m&m's

5 months

2009-07-11T09:14:00.006-05:00

It's so crazy to look back at pictures from a few months ago. Here's a couple that show how big Jay has gotten.

Trying out the blog option from our phone.

2009-07-10T16:29:00.001-05:00

Carrie & Jay!!

Lakehouse & Family Reunion

2009-06-30T09:35:00.002-05:00

We're a little slow to get these up but we had a great time at the lake a couple weeks ago. Carrie and I spent the first 4 days with my Mom and Dad and then after that moved over to the Lakeview Resort and shared a cabin with my sister, Jenny, and her family. This was Jay's very first time in the pool and also out on the boat. He loved the boat... it rocked him right to sleep. It was a great time!!

Jay goes swimming.

2009-06-30T09:23:00.002-05:00

Lena spent the weekend with us while Rick and Pat were out of town so Friday afternoon we went to the pool. Lena captured some nice pictures of our time there. Jay did great in the water not overly excited but at least he didn't freak out either. We're looking forward to lots of fun memories at the pool over the years.

Jay Pics - May 2009

2009-06-03T13:02:00.001-05:00

From 8 to 60...

2009-06-03T12:29:00.006-05:00

John & I celebrated 8 years of wedded bliss yesterday!! And, as I like to say, "We've really been together for 16 years - dated for 8, married for 8!" John pointed out that this year marks the point where we'll have been married longer than we dated - wow! Our journey has been a blast and I can truly say that he is my best friend! He completes me and makes me a better person in so many ways. I love his smile, his personality, his optimism, the way he cares for others, the way he cares for his family and...wow, too many things to list! I am sooo incredibly blessed.

This past weekend we celebrated by going to dinner at PF Chang's and topped it off with dessert at The Cheesecake Factory! YUM! Thanks to Mimi & Poppy for a great night out without Jay! And last night we grilled out some top sirloin steaks for a special meal at home - complete with eating in the dining room on our china plates! We reminisced a lot of things like places we've lived, cars we've had & vacation memories. It was a special night.

You may still be wondering why 60 is in the title of this post. Just a couple weeks ago we celebrated my Grandparent's 60th Anniversary at Al's Steakhouse in Joliet. 60 years is a LONG time and we are grateful for examples of long-lasting relationships in our life. Cheers to you, Gramma & Grampa! We hope we make it to 60, too! Here are some pics of that night:

My First Mother's Day

2009-05-11T10:11:00.003-05:00

Well, it's official - I celebrated my very first Mother's Day! WEIRD! I didn't start the day as you'd typically think because I sang at church...which meant that I set my alarm to get up before Jay so I could shower & get ready before I fed him and ran out the door! Before I left, though, John gave me a very sweet Mother's Day card. Inside he told me that he was planning to take Monday (today) off to have a family day together - how awesome! That really is the best gift I could ask for!

After church we headed down to Joliet to spend the day with his family. There was a lot for Jay to take in with 8 cousins running around and a lot of cameras flashing in his face! Here are the highlights:

God has blessed me soooo much with Jay and John - thank you for making my Mother's Day (and the day after) so special! I love you guys!!

New Toys!

2009-05-11T09:53:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I wonder if Jay ever gets bored with his swing, bouncer and play gym day after day. Does he ever long for anything else or is he perfectly content being entertained by the same things over and over and over again?

Now that he is doing so good holding his head up, we've had fun introducing him to some new surroundings - the Rainforest Jumperoo and the Bumbo chair! You can tell he's very intrigued with the Jumperoo and doesn't know yet what to do about the new view from the Bumbo!

Jay and His Buddy

2009-05-11T09:42:00.005-05:00

Haven't blogged in a little while...so here's to catching up on uploading some pictures! This is Jay and his friend, Grant! Grant is almost 7 months old and is sitting up and playing with lots of toys now. Jay likes to watch him and is probably learning some tips & tricks along the way! Grant seemed to like Jay as a fun, new toy in these pics...someday they will be able to look back on these and smile!

Week 10 pics

2009-04-23T20:06:00.004-05:00

Jay is almost 11 weeks old - can you believe it?! Here's a collage of pictures from this week - of course the smiling never gets old. He does a lot of it - just like his Daddy! And bathtime continues to be a fun experience. It seems like he likes it more and more these days. I can't wait until he learns how to splash! Well, maybe I can, but it will still be fun!

'99 EIU Baseball Reunion

2009-04-19T07:39:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we took our first real road trip with Jay down to Eastern. It was a great day!! It was fun to cruise down Lincoln and stroll around campus to see what has changed (or in most cases not change) over the last 8 to 9 years.

The main reason we went was for my 1999 baseball reunion. In between games of the doubleheader our team was honored for being conference champs and also the 1st team to make it to the NCAA regional beating Arizona there.

Being there made me want to get back more often. I told Carrie on the way home that maybe we would start a tradition to take Jay to a game every year. Here are some other pictures of the day.

My First Easter

2009-04-15T18:48:00.004-05:00

Hi! It's me - Jay! I guess I haven't blogged in a while, but I thought I would today and tell you about my first Easter. My Mommy & Daddy (& Auntie Lena!) took me to see the Easter Bunny at the mall and even dressed me in a "Baby's First Easter" outfit, complete with bunny ears on my hat. It was kind of funny...they thought it would be a good idea to feed me with a bottle right when we got there so that I would be in a good mood, but there was just so much going on, all I could do was spit up all over my Mommy and my outfit right before I got my picture taken. Whoops! Maybe I'll do better next year.

Then we went to Nick's Cozy Corner to meet my Great Grandma & Grandpa Masek and to celebrate my Poppy's birthday. I was so worn out from the Easter Bunny that I just fell right to sleep when we got there.

On Sunday we went to Mimi & Poppy's house for an Easter lunch. My Great Papa and Uncle Eric were both there, too, so we decided to get a family picture together. Wow, lots of pictures that I'll have my Mommy post below. I guess we'll never forget my first Easter! Maybe next year I'll be big enough to look for eggs!

Family Pic Minus Sandy

2009-04-07T10:02:00.002-05:00

8 Week Update

2009-04-03T14:44:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow Jay will be 8 weeks old!! He has gained 3 pounds since he was born, which makes him 9 lbs, 6 oz now and he is just starting to wear his 0-3 month clothes and upgrade to size 1 diapers. We have been busy visiting friends, going out to lunch and attending some first-time mom groups during the week. This week we attended Cradle Talk which is on Wednesday mornings from 10-11:30am. It is a great place to meet new moms in the Naperville/Aurora area and get any and all of your questions answered. It is also nice to hear other moms ask questions so you know you're not the only one questioning parenthood! We plan to go as many Wednesdays as we can - it's free and goes on all year round! The girl we sat next to is already planning to form a summer playgroup so we are excited about that!

We're not yet in any 'official' schedule with him, but it seems like he wakes up anytime between 2:30-3:30am to eat and then is usually up around 6:30am so we feel pretty lucky throughout the night. Last night was an improvement (which we hope lasts!)...he didn't wake up until 3:40am and then lasted till 7am! We shall see! Then he goes down for a nap at 8:30am, 11:30am and...well, we're still figuring out the rest of the day & evening still! Naps have been a definite work in progress. Since we're out and about so much, he does like falling asleep in his car seat for sure.

Here are a couple recent pics! He is really into looking at our faces, smiling, and playing under his baby gym!

Jay 'n Sandy

2009-03-24T17:03:00.003-05:00

Since we've had Jay, we haven't posted much about Sandy...so here they are together this morning! I was trying to entertain Jay while petting Sandy at the same time...they both need attention! (I took this on my cell phone so it's not the clearest pic)

Jay is 6 weeks old now and doing good. He's just about too big for his newborn clothes, although he can still fit into them. I'm excited for 0-3 cause that means much more selection on what to wear! We've been lucky to receive a lot of hand-me-downs from the Metcalfs.

Some Favorite Pics

2009-03-08T20:45:00.003-05:00

Jay's First Smackdown

2009-03-08T20:35:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we took Jay to his first Pinochle Smackdown...a card-playing good time with my Mom's side of the family that happens about once every 2-3 months. The winners leave with the coveted trophy and the losers leave with the piggy! Papa and I landed right in the middle, as did John & Tommy.

Jay was a trooper with all the noise we made and slept almost the whole day! We were shocked and also nervous as to what the night would bring, but he slept good last night, too. Whew - he must've grown yesterday!

The Other Larsons meet Jay

2009-03-08T20:15:00.002-05:00

Two weeks ago, Paul (John's brother) & Amy and their 6 kids came to visit. We had fun introducing Jay to his cousins! Paul & John also installed the "Storm Pro" so our basement is protected from a power outage - feels good to have that done (thanks, Paul!).

Then & Now

2009-02-28T21:57:00.005-06:00

Here are me and my 2 sister-in-laws, Jenny & Amy, back on Labor Day...and here we are today! Amy had Nathan in September, Jenny had Levi in October and I had Jay in February! Grandma Connie got them all matching outfits for Christmas! It will be fun to watch them become friends as they grow up together.

Grandpa Les had fun holding them all at the same time, while John practiced holding what Jay will feel like in several months!

3 Weeks Old!!

2009-02-28T21:50:00.001-06:00

2009-02-23T19:28:00.003-06:00

Well, I did it! I took Sandy for a walk around the block for the first time post-pregnancy! It felt really good to get some excercise other than running an errand or two and it was actually a beautiful afternoon with the sun shining and no wind. I'm thankful to be feeling good enough to do that again...I think Sandy is thankful, too! I'm also continually thankful for my Mom (Mimi) and ALL that she has done for us. Thanks, Mom!

I had set out to just go around the block, but when I came to the intersection I decided to make it a longer walk than planned, hoping that I wouldn't be overdoing it. I'm so glad I took the longer route because I met the most charming couple in our neighborhood. They were an older couple - Lois & Dominic - and as Sandy & I walked by she asked how I was doing, pet Sandy and told me her husband had just stepped inside to get Sandy a treat! Wow - I was really shocked and pleasantly surprised by their warmth & welcome. She asked where I lived and I also shared that I had just had a baby 2 weeks ago. I wish conversations like this happened more often in my neighborhood. It made me wonder if I could be that bold to just strike up a conversation with someone walking by my house. Maybe I will have to try it. . .

A Great Morning

2009-02-20T09:34:00.003-06:00

Well this is our first morning home alone without Daddy or Mimi here...and I'm happy to say it's going really, really well! John is working another half day today from the Aurora office which is perfect for getting me ready for his normal schedule back in the city next week. That will be another hurdle, but I need to be thankful & excited for what's happening today. (I keep reminding myself of that).

I was able to slip in a shower before John left around 7:30am.

Then I nursed Jay, changed him and tried out his jungle swing which is in our bedroom to use when I'm getting ready or doing stuff upstairs. He did SO good just looking around and being so content - I couldn't believe it! I was so proud of him. The 2nd pic is of him when I got him out of the jungle swing to come downstairs - the kind of face we wait for!

Then, as I was getting my breakfast ready, I decided to try out the bouncer and...he loved that too, and is sleeping peacefully in it as I type this! I realize every day won't be like this, but, for me, this couldn't have come at a better time! God knew I needed this today! What a blessing!

Tomorrow he will be 2 weeks old!

The New & Improved Larson Family

2009-02-17T10:00:00.002-06:00

My First Bath

2009-02-12T18:08:00.003-06:00

Hello...it's Jay here. Mommy & Daddy gave me my very first bath today (with help from Mimi too) and, boy, was I cold! They had me up on the kitchen counter on my little froggy spongey mat. Mommy wiped down my whole body, Daddy washed my hair and then Mommy brushed my hair afterward! It felt good to get clean and put on one of my new outfits!

The biggest day of our lives!

2009-02-09T20:47:00.003-06:00

Jay Patrick made his appearance five days before my due date and was born on Saturday, February 7th at 7:02am! He is a healthy baby boy and we are loving every minute of it! It's pretty surreal. We came home from the hospital last night around 6:00pm and made it through night #1 successfully...we'll see what tonight brings. It's hard to find all the right words to share so we'll let the pictures speak for us!

We are SO blessed to have Jay and also all of you for your prayers, support & love. Thank you!