt totally awful. Well, what's worse is that it is now (almost six weeks later) a permanent scar. It's right between his eyes and is discolored to this day. I still feel awful.

My main motive for sharing this story is that I want to remember these not-so-shining moments too. I think we share all the wonderful things and display the things we are doing "right." It's easy to blog accomplishments, cute times, and sunny stories. As young Moms, it's easy to look from the outside into other Mommies' lives and feel as though we don't measure up.

The truth is, motherhood is terribly hard, but we don't write about those things. There are times when we make mistakes and we don't feel like we can share without facing judgment. We are afraid of what others will think if we divulge that we let our kids stay up too late (guilty), let them take a sippy cup into their crib (guilty again), or if our little angels haul off and hit us or say "Dammit!" (guilty, guilty.)

We are all doing the best we can at the hardest and most important endeavor we will ever attempt. As mothers, we need to be there for one another in support, not judgment. We make decisions that we feel are for the best, and just hope that our children hold on to the happiest memories and forget the others.

In the meantime, I simply try not to beat myself up. I just take comfort in how happy he was to get a "Nemo" Band-aid that night.

Valentine's Day 2008

As usual, Jeff and I had not made definite plans for Valentine's Day until the day was suddenly upon us. I figured I would make dinner at home and that we might sit at the table and eat by candlelight. I knew Jack would think that was neat.

Then, when I found out Aunt Mel wasn't doing anything, I asked her to pick Jack Everett up from preschool and decided to surprise Jeff and take him out for dinner. (Thank you Aunt Mel!) So, I showed up at his store, and we called from inside to make a last-minute dinner reservation.

When we got outside to the parking lot, I had locked my keys (and purse and wallet) in my car. Oh, and did I mention that I also locked the SPARE key in the car too? I know, I already got the lecture. So, as we do every time I do this, we called my parents and Mom and Jeffry came out to break into my car. After one hour, some help from a fellow locksmith, and $40 bucks, we were back on track for our "date." So much for spontaneity, but we were not going to let this spoil the mood.

We ended up eating at Luciano's, in the middle of North Star Mall. Not surprisingly, they were able to seat us right away. So it was a little unconventional, but it was time away nonetheless. We ignored all the kids and strollers and had a great time. After dinner, we did TWO of Jeff's very favorite things... shopped for maternity clothes, and took pictures in a photo booth.

Happy Valentine's Day, Honey. You are such a good sport!

Artwork from 2-18-08

Jack's artwork most often depicts sea creatures (as evidenced by the infamous happy jellyfish on his IKEA chair.) Here are the latest marine masterpieces:

Shamu in the water.

"A mean shark and a nice fish swimming behind him." The signed edition.

My TWO sons!

That's right... we found out this morning that Jack is going to have a little

BROTHER!

From head to hiny, he measures about 10 cm, and we are about 18 1/2 weeks along -- almost half way there.

It is amazing how our little family was redefined today. I will soon be saying, "the boys" and "my sons." I love it. Jack will have a little brother looking up to him, and wearing his hand-me-downs. The tubs and tubs of boy clothes I have in the garage are ready to be filled. And, since I am due the same week as Jack's birthday, they will certainly be the right season! The nursery is ready - well, when we get it cleaned up it will be. Thoughts like these raced through my mind today - what an exciting day. I am SO glad my awesome boss gave me the day off today... I would have been totally distracted and daydreaming, not to mention consumed with personal calls. I learned this lesson last time when I had to go back to work at Capital Group after finding out Jack was a boy! I was worthless and just wanted to go shopping.


Baby Boy Griffin's little profile, with his right hand up to his forehead. He's cute already!
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So, about a little girl. Yes, there is a tinge of disappointment when I think about the fact that I will most likely never have a daughter. It is a little sad to think that I will always be "the mother-in-law" and that I will not likely get to be "mother of the bride." But, the truth is, I have never been a hair and nails kind of girl and the thought of pre-teen dramatics and first dates, hormones, and prom dresses send me into panic mode. If my daughter were to say some of the ugly things to me that I said to my Mom in those awkward know-it-all years (about age 10 to 18), I don't think I could have handled it as lovingly and graciously as she did.

Anyway, I am sure we would have loved having a little girl, but God gave us boys and we are so glad He did.

So, some of you out-of-towners have asked for a picture of me, so here is a side view of my little baby bump at 4.5 months. You gotta love elastic.

Evidence for Santa

For this post, I committed Mommy-blog idea theft. Julie's good friend Stephanie posted pictures on her blog of her two girls' bedroom wall after they had COVERED it with her expensive liquid foundation. After expressing how upset she was, she then had to explain to them why she was taking pictures of it if she was so mad. She advised them she was "taking a picture of the walls to send to Santa so he would have proof that they had been bad girls!"

Thanks for the idea, Steph. After drawing a happy jellyfish on his red chair, Jack Everett sent Santa some photo evidence today, too.

While trying to take a picture of his chair, Jack said, "Make sure I am in the picture!"

I told him, "This is not funny, Jack." He promised he would not smile if I would take one picture of him in the chair. He tried not to laugh - achieving this mischievous grin.

Heloise says that WD-40 takes crayon out of almost anything. We're about to see.

Entertainment Tonight

There is never a dull moment with a 3-yr-old in the house. Our time with him in the evenings is so precious, especially now that I will be working full-time for a couple months. Here are some weeknight pics of Jack Everett entertaining us in the living room.

Jack and Sadie playing tug-of war with her stuffed Schnauzer.

Ironically, Cesar Millan, "The Dog Whisperer", is in the background teaching a family how to calm their dog. In the meantime, Sadie is growling and snapping, running in circles all outta control.

Santa hit a home run with this ViewMaster with "Ratatouille" slides.

He is very careful with the slides and moves carefully from scene to scene. I wonder how little brother will be with such delicate toys.

If one of us tries to look through it, he wants to see too. He always tries to look in the side.

He successfully stacks all 26 alphabet blocks.

... he likes "The Biggest Loser" too. He says the numbers on the scale as soon as they appear.

He still loves this dinosaur headlamp, but when he turns it on...

... he lowers it and covers his eyes.

It's amazing how many toys ONE little boy can drag out of his room in just a few short hours on a weeknight. Our lives have been changed forever with this little gift from God. Jeff and I ask each other almost daily, "Can you imagine our evenings when we have TWO?" It already seems like we have far too fews hours awake with Jack Everett.

He has been waking up in the middle of the night the last few nights. This is not normal for him, and certainly not normal for us. We are hopeful that it is because his little body is finally waking him up to go pee-pee, and that we might soon jump that last potty-training hurdle. (The problem is, once he goes potty he usually says something like, "I'll take some Kix with bananas in it please," OR, "I'm just gonna watch some cartoons, okay?" I have to explain that it is 2 a.m. and the world is still sleeping.)

We also consider this new pattern as training for when we bring a newborn into the house. We are exhausted, just from three nights of this. Jeff and I LOVE OUR SLEEP.

Boy, are we in for it.

"We all scream for R-ICE CREAM!"

Jack Everett's diet contains very few really sweet treats. His desserts usually include watermelon, applesauce, pears, fruit cocktail, etc. So, when I bought him some Rice Dream Vanilla Ice Cream and Strawberry syrup, I knew it would be a hit! I let him serve himself, which is half the fun. Of course, I had the camera on-hand!

This is gonna be YUMMY!

One scoop at a time...

Not too much syrup! (He calls it "cherry sauce.")

(Sheesh... I am not sure how to get a good haircut without it looking like a straight line across the front.)

He likes having a red tongue. He asked for "Ice Ceeam with Cherry Sauce" for every meal for the next week or so. We had to keep explaining that he couldn't have it until AFTER his meal. So, every two bites of his real food he would say, "I'm done."

So glad to see him enjoying his food.

Sandra's Wedding Update

Time has flown, and Sandra's wedding date is fast-approaching. The big day is March 29th and I am thrilled that it will be held here in San Antonio. It has been much different since she has been planning it from Washington D.C., but it's no surprise that she is super organized and has it all under control. The dress is in and fits perfectly, and bridal portraits, catering, music... it's all set. We had the first of several bridal showers and I was so glad I was able to attend. It's hard to believe it was almost nine years ago that Sandra was at MY bridal shower. I still have dishes I have not used.

Sandra, my best friend since the fifth grade - 19 years ago!

Sandra and her Moms.
Trevor's mother, Mrs. Clark on left, and Mrs. Nesrsta on right.

One of the favorite gifts, a personalized wedding frame.

Her bachelorette party is this coming weekend and I look forward to getting to know the other bridesmaids and celebrating with just the girls. It is going to be a blast, and the whole event is a surprise to the bride.

On a separate note, many of you have asked about my bridesmaid dress, so here are some pics of the NEW DRESS as well.

It will be the dark blue shade. It's going to be MUCH easier to fit into THIS dress, lemme tellya.

Baby Griffin's Big Debut!

We introduce... Jack's little brother or sister - at 13 weeks.


There you go, he finally made the blog. I guess it's getting more and more real to me. I have been somewhat protective of the little one thus far, but wanted to go ahead and share the first clear picture.

I just can't believe that our little family of three is about to become a family of four.

Early one Saturday morning we were all piled in our bed. Jack was begging us to get up while Jeff and I were wishing he knew how to pour his own milk and use the remote.

Jack Everett said, "Daddy, I think I hear something!!"
Jeff said, "What is it, Jack?"
He replied softly, "I think it's the baby growing."

It was the sweetest thing and showed us that it's really on his mind. We think he knows his world is about to change in a big way.

"Before I forget..."

If I don't write these things down, I will never remember them...

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Mommy: "Hurry Jack, we have to get in the car! It's raining on Mommy's hair!"

Jack: "Don't worry, Momma, the car will protect us from the rain."

M: "You're right, Jack. Do you know who else protects us?"

J: "Optimus Prime."

OK, I was expecting him to say "JESUS!". So his first thought was a Transformer... at least he feels protected.

"Your Mommy is a WHAT?!"

Okay, so the flyer came home from Jack's preschool about the upcoming "Occupation Weeks" at the school. All parents were encouraged to volunteer to speak to the class about their different careers. There would be two weeks, or ten parent speakers visiting. Since I work part-time, I agreed to do it. After all, how hard could it be, there are only ten to fifteen 3-yr-olds in his little class, right?

So, as Career Week drew near, I decided I would talk for a little bit about different jobs people have, and then I would give out little stuffed dolls from Monster.com. Easy peezy.

They would love the dolls. So, I call the school to make sure to order enough monsters, and the director informs me that I will be speaking to two groups of about SIXTY KIDS! I was like, "What!?" She fills me in on the details: I will be giving a FIFTEEN- to TWENTY-minute presentation to ALL CLASSES in the school, and parents are invited to attend. The kids would range from two years to five years old. As I hung up, I started to panic a little. I thought it was just going to be Jack's little class, sitting in a circle for a few minutes... now it was kind of turning into a big deal - with other parents invited to attend - AND all the teachers from the classes looking at me.

So, suddenly, the stuffed monsters are out of the question - I can't ask for 120 free monsters. Plus, how do you really explain Corporate Recruiting to 2 yr-olds? They don't know what a JOB is. They don't know what GRADES are, or about staying in school.

I explained this new assignment in the next Recruiting meeting and asked my Human Resources colleagues for some ideas. They were oh-so-helpful. Their ideas included starting the presentation with, "Kids, are you tired of eating bologna every night? Does your Mommy keep saying it's time for your Daddy to get a real job?" They added comments like, "I bet the other parents have awesome jobs, like a fireman. He'll probably bring his awesome fire truck. You can show them your '99 Honda. Kids, you can be a recruiter and drive one of these!" Needless to say, they were no help whatsoever.

So, I called the Preschool Director back and asked her NOT to put me next to the awesome parents, like the candymaker or the juggler. She laughed. The schedule was like this: Firefighter, Worship Leader, Construction Worker, Dance Instructor, Nurse, Police man, Military soldier, Recruiter... I thought, "Poor Jack, his mommy has the boring job."

Well, in true Melissa fashion, I did not have a real idea about how to teach an abstract concept like helping people find the right job until two nights before I was scheduled to present. I did what I always do when I hit a creative block - called my neighbor Sarah. She convinced me to just tell the kids a story. She helped me with an outline for my story, and Jeff and I stayed up until the wee hours coloring posters for the next two nights. The rest is history.

Here is a slideshow from Career Day 2007: Corporate Recruiter.

When I came out of my room in my suit that morning, Jack said, "Momma, is that your work costume?"

Afterwards, I asked the kids, "So what do YOU want to be when YOU grow up?" One boy said, "Spiderman!," but one little girl said, "I want to be a Recruiter." I almost got teary-eyed.

I knew right then it was all worth it.