It's been ages since I've posted one of these but there have been a couple lately that I have to get down so I don't forget. The other night during dinner, Jackson was drinking out of a cup with his name on it.
J: "I want a cup with my full name on it, Jackson David Kelly." (I love how he had to tell us his full name as if we didn't know, ha!)
pause
J: "Hey! Baby David and I have the same middle name!!!"
Nick: "What do you think his first name is?"
J: "Baby. You know...Baby.David."
We had to explain that his first name was actually David and why they called him Baby David since his dad's name was also David and it could get confusing, etc. It was the cutest thing ever!
On Monday, we had Bennett's 9 month well visit and since it was President's Day, Jackson didn't have school so he was with us. Dr. Shrouds told Jackson he was going to ask him some questions about Bennett, i.e. does he sleep in a crib or Mommy's bed, which way does his car seat face, etc. Then he asked if anyone in the house smoked, here's how the rest of the conversation went...
J: "Yes."
Me: silently shocked!
Dr.: "Really? Who?"
Me: still shocked!
J: "Daddy."
Me: still shocked but relieved he didn't say me, ha!
Dr. : "Really?" (more asking me now)
Me: "Jackson, what are you talking about?"
J: "You know, when he's outside on the grill, he smokes food, pork and stuff."
Love my little man!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Laughing it up at Mommy's expense
Last night I made Mexican pizzas for dinner (here's the recipe in case anyone is interested; http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jimmys-mexican-pizza/detail.aspx) and Nick added some Chipotle hot sauce to his personal pizza. He said it smelled so good and gave the bottle to Jackson and then me to smell. I quickly grabbed the bottle and smelled it but accidentally got too close to it and got a bit of sauce on my nose. Nick started teasing me about how I smelled things by putting my nose in them and decided to "smell" the sour cream on his plate by dunking his nose in it. As you can imagine that sent Jackson into quite a laughing fit which only increased after he dunked his own nose in sour cream. And although they were teasing me, it was worth it to hear all those giggles during dinner, which is the only time we spend together on a weekday. I had to stop laughing long enough to snap a quick shot of my silly boys...
Benny Bear is sick :(
Last week Bennett got a cold that got to be an awful cold pretty quickly. On Friday morning, I could hear what sounded like wheezing. I couldn't tell if it was actual wheezing in his chest or just from all the congestion. Of course Dr. Daddy was already at work for the long day and was on call all weekend so I decided that it was best to go ahead and take him to the doctor. I thought I was going overboard since most likely it was just a cold but with our history of Jackson wheezing, I didn't want to chance it. I'm so glad I took him because it turned out the poor thing had a DOUBLE ear infection! I felt so bad for my little guy, not only was he dealing with his first ever ear infection, he had to get two at once. He's been quite the trooper though, just a low grade fever the first day, and not much of an appetite for actual food but he's still nursing and sleeping well. I do hear him moaning a bit through the night and it just breaks my heart, wish I could take away any pain or discomfort he is feeling but I know it will pass. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the extra cuddles and am thankful it's nothing more serious.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Year in Review
I'm stealing this idea (like most of my blog ideas) from my sister who found it on Pinterest...which I introduced her to so maybe that makes it partly my idea???
The Kelly Family
2011 – A Year in Review
2011 – A Year in Review
| home Columbia, SC 3.5 years | wedded bliss 7.75 years | Big year for Nick …finished residency …started 4th year Chief Resident position …passed Pediatric Board Certification exam with flying colors! | |
| big brother 4.5 years | little brother 7 months | ||
| Awesome things that happened in 2011 #1 Bennett was born #2 Jackson started Pre-K at St. John Neumann Catholic School #3 Jackson started to R-E-A-D #4 We had our first family themed Halloween [with Star Wars costumes] #5 We SOLD our townhouse in Atlanta #6 Jackson played on a soccer team for the first time and scored a GOAL #7 Bennett rode on a plane for the first time | |||
| Nick’s Work Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital 3.5 years | Nour’s Work Hampstead Lighting 6 years | ||
Bennett is 8 months old! What?!?!?
I can't believe our sweet baby boy is 8 months old. He truly is such a joy in our lives. Bennett is so happy all the time. If you even just look at him, he shoots you the cutest smile showing off his two bottom teeth. And of course with that smile comes a fountain of drool out of his mouth. We go through 2 or 3 bibs a day and that doesn't even include the ones he wears when he's eating! Luckily these days it's just drool. His reflux seems to be much better. At his 6 months appointment, Dr. Shrouds said we should keep him on the medicine but we wouldn't increase his dose with hopes that with him growing, he would have weaned himself off the small dose of medicine by the time he was 9 months old. It seems to be working so fingers crossed that when we stop the medicine next month, he won't need to go back on it.
We aren't sure where he gets this from but Bennett LOVES to eat! I'm kidding of course since Nick, Jackson and I all have a love for all things edible. We've gone through most of the fruits and vegetables and in the next week or so, I'll be introducing pasta, rice and yogurt. The last couple days, his appetite seems to have increased exponentially or maybe he's just getting better at asking for more food. Luckily, with the extra food, he's been sleeping much better. I'm hoping not to jinx it with this post but for the last few days, he's only woken up once in the middle of the night around 3:30am to eat and then he's back asleep until 7am. I really hope this is the beginning of Bennett sleeping through the night...the entire night! He is definitely a stomach sleeper. I keep waiting for his little booty to stick up in the air but he is completely flat with his arms straight down by his sides (very odd in my opinion but must be genetic because it's just like his daddy).
He definitely mastered sitting and can get on all fours and hang out for long periods of time. He also started pushing himself backwards but no sign of forward movement. Bennett started this a few weeks ago so I thought crawling was coming soon but I was wrong. And although I have all the gates ready to be installed, I (selfishly) like having a non mobile baby. When he gets tired of being on all fours he plops down on his belly and kicks his legs. Nick is pretty sure he's going to be a great swimmer because he has the kicks down already.
Bennett is definitely a Mama's boy right now although he doesn't have any stranger anxiety. He can be completely content playing on the floor alone or with Jackson or Nick but if he hears my voice or sees me walk by, he starts whining. It's super cute and makes this Mama's heart smile. The other morning, we were rushing around getting ready for school and each time I turned my back to walk away he would start whining but as soon as I just turned to face him, he would give me the biggest smile ever! The good news is he's totally fine with "strangers" and has a blast playing with anyone. His favorite person to play with is Jackson and vice versa. Jackson is constantly telling us that even though he loves us, he loves Bennett the most, gee thanks kid. I'm definitely not complaining though, and I take advantage of Bennett being intrigued by all things Jackson. We pick Jackson up from school around 3 and head straight home so I can finish up work. I put Bennett in the exersaucer and pull it in Jackson's playroom and he just watches Jackson play for an hour or so. It's the perfect way for me to get my work done and they both enjoy it.
Bennett loves his bunny blankie. I don't know how soothing it is but he loves playing with it and most of all chewing on it! Blankie in Arabic is batania so we've named his bunny-nia since it's a bunny. And now Jackson wants to call his buddy-nia since he named his Buddy a long time ago since he couldn't say blankie. A couple months ago we thought we'd have another thumb sucker but he stopped last month and hasn't started back up again. We'll see if that changes. Here are his pics...I love the look on his face in the first one, my little stinker!
* We had to go to the doctor on the 20th so his 8 month weight is 17 lbs 12 oz! *
We aren't sure where he gets this from but Bennett LOVES to eat! I'm kidding of course since Nick, Jackson and I all have a love for all things edible. We've gone through most of the fruits and vegetables and in the next week or so, I'll be introducing pasta, rice and yogurt. The last couple days, his appetite seems to have increased exponentially or maybe he's just getting better at asking for more food. Luckily, with the extra food, he's been sleeping much better. I'm hoping not to jinx it with this post but for the last few days, he's only woken up once in the middle of the night around 3:30am to eat and then he's back asleep until 7am. I really hope this is the beginning of Bennett sleeping through the night...the entire night! He is definitely a stomach sleeper. I keep waiting for his little booty to stick up in the air but he is completely flat with his arms straight down by his sides (very odd in my opinion but must be genetic because it's just like his daddy).
He definitely mastered sitting and can get on all fours and hang out for long periods of time. He also started pushing himself backwards but no sign of forward movement. Bennett started this a few weeks ago so I thought crawling was coming soon but I was wrong. And although I have all the gates ready to be installed, I (selfishly) like having a non mobile baby. When he gets tired of being on all fours he plops down on his belly and kicks his legs. Nick is pretty sure he's going to be a great swimmer because he has the kicks down already.
Bennett is definitely a Mama's boy right now although he doesn't have any stranger anxiety. He can be completely content playing on the floor alone or with Jackson or Nick but if he hears my voice or sees me walk by, he starts whining. It's super cute and makes this Mama's heart smile. The other morning, we were rushing around getting ready for school and each time I turned my back to walk away he would start whining but as soon as I just turned to face him, he would give me the biggest smile ever! The good news is he's totally fine with "strangers" and has a blast playing with anyone. His favorite person to play with is Jackson and vice versa. Jackson is constantly telling us that even though he loves us, he loves Bennett the most, gee thanks kid. I'm definitely not complaining though, and I take advantage of Bennett being intrigued by all things Jackson. We pick Jackson up from school around 3 and head straight home so I can finish up work. I put Bennett in the exersaucer and pull it in Jackson's playroom and he just watches Jackson play for an hour or so. It's the perfect way for me to get my work done and they both enjoy it.
Bennett loves his bunny blankie. I don't know how soothing it is but he loves playing with it and most of all chewing on it! Blankie in Arabic is batania so we've named his bunny-nia since it's a bunny. And now Jackson wants to call his buddy-nia since he named his Buddy a long time ago since he couldn't say blankie. A couple months ago we thought we'd have another thumb sucker but he stopped last month and hasn't started back up again. We'll see if that changes. Here are his pics...I love the look on his face in the first one, my little stinker!
* We had to go to the doctor on the 20th so his 8 month weight is 17 lbs 12 oz! *
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Tis the Season
My FAVORITE season! I love everything about this time of year...even the post Christmas organizing :) We moved to Columbia three and a half years ago and each year we've been lucky enough to be able to go to Atlanta to spend Christmas with our extended families. This year, our travel plans were the same but we decided to celebrate Christmas in two parts to reduce the amount of gifts we had to take with us only to turn around and bring them right back. At first we weren't sure if it was a good idea especially because Santa only brings the boys one gift each but they were just as excited on Christmas morning as every other year.
We started our celebration in Columbia the week before Christmas. I made a pumpkin french toast casserole for breakfast and we told the boys (well Jackson really) that we were going to have a mini Christmas celebration the night before so he was so excited we he woke up, just like he usually is on Christmas morning. Of course, we had to wait for Bennett and Nick to wake up but he was very patient and we had some sweet Mommy and Jackson time while we waited. Once everyone was up, we gave the boys their presents and Jackson gave us our presents. At his school, they have a Christmas Corner where each child gets to shop for presents for his family. I couldn't wait to see what he got for us and he was very thoughtful. He gave Nick a box of yummy chocolates and told him he got him milk chocolate because he knows that Mommy likes white chocolate but Daddy doesn't. And he gave me a travel coffee mug which was perfect because I had JUST told Nick he could put one in my stocking. Jackson said he noticed I always use Nick's travel mug now on my way to take him to school every morning. The mug had the letter N all over it and when I asked him why the letter N, he said "N as in Nancy!" I started laughing and he said that's what he hears me say on the phone and he was so right. Whenever I give our my work email, I say "nkelly, n as in Nancy, k-e-l-l-y." I never realized he was paying such close attention all these years. And then to add to the humor, Jackson said, "N is also for Nebraska football!" Silly kid!
A few days later we were off to Atlanta to celebrate with what I refer to as the tour of Atlanta. I'm pretty sure we put more miles on my car those two days than we do on the drive to Atlanta from Columbia. And although it is exhausting, we are so grateful to have family close enough to see for the holidays. Thursday we spent the afternoon and evening celebrating Mark's 60th birthday with dinner at Bambinelli's and then a family bowling competition won by the birthday boy, Linda, Nick and Jackson (slightly unfair because they used bumpers for Jackson). Friday put an end to the constant "When is Emerson coming to play?" and "Will I see Emerson today?" questions. All of the Grassos came over to my parents house for a perfect morning. The mini cousins napped while the older two played everything and everywhere imaginable! We had a quiet afternoon and then were treated to a night out celebrating Nick's board certification with Tamara and Brian at Empire State South. If you haven't been there, it's definitely a must try in Atlanta.
Saturday brought the official start of the "tour" with lunch at Grandma and Grandpa Kelly's house. After spending some time with the Kelly side we were off to the children's mass at Holy Cross with a longer than normal car ride to allow Bennett to take a nap before church. As soon as mass was over, we hurried back to my parents house, finished up the dinner prep, took a few pictures and opened presents before the minis needed to go to bed. Once they were fast asleep, we enjoyed another delicious meal and good company and had a relatively early end to the night around 11.
Jackson woke us up around 7am the next morning and told us he had already snuck downstairs and saw the presents under the tree. He told me, "He turned on the light and then realized he was doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing so he turned it back off and came upstairs to get me." I was a little disappointed that I missed the first reaction of him coming down to see the gifts but he was still super excited when we all went down and he actually saw what Santa had left and noticed the stockings too. We enjoyed some quiet time playing with the new toys before going to our annual Salman brunch at the Ritz followed by going to Nick's parents house to spend time with them and open presents and then off to Mema's for the evening celebration with the Buechner's. It was a very fun 5 days spent in Atlanta and I'm sure we'll need at least that many to recover and get back on schedule before school starts next week.
We hope each of you had a very Merry Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year and all the best in 2012!
We started our celebration in Columbia the week before Christmas. I made a pumpkin french toast casserole for breakfast and we told the boys (well Jackson really) that we were going to have a mini Christmas celebration the night before so he was so excited we he woke up, just like he usually is on Christmas morning. Of course, we had to wait for Bennett and Nick to wake up but he was very patient and we had some sweet Mommy and Jackson time while we waited. Once everyone was up, we gave the boys their presents and Jackson gave us our presents. At his school, they have a Christmas Corner where each child gets to shop for presents for his family. I couldn't wait to see what he got for us and he was very thoughtful. He gave Nick a box of yummy chocolates and told him he got him milk chocolate because he knows that Mommy likes white chocolate but Daddy doesn't. And he gave me a travel coffee mug which was perfect because I had JUST told Nick he could put one in my stocking. Jackson said he noticed I always use Nick's travel mug now on my way to take him to school every morning. The mug had the letter N all over it and when I asked him why the letter N, he said "N as in Nancy!" I started laughing and he said that's what he hears me say on the phone and he was so right. Whenever I give our my work email, I say "nkelly, n as in Nancy, k-e-l-l-y." I never realized he was paying such close attention all these years. And then to add to the humor, Jackson said, "N is also for Nebraska football!" Silly kid!
A few days later we were off to Atlanta to celebrate with what I refer to as the tour of Atlanta. I'm pretty sure we put more miles on my car those two days than we do on the drive to Atlanta from Columbia. And although it is exhausting, we are so grateful to have family close enough to see for the holidays. Thursday we spent the afternoon and evening celebrating Mark's 60th birthday with dinner at Bambinelli's and then a family bowling competition won by the birthday boy, Linda, Nick and Jackson (slightly unfair because they used bumpers for Jackson). Friday put an end to the constant "When is Emerson coming to play?" and "Will I see Emerson today?" questions. All of the Grassos came over to my parents house for a perfect morning. The mini cousins napped while the older two played everything and everywhere imaginable! We had a quiet afternoon and then were treated to a night out celebrating Nick's board certification with Tamara and Brian at Empire State South. If you haven't been there, it's definitely a must try in Atlanta.
Saturday brought the official start of the "tour" with lunch at Grandma and Grandpa Kelly's house. After spending some time with the Kelly side we were off to the children's mass at Holy Cross with a longer than normal car ride to allow Bennett to take a nap before church. As soon as mass was over, we hurried back to my parents house, finished up the dinner prep, took a few pictures and opened presents before the minis needed to go to bed. Once they were fast asleep, we enjoyed another delicious meal and good company and had a relatively early end to the night around 11.
Jackson woke us up around 7am the next morning and told us he had already snuck downstairs and saw the presents under the tree. He told me, "He turned on the light and then realized he was doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing so he turned it back off and came upstairs to get me." I was a little disappointed that I missed the first reaction of him coming down to see the gifts but he was still super excited when we all went down and he actually saw what Santa had left and noticed the stockings too. We enjoyed some quiet time playing with the new toys before going to our annual Salman brunch at the Ritz followed by going to Nick's parents house to spend time with them and open presents and then off to Mema's for the evening celebration with the Buechner's. It was a very fun 5 days spent in Atlanta and I'm sure we'll need at least that many to recover and get back on schedule before school starts next week.
We hope each of you had a very Merry Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year and all the best in 2012!
Bennett is seven months old!
Bennett has changed so much this last month. He started eating solids and quickly went from soupy cereal once a day to eating 2-3 times a day! He still gets cereal or oatmeal once a day but now he also gets some vegetables and we just started fruits too. He seems to enjoy eating and so far (with a little mommy persuasion), hasn't refused any of the foods I've introduced. When Jackson was a baby, I tried to make my own baby food but I didn't plan ahead (shocking for me I know) and quickly ran out of time to cook the food before he was ready to eat it so it only lasted a couple weeks and then we went the store bought way. I knew I wanted to try to make Bennett's food so this time I invested in the Beaba babycook and so far I love it! It's so easy to use and makes anything in less than fifteen minutes. I'm trying to stay ahead of schedule this time and already have a good stash in my freezer.
Okay back to Bennett...he also started sitting up this month. It's so cute to see him sitting like a little man and very convenient because now I have one more "activity" I can add to the rotation of things for him to do while I work. We pulled out Jackson's music table and took off the legs so it just sits flat on the ground and Bennett can sit next to it and hit all the buttons.
Unfortunately, this last month his sleeping habits that we thought were getting better have gone back to waking up a few times a night. Since he's not being swaddled anymore, he pretty much rolls over onto his stomach as soon as I lay him down. The problem is he doesn't seem to like it that way, especially if he wakes up in the middle of the night. He has been sleeping on his stomach the last week so maybe he's finally getting used to it. Depending on the time he wakes up, we may leave him until he falls asleep but if it's in the middle of the night and been awhile since his last feeding, I will go in, feed him and put him back down. Luckily he goes right back to sleep. I don't mind the quick feedings because he's still on the small side on the growth chart.
He started sucking his thumb pretty regularly before naps and bedtime but then abruptly stopped so I'm not sure if we'll have another thumb sucker on our hands. Bennett also got his FIRST TOOTH! One morning I randomly decided to feel around his gums and there it was...tiny but already broken through! Now that he's teething, everything he can get his hands on goes in his mouth as you can see by the picture below :)
Okay back to Bennett...he also started sitting up this month. It's so cute to see him sitting like a little man and very convenient because now I have one more "activity" I can add to the rotation of things for him to do while I work. We pulled out Jackson's music table and took off the legs so it just sits flat on the ground and Bennett can sit next to it and hit all the buttons.
Unfortunately, this last month his sleeping habits that we thought were getting better have gone back to waking up a few times a night. Since he's not being swaddled anymore, he pretty much rolls over onto his stomach as soon as I lay him down. The problem is he doesn't seem to like it that way, especially if he wakes up in the middle of the night. He has been sleeping on his stomach the last week so maybe he's finally getting used to it. Depending on the time he wakes up, we may leave him until he falls asleep but if it's in the middle of the night and been awhile since his last feeding, I will go in, feed him and put him back down. Luckily he goes right back to sleep. I don't mind the quick feedings because he's still on the small side on the growth chart.
He started sucking his thumb pretty regularly before naps and bedtime but then abruptly stopped so I'm not sure if we'll have another thumb sucker on our hands. Bennett also got his FIRST TOOTH! One morning I randomly decided to feel around his gums and there it was...tiny but already broken through! Now that he's teething, everything he can get his hands on goes in his mouth as you can see by the picture below :)
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