Search This Blog

Under Construction

>> Thursday, September 30, 2010

In case you haven't noticed, Amber over at Our Journey to Jax is freshening up our blog a bit. Do you like what you're seeing?!? Is anything not showing up in your browser? I'd love to hear from you if you notice something, please and thank you:)

Photobucket

Read more...

100 things

>> Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Meredith over at The Sweet T Family blog posted a 100 random things about herself and encouraged us to do the same. So, here we go! 100 things about me:

1. I knew the second I met Mr. that he was the man I was going to marry.
2. Mr. did not feel the same way, at first:)
3. We joke that I set the hook with football tickets, except that it was no joke!
4. I obsessively pluck my eyebrows, sometimes 3x a day
5. I rarely go a day without talking to my mom
6. I love being a Momma so much, sometimes it hurts
7. I haven't gone more than a day without nail polish on my toes for as long as I can remember
8. I used to bite my nails, and now I have very long, pretty nails that people often mistake as being fake
9. My parents divorced when I was 19. At the time is was the worst thing to happen to me.
10. In the end, it was the best thing that could have happened
11. I met Mr. while on vacation, visiting my mom and her new husband
12. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up
13. I thought that I would be a nurse, just like my mom
14. Mr. was going to be a nurse, until his first day of clinicals
15. Then he decided that he'd just study biology
16. His first job was with the wildlife and fisheries, he can tell you the scientific name of everything
17. Mr. was a huge nerd, but I secretly love that about him {well I guess not so secretly anymore:)}
18. The night I met Mr., I was convinced he was a sports jock, just my type
19. I couldn't have been more wrong, he's never played a day of football
20. Have I mentioned that I love my Mr.?!?
21. I LOVE pregnant bellies
22. I miss being pregnant...
23. But, I'm really not ready for #2
24. We already know that if/when we have #2 what we will name him/her
25. Benjamin Jacob or Matilda Jayne
26. I love my family more than I could ever put into words
27. I never knew how much closer I would be to my mom after I became a mom
28. I cried when we found out my sister was having a girl
29. I didn't cry once during my whole pregnancy, okay I did a few times when I was in ungodly pain and hospitalized at 11 weeks. It wasn't crazy pregnancy hormones though
30. I wish that I could have bottled up the feeling I had after Jackson. I think it was the opposite as ppd
31. I have insomnia, and it sucks
32. Mr. snores and makes a "poooo" sounds with his lips when he sleeps
33. Jackson does the same thing
34. My favorite thing about the weekends is family time in our bed every morning
35. I never imagined that I'd still be nursing Jackson
36. It took a lot to overcome the social pressure of "extended breastfeeding"
37. Now I don't know when I'll quit nursing
38. Okay, I won't do it forever. Hopefully Jackson will wean himself around 18 months
39. Speaking of, Jackson totally weaned himself of his lunchtime/nap time nursing session while we were in St. Louis
40. This meant that I stopped pumping this week at work
41. I feel lost without my pump, it's sitting in the back of my car waiting to be returned to the hospital...
42. I really, really wish my sister and her family lived closer to us
43. I love the Fall
44. Football season is my favorite
45. I think dressing a little boy is just as fun as a girl would be
46. Jackson gives the best hugs
47. Mr.'s touch gives me peace and comfort
48. I wish it was easier to stay connected sometimes
49. I have to work at our marriage, daily
50. Sometimes I think I suck at being a wife
51. I don't cook, or bake, or iron
52. Cleaning and organizing are my strengths
53. I clean for the cleaning lady every week, and want to fire her every week but never do
54. I hate cleaning toilets
55. My wedding day was the funnest day of my life and I would not have changed one thing
56. It rained all day the day of our wedding
57. The sun came out about an hour before we walked down the isle
58. My step-dad's mom married us
59. We don't believe in the word "step" as it relates to our "step families"
60. Both of our parents are divorced
61. My dad is the only one of our parents that isn't remarried
62. We had more grandmas walk down the isle at our wedding then bridesmaids
63. I was a cheerleader in both high school and college
64. I never wanted to be a cheerleader, but my best friend made me try out with her
65. Stephanie has been my best friend since the third grade
66. And I consider her a second sister
67. I'm so glad that my sister and I are close now that we are older
68. I regret not realizing that having a sister meant double the clothes, instead we fought and never shared
69. I smoked cigarettes in college and I regret that
70. I cannot stand the smell of smoke, it seriously grosses me out
71. I have never done drugs
72. I love being the lady of the house
73. Jackson's name was almost Jacob. I'm so glad we named him Jackson, it fits him well
74. Mr. losing his job was the best thing to happen to him
75. Our neighbors still drive me insane
76. My neck breaks out in hives when I'm upset or mad
77. I curse like a sailor
78. There's a good chance that Jackson's first word my be a bad word:)
79. I always had multiple jobs in school
80. I've been at my job since I graduated in 2004
81. I took me 7 months to get a job...okay 4 months once I started looking
82. I never just sit at home
83. We're more than blessed to have our nanny at home with Jackson
84. Some days I wish I could adopted her as my own, she's that wonderful
85. In 2006, Mr. and I went to every since LSU game - home and away
86. I love my family!
87. I make a lot of lists
88. It kills me that I still have yet to have Jackson baptized
89. Family means the world to me
90. I hate to sweat, and I sweat a lot
91. I cannot stand people that aren't real
92. Mr. wants two kids, and I hope for 3
93. Infertility did something to me, and it's frustrating and makes me feel grateful at the same time
94. I'm dyslectic
95. We don't believe in charging things - if we can't afford it, we don't buy it
96. But we use a credit card to earn airline points, if we charge something we pay it off on the same day
97. I believe in planning for our future
98. There are some days that I look at my life and wonder what I did to deserve all that I have
99. Our life is FAR from picture perfect, trust me
100. We tend to put the fun in dysfunctional

Well folks, there you have it. 100 things about us! Write your own random list and leave me a comment with a link to your post!

Happy Wednesday:) Oh and don't forget to enter to win!
Photobucket

Read more...

It's a spooktacular giveaway!

>> Monday, September 27, 2010

Why hello there friends! Have you missed your Wilson family?!? We have certainly missed all of you:) Where did we go, you ask? Well I know it's hard {for me} to believe, but I graduated from high school 10 years ago. So me, the Mr., our rock star nanny and Jackson loaded up in the Honda and drove 11 hours to St. Louis for the week. We had the best time and I have lots to post about...

While I catch up on laundry, edit pictures and go through my inbox I'll leave you with a spooktacular giveaway from our friends at Pear Tree Greetings!

The weather is changing, the evenings are darker and football season is here. You know what that means?!? It's fall y'all! I'm totally behind in our Halloween preparations. I literally don't have a clue what Jackson will be. And a whole box of my decorations has gone missing and I need to start planning a party!

Luckily, Pear Tree Greetings is making one thing easy for me:) How cute will these stickers be on my trick or treat candy? Or on the little treat buckets I make for our friends? Oh I just love them! If you feel the same way, then this is your lucky week 'cause we'll be giving away 24 personalized stickers for FREE.

Leave me a comment letting me know you'd like to win. Come back on Friday and see if it's your spooktacular day:)

For an extra entry, give me some ideas for Jackson's costume. Please keep in mind that we live in South Louisiana. It will most likely be hot! So the adorable blue monster suite that I just love will be too hot:(

UPDATE: BECOME A WILSON FAMILY FAN ON FACEBOOK FOR AN EXTRA ENTRY!

If stickers aren't your thing, check out the rest of the Halloween collection. Any Halloween related purchase is 10% off with this code, no minimum purchase required!

Use Code PEARSEP10




Entry to win this giveaway will end at 5pm on Friday, October 1st. Jackson or random.org will select one lucky winner! You'll have 48 hours to email me with your contact information to collect your promo code.
Photobucket

Read more...

The name debate

>> Thursday, September 16, 2010

Please help the Mr. and I solve this name debate.

Do you think Jackson is saying his name in this video? He's looking at himself on camera, and I believe that is what he's trying to say. Mr., on the other hand just thinks his babbling.

Smart boy or just coincidence?

Photobucket

Read more...

Grandma's 90th birthday

>> Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Today would have been my Grandma's 90th birthday. For as long as I can remember, she always said she'd live to be 90. She made it just three months shy. But, I wish she was still here. I wish that she was still with us, physically. I wish that we were celebrating her day with her today.

Instead I have tears in my eyes and a lump in the back of my throat just thinking about her. I can't tell you the number of times I wanted to call her, to see her, or tell her about Jackson's first boo boo, or his ears, or have him blow her a kiss.

Jackson brought so much joy to her life, but I don't think she ever knew how much joy she brought to ours. It saddens me that Jackson won't remember is first year with her.

Grandma was 38 and my grandpa was in his late 40's when they finally got pregnant with my mom, she was their only child. I must have inherited my fertility struggles from her. Neither one of my grandparents ever thought they'd live see grandchildren or great-grandchildren.

My grandpa passed away when I was 11 and my sister was 8. So, Grandma never took one day for granted. Everyday was a gift from God. She fought stage 4 ovarian cancer for almost 5 years. Chemotherapy was pumped through her veins every other week as she fought to be with us - to see both of her grandchildren walk down the isle, to see her great-grandson's first year, and to tell my sister that she was pregnant.

My Grandma was nothing less than extraordinary and today will always be her day. I'll forever fight to live a lift that would make her proud.

Jackson and Grandma on her 89th birthday

A heart that loves is always young.
- greek proverb
Photobucket

Read more...

The Woodlands - to NOLA - and back

>> Monday, September 13, 2010

Talk about a road trippin' kind of weekend! 762 miles, three days, two cities, a Dave Matthews Band concert, a Tulane football game, and all fun that goes along with it. It was like Mr. and I were in college or something! Whew, I'm exhausted again from just typing that:)

Back in February, a girlfriend and I convinced our husbands to take us to the Dave Matthews Band concert in The Woodlands. It was going to be a nice, relaxing weekend away. Well, in the meantime my friend got pregnant and my parents planned a trip to for one of my brother's football games.

As our luck would have it, the concert was Friday night in The Woodlands and the game was Saturday night in New Orleans. So the plans for our nice, relaxing, couples weekend quickly changed. In fact, it was no longer a couples trip or a weekend in Houston at all. Nicole was too pregnant to travel per her doctor's orders, so it was me and the boys for just the night!

We left town Friday afternoon and made it to The Woodlands in just enough time to grab some dinner and a couple of drinks before the show. It was my first trip to The Woodlands area and I must say that I'm in love. Everything was amazing. The only thing I would have changed was the heat and humidity. By the end of the night my hair was curly, and I have bone straight hair!

The guys woke up at the crack of dawn Saturday morning for GameDay. So much for catching up on my sleep:) By 9am we were back in the car and heading East.

Mr. and I were literally home long enough to run through the shower, get our Tulane green on and switch out clothes for Sunday. I'm pretty sure that I've never gotten ready that fast. I was so excited to get to my parents to see Jackson!

When we got to my parents, it was like a Chinese fire drill as we switched out cars and headed to NOLA. Jackson was excited to see us, I think he turned into a full blown toddler overnight. He did awesome in the car, and was such a trooper at the game. Normally Jackson goes to bed at 7:30 and the game didn't even kick off until 8. It was a late night, but so much fun. It's crazy to think that by the time my brother graduates from Tulane, my little man will be in kindergarten!

After the game we went back to our hotel and crashed. Mr. and I didn't even mess with a pack and play. Jackson slept between us and we were one happy, sleepy family:)

Sunday was another whirlwind day. We got up and showered before we went to my brother's dorm to say bye. Jackson was quite a hit on campus with the college girls. Then we went out to a yummy brunch and came back home.

I'd like to say it was home sweet home, but instead, we hit the ground running. Between the grocery shopping, unpacking, laundry, cleaning... we have a busy week ahead of us in preparation for our trip to St. Louis!




it is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end.
-Ursula K. Le Guin
Photobucket

Read more...

quick post

>> Friday, September 10, 2010

It's finally Friday and I couldn't be more ready for the weekend! I just wish we had another 3-day weekend ahead of us. No worries though, we'll be traveling up north in a couple of weeks and will have a whole week off to spend with my friends and family up there. I just wish I could click my heels together to get up there instead of driving 10+ hours!

Speaking of traveling, the Mr. and I are heading on a little road trip tonight to see Dave Matthews Band at The Woodlands. It will be a quick trip though. Tomorrow we'll head back home, pick up Jackson and make our way to New Orleans for my brother's football game. Jackson will be sporting the cutest #47 Green Wave gear ever!

Other updates:
Jackson turned 15 months yesterday, and I'm tardy with my monthly post on that. I have it drafted, so that has to count for something?!?

I cannot thank you guys enough for your kind comments and sweet emails. I never thought that I would gain so many friends from this blog, it's been such a pleasant surprise. I with that we could all meet someday.

Jackson is still sick. Last night was another rough one. I'm hoping Loli & Pop make him all better tonight. He seems to sleep best for them, when he can't smell Momma! I'm not going to lie, I cannot wait to sleep tonight. Pump & dump, and sweet dreams after a little DMB:)

I got my new iphone 4, so if your FB friends or follow me on Twitter - you'll get lots of pic updates.

Here's my sweet boy today, did I mention that our nanny is also a baby whisper?!? Seriously, I have no idea how she gets Action Jackson to be still. He is sleeping on the footstool of my rocker in the nursery!

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was "thank you," that would suffice.
- Meister Eckhart

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!
Loves to my friends:)
Photobucket

Read more...

Jackson at 15 months

>> Thursday, September 9, 2010

How is it possible that my baby is already a quarter of the way through his second year of life?!?

At 15 months Jackson is still nursing 2-3 times a day. I'm in the process of dumping my pump session. Once we get back from St. Louis I plan on only nursing Jackson in the morning and before bed... which means that we'll be introducing cow's milk in the near future.

My goal is to nurse Jackson until 18 months, but I'm not sure if we'll make it that far. I always thought I'd wean him when he got to the point that he'd "ask" for boob. And, well he has figured out how to unsnap my nursing tank, so I think we're getting close.

Jackson is a very busy boy. All joking aside, I'm pretty sure he shows signs of being ADD. Just take a look at this video and you'll see what I mean. He's all over the place!

All 4 of his 12 month molars have cut, and he has a mouth full of teeth. Jackson definitely looks more like a toddler than a baby now. This is very bittersweet. Luckily for me, he still loves to cuddle at night. There's nothing sweeter than his hugs and kisses. I love to interact with him and watch him explore the world around him.

He eats just about anything you put in front of him. Jackson absolutely LOVES watermelon though, he gets giddy about it:)

I've accepted the fact that Jackson may never be a great sleeper. Instead of complaining, I've learned to enjoy the late night snuggles. Jackson has also developed a love for his blanket in the past week. It's strange. He stands at his crib and cries for it when he's tired. Since day one I've only given him this blanket when it's time to sleep... hoping that he'd associate nap and bedtime with his blanket. After 15 months, I think it's finally worked!
Jackson still doesn't say too much, but babbles all of the time. His words are: Dada, Momma, Woof, Hot, and Vroom.

His other new trick is to suck on his toes in his car seat. He thinks it is the funniest thing to do, second to sneezing.

Lastly, Jackson weighs 27 pounds. He wears 18-24 month clothes. He's still short. And his shoe size is a 6, triple wide. Yes, mommas there is another post coming on finding shoes for this kid!

Photobucket

Read more...

sick.tired.overwhelmed.

>> Wednesday, September 8, 2010

That pretty much sums up my life right now.

It all started last Thursday with a video message from our rock star nanny. Jackson was pitiful. Teary-eyed. Saying Momma, momma, momma over and over again. He was obviously not feeling well. I ran home and gave him lots of cuddles and assessed the situation. His nose was pouring, he was warm and he was tugging at his ears. Our nanny was convinced he had an ear infection.

Since I'm 3 for 3 on taking Jackson to the doctor for this same behavior and told it's teething, I didn't listen to her. They all say that breastfed babies don't get ear infections and to stop worrying. Then they point out new teeth that are poking though, causing the symptoms. So, I didn't worry and went back to work. Jackson always tugs on his ears, so this was no different.

Well folks, I had a Momma fail moment. Our nanny knew my son better than I did. She kept saying he had an ear infection. And I was convinced it was just his teeth...until later that night.

I've never seen my baby is as much pain as he was in Thursday night. All night, he cried a cry I've never heard. A cry of such pain, I cried with him. Can you imagine the guilt I felt for going back to work instead of taking him to the doctor?!?

So Friday morning, off to the doctor he went with Mr. {another Momma fail moment in my book. Work came before my son and I'm not sure why I did that}. Our pediatrician was out of town, so I sent my boys to the doctor on call. The last time I was so sure Jackson had an ear infection, this guy not so nicely told me it was just teeth.

Turns out that that breastfed babies can and do get ear infections. Not only did Jackson have an ear infection, but both of his ears were infected! We immediately started Jackson on an antibiotic and were told to give him over the counter medicine for pain and nasal congestion.

As the weekend progressed, so did Jackson's infection. And running on empty with a sick baby is just exhausting. Even more so you feel completely helpless. Every four to six hours I was pumping my baby full of medication that seemed to do no good.

By Monday Jackson developed a terrible cough. His little voice even turned hoarse. So I waited for 8AM on Tuesday and called our doctor's office for an immediate appointment.

We went in and I talked to our doctor about the lack of improvement and pain Jackson is still in. Jackson's ears are still red and full of fluid, after 5 days of antibiotics. Oh, and he's cutting two more teeth! So, we're trying a different antibiotic and a prescription nasal decongestant to help with the drainage. No more over the counter meds!

Jackson was already showing signs of improvement last night. We still didn't get a full night's sleep, but it was better. Teething tabs came to the rescue a couple of times:)

I'm so ready for my baby to feel good! The Momma fail guilt is getting the best of me, and I know it shouldn't. I think the lack of sleep leads to the suffocating, overwhelming feeling with life in general. Oh how a night of sleep would fix things!




With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Photobucket

Read more...

My 28th birthday weekend

>> Thursday, September 2, 2010

I love to celebrate birthdays. Not just my birthday, everyone's birthday. It's the one day out of the whole year that you can claim as yours. And I believe we all deserve a day {or a week, or a weekend} for just that:)

Since I was going to be in New Orleans with Drew Brees on my actual birthday, Mr. spoiled me all weekend! I got a manicure and pedicure after work on Friday. Mr. came home with flowers. And my boys took me out for Mexican {my favorite} on Friday Family Date Night. They even surprised me with a new watch. It's perfect for the Fall!

Then on Saturday night, Mr. took just me out to dinner. It's been too long since we've been able to go out on a Saturday night! We had an amazing time, good wine and lots of laughs:)

Sunday was pretty laid back. Mr. had my oil changed and put new tires on my car. Jackson and I played in the pool for a couple of hours and my mom cooked a little birthday dinner for me.

I was sad to leave for New Orleans Sunday night, Jackson was in an awesome mood. Mr. stayed at my mom's and got some work done while Loli & Pop entertained Jackson. Some how Jackson managed to get into dog poop, with three adults supervising. I was totally disgusted when I called to check on my boys and Mr. told me everything was shitty, literally. Boys will be boys, right?!? Gross, I just threw-up in my mouth thinking about it.

My actual birthday seems like a blur. My insomnia and nerves got the best of me on Sunday night. So my 4:30am wake up call just plain sucked. We were at the Saints practice facility ready to shoot by 6:00am and out the door at 8. I normally don't even leave my house until 8:20 to go to work!

The office had a yummy chocolate and strawberry cake waiting for me when I got back. It was delicious! I even got a nice spa gift card {and another one from my mother in law}, so I think a day at the spa is in my very near future:)

It's hard to believe that I met Mr. just days before my 22nd birthday. Thinking back, I was such a baby! And on Monday I celebrated my 28th birthday as his wife and the mother of his son. I always wished that this would be my life. I couldn't be happier that my dream came true. As a matter of fact, I had a hard time thinking of what more I could wish for as I blew out my candles.

Don't get me wrong, my life is not perfect. I'm certainly not claiming to be God's gift or anything. I remember years of wishing Mr. would ask me to marry him. Then I wished, prayed, and begged to become a Momma. And last year, I wished to reconnect with my Mr. The adjustment to parenthood was one that wasn't easy on our marriage.

This year it felt selfish to wish for anything more than I have. I wished for God to continue to watch over and bless our families. For my sister to have a healthy baby. And for my Grandma to watch over us and be proud of who we continue to grow to be.

Jackson & Momma {28}
Jackson & Momma {27}

Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers and are famous preservers of youthful looks. - Charles Dickens

Photobucket

Read more...

Working Mom Wednesday: My birthday with Drew Brees

>> Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Because of the nature of my job I have the opportunity to work with some pretty talented people. One client in particular has given me the chance to meet and work with Les Miles, Chris Paul, and most recently Drew Brees. I'm not one to get star struck, but I have to say that meeting Drew was pretty neat. He was super cute, and had an awesome personality. You could tell that he is a pretty cool guy. And I may or may not have a little crush on him {hi Mr.} :)

Working with "high profile" talent comes with a lot work behind the scenes to make it all happen. Late nights, early mornings and yet another night away from my boys. Our scheduled time with Drew was at 6:30AM on Monday, so we headed to NOLA Sunday night. Thankfully, this night away went a little smoother than my experience with CP3. I had to painfully pour about 12 oz. of milk down the drain, but I didn't get engorged or have to worry about keeping my milk cold while on set.

The shoot was a success and I'm confident that the client will be happy with the finished product. We were done by 8AM, which is earlier than I normally leave my house to go to work! So I was able to ran by Tulane and visit with my brother before making the trip back home to my boys.

I was totally exhausted when I got home, which isn't exactly easy to be with a 15 month old. However, I got my second wind and was so happy to be home. I always say that walking out the door to go to work is one of the hardest parts of my day. But, walking back in to see my sweet little man light up is one of the best parts of my day.

Monday was no different, except that I walked back in the door another year older than I was the night before. Starting my 28th year off with Drew Brees wasn't exactly a bad way to start. I just wish I would have gotten a birthday photo op with him. Instead, I got these {and a wake up call to stop with the daily ice cream}!



More on my birthday weekend coming up:)
Photobucket

Read more...
Related Posts with Thumbnails